Only after getting far away from that deadly plaza and ducking back into their previous alley did the group finally calm down.
Li Hao exhaled softly.
Every corner of this ancient city was fraught with danger.
They did not dare enter any of the shops lining either side of the street. Li Hao had originally wanted to investigate, but both he and Liu Long had felt an impending sense of crisis at the same time—the instinctive warning of a martial master.
Not daring to enter, the two had retreated back into the alley.
They had no idea what danger lurked inside those buildings. Could black-armored soldiers be inside them as well?
Regardless, those places were no sanctuary.
Looking at the energy storage box in his hands, Li Hao considered for a moment, then turned to Liu Long and Liu Yan. "Boss, Sister Yan, please watch both ends of the alley for me. I want to cultivate for a bit."
"Now?"
Liu Long frowned slightly. Now was hardly the time or place to cultivate.
As for Li Hao cultivating while they stood guard, that was not an issue in itself.
After reaching Thousand-Battler, pure mysterious energy was no longer of much use to him.
Just like Yuan Shuo, who had stopped caring much about mysterious energy until Li Hao became able to purify and extract the five elemental energies to strengthen the internal organs. Only then did it become greatly beneficial to him.
Liu Long was in a similar position, so he had no desire to share the mysterious energy Li Hao seized.
And Liu Yan, naturally, had even less reason to object.
She knew Li Hao possessed a special kind of energy that aided martial masters immensely.
At a critical juncture like this, cultivating might allow Li Hao to take another step forward and break into Thousand-Battler. If he did, it would benefit them all.
"Yes, now!"
Li Hao nodded. "Some supers from the minor organizations escaped. They're bound to run into the people coming up behind them and join forces. With enough numbers, the black-armored soldiers might not be able to stop them. We don't dare venture into the inner city, so we'll run into them sooner or later... I want to take this chance to see if I can step into Thousand-Battler."
Liu Long pressed no further. He swiftly made his way to the end of the alley facing the inner city and crouched down, keeping silent vigil.
His main job there was to watch for approaching black-armored soldiers.
Liu Yan headed to the other end.
Li Hao took several deep breaths, determined to seize this final opportunity. He did not have much sword energy left. In the end, his teacher had chosen to absorb the power of the Red Shadow rather than the sword energy, clearly intending to preserve that little bit for him.
He probably hoped Li Hao could use the opportunity to break into Thousand-Battler.
Momentum—Li Hao currently grasped two kinds.
Neither was particularly powerful, merely initial forms of momentum. Yet if he could fuse the two, he might bolster both momentums and step into Thousand-Battler.
Fusion...
Between sword and earth, there was really no natural catalyst for fusion.
Yet his teacher had managed to fuse all Five Animals momentums; clearly, fusing momentum required both talent and technique.
According to his teacher, there were always commonalities between any forms of momentum. Once you identified those shared points, amplified them, and began working from there, you stood a chance of fusing them.
It sounded simple, but was extraordinarily difficult.
Li Hao's most urgent task was not fusing momentum, but strengthening his five internal organs.
Fusing momentum and advancing to Thousand-Battler would depend on circumstances.
Strengthening the five organs was the true way to lay a foundation. Once he reached Thousand-Battler, he could quickly move to Spirit Nourishing in his organs rather than grinding away slowly. He needed to temper them to the point where nourishing a spirit in one organ would not cause the other four to shatter.
Before the Five Animals Breathing Art was revised, the only people in the contemporary martial world who could nourish a spirit without shattering their organs—aside from Yuan Shuo—were probably veteran martial masters who had spent decades at Thousand-Battler.
After decades at Thousand-Battler without finding a way forward, those veterans would subconsciously strengthen their internal organs. Forging strength both internally and externally was another goal martial masters pursued.
For a novice martial master like Li Hao, strengthening the organs without elemental energy was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Reaching into the energy storage box, he drew out a piece of human bone.
Traces of blood still clung to it, but Li Hao was long past being perturbed. He probed it with his senses and identified the energy—fire energy, which was relatively common.
Strengthen the heart among the five organs!
Circulating the Five Animals Breathing Art, the small sword at his waist slowly exuded slivers of sword energy.
Compared to before... Li Hao could only rue his past extravagance. In his ignorance, he had squandered it recklessly, even letting the dog use a great deal. Feeling this faint trickle of sword energy now, he could only regret his earlier wastefulness.
Fortunately, though slower, the sword energy was still effective at stripping away mysterious energy.
Fire elemental energy was quickly stripped out.
The stripped non-elemental energy tempered his physical body, while the fire elemental energy began to strengthen his heart.
