The Porter

Li Hao's physical body began to recover. At his heart, he felt even stronger than before. Seven divine characters hovered around him before instantly merging into his body. With a light tap, Li Hao dispersed the divine character "Extinguish" formed of sword force. Transforming sword force into a divine character had only been to contain those miscellaneous energies. Now that wind and thunder had both attained force, it was temporarily unnecessary. Only now could he truly be considered to possess all seven elements. As for whether he was more powerful than before, Li Hao assessed himself: perhaps slightly stronger, but the difference was not massive, as he had yet to complete the reorganization of his own strength. Indeed, Li Hao had plans for what came next. In particular, the secondary space would likely become a major focus. A mirror materialized before him in an instant. Methods of operating the mirror surfaced in Li Hao's mind, making him frown slightly. "So gluttonous?" He muttered to himself, "Consuming this much energy, it might as well be shattered and fed straight to the Starry Sky Sword..." The mirror trembled slightly, as if begging for mercy. The Starry Sky Sword devoured anything and everything, possessing an appetite even greater than Black Panther's. Divine weapons—the more powerful they were, the more the Starry Sky Sword relished them. From the mirror, Li Hao also gleaned several pieces of information. It could indeed detect life force, but its range was limited. At this stage, once activated, its scan could only cover the Central Region. So... the strength attributed to Director Zhao on the Fengyun Ranking before was ninety-nine percent nonsense, deliberately fabricated by the other party. Even so, covering the entire Central Region was already unimaginable. Of course, each activation incurred a massive drain. Li Hao sensed the cost—roughly three million divine energy stones per use. A single scan lasted about five minutes, and ruins possessed shielding effects that made penetrating them difficult. Thus, the assessment of the Old Heavenly Star King's strength had also been fabricated. Li Hao's brow furrowed at once. The limitations were severe, and the consumption was so immense. Naturally, as the world's energy recovered, the Fengyun Auxiliary Mirror's consumption would decrease and its range would expand. The present drain was so exorbitant simply because ambient energy was insufficient. Yet to Li Hao, the cost remained far too high. Three million each time. That could condense a thousand drops of the Spring of Life. Just to probe an opponent's strength, it was far too wasteful. Studying it carefully, he found that the range could be narrowed. Even with a reduced range, however, the consumption remained substantial. Every activation was an enormous expense. Even scanning someone right in front of him—for instance, checking Director Wang right now—would cost at least five hundred thousand. Li Hao rolled his eyes. It even had a base fare. Damn it all. The divine weapon he fostered, the dog he raised—all of them were insatiable money pits. Not a single one came cheap. Even the two puppets burned money every time they moved. He had secured a substantial haul of divine energy stones in the City of Supernaturals; otherwise, he could never have afforded to maintain those two puppets. For this battle, he had equipped each puppet with around five million divine energy stones, yet their maintenance drain was roughly a hundred thousand per minute. How much remained now was hard to say. Every single one devoured wealth like mad! Black Panther was like this, the Starry Sky Sword was like this, the mirror was like this, the puppets were like this, Battle Heaven City was like this, the Silver Moon martial masters were like this... Li Hao sighed heavily. Life was too hard! It was truly far too hard. Taking down the City of Supernaturals had yielded tens of millions of divine energy stones, but at this rate of consumption, how long could that last? Tens of millions! If he did not claim the giant mine, could he possibly afford all this? And then there was the army, the various battleships, the shields, the Space-Locking Chains, the Earth-Drilling Shuttles... Just thinking about it made Li Hao's head pound. "Alas!" He sighed again. Energy was everything. The root problem was that energy was scarce. Ambient energy across heaven and earth had vanished. Yet this world originally contained vast reserves of energy, enough to support the cultivation of so many ancient powerhouses. Where had all that energy gone? Though recovery was underway, the extent of revival remained low. Could it be that somewhere in this realm, an immense reservoir of energy was still locked away? Back when the heavens changed, energy had vanished in an