Yuan Shuo's Resentment

On Nandu Beach, the group began their meal. Li Hao wolfed down his food. Around him, everyone remained silent; the only sounds were the quiet clatter of dining and the rhythm of chewing. Several times, Wang Ming and Kong Jie considered speaking, but the words died on their lips. The director of the local Night Patrollers branch also thought about breaking the stifling silence more than once, yet in the end, he too chose to say nothing. Suddenly, Li Hao raised his cup toward Kong Jie. "Director Kong, a toast to you!" Kong Jie was slightly taken aback. He was powerful—a mighty expert. Yet at this moment, he felt a flicker of surprise. Li Hao, this strange young man, had hardly said a word after disembarking from the ship, keeping to a brooding silence. Now, completely out of the blue, he was offering a toast. Even with his profound strength and exalted status as the director of the Inspectorate—two ranks above Li Hao—Kong Jie felt a sudden sense of being unexpectedly flattered. This bizarre kid offering him a drink out of nowhere made him wonder if his ears were playing tricks on him. Raising his cup, Li Hao downed the liquor in a single gulp! "In an age that is rotten to the core, you gentlemen have preserved peace for the people of Silver Moon. I still believe that the deaths of my parents and my friends were caused by Silver Moon's incompetence—its laughable rule of law, the useless authorities, supers running rampant, and the Three Great Organizations slaughtering without restraint..." Li Hao gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I detest Silver Moon's pathetic administration!" Kong Jie looked rather embarrassed. Yet a moment later, Li Hao slammed his hand down on the table and declared loudly, "And yet, in an era this completely wretched, I suddenly realized that after my parents died, I was still able to study in peace, still able to seek revenge, still able to eat my fill, and still able to join the Inspectorate... What a bloody privilege!" For a moment, Kong Jie could not tell if Li Hao was being sarcastic or completely sincere. Was it mockery? No! Before today, it would have been. It would have been scathing mockery—deriding a bunch of powerful experts for their uselessness, for letting Silver Moon become such a miserable mess, for feigning weakness when they could have banded together to wipe out the Three Great Organizations long ago. Yet today... he had abruptly realized that in an era where everyone competed to see who was worse, Silver Moon wasn't actually that bad. The Three Northern Provinces were far worse; neighboring Linjiang was an utter disaster; and the Central Region was rotten to the extreme, where the fall of a major city was treated as if it were of no consequence at all. Compared to them, how fortunate Silver Moon truly was. At the very least, after losing both parents, he had still been able to attend school in peace, study without fear, and eat until he was full. Part of that was due to the inheritance his parents had left behind, but another part was because Silver City had waived his tuition fees. In the past, he had felt no gratitude for any of it. Truly none! There had only been resentment and hatred—why hadn't these useless fools uncovered Red Moon's true purpose earlier? Why hadn't they eliminated Red Moon long ago? Yet now... well, it wasn't so terrible. People only gained perspective through comparison. "Allow me to offer everyone another toast!" Li Hao raised his cup toward the branch director. "As a junior, as a newcomer, and as your newly appointed vice director, I have only one thing to say... It's natural to fear death. I fear it, you fear it, everyone fears it! No one is immune! But I only hope that you all can manage one thing: when the enemy comes... do not be the first to run, do not be the first to surrender, and do not be the first to crumble..." The Solar Flare branch director looked at Li Hao, said nothing, and drained his cup in one swallow. Setting his empty cup down, the aging director replied in a low voice, "Director Li, you may set your heart at ease. We were born in Silver Moon and raised in Silver Moon. The people of Silver Moon may not be the strongest, but we are not cowards who cling desperately to life. Martial masters originated here, and the spirit of the jianghu runs deep in the marrow of every Silver Moon native! The martial forest may lack many things, but the one thing it will never lack... is a heart full of burning blood!" This was the sacred land of the jianghu! This was the holy land of the martial forest! The people here had grown up listening to tales of martial heroes. Perhaps with the rise of supernatural powers, the Silver Moon martial forest had faded into the past. Yet when Yuan Shuo stepped forth and the Five Animals King walked the world once more, that martial forest... had returned! After twenty years of drifting through obscurity, the elders were once again reminded of the martial forest from two decades ago—a world of bloody storms, but also of swift vengeance and untamed honor. The people of Silver Moon had not yet fallen so low as to grovel on their knees. Kong Jie also seemed to grasp something of Li Hao's meaning. He glanced at Li Hao, then looked over at the table nearby where the women and children sat alone, and finally toward the corpses hanging from the mast in the distance. Raising his cup to Li Hao, he said, "Rest assured, we are nothing like that bastard in Linjiang! That fellow isn't weak, but in truth, he is nothing more than a dog—a stray cur capable only of wild barking!" A sneer touched Kong Jie's lips. "His primary duty was to blockade Silver Moon, not to fight pirates. For all we know, the Sea Demon Pirates among the Eight Great Pirate Fleets are secretly backed by him! Don't you dare compare Silver Moon to Linjiang—that is an insult to us!" He understood Li Hao's point and caught the underlying grievance. Evidently, the young man had been deeply shaken by what he saw in Linjiang. "Across the thirty-two cities of Silver Moon, over all these years, when have you ever seen anyone dare to slaughter civilians on a massive scale, aside from minor skirmishes? Even two hundred years ago, when the Heavenly Star Dynasty invaded, Silver Moon resisted fiercely. In the end, it was only out of concern over an invasion from the barbaric lands of Dali that Silver Moon chose to compromise and join the Heavenly