Gods Are Nothing to Fear

Aboard the battleship. Li Hao gazed into the distance, where the colossal city was gliding through the air at an unhurried pace. Within the city, powerful auras seemed to faintly rise. Li Hao watched in silence. Beside him, the experts were already prepared. Three battleships hovered in midair. Many clutched their weapons with sweat-drenched palms, visibly on edge. Gods! To the vast majority, the word still carried an innate intimidation. Then Li Hao’s voice rang out: "The moment battle begins, all forces will charge! There is only one command… kill! Destroy every living being that does not belong to our camp!" "Everyone… the time has come to put our Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office to the test!" A longsword materialized in Li Hao's hand—the Starry Sky Sword. As for his clone, he had not used the Starry Sky Sword as its vessel this time, relying instead on an ordinary divine weapon. He had worried that the King of Dali might harbor ulterior motives and try to seize the sword. "Await my command!" Gripping the sword, Li Hao channeled divine characters into it one after another. The Starry Sky Sword trembled ceaselessly. Those near Li Hao could already sense the immense power surging through the blade. Not only that, but the void seemed to tear open as an even more terrifying power flooded into his body. In the distance, faint ripples stirred above the gigantic city. *** Inside the city. A million elite soldiers were encamped, and scores of powerhouses patrolled in every direction. Within the divine temple, the Queen of the God Nation kept her brow tightly furrowed. Why did she feel so uneasy today? Had the Prophet's premonition unsettled her? Just then, she felt that something was amiss. Leaping into the air, she hovered above the temple and peered into the distance. Her expression abruptly shifted—far ahead, the firmament seemed to be cracking open. It felt like the dawn of primordial chaos. Her expression flickering, the Queen barked a sharp command: "Subjects of the gods, remain on high alert—" Before the words left her mouth, the heavens seemed to tear wide open. Amidst the darkness, a sliver of sword light illuminated the starry sky. "Li Hao!" The Queen’s face paled! In an instant, a glowing barrier materialized over the massive city, only to be cleaved in two by that very sword ray. From afar, Li Hao’s cold roar boomed like a bronze bell, shaking heaven and earth: "Kill! Slay the demons!" "Kill!" "Slay the demons!" A deafening battle cry shattered the clouds. A moment later, the three battleships tore through the void, crashing violently into the great city with a thunderous roar. Spearheaded by the Battle Heaven Army, fifty thousand armored warriors gripped their spears and swords, bellowed furiously, and plunged into the disoriented encampment, brandishing their butcher's blades! "Kill!" At that moment, another beam of sword light blazed through the void! Boom! It plunged straight toward the divine temple. Snapping back to full alertness, the Queen roared, "Awaken, gods, and strike down the enemy!" Li Hao had attacked. It defied all expectations! Instantly recalling the Prophet’s words, she had assumed the vision foretold an aftermath following the second resurgence. She never imagined… it might be today. Rumble! One terrifying aura after another roiled heaven and earth. Towering, majestic figures crossed the void. Hundreds of puppets, demon plant clones, and numerous formidable martial masters tore through the sky. Li Hao brought his sword down! Heaven and earth altered in color. Brilliant radiance erupted from the divine temple as mighty entities swiftly revived. Some were bewildered, while others burned with fury. "Insolence!" "Madman!" "You court death!" One god after another rapidly reawakened. Across the sky, towering silhouettes materialized, intercepting that all-destroying sword light, though the clash left several gods deeply shaken. At that exact instant, a massive mirror suddenly emerged in the void. Twelve formidable true demon plants took positions in the four cardinal directions. At the center, a towering tree swayed its trunk. Brilliant rays of light blanketed heaven and earth. General Locust’s calm voice echoed in all directions: "Assume formation!" Boom! The void seemed carved apart, dividing heaven and earth. Rather than entering the fray, the thirteen powerful demon plants had chosen to set up a formation, sealing off the entire domain. The Queen’s expression changed. What kind of confidence did it take to make such a choice! Thirteen mighty beings had abstained from combat solely to blockade the city of the God Nation. She snapped her gaze toward the distant vanguard, fixing her eyes on the man leading them—Li Hao! Yes, in that instant, she knew it was him. He had come to kill! "Li