Chapter 1098: The Strength of Red Moon (II)

“I want to take a look and study the forefather’s stroke again before everyone comes...” Li Hao asserted. “If any problems develop, teacher, just kill me.”

“The powerhouse in the seal is very practiced at possessing others. Even Ying Hongyue might not fully be the Ying Hongyue he was in years back. After a period of observation, it remains to be seen what the true nature of the situation is.

“Although Ying Hongyue was tricky and devious, he also fancies himself a sentimental romantic. The old Ying Hongyue would’ve long come for my head after he saw me take out so many of his women.”

“In that case, we’ll be safer by the stone door,” smiled Li Hao. “This time, I’ll make my way to the core of the eight trigrams by following the diagram.”

“Ah...” Yuan Shuo grappled with a massive headache. “Very well then!”

Since Li Hao insisted, he could only keep his disciple company.

“There are still a lot of dao meridians to be manifested in your journey to clear acupoints in all 360 meridians. Even without opening meridians, you’ve cleared more than 200 acupoints, but have left 324 meridians untouched. You’ve got to clear at least 324 more acupoints, which will make for more than 500 total! Can you hold up beneath that amount of strain?”

“I can. Clearing an acupoint is not the same as opening a dao meridian. There’s much less of an strain on me,” Li Hao responded softly. “The key is that I’m not sure there will be much of a difference in my strength if I clear another acupoint and eventually complete the circulation of 360. That would be a waste then.”

“There will certainly be some changes,” said Yuan Shuo after some quick determination. “But it won’t be as pronounced as if you fully open your dao meridians. However, 360 acupoints forming the sword of dao meridians, Stellaris, and the Sword Sovereign’s techniques... might give rise to unexpected gains.

“In addition, I have something to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

“Lend me the five elements!”

“What?” Li Hao blinked.

“Do you understand me? Lend me the five elements,” snorted Yuan Shuo. “I saw your five supernatural characters hovering in the Hao Cosmos overseeing their respective sectors. I want you to lend the five elements to me. The supernatural characters can become part of me, I will command the five elements and you focus on the 360 dao meridians.”

“I can’t do that...” Li Hao frowned.

“Are you worried that I’ll steal your abilities?!” Yuan Shuo flew into a rage. “I’m your master and taught you your martial dao, kid! So you’ve filled out your wings now and don’t even want to lend me something?! You’d rather believe that coward Earthturner Sword and not your own teacher??”

“That’s not it.” Li Hao knew that his teacher was indulging his anger. “I don’t mean it that way, teacher. It’s that the five elements are not complete yet...”

“I can do it myself!”

“There’s not enough time...”

“The hell you know!” spat Yuan Shuo. “If you want to use sword dao and the sword of the dao meridians against the enemy, then it doesn’t matter if you have five elements more or five elements less! If you lend them to me, your supernatural characters won’t reject me because we are of the same roots and origin. On the contrary, since we are master and disciple, I am the only person you can lend them to.

“No one else has the right to borrow them! It’s not only that, but that your dao character also needs to be lent to me for a while...”

“Teacher, I...” It was Li Hao’s turn to struggle with a headache.

“Are you afraid that I’ll seize them from you?”

“Why are you talking like this, teacher?”

“I already said why!” Yuan Shuo glowered. “It’s a sign that you don’t trust me if you don’t lend them to me! In that case, you are no longer of the Five Styles discipline. You can be Commander Li and I’ll be Old Demon Five Styles. You are the same as your senior brothers and sister—all unfilial disciples! It’s pointless to have raised you!”

Li Hao knew that his teacher was provoking him on purpose and wanted to say something when Yuan Shuo’s anger suddenly subsided.

“I really will sever my relationship with you if you don’t lend them to me. If you don’t, there won’t be a good ending in store for us the next time we meet with danger and you are unable to overcome it. The only way I don’t need them is if I don’t enter the Hao Cosmos.

“You need to think this over. If push comes to shove, I can save myself by fleeing into the Hao Cosmos. I won’t be able to do that if you don’t lend the elements to me. Getting lost is a foregone conclusion without being able to set a fixed location.”

Li Hao blinked. That was right! If he lent the characters to his teacher, Yuan Shuo could take shelter in the dao universe if he ran into an enemy too strong for him. If he didn’t lend out the characters, his teacher might really be lost within.

The young man fell silent. Although he knew his teacher’s thoughts, he was still immensely resigned. “Teacher, you can’t run wild with them after I lend them to you, alright? Your physical body is much weaker than mine. Don’t think about absorbing the nearby strength of great dao. Your body is certain to collapse!”

“How would I ever?” chuckled Yuan Shuo. “You’re still my good disciple if you lend them to me!”

“......” Li Hao was quite resigned.

I know you’re going to absorb energy from the great dao with what you’re saying!

Master and disciple headed to the mine on the outskirts as they chatted.

“Teacher, you and I are of the same origin. You’ve focused on the five elements and their amalgamation, so your battle strength is sure to have risen. You’ve reached your limits and will be tempting death if you absorb more.”

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“No shit. But when death stares at us in the face, is there a difference between dying from absorbing too much and being beaten to death?”

“......” Those words were... true! Li Hao burst out laughing.

