Star Gate

Chapter 369: Gathering (III)

With that, Li Hao said nothing more and ignored Kong Youyun. There was no need to converse with those who liked to take an opposing stance in a conversation for the sake of doing so. He was speaking to those of the Sword Sect. If people who practiced the sword didn’t kill with it, were they looking to become sword dancers?

What was the point of this opposing viewpoint?

His teacher once said that if he ran into these people, he could go along with their conversation for a bit and then hack them to bits if they didn’t leave him alone! Of course, Li Hao wasn’t like that, but he could tell that Golden Spear’s disciple had her own understanding of martial dao.The young man didn’t seek to have everyone agree with his theories—that was impossible. Variations and eccentricities abounded on the path of martial dao. Everyone had their own thoughts.

Kong Youyun was strong enough and her aura mighty enough, so it was normal that she had her own conclusions. However, Li Hao would not identify with the thoughts of outsiders.

Kong Youyun was still waiting for Li Hao’s big idea, but she heard the young man say, “Don’t just stand here, junior sister Hong. I’ve already talked to Brother Second Mu. The thirty of you are assigned to two different buildings. I reserved them ahead of time, they’re over there.”

Li Hao pointed into the distance and continued talking as he walked, “Come with me, there’s also a few reminders I’d like to give everyone.”

He walked off with the crowd, leaving a frowning Kong Youyun behind him. She looked at Mu Lin. “Did I say something wrong?”

She didn’t think she’d offended Li Hao, she’d simply spoken of her own viewpoints. It was Li Hao who was the impolite one.

“You didn’t.” Mu Lin smiled and thought for a bit. “But everyone has their own understanding of their path. It’s not wrong when he tells the Sword Sect that slaughter is the core of the sword. If you say right now that it’s not the only way... Well then, it’s normal for him to ignore you.”

Kong Youyun found herself at a loss for words.

“Don’t try to change someone else’s thinking, martial masters have their own insistences,” Mu Lin said. “Some might think it’s luck that swiftly propelled Li Hao to his current accomplishments, but can luck really create a sword cultivator who’s grasped multiple auras? Your family background is impressive, your father is strong, and your teacher is mighty. But do you think it’s family backing alone that brought you to your level of strength?”

Kong Youyun said nothing else after thinking it over.

“That guy moves quick, he’s got thirty people in the blink of an eye,” Mu Lin commented. “If he transfers some of the Guards to himself, his team will be almost complete.”

Li Hao had the right to move thirty-seven people to his team if he wished to. Added to that the thirty from today meant that he could quickly assemble more than sixty martial masters. That was extraordinarily quick work!

......

Li Hao was no longer as restrained when there was no one else around them.

“I went to martial uncle Hong yesterday to invite you guys to my team,” he chuckled as he walked. “But not so you can enjoy life! I have a few goals, of which I can share with you. Number one, kill people! Number two, grow stronger! Number three, get rich!”

The first two were understandable, but Hong Qing couldn’t understand the last one. “Li Hao...”

“Call me centurion!”

“......” Fine, she would change her honorific. “Centurion, what do you mean by get rich?”

“By the meaning of the word!” Li Hao laughed. “Blood pearls, mysterious power, mysterious power stones, origin weapons... Are there ever too much of those resources? Do you want dao comprehension weapons that you can sense the aura from? Only when you’re rich can you grow stronger. Those without money have to eat the earth, whereas when you grow stronger, you can kill people...”

“Centurion, when you say kill people, who do you have in mind?” asked a man in his thirties. He stood next to Hong Qing.

“Those who should die! Don’t worry, they’re not mundanes or on the side of good!”

The man nodded without further question.

“What’s your name?” Li Hao asked.

“Hong Hao.”

“You share the same Hao character as me?”

“No, it’s the one for vast!” Hong Hao shook his head.

“Then your relationship with martial uncle Hong...”

“I am master’s third disciple, but I grew up by his side.”

Third disciple...

That meant there were two more. He knew one of them—she was Hong Yitang’s wife now. So there was a second disciple who wasn’t here? The one in front of him seemed to be the oldest.

“Has martial uncle’s second disciple not come?” Li Hao didn’t beat around the bush.

When Hong Hao didn’t respond, Hong Qing explained, “Second senior brother is not in Silver Moon. He has wonderful potential and became a half step Dominator early on. He became dissatisfied that he didn’t break through, so he left for the central region a few years ago.”

Li Hao nodded slightly, then broke out in a wide grin. “There are many opportunities in the central region, but also many in Silver Moon! Here, I just need people to follow me and be willing to fight with me. We’ll be powerhouses, sooner or later!”

No one said anything. They couldn’t become powerhouses just because someone said so!

The group soon reached their destination. Li Hao pointed at one of the buildings.

“Settle in. I have other business to attend to over the next two days, so familiarize yourself with the environment. Some more people will be coming during this time—look after them for me, Hong Qing. One of them is Liu Long, son of Silver Spear. He was my old team captain and is now a Dominator. There are also a few of my old colleagues from Silver City, they’re all Sunderers...”

