This mending process lasted for a very long time.
It went on for a full day and night, until the shattered divine energy stones around Li Hao had practically piled into a small mountain.
Aside from Hong Yitang's large boulder of a stone, the divine energy stones Li Hao had brought were depleted by a staggering eight thousand!
Yes, eight thousand!
Earlier, the authorities had provided a deposit of ten thousand stones, and Li Hao had almost run through the entire reserve.
Counting Hong Yitang's contribution, the total consumed this time exceeded ten thousand divine energy stones. That was a terrifying figure. Naturally, the Bright Light Sword had not absorbed them all alone; Li Hao and the others had absorbed a great deal as well.
Not only that, but quite an amount was now stored inside the little sword, so there would be no need to recharge it every single time before he could use it.
In any case, he put on this display for the Bright Light Sword to see.
He wanted her to understand the astronomical price paid for her recovery—even the official deposit hadn't been enough to cover the expense.
Li Hao himself had absorbed a tremendous amount of sword energy and merged it into his heart's supernatural lock, yet he still felt nowhere near saturated.
This left Li Hao thoroughly exhausted in spirit.
Did this mean he couldn't break his seals like the others to make his combat strength skyrocket? It was truly frustrating. His strength was already formidable; if he could also break his seals, even if he couldn't surpass Rising Light, surely he could take on a Metamorphosis stage combatant, couldn't he?
What an absolute pity!
Others could do it, yet he couldn't. Was his potential simply too immense, or was he truly incapable of it?
To break seals and unleash one's power, one had to saturate at least one supernatural lock, or perhaps even more. Figures like Southern Fist seemed to saturate the locks in their limbs first, so they typically had at least four or more fully saturated.
Only then could they release their seals.
The Bright Light Sword had broken five supernatural locks, all located in her internal organs. That didn't necessarily mean all five organ locks had been saturated. Li Hao deduced that perhaps saturating a single lock in the five organs was enough to initiate an unsealing, though the resulting strength would vary.
As for Hong Yitang, he must have saturated quite a few.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be so calm every time. After breaking his seals, suppressing them again was relatively effortless for him. Likely, the more locks one saturated, the easier it was to control one's strength upon unsealing without suffering an overload.
***
A full day and night passed.
When the sky grew light once more, everyone opened their eyes.
The Bright Light Sword exhaled a long breath, venting a plume of turbid air tinged with the scent of blood. Looking at Li Hao and Hong Yitang, she said, "My thanks to you both for this!"
Hong Yitang didn't make a fuss, merely reminding her, "You owe me three thousand divine energy stones. Just remember that..."
Same rate as Southern Fist.
He hadn't marked up the price.
As for what he had absorbed himself, he treated it as labor compensation. He usually didn't tally that into the debt. Demanding a modest labor fee after fighting a battle was hardly unreasonable.
Without a word, the Bright Light Sword retrieved a storage ring and handed it over. "I will remember the favor. These divine energy stones should roughly cover the amount."
Hong Yitang didn't stand on ceremony, taking it directly. Probing inside, he smiled. "More than enough. Good, then our debt is settled. You're much more reliable than He Yong; that fellow borrows money and never pays it back. Absolute scoundrel."
Li Hao was astonished as well. She was truly wealthy!
Three thousand stones, more than enough, handed over without hesitation! The Bright Light Sword had certainly reaped no small share of fortunes from the Duke of Dingguo's Residence.
Seeing Li Hao look over, the Bright Light Sword said, "These are storage rings I seized earlier from the generals of the Duke's Residence. Five Rising Light experts—their savings were naturally substantial."
Five peak Rising Light experts, all holding general-level rank.
That alone was more than enough.
With that, the Bright Light Sword added, "As for the Silver Moon authorities, that's their affair. I will also compensate you for what you just expended, but right now, I don't have that many divine energy stones on hand..."
Li Hao didn't stand on ceremony either. "Then forget the stones. For the spoils of this battle... you killed several peak Rising Light experts. Just give me their storage rings!"
In this battle, a full twelve top-tier experts had perished.
Aside from Fan Chang and the Black Widow who had fled, all the remaining twelve had been slain. Along the way, Li Hao had also killed two Rising Light and several Three Suns experts. At this moment, he held a whole pile of storage rings.
"That is your rightful due..."
Li Hao said no more, glancing toward Hong Yitang. Hong Yitang had also slain several experts. Aside from taking the Metamorphosis stage combatant's storage ring, the rest had been gathered by the black hound and handed over to Li Hao.
