The Divine Power Emerges!

Inside Nine Dragons Pavilion. Dishes were brought out continuously. Li Hao ate a bit more, and whatever was left over went to Black Panther. The food at Nine Dragons Pavilion was exceptionally well made; not only did it excel in color, aroma, and flavor, but it also contained a wealth of energy. *The chefs here really know their craft,* Li Hao thought to himself. After a while, the female manager who had left earlier returned. Her voice was not loud, but it carried a faint smile. "Governor-General, the higher-ups have agreed to give it a try. They may need to coordinate with the Nine Departments first. They are quite intrigued by your proposition... As for executing nobles, the Nine Departments have no interest. But executing you, Governor-General... perhaps many people would love to watch that." Li Hao chuckled. He nodded without saying much. Seeing his reaction, the manager hesitated before speaking again. "If someone truly makes a move against you this time, Governor-General, then aside from the Nine Departments and the imperial family, experts from the Three Great Organizations might come. In addition, the City of Supernaturals might send people. As for the Seven Sacred Mountains, other than Sky Sword Mountain, the rest are hard to predict. There are also the princely estates, the ducal estates..." Li Hao laughed despite himself. "Why not just say that everyone in the world wants to kill me, except for the people of Silver Moon?" Why waste breath listing them all? The manager fell silent. Li Hao stood up and called to the hound. "Black Panther, let's go!" His objective had been achieved, so there was no need to stay. Seeing Black Panther take one last massive gulp to vacuum up the food, Li Hao patted its head and said exasperatedly, "They're treating us this time. Doing that is a bit uncouth, don't you think?" At this, the manager quickly smiled. "It's fine, really. As long as Lord Black Panther enjoys it." Li Hao chuckled. Once a person gained fame and showed a bit of ruthlessness, everyone feared them. Just look at the difference between how she treated him now compared to last time. "All right, many thanks. I'll take my leave!" Li Hao pulled his trench coat tighter and strode out. The manager followed along in silence, escorting Li Hao down the stairs. Watching Li Hao and Black Panther vanish into the darkness, the manager lingered, gazing after them for a long while. Behind her, a calm voice spoke. "What are you thinking about?" The manager spun around hurriedly and lowered her head. "Pavilion Master!" Behind her stood an exquisitely elegant, poised woman of extraordinary bearing. She asked again in that same calm tone, "You spoke with him for a while. What did you glean?" The manager thought for a moment and replied, "Completely reckless, a total lunatic. Sooner or later, he will die without a burial place... If not this time, then the next. People like him never come to a good end." "Is that all?" "Yes." The manager nodded, then paused and added, "He is also stingy to the extreme—on par with Southern Fist." Hearing this, the noblewoman gave a soft laugh. "By your account, there doesn't seem to be any need to pay him much mind. The projection three days from now—do you think he is overly confident, or is he hoping to save his life through this method? With the entire world watching, some people might have reservations about killing him... Though killing him to intimidate the world would be just as natural." "Subordinate does not know!" The manager shook her head, then thought for a moment and said, "Pavilion Master, I feel this man is simply young and impetuous, acting without restraint. He might not actually be as troublesome as people think. Does he truly understand the consequences of killing nobles? Perhaps... he hasn't even considered the issue. Why not send someone to talk to him?" "You think far too simply!" The noblewoman uttered the cool remark, disinclined to say anything more. Her figure flickered, vanishing instantly from the spot. Only after the woman left did the manager raise her head. She turned back toward the direction Li Hao had gone. *He... surely understands!* *But can you succeed?* In that moment, a sudden flicker of anticipation and longing surfaced in her heart. No one wished to be born a slave. No one wished to be born inferior to others, nor did anyone wish to be born a noble's plaything, a puppet for the aristocracy. The nobles controlled your everything; they held sway over your life, aging, illness, and death. Even if you reached Rising Light, could you truly escape such a fate? Whether the imperial family or the Nine Departments... was one really any better than the other? The Nine Departments had slain the dragon in the past, only to turn into the wicked dragon themselves. The Nine Departments had turned the realm into their private dynasty, and everyone else remained slaves. *Li Hao... can you succeed?