Why So Foolish

Li Hao did not linger in Nanyue. Capturing an outer operative was trivial to him. The crucial part was finding the source of their printing. As long as he choked off the source, their hopes of printing anything... would become a complete joke. Did they really take themselves for Daoist Fengyun? Back in the day, that man had erected a divine stele in the Taboo Sea. The rankings on it would shift at any moment, and even top powerhouses could not shatter it, forced to watch the roll circulate between heaven and earth while countless people waited there to transcribe it and spread it across the realm. Could they do that? Try setting up a divine weapon between heaven and earth and see what happens... Put it out tonight, and by tomorrow it would be gone. No, why even wait until tomorrow? Put it out, and within an hour it would probably vanish. The constraints of heaven and earth were Li Hao and his side's greatest advantage. No matter how strong you were, you could not emerge. Unless you possessed the power to stabilize heaven and earth on your own. Against a powerhouse of that caliber... forget it, do not bother struggling; just wait for death. Act however you pleased—a single breath from them could extinguish you, and resistance would be utterly futile. …… Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office. Li Hao only returned once dawn had broken. In the back courtyard, several old men were practicing martial arts. The fist never leaves the hand—only through this could combat capability be maintained over time. Li Hao did not mind either way; every day, if he was not killing people, he was on the way to kill people. Therefore, he had no need for daily drills. At this moment, another person had arrived. Sky Sword. Sky Sword had arrived swiftly, looking somewhat fatigued as if from a long and arduous journey. Seeing Li Hao, he spoke not a word, merely tossing over a manual of secret techniques. Li Hao caught it and looked: it was indeed the *Wind-Thunder Sword Technique*. "Senior... you seized it?" Sky Sword looked at him in silence, disinclined to say much. He was not that sort of person. Of course, to obtain the Wind-Thunder Secret Technique, he had paid a price... for instance... his own Sky Sword art. Naturally, he would not speak of this, being too lazy to mention it. Unlike Southern Fist, who prattled on endlessly, he rarely said much. Both Sky Sword and Tyrant Saber shared this temperament. Northern Fist, on the other hand, was quite a talker. The short old man was small in stature, yet his mouth was full of rules and propriety, full of respecting elders and cherishing the young... In reality, Southern Fist had endured plenty of beatings at his hands. The man considered himself Southern Fist's elder brother, and Southern Fist could do nothing about him. Before Northern Fist, Southern Fist truly suffered endless grievances, even growing a bit timid whenever they crossed paths. Just as Li Hao was pondering this, a voice came from a distance: "Little Nan isn't here?" In an instant, an old man touched down upon the ground. The short old man wore a broad grin, but the next moment his expression froze. He looked toward the several elders, while Sky Sword gazed at him impassively, looking almost mocking. Among the six elders, one was staring fixedly at the short old man, Northern Fist. That elder had white hair. Li Hao was not familiar with him; yesterday he had only had time to learn they were older-generation Silver Moon martial masters, and had been too busy with other matters to inquire closely. Now, the white-haired elder stared at Northern Fist for a good while. Northern Fist, whose voice had boomed so loudly moments ago, shrank back like a quail, wishing he could cover his face and flee. After looking at him for a moment, the elder asked quizzically, "Why have you grown so old?" "……" Northern Fist looked sheepish and thoroughly embarrassed. Bowing low, he said, "Martial Uncle!" Martial Uncle! The elder continued staring at him. "Why do you look even older than me?" "……" Northern Fist grew increasingly mortified. "No... well..." "If I remember correctly, you're only in your fifties, not even sixty yet, right?" Northern Fist became even more awkward. "No, Martial Uncle, I just wanted to look more mature." "Why do you keep bullying He Yong?" The elder frowned. "Southern and Northern Fist share the same origin. By reckoning, He Yong's father was also your martial uncle. Why do you keep beating him? I've heard of it several times, but over the years I had no heart to meddle in such matters. Have you grown addicted to bullying him?" Northern Fist was usually so overbearing and arrogant. Yet now, he was embarrassed beyond measure. A man nearing sixty, being scolded to his face by his martial uncle, was deeply humiliating. Why was this senior here? Li Hao was also taken by surprise. Northern Fist's martial uncle? Southern and Northern Fist were actually