Zhang An choosing to self-detonate his Great Dao Book had been unexpected for Li Hao.
Yet despite being a surprise, the outcome was good.
Li Hao understood Zhang An's intentions to some extent—perhaps it was to lay the groundwork for the future revival of certain students.
Li Hao did not pry too deeply into the matter.
Some things were best understood implicitly. As for the Neo-Martial regiment commanders, it did not matter much; Li Hao had already promised to forge new physical bodies for them. Having them self-detonate today was purely preparation for remolding their flesh. What had detonated was merely their armor, stripping away its lingering influence.
At this moment, Southern Fist spoke up again: "Governor-General, why didn't we press our advantage just now?"
They had just gained the upper hand, and their strength had surged. Since Zhang An had been willing to go all out, they had possessed a genuine opportunity to crush the God Nation.
"The Moon God was born from the moon that hangs between heaven and earth... She isn't that easy to kill."
"The moon... so what?"
Before Li Hao could reply, Director Zhao said softly, "She is essentially the spirit of the moon. And the moon's true body is actually... right above our Silver Moon! There is a seal there; if it truly gets detonated by her, it could cause immense trouble!"
Southern Fist knew a little about this, but not the specifics. Frowning slightly, he said no more.
To the side, Sky Sword spoke up as well: "Then right now... are we just going to leave the God Nation alone? We threatened them; they're bound to be deeply aggrieved..."
Li Hao nodded with a faint smile. "Aggrieved, certainly! But... there's no need to mind them for now. They will be wary and won't dare make any moves in the short term. Next, as long as the Great Desolation and Shuiyun dare not invade and remain outside our borders, our objective will be achieved."
"But... with that traitorous Neo-Martial person instigating them from the shadows, they might still form an alliance very soon and dispatch troops simultaneously..."
In the four nations' recent offensive, these black-robed men had played an instrumental role. The four nations might be wary, but if the black robes contacted all sides behind the scenes again, egging them on and offering sufficient benefits, the four nations might quickly reach a consensus once more.
"That's why we fight a few battles first to show them our strength, making them wary and hesitant... At that point, suing for peace will be far more effective."
With that, Li Hao added, "Furthermore, there is another thing we must do: raise the four nations' expectations... And another: sever their contact with the ancient city and eliminate some of the ancient city's black-robed clones."
"Sever contact?"
"Yes. Right now, they communicate through communication jade systems, or their clones travel directly to coordinate... First, we cut off the communication jade network!"
Li Hao explained, "Many communication jade relay stations were built before. We will first destroy all relay stations within our borders, seizing control of the transmission network for ourselves. If they want to transmit messages again, they will only have two options: first, send clones in person; second, deploy personnel wearing armor to transmit messages via their battle armor... However, armor transmission also relies on the nine major relay stations. Therefore, if we seize all nine major relay stations, they will have only one path left—their clones must come in person to make contact!"
"As long as we keep a tight watch on Silver Moon, their powerhouses' clones won't be able to come and go so easily... However many enter or leave, that's how many we kill."
Sky Sword said in a deep voice, "So that means... next, we must first capture the nine major relay stations, then secure all communication relay stations to enforce an information blackout?"
"Correct," Li Hao nodded.
Sky Sword asked in confusion, "Then how do we raise the four nations' expectations of the ancient city?"
Li Hao smiled. "By spacing out the benefits we offer them. For example, give them some benefits the first time, promise ten times that three months later, and twenty times after a year..."
"Will they believe it?"
"It doesn't matter if they believe it. As long as they hear it, they will use it as a point of comparison."
The crowd listened in silence.
Zhang An glanced at Li Hao with a hint of perplexity. Li Hao was speaking far more openly in front of him now. He could not help but ask, "You aren't going to launch a full-scale assault on the four nations anymore?"
"Not for the time being."
Zhang An frowned slightly. "But if so, the threat of the four nations will always remain. Perhaps going all out to eliminate one or two of them would be better, carrying far greater deterrence."
Saying this, he added, "Dealing with the God Nation might be difficult, but dealing with the Great Desolation or that Shuiyun Kingdom—including Dali, if handled like today—wouldn't actually be too hard."
"When the hare dies, the fox grieves." Li Hao smiled. "If I wipe out the Great Desolation or Shuiyun, the God Nation will fight to the bitter end."
With that, Li Hao added, "There is no rush. If Senior wishes to help, there will be plenty of opportunities."
Zhang An fell silent.
How Li Hao acted was Li Hao's business, but he found himself unable to see through Li Hao's thoughts.
At this moment, everyone looked toward Li Hao.
The warship was not flying toward Heavenly Star City.
Instead, it was flying toward the Eastern Continent.
Was Li Hao going to find the Great Desolation?
***
The Eastern Continent.
The edge of the land.
