Inside the reception room.
Li Hao gave a quiet laugh. Truly tough.
He had encountered several experts who specialized in defense now.
Mu Lin and Wang Henggang were the two sturdiest defensive experts he had met so far. Both likely practiced the lineage of the Iron Cloth Armor, though one had transitioned into a supernatural, while the other remained a martial master.
Wang Henggang had chosen the supernatural path. Li Hao sensed his aura and judged it to be earth-elemental, which was a natural fit for his martial arts foundation.
His strength was at peak Three Suns, though Li Hao did not know where he ranked among peak Three Suns experts.
Li Hao had seen several peak Three Suns combatants by now.
Purple Moon, the Wheel-Turning King, Huang Jie, Wang Henggang...
However, their strength varied wildly. Possessing an Origin God Armament was one major factor in gauging their power, and another was whether they had transitioned from martial arts. For instance, the late Three Suns Brow-Height Staff and the late Three Suns Hu Dingfang were both formidable—to Li Hao, both felt stronger than Huang Jie.
And Wang Henggang, who had converted from a martial master and reached peak Three Suns, might be even stronger.
He was also the first martial-master-turned-supernatural at peak Three Suns that Li Hao had encountered; neither Purple Moon nor the Wheel-Turning King had been martial masters originally.
That punch earlier had looked effortless, as if Li Hao had barely exerted himself.
In truth, knowing his opponent specialized in defense, Li Hao had drawn upon his Metal Sword momentum. Metal Sword momentum excelled at instantaneous explosive force, so the punch had carried tremendous power. Combined with the recent growth in Li Hao's strength, it had not fallen far short of the strike he had delivered against Mu Lin.
Back then, Mu Lin had been driven deep into the ground with a single slash, leaving his entire body scarred.
As for Wang Henggang, Li Hao estimated that at most a few hairline fractures had formed in his bones. For an expert of his caliber, such damage would heal quickly—though it certainly would not spare him the pain.
Li Hao had refrained from using any vibrational force. He had merely been testing his mettle, not looking to kill; otherwise, vibrating the man's internal organs would have inflicted far graver injuries.
Liu Long chuckled for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "That fellow truly has made rapid progress. Coming to White Moon City wasn't the wrong choice for him back then. Of the brothers who came along with him, seven have actually broken through to the Hundred-Breaker realm..."
Li Hao smiled. "Boss, is that really so many? We have three Hundred-Breakers on our side, plus myself as a Thousand-Battler. You've stepped into Thousand-Battler as well, and Sister Yun Yao has reached Moonlit Dark. We don't seem any worse off than him, do we?"
Liu Long gave a faint smile. "That's only now."
It certainly had not been like this before.
"It comes out about the same either way,"
Li Hao said cheerfully. "Right now, he's a bit stronger than you, Boss, but from peak Three Suns, the next step is Rising Light, which is monumentally difficult. You, on the other hand, have immense room for growth ahead. At the Thousand-Battler level, there are countless paths to walk and countless ways to grow stronger."
Strengthening the physical body, strengthening blood qi, strengthening spirit intent, fortifying the five viscera...
From what they knew, there were at least four distinct ways to grow stronger, and for each path, people were actively practicing them and finding success.
Meanwhile, a peak Three Suns expert could only attempt to shatter their fifth supernatural lock. Whether they could break it came down to luck; if someone ended up like Hao Lianchuan, unable even to locate their supernatural lock, their road was completely blocked.
Liu Long nodded, letting the topic drop. "I didn't expect so many of the brothers to have remained on the martial path. Sixteen of them... Back then, he took twenty men with him. That means not a single one has fallen over these years. He truly has some ability."
At the thought, a wave of melancholy washed over him.
Hardly anyone who followed Wang Henggang had died.
Yet a large portion of those who had followed him had perished.
The Demon Hunt Squad had lost so many men—men who, at the time, had chosen him without hesitation...
"The circumstances were different!"
Li Hao spoke up. "The Inspectorate is only responsible for the city's public order. This is White Moon City, teeming with experts. The Night Patrol handles the heavy lifting, and the military is stationed right here. Who would dare run wild in White Moon City? Executing routine daily assignments naturally keeps casualties low. Boss, the situations simply aren't comparable."
"Yeah."
Even knowing Li Hao was only comforting him, Liu Long quickly adjusted his mindset.
His composure had always been steady.
Yet coming here today and seeing an old comrade with whom he had parted ways—someone who was powerful in his own right and whose followers were almost all alive and well, while he himself had been weak and seen most of his comrades fall—inevitably left him with a bitter sense of contrast.
