The Eighth Sword of Silver Moon

Martial Guard Army. In the blink of an eye, it was September 12. It was Li Hao's third day with the Martial Guard Army. On this day, a few more people arrived at the Martial Guard Army's living quarters. Chen Jian looked simple and honest as always, but his face was tinged with shock. Along the way, he had seen scores of martial masters, every single one of them immensely powerful. He could sense the oppressive weight of momentum rolling off many of them as they walked past. Momentum was supposed to belong exclusively to those at the Hundred-Breaker culmination. Yet here, it felt as though every few people they came across possessed momentum. He had thought that after absorbing that remarkably mysterious energy to advance swiftly from early to mid Hundred-Breaker, he and Wu Chao were already quite formidable among martial masters. Who could have guessed that upon arriving in White Moon City, they would discover that Hundred-Breakers were... so weak! Beside him, the lean Wu Chao also had astonishment in his eyes. Gone was his usual carefree swagger; his steps were somewhat unsteady, floating from fright. There were simply too many experts here. The only one who could still keep his composure was Liu Long. As for Liu Yan, she looked composed on the surface, but deep in her eyes was a mix of urgency and envy. With Li Hao's help, she had rapidly advanced to late Hundred-Breaker, but the Hundred-Breaker culmination was a bottleneck. She had yet to catch even an inkling of momentum. After arriving in White Moon City, Li Hao hadn't visited her, though he had sent Wang Ming once to warn her to be as careful as possible and not to look for him unless necessary, mainly because it wasn't safe. This had made Liu Yan feel awful. Yet she understood that given the situation at the time, keeping their distance had probably been the safest choice. Now that she had entered the Martial Guard Army, however, she felt an even deeper sense of urgency and frustration. There were far too many martial masters here—so many that as a late Hundred-Breaker, she was completely ordinary. There was none of the feeling she had envisioned, where without supernaturals around, she would be considered a formidable regional powerhouse. Liu Long, however, remained impassive, his expression unreadable. At that moment, he was walking behind a young man. The youth wasn't Mu Lin, but Golden Spear's personal guard captain, Wang Qing. It was for no other reason than curiosity about Liu Long. The son of Silver Spear. The Three Spears had once shared equal fame across Silver Moon; whenever spear masters in Silver Moon were mentioned, only those three names came up. Now, the Bronze Spear lineage seemed to have died out, and Silver Spear's son apparently no longer wielded a spear. He couldn't sense any trace of the spear dao in Liu Long. He was naturally curious about this son of Silver Spear who had stubbornly stayed in Silver City and never left. Yet seeing him in person, he only felt... nothing special. A completely genuine impression! Liu Long didn't radiate the slightest hint of pressure, only placidity—a placidity as calm and still as undisturbed water. And yet it was this very martial master who, back in White Moon City within the Night Patrollers, had once declared that he would guard a city all by himself. He had cast aside the temptation of becoming a supernatural, decisively abandoned White Moon City, and built a so-called Demon Hunt Squad in that tiny Silver City. The ones beside him must be the teammates he had gathered over all those years, right? Three Hundred-Breaker martial masters... A Hundred-Breaker might be something impressive in a tiny backwater like Silver City, but in the Martial Guard Army, Hundred-Breakers were the baseline, merely the starting point. In the massive Martial Guard Army, more than half of the soldiers were Hundred-Breaker martial masters, and the rest were all Ten-Slayer realm martial masters on the verge of advancing. "Inspector Liu, your quarters are right up ahead," Wang Qing said. He added, "Centurion Li has been cultivating recently, so it's not convenient to disturb him. However, he mentioned in advance that once you arrived, Inspector Liu, you should make yourself at home and help him organize internal affairs. Centurion Li has already formed his hundred-man unit. There are currently thirty members, all from the Sword Sect." Liu Long gave a slight nod, his voice aloof. "Thank you!" "Don't mention it." Wang Qing led them to the front of a small building. After thinking it over, he added, "Once you're settled in, Inspector Liu, you can visit the lord chiliarch. The lord chiliarch has a few words he'd like to share with you." Liu Long nodded. Golden Spear! Before coming, he already knew that Golden Spear was in charge here. Golden Spear and Silver Spear had actually been on decent terms. The Three Spears had shared equal renown, and before Silver Spear Liu Hao died, he had