An Indecisive Battle

Li Hao’s sword pierced clean through the palm of the God Nation’s Queen. Her face frosted over. "Li Hao, who do you think you are?" "Do you even understand what a deity truly is? Shattering the divine, a godless Silver Moon… laughable!" The Queen was furious. To gods, blasphemers were the most abominable, and Li Hao was undeniably one. She said nothing more. Suddenly, she tilted her head back toward the sky. A luminous moon surfaced in the heavens, and deep within that crimson orb, a doorway seemed to stand tall. Dread gripped every heart at that moment, as though this was the first time anyone had ever seen the moon so clearly. It seemed as if the moon were plummeting into the mortal realm. A crimson hue flickered in the Queen’s eyes. Heaven and earth altered in hue as the red moon illuminated the void. Li Hao’s blasphemy was unforgivable. Did he truly believe himself omnipotent? Did gleaning a mere scratch on the surface of the Human Sovereign path make him think he was the Human Sovereign himself? Indeed, the Human Sovereign path. The Queen understood now. Descending like an immortal cast down from heaven, she swept her hand to gather the moon, a crimson phantom drifting atop its face. Her voice flowed like a clear spring, yet was edged with ruthless resolve: "I am the Moon God. The bright moon answers to my command. Descend!" Boom! It felt as though mountains were collapsing and the earth was splitting apart, as though Heaven’s will had returned in full. The entire Silver Moon land seemed to hear her voice, shaking everyone to their core. A sudden surge of terror welled in every heart: true gods truly walked this world! The Moon God! Countless people had originally been praying and channeling their strength to Li Hao, but in this instant, a multitude grew unsettled with dread, abandoning their thoughts until only sheer terror toward the Moon God and divine beings remained. Silver Moon, after all, was not Xinwu. The minds of the people were unsettled, and their enlightenment was far from complete. At this moment, solemn chanting echoed from the western lands, sounding like the birth of heaven and earth, like the voice of the Great Dao descending. It was the worship of countless devotees. "At the dawn of heaven and earth, there were no laws, no self, no sentient beings. Only deities were born to bear the Dao. The Moon Mother created man, bringing forth the human race. When man emerged, the Mother fell, and the moon became the Mother…" From beyond the unseen, hundreds of millions across the western lands suddenly began to pray. In this instant, the Queen truly seemed to embody the Mother of All Things. A crimson moon hung above her head. Her gaze was icy. With countless strands of spiritual intent flocking to empower her from behind, she said coldly, "Li Hao, you should understand now what the sentient beings path truly is! Do your so-called common masses have the devotion of my divine subjects? The gods shelter only the devout!" The aura radiating from Li Hao visibly slipped. Evidently, as the deity displayed miracles, countless people began to believe that true gods existed in the world. Compared to Li Hao, perhaps a god seemed far more worthy of their faith. Such was reality. Hundreds of millions in the western lands worshiped the gods, and in truth, many on the Heavenly Star Continent held divine faith as well. Across the Heavenly Star Continent, countless mortals prostrated themselves. Some practitioners of the new martial path, lacking deeper understanding, tried to pull up their kneeling parents and grandparents, only to be sharply rebuked. The gods were to be feared! Li Hao… had failed to shatter the gods residing in the hearts of Heavenly Star’s populace. A smile touched the Queen’s lips, cool as moonlight. Gazing at Li Hao, her aura climbed steadily higher as she stepped toward him, brandishing her scepter once more and pointing it at him. "Is this what you called having no gods in your heart?" Li Hao remained silent, merely looking behind him—toward the Western Continent, toward the Central Region, toward the north. A wave of dejection suddenly washed over him. So… I truly couldn't shatter the gods in their hearts. Perhaps the time has been too brief, perhaps education has yet to spread, or perhaps… I have kept too low a profile. Only today did he realize people truly believed in deities. His ideal of ceaseless self-reliance… was not acknowledged by all after all. The Heavenly Star Dynasty had kept its people ignorant for two centuries; this was still a feudal empire, and how could a feudal empire exist without gods? It could not be broken. Disappointment, dejection, helplessness—all these emotions erupted within him. Yet Li Hao reined them in. He knew he could not blame them. It was simply the limitation of their era; their perspective was only so broad, their horizons only so wide. Whether it was Governor-General Li or Emperor Jiang, could either truly seem more terrifying than a god? Without widespread education and broader vision, the more ignorant people were, the more devoutly they believed in gods. Boom! In that instant, Li Hao, who had been commanding the upper hand moments ago, was sent flying by another strike. A sneer formed on the Queen’s lips. Li Hao truly was an exceptional talent. Yet he was too young, too arrogant. Did he truly believe his standing among the common people could surpass that of a god? Absurd! He had propagated the new martial path, but even so… what of it? Not everyone was cultivating, and not everyone understood that the so-called gods of this world were merely powerful practitioners. To ordinary minds, gods were omnipotent. One could never place their hopes on commoners discerning whether Governor-General Li was stronger, or a god was stronger. Thus, at this moment, Li Hao’s unity of all hearts was broken. It crumbled too quickly. So quickly that people had just been celebrating his advantage, only to see Li Hao instantly routed in the very next breath. The scepter pierced through his flesh, shattering his armor and driving straight into his heart. "Governor-General!" "Li