He did not know which Lunar Nether super this bone had belonged to; it did not contain much mysterious energy, and before long, it was completely absorbed.
Li Hao continued.
It was said that mysterious energy could be found in the secret lands and ruins of major organizations, and certain Origin God Armaments could even produce it spontaneously or through specific methods. The mysterious energy contained in human bodies was actually of the lowest quality and least cost-effective.
Regrettably, Li Hao currently had no choice but to rely on this method, primarily because his consumption was simply too immense.
To strengthen his organs enough to nourish the Heart Fire Ape, Yuan Shuo had directly absorbed one thousand cubic units of fire energy.
If Li Hao wanted to reach Yuan Shuo's level—even if slightly weaker—each of his organs had only absorbed around two hundred cubic units of the respective five elements energy previously. Now, he would need to absorb at least another eight hundred cubic units of each to safely nourish a spirit.
Of course, strengthening all five organs at once was tremendously difficult; he could prioritize one organ first.
At this point, Li Hao cast caution to the wind.
He would absorb whatever he could get, as much as possible.
He was not picky right now; any energy would do.
Wind energy could lighten his body.
Lightning energy could toughen his physique.
All of these could be absorbed.
The key problem remained the shortage of sword energy. He wondered if this ancient city would offer an opportunity to replenish it; after all, the city seemed to share a real connection with the Eight Great Families.
One minute, five minutes... ten minutes...
Half an hour passed before another rumble of thunderous booms echoed from the distance.
Moments later, Liu Long swiftly returned, looking grave. "Wrap up your cultivation as soon as possible. Just now, a hundred-man squad of black-armored soldiers marched past outside, likely heading off to intercept those people. And it wasn't just black armor... In that hundred-man squad, I saw what might be a centurion. His armor had a bronze tint!"
Following the black armor, a soldier in bronze-colored armor had appeared.
The black-armored soldiers possessed strength around Lunar Nether. What about the bronze-armored one?
Solar Radiance?
These soldiers coordinated seamlessly and were seemingly unkillable. How strong would a bronze-armored soldier at the Solar Radiance level be?
Even the black-armored soldiers had slaughtered several Solar Radiance supers earlier.
Could this bronze-armored soldier rival Three Sols?
Li Hao's gaze turned serious. He quickly halted his absorption; there was not much left anyway, and this haul had been decent.
In total, he had absorbed around eight hundred cubic units of mysterious energy, leaving him feeling completely stuffed.
However, the five elements energies were unevenly distributed. Fire energy predominated, accounting for at least three hundred cubic units.
As for the others, he had absorbed no water energy at all, though he had gotten metal, wood, and earth. Consequently, his kidneys were noticeably behind his other four organs right now.
"Let's go have a look!"
Li Hao got to his feet, and the two swiftly regrouped with Liu Yan at the front.
Liu Yan spoke in a low, tense whisper. "Be careful. Something wasn't right on this street just now..."
Not right?
It was dim here—had she spotted the bronze armor?
As Li Hao wondered, Liu Yan said in a hushed tone, "Just now... I'm not sure if it was because of the fighting ahead, but an earth super crept around from that direction. A black-armored patrol was passing by, so the guy ducked into one of the buildings. A bloodcurdling scream rang out instantly, and then... dead silence!"
Evidently, someone had thought to let the others tie down the black-armored soldiers while they slipped ahead to explore. Upon spotting the patrolling soldiers, they had ducked into a building, only to run straight into peril.
Dead!
Li Hao and the other two poked their heads out, looking at the buildings on either side of the alley. They seemed exceptionally eerie now.
The banners still fluttered, but none of them harbored the slightest thought of investigating inside.
BOOM!
Even as they watched, thunderous blasts rang out from a street away. The disturbance was far greater than before—clearly, top-tier powerhouses had stepped into the fray.
Multiple Three Sols powerhouses had arrived this time.
No matter how strong the black-armored soldiers were, they were only at the Lunar Nether level.
With Three Sols present, the black armor could stir up no great waves. Even being unkillable could not bridge such an enormous disparity in power.
Explosions roared continuously. Li Hao and the others even caught a booming shout: "The strength of these black-armored soldiers lies in their armor, and their source of power comes from the ground! Earth supers, spread a layer of stone across the ground to sever their power supply!"
Li Hao did not know how the battle unfolded after that command.
At this moment, Li Hao drew a sharp breath.
Who was that?
Impressive!
Only now did Li Hao realize why the black-armored soldiers never left the ground. He already knew the ground was special, but he had not expected that powerhouse to deduce the crux of the matter in the blink of an eye.
The black armor's power came from beneath the earth!