Li Hao offered no further consolations.
He fell silent, running the numbers in his head.
There were thirty people from the Sword Sect. If all sixteen from Wang Henggang's side were willing to join, that would make forty-six.
Add Liu Long, Liu Yan, Wu Chao, and Chen Jian, and excluding himself, that was exactly fifty.
A hundred-man company was already half assembled.
That didn't even account for the thirty-seven men Golden Spear had agreed could be requisitioned from the Martial Guard Army. Including them would bring the total to eighty-seven, leaving a negligible gap.
However, Li Hao had no intention of drawing from the Martial Guard Army for now.
Those men were training well where they were; transferring them would only breed resentment.
Fifty was enough for the moment.
With himself included, there were fifty-one men: two Thousand-Battlers, twenty Hundred-Breakers, and twenty-nine at the Ten-Slayer realm.
The proportion of Hundred-Breakers was respectable, though compared to other hundred-man companies, twenty-nine Ten-Slayers was still quite high. Fortunately, he had the black armor. Once equipped with it, even Ten-Slayers would gain exceptional defensive strength.
Speaking of which, could the black armor be opened?
It ought to be possible, perhaps through Hou Xiaochen. Li Hao had tried slicing into it before, and it had proven exceedingly difficult; only the Starry Sky Sword had made an impression.
*If those twenty-nine Ten-Slayers can all step into the Hundred-Breaker realm... Advancing from Ten-Slayer to Hundred-Breaker depends solely on the strength of inner force, completely unrelated to momentum. Blood God Seeds, sword energy, divine energy stones, non-elemental mysterious energy—all of these can elevate Ten-Slayers, and the effects are extraordinary!*
At this moment, Li Hao's foremost goal was to forge the entire company into Hundred-Breakers.
Outfitted in black armor, they would become an unstoppable force.
They would have nothing to fear even if they encountered Solar-tier opponents. Two or three Hundred-Breakers working in concert could undoubtedly take down a Solar—provided their speed could keep up. These Hundred-Breaker martial masters still fell short in that regard and might not necessarily match a Solar's mobility.
One thought followed another in rapid succession.
Just then, Wang Henggang walked back in, having changed into a fresh set of clothes. A faint smile graced his face. With a casual wave of his hand, the shattered wall was instantly restored.
Earth-elemental supernatural power—terrifying indeed!
First-rate for house building!
Only now did Wang Henggang have the leisure to look Li Hao over carefully, remarking with genuine admiration, "A hero born of youth indeed! With strength like yours... in the entire Martial Guard Army, Golden Spear is probably the only one who could best you."
Sighing in admiration, he took a seat and turned to Liu Long. "What made you change your mind and come to White Moon City after all this time? When I called for you back then, you refused. Now Li Hao calls, and you come running?"
Liu Long sneered. "Was the timing back then the same as it is now? Back then, supernaturals were running rampant everywhere. Now, scores of supernaturals have been slaughtered. The four major organizations are conducting cleanups, and rogue supernaturals are fleeing in panic—who dares make trouble? But years ago, those rogue supernaturals acted without restraint, slaughtering people at will. If I had left back then, Silver City would have been destroyed long ago!"
"Old Liu, I understand what you're saying. But Mu Sen—you know as well as I do that he isn't weak. With him around, Silver City's safety was never truly in jeopardy."
Li Hao chimed in, "Chief Mu hid his strength too deeply. No one could tell in ordinary times."
Wang Henggang considered it and nodded. True enough.
That fat man was just as shameless as his older brother.
He knew Mu Lin as well and had dealt with him before. Belonging to the same Iron Cloth Armor lineage, the two had even sparred in the past. Wang Henggang had held a slight edge, though not by much; Mu Lin was exceptionally formidable too.
Wang Henggang chose not to dwell on the past. In hindsight, each choice had its pros and cons, and it was impossible to say who was right and who was wrong. He certainly did not believe he had made a mistake.
"Old Liu, I'll have them report to the Martial Guard Army tomorrow. Once they know you're the one calling, none of them will refuse."
After saying that, Wang Henggang turned to Li Hao. "They're all old brothers from Silver City. To be blunt, Li Hao, in times like these, people from your own hometown are always more reliable than outsiders, so please look after them. I know a bit about the Martial Guard Army's situation; it's far more perilous than the Inspectorate. But some of those old brothers aren't young anymore. If they don't take one last gamble... they won't have another chance."
