Star Gate

Chapter 680: The Hour Arrives (IV)

“We don’t have to go with one hundred, let’s go with three hundred,” Li Hao breathed out. “I’ll save you the trouble of having to choose and fighting or disagreeing about it. It’s all just a formality and there may not be a Li Hao tomorrow, wouldn’t you say so?” He laughed and looked at Mu Xiaorong. “Why aren’t these documents stamped by the nine ministries?”

“Ah... that’s not needed, is it?” Her eyes widened. What did Li Hao mean by that?

“Forget it, it’s fine,” Li Hao laughed. “I’ll visit Yellow Dragon and have him stamp the documents. That makes it so that the Night Watchers have agreed to execute them. That will be all, you guys can rest well tonight. When we walk to the plaza tomorrow, those who are to be executed will walk in front and those who are not can walk in the back.”

“Commander Li, didn’t you say you’ll spare the rest?” someone asked with alarm. There might be a massive battle tomorrow, who wanted to be in the thick of things? As for those on the list... they were the unlucky ones!

It was hard to say if everyone’s safety could be guaranteed. Misfortune would arrive for some, at least; a certain number would be dragged into the mess. The others didn’t want to be present for it.

“It’ll be fine, I’ll have the Silver Moon Guards escort you,” Li Hao continued laughing. “Your people will be there, my people will be there. Even if someone wants to attack me, I’ll make sure you guys aren’t dragged in. You can trust me, I’m a man of my word!”

The assembly relaxed upon hearing that the Silver Moon Guards would be escorting them. That... seemed acceptable and it appeared that Li Hao truly didn’t intend to drag them into his conflict, if for no reason other than he wouldn’t be able to face their families if they were killed by the aftershocks!

......

Li Hao ignored his captives and went straight for Yellow Dragon’s office building. It was completely illuminated with lights and the Night Watchers on duty at the entrance greeted him with wide-eyed shock.

“Greetings to Commander Li!” someone called out in a voice much shriller than normal. A window opened upstairs.

Yellow Dragon looked down with an unpleasant expression and assessed Li Hao. The young man chuckled and took out a sheaf of papers. “Stamp these to indicate that the Night Watchers have agreed to execute these people due to clear and concrete evidence!”

“You go too far!” Yellow Dragon bit off. The brat wanted his stamp on those documents?

“Are you going to stamp them or not?” Li Hao bared his teeth. “Yellow, it’s my business alone tomorrow if you stamp these. If not, it’s our business right now!”

Yellow Dragon’s gaze sharpened—this was a threat! A blatant threat! Li Hao was so out of line that one’s soul might depart the body out of sheer horror! He gave repeated offense to Yellow Dragon again and again in Night Watcher headquarters, humiliating the man! People would still laugh at him in private even if the brat died tomorrow!

And yet, Yellow Dragon still agreed. “Give them here!” he snapped out.

The documents flew out! Yellow Dragon took out his seal and stamped the papers; a faint ripple of mysterious power emanated from the mark. This was a special seal that could not be forged. It represented authority.

When the documents returned to Li Hao’s hands, they brimmed with a slight ripple that the young man easily crushed out of existence. He raised his head to look at Yellow Dragon and smirked, “How childish!”

Yellow Dragon’s face flitted through a variety of expressions.

“The Night Watcher senior executives will stand by my side as they participate in tomorrow’s affairs.” Li Hao walked off without looking back. “This is a major occurrence for our agency and our chance to establish our authority. You need to come as well, so you can see how I behead them!”

“I don’t need you to tell me that!” sneered Yellow Dragon. “I’ll naturally be there!”

Of course I will! How am I supposed to watch how you die if I’m not?

Would Yellow Dragon be able to command any respect in the Night Watchers if a cocky brat like Li Hao didn’t die?

The young man continued walking off; he paused when three people barred his way.

“Commander Li.” Long Blade looked at him with a slightly complicated expression. “Killing those people won’t change anything...”

“Not killing them will change even less!” Li Hao looked coldly at him. “You think so, he thinks so, which is why this world is always so dark and cold! The three of you will never know what it means to be a martial master because you are not one!

“Martial masters train the heart, supernaturals train strength! Whether it is martial masters or supernaturals, it is not necessarily the distinction of strength that separates the two, but of the heart! Supernaturals will never reach lofty peaks because they lack a heart!

“Get out of my way!” the young man barked out.

The three quietly stepped off to the side, remaining silent even after Li Hao was gone. Martial masters train the heart, supernaturals train strength. The commander had said that the difference between supernaturals and martial masters wasn’t necessarily in kind of strength, but the heart.

The trio had wanted to give him a few words of advice—not out of malicious intent. On the contrary, they really wanted to help. They rather admired what he had done, but also knew that it was a path of no return.

The trio knew that they couldn’t dissuade him otherwise, this was just a try. And yet, Li Hao declined their kind intentions and lectured them. They were all older than him, but felt only extreme shame at the moment.

Spear looked in the direction where Li Hao had disappeared in and said softly, “The spear walks a straight path and always deals with matters in a straightforward and forthright manner, as opposed to skulking in the shadows and using illegitimate means...”

“Ole Spear, you...”

Spear spoke no further, sinking into deep thought as he kept his gaze trained in Li Hao’s direction. Spear wielders were mostly comprised of direct and candid individuals. It was hard to find any accomplishment with the spear if one’s bearing did not resemble the weapon.