That meant the ground supplied the black armor with energy, allowing them to remain immortal and perpetually combat-ready.
Liu Long's eyes flickered. "The black armor... so as long as we keep these soldiers off the ground, we can deal with them?"
Li Hao frowned. "That might not be good news. Once those soldiers are taken care of, these people will run into us before long!"
He did not know why the three of them had appeared ahead of everyone else, but right now, the Night Watchers were behind.
Going by the order of entry, those arriving ahead of the rest were likely Sword Gate and Yama.
Sword Gate's stance was hard to say, but Yama... they were definitely enemies.
"Let's go take another look!"
Li Hao decided to observe further.
The one who shouted earlier was likely a Yama powerhouse. It did not sound like the Wheel-Turning King, so it was probably their other Three Sols expert—the one who had barely spoken before. His keen eye was truly formidable.
...
By the time Li Hao and his companions crept back into position, a fierce battle was in full swing.
It was indeed Yama and Sword Gate.
From Li Hao's observations, Sword Gate had two Three Sols. Aside from Hong Yitang, there was a woman—whether she was Hong Yitang's wife, mistress, or disciple, he had no idea.
Whatever the case, Li Hao did not care.
The two factions were currently allied, fielding a total of four Three Sols powerhouses, including a peak Three Sols existence like Yama's Wheel-Turning King.
At present, most of the Three Sols experts held back... No, Yama's metal super had joined the fray.
He was battling the bronze-armored soldier Liu Long had mentioned.
The other Three Sols powerhouses were mostly observing.
As for the black-armored soldiers, quite a few had fallen, and several were being suppressed by earth supers!
Li Hao spotted Hu Po—Li Dahu—throwing a punch that descended with the crushing weight of Mount Tai, trapping and sealing a black-armored soldier inside a mound of earth, cutting it off completely.
Trapped in this manner, the black-armored soldier struggled at first, but gradually ceased moving altogether.
Li Hao's eyes twitched. Major organizations truly operated on a different level.
The minor factions earlier had boasted plenty of Solar Radiance supers, yet had been utterly suppressed by a handful of black-armored soldiers. Now, even without many experts actively fighting, these groups had swiftly shattered the joint formation of over a hundred black-armored soldiers.
One black-armored soldier after another was suppressed.
Before long, they were either sealed away or severed from their connection to the ground, their strength steadily waning.
Between the two major organizations and the remnants from the minor factions, their numbers totaled seventy or eighty people—not much fewer than the black armor. With Three Sols experts presiding over the field, the battle was practically one-sided.
The Lunar Nether black-armored soldiers were suppressed so thoroughly they could barely fight back. In the blink of an eye, only a dozen or so black-armored soldiers and the bronze-armored warrior remained in the fight.
This time, Sword Gate and Yama's side had lost only a dozen or so people—vastly better than the slaughter before.
Li Hao and his companions held their breath.
It was fortunate they were martial masters; otherwise, they would never have dared spy from such close range.
Powerful!
Only now did the three truly witness the terrifying might of the major organizations.
The metal Three Sols expert relentlessly suppressed the bronze-armored soldier. Although the bronze armor only possessed mid-tier Solar Radiance strength, protected by that suit of armor, its defense seemed nearly impregnable. Any earth-element seals cast by the others were shattered instantly; sealing this bronze armor proved exceedingly difficult.
At the rear, the Wheel-Turning King frowned slightly. "It only has the strength of mid Solar Radiance, yet blade and spear cannot pierce it, and even a Three Sols cannot breach this armor... This armor is an extraordinary treasure in its own right!"
If nothing else, claiming these suits of armor would make this expedition a massive windfall!
The armor on those hundred-plus black-armored soldiers was also extraordinary.
Taken outside, it could be used to train an elite strike team—though it felt far better suited for martial masters!
Martial masters had no supernatural fluctuations, and this armor seemed capable of cloaking presence. Paired with a martial master's formidable physique... if these black armors were equipped onto martial masters...
The Wheel-Turning King's thoughts raced.
Currently, martial masters were showing signs of resurgence thanks to Yuan Shuo. In truth, major organizations had never entirely abandoned cultivating martial masters, though primarily as a reserve pool for supers.
But what if martial masters were outfitted with this armor?
The armor offered immense defense against supernatural attacks!
As long as the martial master inside wasn't battered to death, a Hundred-Breaker martial master might well contend with a Solar Radiance super.
As he spoke, he reached out, snatching a black-armored soldier straight into his grasp.
Such was the terrifying might of a peak Three Sols powerhouse.
He held it firmly, allowing the black-armored soldier to struggle for a moment until its drive steadily drained away.
