The Path of the Dao Lord

The battleship flew away, not heading directly back to Silver Moon. Li Hao led everyone straight to the Heavenly Star Great Mine. …… Heavenly Star Town. Dense energy drifted from the colossal ore vein. Li Hao did not enter alone this time. He brought everyone—including tens of thousands of soldiers—straight into the ruins of Heavenly Star Town. It was the first time those soldiers had ever stepped into an ancient ruin of this caliber. The unimaginably rich energy caused their bodies to undergo a visible transformation. Li Hao’s voice rang out: "Every one of you fought bravely in the God Nation, and your merits cannot go unrewarded. From this day forth, you may absorb energy within this mineral vein without restriction for three days! How grand your fortune will be and how many acupoints you can open depends entirely on yourselves!" Three days of unrestricted absorption. With a bit of luck, they might open dozens of acupoints. Energy in the outside world was far too scarce, whereas the energy here was practically inexhaustible. Meanwhile, Li Hao led his core group forward, heading deep into the grand mine. At this moment, Lin Hongyu felt slightly ill at ease. "Governor-General, should I head up first to handle the administrative affairs in the city?" "No need. If you leave it alone for a day, the city won't collapse!" Li Hao’s physical body was constantly cracking and was held together solely by sword energy, yet he appeared remarkably calm. "Come inside with me!" With that, he turned to Zhang An. "Senior, I must trouble you to keep Chief Priest Jiang Li company and have a chat with him. I won't be able to entertain him myself." Zhang An gave a slight start, then nodded. Jiang Li felt rather awkward. He had stayed behind primarily to probe the situation, and seeing this immense Heavenly Star ore vein now, he was undeniably tempted—and curious about what Li Hao and his people were heading inside to do. Yet, having been addressed by Li Hao like this, he could only offer an embarrassed, dry chuckle. "No, no, that won't be necessary… Governor-General Li should tend to his injuries as soon as possible. I shall head back first…" "No, if Chief Priest Jiang leaves, wouldn't that make me appear an inhospitable host?" Li Hao smiled, fixing him with a deeply meaningful gaze. If you leave, the King of Dali will be free from restraint. What if he suddenly turns around and strikes at the Silver Moon Army? Since you're here… you might as well stay with us. Jiang Li hesitated, glancing at the fierce, grim-faced figures around them. Perhaps because they had failed to gain an advantage in the God Nation, these people were simmering with rage. Saying anything more right now would easily bring trouble upon himself. He forced a smile and said nothing further. Li Hao smiled. "Then we will go heal our wounds first. Once our injuries are under control, we will chat with Chief Priest Jiang." Having said that, he led the group deep into the mine. …… Deep in the mine, in a massive treasure pool, a considerable amount of liquid remained. This treasure pool had originally been used to nourish a Heavenly King's body. Later on, Li Hao had only used some of it to forge physical bodies for Director Wang; no one else had touched these reserves. Li Hao looked back. The people present now essentially constituted the entire direct lineage of the new era's Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office. A cohort of Silver Moon martial masters, including Director Zhao, was present. Apart from Hou Xiaochen, who remained stationed in Silver Moon, all the other Silver Moon martial masters were here, including over a dozen older-generation masters, as well as a small handful of Demon Hunt Army martial masters, such as Liu Long. They were not many—only around forty people. The rest consisted of Yao Si, Lin Hongyu, Chen Zhongtian, Qian Wuliang, Yang Shan, Qin Lian, Dao Jian and his companions, and several super experts who had previously stepped into the Rising Light Realm. There were also Hao Lianchuan and his group, who had followed all the way from Silver Moon and had reached Rising Light by now, though they were beginning to fall behind the curve. In addition, there were a few ancient experts, such as Director Wang, several Battle Heaven Army regiment commanders, and Di Wei. All told, there were roughly a hundred people. This was the entirety of the top-tier powerhouses in the Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office—everyone above the Rising Light Realm counted. Naturally, there were others, but they were not considered part of the core inner circle. At this moment, those who had stepped in here—whether they were newcomers or late arrivals, including Hu Qingfeng, who only knew how to flatter—had all been brought into the fold by Li Hao as his inner circle. If the Silver Moon martial masters were allowed to choose, they naturally would have counted only Silver Moon martial masters. Yet Li Hao did not dwell on such