Noticing Li Hao's gaze, Hong Yitang snapped in mild annoyance, "What are you staring at me for? The people I killed—their belongings belong to me! The spoils are mine. I have a whole crowd of mouths to feed right now. Are you trying to pocket my share?"
"..."
Li Hao grinned sheepishly. To be honest, he really had considered it.
Mainly, this senior had always presented himself as noble and detached, giving away items at a whim. Li Hao had assumed that since Hong Yitang didn't need them, he might as well hand them over.
Turns out... the man wanted them after all!
*Sigh!*
With an inward sigh, Li Hao retrieved a storage ring.
Of the twelve deceased experts, Li Hao had killed five, the dog had killed two, the Bright Light Sword had killed three, and Hong Yitang had slain two.
However, the ones Li Hao killed were the weaker ones—one mid Rising Light and four late Rising Light.
The Bright Light Sword had slain two peak Rising Light and one late Rising Light.
Even the dog had eliminated one peak and one late Rising Light. The one in the water had actually been brought down with the dog's assistance, though Li Hao claimed the kill as his own.
Hong Yitang had slain one Metamorphosis stage and one mid Rising Light.
In reality, battle merits couldn't be calculated so simply.
Hong Yitang had withstood the brunt of everyone's pressure, defending relentlessly. Strictly speaking, more than half the credit for Li Hao being able to kill those people belonged to him. Nevertheless, Li Hao didn't treat Hong Yitang like an outsider...
The good things he obtained were mostly fed to the Sword Gate members anyway.
The thirty martial masters of the Sword Gate consumed quite a lot, relying entirely on Li Hao.
Then again, Hong Yitang had essentially footed the bill.
Looking at the single storage ring, Hong Yitang rolled his eyes. This brat... his arithmetic was certainly precise. Aside from Qian Feng's ring, Li Hao really only gave him the ring of that single mid Rising Light expert.
Too lazy to haggle over it, Hong Yitang pocketed it directly.
He didn't refuse it, shattering Li Hao's hopeful calculation.
Hong Yitang laughed, and Li Hao chuckled along. "Martial Uncle Hong, if you ever run short on funds, feel free to come find me... If we lack money, we can just rob pirates. Why worry about being broke?"
"..."
Hong Yitang's smile vanished. *Get lost!*
Li Hao was in high spirits. He hadn't inventoried his spoils yet, but they were bound to be immense. These were all prominent figures boasting tremendous power; if they didn't carry at least seven or eight hundred divine energy stones on them, how could they dare call themselves big shots?
By that calculation, subtracting the two rings Hong Yitang had taken, Li Hao still had ten storage rings from this battle, plus the rings of the two North Sea pirate Rising Light experts and several Three Suns... At any rate, netting ten thousand divine energy stones was a conservative estimate, right?
Furthermore, the authorities still owed him twenty thousand divine energy stones and an Origin God Armament.
Speaking of Origin God Armaments, there should be some among the spoils this time as well. Li Hao hadn't paid too much attention and had simply stored away some of the corpses, which were bound to yield a few.
This battle had truly made him rich!
Two thousand divine energy stones remained from the official deposit, and Li Hao had close to two thousand of his own left originally...
Just days ago, he had been reluctant to spend even a single divine energy stone. Now...
Li Hao sighed with emotion. Only with strength did one have capital.
Without strength, one was merely cannon fodder.
Look at this: when out of money, kill a few great pirates, and didn't the funds roll right in?
Hong Yitang didn't share his sentimentality, remarking, "You brat, don't get too arrogant! The situation in Silver Moon might not be as great as you think. I don't know all the details, but I know that Silver Moon is a thorn in the side of many... The more outstanding your performance, the easier it is to draw suppression! Don't end up like your master. Back then, he bounced around the most aggressively, only to end up pinned down in Silver City, unable to step outside..."
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of that, I have a few questions. Silver Moon isn't weak. Back then, how did Ying Hongyue manage to force my master to turtle up in Silver City and never emerge? Director Hou and the others..."
Although Hou Xiaochen had seemingly fought Ying Hongyue for Yuan Shuo's sake, after that clash, he had acquiesced to Yuan Shuo remaining in hiding, confined to Silver City.
To Li Hao, that did not fit the style of Silver Moon natives.
And toward Yuan Shuo, it was excessively cruel.
Everyone else could leave and roam freely; only Yuan Shuo couldn't, essentially serving a prison sentence of over a decade...
Hong Yitang rolled his eyes, unwilling to speak.