“Stop hemming and hawing so much.” Yuan Shuo smiled. “Do you remember this place?”

“The... Qiao Mining Corporation.” Li Hao nodded slowly after he took a look around.

“I’d just set foot into Dominator that day and decided to fight a Solar. Were we so afraid of conflict then?” Yuan Shuo pointed merrily at an office building. “You wrecked my car on that spot! What level of strength were you then? What level of strength was I? The Qiao patriarch was just a Solar! That situation is no different from the one we face now, except that a Solar has turned into a Saint and that you and I are much stronger!

“We were the cause of his death all the same, weren’t we?” Yuan Shuo sneered. “Sometimes, the stronger one grows, the more courage shrinks and the more matters we have to consider! But... remember this, Little Hao. There is no way out now that we’ve reached where we are. Let’s just put everything on the line!

“We feast if we win and what is there to worry about if we lose?” He turned to his student. “You’ve become ever more worried and apprehensive over various things. You’re afraid that I’ll die, that your decisions will implicate others. What are you so worried about?

“There’s nothing to worry about! Even if we all die, we have only ourselves to blame! I’ll say this, all modern powerhouses deserve to die. It’s not that we’re all guilty of something, but that we would’ve died to the ancients sooner or later without you! In that case, why be worried about their survival?

“Silver Moon’s martial world has long been ready to show its hand! Without you, the second awakening would’ve already started and these guys probably would’ve died with Zhao Shuguang! They wouldn’t be able to handle the nine ministries and royal family!

“Therefore, you don’t need to consider them. You think too much, including when it comes to me! How many have I killed in my lifetime? Were some of my victims innocent? Of course they were!” Yuan Shuo sneered. “I’ve killed many, many martial masters and many of them were innocent.

“I chose to kill them just so I could build my reputation. I’ve lived for seventy years and don’t have many regrets. If you have the time and effort to spare for my continued survival, why don’t you direct it to yourself?

“Did we have any proof that the Qiaos were the bad guys when we attacked them?” The old man pointed at the office building. “You wanted me to kill them simply because the Qiao patriarch was strong, the family had occupied a ruin, and they shared a death feud with Liu Yan. Be more decisive about seeking revenge or paying back gratitude! There is no point in considering life and death!

“Evidence... whether it’s the Zhengs, Hongs, or anyone else, stop thinking about evidence after you’ve made your decision. If those of New Martial don’t understand, then you don’t need them to understand!”

Li Hao nodded thoughtfully.

“C’mon, let’s travel with the Five Styles,” smiled Yuan Shuo. “It’s been a while since you used the deer style, right? Remember how it felt when you used it the first time we rushed to the mine?”

Li Hao blinked, then grinned. Master and disciple jumped into the wind like a pair of deer, leaping and darting forward with complete abandon!

Many people were surprised by the sight, that master and disciple didn’t fly through the void. They simply ran to their hearts content and left dust clouds in their wake.

......

Silver City.

Zhao Shuguang watched them go with some puzzlement. Next to him, the long departed Deputy Zhou smiled. “So a master and disciple have the best relationship after all. I... haven’t dared to talk to him about certain things lately.”

“What do you mean?” Director General Zhao looked curiously at his colleague.

“The four nations, ancient cities, New Martial, traitors, and three great organizations...” sighed Deputy Zhou. “All of them are forcing him up a wall! He used to smile happily, even if it was fake. It’s been a very long time since I last saw him truly smile. He’s grown stronger ever since the four nations invaded and some of New Martial walked out of the ruins, but his days seem to have gotten harder.

“We had the four protectors of Silver Moon before and Yuan Shuo that could shelter him from the elements,” the deputy continued helplessly. “But now... there’s not a single one of them! Whether it’s Zhang An or Li Daozong, these people are quite good to him, but they can’t fully bare their hearts to him. They can’t favor him over other New Martial citizens.”

Everyone was biased towards Li Hao and could protect the young man before, but now not a single one of them could.

The strongest person among the Skystar Commander Office now was Zhang An. Zhang An only thought well of Li Hao, yet wouldn’t unequivocally choose the young man in every matter. That held true even though he knew that Li Hao faced a lot of difficulties.

The rest were weaker than the young man!

“He’s been waffling and hesitating because he wishes to obtain more support,” sighed the deputy. “But New Martial isn’t willing to support him too much. He actually wishes to be protected by them, but they aren’t willing. He’s had no choice but to grit his teeth and walk forward. Every step he takes is on thin ice.

“Ole Zhao, this is how we made it through all these years, but the times now are more difficult. If we take a look at everyone on his side, no one is truly willing to expend their entire force to help him but us. No, we may not be wholeheartedly supporting him either.”

“What do you mean by that?” grumped the director general. “How have we not been wholehearted in our help?”

“You and I have worked together in Silver Moon for forty years,” said Deputy Zhou after considering the old man for a long moment. “Are the ten thousand Silver Moon Guards everything you have to call upon for the second awakening?

“We’ve been waiting for the second awakening all this time, for the ancients to set foot into our world. You tell me, are those ten thousand the entirety of your trump cards?” Deputy Zhou grinned radiantly. “Just us? A bunch of weaklings who might not be able to take down an Apex? Is that it, Ole Zhao?”

Director General Zhao frowned at him.