Hao!" The Queen snarled coldly, "You are seeking death!" From the distance, Li Hao’s voice boomed like a celestial bell: "You invaded Heavenly Star without righteousness, loyalty, or shame, devoid of honor and decency! Your crimes are unforgivable! Surrender now, and your lives may yet be spared!" "Ridiculous!" The Queen soared into the air. In that moment, a bright moon seemed to rise between heaven and earth, illuminating the world! Her countenance was frigid, exuding absolute sanctity. She looked every bit like the sovereign of the world! "Li Hao, this land was ours to begin with! The Neo-Martial people were the true invaders, and all of you descendants of Neo-Martial are trespassers!" Bathed in lunar light, the Queen radiated intense celestial brilliance. At this moment, she truly resembled a deity. Down below, the troops of the God Nation, who had initially been battered into a daze, suddenly erupted with fervor, roaring in unison: "Our God illuminates eternity!" "Divine war!" "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Countless soldiers seemed to lose their minds. Though they had been falling back moments before, they now burst out with fanatical ferocity, even repelling the formidable Battle Heaven Army. A brutal slaughter erupted within the city walls. Such was the nature of zealots. Under normal circumstances, if an ordinary army of a million or more were ambushed by fifty thousand armored supernatural elites, they would have routed immediately—especially against the Demon Hunt Army, which was composed entirely of hardened veterans. Yet at this moment, even these elites were swiftly repelled by the opposing forces. Behind the Queen, silhouette after silhouette materialized. Powerful beings proclaimed in ecstatic reverence: "The Moon God will soon return! We are the true spirits of this world, the true masters of heaven and earth!" The Moon God! Li Hao smiled faintly, looking at the Queen. "So it's you!" At this moment, he understood who possessed the physical body Dao meridian. It was none other than the Queen of the God Nation! And she likely had an even more significant identity. No wonder she could command these deities—she was likely the reincarnation of the Moon God slain in the ancient past. Or rather, the second generation of the Moon God resurrected. The Moon God was the leader of the gods of Silver Moon. "Kill!" Li Hao wasted no more breath. With a sharp roar, over a hundred puppets charged forth! Not only that, blinding sword light lit up the sky. Sky Sword and Earth-Overturning Sword had made their move. The Five Elements Divine Fists also shattered the void in an instant. Everyone struck out! Bright Light Sword slashed forward. A terrifying entity manifested in the void, resembling a true deity—and in truth, he was one. Divine light illuminated the sky, carrying a trace of mercy: "Light is everywhere!" Boom! As though a blazing sun had descended, Bright Light Sword’s ray shattered instantly. Just as he seemed about to be slain on the spot, he let out a savage roar. Without a whisper of sound, a shadowless sword thrust forth! The fusion of light and darkness! In an instant, battles erupted in every direction. Clones of demon plants like Redwood mobilized as well, weaving through the sky. Simultaneously, a goddess radiating boundless vitality stepped out of the void, sighing softly, "Life is mine to govern! Demon plants are but a single branch of life!" With a wave of her hand, starlight filled the sky like the light of life itself. Farther away, a colossal God of War manifested, barking coldly, "War knows no fear! Fight!" "Since the dawn of heaven and earth, the earth has nurtured all living things… I govern the earth!" Another goddess appeared—the God of Earth. The elder God of Earth had already fallen, his corpse resting in Li Hao's possession. This generation’s God of Earth had been newly nurtured into existence as a goddess. At this moment, deity after deity revealed themselves, overwhelmingly powerful. The mighty God of War held off more than ten puppets on his own. With a single punch that shattered the heavens and cracked the earth, puppets were sent flying, the tremendous force leaving fissures across their bodies. On both sides, only a few individuals remained motionless. The Queen of the God Nation stood in the void, glaring at Li Hao with icy fury. Li Hao remained serene. Beside him, Jiang Li had not acted either, stunned by the sheer power of both factions. Li Hao’s side already possessed peerless combat strength, yet the God Nation had deployed over thirty deities in an instant! Every single one was extraordinarily powerful, well beyond the Seven Elements level. Jiang Li was deeply shaken! Above Seven Elements meant, by Li Hao’s classification, that these gods wielded power at or above the seventh tier of the