instant. Where had it gone? The Star Gate? Li Hao's heart stirred. Was it the Star Gate? Or had it gone somewhere else, swallowed by someone? Countless thoughts raced through his mind. At this moment, Li Hao was certain of one thing: without fresh revenue, relying purely on killing would not sustain them. If they did not take the Heavenly Star giant mine, everyone, every weapon, and every awakened entity under his command might grind to a halt. Without a major mine to support them, nothing else mattered. "Are the tallies finished?" Li Hao looked at Director Zhou, who oversaw such matters. Director Zhou nodded. "Tally complete. The spoils are average: a little over a thousand drops of the Spring of Life, around five million divine energy stones, quite a few divine weapons—over forty of them, all of decent rank—and eight dying demon plants... That is all." "..." Silence fell. They had slain hundreds of Supernaturals, several seven-element experts, and a Saint of ancient times, yet this was the entirety of the harvest. This haul was inferior even to what they had taken from the City of Supernaturals. Everyone exchanged helpless glances. To wipe out the Fengyun Pavilion, they had all expended substantial resources, Li Hao most of all. Against that backdrop, such modest gains might once have excited them, but now... this battle had very likely been a net loss. Except for the mirror, virtually everything had operated at a deficit. Li Hao felt deeply frustrated. "Just this much?" "Yes... The bulk of the wealth was likely on Hong Tu. In the end... he perished without leaving anything behind." Even if Hong Tu had possessed a storage ring, its contents had almost certainly been destroyed in the blasts. Li Hao sighed. He looked at the crowd of elderly masters waiting to be fed, then at Director Wang, who averted his gaze. That White Tree had likely retained some Spring of Life, but Director Wang had devoured every last bit of it. Yet Li Hao knew that slaying the White Tree had cost Director Wang dearly; he still appeared somewhat weakened even now. What could Li Hao possibly say? "Let's go. Time to pull out!" Li Hao looked toward the eight captured demon plants and frowned slightly. What should be done with these demon plants? Execute them? Eight Immortal-grade trees. To be frank, killing them all would nearly assemble the immortal substance required to revive the Ninth Division Commander. But Director Wang was reluctant to see them slain, believing their offenses did not warrant death. Director Wang was currently their foremost powerhouse, so his wishes had to be respected. Yet there were eight demon plants. Having survived until now, which among them had not once been at the Immortal Realm? Once revived, harboring grudges would pose a serious hazard. Would they hold a grudge? Li Hao pondered. Most likely... yes. After all, by everyone's account, Hong Tu had been of the Hong family, their master. Whether they would seek vengeance was difficult to predict. After a brief silence, Li Hao spoke: "You eight demon plants... You did not raise a hand against me, and you are currently near the brink of deep slumber. Furthermore, Director Wang pleaded on your behalf. Hong Tu deserved death, but as for you... sever one-third of your origin, hand it over, and then remain here to fend for yourselves!" The eight demon plants shuddered slightly. They were already exceedingly frail; severing one-third of their origin would plunge them into complete dormancy. Leaving them here to fend for themselves... was practically a death sentence. Director Wang said nothing further. The others did not interject either. When Li Hao was determined, no one could sway him. Yuan Shuo pondered for a moment, then frowned. "Why waste them? Besides, this place is now exposed. Either kill them or take them with us. If they fall into slumber here, wouldn't that just hand an easy prize to someone else?" He gave Li Hao a look. "Sometimes that head of yours really refuses to turn!" This location was compromised. Once Li Hao and the others departed, if outsiders ventured in and found eight slumbering demon plants, would they hesitate to act? Slaying them or taking them back could help revive their own powerhouses. Yuan Shuo stroked his chin and chuckled. "Take them back! Make them subordinates to the Imperial Palace Guard. The guardian demon plants of the main cities all have auxiliary generals. That Imperial Guard pledged loyalty to you right away; it ought to have some official title. Having only one guard in the Imperial Palace looks terrible!" "Take these eight back and form an escort unit. If that isn't enough, any others we don't feel like killing later can be brought back too. Build up the ranks..." Li Hao smiled wryly. "Master, the main issue is a lack of resources!" "I know, but isn't