"In truth, ever since the Martial Guard Army stepped to the forefront, I've considered having them join. Seeing that you and Old Liu have established a firm footing there turns out even better than I expected."
His swift agreement had stemmed partly from this foresight.
Ever since the Martial Guard Army had emerged publicly, he had contemplated sending those men there to develop their prospects. Aside from the Martial Guard Army, every other field was dominated by supernaturals.
Martial masters simply were not in high demand elsewhere.
He had actually discussed this with them long ago, which was why he had agreed without needing to consult them first. Now, the arrangement was even more ideal. Even if Li Hao was unfamiliar with them, could Liu Long be a stranger?
Liu Yan and the others had all been comrades back then, and most of the men he had taken with him had been from the Law Enforcement Squad.
One could say that Li Hao's arrival was an absolute meeting of minds!
"Then let it be settled!"
Liu Long rose to take his leave. Now that matters were arranged, he had no interest in lingering for small talk with Wang Henggang.
Wang Henggang, however, reached out to stop him. "What's the rush? Old friends haven't seen each other in years—stay and have a meal together."
"I'm not particularly keen on sharing a meal with you!"
"..."
Wang Henggang laughed helplessly and glanced at Li Hao. Li Hao shrugged—don't look at me, the Boss calls the shots.
Wang Henggang smiled. "Stay for a meal. After we eat, when the old brothers head to the Martial Guard Army tomorrow, I'll have them bring you some good stuff."
"What?"
"Supernatural nets!"
Wang Henggang explained, "Over the years, the Inspectorate hasn't just been standing still. Aside from cultivating martial masters and supernaturals, we've developed specialized weaponry. Most of it is ordinary, but one type of supernatural net is remarkably effective!"
"It was issued by the Central Region. Even ordinary people can use it. It's a massive net woven with crushed ice crystals and blended with other extraordinary materials. Once the net envelops a target, even a Solar can't break free. Not only does it suppress their strength, but it severely disrupts their mysterious energy..."
Liu Long raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why didn't Silver City have any?"
"The quantities are extremely limited. The Night Patrol took a batch, leaving the Inspectorate with only three. Tomorrow, I'll have them bring one over. The manufacturing method is extraordinary; replicating it is impossible."
Li Hao grew intrigued as well and asked, "It can only deal with Solars?"
"Yes. Once someone reaches Three Suns... they're far too difficult to restrain!"
Wang Henggang shook his head. "To manufacture an extraordinary weapon capable of subduing Solars within twenty years... is already rapid progress. At least for the middle and lower ranks, Solars represent the peak. Three Suns experts rarely appear before the public anyway, so this net is more than sufficient."
There were simply too few of them.
The Central Region had sent down about a dozen. The Inspectorate had kept some, while the Night Patrol had claimed the rest. The only reason he had secured three was that the White Moon City Inspectorate handled the brunt of practical work here.
After a moment's thought, Liu Long nodded. Very well, they would have a meal!
Wang Henggang beamed. Rather than heading out, he simply called to the staff outside, instructing them to prepare lunch right here in the Inspectorate.
He was the chief of the White Moon City Inspectorate; within these walls, no one could contradict him.
……
Noon.
Second floor of the Inspectorate's internal cafeteria.
Wang Henggang rarely drank, but today he had prepared plenty of liquor and insisted on pouring for Liu Long. Liu Long was no drinker either, yet he did not refuse this time.
"Old Liu, to speak from the bottom of my heart, when I chose to remain behind, part of my intention was to fight for a bit of opportunity on behalf of Silver City's people... Whether you believe it or not, I have no reason to lie to you."
"Back then, the provincial authorities spoke of merging and relocating the smaller cities. But our Silver City had no voice in White Moon City—no one to advocate for us. I stayed behind to seek opportunities. Over the years, relying on decent strength, I climbed all the way to chief of the White Moon City Inspectorate. If relocation comes up again, at least I have a seat at the table..."
Wang Henggang sneered. "Those people back then proposed scattering and resettling Silver City's population—wasn't that just because we had no backing above? If we had influence in high places, what is a million people? White Moon City holds over thirty million! With a casual deployment of supernaturals, constructing a satellite city near White Moon City to house a million people would be effortless!"
"Outside White Moon City lie endless fertile fields, many left fallow. The people of Silver City are hardworking... Settle down here, and within a few years, we would regain our vitality..."
Liu Long said nothing.
Only Wang Henggang knew whether those words were sincere.
Still, if Wang Henggang could continue climbing until he reached a position like Kong Jie's, then resettling a meager population like Silver City's would indeed take no more than a word from him.
