Chapter 1367: Final Preparations (II)

“Didn’t we succeed at the Forbidden Sea?” Li Hao said calmly. “You set foot into the Empyrean King level. If we didn’t, you wouldn’t have reached this cultivation level for the rest of your life! You’ve quickly risen from mid Sun and Moon to mid Fused Dao. Would you have done so in half a year without me? Although it’s always dangerous when I come to you, the gains are also always great!”

The Great Li king rolled his eyes.

Funny, that’s oh so funny. Do you know how damned dangerous your escapades are??

“Are you afraid of death?” Li Hao laughed. “Do you not have the guts to fight anymore?”

The king turned to him with a frown. “You’re being so unrealistic! The two half step emperors stand a chance of rising to exalted emperor! The god of Initial Martial said that if anything else happens in the near future, the next battle will be one of exalted emperors!”

“Those two do indeed have a chance of doing so,” Li Hao nodded. “But so long as we succeed, they’ll find it hard to advance!”

“Not doing it!” The king still wanted to leave. The young man said nothing else and watched him walk off.

The king stopped a few hundred meters out and turned back for a look. “Are you... not going to insist?”

“No,” laughed Li Hao. “Leave if you’d like. I can find other people who aren’t afraid of a little danger!”

“......” The king was extremely conflicted and gnashed his teeth. He didn’t want to accept this! He was most unwilling!

He... turned back. “Well, how do you want to do it?” he forced out through grit teeth.

“Are you not running away anymore?”

“This king was just testing you,” snorted the Great Li king. “Would I be afraid of death? Do you think that’s possible? But the chance of success needs to be fifty percent!”

“It’s not even ten percent!”

“......”

Would it kill you to tell some pretty lies?!

Less than ten?? Fuck this shit! This guy was perfectly willing to lie before, why doesn’t he even bother now?

The king was very conflicted, but still asked, “How are we supposed to go about this? What are we doing? What’s in it for me after we succeed?”

“I need from you is very simple—show up when I need you. I’ll have you trace either the past or the future. Of course, it’ll be very hard for you to succeed, but you stand a chance of doing so through the boxing gloves, or summoning those selves to you.” Li Hao glanced at the boxing gloves that the king carried around. “Whether those things belong to the War Sovereign or Exalted Hard-Headed Emperor, they can be the medium for your other selves! And only these treasures can withstand the strain.

“You also practice the fist, even if you have no future...”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You might not live until that moment in the future, or you might be very weak then,” Li Hao explained. “So, in case of any mishaps, you can trace the trajectory of the gloves. No matter what, the War Sovereign or Exalted Hard-Headed Emperor were both invincible powerhouses. Just a hint of them will strengthen you!

“When you grow stronger, your strength will be very fleeting! It will last only a few minutes at most. In these few minutes, I need you to hold off at least one half step emperor for me! Choose one out of Zheng Yu, Li Daoheng, or the Red Moon exalted emperor’s replica!

“Of course, you might die in the process—the likelihood is very high that you will! And if I’m not done with my side after a few minutes, you’ll absolutely be beaten to death!

“Apart from it being dangerous in our current times, you’ll be in a lot of danger in the future as well! You might be instantly killed by whoever you’re fighting then, since you’ll spontaneously lose all strength in the middle of battle.”

“Why me?” The king’s head ached.

“The boxing gloves!”

“...just because of them?!” growled Bei Wu.

“The gloves are more than meets the eye,” Li Hao nodded. “And only a weapon of this level can withstand the past and future! Apart from you, I’m also considering the Watercloud empress dowager. She’s weaker, so her strength might not increase as much when she channels her other selves.

“You should be able to summon a half step emperor future self, right?” Li Hao sized up the man, uncertain. “Wait... that actually looks hard to say. But you shouldn’t have much of an issue with that if the gloves are present.”

The king was immensely resigned. “And what are

you

planning on doing right now?”

“No, it’s not me that will cause trouble. I’m going to cultivate. The others might be a problem.”

What kind of response was that?

Half step emperors don’t make trouble when we cultivate, but they do when you cultivate?

“They can’t emerge in the world right now, can they?”

“They might if I cultivate.”

“...so what are the benefits in return for my participation?” the Great Li king returned to his original question.

“First, you get to experience being a half step emperor ahead of time,” Li Hao said after some thought. “As illusory as the comprehension of a half step emperor may be in that state, it is very real all the same! Second, you get to experience the sensation of time. I’ll also teach you the method of time. This is a very special piece of knowledge that is the heart of my cultivation! I don’t teach it to just anyone, y’know!”

The king rolled his eyes.

So what?

Granted, what Li Hao said was true.

“What about more practical benefits?” asked the king after some thought.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

More practical benefits?

Li Hao wracked his brains. “If we’re lucky, and I mean really lucky, we can kill a half step emperor. You can have their body and core origin, how about it?”

