The Ruins Reopen

Watching Deputy Director Zhou enter the encampment, Li Hao recalled everything he had heard today and ultimately buried it all deep in his heart. There was internal strife even within Silver Moon. How intriguing. Moreover, was this strife... real, or merely put on for show? Regardless, very few among those from Silver Moon who had lived until now were genuinely good people. Li Hao did not leave right away, instead continuing forward. Ahead, Wang Ming was still waiting. Catching sight of a figure in black armor, he suspected it was Li Hao but could not be entirely sure. "Brother, are you looking for me? Answer one question first: what breed of leopard is Black Panther?" "..." Li Hao was speechless. Careless when he should be cautious, yet pointlessly suspicious when caution wasn't needed! "Dog!" Wang Ming immediately rejoiced and said hurriedly, "You're finally here! Where did you go just now? I've been waiting out here forever." "Come out!" "I'm confined to quarters." "Just come out. It's fine." "All right, then." Wang Ming glanced at the guards flanking the gate and took a step forward. Sure enough, neither of them stopped him. He felt a bit surprised, as they had strictly barred him from leaving earlier. Putting it out of mind for now, he rushed outside. Li Hao turned and walked away, and Wang Ming hastily followed. After walking for quite a distance and putting the military encampment far behind them, Li Hao turned around and said helplessly, "Who told you to go snooping in the Confidential Records Office?" "Huh?" Wang Ming froze, blank for a moment before replying, "I didn't! Why would I go poking around in the Confidential Records Office? I'm not stupid! I just asked a friend to ask around about the situation. What does that have to do with anything?" "..." Li Hao was struck dumb. Good grief. Did that Deputy Director Zhou ever speak a single word of truth? So the man hadn't even been certain of Li Hao's identity at the start, and had brought that up entirely as a bluff? He truly had no words. People who had spent decades as officials spun lies as naturally as breathing, without the slightest hint of incongruity. It was impossible to tell which parts of what Zhou had said were genuine and which were fabricated. Pushing the matter aside, Li Hao asked, "Where's the information?" Although Deputy Director Zhou had given him a copy, Li Hao naturally trusted Wang Ming far more. Besides, he could cross-check the two sets later to see what was true and what was false. "Right here..." Wang Ming pulled a thick booklet from his robes. Seeing this, Li Hao casually tossed a ring to him. "A storage ring. Stop tucking things inside your shirt like a pauper!" At present, he was in no short supply of storage rings. He had gathered quite a few: the six Three Suns had them, the seventeen Three Suns and two Rising Lights who died later had them, and Yu Xiao and Huang Jie had had them as well. In all, Li Hao had seized twenty-five storage rings. Aside from giving one to Liu Long, he had kept the rest on him. Upon hearing what it was, Wang Ming was overjoyed! Such items were far from cheap. "Senior Brother, you're the best!" Wang Ming could hardly wait to flatter him wildly, but Li Hao could not be bothered to listen. Glancing at Wang Ming, he pondered for a moment before saying, "Advancing as a super is simple enough—you just need to break your supernatural locks. You can perceive five supernatural locks, right?" "Yeah, yeah!" Wang Ming beamed with pride. "I'm a genius, after all!" Five supernatural locks meant he could smoothly advance into Rising Light, provided he had sufficient resources. Without resources, even seeing nine was pointless. Seeing five was indeed genius-level; someone like Hao Lianchuan could only perceive four and had stalled at Three Suns, unable to progress further without paying an exorbitant price just to manifest the next supernatural lock. Li Hao contemplated for a moment and asked, "If I give you enough metal mysterious energy, can you break through into Rising Light?" Wang Ming thought it over and shook his head. "No. It's not just a matter of having enough mysterious energy. Advancing as a super carries severe danger as well. Besides, I've heard there's a major bottleneck between Three Suns and Rising Light. I don't know the exact details, but it seems to involve mental or spiritual factors. Still, with enough energy, reaching Three Suns is definitely feasible... though I'd have to absorb it bit by bit." He couldn't digest that much all at once. Li Hao pondered again and asked, "What if you had plenty of that energy I gave you when you broke through to Solar Luminary?" Wang Ming's eyes lit up! When he had broken through to Solar Luminary, Li Hao had refined metal energy for him. Wang Ming