Chapter 1217: The Silver Moon Conspiracy (III)

The Moon God’s primary dao star must be in the dao universe... Perhaps that god of prophecy stayed behind to monitor her. His primary dao star has never appeared either...

Li Hao’s mind rapidly recalibrated in light of the revelation that the Moon God was human.

“These guys that were left behind are all dead,” said Li Daozong. “We could’ve killed more of those running if we’d brought our full strength to bear, or captured them at the very least. Why did we let them go?”

The Ninth Division leader didn’t understand. Ying Hongyue was Li Hao’s greatest enemy, but the young man hadn’t pursued the man to the bitter end. He’d also let the queen go, killing only their followers.

Four had made it out. Why had Li Hao shown mercy?

Li Hao turned back to the division leader and suddenly asked, “What kind of person is Li Daoheng?”

“Someone with a lot of potential!” replied the startled man after a long moment. “He’s been better than me ever since we were children. I came to Battle Heaven because I wanted to get away from him!

“He beats me in everything,” Li Daozong sighed. “He bears the most potential in our family out of my generation! Even the Sword Sovereign summoned him for an audience once. His potential is very, very high—I think it rivals Zheng Yu!

“I feel a lot of pressure when I’m with him, so I left Sword City when I reached the Apex level and came to Battle Heaven. Here, I found my confidence and sense of self!”

“So you mean that he is very likely to be an Empyrean King...”

“Not very likely, but almost certainly!” nodded Li Daozong. “If Zheng Yu could do it, then there is no reason that Li Daoheng didn’t ascend to Empyrean King. He had sufficient energy and wasn’t asleep all these years!”

Something occurred to Li Hao—the one who’d left the lingering sword intent at the Tranquil Star ruins didn’t fully command an Empyrean King’s strength. Could it have been... a replica?

If that was the case, then Li Daoheng was very strong indeed. His replica could leave indelible marks behind!

“The Li family has a lot of powerhouses, doesn’t it? There should be others beyond the ones that left with the Sword Sovereign?”

“Of course!” The Ninth Division leader nodded. “We had many! Even though the Sword Sovereign took most of them with him, there were at least multiple Saints left in Silver Moon and possibly even Empyrean Kings...”

“Ninth Division leader, is it possible for the Sword Sovereign to activate the seal from the outside world after he left?” Li Hao asked after thinking it over. “The Red Moon exalted emperor may have barged in only later.”

“It wouldn’t have been possible with the Star Gate closed, so it should’ve been Sword City that activated the seal.”

“Do you think it’s possible that Li Daoheng activated the seal?”

“What?”

“He activated the seal to entrap an exalted emperor!” Li Hao repeated softly. “Do you think he was capable of that?”

Li Daozong hesitated, then nodded. “He would, he’s always been very bold!”

“If another exalted emperor died in Silver Moon world, would that strengthen the minor world?” A light danced in Li Hao’s eyes.

“Of course!” nodded Li Daozong. “Exalted emperors are incomparably powerful. If we kill one here, then the incomplete minor world would be spontaneously perfected! The power of an exalted emperor, and particularly a premier one, exceeds that of an entire world.

“It’s most likely that the Red Moon exalted emperor is not a premier exalted emperor—perhaps he just barely made it to that level. Otherwise, the seal would not be able to keep him sealed away for one hundred thousand years...”

“Also, the appearance of an exalted emperor might instill a sense of danger into the world. That will give birth to the heavenly will and a dao universe, won’t it?” Li Hao exhaled.

“Ah...”

They’d speculated about this before, that perhaps the world had been silent for so many years because it was nurturing a dao of its own. They just hadn’t had the evidence to back it up.

“If I seized Silver Moon world one hundred thousand years ago and became an exalted emperor, would I be the weakest among exalted emperors?” Li Hao asked, wanting to verify the sudden abundance of ideas popping into his mind.

“Most... likely?” Li Daozong couldn’t be certain. “It’s hard to say because there’s such a large cultivation distance to exalted emperor...”

“Would a Silver Moon world that possesses its own heavenly will, great dao, and swallowed an exalted emperor still count as a minor world? Would it make me a premier exalted emperor if I refined it then?”

“Most... likely!”

“What impressive foresight and ambition!” Li Hao laughed. “I think I’m beginning to understand!”

What do you understand?

“Ninth Division leader, you are so much less than your older brother!” the young man sighed emotionally. “So is Zheng Yu and that Red Moon exalted emperor! As ambitious as those people are, they only think of becoming an exalted emperor. That’s probably Zheng Yu’s life goal...”

But some people think otherwise. What was the point in devouring a minor world? Was there any meaning to becoming the weakest exalted emperor that ever existed?

I’m going to raise everything to the level I want it to be!

I’ll nurture a new dao universe, the heavenly will, and a world that rivals the New Martial main world! I’ll devour an exalted emperor, stabilize the world, then devour that world!

By then, the new world would not be too far off the New Martial main world. Grasping the new dao, breaking free of New Martial control, becoming the master of a myriad daos... this person would sit on the same level as the Human King!

Li Daoheng? Is it you? If it is, then you’re incredible!

