Star Gate

The big tree retreated incredulously from the ruin entrance. Its mental strength agitated shrilly, “Why did the void attack me?!”

The revered redwood had traveled here, so why was it affected when it tried to leave??

“What… an idiot!” A burst of aura erupted!

Bam!

Thousands of branches ran through heaven and earth, locking the injured tree in place. Cracks raced through its trunk as the tree looked around wildly in a mixture of fury and horror!

“You want to kill me…”

Li Hao grunted and struck with his sword! Sword intent wafted through the vicinity as the power of seven element Arcanus exploded! The rest also struck at full strength; even Panther transformed with a roar. Its blood converged and a shadow manifested in the air.

“The Monster Spirit Envoy!” shouted the startled redwood tree.

A clap of thunder rang out as a bolt of lightning sizzled from the shadowy golden horns, charring a large part of the golden tree when it connected.

“What are you still staring for? Kill it!!” Li Hao yelled angrily. The redwood tree’s reflexes were too slow!

The redwood was shocked beyond belief. The Monster Spirit Envoy… It truly hadn’t read Panther properly before or realized the dog’s potential. It could feel the natural suppression of the bloodline! But the redwood was in a much better state compared to the golden tree. Taking advantage of the other’s need to recover from the lightning strike, the redwood tree finally stirred with all of its strength.

Countless branches shot through the air. Being a plant spirit itself, it knew where the golden tree’s weaknesses were. A massively thick branch pierced straight through its heart of life.

The golden tree had been accumulating its core origin for a forceful counterattack—it shrieked with anguish as a greater wave of core origin flooded the premises. Something seemed to explode as the tree dimmed. The energy that it was gathering completely dispersed.

“Its core origin dao is still intact!” shouted Li Hao. “What are you doing, redwood?”

“I forgot!” The redwood tree jerked with shock. “Since there’s no core origin in the world now, none of our core origin daos can revitalize…”

It quickly offered a weak explanation while inwardly reeling from Li Hao’s exhortation. So it would seem that these people had killed core origin powerhouses before! It didn’t dare delay and summoned a wide avenue in the air. The avenue rammed the golden tree, colliding with something in the void and bringing another avenue into view with a rumble. That was the golden tree’s great dao.

The golden tree’s shadow appeared in the void. “Must you really be so ruthless?!”

Last time Li Hao killed the golden coconut, it’d been the little tree that deployed its imperial palace projection to suppress the tree’s core origin dao. He was relying on the redwood tree this time, but its effect seemed less pronounced than the little tree’s. As the two great daos clashed, the redwood actually appeared to be flinching from the engagement!

The young man frowned and snorted. Blood-red blade intent blossomed from Stellaris—the blade intent of the Exalted Blood Emperor!

Stellaris was much more awake now and agitated restlessly when it came in contact with the blade intent. “Sever!” Li Hao shouted.

Overwhelming intent exuded from the weapon, shaking the two core origin daos in the air! The redwood tree nearly lost its composure—the Blade of Blood! This was the blade intent of an exalted emperor, the one from Southern Martial! Li Hao possessed his heritage!

“Suppress its great dao!” the young man shouted again.

As stunned as the redwood tree was, it didn’t dare tarry. It roared and deployed all of its core origin, thoroughly suppressing the other’s great dao. The golden tree’s shadow struggled mightily with fear, “Don’t…”

It had a chance of reviving if its great dao remained. Once it broke, that was the end of the road for it. Stellaris and that surge of blade intent was frightfully domineering. It could tell that the blow would wreak unbearable damage to its core origin dao!

The blade swung down!

Heaven and death seemed to split apart as the tiny dao fractured, snapped, and completely broke apart.

“Redwood… you are too foolish…” the golden tree muttered with despair and impotent rage. “We are plant spirits and they are humans… You aid and abet the tyrants… New Martial is no more and it is time for our rise. Plant spirits are the greatest in number these days, you idiot…”

Humans had ever ruled over plants spirits. They’d finally declined, clearing the way for monster spirits. And yet, the redwood coordinated with the humans to kill its own kind!

What an idiot!

Rumble! A dense surge of core origin swiftly unfurled with the collapse of the great dao. The jujube tree and Panther immediately turned to devouring the newly available energy. After a careful glance at Li Hao, the redwood started absorbing energy as well.

The golden tree was dead! The redwood hadn’t wanted to shatter its old comrade’s great dao, but had no choice when commanded by the humans it was with. There was no hope of the golden tree returning! How ruthless!

Li Hao looked at Deputy Zhou—the deputy shook his head with a slight shake. He could not absorb any more energy. If he did, he would reach seven elements and be limited to staying by Li Hao’s side. That was a loss of personal freedom that the deputy would not tolerate.

The young man found this outcome rather regretful! He frowned slightly. If this proved to be the case… then would none of the others be able to enter the next level before the second awakening?

Li Hao walked forward without another word and dug open the trunk. A dense concentration of life force wafted out. He materialized a large water jug and filled it with Water of Life. There was so much that Lin Hongyu swayed despite herself. There seemed to be endless drops!