Hao!" Everyone cried out in shock. How could this be? Everyone was momentarily dazed and bewildered. Just moments ago, Li Hao had gathered the strength of all people into his own body. Everyone, including the Ninth Division Commander, had believed Li Hao’s victory was assured. Even the Xinwu experts had believed Li Hao would win. He had somehow grasped a technique akin to the Human Sovereign path, drawing the strength of the masses to empower himself. Yet who could have foreseen that it would shatter in an instant? Some realized what had happened and roared in fury: "Damn it! I said long ago that there was no need to waste so much time on those ignorant fools! Bastards, they betrayed us!" Mad roars, howling fury, utter rage. Li Hao had been betrayed. The very people who had inherited his new martial path had betrayed him, abandoning their trust in Li Hao in favor of the gods. Even Yuan Shuo was enraged to the extreme, roaring, "You aren't their god, none of us are! Those idiots only ever believe in the gods that bring them disaster!" Boom! Before his voice could fade, his opponent threw a punch. Flames blazed across heaven and earth, instantly shattering Yuan Shuo’s Four Elements Domain and blasting his armor to bits. In the blink of an eye, his flesh was reduced to a bloody pulp, scorched beyond recognition by the flames. The Fire God sneered, "Denying gods, yet expecting mortals to treat you as gods yourselves… isn't that ridiculous?" Yuan Shuo could not even vomit blood, his entire form charred. Hearing those words, his body shuddered. Indeed. Denying gods, yet expecting the world to revere you as a god… wasn't that ridiculous? Wasn't it a contradiction? Not far away, Li Hao coughed up blood. Hearing those words, he was momentarily taken aback. Boom! The scepter sent him flying again. Li Hao coughed blood continuously as he tumbled back, murmuring, "Yes, it is quite ridiculous…" If we deny gods, why… create a god for the world? Just like moments ago, projecting my image across heaven and earth, calling upon practitioners of the new martial path to grant me power… wasn't that… acting as a god as well? The Queen strode forward through the void, her voice laced with chilling contempt: "Li Hao, you do not even understand what a god is, yet you seek to shatter the divine. That is why you court death! You are too young. Did you think grasping a few scraps of the Great Dao entitled you to flaunt your might before us?" The scepter struck out once more. Right at that moment, a furious shout rang out, and a beam of sword radiance illuminated the heavens, cleaving the sky in two. The Ninth Division Commander soared into the air, abandoning his other opponents to shatter the incoming attack with a single sword strike. He barked coldly, "What do you think you are? What gives you the right to lecture the Li family?" His back turned to Li Hao, he roared, "Li Hao, stop with that pretentious nonsense! A battle is a battle—it’s kill or be killed! It was merely a single broken Dao technique, nothing more!" He had charged into the fray. He had sensed the problem: the Queen’s divine ability had not only broken Li Hao’s Dao technique, it had even cracked Li Hao’s conviction of invincibility. Li Hao had always firmly believed that he was unrivaled under heaven. He had also believed that the people’s hearts could be relied upon. Yet today… this Western Queen had shattered his Dao. As a Xinwu expert, the Ninth Division Commander knew this mental state all too well. Li Hao had been treading an invincible path, but if one’s conviction of invincibility was broken along that path… he would be ruined, driven mad by self-doubt. Li Hao was simply too young. Everyone had held high hopes for him, everyone had trusted him, and his journey had been far too smooth. This time, he had deployed every ounce of strength to crush the western God Nation, expecting a sweeping, exhilarating victory. He had even brought along the grandson of the Supreme! Yet… the battle had not unfolded as planned. It was not just Li Hao; every Silver Moon martial master had fallen into a similar state, and even the tens of thousands of troops below—save for the Battle Heaven Army—were growing bewildered. They had mustered all their might against the western God Nation, only to suffer a crushing setback. Li Hao was no match for the Western Queen. And the other Silver Moon martial masters were falling before the gods. His back to Li Hao, the Ninth Division Commander said coldly, "Stop overthinking this, Li Hao! This is war! In war, there is victory and defeat! Even the ancestor, the Sword Venerable, tasted defeat. His spirit was once crippled, leaving him without progress for a decade, yet he still drew his sword and fought on, slaying an Eighth-rank as a Sixth-rank to shock heaven and earth! The world proclaimed the Longevity Sword Venerable’s offensive power to be number one beneath the heavens! Even the Human King was no match for him in the same rank!" Boom! A thunderous roar erupted. The Ninth Division Commander drew his blade, his sword intent piercing the sky. The scepter smashed down, and with a deafening blast, the sword radiance shattered. The Queen remained thoroughly indifferent. "Talk all you want, nothing matters more than strength!" The Ninth Division Commander’s clone was, after all, merely a clone. Under this collision, the sword intent fractured. Cracks began spreading across the Ninth Division Commander’s golden armor. Roaring in fury, he swung his sword once more. "A sword is meant for killing enemies!" Boom! The sky fractured. Yet in the next breath, the mighty Queen smashed a bright moon downward. With a catastrophic crash, heaven and earth shattered into chaos. The Ninth Division Commander’s golden armor shattered completely, revealing the illusory phantom beneath. A sword mark had also appeared on the Queen’s body, though it faded almost instantly. The Queen was somewhat surprised. "A descendant of the Sword Venerable… formidable indeed. A mere origin clone, yet able to wound this King!" The Ninth Division Commander gave a cold snort, thrusting his sword