Li Hao did not normally drink either, but he took a sip as well. The liquid burned like fire. Smacking his lips, he washed it down with a mouthful of tea before smiling. "Brother Wang, why must your eyes be fixed solely on White Moon City? Silver City may be small, but open land surrounds it on all sides. We can expand east, south, west, or north!"
"In the past, Silver City was the provincial capital of Silver Moon. Once we people of Silver City grow strong... we will be masters of our own destiny! What relocation... It should be everyone else relocating to Silver City!"
"Great ambition!"
Wang Henggang roared with approval and burst into hearty laughter.
He took it entirely as a joke.
Li Hao was strong, and so was he; Silver City had produced several formidable figures. But... making Silver City the core of the vast Silver Moon Province once again was virtually impossible.
The land around Silver City was indeed vast and open. In earlier times, the city had been large; later, old districts had simply been abandoned.
After all, it had once been the provincial capital.
Yet today, transportation to Silver City was inconvenient, infrastructure lagged behind, and further north lay massive mountain ranges—rumored to conceal other nations on the other side. Moving toward Silver City would truly be asking for hardship.
Moreover, Wang Henggang knew all too well how many hidden experts lurked within White Moon City, keeping low profiles. As one of them, he understood the reality.
Li Hao was talking in his sleep.
The young man had barely taken a sip, yet he was already tipsy.
Beside them, Liu Long's spirits suddenly surged with heroic vigor. "Wang, you take it as a joke, but I take it in earnest! Why shouldn't it be possible? Silver City isn't necessarily inferior to anywhere else. Setting aside restoring it as the sole capital, why not a province with dual cores? With Cross-Cut Gorge as the boundary, White Moon City anchors the south, while Silver City anchors the north—what is impossible about that?"
"Rebuild the Cross-Cut Skybridge to link north and south! Silver Moon was naturally suited for a dual-core structure all along. By relying solely on White Moon City today, the sixteen northern cities have long suffered terribly!"
Silver Moon's thirty-two cities happened to be divided neatly by Cross-Cut Gorge: sixteen in the south and sixteen in the north.
In the past, it had indeed functioned with dual cores, until Silver City fell into decline.
Today, the sixteen northern cities lived in harsh poverty, while the sixteen southern cities thrived under White Moon City's sphere of influence. With Yaoguang City's rapid rise, the southern cities were universally wealthier and naturally boasted far more experts.
"Dual cores?"
Wang Henggang was briefly taken aback, then gave a quiet laugh. "Then... let's work toward that!"
He offered no further discouragement. He wished for it as well, but he knew how difficult it would be.
It was not merely a matter of martial strength, but of manpower, material resources, and massive livelihood concerns—problems that were immensely hard to solve.
As the meal wound down, while old rifts might not have vanished entirely, neither man brought them up again.
Once the meal concluded, Li Hao and Liu Long took their leave.
……
Inside the car.
On the return drive, Li Hao was at the wheel while Liu Long leaned back in his seat, lost in thought.
After a long time, Li Hao's tire clipped a large rock, jolting him awake. Accustomed to Li Hao's driving, Liu Long suddenly asked, "Li Hao, do you think the boast I made back there could ever come true?"
"Is it so difficult?"
Li Hao laughed. Lowering the car window, he flicked a finger through the air, pulverizing the boulder beneath the wheel into dust, and kept driving forward.
"A north-south dual core actually serves Silver Moon's best interests. It's just that with supernaturals rising, Director Hou and the others don't want to divide their attention across two fronts and give enemies an opening."
"Financial power, material goods, human resources—Silver Moon possesses all of them. What's lacking is an expert powerful enough to hold down the north."
"If we reach Director Hou's level, White Moon City won't need to sacrifice anything. The moment we propose the idea, White Moon City will gladly accommodate us."
"Director Hou's level..."
Liu Long drifted off again. Slaying a Rising Light expert with a single spear strike?
Was that possible?
Seizing the moment, Li Hao said, "Boss, I've made up my mind. Over the next couple of days, we'll let everyone get acquainted, run some drills, and break them in. In a few days, we'll lead our troops across Cross-Cut Gorge and head north!"
"Hmm?"
"To purge the supernaturals across the sixteen northern cities!"
Li Hao smiled brightly. "With the four major organizations here in the south, there's no meat left for us to eat! So, we go north. Besides, the north is our home base in Silver City, and plenty of supernaturals should be active there by now..."
