Star Gate

Chapter 710: Return (I)

Li Hao liked to travel at night. There was a certain air of unrestrained freedom to this time of the day that wasn’t as apparent in the morning. A small car trundled along the wide streets; Panther was in charge of driving while Li Hao focused on studying the golden booklets. Those who saw them might suspect themselves of seeing things.

Li Hao didn’t care about the reactions of the passersby. He looked carefully at the books—although the golden booklets spoke of different secret arts, they were similar in terms of core nature. One was for offense, the other for breaking through.

Using blood qi to trace words and forming them out of mind intent embodied the core origin path. It was an offensive skill that manifested the illusory into tangible attacks.

Most ancient secret arts are like these... Li Hao’s thoughts turned to the Incantation of the Blade of Blood. The New Book of Five Styles actually borrowed from the incantation. Both blood qi and the physical body were very strong in the ancient martial dao.

The ancient civilization truly developed the human body to an extreme. The notion gave Li Hao a great deal more inspiration. As strong as blood qi is, there should be some restrictions to it as well. The ancient martial dao focused on the three truncal cavities—the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic. We now focus on supernatural locks. Is the zifu the only supernatural lock of the physical body, and the spine the only one of the bones?

Sky Sword had told him that there were many unique supernatural attributes, that each one might correspond to a unique supernatural lock. He’d also said that the number of supernatural locks far exceeded what had been discovered thus far, they just hadn’t been identified yet.

Teacher’s Five Styles and Refiner of Spirit ultimately melds the aura into the supernatural locks. The aura and supernatural locks are one in the end, which is similar to the combination of mental strength and the aura in the ancient martial dao...

Whether it was mental strength or mind intent, there weren’t many other combinations of what could be cultivated. These options were it. If one exceeded those possibilities, what else could one cultivate?

Li Hao mulled over his thoughts and returned to contemplating the secret arts of martial dao. If each secret art differed in its strengthening focus, did that mean that the peak of each secret art would develop a supernatural lock?

The Five Styles, for example, developed the locks of the five organs. Southern and Northern Fist’s boxing methods developed the zifu, spine, and four limbs. Tyrant Blade’s words... likely meant that he’d developed the locks of the brain that dealt with the mind.

Supernatural locks are ultimately meant to be eliminated. The shackles of the human body are to be broken. Whether it is supernaturals or martial masters, we have supernatural locks only because we must restrain the power that our bodies cannot control...

As his knowledge grew through seeing more of the world and fighting powerhouses, Li Hao was no longer the bumbling fool when it came to martial dao.

Then what is the aura? Another kind of peak representation? The Arcanus realm... is the combination of two elemental attributes. So are three attributes also Arcanus? What about four?

Would breaking all five locks in the organs still keep one at Arcanus?

Arcanus spans more than one cultivation realm. Or rather, supernaturals will dwell in the Arcanus realm in times to come. Those with strong organs will swiftly break their third, fourth, and fifth locks.

Li Hao thought of Ying Hongyue again. Was that guy a martial master? If so, what was his purpose in absorbing the bloodlines of seven families?

Innumerable questions rose from his heart. The young man hadn’t noticed Ying Hongyue utilizing any powerful weapon. One had to know that Li Hao had two of the eight familial weapons now, his teacher had one of them, and Battle Heaven a fourth. There were four missing weapons; Ying Hongyue can’t possibly not have a single one.

But the other hadn’t employed a weapon from beginning to end.

Li Hao suppressed the various thoughts, vaguely understanding that the second awakening of the supernatural might come after everyone broke the five locks of the organs! It was just a hunch. Perhaps many were waiting for this timing to break the five locks—it was representative of entering the next level. Not only would that level be available to Arcanus, but it would also be the next level after martial masters refined their spirits.

This would also mean that most people will have fully released their potential...

And that was the last that Li Hao thought of the matter. He closed his eyes to begin cultivating, absorbing currents of dark and light elemental energy. With the number of people he’d killed, he didn’t lack mysterious power. He had too much.

He also possessed a frightening number of mysterious power stones that spanned all of the elements. Li Hao had unlocked the wind and thunder attributes, so what would light and dark energy bring him? He hadn’t absorbed much of these elements before because they weren’t that useful to him. The dark attribute only helped him somewhat conceal his presence. While it was better than nothing, it didn’t enhance his strength like the five elements or wind and thunder.

His thoughts changed after he was supernatural himself. He wanted to manifest all of the supernatural looks on his body. Just how many locks did the human body have? Could they all be undone? Was it possible to break all of the locks?