mentioned a few things to Liu Long. In fact, Liu Long had met Golden Spear once as a child, but so many years had passed that the memory had long since faded. Watching Wang Qing depart, Liu Long was in no hurry to find Li Hao, nor was he in a rush to meet the Sword Sect members. He led his squad members into the quarters assigned to them. Inside the small room, all the squad members had gathered, with the sole exception of Yun Yao, who had advanced to supernatural. Yun Yao had been arranged to go to the Night Patrollers. Liu Long hadn't wanted to put Li Hao in an awkward position; since the Martial Guard Army was reluctant to accept supernaturals, a Moon Dark supernatural could get along quite well in the Night Patrollers. "After all those twists and turns... the Demon Hunt Squad still ended up in White Moon City," Liu Long said softly, glancing out the window. "Since everyone came with me, there's no need to say much. From today on, I am no longer your leader. Here... Li Hao is the one in charge. Though I am a Thousand-Battler, my strength falls far short of his. But strength is only one part of it—my methods don't compare to his, and neither does my courage." The others remained silent. Liu Long continued, "On the way here, that Wang Qing glanced at me no fewer than ten times. He was probably thinking: *This is the son of Silver Spear? So weak, and yet his father was considered Golden Spear's peer?* "As the personal guard captain, he went out of his way to escort me probably because he wanted to weigh my measure. When he saw me, it didn't meet his expectations. Otherwise, he certainly would have asked to spar a round or two... Now, he didn't even mention sparring, which clearly means he looked down on me." At these words, anger flared in the squad members, yet they didn't know where to direct it. Was the other party wrong for not proposing a spar? Not at all. Yet the sting of being looked down upon was undeniable. Liu Long went on, "Brothers, you've followed me all the way. It's been nearly four years since the Demon Hunt Squad was founded. I haven't been able to give you anything except bodies covered in scars and pain. Before Li Hao arrived, I was the only Hundred-Breaker in the squad. "If you had been willing to come to White Moon City earlier, let alone Hundred-Breaker culmination, in this era of rising supernaturals, joining any faction—whether an organization or an agency—even if you didn't become supernaturals, you would have reached late Hundred-Breaker by now... Over these years, all I brought you was a paltry ten or twenty cubic meters of mysterious energy." Silver City was too small, too weak. Over several years, furtively hunting down a few Moon Dark supernaturals had yielded only that tiny bit of mysterious energy. Had they come to White Moon City, people certainly would have taken in peak Ten-Slayer realm martial masters like them. After all, once a peak Ten-Slayer advanced, reaching Moon Dark was easy—far better than struggling in Silver City. "Boss!" Chen Jian said gruffly, "Boss, we chose this of our own free will! Besides, I think it's been great. If you don't feel comfortable here, Boss, we can just head back to Silver City!" Liu Long smiled. "No, we're not going back! At least not for now. Silver City is too small. Even though it's our root, Huang Yun is watching over it now, so Silver City is in good hands. Only by coming here, broadening our horizons, and reaping more benefits do we stand a chance of catching up to everyone else. "Are those people out there guaranteed to be stronger than us? Not necessarily! They've just seen more and gained more. Coming from a small place has its own advantages—our potential hasn't been tapped yet... Given the right opportunity, we will catch up sooner or later!" The others nodded vigorously. Liu Long let out a soft breath. "I've made up my mind: we're staying in the Martial Guard Army! Dignity is earned by oneself, not granted by charity. Wherever the Demon Hunt Squad goes, we are first-rate... We were in the past, and we will be in the future! But now that we're here, remember: Li Hao is our core... Lest others make a laughingstock out of us." The squad members nodded once more. They understood Liu Long's intent. Their only ache was for Liu Long's feelings. He had always been the core of the squad, and he was the one who had brought Li Hao up step by step. Yet now, Li Hao had become their boss's superior. The one who truly needed to adjust was Liu Long himself. Scratching his head, Chen Jian began, "Li Hao..." "Don't call him by his name from now on," Liu Long cautioned. "We're in the military now. Address him by his rank, lest outsiders mock us and think people from Silver City have no discipline." "All right!" Chen Jian gave a somewhat helpless shrug, then corrected himself: "Centurion... that's the title, right? Since the centurion isn't here, should we go meet the Sword Sect people?" "Go on!" Liu Long smiled. "Build good ties. We'll be