Chapter 1112: Killing Earthflare (IV)

“Absorb the power of great dao and open these unique meridians,” Li Hao transmitted to Gan Wuliang. “They are the source of your supernatural abilities.”

He waved the ‘dao’ character around and herded a vast sum of great dao power toward the man.

Gan Wuliang’s face was twisted with pain, but he still insisted on proper manners. “Many thanks to the commander for smoothing the way for me...”

“Not at all, this is the result of your own efforts!”

“All the same, my thanks...”

Li Hao didn’t say anything. Gan Wuliang had been in the greatest danger during that operation. Despite that, he even regained control over his body in the end. Although Li Hao had determined that they stood a chance of success regardless, the outcome was still... incredible.

Earthflare was being blasted by innumerable thunderbolts. His consciousness was yet to be fully obliterated.

“Li Hao, I...” he sneered with a trace of despair.

A sword slashed through the firmament before he had a chance to complete his sentence!

KABOOM!

The scarlet shadow was ripped to pieces. Thunderbolts followed Li Hao when he reached out and grabbed the pieces. He permitted the lightning to wash over him and once more sealed the acupoints that he’d just forced open.

“You don’t need to talk about waiting for me or anything else,” he laughed. “Dead is dead. A dead Saint is nothing to a major world. Don’t think too highly of yourself!”

Boom!

The last shred of scarlet energy was exterminated. With it, Earthflare’s voice faded away.

Some power of great dao was surging into everyone’s body, including Deputy Zhou. Li Hao glanced at the deputy, noting that the deputy himself wasn’t being attacked by the dao universe. It seemed that he would be fine so long as he wasn’t directly connected to core origin dao.

How interesting. It further illustrated that unless one was equipped with core origin energy or Red Moon power, visitors to the Hao Cosmos would not be targeted.

Everyone was absorbing power of the great dao. Even Director General Wang was shaken by his state.

“When was I affected... Red Moon is terrifying!” A very small bit of scarlet energy had bubbled out of his body earlier. Being a tiny amount, it was quickly obliterated. All the same, it was horrifying that the enemy had soundlessly and unknowingly infected him.

“I was probably infected by Ole Zhao.” Deputy Zhou opened his eyes with a sigh. “Ole Zhao said a few words to me before. I hadn’t realized that this could be spread from person to person...”

“I didn’t know either,” Director General Zhao responded with resignation. “I thought I wasn’t that influenced before he took control of my body...

“Do you guys think we’re the only ones contaminated? Were Ying Hongyue and the others at the first awakening fully tainted as well? If so, that person may not be dead. He might resurrect through the others.”

Director General Zhao hadn’t been the only person present at the first awakening. Everyone had been too weak then and no one had visited Earthflare after, or asked to be modified. But was Earthflare really dead?

Perhaps there was hope for him to come back to life in the others.

“Don’t worry, he’s most certainly dead,” Li Hao smiled. “Don’t forget that there’s still a Ying Hongyue out there! Would he run the possibility of letting people around him turn into Earthflare at any moment to take his life?

“If nothing unexpected has developed at any point in time, then he’s surely long killed those around him contaminated with Red Moon power. With the convergence of the eight bloodlines, eradicating a bit of Red Moon power is no problem at all.”

He felt that there was no need for anyone to worry. Even if anything happened, that was Ying Hongyue’s problem to worry about. With the man’s level of deviousness, he’d probably long erased the vestiges of Red Moon power from his people.

The group nodded at the young man’s words. Ying Hongyue was not to be underestimated. He’d come in contact with Red Moon major world early on, but remained out of their control. The man was conniving and devious. As a member of Silver Moon’s Thirty-Six back in the day, Ying Hongyue had created the Red Moon organization to kill the scarlet cloak surveilling him instead.

Everyone found Li Hao’s words likely. Their presences had been building during the conversation. It was a source of immense joy to see how much they’d improved. The ten had reached third level Sun and Moon prior to this, which was only sixteen dao meridians. Peak third level required eighteen dao meridians.

After absorbing the power of great dao, almost everyone was eighteen dao meridians. Gan Wuliang had also caught up to them because he’d absorbed too much Red Moon power, which meant that the concentration of great dao around him was the greatest. He opened eighteen dao meridians in the blink of an eye and another few of the unique dao meridians that’d newly shown themselves.

He was a fourth level Sun and Moon in the true sense of the word! Gan Wuliang was also the second modern powerhouse to set foot in this cultivation level after Director General Zhao.

As for Director General Wang, he’d opened eighteen dao meridians a long time ago. He’d collected some small gains and opened another dao meridian. Nineteen meridians put him at fourth level Sun and Moon—on par with the initial Immortals of the New Martial era. In fact, he rivaled them if core origin dao wasn’t taken into consideration.

The crowd was very excited!

Everyone had reaped a rich harvest and almost all reached eighteen dao meridians. They were just a step away from fourth level Sun and Moon.

“That guy...” Yuan Shuo was quite regretful. “I’d thought he’d seize possession of me. Damn it, he didn’t choose me!”

Yuan Shuo was quite dejected! He’d introduced himself as Li Hao’s teacher as soon as he entered the ruins, wanting to lure the enemy with that identity. But Earthflare hadn’t chosen him!

That pisses me off!

He knew how strong Red Moon power was and how rich the gains would be. Yuan Shuo had wanted to take a gamble, but he hadn’t had a chance to.

The enemy had chosen five people—weakling Kong Jie, powerhouse Zhao Shuguang, Deputy Zhou of an old cultivation system, Gan Wuliang of high affinity, and the only female Lin Hongyu.

