Chapter 1355: Full of Confidence (I)

Hong Yitang’s emotions were so complicated at the moment that no one could understand them. Li Hao was willing to relinquish the dao universe. The young man didn’t even care if Hong Yitang was Li Daoheng’s replica!

You once saved my life and taught me the great dao. You are Earthturner Sword Hong Yitang. Even if you are a replica, you must live as an independent entity and be Hong Yitang!

It seemed that no amount of plotting or scheming was worthy of mention when it came to Li Hao.

Do you want to crush me?

Do you want to mentally throw me off balance with this?

Are you seeking to drive a wedge between us?

It doesn’t matter!

I’m ignoring you!

You're doing this for the dao universe, Silver Moon world, and that position of exalted emperor!

I’ll allow you to have what you want!

I’ll fight for what I want and take it myself.

No price is too high to pay for those I want to kill. No cost is too high to expend for those I want to love!

Hong Yitang was stunned and shocked on a spiritual level. Was this Li Hao, the lad who hadn’t understood anything back in the day?

It’d only been a year or so since they all embarked on this journey, but why did it feel like it’d been a century?

He’d wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation when the young man brought out the silk banner. That laugh was complicated and filled with more than just amusement.

Are you telling me that you’re still that Li Hao, that you haven’t changed?

Past events were bygones; scenes filtered into Hong Yitang’s mind. A very complex mix of feelings descended upon the man when he thought over the past.

“Everything is like you say and now even I suspect that I may be an unwitting pawn,” he suddenly laughed. "Either I am a replica or something else... I look at myself with suspicion!”

The man’s laugh turned self-deprecating. “But it’s also like you say, I am Earthturner Sword, I am Hong Yitang!

“Since you’ve made up your mind and chosen your path, I will accept the dao universe! If there does come a day in which Li Daoheng wishes to collect me... then I shall live as Hong Yitang, as Earthturner Sword! I will be a Silver Moon martial master!

“This is my promise to you!” Hong Yitang drew himself up straight and looked Li Hao in the eyes. “I don’t know what the truth is, but just as the queen says, who is more suited for the role than me?

“I am the closest person to you after Yuan Shuo’s death. Since that is the case... I will tell you that I will always be Hong Yitang!”

Why had the queen come?

Had the Moon God really been that careless to leave behind a memory fragment at the end, and it just so happened to be obtained by the queen?

Perhaps this was another one of Li Daoheng’s conspiracies. Perhaps everything the queen had said was false and there was no such thing, but as soon as Li Hao started to think about it and speculate, he would worry and be estranged from Hong Yitang. He might even suffer harm to mind and soul.

Hong Yitang was the closest person to Li Hao at the moment. He’d protected the young man ever since Silver Moon and was both friend and mentor to Li Hao.

If the young man didn’t dwell on what the queen shared, then... what if it turned out to be real?

This was the ultimate test of Li Hao’s heart.

Maybe it didn’t occur to Li Daoheng that Li Hao would ignore the conundrum entirely. The young man easily, cheerfully gave up the dao universe. He handed over the treasure trove that induced envy in even exalted emperors.

Isn’t this what you want?

You can have it!

Whether you’re a replica or not, I’ll give it to you.

In anyone’s eyes, the dao universe was the strongest and most critical part of Li Hao’s foundation. It was something that he could not part with.

But in the young man’s eyes, a trump card that everyone knew about was no trump card at all. That had been his point of view from the very beginning and it’d never changed!

He would break free again and jump out of the box again and again. Only when he made his way off the chessboard could he be free of it all and ruin everyone’s plots. Li Hao had never viewed those of Silver Moon world as his enemies of a lifetime!

Perhaps they were obstacles in his path of progress. They were certainly very strong, very terrifying ones. But from a psychological perspective, he disdained these people.

Why didn’t they properly seek the dao? Why did they have to pursue it this way? New Martial had a way to verify the cultivation level of an exalted emperor!

One just needed to weather a tribulation to reach that stage. Silver Moon was only a minor world—with how strong New Martial was, New Martial citizens could absolutely conquer another world. If one wanted a dao universe, Red Moon major world was right there for the taking. So long as one was strong enough and dared charge into the fray, how would there not be a place available in Red Moon’s dao universe?

And if there wasn’t one available in Red Moon... Just kill, raid, and loot again!

With all this time available to them, Li Daoheng and the rest might’ve become exalted emperors a long time ago!

Li Hao was less than them in terms of strength, but he felt that they weren’t as carefree as Silver Moon martial masters! One hundred thousand years was too long. No matter how many years had passed in the outside world, it was well and truly one hundred thousand years in here. Those guys had spent such an endless period of time waiting to collect stuff that others didn’t want...

How were they supposed to surpass those who came before them?

If later descendants were less than their ancients, then what was the point of cultivation?

Future generations stood on the shoulders of giants when they cultivated. With their predecessors paving the way, those who came after should walk further instead. Wasn’t it a kind of regression if descendants only prayed for the presents from the ancients?

Li Hao was reminded of what the seventh troop leader had said to him at Battle Heaven. They would utilize their full strength in raising a disturbance so long as they were alive!