He gave a brief overview; his team would be immensely fortified once the Silver City crew arrived. However, there were still spaces to fill. He wouldn’t fill them all with people from elsewhere in the Guards.

Some others came to mind, but Li Hao wasn’t at ease when he thought of them. Hu Dingfang, for instance. Was his senior sister still there? Had she passed on more martial knowledge over the years? Hu Dingfang was once a martial master, did he have disciples?

But... he didn’t really want to go to them.

He Yong seemed like a decent fellow, but he belonged to the royal family. Otherwise, an addition of disciples from the Southern Fist discipline sounded nice.

“Southern Fist, Earthturner Sword...” Li Hao suddenly thought of someone—Wang Henggang, the powerhouse of the Iron Shirt discipline and part of the Inspectorate. This person’s identity passed muster and he was from Silver City. They hailed from the same hometown! So... did he have any peers or disciples?

Li Hao wasn’t concerned about spies or pawns infiltrating his ranks. He wasn’t going to rebel with his team. If he really was going to rebel, just one hundred alone wasn’t enough!

With that in mind, he wasn’t in a hurry to search out more people. His focus was on honing the sword of speed. He needed to make good use of time to complete the sword. Once it was finished and infused with the metal sword aura, he would take his people to accomplish the great deed of capturing Violet Moon!

Li Hao didn’t care about the Nova that’d come from Red Moon. Someone would be along to take care of that one. Almost all of the major institutions were targeting Red Moon these days. The young man was very bold. He either did nothing or he had Violet Moon in his sights. Thanks to his eyes, he’d stare at every clod of dirt and rock if he had to. He’d find his target!

......

Li Hao spent only a little bit of time attending to the Sword Sect delegation before returning to his training. The forms of the young man and the Flaming Phoenix Spear soon reappeared in the artificial forest.

......

Silver Moon was not at peace these days. Although the three great organizations abandoned the plan against Hou Xiaochen, the province’s four institutions began their concerted efforts to eliminate the organizations. Hao Lianchuan urgently desired to obtain large amounts of blood pearls and devoted all of his efforts to tracking Red Moon members. He raced around the province with his men to kill them.

Violet Moon and Blue Moon didn’t dare rashly show their faces in public, and that wasn’t all of Red Moon’s troubles. A group of bold martial masters from Silver Moon’s martial world also moved against them. Not only that, but some mysterious people also targeted Red Moon powerhouses. As if that wasn’t enough, immensely strong existences from the shadows likewise stirred to action.

Red Moon repositioned some Solars from neighboring provinces into Silver Moon, but they vanished after a few days before having a chance to showcase their power and prestige!

......

Within a manor.

Blue Moon slammed his palm down on a table and smashed it to smithereens. He was livid over the unacceptably heavy losses of the past few days. Large numbers of their strongholds had been obliterated and he’d met the new Solars only once before they disappeared. He didn’t even have a chance to assign missions before being unable to find them!

Was there a need to explain what had happened? Others had surely killed them all. The key thing was that it happened in Silver Moon. The Solars’ mysterious disappearance was certainly not due to desertion. It was more than likely the work of some mighty personages.

Solars continued to be the most lofty existences in certain provinces, so that they’d disappeared without raising a fuss was very hard for Blue Moon to swallow. Silver Moon was a province that many people were unfamiliar with in the central region. The older generation sometimes only mentioned it with an emotional sigh over the province that martial dao had once thrived in. These days, it seemed more terrifying than the central region!

There’s still a period of time before the ruins open, this can’t be allowed to continue. We must send even stronger powerhouses here or Red Moon will lose the right to speak in Silver Moon! Blue Moon clenched his jaw. If worst came to worst, the northern nineteen provinces could center on Silver Moon and congregate here!

Ying Hongyue had summoned Blue Moon for an audience before he set out for Silver Moon. The leader had said that if there was a need, he could call for all of the Red Moon branches in the north.

There was so much more to Silver Moon than met the eye! According to Ying Hongyue, this land hid too many secrets! They had to maintain a foothold here even if they were to abandon the other northern provinces. If they couldn’t manage that now, it would be difficult for them to do so in the future.

However, Blue Moon still frowned despite making up his mind. This entailed relinquishing the profits in all of the other provinces. If they all came to Silver Moon and were still hit heavily, the losses would be too great to endure. Even he wouldn’t be able to shoulder the responsibility.

But if this continued, they would be run out of the province!

Sighing, Blue Moon confirmed his decision. All nineteen Red Moon branches were to converge upon Silver Moon! This province could not be lost even if it was just for the ruins of Battle Heaven. There were many powerhouses in the other eighteen provinces and multiple Solars. A Nova elder could be found in the three northern provinces, so Blue Moon had to stabilize the situation in Silver Moon as soon as possible.

......

On this day, large sums of Red Moon experts streamed to Silver Moon from the other northern provinces. Even the three northern provinces saw activity as Silver Moon appeared safer in their eyes. Almost one hundred Red Moon supernaturals had died in the three northern provinces lately—all to the Five Styles. Yuan Shuo was responsible for all of their deaths, and the fact that he was in the three northern provinces was soon public knowledge.