Why didn’t he choose me??

Yuan Shuo would’ve definitely set foot into fourth level Sun and Moon otherwise!

“Teacher has combined five elements and auras as one,” laughed Li Hao. “Your mental strength is strong and auras immense. People don’t normally choose targets with strong auras when they pick someone for possession. That too easily gives rise to internal conflict, so it’s normal that you weren't picked.”

Yuan Shuo sighed with resignation. “That’s true. I’m too strong, so they didn’t dare pick me. At least I’m better than those without distinguishing attributes.”

For instance, Earthturner Sword, Sky Sword, Chen Zhongtian, Huang Yu, Hou Xiaochen...

Those five looked straight at him. That was a veiled insult and cursing one thing while pointing to another! Old Demon Yuan was really getting too full of himself!

They couldn’t be bothered to talk to him. Instead, they stole glances at Gan Wuliang. No one said anything to or about the man.

This person had been able to withstand Red Moon’s power of desire... Truth be told, the group was highly wary of the man. Earthflare had said that Gan Wuliang might be the death of Li Hao in the end. That wasn’t necessarily a pure falsehood.

Wasn’t Li Hao worried at all?

Gan Wuliang was as humble as ever despite reaching fourth level Sun and Moon. His heart skipped a beat when the others looked at him and he offered a tentative smile. “The commander is wise! A Saint is nothing in front of the commander!”

“He was just a trapped beast.” Li Hao shook his head. “He couldn’t leave or escape. Senior Zhang An was helping us, so he should’ve known early on that there was no way out for him after we came!”

He refused Gan Wuliang’s compliment and smiled at the group. “The key is, we bet correctly this time! Let’s go, Senior Zhang An is still waiting for us. Earthflare was just an appetizer. A trapped Saint without any support was no cause for concern!”

This wasn’t the first Saint Li Hao had killed—there was the one at Skystar Town. A lot of accidental factors had been involved in that battle. What was most worthy of joy from this operation was that he could deploy a third stroke!

In that case, so long as his opponent wasn’t fully recovered and didn’t exceed initial Saint, he was fully confident of killing the other.

The group walked out of the Hao Cosmos. With Stellaris as the access point, Li Hao could freely come and go from the dao universe so long as he didn’t wander too freely. The young man quickly brought Zhang An out of the ruins.

The Evenround dean looked at the group with a complicated look in his eyes. There were three cultivators at fourth level Sun and Moon! Director General Zhao, Director General Wang, Gan Wuliang...

Something must have happened just now as the entire group had improved, not just those three. The rest were peak third level Sun and Moon.

So Li Hao hadn’t told him the full plan in the end. Earthflare might not have fully died in the ruins and the young man... might be able to kill a Saint by himself.

A very complicated mix of emotions assailed Zhang An. The day that Li Hao could kill a Saint was possibly the day in which their paths separated. The dean didn’t say anything as he had several options ahead of him. However, he was still a teacher and there were hundreds of students yet to make a decision. He couldn’t leave them behind.

Thus, he could only watch as the young man walked further and further ahead.

“It’s fantastic that everyone has improved so much before our great battle.” Li Hao was in an exceedingly good mood. “Director General Zhao, summon your replica as soon as possible. I’ll combine your two selves to possibly make you the first fifth level Sun and Moon after me. The director general is mighty, alright!”

Zhao Shuguang was speechless and struggled for a response. “We still underestimated the ancients in the end. Earthflare... is rather frightening.”

Li Hao nodded. Director General Zhao had come under the other’s influence, but had been completely oblivious about his true state. One had to say, Red Moon power was definitely terrifying.

“It’s alright, that power won’t have much of an effect on us after we open a few more dao meridians,” the young man offered a word of comfort when he thought of something. “Gan Wuliang has accomplished a deed of great merit. Are you willing to share the location of those dao meridians?”

“Of course!” Gan Wuliang responded crisply. “I owe a mountain of debt to the commander. I was once a Nova, but now am a fourth level Sun and Moon. The commander and everyone present has spoken freely to me of everything you know. How would I ever conceal the location of a few dao meridians?”

A series of eye rolls made its way through the group. This guy never passed on an opportunity to fawn and curry favor. How disgusting! Then again, he was tolerable on this occasion considering he was about to share the location of unique dao meridians.

“Then I shall have to trouble you to assist in perfecting the great dao.” Li Hao nodded with a smile. “It is only a matter of time before we create an age of magnificence and splendor! A minor world should not be the ultimate goal of our lives!”

Everyone nodded, emotions running high. The next step was fourth level Sun and Moon—the Immortal level of New Martial. That was the cultivation level of the powerhouses left in the ancient cities. Saints were few and far in between.

Today was when they finally stood on the same level as the New Martial denizens. They were on par with fully revitalized Immortals, not the half dead ones everyone had encountered before. It hadn’t taken long for them to reach this stage!

Everyone looked at Li Hao standing in front of them. Although the young man was as low profile as usual and kept his presence to himself, when they looked at Zhang An next to him, then back at Li Hao...

They suddenly felt that the young man might not be any weaker than Zhang An anymore.

Even Director General Wang took a few glances at Li Hao, then compared him to Zhang An.

Ai!

Zhang An was the supreme’s grandson and had weathered the great battles in the early days of New Martial. However, he was slowly losing his halo.

Was it because of those students?

The director general understood some of the situation at hand, but found it regretful. Was Zhang An going to wait until all of the students had made their decision?

But... it might be too late then.