distinctions. Their numbers were not large to begin with. What was a hundred-odd people to a major faction? It was very, very few. At this moment, a portion of the martial masters could barely endure their injuries any longer, blood oozing all over their bodies. Still, each turned their eyes toward Li Hao, waiting for him to speak. They had gained no real advantage in today's battle. Strictly speaking… they had suffered a loss. Killing two of the enemy's gods might look impressive, but practically speaking, it amounted to nothing. Their own physical bodies had sustained catastrophic damage, whereas the enemy's deities possessed the potential to revive. Deities were born by upholding the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Killing them… was exceedingly difficult. They lacked the power to obliterate the deities entirely. Even though Li Hao had severed the Fire God, the deity might revive in the future. In the final reckoning, the one who had truly suffered a loss was Li Hao. Of course, up until now, the others still did not know Li Hao's true objective in attacking the God Nation. Everyone was holding their breath, harboring a mix of fury and frustration! The invincible Heavenly Star Governor-General's Office had taken a massive hit this time. Even Li Hao was gravely wounded. Li Hao looked at the crowd and said, "The crux of this battle… was that we lack a substantial number of high-end combatants and rely far too heavily on Neo-Martial assistance." In the crowd, Director Wang seemed slightly embarrassed. Li Hao continued, "Of course, we always chant about self-reliance, yet we keep placing our hopes on Neo-Martial powerhouses. That was fundamentally flawed thinking… It's just that our previous opponents weren't strong enough, so no one felt the disparity." "Take Dali, for instance. Their Divine Guards and temple priests are all modern people, so the gap between us was negligible, and we were even able to hold the upper hand. But this time, we fell into a disadvantage because the deities are ancient beings, yet unique in that they can manifest in this era following their revival." Li Hao sighed softly. "To suffer a battle that wasn't a total defeat is actually acceptable; it's quite good, all things considered!" "I just feel… a small touch of disappointment." Li Hao chuckled. "Still, that's normal. I think I've already adjusted my mindset. There is no undefeated martial master. From the days in Silver Moon until now, I have always won. Suffering a minor loss… is actually quite fine, a unique feeling and experience in itself." "Are you truly alright?" Yuan Shuo asked. He knew his disciple well; though Li Hao appeared mild-mannered, he was proud and arrogant to the bone. Li Hao smiled. "I truly am fine. It was merely my first setback—being counterattacked when I assumed victory was guaranteed—so it felt a bit uncomfortable. We didn't suffer that heavy a loss after all." He quickly changed the subject. "Therefore, the current crux lies in everyone's strength." "Only ten meridians and above count as the Sun Moon Realm. Only by stepping into the Sun Moon Realm can one be considered to have reached the limits of the current world… Otherwise, none of you have truly reached the ceiling!" "Seven meridians is merely equivalent to the weakest Peak Realm origin clone." Having said that, he added, "There is another critical factor… whenever everyone wants to unleash peak combat prowess, your physical bodies can hardly endure the strain. We've returned to the state we were in back when our five organs weren't strong enough." Everyone nodded, but there was little they could do. It wasn't that their bodies were weak; their bodies were reasonably solid. It was simply that… on that foundation, they could not burst forth with further power. They naturally could not compare to the top geniuses of the Neo-Martial era, yet in truth, they were not weaker than average Neo-Martial cultivators. Li Hao continued, "I have currently discovered a new Dao meridian. I don't know whether it qualifies as a physical body Dao meridian, but if it is, and everyone opens it… it won't just be a matter of gaining a single meridian!" "A stronger physical body can support us in opening several more acupoints and several more Dao meridians without tearing our bodies apart!" "Therefore, a physical body Dao meridian is of paramount importance!" Li Hao smiled. "At that time, what we gain won't be the power of one meridian, but perhaps three, five, or even more!" Everyone felt a stir in their hearts. A physical body Dao meridian? Yuan Shuo's eyes flickered with excitement. Though his body was charred and parched, his spirits lifted instantly. "A physical body Dao meridian… Li Hao, have you discovered a new Dao meridian?" "Yes." "It might not be the complete picture." "What do you mean?" Li Hao froze. Yuan Shuo, however, said excitedly, "We've actually been researching this recently. Director Qi and several others had discussed this with me before. The current thirty-six non-elemental