Countless cavalry had arrived at the fringes of the desert, pitching camp.
A massive traveling palace, drawn by steeds, stood behind the cavalry.
At this moment, the Lord of the Great Desolation was watching a sky screen.
Frowning slightly, others in the grand hall watched as well. Some frowned, some appeared indifferent, while others looked toward a black-robed figure in the hall.
The Lord of the Great Desolation watched for a long time before speaking in a low voice: "Was it not said that Li Hao hadn't truly subjugated the Neo-Martial people? Why then were Neo-Martial warriors willing to self-detonate to slay enemies for him? Furthermore, on your side, Venerable, it seems you haven't provided sufficient assistance... The God Nation's gods are by no means weak; they are exceedingly formidable... yet they still found it difficult to resist and were forced to hand over divine corpses... If Li Hao were to do the same to my Great Desolation... I fear we would hardly be a match."
In the hall, the black-robed envoy hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. This time, Li Hao launched a surprise attack, and we too require some time to prepare... Given enough time, with the four fronts joining forces and us coordinating from the middle, Li Hao will be run ragged trying to respond, and he won't be able to achieve today's results again."
"Enough time?" The Lord of the Great Desolation frowned. "How long do you need?" He added, "You kept saying you would help pin down Li Hao's core forces, yet as things stand... that has not happened. Li Hao's people are still running all over the place without any restriction."
"Rest assured, it will be soon!" the black-robed figure said hastily. "My Lord has already begun preparations. Once the four nations reach the borders, my Lord will mobilize an army to create chaos in Silver Moon and the north. We will erupt from Silver Moon first to pin Li Hao down, leaving him no leisure to attend to anything else!"
Just then, outside the hall, a white-robed female general strode in, her voice ringing clear and resolute: "Verbal support alone is utterly useless! The Great Desolation only sent troops to the Central Plains because we believed you could provide sufficient aid! Now, before we've even set foot into the Central Plains, Li Hao's side has already given us a preemptive show of force, yet none of what you promised has materialized! Where are the divine energy stones? Where is the Spring of Life? Why haven't we seen a single drop or stone?"
"Ah-Jun has arrived." The Lord of the Great Desolation showed a smile. The female general nodded slightly, "Father!"
With that, she turned back to the black-robed powerhouse, her tone firm: "Whatever your purpose may be, cooperation means mutual benefit. Without seeing sufficient gain, expecting the soldiers under my command to risk their lives is impossible! When will the supplies you promised arrive?"
"Soon..."
"It is always like this. How long is 'soon'? I want a specific time!"
The black robe grew somewhat irritated, his voice dropping low: "Does Princess Jun not trust us?"
"It is not a matter of trust; otherwise, we wouldn't have dispatched troops so easily. But now, we know Li Hao's side is stronger, and we need every bit of support! Not endless waiting!"
Saying this, she continued, "You speak of stirring chaos starting from Silver Moon. Right now, Li Hao is not in Silver Moon, which is the perfect opportunity. Since he retreated from the God Nation, he is very likely to turn around and deal with us or Shuiyun. At this moment, you should exert your strength to pin him down, rather than constantly waiting for the right moment!"
"My Lord naturally has his own plan for this matter; you need only await word. Now that we have entered Heavenly Star, we can communicate directly with my Lord... I believe my Lord knows everything that has happened and will soon provide all parties with a flawless response."
"I hope so!" After speaking, the white-robed female general added, "Then if Li Hao attacks right now... our side lacks sufficient powerhouses to counter them... Can the ancient city give us sufficient promises and guarantees?"
The black robe chuckled. "Princess Jun must be joking. How could the land of the Great Desolation, having stood firm through countless ages, be crushed so easily? If I recall correctly, though the Great Desolation has no gods overseeing it, there still exist some exceedingly powerful demon races, among which are desolation beasts born at the dawn of heaven and earth..."
With that, he said meaningfully, "Isn't the Princess's white steed a descendant of a desolation beast?"
The female general said coldly, "Desolation beasts? Even if they exist, they cannot easily step outside, just like your true bodies. If you dare not step out and take risks, why should the very foundation of my Great Desolation step out to take risks and die?"
"That is not what I meant," the black robe explained once more. "What I mean is, even if Li Hao comes, he won't be able to do anything to the Great Desolation in the short term... The four great nations have stood for countless ages and will not perish easily. Give us some time to prepare... Only with more thorough preparation can we make Li Hao suffer a heavy loss; otherwise, advancing rashly will only play into his hands."
The female general wanted to say more, but the Lord of the Great Desolation cleared his throat lightly: "Jun'er, don't be so impolite. Venerable, the child lacks restraint, but Jun'er didn't mean to force you..."
The black robe nodded. "I understand."
He said no more.
He had not lied; his Lord was indeed preparing a large-scale uprising.
It simply required time.