* The manager mused in silence. She hadn't breathed a word of this to the Pavilion Master; no matter how affable the Pavilion Master appeared, she was still part of the aristocratic system. She could never understand what people like them felt. *Granted, I don't possess your courage. None of us do. There have been true rebels in this Heavenly Star City, but every last one of them died.* *Those who survived are only those who learned to submit.* *Li Hao... can you kindle hope in everyone?* *Even... just a tiny spark?* *We cannot do it, but we still hope someone can—hope that someone will overthrow this oppressive hierarchy that weighs as heavy as Mount Tai. But... is it even possible?* The manager looked no longer and turned back into Nine Dragons Pavilion. Soon, a radiant smile bloomed on her face once more as she welcomed the next guest. Tonight, Nine Dragons Pavilion remained bustling and lively. Though some people were missing and not a single minister of the Nine Departments had come, there was still no shortage of patrons. A flame smoldered in the manager's chest, stuck there, liable to be snuffed out at any moment. She did not know if that man could fan it into a blaze. Perhaps... just like her, countless people secretly longed and hoped for his success. Yet such hope could be extinguished at any time, plunging them into even deeper darkness. There were far, far too many mountains looming overhead. Could you, Li Hao, truly level them all? ... The vast Heavenly Star City felt like a volcano on the verge of erupting. On this day, flames were kindled in countless hearts. People of insight, people unwilling to submit—all of them yearned for something. They shared a common status: the commoner class. In this era, difficult as it was, commoners were still needed to get things done. The nobility was not omnipotent. The deterrence of top-tier military might kept Heavenly Star City a pool of stagnant water. Yet when someone was willing to stand forward to shatter this stalemate, even if ordinary people dared not show their heads, there were still those silently murmuring, praying... that this fire would not be completely snuffed out, ushering in an even darker age. ... In the darkness. Li Hao walked down the street. Looking around, he said calmly, "Either come out right now and kill me, or... if you keep tailing me, I will slaughter every last one of you! Shadowing a Provincial Governor—are you tired of living?" In the darkness, there was utter silence. Li Hao sneered and stamped his foot. The ground shook violently, and beneath the surface, someone was crushed directly into mincemeat. Sword qi sliced through the air, instantly ripping apart someone concealed aloft. Black Panther vanished like a hunter of the dark, and muffled screams soon drifted through the air. A moment later, Li Hao left with Black Panther. After another brief pause, figures emerged, one muttering in a low, grim voice, "He has completely cast off all restraint. Stop following him... No matter what he goes to do, he will appear three days from now! Perhaps he is off to find reinforcements, or perhaps to cultivate... Regardless, no matter how many people come forward, all of them will be wiped out in one fell swoop! Let him go!" In the shadows, the tailing figures quickly retreated. Just as this person said, no matter whom Li Hao sought out, no matter whom he called on for help—even if it were Sky Sword—anyone daring to participate this time would be eliminated together! Besides, they needed time to reach a consensus. *Li Hao, unless you flee... But if you flee, you will become the laughingstock of the entire world. Go ahead and run.* ... Cutting through the dark, Li Hao quickly flew through the air. Before long, he left Heavenly Star City behind; the atmosphere inside the city was far too suffocating. He continued forward, even crossing the Heavenly Star Sea. No one pursued him. Perhaps his departure was even better for Heavenly Star City. That way, without lifting a finger, they could utterly destroy all the influence Li Hao had built up. Otherwise, confronting Li Hao at this moment might not be favorable for certain individuals. After all, their Divine Powers were not yet stable. Li Hao paid no heed to any of this. He flew farther and farther, pressing onward for a long time until a great mountain rose in the distance. A sharp gleam flashed in Li Hao's eyes; he spotted a cluster of light within the mountain—a great demon at the Rising Light level. This mountain had a master. "Black Panther!" Li Hao looked at Black Panther. "Go have a friendly chat with it. If it has eaten humans, kill it. If not, play around with it for a bit!" "Woof, woof!" With a flicker, Black Panther vanished, moving with astonishing speed. Moments later, the sphere of light in the mountain flickered erratically. By the time Li Hao landed, a great rhinoceros-like demon dozens of times Black Panther's size was obediently letting Black Panther crouch atop its massive head. The beast trembled all over, terrified to move a muscle. Li Hao smiled. "I'd like to borrow your fine domain for a few days. I'll leave after that." "Please help yourself, My Lord!" The rhinoceros demon communicated through spiritual fluctuations, its voice quivering. "Governor-General Li... could you... could you ask... ask this