there a giant mine?" Yuan Shuo chuckled. "If we don't seize that thing back, could we even look ourselves in the mirror? Besides, taking these eight back... if they ever wish to recover, even if they must self-detonate, they will have to blast open a path of survival for us." "Still..." Li Hao started to speak, but Yuan Shuo cut in with a smile: "It's fine. These demon plants served the Fengyun Tower, the Hong family of old—not Hong Tu himself. Rest assured. If it really comes down to it, we can always kill them after they've nursed back to health a bit! By then, will we still fear their rebellion?" Li Hao considered this and nodded. Director Wang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Few people could sway Li Hao right now; fortunately, Yuan Shuo had spoken up. After giving it some thought, Li Hao dropped the matter. At present, many demon plants were looking to align with him. Redwood, the jujube tree of Sky Sword Manor—both wanted to join his side. Add the eight here, and in the blink of an eye, a considerable number of demon plants were under his banner. As for Battle Heaven City, though he had brought out five, thirty-one others were still waiting to be fed. "Let's head out first!" Li Hao added, "I'll step outside ahead of you... Wait here a moment. Once I'm out, I'll survey the situation!" With a laugh, treasure mirror in hand, he darted out of the ruins. ... In the outside world. Several hours had passed since Li Hao and his company entered. Still, no sound emerged. Who had won? No one knew. At this moment, no one dared barge in recklessly. With so many Supernaturals clashing, demon plants or their avatars were bound to be inside. Charging in as a mere seven-element expert might well be a march toward death. The onlookers could only wait. Amid the tense waiting, a silhouette suddenly manifested between heaven and earth. A grand, chilling voice echoed outward: "The wicked organization known as the Fengyun Pavilion disrupted the supernatural domain. Today, every last one has been brought to justice! The Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office maintains absolute zero tolerance toward supernatural unrest!" "The Three Great Wicked Organizations and all other supernatural factions are ordered to surrender their criminals within a designated timeframe. Aside from the Three Great Wicked Organizations, all other factions must register their registries. Anyone failing to complete registration before the year's end... will be treated under the crime of wicked supernaturals!" The resounding declaration rippled across the four directions! Around the perimeter, various powerhouses sighed. The Fengyun Pavilion... had failed to halt Li Hao's advance. Defeated! As for how powerful the Fengyun Pavilion truly was, outsiders could not say for sure, but dozens of Supernaturals had shown themselves, and many unrevealed experts had likely been present as well, backed by demon plants. Now... all of them were gone. Li Hao's faction had acquired the capability to slay demon plants within ancient ruins. ... In the distance. Ying Hongyue coughed, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He gazed toward the horizon, watching Li Hao radiating a formidable aura that projected in all directions, staring without looking away. The Fengyun Pavilion had fallen. Just how strong had the Fengyun Pavilion been? If it had merely possessed a single, partially awakened demon plant, its destruction would not be unthinkable. Yet what if... there had been far more than that? At that precise instant, a faint ripple of light seemed to fluctuate through heaven and earth. Ying Hongyue's brow knitted slightly as he looked up at the sky. ... Simultaneously. Upon the mirror before Li Hao, figures materialized in succession, flashing past. Soon, figure after figure froze into clarity on the mirror's surface. Li Hao inspected them. This mirror was indeed intriguing. Though its consumption was steep, its utility was remarkable. Ignoring the others, Li Hao knew Ying Hongyue was nearby and immediately directed his attention toward the figure representing him. The mirror captured life aura, and at this moment, Ying Hongyue's life force was remarkably potent. By Li Hao's own judgment, it was actually somewhat more robust than his own. Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly. A seven-element expert? Previously, the rankings issued by the Fengyun Pavilion had been based on the Pavilion Master's subjective assessments of power levels. Li Hao was doing the same right now. He had no choice but to judge this way, as the mirror could not provide a full investigation; it could only evaluate based on the intensity of life force. "Is Ying Hongyue... truly a seven-element expert?" Yet if so, how could he survive in the outside world? Or could it be that he was not inherently seven-elemental, but rather capable of unifying seven meridians at critical moments to unleash seven-element power? With that thought in mind, Li Hao vanished in an instant. Far away. Ying Hongyue's expression shifted slightly. Grabbing Purple Moon with one hand and Cyan Moon with the other, he disappeared on the spot. A moment later, Li Hao materialized where Ying Hongyue had stood. Looking into the distance, he let out a cold laugh: "Ying Hongyue, tremble! You'd best tell the master behind you to watch their back and hide in that doghouse with you. Otherwise... the next one I kill will be you!" Ying Hongyue's detached voice drifted back from afar: "Li Hao, you shattered the Hong family's divine hammer and severed the hopes of many... You are the one who should be careful! Many entities of the Neo-Martial era yearn to return. By doing this, you have extinguished their hopes... Beware lest the eight main cities make you their first target." Li Hao sneered: "Let them come! Among the eight main cities, who dares oppose me? Who can oppose me? Whoever dares, I will eradicate! Ying Hongyue, if you have the ability, go collude with them all—rally as many as you can. If they all defect to you, I will actually owe you thanks, for it will spare me the trouble of hunting them down one by one!" In the distance. Ying Hongyue did not look back, his expression grim. Li Hao... was strong. More than that, Li Hao was arrogant and reckless to the extreme. He cared nothing for which faction the eight main cities sided with. His words might not be entirely genuine, but part of them certainly were. Whoever backed Ying Hongyue, Li Hao would eradicate. Could he accomplish that? Inside the ruins, certainly not. Yet outside the ruins, before the second revival began, Li Hao was terrifyingly potent at this stage. Even Ying Hongyue had no absolute certainty of dealing with him. As for unifying seven meridians... Ying Hongyue pondered briefly before suppressing those thoughts. ... Like a sweeping tempest, the news spread. The Fengyun Pavilion was destroyed! To ordinary people, this organization had left little impression beyond issuing the Fengyun Ranking and offending Li Hao, earning it the label of the Fourth Wicked Organization. Its swift destruction was merely entertainment for commoners. Yet to the major organizations and factions, the Fengyun Pavilion had deployed dozens of Supernaturals at a moment's notice. Crucially, Li Hao and his allies had entered the ruins and eradicated them. Though Li Hao's casualties remained unknown, one chilling fact was clear: his faction now possessed the capability to slay seven-element combatants. That was the baseline assumption! Whether through the avatars of awakened demon plants from Battle Heaven City or some other means, many factions came to a stark realization: the ruins... were no longer safe. Previously, even when facing formidable enemies, retreating into an ancient ruin guaranteed safety, provided the entities within did not turn against them. Now, that safety was gone. For a time, unrest rippled across numerous factions. ... At this moment, Li Hao did not pursue anyone. Instead, he quietly observed the mirror. Figures continued to surface. Powerhouses in the surrounding region appeared one by one: the Flying Sword Immortal, Yama, the Clear Sky Mountain Master... These once-renowned figures now seemed unimpressive in Li Hao's eyes. Naturally, they remained formidable. Judging by their life auras, they were at least at the peak of six elements. Whether they could exert seven-element strength remained unknown, but... even if they were seven-elemental, so what? "A fine treasure. The only pity... is that it consumes too much!" Li Hao shook his head slightly. That brief, small-scale scan had drained a full million divine energy stones. This was no divine weapon; it was an outright glutton. Glancing in the direction where Ying Hongyue had fled, Li Hao frowned. Earlier, he had sensed Ying Hongyue's presence and would normally have seized the chance to pursue, but... something else had lingered near Ying Hongyue. Even the mirror had caught only a fleeting glance—a blood-red silhouette that vanished almost instantly, escaping the scanning radius. "A red shadow..." Li Hao frowned. He knew of the red shadows; they were merely blood puppets. That silhouette had not seemed like an ordinary red shadow, yet it shared similarities. Its life aura had not been especially powerful, and the mirror had captured it for only a fraction of a second, but... its speed was terrifying, disappearing in the blink of an eye. "What sort of thing was that?" Li Hao wondered. Could it be the entity backing Ying Hongyue? He knew someone supported Red Moon from the shadows, likely seeking to open the Star Gate as well, which