He scrutinized it closely, brow furrowing slightly. "Inside... it's not a person?"
It didn't seem to be human!
He was not sure what it was. At the moment, opening the black armor was tricky. Forcing it open was an option; with his power, a suit of soldier armor at the Lunar Nether level could not withstand his strikes.
Yet this was a treasure... and wasn't exploring ruins all about seizing treasures?
Once the soldier lost its connection to the earth, the armor gradually felt light and hollow, as if stripped of its former support.
Hong Yitang spoke up: "Wheel-Turning King, open one up and take a look. Let's see what kind of structure allows these things to persist here for so long!"
The Wheel-Turning King considered for a moment, then nodded.
A wind blade materialized in his hand.
Infused with the power of peak Three Sols, the razor-sharp wind blade sliced smoothly through the black armor in a single stroke.
Armor that Lunar Nether and Solar Radiance supers could not scratch was effortlessly sliced open by him.
In that moment, not just the experts present, but Li Hao and his companions watching from afar stared intently... Though their view was somewhat obscured, they were equally curious as to what lay inside.
"Huh?"
A murmur of shock and confusion rippled across the clearing.
Hong Yitang's voice held genuine shock. "Withered bones?"
At those words, Li Hao and his companions felt a jolt in their hearts.
Dry bones?
There was truly someone inside?
The Wheel-Turning King was astonished as well. "They really... are soldiers! Dead soldiers, but still... This city actually used these armors and martial masters as soldiers in the past?"
Incredible!
Now that he had opened the armor, there truly was a person inside... but only decayed, withered bones. The instant the armor was breached, the bones crumbled into dust and scattered on the breeze.
Gone in an instant!
The bones had been preserved solely due to the hermetic seal of the armor.
The moment it was opened, they turned to powder.
The Wheel-Turning King examined the armor and glanced at Hong Yitang. Hong Yitang's eyes flickered, and he promptly said, "If Yama wants these, they naturally belong to Yama... However, should other treasures appear later, Sword Gate cannot leave empty-handed either. What do you think, Wheel-Turning King?"
Clearly, he knew the Wheel-Turning King had set his sights on this armor.
Even though it seemed unable to continuously recharge energy once severed from this place's unique terrain, its craftsmanship and durability alone made it an extraordinary treasure.
If they could replicate it and forge an army of martial masters... the possibilities were staggering.
"Very well. My thanks to Sect Master Hong!"
The Wheel-Turning King smiled. Even if Hong Yitang had demanded a share, he wouldn't have wanted to part with it, but the man was a Three Sols expert backed by several Solar Radiance supers. With the perils of the ancient city looming before them, falling out was ill-advised.
Hou Xiaochen had been right: once they experienced the dangers here firsthand, they would have little appetite for infighting.
This hundred-man squad alone had already cost them numerous lives.
Together, the two major organizations had lost roughly a dozen people, while the rogue supers had lost around twenty earlier. In this short span, over thirty supers had perished.
And this expedition only comprised about two hundred supers in total.
They had barely penetrated the shallow outskirts, yet a sixth of their force was already wiped out. Though most of the dead were Lunar Nether with only a few Solar Radiance among them, out in the world, every one of them was an elite!
Those who came to explore this ruin represented the pinnacle of the Silver Moon supernatural realm.
It was best that Hong Yitang showed such tact.
"Yaocheng, finish off this bronze-armored soldier quickly!"
Yaocheng was Yama's Three Sols powerhouse.
Hearing the Wheel-Turning King's command, he said hastily, "My Lord, I was merely reluctant... to damage this armor!"
Bronze was even more powerful!
It was not that he couldn't defeat his opponent; he simply loathed the thought of ruining it.
As a metal super, direct offense was his forte. He was more than capable of taking down a mid Solar Radiance bronze-armored soldier, but if he shattered the armor in a heavy assault and couldn't repair it, what then?
"Fair enough..."
The Wheel-Turning King thought it over and felt similarly reluctant.
Metal supers excelled at little else; in his eyes, they were somewhat clumsy in situations like this.
Naturally, he did not say that aloud.
The next moment, a gale swept through. The bronze-armored soldier had been fighting relentlessly as if tireless, but the howling hurricane swept it clean into midair.
The winds instantly condensed into chains, binding the bronze soldier in the blink of an eye!
It hung suspended in midair.
This action did not provoke an aerial strike from above. Clearly, whatever defended the skies did not attack these armored soldiers.
The bronze-armored soldier struggled violently!
Yet it was futile.