Lord Ancient Demon to... restrain its ancient demon bloodline aura a little? This lowly demon cannot bear it." "You recognize me?" "My Lord's name has already spread across the entire Central Region. The moment this lowly demon saw My Lord, I knew..." The rhinoceros demon was walking on eggshells. Of course it knew. A hound demon, a swordsman, tremendously powerful, utterly savage... Who else could it be but Li Hao and Black Panther? Nowadays, among the experts of the Central Region, whether demon or human, who didn't know of this man? It simply hadn't expected that Li Hao, who was supposed to be in Heavenly Star City, would come all the way out here. It had nearly scared the demon out of its wits. "Fascinating. As they say, unless you come to Heavenly Star, it is hard to make your name known across the world!" Li Hao chuckled and said no more, stepping past into the cavern behind it. Black Panther tapped its paw against the rhinoceros's head: *Be quiet, cut the chatter!* The rhinoceros demon dared not resist. It was merely a great demon in early Rising Light. Usually it strutted around like a tyrant, but before these two... it was far wiser to meekly back down. How many Rising Light experts had these two already slaughtered? ... Inside the cavern. Li Hao didn't fuss over the surroundings. With a casual wave of his hand, he dispersed the bovine musk lingering in the air. He had not sought anyone out. He had not gone to Sky Sword Mountain to find Sky Sword, even though Sky Sword Mountain was not far away. Nor had he looked for anyone else. He had approached no one. Setting the date for three days later rather than seven or ten days was precisely because he did not want anyone to rush over—especially the Silver Moon martial artists. Over twenty thousand li away, covering that distance in three days was practically impossible. Knowing full well how dangerous this was, Li Hao had no desire to drag them into the quagmire time and time again. Giving three days gave himself time, and gave the Nine Departments and the imperial family time as well. As for Hou Xiaochen... Hou Xiaochen had already stepped into the jar on his own; Li Hao had not dragged him into it. What Hou Xiaochen thought was not something Li Hao could dictate either. "Do they all think I can only rely on others, only wait around for death, acting rashly without true courage and strength?" Li Hao chuckled softly. In truth, he could have waited. He could have kept waiting indefinitely. Yet he didn't like doing so. His heart was not at peace! Besides, such an opportunity was rare. Once lost, where would he find another like it? Either don't strike, or strike with thunderous momentum to sweep everything away. Slowly chipping away would never produce such an impact. At this juncture, he had to shatter everything with sheer boldness and martial might! Otherwise, he could have easily tracked down Red Moon, returned to Silver City to comprehend sword intent, perfected the fusion of the five forces, entered the Spirit Fusion stage, and only then considered his next move... But if he did that, he would become nothing more than the next Yao Si! How long would that take? And after Spirit Fusion, would he have to wait yet again until he became even stronger? *The heart lock among the five viscera is already saturated...* Li Hao pondered, recalling his brief conversation with Chief Steward Yu earlier. When a martial artist broke their locks, potential was released, devouring inner force... But supernatural power could be converted back. As long as one did not break the locks of the five viscera—locking down the source of a martial artist, the source of inner force—there remained hope of converting back. Alternatively, even if one broke a single lock among the five viscera, upon reaching the Rising Light stage, there was still hope of converting back. However, once two locks of the five viscera were shattered, just like Sky Sword, returning was nearly impossible. Sky Sword had completely crossed over into the Divine Power realm. Under such circumstances... returning to the path of martial arts was exceedingly difficult! Thoughts flashed through his mind. Every single time, someone had helped him. The Silver Moon martial artists had unsealed their combat power again and again for his sake. Had it not been for sword energy, they would have died who knows how many times over. Every time, someone had to pay the price for him. Why put them through that? And he himself... had he ever considered that if their locks completely snapped and he failed to suppress the backlash in time, wouldn't all their efforts come to naught? The danger was immense. Every time Hong Yitang and the others intervened, had they truly never considered the consequences of snapping their supernatural locks if Li Hao couldn't suppress it in time? Outsiders only saw that they turned misfortune into blessing every time, but who ever stopped to consider... just how perilous it was? Thoughts raced. A moment later, Li Hao let out a light laugh. Others were willing to risk everything for him, yet he had been constantly hesitating and looking over his shoulder. If he continued like this, how could he remain true to his heart? In an instant—*crack!