Mountain Sea Realm, falling between the seventh tier of Mountain Sea and the third tier of the Sun Moon Realm. In Dali, aside from a few top-tier divine guards and high priests, only Jiang Li and the King of Dali could be counted among the Sun Moon level. Yet here, at least seven or eight deities possessed Sun Moon-level combat strength. That was comparable to opening at least ten Dao meridians. Was this the true military might of the God Nation? And from the distant temple, powerful auras continued to surge, suggesting that more deities were still reawakening and about to emerge. *** "Governor Li…" Shaken, Jiang Li looked toward Li Hao. Yet Li Hao kept his gaze fixed on the Queen. He could feel it—a formidable aura was reawakening, contesting the world's momentum and wrestling for dominion over the world! This reincarnation of the first Moon God—or second generation Moon God—was competing with him for control over this land. And… Li Hao actually felt that he was at a disadvantage. Heaven's will seemed to favor her far more. The Queen stared coldly at Li Hao. "You must understand that we are the native beings of this world. You… are all outsiders! Whether it is Heaven's will or the Heavenly Dao, they belong to us!" A suffocating pressure radiated outward in all directions. Li Hao felt the momentum of heaven and earth crashing down upon him. He had always been the one to suppress others with momentum, but today, he tasted what it was like to be suppressed by the world itself, as if it intended to crush him alive. This was Heaven's will! Li Hao did not enjoy as much favor as the Queen. Jiang Li was already drenched in sweat, overwhelmed by the crushing oppression. Cold sweat beaded on Li Hao’s brow as well. The next instant, Li Hao roared, "Open!" The Bright Star Realm burst open! A sword seemed to cleave the cosmos, and a monstrous surge of power flooded into Li Hao. He stated coldly, "Heaven's will is far too naive. In this era, the Dao is the core! You can suppress me, but you cannot suppress the Great Dao!" Boom! A colossal pressure pushed back in counter-suppression. Reaching out, Li Hao seemed to summon great stars that aligned into a single line, bearing down on the Queen! "A mere firefly daring to rival the sun and moon!" The Queen snapped. With a flick of her hand, a radiant moon appeared, shattering the stars one after another with a thunderous blast. Li Hao’s expression remained unchanged. His voice rang out again: "Do not worry about me! Slay all the gods—leave the Moon God to me!" At this moment, all of Li Hao's Dao meridians manifested. Nine complete divine ability meridians, ten fully opened non-attribute meridians, and twenty-six half-opened meridians all emerged. His fearsome combat prowess was laid bare. Yet the Queen was equally peerless. A scepter abruptly appeared in her hand, and she brought it down toward Li Hao. The strike seemed to shatter the cosmos, causing even the passage maintained by the Starry Sky Sword to tremble. "Li Hao, did you think I was ignorant of what you rely on?" The Queen sneered. She knew! Though she had not witnessed Li Hao’s battle against the King of Dali firsthand, she was aware of what had transpired. She even knew that Li Hao had borrowed the power of the Great Dao Universe and was not inherently that terrifying. So long as his link to that secondary universe was severed, Li Hao was merely an ordinary expert with around twenty opened meridians. Based on the cultivation methods Li Hao had made public, opening thirty-six meridians meant the peak of the ninth tier of Sun Moon. Twenty meridians only placed him between the fifth and sixth tiers of Sun Moon. Compared to Neo-Martial, that was only comparable to their current Immortals, inferior to an Immortal who possessed an origin path. Having broken past the world’s limits, the Queen wielded terrifying might. As her scepter crashed down, Li Hao’s line of nine stars shattered. Jiang Li, who had remained still, turned pale. She was too strong! No wonder the western God Nation had stood firm in the west for countless eras, surviving even through the age of Neo-Martial without being eradicated. He had originally not planned to intervene, but a jade-white glow suddenly surfaced over his body as the fierce aura of Early Martial surged forth. Just as he prepared to help stall the Queen, Li Hao’s voice cut in: "Go deal with the God of War!" In the distance, the God of War lived up to his domain. At this moment, nine puppets were battling him alone, yet he battered them so thoroughly that they could barely raise their heads, fissures spreading across their forms. Jiang Yingli and the other cat automatons, who were stronger than ordinary puppets, had also joined the fray against him, but they still could not match his might. Jiang Li’s expression shifted slightly… Li Hao