eating from the same pot from now on. The centurion asked me to come because he has no foundation in White Moon City and hopes we can lend him a hand in gaining a firm foothold. Just remember one thing: we can swallow a little grievance ourselves, but we must never let the others suffer grievance... Behind closed doors, we are our own people, so we need to win the others over to become our own people too." He understood very well Li Hao's purpose and rationale for calling him over. Thus, he reminded them again, "When the centurion isn't with the unit, we are his eyes and his mouthpiece. Understand?" "Understood!" All of them nodded in acknowledgment. Liu Long let out a breath and fell silent. He believed his teammates could manage it, yet he couldn't help feeling a measure of unease and apprehension. Coming to White Moon City this time... who knew whether they would ultimately secure a foothold, or flee back to Silver City in disgrace? Years ago, he had fled back to Silver City in disgrace. Moreover, did Li Hao want to make a name for himself in White Moon City, or was merely protecting himself enough? At this point, he wasn't entirely clear on Li Hao's objective. …… In the forest. Li Hao struck sword after sword. His blade was already extraordinarily fast, even suppressing the Fire Phoenix Spear. Every thrust and slash was blisteringly quick, yet the more he struck, the more irritable he grew. Sword momentum still failed to manifest. Metal Sword momentum did not seem so easy to bring forth. The glow of the Fire Phoenix Spear dimmed. Evidently, the latest divine energy stone was about to be depleted once more. Over these three days, Li Hao had fed the Fire Phoenix Spear a full nine times! Nine divine energy stones. If he hadn't seized a few earlier, the meager amount he had left wouldn't have been enough. Nine divine energy stones translated to thousands of cubic meters of mysterious energy. Yet right now, it had all been squandered, devoured entirely by the spear. If the Metal Sword momentum had manifested completely, it would have been worth it, but its continued failure to appear gave Li Hao the sensation of suffering a massive loss. Over the past few days, his strikes had grown faster and faster, to the point where the blade had shot out long before the sonic boom sounded. The Shadowless Sword had been honed to a peak state. And yet... it was still not enough. "Still not working!" Li Hao lashed out with a strike. With a *clang*, he knocked the Fire Phoenix Spear away. The spear's luster faded; the ninth divine energy stone was completely exhausted. Li Hao exhaled and slumped to the ground. Looking at the dimmed Fire Phoenix Spear, he frowned. Devouring so many divine energy stones, and it merely served as a sparring partner. In the beginning, the first few bouts had yielded decent results, but subsequent attempts had grown increasingly dull. The fire phoenix didn't feel all that strong. By the end, it couldn't even pose much of a threat to Li Hao. Li Hao checked his remaining divine energy stones. There were eleven left. Looking at the Fire Phoenix Spear again, he hesitated over whether to feed it another one. Tomorrow, Chief Steward Yu would likely come to retrieve the spear. *My sword is already fast enough, yet sword momentum still refuses to manifest. Is the pressure insufficient? Or something else?* Three days wasn't really that long. Yet whether it was the Earth Sword momentum, the Fire Sword momentum, or the general outline of sword momentum, whenever Li Hao grasped the core, comprehending the momentum was remarkably swift. Once he had a lead, he would rapidly succeed in grasping it. Therefore, Li Hao had originally assumed this time would be no different. Were three days still not enough? Yet enough it was not. A moment later, Li Hao picked up the Fire Phoenix Spear, stroking it gently before suddenly asking, "These past few days, you've only fought me with the fire phoenix's momentum, yet I haven't sensed Director Hou's intent and momentum even once... It's impossible that Director Hou never used them; you definitely know them. Back then, he managed to shatter my master's intent, which means that even twenty years ago, he was immensely powerful... Why haven't you used the intent and momentum he left behind against me?" Back when He Yong told him to borrow the Fire Phoenix Spear, it was precisely so Li Hao could experience and comprehend Hou Xiaochen's intent. Yet over the past few days, Li Hao hadn't felt it at all. The Fire Phoenix Spear was holding back! The Fire Phoenix Spear gave a slight tremble. Li Hao frowned; communicating with a weapon was truly exhausting work. He could only rely on guessing. "Are you worried that unleashing Director Hou's intent will kill me?" The Fire Phoenix Spear trembled once. Just once. That meant it indeed had that concern. After a brief pause, however, the Fire Phoenix Spear began to tremble again. Li Hao guessed again: "Not enough energy from the divine