forward. The sword radiance pierced heaven and earth, only to be smashed apart once again by a single strike. "Had your true body come… I might have feared you somewhat. But a mere clone dares presume to flaunt his might!" The Queen snorted coldly and thrust a palm forward. The overwhelming force of the world pressed down; the origin path was already rejected here, and beneath the crushing suppression of the worldly force, every step became an agonizing ordeal. Boom! With a colossal crash, the Ninth Division Commander was knocked back several hundred meters, coughing relentlessly. What he coughed up was not blood, but wisps of origin force that extinguished instantly. His body shook violently. Yet his hand still gripped his longsword. Behind him, Li Hao wiped a trace of blood from his lips. Seeing this, he said nothing, swiftly stepping forward with a low roar to unleash a strike. The Starry Sky Sword was incomparably ferocious, cleaving the opponent’s overwhelming force to pieces. "Ninth Division Commander…" Li Hao murmured in a heavy tone. The Ninth Division Commander’s voice remained firm and resounding: "Must I truly label you beyond redemption to the very end? She is merely trying to shatter your conviction of invincibility! She is the reincarnation of the Moon God, while how old are you? Do you possess ancient memories? Do you have the experience of countless campaigns? You have none of that… This is merely a battle. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Li Hao, do not belittle yourself, but… neither do you need to overestimate yourself!" "Boom!" The void fractured again as Li Hao struck with his sword, and the Ninth Division Commander struck alongside him. Yet the Queen grew increasingly powerful, her scepter utterly unbreakable. Every blow she delivered carried boundless pressure. Boom! Li Hao stumbled back several paces, while the Ninth Division Commander’s figure swayed. Yet neither collapsed. At this moment, the commander sent a voice transmission: "Have General Locust and the others descend to aid the battle. There is no need to keep the perimeter sealed anymore. This battle… might not be winnable. Their morale is soaring, and if we cannot take down this Moon God… we likely cannot win today!" Li Hao’s expression changed. Unable to… win! He had come with an absolute conviction of victory, mobilizing every expert at his disposal. Yet now, the Ninth Division Commander was telling him that victory was out of reach. "It might not be a bad thing!" The Ninth Division Commander sent another transmission: "An invincible momentum is a source of conviction, but it is also a burden… Throughout history, only the Human King remained undefeated! Yet the Human King remained undefeated only because countless powerhouses shielded him! Every time, supreme experts were there to protect his Dao… whereas you have no one!" Even Zhang An could not truly be considered a Dao protector. Powerful as Zhang An was, he could not hold off all formidable enemies for Li Hao. Thus, Zhang An was not the Supreme of the Zhang family; that Supreme had once held back every mighty foe for the Human King. Li Hao had none of that. A formidable enemy like the Queen was someone he had to face alone. Li Hao gritted his teeth, then shouted, "General Locust, lift the grand formation and assist all fronts!" If they did not assist, his friends and family might perish. Boom! The world tore open as thirteen colossal trees covered the void. Without a word, General Locust shifted into human form and threw a punch. With a deafening boom, the Goddess of Life, who was suppressing Di Wei, was sent flying by that single blow. General Locust said nothing, proving through action alone that a Saint clone was indeed far stronger than these deities. All at once, over a dozen mighty experts joined the fray. The dire situation on the battlefield instantly turned around. Only on Li Hao’s front, where he and the Ninth Division Commander fought side by side, did they remain unable to overcome the Queen. At this moment, Li Hao seemed stripped of his earlier methods. There was only the sword path. Strike after strike flew, yet every single one was shattered. The Ninth Division Commander was the same, relying solely on his sword path. His figure, however, was growing increasingly ethereal. The Queen presently possessed at least the strength of the Sixth-tier Sun-Moon realm—that was the bare minimum. The Mountain-Sea realm opened nine meridians. The Sun-Moon realm advanced by opening three meridians per tier. Li Hao’s strength was comparable to having opened over twenty meridians; augmented by the Starry Sky Sword and various divine characters, he was at least on par with the Fifth-tier Sun-Moon realm. Yet his opponent was equivalent to the Sixth-tier Sun-Moon realm, wielding the power of roughly twenty-seven opened meridians. When Li Hao had suppressed her with the collective will of the people, he had been able to hold her down. But now… she had broken free of it. Stripped of his previous suppression, he was clearly outmatched. The Ninth Division Commander grew weaker by the second. While he had initially been able to coordinate with Li Hao to stall her attacks, his strength was now failing him. He struck out once more, forcing her back. He glanced at Li Hao, his tone as cool as ever: "Do not overthink this. She has only reached this state by relying on the power of reincarnation. You are only twenty-one; you have already done remarkably well! Utilizing the people’s will… is not for now. It is far too early. Everything you have done, everyone sees it, but… it takes time!" "Xinwu took eighty years. From its founding until the Human King overthrew the Catacombs, it took eighty full years to enlighten the populace and win their hearts. Li Hao, do you believe you are greater than the various Sovereigns of Xinwu? Greater than the Human King, greater than Supreme Zhang? That you could enlighten the populace and win their hearts in a mere few months?" "Li Hao, do not rush!" With that, the Ninth Division Commander smiled. "Come, today I shall teach you a sword strike—the Sword of