Chapter 808: Deliberate Misrepresentation (I)

The nine ministries and royal family had been preventing powerhouses rising from the ordinary populace by limiting their access to Water of Life. Without that critical resource, metamorphosis could not make it to Arcanus. But Li Hao represented an opening in that blockade. Large sums of metamorphosis and premier martial masters might flock to his banner.

It was the inevitable outcome after the guy essentially said that he would infinitely supply Water of Life!

The group sank into deep thought, contemplating how to respond strategically. They hadn’t paid much attention to everything the young man said before, finding it to be delusions of grandeur. Only this represented real trouble!

Ultimately, Mu Hai of Internal Affairs spoke up, “I don’t care about any of this. I just want to know when there will be movement for those that the commander has arrested—including my daughter.”

“I was going to behead them today,” Li Hao laughed. “But now... forget it. That would be placing too much importance on them. We can execute those who are guilty in a few more days. As for Minister Mu’s daughter, there’s not much issue with her. She’s only guilty of some small transgressions, so spending two or three years locked away is enough!”

Mu Hai stared at the young man for a while before lowering his head without a word. Li Hao really was going to incarcerate his daughter! That bastard! And yet, he also had to be relieved that his daughter wasn’t going to be beheaded.

Li Hao smiled radiantly at the audience. Not bad, other than the Tranquil Duke with a death wish, no one else made trouble for him. The proceedings were going well! He’d take care of that duke later.

“The Skystar Commander Office is officially established today and will enact rules for superhumans. This is a cause worthy of celebration!” A long peal of laughter suddenly rang through the air. “Powerhouses have existed since the ancient times, yet are unknown to all. Their names linger only in the wind and cloud! The Wind and Cloud Pavilion will publish the Arcanus Ranking and update the Divine Masters Ranking in three days. It will immortalize the names of the greatest in Silver Moon for all to see! Such is our gift to the Skystar Commander Office for its inauguration, hahaha!”

Laughter echoed loudly through the void as figures flashed through it. A light glinted in Li Hao’s eyes as he looked around.

“That’s quite a show of little tricks!” he snorted. “What Wind and Cloud Pavilion? How dare it be of similar name to the Ranking of Wind and Cloud in the New Martial era?”

Li Hao wasn’t completely brainless! The originators of the Divine Masters Ranking appearing at this time meant that they wanted to stir up trouble! In the ancient civilization, the Ranking of Wind and Cloud exposed countless secluded heavyweights with its list and large-scale slaughter soon occurred after publication!

There was no sign of the speaker even now—they were gone!

Li Hao looked on with an unpleasant expression. The Wind and Cloud Pavilion had chosen this day, a day in which he gathered titans from all corners and was laying down the law, to steal his thunder. They obviously had malicious intent!

The Divine Masters Ranking was just a gimmick that not many powerhouses paid attention to. But now, they were going to release the Arcanus Ranking to immortalize Silver Moon heavyweights! That was gravely ambitious!

Various powerhouses glowered at the development. The Wind and Cloud Pavilion! They’d never heard of the organization before, while they knew of the Divine Masters Ranking. Some people had looked into the origins of the ranking, but found nothing for their efforts. They’d known early on that there was a backer behind the ranking. Who would’ve thought that this backer would be quite strong!

Could this ranking really list all of the heavyweights in the world? No one believed that! There was no one in the world who grasped knowledge of all the powerhouses there were.

Li Hao’s inauguration ceremony and establishment of rules for superhumans had abruptly become of secondary importance. All manner of flotsam and jetsam were becoming active prior to the second awakening. It looked like someone didn’t want the world to proceed peacefully. There were certain to be stunning changes and names present on this ranking.

“Damn them!” Quite a few people cursed, some with more apprehension than others. A series of troublesome issues might develop if the heavyweights of all factions were exposed. No one was certain if this mysterious organization had the capabilities it boasted of. The ancient records spoke of such a ranking that really did list all of the heroes beneath the heavens. It was a terrifying construct!

......

Unhappy expressions filtered through those of the Skystar Commander Office. This was a nod to the Ranking of Wind and Cloud! A powerhouse had established that ranking; it was later called a walking obituary for those listed on it. It was heavily prominent in the ancient age and its creator incomparably domineering. Even the ancient Human King couldn’t do anything to them.

The skies and earth shifted when the ranking was updated. All excluded experts and local geniuses were entered on it. Their strength was described in full, which made it easier for enemies to get a grasp on their target. An entrant on the ranking might have commanded fear and respect before, yet who would be cautious after all was known?

Of course, the caveat was that the ranking was trusted and accepted by the public. If not, it was just hot air. But if the Arcanus Ranking released in three days could truly incorporate all of the powerhouses in Silver Moon... that would be horrifying! It meant someone else knew all of their secrets and personal affairs.

The various factions were hiding their true strength these days. As soon as someone listed verified that their information was correct, then that meant everyone else’s was also more or less correct.