energy stones?" It trembled once. Li Hao understood. First, it feared killing him; second, the energy provided was insufficient. Evidently, that amount of energy was not enough for the Fire Phoenix Spear to spontaneously unleash Director Hou's intent. This proved that Director Hou's intent was indeed stronger than the fire phoenix he had been facing! He Yong had also said that if Li Hao could survive taking it on, he would be able to gauge Hou Xiaochen's strength. Was He Yong powerful? Li Hao figured his perception might be off; that guy might not be weak at all. Early Three Suns? Hard to say. He looked at the Fire Phoenix Spear and asked, "How many divine energy stones do you need to unleash Director Hou's intent?" The Fire Phoenix Spear trembled. Once, twice, three times... A full three times! That meant it required at least three divine energy stones to unleash that intent. Li Hao's brows furrowed deeply. A single burst required three divine energy stones? Each stone contained hundreds of cubic meters of mysterious energy—so one or two thousand cubic meters of mysterious energy was only enough for a single burst? That was absurd! Of course, the spear must have pocketed some for itself—one hundred percent. Looking at the eleven divine energy stones in his storage ring, Li Hao took a deep breath. If he wanted to experience it, he would have only eight left... The key issue was that he was practically paying to get beaten up. Spending his own money to torture himself. If he still gained nothing, he would be taking a colossal loss. Was Hou Xiaochen's intent worth paying such a steep price? Hesitating for only a split second, Li Hao made up his mind. Metal Sword momentum refused to manifest, perhaps because the pressure wasn't intense enough. Greater pressure might spur his comprehension and prompt a breakthrough. Without further second-guessing, he moved. Li Hao took out three divine energy stones. This time, all three were metal-elemental. He only had three metal-elemental ones left. He didn't choose fire-elemental stones. Even though the Fire Phoenix Spear was fire-aligned, as a spear, metal energy could bring out its power just as well. Taking them out, he shattered the stones. Instantly, the Fire Phoenix Spear began absorbing the energy. It seemed utterly delighted. Li Hao adjusted his condition and waited in silence. Would the Fire Phoenix Spear offer him some surprises? In the blink of an eye, the energy of all three divine energy stones was completely absorbed. The Fire Phoenix Spear shimmered with brilliance. At this moment, Li Hao vaguely saw a tiny phoenix swimming along the spear shaft. Unlike previous times, the spear seemed to be brewing something. Within the spear, a faint momentum emerged. Very wispy. Just as Li Hao stared intently at it, his vision suddenly blurred. This time, he felt as if he had fallen into an illusion, his mind turning dazed. In that instant, a spear manifested in his mind. A single thrust to pierce the heavens! This strike thrust toward Li Hao in utter silence, piercing through everything in its path! At this moment, he even faintly heard a voice, seemingly Hou Xiaochen's: "God-Splitting!" Cold, overbearing, arrogant. A thrust to sunder the gods! To tear apart spirit, to sunder spirit intent! The God-Splitting Spear! Li Hao's mind drifted. In that moment, he felt as if Hou Xiaochen stood right before him, thrusting his spear forward. Just like the day Hou Xiaochen effortlessly slaughtered the red-haired supernatural, Li Hao felt as though he were about to be slain. Death... seemed right before his eyes. In this instant, his consciousness fractured. On one side was this spear; on the other was the suffocating terror of death, as if he had returned to that fateful day. That day when his close friend had been murdered. It was this exact suffocation... He had watched from a few meters away, feeling as though his heart were gripped tight by a fist. That was the first time he had seen the red shadow, seen supernatural power. It had felt as if his soul were being extracted. He could only watch helplessly as his friend died horribly on the spot, struggling in agony, mutely pleading with him to run! Run away! Danger! It was that very sensation of despair, as if in the next moment, he would be the one to die. Today, that feeling surfaced once more. For the first time in over a year, Li Hao felt that overwhelming powerlessness again, that suffocating brush with death. His heart felt squeezed in a vice. …… At the same time. Cross-Cut Gorge. Hou Xiaochen suddenly frowned and looked toward White Moon City, his face turning grim and somber. The Fire Phoenix Spear... had been fully activated! Who did it? He knew the spear had been loaned to Li Hao, but he had placed a seal on it. Unless it encountered a life-or-death crisis, it should never have been activated, not even if Li Hao fed it divine energy stones. What he didn't know was that having absorbed so many divine energy