Star Gate

Chapter 265: City Gates Open (II)

Chapter 265: City Gates Open (II)

“Sis Zhang, don’t us Night Watchers have any Sunflare level healers?” Li Hao smiled.

“No.” Zhang Ting shook her head. “Healers are actually very special and very rare! Wood, light, and water attributes are suited for healing, particularly the life attribute—that’s a mutation from the wood attribute. But there aren’t many in even the central region, to say nothing of Silver Moon.

“Light Island had a few light attributes—they recruited most of the light attributes in Silver Moon. Thus, most organizations mainly focus on water attributes as their healers!

“Yet water can also attack, so most supernaturals of this attribute choose to focus on offense instead of healing.”

“The life attribute... So this also exists as well. I’ve learned something new today!” Li Hao nodded. “Then you need to be careful, Sis Zhang. You should stay close to us since you don’t have much offensive capabilities. My chief is really powerful, he’s a Dominator!

“Dominators are all very strong,” chuckled the young man. “With him here, no one will dare make trouble for us as long as we don’t enter the city for the treasure.”

A Dominator!

Liu Long remained quiet off to the side.

“Congratulations to Director Liu.” Zhang Ting nodded with a strange look on her face. “To think that you ultimately made the breakthrough in the end! I once heard of your name in White Moon City, that you would hold a city by yourself...”

This was a famous saying that originated from Liu Long. White Moon City wanted him to join the Night Watchers, but he refused and insisted on returning to Silver City. That was when he voiced the heroic sentiment of defending an entire city by himself. Silver City would not fall so long as he lived!

He’d just been a Sunderer then. Now that he was a Dominator and thought back to those days... The man shook his head; there was nothing more to say. One man holding down a city had been words spoken in the heat of the moment! As the supernatural world grew stronger—as evident by the common sight of Solars on this expedition—it was laughable to think that one person could protect a city by themselves.

He didn’t mind Li Hao exposing him as a Dominator. The kid was diabolical! Everyone’s attention would naturally be on him after he became a Dominator. Who would care about a sickly Sunderer? Li Hao’s face was still frighteningly pale. Perhaps he was really injured, but... Liu Long suspected that he wasn’t.

He also knew about Zhang Ting—a mid Solar of the water attribute! Li Hao had had his eyes on her for a while, but then seemed to give up. But now that the woman didn’t leave and was actually sticking close to them instead... Liu Long would twist off his head and give it to the lad if the latter still wasn’t thinking about it!

“Sis Zhang, do you know that Ole Wang’s become a Sunflare?” Li Hao continued.

“I do, everyone does. He’s the youngest Sunflare in all of Silver Moon!” Zhang Ting smiled.

“Don’t say that, I’m not young, I’m already twenty!” Wang Ming roared with laughter and put on a modest air. “There are twenty-year-old Solars in the central region!”

He continued laughing, these words were so easy on the ear! He didn’t know Sis Zhang that well, but her words were quite soothing. What a pity that she was a bit too old and showing it. He’d talk to her some more otherwise.

Someone on the side looked at them as they chatted—one of the remaining Yama Sunflare. The man bore a few scars on his face and glanced sharply at Liu Long. “You’re a Dominator, Liu Long?”

The team captain looked back at him, not recognizing the stranger and not wanting to respond to him.

“You’re the one who killed Hu Po, aren’t you?” The man remained staring coldly at him. “You guys had already disappeared at that time and entered the city. So was Hu Po in the city. There were signs of punches on his clothing—we wondered if someone from the Sword Sect was behind it. Now it looks like you killed him to get revenge for that bitch Liu Yan!”

“So what if I did?” Liu Long flicked a dismissive glance at the speaker. He could be bothered to deny his involvement at this stage. This person might have something to do with Li Dahu.

“So it was you!” sneered the scarred Sunflare. “Liu Long I’ll have you know that Hu Po followed by my side after joining Yama. I raised him from nothing...”

Liu Long stared coldly at him. This man was very strong! He looked to be late or even peak Sunflare, but was Liu Long afraid?

“So what?” cursed Wang Ming before Liu Long had a chance to respond. “Do we need your permission to kill a wanted criminal? There’s barely anyone left in Yama and your Revolution King might not make it back out alive. Want to take a chance that you won’t leave alive either if you have a bone to pick?”

He was afraid of nothing at this stage. Yama had suffered immensely on this expedition. Weren’t there Night Watcher Solars to neutralize the Revolution King? And they only had two Sunflares remaining.

If it came down to a fight, what was left of the Night Watcher contingent could more than handle the organization. Of course, he himself wouldn’t be able to stand against the speaker, but Liu Long was a Dominator! The two of them together was more than adequate!

The Yama powerhouse sneered, but said nothing more. Liu Long! That bastard had indeed killed Hu Po! Being a heavy earth Sunflare, Hu Po was dominating when he fought. It was an extreme pity that he’d died so quickly in the outer city.