the Common People!" His illusory phantom merged entirely into his longsword, letting out a thunderous roar: "The common people endure; the sword path is eternal!" Boom! Heaven and earth shattered, and the longsword burst apart in the same breath. This single strike knocked the scepter away; pulsing like a living being, the sword intent surged like a stampede of ten thousand men, charging straight for the Queen. With a tearing sound, the sword ripped countless bloody gouges across the Queen’s arms, blood dripping freely. The Queen retreated continuously, backing away a hundred meters before letting out an appreciative sigh: "A descendant of the Longevity Sword Venerable… truly, his sword path is formidable!" The Ninth Division Commander’s clone, however, had vanished completely. In the end, it had simply coalesced into that single sword strike. Li Hao’s expression turned grim as he looked at the Queen. The Queen offered a faint smile. "Li Hao, without him, do you possess any other tricks?" Smiling faintly, she said slowly, "Who else will come to save you?" She looked around at the frantically battling experts, as though deliberately provoking them, baiting them into making a mistake and rushing to Li Hao’s rescue. Without the suppression of the worldly momentum, she grew ever more formidable. Li Hao stared at the spot where the Ninth Division Commander had vanished, gazing at the fragments of the longsword scattering through the air, momentarily lost in thought. Before this, he had always thought about sparring with him one day. To get some payback. Today, even though only a clone had perished while his true body remained, death was still death. He had died to save him. Li Hao let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I was arrogant, and far too young. Ever since discovering the new Dao, I believed no one under heaven could rival me, that before the second resurgence began, I was an invincible existence!" "I have so many methods, and I could even borrow the strength of the masses. Though I never said it aloud, I truly believed I could play the part of a Human Sovereign…" Li Hao looked toward the Queen. "Moon God, you were the one who woke me up!" Li Hao sighed. "So… I am not invincible after all!" The Queen frowned slightly. Saying nothing, she materialized before Li Hao in a flash, clawing toward him with a hand that seemed capable of pulling down the sun and moon. In the distance, Jiang Li erupted, forcing back the God of War. He had originally considered rushing to Li Hao’s aid… but hesitated. If Li Hao were truly killed, it might not necessarily be a bad thing, would it? The western God Nation was strong, but Li Hao’s faction was extraordinarily powerful as well. If he died today… at least one terrifying entity would be gone. Just as he hesitated. A figure charged frantically toward Li Hao. Yuan Shuo, looking like a charred, withered log, let out an enraged roar. He threw a punch, the Five Animals erupting as he bellowed, "How dare you!" That was his disciple. The Queen swept her scepter around, intending to obliterate him on the spot. Li Hao, who had been bracing for defense, underwent a drastic change of expression at the sight. "How dare you!" In that single instant, Li Hao abandoned everything, casting aside all hesitation. He had no family left. Not a single one. Only this teacher before him, whether strong or weak, had always stood to protect him. When the Ninth Division Commander’s clone shattered, it had only been a clone; though it pained him, Li Hao had remained rational. Yet in this instant, all rationality fled. "You are courting death!" Li Hao roared. He had originally thought that if things went south, they could simply retreat; retreating now would not necessarily inflict devastating damage. Even he himself was never in real danger of being killed. His teacher had likely forgotten… that he could slip into the Bright Star Realm. He would not die so easily. Yet he had not expected his teacher, blinded by concern, to have forgotten that detail and charged forward anyway. His teacher could also enter the Bright Star Realm, but ever since the Zhang family’s stone saber was destroyed, he had no proper treasure on him to anchor his coordinates. If he entered now, he might become hopelessly lost. Furthermore… his teacher had likely forgotten that option entirely in his panic, or he would never have charged in to rescue him in such a frenzy. Li Hao roared. He swung his sword. At this moment, it was not merely a sword strike. Dao meridians that had yet to be fully unsealed suddenly surfaced across Li Hao’s body, and in an instant, all the unopened acupoints along several meridians burst open simultaneously. The number of his opened acupoints surged from 230 to 250 in a flash. Four Dao meridians opened in rapid succession. Out of thirty-six Dao meridians, Li Hao had opened fourteen; combined with his original nine divine ability Dao meridians, he had unsealed twenty-three in the blink of an eye, though his physical body began to fracture under the strain. Li Hao roared, cleaving forward with the sword in his right hand while his left took the form of a ferocious tiger, delivering a thunderous punch. Boom! The void shattered. Punching straight through space, the blow knocked the Queen flying several dozen meters, cracking the empty air beneath her feet as a look of shock crossed her face. Meanwhile, Li Hao deflected the scepter with his sword, spinning around to catch the charging Yuan Shuo. Yet the residual force of the clash still tore Yuan Shuo’s flesh, sending blood spraying in torrents. Seeing his teacher’s frenzied state, all the lingering dejection and calm in Li Hao’s heart vanished completely. Only fury remained. "What gall you have!" Li Hao bellowed, his voice like thunder, as more acupoints along the remaining Dao meridians burst open—some even detonating outright. "Did you truly think I had no way to deal with you?" Li Hao turned and hurled Yuan Shuo far into the distance, right behind the Old Turtle. "Protect my teacher!" As the words left his mouth, his flesh tore further. The Starry Sky Sword