from the same lineage? Southern Fist was fierce and fiery, while Northern Fist was grand and imposing. They did not seem to stem from the same style of fist at all. Only now did Li Hao learn that the two shared such origins. Northern Fist coughed. "Martial Uncle, I was... I was looking out for Junior Brother He. He has a lazy temperament and is terribly slick. If I hadn't kept him in check, the Martial Guard Army would have killed him years ago." The elder said nothing more, merely cautioning, "Don't go too far. He Yong is well advanced in years himself now. Beating him like a grandson all the time is unseemly!" Northern Fist was helpless. Who said he beat him like a grandson? That grandson had made great strides in strength when they sparred last time; he could no longer beat him like a grandson, and even beating him like a son was becoming a stretch. To think this elder had actually come... what rotten luck! He cast a glance at Li Hao. That kid hadn't mentioned that this elder was here. Though news had spread yesterday that the Wind and Cloud Pavilion appeared and six superpowers were slain, Northern Fist hadn't thought much of it. Now he knew... the so-called six superpowers were actually older-generation Silver Moon martial masters. At this point, Li Hao spoke up: "Seniors, as well as Martial Uncles Northern Fist and Sky Sword, please rest for a moment. I've already invited Tyrant Saber, Thunderbolt Leg, Marshal Huang Yu, Director Kong Jie, and many other experts to come. Once everyone gathers, I'll discuss business." Everyone frowned slightly. Sky Sword said in a deep voice, "Is all this necessary? It's just a Wind and Cloud Pavilion." "I have other objectives." Li Hao chuckled. "In any case... I will need to trouble you seniors for your help in the days ahead!" Northern Fist pondered and said, "Tyrant Saber probably isn't far, but for the others to arrive, it'll take about three days at best... The Wind and Cloud Pavilion is unveiling the roll in three days; they might not make it in time." Li Hao smiled. "No matter. I've already sent word down to have the provincial administrations facilitate transport and use airplanes to fly the seniors in. If they're fast, they can arrive in a little over a day." Everyone was taken aback. Soon, they all silently cursed. They remembered: this kid was now one of the hegemons of Heavenly Star. Even if the various provinces had not pledged allegiance to him, they would still oblige with such a minor matter. Who would dare refuse him face? Over such a trivial thing, if you refused face... beware of Li Hao finding an excuse to crush you. A little over a day was enough to bring people over. Li Hao added, "Of the Thirty-Six Heroes of back then, my teacher can't be reached right now, and Jade Light Sword is with him. Senior Mad Saber seems to have been on a mission and hasn't shown up, and Senior Golden Spear can't be reached either... Are there any others still alive?" Aside from those four and the ones who had died, were there still survivors? Sky Sword pondered for a moment and spoke: "The others are probably all dead. Some died many years ago. If any are alive... there should be some, but they most likely aren't in Heavenly Star." Not in Heavenly Star? "Dali?" Sky Sword suddenly smiled. "Is Dali all you know about?" Li Hao was taken aback. True enough. Beside him, Northern Fist also smiled. "Dali merely borders Silver Moon; it's a barbarian dynasty beyond the northern frontier. Heavenly Star lies at the center of heaven and earth, like a basin, cut off on all four sides by mountain ranges. Aside from Dali to the north, each of the other three directions has its own dynasty." He continued, "However, ever since the Heavenly Star Dynasty unified the land and brought an end to the era of central plains rivalry, the four surrounding dynasties have not dared enter Heavenly Star territory again." "Since ancient times, Heavenly Star has constantly fought with the four directions. Silver Moon's main adversary was the Dali barbarians, who are fierce and skilled in battle, famed for their brute strength." "At the southern end of the continent lies the Shuiyun Dynasty, a land with an extensive network of waterways and a powerful navy that clashed with the south for many years." "At the eastern end lies a vast desert, and beyond it is the Dahuang Dynasty, home to numerous cavalry and fighting primarily on horseback, equally formidable." "At the western end stands the Kingdom of the Gods..." The Kingdom of the Gods? Li Hao blinked. It was actually called that? He truly knew nothing of these matters. Northern Fist, being widely knowledgeable, explained: "The Kingdom of the Gods is quite terrifying. Its territory is full of devotees, thoroughly frightening. They worship the Moon God and are centered on faith, far more united than the other dynasties." "The Moon God?" Li Hao grew even more bewildered. Where did gods come from? Sky Sword said mildly, "I