Star Gate

Chapter 864: All Sorts of Bad Creatures (I)

The North Sea.

Li Hao flew over the North Sea—it was frozen over. It was simply too cold in the north. Of the four seas, it was the only one to be completely frozen. It spanned five hundred kilometers, but could still freeze over. That was a sign of how cold the weather was this year.

Not only that, but there were still people walking over it despite the frigidness. They were fleeing from the north to the central region. Although Silver Moon had started to accept refugees, that was a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. Unrest continued in the north and there were far more than one million refugees seeking shelter.

Li Hao looked at the frozen expanse and felt that with one million supernaturals to change the weather, though such actions would be a slight violation of the rules of nature, at least it would save quite a few people from freezing to death in these conditions.

The characters of his five elements had melded into the void. He’d wanted to dispel some of the chilly air, but decided to forgo the notion after seeing how many people were on the ice. It’d be another problem if the ice melted. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

One person was hard pressed to change everything. He was not the Exalted Blood Emperor who could part the land with one blade stroke.

It was then that he saw a familiar face on the ice. Li Hao was surprised, but also found the sight to be expected.

Lu Chuan.

It was the Starlight who’d been accompanying refugees over the sea. His cultivation seemed to have improved and he’d possibly set foot into Darkmoon. At present, his duties were to refreeze some parts that had broken up.

The North Sea pirates had a difficult time this season as well. Silver Moon presented an unforgiving front to them and many of them ran off after the death of the North Sea King. A portion of them chose to hole up in their hideouts; the White Shark Raiders that Li Hao wanted to kill were nowhere to be found lately.

......

Lu Chuan was freezing the patch in front of him when someone abruptly stood in front of him. He focused his eyes to see... the man from last time!

Information flowed unevenly throughout the dynasty. A powerhouse like Li Hao was instantly recognizable in the eyes of the powerful and strong, but not to civilians. Official authorities such as the Inspectorate and Night Watchers had his photograph, so they would identify the young man even if they’d never seen him before. Meanwhile, the rest of the people only knew Li Hao’s name, but not his features.

“Have you come to take in the sights again, milord?” Lu Chuan was more at ease at their second meeting. He’d been very worried that Li Hao would take some sort of action at their last meeting, but the young man hadn’t.

“No, I’m just passing by.” Li Hao shook his head with a smile. “How have you been?”

“Me?” Lu Chuan was confused, but still smiled. “Quite well. At least, better than before. There were more pirates in the North Sea before and all sorts of disturbances rocked the land. They’ve quieted down with the onset of winter and there are fewer pirates these days.

“The Skystar Commander Office established at Skystar City has the authority to execute supernaturals that commit crimes throughout the dynasty. Even the supernaturals keep a much lower profile now. We should be able to enjoy a respite so long as the Skystar Commander Office stands.”

Li Hao’s actions already had an effect. Although he’d yet to commence an official cleansing of villainous supernaturals, the Inspectorates and Night Watchers of various provinces had increased the scope and breadth of their patrols. There was a new superior in charge, after all. Although the same leader helmed the Inspectorate, that institution had issued many orders as of late.

Local armies had also received orders from the Ministry of Armed Forces to keep their troops in check, that they should not incur unnecessary trouble. The ministry did not wish for disputes to occur—that would give Li Hao the chance to seize any incident to make an issue of. It would give the young man the perfect opening.

Therefore, those such as Lu Chuan felt very noticeable changes. It was only because that true war had broken out in the three northern provinces that no one paid attention to Li Hao. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be anyone fleeing for foreign lands in this kind of weather.

“So the Skystar Commander Office is good for something?”

“Of course!” laughed Lu Chuan. “You might not know, milord, that the supernaturals were unfettered before. Although the Night Watchers were present, they lacked confidence and didn’t dare easily invoke supernatural wrath. But now that they have backing, regular supernatural organizations don’t dare run afoul of the Night Watchers. It doesn’t matter that the Skystar Commander Office hasn’t fully completed its desired reforms, no one wants to give that institution a pretext for any action...”

He looked at Li Hao as he spoke, unsure of which side Li Hao was on. Was he part of the Skystar Commander Office or was he from another faction? He seemed to be from Silver Moon, however, and was likely from the Skystar Commander Office.

Li Hao nodded and looked at the refugees around them. “Isn’t Silver Moon accepting refugees from the three northern provinces? Why are they still heading south?”

“Silver Moon is indeed accepting people,” sighed Lu Chuan. “And many have rushed over. But it’s a barren land itself, so how many can it keep alive? Not to mention, bandits and robbers abound at Near River. It’s a complete mess, making the North Sea a safer place to be.”

Near River again! Li Hao frowned faintly. How dare a mere Near River province cause trouble over and over again? Where had they stolen such courage from? Fan Chang had just been a metamorphosis expert! He might be an Arcanus now, but how dared he make things difficult for Silver Moon after the latter’s full strength was displayed?