"Also, I've given it some thought. Our hundred-man company will be called the Demon Hunt Corps from now on! The Silver City Demon Hunt Corps... well, dropping Silver City is better, since few from the Sword Sect hail from there. Just the Demon Hunt Corps!"
Li Hao chuckled. "We can't let our squad simply vanish. The creed of our Demon Hunt Corps remains the same as before... defending justice!"
Defending justice...
Demon hunting!
For a moment, Liu Long felt in a daze. He stared at Li Hao, unable to speak for a long time.
The Demon Hunt Squad he had built with his own hands had not died out?
That Li Hao would name this new force the Demon Hunt Corps was completely beyond his expectations.
"Boss..."
"Yeah!"
Liu Long's spirits suddenly surged with excitement. "Then... we call it the Demon Hunt Corps?"
"Of course!"
Having said that, Li Hao smiled again. "We won't head back just yet. I'm taking you to see the sea, Boss. How about coming along?"
"See the sea..."
Liu Long's eyes flickered, and he nodded. Then seeing the sea it was.
He had not visited it in a very long time.
……
Moon Sea.
A few thousand meters from the Martial Guard Army, a car came to a stop.
Ahead lay a stretch of sandy beach.
Beyond the beach stretched an endless expanse of ocean.
Li Hao parked the vehicle and stepped out. His leather boots sank deep into the sand as he gazed into the distance, murmuring in awe, "This is merely a tributary of the ocean? Boundless... with no end in sight. This is only a branch of the North Sea?"
His vision reached far, yet no matter how far he looked, he could see no horizon.
And this was merely a branch of the North Sea.
How magnificent and vast must the North Sea itself be?
At this moment, the sea was calm, without the surging billows and towering waves people spoke of.
Liu Long climbed out of the car as well, gazing into the distance with a smile. "Moon Sea is vast, but... they say the North Sea is far grander! I've never been to the North Sea; I've only seen Moon Sea."
He paused, then added, "A pity there are no waves today. Otherwise, what you'd see would be entirely different. Moon Sea may only be a branch, but when the waves surge, it's terrifyingly fierce!"
"Boss, has your Water Wave momentum improved lately?"
"Only average."
"Boss, why don't you... head into the sea and play around a bit?"
"Hmm?"
Liu Long stared at Li Hao, bewildered.
"Water Wave momentum belongs where there's water. Boss, there are no waves right now. As a Thousand-Battler expert, a Land Deity... with no waves, go stir some up! Let me witness what a true Land Deity looks like!"
At these words, Liu Long froze.
Damn it!
You want me to jump into the sea and whip up waves for you?
You do realize this is an ocean, right?!
This isn't a ditch or a pond. If it were a pond or a creek, he could overturn it easily enough, but this was Moon Sea!
Has this kid Li Hao overestimated me a bit too much?
"Boss, just give it a try!"
"You..."
Liu Long was speechless, then suddenly laughed. "Fine!"
A try it was!
With that, he launched himself into the air, rocketing straight toward the ocean.
Why not give it a shot?
Since comprehending momentum, he had not returned to Moon Sea. Today the water was dead calm, free of wind and waves; watching the sea like this was rather dull anyway. To truly experience the ocean, one had to witness its surging grandeur!
In an instant, he shot outward, skimming across the water's surface in the blink of an eye.
Treading upon the waves, he tapped across the water.
Li Hao stepped into the air as well, quickly descending near the surface of the sea.
Ahead, Liu Long's heroic fervor erupted. He skimmed over several hundred meters until he was nearly a thousand meters from the coastline, then called out loudly, "Too close, and waves won't form! Here is about right... Li Hao, let me show you Water Wave momentum!"
As the words fell, he threw a punch!
*Boom!*
A nine-fold colossal wave materialized! The punch detonated the seawater, stirring ripples across the tranquil ocean. Yet... those ripples were quickly absorbed by the vast expanse, and only a feeble wave rolled sluggishly toward the distance.
Where Li Hao stood, the water merely rippled slightly, almost imperceptibly. It was impossible to tell whether the ripples were even from the punch, as even the calmest water carried gentle swells.
In the distance, Liu Long looked rather embarrassed.
The next moment, he let out another roar and drove his fist forward again, sending spray flying as nine stacked waves swept outward!
This time, a small vortex detonated, sending currents churning around it, but... that was all!
Liu Long frowned and bellowed once more!
Punch followed punch, nine waves stacking upon nine waves.
Li Hao watched in silence. Gradually, far in the distance, a wave rose—not massive, just slightly above the surface. It began rolling toward the shore, one swell driving the next...
It seemed quiet throughout, carrying no sense of dread.
