Promoted Again

Walking out of division headquarters, Li Hao was thoroughly depressed. Why? By his estimate, a division commander was at the Peak Realm, a corps commander was at the Immortal Realm, and an army commander was a Great Saint. Was there anything wrong with that reasoning? Not in the slightest! Even for a peak Peak Realm expert, after countless ages, just maintaining Peak Realm strength was already quite an achievement. So, even if I was outmatched, I shouldn't have been floored in a single punch. What was more, the other party actually knew how to use a sword. Even though he had knocked him down with a fist, his sword intent had been as vast as an ocean, instantly suppressing Li Hao's force and spiritual intent. That was the unmistakable hallmark of a sword cultivator. One thought after another surfaced in his mind. Having just effortlessly slain a Peak Realm clone, Li Hao was now utterly demoralized. Why! All his confidence had been beaten out of him. Dragging his reluctant legs, Li Hao silently wept in his heart. There was simply no dispelling this nightmare. He headed straight for the City Lord's Estate. Director Wang was still the best! ... In the City Lord's Estate. Director Wang had returned as well, sitting with his legs crossed and looking to be in a good mood. Seeing Li Hao walk through the door, he seemed to smile. Though his face was concealed behind a gold mask, Li Hao could swear the man was grinning. A mocking grin! Dammit! Li Hao cursed inwardly. How obnoxious. He couldn't help asking, "That division commander... just how strong is he?" Director Wang chuckled. "He's not all that strong, honestly. Back in the day, he had only just stepped into the Immortal Realm, though he did advance fairly quickly. By the time of the Great Silence, he was merely at the peak of the Immortal Realm. Truth be told... nothing to write home about!" Peak Immortal Realm? Li Hao was utterly exasperated. "Is that the kind of strength a division commander is supposed to have?" Didn't you tell me last time they were all at the Peak Realm? Director Wang smiled again. "Of course division commanders aren't usually that strong. Typically, an Immortal can serve as a corps commander. But as you know, that's only under normal circumstances... Under special circumstances, things differ. Back then, your division commander was due for a promotion, but then... disaster struck, and it got delayed." Fine! Li Hao felt stifled. No wonder the man had the authority to confer general ranks on others. In name, he was still a division commander, but in truth, he had probably taken over the duties of a corps commander long ago. A peak Immortal—on the same level as Thorny Rose? He had claimed Thorny Rose would have to bow her head before him, and that was probably true. After all, he was a major figure in the Battle Heaven Army, whereas Heavenly Star Town was inherently a tier lower. "Just a peak Immortal... Director, are you certain you're not mistaken?" Li Hao asked, still uneasy. "Roughly how much strength does he retain now?" What did he mean, "just a peak Immortal"? Director Wang was rendered speechless. "How much strength he retains depends on whether his mental power has grown or withered and weakened over all these years. The silencing of the origin path might not affect him all that much..." "Huh?" Why was that? Li Hao was baffled. Director Wang smiled. "Because he is..." The next instant, he abruptly cut himself off and coughed. "Never mind. Let's not speak of that." Li Hao looked at him with suspicion. Director Wang refused to say another word. It was simple: someone had just warned him. That fellow was truly domineering. Why? Because the path that man walked wasn't a pure origin path either. It was the Myriad Laws Integration Dao! One bridge, three gates entering my gut—in all the world, there was only Li Changsheng! Yet that had only been true in the beginning. Later on, the Longevity Sword Venerable was no longer the only one. Myriad Laws Integration! To them, the fading of the origin path had limited impact. There were countless Grand Daos; not everyone walked the origin path. It was just that this lineage suffered from frail physical bodies. Director Wang sometimes wondered: was the frailty of humanity's bodies in the new era due to the Li family's oversized influence? Who knew. That was how it had been in those days—their lineage boasted the greatest offensive power under the heavens, yet... their endurance was dead last. In ancient times, the Li family had reigned supreme over the lands of Silver Moon. Perhaps the Sword Venerable's dao had been too overwhelming and had exerted its influence across the entirety of Silver Moon. When it hadn't yet fallen into silence, it hadn't been noticeable, but after the Great Silence, the effect likely became pronounced. Countless thoughts drifted through his mind. As for how much power that military fellow still had left... who knew. The man was like a mute gourd. Hardly anyone had revived to begin with, and that fellow disliked speaking on top of it. It had to be terribly lonely. Sitting there day in and day out—hadn't he been sitting there for tens of thousands of years already? As Director Wang mused to himself, he heard Li Hao speak again: "Then is the Director at the Peak Realm or the Immortal