Star Gate-Chapter 1672: Returning to Skyward (IV)

Big Claw was extremely nervous. How do I know when they’ll return?

He’d wanted to leave as well when Li Hao departed, but Fog Mountain had requisitioned him as a servant. Big Claw served extremely apprehensively, since he knew of a few things and that Crown Prince Void and the Silver Moon king might be in contact with the exalted emperor.

The key was, Fog Mountain was a seventh rank!

Big Claw was scared!

“All sides are now speculating that Demon Summit will quickly become a key location. If they still don’t return in a month, I can’t make myself a public enemy just for Demon Summit!” Fog Mountain rose with a soft sigh. “Cultivation is hard and cultivating a carefree dao is even harder!

“Big Claw, although the dao of the chaos is disorderly, there is more freedom with it! Granted, it’s more dangerous and there are fewer opportunities within it, but... Each has its pros and cons, I suppose!

“At my level, we grow dissatisfied with what we have!” laughed Fog Mountain. “Human desires are a frightening concept. Red Moon’s dao is one of desire—their world master insisted on provoking New Martial because his desires ran too hot. They would not have conducted themselves like this otherwise!

“Someone like me can rest easy in my lofty position on Skycloud. But my desires are likewise immense and I wish for more... Perhaps that will result in my death!”

Big Claw understood, but his heart quailed in shock with the implications. Seventh rank! And Fog Mountain was one who’d killed other seventh ranks before. But today, he declared that his desires were so great that they might be the end of him.

He was even prepared to die!

“Milord...”

Fog Mountain said nothing more. There was nothing worth discussing with this one. He glanced at the sky and murmured, “I’ll give them a month at most and will have to try other ideas if they still do not return! Red Moon is busy assimilating Orchid Forest at the moment, which leaves a dearth of opportunities there. Meanwhile, there are still opportunities at Skyward!”

He rose and left, ignoring what might be going on through Big Claw’s mind.

Sweat beaded the monster spirit’s forehead and he didn’t dare move. That one... was so frightening!

......

Li Hao and Void raced through the void at a startling speed. While they weren’t as fast as seventh ranks, they were much faster than regular sixth ranks. They continuously shifted forward, rushing in the direction of Skyward. They would be at their destination in only a few days.

Time was of the essence as they couldn’t allow Red Moon too much time to fully integrate Orchid Forest. If that happened, then their plans of many months would have truly benefited their enemy in the end.

“We’re too slow!” Having once enjoyed teleporting through the universe, Void chafed at their speed. “What a pity that we’re not spatial exalted emperors. Our transportation speed would be very fast then! The chaos is so big and dao of space hard to cultivate... The space of a minor world is not that of a major world either. Spatial dao is terrifying indeed!”

Li Hao nodded. Perhaps he should study this dao as well. Of course, there was no time to at the moment.

“Let’s set this aside first. We need to think about how to get into Skyward!” The young man interrupted his hand. Their identities couldn’t be exposed for the moment, it would give too many clues to Red Moon.

“Should we have Uncle Flare Sun come for us?”

“I don’t want more people to know.” Li Hao shook his head. “Can you contact Fog Mountain? If possible, have him create some opportunities for us. He’s one of the those who knows more...”

Fog Mountain?

From Void’s perspective, people of Light were more trustworthy. But since Li Hao had spoken, he didn’t object.

“I’ll give it a try,” the man nodded. “And... are you really going to let Fog Mountain into the dao universe?”

“Yes.”

“What if he takes control of it?”

“Then he takes it!” answered Li Hao. “The Skyward dao universe can’t be revitalized at present, it’s just an empty shell. Even if he seizes it, it will be an empty shell to him. He’ll have to depend on me to revitalize it!

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing for him to take control of it either. We might have some more chances to work together in the future!”

Void nodded thoughtfully. Li Hao was a generous one. He gave up a ninth rank dao universe just because he said he would. In actuality, the young man could refuse to own up!

There was nothing Fog Mountain could do about it if they refused to admit to their debt. It had only been a verbal promise, what could Fog Mountain do about it?

The two accelerated once more, leaving communication by the wayside. They traveled faster and faster, seeing Skyward vaguely come into view in the distance three days later.

Danger lurked around it; there might be many major worlds lying in wait. Although they couldn’t see anything, they could indistinctly sense some immense presences. Ones of a major world were hard to conceal. If a master of a major world was here with his world, it would be impossible to fully hide themselves even if the chaos concealed a thing or two.

“We’re here!” Li Hao breathed out. Now it was down to how to slip back into the world.

Void attempted to send a message. There was a chance of this working since they were close to a major world. He had people in Skyward—such as the fifth rank bodyguard waiting for his return.