Star Dynasty's system. Otherwise, taking Silver Moon would not have been so simple for them. "The dynasty was wary of Silver Moon, so it kept imposing bans on martial arts. But what came of it? In the end, they could only use Silver Moon natives to keep other Silver Moon natives in check. Unfortunately for them, none of the Three Grand Commanders were particularly obedient. When ordered to exterminate the martial forest, those fellows did kill some martial masters, but only those who broke the rules! "Your master ran wild and slaughtered countless people, yet because he remained broadly within the boundaries of the rules, didn't the Three Grand Commanders still refrain from taking his life?" Kong Jie laughed heartily. "Using Silver Moon people to check Silver Moon people seemed like a fine strategy... but the dynasty never understood Silver Moon, and they never understood the martial forest. In the end, the Martial Guard Army became the Silver Moon Martial Guard Army! It's said that the Plain King, who founded the Martial Guard Army, coughed up three mouthfuls of blood and nearly died of fury! He loathed the Three Grand Commanders to his dying breath!" A faint smile appeared on Li Hao's face. He drank a cup of liquor, finding it bitter, pungent, and sour—a taste impossible to put into words. "Director Kong, I wonder if I might ask an improper question?" Without waiting for Kong Jie's response, Li Hao asked directly, "What are they after?" "Hm?" "I mean, what are all these people after?" Li Hao's voice grew heavy. "Is there nothing left to pursue besides supreme power over the world? People stripped of their livelihoods, dead bodies strewn across the fields, corpses floating for thousands of li, the starving collapsing everywhere... is that really the result they desire? Yes, there are no foreign enemies right now, no subterranean alien races invading as described in the ancient texts... but wasn't the restructuring into the Nine Departments working well enough before? The imperial family enjoyed supreme privileges, and the Nine Departments governed the realm. Why is it that the moment people obtain power, they must strive for regional supremacy? What are they after?" Kong Jie paused for a moment before sighing softly. "What are they after? You'd have to ask them! Power, profit, fame, strength—it never amounts to anything outside those things. Li Hao, this world never lacks ambitious schemers or chaotic fiends. Once they seize power, they unleash the evil inside their hearts! The Nine Departments were once dragon slayers. When the imperial family oppressed the common people all those years ago, the Nine Departments stepped forward and slew that wicked dragon. Even if they didn't succeed entirely, eighty years ago the Nine Departments were still heroes... But after only a few short years, the Nine Departments became corrupted as well. "With supreme authority concentrated in their grasp, powerful families took over the departments. Eighty years ago, the Nine Departments became the property of single households—the domains of nine specific clans and surnames. Perhaps the first generation of directors possessed grand ideals, but eighty years later, everything changed!" Kong Jie let out a heavy sigh. When the Nine Departments were restructured, some of the first directors indeed harbored noble ambitions. But when a department fell into the hands of a single bloodline—like the Liu family taking over the Department of Finance—corruption became inevitable. Human hearts changed over time. Those dragon slayers had ultimately turned into dragons themselves, watching and mistrusting one another. When the Three Great Organizations rose, the Nine Departments grew cautious, fearful of depleting their own strength, and thus made very different choices. Kong Jie let out a dry laugh. "Twenty years ago, when supernatural powers emerged and the Three Great Organizations were newly formed, they could have been snuffed out quickly. If nothing else, the Bureau of Military Law was formidable back then and commanded the armed forces. Yet they feared that moving against the Three Great Organizations would cost too much, so they chose to avoid confronting them head-on! The imperial family's Black Armor Army was also exceptionally powerful, but the court worried that deploying them would diminish their elite combat strength. "The other departments possessed their own forces as well. Aside from Silver Moon, martial masters still existed elsewhere back then, and there were terrifying weapons of mass destruction excavated from the ruins. All of them were immensely powerful. But everyone was terrified—terrified that if they expended their trump cards, they would have nothing left to fend off the other eight departments or the imperial family! "That was the main reason supernatural powers rose so swiftly and why the Three Great Organizations were never wiped out. Ying Hongyue and the other leaders of the Three Great Organizations were exceptionally clever; they anticipated this exact outcome... "In the end, the Inspectorate chose to establish the Night Patrollers, securing the backing of the other eight departments and the imperial court. Since no one wanted to expend their own strength, they created a new organization to recruit experts from all corners of the land to lay down their lives for the court's Nine Departments. Back then, no one anticipated that supernatural powers would surge so rapidly over twenty years, overtaking martial masters in the blink of an eye and even surpassing powerful firearms..." Li Hao listened without offering any comment. He downed a few more cups of liquor, looked at the members of the Demon Hunt Corps still eating around them, and smiled faintly. "Let's speak no more of this! There's no point anyway. I only asked because of the injustice, indignation, and unwillingness in my heart. "When you say this era is just this rotten, and that the Nine Departments are rotten too, I feel... there's no need to hear anything more." Indeed, there was no need. This era was rotten to the core. The Nine Departments and the imperial family were likely in collusion with the Three Great Organizations, trading favors back and forth while refusing to expend the effort to eradicate them. The warlords of the various provinces also secretly supported the Three Great Organizations, hoping they would keep the Central Region tied down. It was laughable... yet