Realm?" "Me?" Director Wang smiled. "What are you getting at?" "Nothing, just asking." Li Hao explained, "Because I've seen an Immortal demon plant, so I was wondering... could the security director of a main city be merely at the Peak Realm?" "Heh..." Director Wang chuckled. "Don't pry. I was just an insignificant bystander who had barely stepped into the Immortal Realm back then. I couldn't compare to your division commander. The Security Bureau only handles internal security, not external warfare. Otherwise, the rank of a main city's security director wouldn't be low at all." The kind who had barely entered the Immortal Realm? Li Hao thought to himself. Then the strength he retained was likely inferior to a demon plant's. At least those demon plants had stayed alive the whole time and kept their physical bodies, whereas these people no longer had physical forms. As he was pondering, Director Wang said softly, "Don't let your thoughts run wild." "Eh?" "I can't read your mind, but I know what you're thinking." Director Wang said indifferently, "Don't compare the experts of the main cities to those wild demon plants, and never compare military experts to those demon races! You must understand that back in the Neo-Martial era, under normal circumstances, a human martial artist could fight three opponents of the same rank. A realm is a realm, and combat power is combat power. Humanity unified the world; if we couldn't defeat the demon race at the same rank... would the demon race have ever submitted to human rule? "The demon race possesses powerful bloodlines and robust physical bodies, but that's all they have! What else do they possess?" Director Wang sneered. "Nothing else! Meanwhile, humanity possessed the strongest battle techniques, the greatest divine weapons, the most brilliant commanders, the fiercest will, and the most steadfast conviction... That was why, in our era, humanity could suppress all quarters and unite the realm!" Li Hao grew thoughtful. Director Wang continued, "Demon plants and demon beasts are just that... If you think that killing demon plants and demon beasts means you can deal with military experts, you are sorely mistaken. Remember this: if you encounter Neo-Martial experts from the military—and by that, I mean those who have turned traitor—when you fight them, you must treat them as if they are an entire realm higher. Otherwise, you're dead!" Li Hao nodded repeatedly. So that was how it was! "Furthermore, in the Neo-Martial era, there were many paths, not just one. The origin path was merely one among them. Before the Neo-Martial era, there were other ages. In those times, people cultivated weapons and physical bodies. Even without the origin path, they remained boundlessly formidable! Of course..." He paused in thought before adding, "In the Silver Moon lands, it seems... there are none of those people, right?" Li Hao frowned. "Director, do you mean to say that even without the origin path, those people remain exceedingly formidable and can maintain peak combat power?" "Not necessarily to that extent. After all, energy has fallen into silence, and their physical bodies are likely gone. Even if such people exist, unless their mental power is extraordinarily potent, once their physical bodies decay, they're pretty much finished as well." Director Wang explained a few more details to him. Then he asked, "Did you come here today for something specific?" "I want to try reviving General Huai." "Oh?" Director Wang was somewhat surprised. Li Hao brought out that massive tree trunk. Director Wang took a look and smiled. "Golden Palm is dead?" "Yes. Do you know it, Director?" "I do. It was from Heavenly Star Town, a guardian demon plant of their security office. The security offices fell under my purview; how could I not know?" Director Wang chuckled. "The security bureaus of the eight main cities were all a rank higher than Heavenly Star Town's. I inspected Heavenly Star Town several times and saw Golden Palm on a few occasions..." At this point, his tone flattened slightly. "Why did you kill it?" "It supported the Nine Departments from behind the scenes, throwing the Heavenly Star Dynasty into chaos. It deserved death!" Director Wang fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "From your perspective, perhaps that is so. From mine... surviving wasn't easy..." "They all want to come to Silver Moon to devour all of you. Director, do you still consider them on your side?" "..." Director Wang was left speechless. Li Hao added, "Besides, I visited the ruins. The personnel of the Heavenly Star Security Office seem to have all perished, giving birth to a chaotic origin. Only Golden Palm survived. As for the rest, I didn't see a single corpse." "A chaotic origin?" Director Wang started, his expression instantly turning grave. "Explain. What exactly is the situation?" Li Hao briefly recounted what he had seen in the ruins. Director Wang was silent for a long time. "Heavenly Star Town... had a riot? For a chaotic origin to be born, it means a vast number of powerful experts died in an instant..." He let out a sigh. "It seems that back then, the cut in Heavenly Star Town's energy supply was likely related to that riot." He did not dwell on the matter, turning his gaze back toward the Golden Palm trunk with a faint smile. "This is good stuff. Perhaps it really can revive General Huai. It's quite beyond my expectations that you managed to obtain this so quickly..." Li Hao smiled cheerily as well. "It was mainly thanks to the Imperial Palace guard who helped out. That fellow really delivered, cutting away half of its origin clone." Director Wang laughed. "Don't tell me about it. I can't make that call anyway. Speak to General Huai yourself." How could he not understand what Li Hao meant? The boy was already fishing for benefits. Yet he genuinely couldn't make that decision. Li Hao was speechless. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Director, let me ask you something. You know Yuanping Martial Arts University, right? The Dean of Academic Affairs there is a Great Saint-level existence, and he has revived now. Would he be considered the only Great Saint-level existence in Silver Moon?" "..." Director Wang was stunned. Not only him—at that exact moment, a set of golden armor materialized in an instant, and the cold voice of the Ninth Division Commander rang out: "You say someone over there is alive?" "Yes!" Li Hao nodded. "The Dean of Academic Affairs, wearing black armor embossed with a cat's head." He grumbled inwardly. This guy had been eavesdropping the entire time. Truly impressive. A soldier! Was that appropriate behavior? "He didn't evacuate?" The Ninth Division Commander seemed slightly dazed. "There weren't many people there, and no civilians. Evacuation would have been easy... Why did he stay behind?" Director Wang also spoke in a heavy voice. "He actually didn't leave? This..." Just then, an aged voice echoed in everyone's ears: "Perhaps there was no time. The Star Gate closed in haste; perhaps some crisis arose at that very moment. He might have stayed behind to cover the retreat, fell a step behind, and failed to depart in time." Li Hao listened in silence. By the sound of it, that Dean of Academic Affairs held quite a high status. The Ninth Division Commander glanced at Li Hao and said after a long pause, "You mentioned earlier that a riot occurred in Heavenly Star Town?" "Yes." "Of the three missions you accepted, one can now be considered complete. The one regarding Heavenly Star Town will be logged as finished. You may go to the logistics department to claim your reward." Li Hao remembered: ten thousand military merit. To be honest, though, ten thousand military merit didn't seem all that impressive to him anymore. Exchange it for a hundred thousand divine energy stones? Or exchange it for a division commander title? The division commander title wasn't particularly useful either. He already had golden armor, and its defense... was passable, nothing more. As for the rest, there wasn't much of interest. However, he did remember the Sky-Breaking Sword Art, which happened to cost exactly ten thousand merits. Li Hao pondered this silently. After a brief pause, Li Hao spoke again: "Right, there's another matter. Supposedly, the deputy commander guarding the great mine is still alive, constantly holding the line to keep demon plants like Thorny Rose from invading." "Oh!" The Ninth Division Commander didn't seem to care much about this, while Director Wang chuckled. "Good that he's alive, but... what an absolute blockhead!" Li Hao was taken aback. Why say that? The man was still defending the great mine to this day, which was tremendously admirable. For someone so dedicated to his duty, why did these two seem to look down on him? Director Wang explained, "Since a riot broke out in Heavenly Star Town, something had clearly gone wrong. What was he still guarding the mine for? What bloody use was it? He should have just detonated it and taken everyone down with him! After struggling for countless years, what was the point of staying alive? That blockhead clearly never grasped the true Neo-Martial spirit! Sitting on a massive mine—every giant mineral vein has a detonation mechanism capable of blowing up in an instant and wiping out the entire Heavenly Star Island! Dying would have been one thing, yet he's actually still alive..." He didn't even want to say more. The Ninth Division Commander also said coldly, "Being alive doesn't make him a good person. Why he failed to detonate the great mine is highly suspicious in itself! Had it detonated, we would have at least sensed the explosion, whether to mount a rescue or take other measures; at least we would have known something. Instead, the mine never blew, leaving us completely ignorant of the situation in Heavenly Star Town and causing us to miss the optimal window for rescue... If you encounter him, watch yourself!" Was that how it was? Li Hao slowly came to his senses. In the eyes of these two, failing to detonate the great mine was actually a dereliction of duty. Truth be told, Li Hao had felt considerable respect upon learning that someone was still guarding the mine. Was there anything wrong with holding to one's post? Yet... these ancient Neo-Martial people didn't view it that way at all. They believed he should have blown the entire place sky-high. Director Wang comforted him, "Don't worry too much either. Perhaps an unexpected complication arose and he didn't have time, or the detonation mechanism was sabotaged—both are possible... Though if it was sabotaged, that still marks him as derelict, since