Star Gate

"Can it be... that there is no trap, that Li Hao is just trying to scare everyone?" the king added doubtfully after his initial outburst. "He just wants to use this opportunity to intimidate everyone so that we won't dare make a move. Maybe he's going to break through again. Senior, what do you think?"

What do I think?

The god turned over the idea. That was indeed possible. He didn't respond as it was too difficult to determine these things. He raised his head once more and looked at the star sparkling with sword intent.

"The star is a sword..." he murmured. "Sword intent flourishes and the strength of great dao sweeps through the land... This display fits the characteristics of a dao star. Is there nothing wrong with it?

"Let's watch some more, there's no rush!" The god raised an eyebrow.

The king fell silent as well.We'll keep observing!

Time passed second by second; a second star appeared in the void. This was another one of sword dao, one that seemed perfectly fine to the Initial Martial god after some scrutiny.

Just like him, Zheng Yu and his people were watching Li Hao. And just like the god, they did not detect anything amiss.

......

But as more stars appeared, the Initial Martial god began to frown. There wasn't anything wrong... but there were thirty-six stars in the sky. According to Li Hao's original categorization, the thirty-six stars should form a circulation loop. There should be some other developments at this point.

And yet, nothing seemed different.

A significant period of time had passed. It would take more than a day to coalesce 144 dao stars.

......

Upon the moon.

The Moon God's primary body moved continuously. She kept her movements small and shifted within the world barrier, quietly sensing something.

Inside the moon.

"It looks to be a real dao star..." said the Moon God sculpture. "It does seem to have traveled through the dao universe. All of the dissipating strength of great dao seems real as well! What do you think?"

The man with a sword on his back continued watching over the world and said softly, "Who knows if it's real or fake? Even if it's fake, we won't easily realize it either. Otherwise, Li Hao will become a laughingstock!"

Even if the young man had a scheme up his sleeves, would anyone believe it if it appeared so fake?

"Then... should we attack the corporeal dao universe?" The Moon God didn't mind the response. "Li Hao wants to collect 144 dao stars, but I don't think that many are necessary. We'll force our way in before he's done—we should be able to enter the dao universe as well!"

They could break the hold that Li Hao had over the corporeal dao universe and seize it for themselves! The caveat was that their own corporeal dao couldn't be weak. If it was, it would prove too difficult to control the dao universe.

"Zheng Yu likely has similar thoughts to us and, as such, is our key opponent!" continued the Moon God. "Does Li Hao want to sit back and watch two tigers fight it out? He's using the dao universe as bait and sending us against Zheng Yu. Meanwhile, he can seal off the dao universe and have us fight inside. He won't necessarily lose control over the dao universe if we do that, correct?"

Her speculation made some sense.

"It's possible..." The man inclined his head. "It's difficult to determine at the moment. The only thing I'm sure of is that Li Hao must have gained a great deal inside the seal. Each of his dao stars has a different sword intent!

"There's about three dozen different types of sword intent here... Li Hao is truly a sword dao genius! The Eternal Sword intent is accumulated from a myriad of sword daos and the basis of the Sword Sovereign's might!

"I'm a far cry from the Sword Sovereign... I have studied the Eternal Sword intent countless times over the years, but have been unable to collect a myriad of daos..."

Collecting even one hundred was as difficult as ascending the heavens, to say nothing of thousands or even more. How long had he been alive and how long had Li Hao been alive for?

Based on this speed, Li Hao would be able to comprehend all of the sword daos in three hundred years!

Granted, the more he progressed down that path, the more difficult the task would become. But for powerhouses, the further along they were, the more they might understand.

"If nothing else happens and if the world is at peace, Li Hao might be able to become an exalted emperor in three hundred years! Ai!" the man shook his head at himself.

Perhaps Li Hao was a product of the times, but it was still disheartening that the young man could grasp so many different types of sword intent in such a short period of time.

......

The stars were still gathering one by one. Infinite power of great dao drifted through the sky. Rays of sword intent were intermixed with it, prompting some swordsmen to take note of this incredible opportunity.

While Li Hao's sword intent did not measure up to even Li Daoheng's, much less the Sword Sovereign's, each kind of sword intent contained a deep enlightenment that was not subpar to any person!

Sword cultivators felt that they'd entered a sea of sword dao. The joy in their eyes was difficult to describe! There were numerous sword wielders in Silver Moon province. Sword intent materialized over their highly excited forms. This was a paradise for swordsmen!

And it wasn't just the regular cultivators, but also Sky Sword and Light Sword who were quietly perceiving the sword intent in their surroundings. They were almost bedazzled by the sight and felt that they were truly unworthy of the years they'd spend alive.