had never forgotten that feeling. It lacked the wild volatility of raw mysterious energy, feeling gentle and incredibly soothing to absorb—he had almost groaned aloud at the time. Moreover, the results were astounding, putting far less strain on his body after the breakthrough. Now, his eyes burned with eager anticipation as he stared at Li Hao. Was Senior Brother about to grant him benefits? Li Hao looked at him and said after a pause, "I know many supers, but very few are close to me, and even fewer would be willing to stand by me in a pinch. The few of you, however, are technically my junior brothers and sisters. If we encounter danger, are you willing to step forward?" "Of course!" Wang Ming answered without hesitation. "Naturally! As long as... as long as it's not against my family. That's the only line I can't cross." Li Hao smiled. "Why would it be?" Pausing to consider, he added, "I have a batch of mysterious energy here. Take it and distribute it to Hu Hao, Li Meng, and Yun Yao. I won't go see them myself. As for you, we'll talk after I return from the ruins." He had met plenty of supers, but those few had been the first he knew, and Yuan Shuo had even accepted them as nominal disciples. Though accepted somewhat offhandedly, that did not mean the connection didn't exist. Supers advanced easily, while martial masters advanced with tremendous hardship. To tell the truth, if the vast amount of five-element essence given to Liu Long to temper his organs had been handed to Wang Ming instead, Wang Ming likely would have reached Three Suns long ago. That was no exaggeration, but fact; he might even have made substantial progress within Three Suns. Supers suffered from many drawbacks, and powerful supers all dreamed of transitioning into martial masters. Clearly, those individuals recognized the flaws of the supernatural path and began planning their shift to martial arts once they reached Rising Light. Yet the supernatural path had both merits and drawbacks. Li Hao felt it wasn't entirely bad; at the very least, certain supernatural techniques were remarkably formidable. Tossing another storage ring to Wang Ming, Li Hao said, "There are cultivation supplies inside." "Senior Brother, you're truly wonderful!" Wang Ming laid on another thick layer of flattery. Too bad he wasn't a woman, making the sweet talk rather sickening to hear. Li Hao paid it no mind. Just as he was about to depart, Wang Ming hurriedly called out, "Right, my grandfather said we enter the ruins the day after tomorrow. The authorities won't be sending many people. Director Hou managed to secure a spot for you, but none of the others can go in..." Li Hao frowned slightly. After a brief pause, he asked, "What about rogue cultivators?" "Rogue cultivators can enter as long as they pay!" Li Hao was speechless. Pondering for a moment, he nodded, said nothing more, and swiftly departed. Once Li Hao was gone, Wang Ming was thrilled beyond measure. He quickly checked the storage ring, and his excitement spiked even higher—there were so many energy-storage rings! Why was Li Hao being so generous this time? He hurried back to the encampment. The moment he stepped inside, his grandfather appeared, giving Wang Ming quite a fright. His grandfather did not scold him, merely asking calmly, "Went out to see a friend?" "Yeah." "I heard he was from the Martial Guard Army?" "Right!" Wang Ming nodded. "A martial master friend I knew from before. He's doing pretty well in the Martial Guard Army, so he dropped by to catch up." Wang Pengju studied his grandson for a moment before speaking. "Think this through carefully for yourself. Of course, I won't interfere with your choices. But you must realize one thing clearly: even though everyone keeps silent, even though everyone skirts around the topic... the Eight Great Families are a massive powder keg!" With that, he turned and walked away. He did not say much, only wanting his grandson to see the situation clearly. The Eight Great Families were bound to be an explosive point. Red Moon was constantly watching them, and in truth, countless people were observing from the shadows. Just because people didn't openly talk about the Eight Great Families didn't mean no one cared. In reality, the truly powerful were all paying close attention! Growing too close to Li Hao was not necessarily a good thing. Still, he didn't state it outright, leaving the choice to Wang Ming. Watching his grandfather leave, Wang Ming curled his lip dismissively. A powder keg? So what! Only where things exploded were there opportunities. Without explosions, there wouldn't even be a chance. His grandfather had acted cautiously his entire life, and as a result, the position of commander of the White Dragon Army had slipped right through their fingers—a