Earlier, between two skirmishes, the city had lost dozens of clones.
Right now, many were still recuperating.
If the numbers were too few, they feared being wiped out in one fell swoop by Li Hao and his men. If they wanted larger numbers, they needed preparation; some were still in seclusion and had to emerge first.
The ancient city would be responsible for creating turmoil within and sowing slaughter across the land, while the four nations had to tie down the borders from four directions.
Moreover, right now, the King of Dali did not seem to be with his army, but had secretly returned to Dali. The timing of their operation had no choice but to be delayed.
Just as he was thinking this, the black robe's expression shifted slightly.
Not only him, but divine light suddenly erupted from the eyes of the aged Lord of the Great Desolation, vanishing in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, a group of figures appeared in the sky above the army.
In the distance, high up in the sky.
A warship emerged.
It appeared as though it had torn directly through the void.
The instant Li Hao's figure appeared, the Lord of the Great Desolation's expression changed slightly. He really had come.
Just as he was about to speak, a rain of cannon shells suddenly plummeted toward them.
Beside the Lord of the Great Desolation, various powerhouses paled. In the next instant, the Lord of the Great Desolation roared, "Intercept them!"
*Boom!*
One powerhouse after another erupted in power.
Ahead, cavalry powerhouses took to the air one after another, and a massive shield materialized in the sky. Deafening booms rang out incessantly, but it only caused some soldiers to cough up blood.
A small number of soldiers who failed to escape in time were blasted to death by the shockwaves.
The Lord of the Great Desolation instantly appeared at the forefront of the army, looking toward Li Hao's side.
Li Hao showed a faint smile: "King of the Great Desolation?"
He then asked curiously, "The north has the Early Martial God, and the west has gods. I am very curious: what gives the eastern Great Desolation the confidence to dare invade Heavenly Star? If you only rely on these unspeakable traitors... aren't you overestimating them?"
The King of the Great Desolation said in a deep voice, "Governor-General Li, the Great Desolation came here merely to witness the prosperity of the Central Plains, with no other intentions. Attacking with super-power cannons the moment we meet—isn't that a bit excessive?"
Li Hao laughed. "Are you serious?"
The Lord of the Great Desolation wanted to speak further, but Li Hao smiled. "Let me test your strength. If you lack it... then obediently accept death!"
With those words, a sword slashed down!
The Lord of the Great Desolation's expression shifted. At this very moment, a white-robed female general below shouted fiercely, thrusting a spear that pierced the firmament!
"Let me!"
Mounting a white steed, the female general soared into the sky, lunging toward Li Hao with her spear.
Spear intent traversed heaven and earth!
Li Hao raised his eyebrows slightly. His longsword tore through the void and descended. With a resounding crash, the spear intent shattered, and the sword swept toward the female general, seemingly about to strike her down in a single blow.
Right at this moment, the white steed beneath her suddenly let out a roar!
A wave of primal, desolate qi swept across the field.
In the next instant, the white steed seemed to tread upon chaotic ground. Streams of chaotic qi billowed from its body, condensing into a colossal phantom of a fierce beast that lunged directly at Li Hao.
This moment reminded Li Hao of something.
No, it reminded him of a dog.
Black Panther!
When Black Panther unleashed his bloodline power, a phantom would also appear, said to be the phantom of the Demon Suppressing Emissary of the past. This horse was doing the exact same thing!
Zhang An's voice echoed in his ear: "It seems to be a descendant of a desolation beast! Desolation beasts were an ancient demon race born at the edge of chaos when heaven and earth first opened... In the universe, there are also some desolation beasts... Of course, those that permanently live in the universe, we call chaos demons! But once they enter a world, we call them desolation beasts... In the Neo-Martial era, there were no desolation beasts, but in the Early Martial era, there were many... Silver Moon had some desolation beasts too, but... back then, many were slain. Are there still remnants?"
The materialized phantom was exceedingly powerful, erupting instantly just like the bloodline power Black Panther manifested.
*Rumble!*
With a thunderous explosion, Li Hao's sword intent dispersed, but the opponent's phantom vanished as well.
The aura of that white steed instantly weakened.
Li Hao raised his eyebrows, slashing down with his sword once more!
Right at this moment, the Lord of the Great Desolation moved. He let out a harsh roar that sounded less like a human and more like a beast. Behind him, a phantom emerged as well. Li Hao's eyebrows shot up: "Desolation beast bloodline? You actually possess a desolation beast bloodline and aren't purely human?"
The void around the Lord of the Great Desolation seemed to turn into chaos as he hurled a punch toward Li Hao, shattering the void.
*Boom!*
Li Hao's sword intent dispersed once more, but he looked somewhat puzzled: "Just a single strike's worth of power! The King of Dali enjoys the favor of Heaven's Will, and so do the gods of the God Nation... I am curious, do you have it as well? Yet I sensed nothing of the sort. Relying on this momentary burst, you dare invade Heavenly Star?"
