Living Beings in Sword City

Sword City. Dilapidated and broken. Unlike the other well-preserved main cities, this city seemed to have endured countless wars, its expanse crisscrossed with dense sword scars. Row upon row of buildings lay collapsed. This was a main city, one guarded by the Sword Venerable himself and shielded by his sword intent. Yet now, it was thoroughly ruined, reduced to rubble and broken walls. A small sword drifted through the City Lord's Estate at the center. From time to time, it let out a mournful wail. Sword City was truly destroyed. Faint stains of blood remained etched inside the City Lord's Estate, still reeking of war after countless ages. Strands of sword intent pierced through the city, because... a battle had once erupted right here! A group of swordsmen had waged war and slaughtered one another in this very place. Sword City had suffered... internal strife! Within the small sword, Li Hao silently comprehended, absorbed, and sensed... He had guessed Sword City's fate, yet reality differed somewhat from what he had imagined. A fierce battle had once broken out here. Some had resisted; they were not struck down without putting up a fight. Here, each surge of sword intent represented a swordsman. Yet in the end, the resisters were slaughtered down to the last person. All dead! Li Hao stepped out of the small sword into the domain of Sword City. A burst of sword intent surged from beneath his feet straight into the sky, as if sensing the return of the Starry Sky Sword, and rays of sword intent swept forth from every direction! The sword intent brushed past Li Hao's body, bringing with it the threat of death. Bone-chilling, freezing, fierce! This was the sword of Sword City! Li Hao looked around and let out a soft sigh. Sword City was completely finished. Back then, even after stepping out of the Star Gate, the Sword Venerable who roamed heaven and earth could not protect Sword City. The descendants of the Li family had probably died out long ago. No, perhaps Li Daozong and Li Daoheng still remained. As for himself... ninety-nine percent chance he did not count as a descendant of the Sword Venerable, nor even a descendant of the Sword Venerable's grandniece. Strictly speaking... he could only be considered an unrelated descendant altered by the Starry Sky Sword. The Li family possessed the Li bloodline likely because they had worn the Starry Sky Sword generation after generation, influenced by it over countless ages. "So that's how it is..." Li Hao murmured. No wonder earlier generations of the Li family possessed weaker bloodline power than the later generations. He had thought it was ancestral reversion! As it turned out, it was nothing of the sort. His father's bloodline was weaker than his own because Li Hao had been altered more by the Starry Sky Sword, and his grandfather's bloodline was certainly weaker than his father's... Each successive generation of the Li family possessed a richer bloodline than the one before. Thus, by the time the Li family reached his generation... he had even manifested Sword Eyes! The Sword Eyes that saw through weaknesses—something only the Sword Venerable possessed. Before, he had thought it was ancestral reversion, but now... what dogshit. He did not even carry the Sword Venerable's bloodline, so how could there be any ancestral reversion? The Li family had never been descendants of the Sword Venerable to begin with, so how could he revert to the Sword Venerable? Instead, it was the Starry Sky Sword altering them generation after generation! "I don't actually count as a Li descendant?" Li Hao laughed, feeling somewhat helpless, but soon chuckled again. "Still, everyone thinks so... Even if I don't, I must!" He had to count! If not, wouldn't his claim that heaven and earth belonged to the Li family lack legitimacy? If Li Daoheng came along and declared that heaven and earth belonged to the Li family... claiming greater legitimacy than him, wouldn't he be sick to death? At this moment, stray thoughts wandered through Li Hao's mind. In truth, whether he was or wasn't, what did it matter? After a hundred thousand years and countless generations... who still cared whether one was of the Li family's true line? Perhaps the Sword Venerable himself would not care. A hundred thousand years—with mortal generations lasting twenty years—meant a full five thousand generations of descendants! Could that even be counted as descendants? If calculated that way... it was impossible to calculate at all. Perhaps his ancestral line truly had originated from the Sword City Li family back then. Who dared say otherwise? Holding the Starry Sky Sword, Li Hao looked at the small blade. "So for a hundred thousand years, you stayed with my Li family, altering our lineage generation after generation... Truly, success came from you, and defeat came from you. If you hadn't altered us, how would my parents have died?" "Of course, if not for your alteration, I might not have reached where I am today." Cause and effect, give and take—it was hard to say. The Starry Sky Sword had been sealed, and its alteration over the hundred thousand years had been unconscious, merely the slight leakage of energy seeping into the bearer. Moreover, the Starry Sky Sword bore the Sword Venerable's sword intent, which could alter bloodlines