that mechanism was the very core of his duty in guarding the mine. Was he truly just afraid of someone stealing energy stones?" Fair enough! There was no arguing with these ancients. They had their own standards of judgment and ways of doing things, principles that Li Hao simply could not comprehend. Neither of them brought up Li Hao's own situation, nor did they ask why he had grown so much stronger. In truth, they had likely noticed something, but neither probed. Everyone had their own path; making progress was Li Hao's own capability. The Ninth Division Commander didn't mention it either. He merely said to Li Hao, "If you visit Yuanping Martial Arts University again... pass along my regards. Furthermore, convey a message to him on my behalf..." He fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Tell him that the Battle Heaven Army remains on combat alert at all times and has not given up entirely!" Li Hao was somewhat puzzled. Why say that? That man was stronger than both of you, wasn't he? Could he be less resilient than you? The Ninth Division Commander said no more. He understood that person's temperament somewhat: eccentric, prone to extremes. Reviving after so many years only to witness the current state of affairs, he might well choose complete extinction. That was something the commander did not wish to see. Neither spoke further on the subject. They merely turned the topic back to General Huai: "Can this Golden Palm trunk revive General Huai?" "Hard to say." "Let's give it a try!" Li Hao couldn't help chiming in: "Um... killing this fellow was brutally difficult. We nearly lost everyone. If General Huai truly revives, um..." "Go ask and you'll find out." Li Hao was speechless. The fellow hasn't even revived yet; what am I supposed to ask? Once he revives and claims he never agreed to anything beforehand, what can I even say? The Old Turtle, however, spoke up at this moment with a hint of amusement: "Rest assured, your benefits won't be lacking." All right! Though he wasn't entirely clear on the Old Turtle's standing, the beast felt immensely powerful. He might as well place some trust in it. "Then I'll go ahead. Do I just feed it to him directly?" "Simply place it upon the altar!" Li Hao asked no more questions and soared outside. The two golden experts also arrived at the city gate, but they did not step outside with Li Hao. ... Outside the city. At the altar. Holding the massive tree trunk, feeling both reluctant and cautious, Li Hao spoke aloud: "Li Hao of the Battle Heaven Army has brought an Immortal body for the General. I invite the General to revive!" With that, he fed the massive trunk into the altar bit by bit. The altar was wondrous, devouring it slowly at first. Gradually, however, the process accelerated dramatically. At that moment, the enormous tree hollow began to tremble faintly. A rumbling resonance reached Li Hao's ears. The entirety of Battle Heaven City, originally shrouded in gloom, seemed to catch a glimmer of light. The commotion grew larger and larger! The trunk of the Golden Palm was rapidly devoured. The earth shook and the mountains trembled! At this moment, the branches of an unimaginably colossal locust tree began to quiver, and the entire heavens and earth seemed to be illuminated. ... At the same time. Across the lands of Silver Moon. Faint glimmers of light suddenly flickered in various locations. Ruins across the realm trembled faintly. White Moon City. Director Zhao's expression shifted slightly. He vanished instantly, reappearing in a flash elsewhere and darting straight inside. This, too, was a city. A massive one! At this moment, several golden warriors materialized within the city. Outside the walls, a towering tree trembled faintly as well, but the vibration lasted only an instant before subsiding. Upon the city wall, the voice of a golden warrior wavered slightly: "It seems... it seems to be a disturbance coming from Battle Heaven City... Has General Huai... revived in Battle Heaven City?" Director Zhao's expression flickered. "Battle Heaven City? Didn't you say the guardians of these main cities are immensely powerful, making revival exceedingly difficult?" It required at least a hundred million divine energy stones! Even if Silver Moon emptied its entire treasury, it could hardly restore a single main city demon plant. The golden warrior was equally perplexed and shook his head. "I don't know. But the fluctuation just now was intense. If someone has revived, it must be a powerhouse from the eight main cities! The eight main cities also shoulder the duty of guarding the entire lands of Silver Moon; only the revival of a guardian demon plant from one of the eight main cities could ripple over here..." With that, he added with some excitement, "Could it be... General Huai has truly revived? How is that possible?" Director Zhao was thoroughly bewildered. As for Li Hao... he didn't even consider the possibility. For one, a certain man named Huang had promised Li Hao not to mention any of this and hadn't breathed a word to him. Though Huang Yu had returned, he had headed straight for the military barracks without meeting Zhao at all. Director Zhao frowned deeply. "Is that... a good thing or a bad thing?" "That depends on whether the mechanisms within Battle Heaven City remain