The Lord of the Great Desolation shattered Li Hao's sword intent with a punch and landed in front of his daughter, blocking Li Hao's next offensive, his expression heavy.
Li Hao was exceedingly strong!
It had been merely a casual sword strike, yet he had needed to tap into the bloodline power of a desolation beast to withstand it.
Only now did he realize how powerful the King of Dali and that Western God Nation Queen, who could contend with Li Hao, truly were.
If he exchanged blows with Li Hao, he might be slain very quickly.
He also understood that without revealing his trump card, disaster would strike today. Li Hao was far stronger than anticipated; watching through the sky screen truly failed to convey the full disparity.
He said nothing, merely letting out a low growl that sounded like a roar.
At this moment, across the desert beneath him, tornadoes suddenly surged through the myriad miles of yellow sand, and the desert seemed to cave in.
Heaven and earth turned into an expanse of chaos!
Deep within, one formidable desolation beast after another seemed to stride forth.
At this moment, Zhang An spoke again: "What boldness!"
Li Hao looked puzzled.
Zhang An said in a deep voice, "The desolation beasts are actually secretly devouring the small world, turning this place into a chaotic domain! Desolation beasts can only survive in chaos or in a state where heaven and earth are newly opened... During the long dormant years of Neo-Martial, these desolation beasts didn't die, but they weren't idle either; they reshaped this place into a chaotic state. That way, they can walk freely in this domain... But there are limitations: they cannot leave the chaotic region, and... they will be targeted by Heaven's Will!"
Sure enough!
At this very moment, outside the Great Desolation, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled; heaven seemed to be enraged!
Li Hao could even sense that, in an instant, Heaven's Will seemed to bestow itself upon his surroundings, bolstering his force!
It was as if an unseen voice were whispering: destroy them!
Li Hao raised his eyebrows: "You actually encroached upon Silver Moon's territory, turning the eastern desert into chaos... You truly have tremendous nerve!"
Deep within the Great Desolation, formidable desolation beasts roared.
The Lord of the Great Desolation spoke in a low voice: "Is such a trump card... enough to make the Governor-General retreat?"
Li Hao smiled. "You are the ones invading us. Why should I be the one to retreat?"
The Lord of the Great Desolation remained silent.
At this moment, he too had a headache.
The desolation beasts had reshaped the Great Desolation, turning it into chaos, but now they were no longer satisfied with just the Great Desolation and hoped to devour the entire world. However... he had originally believed his own strength was formidable and the army under him was exceedingly powerful.
Therefore, he had not intended to expose the existence of the desolation beasts right away, planning instead to slowly devour the entire east, turning it into chaos.
Yet Li Hao's side was too strong, forcing him to expose everything ahead of time.
He had his trump card, but... now, there was no way to secretly devour heaven and earth into chaos anymore. Even Heaven's Will had noticed this place and begun targeting them.
Once they stepped outside the desert, they might be struck dead by lightning.
This was completely different from what they had anticipated.
Beside him, the black-robed powerhouse shifted slightly as well. This Lord of the Great Desolation was actually a mixed-blood descendant of a desolation beast. Crucially, the desolation beasts had secretly reshaped the entire Great Desolation!
He had not known about this either, only that the Great Desolation had some connection to desolation beasts.
He had never expected the connection to run so deep!
"Desolation beasts in the east, Early Martial in the north, gods in the west... Now I'm curious what Shuiyun in the south relies on."
Li Hao was not overly surprised.
The Great Desolation did not seem weak either.
Those looming desolation beasts all appeared formidable, but he could sense that these creatures could not leave the Great Desolation. The Great Desolation had been reshaped by them, perhaps over countless years.
If they wanted to devour the Eastern Continent at will and turn it into chaos, it would require massive amounts of time.
The Great Desolation had more than enough to defend itself, but was currently incapable of expansion.
Unless it had been facing the previous Heavenly Star Dynasty.
At this stage, though the Lord of the Great Desolation was strong, he was far from Li Hao's match.
Of course, Li Hao would not rashly enter the Great Desolation either. In their own territory, the desolation beasts were at peak strength, and the auras of some desolation beasts were not even weaker than Zhang An's, which was terrifying!
Yet compared to the God Nation, the Great Desolation was far less of a threat!
For these creatures to step outside was harder than achieving the second resurgence!
With the second resurgence, at least heaven and earth would not obstruct them. But if desolation beasts wanted to reshape heaven and earth, Heaven's Will would obstruct them. It was only because Heaven's Will had been nascent and had not fully awakened in recent years that they had been given the opportunity.
At this moment, the energy of heaven and earth surged, eroding the Great Desolation, while within the Great Desolation, an aura of chaos dispersed, warding off Heaven's Will.