most easily. "Do you still remember who carried you out back then?" Li Hao looked at the Starry Sky Sword. Had Li Daoheng taken it out? To allow the Li bloodline to continue and thereby activate the Starry Sky Sword? Or for some other reason? Or had it truly just slipped away by accident? Unfortunately, though the Starry Sky Sword retained a faint wisp of consciousness, after it shattered last time, much of that consciousness seemed to have dispersed. Even though it was now mostly repaired, it seemed to have lost its memories. Unable to obtain an answer from the Starry Sky Sword, Li Hao had no choice but to investigate on his own. In Sword City, the most critical factor was still the Sword Venerable. Li Hao harbored some hope, though not too much. If there were truly great treasures, Li Daoheng would have taken them long ago; would he leave them for him? Naturally, there were certain things the other party could never take away—such as the Sword Venerable's place of enlightenment. Perhaps some of the Sword Venerable's genuine sword intent remained there. That, at least, could not be hauled off, could it? Furthermore, this city remained. Once the eight main cities gathered, they might still be able to restart heaven and earth. Before his eyes, sword marks were everywhere. Li Hao bent down and caressed a sword scar that still held lingering sword intent. A burst of sword intent erupted, piercing Li Hao's palm. Golden light flickered in his eyes, and a fleeting vision seemed to flash through his mind. A swordsman drew his sword and slashed! As the sword struck, essence, energy, and spirit merged into one. The sword flew, and the man died! Leaving behind an eternal, inextinguishable sword scar in this place! "A Saint!" Li Hao murmured. A genuine Saint whose origin had not yet been severed! This strike seemed to return from the depths of time and space. Li Hao judged that a Heavenly King of this era might not be able to block this strike; a single blow might slice a Heavenly King to ribbons! "A single strike exhausting essence, energy, and spirit, capable of slaying a Heavenly King of this era, perhaps even stronger... the Sword Venerable's sword dao!" The Li family's sword possessed a fatal flaw. It could not endure! Essence, energy, and spirit merged into one; if the sword strike failed to slay the enemy, you died. Even the Sword Venerable had been like this. The name 'One-Sword Hero' had resounded across the Neo-Martial era. Just one strike. If it couldn't kill you, he was finished... That single strike did not mean a casual blow, but a strike of unified essence, energy, and spirit in the truest sense. "The Sword Saint struck, yet failed to wound the enemy..." Indeed. Li Hao examined it; the sword scar was complete, showing no signs of being obstructed or blocked. The mark was entirely intact! This meant that when this strike descended, the opponent had evaded it—and evaded it with ease. In other words, if this person was Li Daoheng, then a hundred thousand years ago, Li Daoheng likely possessed the strength of a Heavenly King. A terrifying fellow. That Heavenly King was a Heavenly King of a hundred thousand years ago, not today's. Only a Heavenly King could have evaded such a strike with ease. Li Hao understood the Li family's sword very well; it actually possessed the ability to lock onto the enemy. Unless the enemy was vastly stronger, they could not evade this strike. Li Hao caressed the sword mark and continued walking forward. In that strike, he sensed despair, resolve, anger, and grief. This meant that the one who struck knew the person carrying out the slaughter; it had indeed been internal strife within the Li family. This was the City Lord's Estate... The front was likely an administrative area, while the rear was the living quarters of the Li clan. Behind the City Lord's Estate was an enormous compound. From the very entrance, sword scars lay everywhere, crisscrossing the grounds without end... A fierce battle of defense had once erupted right here! Li Hao continued to caress the sword scars one by one. With every touch, he could sense a surge of sword intent, and a shadow would flicker and vanish before his eyes: old men, children, women, and even a child raising a sword to slash at the sky! Every member of the Li clan was a swordsman! "What a sword dao family!" Within his robes, the Starry Sky Sword trembled violently. Li Hao's eyes grew sharp. If Li Daoheng had done this, how venomous, how ruthless! To slaughter the Li family down to the last person! Even the children were slaughtered without exception. Why? What was the point? Just to make the killing more thrilling? Slaying enemies was one thing, but massacring the entire Li family—what was the meaning of that? "The Sword Venerable couldn't have mistreated him... Yet once the Sword Venerable left, he slaughtered the entire Li family... This person... is far too venomous!" This was not heartlessness; the Great Dao was inherently emotionless! The so-called emotionless state was merely an artistic realm, upholding the Great Dao's impartiality, selflessness, and freedom from favoritism; it did not mean slaughtering people indiscriminately. Indiscriminate slaughter was not heartlessness—it was being a beast. Moving forward, the entire compound was still covered in sword scars. Yet