Star Gate

"Hasn't Head Priest Jiang been using the bones of the Initial Martial god all this time?" Li Hao continued. "Can they really be that god's own bones? What, he dismantled his own skeleton for you guys?

"Having bones from Initial Martial means that someone died for them. Just the ones I've seen you use are sufficient to raise someone to mid or late Sun and Moon. That means the owner of the bones was at least peak Saint, or an Empyrean King." Li Hao asked doubtfully, "Have you guys never wondered where the bones came from when you used them?"

"......"

Dead silence!

The Great Li king looked at Jiang Li, who looked awkwardly back at them.I've... never thought about it. I really thought it came from the god!

Li Hao's right. Who breaks up their own body to give to someone else? These bones must come from someone's death.

The king wanted to scratch his head with bewilderment. He fully appreciated the depths of Li Hao's uncanny abilities now. The kid could always derive some unexpected conclusions through clues that no one paid attention to.

The formation and source of the Forbidden Sea, the bones of Initial Martial that Jiang Li employed...

These clues enabled Li Hao to be certain that there was the corpse of a premier powerhouse resting in the Forbidden Sea. If there was a spirit within the sea, it was most likely from this body.

Ying Hongyue might be searching for it. Li Hao hadn't mentioned his speculations to the man, so Ying Hongyue might be unaware. At the same time, he might also know given how sharp he was. It was only the two leaders of Great Li who weren't that smart!

They'd been here all this time, but never thought twice about anything!

If the Forbidden Sea was reviving, they let the sea revive. There wasn't anything they wondered or doubted about.

Hong Yitang was also lost in thought at what he heard. Was this the case? No one had thought twice about the Forbidden Sea revitalizing. Those from New Martial didn't bat an eye. But Li Hao, he thought about everything he could think of!

Everyone else thought that it made sense for the Forbidden Sea to recover since the rest of the world was as well.

"Do you mean that there may be a corpse in the sea, but that it may be alive again, and very powerful of that?" The king couldn't hold himself any further. "And since Ying Hongyue also has designs on the Forbidden Sea, this will be very dangerous?"

"That's right!"

"The source is here... If there are powerhouses in the sea, then... our god... killed them?" asked the king.

"I don't know, you can ask him yourself. How would I know?"

"Then... the bones I use... may be from that dead powerhouse?" Jiang Li asked with growing awkwardness.

"That's why I want you guys to look for it," Li Hao nodded. "It's very possible for Jiang Li to find the rest of the body through the bones he has. That corpse may be the center of the Forbidden Sea!

"Ying Hongyue is probably looking for it too, since the corpse of a premier powerhouse is an ultimate treasure to everyone. They might be a powerhouse from the Initial Martial era because the bones you use are the white jade bones of Initial Martial!

"Based on what I know, there weren't many who could refine that level of bone. All of them were heavyweights! So no matter how you end up controlling the Forbidden Sea—through the king or Jiang Li, or both of you together, it's a fortuitous opportunity no matter what!

"Exalted emperor may be out of the question, but the threshold of half step emperor is ahead of you and the path right at your feet! As the heir of the Tyrant Sovereign, you need this kind of strength. It's more suited to you than the dao universe!

"Everyone has a strength that is most suited for them. If the Forbidden Sea is formed out of an Initial Martial powerhouse, then it's most suited for the king and head priest of Great Li!"

There was nothing wrong with his words! The king no longer wanted to throw Li Hao out of his nation or punch the young man into a pin cushion. The kid was a brilliant strategist!

The king regarded the priest as his thoughts churned rapidly. Jiang Li was a bit lost in thought and occasionally looked at the temple behind them.

Did our god of Initial Martial really once kill a premier powerhouse? Any who were still alive in those times was at least an Empyrean King, no? Half step emperor would be a very reasonable cultivation level as well.

But isn't our god an Initial Martial heavyweight? So there was infighting among them? Who was the one killed? Who is the one we worship? Why did he kill the other?

He ruthlessly dismantled his fallen enemy's skeleton to turn them into the personal weapons of the nation's head priest. This... was utterly cold-blooded!

Jiang Li was lost in thought. Thus, he missed several meaningful looks cast by the king. The latter had to give up with resignation when he saw how distracted the priest was.

"Do you think the bones will be very strong if the entire skeleton is resurrected?" The king looked at Li Hao.

"If it does come back to life, it will be at least a Saint, even an Empyrean King! They might not be able to leave the Forbidden Sea, but it will be very difficult for you to capture them. I would claim it for myself if that wasn't the case. It's because I'm not confident in my success that I want you guys to think of ways yourself.

"There is no gain without pain. I've given you sufficient clues and information, they should be enough to repay you for your previous help. Therefore, you didn't lose anything last time! If you succeed, I think you'll be a Saint at the very least. If you make good use of this opportunity, there will be a place at the table for you!"

"You're just doing this to attack Ying Hongyue," snorted the king. "Since when are you this kind out of the goodness of your heart?"