The Wheel-Turning King was a peak Three Sols powerhouse wielding an Origin God Armament, standing at the very summit of Silver Moon.
A mere bronze-armored centurion stood no chance against him.
Severed from the earth, its energy supply seemed cut off, and the bronze soldier's struggles gradually grew faint.
Just as the Wheel-Turning King thought the matter settled, however—
The bronze-armored soldier abruptly erupted with light and blew apart in an instant!
"What?!" The Wheel-Turning King's face changed. It exploded?
Self-detonation?
How could that be!
In his view, these soldiers operated purely on instincts left over from the ancient civilization. Having died countless millennia ago, they possessed no intellect—merely residual directives compelling them to execute ancient military orders and eliminate intruders.
Yet now, captured and cut off from its power source... why would it self-destruct?
And that formidable armor had actually shattered to pieces!
Why?
Unless... it was not the soldier detonating itself, but the armor possessing built-in fail-safes—such as automatically destroying itself if deprived of energy replenishment for too long.
He hastily checked the black armors. Seeing they remained intact, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Frowning, he murmured, "The bronze armor was likely higher-grade equipment. Perhaps the master of this ancient city did not want bronze armor falling into outside hands, so it self-destructs upon losing power. The black armor must have been standard-issue gear, without such directives programmed into it."
With his sharp judgment, he quickly deduced the reason behind the self-destruction.
Still, it was quite a pity.
That meant they could only take back black armor this time. As for the bronze armor... he did not know if such directives could be overridden, and uncovering that would likely require entering the inner city.
Yaocheng, the metal expert, spoke up: "My Lord, the Night Watchers have explored this place multiple times. Could they also possess some black armor? They've never disclosed a word about it before."
Did the Night Watchers have some?
The Night Watchers had entered several times; they couldn't possibly have left empty-handed every time.
They probably had some!
Perhaps the Night Watchers had already secretly trained a cadre of martial masters to wear this armor. If so... they had hidden their strength remarkably well.
They had only entered once, and if they retreated now to wait for the gate to open at midnight, they could already haul away a hundred suits of black armor.
The Night Watchers' Silver Moon branch wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but they weren't weak either. If they came again and again—even just once a month—three years had passed since they discovered the ruins.
Thirty-six expeditions!
Even if they hadn't struck it rich every time, without being too greedy, they could easily have amassed over a thousand suits of black armor.
The thought sent a chill down their spines.
Could it really be?
If so, the Night Watchers had concealed their cards too deeply. Even if they had lacked enough martial masters initially, three years was plenty of time to train a batch.
The Wheel-Turning King said nothing at first, lost in recollection. Then he murmured, "I can't speak for the Night Watchers' Silver Moon branch... but these black armors remind me of something. They say the central region has an Imperial Guard made entirely of heavy-armored martial masters! When pacifying the realm back then, that heavy-armored guard appeared and swept away all opposition. Do you suppose the Heavenly Star imperial family discovered a ruin like this back then?"
His mind had turned to the imperial family.
The Heavenly Star imperial family had risen with astonishing speed, rapidly forging a mighty army. At its core was the Imperial Guard, overwhelmingly powerful. Back before supers rose to prominence, their martial masters clad in heavy armor had been virtually invincible!
Could it be... this ancient city was not unique?
If that were the case, it only underscored this city's supreme importance. They didn't know how much black armor remained, but if there was an abundance, grinding them down bit by bit...
Perhaps they too could forge an army of their own.
A terrifying prospect!
"No matter. Collect these black armors and press forward..."
"My Lord, we're still pushing forward?"
Someone asked.
The harvest was already enormous. If they kept going, would they run into even more black-armored soldiers?
After all, their numbers were limited.
The Wheel-Turning King considered this. "Yaocheng, take a few people and scout ahead. We will wait here for Red Moon and the others to catch up. Entering first yields greater rewards, but the danger and cost are far too high. We've lost too many people; if this happens a few more times, our strength will be depleted... Send a detachment to scout the path first!"
At the very least, they needed intel.
He cautioned further, "Remember: keep supernatural fluctuations to a minimum. Make no noise and show no light, or you will draw the black armor's attention. Above all, do not take to the air—that is where true death lies!"
The metal Three Sols expert hesitated briefly, but quickly accepted the order.
Whether black or bronze armor, neither could easily harm him for now. The danger was manageable as long as he didn't wander blindly and kept on track toward the inner city.
With a wave of his hand, he led seven or eight experts deeper down the street, treading with utmost care and strictly containing their mysterious energy to avoid triggering a larger encirclement.
Hong Yitang whispered a few instructions, and several Sword Gate members headed out as well.
