The Divine Martial Stars

The disciples of the Bloody-moon Faction as well as the two trusted cronies—one was overweight, the other bony—were all shivering, their eyes fixed upon Bloody-moon Evil Master.

Bloody-moon Evil Master answered, “Saint, they have been murdered by a strong enemy in this world. I’ve done everything I could to help them fight that opponent, but our effort was in vain. The opponent is just too powerful.”

“Uh? In this world, there is someone who can kill Black Smoke and Bloody Eye in a two-on-one fight?” The scarlet-haired man was a little startled.

His hair fluttered like wriggling blood-red snakes. On a closer look, Taoist magic figures were gleaming on each of his hair. And beneath his skin, layers of blood-red Taoist patterns were whirling smoothly.

“His name is Li Mu. He has changed from an ordinary man to a Sage in just two years. And he is quite young, only about 15 years old.” Bloody-moon Evil Master then presented the scarlet-haired man a blood-red jade, which had recorded the whole battle on Beggar Island. He continued, “The reason why I did not join the fight was that my participation would be of no help anyway. If I got killed by Li Mu as well, no one would have been able to operate this Blood Sea Deployment here, and Saint’s descending would have been put off to the indefinite future.”

“Yes. You took the right move.” The Saint of Blood Sea nodded.

After checking the record in the blood-red jade, he thoughtfully said, “Although this planet is rather small, it is still a place where a martial arts civilization has come into being. Some of the residents here have managed to free them from this world. This planet is a world of good fate. It will naturally foster the Good Fate Holder. The strong opponent you are talking about ought to be Good Fate Holder on this planet. This kind of man is exceedingly blessed, extraordinarily favored. He is a man of natural choice. No wonder he has such high cultivation at such a young age.”

The Bloody-moon Evil Master said, “Saint, your wise is beyond measure, and your view is always sharp and accurate.”

The Saint of Blood Sea remarked again, “How is the investigation I asked you to do? Did you find any clues on that secret treasure?”

Bloody-moon Evil Master said, “The investigation is completed. The treasure is now in the Tianyi Palace of the imperial palace in the Northern Song.”

“Tianyi Palace? That’s a bit tricky.” Saint scowled a little and said, “The force of Tianyi Palace is about to descend on this planet.”

The Blood Sea and the Tianyi Palace were both forces from outer space.

...

...

In the Tianyi Palace...

The incense smoke was curling upwards. The bells were ringing endlessly.

The building complex constructed with white stones had a completely different architectural style from that of the Northern Song. The complex occupied more than a hundred acres of land, which was simple and stately. All the bells were ringing on their own accord. Among the large building complex, there was no trace of a man, as though it was an empty city.

White walls isolated the entire Tianyi Palace.

On the other side of the walls stationed troops of the imperial army of the Northern Song.

Wisps of an exotic power had enveloped the entire Tianyi Palace.

That weird sight had remained there for so long that the folks and government officials of the Northern Song already got used to it. The Tianyi Palace always looked mysterious. It was quiet, empty, like a dwelling of ghosts.

However, on that day, something was different about that palace.

A depressing atmosphere was spreading from the Tianyi Palace. The imperial soldiers standing outside the walls all felt they could hardly catch their breath as if an invisible hand had closed tight around their necks.

And the odd feeling was getting increasingly stronger.

As time passed, the imperial soldiers all had difficulty to stand there soberly.

All of a sudden, a loud explosion was heard. Next, a column of silver light plummeted from the heavens to the Tianyi Palace. The earth shuddered. The whole Lin’an trembled, as though an earthquake just broke out. An invisible blast wave scooped up the dust on the ground and radiated in all directions from the Tianyi Palace.

“What happened?”

“It’s... the power of the tactical deployment?”

“It can’t be the arrival of an immortal, can it?”

The soldiers of the imperial army all murmured about the bizarre phenomenon. It was the first in the past a thousand years.

Shortly, a military order was issued by the high-ranking officials, which requested all the soldiers to dedicate themselves to their duties, stop discussing the matter they had no knowledge of, and zip their mouths as if nothing had happened.

What they did not know was that at that moment, at the heart of the Tianyi Palace, a naked, handsome young man slowly stepped out from that column of silver light.

“After a thousand years, I finally landed on this planet again. The seal those escaped criminals left has started falling apart. It’s time I retrieve the thing that belongs to my Tianyi Palace.”

The young man’s silver hair, just like a snowfall, had draped on his shoulders. He was physically fit, with clear muscle all over his body, which seemed full of strength and beauty. His body was made according to the golden proportion. Every part of him seemed to embody the perfect love of the creator.

The man was wearing a frosty and callous smile.

Then, the silver light flashed.

His naked body appeared on the top of the grand hall of Tianyi Palace. Like a haughty deity, he began looking off into the nearby Lin’an, as though he was overlooking the livestock on a pasture.

“Breaking the seal by force and descending on this planet have cost me too much essence and blood. I’d better replenish some... Well, come here!” As his pupils revolved, some Taoist magic figures emerged. As if cutting off a piece of the void, the figures drew all the imperial soldiers over in a trice.

“Aargh... Help!”

“No...”

“What the hell?”

With the howls and screams, more than 10,000 imperial soldiers, including some Celestial Beings, were gripped by an intangible force of the Great Way and squashed into mince and dust before turning into a long column of blood and shot into the man’s opened mouth.

The magic figures on the skin of the silver-haired man flashed, and a piece of clothing appeared out of thin air, wrapping his body in. The corner of the man’s mouth was covered with blood. He stuck out his tongue and licked the blood off. Then, he commented, “They were, after all, the creatures of the inferior realm, humble as animals. The energy in their blood was too little. I need to drink more in bulk... Let me see, where are the creatures with a large amount of Spiritual Qi in their blood?”

