Chapter 1212: The Silver Moon in the Sky (II)

Divine spirits had always been proud of themselves and did not fear death, since resurrection was only a matter of time. They hadn’t been afraid when they battled New Martial because their return was inevitable, no matter how much time had elapsed since their death.

But they were truly afraid of Li Hao. When the young man killed them, that was a complete elimination. They could never be resurrected again—assuming that the death was a result of their dao stars being shattered.

No one else could do that, but Li Hao could. Therefore, the divine spirits feared no one on their doorstep, but Li Hao.

“He

chose

to reveal himself... damn it!” The queen brooded. She hadn’t discovered him at first. Had he chosen to show himself as an act of provocation?

Some fear also crept into the Moon God’s heart. She wasn’t afraid of Li Hao killing her because the young man wouldn’t necessarily do so even if he could. Not to mention, her dao star was different from the other divine spirits.

But if he found the dao stars of other divine spirits, then they were done for.

“Let’s go talk to Ying Hongyue!” The Moon God ground her teeth after her face flickered through a variety of expressions.

Damn it all to hell!

She hadn’t wanted to talk to Ying Hongyue at first, but now she may not have a choice. Since Li Hao was here, they needed to be careful. The young man might be here to kill them.

......

Inside the temple.

Panther looked curiously at his human. They could just quietly chase down their enemies, why show themselves?

Won’t they run off if they know that we’re here?

“They won’t know I’m here,” Li Hao chuckled as they left the temple. “How will they despair if there’s no pressure bearing down on them? If they’re despairing, why would they fight Ying Hongyue when they run into each other?”

Panth didn’t understand, but that was alright. All would be as Li Hao said.

The young man walked around for a look; he didn’t send the dog straight after the divine spirits. They could have a little more time.

He gradually made his way around Divine Nation, slowly starting to exude sword intent. It filled the surroundings, undetectable by weaklings, but noticeable to powerhouses. Li Hao wasn’t here for these guys, but for some others that might be hiding in the shadows.

......

At the same time.

As Li Hao’s sword intent wafted through the west, someone inside a temple raised his head and looked outside. His brows knit together upon sensing the environment for a while.

“Sword intent of the Eternal Sword... is that... Li Hao?” he murmured.

Li Hao had come to the west.

It was one thing for him to be here, but why was he here in such a brazen manner and with such fanfare? Did he think that there was no one in the world who could keep him in check, or was there another reason at hand?

Strange!

......

In another locale.

Ying Hongyue’s expression shifted as he looked at a particular spot. A faint sword intent was wafting from that direction.

“Sword intent!” gasped the Celestial Sword Immortal before Ying Hongyue had a chance to say anything. That sent the nearby members into a tizzy. Sword intent? Why was there sword intent drifting toward them?

“Li Hao!” the Celestial Sword Immortal gnashed her teeth and looked at Ying Hongyue. Was it Li Hao?

“Li Hao has come to the western reaches.” Ying Hongyue ignored his companion and called out to the other groups nearby. “Those of Red Moon universe and those who answer to Red Dust, there is no meaning in the three of us continuing to fight each other! It’s high time that we worked together and ceased this internal attrition. Only Li Hao will benefit from our actions in the end.”

It was both a good and bad thing that Li Hao was here and being so arrogant about it. The good thing was that everyone knew he was here. That ought to organize the mess that they were in.

The bad thing was... everyone was terrified! That was not a good sign!

There was no trace of the young man yet, but many already felt that they were on the verge of collapse from inexplicable pressure.

“Li Hao is here... we should leave the west...” came the faintest wisp of a voice from the darkness. Clearly, someone didn’t wish to run into the young man.

“That would not be wise!” Ying Hongyue frowned. “If we leave as soon as he arrives, we most likely won’t be making it back!”

Won’t be making it back?

A red robe hovered out of the darkness and looked at Ying Hongyue.

“What does Leader Ying mean by this?” the red robe asked softly. “Li Hao is still one person even if he’s set foot into the Saint level. Does he have three heads and six arms to prevent us from leaving?”

They wouldn’t be able to leave? How was that possible!

Ying Hongyue didn’t say anything; he sent his senses out for a quick scan. “Boundless and Battle Heaven may have already reached the borders of Divine Nation. They lie in wait. You would be leaping headfirst into his trap if you leave now!”

“Ah...”

Would that be the case?

No one knew. But perhaps Li Hao was throwing his weight around in order to force them out of the west, so that he could bring them down one by one.

......

The various groups began discussing their next steps as Li Hao continued to emanate sword dao.