Several surviving rogue supers traded furtive glances, and soon a few of them ventured out too. The two major factions did not stop them; if those people were willing to risk their necks scouting, all the better.
Had earlier survivors not brought back warnings, rash attempts to fly would have cost countless more lives.
Thus, rogue supers had their uses at times.
As for them picking up scraps of benefits... what did that matter?
No individual haul could compare to what major organizations reaped. In this engagement alone, Yama had effortlessly claimed over a hundred suits of black armor.
Of course, the Wheel-Turning King was no fool either.
He promptly took the black armor and the remaining forces, retreating out of the plaza.
Remaining in that area might draw even more black armor. While he did not fear them, he did not know how many there were; if they proved endless, his forces would eventually be whittled down to nothing.
The street fell quiet once more.
Only this time, shadows flickered in the darkness. More than twenty people from the two factions and rogue groups had entered this street.
Among them was a Three Sols powerhouse.
...
By now, Li Hao's trio had already slipped away.
Back inside their alley, Liu Long sighed softly. "Three Sols... truly terrifying!"
Now more than ever, he admired Yuan Shuo.
Both were Thousand-Battlers, yet Yuan Shuo had slain Three Sols. As for himself, seeing Yaocheng battle that bronze-armored soldier, he knew he was no match.
And seeing the Wheel-Turning King effortlessly bind the bronze soldier, Liu Long knew the man could likely kill him in an instant.
The chasm was simply too vast!
Yet Yuan Shuo had shattered that divide. Thinking back to how he had once believed reaching Thousand-Battler would put him on equal footing with Yuan Shuo... the more Liu Long thought about it, the more humbled he felt. Forget it; the gap was worlds apart.
Not to mention, Yuan Shuo had now stepped into the Spirit Nourishing realm.
At this moment, Li Hao whispered, "Never mind that. Boss, when Yama sent people to scout just now, I saw Li Dahu!"
As an earth super, it made sense that he was dispatched to scout.
In a place like this, earth supers were well-suited against the black armor. By sealing off the ground and severing the soldier's power supply, even an early Solar Radiance super like Li Dahu could reliably handle one.
Hearing this, Liu Long nodded slightly, but noted, "I saw Yaocheng with them..."
"Then we follow them and wait for them to split up!"
Li Hao whispered, "They can't stay bunched together forever. Once they stop running into danger, they'll definitely split up to search. A large group draws too much attention. Besides, whether supers or martial masters, who doesn't want to hunt for treasures alone? Now that the outer city of an ancient metropolis lies open before them, do you think they can hold back, Boss? Would Yaocheng really babysit them the entire time?"
Impossible!
At least, Li Hao thought it highly unlikely.
Liu Long's eyes gleamed. He nodded. "Then we tail them!"
Beside them, Liu Yan hesitated. "It's too dangerous. If a fight breaks out, it'll draw the black armor and other experts... Wouldn't it be better to wait until Red Moon and the Night Watchers enter?"
Li Hao swiftly cut in: "No. Once more people flood in, there will be eyes everywhere—that's far more dangerous! Right now, as long as we keep the noise down, they'll just assume the person ran into black-armored soldiers! Because just like us, the black armor emits no supernatural fluctuations..."
At that thought, Li Hao sighed with mild regret. "If only we could get our hands on three suits of black armor. Disguising ourselves as black-armored soldiers would be even better!"
His eyes sparkled. "How about... we go grab three suits first?"
There was a way to deal with them!
The Wheel-Turning King had already demonstrated the method.
All they needed was to cut them off from the ground's energy. Opening them might be tricky... but no matter, they could force them open. If nothing else, his sword could definitely cut through black armor.
So what if it got a little damaged?
Hearing this, Liu Long's eyes lit up, though he cautioned, "It might not work... If we run into real black-armored soldiers, they might see right through us. Otherwise, if the Night Watchers acquired some, couldn't they have disguised themselves and slipped into the inner city already?"
Li Hao nodded. The armored soldiers likely possessed some way to distinguish friend from foe.
However... we aren't trying to infiltrate the inner city, but to pose as black armor to kill!
There was no need to fool the actual black-armored soldiers.
"No matter..."
Li Hao whispered, "Our chances are solid. In the back alley, single black-armored soldiers patrolled several times. Out front here, there's also a lone scout first, followed by a ten-man squad! We take out two lone soldiers first, then figure out how to get the third... Every street seems to have black-armored patrols, and it's always a lone scout ahead of a ten-man squad!"
Their long observation had not been in vain.
A ten-man squad was hard to handle.
Even setting aside whether they could beat ten of them, making too much racket would bring the main force down on them.