know a bit about this. It's said that in ancient times, gods existed in the land of Silver Moon, and the Moon God was among the preeminent. Many people worshipped the Moon God. Later, it seems they were slain by powerhouses of the ancient civilization... Of course, that's just legend. The Kingdom of the Gods worshiping the Moon God only came about after the ancient civilization fell. During the ancient civilization era, gods were not revered; even the ancient Human King did not call himself a god." A kingdom that worshipped gods! Thinking of this, Li Hao quickly sent a mental transmission to the little tree: "Senior Tree, do you know of the Moon God?" "The Moon God?" "Supposedly the name of a god from ancient times." "A god?" The little tree seemed to be flipping through its memories, taking a long while before replying: "I know a little. The land of Silver Moon was merely one territory of the ancient civilization. Back then, some native powerhouses existed, but later they were all killed... Could the gods have revived?" That was truly possible! Yet soon, the little tree added: "No matter. Those so-called gods were not that strong. Besides, heaven and earth have changed; even if they truly revive, they will be similar to us, unable to unleash Peak Realm power in the world. Moon God... Moon God... could it be the Moon Demon? The land of Silver Moon... is actually related to that demon." Li Hao raised an eyebrow and paused before asking, "So to speak... the ancient civilization... wasn't indigenous, but... invaders?" "Not quite!" The little tree explained: "Back then, the main world of the ancient civilization lay dormant for a period. During that time, the Great Emperor also slept, causing some power to leak out. Near the main world, a new world was born... Later, when the Human King awoke and saw this, he intended to reclaim this place, as it was the leaked power of the main world... But later, for reasons unknown, he left it as an affiliated territory. Those gods were born during that period. In fact, the land of Silver Moon is almost a projection of the main world..." Li Hao frowned and said no more on the topic. Withdrawing from the storage ring, he looked at the seniors. "So if anyone is still alive, they might not be in Heavenly Star?" "Right!" Northern Fist nodded. "I only returned to Heavenly Star not long ago myself." Saying this, he sighed with emotion. "I spent all that time in Dali. Over there... I must say, one has to be careful. There are many mountains, many demon beasts—far more than in Heavenly Star. The people of Dali have been fighting demon beasts all these years in nonstop warfare, but that has forged their fierce temperament. I think... once Dali puts down the demon beast unrest, they will inevitably invade Heavenly Star!" The Thirty-Six Heroes of Silver Moon were certainly good at running around. Seeing this, Li Hao dropped the subject and looked back at the elders. "Senior masters, are there still many older-generation Silver Moon martial masters around?" One of them shook his head. "Twenty years ago it was fine, there were quite a few. Twenty years ago, superpowers revived. Because superpowers had vanished in Silver Moon, leaving no energy, back then we thought of entering Heavenly Star City to seize some treasures... mainly divine energy stones. As a result, we suffered heavy casualties and crushing losses, so twenty years ago, almost our entire generation withdrew from the martial world." "We also heard Heavenly Star sat atop a great mine, and only by seizing enough divine energy stones here could we keep the Silver Moon martial world from declining, and also prevent the Nine Departments and the imperial family from growing strong enough to invade Silver Moon again..." At this point, the old man shook his head and did not go on. In that battle, numerous older-generation martial masters fell. They were ambushed and surrounded by the Nine Departments and the imperial family on the Heavenly Star Sea; the fallen martial masters' blood stained the waters red. Too many died! Of course, the older generation had nothing to regret, nor much hatred. Each served their own cause, that was all. They had come wanting to suppress the Nine Departments and the imperial family, seizing the great mine to sustain Silver Moon's development. And the other side had counterattacked and ambushed them—that was only natural. Outmatched, dying in battle here, they had nothing to say. They had thought the Silver Moon elders were formidable and could tear right through Heavenly Star, only to arrive and realize they had underestimated the heroes of the world. Afterward, the surviving older-generation martial masters chose to retreat back to Silver Moon. Only then did Yuan Shuo's generation formally become the mainstream of the entire martial world. But within a few years, they too were left behind as superpowers rapidly became dominant. This proved one thing: their preemptive strike