Dao meridians are merely the smallest foundational cycle. The great cycle of non-elemental Dao meridians in the human body must encompass at least 360 of them!" "These non-elemental Dao meridians strengthen different parts of the body. So we've also wondered: is there only one physical body Dao meridian, or is there an entire great circulatory system?" "Non-elemental ones are balanced and neutral, forming an impartial circulatory system." "Elemental ones must have their own vast system as well." "Could it be that physical body Dao meridians also possess an independent great circulatory system?" "It was just that we never discovered a Dao meridian dedicated specifically to strengthening the physical body… so we couldn't deduce the entire system. Once one is discovered, doesn't that mean more can be found?" Li Hao thought for a moment and shook his head. "That, I cannot say. For now, perhaps there is only this single physical body Dao meridian. Regardless… let us test its effects first. If it works, that alone will be immensely satisfying." Yuan Shuo nodded. Suddenly, he asked, "Did you discover it on a deity? That Queen?" "Yes." "No wonder!" Yuan Shuo grinned and nodded. "If that's the case… if we truly have discovered a physical body Dao meridian, then this battle wasn't a loss at all—it was a net gain." "Master, you don't need to say such things to comfort me… There's no need." Seeing his master look so thrilled—as if he had already concluded it was a physical body Dao meridian before it was even opened, practically declaring they had gained an enormous bargain from the battle—Li Hao understood his master's intentions. Yuan Shuo simply wanted to console him. Yet Li Hao felt it wasn't necessary. Does Master still see me as a child? Nearly four years had passed since he first enrolled in academy. He was no longer the fragile boy who had just lost his parents. His brief dismay had already dissipated the moment he repelled the Queen. He said no more on the matter, turning to the crowd. "I will attempt to open it first. If it succeeds… then today, everyone will open this meridian together. Do not worry about a lack of resources. Even if we completely drain this ore vein, it does not matter!" "Shortly, if we can successfully strengthen the physical body, all the precious liquid here can be used!" With that, Li Hao sat down cross-legged. His previously shattered heart had recovered somewhat with the aid of sword energy and the Spring of Life, but it remained severely damaged, a terrifying sight. Li Hao spoke no further. At that moment, a faint, fragile Dao meridian surfaced. It was very weak. Its location was also rather surprising. This Dao meridian was actually hidden beneath the spinal Dao meridian—that is, even further below the lightning Dao meridian. It was as if it emerged from an entirely different dimension, yet it still rested along the spine. Everyone was taken aback. Did this count as the same position, but in a different dimension? How had Li Hao discovered it? Li Hao, however, paid no mind to their reactions. He devoured a vast amount of energy, causing the weak Dao meridian to swell rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it grew from a tiny earthworm to the size of a water snake. Li Hao drew in some of the precious liquid, and the Dao meridian continued to swell. Yet at this stage, his physical body showed no significant change. That was because the Dao meridian had merely expanded; it had not yet been opened. After an indeterminate period, the Dao meridian had grown as massive as a colossal dragon, yet there was still no major change. At this point, it was difficult for anyone to tell whether this meridian possessed an elemental attribute or not. Elemental Dao meridians carried elemental power, such as the Five Elements Dao meridians. Non-elemental Dao meridians had a grayish, muted tone. Yet this Dao meridian was somewhat translucent and crystal-clear. From this point alone, it differed from those that came before; perhaps it truly was another special category of Dao meridian. Did it require comprehending force? Or could it simply be opened directly after strengthening it? Everyone cast all other thoughts aside, watching with rapt attention. Li Hao was also evaluating whether he needed to comprehend force before rupturing it. He had never encountered this kind of Dao meridian before. After some deliberation, he chose not to comprehend force, because he didn't even know how one would go about doing so. What kind of force would he comprehend? If it was related to the physical body… what kind of force did the body itself represent? In that case, the only option was to forcefully shatter and open the Dao meridian. Li Hao did not immediately shatter it completely. Instead, following the acupoint method, he divided it, stabilized the meridian, pondered for a moment, and said, "I am going to begin opening a portion of the Dao meridian… If it is effective, it will certainly draw a special energy from the Bright Star