The Lord of the Great Desolation felt the malice of heaven and earth!
He felt helpless. Originally, Heaven's Will might not have paid attention to this area or noticed it, but today, to protect himself, Heaven's Will had taken notice. Now, they were in deep trouble!
At this moment, the black-robed powerhouse sent a voice transmission: "No matter. The King of the Great Desolation need not worry. Although you cannot step out rashly... as long as you remain rooted here, Li Hao will not dare enter either. Once Li Hao leaves... even if Heaven's Will targets you, it cannot kill directly... At that time, it won't affect anything."
The Lord of the Great Desolation said nothing, cursing inwardly.
Easy for you to say!
Had you not been so useless and failed to provide protection, why would he have needed to expose the desolation beasts and draw the attention of Heaven's Will?
Had he known, he wouldn't have come.
He should have invaded in secret!
Now, trouble had arrived.
Meanwhile, Li Hao glanced again at the Great Desolation behind him, watching those myriad miles of yellow sand that had now turned gray, sighing with emotion: "At the opening of heaven and earth, all sorts of phenomena can truly be seen. Is the chaotic universe in such a state?"
Zhang An said softly, "Not entirely. This is merely an infection of chaotic qi. True chaos is not like this!"
Li Hao nodded. So that was it.
He asked with some doubt, "Can't Heaven's Will dispel the chaotic qi right now?"
"Heaven's Will has only recently been born... It is not in a fully matured state. If it were, it would be different, but if it were truly like that, Heaven's Will could control everyone. So this state is actually not bad. It's just that dispelling this chaotic qi will probably be very difficult!"
Saying this, he suddenly chuckled: "Desolation beasts encroaching upon heaven and earth... If you can slay desolation beasts, Heaven's Will will favor you even more. Furthermore, if you attack people of the Great Desolation within the range of Heaven's Will, you will receive blessings... These people are all considered forsaken by heaven and earth!"
Li Hao understood. This was even more targeted than the bias against Neo-Martial!
People of the Great Desolation, under heaven and earth, were now watched by Heaven's Will, which made things exceedingly dangerous for them.
Although it was somewhat unexpected, forcing them to reveal the chaos could be considered an unexpected gain. Li Hao smiled faintly: "King of the Great Desolation, since I cannot go in and you cannot come out... I think you'd best obediently go back. Staying here serves little purpose!"
The King of the Great Desolation remained silent.
Instead, the female general snapped, "Can you guard this place forever? Once you leave, Heaven's Will is nothing to fear!"
She said coldly, "We can advance to attack and retreat to defend! Li Hao, in terms of advantage, my Great Desolation holds the upper hand! You dare not step into the Great Desolation, whereas we can walk out of it at any time... Even if targeted by Heaven's Will, it cannot kill us directly!"
"You think too lightly of it," Li Hao laughed. "To look down on the power of Heaven's Will... you truly are just like I was before, fearless through ignorance!"
Was Heaven's Will weak?
It had merely just emerged and appeared nascent.
Yet once Heaven's Will targeted you... it would be no laughing matter. At the same Mountain-Sea realm, a person from the Great Desolation could only display the power of a Thousand-Battler, whereas a Heavenly Star combatant at Mountain-Sea would become thirty percent stronger when fighting a person of the Great Desolation!
With that disparity, between peers of the same tier, the result would be an almost instantaneous slaughter.
This woman claimed Heaven's Will was nothing to fear only because she did not know the power of Heaven's Will.
Though the Great Desolation was strong, Li Hao knew that among the four nations, its threat was perhaps the smallest. He had originally thought their countless cavalry gave them tremendous mobility, but now that they had exposed the matter of the chaotic desolation beasts, he felt far more at ease.
The Great Desolation was perhaps not even as strong as that unknown water nation of Shuiyun.
At the very least, its threat was far smaller.
Li Hao glanced at the Lord of the Great Desolation, then looked behind him, projecting his voice: "Eastern Governor-General, Bright Sword Hu Jiao! From this day forth, summon the armies of the eastern provinces to garrison here and resist the Great Desolation! The various provinces of Huoming will surely not cause you trouble... As for the Xu family of the Marquess of Dingguo Manor, if they dare obstruct or foment division, attack them en masse and annihilate the Xu family!"
"Any person of the Great Desolation daring to enter the Eastern Continent shall be slain without exception! Rest assured, even if the Lord of the Great Desolation has stepped into the Sun and Moon realm, his strength will be heavily curtailed if he enters the Eastern Continent!"
Li Hao stated this right in front of the Lord of the Great Desolation.
The Lord of the Great Desolation frowned slightly. At this moment, they were not far from Li Hao, yet they seemed cloaked in darkness and enveloped by chaos, adding a layer of gloom.