intact." The golden warrior sobered from his joy. "If the city's command structure is still sound, it won't rebel. If it's the only one left, that would be hard to say." "There are others. I mentioned to you before that a golden warrior has been residing in the City Lord's Estate..." "Then... there shouldn't be much of an issue." Director Zhao frowned slightly. "Even so..." "Rest assured. Even if it has revived, it has only just awoken and won't affect anything. In fact, for us, it might bring only benefits and no harm. Among the eight main cities, aside from the Sword Venerable's domain, Battle Heaven City was the strongest. It holds the legacy left by another Sovereign... Though Battle Heaven City boasts about it, it truly is connected to that Sovereign..." Even among the eight cities, there was a hierarchy of strength. For instance, Battle Heaven City was more formidable than the others because its background was greater, standing on equal footing with the Li family. Director Zhao remained uneasy. "I want to go take a look near Battle Heaven City." "Go ahead!" the golden warrior said. "If you can enter... taking a look inside is fine as well. If you can communicate with them, let them know we are still here!" "Understood!" Director Zhao vanished swiftly, a flurry of thoughts racing through his mind. Reviving a main city demon plant—who could pull that off? Over a hundred million! What a joke. Besides, after paying such a steep price, the entity would only just be reviving; if you wanted benefits later, you'd have to keep paying... With that kind of resource, reviving four or five ordinary demon plants would be effortless and yield immense returns. Who did it? Li Hao? Did that kid have that kind of wealth? Granted, he was rumored to have reaped great profits last time, but hadn't people said he converted it all into the Spring of Life to elevate those around him? Otherwise, how could he have swiftly reached the peak of six elements, while Southern Fist and the others also made rapid strides? ... At the same moment. Across the realm, ruins trembled in every direction. Heavenly Star City. Beneath the royal palace. Thorny Rose instantly condensed into a humanoid figure, looking toward the north with suspicion. After a long pause, it muttered, "Strange... The world fluctuated just now, seemingly from the direction of the eight main cities..." The distance was too great, but there was a faint, subtle sensation. Has someone revived? Thorny Rose frowned instantly. If a main city demon plant had revived, that would spell tremendous trouble. Hopefully not! It swiftly turned its gaze toward the entrance of a great mine in the distance, its scowl deepening. The secondary recovery had not yet begun, and it could not leave for now. As for sending out a clone... that was largely pointless. A clone sent to any ruin could never match true experts. Severing a clone also carried immense risks. Right now, its only hope was for the secondary recovery to begin quickly. Damn it all! If not for that fellow constantly blocking the way, and if not for those other few refusing to cooperate, it would have begun long ago. The longer things dragged on, the more likely accidents would occur. ... Red Moon Headquarters. Ying Hongyue was meditating when his eyes snapped open. The phantom of the Red Cloak materialized once more. "An anomaly has occurred at Battle Heaven City. Perhaps Li Hao returned and provided a massive amount of energy, and General Huai may have revived!" Ying Hongyue's brow furrowed at once. "Where would he get so many treasures? Even though the various factions provided plenty last time, you yourself said that reviving the expert at Yuanping Martial Arts University likely depleted the lion's share of it. He has also been frantically advancing his own strength; where could he possibly find so many divine energy stones?" "Unclear." The Red Cloak didn't know either, merely remarking, "Fortunately, the disturbance wasn't too massive. Even if it revived, it's merely a bare revival! If it had truly revived to the point of activating Battle Heaven City, that would be terrifying. For now... that's practically impossible!" Even so, it added, "Find a way to eliminate Li Hao, or else the trouble will be immense. This person has been constantly contributing to Battle Heaven City's revival. Battle Heaven City ranks second among the eight main cities, and in ancient times, it was not a whit inferior to the Li family!" Ying Hongyue suffered a throbbing headache. "Eliminate him? How?" The Red Cloak fell silent for a moment before speaking: "You have the means!" Ying Hongyue sneered! "I have the means? How so?" The Red Cloak paused again, then said, "There is no need to guard against us. You ought to focus on resolving the trouble that is Li Hao! Our goals are aligned! You have been hiding your strength all this time—isn't it just because you worry about what we might do to you? "You worry too much!" The Red Cloak said no more on that front, merely offering a reminder: "Allowing Li Hao to keep growing is a threat to us, and to you... it is the same! Do not forget, you are his greatest nemesis. If you keep acting like this, beware of rearing a tiger that will devour you! Certain matters are clear to all of us; be careful not to stumble and fall in the end!" "I have no