As for the supposed explanation of robbers and bandits at large inside the province, Li Hao felt that was on purpose. Could a provincial government not handle some robbers?

The young man viewed Skystar Dynasty as his own territory now. It felt differently to hear of Near River’s wrongdoing. Fan Chang deserved death!

At the same time, it was the entire province that engaged in evil. Just killing Fan Chang wouldn’t accomplish anything and would only stir up chaos. Li Hao was no longer the young man of limited vision who only knew to kill people. His thoughts now were to kill every single one of the executive leadership, not just Fan Chang. An infusion of new blood was necessary!

Indeed, in times gone by, he might’ve thought that just killing Fan Chang was sufficient. But now, all of them deserved death! There wasn’t a single decent person among them from the military to the Night Watchers, the Inspectorate, and the provincial government!

Li Hao nodded and concealed his killing intent. “It’s good enough to go to the central region. The situation there is relatively calm these days and it’s close to Skystar City. Nothing should happen in the short term.”

Lu Chuan was beginning to grow curious about the speaker’s identity. These matters were beyond the authority of ordinary supernaturals, but this person seemed to oversee a lot.

“Indeed, milord...” Lu Chuan wanted to speak further, but suddenly glanced into the distance. He paused as he saw a figure appear in the distance. It seemed to have always been there, but also seemed to have just appeared as well.

It was a woman—a very pretty woman. She wore white silk robes that whispered opulence and blended with the snow when she landed on the ice. She appeared to be an immortal of legend. It only took one peek for Lu Chuan to realize that she was likely a powerhouse. She really was very pretty.

He wanted to recollect his thoughts when he heard the noble personage next to him say, “I recommend you attend the Skystar Martial Academy once you’re done here. They need talent and I think you’re a great one!”

“But I’m not a martial master...” Lu Chuan was surprised by the sudden suggestion.

“That’s not important. It looks like current marketing is insufficient. The Skystar Martial Academy recruits anyone, you don’t have to be a martial master.” Li Hao tilted his head at the woman not too far away. Though he smiled, killing intent flashed through his eyes. The snowflakes drifting through the air nearly froze!

Lin Hongyu watched silently from a near distance, not saying a word. She was just slightly surprised that Li Hao would be engrossed in conversation with a Starlight. As expected, the extraordinary did not conduct themselves in an ordinary manner. In her eyes, Starlight really were as if ants.

She’d tarried around the North Sea for three days, waiting for Li Hao. She didn’t dare go to Silver Moon as the province was very dangerous. She hadn’t expected that Li Hao would appear only now. The young man was truly confident, alright. What if someone marched on his base of operations and took down the Skystar Commander Office?

Lu Chuan looked at the woman in white, then at Li Hao. He roughly guessed that the two knew each other. Perhaps they worked together? He didn’t linger upon seeing Li Hao look at the woman as well. “I thank milord for your recommendation. I will seek my fortunes in Skystar City once I complete my tasks at hand here.”

“Very good!” Li Hao nodded with a smile, the very picture of affability.

This was a Li Hao that Lin Hongyu had never encountered before. The only time she’d come across the young man was when she lost a plant spirit replica and nearly died. This was a true demon to her, and today, she saw the demon smile!

Lu Chuan swiftly departed. When he turned back, he saw the two approaching each other. The man didn’t dare observe more beyond a quick peep. Was it a wife coming to meet her husband? It seemed a bit like that... but not quite. As expected of someone from noble origins, just her outfit alone was different.

......

“Apologies for disturbing Commander Li!” Lin Hongyu offered easily, not the least bit afraid or cowering.

Li Hao smiled and walked toward her. “Have you come with an Immortal replica this time? City Lord Lin is rather bold. It is my first time meeting someone as bold as you...”

Heaven and earth shifted; the skies seemed to tilt as a surge of the five elements enveloped the vicinity! The facade of ice was durable and immovable. Li Hao grinned radiantly, but was also on the alert. Lin Hongyu was truly being inconceivably daring.

“Why the need for killing intent so quickly?” Lin Hongyu smiled as well. “Didn’t the commander say for me to lead the City of Supernaturals into surrendering within ten days? It has been six days—almost the commander’s designated deadline. Here I am!”

“......” Li Hao paused, his eyes narrowing. What was she cooking?

Lin Hongyu smiled again to see the young man obviously on guard. “The commander’s words are worth their weight in gold. Are you willing to accept us if I bring the City of Supernaturals to you?”

Li Hao stared frostily at her, ignoring the possibility of schemes or plots. He wouldn’t dare say he was completely invincible in the outside world, but it wouldn’t be that easy for a regular seven elements or even Apex to kill him.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he responded coldly. “But can you make that decision?”

“I cannot.” Lin Hongyu shook her head, her smile widening. “Therefore, I have come to the commander for help.”