The countless cavalry of the Great Desolation still did not understand what had transpired.
They only vaguely understood that the Great Desolation seemed to have been targeted by heaven and earth.
Why had this happened?
***
Meanwhile, as Li Hao spoke, he sent a voice transmission: "Senior Zhang, do these people have any way to isolate the targeting of Heaven's Will?"
"Since Heaven's Will has taken notice, how could it be so easy to isolate... Of course, if the desolation beasts continue to invade, slowly devouring heaven and earth and converting it into chaos, then it won't have much effect. This King of the Great Desolation is rather impetuous; had he not exposed the existence of the desolation beasts..."
"Then he would be dead!"
That was true as well.
Zhang An nodded slightly, left somewhat speechless. This King of the Great Desolation was not weak, and he had plenty of powerhouses under his command, but... having run into Li Hao's group, without exposing his trump card, he truly would have struggled to contend.
"These three nations all have trump cards... Does Senior know what the Shuiyun Kingdom has?"
"This... I know about desolation beasts, Early Martial, and gods, but the Shuiyun Kingdom... It might not have been established for very long. Does something exist in the south?"
He did not know the situation of the Shuiyun Kingdom either.
If the Shuiyun Kingdom had no trump cards... it could definitely be wiped out with ease.
Li Hao glanced at the Lord of the Great Desolation, smiling faintly. "You may continue staying here; I shall take my leave!"
The King of the Great Desolation said nothing, merely frowning in silence.
Li Hao did not delay, swiftly steering the warship away.
Once they had departed, the Lord of the Great Desolation looked toward the world outside with a heavy expression, speaking in a low voice: "Heaven's Will has truly awakened! I thought it was merely a rumor, but... it is truly so!"
In the past, the desolation beasts encroaching upon heaven and earth had not drawn any targeting.
Yet this time, the desolation beasts had appeared, and Heaven's Will had perhaps arrived alongside Li Hao, taking notice in an instant. For the Great Desolation, this was by no means a good thing.
The female general was somewhat incredulous and suddenly spurred her white steed, charging out of the Great Desolation.
In an instant, thunder erupted!
*Boom!*
It was as if she were exceptionally targeted. A wave of thunderous power swept across heaven and earth. *Rumble!* Perhaps it was not her, but the white steed beneath her; in the blink of an eye, it was blasted until it was charred black.
She hastily dragged the white steed back, finding it unbelievable: "How could this happen?"
At this moment, the black robe spoke: "Do not be rash. Heaven's Will is still paying attention to this place right now, but once Li Hao, the King of Dali, and the Moon God of the God Nation clash and draw Heaven's Will's attention, Heaven's Will will not focus here constantly! Heaven's Will has only recently been born and is still nascent. Currently, its primary energy is focused on those three parties. As for the Great Desolation... even if targeted, it is no major issue."
The Lord of the Great Desolation continued to frown, speaking only after a long pause: "A pity... If the ancient city could have provided sufficient support this time to counter Li Hao, perhaps we wouldn't have needed to expose ourselves. Now... it will be difficult to make a move."
The black robe remained silent. He had not known the other party's trump card was this; he had assumed it was merely a few desolation beasts.
Who would have guessed they had actually reshaped and devoured heaven and earth!
Being targeted... served them right.
Silver Moon had managed to form a small world with great difficulty, and the desolation beasts wanted to turn it into chaos again. How could it not be targeted?
***
Aboard the warship.
Southern Fist said with some excitement, "Governor-General, does this mean we don't need to negotiate with them, especially since the Great Desolation can't come out at all?"
Li Hao smiled. "We negotiate while fighting; as long as no large-scale battle erupts, it will be fine."
"Why must we still do that?"
Southern Fist felt somewhat frustrated: "Then when we go to the Shuiyun Kingdom later, must we do the same? If the other party is very weak, must we still do this?"
Li Hao nodded.
Southern Fist was somewhat annoyed, and the others were puzzled as well. If Shuiyun was very weak, they could just wipe it out directly!
Li Hao sighed. "We cannot commit large-scale slaughter!"
"What?"
Before Li Hao could answer, Zhang An's heart stirred: "Li Hao is right: do not kill indiscriminately! I had forgotten about this earlier. Li Hao, did you sense something?"
"Yes."
Li Hao nodded.
Zhang An frowned. "Then it cannot be mistaken! There are several ways for heaven and earth to undergo resurgence. If massive numbers of powerhouses, humans, and living beings die, it will accelerate the resurgence of heaven and earth! It seems... the traitor allied with the four nations not merely to deal with you, but in hopes that you would slaughter each other, hastening the resurgence!"
Earlier, he had not remembered this matter.
Because slaughtering massive numbers of living beings to revive heaven and earth... to put it bluntly, he had never entertained such a thought, nor did he inwardly approve of such methods, so he hadn't thought of it for a time.