stones, the fire phoenix had long since broken through his seal. Nor did he know that the phoenix was terrified of being chopped in two by the Starry Sky Sword if it failed to satisfy Li Hao. Fearing a slash from the Longevity Sword, it had no qualms about holding back. Since Li Hao wanted to see it, it would show him. Hou Xiaochen furrowed his brows, gazing in that direction in silence. It was too late to rush back now. He had no idea what Li Hao or the Fire Phoenix Spear had encountered, but he knew the weight of his own spear intent. Even a peak Three Suns might have their spirit obliterated by this thrust. Spirit was spirit intent. Martial masters had it, and supernaturals actually did too; it wasn't that supernaturals lacked it, but merely that they couldn't wield or mobilize it. How could powerful supernaturals be devoid of it? Once the Fire Phoenix Spear was unleashed, his residual spirit intent would shatter the opponent's spirit! Hou Xiaochen waited in silence for a brief moment, then paid it no further heed. Interfering was useless anyway. He could sense a faint trace because the Fire Phoenix Spear recognized him as its master, but the distance was too vast. To expect him to suppress the spear from thousands of li away was pure fantasy; no matter how strong he was, he could not accomplish that. …… Meanwhile. Another person was alerted. The moment Li Hao activated the Fire Phoenix Spear, Golden Spear, within the Martial Guard Army base, suddenly sensed a familiar aura. In a flash, his figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was already a hundred meters in front of Li Hao. His eyes flickered and his expression darkened. How had Li Hao suddenly drawn out Director Hou's intent? The crucial part was that this eruption from the Fire Phoenix Spear was overwhelmingly powerful! It gave him the illusion that Director Hou was standing right before him. It brought him back to that day when Director Hou had shattered his inner demon with a single thrust. He vaguely saw the scene again: Hou Xiaochen struck out with his spear, directly smashing five beasts. It had been a spiritual suppression, born of the Five Animals, only to be shattered on the spiritual plane. *Director Hou's spear intent isn't physical... Trouble!* Golden Spear looked grim. If he had to face this thrust in reality, he wouldn't fear it. Yet now, the God-Splitting Spear had been unleashed. This strike was a battle of spirit intent, a battle of the mind. While he could suppress the physical Fire Phoenix Spear at this moment, doing so would be utterly useless. The spear intent had already penetrated deep into Li Hao's spirit intent, and Golden Spear did not possess the ability to banish the God-Splitting strike from someone else's mind. …… Not far away. Blood suddenly leaked from Li Hao's seven facial apertures, his body swaying. In his eyes, there was only that descending spear, descending to extinguish his life. "Red shadow..." Li Hao murmured inwardly. In this moment, he seemed to see that red shadow. Though the two shared no resemblance, they were identical in how they brought him face-to-face with an overpowering threat of death, just as it had been a year ago. *I was frightened into retreat once before!* That time, Zhang Yuan had been so close, so terribly close. He had been anxious, frightened, terrified. He had wanted to step forward, but had lacked the courage. If Yuan Shuo was the inner demon of Silver Moon's other martial masters, then Li Hao's inner demon was likely that red shadow. Even though he had slain a red shadow later, Zhang Yuan was still dead. That night, he had shrunk back, he had been afraid. Even though he knew it wasn't his fault—that he had been merely an ordinary person seeing such a scene for the first time—he had truly been afraid, terrified to the point of trembling. Such fear was something Li Hao could not suppress. Yet today... as that feeling swept over him once more, though fear appeared in Li Hao's eyes, what followed was sheer madness. From the moment he first came into contact with supernatural power, from the day he truly stepped onto the martial path, he had constantly grown stronger, constantly sought opportunities, constantly taken risks. Whether it was killing Zhang Ting, risking his life to hunt experts from the Three Great Organizations, killing Yu Xiao, or fighting Huang Jie to the death... his thoughts had always been simple: he never wanted to experience such utter helplessness again. The first time he killed, he had been cold and ruthless, shocking Liu Yan and the others into calling him a freak... Had he been afraid? A little. Disgusted? A little, too. Yet in his heart, there was no overwhelming dread; he had witnessed things far more terrifying than that. *Do you think you can frighten me again this time?* *Never!