Behind it, Liu Long threw all his strength into it, roaring frantically. Punch after punch hammered out, not staying in one spot, but striking along a continuous line, tracing a streak of white foam across the water.
The waves began to churn.
One wave overtaking the next!
Across a distance of roughly a thousand meters, wave upon wave stacked together.
*Crash...*
The sound of water surged.
Driving the waves forward toward Li Hao—five hundred meters, three hundred meters, one hundred meters...
By the time it was roughly a hundred meters from Li Hao, the water had accumulated until it crested several meters above the normal surface.
The surging speed grew faster and faster.
Gradually, when it was less than thirty meters from Li Hao, his expression shifted.
What had seemed a modest wave slammed against the coastal reef rocks in an instant.
*Boom!*
Explosion!
In that split second, the wave shattered with a thunderous roar, surging straight over Li Hao. Without retreating, Li Hao's eyes narrowed. He threw a punch, faint sounds of surging water echoing from his strike.
Yet that punch merely shattered the water directly in front of him. The next instant, an even larger wave crashed down upon him with a deafening roar!
*Bang!*
Though it was merely water, crashing against rock at this moment, it produced a concussive blast like artillery fire.
Li Hao felt a stinging ache from the impact.
Waves!
Stacked waves!
And this was merely what Liu Long had stirred up. A thousand meters out, Liu Long was continuously generating waves, one after another, his fists swinging without pause.
He was striking with great gusto and high spirits.
Soon, however, he sensed something different and looked toward the distance... An instant later, his expression changed. Dark clouds seemed to be gathering far away, accompanied by a rising breeze.
The sea breeze started mild, but gradually gathered strength.
Moreover, the dark clouds were advancing swiftly...
In the blink of an eye, the wind turned fierce.
Taking in the scene, Liu Long turned and bolted. He had overdone it—no, it wasn't his doing; a real sea gale was brewing today! That kid Li Hao wanted to see ocean waves—well, he was about to get an eyeful!
……
By the shore, Li Hao was still wrestling with the waves.
Seeing Liu Long sprinting back, he called out with a grin, "Boss, not bad! But... it doesn't feel much different from river water, except it's salty..."
Liu Long had intended to warn him, but seeing that attitude... he swallowed his words.
At any rate, no matter how big the waves grew, they wouldn't kill Li Hao.
"Yeah, it's alright... Wait a moment longer. A smaller wave will be coming in shortly; keep your eyes peeled."
"Got it!"
Li Hao smiled cheerfully. But gradually, a wind blew in, growing stronger and stronger, fierce enough to make breathing uncomfortable.
Just as he looked up and caught sight of the dark clouds...
Far in the distance, a towering white wall emerged. It was no wall, but a colossal wave rearing into the sky.
Li Hao's eyes flickered. Were these the true waves of the ocean?
Were they truly so formidable?
He wanted to test them!
*Crash...*
The roar of water churned. Further back, Liu Long had already reached the shore. Seeing Li Hao still waiting there, he chuckled. *You arrogant brat, let's see you taste real power, so you don't keep thinking you're invincible.*
Just as he was reveling in his schadenfreude, a thunderous crash reverberated to the heavens!
*Boom!*
A wave like a thunderbolt crashed downward!
In that instant, Li Hao felt like a leaf tossed in a tempest. Treading swiftly upon the seawater, he soared into the air and unleashed a punch with a furious roar, like a tiger's bellow—only for the sound to be utterly swallowed by the deafening roar of the surf.
Li Hao wanted to see whether this ocean wave could suppress his fist!
*Boom!*
Li Hao shot skyward, punching clean through the crest of the wave. He let out a laugh—nothing more than this...
The next instant, he looked up and froze in shock... There was more?
A second colossal wave!
Li Hao roared again—*Boom!*
Another wave was shattered.
Before he could even look, a third wave slammed down heavily. With a loud *bang*, Li Hao was battered head to toe, left looking like a drowned rat.
Li Hao roared in fury and swung his fists again!
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
One wave after another, an unbroken succession like the Nine-Fold Refinement Force, wave upon relentless wave! Li Hao possessed immense strength, shattering a wave with every punch he threw.
Yet once, twice, thrice...
After hundreds of clashes, even Li Hao began to struggle.
He cursed inwardly!
Is there no end to this?!
What was more, every time he struck out to smash a wave, it provoked an even fiercer counterattack from the waves behind, each rising higher than the last. Only now did Li Hao truly understand: the power of heaven and earth was truly boundless!
