Star Gate-Chapter 1669: Returning to Skyward (I)

“We killed multiple sixth ranks this time, so it was worth it!” grinned the Sword Sovereign. The three of them had killed many people, but received nothing for their efforts. It all went to the Orchid Forest master.

It’d felt like a horrible deal before, but the scales were abruptly balanced in one fell swoop. The Orchid Forest master had been a critical factor in their plans, so everything was fine now!

Number Two looked lazily at the group, then at Li Hao. “There’s nothing more to do, right?” It wanted to sleep!

The cat had been very nervous earlier as well. It wasn’t that easy to pose as the big cat. Presence and form were one thing, but the most important was that it didn’t have the same level of strength. That was the most frightening part.

“The senior can rest now,” nodded Li Hao. “Everyone was a critical part of the plan. I wouldn’t have dared be so bold as to challenge an eighth rank if it wasn’t for the rest of you. Thank you all for taking the risk and trusting me!”

That had been too risky! They’d nearly completely lost just now.

Number Two dove into the river without a word. The first part of the plan is complete, what comes next is key. If the Red Moon master doesn’t leave for Skyward, will you dare go to Red Moon, no matter how complete your plan is?

Even if he does, he might return anytime through his dao universe.

How will the Red Moon master easily head to Skyward if there’s not enough temptation or a big enough disturbance there?

If the plan at Skyward doesn’t go smoothly...

There were only two parties that’d benefited from their plan thus far. One was the Orchid Forest master, the other was the Red Moon master.

All the people that Li Hao’s group had killed ended up being absorbed by the Orchid Forest master. And now Orchid Forest was part of Red Moon.

In the end, Red Moon simply lost a few sixth ranks, but gained a seventh rank and a dozen other exalted emperors. It hadn’t lost anything at all. It could even stabilize and enlarge its dao universe.

Once Orchid Forest was thoroughly assimilated, Red Moon would be able to produce even more seventh ranks. That would enable it to fully recover from its previous losses and stand a chance of rapidly returning to peak condition.

“What a pity that the New Martial main world wasn’t nearby!” The Sword Sovereign was highly regretful. Li Hao had created such an enormous opportunity. If it wasn’t for their own lack of strength, they could’ve devastated the Red Moon main world when both the Red Moon master and Griefstricken appeared at Orchid Forest.

The regret hung over him even now.

Li Hao chuckled and looked at the Sword Sovereign. He didn’t feel any regret at all. To put it bluntly, would Silver Moon get a share of the spoils if New Martial really did conquer Red Moon?

New Martial was so ferocious and had so many powerhouses. Just the Sword Sovereign alone needed untold resources. Would there be a portion left for Silver Moon?

It was good that New Martial hadn’t been present. But naturally, Li Hao wouldn’t say anything in this vein.

“It is indeed a bit of a pity!” The young man nodded and quickly changed the topic. “Then you guys should stay here and I’ll return to Skyward...”

“I’ll go with you!” Void interrupted. “I might need to talk to my father as my identity’s probably been exposed. Red Moon might think of Light as an enemy now, but my father remains unaware. He needs to be notified.”

That was true; Li Hao nodded. The Sword Sovereign wished to join them as well, but the young man didn’t give him a chance to speak.

“Uncle Li is too strong and conspicuous. It’s better if you don’t leave and hide in the vicinity. You can also be a set of coordinates for this area. Once I lure the Red Moon master away, I might need to teleport back.

“Thus, Uncle Li has another mission—set your coordinates near Red Moon’s main world! Ensure that we can quickly arrive at the right spot to attack!”

The Sword Sovereign inclined his head. This was not an easy task. He needed to find a suitable spot in the chaos near Red Moon, but avoid their patrols and sphere of influence. He needed to burrow another hole there.

“And another thing, the three major worlds near Red Moon!” Li Hao continued. “They were tempted to take action this time—the Red Moon master probably saw their reactions himself. He’ll certainly take more action next, whether it’s to deepen the alliance or assimilate them as well. Perhaps he’ll eject them from Red Moon Region!

“It’d be best if he did. The worst case scenario is if the alliance deepens. Uncle Li needs to keep an eye on that as well.”

“That’s true.” The Sword Sovereign nodded gravely. “There are four seventh ranks within those three worlds! They’re very close to Red Moon, so we need to keep an eye on them.”

After this occurrence, the Red Moon master would be very worried that these people would be bold enough to attack Red Moon. He might not leave before defusing this threat, no matter how tempting Skyward was.

“You two will need a certain amount of time to travel to Skyward.” There was one more point that the Sword Sovereign was concerned about. “Will certain changes take place in the Orchid Forest master’s heart during the assimilation process?

“Red Moon’s dao is one of desire. He must be baptized in it to become part of Red Moon. He will be easily influenced by it.”