Realm to strengthen the physical body." "If it doesn't work… then there is nothing to be done." Li Hao took a deep breath. Only now did he feel a hint of nervousness. If it proved ineffective… then this venture truly would have been a catastrophic loss. After gathering his composure for a moment, Li Hao took another deep breath. The others held their breath, overcome with tension as they awaited the result. The next instant, a section of the Dao meridian was opened. Crack! It seemed as though a small portion had snapped. The next moment, an energy resembling white jade surged from the Bright Star Realm, flooding into Li Hao's physical body. It was remarkably similar to Early Martial bone, for this could now be considered another form of Early Martial cultivation. This special energy differed vastly from the Neo-Martial indestructible substance. Indestructible substance was the power source that made golden body experts of the Neo-Martial era so formidable. This time, however, the energy was pure white. When this white energy poured into Li Hao's body, the quantity was not immense, yet in an instant, his previous wounds began to knit together, far more effectively than the Spring of Life or sword energy. In that moment, a low roar suddenly echoed through the underground space. A roar of sheer excitement! It truly seemed to be a physical body Dao meridian! Outside the mine, Zhang An and the others heard the roar and felt somewhat perplexed. They just suffered a setback… are these people no longer dejected? …… Inside the mine, how could anyone still feel dejected? When that milky-white energy surged from Li Hao, everyone went wild. Yuan Shuo murmured, "Yes, this is it… This is the true source of life, the color of mother's milk… the primal energy of life's origin!" Nearby, Southern Fist crouched on the ground and remarked lazily, "Right, before a baby is born, it's that color too…" Everyone turned to glare at him with utter disdain. We're discussing the origin of life, why do you have to be so vulgar? Southern Fist rolled his eyes. The entire Silver Moon martial arts circle is ostracizing me, bah! Was there anything wrong with what I said? Of course, he couldn't be bothered to argue with them right now. Looking at Li Hao, he too felt a surge of excitement and wonder. Is this… the true physical body Dao meridian? Previously, he had believed non-elemental Dao meridians were physical body meridians. As it turned out, they weren't! Meanwhile, Li Hao continued to break open the Dao meridian bit by bit. A smile finally surfaced on his face. His torn cheek slowly began to mend, losing its horrifying appearance. Yet after opening a bit more, Li Hao frowned slightly and murmured, "The effect is quite good—superb, even… but…" Frowning slightly, he added, "But it doesn't give that feeling of an outright transformation." Yuan Shuo couldn't help but say, "What level of strength are you at now? Do you expect a single Dao meridian to grant you an instant qualitative leap? What are you thinking? But for anyone else—or rather, for cultivators below the Sun Moon Realm—opening this Dao meridian will definitely bring about an immense transformation!" What kind of strength did Li Hao possess? At his stage, if a single Dao meridian could immediately transform his entire strength and physical body, how monstrous would that be? Yuan Shuo added, "Even after a Dao meridian is opened, it can still be continuously strengthened. By inhaling and exhaling the special energy of the Bright Star Realm, different acupoints can absorb different energies. Only in this manner can Dao meridians and divine abilities grow stronger!" Li Hao nodded. "I'll try opening it completely!" With a low shout, he dramatically accelerated the pace of opening the meridian. Before long, the entire Dao meridian was severed and opened. Instantly, a potent torrent of energy surged into his body. Crack! Li Hao's bones seemed to undergo a subtle shift. Originally, they had been transforming toward the Neo-Martial golden bones—a subconscious imitation on his part. But now, as the milky-white power circulated, his bones reverted from faint gold to white. Li Hao murmured, "Human bones were meant to be white to begin with… Is this… a return to the source?" Early Martial white-jade bones were white. Yet Early Martial bones and physical bodies were in no way inferior to those of Neo-Martial arts. The Neo-Martial golden body path was a specialized technique that tempered bones into something resembling metal. Yet this time, the energy Li Hao drew forth restored his bones to white. Li Hao tempered his physical body, sensed the changes, and revealed a trace of joy. For him, the enhancement wasn't enormous. He had already opened numerous Dao meridians; this reinforcement would perhaps allow him to open only one or two more. But… for others, it might be enough to open three to five additional Dao meridians. That was a world of difference! Li Hao beamed. "Opening acupoints is merely for step-by-step progression! Once