Chapter 1368: Final Preparations (III)

The four seas surrounded the Hao Cosmos Continent. After large numbers of cities migrated and the original seas were filled in, the new four seas encircled the outskirts of the original continents.

This was where the Watercloud Navy was encamped.

The Watercloud empress dowager appeared to be a weak and fragile person. She was formidable in the beginning, but when many powerhouses rose to Fused Dao, she only set foot into ninth level Sun and Moon because she was on the fringes of the inner circle. She was still a decent step away from Fused Dao.

She kept to herself and didn’t fight or squabble with others. Concentrating on leading her navy, she patrolled the four seas with calm and equity.

The empress dowager counted as a New Martial cultivator, but her body had not been modified, so she was a Silver Moon cultivator as well. These days, she trained in the new dao, which meant that she trained in both old and new dao at the same time. The sword of the Human King Consort supplied her with core origin energy.

So while she was ninth level Sun and Moon, her battle strength was fierce thanks to concurrent cultivation of old and new dao. She could hold her own against regular Fused Dao.

However, the Fused Dao cultivation level was the equivalent of an initial Saint. In an age where even Empyrean Kings were no longer the benchmark, her strength wasn’t all that special in Li Hao’s camp.

......

Aboard the ships.

The gentle empress dowager thought for a while after Li Hao explained the purpose for his visit. “It would be very difficult for me to stand against a half step emperor...”

Li Hao wasn’t disappointed by the soft refusal. He nodded and prepared to leave.

“Finding it difficult is one thing,” she continued, “the other is that Your Lordship has an abundance of talent under your banner these days. I am not willing to be part of their ranks and become a target for all sides. According to my lord’s meaning, the sword can be a medium so long as it exists, is that right?”

Li Hao raised a brow and inclined his head.

“If even those that do not bear the Human King Consort’s heritage can use it...” she said softly. “Why don’t I lend the sword to my lord so you can search for another bearer? I am only ninth level Sun and Moon, and cannot predict what the future will bring. I do not wish to impede Your Lordship’s enterprise!”

“Lend out the sword?” Li Hao raised his eyebrows. “While this matter is dangerous, there is a lot to be had as well. If we fail, neither you nor I will be getting away. Great Li faces a much lower level of danger because they have a protector. I’m not surprised that he was unwilling!

“But if you don’t agree and I fail... you will die all the same! That you’re willing to lend the sword means you’re not opposed to helping me. So... do you have some reservations in mind?”

“Your Lordship is correct,” the empress dowager breathed faintly. “I just think that maybe Commander Hongyu will be a better fit.”

“Hmm?” Li Hao looked quizzically at her.

“One, she is a Fused Dao. Two, she practices the blade. The blade and sword disciplines are interchangeable, so she will be able to wield the sword as well. Third, she has more ideas and vision than I do. It is all thanks to Your Lordship that she has reached her current heights, so she will be very diligent in protecting my lord.

“Fourth, if this succeeds and I have the hope of ascending to half step emperor... She would not, so wouldn’t that make for strained relations in the future?”

“......” Li Hao’s head ached. “Why are your thoughts so different from mine?”

What I consider is how I can succeed! But you’re considering if there will be conflict after we succeed? Oh come

on,

I don’t even know if this will work!

“But my lord will certainly succeed.” The empress dowager swayed with her smile. “There is no hope for Silver Moon if my lord does not succeed! Therefore, I wish to lend the sword to Commander Hongyu to lay the basis for a good relationship!”

“You certainly... think far ahead!” Li Hao wanted to roll his eyes.

“How will we find our footing in this world if we do not think of what is to come?” The empress dowager treated this as a compliment. “Not to mention, I know myself well! I do not know what my future looks like, but if the marquis succeeds, the commander will have a bright future!

“Since we are summoning the past and future... we will need a future to begin with. Your Lordship summoned your future self before, which means that you will exist in the future. Therefore, those who are close to you will naturally have a longer future.”

That... seemed to make some sense. But...

“Forget it,” Li Hao capitulated after some thought. “All of your reasons don’t matter. Then I’ll borrow your sword! Do you have any requests in return?”

“Yes.” The empress dowager cut straight to the chase for this. “If there comes a day in which we walk out of Silver Moon, the marquis will certainly be a personage to contend with. If you meet New Martial heavyweights then, I would like to study under the Human King Consort for a while.”

What?

Li Hao blinked.

“You certainly think far ahead!” he laughed after a beat. Now this was

really

thinking far into the future.

“We’ll just take it one day at a time,” smiled the empress dowager. “If there does come that day, then my lord’s agreement means it will be a stroke of fortune for me as well! Otherwise, what can a minor character like me do with the sword, even though I happened to pick it up?

“Those New Martial personages are so noble and lofty, how am I to ever approach them? I am not Your Lordship, but if you agree to this, then I naturally stand a chance!”

“What, am I less than the New Martial Human King?” Li Hao asked unhappily.

“That’s not it,” laughed the empress dowager. “If my lord can defeat the exalted emperor, then your future is naturally unparalleled. I am unable to appraise your potential! As my lord’s subordinate, I will naturally gain a thing or two as well.