“It’s hard to say,” Li Hao shook his head. “But his actions prove him worthy of trust! Just the basis of him thinking on the fly today and attacking an eighth rank means that we can give him a certain degree of trust.”

They must give their allies an appropriate amount of trust. Not everything should be suspected. Li Hao was willing to believe the Orchid Forest master on account of what he’d done today and believe that he wouldn’t be affected by Red Moon’s dao.

Friends were made through one’s actions. How could he make any friends if he didn’t trust them?

Not everyone in the chaos was an enemy, and neither were they all friends. The chaos was enormous. It was impossible to abstain from making friends the entire time. Just look at them now! Li Hao wouldn’t have the ability to scheme against an eighth rank world if it wasn’t for his friend, Void.

In a similar vein, Li Hao felt that the Orchid Forest master could be another friend based on how he’d adapted with the changing situation. It was good to have reliable friends when one wandered the martial world.

Those of New Martial didn’t seem to like to make friends in the chaos, but that was because they had the ability to abstain from the notion. Silver Moon did not. If they wished to find their footing in the universe, they needed more friends and fewer enemies.

Li Hao didn’t say anything else or commit to further delays. They were only halfway through their plan. The next steps would determine how much they would gain for their endeavors. Harvest was forthcoming only if everything proceeded smoothly. Otherwise... they were yet to gain anything.

Not only did they not have anything to show for their efforts, but they’d spent everything they had as well. Whether it was him, Void, or the Sword Sovereign, they were all incredibly poor at the moment. Void wouldn’t have eaten the little flower if he had more Sources of Light on hand.

“Let’s be on our war, Brother Void! Time is of the essence!” Li Hao looked at the others. “You’ll be with Senior Sword Sovereign in the days to come. Be careful and follow the senior’s instructions!” The young man then turned to the Sword Sovereign. “Uncle Li, I leave these people to you!”

The Sword Sovereign nodded in a resigned fashion. He didn’t want to bring these people along. They were many, but they weren’t strong. It was an inconvenience to have them around. He preferred having people like Li Hao who could erupt with strong battle strength at critical moments. The young man also possessed sufficient brains to surprise him with.

Sadly, people like Li Hao were few and far in between within the chaos.

In reality, Gan Wuliang and the others weren’t weak. They were all third ranks and masters of dao. They were also premier existences in the eyes of wandering cultivators.

Li Hao and Void walked out of the hole without further word, leaving when they sensed that there was no one around.

......

Within the chaos.

Void looked back at where they’d come from and transmitted, “New Martial and Red Moon are archenemies. To be honest, the Sword Sovereign might have been able to contact New Martial. If he had, it wouldn’t have been just a simple raid. If they followed our plan as well, we stood a strong chance of uprooting Red Moon in one go!”

He was curious why Li Hao hadn’t mentioned that point. Had it not occurred to the young man or had he... not mentioned it on purpose?

The Sword Sovereign’s regret had been an opener to this line of conversation, but Li Hao hadn’t followed it.

“And what would we have gained for it?” Li Hao asked in return.

Void blinked.

“Brother Void, Red Moon is my greatest enemy now, as well as yours! New Martial is a tyrannical faction and we’re just fourth and sixth rank, respectively. I am willing to be closer to New Martial, but we are still independent entities!

“Given the confusion in the chaos these days, Red Moon is a strong base for us instead! If we whittle away at Red Moon here and there, cutting pieces from it, that will be enough to feed us for a very long period of time!

“Will there be anything left for you and me if New Martial takes them out? The most critical of all is that Red Moon is not a worthy opponent for New Martial at the moment!” Li Hao explained. “If Red Moon could still be a devastating or lethal threat to New Martial, then I would’ve summoned them at first light to eradicate Red Moon!

“But they’re immensely weakened after losing three seventh ranks. They’ve transitioned from proactive aggression to passive defense. Why do we need to bring New Martial into this now?”

“...but you and I cannot fight an eighth rank,” said Void after a moment of silence. “We can’t handle even seventh ranks, to say nothing of eighth ranks!”

We can’t take Red Moon!

“There’s no rush!” Li Hao smiled. “Where’s the hurry? We just need a nice share of the spoils for me to easily set foot into fifth rank. I might even have a chance for sixth! Meanwhile, peak sixth rank will be easy for Brother Void, if not seventh.

“The other Silver Moon exalted emperors and dao masters will also stand a chance to become mid ranks. Mid rank masters of dao are a force to be respected...”

There would be many chances then.

“There’s also another point—the dao chess!”

Dao chess?

“We can visit the treasure upon our return and see if we can walk through it once more.” Li Hao flicked a glance at the surprised Void. “I’m sure that you and I will realize different findings this time! The treasure itself is an eighth rank dao universe. Brother Void, don’t you lack a dao universe?”

Void froze, not knowing what to say. What did his friend mean? He was... shaken. An eighth rank dao universe?