soon... Li Hao discovered an anomaly. There was no sword intent belonging to Li Daoheng, or rather, no sword intent from the perpetrator. He did not know whether it had been erased, or... this fellow's sword intent had become so terrifying that every single strike contained precisely enough power to kill, no more, no less, and the moment the kill was done, the sword intent dissipated. The former was nothing special; Li Hao could do that. If it was the latter—maintaining such precise control in the heat of combat—then this person's sword intent was terrifying to an absolute extreme! Who could guarantee that when slaying someone, their power would not be a fraction too much or a fraction too little? That just as the opponent died, the sword intent dissipated and the energy vanished? "The former means the opponent was an expert; the latter means the opponent was not just an expert, but one at the absolute pinnacle of the sword dao!" After making his judgment, Li Hao continued forward and came upon the first room. Opening the door... it was very simple: bedding, decorations, table, and chairs... Beyond that, there was nothing. As for the person who had lived inside, who knew whether they had died fighting outside or had departed long before to wage war. Most of the Li family members here had likely gone out on campaign. Those left behind were probably a gathering of the elderly, the weak, women, and children. Li Hao frowned. "When the Sword Venerable went on campaign, the Li family experts would certainly have followed. For an Immortal like Ninth Division Commander to remain in Battle Heaven City and not go along is understandable. But if Li Daoheng was an expert, perhaps even a Heavenly King... could the Sword Venerable not see it? Why leave this man behind?" Could the strongest being in the world truly fail to see Li Daoheng's strength? Then why... when the Li family experts had all marched off, and leaving a few Saints to guard was understandable, would even a Heavenly King be left behind if Li Daoheng was one? The mysteries grew deeper and deeper. Li Hao continued forward, walking through the entire Li compound, and soon furrowed his brows. He seemed... not to have seen the Sword Venerable's residence. As a Sovereign-level existence, his residence should not have been so ordinary. Throughout the entire Li compound, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Li Hao frowned. Not only that, the library in the compound was empty as well. The treasury seemed empty too. In any case, wherever he looked, everything was bare, swept completely clean. "Nothing gained!" Aside from comprehending many different sword intents, he had truly gained nothing. Li Hao smiled bitterly! Truly... helpless! In such a massive Sword City, the most important place should have been right here. Yet in the end, there was nothing. Was he going to make this trip in vain? He had risked being struck down by a Sovereign to infiltrate Sword City. He had hoped to find some gains here that could help him deal with the Sovereign. Good grief, there was nothing at all! Did the Sword Venerable not live here? Li Hao sank into deep thought. After pondering a moment, he suddenly floated into the air and looked across the entire great city. Many places throughout the city had sword intent wafting through them. Aside from this place, there was one other location where the sword intent was thick. Li Hao's heart stirred, and he hurried over toward that direction. It was said that Sword City had a Sword Tree as its guardian demon plant, which had certainly been left behind. Had that tree been slain, or something else? It should be a definite Saint-level expert. ... Li Hao soared through the air. Because Sword City was currently moving and the Sovereign was nowhere to be seen, he grew much bolder, descending swiftly at that spot. Soon, his heart stirred. He stepped back from the area once again. This appeared to be an academy! "Modu Martial Arts University—Sword City Branch!" Li Hao landed before the main gate, his mind racing. This place... seemed to have very little fame; he had rarely heard anyone mention it. Modu Martial Arts University! The place where the Human King had studied back then, where the Sword Venerable had taught, where an entire host of Sovereigns had been born. Zhang An had once studied at Modu Martial Arts University as well, and countless experts had studied there. Yet Silver Moon had a branch of Modu Martial Arts University? It had zero renown! He knew of Silver Moon Martial Arts University, which was the academy for cultivating the descendants of the Eight Great Families, as well as Yuanping Martial Arts University, which was the academy for cultivating Sovereign descendants. A university as renowned as Modu Martial Arts University should have carried significant fame if it had a branch, especially located inside Sword City. In truth, none of the eight main cities had martial arts universities; they shared only a single martial arts university, Silver Moon Martial Arts University. Aside from that, no martial arts universities were established within the eight main cities. Primary and secondary schools, however, were plentiful. "Strange... I have never heard anyone mention it. Even Ninth Division Commander never spoke of it. If Sword City had a martial arts