Oh fuck you man! Kill a half step emperor?? I...

“Why don’t you go to the one in the divine temple?”

“Silver Moon denizens should look for help from our own!” Li Hao shook his head. “We have no need to go to the ancients! Not to mention, he’s perfectly happy hanging back and staying out of everything—and he has the qualifications to do so! You do not! We need to fight for our desires. He has none, but you do!”

The Great Li king rubbed his forehead. He felt that he spent his days putting his life on the line and possibly losing his head at any given moment! The benefits that Li Hao spoke of... weren’t that practical. None of them involved becoming a half step emperor in one go.

“I would go to my friends if we would have a chance to ascend to the heavens in one leap,” Li Hao remarked at this time. “Why would I come to you?”

“...can you read my thoughts??”

“They’re written all over your face!”

“Why don’t you go to the Watercloud empress dowager?”

“She’s not as reliable as you!”

“Really?”

“Really!”

The Great Li king nodded, now that was pleasant to hear.

“Not to mention, she’s fair and soft-skinned. You’re tanned as a piece of leather and have the hide of a cow. You can endure some beatings!”

Fuck you to pieces!

The Great Li king was ready to fly into a fury.

“Well?” Li Hao smiled. “To be honest, you’ll find it difficult to make it to half step emperor if you follow the prescribed order of things. As for exalted emperor... it’ll be up to luck. You don’t possess the necessary qualifications and rights!”

“Your words are so grating on the ear,” exhaled the king. “Why can’t I make it to half step emperor or exalted emperor on my own?”

“Your potential is mediocre and you’re afraid to take risks. How will you reach those peaks?”

Pfft!

The king didn’t like hearing that, but he had to admit that this was the truth. Would Zheng Yu and Li Daoheng have needed to plot for so many years if the exalted emperor cultivation level was so easy to attain?

“I have another condition!” the king said after some thought.

“Speak of it, I’ll agree to everything!”

“......” The king reddened with irritation. The young man was being so flippant!

“Any condition you propose is a minor matter if we succeed,” Li Hao said seriously. “You and I will be dead if we don’t, so what does anything else matter? It would be a joke to promise you the exalted emperor level!

“Therefore, you should raise more realistic conditions that I have hopes of accomplishing for you. Those that are unrealistic will have to wait until after we succeed!”

“......” That made sense. “Will I really be able to summon the past and future like you?”

“I don’t know, why don’t we try it now?” Li Hao goaded. “Just in case... we can try it now and see if it works.”

“Does each try result in a future life or death crisis?”

“Yep.”

“Heh!” sneered the king.

Do you take me for a fool? I’m not trying haphazardly!

“Let’s wait. It’ll be your problem if I fail. I can just go back to Great Li. I’m an Empyrean King and didn’t participate in battle, what can they do to me? I’ll consider whether or not I want to join if I succeed!”

“Very good, we’re decided then.” Li Hao nodded with a smile. “You can come back when I need you in a few days. Don’t tell anyone about our plans, not even the one in the temple!”

“Naturally.” The king nodded. “This king is my own master. Do I need to obtain approval from another?”

“Very good!” Li Hao prepared to leave.

“Don’t be in such a rush!” the king said hastily. “You still haven’t said what we’re going to do!”

“Cultivate!”

No shit!

The resigned king had to ask in a roundabout way. “Can you become a half step emperor if we succeed?”

“There will be hope, but even so...” Li Hao made some quick calculations. “I would be the weakest half step emperor—stronger than peak Empyrean Kings, but weaker than Li Daoheng and the rest. Of course, I have a lot of potential. I won’t be weaker than any of them if I can successfully grasp something.”

He meant the star of time, but that was a very tall order!

The Great Li king clucked his tongue with amazement. Damn! Could the kid really improve that fast?

He suddenly felt that he was less than a dog in terms of his own cultivation speed!

“But there’s three half step emperors at present... What about the other two, even if I can hold one off?”

What should they do then?

What am I supposed to do one against three? Headbutt the others?

“So we’ll have to ask the Watercloud empress dowager after all. But, she may not be willing or have a taste for such risky endeavors. Now that Watercloud is part of Skystar Dynasty, she’s not under any pressure. She might not want to chance dangerous ventures or put her life on the line!”

The sword of the Human King Consort was with the empress dowager. Even if she summoned her past and future, she would need a powerful medium for the selves. Otherwise, they would find it difficult to cross space and time to come together.

At the moment, only these types of weapons could do the deed.

The Great Li king was once more at a loss for words.

This kid... Fine, whatever. He can do as he wishes. I’m not gonna go to my death if there’s no hope whatsoever.

The king left, feeling that he’d once more fallen into a trap after meeting the young man. This had not been a good encounter. Was he courting death with his agreement to the plan?

......

After some thought, Li Hao decided to visit the Watercloud empress dowager. It was fine if she refused, he wouldn’t force her.