seemed to sense Li Hao’s rage, funneling boundless sword energy into his body. Li Hao swung his blade with blinding speed. The Queen recalled her scepter, sweeping it forward. Crack! A section of the scepter was sheared clean off by Li Hao’s sword. The Queen was horrified. How could this be? How had Li Hao suddenly grown so much stronger? If he could open Dao meridians, why hadn't he done so earlier? Yet she soon understood, looking at Li Hao with a sudden sneer: "With such a frail physical body, you dare forcefully unseal so many acupoints? Li Hao… perhaps I won't even need to kill you before your own body collapses!" Li Hao had forcefully unsealed a massive cluster of acupoints. In this instant, counting what he had before, at least twenty-five Dao meridians were wide open across his body. No wonder he had suddenly become so formidable. Yet by doing this, his physical body was bound to collapse sooner or later. Modern martial masters possessed relatively frail bodies, and more crucially… their spiritual power was mediocre. Once their physical form collapsed, they faced absolute death, unlike the Xinwu powerhouses who could preserve their spirits. Li Hao was marching toward his own destruction. Li Hao merely looked at her, suddenly breaking into a smile. "Then… let us see if you can save me! Moon God, during today's battle, I gained much insight and felt many things. Even if I suffer defeat… it matters not!" With that, even more acupoints across his body erupted. In a flash, a blinding radiance illuminated heaven and earth. Like a blazing sun. The Queen’s expression shifted. "You truly seek death…" At this moment, it seemed Li Hao had unsealed every single acupoint. "Because you angered me!" Li Hao growled. His flesh was tearing apart, yet he paid it no heed. He slashed forward, and with a resounding snap, the scepter was cleaved cleanly into two. The Queen’s expression shifted again as she unleashed her worldly force to suppress Li Hao, only for him to let out a ferocious roar. Several divine characters manifested, seeming to lock down heaven and earth. Boom! A sword strike and a kick—the sword cleaved the world, while the kick struck chaos. With a dull thud, the Queen, who had hardly been wounded before, was sent flying by the kick, her divine body cracking as she coughed blood repeatedly. Li Hao closed the distance instantly. In her alarm, the Queen hurled a bright moon downward. Right at that moment, Li Hao suddenly reached in and tore out his own heart. Droplets of vital essence dripped from it as a faint smile appeared on his face. "The bright moon… has a seal!" As the words fell, the heart ruptured, and his vital essence dispersed. A peculiar power suddenly drifted between heaven and earth. A miniature Eight Trigrams Diagram seemed to fly here all the way from Silver City. In that instant, the Eight Trigrams Diagram above Silver City trembled violently, and all the lunar power that had been beaming down was completely sealed off. At this moment, the sky above Silver City seemed to tremble violently, as if a mighty expert were roaring in fury. The Moon God’s summoning of the moon and drawing of lunar power was, to the experts trapped beneath the Stargate’s seal, a means of breaking the seal. Yet at this moment, the descendant of the Li family had used his own vital essence to reinforce the seal once more. … As the miniature Eight Trigrams Diagram manifested, the moon that had appeared right before their eyes vanished in an instant, hanging high in the empty void once more. The Queen’s face paled. "You're insane…" Shattering his own heart and draining his vital essence just to seal the lunar power… Earlier, Li Hao had been composed; even when his sentient beings path was broken, he had not been this crazed, carrying himself like an elegant scholar. Yet now, Li Hao fought like a savage. Li Hao bared his teeth in a grin. Insane? Not at all. It was just… why did you have to lay a hand on my teacher? You forced me to kill you. The moment the lunar power was sealed, the Queen’s aura plummeted. Li Hao had already lunged forward, closing in with a thunderous roar. He engaged her in brutal, close-quarters combat, throwing punches and kicks without an ounce of his previous refinement. At this moment, he looked like a true Silver Moon martial master. All around, the deities who had just watched the Moon God suppress Li Hao were stunned to see Li Hao turning the tables and overpowering her. Their expressions shifted drastically. Below and in the air, the Silver Moon martial masters witnessed this and roared at the top of their lungs: "Kill! Slaughter them all!" Boom! The martial masters, who had been somewhat demoralized, instantly went wild. Even the gentle Earth-Overturning Sword let out a furious roar, instantly bursting open a mass of acupoints across his body, his flesh tearing apart just like Li Hao’s. Not just him, but everyone else as well. Hong Yitang roared, "Gather around me! I shall defend; you strike the enemy!" Boom! A sword swept out, conjuring a massive defensive perimeter between heaven and earth. Deities struck out one after another with thunderous booms that shook the world, yet they failed to shatter the Earth-Overturning Sword. Dao meridians surfaced along Hong Yitang’s body as he bellowed, "Kill!" "Kill!" Every Silver Moon martial master roared in unison. Though they were not exceptionally strong before, at this moment, it was as if they had returned to the days of their unsealing, forcefully bursting through the Dao meridians they had yet to open. Dao meridians could be fully unsealed; opening acupoints was merely a safer approach. It allowed the body to endure the strain. Forcefully unsealing them meant that, just like before, their flesh would tear to pieces. Yet at this moment, rage consumed them. In truth, they had pinned their hopes on the Xinwu powerhouses to slay the gods. In the end… perhaps because the Xinwu experts lacked physical bodies and were mere puppets or origin clones, they possessed no overwhelming advantage; on the contrary, they were suppressed by the gods. Only now did they seem to