university, why would Ninth Division Commander have gone to Silver Moon Martial Arts University?" Li Hao felt somewhat puzzled. The Sword Venerable had once been a teacher at Modu Martial Arts University, so establishing a branch here was natural enough, but why was it devoid of fame? Nor had he ever heard of anyone hailing from this branch. The academy's gate was grand, and judging by its appearance, the grounds covered a sizable area. The second-densest sword intent in the city was right here. The surroundings were utterly desolate, with virtually no other structures. Li Hao looked at the large characters outside the school gate, finding them somewhat dazzling. Could these... have been personally written by the Sword Venerable? Li Hao drew near at once! Looking closely, he faintly sensed the sword intent. Just as he reached out to touch them, with a bang, one of the characters instantly shattered. In an instant, bloody cuts appeared across Li Hao's hand! Li Hao's expression shifted slightly. In the next moment, he let out a cold snort. "Impressive!" The sword intent was potent, and the characters were formidable, but... the characters had actually been gouged away, leaving behind only faint afterimages. Clearly, these characters truly might have been penned by the Sword Venerable, just like the words 'Battle Heaven'. Unfortunately... they had been taken by Li Daoheng. "A full ten characters, eight more than Battle Heaven... Li Daoheng!" Li Hao gritted his teeth. This might have been the greatest harvest of this trip, but good grief, that bastard had gouged them out. What a piece of work. Having blown apart one afterimage, before Li Hao could touch the other characters, all of them suddenly exploded in unison! Ten thousand rays of sword intent erupted. Li Hao retreated instantly, drawing his sword and slashing! Bang! Bang! Bang! In a flurry of clashes, Li Hao shattered all the dispersing sword intent. If someone lacked sufficient strength—if an ordinary Saint had come—they might have been slain on the spot. Was this considered a warning left behind by the other party? Having lost those characters, the school gate that had appeared somewhat magnificent suddenly looked rather destitute. Li Hao stepped into the campus grounds. Here, there were no sword scars; it seemed as though no one had been present back then. The entire school appeared to have been newly built. In Li Hao's mind, a thought faintly took shape. "Could it be... that it was built only later? That before classes could even begin or students could be enrolled, the war broke out, so this place was abandoned before it ever had the chance to gain fame?" That possibility certainly existed. If that were the case... Li Hao felt some regret. For a school that had never opened, the most powerful thing here had likely been those characters. Now that they were gone, it meant virtually nothing good remained in this place. Yet sword intent still wafted from the rear; a battle had likely erupted there. ... As Li Hao walked toward the rear of the academy, a heavily battered, massive tree suddenly halted all movement, returning to dead silence as though completely lifeless. All that remained were trunk-covering sword scars and severed roots, hacked off at the waist. A moment later, a figure appeared. It was none other than Li Hao! And Li Hao saw a tree—one thoroughly shattered, leaving only a stump and severed roots, which were hacked into a tangled mess and planted like sharp swords into the earth. Li Hao froze. "The Sword Tree?" The guardian demon plant of Sword City was not elsewhere, but right here in this newly established campus! Dead! Nearly the entire tree had been reduced to a stump, its roots severed into utter disarray. To ordinary people, it might still count as a treasure, but to Li Hao... it was worthless. This was the region where he had detected exceptionally dense sword intent. He probed carefully and faintly sensed two colliding sword intents. Evidently, Li Daoheng had paid some price to slay the Sword Tree; the two sides had fought a bitter battle here. This tree had been nurtured by the Sword Venerable himself, and it was said the Sword Venerable had always practiced his sword beneath it. This tree could practically be considered a direct disciple of the Sword Venerable; strictly speaking... it could even call the Human King 'Senior Brother'! "The peak of the Saint Dao?" "Even the Sword Tree planted by the Sword Venerable was slain... that fellow is rather terrifying!" Li Hao murmured with regret! With a sigh, he lamented, "A pity for the entire Li family, and a pity this tree couldn't protect Sword City either. It seems the Sword Venerable miscalculated! Starry Sky Sword, we arrived a hundred thousand years too late... Otherwise, we could have tested Li Daoheng's sword!" Silence reigned. No one responded. Only this heavily battered, massive tree stood in this place. Li Hao spoke with immense regret. "It seems there is no hope! Even how to return has become a problem. The Silver Moon world bestowed by the Human King is bound to fall entirely into enemy hands. What a pity, what a pity!" "I originally hoped to find some way here to deal with Zheng Yu, the Sovereign, and Li Daoheng, but in the end, there is nothing!" Li Hao spoke on and on, his tone mournful. The Starry Sky Sword in his