The Bright Light Sword, however, knew something of the matter. Hearing this, she sighed softly. "Your master... offended far too many people! For the bigger picture, Silver Moon had no choice but to agree back then. At the very least, they didn't take your master's life. Ying Hongyue was merely one of them. There was also the Mountain Lord of the Futu Divine Mountain, Yama of the Yama organization, the Flying Sword Immortal of Feitian, Mountain Lord Haotian of the Haotian Divine Mountain... Silver Moon couldn't possibly resist all of them at that time. Securing a path of survival for your master was already no easy feat."
Li Hao froze. "No way? Wasn't it just Ying Hongyue?"
Don't mess with me!
By her description, of the Three Great Organizations and the Seven Divine Mountains, his master had offended almost the entire lot in one go.
Two of the Seven Divine Mountains, and all three leaders of the Three Great Organizations—they all held grudges against his master?
You must be joking!
Hong Yitang glanced at Li Hao and coughed lightly. "More or less! There's plenty of gossip about your master that you don't know; you're only aware of affairs within the Silver Moon martial arts world. Your master once traveled to the Central Region and even wandered across the entire country, making the world his home. In his youth, during the period when he sought to fuse the five forces, he ran all over the place... and offended countless people."
"Then why didn't he just beat them all to death..."
Li Hao couldn't help but grumble!
What an awful mess to leave behind!
"Either they had powerful backers, or killing them would bring impossible repercussions, or he was the one who initiated the duel. If he could hold back, he couldn't just kill them indiscriminately..."
Hong Yitang offered a few words of explanation. It wasn't that Yuan Shuo didn't want to, but that sometimes it simply wasn't permissible.
If you initiate a duel with someone, failing to hold back is one thing, but if you could spare them yet still beat them to death... then you truly would be a demon!
Old Demon Yuan was called a demon, but that didn't mean he had lost his mind completely.
However, doing so naturally left behind a trail of enemies. People wouldn't feel grateful to you simply because you spared their lives.
"So that means my master has enemies everywhere? Practically every major organization is his foe?"
"Pretty much!"
Hong Yitang chuckled.
Li Hao asked curiously, "Then why did my master dare come out a few days ago?"
If it was that dangerous, why had he stepped out of seclusion?
Moreover, this time hadn't been as perilous as imagined; he hadn't faced a joint siege by the Three Great Organizations and Seven Divine Mountains.
"The time was ripe."
Hong Yitang explained, "Many people are currently facing a bottleneck... If your master comes out, he might help everyone solve this barrier. Therefore, at this stage, letting him out was an unspoken consensus among certain factions."
Understanding dawned upon Li Hao!
Unsealing, the five internal organs...
Certain people were eyeing his master's Five Animals Secret Art.
They believed that Yuan Shuo had fallen behind the times, but by releasing him, he might research a solution to their problem.
Thinking this over, Li Hao gave a cold snort and slightly furrowed his brows. "Why do they have such confidence in my teacher?"
"Your teacher..."
Hong Yitang pondered for a long while before letting out a wry laugh. "Talent and brilliance are part of it, but not the most critical factor. What matters is that your teacher possesses too many ancient methods! You have to realize, back when he cultivated, he was likely among the very first batch of martial masters to excavate ancient ruins across Silver Moon! He mastered an overwhelming number of ancient techniques, but he always hoarded them for himself, never sharing them with others. Many ancient texts effectively became lost to history once they reached his hands.
"His Five Animals Secret Art might seem simple to practice to you, but it is the most suited for human cultivation—suited for literally anyone. Ordinary people, anyone at all, those with poor aptitude, and those with exceptional talent. There are no prerequisites; anyone can practice it!
"When you cultivated the Five Animals Secret Art, didn't you find it exceptionally easy to pick up? But you've also cultivated other arts. Did you find them easy to learn?"
Li Hao reflected and nodded. Indeed, they had been challenging.
Whether the Shadowless Sword, the Willow Catkin Sword, or the Nine-Fold Forging Force, their fundamentals were actually quite difficult.
If Li Hao hadn't possessed formidable foundation strength, he wouldn't have mastered them so easily.
In contrast, the Five Animals Art... was truly simple. In earlier years, Li Hao had practiced it like a health-nourishing regimen. Later, progressing naturally to the Five Animals Breathing Art was similarly effortless, requiring little more than shifting his breathing patterns, proceeding without a hitch.
"Furthermore, when the Five Animals Secret Art is cultivated to its peak, comprehending five kinds of force is equivalent to simultaneously cultivating five Great Daos of ancient martial arts... and all within a single technique. You might not understand the significance of this right now, but experts know just how difficult it is."