back then had actually been the right move. The threat of superpowers was too great! Had they succeeded, Silver Moon would not have declined so rapidly. But they failed, and that was that. The choice was right; they had simply lost. The elder added, "Apart from the six of us, there are no more than twenty people left in Silver Moon today." No more than twenty. That... was indeed not many. Yet it wasn't terrible either. Seeing Li Hao seem to think that was plenty, the elder chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Don't think the older-generation martial masters are all mighty, and don't overestimate us. Frankly speaking, the six of us are among the top tier. The others... some were crippled long ago, and those stronger than us number no more than three." Li Hao's brow furrowed slightly. That truly was few. He had assumed they were all formidable! "Why..." "You want to ask why so few, and why so weak?" The elder gave a bitter smile. "Silver Moon lacks resources. When martial masters reach our stage without sufficient divine energy stones and Spring of Life, our vitality declines and blood qi withers. Add in the hidden wounds martial artists accumulate... early on, quite a few were still alive, but later they all passed away—either from injuries too severe to heal, or from declining blood qi, dying of old age." Li Hao sighed. What a pity! The failed counterattack twenty years ago, and those ancient city ruins in Silver Moon devouring vast amounts of energy, had turned Silver Moon into a barren wasteland. That had also greatly accelerated Silver Moon's decline. One thing led to another, leaving only this handful of survivors. "Then where do you seniors usually reside?" "In a ruin." Another elder spoke up: "There's still more or less some energy inside the ruin..." "Then... why not leave Silver Moon?" Li Hao couldn't help asking. Other places had plenty of energy; why not go elsewhere? At worst, don't interact with others; even cultivating in secret would be better than staying in Silver Moon. "Reluctance to leave one's homeland is one reason. Beyond that... do you think Silver Moon has been peaceful?" "Over the years, many people still wanted to invade Silver Moon early. We stepped in several times. If we all left, what would happen? Once the younger generation left, if we left too, the Silver Moon martial world would truly be finished." Fair enough. Li Hao couldn't agree with their reasoning, but he understood it. In truth, he felt that going out first, growing stronger, and returning later amounted to the same thing. But on second thought, if everyone left, what if Silver Moon couldn't be defended? Besides, his teacher had survived unharmed all these years, which might well have had something to do with these people. If they had all left, his teacher might have been wiped out by Ying Hongyue long ago, and Li Hao wouldn't have reached his current achievements. After chatting with the elders for a while, Li Hao quietly teased out some information. At least he needed to know what these men were called. All six elders were men. As for female martial artists, the older generation had some too, but they had either died or been crippled. Female martial masters were scarce to begin with, and even fewer survived to this day; the few remaining had stayed behind in Silver Moon. These six did have impressive backgrounds. Northern Fist's martial uncle had been known as Roaring Thunder Fist in his day, a hero of his region. Mad Saber's master had been known as Mad Demon Saber. Li Hao hadn't expected the master of one of the Thirty-Six Heroes to be among them; that was truly a surprise. The other four were not closely linked to the Thirty-Six Heroes. However, one of them took Li Hao by surprise: the previous generation's Iron Cloth Armor. The key wasn't just that—he was the master of the deceased Iron Cloth Armor, and the Mountain Master of Mount Futu... was actually his disciple as well! Li Hao looked at the tall, imposing old man, pausing before asking, "The Mountain Master of Mount Futu... is... Senior's disciple?" "A nominal disciple!" The tall old man laughed heartily. "Back then, he came from the west and was defeated by Yuan Shuo, even hung up over there... Seeing his talent wasn't bad, his Golden Body arts fairly strong, and his age not great, I took a liking to his talent..." At this point, he shook his head and said no more. Li Hao felt a twinge of a headache. There was... a grudge here! Yes, a grudge. Because he knew that years ago, Yuan Shuo had torn through the defenses of this generation's Iron Cloth Armor and killed him. That was this man's disciple! Suddenly, Li Hao had a headache. His teacher... really was something... Seeing Li Hao bow his head in silence, the elder chuckled. "What are you thinking? Thinking about how your teacher killed my disciple?" "Well..." The elder didn't seem to care much. "Martial world spars, life and death are routine! My disciple