* A lock shattered! The lock in his left hand completely snapped. Instantly, a surge of energy burst forth, gathering en masse within his left arm. Around Li Hao, high-grade divine energy stones were brought out, releasing copious energy that Li Hao absorbed and gulped into his body. He had made his decision! Today, he would break locks and become a supernatural. Break the four limb locks, break the spine lock, break the purple palace lock! He would break six locks to step into Divine Power, while using the locks of the five viscera to seal his five viscera, preserving the opportunity to convert back in the future. Ordinary people could not discover the purple palace or spine locks, but Li Hao could. Therefore, ordinary people could only break two locks among the five viscera to enter Divine Power, whereas Li Hao... did not have to do that. Yes, at this moment, contrary to what anyone could imagine, and despite standing at the very pinnacle of martial arts in this era, Li Hao chose to break six locks. He was going to advance to Divine Power! He would retain only the locks of the five viscera to seal the source of inner force! *Crack!* In a flash, he snapped the second lock. None of these locks were saturated, but supernaturals never needed saturation in the first place. Li Hao's locks were already exceptionally robust, far sturdier than an ordinary person's. With two locks broken, Li Hao transformed into a supernatural in an instant, a torrent of mysterious energy surging into his body once more. Lunar Dark! As for its attribute... it was non-elemental, belonging to none of the five elemental series, because what he had broken were not the locks of the five viscera. At the cave entrance, Black Panther suddenly appeared, gazing at Li Hao with sheer shock. This time, it didn't bother absorbing the leaking mysterious energy. Instead, it stared dumbfounded at Li Hao... *What are you doing?* "Go guard the entrance... If energy leaks out, devour it immediately. Don't let energy fluctuations spread and draw attention!" "Woof, woof, woof!" Black Panther barked, seemingly warning Li Hao: *Don't do this!* "Out!" Tucking its tail, Black Panther retreated reluctantly under Li Hao's sharp gaze. It backed out of the cavern and angrily swatted the rhinoceros flat with a paw! *You can't snap them!* Even if he could convert back... advancing further on the martial path would become three times harder for Li Hao. Take people like Hou Xiaochen: although they had broken through the barriers, because they had converted back then, it took them a long time to reconnect their supernatural locks. Li Hao had absolutely no need to take this step. The road ahead of him was long, and he had not encountered any bottleneck. ... Black Panther couldn't dissuade Li Hao, nor would Li Hao listen. Even if his teacher were here, Li Hao believed his teacher would only support him. Besides, it wasn't as if he was severing his path entirely. Three locks, four locks... Breaking the first four—the limb locks—was simple. Powerful surges of special energy emerged, swallowing Li Hao's formidable inner force. Four supernatural locks meant the Three Suns realm. For an ordinary person, stepping into Three Suns was exceedingly difficult, but for Li Hao, it was as easy as eating or drinking water. The emerging special energy was violent, but given Li Hao's powerful physique, he didn't care about such an energy impact in the slightest. Vast mysterious energy rolled through his body as his four limbs continued to devour inner force, converting it into potent mysterious energy. Li Hao's Three Suns was entirely different from ordinary supernaturals. He was far stronger! *Rumble!* His blood coursed swiftly, roaring like surging ocean waves. The first four were simple; the fifth and sixth were the true hurdles. One was the purple palace supernatural lock, and the other was the spine supernatural lock. One released physical body energy, likely connected to the wind element. By absorbing wind energy, Li Hao strengthened his physical body. The spine supernatural lock likely belonged to the lightning element. By absorbing lightning energy, Li Hao strengthened his bones. Both of these carried attributes. If he broke both, a wind-and-lightning Divine Power might be born. However, the collision of two attributes was the greatest dilemma encountered by countless supernaturals. Yet their dilemma was hardly an issue for Li Hao—whether it was his five viscera, his physical body, or his bones, none posed much of a problem. At this moment, Li Hao's inner force rapidly converted into supernatural power. The severed supernatural locks released power—a very peculiar power that wasn't purely mysterious energy. Li Hao didn't delve into that right now; his focus locked onto the fifth: the spine lock! Break the bone lock first and birth lightning-element energy. Breaking this one would make him a Rising Light. Li Hao's divine intent locked onto the spine lock. Telling Southern Fist that he couldn't lock onto it had been nonsense, said only to spare Southern Fist's confidence. Now, Li Hao hesitated slightly. Entering Rising Light meant the difficulty of returning to the martial path would skyrocket. Yet... in the next moment, resolute and unwavering, he chose to break it. Power was power, whether external or one's own. In the ancient energy path, there were still those who reached the peak! *Crack! Boom!