Li Hao had once needed pointers from them, but he now comprehended so much more than them. Sky Sword and the others felt this most acutely because they could find their own sword intent among the sea. It was so familiar, but also so foreign!

Sky Sword and the rest were situated in Battle Heaven. While they struggled with a complicated mix of emotions, they were gaining a great deal from the day as well. Being situated in the center of the world, the dao stars were very close to them.

Countless rays of dao strength swept toward them. Sky Sword felt that this would be his opportunity to ascend to Fused Dao! Perhaps this was what he needed to push himself over the precipice!

This was a sentiment shared by the rest of the swordsmen. Since they were comprehending so many types of sword intent from Li Hao's efforts, they stood a great chance of breaking through.

......

Forty, fifty, sixty...

The number of stars continued to increase. The dao universe seemed ready to descend upon the world at any time. A suffocating sensation made it difficult to breathe.

The stars formed a sword in the sky, ready to drop down at any moment!

When night fell at the end of the day, there were ninety-nine stars hanging in the sky. A scintillating star suddenly appeared for the one hundredth star.

The world seemed to pause for a split second!

The appearance of the star made the world stutter.

......

Great Li.

The god of Initial Martial looked on with interest and murmured, "Such strong and unique sword intent..."

The numerous stars revolved around the newest star. He could sense how different it was.

After a while, another star appeared.

"Eh?" the god exclaimed with surprise. Next to him, the Great Li's neck was sore from constantly tilting backwards. He was surprised by the god's reaction and tilted his head.

What? There's already one hundred of them, what are you so curious about?

The god ignored him and continued to observe, uncertain of what he was observing. This 101st dao star was also quite visible and dao strength unfurled from it, but its sword intent was slightly scattered and not as pronounced as before!

It didn't look any different, but why did it give one an uncoordinated feeling compared to the previous one hundred?

The god silently scrutinized the situation, wondering if this was where the trap was located. He was unable to dismiss the hunch that there was a scheme centered around the star. His interest was truly piqued as this was his first time noticing something different after watching for an entire day.

This day had been well spent!

While it was slightly different from the stars that appeared before it, there didn't seem to be that much of a problem either. As the stars drifted through the sky, some floated through Great Li airspace.

The god didn't mind at first. These things were half tangible and half illusory. There wouldn't be much of an effect even if he broke one or two, so he wasn't interested.

But soon... the god frowned slightly. There was something taking place underground.

A peculiar strength had permeated it and covered the land. He quietly took stock of it, then gently stomped his foot. The earth seemed particularly durable!

Changes had occurred in the world again and a river traveled through the world.

"I baptize Silver Moon and the mortal world with the river of chaos, helping Silver Moon to more easily integrate with the dao universe..." Li Hao's voice rang throughout the land again. "Do not move, everyone. The river might accidentally wash against you instead..."

The sea roared and waves crashed with ferocity! A new sea seemed to have appeared in the world and the thunderous waves crashed against the land.

The god of Initial Martial frowned slightly, permitting the waves to churn through Great Li territory. They were half real and half illusory, so they didn't actually affect him. Seeing that there was no one paying attention around him, he suddenly stuck his hand in the water. For some reason, he felt like a thief.

His hand extended into the void, feeling like it'd stretched into another dimension. He quickly withdrew his hand and noted a droplet of water on his palm. It was slowly dissipating.

As he studied it, he suddenly decided to shove the droplet into his mouth and savor its taste.

"It kind of feels like... sword intent forming, but there's also will power and plenty of other energies. There's also a special energy that I can't identify?"

Was this a sea of a myriad daos?

It didn't seem like it since there weren't that many daos within, but that might have something to do with Li Hao not grasping that many daos yet. The sword intent was very dense, at least!

Apart from that, there was also a... unique taste, a slightly familiar taste.

Thinking back to the ripples that'd occurred through the land earlier, his eyes widened. "It tastes like rocks and pebbles... Strange, is this the sword intent of the sword of earth?"

That wasn't it! There was a hint of the Sword Sovereign's Eternal Sword intent.

The god once more extended his hand into the void and grabbed another droplet of water. This time, he sensed... the taste of... withered wood coming back to life.

Stone... wood...

The god detected something else; a long river traveling through the void from the end of the world. A figure hovered close by it.

The Great Li king's eyes widened at the development!

The god was also moved and... felt slightly awkward. "The Great Li king was being immature," he coughed before the shadow had a chance to speak. "You can continue your business, it has nothing to do with us. We don't care what you do!"

The Great Li king was confused and tilted his head again.What did I do now?

Li Hao's shadow simply looked at the other.