* Fire Sword momentum, Earth Sword momentum, the general outline of sword momentum... Three momentums surged into his mind at once. A mountain peak emerged, a fierce tiger materialized... Before his eyes appeared that strike once slashed by his ancestor, and that transcendent strike delivered by the silver warrior! What fear could a longsword not sever? If there was, it only meant your sword wasn't strong enough! "Die!" A roar born of the spirit erupted in an instant, and Li Hao swung his sword! This strike carried everything he possessed! Every shred of comprehension, every ounce of explosive power was poured into this blade. He would cleave through this spear, cleave through the terror that the red shadow had branded upon him that night! Sword intent surged forth! In the blink of an eye, it fused into a self-severing blade, slashing outward. Ahead, the God-Splitting Spear thrust forth, piercing the vault of heaven—that was Hou Xiaochen's intent, but who cared? In reality, the Fire Phoenix Spear gave a slight tremble. Li Hao drew his sword. The movement didn't appear fast, yet in an instant of extreme explosive power, a small phantom sword cleaved out. As this strike emerged, the Fire Phoenix Spear seemed startled; in the blink of an eye, it pierced through empty air and vanished from its spot. Yet a strand of sword intent locked firmly onto the spear's physical body. On the spear shaft, the soul of a fire phoenix materialized, its eyes wide with fright. Spotting Golden Spear nearby, the spear ducked behind him in a flash. Flee! It was afraid! It feared Li Hao, feared this sword intent. Deep in its fractured memories, it seemed to recall having witnessed such a terrifying sword before. After unleashing Hou Xiaochen's strike, the Fire Phoenix Spear hadn't intended to pay Li Hao any more attention, but now it was forced to flee, hiding behind Golden Spear. The next second, a formidable wave of sword intent swept over Golden Spear. Golden Spear's expression shifted slightly. Li Hao... fought back? Under the suppression of Director Hou's spear intent, he had actually struck back—and with an unprecedented strike at that! Golden Spear hadn't intended to take it head-on; he had only wanted to dodge. Yet after sensing it, he realized this strike... had locked onto him! Golden Spear had no time for further thought. In the next breath, a long spear materialized, and with a low roar, he thrust outward! The spear blazed like fire, illuminating the void. Spear intent flared! Immensely powerful, his inner force alone made the air tremble and shattered the surrounding trees. Golden Spear was certainly not one to hold an empty reputation! *Boom!* A deafening roar erupted as a searing heat wave rolled out in all directions. Gripping his spear with blazing spear intent, Golden Spear shattered Li Hao's fused sword intent with a single strike, sending it dispersing into nothingness. His own spear intent dissipated in the same breath. Golden Spear stood rooted to the spot, motionless. He stared blankly at Li Hao in the distance, as if seeing another spear and sword roaring, colliding, and slaughtering each other within Li Hao's spirit intent... Li Hao's physical sword intent had already faded. The clash between him and Golden Spear had only caused wide-scale destruction to the surrounding foliage, snapping vegetation all around without doing further damage. Spear in hand, Golden Spear watched Li Hao unblinkingly. After who knew how long, a tiny bloody fissure appeared on Golden Spear's forehead. A drop of blood slowly rolled down and dripped onto the earth. Only then did Golden Spear gently touch his forehead, his eyes brimming with hard-to-conceal shock. Li Hao's sword qi had already dispersed. Yet... even as it shattered, it had carried a ruthless resolve, a burst of blistering speed that exploded at the final instant to deliver a parting blow, piercing his forehead. It wasn't severe—merely a tiny nick. For Golden Spear, a slight circulation of inner force would seal it right up. Yet Golden Spear's heart was anything but calm. Not calm in the slightest. In his entire life, he had experienced such turmoil only three times. The first was when he was defeated by Yuan Shuo. Yuan Shuo's Five Animals intent had thoroughly suppressed him, leaving him powerless to retaliate and tormenting him for years. The second was when Hou Xiaochen shattered his Five Animals demon with a single thrust, allowing him to step smoothly into the Thousand-Battler realm. That day, he had experienced the exact scene Li Hao was going through now: a clash of spear and Five Animals within his spirit intent, where Hou Xiaochen triumphed because he was simply too strong. Both prior occasions had left him shaken for years. And the third was right now. Li Hao, whose cultivation was not overwhelmingly high—certainly far weaker than Golden Spear himself—had delivered a strike that left Golden Spear shaken to the core, stirring emotions beyond words. The moment that sword qi exploded, he felt as though he had begun to understand the young man before him. Unwilling, unyielding, unretreating! Even if you are Hou Xiaochen! Even