explained their backing of Ying Hongyue. That figure might have appeared as early as the first revival; his master had mentioned that years ago, when attempting to kill Ying Hongyue, someone had stood behind him. That had taken place many years ago! "Now that the hammer is gone, the only way to open the Star Gate is to seize the Starry Sky Sword..." Though the sword had long been an object of their covetous gaze, the destruction of the Hong family's divine hammer likely left the Starry Sky Sword as their sole remaining hope. With these thoughts in mind, Li Hao's voice echoed out once more: "All Night Patrollers, all provincial branch directors: assemble in Heavenly Star City three days from now! The Night Patrol begins its restructuring. Those who fail to appear will be executed without mercy! If any among you consider yourselves invincible, you are welcome to test my resolve!" At this declaration, the Night Patrollers in neighboring Nanyue and Nandou Provinces trembled with dread. Li Hao was moving to purge and reorganize the Night Patrol. The director of Nandou was already dead. In Nanyue, the director who had previously tried to curry favor with Li Hao swallowed hard, eager to rush to Heavenly Star City immediately for fear of arriving late. Only he truly understood how monstrous Li Hao's eradication of the Fengyun Pavilion was. They had killed at least one demon plant—that was the baseline. Who would dare cross such a powerhouse? Could the Three Great Organizations or the Seven Divine Mountains slay a demon plant? ... News traveled swiftly. Within Heavenly Star City. Certain powerhouses had already descended underground. Those who remained behind sighed with deep emotion. The Fengyun Pavilion was truly useless, falling so swiftly and easily. Inside the Nine Dragons Pavilion. Powerhouses gathered from various factions. Several department directors who had not descended sat drinking gloomily. Someone chuckled softly and remarked, "Why hasn't Chen Yao arrived?" No one answered. The Inspectorate had likely shifted allegiances as well. What was left to say? Not just Chen Yao—the Nine Departments had waned considerably. The Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of Finance were acting completely perfunctory; what they truly intended, only they knew. The Military Law Department and the Department of Administration harbored their own schemes, which others partially discerned. Yet... what could be done? The once-mighty Nine Departments were now fracturing. Previously, suppressing the royal family had been their paramount objective. But now? Now... the Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office had expanded explosively, aggressively encroaching upon everyone's interests. While the Three Great Organizations had not suffered crippling blows, among the Seven Divine Mountains, the masters of Futu and Heavenly Roc Mountains were dead, and Sky Sword Manor could be considered practically nonexistent. As for the remaining four divine mountains, their true intentions remained known only to themselves. The regional overlords were likely filled with hesitation and dread. Meanwhile, the City of Supernaturals was dragging its feet on some Elder Council meeting, still incomplete to this day. How laughable. Before their elders even emerged, Li Hao might already be at their gates to wipe them out. ... The entire realm was shaken! Inside the ruins of Heavenly Star Town. Several powerhouses had assembled: the veteran directors of the Department of Administration, the Military Law Department, the Department of Merit Assessment, and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Alongside them stood the Old Heavenly Star King and a detachment of nearly a thousand Black Armor soldiers. Of the nine veteran directors, Li Hao had killed two. Chen Zhongtian had not come, nor had anyone invited him. The Department of Finance and the Department of Internal Affairs were also absent. Both the veteran and incumbent directors of those two departments remained alive, yet what the Mu and Liu families planned was anyone's guess. Ever since Li Hao dismantled the Four Seas Corporation, the Department of Finance had kept a low profile. As for Internal Affairs, Mu Xiaorong remained imprisoned in the Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office dungeon, yet the Mu family had uttered not a word. At this moment, the four directors gathered, each radiating formidable power. Among them, Qi Pingjiang and another elder possessed particularly terrifying strength. That elder appeared youthful, yet he was Zhao Tianyang, the veteran director of the Department of Administration—one of the realm's true apex figures, rivaling Ying Hongyue and the Old Heavenly Star King, Jiang Chen. At the center of the group stood an elder clad in golden