His silver pupils glistened as he started to check around.

“They do have some stronger creatures here. Hunting time has arrived.”

He muttered to himself with a satisfied smile.

...

...

Another ten days passed.

“Huh?”

When Li Mu stepped out of the secret chamber, he instantly sensed that the Spiritual Qi in Lin’an had been in disorder. Something had changed during his closed-door training. Yet, as to what had changed exactly, he could not tell.

“What’s wrong?”

When he shut himself in the closed-door training, the tactical deployments around the secret chamber separated the room from the rest of the world, so that he concentrated fully in his practice, which was why he failed to notice the change until he finished the practice.

“Has the world already entered the stage of the earth producing killing intent?”

Li Mu was slightly surprised.

But no matter what, he was in no fear.

Having mastered the Endless Waves, a style of the immortals’ boxing method, Li Mu was confident to beat anyone in that world.

“Sage Li, you’ve finally completed your closed-door training?” Lord Virtuous the Eighth asked in surprise. He had bustled to the secret chamber the moment he heard the news.

“Your Highness,” Li Mu said, “Are you waiting for me to get out? Is there any urgent issue?”

Lord Virtuous the Eighth admitted, “There are several issues I need to discuss with you. Please go to the front hall and have a talk with me.”

Minutes later—

In the front hall of the lord’s residence, maids served them precious tea.

“Your Highness, what on earth are the matters?” inquired Li Mu.

With a hint of guilt, Lord Virtuous the Eighth said, “Sage Li’s beloved pet disappeared half a month ago. My men have searched every corner in Lin’an but failed to find it. And that head still breathing...”

“Really?”

Li Mu deliberated it for a few moments and said, “Don’t worry. My pet will come back soon or later.”

He had tied a jade plate around the Huskie’s neck, which constantly sent signals to him. At that time, he had an indistinctive sense that the silly dog was still in Lin’an, still breathing steadily, so he reckoned he did not need to worry about it.

At that, Lord Virtuous the Eighth exhaled in relief and added, “His Majesty wants to see you. I was wondering if Sage Li is free to go to the imperial palace.”

Li Mu already had a good guess about the reason that the emperor of the Northern Song summoned him at that juncture.

But Li Mu was an alien to that world. He merely hoped to refine his body and spirit and learn some Cultivation Methods with the help of the resources in that world. So, he had no interest in political power struggles. As he had averted joining in the fight in the Western Qin, he would do the same in the Northern Song. If the emperor expected to draw support from him to take out the rebels and traitors, his hope would be dashed.

Shaking his head, Li Mu answered, “I’m afraid I don’t have the time for that.”

That was obviously a tactful rejection.

Only a powerful man like Li Mu dared so coolly refuse the summoning of the emperor of an empire.

Upon hearing Li Mu’s rejection, Lord Virtuous the Eighth felt half of his heart turn cold.

Even so, as he was a very intelligent and perceptive man, he knew well that Li Mu could not agree on the matter at his first try. The task could not be accomplished in a hurry. Therefore, he quietly diverted the topic to other things.

“Recently, has anything odd happened in the city?” Li Mu sharply posed a new topic.

Lord Virtuous the Eighth muttered, “Odd thing...” He brooded on it with furrowed brows and then said, “There are a few weird things. In the past half a month, many people disappeared to nowhere. The number is huge. More than 10,000 or 100,000 at a time. Some blocks suddenly became deserted. No one has found any of those missing people or their dead bodies. The security department of Lin’an has launched an investigation on the matter. And the conclusion it has drawn is a fearful demon is causing troubles in the city. The Beggar Gang is also helping with the investigation...”

Li Mu nodded pensively, and then said, “Anything else?”

Lord Virtuous the Eighth pondered over the question for a while and answered, “Today, the number of Celestial Beings in Lin’an reduced a lot. They might have disappeared like the others. The more than 20 Celestial Beings in the Imperial Executive Group has gone, too. But it seemed they had left voluntarily.” Speaking of that, the old lord gave a bitter smile.

As the royals of the Northern Song were swaying in the storm and the rebellious lords were about to spread the flames of war to Lin’an City, Celestial Beings in the capital had to make a choice. A large number of them probably had chosen to flee, for they did not want to be dragged into the lethal political struggle along with the royals.

Li Mu nodded.

Then, he asked, “How about the situation in the Western Qin?”

Lord Virtuous the Eighth said, “According to the information offered by the Intelligence Bureau, the armies of the Western Qin are going all out to attack the Great Moon Empire. They have recovered half of the border area. The crown prince of the Great Moon Empire is commanding his forces to fight back, but it’s rather hopeless. Perhaps the reminders of the Great Moon Empire will soon be eradicated.”

At that, Li Mu breathed a sigh inwardly.

He had foreseen that.

Ever since Emperor Qin Ming went out of his closed-door training, the gloom hovering over the Western Qin had been swept away, and the situation took a sharp turn. The life ahead for Lord Zhenxi and the crown prince of the Great Moon Empire would not be easy. Given that the emperor was rather aggressive and vindictive, he would certainly launch a quick counterattack across the empire. The rebels in the Western Qin would be wiped out for sure. And soon, perhaps the Northern Song plagued by a series of civil strife would be conquered by the cruel oppression of the Western Qin.

Li Mu, however, had promised the crown prince of the Great Moon Empire that he would give him a helping hand if his empire was in danger.

He could tell the day would come soon.

As Li Mu was musing, suddenly, his expression altered. He had detected a wave of an incredibly powerful force of the Divine Way. The deity-like power was darting toward Lord Virtuous the Eighth’s residence, and its target was he himself.

“There is someone more potent than that devil named Black Smoke?”