If this were a person, they would have been beaten to death long ago.
Yet his opponent was not a person, but the ocean waves, seemingly infinite!
They knew no fatigue; the harder you struck, the higher they surged.
Li Hao roared, unleashing his Tiger Fist—*Rumble!*
An even towering wave bore down upon him, crashing heavily and silencing even the tiger's roar.
Strike again, smash again!
Like a madman, Li Hao fought relentlessly against the ocean waves.
On the shore, Liu Long watched the waves grow progressively stronger and knit his brows slightly. That wave hadn't been particularly massive originally, but Li Hao had pounded it until it grew monstrous.
Fighting like this, Li Hao was acting like a tireless wild dog. All the force he expended was absorbed by the sea, which used it to generate even more ferocious waves.
If Li Hao kept this up for too long, wouldn't he trigger a tsunami?
*Probably not that extreme!*
……
*Phew!*
Li Hao panted, yet his mood was exhilarating. Waves, stacked force...
This was his first time feeling the stacked force of ocean waves—the sensation of one wave driving the next, unending and unbroken. He was thrilled, wanting to roar at the top of his lungs. This place was tailor-made for practicing the Nine-Fold Refinement Force.
A natural opponent, requiring no sparring partner.
As long as you foolishly hammered away at the waves, you had your training partner.
Punch, punch, punch...
Stacking the Nine-Fold Refinement Force, Li Hao's mimicry was extraordinary. Feeling the continuous resilience between the waves and that ceaseless momentum gave him a much deeper comprehension of the technique.
He was not trying to comprehend momentum here; he simply wanted to push his Nine-Fold Refinement Force into the eight-fold stage.
Once he achieved nine stacks in the future, Water Wave momentum might naturally emerge on its own.
The waves opposite him grew fiercer, as if enraged that a mere mortal dared pit his strength against the might of nature!
*Boom!*
A wave slammed down, making Li Hao stagger slightly. He felt a jolt of shock—it could actually shake him now? These waves were growing increasingly formidable.
"Li Hao, come back!"
"Wait!"
Li Hao shouted back. Why head back?
What better place could there be to cultivate the Nine-Fold Refinement Force?
He drove another punch forward—*Boom!*
Another wave surged...
Continuous and unbroken, the waves kept coming, and Li Hao's fists kept striking. He remained remarkably powerful; though he could not kill the waves, he felt he could stand here and trade blows for hours without issue.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, it was no longer a single towering wave. *Rumble...* Waves stacked upon waves without the slightest pause, hammering Li Hao relentlessly. *Boom, boom!* In the end, inner force manifested across Li Hao's skin to defend him; otherwise, his physical body felt on the verge of giving out.
He felt the eight-fold force was nearly complete.
Practicing martial arts here felt incredible!
*Bang!*
With a tremendous crash, an unimaginably colossal wave slammed Li Hao directly into the sandy seabed, burying him deep.
Li Hao scrambled out frantically. The moment he emerged—*Boom!*
Another wave hit, battering his face with stinging agony.
……
By the shore.
Liu Long let out a sigh. What an idiot... That was how naive people were when seeing the sea for the first time. This was an ocean, not a lake. A lake had boundaries, so no matter how large the waves became, they would eventually die down from a lack of subsequent momentum.
An ocean, however, was boundless. The more you resisted, the more vigor it gathered. With the trailing waves driving the leading ones, the vibrations and reverberations would even draw in massive waves that wouldn't have appeared here otherwise.
*You brat, just wait until you come crawling back in tears.*
He sat down, quietly enjoying the show.
Out in the water, Li Hao continued wrestling with the giant waves, roaring repeatedly, though his voice could barely carry over the deafening surf.
*Boom, boom, boom!*
The entire stretch of water soon turned into a zone of thunderous concussions, the vibrations carrying far enough that even the nearby Martial Guard Army sensed the fury of the waves.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes...
After half an hour, a titanic wave slammed Li Hao flying with a deafening roar, sending him crashing heavily into the water.
The next instant, before he could even scramble to his feet, an even stronger wave smashed down upon him.
Giving Li Hao no chance to react, it struck again and again—*Rumble!*
On the shore, Liu Long frowned slightly. He wouldn't be pounded to death, would he?
By now, the waves were splashing all the way to where he sat.
Just as he was wondering, far out in the water, Li Hao was battered upward, scrambling clumsily into the air only to be smashed down again. Having expended massive amounts of energy, he couldn't help roaring frantically, "Boss... when the hell... *cough cough*... will this thing stop..."