Spear left, his rumination providing much food for thought. Big Eyes and Long Blade quickly caught up to him, a foreboding feeling developing in their hearts. Big Eyes set her jaw and muttered, “You can’t do it, Ole Spear! That’s a death wish! Arcanus are invincible and an existence that no one can match at this current stage. He’s crazy, but you don’t have to be!

“There might be hope if one Arcanus comes, but his death is guaranteed if two come. There won’t be enough of him left to bury if there’s three!”

It wouldn’t matter if even Hou Xiaochen made a move in the event of three Arcanus; Li Hao would be dead all the same. Although he had Southern Fist, Hou Xiaochen, Yang Shan, Yu Luocha, Golden Spear, Qin Lian, and Panther on his side, his enemies had taken all that into account. Southern Fist and Hou Xiaochen were the strongest, but they could not fight Arcanus.

Just one Arcanus alone could dispatch those two. It’d only taken one when Li Hao, Panther, and Yang Shan fought in unison. As many of his other helpers might be left, they did not measure up to one Arcanus.

Thus, Li Hao’s group would be wholly exterminated if there were just three Arcanus present tomorrow. The various institutions and ministries would not leave things up to chance. Anyone who was careless at this stage of the game was an utter fool, so there might be more Arcanus sent to the battlefield!

A wide-eyed Big Eyes was a bit skittish and transmitted, “Everyone wants to kill him. Other than the Inspectorate being ambiguous, the other eight ministries and even royal family want his head! The three great organizations, seven divine mountains apart from Sky Sword Mountain, and the City of Supernaturals will certainly be involved!

“They’re also taking into account that Silver Moon martial masters might come to reinforce him, such as Northern Fist, Tyrant Blade, Yuan Shuo. Those in Silver Moon proper are too far, but these ones that are closer might be able to make it. There’s also Sky Sword as well...” Big Eyes swiftly analyzed for the Spear. “In consideration of all these factors, there might be five, six, or even more Arcanus sent against Li Hao tomorrow!

“So don’t go to your death, Ole Spear,” she said nervously. “Don’t lose your mind with him, alright?”

The fire in Spear’s burning heart slowly extinguished. He heaved a long sigh after a while and didn’t say anything. Big Ears sagged with relief. She didn’t even dare imagine how tomorrow might turn out, what all sides would bring to bear against the Silver Moon crew. There might be old ministers who reappeared to kill the young man.

If there were, these people would ninety-nine percent be Arcanus with their cultivation level stabilized. The wealth of the nine ministries was not a false front. When it came to foundations, the three great organizations might not compare to the ministries. After all, the nine ministries had been established for eighty years and the ruins existed for tens of thousands.

There just hadn’t been supernaturals before, that didn’t mean there weren’t ruins. Too many conflated the two, thinking that the awakening of the supernatural came with the awakening of the ruins.

......

Sleep was elusive for everyone on this night. It felt like insomnia had struck all of Skystar City. Across the Skystar Sea, Huang Yu heaved for breath. He’d made it. He’d finally arrived! Even he couldn’t digest such a quick journey of thousands upon thousands of kilometers. He’d lost weight over the past couple of days.

“I’m here!” Huang Yu chuckled at the Skystar Sea. How could Silver Moon be absent from such a major event?

I’m here!

......

Less than fifty kilometers from where Huang Yu was.

Jadelight Sword by his side, Yuan Shuo looked at the Skystar Sea, at the city that didn’t sleep on the other shore. There was no smile on his face, just killing intent.

“My disciple... is the biggest troublemaker in the world! But... I like that!” Yuan Shuo threw his head back with laughter. “If he doesn’t run tomorrow, I’ll kill all of his enemies for him!”

Heroic sentiment swelled! Yet Jadelight frowned solemnly. “Don’t run your mouth. How is a half-baked Refiner of Spirit like you supposed to match an Arcanus?”

“It’s fine, I’m ready!” Yuan Shuo set his jaw. “Don’t underestimate me, I grow stronger when I meet strong foes! Hahaha, what do you think of my disciple, Jadelight?”

The woman was quiet for a while before slowly saying, “He is a true hero!”

Those of the martial world respected persons of unusual courage and ability. In her eyes, Li Hao was no Night Watcher. He was a gallant champion of the world, one worthy of being hailed a hero! If the Record of Thirty-Six Heroes was reorganized right now, he would absolutely be in the top three!

“Hahaha!” Yuan Shuo roared with laughter. This was the greatest compliment possible to him! My disciple is famous throughout the thirty-six and is admired by the Seven Swords! Who among Silver Moon martial masters will dare say that he does not have a place in the record?

“Two conquerers in one discipline, the Five Styles reigns supreme!” Yuan Shuo crossed the sea in high spirits. I’m coming!

Jadelight didn’t say anything. I’m still so weak, but... here I am as well. Yuan Shuo hadn’t wanted her to come, but Wu Hongshan felt that this might be her first and only chance to ever see Li Hao. I want to see Demon Sword, this eighth sword of Silver Moon. I would highly regret it if I never got to catch a glimpse of him.

Thus, here she was as well.

Swordsmen, particularly Silver Moon swordsmen, should have more pomp and circumstance around them even if they were just going to die! Gallant champions of the martial worlds converged over the water or flew through the air. They were all headed to Skystar City!

All martial masters stem from Silver Moon. One of us is going to change the world! We send them on their way and fight on their behalf!