Star Gate-Chapter 1600: The Technique of Digging Holes (II)

“Everyone has their own definition when it comes to what makes a dao complete,” explained the Sword Sovereign. “But I’ve observed many worlds, and in doing so, know that you need at least the five elements, light and darkness, life and death, yin and yang. These basic elements are critical!”

Void wanted to speak up, but stopped himself.

“Do you want to ask if I know all of that?” laughed the Sword Sovereign. “If I know yin and yang, as well as life and death?”

Void nodded. Indeed, that was what he wished to ask. You say that your dao is complete, so doesn’t that mean that you know all of these?

“I know a bit about them, but not in detail,” explained the Sword Sovereign. “But that’s not important as my goal isn’t to really create a world! I’m just keeping it in mind that a poorer foundation might affect later developments. They will directly impact the potential of a world and the difficulty of its birth. But I only need to somewhat understand it to dig a hole!”

“My... father has never mentioned any of this. Is it because he can’t do it?” Void suddenly felt that the sixth rank in front of him, supposedly a peer, knew much more than his father.

“Certainly not!” The Sword Sovereign didn’t bluster this time. “Your father simply doesn’t need to do any of this! What is the point of digging a hole in the chaos to him? He won’t be getting away from those who can kill him if he digs out an entire world, to say nothing of a hole!”

He knew Void’s identity and that the man’s father was an eighth rank exalted emperor. Digging a hole was humiliating to these kinds of people!

“An existence like your father will surely know what it is I do. His control of the myriad daos is sure to be excellent as well. It’s just... do people like you need to know these types of techniques? Do you need minor worlds or even desolate backwaters?

“You simply need to give the word for innumerable minor and mid worlds to stop at nothing to join you. In that case, why would you bother digging a hole in the chaos for? For fun? Isn’t that humiliating for you?”

“......” Void had nothing to say, but managed to scrounge up, “Based on what the senior’s said, this has to do with the foundations of forming a world. That is very important to a cultivator!”

“No, creating a world is not important!” The Sword Sovereign shook his head. “To most cultivators, they simply need to be skilled in just one dao. Why seek to be involved with too many? Do you think that everyone needs to be versed in all daos in order to be a powerhouse?”

“Then why do we waste time and energy to understand a myriad daos?” asked a puzzled Void. “But the senior...”

“Do you ask why I go for a myriad daos?” laughed the Sword Sovereign. “I can’t help it, I’m poor!”

Poor?

Void blinked. What did that mean?

“Multiple seventh ranks have appeared in Yin and Yang, the main world of New Martial,” explained the Sword Sovereign. “In light of this, do you think New Martial can give birth to new seventh ranks?”

It could not!

“Since it cannot and we are still young, are we to wait around for the rest of our lives? Or do we devote ourselves to invading and devouring other worlds to strengthen ourselves? Should we wait for New Martial to become an eighth or even ninth rank world, so that more seventh and eighth ranks can be born?

“How long must we wait for that? And how many worlds must be destroyed for that?” sighed the Sword Sovereign. “In that case, we’re better off finding a new path for ourselves. We can create our own world and give birth to our own dao. This may be a way to break off from New Martial.”

Break off?

“You mean to... leave New Martial?” Void gaped. Didn’t they say that New Martial citizens were very united?

“Why not?” nodded the Sword Sovereign. “Do we cultivate our entire lives so that we can be stuck in one place, eternally unable to improve? New Martial has a master—its master is Fang Ping!

“In that case, the rest of us can only break off from New Martial to have a chance of sparkling with new life. Or are we to kill Fang Ping so we can replace him?”

“......” Li Hao couldn’t help but laugh at the preposterous notion. “Then what the senior does is preparation for breaking off from New Martial and creating your own world?”

“Yes.”

“Silver Moon is a very good foundation,” said the young man after a while. “I even know that it has much to do with the senior that Silver Moon has given birth to a new dao. Why does the senior not outright take Silver Moon instead of going to all of this trouble?”

Silver Moon’s dao universe was intricately tied to the Sword Sovereign. He should’ve known that the minor world would give birth to a dao universe soon. If that was his aim, why not take the world with him a long time ago?

Or did Red Moon’s attack preoccupy him so much that he couldn’t do so?

“It’s not the same!” The Sword Sovereign smiled as he continued to dig a hole.

“Not the same?” repeated a perplexed Li Hao.

“Why don’t you claim the Silver Moon dao universe?” chuckled the Sword Sovereign.

Li Hao blinked and didn’t respond.

“You know it too, right?” the man cackled. “Someone else’s creation isn’t necessarily that easy to use! I’m the same way. I did not oversee Silver Moon’s birth. Simply speaking, I wasn’t the one to build the house!