it was the cold truth. The Three Great Organizations had thrived like fish in water, far from struggling like rats in hiding as people imagined. Not in the slightest! The real situation was that minor skirmishes occurred constantly while major battles were entirely avoided. As for firing city-destroying bombs... how many powerful experts could those actually kill? In all likelihood, it was the common folk who suffered the brunt of it. On the other hand, a few reckless fools in the Night Patrollers had stirred up a hornet's nest by killing Yama's grandson and seizing the Heavenly Dao Ruler. Only then had the conflict escalated to the Rising Light level, leading to the fall of Rising Light cultivators. Before that, the Night Patrollers had seemed to be retreating steadily, maintaining a purely defensive posture without taking the initiative to attack. When Wang Ming had first explained all this, Li Hao had been speechless, baffled by why those reckless fools would bring such trouble upon the Night Patrollers—he had even wondered if they were enemy spies. Looking back now... perhaps those few were the only ones who had acted according to their own conscience, refusing to cater to the interests of the Nine Departments and the imperial family. By making a mess of things, they had acted with pure intent, while everyone else was busy pursuing their own selfish calculations. Kong Jie said no more. ... Once everyone finished their meal, Li Hao let out a breath and addressed them loudly, "Now that you've eaten and drunk your fill, head into the city and enjoy yourselves for a day. My treat! But... keep your identities hidden. Do not let it slip that you are members of the Demon Hunt Corps... and even if you are exposed, do not stir up any trouble. Contact me immediately if anything happens!" "Commander, we're not going..." "Go!" Li Hao barked fiercely, "Why wouldn't you go? All of you, go! Just for today. Tomorrow... there might be no more leave, no more rest—only battle, and the mission to wipe out the pirates! "I hung the White Shark Pirates here today. White Shark isn't dead, and if he wants to keep his foothold in the North Sea, he will come for revenge sooner or later! If he doesn't respond after having his second and third commanders slaughtered, the other seven pirate fleets will devour him alive! Regardless of his reasons, he will come for retribution, even knowing that Silver Moon is not to be trifled with!" Nearby, Kong Jie gave a slight nod. At times, Li Hao possessed a remarkably clear vision. If White Shark wished to maintain his standing in the North Sea—whether for deterrence, prestige, or vengeance—he had no choice but to eliminate Li Hao. Otherwise, the White Shark Pirates would be completely finished. If two of their commanders and five to six hundred supers were slaughtered without them making a peep, who would ever dare join them again? Members of the fleet might even flee and defect to rival pirate bands. Hearing Li Hao's words, the crowd quieted down. In the future... there might never be another chance. With that thought in mind, no one refused any longer. Li Hao turned to Wang Ming. "Lead the way. Cover the expenses for now!" Wang Ming said hurriedly, "A trivial matter!" What did a little coin matter? He certainly wasn't short on money. Li Hao then turned to Hong Qing and Hong Hao. "You two shouldn't go. Have the local garrison dispatch a hundred soldiers to escort you to the Sword Gate." Hong Qing nodded at once. Li Hao looked at Liu Long next. "Collect the bodies aboard the ship... If there are relatives among the survivors, ask if they want to take them to the Sword Gate for burial. If not... bury the rest right here!" "Understood!" Liu Long responded crisply. By now, the way he looked at Li Hao had changed noticeably. Li Hao paid it no heed and turned back to Kong Jie. "Director Kong, if there is any intelligence, please notify me promptly..." After a moment's thought, he produced a set of black armor and handed it over. "Keep this for now, Director Kong. If anything arises, you can use it to reach me within a thousand li." Kong Jie's pupils contracted slightly. He stared at Li Hao before finally murmuring, "I never expected you to obtain authorization... That is exceptionally rare!" Clearly, he knew something of the ancient armor's capabilities. "Does Director Kong mean... others have obtained authorization before?" "Yes, the imperial family's Black Armor Army!" Kong Jie said in a solemn voice, "The Black Armor Army reportedly possesses similar armor, and... they seem to hold a certain degree of authority over it. Back when the Black Armor Army campaigned across the ninety-nine provinces, they frequently conducted coordinated operations across thousands of li thanks to advanced communications..." The Black Armor Army! This was not the first time Li Hao had heard that name. His mind flashed back to Heavenly Star Town, and the records of the hundred-thousand-strong garrison stationed there to guard the massive energy island. Perhaps the imperial family had acquired permissions from that very garrison. That would suggest the imperial family had truly discovered the ruins of Heavenly Star Town. And had there been only those few armies back then? Perhaps there were others. Beyond the forces of the other seven cities and Heavenly Star Town, there were bound to be other small and medium-sized ancient settlements. Perhaps others had uncovered relics and obtained ancient armors as well. Of course, obtaining full authorization was an entirely different matter. Li Hao said nothing more. With the arrangements settled, Wang Ming led the others away, Hong Qing and her companion set out to escort the survivors to the Sword Gate, and Liu Long directed men to begin burying the corpses from the ship. As the bodies were carried out one by one, Li Hao made no effort to conceal them. Watching from afar, the onlookers from Nandu grew pale. They had not reacted this way upon seeing the corpses of the pirates, yet now, many were visibly trembling. In the past, when they heard news of some distant place being wiped out, they had felt little, just as Li Hao had, sheltered by Silver Moon's relative stability. Yet now, seeing the corpses with their internal organs gouged out, and seeing the tragic deaths of tender children... Many turned pale, while others felt their blood boil with fury. "Beasts!" In the end, they were not entirely