post that had once been virtually guaranteed to belong to the Wang family. To give the family firmer footing, his grandfather had sent him into the Night Patrollers, yet Hou Xiaochen barely cared about the Night Patrollers at all, focusing all his energy on the Martial Guard Army instead. Another failed investment! In the end, they had gained nothing, earning only a reputation for playing it safe. And what good was that? What was the point? Meanwhile, he himself had gone to Silver City as a full Lunar Nether, advanced rapidly, and was already at mid Solar Luminary. This time, Li Hao clearly intended to invest heavily in him. Moving forward, even Three Suns or Rising Light might be well within reach. He had a big mouth and liked to make a fuss, but he wasn't an idiot. The energy Li Hao had given him last time was simply too extraordinary. Wang Ming felt that as long as he had enough of it, reaching peak Three Suns—if not Rising Light—was a certainty, and wouldn't even take very long. His grandfather had first come into contact with supernatural energy twenty years ago, yet even now he had barely stepped into peak Three Suns with considerable strain, only managing it recently by draining the Wang family's reserves under immense pressure. Since the Wang family lacked great fortune, it made sense to align with someone who had it. In that instant, Wang Ming tossed his grandfather's warning straight to the back of his mind. The Eight Great Families... What a pity the Wang family wasn't the Wang family of the Eight Great Families. Still, not bad—he had at least secured the title of Yuan Shuo's nominal disciple. *** Meanwhile, Li Hao paid no further mind to Wang Ming's side of things. Clamorous as Wang Ming might be, he handled tasks reliably enough; whatever you asked him to do, he would see through to completion. Walking along, Li Hao examined the documents Wang Ming had provided, comparing them with what he had observed, gradually forming a clear picture in his mind. There was no rush to read the dossier from Director Zhou. After a short walk, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Liu Long. "Who was that you walked off with earlier?" Liu Long had been waiting outside, somewhat puzzled when he saw Li Hao leave with an old man. "Director Zhou from the General Administration Bureau." "Oh... Did he recognize you?" "Yes." Liu Long was a bit surprised, though not entirely shocked. Falling into step beside Li Hao, he remarked, "Keep your dealings with those bureau officials to a minimum. Scholars who spend decades as officials learn to speak whatever lies suit their listeners, human or ghost." Li Hao chuckled. After a brief pause, he asked, "Boss, have you ever heard of Yuan Xingwu?" "Hm?" Liu Long was surprised, but nodded. "Of course. Your eldest senior brother. When I served in Silver City, both he and your master were there, so naturally I knew him and crossed paths a few times. He was decent in most respects, and aside from having a somewhat extreme temperament, I rather admired him." "An extreme temperament?" "Yes," Liu Long explained. "He was just rather extreme. When the supers rose to power and your master was constantly suppressed, he grew far more impatient and furious than your master. Later, defying your master's objections, he ran away from home... That's roughly what happened. After that, I lost track of where he went. Did you see him?" "Yes." Li Hao said no more. Lost in thought, he walked a bit further before asking, "Boss, the ruins open the day after tomorrow. Do you want to go in?" "I do. If I can, I'll go; if not... it's up to you." Liu Long still wished to enter, not for treasures, but simply to witness battles between greater experts. As a martial master, constantly fighting opponents weaker than oneself offered no way to improve. Having just barely stepped into Spirit Accumulation, this was precisely the prime opportunity to exchange blows with powerful foes and advance rapidly. Li Hao pondered and said, "We'll see. If all else fails, we can pose as rogue cultivators. It might be a bit tricky since people likely have photos of both of us. If necessary, we can imitate the Three Great Organizations and wear masks and cloaks. I doubt anyone will bother checking." The Three Great Organizations had always operated that way—who would dare inspect their faces? Many rogue cultivators did the same. "You aren't going in with Director Hou and the others?" "We'll see once we're inside." Li Hao said no more, and the two returned together to their lodging in the small town. *** September 27. This day, no one engaged in duels. A month had barely passed since the battle between Yuan Shuo and Eyebrow-Level Staff, yet to many, it felt as though an eternity had gone by. At present, Yuan Shuo was still wreaking