didn't need help? Though suspicious, he held his tongue. The power Li Hao currently displayed was roughly on par with how he had fought the King of Dali. On that day, once Li Hao pierced through to the Bright Star Realm, the King of Dali had fallen. Yet today, this Queen not only blocked Li Hao, but was actively driving him back. Her combat strength surpassed even that of the King of Dali. *** The Queen shattered the nine stars with a single strike! The next instant, she stepped forward as though crossing space itself, appearing right before Li Hao. Looking at him, her face was cold. "Is this your trump card and your confidence?" Was that all? Li Hao’s side had many experts, and gods were indeed falling back, but more deities were still reawakening within the temple. If this was the full extent of Li Hao’s strength, then even though the God Nation had been caught by surprise and might suffer casualties, Li Hao would gain nothing today. And if they could kill Li Hao, sacrificing a few gods would be entirely worthwhile. Once Li Hao fell, the God Nation could advance unobstructed and conquer Heavenly Star directly! Without a word, Li Hao waved his hand again. The power of the five elements manifested into a cage around them. The Queen swung her scepter, and a moon crashed directly into the earth—even causing a bright moon to manifest within the Bright Star Realm. A smile touched her lips. "Originally, I did not know the exact coordinates of the Great Dao Universe. Yet you… revealed them to me. Once this battle concludes, perhaps I can explore the Great Dao Universe myself. Li Hao, how generous of you!" It was mockery, but also the truth. The gods did not know the Great Dao Universe’s precise location, yet they possessed innate Dao meridians. They were inherently formidable! Today, Li Hao had opened the Bright Star Realm before their eyes. If they could lock onto its location, their strength might advance by leaps and bounds. Her scepter lashed out again. Li Hao took a step back as the void was pulverized by the blow. Advancing once more, the Queen’s voice reverberated across heaven and earth: "If you submit now, I will spare your life as well!" Earlier, Li Hao had been exceedingly domineering, but now that he was being overpowered by the Queen, the God Nation’s morale surged instantly! The deities laughed boisterously! Meanwhile, experts from Heavenly Star were coughing up blood across the battlefield! Sky Sword and Earth-Overturning Sword were teaming up against a deity. Suddenly, the god roared, expanding into a giant ten thousand zhang tall. A single punch shattered heaven and earth, instantly breaching Earth-Overturning Sword’s formidable defense! Sky Sword bellowed, unleashing a sword strike that pierced the firmament! Yet it still could not stop the onslaught! Boom! With a deafening explosion, the giant sword shattered into dust under the fist. Sky Sword turned ashen, coughing up blood in sheer disbelief. Beside him, Hong Yitang roared and struck with an earth-shattering blow! Yet the opposing deity laughed maniacally: "Nothing more than this!" With that, he stomped downward! Boom! Earth-Overturning Sword’s formation collapsed. In the distance, another god laughed heartily: "Giant Spirit God, kill them!" That colossal deity was the Giant Spirit God, renowned for raw strength. One force to overcome ten techniques! His peerless might shattered the joint assault of Sky Sword and Earth-Overturning Sword, both of whom had stepped into the ninth tier of Mountain Sea, and he moved to execute them on the spot. This deity truly wielded the power of the Sun Moon Realm. Right at that moment, ripples appeared. Boom! The Giant Spirit God's second strike was intercepted as a shield materialized above the two swordsmen. Glancing at it, the Giant Spirit God grinned: "So it's you, old thing. If I recall correctly… someone in Battle Heaven City wielded you in the past…" The Old Turtle’s figure manifested, sighing with emotion: "I truly did not expect that you could resurrect!" "Hahaha! This world belonged to us from the start! Gods are immortal!" The Old Turtle chuckled softly: "You are mistaken. This world belongs to Neo-Martial! It belongs to the Sword Venerable! The Human King simply chose not to reclaim it. Silver Moon was born from the Neo-Martial world—since when did it become yours?" Boom! Without another word, the Giant Spirit God punched out. Another deafening explosion sent the floating shield reeling backward. His terrifying combat strength was on full display. Even the Old Turtle’s clone struggled to hold him back. Farther away, Director Wang, the Ninth Division Commander, and other experts were locked in fierce combat with the God Nation's forces, failing to gain any advantage. The demon plant clones were even being suppressed by the Goddess of Life! Not only