Star Gate

Chapter 565: I Want To Keep A Low Profile (II)

Red Moon headquarters.

Inside the palace.

Ying Hongyue was the picture of leisure as he read a book and sipped some tea with a smile on his face. All of you think nothing of me, hmm?

Northern Fist came out to bully my people, Silver Moon killed my concubines without showing them mercy. You’re all Silver Moon martial masters at the end of the day and were on the same ranking! Do you want to be this ruthless?

In that case, let’s have some fun!

Ying Hongyue hadn’t wanted to say anything at first—or rather, he hadn’t guessed at anything. But when he theorized over Light Sword’s actions, her route to Silver Moon, what Li Hao himself had revealed when he had nothing better to do, and Light Sword bullying a junior... Those pivotal clues were sufficient for Ying Hongyue to guess that Li Hao had done something similar inside the ruins.

Perhaps he’d done so for Hou Xiaochen or Earthturner Sword; Light Sword must’ve seen it to so doggedly force Li Hao to agree to do the same for her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have courted death in her actions at the Steadfast Duke’s manor and wouldn’t bully Li Hao for no good reason.

After putting everything in order, Ying Hongyue mostly guessed at the function of the sword of the Lis. Despite not being aware of the details, he trusted that he knew most of the truth. Just as the world at large hadn’t known about the effects of the blood pearls before, everyone was willing to try after Hou Xiaochen disseminated the information. That was proof that in this era, those with sufficient strength were able to be as unscrupulous as they wished!

Supernaturals may not understand unsealing oneself or know much about martial masters, but Ying Hongyue did. So when he released the news, it was proof that no matter how it was tested, it would prove to be true!

As he enjoyed his tea, a masked powerhouse quickly rushed in. “Leader, Celestial, Yama, and representatives of many other organizations all wish to communicate with you. Do we accept their requests?”

Ying Hongyue grinned. My my, weren’t they in a hurry!

It made sense. The sword of the Lis wouldn’t just resolve martial master problems. Martial masters could keep themselves in check for a while and unseal their power. For supernaturals, this was a grave matter that had to do with their very survival!

Some supernaturals had already reached beyond Nova, but they cowered in hiding and didn’t dare twitch a finger. They might die if they did.

Some were stuck at metamorphosis and didn’t dare break their supernatural locks. And yet, their power would automatically break the locks if it was strong enough. That meant ascension, which was an incredible struggle with death. Those who survived would be in the state of those old guys—hiding, shrinking away, and trying to refrain from showing themselves.

It was one thing to erupt as a single use weapon, but chronic duration of this condition could swiftly rupture their organs!

Hence, everyone was in a rush.

Ying Hongyue smiled in an exceedingly dashing fashion.

“Put them through, of course put them through. Put them all through, I can’t be bothered to explain myself over and over again. Tell them they can be quiet if they don’t want to talk and disguise themselves if they want. They can just listen to me!”

“Understood!” The masked subordinate swiftly put preparations in order.

An enormous screen appeared in front of Ying Hongyue before long. Square frames appeared on it, bracketing a figure within. Some chose to reveal their true forms, others elected to hide who they were. No one spoke.

More and more figures gathered on the screen, filling it with square frames. Ying Hongyue continued idly sipping his tea. He spoke only when all of the squares were lit up with occupants and no further attendees were joining.

“Don’t ask me if it’s true or not.” He grinned. “You can be the judge of that yourselves! Light Sword is a grown adult, she’ll show herself sooner or later. Besides, you should’ve also received news that they spent a full day and night by the North Sea. Do two men have nothing better to do than play games with an ugly shrew?

“Even if she stays in hiding now, we all know the truth of her situation... Additionally, what you lot are most concerned about is likely how to use the sword of the Lis without its bloodline, right?”

“That’s right, we care most about that!” someone said on screen. “I don’t care whether or not Silver Moon is strong or fearless. I just care if the sword can really suppress the rampaging of the five organs and repair them?

“There are some of us who’ve gone in different directions or use the Water of Life to maintain their life force, or those like you who use blood pearls or other treasures to strengthen their organs. All of that only treats the symptoms and not the cause! These methods can’t be used continuously and cannot be used for the next organ. Our road to come is long, it would be fantastic if the sword of the Lis can help us fully suppress our troubles!”

“It’s always Brother Yama who’s most direct.” Ying Hongyue smiled at the man. “You’re not like Celestial Sword, always hiding himself from day to night!”

No one responded to him, but he didn’t care. “It’s not much of a problem if we don’t have the bloodline of the Lis. I know of a few ways that might make the sword available to us all the same. It won’t be operating completely freely, but at least we won’t be beholden to that restriction!”

“What ways?” asked the solemn Yama from his square frame.