grasp trembled slightly, emitting a series of weeping wails. Sword City was gone! At this moment, Li Hao sighed repeatedly, golden light flickering in his eyes as he lamented, "Even if I inherited the Sword Venerable's Sword Eyes, what use is it?" "I am not strong enough... what can I do?" "Cultivating for a single year, I can only kill some pseudo-dao Heavenly Kings... what can I do?" "Everyone says I can restore the Li family's prestige and reclaim the territory belonging to the Li family... but... the enemies are formidable. How am I to take it back?" "Little Sword, oh Little Sword... in this life, there is no hope. Perhaps we cannot even leave this place, and you and I must grow old and die right here!" Filled with bitterness, Li Hao let out a sigh, brandished his long sword, and struck! With essence, energy, and spirit merged into one, the long sword pierced the void in sheer sorrow. "We came too late! Possessing the sword intent of our ancestor, the Sword Venerable, in vain, yet lacking the strength to match it... having cultivated for only one year, time is not on my side!" "The seal is on the verge of breaking, the Sovereign will roam unchecked—such is time, such is fate!" Sword intent swept across heaven and earth! At that moment, from within that heavily battered, massive tree, a faint, almost imperceptible sliver of mental energy surfaced, subtle beyond notice. There was no sound, no movement, only silent observation. Li Hao swung his sword as though utterly despondent, piercing the firmament with a single thrust! In the end, he let out a sigh. "Forget it. If it's gone, so be it. Even the Sword Tree is dead; let me dig out the roots and bury it! When the seal breaks, that will be the moment Sword City is utterly annihilated... Starry Sky Sword, you and I shall be buried with it as well! That is fine too!" He raised his sword, preparing to dig out the roots. ... The broken roots remained motionless. As Li Hao drew near, even raising his long sword to dig, the roots suddenly shuddered, and a burst of sword intent shot straight toward Li Hao! Li Hao gave a start, parrying with his sword! He bellowed, "What monster dares attack the Sword Venerable's direct disciple? I am the Sword Venerable's direct successor, the new master of the Starry Sky Sword! This is Sword City—how dare you act brazenly?" With those words, his long sword slashed straight toward the stump! In that very instant, a heavily battered, tottering phantom surfaced. Looking at its features, it was actually a woman... weak to an absolute extreme. At this moment, countless curses ran through Li Hao's mind! The Sword Tree was female? He had actually noticed something unusual long ago; this place was clearly different. The instant he drew near, he had sensed a touch of peculiarity. Naturally, Li Hao had guessed it might be a descendant of the Sword Tree—like Di Wei! A new tree born of the old tree. Yet looking at it now, that was not necessarily the case. Because this phantom was so frail, so battered. A new tree born of an old tree would not look like this; though Di Wei was also weak, he did not take this form. This was clearly the Sword Tree's phantom—she was still alive! Only... after so many years, had she not recovered in the slightest? Or had her condition been even more dire before, and this current state was already the result of some recovery? Li Hao was secretly delighted; at long last, there was a living creature! As for whether it was a male or female tree... that was not important. The Sword Venerable had never married throughout his life... Li Hao could not be bothered to gossip about such things. Everything he had said just now had been to lure this tree out; she had certainly been afraid that an enemy had arrived! Now that she had revealed herself, that was a good thing! The illusory figure tottered on the verge of collapse, sword intent surfacing from her form. Her features could not be seen clearly... but judging from the phantom, having taken human form, her figure was quite graceful. Paying no heed to Li Hao's descending sword, she merely spoke in an exceedingly weak voice. "How did you come here?" Li Hao paused. "Who are you?" "Why play dumb?" The female Sword Tree seemed to disregard Li Hao's feigned ignorance, her voice faint yet remaining calm. "Didn't you say all that just to lure me out? Now that I have appeared, I only ask you: how did you enter Sword City?" "You are the Sword Tree?" "I am asking you!" Li Hao smiled. "I am worried you are a scout left behind by Li Daoheng. I ask first!" "Hmph!" The phantom shuddered, letting out a cold laugh. "Playing hard to get?" Li Hao smiled as well. "Likewise, I share the same concern! It seems... you are somewhat smarter than other demon plants, rather similar to a demon plant I know." "Who?" "Redwood... Shanqi. Does Senior know him?" "Never heard of him. A nobody!" Fair enough; he was indeed a nobody. In that era, a wild demon plant like Shanqi, a mere Immortal... how could he have caught her eye? She had been the strongest demon plant in all of Silver Moon! A demon plant at the peak of the Saint Dao! At this moment, man and tree stood in mutual confrontation, asking each other questions yet neither willing to answer. "Senior, if you keep stalling with me, you might dissipate!" "So what?" The Sword Tree spoke