......

Dragon Observatory.

Fog Mountain was cultivating when his eyes opened. An exalted emperor standing outside said carefully, “Senior Fog Mountain, my highness... hopes for the senior to go out and welcome them. No one else is to know that they have come back.”

Fog Mountain brightened! They? Is the Silver Moon king back as well? The seventh rank was seized with joy! Perhaps my fortuitous opportunity is at hand!

His heart trembled the next second. What did these two want to do in rushing back from Red Moon?

Perhaps... something very exciting was in store!

......

Skyward.

Fog Mountain held a very important status in the absence of any eighth ranks. The Human King didn’t count, so when a peak seventh rank like Fog Mountain arrived at Skyward, many paid strict attention to him.

They were highly suspicious of the seventh rank!

Did Fog Mountain know some Skyward secrets or how to access the dao universe? Why else would he suddenly kill Red Velarium and then stay?

Someone would have questioned him a long time ago if he wasn’t so overwhelmingly strong. All they could do at the moment was wait. They wouldn’t leave if Fog Mountain didn’t leave.

But at this moment, Fog Mountain was on the move from Dragon Observatory!

This caught the attention of all powerhouses within the world. What was Fog Mountain up to?

The man rose into the air and strolled through the void, as if he was stopping to smell the roses. He headed toward the northern region, passing through the void as if distance in a major world meant nothing to him.

Skyward was the largest world in the chaos; it spanned a very far reach!

And yet, it was negligible to a seventh rank. He looked to be moving slowly, but was actually crossing distance at a very fast pace.

Some exalted emperors soon surfaced in the northern region. Flare Sun of Light major world was their leader. The man furrowed his brows. The various factions each occupied a certain portion of the world!

Skycloud occupied the south, Light took the north, monster spirits and chaos beasts had taken the east, and there were even masters of the world hidden within.

Everyone had left the west for Red Moon, but that faction was not here yet at present. Although Blazing Sun Region had sent people, they were hidden deep within Skyward. Hence, some seventh rank masters of the world had sent their people to take the west.

Flare Sun frowned ferociously. Deepsea also materialized, trailing Fog Mountain. What did his comrade want? What was he doing in Light’s portion of Skyward territory?

“Flare Sun!” Fog Mountain’s voice wasn’t loud, but it echoed in all directions.

Flare Sun raised an eyebrow and said faintly, “Fog Mountain, what are you doing here instead of staying at Dragon Observatory?”

He was likewise a premiere seventh rank with enormous battle strength—one of the strongest in Light. Although Fog Mountain was strong, Flare Sun wasn’t scared of him. He would’ve long grabbed Fog Mountain for questioning if the man wasn’t that strong.

Where have you sent Ming Tang to?? Why haven’t I seen any sign of him?!

If it wasn’t for a faint tendril of power in the Light dao universe indicating that Ming Tang was still alive, even the Light master wanted to set forth in search of his lost son.

“They say that Flare Sun of Light and Fog Mountain of Skycloud are the two strongest seventh ranks in Skyward Region apart from the world masters,” Fog Mountain said calmly. “I’ve long wanted to spar with the fellow daoist. Today is a good day. Why don’t the two of us go for a round or two?”

“......” What the fuck? Flare Sun purpled. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Fog Mountain, but that he recalled what’d happened to the last two opponents Fog Mountain sparred with.

Do you think everyone’s forgotten what happened to them after you fought them? The New Martial Human King is still in the premises!

So now you’re going to soften me up for him to end me with a blow afterward, huh?

Flare Sun looked coldly at the other. “Forget about a spar, Fog Mountain. Speak of whatever you have in mind. We can go straight to pitched battle if that’s what you have in mind!”

Spar?

Who would want to spar with you at a time like this?

It hasn’t been even a few months since your last spar. That’s the equivalent of a second to exalted emperors. Do you think I’m senile?

Powerful wills descended upon the scene from all around, ready to watch the show. Fog Mountain wanted to fight Flare Sun! They were both peak seventh ranks, with one a pillar of support for Skycloud and the other a mainstay for Light. Both of them were notable figures beneath the world master level.

Did this mean there was conflict between Skycloud and Light if the two were going to fight?

Meanwhile, Deepsea’s brows raised high. What was going on here? Although Skycloud and Light were enemies, there weren’t open hostilities between the two. Was Fog Mountain either going to do nothing at all or provoke Light as soon as he moved?

Much ran through Deepsea’s mind in the blink of a moment. Was Fog Mountain... doing this on purpose?

He was setting himself at odds with Light so that the world master would be distracted once he was dragged into a fight with the Light master. If Fog Mountain chose to leave then, there would be nothing that the world master could do.