“Do you know about the Ranking of Wind and Cloud?” Li Hao sent his mental strength into the storage ring.

“Hmm?” The little tree answered quickly despite its confusion. “I do, it was created by someone known as Daoist Wind and Cloud.”

This was not the true title of the premier heavyweight, so it didn’t matter if they mentioned it.

“This powerhouse was a heaven-defying existence in my father’s memories,” the little tree continued. “He created the Sky Gander and the Mirror of Wind and Cloud. That treasure connected directly to the final destination of core origin dao and could capture the true nature of all things. Any core origin practitioner would enter the ranking without exception!”

Li Hao took a sharp breath! He knew about the ranking, but had absolutely no inspiration as to connect a treasure to the final stage of a cultivation dao. That was... formidable and incredible!

“Additionally, it’s not just one person as the Daoist of Wind and Cloud, it was an entire family!” the little tree continued. “They were a legendary family that produced an incredible number of four emperors!

“You might not know what it means to be an emperor—those were truly invincible existences! Even the later Human King was hard pressed to stand against the Daoist of Wind and Cloud. The daoist and his three sons schemed against the various emperors and disrupted the world. They realized the error of their ways later on and, as redemption, rendered grave services in helping the Human King kill the Celestial Emperor!

“Everyone knew of the Ranking of Wind and Cloud when it was published,” the little tree was still quite emotional when thinking of the creator behind it. “The skies and earth shook, even the Forbidden Sea was suppressed!”

Li Hao laughed at the little tree’s recounting. Now this was a real Ranking of Wind and Cloud! Four emperors from just one family? That was incredible? What the hell was that in return just now? The young man chortled gleefully. Who were they trying to scare? The speaker hadn’t been present at all and simply conveyed his words through transmission. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that he’d been more than ten thousand meters away and didn’t dare draw close.

Look at how Daoist Wind and Cloud carried himself—he dominated the world as soon as his ranking was published! It looked like the Wind and Cloud Pavilion might have some knowledge of this ranking, or had possibly obtained an imitation of its treasure?

It was impossible for them to have the genuine article; they wouldn’t be able to use it even if they did. Modern martial masters did not possess core origin and neither did supernaturals. How the hell was one supposed to create a Ranking of Wind and Cloud?

Li Hao laughed and transmitted to the little tree, “Someone wants to set up the Ranking of Wind and Cloud in this age. Do you think they can do it? Will they be able to detect the powerhouses hidden in the ruins or those who are concealing their strength like me?”

“They... do have a hope of doing so if they have fragments of Sky Gander,” the little tree said after some thought. “And I mean real fragments! Or an imitation of that treasure. A powerful imitation can scan all of Silver Moon Territory and search for life signs. It can then deduce the strength of the bearer from the strength of the life sign.

“Sky Gander was omnipotent back in the day. The Imperial Majesty wielded it and could even peer into the core origin of invincible heavyweights! It was terrifying. Although people repaired it after it was broken, it was hard to revert back to its original form. If someone obtains a true fragment of the treasure, they might have a chance of looking into Silver Moon Territory. This land is too small and its powerhouses too few!”

“Silver Moon Territory?” asked Li Hao. What did the little tree mean by that? “Was the ancient civilization more than just Silver Moon?”

He’d had certain thoughts in this direction when he learned about the Star Gate, but it was still difficult to digest the notion that his entire world was too small. So the little tree meant that they didn’t possess the complete set of ancient civilization ruins?

“This territory is just the great majesty’s abandoned palace. You knew that early on!”

This entire world was just part of an abandoned palace? Then where was the real palace? How about the Human King’s? His Imperial Majesty’s? There were only the eight main cities to be found in Silver Moon province these days, did that mean those cities were the center of the world in those times?

The little tree felt that Li Hao should’ve come to these conclusions long ago and not be asking now whether the ruins he knew of constituted all of the ruins from the ancient civilization. Of course not!

“Therefore, you mean that Silver Moon is just one tiny aspect of the ancient civilization?”

“Correct.”

Li Hao took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and didn’t say a word. His guests thought that he was enraged by the earlier visitor, but in reality, the young man didn’t care at all.

“So this means to say that if they obtain a fragment of Sky Gander... they have a chance of finding all the powerhouses in the world?”

“It’s possible, or if they have an imitation. It can’t be trash, it has to be a strong imitation. The mirror fragments in your hand might be ones from a powerful imitation...”

“They’re not fragments of Sky Gander?”

The little tree fell silent with speechlessness. “How is that possible?? If they were fragments of Sky Gander, you’d be invincible throughout the lands since you already have five. Just one fragment alone was enough to cause Saints to fight over it back in the day...”

Would you have five so easily? What’s running through that mind of yours?

“Then if they...”

“Seize it!” The little tree had learned how to interrupt. “If it’s not Sky Gander they have, then it’s a very good imitation! You have the right to hold the pieces of Sky Gander, whereas I‘m not sure if they do.”