with a touch of mockery. "I am already half-alive and half-dead, merely dragging out an ignoble existence! If not for witnessing the return of the Starry Sky Sword... do you think I would have paid you any mind?" With that, she let out another cold laugh. "And precisely because the Starry Sky Sword has returned... I imagine you are that beast's man? Back then, he took the Starry Sky Sword away... Now that it has returned, it seems he has found a way to control it!" "Li Daoheng?" "It seems I hit the mark, didn't I?" The Sword Tree sneered. "After so many years, what is his purpose in sending you? Is he worried we haven't died completely? Or is he telling me that he can control the Starry Sky Sword... Ridiculous fellow!" Li Hao smiled. "Li Daoheng? Senior thinks I am Li Daoheng's successor? True enough... the Starry Sky Sword, the Li family bloodline, the Sword Venerable's sword intent... Li Daoheng possesses all of these!" Suspicion was only natural. This was the Sovereign's sealed domain! Could an ordinary person enter this place? Li Hao said with a chuckle, "It is difficult for me to prove anything... Whatever I say, Senior might not believe... How about this: I will casually defend myself. Li Daoheng is a piece of dogshit. His whole family... forget it, I can't curse that. My relationship with Ninth Division Commander Li Daozong is quite good, so I won't curse his family... In his whole life, Li Daoheng hasn't even been worth a pile of shit..." Li Hao's so-called defense consisted of cursing Li Daoheng from head to toe. Once done cursing, he fabricated rumors. "That fellow doesn't like humans; he likes screwing all sorts of disgusting creatures... like a moon. He'd even fuck a moon... utterly anti-human..." "Furthermore, if Li Daoheng has descendants, they'll all be the kind born without an asshole..." "..." Opposite him, the phantom swayed. Vulgar! Was this person... truly Li Daoheng's man? Just as Li Hao had said, it was very difficult for him to defend himself; everything he knew, Li Daoheng knew as well. It proved nothing! His greatest reliance, the Starry Sky Sword, had indeed been taken away by Li Daoheng according to the Sword Tree. Now that Li Hao had brought it back, it was even harder to explain. Crossing the Sovereign's sealed region was also not something an ordinary person could achieve. Perhaps only Li Daoheng could manage it. How could she not suspect him? If Li Hao were in her shoes, he would suspect as well! A torrent of curses actually proved nothing, yet for the Sword Tree, it allowed her to feel somewhat more at ease. Would a proud figure like Li Daoheng permit a junior to insult him in such a manner? Would his successor dare curse him like that? The disdain, contempt, and mockery coming straight from the bones... that sort of state was truly difficult to feign! The Sword Tree phantom lowered her guard ever so slightly. Still, she looked at Li Hao. "How did you enter the Qiankun Eight Trigrams Formation?" "The Starry Sky Sword brought me in!" "I know that. I am asking: how did you cross that Sovereign's sealed region to enter Sword City..." "Like this..." Li Hao vanished in an instant, a peculiar power radiating outward. In the next moment, the Sword Tree dazed slightly. When she snapped back to her senses, her heart was violently shaken! Li Hao, who had been far away from her moments ago, was now standing right before her eyes. Li Hao smiled. "Just like that! I had people launch a fierce attack on the seal to create turmoil, hid myself within the Starry Sky Sword, and shifted over bit by bit using this method. Do you believe me?" The Sword Tree shuddered. "Is this... an illusion, or what?" "I cannot say." The Sword Tree fell silent. This method... was far too formidable! Naturally, she was someone who had seen much of the world, and soon composed herself, asking once more, "Your purpose in coming to Sword City!" "To find treasures, find items, find methods to kill the Sovereign, kill Li Daoheng, and seize the Silver Moon world!" "You are dreaming. Everything is gone. Sword City has been annihilated. Only I remain, dragging out an ignoble existence, leaving behind a wisp of faint origin that has recovered only slightly over a hundred thousand years... Right now, I am probably inferior even to an Immortal... What can you find here to deal with them?" Her voice carried a touch of despondency, a touch of dejection. Li Hao said with a beaming smile, "Where did the Sword Venerable live?" "..." Li Hao smiled. "Don't overthink it. If I were sent by Li Daoheng, I would already know! Not knowing proves I was not sent by him. He has likely searched it already; what use would there be in me searching it again? Of course, since we aren't in league, perhaps I can comprehend the sword intent left behind by the Sword Venerable! My sword intent was learned through the phantoms of the Eight Trigrams Formation; it might not be authentic!" "The Sword Venerable took heaven as his blanket and earth as his bed. Most of the time, he cultivated, usually cultivating beneath my main trunk... What residence was there to speak of!" "That miserable?" "..." Li Hao laughed. "It seems I have truly gained nothing! By the way, the one who slaughtered the Li family was indeed Li Daoheng, correct?" "It was him." "What was his combat strength at the time?" "Heavenly