one can open a physical body Dao meridian… one might be able to directly open several more Dao meridians by severing them outright, without needing to open acupoints one by one!" Li Hao looked at the crowd. "The physical body Dao meridian truly exists! With this, our opportunity has arrived!" Everyone was thrilled. However, Yuan Shuo remained steadfast in his assertion. "There might not be only one physical body Dao meridian. I stand by what I said. Li Hao, we will open this one first, but you can continue searching for others!" Li Hao nodded, then turned to the group. "Everyone, enter the treasure pool to cultivate!" With a wave of his hand, a vast quantity of Spring of Life materialized. This had been provided by the monster plants, filling an entire large vat. Yet now, Li Hao poured it all into the treasure pool. Everyone drew a sharp breath; this was an enormous expenditure. Li Hao continued, "No matter how much energy you have, if you are killed, it only belongs to others… This time, we will spare no expense. I hope every one of you can step into the true Sun Moon Realm, possessing at least ten Dao meridians!" Li Hao said solemnly, "At present, heaven and earth are continually stabilizing, and the experts who can manifest will only grow stronger! As things stand, my own limit has exceeded twenty meridians. Of course, that applies to those of us who have received the favor of Heaven's will or the backing of the Great Dao. But even without that, those origin clones can now manifest at a strength nearing ten meridians, or even stronger." Before this, back when the Nine Departments were eradicated, the strongest combat prowess that could barely manifest was at the level of seven divine abilities. How much time had passed since then? Now, combat power equivalent to ten divine abilities could already appear. As time went on and the world grew ever more stable, stronger entities would inevitably emerge. Not only were the ancients reviving, but the deities were also continually awakening. The more stable heaven and earth became, the stronger the deities would be. At their peak, those deities possessed the combat strength of Saints. Right now, they had not yet reached that zenith. They were growing alongside heaven and earth. It had to be said that the deities were uniquely blessed, possessing advantages that others lacked. The others wasted no time on words, stepping into the treasure pool one after another. Vast quantities of treasure liquid were instantly drawn into their bodies. This treasure pool had originally been intended to nourish a Heavenly King's body and was naturally of immense benefit for repairing the physical form. Using it now to heal their wounds and open the physical body Dao meridian was perfectly suited. With Li Hao having blazed the trail, everyone cast aside their reservations and began absorbing energy to manifest the new Dao meridian. Meanwhile, Li Hao set about recovering from his injuries. The newly opened Dao meridian had made his body sturdier. However, having previously forced open 360 acupoints, Li Hao had still struggled to bear the strain. Now, he began sealing some of the acupoints again to reduce the burden on his body. At this moment, he had nine fully opened divine ability Dao meridians. He had one independently opened physical body Dao meridian. As for acupoints, over 180 were opened; every five opened acupoints constituted a complete Dao meridian. Li Hao reduced the count of active acupoints, continuously sealing a portion to ease the strain on his physical frame. Even so, compared to the 230 he had maintained previously, he kept a few more open. In his current state, he could endure more Dao meridians. Soon, Li Hao left 250 acupoints shining brightly. Fourteen non-elemental Dao meridians were fully opened. At this point, his body no longer suffered immense strain. Adding the newly opened physical body Dao meridian and the nine divine ability Dao meridians, Li Hao had now fully opened twenty-four complete Dao meridians. According to their classification of the new martial path, nine meridians corresponded to the ninth tier of the Mountain Sea Realm. Each tier of the Sun Moon Realm required opening three additional meridians; thus, Li Hao was currently at the peak of the fifth tier of the Sun Moon Realm. Of course, for non-divine-ability experts who had not opened divine ability Dao meridians, one would need to open 300 acupoints to reach the peak of the fifth tier of Sun Moon. By this point, Li Hao's physical body had stabilized considerably. The suffocating pressure from earlier was gone. In his heart, he thought back to that Queen. Judging by her strength, she was still slightly stronger than his current state—possessing combat power around the sixth tier of the Sun Moon Realm. Earlier, Li Hao had been considerably weaker than her. Now, that gap had narrowed. However… if they fought again without forcefully bursting open extra meridians, could he defeat her? Li Hao was a genius with countless