idea what you're talking about!" The Red Cloak chuckled. "Play dumb if you wish. Perhaps you have your own plans, but... the danger is shared by all of us. Just make sure you don't regret it later!" With that, the Red Cloak vanished. Ying Hongyue's expression was icy as he glanced in the direction where it had disappeared. They certainly were well-informed! The moment an anomaly occurred at Battle Heaven City, these fellows knew of it—even faster than he did. Li Hao... He looked toward the north, his brow furrowed. Quite the impressive methods! How did he do it? He sank into deep thought. After a long while, a cold, dark smile crept onto his lips. Let's see, then. ... Within Battle Heaven City. The colossal city seemed to expand with deafening rumbles. A towering tree that had previously been dead and silent now radiated a faint golden light. A towering, suffocating aura slowly arose, pressing down so heavily that Li Hao could barely breathe. Li Hao stepped out of the tree hollow and looked upward. Now, he could finally see the canopy above. A somewhat bare giant tree was bursting with new life, sprouting a tender leaf larger than a grown man. A wave of mental power swept across the surroundings. It did not harm Li Hao, merely rippling outward into the distance. "It has been so long!" An immensely aged sigh slowly drifted forth. "Old Turtle, I live once more!" Within the city, a faint radiance erupted from the Turtle Pagoda. The Old Turtle's voice slowly drifted over as well: "Indeed, it has been a very long time! I thought you would never revive." "I truly came close to dying... Twenty years ago, had I not absorbed a bit of energy, I probably wouldn't have lasted until today. There are too many bastards in the lands of Silver Moon, squabbling so fiercely... What trickled down to me was far, far too little..." The great tree spoke slowly. Other places were manageable, but in Silver Moon, a pack of powerhouses and a bunch of demon plants were all formidable, fighting one another for survival. Since everyone was facing doom, how could they refrain from absorbing whatever they could? They had sucked Silver Moon completely dry! At this moment, the image of an elderly man with a middle-aged countenance materialized upon the massive trunk. The reason he appeared that way was because his hair was snow-white, yet his face showed little age. He seemed to step out from illusion, walking out from the trunk to appear before Li Hao with a faint smile: "Little fellow, well done!" Li Hao bared his teeth in a grin, remaining cautious even as he swiftly smiled back. "Li Hao greets the General!" "You've worked hard!" The white-haired elder replied, yet made no mention of anything else, gazing into the city with deep emotion. "To see Battle Heaven City once more... I thought there was no hope left in this life." At that moment, another elderly figure seemed to manifest in the void. Bent over, leaning on a cane. All he lacked was a shell on his back! "Old Huai, congratulations!" "The congratulations belong to both of us!" The white-haired General Huai offered a faint smile. "However, the degree of revival is insufficient. I have merely regained my consciousness, and the lands of Silver Moon have no energy left to absorb... Alas!" "It's good enough!" The Old Turtle smiled. "At least you're better off than the others." "That is true." General Huai nodded slightly and glanced at Li Hao. "Regiment Commander Li's contribution this time is paramount. This old man has certainly benefited from your grace." "It was only right!" Li Hao bared his teeth, smiling radiantly. He hurriedly added, "It was merely slaying an Immortal demon plant. Although it was perilous at the time and everyone nearly perished, we succeeded in the end. A few injuries are nothing; we are all soldiers of Battle Heaven City! All told, it only cost one or two hundred million divine energy stones, tens of thousands of drops of the Spring of Life, and left a few people with permanent hidden injuries, that's all." Li Hao sighed. "Trivial matters! For the General to revive, laying down our lives would have been well worth it!" "..." Silence descended. At this moment, General Huai said nothing, while the Old Turtle instantly vanished from sight, washing its hands of the matter. The white-haired elder was silent for a while before nodding slightly. "The hardships involved... this old man understands..." "It's fine, truly fine!" Li Hao waved a hand. "It's what we ought to do! There's no need for the General to be polite! Earlier, the Imperial Palace guard even said that if I gave the Golden Palm trunk to it to absorb, it would provide me with twenty thousand drops of the Spring of Life. But I thought... how could I do that?" Li Hao frowned. "It only takes three hundred cultivation energy stones to condense a single drop, so twenty thousand drops is merely six million stones—sixty million divine energy stones in today's terms. Yet reviving General Huai required a hundred million... Wouldn't that have been a loss?" Li Hao chuckled. "Besides, I am a regiment commander of Battle Heaven City, not of the Imperial Palace!" "..." General Huai remained silent for a while before saying slowly, "This old man has only just revived, and I feel... somewhat lacking in strength..." Li Hao nodded. "That is very true, completely