King." "You were at the peak of the Saint Dao, constantly comprehending the Sword Venerable's sword intent, yet you couldn't match him? Even as a Heavenly King... he should have only just advanced, right? If he had advanced long before, the Sword Venerable would have taken him along. Thinking back and forth, he likely broke through to Heavenly King only at the moment the Sword Venerable departed and the Star Gate was sealed... A newly advanced Heavenly King, and an established peak Saint like you couldn't match him?" The Sword Tree fell silent for an instant before speaking. "Just as you said, he broke through only after the Sword Venerable departed, merely an early Heavenly King... his realm was not yet stable. But... I truly failed to defeat him! He was also the only Heavenly King in the city at the time. I was the first to be struck down by him... After that, he slaughtered the entirety of Sword City!" "Why did he want to kill the Li family?" Li Hao asked curiously, "He was of the Li family as well. After the Sword Venerable departed, so long as he didn't expose his betrayal, Sword City wouldn't have noticed. He could have completely commanded the Li family to serve him... With the Li family around... perhaps he could have slain the Sovereign even sooner..." "Given his intellect, I imagine you all never noticed anything amiss until he made his move against you!" The Sword Tree sighed. "You seem to understand him very well. Have you met him?" "In a manner of speaking, once, for just an instant. Whether it was his true body, I cannot be certain." "Yet you understand him so well?" The Sword Tree grew somewhat suspicious. Li Hao smiled. "How normal. One clever person likes to deduce the thoughts of another clever person. It's just... I still haven't figured out why he wanted to slaughter the Li family." "I don't know either." "You don't know?" "If I knew... would I have been struck down by him?" Li Hao thought about it; that did seem to make sense. Li Hao said no more. With a wave of his hand, a chair materialized out of thin air, and he sat down, smiling. "Senior, sit and chat. It is rare to encounter someone still living..." The Sword Tree fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Who are you?" "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Li Hao, of the Li family... though whether I truly am, I don't know! The Starry Sky Sword is my ancestral treasure. Heaven and earth were sealed for a hundred thousand years, and recovery began twenty-one years ago—the very year I was born! Four years ago, my parents died in Silver City. One year ago, I stepped onto the martial path, embarked on vengeance, and fought across the realm. Today, I have achieved modest success, taking charge of the Silver Moon world on the surface!" "Not long ago, after butchering a bunch of Saints and Heavenly Kings, I felt the world was vast and my enemies were many, beyond my match, so I wished to enter the seal to seek another opportunity... and then came to Silver City." The Sword Tree listened in silence. Stepping onto the martial path one year ago, dominating the realm one year later, slaying Saints and Heavenly Kings... the other party was indeed formidable. Yet... this record, reading like a myth, still left her shaken. Naturally, back then, there had also been a person who became invincible throughout the realm in three years: the Neo-Martial Human King. "A favored son of heaven of the new era?" The Sword Tree murmured, "A Li family descendant... What descendants does the Li family have left? Aside from Li Daozong, there is only Li Daoheng... Yet with the Starry Sky Sword on you, perhaps you were merely transformed by the Sword Venerable's intent. The Sword Eyes... are in all likelihood due to the Starry Sky Sword. You do not count as a Li family descendant; at best... you can only be counted as a descendant of the Starry Sky Sword." "..." Fuck your uncle! Li Hao did not want to curse! Yet at this moment, he still wanted to curse! You're the descendant of the Starry Sky Sword! How could someone say something so grating? As a cultured man, he felt that aside from being impolite to the likes of Ying Hongyue and Li Daoheng, he was quite courteous even to Zheng Yu. Yet this tree practically invited curses! However, the Sword Tree soon spoke again. "You... are the prodigy of this era. In this generation, has Heavenly Will been born?" "Yes." "You are a liar!" "What?" "Upon you, I do not sense the slightest presence of Heavenly Will... This place belongs to Silver Moon as well! If you were a child of Heavenly Will, you would not be like this..." Li Hao paused, then broke into laughter. "So you meant that? I was before, but not anymore. Last time, I chopped Heavenly Will into pieces. If Heavenly Will doesn't kill me now, it's already being polite; could it continue to love me?" "..." Those words sounded utterly unreliable! Yet after the Sword Tree pondered for a moment, having reached this stage in a single year... anything was possible. After all, she was not lacking in experience; as a tree planted by the Sword Venerable, her horizons were broad. For such a figure, anything was possible. "You wish to deal with that beast Li Daoheng?" "Naturally!" "Very difficult... He is a peerless genius as well, even though I wish I could kill him this instant! But