tricks up his sleeve, but the other party was a deity of this realm, far from weak. At this stage, defeating an opponent above one's realm was exceedingly difficult. Yet Li Hao felt reluctant to concede. Feeling somewhat helpless, he put aside thoughts of fighting across realms for now and instead contemplated: What if I forcefully open a few more Dao meridians? There truly might be more than one physical body Dao meridian. Li Hao could feel that although his physical body had grown stronger… it hadn't undergone that monumental, qualitative metamorphosis. He judged that, just as his master had said, there were likely multiple physical body Dao meridians. Having opened one, he had acquired the key; finding the rest should be much easier. He cast a glance toward the treasure pool, where everyone was furiously absorbing energy. Endless energy poured into their bodies. The weaker they were, the greater the enhancement granted by opening the physical body Dao meridian. The boost to them was tremendous! Li Hao also wondered: If a person begins learning martial arts by directly opening the physical body Dao meridian… might that yield an entirely different effect? If the very first Dao meridian opened is a physical body Dao meridian to lay the foundation… what kind of result would that produce? Perhaps their strength could advance at breathtaking speed! Open the physical body Dao meridian first, then cultivate other paths… With a strong enough foundation and a robust constitution, the rest would be smooth sailing! In the past, Li Hao likely would have publicized this discovery immediately. This time, however, he hesitated slightly. After thinking it over, he exhaled, deciding not to make it public for now. For now, it can be implemented internally for a period. That includes the tens of thousands of soldiers outside—aside from the Battle Heaven Army, there are several tens of thousands of core troops. If they can open this Dao meridian in advance… they are already formidable, and with rapid progress… Tens of thousands of soldiers might all make a monumental leap. However… tens of thousands of people! Opening a physical body Dao meridian for every one of them… the resources consumed would be astronomical. Li Hao hoped they could open it directly, which would require vast quantities of energy stones and the Spring of Life. Yet if all of them truly succeeded, these tens of thousands of soldiers might give the entire world a grand surprise. With everyone ascending a full tier, their subsequent cultivation speed would become even faster. Pondering this, Li Hao neither stepped outside nor spoke. His battered armor had been repaired somewhat, at least preserving its core. …… At that moment, all the cultivating soldiers outside suddenly received a message through their armor. "To reward everyone for your meritorious service in this campaign, you are specially bestowed a cultivation method for a new Dao meridian. It must not be leaked! Opening this meridian will double your physical strength and double your vitality. Pay close attention to the cultivation diagram inside your armor!" Soon, a cultivation diagram materialized before everyone. It was a complete guide to opening the Dao meridian. Everyone was shocked. Cultivating this Dao meridian could double their physical strength? This… was simply incredible. The next instant, another command came through the armor: "Cultivate right here. Do not reveal this Dao meridian's acupoints under normal circumstances; this is a specialized military art! Now, I shall provide you all with the Spring of Life… Within three days, I hope every one of you can open it completely!" With that, vast amounts of the Spring of Life suddenly drifted down throughout the ruins like rain. Not only that, countless divine energy stones shattered in an instant, unleashing an ocean of energy. The few people chatting nearby were thoroughly shaken! Jiang Li drew a sharp breath. Is this Li Hao insane? He is actually expending this many divine energy stones and this much Spring of Life just for these common soldiers to cultivate? At this moment, the soldiers sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating the physical body Dao meridian, each filled with overwhelming excitement. …… Meanwhile, Li Hao vanished once more. He slipped into the Bright Star Realm. As a multitude of people began cultivating the physical body Dao, he roamed swiftly through the void. Soon, he halted in an empty expanse, where he felt energy beginning to gather. Physical body energy! An idea sprang up in Li Hao's mind. He had thought before that the Great Dao Universe ought to be orderly. In that case, Five Elements power should congregate in one sector. Physical body power should gather in another sector. Non-elemental power should gather in yet another. Dividing the Great Dao Universe and transforming chaos into order—only then could the entire Great Dao Universe be properly organized. "It's just that… right now, the Great Dao Universe seems to have only