havoc across the Central Region. Red Moon pursued him relentlessly, yet had never managed to pin him down. Yuan Shuo possessed an extraordinary array of methods. Breath concealment, disguise, stealth, counter-tracking... He was a master of every single one. During his decade in Silver City, having nothing else to do, he had devoted himself entirely to studying these unorthodox arts. Not only that, he was thoroughly familiar with the terrain and local customs of the Central Region, repeatedly slipping out of encirclements and turning around to slaughter numerous Red Moon experts, leaving them exhausted and scrambling. Once again, he displayed the viciousness and relentless tenacity of the old demon from years past. *** At the same time, unease rippled through each of the Three Great Organizations. On Red Moon's side, Lanyue kept his brow furrowed. Beside him, Lüyue was scowling just as deeply. Haixiao had still not returned. According to their agreement, even if they failed to hunt down Li Hao, they were supposed to rush back before the 28th to enter the ruins together. Having one more or one fewer Rising Light made a notable difference. "Not only Elder Haixiao, but Banshan and the Sixteen Hell Masters led by the Wheel-Turning King have not returned either," Ziyue reported briefly, adding, "Our people ventured into Mount Cang, but the mountains are extremely perilous, harboring formidable greater demons. They ran into a Three Suns greater demon along the way, suffering casualties before choosing to pull back, so they failed to locate Elder Haixiao and the others." Lüyue grew irritable. "So many people hunting down a handful of martial masters, the strongest of whom was merely that Li Hao—not even at Rising Light—and they actually lost the trail? Is Haixiao an idiot?" Failing to return at this hour was by no means a good sign. Lanyue pondered and said, "If he really hasn't returned, let it be..." Lüyue snapped rudely, "Let it be? Setting aside the loss of a Rising Light, Haixiao went after Li Hao—capturing him alive was best, killing him was fine, and even failing that, they should have returned together instead of chasing endlessly so that Li Hao would return to enter the ruins, giving us another chance! Now they've all vanished, and you call that 'let it be'?" She snorted with deep dissatisfaction. Lanyue, this useless fool, had mobilized so many people only to suffer a colossal setback. Sure enough, that wench's son was nothing but trash! Lanyue glanced at Lüyue. As a second-generation Lanyue, his status was naturally lower than hers. Yet as one of the Seven Moons, Lüyue had targeted him more than once, though she dared not target Ziyue too aggressively—even if Ziyue was merely third generation. After all, Ziyue had powerful backing, whereas he had none. Lanyue remained calm. "Then we wait a bit longer. We'll wait one more day. If he still hasn't returned tomorrow... we can only reassess after leaving the ruins." What else could they do? Lüyue knew only how to complain, without contributing anything useful. Beside them, Ziyue could no longer bear to watch. Though Lanyue was headstrong at times, he at least accomplished real tasks, even if not entirely successfully. Seeing Lüyue berate him repeatedly in front of everyone, Ziyue spoke up. "Aunt Peacock, we should discuss what we are to do after entering the ruins tomorrow." With the ruins about to open and no clear plan or objective in place, she felt utterly helpless. Hearing Ziyue speak, Lüyue's anger softened slightly. "Before we left, the Chief gave a few instructions. The primary objective remains capturing Li Hao or killing him and bringing back his corpse. The secondary objective is to ascertain the exact conditions of Battle Heaven City..." Ziyue was surprised. "What does 'ascertain the exact conditions' mean?" Wasn't the objective to seize treasures, Origin God Armaments, and relics? In truth, Lüyue wasn't entirely clear on it either. She could only say, "Those were the Chief's exact words. He set no rigid demands for us, except for one point: do not recklessly disturb things within the city. Also, beware of Hou Xiaochen and his people. Surrounding and killing Hou Xiaochen will be extraordinarily difficult, but we can attempt to force him to continuously expend his strength." Everyone frowned, still unable to grasp the Chief's intention. "Before leaving, I asked the Chief as well. He meant that Hou Xiaochen cannot sustain bursts of power for prolonged periods. Hou Xiaochen is formidable, but incapable of prolonged warfare, so we must wear him down bit by bit. "Additionally, once inside Battle Heaven City, we only need to verify whether this Battle Heaven City is the true Battle Heaven City." "..." The group looked at each other in utter bewilderment. The true