understandable. General, please rest well!" Is this a matter of resting? General Huai thought to himself. Then he heard Li Hao say, "I'll go slay a few more Immortal demon plants later to help the General nourish his body. They're all villainous scoundrels anyway, so you needn't overthink it, General. As for the danger... it's nothing. Nor does the General need to sever an Immortal origin clone for me; that would harm you far too greatly!" "..." Did I ever mention doing that? Did I? Li Hao continued, "However, we sustain injuries far too easily, so we still need some Spring of Life. That way it'll be easier to recover from our wounds and continue gathering these things for the General. I heard from the Imperial Palace guard that the stronger a senior demon plant is, the faster they convert the Spring of Life, and with far less consumption. "It takes three hundred stones to exchange for one drop, but supposedly at the General's level, a mere hundred stones will do... I currently have several million stones on hand—over three million. If the General could do me a favor and convert them into thirty thousand drops of the Spring of Life, once I head outside, I can recruit experts from all quarters again to join hands and slay enemies!" "..." The silence grew dead. Only after a very long time did General Huai say slowly, "A hundred stones for a drop... You... you heard that from the Imperial Palace guard?" "That's right!" General Huai was silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "Is it that little fellow who visited last time?" "Yes." "Is it still over at the Imperial Palace?" "Yes." "When you see it next, tell it that once the heavens and earth can accommodate us, I shall pay it a visit." "..." Li Hao coughed dryly. "Well... when I go there, I'll pass along the message." General Huai felt helpless, saying after a long pause, "Hand over the energy stones. The consumption isn't that low. In the past, you could have had as much as you wanted, but now... my body is parched; I truly have no way. Provide me with three million energy stones, and I will supply you with ten thousand drops of the Spring of Life. It will take three days." Times had changed. He was nearly starving to death himself; where would he find extra energy to subsidize Li Hao? Still, channeling the energy through his body yielded little in terms of profit, but it would at least moisten his dried-out trunk, which counted as part of his recovery. Li Hao grumbled inwardly. Isn't this just the same rate as the Little Tree? Still, the speed was considerably faster. Condensing ten thousand drops in just three days! The Little Tree couldn't convert that much in three days—thirty days was more like it, unless the Little Tree converted heedless of the cost, which would result in over triple the consumption. As expected, stronger experts were indeed more formidable and converted much faster. Li Hao was decisive. Unafraid that the other party would pocket them, he poured out a vast quantity of divine energy stones directly. He still had over thirty million divine energy stones on hand, keeping some to feed the little sword. Although the Starry Sky Sword hadn't been too keen on eating this stuff lately, having some was better than nothing. General Huai waved a hand, and all the divine energy stones vanished. Seeing Li Hao still staring at him, he felt helpless. A poor man had low ambitions, and a poor tree was no different. Weighing his options, he let out a sigh. In an instant, a crystal-clear branch detached from the colossal trunk. "This object is a tree core condensed from the core essence of my true form..." "It's just an ordinary branch!" From within the city, the Old Turtle's faint voice drifted over. General Huai glanced into the city, then back at Li Hao. Li Hao coughed dryly. "I don't mind!" "..." General Huai was exasperated. "It is a normal branch, but... it's still different! It doesn't have any grand use, but if you wear it on your person, it carries a deterrent effect against ordinary demon plants, provided their rank isn't higher than mine. The natural difference in hierarchy will suppress their strength to some degree." "It's not even as potent as the bloodline power condensed by your dog!" The voice drifted from the distance once again. Li Hao looked at General Huai with an innocent expression, as if to say: I didn't say a word; that was all him. General Huai almost wanted to strike down that fellow inside the city! After a moment of silence, he added, "Even so, it doesn't matter. For you, this item also serves to nourish the physical body..." "You might as well give him a hundred more drops of the Spring of Life; that would be far more effective." General Huai snapped! "Come out here!" Inside the city, atop the Turtle Pagoda, the Old Turtle glanced outside and couldn't be bothered to respond. The only reason it spoke up was because the old tree was being too stingy; it simply couldn't watch any longer. How could someone be this cheap? It was a disgrace to Battle Heaven City! ... Outside the city, the old tree remained silent for a long time. I just revived; what do you expect me to give? Give him a fart! Li Hao didn't push it. Smiling cheerily, he accepted the branch and said, "The General needn't mind these things. We don't seek rewards; it was entirely