"We look at one's actions, not our hearts!" Li Hao laughed. "Never mind why I'm doing this. I'm giving you an opportunity!" Any questions?"

"......" There was nothing to say to that.

"Jiang Li!" the king took a deep breath.

"Here, my king!" Jiang Li quickly replied.

"You and I... will go visit that one! Silver Moon Marquis, you guys can wait here for a second. We'll notify you when we come to a decision!"

"As you wish!" Li Hao grinned broadly.

Jiang Li was slightly conflicted, but didn't say anything as he also followed his king out of the palace.

......

Hong Yitang couldn't help but laugh when the duo was out of sight. "The Great Li king... is a very honest person."

"I'm not plotting secretly against him, this is an open and aboveboard scheme!" Li Hao shook his head. "He has too few chances to grow strong, so this is indeed an opportunity. I would find it weird if he didn't agree to the idea. How would a king forgo the chance to grow strong just because he is afraid of being plotted against?"

There were no further chances in store for the Great Li king. Li Hao had delivered one to his door today. Could he not grasp it?

If he didn't, then the Great Li king was useless.

Someone who'd obtained the heritage of the Tyrant Sovereign would not be so worthless.

Hong Yitang inclined his head; this was indeed a plot out in the open. Li Hao could leave many things unsaid, but he spoke candidly of them all. Hong Yitang hadn't known many of the details beforehand either.

"So you mean that there is an Initial Martial powerhouse dead in the Forbidden Sea and the sea's origin is in Great Li. Therefore..."

The Initial Martial god killed that one? Just how strong was the one who remained in Great Li?

"Who knows who killed who?" Li Hao transmitted with a smile. "Perhaps the one that Great Li worshipped at first is the dead! Who knows?"

The magpie's nest is occupied by the dove?

Hong Yitang's heart shook. That wasn't out of the question. Those in Great Li themselves didn't know who they worshipped. Granted, it was all the same to them as to the victor went the spoils.

......

At the same time, the Great Li divine temple.

The Great Li king adjusted his clothing and strode into the temple. It was very empty and did not have anything like a sculpture in the center. There was something that resembled an altar and some food placed on top of it. This simple and crude structure was the renowned Sun God Temple!

That was the structure's name all these years.

"Bei Wu of Great Li greets our god!" The king inclined his body with great courtesy.

Bei Wu was his real name, but no one ever used it since no one knew it. That was in stark contrast to Li Hao, who traveled the world with his real name when he started out as a weakling. 'Bei' was the character for north and 'wu' the character for martial.

The temple was exceedingly quiet.

The king raised a brow and dropped the pleasantries. "Li Hao, king of Skystar, descendant of the Sword Sovereign, has come to inform us of the revitalization of the Forbidden Sea. He says that there is the corpse of a powerhouse there and a spirit might have been born in it! Ying Hongyue brazenly tries to refine the sea. Our god, can Li Hao's words be trusted?"

Silence.

"He nurses many schemes and thoughts at his young age." An aloof voice sounded in the hall after a while. "This is indeed the case."

The king's heart quailed. It was true! Li Hao was the proud son of heaven in their age, alright! He'd deduced the truth from a few snatches of conversation and clues!

"Then... do the bones that Head Priest Jiang utilize come from the same source as the body in the sea?"

"Yes, I dismantled some of the strongest ones back in the day and threw away most of them..."

Damn!

"So the powerhouse in the sea died at the god's hands?" the king asked with a dry mouth.

"Correct."

"Then..."

"You wish to seize it?" sounded the voice before the king could finish. "They are just discarded bones. Granted, they are indeed an opportunity for you. Since the Forbidden Sea has been born, that means the body has received some blessings from the world. It is different from before!"

"It's said... that it will be difficult to handle, that it might be as strong as a Saint or Empyrean King..." the king said nervously. "Could our god..."

"I'm not going!"

"......" The king's jaw dropped.Why not?? It's just someone you killed before, won't it be the snap of a finger to smack him again? Great Li is the nation that you protect, do you show it so little face?

"Our god, Great Li is on the back foot in the struggle between various sides." Jiang Li took up the line of conversation. "If... we really can claim the Forbidden Sea and expel Ying Hongyue... we will have a chance as well..."

"What chance?" The god was calm. "Do we pin our hopes on you? On Bei Wu? Both of you have mediocre talent and brains. Li Hao has only come to Great Li a few times, but was able to instantly deduce everything in great detail. There are numerous powerhouses beneath his banner and he has too many geniuses to count. Can you guys... defeat him?"

"......" Silence. The king looked around awkwardly. Could he? Probably... not? But he still felt compelled to say, "If I could become a premier heavyweight and fight ten at a time, then even the greatest scheme in the world will be useless!"

I may not be as smart as him, but if I'm stronger, I can just beat him into submission!

"Not to mention, Great Li has the patronage of the senior..."

"I'm staying out of this!"