“You don’t know?” Ying Hongyue looked at him.

Yama thought for a bit. “Collect Li Hao’s blood or do a blood transfusion? Or sacrifice him to fully unseal the sword, making it available for general use? Or suppress the sword so that we can exert ownership over it when the sword master dies?”

“See, don’t you know a lot of ways?” Ying Hongyue chuckled. “So what are you asking me for? Do you need me to hold your hand and teach you step by step?” He looked at the rest of the assembly. “Any more questions?”

“Li Hao has Earthturner Sword and Light Sword by his side,” came a slightly high-pitched voice from the screen. “What is an unsealed battle strength like? What condition are Silver Moon martial masters in? What level do they map to when they cross over as supernatural?”

“This is difficult to determine.” Ying Hongyue considered the questions. “Everyone is different, but none of the martial masters have crossed over to the next level above Nova. They are at most above Nova when they unseal themselves—no one has named that level yet. But I know that some old farts and scheming fellows have all broken through, they just don’t dare reveal themselves yet. No worries, I’ve looked at it and find the level of strength to be similar!

“Light Sword killed five generals with one stroke, so I think those who break their sixth lock should be able to do the same. Everyone is similar—martial masters can’t sustain their condition for long after unsealing themselves, you guys can’t sustain yourselves for long after breaking your sixth lock. You’re all flashes in the pan!”

Ying Hongyue laughed delightedly after these words; he was almost unbridled in his amusement. “They won’t be able to recover so long as we capture, contain, or delay Li Hao. Light Sword’s light energy can repair a thing or two, but so can you guys if you bring Water of Life with you.

“Light Sword delayed her condition for twelve hours without dying, but she almost completely collapsed. That is her limit! The others will be worse off and collapse even faster!”

“Brother Red Moon,” someone said coolly from the screen. “We hear that the blood pearls have a similar effect. You want us to handle Li Hao and Silver Moon, and we are all willing, but are you able to support us with a thing or two? Not everyone has Water of Life. Can you spare some blood pearls?”

“Celestial Sword, why are you so cheap?” Ying Hongyue smirked. “Then I want you to spare me some women. I want your wife, your daughter...”

“Done!” declared an aloof Celestial Sword Immortal. “It is of no matter if you’re willing to offer large sums of blood pearls.”

“You’re the number one assassin of the dynasty, alright!” Ying Hongyue laughed uproariously. “Frost runs through your veins, I like it! However, blood pearls are out of the question. I don’t have enough for myself. If you’ve got the guts to, you can come directly to me for some. I’ll give you a few then, if you dare.”

Celestial Sword remained quiet. He might not have been afraid before, but now that everyone knew their effects, many were attempting to guess what level Ying Hongyue’s organs were at. And was he a supernatural or a martial master?

Regardless, whether supernatural or martial master, he might’ve already broken the limits of the body and become an invincible powerhouse that could fully utilize all of his strength. That kind of existence drew great wariness from everyone. No one wanted to erupt in open hostilities with him. Otherwise, they would’ve long ago for the matter of the blood pearls.

“It’s too difficult to nurture blood pearls.” Ying Hongyue’s laughter petered out after a while. “The higher level ones are even stronger. I know you are all tempted, but the blood pearls are trash compared to the sword of the Lis. I haven’t nurtured many over the years and have eaten most of them. The weak ones left aren’t that effective for you, but I think that it won’t need too much time or a hefty price to utilize the sword of the Lis. According to my speculations, perhaps some mysterious power stones will be sufficient.

“Everyone can see how much capital Li Hao has, it’s only been a few days since his rise. How much foundation can he truly have? Yuan Shuo might’ve already utilized the sword when he recovered from his wounds, so that means the price he paid wasn’t that great! The effects will be marvelous in our hands!”

“Has Red Moon known about this for a while since it has always wanted the sword?” another person asked in a low voice. “Or is there another reason at play?”

“What does it have to do with you?” Ying Hongyue responded brusquely. “Is that the point of today? Who are you to receive answers to anything you ask? I tell you this already so I can use you guys against Li Hao and Silver Moon. Do you really think I’m your father to answer whatever questions you have?”

“......” Silence descended as the speaker flew into a rage! Anyone who could directly contact Ying Hongyue was no ordinary person. They were overlords of their respective fields and domains, but had suffered public humiliation in front of their peers!

The infuriated speaker sought to respond when Ying Hongyue continued in a coy tone, “Alright, it’s just a joke, don’t be mad! It’s not like you can bite me if you’re mad, so just hurting yourself with anger is a bad idea! Will you be happy only after creating a strong enemy for yourself? Be good, don’t raise a fuss. Everyone’s watching, keep your composure!”