Li Hao looked at him, frowning slightly. "Is that different from cultivating five separate techniques and comprehending five forces?"
"Of course it's different!"
Hong Yitang shook his head. "You are the clearest example. Haven't you noticed how difficult it is to fuse your five forces? If you didn't possess that special sword intent to serve as an overarching guide, do you think you could stitch five sword forces together?"
Li Hao shook his head. Not a chance!
"Even someone comparable to a Rising Light expert like you cannot forcibly fuse them. Your master managed it—don't you find that strange?"
Li Hao paused, never having considered that perspective.
"That is the advantage of a unified art. One art branching into five methods, five methods sharing a single source. Otherwise, a normal person cannot possibly achieve the fusion of five forces—forget five, there's hardly any hope for even two!
"During his Hundred-Refined phase, your master completed the simultaneous cultivation and fusion of five methods. He is naturally extraordinary."
Li Hao nodded, then murmured after a pause, "Yet Teacher's strength..."
He was still too weak!
"What's the rush!"
Hong Yitang chuckled. "Instead of worrying for him, you'd better worry about your own fusion of five forces! What Yuan Shuo needs to do is actually very simple: strengthen his five internal organs, and in the process, seek an opportunity to improve his art. When the time comes, the five forces will naturally harmonize! Once his five forces completely merge and he finishes his Spirit Accumulation realm, he will swiftly step into the next stage... What about you?"
Li Hao blinked. "Me?"
"Can you rapidly complete the fusion of five forces and advance to the next stage of Spirit Accumulation?"
Li Hao shook his head. Not a chance.
To this day, he hadn't found any clues. He barely understood the Spirit Accumulation realm, possessing only rough guesses.
"So what are you worrying about him for?"
Hong Yitang smiled. "If he enters the next stage of Spirit Accumulation, he might well transcend Rising Light, just like us after unsealing. So there's no need to fret over him. You should contemplate your own path; reaching this stage, it's time you gave it serious thought!
"The path of fusing five forces? You haven't walked as far as your master, nor are you as proficient. Think carefully on your own, or else you might experience an explosive rise in the short term and surpass your master, but sooner or later, he will catch up and leave you behind again!"
Li Hao fell into deep thought and nodded.
Beside them, the Bright Light Sword chimed in, "I observed that your sword momentum is somewhat disorganized... unrefined. You have many sword forces, but as you said yourself, they are merely stitched together. At this stage, attempting to untangle them, strengthen them individually, and achieve true unification might be a viable path."
She paused, then added, "Moreover, since you walk the path of fusing five forces... and seem to comprehend force very quickly, why not comprehend even more forces? If you cannot surpass your master in quality, you can surpass him in quantity.
"The Shadowless Sword counts as a kind of dark-energy swordsmanship. If you are willing, I can teach you the Bright Light Sword, as well as the Wind Thunder Sword..."
Li Hao froze, glanced at her, and after a moment, shook his head.
Not learning that!
Are you kidding? I have no desire to learn the Bright Light Sword.
As if reading his thoughts, the Bright Light Sword sighed. "The Bright Light Sword doesn't affect men that much. I am a woman, which is why after cultivating it back then, certain issues arose—an inability to harmonize yin and yang... In truth, if I could cultivate the Shadowless Sword to its peak, I might be able to shift things back somewhat. Regrettably, after the Shadowless Sword died, the technique was lost, likely taken by Yuan Shuo."
Because Li Hao knew it.
Li Hao nodded and asked, "If the Bright Light Sword is cultivated to its peak... does this always happen?"
Turning into a man?
If so, it truly wouldn't affect men much.
Furthermore, the Bright Light Sword's suggestion stirred something within him.
Fusing five swords was chaotic, lacking the systematic cohesion of his master's art. What if he continued to add more?
Six swords, seven swords, eight swords?
Yet, where would the forces reside?
The limbs?
The head?
Those areas also possessed supernatural locks. Strictly speaking, it wasn't impossible. It was just that Li Hao suddenly felt a pang of trepidation. Merging forces into the five organs was something his teacher had already done, so he hadn't feared it. But pioneering a path entirely on his own... he still felt a degree of apprehension.
Yet soon, he found himself compelled to ponder it deeply.
Perhaps it truly was a viable method.
For now, he suppressed these thoughts.
At this stage, there were still many areas where he could improve, such as continuing to temper his physical body, strengthening his five internal organs, and thoroughly fusing his five forces. Every breakthrough would mark an elevation for him.