* At this moment, lightning seemed to flash between heaven and earth. Outside the cavern. Thunder seemed to rumble in the sky, accompanied by the snapping of chains. Black Panther brought a paw down hard, making the rhinoceros howl in agony. The beast's roar intimidated the entire mountain into silence. At the base of the mountain, experts were keeping watch. These great demons were monitored cautiously on their territories... not to exterminate them, but to know the moment a great demon descended the mountain. At the mountain's foot. Several people were hidden in a small ravine. One whispered, "The cries of this Jade Moon Rhinoceros sound a bit unusual... What's going on?" "It seems to be thundering on the peak!" "Could this great demon be advancing?" "Not necessarily... for all we know... it might be getting it on with a female demon! Hahaha!" The group chuckled quietly, not daring to go up and investigate. That was a Rising Light demon, after all. As for the thunder on the peak, on high mountains thunder was perfectly normal. Besides, that was a great demon's domain. Who cared? As long as they knew where the beast went when it came down, that was enough. *Boom!* Thunder rolled continuously, booming loudly, but with a great demon on the peak, everyone chose to disregard it. ... Inside the cavern. Lightning crackled over Li Hao's body. Sure enough, lightning-element supernaturals were of a special branch; they had likely broken their spine lock naturally from birth. Consequently... Li Hao formed a hypothesis. Special series like wind and lightning might only need to break a single lock among the five viscera to step into Divine Power. For those people, the burden on their five viscera would not be overwhelmingly severe. Only five-element Divine Powers placed an unimaginably immense load on the five viscera. Therefore, if a special-series supernatural with wind or lightning advanced to Divine Power, their condition would likely be much more stable. Of course, wind and lightning required powerful bones and flesh, which was no small feat for supernaturals; excessive strain was only natural. Yet Li Hao understood that for these special-series supernaturals, advancing to Divine Power was considerably less difficult. Hence, such Divine Powers might currently exist—possessing formidable combat power while bearing a much smaller burden. Not everyone was like the old duke of the ducal estate, whose condition was notoriously unstable. And right now, Li Hao also felt the terrifying might of supernatural power. Lightning detonated inside him! Countless strands of inner force were devoured rapidly and ravenously, converted into lightning attribute. The other non-elemental mysterious energy within his body also transformed into lightning-attribute mysterious energy at this moment. The powerful concussive force jolted Li Hao violently! Had his physique not been extraordinarily robust, stepping directly into Rising Light might have charred him to a crisp from the sheer potency of the lightning. All around him, divine energy stones shattered in quick succession, turning into waves of energy that poured into his body. The raging lightning-attribute mysterious energy battered Li Hao, while the Starry Sky Sword released ribbons of sword energy to soothe, suppress, and pacify it. Li Hao's bones vibrated, turning him into a purple figure in an instant, with bolts of lightning crackling from every strand of hair. "I've entered Rising Light!" Li Hao gave a soft laugh. A threshold ordinary people found nearly impossible to cross had been breached by him in a mere hour. He thought of Hao Lianchuan: breaking five supernatural locks seemed so straightforward, yet the man might not have succeeded even now. Whereas he... starting from scratch, going from a martial artist to Rising Light, had taken only an hour. The fifth lock was not the hardest; the true difficulty lay in the sixth. When wind and lightning converged, the two energies would merge, riot, and clash. That would be the most perilous part. Of course, Li Hao possessed a trump card in sword energy; if the turbulence grew too severe, he could neutralize it with sword energy. Yet unless pushed to the absolute brink, Li Hao did not want to rely on sword energy. It was true that sword energy could neutralize it... but once neutralized, the overbearing nature of mysterious energy would be lost, softened into gentle force. And the true strength of supernatural power lay in the peerless dominance of mysterious energy! After battle, injuries could be repaired with sword energy, but it was best not to use it during combat. Otherwise, that overbearing mysterious energy would become as docile as a lamb. Li Hao did not rush to break the sixth supernatural