Chapter 1465: Dauntless and Fearless (III)

“......” Li Hao was immensely resigned.

What’s with this guy? I can’t leave and I can’t stay. He’s freaking annoying. You’re an exalted emperor already! Why are you so childish? I know why Suncloud was destroyed now—it's because it had exalted emperors like you lot! It’s only normal for it to be eliminated in that case.

You’re out and about without a backer, but still causing trouble. Do you not know how to keep a low profile? Look at me, when do I ever say that I’ve seen all of the seventh rank exalted emperors known from New Martial and that I’m kind of part of their crew?

I never talk about that, do I?

“I really don’t want to cause trouble...” Li Hao’s head hurt. “How about this? It looks like fellow daoist is treating me as a punching bag. And since this place might contain some remnants of dao that can be activated by the blood essence of an exalted emperor... that’s probably why fellow daoist is being so harsh with me.

“I am a newcomer and unfamiliar with the rules here,” the young man said after some consideration. “Since we are at a dao foundation site, this is not a suitable place to run rampant in. If the fellow daoist really would like to vent your spleen, we are not far from the southern gate. You and I can head over there and spar with each other.

“If it comes down to it, I’ll just let the fellow daoist get a few hits in. That will save face for both of us in the long run.”

“......” The group blinked, as did the Suncloud exalted emperor.

Single combat? This guy was so juvenile!

The Suncloud exalted emperor had originally bore a dislike for him by association, but the irritating guy was inviting him to a sparring match. It was quite the odd proposal.

Was it confidence, or as the other said, that permitting the Suncloud exalted emperor to beat him up would neatly resolve the matter?

The Suncould exalted emperor was now trapped by his own words!

“Why forsake what is close by for something far away?” laughed the second rank exalted emperor. He’d been silent thus far and chose to join the conversation now. “Why not conduct your business here? I can be the intermediary as the two of you determine a victor. After that, let’s close the books on the matter, what say you?”

It would be just as nice if one of them was injured and produced some blood essence to stimulate the dao foundation site. He could sit back and watch the show!

“I’m really here just to take a look at the area...” said a troubled Li Hao. “Who knows how many pairs of eyes will be on me if we fight each other here? It’s not good whether I’m strong or weak. As an exalted emperor, we need to keep a few trump cards to ourselves. Or does the Suncloud fellow daoist wish to expose all of your strength and aces to everyone?

“Why don’t we head elsewhere for a simple spar. Either you beat me up or I beat you up. That will resolve all of our grudges and save ourselves further trouble! In addition, why don’t we add a bet to this? If I win, you have to give me a drop of blood essence. If you win, I’ll give you a drop...”

The Suncloud exalted emperor was tempted and abruptly nodded. “Very well! But we should not go too far out. Let’s stay near the southern gate.”

“I agree. I, too, don’t wish to go too far. What if that third rank exalted emperor of yours finds a place to ambush me from!” Li Hao smiled, looking utterly fearless like a kid fresh on his first adventure. He also took a closer look at his opponent during the exchange. This was... a bit strange and an interesting place. They were both exalted emperors, shouldn’t they possess a bigger breadth of vision and sit down to discuss dao?

Why were they fighting at the drop of a hat? This was such a loss of dignity!

But since he insists on making trouble, don’t mind if I do!

His mind made up, Li Hao didn’t waste further time on the current nonsense. He wanted to come back to the real business at hand as quickly as possible!

“Wait for me here, I’ll be right back.” He looked at Big Claw. “It’s no big deal being beaten up. Fellow daoists, please refrain from telling others about this. It’s... embarrassing, after all.” The young man laughed. “I’m young, so I don’t mind all this, but I won’t admit to anything happening after I come back!”

The two exalted emperors laughed at Li Hao’s antics. Having been quiet the entire time, the female exalted emperor decided to size up the young man. This was indeed a young exalted emperor.

How interesting.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“Go ahead, fellow daoist,” she smiled. “But... even though you’re an exalted emperor, it’s still not a good thing to lose a drop of blood essence. You are young and thus, possibly headstrong. That’s alright, you’ll learn from each of your setbacks and understand in the future.”

“Thank you for the reminders, big sis!”

The female exalted emperor chuckled at Li Hao’s sweet talking. The Suncloud exalted emperor snorted softly and left through the sky.

Li Hao waved at the others. “Big Claw, I’ll be right back...” He vanished as well.

The second rank exalted emperor laughed softly after the two were gone. “What do you think about all this, Ancestress Mo?”

“It’s just a small conflict!” chuckled the woman. “The newcomer is too young! He’ll be losing at least one drop of blood essence out of this. Let’s wait and see, maybe we can get something at the end. Perhaps the guy will drop the blood essence straight into Coiled Dragon Well when he comes back. We’ll see.”

“I think that’ll be hard!” The second rank exalted emperor shook his head. “One drop of a first rank exalted emperor’s blood essence... will have very limited effect on this site. It may have been able to arouse some things eight thousand years ago, but now I think it will take the blood essence of at least a third or fourth rank to do anything!