devoid of hot-blooded spirit. Looking upon those ghastly, mutilated remains, the realization that these pirates had butchered countless people struck them hard. When unseen, it was merely a statistic; when witnessed with their own eyes... deep sorrow and outrage seized their hearts! Some secretly thanked their fortunes that the Demon Hunt Corps had been nearby the previous night. Otherwise, Nandu might have met the exact same fate. With that thought, people began to view the black-armored warriors in a completely different light. Their initial fear, dread, and apprehension gave way to raised thumbs: "Well done! The might of our Silver Moon forces is still unmatched in this world! Slaughtering those beasts till their souls scattered—splendidly done!" Among the crowd, an old man ground his teeth. "Our Silver Moon martial masters are the truly formidable ones! It was the same in the old days—who dared bully a native of Silver Moon? Silver Moon martial masters walked with their heads held high. Behind closed doors, they might beat each other half to death, but outsiders trying to take advantage of us? Never! Back then, if an outside martial master dared steal so much as a cup of water, our martial masters would hunt him down to the ends of the earth!" Naturally, the old man did not mention that the Silver Moon martial masters back then... hadn't been saints either. The old man still remembered a few who would eat and drink without paying, acting like scoundrels and daring you to take their heads if you wanted your money. If you wanted their lives, they would stretch out their necks for you to sever! Yes, there was one fellow the old man remembered vividly—a man with a great beard who spoke in a booming voice, whom people later called Southern Fist... In the small eatery the old man ran back then, that Southern Fist had left behind an unpaid debt of three hundred star coins. Star coins had been valuable in those days; who knew if that bearded fellow was still alive! Fortunately, that bearded man had later been pinned to the ground and beaten thoroughly. The old man had been so busy cheering that he forgot to collect the debt. The martial master who delivered the beating had been a truly decent fellow; to this day, the old man couldn't forget him—he seemed to have been called... the Great Monkey Demon King! The old man sank into his memories, then glanced at the tragically slain folk from Linjiang and sighed, shaking himself awake. As annoying and powerful as the bearded man had been, he had only skipped out on his bill. He had never murdered or burned down buildings, and when pressed for payment, he only thrust out his neck, daring you to take his head... Nothing like these monsters, who butchered an entire town or city over the slightest whim. ... Li Hao merely watched from the side, not joining in. He observed the gathered crowd, seeing how they shifted from a lifeless daze into a state of vigor and righteous indignation, shedding their numbness. A smile touched his lips. "So... people still possess kindness and empathy after all. None of them seem so numb now." Kong Jie looked at Li Hao, then back at the crowd, and said helplessly, "To be honest, the people of Silver Moon weren't this apathetic in the past. But over the last few years, bad news has arrived without end—chaos breaking out here, turmoil erupting there. Even the General Administration Bureau is helpless... They want reforms, but there is no money. They want to restructure, but there are no resources or manpower, only countless constraints. The dynasty still exists, and any reckless moves would draw their scrutiny straight toward Silver Moon. Over the years, as conditions outside worsened, Silver Moon gradually lost much of its passion and vitality." Li Hao nodded. "I understand. That is why the world requires a transformation!" Li Hao looked into the distance, as if gazing toward the Sword Gate, and said in a heavy voice, "This world needs reform! It needs revolution! The lives of all those warlords, tyrants, royals, great clans, the Nine Departments, warlord bandits, wicked supernatural syndicates, chaotic supers, butcher martial masters... strip away all their lives, and the world will naturally be made anew!" "..." Kong Jie stared at Li Hao as though looking at a madman, completely stunned. Have you lost your mind, or have I? What on earth are you talking about? Li Hao paid him no mind. These were not his own words; they came from ancient texts, and were ideas Hong Yitang and the others had vaguely hinted at. He didn't understand it all! Yet he understood one basic principle: kill everyone causing the chaos, and the world would be free of turmoil. First pacify the world, then enact reforms. With no one left to obstruct him, he could reshape things as he pleased, and everything would naturally fall into place. The ancient civilization had possessed so much advanced technology and so many useful creations, yet how many were currently in wide use? Because people stood in the way—because they refused to enlighten the common folk. The words of Hong Yitang and his peers had ultimately taken root and sprouted in Li Hao's heart. Since the world was unjust, he would flatten those responsible... Of course, he lacked the power to do so right now, and his words were spoken in a burst of indignation, but it truly reflected the thoughts in his heart. He thought of the ancient figure suspected to be the Human King. If you won't obey, then die! If you don't listen, I will kill you! I will kill until none of you are left! Beside him, Kong Jie felt deeply unsettled. Li Hao, however, flickered and vanished from the spot, reappearing on the pirate vessel in the distance, speaking no further. He had said enough for today. Reserved by nature, he preferred to keep a low profile rather than utter such grand pronouncements, yet certain sights had shaken him to his core. Vanishing from the shore, Li Hao appeared aboard the pirate ship. A moment later, he disappeared from it as well. A small vessel slipped quietly into the water, carrying Black Panther, and shot across the sea, vanishing into the boundless expanse. Li Hao had one final thought in mind... he wanted to go see for himself... See what? The small town that had been slaughtered. He still found it hard to believe that this world was truly so dark. He wanted to take one more look at the destroyed town in Linjiang. A day had passed; Linjiang