that, other deities commanded the elements of heaven and earth, significantly diminishing the potency of supernatural abilities. Several top Silver Moon martial masters found themselves severely restrained. Even Yuan Shuo, upon confronting a deity, had his Five Elements Fists countered—or rather, severed. The fire element was missing from his five elements, leaving only four! His opponent was the Fire God. The moment Yuan Shuo’s fire supernatural ability manifested, it collapsed instantly, unable to take form. Deprived of the five-in-one fusion and reduced to four elements, his formidable strength was suppressed until he could barely hold his ground! The fifty thousand armored troops below held their own, but as more and more soldiers of the God Nation swarmed into the fray, their situation grew perilous. Commanders like Huang Yu were growing anxious. Farther out, Director Zhao and the others displayed immense combat strength; Director Zhao engaged a deity single-handedly and even gained the upper hand. Yet… in the grand scheme of the battle, it changed little. All eyes remained fixed on Li Hao and the Queen. The two of them were the fulcrum of the entire battlefield. Everyone had assumed that with Li Hao’s terrifying power—his display against the King of Dali, reaching the peak of the fifth or even sixth tier of Sun Moon—he was invincible in this era! Yet no one foresaw that the Queen of the God Nation was the contemporary Moon God, favored even more by Heaven's will than Li Hao. She had suppressed him completely! When armies clashed, an invincible commander boosted morale to the heavens. Yet the Li Hao they deemed invincible was being suppressed, driven backward step by step. Someone grew desperate, and Southern Fist roared, "Have the senior demon plants sealing the void join the fight!" They hadn't gained the slightest upper hand! No sooner had he spoken than a thunderous blow pierced his chest. Southern Fist coughed blood continuously, dazed. They had arrived with absolute conviction of victory! Yet… they might actually lose. How could this be? The puppets were strong and numerous, but as more deities joined the battle, their numbers were approaching fifty—far more than anticipated. Each god was capable of fighting multiple puppets at once. The puppet academy students cursed in outrage. "If my true body were still here, I'd cleave you in two with one strike!" "Damn it, this is infuriating! What garbage gods! Back in our day, our Neo-Martial experts slaughtered you like livestock…" They were furious and aggrieved. Yet lacking physical bodies, blood qi, and origin paths, possessing only durable puppet shells roughly at the Seven Elements level, three to five of them struggled against a single deity. Some of the stronger gods could take on ten at once! Hundreds of puppets were formidable, but the God Nation also boasted numerous experts from the divine temples. Although Heavenly Star had not collapsed, defeating them was proving immensely difficult. Nor was there anyone powerful enough to reinforce Li Hao. Li Hao had already surpassed the current world's limits. Only Jiang Li, utilizing the Early Martial divine bones, could enter that tier of combat, but Li Hao had dispatched him against the God of War. *** A bitter struggle! A battle of attrition. The Silver Moon martial masters were still lacking in raw foundation after all. Even the strongest were suppressed, and had it not been for their superior numbers, casualties would have already mounted. Even so, the situation hung by a thread. The Queen shattered another star with her scepter, then struck directly at the Starry Sky Sword. She knew that once Li Hao’s connection to the Great Dao Universe was severed, his strength would plummet. Once Li Hao was dealt with, the rest were nothing to fear! "Li Hao, you are favored by Heaven's will, a darling of this era. Why not pledge allegiance to my God Nation? I will grant you a divine post…" Her words were gentle, but her strikes were merciless. The scepter struck the Starry Sky Sword repeatedly, causing the blade to tremble violently. Because it was maintaining the passage, it could not retaliate. It could only passively defend! Under such strain, it shuddered incessantly, on the verge of breaking the connection at any moment. Then, with a muffled crack, the Queen suddenly lashed out at Li Hao. Caught off guard, Li Hao staggered from the blow, his head split open. Pale gold blood trickled down, staining his face. "Governor!" "Li Hao!" Everyone cried out in alarm. As several figures moved to charge forward, Li Hao roared, "Do not mind me!" With a wave of his hand, the nine stars manifested once more. Not only that, the body of a deity suddenly appeared, throwing a palm strike that caused heaven and earth to crack, thick earth-element energy surging forth. "So