Chapter 469: After the Battle (I)

Manager Yu and the others were badly shaken from the various displays of might, but they quickly recovered themselves. The manager studied someone not too far from them and exclaimed, “He’s Light Sword?”

As one of the thirty-six, she’d found the old man familiar and guessed at several possibilities. Light Sword was the only one that didn’t enter her mind. Northern Fist or even Tyrant Blade had been on her list of candidates, but not Light Sword!

It was normal for an old acquaintance to alter their appearance and conceal their identity so others wouldn’t recognize them. However, that didn’t extend to the point of a woman turning into a man, did it?

Indeed, Light Sword was the only other female swordsman among the Seven Swords. The other was Jadelight Sword.

Sky Sword, Earthturner Sword, Light Sword... She was third among the Seven Swords and very strong. It wasn’t out of the ordinary that she possessed her current strength, though it did eclipse many of the other fellow thirty-six. Manager Yu just hadn’t thought that the old man would be Light Sword!

She’s changed even her gender?

Hou Xiaochen looked over and shook his head. “It hasn’t changed!”

“Then...”

“Don’t ask,” Hou Xiaochen interrupted. He knew some of the inside story, but wasn’t at liberty to say much. It also appeared that Light Sword was rather despondent at the moment, so he didn’t want to say anything else.

There was likely quite a backstory to Light Sword joining the Xus. Manager Yu didn’t ask further either.

The remaining powerhouses of the three great organizations swiftly gathered together. They still possessed seven Novas—those congregated first. There were more than twenty Solars left, they quickly formed another group.

Theirs was the strongest faction out of the survivors. Not only that, but Green Moon barked at the remaining wandering cultivators. “What are you waiting for? All of this might be a scheme! Look at how many are dead, especially Novas!

“Yellow Moon is dead, Xu Feng on the Divine Masters Ranking is dead. Southern Fist and Earthturner Sword have hidden themselves well all this time, but choose to expose themselves today. Hou Xiaochen and the others have incredible battle strength. Do you still not understand the situation?!”

She didn’t need to put it more plainly after that. There were three Novas left among the wandering cultivators. Two of them immediately drew closer to the three great organizations. Yuan Xingwu frowned, but didn’t move.

The three great organizations accumulated nine Novas within the blink of an eye. There were another dozen Solars among the wandering cultivators that moved with the Novas. That side was immensely bolstered.

Apart from the unmoving Yuan Xingwu at the head of his Skystar Troops, only Light Sword continued to look inside the city. She was distracted, unheeding of the two camps that the entire outskirts had divided into. It was the Silver Moon authorities versus the three great organizations.

On the side of the official authorities, Hu Qingfeng was gravely wounded and horrified by the development. Qi Gang brooded as he silently recovered from heavy injuries as well. Both of them felt a deep sense of danger. If it wasn’t for the circumstances, they’d want to run. Indeed, some things could not bear further consideration—that would be too terrifying.

Why had so many veteran Silver Moon martial masters suddenly appeared in the Battle Heaven ruins? And none of them were weaklings. They were all too powerful to be imagined. So this was how strong martial masters were!

The two camps were clearly delineated and stood on opposite sides from each other. The three great organizations would likely leave immediately if the entrance was open. But they didn’t dare depart now. What if the other side immediately colluded with those inside the city as soon as they left!

There was also the possibility that there were some disagreements between Hou Xiaochen and Li Hao. Why else would Earthturner Sword keep them preoccupied for so long? Without Earthturner Sword... No, it would be incredibly frightening if the other side allied with Earthturner Sword. Southern Fist was also a terrifying existence.

Green Moon looked at Light Sword standing apart from them. “Light Sword, you can only join us if you want to save yourself. Otherwise...”

The old man turned toward Green Moon and seemed to briefly come back to his senses. He looked at her for a while and smiled in an ugly fashion, “Peacock, you guys probably won’t be leaving either!”

Green Moon’s expression shifted drastically! What did he mean? Was Hou Xiaochen going to murder them all in the ruins? But there were multiple Novas on their side and numerous Solars on their side. If it came down to a fight to the death, the other side wouldn’t get off easy either.

“Don’t start stories,” Hou Xiaochen said calmly after a glance at Light Sword. “We have no such intentions or interest. I’m more interested in whether the three Silver Armors will fully perish? I saw the Gold Armor take them into the city!”

There were currently no Silver Armors or Gold Armor on the city walls. The inner city seemed to have returned to quiet. Hou Xiaochen was indeed considering the fates of the three Silver Armors. There might be a chance yet if they were completely dead. But if they lived and could continue to reawaken... that would make them the equivalent of three peak Novas. They would be difficult opponents, particularly with Southern Fist and Earthturner Sword on their side, not to mention the even more horrifying Gold Armor.