Battle Heaven City? What did that mean? Lüyue was helpless as well; the Chief often spoke in such baffling ways. She could only continue, "It's... well, I can't explain it clearly. You know how the Chief is. He stated just one thing: if it is the true Battle Heaven City, we will know when the time comes; if it isn't, we naturally won't feel anything." The crowd had no answer for that. Never mind, they wouldn't dwell on it. Everyone understood that Ying Hongyue had set no explicit requirements for this mission, save for a single definite target: Li Hao. Evidently, in Ying Hongyue's eyes, Li Hao was far more important than any Origin God Armament. This only deepened their confusion. Was Li Hao... truly that important? If so, why not focus all their strength on Li Hao instead of dividing forces to hunt down Yuan Shuo? Or was Yuan Shuo an equally grave threat? Furthermore, while the Chief could not leave recklessly lest organizations like the Night Patrollers seize the opportunity to strike at Red Moon's core locations, the Council of Elders still held numerous powerhouses, including several figures on the Divine Master Roll. Why were they nowhere to be seen either? Though the Seven Moons of Red Moon were all leaders, their circumstances were somewhat complicated. Ying Hongyue was either sentimental or simply driven by unbridled lust; the first generation of Seven Moons, aside from Ying Hongyue himself, had all been women. Only with the second generation, like Lanyue, had men joined the ranks. Thus, the strength of the Seven Moon leaders varied, and some were inferior to the elders of the council. Yet the elders raised no complaints, knowing Red Moon was Ying Hongyue's personal domain. With Ying Hongyue as Chief, whether his paramours held leadership titles made little practical difference. Though full of doubts, they all knew Ying Hongyue was mercurial. In a good mood, he would answer questions; in a foul temper, pressing him would only draw terrifying wrath. *** That day, Red Moon was not the only faction in discussion. The most frustrated figure was undoubtedly the Equality King on Yama's side. At this moment, his expression was exceedingly dark. It was bad enough that the Wheel-Turning King had not returned, but the Sixteen Hell Masters were missing as well. He had given strict orders: if they failed to track down Li Hao, they were to return before the ruins opened. Yet... the opening was set for tomorrow morning, and there was still no sign of them. Where the hell had they died? Mount Cang... was fraught with danger. With the Sixteen Hell Masters present, his combat strength would surge tremendously; without them, he was merely a mid Rising Light expert. Irritated beyond measure, the Equality King sent out scout after scout. That bastard Wheel-Turning King—if he wanted to die, fine, but he shouldn't drag down the men under my command! *** Amid the anxious waiting of the Three Great Organizations, late night fell, and still none of the missing men returned. Time crossed into the 28th. At first light, the ruins of Battle Heaven City would reopen. Long before dawn, the area outside the ruins was already packed with people. In the inner perimeter, a cordon of Night Patrollers and Martial Guard soldiers surrounded the stone wall, blocking the crowd's path. Under immense pressure, the Martial Guard and Night Patrollers held the line; too many people had arrived, and there were far too many powerhouses among them. Many had come solely for the treasures within the ruins, while others had come targeting Hou Xiaochen. As time marched on, more and more gathered, and major figures began making their entrance. "Xu Feng is here!" Someone spotted Xu Feng in the distance. A prominent figure on the Divine Master Roll, he landed atop a cliff face rather than squeezing down into the crowd below. "The Liu family from Heavenly Star City has sent people too!" "Aren't those people from the Linjiang Governor-General's Office?" Another group was recognized, hailing from Silver Moon's neighbor, Linjiang. Linjiang's administrative structure differed slightly from Silver Moon's. While Silver Moon had four parallel institutions, Linjiang had theoretically started with the same, but the head of its General Administration Bureau wielded immense power and personal strength, establishing absolute dominance. He had unified the major institutions under a new body—the Linjiang Governor-General's Office—making him the undisputed leader of Linjiang. Now, representatives from the Linjiang Governor-General's Office had arrived as well. As powerhouse after powerhouse appeared, the entire gorge erupted into noisy excitement. Just then, a burst of laughter rang out. "You all arrived quite early!" The next instant, a burly, unkempt man with a scruffy beard