also killed one of your Five Styles Sect members... of course, it wasn't called the Five Styles Sect back then. Counting it out, he would have been your martial uncle, Yuan Shuo's senior brother. Later, in the battle of the Heavenly Star Sea, Yuan Shuo's master died in battle. Those of us who survived all received some kindness from him." "My... my martial grandfather?" "Right!" The elder smiled. "Did you think he's been dead for ages? Not really, just twenty years. Twenty years ago, in the battle of the Heavenly Star Sea, he was one of the main forces, exceedingly strong—around the peak of Thousand-Battler. By today's standards that's nothing, of course... but back then, he was a top-tier powerhouse!" "Your teacher caused so much trouble. Did you think he lived so freely all on his own?" He laughed. "Your martial grandfather secretly protected him all along... Naturally, your teacher knew it too. Sadly, he died in battle twenty years ago, and Yuan Shuo was never able to step into Thousand-Battler... When your martial grandfather passed, he carried quite a bit of regret." Li Hao remained silent. It was indeed a regret. His most valued disciple, his most talented disciple, remained stuck at the Hundred-Breaker culmination before his death. Even though fusing five forces made him comparable to a Thousand-Battler, failing to break through that boundary must have left him with deep regrets when he died. The elders chatted with Li Hao about the past—just casual talk, without much hostility. Grudges had mostly faded twenty years ago. In the past, Silver Moon martial masters were first-rate at infighting. Ever since superpowers revived twenty years ago, infighting had become rare, virtually nonexistent. The battle of the Heavenly Star Sea had severed the heritage of Silver Moon martial masters. Too many had died; those who survived had lost much of their desire for internecine strife. …… Leaving Sky Sword and Northern Fist to keep the elders company, Li Hao returned to the depths of the government office. At this moment, Li Hao arrived at the entrance to the ruins in the back courtyard. Inside the ruins, the demon plant extended a wisp of mental energy, transmitting: "You seem to have run into some trouble. Earlier, I seemed to hear mention of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion, the Wind and Cloud Roll..." This fellow, extending a bit of its mental energy, could pick up nearby sounds. That was why Li Hao generally didn't discuss serious matters in the office; if they chatted, it was just idle talk, and secrets were kept to mental transmissions. "Yes!" Li Hao nodded. "So... I may need your help." "My help?" "An origin clone!" Li Hao said gravely, "The Wind and Cloud Pavilion wants to target me. The other side may have top powerhouses. I need an origin clone to help... and it can't be too weak—at least seven-element superpower strength, which is to say, Peak Realm power..." Inside the ruins, the giant coconut tree almost choked. "This..." Li Hao said heavily, "Otherwise, if I die... you won't fare well either!" The giant tree scoffed inwardly. If you die, what does that have to do with me? Whoever comes next will still choose to cooperate with me. Demon plants held a chokehold over everyone's advancement. The Spring of Life was something they all needed. Li Hao said in a deep voice, "Do you think at this stage the various major factions don't have demon plants they already cooperate with? They all do! Those with real wealth established fixed partners long ago. Do you think they would abandon demon plants into which they poured countless resources just to partner with you?" The giant tree paused slightly. "Only someone like me, who rose too fast to have a cooperating partner, is your option! Silver Moon's demon plants are strong, but the resources they require are too vast for me to provide. Coincidentally, we're a match! Do you think if the imperial family or other factions took over here, they would choose to cooperate with you? Or would the demon plants backing them step in and carve you up instead?" The giant tree froze again. "As for the Three Great Organizations and the like... who among them lacks a powerhouse behind the scenes? Your only choice is actually me, only the Silver Moon martial artists! As for local hegemons... a joke! They can barely reach superpowers—do you expect them to supply you with millions or tens of millions of divine energy stones?" This time, the coconut tree fell into deep thought. Did Li Hao's words make sense? Tremendously so! Before this, it hadn't considered so much. Just as Li Hao said, after twenty years, those who needed to cooperate had long since partnered up. As for weaklings, the coconut tree disdained cooperating with them—how much benefit could they bring? Whereas Li Hao... had risen too fast. While Silver Moon had powerhouses, they demanded too much, leaving him with no choice. "So if I die... your most likely fate is