Perhaps this was his flaw, or his virtue—cold on the outside, gentle on the inside.
He had never once considered using slaughter to prematurely trigger the second resurgence.
At this moment, he too was furious: "This person has gone completely mad! To actually rely on a war among nations and the slaughter of countless living beings to satisfy personal selfish desire, purely to trigger the second resurgence early..."
The second resurgence was a matter of time.
To cause tens of millions of deaths, or even more, just to hasten it slightly... such methods would be reviled in any era!
"Not mad—how else would they dare betray Neo-Martial?"
Li Hao was not surprised. "Were it not for this... I wouldn't have been so restrained toward the ordinary soldiers of the four nations. Even in Silver City, in our battles against Dali, both sides have only suffered tens of thousands of casualties so far."
Now, everyone understood. Hong Yitang could not help but say, "This... isn't this... very troublesome? We cannot engage in massive slaughter... Then what about when we killed some gods earlier?"
Li Hao smiled. "Gods can be killed!"
"Why?"
"Gods are manifestations of heaven and earth's Great Dao. Killing a god actually weakens some of the Great Dao's power, delaying the resurgence!"
*Was that how it worked?*
Everyone was utterly speechless. So killing gods was actually a good thing?
Southern Fist said in frustration, "Then in that case, we can't kill them and can only negotiate peace? But they won't care about any of this. What if we tell them this news..."
"They might not be ignorant of it." Li Hao shook his head. "At least the King of Dali likely knows. That is why, after entering Silver Moon, he did not initiate large-scale warfare—precisely because he didn't want too many casualties. He should know some of the circumstances, and the other factions... might not be entirely clueless either."
"Then what do we do?"
Southern Fist was thoroughly irritated.
Director Zhao suddenly said, "Since slaughter can prematurely trigger the second resurgence... then... wouldn't Silver Moon be in trouble? Could these people take advantage of our absence to strike in Silver Moon?"
"Not so quickly... but the possibility is very high!"
Li Hao nodded. "So right now, we must first appease the four nations. We are essentially placed over a fire, caught in a dilemma... If we slaughter the four nations too heavily, the ancient city will awaken! If we don't kill, they will invade... Thus, we have no other choice."
Southern Fist said gloomily, "Is there no other way?"
No wonder Li Hao hadn't been bent on wiping out Dali.
Now, he finally understood.
Otherwise, the power of Silver Moon was entirely capable of annihilating Dali; even if their Early Martial God forced his appearance, he might still be slain.
"Then that means only gods can be killed?"
Southern Fist suddenly said, "Why don't I go to the west? Whenever I'm bored, I can just fight a god!"
According to Li Hao, they likely couldn't touch the southern Shuiyun Kingdom either.
Earlier, when he spoke of suing for peace, everyone had felt aggrieved, but now they realized that for the other three factions, this might be the only way.
He added, "Right, can't we touch the Great Desolation either?"
Zhang An sighed. "Even less so. The existence of the Great Desolation, by encroaching upon part of the world, is actually a good thing. Otherwise... the moment the Great Desolation is destroyed, heaven and earth might instantly reach the threshold of the second resurgence! Although they have devoured heaven and earth, they have also suppressed the speed of the resurgence."
He looked at Li Hao.
Suddenly, he felt rather helpless.
He felt a headache on Li Hao's behalf.
Now, fighting wouldn't do, nor would not fighting.
If they fought and killed too many, the ancient city would revive.
If they didn't fight, the four sides would invade, the ancient city would cause trouble, and they could only defend passively, bound by all sorts of misgivings.
For a moment, he felt things were exceedingly difficult for Li Hao.
What was to be done?
Earlier, he had thought that if he severed his path and eliminated some powerhouses, while crushing the God Nation might be difficult, dealing with the other three nations wouldn't be much of a problem. But if massive numbers of powerhouses were slain... what would happen if heaven and earth revived?
Zhang An could not help but glance at Li Hao a few times.
If he remained soft toward the four nations, it might invite a backlash, and he might even face criticism from the people within the dynasty.
Yet being too aggressive and directly launching a full-scale war... was also difficult.
"Li Hao."
"Hm? Does Senior need something?"
Li Hao looked at Zhang An in confusion. Zhang An sighed softly: "If all else fails, then slay some gods first. You said the death of gods won't accelerate the resurgence of heaven and earth..."
Saying this, he added, "At least give others an explanation. Otherwise, the four nations invade, and after fighting for so long, hardly any ordinary soldiers have died... yet the four nations haven't retreated. This... will likely plunge you into immense controversy!"
"If you negotiate peace with the four nations and the news leaks, the prestige you previously built will vanish in an instant!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the others finally came to a complete realization.
Yuan Shuo could not help but say, "You should have said so earlier! You kept hiding it and refused to say a word. We all felt terrible—did you have to shoulder it all by yourself?"