came striding through the air. As his foot came down, a resounding boom shattered several boulders beneath him. Someone recognized him immediately. "Southern Fist is here!" "That fellow... this isn't a place for him to act arrogant! Outside, people might give the Imperial Family some face, but once inside, who will care about a mere Imperial Family instructor? A pure martial master who's gone through multiple blood transformations—rumor has it he's strong enough to rival Three Suns... but this time, that won't amount to much." Southern Fist's arrival provoked heated chatter, though few took him seriously. Even the representatives from Heavenly Star City merely cast him a passing glance without paying him much mind. *** Upon the cliff. His hair frosted with white at the tips, Xu Feng glanced toward Southern Fist with a soft chuckle. "Southern Fist... I hear he's undergone three blood transformations and possesses Three Suns combat strength?" Beside him, an elderly man looked at Southern Fist with a complex expression and nodded. "That's what they say." "Hm." Xu Feng said no more, turning his gaze into the distance as his brow furrowed slightly. "Qi Gang has arrived as well." That was a true rival. A fellow figure on the Divine Master Roll, Qi Gang belonged to the Department of Administration and possessed tremendous strength, ranking notably higher than himself. Both were at mid Rising Light, yet Qi Gang's combat prowess was superior. At present, Xu Feng knew of several figures from the Divine Master Roll who had arrived. Leaving aside Red Moon's Lanyue, Qi Gang from the Department of Administration was one; furthermore, Feitian had reportedly dispatched a renowned elder—the Shadow Swordsman, another figure on the Divine Master Roll who had successfully assassinated Rising Light experts in the past. Xu Feng surveyed the surroundings, as were many others. Powerhouses were indeed numerous. *** Within the crowd, Li Hao had arrived as well. No longer clad in black armor, he now wore a mask. Unlike Red Moon's ghost masks, his was shaped like a fierce tiger. Ordinarily it might have drawn attention, but right now it was hardly conspicuous, as several people nearby were also wearing masks. Rogue cultivators feared trouble; if they obtained a treasure and their identities leaked, escaping pursuit once they emerged would be impossible, so concealing their faces from the outset was far wiser. Ignoring those around him, Li Hao looked in all directions, matching faces against the dossier he had received two days prior, recognizing many figures. Xu Feng, at mid Rising Light, was among the most famous present. In the distance, an approaching official figure from outside the province, Qi Gang, was likewise at mid Rising Light. Hu Qingfeng, whom he recognized, was at early Rising Light. On the other side, Red Moon had also brought many experts. Scanning them, Li Hao spotted several radiant spheres representing Rising Light. One was even more formidable than Qi Gang—likely Lüyue, the Green Peacock. Aside from Lüyue and Lanyue, Red Moon had two other Rising Lights present: one at early Rising Light, and another... surprisingly at late Rising Light. However, that person's light sphere was faintly concealed, and the dossier had no record of them; evidently, they had disguised their identity. The same old tricks! These people loved operating under false covers, though none of it could fool Li Hao. As he was thinking, his gaze suddenly shifted. Among Red Moon's ranks, a fairly young man was scanning the surroundings with a peculiar look in his eyes. Tracing his gaze, Li Hao's expression flickered slightly. The people the young man was observing all seemed to be individuals Li Hao had already identified as concealing their true identities. Every one of them was exceptionally strong, and some were even martial masters! *** Over with Red Moon, the young man continued scanning the crowd, sending a voice transmission: "There are several Three Suns experts hiding among the crowd. I can't discern Rising Lights yet, but even if Three Suns conceal themselves, it's hard to mask broken supernatural locks. I can sense the fractures in their locks... Also, there are several powerful martial masters present, all bearing force upon them." His eyes differed slightly from ordinary people's, showing noticeably more sclera, though it was hard to tell without close scrutiny. Lüyue paid it little mind, merely transmitting, "Go take a look at Hou Xiaochen!" In the distance, Hou Xiaochen had already arrived. The young man turned his gaze in that direction. The moment he looked, blood burst from his eyes, and he let out a muffled groan, transmitting hastily, "I can't see... All I see is a spear that seems poised to tear through the void... I can't look anymore! If