Moreover, his supernatural locks refused to reach saturation; he could keep attempting to fill them, and he could find a way to construct the Five Celestial Bridges... Li Hao was far from a dead end; a road still lay ahead.
Gathered together, the three swordsmen exchanged some cultivation insights. Toward the end of the discussion, Hong Yitang took the initiative to speak: "While Li Hao is here, bring out the Wind-Chasing Boots for a look. Maybe he can use them. Otherwise... your seizing them will likely have been in vain!"
Li Hao had been curious as well, though he hadn't asked.
Now that Hong Yitang had brought it up, the Bright Light Sword didn't hesitate. She retrieved an item, letting out a sigh. "For this object, I stayed with the Xu family for twenty years... Alas!"
It was a boot, cyan in color.
It displayed no apparent anomalies, resembling Li Hao's Starry Sky Sword in appearing thoroughly ordinary.
Li Hao frowned slightly. "The Wind-Chasing Boots... Is there an inherent connection between your Bright Light Sword and the Wind-Chasing Boots? A dark attribute to suppress your light attribute?"
To his eyes, the boot seemed to carry a wind-type aura.
It didn't look dark-attributed at all.
The Bright Light Sword shook her head. "No, this boot possesses dark-attribute power! I suspect it might be dual-attributed in wind and darkness. Whoever wielded it back then likely intended to forge a pair of boots capable of traversing the darkness. As for the wind attribute... it should possess that as well."
Dual wind and darkness attributes?
"So you intend to extract the energy within to suppress your light attribute?"
"Not suppress—merge!"
The Bright Light Sword elaborated, "The Bright Light Sword is suited for men. When practiced by a woman, flaws easily arise. The best remedy is balancing yin and yang... but my sword intent is too potent. Ordinary dark energy is useless! Once it enters my body, it is instantly crushed. Only dark-attributed treasures from ancient civilizations can yield energy potent enough to balance my power."
Here, she hesitated, then added, "Xu Feng cultivated the water attribute. At its peak, extreme cold becomes ice, carrying a dark, yin attribute. He was able to extract a portion of the power from the Wind-Chasing Boots. Thus, had Xu Feng lived and reached the Metamorphosis stage, there was hope he could extract enough dark energy to balance my yin and yang."
Li Hao considered this and nodded.
Perhaps.
As for her mentioning Xu Feng, he couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. The man was already dead, and Li Hao rarely bothered remembering those he had slain.
At that moment, Li Hao examined the Wind-Chasing Boots with some curiosity.
There was only one boot.
Taking it in his hand, it felt utterly ordinary.
Nothing exceptional about it.
Back then, when he had held the Zhang family saber, it had been the exact same.
Circulating the Five Animals Breathing Art... a faint energy drifted out, surging into Li Hao's body. The Bright Light Sword started, unable to contain her shock: "You can extract it?"
Li Hao cast her a glance. What was there to make a fuss about?
Yet he had to admit, the Five Animals Breathing Art was truly peculiar and unique; it seemed capable of absorbing and extracting any kind of energy.
Other breathing arts possessed no such effect.
*Does this mean...*
Li Hao pondered inwardly. Even without the bloodlines of the Eight Great Families, as long as one mastered the Five Animals Breathing Art, one could wield these weapons?
His teacher could wield the Zhang family saber. He hadn't thought deeply about it before, but reflecting now... perhaps it wasn't that anyone could casually use the Zhang family saber, but rather that the Five Animals Breathing Art was genuinely extraordinary.
It felt like a universal technique, capable of drawing upon any energy, absorbing any force...
Of course, that didn't necessarily mean one could activate the core of the armament.
Still, Li Hao knew one thing: these divine armaments actually bullied the weak and feared the strong. If you were more powerful than the weapon, whether it had a master or not hardly mattered. Take the Fire Phoenix Spear: after Li Hao had threatened it for a time, hadn't it become frighteningly obedient later on?
Li Hao suspected that even if Hou Xiaochen were here right now, he might be able to snatch the Fire Phoenix Spear away.
He absorbed a tiny wisp of the energy from the boot.
Sword energy was gentle, saber energy was domineering, while the energy inside this boot imparted a light, subtle, and dark sensation to Li Hao.
Sword energy nourished the body; saber energy spearheaded attacks.
What about this boot energy?
Li Hao considered it and chose to merge it into his body. In an instant, the energy bored inside, seemingly traveling into his feet. Vaguely, Li Hao discovered supernatural locks manifesting within his legs.
This energy was promptly absorbed by the supernatural locks.
After the absorption, Li Hao attempted to circulate his inner force... but felt no peculiar transformation.