just begun forming… Its inherent rules don't appear very complete either…" Li Hao pondered, thinking back to his grand ambitions from before. To use his own divine characters as coordinates, making them the core of Heaven and Earth's Great Dao and the cultivation coordinates for the people of Silver Moon. He looked at the void before him. At this moment, it resembled a small pond beginning to bubble. This was the unique phenomenon produced when someone cultivated the physical body Dao. The universe had already achieved a certain scale, and specific phenomena were emerging. For example, in one corner of the universe, a tremendous amount of fire energy was currently congregating; that was the cultivation ground for the fire element. "It's still too scattered… Only by organizing the entire Great Dao can people cultivate various Daos in an orderly manner…" By now, Li Hao had walked out from his previous dejection. He knew that only by becoming stronger could he face everything to come. And now, besides opening Dao meridians, there might be other ways to make himself stronger. Earlier, the instant collapse of the common people's will had made Li Hao understand… this endeavor had a long way to go. Winning the hearts of the world could not be achieved overnight. In that case… Li Hao was not one to admit defeat. Matters in the mortal world naturally had to continue, but he reasoned that if he could not win their hearts first, he would win their Daos first! One who unites the hearts of the people is a Human Sovereign. One who unites the Great Dao is a Dao Lord! If the hearts of men are difficult to win, then win the heart of the Dao first! "If I divide the universe into sectors and use my different divine characters and Dao meridians as the cores of each… gathering the Daos under heaven to complete the division of the sectors, would that mean… the Great Dao belongs to me?" The human heart was the most fickle, but the Great Dao was impartial and unfeeling, making it far simpler to manage. However… this was a colossally vast undertaking. Looking at the boundless universe, Li Hao felt a headache coming on. "Perhaps… I should shift all the fire-element stars into the fire sector! Classifying them in this manner to complete the territorial division… ultimately bringing order to the cosmic Dao." The thought alone made Li Hao suck in a breath of cold air. This… might take a lifetime to accomplish, wouldn't it? "Furthermore, each time divine characters converge, they pull away their positioning here… Perhaps I should stabilize the conduits so that even when drawing upon them, the Great Dao does not depart from the Bright Star Realm…" At this moment, Li Hao's conviction grew firmer! Only in this way could he remain invincible! If the hearts of the people are hard to win, then I shall win the heart of the Dao first! If enough stars congregated, then later on, they might naturally drift toward these hubs. When someone opened a divine ability Dao meridian, they might be drawn here naturally, and he would no longer need to haul them manually. At that thought, a smile surfaced on Li Hao's face. The next instant, divine characters emerged one after another. The Five Elements divine characters, followed by wind, thunder, light, and darkness, manifested in turn. Nine divine characters took their places across nine sectors. Li Hao gazed across the universe and saw numerous stars, which were likely the Dao meridians cultivated by various individuals… Starting today, I shall be a mover of stars, hauling all the great stars from their original spots. While no one else can enter the Bright Star Realm yet, I will complete my plan to unify the Great Dao. I am a man who aims to become the Dao Lord! Once everyone's Dao converged with his own, he might be able to suppress them, or even strike them down through the Bright Star Realm at any time! Indeed, that was what Li Hao envisioned. He wondered if even the Daos of the deities could be dragged over. If he could slay them through the Bright Star Realm… it might be far easier. With that in mind, Li Hao went to work. He flew toward the cosmos and spotted a water-element star. Without caring whose Dao meridian it was, he grabbed the star directly and dragged it toward the sector anchored by his water divine character! The star thrashed like a dragon in resistance, but how could it match Li Hao? Before long, it was dragged back by Li Hao. Yet once brought to the location, the thing remained restless. It was only when Li Hao's water divine character exuded some water-element energy, allowing the star to absorb it at a faster rate, that the star finally quieted down. Only with benefits was it willing to stay. Li Hao smiled. For now, he was feeding energy into this star, but soon, once more water stars gathered here, it would be time for them to feed back into him. …… At the same time, in the outside world, within Heavenly Star City. A water-element super expert looked around in bewilderment, scratching his head. During his