Star Gate

"I only live here, you and yours are not my descendants," the Initial Martial god's voice rang forth. "We are not of the same people either. Of course, living here for so long has forged a friendly acquaintance between us, which is why I protected all of you a few times!

"As for the corpse in the sea, our score was settled when I killed him! It is to his credit if he has resurrected—it has nothing to do with me! Not to mention, he would not be the same person after coming back to life. It would just be a collection of lingering obsessions.

"The world is not yet complete and he'd be Empyrean King at most. Take care of it yourself if you guys want to make a move against him!"

"......"

Empyrean King at most!

There were too many connotations to this response. So that person might have truly been a half step emperor back in the day, or even exalted emperor—a level beyond what they dared imagine?

Impossible!

If he had been an exalted emperor, then what level was the one before them? Someone who could kill an exalted emperor had to be the Sun God!

"Was this person... an exalted emperor in life?"

"No!" came the god's response. "If he was an exalted emperor, could a mere Forbidden Sea hold him? He was on a similar level to the Zheng young master. Since he's been dead for so many years and the world is newly awoken, he won't be as strong as you guys think!"

But... that was still an Empyrean King!

"This... Empyrean King... Is it the Empyrean King of the senior's understanding, or one of this age?" The Great Li king took a deep breath. He had to make sure!

The Empyrean Kings that those of Initial Martial spoke of were ones that hailed from the age of core origin. Empyrean Kings of this age... were at most the Saints of that age. There was an insurmountable gap between the two.

Additionally, Initial Martial did not make use of core origin! Perhaps the Empyrean King that the god spoke of was a true Empyrean King! That was the half step emperor Zheng Yu!

"This age, of course!" responded the god. "If he was an Empyrean King of my time... the Forbidden Sea would've covered half of the world already. Would it be so small?"

Alright then! That was reassuring. But... it was still unsettling! An Empyrean King was too strong!

Only Li Hao had an Empyrean King in his battle record, and that was after five desolate beasts mysteriously fell to his people. He and the rest of his group then used unknown methods to finally kill that Empyrean King.

As for how precisely he'd managed it, no one knew.

Perhaps even Zheng Yu didn't understand how his father had died. Li Hao's group didn't have the strength to kill the Zheng patriarch even when they worked in conjunction.

"Then... if I can seize the Forbidden Sea, refine it and the body..." said the Great Li king after a while.

"Your heritage is strong. If you succeed, you won't be far from the Saint or Empyrean King level!"

The Great Li king sucked in a sharp breath. Li Hao was right again! He suddenly found the young man to be terrifying. The king had forgotten that the one in front of him was the one who killed that powerhouse and thus someone to be equally, if not more feared.

"Apart from this place, are there any other opportunities in the world for Initial Martial powerhouses to grow stronger?"

"Very few," said the god. "The ones that exist are those such as the one in the seal. Kill him—the corpse of an exalted emperor will be sufficient for you to strengthen yourself with!"

"......"You're spewing complete bullshit!

"The dao universe that the Li descendant holds, for example. You don't have to control it like he does. Just swallow endless dao stars when you enter. Cultivators of Initial Martial strengthen the self. You'll be strong after you devour all of those stars!"

Forget I asked,cursed the Great Li king.

"You don't even dare entertain the thought and only dare curse at me within your heart?" The god was completely unconcerned. "The Tyrant Sovereign would find it an enormous humiliation if he was still alive and learned that his legacy had fallen into your hands!

"That will be all. I have not yet recovered due to the years that the world has spent silent. Figure it out yourself! Someone who hopes for protection by a powerhouse will never become strong himself! Whatever I give to you, I can also give to someone else. If I can give something to you, why shouldn't I give it to Li Hao instead and forge another friendly tie? If you want something, fight for it yourself!"

The king's heart shook.If I want something, I need to fight for it myself!

"Our god, we wish to fight, but we really lack the sufficient strength to!" Jiang Li said hastily. "We are... a bit lost as to how to proceed in this age, given our Initial Martial background."

"Why could Li Hao locate the dao universe himself when he was weak, but you guys couldn't?" sighed the god.

"......" The two were silent.Why do you keep knocking us down? We're not Li Hao. If we were, would there be any room for him? And hasn't there been only one Li Hao in one hundred thousand years?

"I won't help you, but I can give you some pointers. If that person really has given birth to a new spirit, then he will have his weaknesses. His weaknesses are the bones that Jiang Li wields. If those don't prove effective, then I once smashed his skullcap in. That may be where his weakness is! That is all I will say on this matter, you are dismissed!"

There was nothing the king and priest could say at this stage. They could only turn and leave.

Just when they were about to exit the temple, the god suddenly said, "Have that Li Hao help you! He wants to resolve the threat of the Forbidden Sea more than you guys. He's going to be the first one that Ying Hongyue comes for once the man successfully refines the sea!