*It only strengthens the supernatural locks?*
As Li Hao mused, he suddenly lifted the boot, kicked off his own shoe, and slipped it onto his foot.
The Bright Light Sword hesitated, only managing to speak after a long moment: "The Xu family only ever enshrined it on an altar..."
No one had ever actually worn it!
Hong Yitang, taking a rather eccentric angle, remarked with mild disgust, "Aren't you worried the last person who wore it had athlete's foot or smelly feet?"
"..."
Li Hao was speechless. He stared at the man. *Are you serious?*
This was a divine armament; where would it get smelly feet or athlete's foot from?
Yet hearing him say that... Li Hao truly felt a prickle of aversion.
Putting the thought aside, with the boot on his foot, Li Hao pondered for a moment, circulated the Five Animals Breathing Art, and instantly unleashed the Deer Prance technique. With a single leap... he vanished on the spot.
Hong Yitang's heart jolted!
The Bright Light Sword's expression shifted as well, her gaze snapping toward the sky.
A moment later, Li Hao touched down, his complexion slightly pale from the immense drain, yet filled with profound shock: "Holy crap!"
So fast!
It was so swift it almost felt like instantaneous teleportation. Utterly astounded, he exclaimed, "The Xu family actually didn't use it and kept it on an altar instead? Wearing this thing, the consumption is massive—inner force pours into it like crazy—but... this is an absolute lifeline for escaping! I barely engaged it just now and instantly crossed a thousand meters... A thousand meters! Even if Martial Uncle Hong were chasing me, it would take some time to catch up, wouldn't it?"
The Bright Light Sword was even more shocked than he was: "You can actually use it?"
Hong Yitang stroked his chin. "Are the bloodlines of the Eight Great Families truly this formidable? Or can the Li family bloodline wield any weapon?"
That really wasn't the case!
Li Hao knew full well that he hadn't used any blood-bonding ritual; he had merely utilized the Five Animals Breathing Art. This meant the Five Animals Breathing Art was the true core to operating the boot.
Just like the little sword: even now, whenever Li Hao drew sword energy from it, he relied on the Five Animals Breathing Art.
The little sword... didn't seem to have recognized him as master yet.
Indeed, to this day, Li Hao hadn't been able to draw the little sword into his body.
Strictly speaking, he was not the master of the little sword right now, merely borrowing its power, with the core medium being the Five Animals Breathing Art.
His teacher had been using the Zhang family saber all along without performing any blood-recognition ritual, relying entirely on the Five Animals Breathing Art as well.
Past her shock, the Bright Light Sword grew excited: "Can the dark energy within the boot be drawn out?"
With that, she added somewhat bashfully, "Um... once it's drawn out, if dual cultivation is required..."
"*Cough, cough, cough!*"
At that instant, Li Hao was horrified. With a loud *smack*, he tore off the boot and hurled it away, his face etched with terror.
An old geezer is talking to me about *this*?
Of course, he hadn't forgotten that one day, his teacher had dual cultivated with him as well... That time, having absorbed too much blood energy, he and his teacher had processed it together.
Yet the Bright Light Sword didn't seem to mean it in that sense!
That was way too terrifying!
Realizing what had happened, the Bright Light Sword's facial muscles contorted. A moment later, she revealed a markedly different face and sighed. "In truth, earlier was merely a disguise..."
Li Hao bared his teeth, remaining silent.
Yes, a disguise.
But... so what?
She had merely gone from an old man to a rather rugged middle-aged woman! Yes, rugged!
It wasn't fair to call her ugly!
Yet it truly was the face of an auntie, and a rather coarse one at that. To put it plainly, she even sported a light beard, and quite a thick one at that!
Her eyebrows were extraordinarily bushy!
This... was even harder to look at than the old man disguise. At least earlier, she had looked like a kind and benevolent old fellow. Looking at her now... heavens above. Li Hao swore he wasn't someone who judged people by their appearance... *cough*, maybe just a little, but this person truly had... turned quite manly!
Of course, for someone with particularly heavy tastes, it might not matter.
Seeing his expression, the Bright Light Sword sighed once more.
The ugly had no human rights.
Just look at the Silver Moon martial masters: Ying Hongyue had a penchant for beauties, and Yuan Shuo was actually the same. Seeing that the Jade Light Sword was attractive, he had spared her life.
Not just them; many Silver Moon martial masters were cut from the same cloth.
If someone was beautiful, they liked them.
Or rather, men... *heh*, were all like this!
Seeing Li Hao's expression, the Bright Light Sword felt helpless and bitter. Was there truly no hope after all?