should have received the news and mounted some sort of response. He wanted to see what the scene looked like right now. The Giant Kun Divine Vessel surged through the water at blistering speed. It grew faster and faster, reaching an absolute peak. More than an hour later, Li Hao bypassed the previous battlefield and pushed forward. Another hour brought him across the Moon Sea, approaching a tributary of the North Sea that connected directly to the Yun River. In the distance, Li Hao saw towering flames rising into the sky. Flickering like a bird in flight, he bounded upward and vanished from the water, whisking the small boat away into storage at the same instant. ... A moment later. Li Hao hovered in midair, looking down. A troop of soldiers was setting fires throughout the ruined town, accompanied by several supers. The corpses were being burned, while valuable items left behind by the pirates were now being scooped up by the soldiers. They searched house by house, combing through every dwelling. Someone shouted harshly, "Hurry it up! Finish the search before dark! Higher-ups ordered us to withdraw before nightfall. Fire supers, get ready to burn Binhai Town to absolute ashes—leave no trace behind..." Leave no trace behind. Li Hao's ears twitched slightly. As the voices below dimmed, a super lowered his voice outside the town, conferring quietly with a military officer. "Make sure all evidence is thoroughly cleared. Draft the report immediately and announce to the public that Binhai Town caught fire accidentally, and the blaze consumed the town... The capital is already displeased with the north. If word gets out that pirates invaded and slaughtered over ten thousand people... all of us will have our heads on the chopping block." "No need to lecture me; I know what to do. Rest assured, not a soul survived Binhai Town; they all perished in the fire!" The officer muttered a few words in reply. Even if there were survivors, they would soon become dead men. Having an entire town wiped out by pirates was a grave liability. Though everyone understood the reality privately, it could never be acknowledged on the official record; they had to claim it was an accidental fire. As for whether the commoners believed it, or whether rumors spread... who gave a damn? So long as their superiors accepted it, that was enough. What, were they expected to go and fight the White Shark Pirates? What a joke! The White Shark Pirates had thousands of supers, multiple Rising Light experts, and a swarm of Three Suns cultivators. Unless Linjiang mobilized its entire military force, they stood no chance against them. Who would throw their life away? They only hoped that when the White Shark Pirates returned, they wouldn't target other towns and cities. Otherwise, trouble would be immense. Still, remembering the ties between the Governor-General's Office and certain pirate factions... the White Shark Pirates had wiped out a small town, but they probably wouldn't go so far as to attack a major city without showing some face. That thought brought them some relief. The super and the officer continued their hushed conversation. Both were merely at the Solar Flare realm; not even a single Three Suns cultivator had been dispatched. Clearly, they had no intention of pursuing the invading pirates—they were merely going through the motions. Up in the air, Li Hao swept his gaze across the settlement. There were indeed survivors hidden in secret spots, but even when the soldiers arrived, they remained clamped in hiding. Some were dragged out of secret passages by the soldiers, weeping and wailing in despair. "My lords, have mercy... we know nothing, we truly know nothing..." "My lords, she is just a child... take me instead, please spare the child..." "Shut your mouths! Everyone out, gather up ahead! What are you hiding for? Did we say we were going to kill you?" The soldiers were exceedingly brutal, shoving and kicking the surviving townsfolk out into the open. Soon, over a hundred survivors were gathered on a clearing outside the town. The soldiers emerged carrying bags and bundles stuffed with looted goods. Fires spread across more and more of the town. Soon, several hundred soldiers and over a dozen supers assembled together. The Solar Flare officer and the Solar Flare super leader conferred in low voices. Moments later, the super leader murmured, "Everyone has been dragged out. Clear them away. In a moment, I'll have the fire supers reduce this entire place to ash... As for the valuables taken from the town... split them evenly between us?" "Deal! Make it quick, before the White Shark Pirates return." "They won't. The White Shark Pirates definitely headed toward Silver Moon. They won't be back anytime soon..." The two exchanged a few more words before issuing orders to the soldiers and supers to execute the remaining survivors. If word leaked, even if the authorities didn't care about the truth, it could still spark unrest. Once everyone was dead... the narrative was entirely theirs to write. ... In midair. Li Hao exhaled, suddenly feeling a strange sense of relief. Yes, that was the precise feeling. When those women had begged for mercy, trembling in terror, Li Hao had felt despair. Later, he had wondered if they were simply short-sighted women of little experience, or if the people of Silver Moon had exaggerated matters, painting the outside world as a living hell. He wanted to believe the best, yet feared that believing it would make him a fool. He couldn't even say for sure what outcome he had hoped to see. Soldiers and civilians united in rescue, tending the wounded and hunting the pirates? Or something like what lay before him now... Until this very moment, when he saw the reality with his own eyes, a smile crept onto his face. Good! As expected, the world outside was indeed like this—a purgatory where soldiers and bandits were of the same flock. There was nothing more to say. The next instant, Li Hao struck with his sword! Hundreds of sword rays rained down in a flash! *Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!* Like a torrential downpour, the sword rays descended. The soldiers and supers, the strongest among them being merely at the Solar Flare realm, had no hope of resisting. In a single breath, nearly all of them were slaughtered. The two Solar Flare leaders survived the initial volley, and the super leader screamed in terror, "Grandfathers of the White Shark fleet, take the goods! We belong to the Governor-General's Office—" *Bang!