Chapter 1201: Taking Revenge Face-To-Face (II)

“Not only do I want Zheng Yu to feel it, but I want him to personally see us devour his father’s body, bones, strength, and everything that was the man,” Li Hao laughed softly. “I want him to know that I killed his father and second brother! He’s next!”

Although the young man spoke calmly, Li Daozong’s expression shifted slightly and he said, “We cultivate the heart when we seek the dao...”

“My heart is at peace,” Li Hao responded calmly. “There is no need for the Ninth Division leader to say anything. I know what I’m doing. Someone once advised me not to become a killing machine on account of anger and hatred. I realized long ago that I would never fall into a cycle of mindless slaughter.

“But I do need to kill and avenge those near and dear to me. My heart needs that to be at peace!

“I am neither a saint nor a demon. I am just a martial master of the martial world. A life for a life! I will take revenge if I have the ability to and give up if I do not. It’s that simple! Those who walk through the martial world think less of life and death. Since when did that lead to losing oneself to internal demons?”

There was no need to persuade him from his path. The young man knew full well what he was doing and would not lose control. He was very much aware of everything he did.

However, it was this kind of reply that made Li Daozong color with dismay. Li Hao... was very calm at the moment. But the more he was thus, the more frightening he came off to others. The young man had changed after the deaths of Yuan Shuo and the others. What had he changed into?

His dao heart was clear and he was without ties of friendship or hopes for the future. He rather appeared to possess the emotionless nature of the great dao.

I am just a cultivator, there is nothing worth mentioning in this world apart from my revenge.

“I will attempt to summon the Empyrean King’s dao, please lend me a hand, everyone! We will cut it down today!” Li Hao vanished, leaving only his voice ringing in the air. “There is certain to be core origin emanating after the deed is done. Redwood Mountain and Imperial Guard have contributed greatly to this battle. They are not Saints, but they can share in this core origin energy. If Redwood Mountain can progress to the Saint level... then there will be another powerhouse among the plant spirits!”

The redwood rustled its leaves with glee!

There was certain to be a large amount of core origin power exuding from the broken dao of an Empyrean King. Even if it didn’t measure up to what it would’ve been in the age of core origin, even if Zheng Hongyuan had nearly depleted it, an Empyrean King was still an Empyrean King!

The redwood was only an Immortal and had taken the right gamble. Its chance had come!

If it could become a Saint and then switched to the new dao, then it might quickly set foot into the Fused Dao stage.

The redwood tree swiftly appeared on the battlefield. Li Hao sent his senses around the perimeter, summoning dao power from the surroundings. The great dao scanned the void, finding that the Empyrean King’s dao was yet to fully collapse. But as to whether or not it was still in the Hao Cosmos... the young man couldn’t be certain either.

He searched a bit longer, but came up empty-handed. Li Hao frowned, was the man’s great dao not here? Had it disappeared?

He wasn’t that familiar with core origin dao. In the same vein, would the dao meridians of the new dao cultivators remain in place upon their death, if the meridians were still intact?

Who knew?

They might still remain, or they might be cut off from the Hao Cosmos. Li Hao was uncertain at present.

Perhaps... Zheng Hongyuan’s great dao has already been expelled from the dao universe... and is located near the Tranquil Star ruins...

A new thought occurred to Li Hao. Maybe the core origin dao had been thrown out of the Hao Cosmos at the moment of Zheng Hongyuan’s death. When they killed Wu Peng, his dao had remained at the spot of his demise.

When his thoughts traveled here, Li Hao utilized his own body as a passageway and disappeared. The rest of the group followed him out.

The chaos was receding from Barren territory, but it hadn’t fully vanished. It lingered where it had been, just much fainter than before. Li Hao and the rest appeared over Tranquil Star ruins. The young man probed the world and silently took in information. His eyes darted to one side as a smile spread over his face.

He waved a hand, sending dao power throughout the area. An incredibly large avenue manifested in front of the eye. It stretched to an unbounded darkness—perhaps the core origin universe could be found at the end of it.

But with the core origin universe severed from contact, there would only be endless void and darkness at the end of the avenue. There was no way to return to the core origin dao universe.

Everyone sucked in a breath when they saw the avenue.

“Thankfully, the core origin universe has disappeared,” the old turtle said quietly. “Otherwise, with the strength of this guy’s great dao, he would’ve made it to late Empyrean King...”

Unfortunately for Zheng Hongyuan, there had been no core origin strength to bolster him. His battle strength would’ve been all the more frightening for it.

A figure seemed to be visible on the great avenue flickering in and out of sight—Zheng Hongyuan. He was dead, but only in the conventional sense of the word.