lock. Instead, he rapidly devoured energy, consuming vast amounts of divine energy stones to expand the mysterious energy inside him. Not only that, but his five viscera were also active. He was still building the true bridge of the five viscera, beginning to fuse the five locks. Yuan Shuo had told him not to rush into fusing the true bridge of the five viscera, warning that it would strengthen the five forces and cause them to spiral out of control. But Li Hao no longer cared. Now that he had turned into a supernatural, the circumstances were different; he might not even need the five forces anymore. Even if he did... there was little fear of losing control. Building the true bridge of the five viscera would seal them, preventing mysterious energy from invading. Otherwise, a temporary bridge of the five viscera—a bridge of inner force—would soon be swallowed up. If mysterious energy infiltrated the five viscera, they could easily be converted into an amalgamation of mysterious energy. Chains materialized across the space. Before Li Hao, five translucent, crystalline chains hung side by side: atop one crouched a fierce tiger; atop another swayed a willow tree; on another stood a steadfast mountain peak; on yet another surged tempestuous waves... Right now, what he had to do was forge these five chains completely into one, locking down his five viscera so that in the future he could recover and become a martial artist once more. In a flash, two chains collided. Fusion! *Boom!* Divine intent erupted, the two forces clashing violently. This gave Li Hao an early taste of what Divine Power truly was; the collision of different forces was strikingly similar to Divine Power. Water and fire blended, rumbling with immense power. Inside the cavern, mighty energy exploded. A shroud of sword intent descended, the Long-Life sword intent rippling outward to suppress the two forces. At least for now, these forces could not breach the intent Li Hao had previously comprehended. Outside the cavern, Black Panther opened its jaws, vacuuming in all directions, swallowing every wisp of escaping energy into its belly without letting a single drop leak. Yet the more it swallowed, the more anxious it grew. This meant the supernatural power inside Li Hao was growing stronger and stronger. That was not a good thing. In what few memories—inherited memories—it possessed, the ancient human king had been a martial artist, and ultimately, the ancient energy path had collapsed! Perhaps that was far too distant for Li Hao... but in Black Panther's eyes, they could reach that height! They surely could! If Li Hao could not convert back, could he ever surpass the ancients? Inside the cavern, Li Hao continued perfecting the bridge of the five viscera while simultaneously absorbing divine energy to bolster his lightning power. He wanted to strengthen it to the absolute limit before breaking the purple palace lock to birth true Divine Power. ... Li Hao had disappeared. On the second day. No one saw Li Hao. Not a single soul knew where he had gone. Perhaps... he had fled! The news spread rapidly: after visiting Nine Dragons Pavilion last night, Li Hao had vanished. People with ulterior motives spread the rumor in an instant. Within Heavenly Star City. Someone laughed loudly, "I heard that Demon Sword fled overnight... Amusing, isn't it? Promised to execute nobles... and then ran away!" In the streets, people bustled by. Some were completely numb. Some clenched their fists. Others snorted coldly, "A few days ago, they said he fled too, and then Four Seas Corporation was wiped out!" They refused to believe it! Those harboring a glimmer of hope didn't believe Li Hao had run, nor were they willing to believe it. He had just kindled a spark of hope in everyone's hearts... They yearned to see the nobility brought to justice. But... what if Li Hao really had fled? Then this world... truly held no hope. It was far too dark. The nascent hope they had just found would only plunge them into an even darker abyss. "Believe it or not, just wait and see! Even if he didn't run... he's probably dead. He offended the Three Great Organizations; he might have been assassinated!" "Hmph!" No one wanted to argue, but all felt a mixture of worry and anticipation. Three days later... no, two days from now. Could Demon Sword, that Governor-General, return? Could he truly be dead? As for running away... they refused to believe it. ... Night Patrol Headquarters. Hou Xiaochen leaned back in his chair, remaining silent as he pondered. Li Hao's decision to execute nobles hadn't been run by him beforehand. At first, he had cursed a few times, but he quickly understood Li Hao's true motive. Yet now, Li Hao had vanished. He sank into deep thought. After a moment, he retrieved a communication jade. "Sky Sword, did Li Hao visit Sky Sword Mountain?" When Sky Sword had come out of seclusion last time, Chief Steward Yu had gone to invite him, and to facilitate communication, they had exchanged communication jades. Hou Xiaochen decided to ask. "No!" The reply was just a single word. Hou Xiaochen's brows furrowed slightly. He hadn't gone