“But at that level, who would be willing to waste a drop of blood essence for negligible dao remnants?”

The two didn’t mind what was happening elsewhere. The two hotheads were both first rank exalted emperors, with the newcomer looking slightly weaker due to his youth and new ascension. There might be a gap in their level of strength, but they were both first rank exalted emperors.

Exalted emperors of the same level would find it difficult to determine a victor amongst themselves. It remained unknown if the newcomer would keep his word and offer a drop of blood essence with his loss. He might take to the road instead.

Were they to hunt him down for a drop of blood essence? That would truly be putting their lives on the line.

......

Outside the southern gate.

Li Hao quickly darted away; the Suncloud exalted emperor in hot pursuit. They quickly shifted a few times, stopping at a spot not too far away from the southern gate.

Li Hao’s face darkened with foreboding when the Suncloud exalted emperor opened his mouth to speak. The presence of life and death materialized and the longsword in the young man’s hands erupted with scintillating radiance. It was just a moment, but the river of life and death melded into the sword. The lingering destructive power from the chaos tribulation also became part of the sword!

“Hao Moon!” Li Hao said softly as he struck. The wheel of life and death churned and the land turned into black and white.

The Suncloud exalted emperor’s expression shifted drastically!

The dao of life and death?

His features spontaneously aged by an enormous amount in the blink of an eye. A surge of searing strength erupted in front of him. It lasted for just a split second before extinguishing into death qi!

It was like the exalted emperor had suddenly accelerated to the end of his lifespan!

His skin began to slacken and his strength faded away! At the same time, his vitality was completely stripped out. Li Hao’s blow that was intermixed with the power of a chaos tribulation crashed down!

Crunch!

An immense exalted emperor was vaporized in the blink of an eye. A blazing sun smashed into the ground and fell apart!

The long river swept through the area and devoured everything.

“A first rank exalted emperor without a dao universe...” Li Hao proclaimed in removed tones. “A refugee from a mid world... You are far less than the Red Moon exalted emperor! You are essentially the equivalent of a Bone Eclipse without a Red Moon great dao!”

That kind of existence was far too weak; he could kill them when he was a half step emperor! Now that he was a bonafide exalted emperor, and one of life and death, he absolutely rivaled any second rank exalted emperor.

How dare something of that level challenge me?

If it wasn’t for concern about provoking the third rank Suncloud exalted emperor, Li Hao wouldn’t be afraid of taking on all three exalted emperors at the site.

In fact, he wouldn’t be concerned if he had to face a third rank either. No matter how that third rank might be, he would be less than the third rank from Red Moon. Any exalted emperor that lacked a dao universe could be thought lightly of. Li Hao even felt that they could be considered one level lower, which would make the third rank a second rank of a major world.

The young man shook his head. As he thought, in the absence of a dao universe, one’s own dao was thrown into disarray. An opponent like that did not require a second thought!

Who he needed to compare himself against was not people like these, but powerhouses of premier major worlds. Small fry could be wholly ignored—

they’re just a waste of time. I’m here to observe time, not to play in the sand with guys.

But, it was still nice to kill an exalted emperor. I’ll hold what I got from him in reserve for now.

Li Hao smiled and vanished on the spot.

......

Coiled Dragon Well.

Li Hao returned as quickly as he left, in a slightly grumpy mood. “That guy disappeared as soon as we left. I waited for a while, but have no idea where he went off to. Did he walk in the wrong direction? Whatever, I don’t want to wait for him anymore!”

“......” The two exalted emperors looked at each other, breaking out into smiles. They didn’t think much as too little time had elapsed. The newcomer’s clothes weren’t even wrinkled—there clearly had been no duel.

Instead, they were wondering if the Suncloud exalted emperor hadn’t even left the premises? Perhaps he was just toying with the newcomer!

Or perhaps it was the newbie who’d come back as soon as he left the area, hanging the Suncloud exalted emperor out to dry. If that was the case, this was a mischievous addition to their company!

“If you want to meditate over the dao fragments, you should do so as quickly as possible and leave,” smiled the woman. “You won’t be hearing the end of this if that one comes back!”

“He got lost, didn’t he? He won’t be coming back so quickly!” Li Hao laughed. “Or perhaps he was suddenly called away on some business. Who knows? In my opinion, he won’t be back for a while. But thank you for your reminder, big sis! I’ll take a look and leave quickly if there’s nothing to be gleaned!”

The two exalted emperors said nothing else. Li Hao sat down cross-legged, death qi surrounding him. A very faint light manifested within it, one that outsiders would not be able to detect.

A faint hint of the power of time was present—a retracing of time!

The crackling of thunder and lightning could also be heard in the outside world—but it was very faint. Li Hao’s power of time was very feeble at the moment. Although thunderclouds were gathering, they couldn’t seem to lock onto anything.

Their presence attracted the attention of other powerhouses all the same.