“Then... will royal father be able to emerge in the world if he breaks free of nine ministry control?”
“I don’t know,” the little tree responded indifferently. “He might be able to, he might not be able to.”
“Is father a supernatural or a martial master still?”
The Skystar King frowned. The nine ministries had shown great wariness all this time and refused to ease up their guard. Whenever his royal father showed signs of movement, they reached through the ruin to suppress him anew. Was it possible... that he was still a martial master?
That had to be impossible! How could a martial master be on par with an Apex? It was only feasible if his father walked the path of ancient martial dao. But with core origin having gone inert, how was he to reach the Apex level?
The king couldn’t make sense of it! Was there... some special method in play? The old farts at the nine ministries might know something since they’d remained so incomparably fearful all this time. It was the Skystar King himself who didn’t know much. Looks like my old man hasn’t given up the desire to come out! Very well, continue keeping the nine ministries in check then!
Cheering from thousands of people outside sounded at this time.
“The Skystar Commander Office will be established on the old address of the Ministry of the Judiciary. The Ministry of the Judiciary is dismantled from this day forth. All superhuman and mundane laws will fall under the purview of the Skystar Commander Office. The Skystar Commander Office oversees law and order beneath the heavens!”
“......” The Skystar King looked frostily in the relevant direction. Just listen to those words and that ambition! The kid had only wanted to meddle in the affairs of superhumans before, now it was the mundane part of the world as well. Li Hao was so greedy and full of wild ambitions!
Varied reactions abounded on the Avenue of the Nine Ministries. Some sighed, some were sad. Others were resigned. Fear and anger were found in equal parts.
In the rear yard of the Inspectorate.
Inspector General Chen Yao was mulling over his next course of action as his father read a book next to him. After a long while, Chen Yao sighed. “Did you mean it when you said that I should fall to my knees in front of him after he comes out of the ruins?”
“You decide for yourself!” His father turned to him with a smile.
Chen Yao didn’t say a word. What the hell can I decide?? The Ministry of the Judiciary is no more!
With one less ministry among the nine, Chen Yao grappled with a complex mix of emotions. Li Hao had risen so quickly that he couldn’t really accept it. The lad had been a Night Watcher under his command just a while back, but now Chen Yao was the one who had to call upon him and ask to be taken in?
The nine ministries had wielded power over the dynasty for eighty years, making the Chens a local tyrant! Chen Yao himself was like an emperor! And now he was supposed to surrender to Li Hao? He wasn’t willing, was quite reluctant, and immensely irritated!
Today, Li Hao demonstrated his power and prestige to all sides and killed formidable enemies. He’d seized the Ministry of the Judiciary and defied Qi Pingjiang. He employed great force and threat to deter those who stood in front of him. Two thousand soldiers under his command had jointly slain an Arcanus and eliminated the Judgment Guard!
Li Hao had fully found his footing this time.
“What are Qi Pingjiang and the rest thinking?” Chen Yao looked at his father. “The situation has progressed to this point, yet they still let Li Hao continue ? What do they mean by their inaction?”
“Nothing,” smiled the old minister. “Just that no matter how strong one’s potential is, one cannot break the shackle of six elements. Only when the second awakening arrives will the victor be decided. We will see then whose foundations are deeper and whose backer is stronger. It will be apparent who is more prepared. Although Battle Heaven of Silver Moon stands behind Li Hao, the second awakening likely won’t reach that province. Silver Moon is the common target of many factions instead. Tell me, why do they feel the need to go against Li Hao right this very moment?”
Chen Yao frowned. “Is he not afraid of Li Hao breaking through the shackles through pure potential alone? He might become seven elements or everyone stronger prior to the second awakening...”
“Why do you think that way?” The old minister blinked and looked at his son.
“Why not?” Yao Chen answered with confusion.
“I mean to say that the second awakening has become a spell that no one can break. This is a foregone conclusion, a problem with space itself and a contradiction that cannot be resolved. Do you think Li Hao can break it?”
“Why not?” Chen Yao blinked. I just feel that Li Hao’s rate of improvement is astounding. Everyone thought of it as an impossible task, but what was impossible to Li Hao? The only thing the old man thought of was that his own son had many problems to deal with! Was Chen Yao not supposed to think in this direction?
“Everything is possible, particularly when it comes to Li Hao!” Chen Yao declared.
“Do you therefore think that he can create a miracle? In that case, what are you waiting for?” laughed the old minister. If you think that a miracle will spring forth from the young man, that means you’ve already lost and think of Li Hao as a terrifying person. If you think he’s terrifying, why the hesitation?
“But... if he doesn’t succeed... he does indeed lack a powerful patron for the second awakening,” Chen Yao said haltingly. “It’s unknown whether he seized the mysterious power stones on this expedition and if he can revive the plant spirit in Battle Heaven or not. In that case, he will spontaneously become one of the weakest...”
“That’s right,” chuckled the old minister. “So there’s no helping it, we have to take the risk. Go tell him these matters in detail—we’ll help him out in his time of need. Joining him at this time means we’re gambling for a future chance! We’re betting that Li Hao can create a miracle. If not, you can continue to rest and cavort with the Ministry of Armed Forces.”