Light Sword ignored him and continued to peer into the city. Where were Southern Fist and Earthturner Sword? Were they not afraid of opening their supernatural locks? Or was there something inside the city to help them recover?

Green Moon and the rest were on high alert. Most of the wandering cultivators drifted to their side, each horrified beyond belief. They’d come here to get rich quick, who knew so many other matters would be involved instead??

The Silver Moon martial masters boggled the mind and seemed impossible to defeat. Some of them had even joined the Battle Heaven Army, an incomprehensible fact! The more they knew, the more dangerous their situation was! Everyone was well aware of that. In that case, could they successfully make it out of the ruins?

Despair shrouded many hearts—their chances of survival looked dim.

On the other hand, if a powerhouse like Light Sword joined them... Hu Qingfeng and Qi Gang also seemed to be wavering on the Silver Moon side. They might choose to rebel. If that was the case, then they might stand a chance!

The two Novas among the wandering cultivators were respectively a mid Nova and initial Nova. Well, they weren’t true wandering cultivators in the sense of the term, as how could Novas appear among wandering cultivators?

One of them was a young man from the Lius of the Ministry of Finance. He was an initial Nova. The other was a mid Nova from the Director General Office of the neighboring Near River province. He was a powerhouse under the director general’s banner and an exceedingly famous executive in the province.

There’d been a distinct lack of Novas in Silver Moon on the surface until Hou Xiaochen made his move. That was when everyone learned that he was a Nova. After Manager Yu and Golden Spear also revealed their capabilities, the general public came to know that Silver Moon did possess Novas, and strong ones at that.

Near River had always displayed strength greater than Silver Moon’s. Currently, however, the general from the Director General Office reeled with shock. How would he ever think again that his home province was stronger than Silver Moon? None of these people were what they seemed!

Some of the Solars among the wandering cultivators also hailed from major factions. They’d simply concealed their identity. This wasn’t an optimal time to reveal it, so they could only fall in line with the three great organizations and hope to obtain protection that way. They would make a report of the updated situation as soon as they left the ruins.

Reality was intensely frightening! Hou Xiaochen and Kong Jie of Silver Moon were ferocious beyond belief, and was that it? Were there more powerful existences out there?

Earthturner Sword and Southern Fist blew the group away with their strength, and apparently Li Hao was only a peak Solar who could kill Solars. Bullshit! Could a peak Solar kill someone on the Divine Masters Ranking?

Everything was fake! Silver Moon martial masters were treacherous little snakes that’d hidden their true strength!

At the moment, the two sides barely managed to maintain peace. No one knew if anyone would be making it out alive. But so long as the ones inside the city didn’t ally with the Silver Moon contingent, then the other side may not be afraid of the Silver Moon authorities. If those two worked together, however, then the three great organizations were doomed.

......

At the same time, inside the city.

He Yong put down Li Hao and quickly took out everything in his storage ring, including the storage ring that Li Hao hadn’t had a chance to collect when he killed Xu Feng. He Yong had also grabbed the boxing gloves that wanted to run away and the bronze mirror that’d clattered to the ground.

The Nova he’d killed before also owned a storage ring, as did all the people he killed previously. He Yong dumped out everything in the rings and piled all of the mysterious power stones together. There were more than six hundred pieces, primarily from Xu Feng and another Nova. There were also the two origin weapons from Xu Feng. The other guy didn’t have one.

“Will that do?” He looked urgently at Li Hao and turned to Hong Yitang when the man landed. “How about you? The storage rings you got from when we killed people in the streets and the one from Yellow Moon—hurry and take them out!”

Hong Yitang greeted him wordlessly.

Weren’t you extremely cocky just now?

The man shook his arm and produced a rain of mysterious power stones. There weren’t as many as the ones in front of He Yong—just four hundred at most. It made for one thousand stones for Li Hao to draw from.

“And that big one!” He Yong said urgently. One thousand stones was a lot, but he and Hong Yitang had consumed eight hundred stones before. The two of them had snapped more locks today, would one thousand be enough?

“Hurry... please... don’t be unwilling to share. Ole Hong, big brother, Master Hong... I can’t hold on!” He Yong was on the verge of tears. He’d had a fantastic time beating people up earlier, but was paying it back in spades now. He’d broken four supernatural locks! If it wasn’t for fortifying his organs recently and Li Hao helping him once, then the bath in the hot spring, he’d already be dead.

Hong Yitang cursed inwardly, but still took out a big piece of stone. It was the one he’d cut into by the spring. He couldn’t bear to bring out the other two flawless pieces. The broken one he was handling was likely only the equivalent of three thousand pieces, but its quality was much higher than that. He offered his head to anyone who could buy this rock for three thousand pieces!

Li Hao promptly stuck the sword into the largest piece of stone. His sword energy was completely depleted. Hong Yitang raised a hand to stop the young man, but dropped it with a mournful sigh. “You could’ve started with the small ones...”

Why go straight to the top!