* His head exploded into mist. The other Solar Flare officer was scared out of his wits. He spun around to flee, but before he had taken five steps, his body detonated with a loud blast. The surviving townsfolk stood dazed. They had known their doom was imminent, that these soldier-bandits were about to execute them. It wasn't the first time such things had happened, nor would it be the last... Yet in the blink of an eye, their executioners were all dead! The townsfolk seemed to return from the dead, their eyes turning toward the sky. Was it an expert... or the White Shark Pirates? Li Hao offered no explanation. A great vessel materialized in the air, and his voice drifted down: "Board the ship. I will take you to safety. If you remain in Linjiang, death will claim you sooner or later!" Below, the crowd was overjoyed. Falling to their knees, they wept tears of relief and gratitude: "Thank you, Immortal, for saving our lives..." Li Hao didn't care to listen. Out of a town of over ten thousand people, only this handful remained. He could have ignored them, but with so many dead, leaving them behind meant they would surely perish. Without a word, the great ship swept down and gathered them all inside, along with the bundles of loot the soldiers had gathered. It would serve nicely to prevent the Sword Gate from operating at a loss. Yes, he would dump them at the Sword Gate. Out of sight, out of mind; trying to handle this himself would drive him mad, so he would leave it to Hong Yitang. Li Hao smiled wryly. *Hong Yitang... my apologies.* This was the first time... As for whether there would be a next time, Li Hao had no idea. Perhaps there would be, perhaps not. But so long as there were survivors, he would send them all to the Sword Gate! Who told the Sword Gate to be so experienced? It was said that nearly all the thousand disciples of the Sword Gate had been picked up off the streets by Hong Yitang... Now that he was collecting refugees himself, dumping them at the Sword Gate was the only practical choice. Li Hao had neither the patience nor the experience to counsel and look after every single one of them. Li Hao turned and took his leave, the great ship gliding alongside him. The Giant Kun Divine Vessel was capable of flight as well—it truly was an exceptional craft. He needed to catch up to Hong Qing and the others quickly to hand these people over and save himself a second trip. By now, Li Hao's smile had grown considerably brighter, and he no longer paid any mind to the burning town. The dead could not be brought back to life. The living simply had to go on living. His bright smile came from having seen and experienced the truth for himself. That tiny lingering sliver of wishful thinking in his heart had been thoroughly shattered. Li Hao felt he owed these people a debt of gratitude for teaching him a lesson—a profoundly important lesson. ... While Li Hao hurried to send the survivors away, news was spreading like wildfire. The reports Li Hao and his companions had sent out in the morning had fully circulated by midday. Midway through crossing the sea, Hou Xiaochen suddenly froze. Looking at the characters appearing on a jade pendant, he drifted into thought. "Chief..." Chief Steward Yu reminded him, "It is time to board the ship. Once aboard, we can reach the Central Region in a few hours..." "Look at this!" Hou Xiaochen handed the jade pendant to Chief Steward Yu. Taking a look, Chief Steward Yu froze as well, visibly stunned. "He... that fellow..." Hou Xiaochen suddenly laughed. "Tell me, isn't that fascinating?" "This..." Chief Steward Yu was completely at a loss. "Why did he suddenly think of patrolling the seas in the middle of the night?" "Chief!" In the distance, Golden Spear seemed to have overheard something and hurried forward. "What happened at sea?" Chief Steward Yu let out a breath. "Li Hao! That fellow took the Demon Hunt Corps out on patrol last night and ran into the White Shark Pirates. In one fell swoop, he wiped out two Rising Light experts—Faceless Shark and Sea Shark—along with over five hundred supers! What's more... he strung their corpses up on the pirate ships, docked both vessels at Nandu, and sent word to the White Shark Pirates, telling White Shark to wash his neck and wait, for he intends to exterminate the entire fleet!" Golden Spear froze, his face filled with sheer disbelief. After a long pause, he stammered with great difficulty, "How... how is that possible... The White Shark Pirates are powerful! I know Sea Shark—two years ago, when he was at the peak of Three Suns, he escaped from my grasp, and within two years he had already stepped into the mid-stage of Rising Light. And that Faceless Shark is rumored to have reached the late-stage of Rising Light..." Hou Xiaochen laughed. "Coordinating with that dog of his, it was entirely within the realm of possibility. I just never expected that the moment my back was turned, that fellow would take the initiative to go bandit-hunting. Before this, he was like a stubborn mule—pull him and he wouldn't budge, whip him and he'd back up, as if I spent every waking moment plotting against him... As if I had the leisure for that." Hou Xiaochen chuckled with unreserved amusement. "That fellow truly is interesting. I thought he would hide away until the end of time, staying tucked in his shell until Yuan Shuo returned from the Central Region... Yet I haven't even crossed the sea, and he's already out picking fights with pirates... How bloody delightful!" He shook his head, caught between laughter and tears. At this moment, he found himself far more talkative than usual. The melancholy of departure had vanished, replaced by amused exasperation. *Li Hao, ah, Li Hao... you truly are a strange one!