armor: Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen looked somewhat pale, yet a faint smile touched his lips. "Old friends, having come this far, why must you still constrain me?" Qi Pingjiang ignored him, looking into the distance as he said calmly, "With the Chaotic Origin separating us, converging is no simple task. Does Venerable Rose possess a method to break through the restriction?" Chaotic Origin lingered in several vital sectors. To join forces, they had to breach the Chaotic Origin first. Jiang Chen smiled. "It is not difficult. For the Venerable, strength at the peak of the Immortal Realm is sufficient to shatter the Chaotic Origin. As long as you give advance notice so no conflict arises, there will be no issue!" He added with a chuckle, "Old friends, why not release the seal first and let me activate the city's formations to restrict that entity? Otherwise... reaching the genuine giant mine may prove arduous." The others remained silent, their eyes turning toward Zhao Tianyang. Even Qi Pingjiang was no exception. In the Nine Departments' overthrow of the royal family, this man had been their paramount leader. Without him, toppling the royal family back then would never have been so simple. Zhao Tianyang was in no rush. After waiting a moment, he spoke: "The Fengyun Pavilion has fallen." The others were taken aback. Down here, receiving outside intelligence was exceedingly difficult. How had Zhao Tianyang received word? Seeing their gazes, Zhao Tianyang smiled faintly. "It is not so complicated. Within Heavenly Star Town, military armor functions. When the Department of Administration has news, they transmit it directly through the armor. King Chen likely received word long ago as well." None objected. The method was straightforward, but the difficulty lay in Zhao Tianyang having secured a military rank in Heavenly Star Town. This meant he possessed military armor—and not black armor, either. At the very least, it was silver armor! Bronze armor could not be retracted into the body, whereas silver armor could. This was something the others had not known until now. Jiang Chen chuckled. "Brother Tianyang, when did you attain a military post? Even I was unaware. It seems... you and I are not in the same division. The Heavenly Star Army had ten grand divisions; may I ask which division Brother Tianyang belongs to, and what post you hold?" "That is unimportant." Zhao Tianyang replied calmly, "What matters is that Li Hao can slay demon plants! The Fengyun Pavilion could nurture Supernaturals, meaning at least one demon plant resided there. Those that survived to this day are at least at the Immortal Realm. Even a newly awakened Immortal is difficult for ordinary seven-element combatants to slay! Tell me, how did Li Hao manage it?" He turned toward a certain direction and murmured, "Is that Golden Palm... still alive?" The others froze. Zhao Tianyang chuckled. "If Li Hao truly possesses the means to slay demon plants, would he spare the Golden Palm right under his nose?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly. "It should still be alive. Earlier, the Venerable probed that area and found it present. Moreover... it has been siphoning energy all day, seemingly obstructing the convergence of our formations..." "Are you certain it is the Golden Palm, and not another demon plant?" Jiang Chen thought for a moment and smiled. "Most likely the Golden Palm. Currently, a demon plant's true body cannot leave its ruin, only an avatar can. An avatar... at most could carve out power barely reaching the Peak Realm. Li Hao marched off to confront the Fengyun Pavilion; could he possibly have left multiple Peak Realm demon plant avatars behind here?" Otherwise, withstanding Thorns Rose would have been impossible. The demon plant beyond the Chaotic Origin was formidable. If it were merely an avatar Li Hao had stationed, Li Hao would be extravagant beyond belief. Zhao Tianyang gave no definitive response, casting another glance toward the Security Bureau. Over there... was it truly still the Golden Palm? Of course, no one could be certain right now. Separated by the Chaotic Origin, unless Thorns Rose breached it, none dared venture across recklessly. Becoming trapped in the Chaotic Origin while ambushed by the Golden Palm carried the risk of perishing. As they spoke, the void trembled. In an instant, several true bodies of demon plants tore through the air, nearly all manifested in human form. At their head was Thorns Rose, taking the shape of a voluptuous, alluring woman. She cast a cool gaze over the group and stated coldly, "We have assembled. Make haste to activate the military formations; waste no more time!" "We will head to the mine entrance first... to prevent the other side from disrupting the formation's convergence. Jiang Chen, do