to be forgotten here, unable to recover, passively waiting for the secondary revival to begin, and then... carved up!" "Believe me, the other demon plants in the Heavenly Star Town ruins will carve you up at the first opportunity! Right now, the major factions, the Nine Departments, the imperial family, are all desperately boosting their strength, consuming vast quantities of divine energy stones daily to produce Spring of Life. Other demon plants are advancing, but you... will only continue to decline!" The coconut tree's heart clenched! This was a fact! Li Hao never provided it with divine energy stones, nor could it contact powerhouses from other factions. If this continued, other demon plants would grow stronger and stronger, while it... even if it didn't decline, would have no way to advance. The coconut tree said solemnly: "Your demand is too high. You must realize, severing an origin clone with Peak Realm strength... cuts away nearly a third of my origin. I already suffered heavy losses before that haven't been replenished. To sever this much again... without at least thirty million divine energy stones, I won't even be able to recover..." Li Hao took a deep breath. "I don't want this either, but the trouble I'm facing is enormous. If you know of Daoist Fengyun, you should understand that if they carry such a heritage, there may be more than one or two at six-element peak... Of course, I will try to fight them in an uninhabited ruin. If we win, your clone remains intact; if we lose... then there's no point discussing anything else." The giant tree was silent for a while before finally saying: "Then provide me with thirty million divine energy stones first. Otherwise... it's virtually impossible for me to do it. Severing too much origin will destabilize my true body." If destroyed, it would be even worse. It might even damage the foundation of its main body. "Thirty million stones..." Li Hao had a headache. "That's too many. I can't gather that much on short notice!" The giant tree remained silent. Then there was nothing to talk about. Without that many treasures to replenish its consumption, it wasn't foolish—if you died, wouldn't it be in deep trouble? Li Hao gritted his teeth. "How about this: I will definitely give you the divine energy stones, but right now I don't have enough. I'll substitute with some treasures as collateral. Once I get enough divine energy stones, I'll redeem them immediately!" "What... treasures?" The giant tree was curious. Li Hao gnashed his teeth, and after a long hesitation, extremely reluctantly, pulled out a massive hammer. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The Hong family's hammer! One of the guardian divine weapons of the Eight Great Families. Is this thing worth a mere thirty million divine energy stones?" "That's just three million cultivation energy stones. Do you think... this is worth it?" Li Hao ground his teeth. "Rest assured, once I take down the enemy this time, what is a mere thirty million divine energy stones? Besides, once we win, your origin returns without any loss, and you gain a full thirty million divine energy stones. I will not abandon the Hong family's hammer—I intend to recover all Eight Divine Weapons!" "……" The giant tree was stirred. The Hong Family Divine Hammer! Li Hao was right—it was truly worth far more than thirty million divine energy stones, ten times that even. However... it couldn't use it. Only someone of the Hong family could use this thing. Of course, Li Hao might be able to as well, and Li Hao certainly wouldn't abandon this item. It was indeed extraordinarily precious. But... if Li Hao died, it might end up stuck in its hands. Seeing it still not responding, Li Hao looked displeased. "Is even this not enough? You're too greedy!" The tree's mental voice vibrated: "It's not that I'm greedy. The value of this divine hammer certainly exceeds my origin clone, but... I cannot use it..." Li Hao frowned. "If I win, nothing will be an issue. If I die and someone else moves in, a divine weapon of the Eight Great Families is something everyone covets. If you tell them to trade thirty million divine energy stones for it, someone will gladly trade!" "That's not how it works..." Li Hao grew irritated. After a pause, he gritted his teeth: "Then I'll add more! I'll add ten powerful divine weapons. If I lose... you can swallow them directly, but before that, you aren't allowed to touch them!" At these words, the giant tree grew interested. "Divine weapons? What kind of divine weapons?" Li Hao instantly produced a pile of divine weapons, none of low grade. The giant tree sensed them and was somewhat surprised. They were all Earth rank, truly not bad. Swallowing these divine weapons would equal several million divine energy stones. They were all relatively high-grade divine weapons. It couldn't absorb or digest the Hong family hammer, but these it really could. The tree's thoughts stirred: "This... works... but it's still not enough..." "Then forget the deal!" Li Hao said coldly, "I've already shown my sincerity: a divine weapon of the Eight Great Families, plus ten Earth-rank divine weapons! As I said, I might lose, but it's not a certainty. If you're so greedy, then to hell with cooperating!" "Thirty million divine energy stones... If I really had that, plus these divine weapons... wouldn't I return to Silver Moon to cooperate with those mighty demon plants? Why bother with you?" The giant tree was silent for a while, then transmitted: "It's not that I'm greedy, it's just... ah, forget it, forget it! Then I certainly hope you win. If you crush the enemy... bring thirty million divine energy stones to redeem these as soon as possible..." "You won't renege on your word, will you?" Li Hao frowned. "Once I have divine energy stones, I'll definitely bring them to you. You won't let greed get the better of you and withhold my Hong Family Divine Hammer, will you?" "How could I?" The giant tree transmitted: "It's of little use to me; divine energy stones help me much more. Why would I keep it?" "Good, then!" Without another word, Li Hao laid out the divine weapons. "Sever it now and put it in a storage ring. Take the weapons!" The giant tree felt conflicted. This deal, this transaction, was actually very worthwhile. Claiming it needed thirty million stones to recover was a complete overquote. If it truly wanted to recover, ten-odd million would suffice, yet Li Hao hadn't even bargained. However... after severing, its main body would become much weaker. Still, after thinking it over, it didn't matter much. The secondary revival hadn't started; inside the ruin, no powerful being could hope to deal with it, and even if one came, it could only be a clone. Its true body still had fighting strength. As long as Li Hao provided enough divine energy stones before the secondary revival, suffering a minor loss... was worth it! The crux was the divine weapons Li Hao produced, along with the Hong Family Divine Hammer. They made it believe that as long as Li Hao didn't die, he couldn't possibly renege. These items were worth far more than thirty million divine energy stones. In truth, it had also wanted the Li Family Divine Sword... but thinking about it, that was virtually impossible, so it dropped the thought. Soon, the giant tree's mental energy vanished. Next, Li Hao felt a tremor of energy fluctuations. After quite a while, the giant tree's spirit seemed somewhat depleted. A storage ring flew out, and its mental voice vibrated: "Do not release it under normal circumstances... unless... it is truly a matter of life and death, or release it within a ruin..." Otherwise, its clone would definitely be shredded by space. "Does it have Peak Realm strength?" The giant tree transmitted: "Just about..." "Just about? How much short?" "Rest assured. Even if it truly encounters a Peak Realm expert, it can fight... While I won't say it can kill them, it can at least hold them off!" Li Hao understood: it was roughly at the threshold of the Peak Realm. Perhaps slightly stronger than the little tree, but only marginally so. If the little tree utilized the Imperial Palace projection, it might not even be weaker. He probed inward with his divine intent, and indeed, inside was a miniature tree. Feeling its strength, it did seem slightly stronger than the little tree. "Thank you!" Li Hao said no more, tossing the divine weapons behind the doorway and reminding it again: "Before I fail, do not absorb my divine weapons. Divine energy stones are easy to get, but divine weapons are not. My subordinates currently lack sufficient divine weapons." "Rest assured!" The giant tree inspected the items, feeling the formidable power concealed within the Hong Family Divine Hammer, feeling a small thrill. This was a weapon of the Eight Great Families; years ago, it hadn't possessed the qualifications to even handle it. If it could gain some enlightenment from it, that would be ideal. Li Hao said nothing more and departed swiftly, acting with utter decisiveness. Once he left, the giant tree swayed its frame, feeling rather pleased. Inside the ruin, there were still other people. Sensing something, one quickly stepped forward and said gravely, "Venerable One, you just..." The giant tree said indifferently, "Nothing. Just getting Li Hao to provide me with some divine energy stones. Once the secondary revival begins and I can go outside, I will kill him immediately! I will avenge the Hu family on your behalf!" Here remained some powerhouses of the Hu family—part of the Hu family's hidden foundation. The Hu family members outside had merely been those of mediocre talent. Yet right now, these people didn't dare venture outside. They could only place their hopes on the secondary revival beginning, when the giant tree could lead them out to restore the Hu family's glory. Meanwhile, the giant tree thought to itself: If cooperation