Chapter 1676: Missing Only One Thing (I)

Flare Sun wanted to fly into a rage, but lifted his head to see that the domineering Human King had also disappeared.

“Fog Mountain, let’s talk later!” His voice traveled back on the wind.

“.......” Fog Mountain briefly paused in the distance, but he didn’t stop. The Human King... was an interesting character.

Will he not be happy unless he throws a wrench in my works? He ran off quickly enough!

“He’s leaving? Just like that?” Exalted emperors transmitted to each other.

“Fog Mountain’s acting really strange!”

“Was that a real spar or just a feint?”

“Who knows? We’ll just consider them all part of the same crew for now!”

“......”

The Skycloud eighth rank suddenly transmitted, “Light, I am not sure if Fog Mountain is partnering with the Human King, but Skycloud does not have a partnership with him!”

The Light master was quiet for a moment before responding in kind, “The same goes for Light major world! My son seems to have some dealings with the new king of Silver Moon, but Light knows nothing of New Martial!”

They’d never been in contact!

But speculations might swirl in the outside world now, particularly from the Red Moon master. There was nothing they could do about it.

The two eighth ranks neither made a move nor descended in person upon Skyward. They simply sent their consciousnesses forth. It also indicated one point—they weren’t far from Skyward. In fact... they might even

be

on Skyward!

Their brief interaction was just to explain themselves, that the New Martial Human King didn’t have much to do with them. This would prevent misunderstandings that either was here at the Human King’s behest.

......

Fog Mountain didn’t care what was developing behind him. He made straight for Dragon Observatory. Beside him, Deepsea followed with a heavy look on his face.

“That was inappropriate, Fog Mountain,” he said after a long time. “You continue to antagonize all sides...”

Fog Mountain turned back to look at him and mulled over his response. “If I leave Skycloud, I will seek to make it whole as much as possible. It will be... expected if the world master stops me. But I hope that the three of you won’t stand in my way!”

“Are you truly so resolved?” Deepsea’s cheek spasmed.

“Yes!” Fog Mountain’s expression remained calm. “I’ve made up my mind to leave! I’ve lived long enough. I said before that I am not betraying Skycloud. But if you guys feel that I am, I will not protest your perspective! If the world master decides to stop me, then I... will resist. I will not come quietly!”

Deepsea couldn’t keep himself contained anymore. Fog Mountain was going to leave them! He’d made up his mind no matter what!

“That Flare Sun is also a premier rank, but he has never raised the idea of leaving!” Anger crept into Deepsea’s voice. “You have indeed done much for Skycloud, but isn’t that Flare Sun also continuing to fight for Light?”

“To each their own!” was Fog Mountain’s only response. Deepsea wanted to speak further, but Fog Mountain turned on him. “We would be harming our brotherhood if you say more. In addition, my fortunes may be in Dragon Observatory. You and Dragon are not allowed back in. That’s mine now!”

“You...”

Fog Mountain leveled a chilling glare at him. “Deepsea, you can object, refute, or try to persuade me on the basis of our long-running brotherhood, but you will not be able to stop me! If you continue to obstruct or even try to ruin my plans, I... might move against you!”

He whirled around without a look back. “You and I do not walk the same path! You guys do not understand me after all these years. There is only Skycloud in your eyes. While there is Skycloud in mine, there is also the chaos!”

He was gone, leaving behind a despondent Deepsea. The latter stared in the direction he’d left in, quiet and in shock. Were they going to part ways in the end? Would the world master agree to it?

But you’re a peak seventh rank, the number two of Skycloud. If you leave when unrest rocks the chaos... How will the world master agree to it?

Don’t forget that the world master is the law in the dao universe!

Deepsea looked on wryly. Irritation flared when he saw a crowd of exalted emperors leisurely stroll in from a distance. “Dragon!” he growled.

The Observatory leader started and hastily flew over. “Milord...”

“There’s no need to go back to Dragon Observatory!” Deepsea snorted. “Since you like to wander around outside so much, follow me from today forth to investigate the various dao foundation sites!”

The former Observatory leader was taken aback, but didn’t dare say anything. “We will do that!” he quickly nodded.

And how have I offended you?? This is ridiculous!! Just you wait until I make it to seventh rank. Let’s see if you’re that arrogant then!

......

Fog Mountain returned to Dragon Observatory. His eyes snapped to Demon Summit as soon as he landed. They were back.

A smile curved his lips. He’d let loose with tough talk this time.