Such was the Human King as well!

That was why the Human King and his companions had walked very far and reached astounding heights. That was the true New Martial.

How would one attain new horizons if one did not struggle and fight, and instead only keep to the beaten track?

Wasn’t life spent putting one foot in front of the next?

Li Hao had always had his sights set on people like the Human King, Supreme Zhang, Sword Sovereign, and Exalted Blood Emperor. These people went after whatever they wanted. They fought, they seized.

They didn’t spend one hundred thousand years hatching a plot to catch something discarded by another. That was what the Heavenly Emperor had done, which was why he’d been a failure!

Li Hao didn’t understand why anyone wanted to imitate the Heavenly Emperor, despite knowing full well that he’d failed. Had they not learned anything from the mistakes of others?

......

Li Hao grinned upon hearing Hong Yitang’s impassioned declaration. It was slightly mischievous and seemed to be a sign that he’d found his old self again.

“Martial Uncle, there’s no need to promise anything, just live as yourself!” he comforted the middle-aged man in front of him. “So long as you don’t do any evil, you can live however you’d like to live. Responsibilities, duties, and burdens are unnecessary. You are a good person so long as you do not commit wrongs.”

Li Hao looked into the distance, toward the north, and smiled. “Take the one in the north, for example. Based on my understanding, a lot of people might hate him and even think that he doesn’t deserve the title of an exalted emperor.

“But in my eyes, he just needs to live his life. He hasn’t done anything wrong and won’t interfere with you so long as you leave him alone. He is willing to spend time and effort to do certain things. That’s enough!”

Many viewed the one in the north with contempt, but in Li Hao’s view... that one just needed to live comfortably.

I don’t want to get involved, so why must you have me get involved?

If it wasn’t for that one being so strong that he was the decider of the final outcome, Li Hao didn’t want to harass him either.

But with how the situation stood, he had to slightly scheme against the god of Initial Martial. The young man also knew that this was a very aggravating stance to take. If he was the one in seclusion and someone bothered him again and again, wanting protection... he’d be annoyed too, wouldn’t he?

“Let’s talk about something else,” Li Hao smiled. “I’ll conclude this in secret with martial uncle! Only you and I will know about this, and no one else! And to prevent any mishaps or Li Daoheng keeping you under surveillance if you really are his replica...

“Martial Uncle should seal your entire consciousness into the river of chaos for a while!” The young man looked at Hong Yitang straight in the eyes. “Wrap the river around you to isolate yourself from the world and everything else!

“I’ll publicly announce that you’ve entered closed door cultivation,” Li Hao’s voice dropped. “No matter if they think I’ve killed or imprisoned you, they can think whatever they’d like.

“There are many Fused Dao cultivators in the world these days and general education is on a roll after a year of implementation. This is the perfect moment for martial uncle to spend some time tempering sword dao!

“Martial Uncle knows more than I do when it comes to sword dao, I don’t actually understand it at all...”

A premier swordsman said that he didn’t understand sword dao?? Hong Yitang blinked.

“I don’t understand sword dao,” Li Hao repeated seriously. “What I know is the usage of dao. Whether it’s the sword or blade, or any great daos, I only ask two things of them.

“Number one, live eternally! Number two, grow stronger!”

Live eternally and grow stronger!

Hong Yitang looked quietly at Li Hao.

“One cultivates the heart when cultivating dao!” Li Hao said seriously, like he was describing the true nature of his great dao. “The core essence of dao is to strengthen ourselves, and what do we do that for?

“To live eternally! We need to be formidably strong in order to do so, which creates a loop! This process of cultivating the heart requires only one conviction whether one is a good or bad person, such is the heart!

“Living eternally and growing stronger is the result. Cultivating the heart is the process, and the sword, blade, and spear are all manifestations of it. This isn’t important. The road ahead is long and there will be quests in all directions. If I know my goal and persist in my conviction instead of wandering around aimlessly, then I am certain to succeed one day!”

Hong Yitang’s heart shook and he looked at Li Hao. “What is your conviction then?”

“Simply to seek!” Li Hao smiled.

The man started.

“Doesn’t martial uncle think that the dao universe is very interesting? Cultivation is fun! Take the auras in the beginning, then the supernatural characters, the dao meridians, then dao universe, the mental world... The corporeal dao, immaterial dao, domains, battle techniques...

“To explore every step of the way, to try and experiment, to overturn conjectures and start again... Each process is filled with enjoyment and delight! This is the joy of seeking!

“We can use cultivation to confirm some of our thoughts and attempt further experimentation. It’s really a lot of fun! Take my upcoming venture of creating my own world, for example. This is a kind of imitation, but it is not the end!

“There’s already a dao universe, I’m just copying it to create my own world. Even if I succeed, that is still not the end. There are certain to be more sophisticated and perfected dao methods!

“What the ancients proclaim may not be correct and the birth of a world may not be the most perfect. But I can use that as a basis from which I can perceive, understand, and experiment. Perhaps those who come after me can learn something from an ancient called Li Hao!”