there? Then where on earth had Li Hao gone? After a moment of silence, he sent another message: "Will you come?" "We shall see." After that, silence. Hou Xiaochen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. That fellow was truly aloof and arrogant! "Little Yu, where do you think Li Hao ran off to?" Chief Steward Yu shook her head. Yet she recalled that Li Hao had visited her yesterday to ask about converting from a supernatural back to a martial artist. She had an inkling of an idea in her heart... but didn't know how to speak of it. She didn't dare say it. Perhaps... if that was truly the case, it was too terrifying. He was a Silver Moon martial artist, the hope of this generation, the hope of countless people—the hope that someone on the martial path could continue breaking barriers, pressing forward, and even surpassing the older generation of martial artists. Martial artists were the key and core of Silver Moon. Furthermore... to deal with the threat, one needed to break six supernatural locks: four in the limbs and two in the five viscera. Once two locks of the five viscera were broken... there was likely no hope of recovery, just like Sky Sword now. Of course, Sky Sword might be a special-series supernatural; no one knew for certain. She had actually wanted to tell Hou Xiaochen, but she remembered how Li Hao had smiled brightly at her last night, grinning as he said, "Don't tell Old Hou. The person I'm consulting right now is Jade Rakshasa, not Chief Steward Yu. Jade Rakshasa is aloof and proud; she wouldn't gossip." Several times, Chief Steward Yu started to speak, only to stop herself. She felt a tinge of regret. She shouldn't have told Li Hao! If things were as she suspected, it would be disastrous. Perhaps... many people would be deeply disappointed. "Little Yu, are you all right?" Hou Xiaochen's voice snapped Chief Steward Yu back to reality. She looked up, feeling guilty, but forced herself to say, "I'm fine, just worried... The trouble Li Hao stirs up seems to be getting bigger and bigger, and he doesn't give us any breathing room at all. That guy is far too domineering—he doesn't resemble his old self in the slightest!" Hou Xiaochen looked at her, saying nothing more on that. After considering for a moment, he said, "It might not be as dangerous as you think. At the current stage, most Divine Powers haven't stabilized their realms." Chief Steward Yu whispered, "However, in order to kill Li Hao, the Nine Departments might pay an enormous price, telling certain Divine Powers... that as long as they strike, they are willing to pay massive amounts of the Spring of Life. Furthermore... it is entirely possible that Red Moon will offer large numbers of Blood God Seeds; they won't sit idly by either! To kill Li Hao, Ying Hongyue is fully capable of doing so, providing high-quality Blood God Seeds to those in the Divine Power realm!" "And some Divine Powers who previously lacked such resources might take the risk to obtain them... Not just Divine Powers—some in the Transmutation stage might choose to forcibly advance for the sake of a promise or tangible benefits!" "A portion of those in the Transmutation stage could actually step into Divine Power right now, but they chose not to because it's too dangerous... Yet now, the major organizations only need to pour in resources to manufacture a batch of Divine Power experts!" Chief Steward Yu looked at Hou Xiaochen. "Has the Minister not considered this?" She didn't believe the Minister hadn't thought of it. Hou Xiaochen sighed, remaining silent. Indeed! Divine Powers might not be numerous at the current stage, but there were plenty of people in the Transmutation stage. If the major organizations and agencies were willing to pay a heavy price—say, offering fifty drops of the Spring of Life—would you risk advancing? Right now, the opportunity was right in front of them. If you advanced, you might not die. If you missed this chance and tried to advance on your own, you would most likely blow up. Fifty drops of the Spring of Life, even if unable to completely stabilize the five viscera, would roughly suffice. Never underestimate the resources and wealth of these massive organizations. Fifty drops of the Spring of Life was indeed a huge sum... but Hou Xiaochen believed they could all produce it. When that time came, their own Divine Powers wouldn't even need to take risks; they could just send outsiders. Were there many people in the Transmutation stage? Plenty! Some were out in the provinces, some among the pirates, some serving as deputies in various organizations... All of them were merely one step away, and that single step had halted countless individuals. Given an opportunity to ascend to the heavens in a single bound, very few could resist. Hou Xiaochen exhaled slowly. He had not said these words simply because he didn't want to demoralize anyone. Thus, when Li Hao returned two days later, he might believe there were only a handful of Divine Powers, but... the reality might exceed all expectations! Of course, he had told Li Hao before: *Leave those above Transmutation to me.