against Hou Xiaochen, who had slain a Rising Light with a single thrust, Li Hao refused to yield an inch... Among the younger generation of martial masters, someone like this was virtually unheard of. Neither Wang Qing nor Kong Youyun possessed this level of absolute, unbending refusal to concede. Why did Li Hao harbor such an intense unwillingness to submit? He knew Li Hao's background, yet Li Hao hadn't seemed to suffer through such harrowing ordeals. His journey appeared rather smooth: smoothly becoming Yuan Shuo's disciple, smoothly weathering the Silver City crisis, smoothly walking out of Battle Heaven City, smoothly killing Yu Xiao... Examining Li Hao's record carefully, everything had gone his way without major setbacks, let alone crushing defeat. Why? Amid Golden Spear's bewilderment, an eruption and collision perceptible only to spirit intent unfolded fully. *Boom!* It was an impact upon the spiritual plane. Golden Spear's vision blurred slightly, and two figures seemed to appear: Li Hao and Hou Xiaochen, one holding a spear, the other a sword. Spear and sword collided in the void, both displaying ultimate power, ultimate devastation! The spear cracked the sword with boundless, peerless might, but in the next instant, the sword surged like a caged tiger breaking free, unleashing unprecedented fury and defiance. A blaze swept across heaven and earth, burning through the spear! The mountain fractured, and the tiger lay dying! In that instant, Golden Spear saw it: he saw Li Hao swing his hand, using his arm as a blade. It was blistering speed, fast enough to make one forget space and time, with nothing remaining except that single-minded strike cleaving toward the heavens! The dying tiger merged into his arm in an instant, and the broken mountain materialized anew. Using his arm as a sword, he slashed toward the broken spear. *Boom!* A roar from the spirit intent reverberated in all directions. Golden Spear fell into a momentary daze, as if witnessing mountains shattering and the sky cracking open. What kind of scene was that? He had never seen anything like it in his entire life. Even the starry skies seemed to be shattering. "I am not afraid of you!" At this moment, a roar echoed through the mind. It was Li Hao's voice. He said he was not afraid! …… Li Hao unleashed the roar that had been bottled up in his chest. *I am not afraid of you!* *Yuan, I'm not afraid of this thing. I will never back down again, never tremble so hard that my legs refuse to move. I am not afraid.* *I will shatter all of it!* His arm exploded, yet Li Hao slashed through the heavens, shattering the final remnant of the spear with a thunderous roar. With a fierce cry, he struck yet again, as if slashing toward that unseen red shadow. *Ying Hongyue, I'm not afraid of you either!* "Die!" Only the sound of slaughter resounded through the world. Yet at this moment, only a single spectator watched. No one else felt a thing. Only Golden Spear witnessed it all: he saw Li Hao, saw him shatter that spear, and saw him utterly crush Hou Xiaochen's spear intent! *Boom!* Another colossal bang sounded, and the body of the Fire Phoenix Spear trembled violently. Li Hao coughed up a mouthful of blood. The next moment, his arm suddenly split open as strands of sword qi leaked out, blood spraying in all directions. Blood streamed incessantly down his right arm. Li Hao panted heavily like a dying fish, greedily gulping down breath after breath. Blood still trickled from his seven apertures, yet a grin broke across his face as he looked toward Golden Spear nearby. "Chiliarch... I made a fool of myself!" Golden Spear stared at him for a long time before saying gravely, "You... were far too reckless!" What a madman! He had actually provoked Director Hou's spear intent, and impossibly, shattered that man's intent to pieces. Aside from calling him reckless, he had no idea what to say to the youth before him. *What were you afraid of?* *And what were you shattering?* Regardless of what he had feared, Li Hao had won. Golden Spear felt a momentary daze. If he had possessed such unyielding resolve back then to shatter the suppression of the Five Animals, would he... have been able to break through to Thousand-Battler on his own? Would he be far stronger today than he currently was? A pang of regret surfaced, only to turn into resignation. *I tried!* *Yet I couldn't break that curse.