That was an exaggeration—there were only three thousand drops. Since Li Hao already had ten thousand, this tree’s reserves didn’t seem much to him. It didn’t even measure up to what the Hu plant spirit possessed. His frown deepened as he collected all of the Water of Life, then the tree trunk, as well as the indestructible matter.

The redwood tree shifted slightly at the last, whereupon the young man said calmly, “Senior, you and Senior Jujube can absorb core origin energy. This is what you lack, I have use for the rest! Additionally, I hope for things to be… smoother, next time. That there is no need for me to sever the great dao. When I killed Immortal-level plant spirits before, the imperial palace guard brought out a projection of the imperial palace to instantly suppress the other’s great dao. Does Senior Redwood not have that ability?”

“Imperial palace guard?” The redwood froze. What imperial palace guard? Who was that?

“His Imperial Majesty had a side palace in Silver Moon back in the day, do you not know? There is a plant spirit outside it who is the guard. It can summon the projection of the imperial palace to immediately suppress a plant spirit’s great dao.

“I thought all plant spirits had a similar ability. There were times when the projection outright crushed our target. I left the imperial palace guard to hold down the fort in Tranquil Star and defend against the bramble rose. So… it turns out that Senior Redwood doesn’t know this skill!” Li Hao frowned. “In that case, I should’ve brought the guard.”

The redwood tree didn’t know what to say. Who would have this kind of ability? The young man’s words didn’t ring false, which made the tree tremble. Of course one could instantly suppress a great dao when calling upon the imperial place. Didn’t this mean that there were even more factions behind Li Hao?

The redwood tree was numb at this point.

Evenround Martial University, the imperial palace, Battle Heaven… anyone else? The powerhouses of these places had all flocked to Li Hao’s banner! It was incredible! The young man even seemed to wield the blade heritage of the Exalted Blood Emperor apart from the sword heritage of the Eternal Sword Sovereign! What kind of freakish monster was he?

The little jujube tree quickly spoke up as the silence dragged on, “If you trust me, Commander Li, you can bring my primary body here to kill the plant spirits. We’re not in a major rush and my primary body has some strength to it. It might not measure up to the revered redwood, but I will certainly participate with my full strength and not hold anything back!”

It might as well say that the redwood was pulling its punches, but it wouldn’t, so hurry and take its primary body along these operations! The jujube tree was wracked by regret in this moment. It would’ve sent its primary body if it’d known this would be the outcome!

There were limits to the amount of core origin that a replica could devour. If its primary body was here… it might’ve recovered most of its strength already. What a pity!

The redwood inwardly jumped with shock and cursed at the jujube tree. How dare that walking bundle of firewood seek to supplant it! It immediately transformed into human form and landed beside Li Hao with a smile. “The commander doesn’t need to go to that much trouble. I was just out of practice from a prolonged lack of battle and failed to consider that point given that core origin has fallen silent. This will not happen again after the experience of this battle!”

It fully submitted to Li Hao only now.

“I was a peak Immortal back in the day, I’ve recovered slowly compared to the one at Skystar Town. As for this jujube tree, it should be just a minor spirit from the wilderness. I was a member of the army in my time, it’s a random outsider that just entered initial Immortal. The degree to which it’s recovered is too ghastly to look at. It might not even be as strong as the commander if its primary body came!”

The redwood shifted to a completely different state in this moment. It even set aside the core origin energy that the jujube tree and Panther were furiously absorbing. Li Hao could not develop a disliking of it no matter what. All hope was gone if the young man discarded it. There was a limit to the amount of energy that these two could absorb. Whatever they couldn’t still belonged to the redwood tree.

“Commander, what happened earlier will not happen again. The more I recover, the more they will be suppressed…”

“I hope not!” Li Hao said after long consideration. “There are plenty who are willing to offer their strength if you are not. Perhaps you think of yourself as invincible because you are a peak Immortal. But in my eyes, I can summon at least a dozen plant spirits like you at any time!

“Do you know why I do not choose them or the ones in Battle Heaven?”

The redwood tree was the very picture of attentiveness.

“Because of a need to keep you guys in check!” Li Hao explained calmly. “I cannot let any one party grow too strong. Whether it is you, the imperial palace guard, or Battle Heaven, I will permit all of you to recover only in part. This is because you guys need to understand that this era is no longer of New Martial, but mine—Li Hao’s!

“This is why you have this opportunity. You must cherish it and do well! Otherwise, with my strength, I can take any plant spirit with me at any time. Do I need you?

“You can return to your station if this happens again and go back to sleep!” the young man concluded coldly.

“I would not dare!” The redwood tree bowed with complete comprehension. The action shocked Lin Hongyu. This revered one had alway been arrogantly aloof! Humans were incomparably weak in its eyes. Even though Lin Hongyu herself was a great genius, the tree only saw her as a subordinate that it could train. But it bowed and scraped before Li Hao…

Why was the difference between them so great?