I look any longer, my eyes will be ruined!" Lüyue's expression turned grave. That strong? This youth was a member of the Heavenly Eye unit. Cultivating Heavenly Eye operatives was extraordinarily difficult, so even Red Moon possessed very few. Bringing a highly trained Heavenly Eye member this time was intended to monitor the various factions and counter dangers within the ruins. Who would have thought he would suffer a blow from Hou Xiaochen before even stepping inside? *** In the distance, Hou Xiaochen also looked toward Red Moon, glancing at the young man with a slight smile. To those beside him, he murmured softly, "The Heavenly Eye... Opening a Heavenly Eye is truly convenient, allowing one to see things invisible to ordinary eyes. Rumors say Li Hao has opened a Heavenly Eye as well. What do you think?" No one answered. Beside him, Kong Jie was scanning the crowd. After looking for a while, he asked, "Old Hou, do you think Li Hao is here?" "How would I know?" "You're too modest!" Kong Jie chuckled, adding, "He's probably here. Forget it, let's leave him be; he likely has his own plans. Old Hou, quite a few powerhouses have gathered from all sides this time. Are you confident?" "I'll have to rely on the Director to look after me." Kong Jie laughed merrily. "Spare me, I'm certainly not up to that!" As they spoke, Hou Xiaochen looked toward a figure in the distance, his brow knitting slightly. "Earth-Overturning Sword is here again?" "..." Everyone looked over. There, Hong Yitang was pushing his way into the crowd like an ordinary bystander. Hou Xiaochen kept his brow furrowed in silence. Golden Spear raised an eyebrow, murmuring deeply, "Earth-Overturning Sword... has grown increasingly decadent over the years." In that state, where was the slightest trace of the second among the Seven Swords from years past? Chief Steward Yu and Mad Saber both looked in that direction, neither making a sound. *** Far off, Hong Yitang had come alone this time. He squeezed through the press of people, stepping on someone's foot along the way, craning his neck to look around with some confusion. Where had that rascal Li Hao hidden himself? He jostled along as if pushing through a busy market fair, drawing grumbles and curses from those around him. Had the powerhouses of the major factions not been present, someone might well have taken a swing at him. As he shoved his way forward, a voice transmitted into his ear: "Uncle Hong came as well?" "..." Hong Yitang felt a peculiar sensation. Glancing at a martial master wearing a tiger mask not far away, he transmitted back, "I'm just curious—how do you conceal your force?" Force was exceedingly difficult to hide. Even if supers couldn't sense it, hiding it from fellow martial masters of high caliber was nearly impossible. "Just a minor trick!" Li Hao replied with genuine excitement. "Now that Uncle is here, my heart is at ease!" Hong Yitang rolled his eyes. What did you have to be at ease about? What was there to be relieved of? "Does Uncle have any particular goal this time?" "None. I just want to obtain some Blood God Seeds. My heart is frail, so what choice do I have?... Care to give me some?" "I don't have any either." "Then what's there to talk about?" Hong Yitang truly had no grand ambitions; getting a few Blood God Seeds would suffice. As for Li Hao... forget it, he wasn't particularly keen on seeking this kid's help. "Uncle, shall we head in together in a moment?" "No, you go your way!" Hong Yitang refused. Li Hao fell silent. A moment later, a tiger-masked martial master was trailing right behind Hong Yitang, sticking close. Since he had already come and spotted him, why bother being coy? He would just tag along! As for Hong Yitang entering solely for Blood God Seeds... Li Hao didn't fully believe it, though he didn't entirely discount it either. A man like Hong Yitang had an eccentric style; nobody could ever tell what he was truly after. He hadn't founded a powerful sect, nor had he taken up a high official post like Hou Xiaochen. Instead, he lived like a carefree rogue martial practitioner, yet rarely made public appearances, keeping a far lower profile than people like Heaven Sword. In any case, knowing he was formidable, following him was definitely the right move! Ahead, Hong Yitang was equally exasperated. This kid had actually latched onto him! Forget it, fine. It didn't matter either way. Just then, Hao Lianchuan's voice resonated from the distance: "Those who registered and paid the fees may enter directly once the gate opens! Those who haven't registered, whose strength is unknown, or who conceal their cultivation will be charged according to the Rising Light fee! Martial masters will be charged uniformly according to the Three Suns fee! "If you don't wish to pay that