that's how it is!" The Queen said coldly, "The body of the first-generation God of Earth is in your hands. Excellent. Once this generation’s Earth Mother fuses with this vessel, she will surely ascend to greater heights!" With that, the scepter in her hand seemed to shift, resembling Li Hao's 'Dao' character, radiating a sense of ten thousand paths converging. The deity clone Li Hao had just summoned was instantly immobilized in the void. A faint divine glow emanated from the Queen's scepter, carrying cold majesty: "Submit!" The deity clone actually trembled, resisting Li Hao’s control! It was powerful, yet it was growing defiant. Li Hao let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "The very methods I usually use against others… today, I have tasted them all from you!" Heaven's blessing, momentum suppression, manipulating clones, converging Daos… These were the tactics he always used. Yet today, the Queen had turned them all against him. "Li Hao, struggle no more… it is all in vain!" The Queen continued to chip away at his confidence, speaking at length to drive the morale of Li Hao’s side to absolute zero. Otherwise, even a victory would be a pyrrhic one. After all, Li Hao had brought too many powerhouses. Having forcibly suppressed the deity clone, the Queen advanced toward Li Hao once more. Her steps appeared unhurried, yet she materialized before him in an instant. Her scepter swung down toward his head, carrying a terrifying pressure meant to crush him entirely! Did Li Hao have any other tricks left? Even a deity clone had failed to halt her advance by a single step. Everyone watched in agonizing anxiety. High in the void, General Locust's clone was on the verge of abandoning the seal to intervene. If this continued, Li Hao might very well be slain. That would be an utter farce! They would have built their own cage! *** At the same time. In the shadows, Zhang An frowned slightly, preparing to act. The power of the Saint Realm had yet to appear. The Moon God Li Hao had feared might not be capable of reviving, having reincarnated directly into the current Queen instead. If he did not step in now, Li Hao might not hold out. Just as he was about to move, his heart stirred. Above the divine temple, an even stronger aura rippled faintly. Inside the temple. The dormant Prophet opened his eyes once more. There was no joy in his gaze, only profound worry. Looking outward, an image of a person seemed to reflect in his pupils. "Zhang An?" The Prophet murmured. Though he was ancient, Zhang An was extraordinarily ancient as well—even older than him. Zhang An had been a figure from the early days of Neo-Martial. Silver Moon had only been born a thousand years into the Neo-Martial era. Zhang An’s age surpassed that of all the gods. When he had come to the Silver Moon continent in ancient times, the Prophet had known of it. Now, understanding dawned on the Prophet. So that was it! This man had come. No wonder he had foreseen a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. It was him! "Zhang An, you will not succeed!" The Prophet seemed to endure great agony. In an instant, the world appeared to shift. Zhang An’s vision blurred, and he found himself in a future space-time where time flowed freely. Before him stood a trembling old man. Zhang An frowned. "Silver Moon Prophet God?" "You intend to trap me?" He stared coldly at the old man. "The immortality of gods is only relative. If you exhaust your power to trap me, you will perish!" The Prophet coughed. "Then it all depends on… when the Moon God slays Li Hao. You bear… something that belongs to Li Hao. Once Li Hao dies, you will no longer be able to manifest in this world!" Zhang An’s brow furrowed deeply. What… rotten luck! This Silver Moon Prophet was an authentic first-generation deity. He had fallen in the ancient past, yet had managed to revive. More importantly, as a prophet deity, his strength lay not in physical power, but in boundless mental energy. Mental energy faced far less suppression in this world—and as a native deity, his suppression was even smaller. He could actually exert power at the Saint Realm! Li Hao had told him to guard against a Saint. The Moon God had not revived, but this old creature had. Now matters had become troublesome. Without another word, Zhang An knew he had to finish this swiftly! The Book of the Great Dao manifested, projecting countless silhouettes of ancient powerhouses. A thunderous strike shattered the world around them, yet it restored itself in an instant. The Prophet grew visibly more decrepit, as though burning away his very lifespan! "Do not dream of leaving!" Coughing continuously, the Prophet did not attack, focusing solely on dragging Zhang An into an alternate space and preventing his escape. He knew that in a prolonged battle, he would inevitably