* He had prepared himself. Yet the pressure was immense—so immense that he had been compelled to ask Sky Sword if he was coming! In the past, he never would have asked like that. Seeing him remain silent, Chief Steward Yu pondered for a moment and asked, "Minister, if I completely unseal myself, could I rival a Divine Power? Just how strong... is Divine Power?" Hou Xiaochen looked at her. Only after a pause did he answer, "Extremely strong... Unless you completely snap multiple supernatural locks, you cannot rival them. At this stage, the only martial artists who can rival Divine Power without completely snapping their locks... are those who have saturated all nine supernatural locks! Saturating nine locks completes a fundamental grand circulation. A martial artist in that state... can fight a Divine Power!" *Nine locks!* Chief Steward Yu froze, falling into silence. She had only just completed the saturation of five supernatural locks. She had barely managed to unseal them, essentially in the same state Southern Fist had been in before. In her current condition, merely unsealing without completely snapping them, handling someone in the Transmutation stage was the best she could hope for; taking on Divine Power was utterly out of the question. Unless she snapped all five completely... In that case, combining her innate martial strength with supernatural power, she might be able to fight a Divine Power. But doing so... she would likely die, killed by the violent backlash of her own suddenly surging supernatural power. Her foundation simply wasn't profound enough. Hou Xiaochen exhaled softly. "Don't overthink it. Rest assured, nothing will go wrong! I'm here, and there's that fellow Southern Fist. He's an opportunist, but he's still a Silver Moon martial artist after all; he should take action..." Chief Steward Yu said softly, "Li Hao chose three days later, and now only two days remain... The window is far too narrow. Otherwise, Northern Fist, Tyrant Saber, and even Earth-Overturning Sword and Bright Sword back in Silver Moon might have come to reinforce us... He... left us too little time." Indeed, far too little! A mere three days, across a distance of over twenty thousand li. Even covering seven to eight thousand li a day, it would push Earth-Overturning Sword and the others to their absolute limits. *Li Hao... what on earth are you thinking?* *Do you not want everyone to come?* *Or do you feel... coming won't make much difference?* Hou Xiaochen closed his eyes. In this moment, he seemed somewhat sentimental. *Kid, I only hoped you would prove capable, not that you would rush into death again and again. This time, even I have a headache.* *Had I known this would happen, I wouldn't have made you the Heavenly Star Vice Governor-General.* *I underestimated you!* *When you came to Heavenly Star City, you said you wanted to open your eyes to the world... This time, perhaps you can truly see it clearly. But I fear that once you have looked upon it, only endless disillusionment will remain!* *Both the Nine Departments and the imperial family... are likely to move against you. Could you still be harboring some glimmer of hope?* ... In the blink of an eye, another day passed. This was the second day. Tomorrow was one more day, and three days later—the day after tomorrow—the deadline Li Hao had set would arrive. *Boom!* Inside the cavern, wind energy raged. Li Hao spat a mouthful of blood. Under the collision of wind and lightning, even his physique struggled to endure. His five viscera convulsed, but a thick, massive chain locked all five viscera firmly in place. Li Hao snapped the sixth supernatural lock bit by bit! Wind energy was released relentlessly. Wind and lightning merged and clashed, rumbling with thunderous force... Cracks split across Li Hao's flesh, and bright red blood evaporated instantly. "Let me see... what true Divine Power really is!" Li Hao laughed—a brilliant, dazzling laugh. *I, Li Hao, am about to step into the Divine Power realm as well!* *Bring it on!* *Let the storm rage even fiercer! Wielding two divine armaments, once I cross into Divine Power, I'd like to see just how many Divine Powers in this world can match me!* *From this day forth, I no longer need anyone to save me. The only one who can save me is myself!* *Crack!* The purple palace lock completely snapped. A muffled groan escaped his lips. Bones and flesh roared, fracturing, regenerating, fracturing, regenerating... Drop after drop of the Spring of Life poured into his body, accompanied by vast amounts of sword energy repairing his physique. Divine Power was formidable, but it wreaked utter havoc on the body. *Yet I... have stepped into Divine Power!* Wind and lightning rose; rain arrived. *Rumble!* Outside the cavern, thunder erupted from all sides, gale-force winds howled, and rain crashed down in torrents. Around the great mountain, a violent downpour swept in. It was raining. In this moment, the heavens had changed. On this day, Li Hao stepped into the Divine Power realm. He was no longer that weakling from that rainy day of the past, who needed his teacher to battle Three Suns to the death.