Someone who expended one hundred thousand years for this goal was not trash. Perhaps the Human King and others had only left for a few years. Time was disorganized in the chaos, so spending just a few years to become a premier exalted emperor that rivaled Human King was absolutely worth it. Li Daoheng might even be able to travel to Red Moon world and share in the battle spoils!

The Ninth Division leader also began to understand and gasped with disbelief, “Do you mean...”

“I’m just guessing!” Li Hao laughed. “We don’t have enough evidence, but we can think the world of your brother! Can someone personally summoned by the Sword Sovereign be that incompetent? Would he really disappear for one hundred thousand years? Maybe... maybe he’s been watching all along!”

The young man’s laugh deepened as he gazed deep into the cosmos. “Perhaps... he just hadn’t located the dao universe before. Maybe he entered as soon as I found it!”

Li Daozong’s heart quailed and he jerked his head in the same direction. “Do you mean... that he’s cultivated the new dao and entered the Hao Cosmos?”

“Maybe he redid his cultivation!” Li Hao nodded. “In that case, perhaps he crippled his previous cultivation. The one in Tranquil Star might be his primary body...

“I just entered Fused Dao, what about him? I should be the limit of the world, but that might be surpassed if he had the blessing of the heavenly will. That would also require the heavenly will to be very strong...”

Was the truth as he surmised? If it was, then Li Daoheng was much more impressive than the descendant of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion and much more competent than Zheng Yu. He even had an exalted emperor in the palm of his hand.

The Red Moon exalted emperor might not have been sealed away by the Sword Sovereign. If the Sword Sovereign had time to do such a thing, he would rather shoot over with an upraised sword and run the enemy through!

The more Li Hao came to know these premier exalted emperors, the more he understood how strong they were. Regular exalted emperors such as Capsize Sea’s grandfather could not measure up to them.

“Is Ying Hongyue a descendant of Li Daoheng?” Li Hao turned to Li Daozong with a smile.

“Eh??” frowned the man. “Surely not? If he is... why would he need to kill your parents and strip their bloodline? He did so to collect the eight bloodlines...”

That made sense.

“Even if he isn’t, Ying Hongyue may be another one of Li Daoheng’s pawns...” Li Hao nodded. “So that means I have one more enemy to take care of.”

The Ninth Division leader fell silent.

“The Moon God is the first divine spirit of the world,” the young man exhaled. “I’m wondering... if their relationship is one of the Heavenly Emperor and the world seed? Or the Human King and Green Emperor?

“Divine spirits wish to replace the heavenly will, become the seed of the world and the Green Emperor. The other one wishes to become the Heavenly Emperor or the Human King!

“If Li Daoheng is the one who activated the seal and the Moon God’s primary body is just part of it, then that means he can freely come and go from the seal through the Moon God’s primary body!”

Li Daoheng frowned slightly, finding the young man to be thinking too much. Could his brother really do all that? Freely come and go from the seal?

If he partnered with the Moon God and turned the Moon God into the world seed or someone like the Green Emperor, then that would make his brother someone like the Heavenly Emperor or Human King!

But the more Li Hao thought about it, the more certain he was. In addition, Li Daoheng was likely behind the folk song. The Zhengs were just the pawns pushed into the open. They were a scapegoat that he would deliver to New Martial, as well as smoke and mirrors for the Red Moon exalted emperor...

Li Daoheng might’ve been the one to take Stellaris out of the ruins!

But... why had he exposed himself in front of Sun Xin? That had been a vice commander of the Skystar Army! If it wasn’t for that, who would know that the Lis were involved in the insurrection?

That was a question that Li Hao was unable to answer. Sun Xin had only been an Immortal then. Had there been a need for Li Daoheng to expose himself to such an insignificant person?

Or should it be said that the more something seemed true, the less suspicion it would draw?

Given Li Daoheng’s personality, hiding the fake moon in plain sight might be more up his alley.

“Does your elder brother like to watch people make fools of themselves?”

“What?”

“I mean that if he did something that no one knew he did, would he volunteer this information in a way that no one could do anything to him? It’s kinda like you know full well that he did it, but you aren’t able to expose him.”

The Ninth Division leader was momentarily lost in thought as he rummaged through the past.

“Yes!” he nodded after searching through his enemies. “He was stronger than me as a child and possessed greater potential, but loved playing weak.

“He... ah... fought his peers once and beat up everyone involved. Everyone knew about it and saw it, but he was the only one to escape punishment.

“The family seniors kept telling us to stop bullying him! He was very weak then, but we all knew that he was much stronger than us. We had to keep our suffering to ourselves because no one would listen if we explained...”

It was always everyone else who came off worse for the wear in the fights, and they were the only ones punished. Li Daoheng always turned into the target of general attention and comfort. Of this, the Ninth Division leader’s memory was very clear and sharp.

“He later gave the excuse of wanting to grow stronger and deepening his knowledge when he beat us all up again. He was already stronger than them!

“Once more, the family elders didn’t punish him because he said that his recent motivation to grow stronger was to personally take revenge on his enemies!

“The elders praised him once more for addressing every slight and offense. In New Martial, we avenged all of the wrongdoing done to us and fight for every bit of martial dao. He was a good son of the Lis!

“After that, my friends and I were beaten by our family. They all said I was helping outsiders bully my brother, and that so many of us couldn’t even defeat a sickly weakling...”

How aggrieved he had been!