cultivation just now, his speed seemed to have accelerated slightly. Had energy drifted out into heaven and earth again? Yet he felt nothing unusual. As for deeper perception, he possessed none; he only felt that his cultivation speed had changed. Moreover, an image of someone seemed to faintly surface in his mind—Li Hao! Could this… be the influence of the new martial path again? He was also cultivating the new martial path, though his progress was modest, and he had no idea what this implied. On this day, people across the land continuously experienced similar sensations. …… Meanwhile, within the Bright Star Realm, Li Hao worked like a tireless ant, constantly hauling various stellar Dao meridians. He had harbored this idea before, but had always felt it was too troublesome and arduous, so he had never acted on it. But this time, after being defeated by the Queen, Li Hao gritted his teeth. If the Queen enjoys the favor of Heaven's will, then I shall take control of the Great Dao! He couldn't afford to lack every advantage. Previously, he had thought himself invincible, believing he only needed to keep opening Dao meridians. Yet Li Hao had abruptly realized that as he opened more Dao meridians, heaven and earth grew increasingly stable. At this rate, top-tier powerhouses might revive before he could grow truly mighty. Even if they were slightly weaker than him, their sheer numbers could overwhelm and kill him. He… might have inadvertently become the ceiling that unlocked the world's limits. …… Inside the mine, everyone was cultivating. The colossal ore vein dimmed slightly as tens of thousands of people drew upon its energy simultaneously. Meanwhile, Li Hao remained completely still. Jiang Li was somewhat curious. No longer conversing with the others, he too began drawing upon the energy here to cultivate. Seeing that no one stopped him, he felt he was getting a great deal and grew even less inclined to chat with those ancient relics. …… In the treasure pool, everyone was opening their meridians. After opening the physical body Dao meridian, they immediately began opening other Dao meridians, burning with impatience. Right then, someone spoke up: "Has anyone noticed… it feels like someone is messing with my Dao meridian!" They could still sense a faint ripple. Yet at this moment, no one said anything. Seeing Southern Fist muttering, Yuan Shuo snapped peevishly, "Who do you think is messing with it?" Did that even need to be asked! If anything changed in the Bright Star Realm, it was definitely Li Hao's doing. Who knew what he was up to? Yuan Shuo pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Have you noticed that cultivating… seems to be slightly faster…" Everyone exchanged glances, their perception not particularly pronounced. Yuan Shuo said no more, merely wondering what Li Hao was doing. Messing with everyone's Dao meridians… could he be… organizing the Great Dao Universe? Surely not. That's a staggering, monumental undertaking! Instead of reflecting on his painful setback and finding ways to open more Dao meridians, what is that lad doing fooling around in the Great Dao Universe? …… At this moment, Li Hao was growing increasingly exhilarated. More and more Dao meridians had been gathered together by him. Before him now lay what looked like a galaxy. In each sector, numerous Dao meridians had gathered. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth were the brightest, as there were many experts cultivating these five elements. The others were slightly weaker. The non-elemental sector and the physical body Dao sector—one dim and muted, the other jade-white—had both been demarcated by Li Hao. Gazing at the scene before him, Li Hao smiled. This was merely the beginning; he had only gathered the nearby Dao meridians for now, fearing that venturing too far would waste too much time. Right now, in each sector, a massive star hovered, serving as the sector's core! Those were Li Hao's own Daos! "If I suspend the divine character for 'Dao' in the central sector… it will be even more perfect!" Li Hao already had a plan in mind. The character "Dao" would hang in the center. Surrounding it, sectors of various attributes would be arranged in a meticulous division, ultimately forming a Great Dao Universe with fully realized rules. And he… truly had a chance of becoming the Dao Lord. "An individual Dao meridian belonging to a deity must be exceptionally strong. I haven't found one yet, but once I do and haul it over, even if I can't detonate it directly, when the next battle breaks out, I can deliver a thunderous strike against them through the Bright Star Realm!" Li Hao contemplated quietly. Having suffered a loss this time, he had become more discreet. He would maintain a low profile for now, and once he perfected his control over the Great Dao here, he would clash with those deities again. On the path of the Dao Lord, he felt he had taken another step forward—which could be considered a form of motivation brought to him by the Queen.