Elemental power surged into his body. Both light and dark swiftly vanished without a trace into his body. The little bit of energy that wafted out was devoured by the dog. Not a trace was left and not a hint leaked.

In terms of strength, Li Hao did not register any increase. Those two elements were just like that. He didn’t know which supernatural lock absorbed them. Currently, his five locks of the organs were arrayed in a circle, coiled in his five organs. The five auras were still and silent, as if awaiting for the chance of rebirth.

......

The little car sped along the roads. They were finely paved in the central region and the car nearly flew over them with the dog at the wheel. No obstacles existed. If they encountered mountains or lakes, the battered car literally took to the air like a flying vehicle. It crossed land and water without any difficulties.

The dog drove through several provinces over two days until they reached the North Sea. This pace of travel nearly matched a powerhouse’s pace at full speed. Panther was exhausted, parking when it reached the coastline and looked around at Li Hao. The young man hadn’t moved for two days. He’d absorbed mysterious power all this time, but there wasn’t the slightest change in his presence.

What a waste!

“Arf!” Panther barked. They were here. As for crossing the sea... it wouldn’t do so. The North Sea was vast and it’d probably faint from exhaustion if it took a regular car over it.

Li Hao opened his eyes—light and darkness swirled within them. He was a bit lost in his thoughts and glanced at Panther. The dog shifted uncomfortably at the attention and barked again. The young man didn’t respond. He quietly tasted and perceived the changes in his body.

Two small locks appeared within, one of light and one of darkness. He couldn’t be certain of their position as they seemed to be swimming through his body.

Are those the light and dark locks? So they’d manifested, but they didn’t seem to be stable yet. I’ve only just barely managed to materialize them after absorbing so much energy... Regular people might not manifest them their entire lives.

“Arf arf!”

“I heard you!” Li Hao snapped back to reality and looked wordlessly at Panther. “So you drove for two days straight, what are you making a fuss for?”

No one had bothered him during these days. It wasn’t necessarily a secret that he’d left Skystar City, but still no one came for him. That was surprising, but also a rational outcome. He was now a renowned powerhouse after killing Hu Xiao.

Young man and dog alighted from the car, shivering in the biting wind and listening to the North Sea howl. Winter was officially in the north. Thin flakes of snow flurried—it was already mid November. The north had completely cooled down.

There were ships tacking their way through the waters and another fishing boat docked not too far away. A group of bedraggled people streamed off of it; the faint sounds of children sobbing could be heard from them.

“Don’t stop, it’s too cold here. Start walking south once you get ashore. We’re in the central region now and there’s more opportunities here. We’ll find a way to live yet...” someone called out—a supernatural. He was very weak at only a Starlight; he also seemed rather young.

He caught a glimpse of Li Hao in the distance, but didn’t come over to make his greetings. He didn’t know the two and it was obvious that a young man and a dog enjoying the view on such a cold day was no one ordinary. They were either nobles out for a stroll or powerhouses here to take in the sights.

The young Starlight barely managed to raise a shield of energy and block the wind from blowing over some children in the ground. “Keep walking, don’t stop! The three northern provinces are completely rotten and there’s no hope of survival if you stay there! As chaotic as the central region is, it’s at least warmer here and you won’t die by the side of the road!”

“Thank you so much, Divine Lu. We wouldn’t have made it through the North Sea without you...”

“Don’t call me Divine!”

“Are you coming with us, Divine Lu?”

“I’ll escort you part of the way before going back. I’m sure everyone knows that there are many people looking to cross the sea in search of survival. If I don’t accompany them, they probably won’t make it.”

“The divine is right, it’s all thanks to the divine...”

The crowd’s conversation traveled into Li Hao’s ears, bringing comprehension with it. The people suffered in abject misery in the unrest of the three northern provinces. The north was too cold and lacked food at the moment. Hence, the people started south in search of survival.

However, crossing the sea was no easy task with how vast the North Sea was. This young Starlight took on the role of a boatman, escorting ships of refugees to the north.

Li Hao listened silently. The unrest of the north had happened before he left. It looked like they’d reached a peak over the last couple of months.

“Are you doing this again, Lu Chuan?!” a voice roared. “I told you before and warned you to stop sending people over here! This is no place of mercy or kindness! If people don’t find a job here, they’ll still die sooner or later. It’s better to remain in the three northern provinces, don’t you understand?!”

Li Hao looked over to find an inspector wearing an Inspectorate uniform hectoring the young man.