Star Gate

Chapter 585: Ceremonial Rites (I)

Li Hao laid in Panther’s stomach—the dog’s stomach was quite spacious and not that dirty. The dog had almost refined its organs to the point of being top-grade refined metal, so there wasn’t much blood and other messiness to be found inside.

The young man was still thinking of the Xus’ treasury. Did he go in for one job and leave with the Windchaser Boot, or did he walk off with the whole bag? This was the greatest question on Li Hao’s mind.

If he swindled the duke just out of the Windchaser Boot, he’d be exposed before a few days were up. On the other hand, that might be much safer and help him smoothly leave the duke’s manor.

At the same time, the duke was lending the boot with certain conditions. The snake king of the Kui Mountains wouldn’t really send five Novas and it wouldn’t possibly deliver large quantities of Water of Life as interest. Li Hao’s lies would be unmasked in a few days all the same.

That would give him sufficient time to escape, though.

Do I take a risk, or do I take off after getting the Windchaser Boot? Li Hao asked himself. There was no one else he could ask and Panther rolled around on the ground, possibly uncomfortable because there was someone in its stomach.

If the Steadfast Duke’s manor doesn’t fall into disarray and I expose too many trump cards in the process of getting the Windchaser Boot... Xu Qing himself will probably come for me. Various eastern provinces are gathered here today, the duke wants me there probably to borrow my presence to intimidate them...

The duke wanted to utilize the Kui Mountains to intimidate certain people. The mountains were strong with one metamorphosis expert in the open and several more Novas. They also possessed a lot of Solars, making the mountains a force that regular provinces could not afford to provoke.

Intimidation... so this means that the Steadfast Duke doesn’t have as strong a grip over the east as we think. Some of the attendees may even want to go against him.

The greatest overlord of the east is the Xu family, but there also seems to be some families that rival them on equal terms. If the Xus could suppress everyone within the provinces, they would’ve long dominated the region and proclaimed themselves king.

Various thoughts filtered through his mind as voices traveled in from outside.

“Announcing the director general of the Calm Borders provincial government!” There were personnel outside announcing the identity of each visitor. It was major powerhouses that came to the ceremonial rites. They naturally needed to be individually announced to demonstrate the duke’s prestige and connections.

Calm Borders was right beneath the duke’s nose and naturally part of his camp. The director general was just decoration, but this decoration possessed a very high status. Out of the entire dynasty and millions of kilometers of territory, there were only ninety-nine director generals. That this one had come so early was to show the duke face.

Li Hao listened quietly and didn’t react. Xu Xing had him resting here for a while, saying that someone would lead him to the proceedings in a while. According to the young man’s speculations, the Xus might be waiting for everyone to arrive before bringing the monster spirit in, so as to catch some people off guard.

......

Outside the Steadfast Duke’s manor.

Cars continued to roll to a stop outside the front gates. Granted, there were those who didn't walk like everyone else did. Clad in certain, those heavyweights came on horseback or rode in on monster spirits. Regardless, their stature was imposing.

Some powerhouses came in directly on origin weapons. There were flying ships and carriages. Those assembled for the ceremony were strong and quite capable.

Apart from Calm Borders, there were twenty provinces in the east. Each province held roughly one hundred million citizens and the eastern expanses were a rich land with dense mysterious power. There were more powerhouses in the eastern continent—the north could not compare. Apart from a few crafty old foxes in Silver Moon, the northern continent was indeed the weakest out of the four continents.

Today, movers and shakers of the various eastern provinces were all gathered here. They hadn’t necessarily sent their highest ranking officials or their strongest, but almost all of them were led by Novas, senior officials, or equally representative characters. It was a very strong turnout. Some provinces did send their highest ranking official.

Changes abounded in the Steadfast Duke’s manor. Many powerhouses had died—nine Novas were already dead. It made some provinces previously smothered underfoot stir with agitation. Some people wanted to take a look for themselves to see how much strength was left with the duke.

Nine Novas was no small sum! Their weakest of Xu Feng was mid Nova. As solid as the Xu foundations were, losing so many heavyweights in such a short period of time made their losses greater than what Silver Moon had suffered in Silver Moon these days.

Outside the Steadfast Duke’s manor.

A small black car slowly rolled to a stop. There were two occupants aside from the driver—one old, one middle-aged. The old man’s hair was pure white and he showed his age. Beside him, the middle-aged man was healthy and moved with rippling muscles. They weren’t too apparent beneath his military uniform.

“We’re here, father,” the middle-aged man said lowly.

The old man opened his eyes and looked outside at the large characters over the magnificent door. “I wonder what Xu Qing’s got up his sleeve today. Keep your ears sharp and don’t speak too much when we enter in a moment.”

“I know, father.” The middle-aged man nodded.

The two were from the province of Firebright, an exceedingly strong eastern province. Due to the prevalence of volcanoes within its borders, there was an abundance of strong fire supernaturals in Firebright. For that reason, Firebright had been a thorn in the Xu family’s side for a very long time.