His great dao still existed. If the core origin universe could be accessed or if someone was willing to pay large sums of core origin energy, then he could still be resurrected.

Once a great dao was broken, then only the master of a world could resurrect that person. That would mean that only the Human King or Green Emperor of New Martial would be able to revitalize Zheng Hongyuan, but how would that ever take place?

Li Hao grinned broadly!

The figure upon the great dao was unable to provide any resistance and seemed to waken from its stupor. “My body and mind have fallen, are you going to hunt me down to the very last?” A voice echoed in their minds.

The manifestation of one’s dao and awakening of one’s mark was not a good thing. Although it granted the cultivator momentary wakefulness, it also meant that one’s enemies were not prepared to show mercy.

Li Hao said nothing, simply manifesting a small sword in his hand. He walked toward the void, his voice calm. “I once promised some people that I would retain the great daos of New Martial powerhouses so long as they were not traitors. That obviously does not include you!”

“Li Hao, you will be releasing the demons of a half-step emperor if you kill me! My son will come after you if you break my dao...”

“How childish,” Li Hao snorted. “Zheng Yu, is it? I’m waiting for him! I find it a great pity that I am yet to meet him, so I hope to do so today!”

His sword descended!

Boom!

A giant sword pierced through the world as the firmament shook. A ghastly scream echoed in the four corners. In this moment, some New Martial powerhouses could sense something.

......

Galewind.

Red Dust snapped his eyes open. The ancient city vanished the next second.

......

Martial Alliance.

The second elder’s eyes shot open; the seventh elder’s face twitched as well and he looked into the distance at the void. The partially recovered guardian plant spirit also murmured, “The great dao trembles... A powerhouse’s great dao trembles... what has happened?”

The last time they had this sensation was when similar disturbances rocked Boundless. Li Hao had only killed a Saint at that time and broken their great dao. The sensation had not been that noticeable then.

Zheng Hongyuan’s death didn’t produce that much of a disruption, just a simple shaking of the world. But now that his great dao was being severed, everyone could feel a thing or two.

A voice traveled in from the outside world at this time. Someone walked into Martial Alliance holding a sky canopy. He soared into the air and proclaimed in a ringing voice, “I am here under orders from the Silver Moon Marquis to deliver a sky canopy!

“All falsehoods and truths will be revealed within! The betrayal of the Zhengs, the marquis killing Patriarch Zheng Hongyuan, and the breaking of the patriarch’s great dao. Zheng Yu goes by the moniker of Red Dust in modern times and may appear in due course. He also might not, so be well, everyone!”

The person was already gone. Li Hao’s figure abruptly appeared on the screen. One stroke, two strokes, three strokes...

Everyone in the ancient city raised their eyes to the sky.

An incomparably wide avenue was displayed before them all. A shadow struggled ferociously, but was unable to do anything about the sword hacking into the great dao bit by bit.

“Patriarch Zheng...” gasped the elders. That strength of great dao indicated an Empyrean King!

So that person had indeed set foot into Empyrean King. But how had an Empyrean King ended up in such straits?

No one could believe this!

“Does... does Li Hao have any evidence?!” someone demanded angrily. “He’s killing innocents and an Empyrean King of New Martial! Since when did it fall to him to execute the patriarch of the Zheng family...”

But no one answered his call. The crowd watched dumbly, at a loss for words.

How could this be?! This was an Empyrean King! And yet, ghastly screams echoed through the air as the avenue of great dao shook. It was on the verge of collapse, but seemed to be unable to. It was an immensely shocking sight.

Not only was this being broadcasted to Martial Alliance, but so was Steadfast Sky of the Zhangs also viewing it on their sky canopy.

......

In the airspace over Tranquil Star.

Stroke after stroke descended. The great dao quaked and shook, but it continued to exist. This was when the void shook, depositing a gigantic city in the void. A figure hovered over it.

It was very young and very aloof!

Red Dust’s replica had arrived. He looked at Li Hao beneath the heavens and said calmly, “Name your terms, Li Hao!”

He knew that the young man hadn’t fully severed the great dao because Li Hao was waiting for him. In that case, here he was.

His second brother Zheng Gong had died very quickly and his great dao was broken equally quickly. Red Dust hadn’t had a chance to rescue his brethren, not to mention that he’d been obstructed by Zhang An. Zheng Gong had died completely because of it, and today Red Dust was watching his father’s great dao shatter.

Hope remained so long as it wasn’t broken. Once the Star Gate opened or he himself became an exalted emperor, he would be able to save his father. Was he to hope for the Human King to save his father when the great dao fully broke?

What a joke!