“Will someone like Your Lordship be limited to one world after walking out of Silver Moon? For a woman like me, someone like the marquis lives a carefree life, but it is also filled with many tosses and jolts from the road.

“I think I will find it difficult to endure these ravages of life, so it’s better to find a strong patron and stand behind them. I’ll just watch my lord make your glory known throughout the world!”

How interesting!

Li Hao smiled and didn’t say anything else. He nodded, consenting to the proposal. Although that day seemed very far away, what would it cost him to agree?

The Human King Consort’s sword once more came into Li Hao’s hands. He probed it with his senses and felt that it should be sufficient for his purposes. This was the Human King Consort’s sword, after all.

Although this exalted emperor was slightly weaker than the names they were familiar with, she was still an exalted emperor and the wife of the Human King. With his support, she wouldn’t be too far behind the rest.

There should be another sword in the world that was sufficient for his purposes—Stellaris!

Which was, Sword City. However, that sword was inside the seal and difficult to obtain. But it could be a backup option. If the seal truly broke or loosened some more, why not have Hong Yitang wield Stellaris?

As for the one in his hand... should he give it to Lin Hongyu?

She didn’t use the sword.

Li Hao sank into deep thought. When it came to sword wielders... the Ninth Division leader was a prime candidate. However, Li Daoheng was his brother.

There was one other person with decent strength—Zhang An!

Granted, Zhang An was from New Martial and Li Hao was reluctant to ask any of them for help. It would be more of a hassle.

“The queen?” He suddenly thought of her. Her body of the moon might be able to serve as a medium for the past and future. The silver moon was the core of the world, but the queen was too closely tied to Li Daoheng. She was also an awful teammate that easily, unconsciously doled out friendly fire.

Forget it!

The queen could be crossed off as a candidate. She could be useful, but as a backup candidate.

......

Li Hao began traveling all around the world, slowly perfecting his arrangements. He prepared a variety of contingency plans as he was unwilling to rely on luck. An over reliance on luck would just lead to one’s own death.

......

At the same time, the immaterial dao universe.

The entire dao universe was filled with a certain pressure, as if the world would sink at any moment.

Zheng Yu was cultivating, cross-legged, when someone appeared next to him.

“You’re having quite a carefree time.” The Red Moon exalted emperor smiled. “Zheng Yu, this emperor is rather curious. What have you prepared so that you can face the future in a noncommittal way?”

“I’m late to the game, what can I prepare?” Zheng Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “My family is a small one and doesn’t even count as a direct branch of the Zhengs in Tranquil Star. We’re just an auxiliary branch. The only thing I can rely on is my strength as a half step emperor.”

The Red Moon exalted emperor smiled and switched to transmission. “If we fail in the upcoming fight, why don’t you break the seal for me? You can do so through smashing the eight main cities! When that happens, I’ll hold off the one in the north and you can break the eight main cities for me. What do you think?

“You can’t go back to New Martial! Just as you said, Li Daoheng might end up enjoying the Sword Sovereign’s protection—the caveat being that everyone else dies and no one knows that he’s the one who killed all of the Lis. As for you, no matter if someone reveals the secret or not, I think you won’t be able to return to New Martial after Zhang An, Li Daoheng, and everyone else are dead.

“You might as well help me. In return, I’ll vouch for you in Red Moon major world! It is so much stronger than you can imagine!” coaxed the exalted emperor. “In my universe, there are more than five powerhouses on par with the Sun God’s level! It wasn’t unexpected that he was defeated.

“The master of my world is aware of the might of New Martial’s Human King and the Ash Emperor’s existence, and the strength of the other exalted emperors even more so. He still dares march on New Martial, so it’s easy to see that my world’s power is so much more than can be imagined! These years, Red Moon universe has conquered many other universes!”

“That really is something,” Zheng Yu chuckled. “But... with everyone being trapped on Silver Moon, there’s not much point in speaking of this.”

“No!” The Red Moon exalted emperor shook his head meaningfully. “Zheng Yu, this lack of communication means that New Martial is not in good straits. It doesn’t matter whether or not Red Moon has won. If New Martial was still well off, they would’ve come and collected their minor world a long time ago!

“Since they haven’t, that means New Martial is under a lot of pressure. They’re stuck at a stalemate, even if they haven’t lost yet, wouldn’t you say so? In fact... I suspect...” the exalted emperor paused. “I suspect that Silver Moon world might be close to Red Moon universe!

“When we ambushed the minor world, we were adequately prepared. While we might not have trapped the Sword Sovereign, it’s very likely that we used our universe formation to move Silver Moon close to Red Moon!

“Therefore, it doesn’t matter if we’re at each other’s throats in here. Once we walk out, you might discover that we’re within range of Red Moon!”

A light flickered in Zheng Yu’s eyes, but he didn’t respond.

“I don’t share that much of a grudge with you,” the Red Moon exalted emperor continued. “On the contrary, you were part of the first batch to accept Red Moon power. There’s nothing bad in it for you if you cooperate with me!”

“I’ll think about it!”

“Think on it well!” The Red Moon exalted emperor floated away.