The one in control of Firebright was different from the highest ranking official of any other province—the inspector general of the Inspectorate. He was the old man in the car and had fully grasped the province’s military power a few decades ago.

The old man had clashed with Xu Qing many years back—the Xus also wanted to be rid of him. But the old man was strong and had long set foot in the supernatural domain. He was now a metamorphosis expert and a very strong fire supernatural. His battle strength was fearsome. He also had the extremely loyal Fire Troops beneath his command. There were so many powerhouses that answered to his banner that the Xus didn’t dare move against him.

He was here in person for the ceremonial rites, but under heavy protest by the middle-aged man. The latter hadn’t been able to persuade the other, so he followed the old man to protect him.

“Father,” transmitted the middle-aged man when his father alighted. “I’m worried about the Xus suddenly moving against you. I should be here alone...”

“That’s enough, there’s no need to cower all the time if we don’t undertake anything major. As strong as the Xus are, it is an open ceremony today. They might wish to demonstrate their might, but they won’t be starting anything in front of everyone else. They don’t have the courage or the charisma to do so. Someone like Xu Qing will not be the first to step forward. Having only the eastern region be thrown in chaos and the rest of the world be fine is absolutely not what he wishes.”

Not to mention, the old man wasn’t Xu Qing’s only rival present today. His son was thinking too much! There was no possibility at present for Xu Qing’s desire to conquer the east.

Such thoughts ran through the old man’s mind, but he walked forward in silence. The servant at the front doors widened his eyes when he saw the latest visitor. “Announcing the inspector general of the Firebright Inspectorate!”

This was one proclamation that drew much attention. A few more powerhouses emerged behind the old man and looked toward the door when they heard the voice. Some were surprised by the old man’s presence, others were amused. With this one here, they could adjust their actions to the situation.

If they were to rise against the Xus, someone needed to be their leader. In the east, there were three factions who had sufficient qualification and strength to go directly against the Xus. The first was Firebright, the second was the province of East Pole.

East Pole was another province of extensive territory and numerous people, one that powerhouses flocked to. Its governance system was different from regular provinces in that it was also ruled over by one large family—much like Calm Borders. Although its family wasn’t as well known as the Steadfast Duke, they were also once the founding nobles of the dynasty.

Apart from these two provinces, the third faction that could stand against the Xus was an organization known as Helios, not a province. Helios’ tenure was second only to the three great organizations, but it hadn’t grown as fast as the three. It was rooted in the east and was yet to expand to other areas. However, it was very strong in the east and had recruited large numbers of wandering cultivators. None of the three great organizations by themselves were rivals for Helios in the region.

Helios members could be found throughout the area; some of them possessed startling backgrounds. It was rumored that some of the highest ranking border officials were part of its ranks. It received backing from many who grasped actual power. Just as the Xus secretly supported three great organizations, Helios also had more than its share of backers. Some provinces didn’t dare oppose the Xus on the surface, but were in favor of Helios from the shadows in order to maintain their position.

These years, the army of the Steadfast Duke focused on Helios members as their targets.

The old man attracted a lot of attention as soon as he reached the door. Powerhouses from other provinces quickly trotted up to him from behind, greeting him warmly, “Inspector General Yu is here as well! We would’ve traveled with you had we known you were coming. We’ll be safer with the inspector general around.”

“We can go back together.” The smiling old man turned with a nod.

“Then we’ll have to impose ourselves on you!” The group of people chatted and laughed at the door, hardly seeming like they were here to offer condolences.

Xu Xing soon appeared and plastered on a fake smile when he saw the old man. “Inspector General Yu’s here, please come in...” His smile vanished and sorrow took its place. “My brother has most unfortunately met with disaster. Thank you all for making the trip.”

The speed with which he switched moods was startling. He smiled to express his friendliness and sorrow because his brother and nephew had lost their lives. It was a memorial ceremony today, so the proper tone had to be struck.

“My condolences!” sighed the old man as his smile disappeared as well. “To think that Light Sword and the others would be so bold! Li Hao is so vicious as to force a kind soul like the Steadfast Duke to send off his own blood. We hope that the duke looks out for his health and lives long. Do not let this be his downfall!”

Hypocrite! Xu Xing cursed inwardly. Living long wasn’t sarcasm as even martial masters and supernaturals didn’t necessarily live long. If one didn’t resolve the issues of weak organs, sometimes one hundred years was the limit of one’s lifespan. Thus, there was nothing wrong with these words, it was just displeasing when it came from this one’s mouth.

“This way please, inspector general!” Xu Xing didn’t want to say anything else. You’ll know in a bit! Even though the family’s suffered a grave loss, we’re still out of reach for you!

The Xus had been apprehensive before the arrival of the Kui Mountain monster spirits. But now if they reached an agreement with the mountains, there were plenty of major monster spirits that they could call on. Although the snake king was only a metamorphosis expert, its bloodline and body were formidable. That placed it beyond regular metamorphosis heavyweights.

Just you wait, we’ll see if you can smile after you realize we’ve struck a deal with the Kui Mountains!