Chapter 1378: My Turn to Take the Stage (II)

Li Hao looked at Zheng Yu. When the man’s replica walked the world, he called himself Red Dust. He seemed to have truly seen through the matters and ties of the world. When the young man killed Zheng Yu’s second brother and father, he’d been angry only in the moment. [1]

There was no further reaction.

The more Li Hao thought about it, the more he found the lack of response odd.

He... didn’t actually want me to kill his family, did he? That would remove some ties holding him back from achieving his goals...

If that’s the case, he’s so ruthless that it’s terrifying.

The young man didn’t dwell on it. Humans strategized, the heavens decided if plans were a success! He’d done everything he could. If he still failed... then there was nothing he could do about it.

Bam!

His mind seemed to be exploding and the world was tilting. The mental sea was churning and frothing. Of the 180 dao stars in his mental world, 140 had been integrated. Li Hao’s presence built—he was sixth level Fused Dao now.

If he relied on corporeal dao meridians to reach this level, he would have to open more than 216 meridians to do so. Sixth level Fused Dao mapped to late or peak Empyrean King. Another level upward would place him among half step emperors.

Li Hao breathed out, reassured by the brewing presence within his body. But soon enough, his face grew solemn again.

The world shook; a dao universe was about to officially descend upon the land. Three figures with overwhelming presences materialized. The Red Moon exalted emperor fidgeted with anticipation, an aloof Zheng Yu stood with his hands behind his back, and a river of stars manifested behind Li Daoheng. Although that river contained fewer stars compared to Li Hao’s, the stars were equally brilliant, as if gods in the sky.

The three powerhouses stared at Li Hao, emanating infinite pressure.

Within the seven main cities, everyone felt the suffocating presences of the three personages. Zhang An paused as he looked overhead, his expression grave. The three half step emperors... were about to officially enter the world!

Zheng Yu regarded Li Hao from afar and suddenly asked, “Li Hao, there’s a question I’d like to raise while we still have a bit of time. I don’t know if I should ask it or... if you’re willing to enlighten me on a point or two.”

“What would Senior Zheng like to ask?” Li Hao raised an eyebrow.

“I once told you that I could sense a thin tendril of core origin at the extremes of the four cardinal directions,” Zheng Yu smiled. “Have you felt the same? Is the core origin universe still accessible at those extremes?”

Li Hao’s eyes darted around. What did he mean by that?

“Does the senior not know yourself?”

“I’ve long gone past the time of sensing core origin.” Zheng Yu shook his head. “I’ve only ever felt faint hints at the limits of the world, but I don’t know if they’re lingering remnants from times past or if the real core origin universe is around us.

“You seemed to listen to me and went off to comprehend to core origin after I told you about it. I’d like to know if you really did connect to it.”

Li Hao’s mind churned furiously. What did this mean?

Close by, the Red Moon exalted emperor flicked a glance at Zheng Yu. “You don’t think that Silver Moon is still within the range of New Martial, do you?” he said skeptically. “Although we say the dao universe is vast and unbounded, there’s still limits to it.

“Core origin has vanished from Silver Moon, so this minor world is clearly not within the range of New Martial anymore!”

“Exalted Emperor, I’m asking Li Hao, not you!” laughed Zheng Yu. “I’m at ease if core origin is not nearby, because that means the exalted emperor tribulation will not appear. I’ve cultivated all of my life, but I still find it difficult to weather the tribulation. I can only see if there’s a shortcut to be had in becoming an emperor without having to go through the tribulation.”

Is he asking this for the sake of the exalted emperor tribulation?

Li Hao couldn’t be sure. What if there was an ulterior motive at play?

What does he want to know? Why doesn’t he investigate for himself?

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Even if he’s gone past that stage, there should be people who can investigate for him.

“It may still be there, just that it’s on the other side of the world barrier,” Li Hao responded when his thoughts traveled here. “When I comprehended the aura, I ignited resonance from the core origin energy. If it wasn’t for the world barrier in the way, I might’ve been able to set foot into core origin dao!”

Zheng Yu looked thoughtful at the answer and didn’t probe further.

Boom!

The world shook. A surge of power from the immaterial dao universe filled the air. The three powerhouses had been a bit illusory, but now they fully appeared in tangible form. Their domineering presences swept through the world!

Even the thunderclouds overhead briefly jolted.

Countless cultivators sensed unbounded might swirling in all directions. It was here! The immaterial dao universe had officially descended upon Silver Moon.

......

In the north, Celestial Pole raised an eyebrow. The young man was in danger!

Or rather, he was at the end of the line.

Whatever Li Hao was undertaking may have succeeded, but he didn’t seem to have succeeded in defying a half step emperor. Three of them were upon him now. There was no hope for the young man unless the three of them fought among each other!

Just as these thoughts ran through Celestial Pole’s mind, the Great Li king breathed out and grinned. Despite the head full of lumps and bruises, the void rippled as he vanished on the spot.

Celestial Pole reached out, wanting to say something.

“Senior, even the queen’s jumped off the chessboard... so would this king like to do the same!” came the Great Li king’s voice. “You guys have always been the chess players. Are you not tired after playing for one hundred thousand years? There’s no need to stop me. Worst comes to worst, I’ll just die!”

The king didn’t even look back. He’d been apprehensive before, but had regained his calm when the moment was at hand. Having witnessed the queen break free, he was tempted as well.

I’m no less than her!

“I’m not stopping you!” Celestial Pole sneered. “I just wanted to say that you should get rid of those lumps and bruises before seeing anyone. You’d be humiliating yourself otherwise!”

