Chapter 849: Grown Too Bold (IV)

Li Hao didn’t return to his study of the personal domain. He was so busy these days that he wanted nothing more than a double of himself. A double to cultivate, a double to do work, a double to travel, and a double to be in a relationship for him... What a pity that such a thing wasn’t possible.

......

Evenround Martial University.

“What are you doing here again?” grumbled the Black Armor when he sensed his visitor. Again and again, this was so annoying! He wanted to spend some time contemplating life, but the little bastard kept interrupting his thoughts! It’d only been a few days since the last visit!

“I’m a student. Is the dean not letting a student return to campus?”

“......” The Black Armor wanted to dunk himself in a vat of regret. Why had he made the little bastard a student??

Damn it!

The august personage wanted to break out in curses!

“What do you want?” he asked brusquely.

“There seems to be a lingering trace of mental strength from the Lu Zhen Research Center that’s awoken in a modern human. Is this good or bad?”

“Are you thinking of possession?” rumbled the Black Armor. “It shouldn’t come down to that. Normal New Martial citizens wouldn’t find your bodies appealing. They would rather take possession of a weapon and become a weapon spirit than one of you.”

...damn if that wasn’t a vicious tongue! Li Hao wanted to erupt in outright insults!

“Has someone gone about it in a haphazard manner and broken this person’s mental strength to force it into another person’s body? If that’s the case, then there might be no helping it. The mental strength and memories might be mixed together to the point where they can’t be separated...”

Li Hao nodded. That was what had happened. Those were precisely Yun Haoran’s actions.

“Whoever did so... was diabolical!” sighed the Black Armor. “Living in a strictly mental form is better than having memories shattered and being forced into another person’s body. What a shame, I wonder which of Lu Zhen’s research members was that unlucky.”

“......” Li Hao couldn’t find the words to respond. He’d just wanted to know if this was a good or bad development, but the Black Armor’s response was to the level of—

don’t even think about it. I wouldn’t take possession of a body even if you presented it to me for free. I’d rather live in pure mental form!

“So this means to say that ancient powerhouses won’t possess modern people?”

“Ai!” sighed the Black Armor again. “It’s not impossible. If that person wasn’t right in the head, in a confused state, or about to explode... then they might randomly take possession of whoever’s nearby. Otherwise, isn’t it better to be obliterated?”

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

You... I’d never realized before that you can be so cutting with your words. But you seem more alive this way. You were like a machine before!

“He wants to resurrect you...” Li Hao set his reactions aside.

“There’s no need!” The Black Armor shook his head. “I know a bit of what the research center was looking into, but it’s all trash. My mental strength will decline and my body will be incomparably weak after I am revived. I would soon turn into an eighth or ninth rank existence compared to what I am now. The only way I can accept that is if I’m dead!”

“......”

Very well then! And Yuming wanted to resurrect him... but his target didn’t desire that course of action.

“Eighth or ninth rank... is that the equivalent of five or six element Arcanus?”

“Pretty much. They can live for one thousand years if their body is strong enough. Thus, it’s a completely different notion.”

“......” Li Hao didn’t even want to continue the conversation anymore. He changed the subject in a muffled voice, “That’s fine, we can drop the topic. I have another question, senior, I’d like to revive General Pagoda. Is there any problem with that?”

“It should be fine so long as Battle Heaven still stands,” the Black Armor said after some thought. “Do not revive the plant spirits if the city has fully fallen silent! Those not of our race are certain to have turned traitor! But if Battle Heaven still exists, then that means the core ideals are still present. Faith is still present, and if faith is present, then all is well!”

Although he felt that this fellow’s tongue was too sharp, Li Hao was more at ease with his answer.

“I’ll slap you to death if you keep insulting me in your heart!” the Black Armor chose to say at this moment.

“...cough cough cough!” Li Hao broke into a coughing fit and plastered a wide smile on his face. “You misunderstand me, senior!”

“I don’t want to sense your thoughts either,” the Black Armor said faintly. “But I am only mental strength now and as such, it is even easier for me to sense mental processes. Shroud your mind with the aura if you don’t wish for me or other powerhouses to hear you. Wrap it around your mind...”

“Like this?” Li Hao was suddenly enveloped by a personal domain.

The Black Armor quieted down and seemed to be looking upon the scene with great emotion. “Go on, I don’t have what you want. Don’t disturb me so easily next time, I want to spend some time in peace and quiet!”

Li Hao laughed.

You walking hunk of metal wants some quiet? Guess what? I’m coming back!

He was delighted to see a complete lack of reaction from a litany of disrespect. The Black Armor really couldn’t read his thoughts anymore!