He didn’t care if anyone withdrew ahead of time. Ying Hongyue most likely wouldn’t, and neither would the Divine Nation queen. That was enough. Those guys might even be concerned that he was just forcing them to leave so he could pick them off at his leisure.

in reality... Li Hao hadn’t set anyone to guard the borders.

There was no need. It would be a waste of time and effort.

It was enough to have his enemies doubt and shrink away from every shadow. The smarter they were, the less they would be willing to leave. The dumber they were, the more they would want to run. Those who ran were not worth worrying over and those who were smarter would only think that this was a scheme against them.

As opposed to remaining completely still, it was better to take some action!

Making these moves might cause those hidden in the shadows to surface. Perhaps Ying Hongyue would take care of some people for him without Li Hao needing to lift a finger. Maybe he would eliminate some on Red Moon or Zheng Yu’s side. They would be on Ying Hongyue’s hit list as well.

Sword intent continued to drift through the air. The fragments of Stellaris also manifested and dispersed to the four corners.

Li Hao didn’t conceal his movements. He made all of them openly, but his mind was on other matters.

The power of faith... divine spirits... dao universe...

He put himself in Li Daoheng’s shoes. What would he do if he left Sword City and arrived in the west? What were his goals? Why had he betrayed the Sword Sovereign and New Martial?

Was it for strength? Great dao? Or something else?

If it’d been for strength or great dao, then everything he did was in pursuit of self-improvement. Li Daoheng had kept to the shadows possibly in search of opportunities to strengthen himself. There were divine spirits to the west and the power of faith. There was even the chance to communicate with the dao universe. However, Li Daoheng should not have had previous experience with the dao universe, so how had he utilized this power of faith to grow stronger?

Dao meridians?

Faith?

How would he inspire people to put their faith in him?

Inspiration flashed through his mind and he materialized in the closest temple. He grabbed the nearest priest with a hand.

“Is there a sword god among your pantheon?” Li Hao asked softly.

Divine spirits gathered the power of faith!

The horrified priest looked, the look in his eyes clouding over. “A sword god?” he murmured. “No... no sword god...”

There was no sword god in the west, there never had been. Even if there was, it would no longer exist after the arrival of the Sword Sovereign. Who would dare call themselves the sword god in front of the Sword Sovereign?

Li Hao frowned. Had he guessed incorrectly?

According to his thoughts, a member of the Lis would find it easiest to pose as the sword god if they wanted to perceive the power of the great dao and absorb the power of faith. They could access the faith of Divine Nation citizens through impersonating the sword god.

That would enable them to quietly infiltrate the western system and even enter the dao universe.

But... there was no sword god in the west.

“I... misjudged?” Li Hao’s frown deepened. This was his conclusion after he put himself in Li Daoheng’s shoes!

If there was a sword god in the west, I would replace them and have Divine Nation’s one hundred million citizens worship me. I would be king without having to proclaim myself as king!

“But there’s no sword god...” The young man gazed upon the power of faith drifting through the air. “Panth, c’mon, let’s go find ourselves a divine spirit!”

The dog was completely confused.

First you didn’t want to run into them, but now you do? What do you want? You’ve already exposed yourself!

The young man didn’t explain himself, so Panther had no choice but to twitch its nose and break through the void. Li Hao was hot on the dog’s heels and constantly snatched handfuls of the power of faith from the air.

It was a muddled mess!

There were all sorts of faith and all of it was also the power of great dao. The divine spirits of the west were indeed uniquely blessed. It was just that the divine spirits didn’t understand the great dao much, so they’d wasted a lot of opportunity.

Had they come to an earlier understanding of the dao universe, they might have conquered the world long ago.

......

In another locale, within a temple.

The one who’d sensed the sword intent raised his head again and frowned at the sky. Li Hao seemed to have other motives in mind by flooding the sky with sword intent.

Did it have something to do with him?

Or was the young man here simply for the Moon God and others?

It was... hard to read the youngster’s intentions from his actions.

......

In yet another locale.

Four sides had gathered—the red robes, black robes, three great organizations, and the Divine Nation queen.

“Li Hao is here!” The Moon God looked at the three sides with a frosty expression and ultimately settled on Ying Hongyue.

“I know.” The man nodded and scanned the sword intent filling the western nation. “Don’t worry. He’s here, but he doesn’t dare do anything to Your Majesty. If he really wanted to... Your Majesty might have lost her life last time.”

“Hmph!” snorted the queen, more aloof than before. She speared the red robes with an arctic glare. “You guys keep chasing this queen. Do you think you alone are able to kill the ruler of Divine Nation?”

A resounding silence rang from the red robe side.