* "Across the sea we go!" Hou Xiaochen boarded the ship with a wry smile, the others following close behind. Golden Spear and Chief Steward Yu remained utterly stunned. Li Hao... was the sort of person to do something like this? Their jaws had practically hit the floor. By their estimation, that fellow should have been hiding in the base right now, cultivating frantically, paying no heed to the outside world. Only after attaining overwhelming power would he creep out, ambush a few enemies, and then scurry back into hiding to cultivate and plot again... Yes, that was how Li Hao was supposed to operate. Yet today, he had completely shattered their expectations! Up ahead, Hou Xiaochen kept chuckling. Looking out over the surging North Sea, he sighed. "The North Sea pirates possess formidable strength, and the various factions have clearly invested heavily in them. This time, they will likely be grieving the loss of so many supers." After a moment's reflection, he added, "A pity time is tight. Otherwise, I would have liked to take a detour, pay White Shark a visit, and send him on his way... But forget it, let's leave him for Li Hao!" He laughed, gazing across the expanse of the ocean. "Let's go have some fun in the Central Region. We'll leave the North Sea for that kid to play in! I imagine that if Yuan Shuo receives the news today, he might... be utterly shocked and completely devastated, hahaha!" He threw back his head and laughed, a far cry from his usual gentle smile. Chief Steward Yu glanced at him, finding it odd. Even if Li Hao had made a major spectacle and slaughtered a swarm of pirates... was there any need to laugh so joyfully? Hou Xiaochen continued chuckling. They didn't understand! As descendants of the Eight Great Families—and with Hou Xiaochen and his circle being among the few still openly alive who knew the hidden truths of the Eight Great Families—they had always hoped Li Hao wouldn't be consumed entirely by hatred. Unfortunately, their efforts had yielded little result. Yet today, they saw a glimmer of hope, something truly worthy of celebration. Only a Li Hao like this could truly inherit the glory of the Eight Great Families, or even the glory of the ancient civilization. They did not want the once-dazzling Eight Great Families to be reduced to mere slaughtering machines driven by bloodlust. A toast was in order! Hou Xiaochen smiled warmly as he embarked on the southward journey toward the Central Region. ... Meanwhile. In the North Sea. White Shark listened to the reports from his subordinates, his face stiffening as he stared into the distance. *Li Hao...* *Sea Shark, that useless fool, and that Faceless ghost... Bastards!* *Two utterly worthless pieces of trash!* The muscles on White Shark's face twitched. The deaths of those two scoundrels were not merely a slap in the face; the crucial issue was that the White Shark Pirates had suffered a crippling blow to their strength. If he remained passive, the other seven pirate fleets would likely move to swallow him whole! "Li Hao... I never saw this coming!" White Shark exhaled, looking down at his subordinates, who stood as quiet as cicadas in winter. He suddenly barked, "What are you afraid of? Afraid of being killed by that Li Hao? Does he dare come here? Even if he doesn't, I will seek him out myself! Li Hao is courting death. Once I reorganize our forces, I will slaughter that so-called Demon Hunt Corps and avenge Sea Shark and the others!" The pressing matter was not hunting down Li Hao; an ambush might well be waiting for him. First, he had to take command of the supers left behind by his second and third commanders. If he didn't restore order, they would soon scatter and flee. Once he had gathered clear intelligence, he would find the right opportunity to deal with Li Hao. For now, he could not afford to act rashly—with two Rising Light experts dead, he needed to ascertain the enemy's true depth first. "Avenge them! Wash away the humiliation!" Below, the pirates bellowed at the top of their lungs, as if trying to roar away the terror gripping their hearts. White Shark sighed inwardly. This wouldn't do. At the very least, he had to retrieve the bodies of Sea Shark and the others. Having their corpses strung up for public display in Nandu dealt too devastating a blow to morale. The White Shark Pirates would lose every shred of prestige they possessed. ... The news traveled south, spreading rapidly. Factions everywhere soon received the intelligence. On this day, the name of the Demon Sword echoed far and wide. Previously, taking on six opponents at once and slaying six Three Suns experts had earned Li Hao some fame, gaining him recognition as the foremost among the new generation of Silver Moon martial masters. But today, leading the Demon Hunt Corps to crush a division of the White Shark Pirates, slaughtering hundreds of supers and two Rising Light experts, and hanging their corpses for public display propelled his reputation to staggering heights. North and south of the great river, everyone learned of Silver Moon's Li Hao—the Demon Sword Li Hao! He was no longer merely referred to as "some descendant of the Eight Great Families"... ... In the Central Region. Nanyue Province. Yuan Shuo was panting heavily, standing over the freshly slain body of an early Rising Light expert. Joy covered his face. *Damn it all, I finally killed a Rising Light... Even if it wasn't one of Red Moon's dogs, but some bastard from that trash Yama who insisted on picking a fight... it still counts as a triumph.* *A dozen days ago, my disciple killed six Three Suns experts, nearly catching up to my illustrious name.* *Today, I've slain a Rising Light.* *Between Three Suns and Rising Light lies an entire major realm.* Yuan Shuo grinned from ear to ear. Catching his breath, he wiped the blood from his face and glanced toward the heavily wounded Jade Light Sword nearby, laughing boisterously. "We won! Jade Light, splendid work! That sword strike of yours just now carried the might of a mid Three Suns cultivator—not bad at all..." Jade Light Sword had no desire to speak; she was still nursing her wounds. A mere mid Three Suns strike... she felt no pride in that. It was too slow! Though she had grown far stronger compared to when she had first emerged from seclusion, she remained deeply unsatisfied. Seeing Yuan Shuo already capable of slaying Rising Light experts filled her with urgency. Yuan Shuo saw through her thoughts and laughed. "Don't rush; these things take time. Your Jade Light Sword isn't fully perfected yet. In due time, you'll be able to handle Rising Light cultivators too—just consume a few more Blood God Seeds..." As he spoke, a jade pendant in his robes began to vibrate. Yuan Shuo chuckled. "More big news? Don't tell me Hou Xiaochen was ambushed and killed? Now that would be entertaining..." This pendant only vibrated for momentous developments. He pulled it out and took a look. With just a single glance... he tucked the pendant away, smashed the corpse on the ground to powder with a single punch, and completely obliterated every trace he had left behind. Jade Light Sword stared at him, bewildered. "What happened? Didn't you say you wanted to leave clues intentionally so the world would know it was you, Yuan Shuo, who cut down a Rising Light expert here today, spreading the name of the Five Animals King across the realm?" *What an eccentric old bastard!