The king’s footsteps paused; the void rippled again. His lumps and bruises disappeared. With that, the king fully vanished.

Off to the side, Jiang Li paced back and forth with immense worry.

“Everyone has their own path, what are you anxious about?” Celestial Pole said faintly. “There are people who rise in every age. It’s your opportunity if you can seize it. If not... it’s death! There were many who attained dao in New Martial, as well as many powerhouses, but also numerous people who died on the way.

“Survivorship bias is at play here. Everyone thinks that they’ll be the select few who rise to the top, but the results are hard to say. Of course, there is no opportunity at all if one does not fight for it!”

“Revered god, my king... is too weak,” Jiang Li fretted.

“He’s an Empyrean King at the heart of things, how is he too weak?” Celestial Pole remarked noncommittally. “The path of Initial Martial strengthens the body. Logically speaking, he’s not weak at all. Those guys don’t have core origin to pull from, so as long as Li Hao has certain plans in mind, he won’t be any worse off than a regular half step emperor!”

Despite his words, a faint frown crossed his forehead as well. Even if the young man had aces up his sleeves, would the Great Li king be useful to him?

What about me?

More thoughts entered, unbidden into his mind.

......

The three powerhouses had fully set foot into the world. A long river hovered in the void as well. Li Hao had known that this outcome was unavoidable, so he summoned the river without thought of anything else. Time was limited. The future was hazy and there were too many prerequisites to it. Perhaps the Great Li king and others wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

When the river appeared, someone walked out of the main cities with a longsword in hand.

Lin Hongyu hovered in the air and set foot into the river. She looked at Li Hao, then at the three half step emperors.

“This humble one is honored to participate in such a high-level battlefield!” she laughed. “This is a result of much accumulation of good karma! I have a past, but I do not know about the future. However, I firmly believe that only those of Silver Moon can rule over this world!

“Since my husband commands the world, then I must have a future. The future is ever-changing and the possibilities are endless. But one outcome is certain, and that is those of Silver Moon will win!”

A longsword hovered in the world, exuding unbounded brilliance!

“I, Lin Hongyu, use the Streamflow Sword as a vehicle to welcome my future self!”

Time reversed, the world stilled. The river’s waters lapped at its banks and waves roiled. The sound of water reverberated through the void, as lively as a babbling brook running through the world.

The void seemed to freeze the moment the three half step emperors came in touch with the world. Time was pausing; they sensed something different from what they’d expected. The river of time seemed to be stronger than it’d last been!

“The personal sword of the Human King Consort...” murmured Zheng Yu.

A figure walked out of the end of the long river, wreathed in the presence of death. She seemed to crawl out of the depths of hell. In a daze, Lin Hongyu watched it approach.

A dead person?

Indeed, the dead seemed to have walked out of the future, from hell. The aura of death was suffocating.

She was no longer captivatingly beautiful, just frigid and remote. She seemed to be dead in the future and was padding out of the abyss to cross time and space.

I died?

Lin Hongyu didn’t know what she felt when she looked at the self of the future.

I’m dead... but I can still appear?

Li Hao tilted his head, briefly distracted from the process of assimilating dao meridians.

She died? Someone kills her in the future?

Even though he knew full well that this was only one of multiple possibilities, what did Lin Hongyu’s death represent?

Do I lose in the future? And what does it mean that a dead Lin Hongyu can walk out of death?

A person’s voice reverberated through the world and leaping river while Li Hao was lost in thought. “I summon my future selves with the gloves of the Tyrant Sovereign! Only those of Silver Moon are the masters of Silver Moon world!”

A domineering person appeared on the scene, boxing gloves equipped to his hands. Infinite light flared from them and a massive wave reared on the river! A faint figure even appeared on the gloves—overwhelming with tyrannical dominance.

It was not the king’s future self, however.

Someone sought to approach from the end of the river, but there was no person forthcoming.

The Great Li king blinked, then laughed at himself. “Does this king... not have a future?”

Lin Hongyu summoned a dead one, at the very least! Do I not even have a future? How ironic! It looks like I will die very early—perhaps today, so I don’t even have a future!

That’s damned ironic!

The king laughed and suddenly slammed his fists into the river.

“So what if I do not have a future? I summon the self of the past!”

Boom!

The river churned and the world shook. A figure gradually took shape over the gloves.

“Since I do not have a future, I will fight for one!” The king decisively narrowed his eyes. “Whether it is the Tyrant Sovereign or the Exalted Hard-Headed Emperor, I will be my own future when they become part of me!”

Boom!

A figure fully took shape and followed the gloves into the king’s body. An incredibly domineering presence filled the world!

Lin Hongyu walked forward, touching her self of death with the sword.

A frosty presence exploded within her body and all of her vitality seemed to be sucked dry. As the self of death became part of her, she started laughing. “It doesn’t seem to be a loss if I can walk out of hell and kill a half step emperor!”

Their presences soared to the heavens, incomparably strong in the blink of an eye!

Except, they were slightly less than stable.

Everyone was stunned, at a loss for words. How was this possible?

1. Red dust is a particular Chinese phrase referencing the actual dust kicked up from a thriving and prosperous scene. A common notion in Buddhism is that one must see through such dust and be rid of all desires and wants before they can seek Buddha.

In regular usage, “seeing through the red dust” bears negative connotations, meaning one is no longer interested in the trappings of life. In Buddhism, this phrase bears positive connotations as it means one is able to see personal ties of the heart and mind, focusing only on love for the people and the world. ☜