Chen Yao sank into deep thought. Gamble for a miracle? The key question was, could Li Hao break his restraints before the second awakening? If he could and occupied first mover advantage to eliminate his enemies, then he would be able to safely retreat to Silver Moon even if ancient existences revitalized.
But if he couldn’t, then he was abruptly insignificant when the second awakening began. Plant spirits would dominate the world and batches of powerhouses such as Qi Pingjiang would instantly set foot into seven element Arcanus. It would no longer be Li Hao’s world then, so Chen Yao would only be creating trouble for himself if he threw himself under the young man’s banner.
“I’ve been curious about one thing—since Li Hao can stand against Qi Pingjiang, that means he wields more than the temporary strength of five elements,” Chen Yao said after a long silence. “The outside world thinks he’s only at three or four elements. Do you think... that he can conceal his presence? If he does that, will that prevent the void from churning him to pieces?”
“......” the old minister burst out laughing. “Can you stop asking me questions? I’m not a god, how would I know? As opposed to asking me, you might as well ask Li Hao! Just ask him. It’d be a happy surprise if he tells you, and you can just make the call yourself if he doesn’t. He must have something up his sleeves if Yao Si bowed his head. Just do as you see fit and stop asking me. I’ve been retired for many years now.”
Chen Yao sneered and didn’t say anything. Forget it, who knows what this old fart thinks of from day to night. Fine! Then I’ll go ask Li Hao! I’ve never had an official negotiation with him, so I’ll visit him tonight!
The inspector general rose and walked outside. If he made a choice in these circumstances... then the future of the Chens would be unknown indeed.
The Avenue of the Nine Ministries, the Avenue of the Judiciary.
The Demon Hunter Army had officially taken up residence. All was quiet outside, deathly quiet. It was like the entire city had gone silent. Only in the old Ministry of the Judiciary was there some noise.
Many powerhouses were gathered. The seats of government for the nine ministries were utilized as offices in the front and residences in the back. There were plenty more than just Hu Xiao and Hu Mingfa to the Hu family running the Judiciary—it was a large clan.
Hu Mingfa had died so abruptly and Li Hao took over equally suddenly that the family hadn’t had time to evacuate. Therefore, the rear yard was full of Hu family members.
A wizened elder tottered his way forward, one hundred dispirited people at his back. He looked at Li Hao’s side and hadn’t said much when the young man entered the back. He knelt on the ground and raised a wavering voice, “The Hu sinners greet the commander! Hu Xiao and Hu Mingfa committed irredeemable crimes and it is only right that the commander killed them. However, the best of the family is innocent...”
Li Hao scanned the crowd—there were approximately one hundred elders, youngsters, and children. All of them shook like a leaf.
“Who are you?” He looked at the old man.
“I am Hu Xiao’s younger brother and the current family patriarch!” sighed the old man. “My older brother sought to slay the dragon in years back, which led to the family’s rise. Sadly, his ability fell short of his wishes and he succumbed to tempting whispers from ancient plant spirits. He desired immortality and set foot into their schemes. He permitted the world to get out of hand and so it is only deserved that he has perished.”
The old man raised his head. “Both my brother and Mingfa are dead. The commander is a merciful soul—please spare the innocent young. Many were those sheltered by my brother among the family, so they would have no regrets about their death. But we have seventeen children under the age of ten, please show them mercy!”
The old man cowered on the ground and banged his head as he kowtowed for mercy. To the victor went the spoils. The two strongest heavyweights of the family were dead, the Hus had officially declined. The nine ministries had also given up on them as the one at Armed Forces simply told Li Hao to not randomly kill people anymore.
When the Hus heard of their exchange, they understood that the Hus of the Judiciary had been ejected from the table. Although half of their remaining family were supernaturals with even some Novas present, how did one fight Li Hao with this kind of strength? What good were Novas for?
The old general who’d died outside was the last Arcanus who supported the Hus. He knew that he would die, but hadn’t even summoned a martial master from the Silver Moon old guard in his final struggles.
The old man on the ground wasn’t a weakling as he was an initial Nova. He simply looked old, yet was still a tyrant on the outside. But here, he was also an ant.
Li Hao watched him impassively. As pitiful as he looked now, he was certain to be domineering and overbearing in regular times.
“Deputy Zhou!” the young man said softly. The deputy walked out from the rear of his group and looked at those kneeling on the ground.
“The Skystar Commander Office is established on the basis of the law and simply needs to follow the law. Whether the Hus are guilty or not can be determined by the law! As law and order are incomplete in the dynasty these days, they need to be reassessed and rewritten.
“However, they will certainly follow the basic principles of morality. Commander, we can put the women and children in one residence and offer them food. We only need to restrict their movement. The men will be taken in for questioning and punished according to their crimes or released if innocent. The Skystar Commander Office never wrongly accuses someone or acquits a criminal. All of the Hu property will be confiscated by the government as it is the accumulation of the Hu father and son’s embezzlement...”
“So it shall be done!” Li Hao inclined his head.