not ruin our plans, or... none of us will have an easy time!" Jiang Chen bowed slightly. "Rest assured, Venerable!" Without another word, Thorns Rose vanished in an instant. Behind her, four demon plants disappeared just as quickly. This time, five demon plants had joined forces solely to seize the giant mine. Everyone understood that securing the mine now meant seizing the absolute initiative. Previously, the Nine Departments and the royal family had been like fire and water, but Li Hao's emergence had forged this opportunity for cooperation. Once the demon plants departed, Qi Pingjiang frowned slightly. "What worries me most is whether Li Hao, upon returning from wiping out the Fengyun Pavilion and finding us absent from the Nine Departments, will deduce that we entered this place. If so... it could cause trouble." What if Li Hao entered to wreak havoc? The veteran director of the Department of Merit Assessment sneered: "If he comes, he walks to his death! Five awakened demon plant Venerables are assembled here, and Venerable Rose stands at the peak of the Immortal Realm, an entity bordering on a Saint. It would be best if Li Hao did show up!" Besides, if Li Hao came, their respective sacred guardian weapons inside the ruins were immensely potent. Crushing the Fengyun Pavilion did not mean he could crush them. The Fengyun Pavilion might have harbored a demon plant, but how much could it have recovered? The densest concentration of energy in the world was right here. This place fostered the swiftest recovery for demon plants; none elsewhere could match their pace. "Enough!" Zhao Tianyang said flatly, "Having reached this point, there is no need for further words. We have made our choice; what use is hesitation?" The others nodded and spoke no more. Up ahead, the Black Armor troops cleared the way as the group followed. Their current mission was singular: reach the military barracks and activate the army's formations. Heavenly Star Town held few dangers, though stray armored warriors still roamed. Some were weak, but others had absorbed substantial energy and were formidable. Normal soldiers were manageable, but those corrupted by the Chaotic Origin had turned feral, posing genuine peril. Having come this far, with the demon plants aligned, even though the Fengyun Pavilion had failed to stall Li Hao's forces, the factions resolved to press on. Otherwise, delaying any longer... Li Hao might truly come to eradicate them. ... Inside the Fengyun Pavilion ruins. Li Hao looked at Director Wang. "The Nine Departments and the royal family have likely begun exploring the ruins to seize the giant mine. They possess numerous powerhouses; Heavenly Star Town holds at least nine demon plants and a Vice Commander, all exceedingly formidable!" Li Hao stared at him, but Director Wang sighed. "I am certainly no match for them. Stop looking at me. My only trump card to slay an expert was used earlier; restoring it will take time." Li Hao calculated. That left Little Tree and Director Wang. As for the two puppets, they were likely no match for those demon plants, being merely puppets after all. Counting on his fingers, he wondered whether to relocate Redwood, then the jujube tree from Sky Sword Manor. The other demon plants were half-dead, including the eight here. Yet... that still fell short. The opposing Vice Commander might be immensely powerful. For now, friend or foe remained uncertain. When alignment was unclear, everyone was treated as an enemy. That Vice Commander might truly have become a Saint! "The Dean?" Li Hao pondered. At this stage, perhaps only the Dean offered some assurance, and the distance was short. The trouble was, the Dean presently desired nothing, making persuasion difficult. How much strength he had recovered was another question. As for himself, Li Hao felt that growing stronger was not impossible, but it required time. Right now, time was precisely what he lacked. The enemy moving to explore the mine at this very moment was infuriating. "Never mind, let's head back first!" Li Hao addressed the group: "Relocating so many demon plants all at once is troublesome. I'll carry them one by one. Wait here for now... Don't venture out recklessly; stay hidden." No one objected; hiding out for a while was fine. When it came to the Heavenly Star Town ruins, they knew their limits. With so many demon plants involved, their combined strength might take down one, but against multiple demon plants, they had no chance. Without another word, Li Hao began hauling like an ant. Though the eight demon plants were weak, Li Hao saved wherever he could right now, unwilling to spend energy on the Earth-Drilling Shuttle. Manual transport worked just fine; a few extra trips would do. He intended to move all these demon plants to Heavenly Star Town. Next, he