awaken. We… can truly rely only on ourselves. Whether Li Hao or themselves, they had all been wrong. How could they place all their hopes on the Xinwu powerhouses? Back when there were no Xinwu experts, had they not carved out Silver Moon’s terrifying reputation all the same? Back when they fought the Nine Departments and the Three Great Organizations, had they not relied on their fearless defiance of death, unsealing their combat power to battle those supernaturals? Why was it that today, even with the battle growing desperate, that thought had never crossed their minds? The thought of forcefully unsealing their strength. Only now, seeing Li Hao forcefully unseal his power, did they snap back to reality and realize: we can forcefully unseal ourselves too. Southern Fist let out a thunderous roar, laughing wildly: "Exhilarating! I feel like I've gone back to the days of unsealing… Once unsealed, our combat power is unmatched!" Northern Fist chuckled. "Little He, even unsealed… you're still dragging your feet. Watch us!" Rumble! The manifested Dao meridians detonated directly. Why bother opening acupoints? To kill these gods, shatter the meridians outright—who has the patience to open ten acupoints per meridian? Boom! Protected by the Earth-Overturning Sword, the experts abandoned all defense and unleashed their full combat power, letting their flesh tear as they charged headlong at the gods. This sight shook deities and Xinwu powerhouses alike. In the distance, Li Hao roared repeatedly, raining down punch after punch, kick after kick, eventually wrapping himself around the Queen in a frenzied assault. Every Silver Moon martial master seemed to awaken in this moment. What was there to fear? What was there to hesitate over? Their utter recklessness was the sole reason the world feared Silver Moon. It was never because of the Xinwu powerhouses that they had gained their footing. … The Queen coughed blood relentlessly, roaring as she tried to shake Li Hao off. But Li Hao was like stubborn leather, clinging tightly to her, disregarding her counterattacks and pouring all his ferocious strength into grappling her. Laughing wildly, his fists shattered mountains and rivers. Her physical body was indeed formidable—no deity possessed a weak physique—yet under Li Hao’s relentless pummeling, it was being visibly battered to ruin. Li Hao was not merely striking with force; he was continuously sending energy into her to probe her interior. The Queen was utterly humiliated and enraged, screaming, "What do you think you are doing?" This shameless scoundrel was probing every inch of her body, leaving no place untouched. No matter how powerful she was, she was still a woman; even a deity possessed human shame. Li Hao paid no heed. While pinning her with his arms and letting her counterattacks shatter his flesh, he continued his thorough probing of her entire form. He had to find the physical body Dao meridians. Only by doing so could their bodies recover. Otherwise, neither sword energy nor the Spring of Life might be enough to restore their shattered flesh this time. Rumble! The Queen was thoroughly enraged, unleashing terrifying combat power that blasted Li Hao’s flesh away in chunks. Li Hao hammered her relentlessly in return. Thud, thud, thud! Before everyone’s eyes, both of their bodies were battered bloody as they fought tooth and nail. Further away, the erupting Silver Moon martial masters fought like madmen. Tyrant Saber let out a low bellow, cleaving a deity in two with a single slash. The god did not die immediately, but right at that moment, Sky Sword barked sharply, his sword shattering the deity's physical form. Heaven and earth shuddered slightly; a deity had fallen. Only now had true casualties appeared on either side. The puppet students and demon plant clones looked visibly shaken. When supreme experts clashed at roughly equal strength, killing an opponent was exceedingly difficult—especially when they were not fighting in their true bodies. Up to this point, they had all believed the Silver Moon martial masters would have to depend on them. Yet so far, they had suffered no losses, nor had the deities. And the very first deity to perish had fallen at the hands of the Silver Moon martial masters. "The God of Misfortune!" Someone roared in disbelief—a deity had actually been slain. Several mighty gods flew into a rage. In his fury, the God of War roared and threw a punch. With a deafening boom, Hong Yitang’s Earth-Overturning Sword Formation shattered. Hong Yitang’s flesh tore further, and the divine character hovering before him began to crack. He shook his head slightly with a trace of regret. The Earth-Overturning Sword Formation… had finally been broken. Its formidable defense could no longer be sustained, and the Silver Moon martial masters would struggle to unleash such combat power again. Meanwhile, Li Hao was still locked in a frenzy with the Queen. He did not shout for help, nor did he order the demon plant clones or puppet students to lay down their lives… He knew that these people and demon plants were holding back. They were only here to earn some energy. If the puppet students died, they were gone for good. As for the demon plant clones, losing an origin clone was an immense blow. Thus, despite having so many powerhouses present… fighting several dozen deities remained an arduous uphill battle. Among the crowd, Director Wang, Di Wei, and a few others fought desperately, yet they still could not suppress all the gods. By this point, how could Li Hao fail to see through it all? Yet he said nothing. Just as he had told the students of Yuanping Martial Arts University… they could simply consider themselves mercenaries. He provided the funds; they provided the labor. He knew that if this were still the Xinwu era… these students and demon plants would have given their all, even detonating themselves to slay the enemy. A mere few dozen deities would have suffered catastrophic slaughter. Yet… he made no such demand, nor had he any right to make such a request. This was no longer Xinwu. Between them and him, it was merely cooperation, not