If the Silver Moon king doesn’t open the Skyward dao universe for me, I’ll slice and dice him! There’s no way out for me anymore. It is my life or my success!

He lifted his head up at the sky, at where the dao universe should be found.

If the Skyward dao universe cannot support my dao and facilitate my exit or help me enter eighth rank... then I... might march on Red Moon!

I’ll stake everything on a gamble!

He closed his eyes and hovered in the air, unmoving like he was dead. The premises were eerily quiet. All people could see was Fog Mountain hovering over Dragon Observatory with his presence flaring.

No one knew why.

......

The Exalted Fog Mountain Emperor had chosen to return to Dragon Observatory and take a seat in its airspace. His presence was so strong that it drew many sidelong glances. What did this fellow want to do?

Fog Mountain’s behavior had been exceedingly baffling today. They couldn’t make any sense of it!

Fog Mountain didn’t need their understanding either. It would be troublesome if they actually did. He was just thinking that those two youngsters better emerge sooner rather than later. They’d entered Demon Summit without so much as a hello as soon as they returned. Could the transport have deposited them in the wrong place?

Well, no, they’d likely gone to Demon Summit for dao chess.

......

Just as Fog Mountain drew everyone’s eyes.

Demon Summit, the Hall of Darkness, dao chess.

Li Hao had reached 3,500 squares and Void easily passed 4,000. He was on the 4,200th square, but the gap between the two seemed to be closing. At the same time, Li Hao’s speed was much slower than before.

The minor worlds in his river were becoming more active and a few other minor world domains had been born. Supernatural characters appeared to absorb the river’s power and continuously perfect it.

The young man was utterly delighted.

The dao chess was a weapon refined from an eighth rank major world and wielded by a ninth rank exalted emperor. It was a supreme treasure and possibly the strongest treasure in the chaos at present. While it had an eighth rank dao universe as its foundation, strictly speaking, it was a ninth rank weapon.

The Human King’s blade was possibly a seventh rank weapon and very few other powerful exalted emperors utilized weapons. Even if they did, the weapons themselves weren’t that strong. The Sword Sovereign didn’t have a weapon either—he wielded the manifestation of his dao.

These kinds of weapons were generally utilized to comprehend dao. It was easy to see from this how helpful such treasures were to Li Hao.

When it came to dao chess, not even an eighth rank like the dark envoy had made it to the end back in the day.

Some of Li Hao’s minor worlds neared further completion. What had been crude nets of dao—or perhaps webbings of dao—began to flesh out as the young man progressed through various squares.

The shadow had once said that if Li Hao was willing to devote himself to cultivation in dao chess, it was a foregone conclusion for him to reach sixth rank. There was even hope for seventh rank. Clearly, this was an extremely formidable treasure.

Li Hao and Void silently advanced through the chessboard, one person’s progress matched by the other.

They didn’t mean to compete with each other, but they were both individuals who had their pride. Li Hao couldn’t be bothered with the Utmost Dark fifth rank when they made their attempts together, but today, it was Void by his side!

His competitive side flared since it was Void. While his cultivation level was lower, Li Hao felt that his comprehension of dao might not be any worse than Void’s. He’d benefited from numerous fortuitous opportunities, after all!

And with the power of time in hand, he could often glimpse opportunities that regular people could not. Why would his performance in dao chess be worse than Void’s?

He didn’t dare say that his understanding of dao nets was better than seventh ranks, but it ought to be of note among mid ranks.

When he’d killed one sixth rank, Void had been so indignant that he immediately followed up with two!

In actuality, he’d stood a chance of killing two as well, but Orchid Forest’s Yan Fang had ruined those plans. Since that was the case, they would pit themselves against each other in dao chess!

Li Hao had started from the 2000th square and Void from the 3000th. A different starting line was fine, that didn’t indicate anything about the finish line. The young man cast a sidelong glance at Void—his friend was in the 4000s. There was a significant gap between the two of them.

Li Hao darted into another square and swiftly comprehended it, absorbing the dao strength to produce a new supernatural character dao star and create a new embryonic world.

Void was coolly composed beside him, but the man was anything but calm.

When he first met Li Hao, he was a fourth rank and Li Hao a first rank. Now, he was sixth rank and Li Hao fourth rank. They’d both improved very quickly!

It’d been about two years since their first meeting—the snap of a finger to exalted emperors. However, their foundations were different!

Void was a fifth rank to begin with, he’d simply cultivated anew. Li Hao was the one who’d started from scratch. But now they were both mid rank and the difference between them wasn’t that great.