would shift all powerhouses on his side into the town. Heavenly Star Town was an objective Li Hao had to claim. Ruins abounded across the world, but none was richer than Heavenly Star Town; a single giant mine was more than enough to capture Li Hao's ambition. He would also relocate the jujube tree and Redwood. ... Thereafter, Li Hao turned into a manual transport aircraft. First, he relocated the eight surrendered demon plants. Then he dashed off to the City of Supernaturals; Redwood was still aiding Huang Yu and the others in cultivation, but with the situation pressing, Li Hao had no choice but to carry it away first. Next, he hurried to Sky Sword Manor. The jujube tree was only too eager for Li Hao to take it; through its converging avatar, it had learned how terrifying this group was. Following Li Hao offered at least a hope of revival. Remaining with Heavenly Sword, it feared starving to death—especially since that fellow was now running with Li Hao and never returned home, leaving it on the verge of starvation. ... Under these circumstances, within the ruins beneath the Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office, the number of demon plants steadily grew. Even the Imperial Guard felt a creeping sense of crisis. Ten demon plants had already been hauled in. The five disciples and grand-disciples of the Scholar Tree had yet to arrive; with them, that would make fifteen, and sixteen including itself! And Battle Heaven City still held a whole cluster more... As a demon plant, it felt immense pressure. These demon plants were virtually all of the Immortal Realm. Even if partially awakened—some not necessarily matching its current state—Little Tree knew that, at the very least, it was no match for Redwood, whose strength was formidable. This placed crushing pressure on Little Tree: its standing... was about to slip. At this moment, the demon plants drawing near the giant mine all turned to gaze in one direction: the Security Bureau. They found it peculiar! Over there... energy was being siphoned at an accelerating rate. Wisps of energy leaking from the giant mine could be seen with the naked eye, drifting outward before being completely drawn away by the demon plants in that sector. What was the Golden Palm doing? ... At the same time. Deep within the colossal mine, countless translucent energy stones were embedded along the mine tunnels. Outside the mining grounds, in a military camp, a golden warrior stood motionless, flanked by nearly a thousand soldiers standing in strict formation. This was the Heavenly Star Army's last organized, full-strength unit. Unlike the severely weakened troops of Battle Heaven City, energy was abundant here. Every black-armored soldier radiated a potent aura, and the bronze and silver armors among them were exceptionally formidable. Though numbering only a thousand, there were fully six silver-armored regiment commanders. Every one of them possessed considerable strength. Right now, they were gazing outward, seemingly aware that Thorns Rose was plotting against them once again. The golden warrior paid that little heed, instead looking toward the Security Bureau with a hint of perplexity as the rate of energy siphoning spiked dramatically. Had something occurred over there? ... Just as all sides were filled with suspicion, Li Hao reentered and barked angrily: "All of you, settle down! Are you starved ghosts? Sucking energy like this now—what's the rush? Once we take the giant mine, you can suck all you want! Are you eager to let everyone know a pack of starving ghosts just moved in?" These bastards! After his tirade, the eight surrendered demon plants trembled and ceased absorbing energy. The others quickly curbed their intake as well. Yet... they were genuinely starving! Apart from Little Tree and Redwood, who among them wasn't famished? They had starved to the brink of physical collapse! "Quiet down, every one of you. I'm going to find reinforcements... Before I return, cause any more trouble and all of you will be punished! Imperial Guard, these fellows are under your charge. Manage them well, and report any who step out of line... I'd like to see who dares get reckless!" The demon plants felt utterly helpless. Other demon plants lived like revered lords; they, by contrast, were treated like lowly runts. Yet a demon under another's roof had no choice but to bow. They could not afford to offend him! Having witnessed Director Wang's methods—directly summoning a Supreme's power to execute an opponent—who among them would dare act out? Little Tree, on the other hand, was overjoyed. Indeed, being the first to submit to Li Hao carried its perks. What a pity its strength remained somewhat modest; otherwise, reorganizing these fellows into its Imperial Palace Escort Unit would have been quite grand.