* Regretting it now would only highlight his own incompetence. He knew in his heart that if Li Hao had been one of the martial masters suppressed by Yuan Shuo back then, he might well have shattered Yuan Shuo's curse and forged a new self. The mere thought seemed miraculous. Not far away, Li Hao was still panting hard. Wiping the blood from his face, his arm looked gruesome. He pulled off his upper garment and wrapped it around his right arm, preventing others from seeing the horrific cracks. He mustered a smile and forced himself to stand. His body felt completely drained—inner force, essence, spirit, and soul felt as though he had just executed the Blood Saber Art, perhaps even worse. Yet unlike the Blood Saber Art, which left behind a sensation of being consumed entirely, this time gave him the distinct feeling of being reborn. One was a march toward death, while the other was a stride toward rebirth. Returning from his reverie and looking at Li Hao, Golden Spear didn't know what to say. In the end, the words at the tip of his tongue became: "Li Hao, go back and rest for a day. Get some sleep. When you wake up, it will be a new life!" With that, he turned and walked away. As he walked, he felt a bit of regret for holding back what he had truly wanted to say. He had actually wanted to say that if this were twenty years ago, the Seven Swords of Silver Moon would have become the Eight Swords of Silver Moon today. Not only that, but among the eight, Li Hao's sword would rank at least second, if not first. In Golden Spear's eyes, it was second only to Heaven Sword—or perhaps even a match for Heaven Sword. Among the Thirty-Six Heroes of Silver Moon, Li Hao could probably claim a seat of his own, and a prominent one at that. Had Heaven Sword broken Yuan Shuo's suppression back then? Golden Spear didn't know. Perhaps he had, perhaps not. Because Heaven Sword had left on his own, no one knew whether he could break it or had left only after breaking it. Given Heaven Sword's character, would he have been willing to leave without overcoming Yuan Shuo's intent? …… Behind him, Li Hao let out a laugh. He staggered to his feet, an indescribable exhilaration coursing through him. Abruptly, he flipped his middle finger toward the south. *Ying Hongyue, you're nothing special!* *The red shadow is no longer my inner demon. That red shadow is you, Ying Hongyue!* And the spear strike with which Hou Xiaochen had slain that Rising Light would never stir the slightest ripple in him again. "I have seen the heavens beyond heaven. How could I ever be crushed by you lot..." Li Hao chuckled and reached out toward the distant Fire Phoenix Spear. "Come here. I won't strike you. If you dare run again, I'll snap you in half!" The Fire Phoenix Spear seemed terrified. After hesitating for a moment, it swiftly flew back into Li Hao's hand. Li Hao gave it a wave and suddenly smiled. Channeling his final wisps of energy into the spear, it met no resistance whatsoever. A thrust tore through the air, and flames rolled outward! Had Chief Steward Yu and the others been here, they would have been shocked beyond words. An Origin God Armament had only one master. Unless the master lent it to you, no one else could unleash the true power of an Origin God Armament. Or unless the master died. Yet right now, Li Hao faced no friction at all. With just a slight exertion, he actually drew out the true momentum of an Origin God Armament from the Fire Phoenix Spear. "Good spear, just not very handy to use..." Li Hao shook his head, then chuckled. "God-Splitting... So Director Hou's spear art is called God-Splitting." Not the Fire Phoenix Spear itself, but Hou Xiaochen's spear technique. A thrust to sunder the gods. He seemed to recall reading about this spear technique in an ancient text somewhere. Li Hao fell into contemplation, thinking as he walked, only to feel his brain overwhelmed; a heavy grogginess settled over him. Whatever, who cared. *I don't use spears anyway.* Meanwhile, the Fire Phoenix Spear was extraordinarily obedient, letting Li Hao swing it as he pleased. Even when the fellow used it like a walking stick, it didn't protest in the least. Had it been Hao Lianchuan, the spear would have long since torched him into a human torch. …… At this moment. At Cross-Cut Gorge, Hou Xiaochen suddenly stopped in his tracks, gazing toward White Moon City with slightly furrowed brows. "Li Hao?" he murmured. This kid, whom he had only cared about as the descendant of the Eight Great Families' bloodline, seemed... somewhat different. *My spear intent has dispersed.* It had vanished faster than expected. Had some powerhouse shattered his spear intent, or was it Li Hao? If an expert had done it, it went without saying: that was merely residual intent he had left behind, and destroying it did not mean they could defeat him in person. But if Li Hao had overcome his intent... did that mean Li Hao was even stronger than he had been at the same stage? "First Yuan Shuo, now Li Hao... Is this lineage truly that formidable?" Hou Xiaochen suddenly smiled, a touch of anticipation in his expression. He looked forward to this lineage growing, growing to his level. Only then could a true contest be settled. This time, if Li Hao truly had shattered his spear intent, then perhaps very soon Silver Moon would gain another top-tier martial master—one on par with figures like Tyrant Saber and Heaven Sword. Exhaling softly, Hou Xiaochen vanished from the spot in an instant. Whether it was Li Hao or not, he would know once he returned.