Li Hao listened quietly to their exchange. He sometimes looked at the city gates or at the end of the streets to see if those who’d taken the second passageway had returned. Hu Dingfang was attempting it this time, as was the metal attribute Director Zhou. I wonder if they’ll come back safely...

The young man coughed up some blood, prompting Zhang Ting to say, “Are you alright, Li Hao? Do you want me to take a look...”

“That’s alright!” Li Hao shook his head with a smile. “A martial master’s body can not easily be examined by others. Teacher says that might easily expose some secret arts, so my apologies!”

“I understand, I’m just worried that your injuries are too severe...”

“It’s fine!” Li Hao took out the final blood pearl. “This is a healing panacea! I should be fine after taking this blood pearl.”

He swallowed it without further ado. Power from the scarlet shadow agitated through him, absorbed by his organs and the rest of his body. He’d taken three Sunflare blood pearls in quick succession, replenishing his stock of internal force that was unstable after crossing into Dominator.

Zhang Ting noted the healthy flush that returned to his cheeks and asked when the young man opened his eyes, “Are they that effective?”

“Very!” Li Hao nodded. “They’re a priceless treasure when paired with the Breathing Method of the Five Styles. What a pity that I can’t teach the breathing method to others, or I’d teach it to whoever wants to learn it. My teacher won’t allow me!”

He sighed and shook his head. “This is one of the drawbacks of the martial world. Everything is jealously hoarded, causing many precious arts to be lost in time!”

Zhang Ting flared with desire—the Breathing Method of the Five Styles! What a pity that only Li Hao and Yuan Shuo knew of it. As for Chen Yuhua... no one would consider her part the equation. She’d vanished for many years and had been thrown out early on. Zhang Ting also knew that she’d joined the Tiger Wings, which made her difficult to access once she was part of the army.

With how strong Yuan Shuo was these days, Li Hao was the best point of attack if one wanted the breathing method.

A loud clamor sounded from the distance as they chatted. The group that’d tried the second passageway was returning.

Li Hao relaxed when he saw Hu Dingfang. It wasn’t that he cared so much for the man, but that the situation would truly be dangerous if he died. The Night Watchers possessed additional confidence so long as he lived.

Hu Dingfang’s expression was as usual—nothing could be read from it. Upon closer observation, however, Li Hao could tell that his ball of light was much smaller. The same went for the Revolution King, and the origin weapon in his body seemed to be damaged.

It was mid Solar Ding Chen who hadn’t suffered much. He was like Hong Yitang from the first attempt, and there was also an origin weapon inside his body! It wasn’t that strong, just on par with Zhang Ting and a far cry from the Flaming Phoenix Spear. So Celestial had brought an origin weapon on this expedition as well!

No one could see as clearly as Li Hao; there would be no secrets hidden from the young man’s eyes. He could fully read who was injured and whose strength had been reduced. All of the Solars that made the attempt had come out alive. The only Solar to enter had been Director Zhou and he... seemed fine.

Peak Sunflare was neither that strong nor weak. The director had lingered at this cultivation level for many years and maintained good control over his abilities. Someone like him was the safest. Those who’d emerged unharmed from the second passageway before were mostly like him, stuck at the peak of their cultivation level for a while.

A mid Sunflare like Zhao Huan did not attempt the passageway.

......

The crowd gathered once more. They still numbered thirty—no one had died during this attempt. Instead of being in a hurry to enter the city, they started waiting.

What were they waiting for?

For the doors to the ruins to open so that those who wanted to leave could depart. The other layer of meaning was that the next time the doors opened would be tomorrow night. One day was sufficient for people to mob anyone who accidentally laid their hands on treasure!

Otherwise, it was exceedingly easy for someone to escape even if the doors were open for a split second. These Solars had carefully calculated everything.

There was a period of time before the doors opened, so Hao Lianchuan struck up a conversation.

“Everyone, do you have any thoughts or clues about the imperial majesty and Human King that the soldiers spoke of earlier?”

No one answered him.

“The three great organizations have different intelligence, as do the Night Watchers.” Hao Lianchuan remained smiling. “Why don’t we share them with each other? It all has to do with the ancient civilization, so isn’t it good to know more about it?

“The Night Watchers do know a little,” he offered. “Based on the ancient records that we’ve obtained, there did seem to be either someone or a title called the Human King in the ancient civilization. As the moniker indicates, he was king of the human race! It might not have been one person—it could’ve been passed down through the generations. The Skystar King of the current dynasty, for example, can also be called the Human King...”

The Revolution King jeered as soon as this was suggested, “The Skystar King as the Human King?” Sarcasm was thick in his voice. “A royal family without any tangible authority is worthy of being called the Human King? Do you know what that title entails? The ancient record speaks of the the Human King ruling over whatever he stood on, whether the cosmos, oceans, or even the universe! Perhaps they exaggerated, but according to written fragments, whatever he saw was either his or soon to be his. Can the current Skystar King begin to compare to such an august personage?”

He sniffed derisively!