loyalty. Boom! A colossal roar sounded as Li Hao’s fist punched straight through the Queen’s divine torso. The Queen roared as well, part of her body detonating to tear herself free of Li Hao’s grip. Her face, swollen like a pig’s head, was devoid of its former cool detachment, filled only with fury and madness. From start to finish, Li Hao had been probing her body, leaving no spot untouched. Not only that… that punch had penetrated her body and actually punched out through her groin, an act that felt thoroughly… thoroughly shameless. Hateful, abominable, deserving of death. Earlier, she had praised Li Hao as an exceptional talent, yet now she shrieked in rage: "You disgusting creature! Even if my God Nation crumbles today, I will slaughter you!" Rumble! Heaven and earth convulsed. In this instant, she seemed to forcefully gather power from all directions, roaring like a shrieking shrew without a shred of queenly poise as she charged straight at him. Boom! A flurry of traded punches followed. Li Hao’s fists shattered, while the Queen’s fists were equally mangled. Right then, Li Hao let out a laugh and suddenly shouted, "Retreat! The days ahead are long; killing one god today is enough to satisfy the craving… Fall back!" "You want to leave?" the Queen roared. You killed my god, shattered my body, and humiliated me, and you think you can simply walk away? Li Hao laughed heartily. "If I want to leave, can you stop me? I leave when I please—do you truly believe you can hold me back?" With that, Li Hao shattered even more of his Dao meridians. In this instant, a full 360 acupoints flared into view. Heaven and earth were instantly bathed in the brilliance of a sun. A force of terrifying proportions erupted as Li Hao threw a punch. The fist intent swept across heaven and earth, causing even the Queen to shriek in alarm: "Fall back!" Rumble! Explosions, shattering cracks, and screams tore through the massive city. Everyone was stunned. Just as some considered giving chase, Li Hao’s voice echoed out, remarkably calm: "I underestimated them. We withdraw today; there is no need for needless sacrifices. I was too arrogant. Return, and we shall fight another day!" "Governor-General!" "Fall back!" Li Hao barked in a low voice. Though reluctant, everyone had pushed themselves to the limit, their bodies on the verge of complete collapse. They swiftly leaped into the air and boarded the battleships, while the armies below fought off their pursuers and began their orderly retreat. Li Hao remained stationary at the forefront, his overwhelming aura blanketing heaven and earth. Opposite him, the Queen swiftly regrouped with the deities, her face frosty. "You forcefully unsealed all 360 acupoints; your physical body is already thoroughly ruined. Li Hao, do not think I cannot tell that you are at your wit's end, on the verge of exploding at any moment!" She glared at him icily. Li Hao, however, smiled and gave a slight nod. "Yes, my body can barely hold, on the verge of shattering at any second… But… so what? I strike when I wish, and I leave when I wish… Do you dare stop me?" The Queen’s expression changed. Behind her, a deity roared in fury, "You court death!" He lunged forward in an instant, surging with fiery might. The Fire God. Right at that moment, Li Hao raised his sword and cleaved outward. There was no great commotion, nor any deafening roar—merely a crisp snap… The Fire God, who had just charged forward, split cleanly into two, utterly destroyed. Li Hao chuckled. "Now… will anyone else try to stop me?" The Queen’s face turned grim. Li Hao was far too formidable right now. Even if he truly was at his limit, how many divine lives would it cost to bring him down? She was furious, but in the end, she suppressed her rage. "Li Hao… this King shall wait for your body to collapse and kill you. The day you fall will be the day Heavenly Star is destroyed!" Li Hao laughed, his flesh peeling away in chunks. "How could that be? Moon God, you dote on me so, how could I die so easily? A mere shattered physical body—do you truly think I have no way to handle it?" With that, he sighed softly. "The only pity today… was the loss of the Ninth Division Commander’s clone. I have truly let him down." Shaking his head, he glanced into the void. With a laugh, he called out, "Senior Zhang, we can withdraw now. And that god over there, stop burning your power, lest you kill yourself…" Li Hao let out a hearty laugh. The next instant, the sky tore open. Zhang An stumbled into view, while inside the divine temple, the Prophet God’s body was fractured and bleeding, blood pooling across the entire hall. Though Zhang An had been locked in combat, he was aware of the outside situation, his expression somewhat conflicted. He… or rather, all the ancients who had participated today, save for the Ninth Division Commander, Di Wei, and Director Wang, had not possessed the resolve to fight to the death. Under such circumstances, fighting a winning battle was fine. Yet when Li Hao was pinned down and suppressed… none of them had played the role they should have, himself included. Zhang An felt too ashamed to look anyone in the eye, remaining silent. Li Hao, however, seemed entirely unbothered, merely a little wistful. He glanced at the deities opposite him and laughed. "Next time, then. Let’s leave it at that for today. Moon God, as long as I live, this place is the boundary of your God Nation… Advance any further, and you can suffer the consequences yourself!" With that, he leaped into the air and landed aboard a battleship. Turning to the others with a look of apology, he said, "Today’s failure was my fault for underestimating the heroes of this world! My deepest thanks to everyone for your steadfast assistance! The days ahead are long; when next I step into the God Nation… it shall be the day of its ruin!" With that command, the three battleships soared into the sky. Seeing this, Zhang An sighed and tore through the void to leave. "Your Majesty…" Several deities were reluctant to let them go, but the Queen coughed up blood, gritting her teeth and shaking her head. "Let them