I must tell you, after a hundred thousand years of time, this person is at the very least a Half-Sovereign. Not only that... he has schemed for many years and might achieve the Sovereign Realm at any moment! Naturally, with the origin severed... even if he becomes a Sovereign, he will not be as formidable as a true Sovereign. However, by then he will no longer be a Half-Sovereign, but a pseudo-Sovereign... an existence far more powerful than a Half-Sovereign!" Li Hao nodded. "I know!" "Then you... still wish to contend with him?" Li Hao said helplessly, "Senior, what kind of words are those? Even if I don't contend with him, he won't spare me! He brought out the Starry Sky Sword and altered our bloodline generation after generation to make me adapt to the Starry Sky Sword and wield it; he must have a purpose! Nothing beyond taking charge of heaven and earth, taking charge of the new dao, taking charge of the Star Gate... In short, he certainly has his own plans. Otherwise, why would he cast the Starry Sky Sword aside?" "You are very clever..." "Just normal deductions, and that counts as clever?" The Sword Tree was choked for words, left speechless for a long time. Li Hao spoke again. "Senior probably still cannot trust me. That is normal. But Senior is on the verge of death, likely with no hope of revenge! Do you want to gamble or not? If you gamble, we continue talking. If not, wasting time is meaningless! If you lose the gamble, Senior loses nothing, because you believe no one can beat that fellow!" "If you win the gamble, I can kill him, and you win big! Enormous profit without risking capital—are you willing to gamble?" Li Hao spoke directly and crisply. Who had the time to earn your trust bit by bit? There was no time! Besides, with just the two of them, how was he supposed to earn her trust? Flatter you? Would that work? Not in the slightest! Laying all cards on the table, a choice of two: gamble or not! This tree certainly held onto something. The reason he thought so was that this tree possessed an intense will to survive, just like Di Wei. Why? Di Wei had to guard the Imperial Palace's traveling estate! And this tree... certainly had something she could not let go of as well; otherwise, death would have been certain! Speaking up to this point, Li Hao added, "Furthermore, your origin path must have been severed by him! With your Great Dao severed, you were still able to survive. Though I couldn't be bothered to guess, I made a guess anyway: inside Senior's body, there must be a treasure left behind by the Sword Venerable that preserved your life! Perhaps Senior is guarding this very thing... Naturally, that is merely a guess." Li Hao continued, "This city can still function and hasn't fallen apart due to everyone's death; perhaps... some treasure exists that stabilizes this city as well! In addition, if Senior truly had nothing to rely on and had no options left, then upon seeing me—regardless of whether I was sent by Li Daoheng—you should have grabbed onto this final lifesaver. Yet Senior did not, testing me repeatedly instead. It seems you still possess some reliance!" "I already said I have killed Heavenly Kings, yet you remain so calm. Could there be a way in this city to deal with a Heavenly King? Naturally, a Heavenly King of today, not back then; otherwise, you would have dealt with Li Daoheng long ago!" "..." Li Hao looked left and right, weighing his thoughts, pointing out suspicion after suspicion. Finally, he added, "There may still be living beings in this city, more than just Senior alone. Senior stalled for so long perhaps waiting for other living beings to gather, maybe even hoping to capture me!" Li Hao sat in complete ease, even leaning back, and chuckled. "Don't bother. Your methods against enemies were nothing special, yet you have plenty of tricks against your own people. What is the point?" The Sword Tree uttered not a single word! The young man before her eyes did not resemble a youth in the slightest; he was like an ancient monster! After a long silence, the Sword Tree spoke. "On what grounds should I believe you?" Li Hao smiled. "On no grounds. I have said so much, yet you don't even believe someone who killed a Heavenly King in one year... If you can find a second person, go find them! If you can find another person who crossed the Sovereign's seal, go find them too... Otherwise, I have no way of making you believe me!" At this moment, it was the Sword Tree's turn to be conflicted. After a long time, she spoke again. "Wait for a while. Let me consider..." "Truly... forget it, suit yourself!" Li Hao smiled. "May I walk around the city? In Sword City, aside from here, is there anywhere else worth visiting?" The Sword Tree pondered for a moment, then spoke. "To the west of the city, there is a cliff where the Sword Venerable once cultivated for a period of time. You may go take a look!" "Very well, many thanks!" Li Hao vanished in an instant, departing from this place in the blink of an eye. Giving them some space! Long after he departed, a shattered stone flew over, landing upon the broken stump. After another moment, an even more battered seal flew over, landing upon the stump as well. At this moment, the supreme council of Sword City seemed to have commenced. A severed tree, a shattered stone, a battered seal.