With that, the young man walked off. He patted the robotic cat at the school gates when he left. “So cute, I’ll come back to see you guys again...” He was gone.

“Teacher, he touched me!” the robotic cat gasped after he left.

“He touched a puppet, not you. Don’t think too much!” The Black Armor said after a while.

“But... he touched me!”

“Settle down. So he touched you, you don’t have a physical body anymore...”

“But...”

“That’s enough. Remember that you’re seventy... eighty thousand... who knows how old you are! He’s only twenty. So he touched you, go back to resting!”

“I’m not that old...” The cat instantly disappeared with a sob.

The Black Armor ignored her. It was useless to deny it. Time passed even as they slept. Li Hao was growing ever more interesting and bold. Was he ready to revive General Pagoda?

Battle Heaven... That rather reminded him of a young junior at Demonic Martial that was a division leader at Battle Heaven.

I wonder if he’s still alive? I forgot to ask Li Hao to look into it.

......

Li Hao didn’t even bring Panther with him on his next outing. He sent the dog to keep watch. Panth was first rate at concealing its presence and finding people. It would only waste food if it stayed at home. Hence, it was better for it to go out and stay busy.

The young man didn’t bother telling anyone about his plans. After truly setting foot into Arcanus, he quite liked traveling alone to test his new abilities.

......

Earthbending.

The technique felt like taking a bath in a hot spring. It was very comforting to Li Hao as he shot through the ground. The terrain ahead of him formed in his mind’s eye as he traveled at an extremely fast speed. He climbed every mountain and swam through every body of water he encountered. When he came across the isolated desert, he manifested to shoot through the void as a ball of fiery light.

This

was what it truly meant to be an Arcanus!

He also experimented with the wind and thunder secret arts, trying to become a gale wind or both of lightning. Each trip was a cultivation opportunity for him, a chance to relax.

He flew to his heart’s desire and thoroughly enjoyed the joy of cultivation each time he was in an uninhabited area. His inner child came out to play when he was in a place where no one would see him.

Cultivation was fun, but being forced into it and cultivating for the sake of killing wasn’t what he wanted. That wasn’t the meaning of cultivation. Whether it was martial masters or superhumans, they were all meant to explore the mysteries of the human body in Li Hao’s eyes. He didn’t understand those who fixated on conquest and being the Human King. Wasn’t cultivation meant to strengthen the self and surpass the limits of life?

He wandered unhurriedly through the world, exulting in his freedom. However, that sensation soon disappeared. Another figure was rushing through the void and stopped when it sensed Li Hao. Its extremely fast figure paused and looked back at the young man.

Li Hao also looked into the distance, seeing that the other had very delicate features. They seemed quite young—a woman. He more or less recognized her the second he saw her face. There were very few powerful women beneath the heavens these days. It was usually either city lord Lin Hongyu or the Celestial Sword Immortal of the Celestial organization.

The person in front of him was not the Celestial Sword Immortal that he’d seen last time. Since she wasn’t, it had to be Lin Hongyu of the City of Supernaturals. She was said to be the heir of an ancient aristocracy and had become city lord at a young age.

Lin Hongyu looked very young—an appearance that reflected her actual age. Li Hao wasn’t very familiar with her, only hearing from others that she was roughly thirty or so. All the same, she was able to dominate the other families of the city to become the city lord. One had to say, that was very indicative of strength and skill.

She wore a long green skirt and didn’t seem like a martial master. Li Hao hadn’t thought they would cross paths here; killing intent gradually built in his eyes. What a coincidence! The City of Supernaturals had just announced that they would ally with Jade Flute and Sunset Mountain. This was the northern direction, so that meant she was likely headed to Jade Flute Mountain.

It was said that that mountain lord was also female. These two mountains kept such a low profile that Li Hao wasn’t familiar with them.

So the city lord headed to Jade Flute Mountain, was she? Li Hao promptly vanished from sight with a clap of thunder and lightning.

Though Lin Hongyu’s expression shifted slightly in the distance, she remained without fear. She hadn’t thought that she’d run into the renowned Li Hao in the middle of this bleak landscape. She’d yet to come in contact with the young man, whereas Li Hao had killed a few Arcanus from her city.

The City of Supernaturals had decided to quietly let things lie and didn’t demonstrate hostility toward the Skystar Commander Office for it. Of course, it was a given that the Skystar Commander Office would want to bring the City of Supernaturals to heel.

She knew the situation was bad when Li Hao disappeared. The young man was highly arrogant, alright! As a fellow peak six elements, her placement on the real ranking should be in the top ten. Li Hao chose to attack without further word—a sign of how cocky he was. The two met in battle!