"Do you think he really shared all of that information out of the goodness of his heart? Does he really not care? If he can tempt you guys, why can't you restrain him in return?"

These two idiots!Would Li Hao have come all this way to tell you that there was treasure to be found if he didn't possess ulterior motives?

"The weaknesses of the bones and skullcap are your trump cards. Does cultivating the Initial Martial dao really turn one into martial blockheads?"

"......" The two didn't dare say anything more and quickly fled the scene. More sarcasm and jeering would come their way if they stayed.

The god hadn't said anything when he was asleep; the viciousness of his tongue was on full display when he was awake!

......

When the king and priest rushed back to the palace, Li Hao was enjoying lunch. Royal guards were serving them various dishes. The guards were highly resigned because while Li Hao didn't eat much, that dog... ate so much that it was causing a mental breakdown. They'd brought over almost all of the dishes in the palace, but that still wasn't enough!

The Great Li king raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Let us work together, marquis of Silver Moon!" he said calmly. "We have our ways of handling the corpse that birthed the Forbidden Sea, but the prerequisite is that you guys must join the battle as well. Once the deed is done, I want the body. You can have the sea!"

"......" Li Hao tilted his head with a smile. "The body is the core of the sea. What do I want the sea for if its heart is missing?"

"There are treasures inside, heavenly ones such as the Goldensky Lotus. There are a lot of them!" the king refuted quietly. "You will also end Ying Hongyue's hopes! Otherwise, are you confident of handling him once he truly refines the sea? We can work and win together! You accomplish your tasks, I accomplish my goal!"

"Is that one... not willing to join this endeavor? Li Hao asked curiously. "So you guys can only come to me?"

"......"

You're right! But it's not like we can admit to it!

"Of course not," Jiang Li said with a smile. "That is not the case. However, our god said that their old scores were settled after he killed that one. It would not be in line with the Initial Martial style if he cut down the body once more! Of course, the god is sure to take action if that one dares enter Great Li territory!"

"So just move the Forbidden Sea into core Great Li territory..."

"......" The two didn't know what to say.We were just embellishing our response, you're treating it as the truth?

"Are you willing to work together or not?" The resigned king suppressed his resignation. "We can forget it if you're not willing to. If you are, you'll be in charge of Ying Hongyue if he comes to make trouble. And if you are able to suppress the body for a split second, we'll be able to finish the job!

"I want nothing but the body!" The king ceded another point in the negotiation.

"That works... but I want half the body!" Li Hao responded after long contemplation.

"You..."

"Forget it if you're not willing," Li Hao chuckled as he returned their words back to them. "I'm a very busy person! I'm leaving half for you because of what happened last time and you not getting anything out of it. Otherwise, if I can suppress him for a second, will I really not have ways to eliminate them?"

"Very well!" the king agreed with a clench of his jaw. "How much longer do you need before you can send people over? The one who's resurrected is most likely an Empyrean King..."

"I can do it myself!"

"......" The king flew into a rage. "Are you trying to drag us into your death wish?? You bear no sincerity at all, so we can just forget this!"

"Is my life worth less than yours?" Li Hao laughed. "Ah forget it, I'll send for more people since you don't believe me. My only concern is that the disturbance will be too great and raise the enemy's attention. It will cause Ying Hongyue and Zheng Yu to go on the alert as well..."

The king frowned ferociously. He always found his hands tied when it came to Li Hao. "Whatever you wish! When do we start?"

"After three days! I have some things I'm waiting on. We can make our moves once I have it in hand!"

There was no need to be polite to Ying Hongyue.Let's see if the man would deliver the mallet of the Hongs and Thunderblast city lord seal after three days.

As for the king's new reassurance... it must come from those bones. Li Hao was well aware of this possibility and was here because of it. It was also to be expected that the Initial Martial god wasn't willing to take action.

He would've long shown himself if he was. Instead, he was frightfully quiet!

The young man resolved to look into the Initial Martial files when he was finished with this task. Perhaps he could utilize this very low profile personality to identify who this person was.

"I'll come back in three days! King of Great Li, we should work together more often if this turns out to be a success. I like befriending straightforward people!" Li Hao rose with a laugh. "Enjoy your meal. Panth, martial uncle, let's go!"

The trio disappeared into thin air; the Great Li duo looked at the plates that'd been licked clean.

"Even the dog's finished. What is there left for us, huh??" cursed the king. The brat was so damned annoying! He'd smash Li Hao to death with one punch if it wasn't for needing the brat's help!

Jiang Li sighed to himself. His king only dared complain once the people in question were gone. That once invincible king... was now in the palm of Li Hao's hand. How tragic!

The priest was even more tragic when he thought of the god they worshipped.Who have I been praying to all these years?