fall! Li Hao had actually brought a Saint… something none of them had anticipated. Yet the God Nation was not entirely defenseless. Boom! The pages of the Book of the Great Dao turned rapidly in Zhang An’s hands. Figures of ancient experts emerged, shattering the space time and time again, yet Zhang An’s frown only deepened. Trapped by this fellow, even killing him would take time. Li Hao… would he hold out? *** Outside, the Queen’s expression shifted slightly. Glancing back at the temple, she gritted her teeth in fury: "Brilliant, Li Hao. So that was your true trump card… If anything happens to the Prophet, I will slaughter every last one of you!" A unique, overwhelmingly potent aura blanketed the sky above the grand hall behind her! Yet the Queen could sense that the aura was trembling, decaying, and withering. The Prophet was burning his lifespan and vitality to hold back a formidable foe. Blood continued to drip down Li Hao’s face. Looking at her, he said softly, "You are mistaken. If anything happens to my people, it will be I who slaughters the hundreds of millions of souls in your God Nation!" "I gave you the chance to surrender, yet you insisted on resisting… I may not be the Neo-Martial Human King… but you are in no position to suppress me!" Li Hao barked coldly, "Is this all you have?" The next instant, Li Hao reached out and grasped the Starry Sky Sword! The Bright Star Realm slammed shut! Li Hao’s aura briefly waned, but in the next breath, he began to chant: "Heaven's will does not represent the Silver Moon world! The hundreds of millions of common people are the true masters of this world—do not mistake the cart for the horse!" "People of the realm, grant me your strength!" In that single instant, across the entirety of Heavenly Star, a silhouette surfaced in the minds of countless people—Li Hao. Everyone who had opened their Dao meridians seemed to see Li Hao in their mind's eye. "To defend our homes and nation is every citizen's duty! Cleanse the demons for our Heavenly Star!" In that moment, the people seemed to understand, yet also did not. Soon, however, a single thought arose within every practitioner of the new martial path: they must pray for Governor Li to vanquish the enemy! Even though… they did not know who that enemy was. In an instant, Dao meridians circulated, and acupoints breathed in the world! *** Simultaneously, a formidable momentum of heaven and earth surged out of thin air. Even the Heaven's will that had favored the gods seemed to recoil in trepidation! The common people were Heaven itself! Heaven's will was ignorant, yet it knew that the will of the populace could not be defied. It represented the world and all living beings, and at this moment, those living beings were offering their blessings to Li Hao. In an instant, Heaven's will receded. The Queen, who had been suppressing Li Hao with the world's momentum, suddenly felt her aura scatter, her expression changing drastically. "How can this be…" "Boom!" Li Hao slashed forward, shattering the void. "Sword of the Common People!" A faint smile appeared on Li Hao’s face. "Why could it not be? What are gods? Do gods put food in the people's mouths? Do gods offer warmth and care? Do gods teach the people to read and open their minds? Neo-Martial had no need for gods, so why should my Silver Moon need them? Gods… belong to the past. All they can do is deceive the hearts of mortals!" A single sword strike cleaved the firmament! Heaven's will dissolved instantly. This sword was the sword of the common people! Boom! The Queen’s scepter was knocked flying. She was thrown backward, thousands of sword marks lacerating her body as blood flowed like glittering starlight. The tides had turned! "Kill!" With a low roar, Li Hao struck again. His sword moved like mountains, like water, like fire, like wind… Rumble! Heaven and earth devolved into chaos. The Queen thrust her palm outward, only for the sword to pierce clean through it! Her scepter reappeared, but Li Hao unleashed strike after strike, radiating destructive aura! Crack! A fissure appeared across the scepter. "Shatter the god in your heart; shatter the gods of reality! Silver Moon has no need for gods!" Li Hao’s voice echoed far and wide: "Mortals can only rely on themselves, not gods! Gods only take; only one's own strength is a true pillar of support! The unenlightened will never be the righteous path of this world!" The sword struck! Boom! A single strike tore through heaven and earth. The Queen’s expression twisted again and again. Li Hao… feared neither Heaven's will nor gods! He was his own god! At this moment, a single conviction rose in the hearts of countless people… *I am my own god. There are no gods under heaven—only through self-reliance can one truly be strong!* In an instant, the tide of battle reversed completely!