with Li Hao goes smoothly... should I just ignore these Hu family members? Of course, if Li Hao died and thought no one else would cooperate with the tree, he was mistaken. These Hu family members were quite strong, and releasing them... might allow them to rebuild the Department of Criminal Law. This had just been to put Li Hao at ease, lest he overthink things. The giant tree felt quite leisurely and content! It turned to fiddling with the Hong Family Divine Hammer again. Truly a treasure! What a pity it couldn't use it; otherwise, how could it ever return it to Li Hao? …… Meanwhile, Li Hao stepped out of the back courtyard with a solemn face. The next instant, a smile broke across his face, impossible to suppress! Hahaha! What a thrill! Not only had he weakened the giant tree, but if he found a place to let the little tree devour it, the little tree would surely grow stronger. Weakening the enemy while strengthening his own side—it felt incredible! Moreover, with the giant tree weakened and its power fallen, he had even more confidence in dealing with it. Li Hao knew that seven elements were immensely powerful. When the little tree used the Imperial Palace projection that day, he had seen it with his own eyes. The other party was an Immortal; even unrecovered, it was terrifying. Yet now, having severed a clone possessing Peak Realm power, its strength was bound to be greatly reduced. "Still, to be able to sever a Peak Realm clone... its true body's strength remains formidable... certainly no weaker than the clone!" Li Hao stroked his chin, actually wondering whether he could trick out another clone. After a moment's thought... forget it, probably not. The tree wasn't an idiot! Severing once was one thing, but trying to trick it a second time would truly be treating it like a fool. This time had only succeeded because he used the Hong Family Divine Hammer as collateral. Li Hao didn't mind: the tree couldn't absorb or use it anyway. As long as he killed it, the hammer would be his again. But if he failed to kill it... then it truly would be gone. "Senior Tree..." Inside the storage ring, the little tree was puzzled. Another question? "How much combat power do you think that Immortal-level existence can retain after severing a Peak Realm clone?" "None of them have fully recovered; originally, it was probably at the peak of the Peak Realm... If it severed a clone... probably mid to late Peak Realm..." "Can Senior Tree handle it?" "This... probably not! Unless my true body comes..." "What if Senior absorbs the clone it severed?" The little tree suddenly trembled. "You mean..." "If you absorb its clone, can Senior handle it?" "I can... try! Because absorbing its origin will let me comprehend its Dao of origin and even identify some of its flaws. Of course, in an actual clash, I might still be outmatched... but holding it off for a while should be possible." Li Hao understood and asked again, "Then if we attack together—multiple martial masters approaching the Peak Realm striking at once—can we kill it?" "Well..." The little tree pondered for a while before answering: "The Peak Realm is indeed a metamorphosis. But times have changed; the Origin Dao has vanished. In the past, Peak Realm experts possessed peerless combat strength because they received the amplification and feedback of the Origin Dao, with an endless flow of power that could be drawn and replenished at any time... At this stage, however, that's no longer possible!" Back then, it would have been a pipe dream: the opponent was an unkillable cockroach; unless you killed them in one shot, they would recover in an instant. Now, once their energy was drained excessively, they too would become weak. "So there is still hope... but it's very dangerous!" Li Hao smiled. There was hope! Before this, he had spoken with the little tree once, and the little tree's assessment had been... hopeless. The opponent could slap them all to death. But now, it had become hopeful. Back and forth, what a massive difference! The little tree was eager: "Will it... really sever a clone? If supplied with enough divine energy stones, it can recover." "I didn't give it divine energy stones, but it severed one anyway!" The little tree was stunned. "Why so foolish?" Li Hao wanted to retort: Are you talking about yourself? I didn't give you divine energy stones either, yet didn't you also sever a clone and run off with me? Whether people or demons, why could none of them ever see themselves clearly? The next moment, the little tree grew excited. "Then... then... can... I..." Li Hao smiled. "Just as Senior thinks. But it requires some time; no need to rush!" "Good!" At that moment, the little tree was thrilled. Sure enough, my choice was the right one. Could this clone of mine surpass my true body? If so, when we meet again... that will be interesting. Of course, severing from the same origin and merging back together wouldn't cause any problems.