“What I want is a house completely built by my hands—every blade of grass, every tree, every brick, and every shingle. I want to be in control of everything and not... buy a secondhand house! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“Even though it's new, someone else built it. How do I know if the foundations are solid or not? How do I know if there’s a bomb buried under that house? How do I know if the new house is suitable for me? I want to build it myself! And not only that, but I’m going to craft the materials myself as well.”

Void and Li Hao were shaken by what they heard. I’m going to craft the materials myself!

What I want isn’t a new house or a secondhand house, but one that was crafted by my hands from start to finish! It doesn’t matter if it’s good looking or not, whether I can build it or not. It will belong entirely to me!

Li Hao didn’t say a word; his thoughts were very complicated. Didn’t I have the same thoughts when I relinquished the dao universe? But I didn’t think as much or as far as the Sword Sovereign. I had a lot of ideas in mind, but my ultimate goal wasn’t that clear. I’d thought about building my own house, but it wasn’t as clearly defined as the Sword Sovereign’s ideas.

I’m going to build a house in which everything, even the materials, are shaped from my own hands!

No wonder the Sword Sovereign gave up Silver Moon. He hadn’t been the one to lay the foundation. What Li Hao had in mind before was that it was fine if someone else crafted the foundation, he could just be in charge of what stood on top.

But today, someone told him that they didn’t even want the foundations. They wanted everything from beginning to end to be theirs!

No wonder the sixth rank Sword Sovereign could battle a seventh rank, despite not wielding a unique dao such as life and death or yin and yang. He was the one to forge all of his own foundations!

His base of a myriad daos was very secure.

Void was immensely taken aback by what he’d heard and couldn’t help but say, “Senior, I’ve met many exalted emperors in my time and most major worlds levy certain restraints on a portion of the exalted emperors. They know it as well, but how come they don’t have these thoughts while the senior does?”

Including myself!

I’ve thought of leaving Light, but how come I’ve never thought of crafting my own world? I simply thought that it would be enough to establish my own footing so that I might become a seventh or eighth rank of the chaos...

“There are innumerable living beings in existence,” laughed the Sword Sovereign. “Everyone wishes to rise above—who doesn’t think this way? They have certain thoughts in mind, they simply don’t know how to go about it. Some people just give it some thought, others are accustomed to ease and comfort. And some have tried, but failed!

“Few are those who can stay steadfast to their path, not knowing what the future brings, and still find success. I am only one member of this road and not a success story!

“But just because you are unaware does not mean that it doesn’t exist! Will other exalted emperors tell you the truth? Will they tell the crown prince of Light that they want to run, to found their own world, and to stop working for your family? Do you think they’ll actually say that to you?”

Void looked around awkwardly. That was true. I’m the crown prince of Light! Would our exalted emperors tell us if they really wanted to leave?

“Senior, exalted emperors of major worlds take a large portion of dao strength with them when they leave,” Li Hao spoke up to alleviate his friend’s discomfort. “Many masters of the world would not agree to this. Does the Human King not impose any demands in this regard? Or is it different because the senior is close to the Human King...”

“That’s not it. I have to fill in the hole caused by my departure when I leave as well!” The Sword Sovereign shook his head. “It’s the equivalent of us taking New Martial’s money to start a business, then having to return it when it takes off!

“New Martial is our foundation, after all. Under normal circumstances, no one wishes for their home to be so depleted that it tips into poverty. Therefore, we try to return what we take if possible. If we have the ability to, we’ll pay it back with interest. Such is to show gratitude.

“But if you have a difficult time getting started and would find it difficult to live after returning the initial investment... then you can be in arrears. That’s one nice thing about the Human King. He lets us be in debt because he’s making money himself.”

Li Hao understood this analogy. The Human King’s reasoning was very clear as well. One could leave with New Martial’s dao strength because he trusted them. They could pay it back later because he earned money himself. But once they possessed the ability to, they needed to pay up!

“Won’t that cause the Human King’s strength to decline?” asked a frowning Void. This was another common problem faced by many major worlds. “Take Light, for example, we have many high ranks. If they all leave with their energy, they can just owe us for now based on the senior’s idea.

“But that way, my father will weaken. When he weakens, he might face incredible trouble!”

“Everyone’s situation is unique,” nodded the Sword Sovereign. “I’m not saying that our way is right, just that the Human King is close to us and trusts us. He also wishes for us to succeed. After all, failure is common with startups. Therefore, the Human King himself is earning money now and trying to attain success so he can support us.

“As for how you guys take care of, that’s up to your father! I don’t think there’s any problem whether he lends out his energy or not. Not to mention, your high ranks may not all wish to head out and start their own thing. There’s a lot of risk involved in that!”

Indeed, it was a very risky endeavor that not everyone was necessarily willing to undertake.

“And what if they’re willing to head out and give it a try?” asked Void.

“New Martial would support them, with the caveat of testing them first. It’s not that anyone who wants to head out can do so... It depends on one’s ability, contributions, and effort to the civilization!”