As for the lone scout out front, it was probably probing for danger. Li Hao didn't care about that; if the black-armored troops mobilized on a large scale, they would target Yama and the others anyway.
Liu Long thought for a second, then swiftly made up his mind.
"Fine!"
Liu Yan had little say at this stage.
With the decision made, neither of them wasted a moment. Hunched low, they quickly slipped to the end of the back alley and waited for the lone black-armored scout to pass.
They already had a plan in place.
"Boss, I'll unleash earth momentum in a burst to shake the ground and knock the soldier off his feet! Your job is simple: hit him hard and juggle him into the air until he loses the ground's power support and becomes an empty shell! We aren't supers with fancy crowd-control skills, so it's all on you!"
If Liu Long let the soldier touch the ground, all their efforts would go down the drain!
This demanded exceptional control from a martial master.
"Earlier, when Yama's people struck, I watched closely. It took about a minute of separation for the black armor to lose all resistance... Furthermore, the ten-man squad usually arrives about a minute after the scout... So Boss, you also need to find a way to shift him forward as you strike... preferably dragging him into the alley!"
Liu Long drew a breath. *Damn it, your demands on me just keep getting steeper!*
Yet after a moment's thought, he nodded. "Count on me!"
The black armor was only at Lunar Nether, while he was a Thousand-Battler martial master.
Though difficult, it was within his power.
...
A short while later.
A black-armored soldier marched toward them with steady, rhythmic strides.
It surveyed its surroundings mechanically.
The instant it drew near the alley mouth, Li Hao unleashed his earth momentum. He stamped his foot lightly; no sound escaped, but the ground shuddered faintly. The jolt nearly made Li Hao cough up blood—the ground here contained a strange energy that kicked back with fierce recoil!
It had nearly jolted him into vomiting blood!
Fortunately, as he had tested earlier, the momentum's effect took hold.
Sure enough, the tremor knocked the black-armored soldier slightly off the ground.
In that split second, Liu Long burst out like a cheetah. Blindingly fast, his fist struck like an artillery shell, launching the black-armored soldier straight into the air.
Doing this required immense precision and control.
Liu Long's heart was in his throat, but thankfully, the soldier couldn't cry out.
Liu Long coated his fists in surging waves of force as much as possible to muffle the sound.
He dared not leap into the air either, so he could only wait for the soldier to fall, carefully delivering another strike to keep it airborne.
It was like keeping a balloon from touching the floor: he couldn't let it land, but he couldn't strike so hard that it veered off course. If it flew toward the other end of the street, it would soon land right in front of that ten-man squad.
Liu Long was sweating bullets with every blow.
As he kept juggling it, the soldier suddenly twisted in midair, veering off trajectory toward the rear. Liu Long gasped in alarm.
Right at that moment, Li Hao dashed forward and punched out. With a dull thud, he knocked the black-armored soldier back on course.
Both were drenched in cold sweat!
In the dead silence of the street, the crisp impact had carried quite a distance.
Li Hao swallowed hard. As the soldier dropped again, Liu Long didn't hesitate; his hand snapped out, seizing the soldier by the helmet, and yanked it straight into the alley.
Nerves on edge, Li Hao hurried in after him.
Inside the alley, the two frantically battered it upward again.
Time ticked by second by second.
Gradually, the soldier ceased resisting...
The next moment, Li Hao grabbed its legs while Liu Long locked its head, pinning the black-armored soldier firmly to the ground without making a sound as they waited.
Sure enough, footsteps approached once more.
A patrol squad marched past the mouth of the alley.
They waited until the footsteps faded into the distance. Both men were soaked in sweat.
The black armor they held had gone completely inert.
Li Hao smiled, and Liu Long chuckled as well.
First one secured!
Li Hao ran his hands over it. The suit seemed seamlessly forged, with no visible opening to step into. There might be some special method to don it, but now was no time to search for latches.
Grasping the Starry Sky Sword, he deliberated where to cut so that it could still be worn properly and wouldn't burst open during battle.
"Cut the crotch!"
Liu Long whispered, "Cut a slit there and crawl in! While we martial masters don't usually practice bone-shrinking techniques, we can manage it if needed... Nobody pays attention to the crotch, so it's less noticeable!"
Slitting the crotch and squeezing in from underneath would keep the damage relatively inconspicuous.
Li Hao thought it through and nodded.
Not a bad idea.
Without delay, he drew the blade across the armor. As expected, the sharpness of the Starry Sky Sword was beyond question; armor that Solar Radiance supers could not shatter yielded smoothly beneath his blade, opening a slit.
Liu Long said nothing, but his conviction only solidified.