* *You just went out of your way to arrange the scene, carving unique Five Animals Sect marks onto the corpse for fear that people wouldn't realize you killed a Rising Light expert, and now you destroy it all in the blink of an eye? What is going on?* "Let's go!" Yuan Shuo's face was completely dark. "Head south! What's there to be proud of in killing an early Rising Light expert?!" "What happened?" "Nothing!" "Does it have to do with your disciple?" "I don't have a disciple!" Jade Light Sword froze, utterly dumbfounded. *What in the world?* *You don't have a disciple?* *You never shut up about your personal disciple, bragging about him every single day as if he were the greatest genius under heaven. What's wrong with you today?* "Was he... killed?" That was Jade Light Sword's immediate thought, and she felt a jolt of alarm. Yuan Shuo treasured that final disciple deeply; if the young man had truly been killed... Yuan Shuo would surely go completely mad. Yuan Shuo strode forward swiftly without looking back, grinding his teeth. "No! He's living exceptionally well!" *Then why are you gnashing your teeth like that?* Jade Light Sword hurried to keep up. "I'm still wounded—slow down! Tell me, what on earth is going on?" She was burning with curiosity. What could have happened? Yuan Shuo marched on with his head down, until he suddenly roared in fury, "I'm going to kill a late Rising Light expert! No, a peak Rising Light expert!" *You've completely lost your mind!* Jade Light Sword was convinced he had gone mad. It had taken him ages to kill an early-stage Rising Light expert, and he had sustained injuries in the process. Now he wanted to hunt late-stage and peak experts? Had his ego inflated beyond all reason? "Were you... provoked?" Yuan Shuo was nearly tearing his hair out. "Yes! Provoked to death! Whenever I teach disciples, I do it assuming they will never surpass me! Even if I pay lip service to the student surpassing the master, that only applied when I was crippled in past years—being surpassed by a disciple then was only natural. But now... I've recovered! My progress has been astronomical! In a single day I killed a Three Suns expert, and within three months I've slain a Rising Light expert... Damn it all, three months ago, my disciple was still brawling with petty thieves among ordinary mortals! And just now, that disciple of mine went and killed a late Rising Light expert!" "..." Jade Light Sword's eyes widened, her mouth fell open, and her mind went entirely blank. Yuan Shuo looked ready to weep. It wasn't supposed to be like this! Damn it, it had to be fake news. Absolute fabrication! What a joke—how could anyone improve that quickly? As a veteran martial master who had fused five forces, his own advancement was terrifyingly swift. Slashing an early Rising Light expert meant his combat strength far exceeded the early stage, bordering on the mid stage. And yet, his disciple had gone and killed a late-stage Rising Light cultivator. He refused to believe it; it had to be false. It was infuriating! He had just finished killing an expert and was preparing to let the world marvel at the might of Old Demon Yuan. Instead, his thunder had been completely stolen! Now he had to play dead, or he would become a laughingstock if word got out. *Your disciple just butchered a late Rising Light expert, and you're showing off over an early-stage one? What is there to brag about?!* Behind him, Jade Light Sword remained in a daze for a long while before looking at Yuan Shuo. "Didn't... didn't you say your disciple... has only been practicing martial arts for a few months?" "That's right!" Jade Light Sword fell silent. After a long pause, she ventured, "Your disciple might have been possessed by an ancient soul. I've read about such occurrences in ancient records... yes, that must be it..." Yuan Shuo rolled his eyes so hard they nearly vanished into his skull! To hell with that! It was fine for him to curse his disciple, but the moment Jade Light Sword spoke ill of him, he took offense. "What the hell do you know?! He possesses the bloodline of the Eight Great Families, has witnessed a world-shattering sword strike from the ancient civilization, and has received the true teachings of my Five Animals Art! It's only natural that he progresses quickly! A woman of little insight like you—what do you know about anything?!" Jade Light Sword glared at him, cursing under her breath. *Crazy old coot!* *Wasn't I just playing along with you?* *This old geezer must have water in his brain—he's actually defending the kid now!* Yuan Shuo huffed, grumbling a few more curses, though whether they were directed at Jade Light Sword or Li Hao remained unclear. After a long while, having vented his frustration, he let out a heavy breath. "No, this pace is too slow! Fusing the five forces is too difficult, and strengthening the five viscera takes too long. Even if the new technique is effective, the results don't manifest quickly enough... Those Red Moon cowards have all fled, who knows where... Come on, I'm taking you grave-robbing! I still know the locations of several ancient ruins. One of them might hold a Spring of Life. I'll take you there to excavate it. It's dangerous, but the rewards are immense. I originally planned to wait until my disciple arrived to take him, but now you get the windfall... Damn it all, he's already surpassed me, why the hell should I take him grave-robbing?!" Jade Light Sword was dumbstruck; she truly had no words left. *Grave-robbing... why didn't you say so earlier?!* A moment later, the two departed in haste. Yuan Shuo gritted his teeth, resolving to hold off on killing for now. Until he could slay a late-stage Rising Light expert, he would be too embarrassed to show his face. He would go rob graves, secure the water from the Spring of Life, temper his five viscera, and fuse his five forces. Then he would step forth and butcher a truly terrifying foe for everyone to see. He would show Li Hao who was truly the boss around here!