voluntary!" General Huai felt helpless. You don't seek rewards? Then why have you been prattling on and staring at me the entire time? What was that expectant look on your face supposed to mean? Pondering for a long while, as if struck by a thought, he spoke: "You aren't a division commander yet, are you? Presently, the world has changed. The Battle Heaven City Lord and the commander of the Battle Heaven Army are not in the city. Within the city, the Old Turtle and I can make certain decisions on their behalf... Under wartime regulations, I hereby promote you to Division Commander of the Eleventh Reserve Guard Division! As long as the Old Turtle agrees and affixes the Xuan Turtle Seal, you will assume the post of division commander. You may proceed to the logistics department to claim ten thousand sets of Battle Heaven armor. You are granted full operational autonomy, accompanied by ten suits of silver armor and a hundred suits of bronze armor. During wartime, evaluations will be deferred to a later date..." Li Hao parted his lips in shock. From inside the city, the Old Turtle's voice drifted out: "Is this... appropriate?" General Huai said indifferently, "Why wouldn't it be? He revived me. For Battle Heaven City, is that not a monumental merit?" The Old Turtle was struck dumb! How did this end up biting me in the end? It wasn't a huge deal, but the key issue was... doing this would invite some trouble. At the city gate, the Ninth Division Commander said coldly, "Guardian, promoting Li Hao to commander of the Eleventh Division is not entirely out of the question. However, should an issue arise with the officers of that division, the Guardian must bear responsibility!" A division commander was no big deal, and black armor was trivial, but giving Li Hao silver armor—meaning the authority to appoint regiment commanders—was a serious matter. General Huai smiled faintly. "I shall take full responsibility!" "With those words from the Guardian, I have no objections!" "I have no objections either..." Director Wang chimed in. General Huai smiled faintly. "Your objection wouldn't matter anyway. The Security Bureau has no jurisdiction over the military." "..." Director Wang was speechless. What a way to put it. Meanwhile, Li Hao lowered his head and swallowed hard. Not bad at all! Ten thousand suits of armor, ten suits of silver armor, and a hundred suits of bronze armor... Yes, very good, this worked! He knew the old tree was broke, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected pleasant surprise. This was great. "Thank you, Lord Guardian!" General Huai said no more. "Go to the barracks. Also, come find me in three days!" With that, the figure faded away. Li Hao immediately turned and ran back. On the city wall, the Ninth Division Commander vanished instantly, the Old Turtle lapsed into speechless silence, and Director Wang felt thoroughly gloomy. Li Hao had actually become a division commander. Truly... words failed him. On the wall, the three regiment commanders looked at one another, their expressions tinged with envy. Soon, one regiment commander transmitted his voice: "Just someone who pulled strings... no need to mind him!" The other two looked toward the Ninth Regiment Commander who had spoken. How could you say that? Even if he pulled strings to become a division commander, you still have to acknowledge it. The point was, the man genuinely got promoted! Even though the Eleventh Division didn't exist yet and was currently an empty shell, in name, he was still a division commander, wasn't he? Just then, Li Hao instantly manifested his golden armor and shifted over in a flash. Looking at the three regiment commanders, he laughed heartily. "Well then, commanders, I'll be off to the barracks..." "Greetings, Division Commander Li!" The three saluted, and the thousands of black-armored soldiers followed suit. Li Hao roared with laughter and quickly vanished. A moment later, he returned. "Forgot to mention—let's grab a drink together sometime..." "Greetings, Division Commander!" Everyone saluted again. Li Hao said modestly, "Don't be polite, don't be polite. At ease!" With that, he vanished once more. The three regiment commanders were exasperated to the extreme. The next instant, seeing Li Hao reappear, the three nearly lost their minds. Had this guy gone mad? "Greetings, Division Commander!" "At ease. I just remembered—thanks for the advice the Seventh Regiment Commander gave me earlier. We'll catch up later!" The three watched him leave, looking at one another in dismay. After a long while, their heads drooped in dejection. He had probably overheard their voice transmission. The fellow was deliberately messing with them! At that moment, in the military barracks, the Ninth Division Commander was equally speechless. After a long silence, he told a red-armored soldier beside him, "If he comes again, throw him out!" "Understood!" With a heavy boom, the gates of the Ninth Division headquarters slammed shut. He couldn't be bothered to look at Li Hao's arrogant display—out of sight, out of mind. Li Hao, naturally, didn't care in the slightest, heading straight for the logistics department. What a pity he hadn't become the head of logistics. Otherwise, he would have had to show that deputy director—who constantly ignored him—a thing or two.