Liu Long caught the faint shout and felt exasperated. It wasn't going to stop.
Of course, there was a way: if you stopped resisting and just quietly endured it, once the ocean had its fill of slamming you, it would naturally calm down.
Out in the water, Li Hao evidently grasped the principle as well.
The next moment, he ceased all resistance, letting the waves send him flying repeatedly—flung from the water, smashed back down, launched again...
Like a rubber ball, he let the massive surges batter him at will.
This continued for about ten minutes before the waves gradually subsided, having averted a full-blown tsunami.
……
Half an hour later, Li Hao crawled out of the sand, covered in grit from head to toe.
Beside him, Liu Long reached out, plucked a sea crab from his head, and laughed. "How did that feel?"
"Invigorating!"
Li Hao panted, grinning. "An eye-opener! The power of nature is truly terrifying! The harder I fought back, the more relentless it became, battering me until I yielded... Still, in the end, I was worried about triggering an even bigger surge that might hit the Martial Guard barracks. Otherwise, I could have kept going!"
Liu Long was speechless.
Didn't this guy burn through inner force?
Yet remembering how this fellow had sparred with him all day long back in Silver City, he had nothing to say. Had he been the one braving those waves just now, he would have been beaten senseless long ago.
"Let's go. We can still have a seafood feast when we get back..."
Liu Long picked up another large crab, a sea fish, and a few scallops...
Li Hao chuckled, spat out a mouthful of sand, and took a moment to sense his condition. Suddenly, he threw a punch and turned to run. That punch unleashed an eight-fold stack of force! Li Hao beamed with joy and beat a hasty retreat.
Liu Long froze for an instant, staring after him in a daze, only to be soaked by a returning wave.
Paying it no mind, he looked at Li Hao's fleeing back and suddenly smiled.
This fellow... was ridiculously talented!
Eight stacks already!
Though not yet the pinnacle of the Nine-Fold Refinement Force, how long had Li Hao even practiced the technique?
Even with a freakishly strong physique, mastering an eight-fold punch in such a short span... was horrifyingly fast.
In the distance, Li Hao burst into loud laughter!
"Boss, once I reach nine stacks, I'm coming back to have another round with this ocean!"
He couldn't beat it right now—the sea was boundless and the waves never-ending, and Li Hao was exhausted.
Liu Long shook his head faintly and said nothing. Glancing back at the sea as it gradually returned to peace, he suddenly threw a punch as well. The wave churned—*Boom!*
A massive crater blasted open in the water, the swirling current forming a whirlpool.
Liu Long watched in silence until the whirlpool slowly dissipated before turning to leave, deeply stirred. Stacked waves, the force of a vortex...
……
At that very moment, far beyond the Moon Sea's reaches, an even vaster expanse of ocean unfolded.
Upon the surface, a ferocious tiger roared, swallowing a powerful figure whole with a single bite. A claw slashed out, ripping the trapped silhouette within its belly to pieces!
The tiger instantly dissipated, resolving into a human figure.
Yuan Shuo panted for breath, chuckling slyly.
Water Tiger momentum!
With the Heart Fire Ape perfected and the Kidney Water Tiger also perfected, a third momentum was already stirring, on the verge of reaching completion. Once all three merged, he would dare challenge even a Rising Light combatant... whether he could win remained to be seen.
Having slain this formidable peak Three Suns expert, Yuan Shuo took a ragged breath and slashed his saber outward. A red shadow was cleaved from the body; the stone saber swept through, obliterating the red shadow entirely. Yuan Shuo then transformed back into a ferocious tiger, treading across the waves and vanishing from the spot.
Li Hao's tiger was a Fire Tiger.
His, however, was a Water Tiger.
A tiger was the king of the mountains, yet at this moment, the Water Tiger reigned as an overlord of the sea, roaming freely across the North Sea.
Only long after Yuan Shuo had departed did several figures descend rapidly. Yet all traces had long been washed away by the ocean, leaving nothing to observe. A powerful figure's eyes turned freezing cold.
Yuan Shuo... was truly something!
They had thought that once he reached the ocean, Yuan Shuo, the King of Five Animals, would be rendered helpless.
Instead, the man was just as ferociously formidable at sea.
The Five Animals Art... since when did the Five Animals run rampant across the open ocean?
"Pass the word down: Yuan Shuo may have crossed the North Sea and entered the Central Region!"
As more figures gathered, someone spoke up with an ugly expression.
Nearby, several Ghost Faces vanished in an instant.
Yuan Shuo was likely about to enter the Central Region.
Chapter 130