Li Hao could use the Wind-Chasing Boots; one could say he was her greatest hope!
Yet... seeing Li Hao react like this was truly disheartening!
Li Hao was at a loss for words as well. Beside them, Hong Yitang cleared his throat. "Li Hao, what kind of attitude is that? She is your senior, after all. Why make such a fuss? When the Bright Light Sword was young, she was actually quite good-looking. It's just that the further she cultivated, the more... *cough cough*!"
In her youth, when she had first debuted, she could indeed be considered delicate and fair.
Though to say she had been exceptionally beautiful... Hong Yitang reminisced. *Cough*, she had been average at best; you could encounter plenty like her on the streets.
Still, female martial masters were rare. Had she remained that way, she might have been hailed as a blooming flower of the martial arts realm. After all, the Silver Moon martial arts world was overwhelmingly male.
Li Hao grinned awkwardly, hastily replying, "I didn't mean anything by it... It's just..."
He wanted to say: don't bring up dual cultivation. Extracting the energy didn't require that method at all. There were plenty of ways; wouldn't directly drawing it out with the Five Animals Breathing Art achieve the exact same result?
Why did all of you immediately jump to dual cultivation!
Truly vulgar!
The Bright Light Sword sighed again. "Altering my appearance doesn't matter anymore. The main issue is that my light power has reached its absolute limit. If this continues, I fear I will burst! That is why the Wind-Chasing Boots became my final hope..."
Hong Yitang said solemnly, "Then pause your cultivation..."
"I would rather die."
The Bright Light Sword shook her head. If she had wanted that, she would have stopped cultivating long ago; why would she have pushed herself to become this strong?
For a martial master, when one clearly had the potential to grow stronger, halting out of fear of danger... one might as well be dead.
Li Hao pondered for a moment, then spoke up: "All you need is the dark energy inside, right?"
"Yes!"
The Bright Light Sword nodded eagerly.
Li Hao thought it through. "It doesn't necessarily have to be this specific energy. I can give it a try for you... replenishing your body with an extremely pure dark-attributed energy. However... if this solves your problem, you must give me the Wind-Chasing Boots!"
The Bright Light Sword hesitated, not because of the boots, but because of practicality. She said, "Ordinary dark energy explodes the moment it enters my body, instantly obliterated. I've tried it before; even Rising Light level energy failed! I once killed a late Rising Light expert from Feitian, but it had no effect whatsoever... Of course, if you can resolve my predicament, the boots were meant for this purpose anyway. You may take them freely. Just beware of the Xu family; they will never give up on the Wind-Chasing Boots. Even the deaths of Xu Zhen and his son are secondary to these boots..."
If ordinary dark energy didn't work, what about energy purified by sword energy?
Purifying mysterious energy left it somewhat thin.
What about energy purified from dark-attributed divine energy stones?
Purified through sword energy, the dark elements would be exceptionally concentrated, surely comparable to the power inside the boot, right?
Li Hao quickly searched through his belongings and soon found several divine energy stones of a dark hue. A simple test would tell.
He shattered a stone. This time, instead of converting it entirely into sword energy, he used sword energy to purify it. While this was rather wasteful, it hardly mattered to Li Hao.
A strand of purified dark energy was extracted. He pressed a finger against the Bright Light Sword, sending the dark energy surging inward.
In that instant, a powerful repulsive force seemed to reverberate from within her body.
Yet very quickly, the dark energy was absorbed and dissolved.
The Bright Light Sword had been on tenterhooks, but the next moment, her eyes lit up brilliantly. She looked at Li Hao in disbelief: "It... it seems it wasn't destroyed..."
She was profoundly shaken. This actually worked?
Over the years, she had attempted countless methods, even seizing several dark-attributed Origin God Armaments, all to no avail. Yet Li Hao seemed to resolve the issue with effortless ease.
At that moment, Hong Yitang's eyes flickered slightly as well.
Li Hao's sword was truly extraordinary.
It could release a specialized energy to mend the physical body, and now it seemed capable of purifying elemental energies as well. The Li family's sword was truly worthy of being called a divine sword!
He almost felt tempted to snatch it away!
Even he felt a stirring of greed in this moment, but he quickly suppressed it, chanting silently in his heart: *All is vanity; the person surpasses the weapon. Armaments are mere external objects. Besides, just because Li Hao can use it doesn't mean I can.*
The Bright Light Sword harbored no such stray thoughts, overwhelmed by pure excitement: "It works... it really works... Li Hao, the Wind-Chasing Boots are yours! If you have any other requests, just name them! I need a large quantity of this dark energy..."