much, display your strength! Supers must submit to inspection by the supernatural detector. If you insist on hiding your strength, no one will stop you—just pay according to Rising Light!" "..." Curses broke out in low mutters all around. What a robbery! Who would willingly expose their full strength, and who would let themselves be scanned? Charging supers at the Rising Light rate meant ten divine energy stones—how many people could afford that? As for martial masters, charging them all at the Three Suns rate was terrifyingly expensive as well. A martial master shouted, "How many Three Suns martial masters are there? By current standards, only Spirit Accumulation corresponds to Three Suns! A martial master's strength is hard to gauge; Thousand-Battler should be the ceiling, yet you're charging us as Three Suns? That's outrageously expensive!" Hao Lianchuan stood behind a large table, completely unfazed. "Then don't enter! A Thousand-Battler martial master is only roughly equivalent to Solar Luminary—are you going in just to seek death? Since martial masters' strength is hard to judge, do you expect us to spar with every single one of you first? Paying the price of one divine energy stone is already letting you off easy instead of charging you at the Rising Light rate! If you don't want to go in, stay out!" "..." The crowd cursed under their breath once more. Far too expensive! Li Hao grumbled inwardly as well. Just as he was thinking this, Hong Yitang transmitted to him from up ahead: "Pay for me. I gave all my divine energy stones to you last time, so I'm broke." "..." Li Hao was utterly struck speechless! What a... rip-off! Soon, he followed the crowd toward the table. Before long, it was his turn. Without looking up, Hao Lianchuan asked, "Martial master or super?" "Martial masters." "How many?" "Two." "Two divine energy stones, or two thousand units of mysterious energy!" "..." Now this was raking in pure profit! Li Hao could only marvel. At this rate, plenty of people would likely be weeded out from entering—it was simply too costly. Saying nothing, he took out two fully charged energy-storage rings. Hao Lianchuan took them, checked the contents, casually tossed two empty energy-storage rings back to Li Hao, and handed over two tokens inscribed with the character "Martial"—crude iron plaques. "Once it opens, you and your partner take one each... By the way, want to buy a few extra? Without a token, you won't get through." "No need!" Li Hao had no words. This man had truly turned this into a business; the Night Patrollers were bound to make a killing today. Hao Lianchuan said nothing more, keeping his head down as he moved on to the next person. Before long, his table was piled high with energy-storage rings. With a wave of his hand, he swept them all into his storage ring, leaving onlookers green with envy. In just this short span, he had collected at least tens of thousands of units of mysterious energy, plus over a dozen divine energy stones. And that was just the latecomers; many had registered and secured their spots long before. This time, Silver Moon was making a fortune. Li Hao stared at the pile, feeling an urge to rob the man. Never mind—he was one of their own, no robbing him. Besides, so many powerhouses were watching. Still, he would have to demand it back later; he wasn't supposed to pay anything to enter, and now he had spent money for nothing. As people acquired their tokens, those without enough funds could only look on helplessly, dejected and miserable. Yet Li Hao felt that anyone so impoverished they couldn't even afford the entry fee... really shouldn't gamble on entering! In all likelihood, they would gain nothing and might even lose their lives. A moment later, as the morning sun crested the horizon, Hou Xiaochen's voice rang out from the distance: "Open the ruins! Enter in an orderly fashion, do not cause chaos!" As streams of energy struck the stone wall, ripples spread like water, and the ruins opened once again! *** At the very same time, within Battle Heaven City. The giant tortoise suspended in midair remained motionless as a statue, yet a flicker of vitality seemed to return to its massive eyes as it peered into the distance. More people had arrived. Below, a black dog was dozing out of sheer boredom. Catching the disturbance, its tail gave a slight wag. Opened again? Could it finally go outside? Remaining stuck here had left it starved practically to skin and bones. Further down, inside the grand estate, the golden-armored warrior remained seated atop the high dais, still holding the Black Tortoise Seal in hand just as before, as though the previous intrusion had long become a thing of the distant past. The vast Battle Heaven City was utterly silent, devoid of the slightest sound.