*This is the Li family sword!*
Incomparably sharp!
Through the slit, Li Hao caught a glimpse of white bones that instantly disintegrated into powder and vanished within the armor.
Li Hao felt no special sentiment toward these soldiers from an ancient era. Faithfully executing their long-past orders, they were true soldiers; regrettably, Li Hao needed their armor.
He had no time to grieve for the ancients.
Li Hao glanced at himself, then at Liu Long, deciding Liu Long's frame better matched this suit.
"Boss, crawl in!"
Liu Long cursed under his breath, but obediently hoisted the black armor and pushed his head into the crotch slit, his bones popping and cracking as he compressed himself.
After a short struggle, Liu Long forced himself entirely inside.
His legs, however, were still sticking out.
A moment later, Liu Long began trying to draw his legs in. After much squirming, he finally crammed them into the greaves, though the tear at the crotch widened a bit in the process.
Once the armor was on, Li Hao inspected him closely... As long as no one deliberately stared at his crotch, nothing looked particularly amiss.
However, Liu Long had shredded his trousers while forcing his way in. Li Hao couldn't resist whispering, "Boss, your legs are pretty pale. In the dark, they kind of catch the eye!"
There was a slit in the crotch, after all, and no way to sew it shut; the inner thighs showed pale skin.
Liu Long's legs were surprisingly fair.
Liu Long cursed under his breath, his voice muffled and faint through the armor.
Paying no mind to the grumbling, Li Hao ran over to a nearby wall, scooped up some black soot and ash, and quickly smeared it over Liu Long's pale thighs.
That made it much less conspicuous.
Liu Long threw a test punch and remarked with awe, "This armor looks rigid on the outside, but it feels remarkably supple and flexible within. Ancient craftsmanship is truly incredible—it doesn't hinder a martial master's movements at all!"
Heavy, rigid armor was often a hindrance.
Yet here, it didn't impede his performance in the least. Liu Long was deeply impressed; the artisanal craft of the ancient era had truly reached an apex!
"Save the commentary, let's get another one!"
Li Hao had no time for idle chatter. Red Moon and the others had entered not long after Yama, and before long, hordes of supers would converge here. Getting three suits of armor came first.
As for whether Yama and company might also disguise themselves as black armor... only if they were willing to damage the suits. Besides, this armor didn't feel suitable for supers; wearing it would likely insulate and suppress mysterious energy.
Although Li Hao hadn't tested it and was no super, supernatural attacks earlier clearly couldn't penetrate the armor. If energy couldn't pierce it from outside, could it pass through from within?
Unlikely!
Unless they had martial masters put them on... but among the major organizations, the strongest martial master Li Hao knew of was Hong Yitang's daughter, who was only at late Hundred-Breaker. He wasn't worried about her at all.
Everyone else, even Hong Yitang himself, had become supers.
Thus, Li Hao wasn't worried about running into other disguised black-armored soldiers. If they encountered any, those people would be signing their own death warrants: Liu Long was a Thousand-Battler, while anyone from the enemy side—even a Three Sols super—would have their supernatural power suppressed by the armor, rendering them easy prey.
Li Hao and the others embarked on their second hunt.
With prior experience, they were far more adept this time, securing the second suit of armor before long.
Li Hao gave this one to Liu Yan, mainly because she was petite. He feared that if he tried to squeeze in, half his legs would dangle outside.
Acquiring the third proved trickier, as they had to head over to the street where Yaocheng and Yama's scouts were operating to intercept the lone scout there.
With two of them clad in black armor, the trio ran toward the street ahead.
Meanwhile, faint commotion stirred in the outer city—likely other supers running into black-armored patrols.
None of them cared to check; completing their disguise took priority.
...
Snatching the third suit of armor proved thrilling.
Right after taking it down, several supers rushed over. Fortunately, the trio fled fast enough to avoid being spotted, though supers were now appearing on the streets in growing numbers.
Evidently, while they were hunting black armor, Red Moon and other factions had arrived. Although their main bodies held back, scouting parties had been sent ahead.
...
A few minutes later.
Three black-armored soldiers appeared on the street.
They moved somewhat awkwardly, their gait lacking natural fluidity and their footfalls occasionally falling out of sync—slightly off compared to genuine black armor.
A closer look would reveal that the crotch area on each suit was somewhat torn.
Nevertheless, this was the best disguise they could manage.
A squad of three black-armored soldiers was quite out of place compared to the others, who traveled either alone or in ten-man formations. Still, outsiders knew nothing of these patrol patterns, and Li Hao doubted anyone would figure out their secret.
Chapter 89