With dark energy, she might be able to take another step forward. More importantly, it would alleviate the backlash from her ever-growing light power.
Furthermore, her appearance might return to what it once was.
Though she had never been a peerless beauty... as a woman, who would want a mouth framed by a bristling beard? Who would want eyebrows bushier and coarser than a man's, or an Adam's apple on the verge of sprouting?
As for the martial path, while advancing might not necessarily grant entry to a higher realm, her organs and flesh would be soothed and strengthened, stabilizing her supernatural locks so they wouldn't snap so easily as before.
The stronger one was, the harder it became to sever supernatural locks.
Yet she and Southern Fist had both snapped five of them with ease.
Li Hao breathed a slight sigh of relief. As long as it worked, all was well; he had truly been reluctant to part with the boot... A pity there was only one.
Yet even as a single boot, it was an invaluable treasure for preserving his life.
People like the Earth-Overturning Sword might not care; crossing a thousand meters in an instant was something they could likely achieve on their own, or perhaps they felt no need to flee.
To Li Hao, however, having this boot granted him an extra layer of security.
And this was merely one boot. What about a pair?
Hearing the Bright Light Sword's words, Li Hao suddenly felt a surge of ambition: "How about we go seek revenge on the Duke of Dingguo's Residence and seize the other boot..."
The other two instantly stared at him, expressions fraught with shock.
Good grief!
Have you lost your mind?
The Bright Light Sword was utterly dumbfounded. Was this fellow's courage truly so immense?
She hastily said, "Out of the question! There are countless experts within their residence! I only succeeded back then because Xu Qing believed I was doomed anyway, thinking it didn't matter even if I took it. His strength is overwhelmingly terrifying; even without breaking his seals, he withstood my attacks, suffering only slight injuries... His power is likely on par with the Earth-Overturning Sword, perhaps even a notch higher. Over the years, the Duke's Residence has accumulated countless resources.
"Furthermore, three great generals remain alive within the residence. Heaven and Earth Generals are likely both at the Metamorphosis stage, while General Huang is at least at the absolute peak of Rising Light... Additionally, the Dingguo Army boasts a vast number of powerful fighters, and the Duke has recruited a cohort of consecrated elders and guest retainers, all of them formidable experts!"
Her previous success had been a fluke, compounded by the fact that the other party believed she was a walking corpse, unwilling to pay a heavier price to stop her.
If they went back to rob them openly... the Duke's Residence would fight to the death!
Li Hao felt a twinge of regret. He truly wanted to snatch it!
A single boot allowed him to cover a thousand meters in an instant; wouldn't a pair let him cross two thousand, or even three thousand meters?
At this stage, strong as top experts were, very few could pursue someone who could fly that far in an instant.
Hong Yitang was left thoroughly exasperated by Li Hao's audacity: "Don't underestimate these ancient clans. Two centuries of foundation! And don't bring up your long-extinct Li family as a comparison. For them to stand tall for two hundred years and remain regional overlords even after the rise of supernaturals, their hidden strength far exceeds your imagination! The eastern territories are practically the Xu family's domain; even the Three Great Organizations rely somewhat on their support..."
Pausing, he added, "If you truly want to seize the remaining boot, you must bide your time!"
As for how long they would have to wait?
Hong Yitang felt it might not take long. Given the current state of affairs, clashes between Silver Moon and the various factions were bound to erupt soon enough.
"Let's depart. We shouldn't linger here any longer, lest they lob dozens of city-destroying bombs at us—that would be exceedingly perilous... As for the dark energy, we'll find a quiet place to handle it slowly!"
Hong Yitang had no intention of remaining. While great skill bred great boldness, there was no need to court death. If the enemy truly rained down dozens of city-destroying bombs, all boasting the power of the one Fan Chang had hurled... even he wouldn't be able to withstand it.
A single bomb was one thing, but dozens... he would be blasted to cinders as well.
He wasn't entirely clear on the precise destructive capacity of city-destroying bombs, but they certainly were nothing to scoff at.
Though the Bright Light Sword urgently needed the dark energy, she could only follow along with their decisions for now. The trio, accompanied by the black hound, beat a swift retreat once more, vanishing into the North Sea.
Only long after they had departed did scouts cautiously venture forth to investigate. Upon discovering that the group was gone, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At this juncture, the North Sea had no desire to host these terrifying fiends any longer.
Chaos already raged outside; if domestic turmoil erupted as well, the North Sea would be thrown into absolute ruin.
Chapter 184