go… The Prophet… can endure no more!" Everyone’s expression shifted, and they rushed toward the grand hall, quickly finding the Prophet God drenched in his own blood. The Queen coughed blood, raspy and weak: "Goddess of Life, tend to the Prophet’s injuries… Though we suffered losses… Li Hao’s group is in far worse shape. When they return, many of their experts may well perish…" With that, she sneered, "Li Hao should understand now that those Xinwu people… cannot be relied upon!" The deities remained silent. They too had felt it today: the Xinwu people who fought this time were completely different from those of ancient times. The Xinwu fighters back then were terrifyingly ferocious, but today… whether puppets or clones, they had seemed… perfunctory. Not entirely perfunctory, perhaps, but devoid of that absolute resolve to fight to the death. At this moment, the Prophet God coughed blood continuously and let out a faint chuckle. "Indeed… because they… lack conviction! They are not people of Heavenly Star, nor are they fighting for Xinwu. Would you expect them to blow themselves up just for Li Hao? Li Hao understood this as well, which is why, even though Zhang An was on the verge of defeating me, he still chose to retreat—because Li Hao knew that continuing would only result in catastrophic slaughter for both sides!" "Your Majesty… beware of that Li Hao… Do not pin your hopes on his body collapsing to kill him. If death were certain, how could he have retreated? He would have fought to the death long ago!" The Queen’s expression changed slightly, and she nodded through gritted teeth. "I know. That is why I did not pursue him." The Prophet God gasped for breath once more. "What I foresaw before may yet come to pass through Li Hao… Be careful, be ever more careful. Failing to achieve victory today might not be a bad thing for him. He has enjoyed smooth sailing ever since he rose to prominence; yet having suffered a crushing defeat today, he never once lost control… This man’s… temperament is terrifying!" If Li Hao had completely lost control, that would have been a blessing. Yet he had not. Even at the very end, he had smoothly extracted everyone and chosen to withdraw rather than blindly fight on. The Prophet God believed that this was Li Hao’s most terrifying trait. The Queen nodded again. "I understand. Let the Prophet heal first. The rest of you… follow me. Do not disturb him!" The crowd filed out. … Meanwhile. Li Hao’s body continued to fracture, held together only by sword energy and the Spring of Life. Zhang An hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. Looking at Li Hao, he fell silent for a while before murmuring, "If… if this were Xinwu, paying a slight price might have allowed me to kill that Prophet…" Li Hao nodded slightly, offering a faint smile. "It is fine! Had I paid the price and thrown my life away, I could have slain a multitude of gods as well. I could have shattered every single Dao meridian, yet I didn't, did I? Even I… clung to life and was not prepared to sacrifice myself, was I?" He smiled again. "Even the commanders and experts under my Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office only chose to erupt at the very last moment… It is only human nature!" If his own people were not prepared to sacrifice their lives, why demand that outsiders lay down theirs for a bit of profit? Taking the field was already more than enough. Zhang An hesitated, then said, "The terms you promised earlier can all be canceled…" "No need for that!" Li Hao shook his head. "Senior, you need not dwell on it. That you took the field at all is enough to satisfy me! Once my injuries heal, I will fulfill my promises!" Zhang An opened his mouth to say more, but Li Hao smiled. "Senior, you are being overly fussy. Go rest first!" Zhang An sighed softly, turning to leave. Li Hao stood at the prow, gazing west. Behind him, the Silver Moon martial masters continued to nurse their fracturing bodies, yet every one of them wore a radiant smile. Yuan Shuo, looking like a charred stump, clapped Li Hao on the shoulder, only for Li Hao's shoulder to come right off, leaving him looking rather awkward. "My disciple truly knows how to show filial piety to his master…" Li Hao smiled without a word. Behind them, Southern Fist was clinging to life, yet still muttered resentfully, "As expected, we can only rely on ourselves… I’ll never trust outsiders again!" Li Hao said calmly, "Self-reliance is the true path! Today… I misjudged myself, and I misjudged the enemy! But we didn't lose out!" Indeed, they had not. He had found the physical body Dao meridians. He had probed the Queen’s body thoroughly from head to toe; this battle was no loss. It was only… a slight blow to morale. Others might not see it, but he and the Silver Moon martial masters had been thoroughly shaken awake by this battle. Li Hao suddenly burst into hearty laughter: "Didn't we… still come out ahead?" Laughing aloud, Li Hao roared, "Eternal victory!" "Eternal victory!" The soldiers aboard the three battleships, who had been uneasy, let out a deafening cheer, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Having failed to wipe out the western God Nation, everyone had been apprehensive, especially seeing the dreadful state of the Governor-General and the others. But now, their minds were put at ease. At least the Governor-General still had the strength to roar for victory. A slightly savage smile crept onto Li Hao’s lips as he glanced toward the north. Ninth Division Commander… I will accept your label of 'beyond redemption' for today. However… do not look down on me too much either. A single failure was, in his eyes, no defeat—merely a small hurdle he had yet to leap over. At this moment, deep within his shattered flesh, a faint, minuscule Dao meridian quietly surfaced, wriggling like a tiny dragon. It was exceedingly faint. Yet it began to grow with vigor. Li Hao’s smile grew brighter and brighter. At the very least… the objective had been achieved, hadn't it? Physical body Dao meridian, I have found you. Moon God, next time, I will come looking for you again!