Li Hao smiled. "It's not that exaggerated! Besides, it is merely a deduction; there is no definitive proof that more deaths will cause heaven and earth to revive..."
"I can confirm that it is feasible!" Zhang An was solemn.
Li Hao smiled. "Senior speaks too much."
Zhang An said no more.
He merely felt he needed to vindicate Li Hao; otherwise, Li Hao's ambiguous attitude toward the four nations might cause others to grow estranged.
The reality was that Li Hao simply could not inflict massive casualties on the powerhouses of the four nations.
Now, the Silver Moon martial masters were no longer as aggrieved as before, but instead looked troubled.
Li Hao's problem had suddenly become everyone's problem.
"Then... shouldn't we specifically fight the Western God Nation?"
"The other side isn't that easy to take down; the Moon God is connected to the seal!"
"..."
Everyone froze, recalling Li Hao's earlier words, looking as if they had lost their parents.
So that meant among the four nations, not a single one could be fought with all their might?
Even Sky Sword felt suffocated, saying in a strained voice, "Then... is there no way?"
Li Hao chuckled. "Didn't I already say? First appease the four nations, then deal with some ruins... Slaying powerhouses inside ruins has little to do with the resurgence of heaven and earth, since ruins are isolated from the world. How could there be no way? First clear out the ruins, and continue executing the previous plan. Toward the four nations, do as I said earlier: appease, deter, and offer a bit of sweetness... In any case, there is no need to worry too much for now."
At this moment, Lin Hongyu exhaled. "Governor-General... looking at it this way, we seem to be trapped at every step. The ruins aren't easy to deal with either... and we must guard against the ancient city dispatching people to conduct indiscriminate slaughter..."
Li Hao did not speak, instead looking toward one person.
Over in the corner, seeing Li Hao look his way, Qian Wuliang was slightly startled. His heart stirred, and he spoke up: "Governor-General, since you didn't follow the ancient city traitor's intentions to strike ruthlessly against the four nations, the other side is probably very anxious as well."
"Since we didn't act according to their desires, the second resurgence cannot be triggered early!"
"As such, the other party will definitely be unable to endure it and will have no choice but to drive powerhouses to create chaos within Heavenly Star, creating opportunities for the four nations and prompting them to take the initiative to attack..."
Everyone looked at him. In truth, not many liked him.
Yet no one said anything.
Seeing him speak now, everyone remained silent.
Li Hao smiled. "Does General Qian have any thoughts?"
Countless thoughts flashed through Qian Wuliang's mind. What had Li Hao wanted him to say when looking at him just now?
After weighing it, he said apprehensively, "Governor-General... I have an idea. Since desolation beasts can devour heaven and earth and seize control of the realm, why not... why not evacuate some humans from the Eastern Continent and let the Great Desolation step into the Eastern Continent? That way, it could actually weaken the energy of heaven and earth!"
Li Hao shook his head, however. "A tail too large to wag—it will be troublesome to clean up later. Furthermore, losing territory might bring even greater trouble!"
*That wasn't what he meant?*
Qian Wuliang had thought Li Hao wanted him to be the scapegoat to propose this; hadn't everyone else been staring wide-eyed at him?
If not this... what did Li Hao want him to say?
He felt a headache coming on.
*I can see through some human hearts, but... I dare not peer into yours.*
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. He said cautiously, "Since the Governor-General feels that is improper, and the four nations are hard to deal with, while the traitorous ancient city's exact location is hard to find—and even if found, we might not be able to do anything to them... then we can only... only destroy one ancient city! The Eight Great Main Cities anchor heaven and earth; that heaven and earth remain stable is largely thanks to the Eight Great Main Cities. Why not... destroy one ancient city!"
At this moment, he seemed to have grasped something and said rapidly, "Aside from the Wang and Zhao families, there is currently no word on the Hong, Liu, and Zheng families. The traitorous faction is very likely the Zheng family. If we destroy one ancient city now... as long as it isn't the traitorous one, we still have hope of accomplishing it! Once an ancient city is destroyed, if signs of the second resurgence appear, we can destabilize that ancient city, draining the energy of heaven and earth and breaking the suppression of heaven and earth, which can easily disrupt their plans!"
At this moment, he seemed to understand completely.
Li Hao wanted him to say this in front of the Neo-Martial people!
Sure enough, Zhang An's expression changed slightly.
Li Hao also raised his eyebrows slightly: "Those ancient cities haven't clashed with me either. Aside from the traitor, the other two must have innocents who simply don't wish to pay me any mind..."
"Governor-General, at this moment, you must never show misplaced mercy! Otherwise... once that traitorous ancient city succeeds and the second resurgence begins... the tens of billions of people in Silver Moon will have their lives hanging by a thread!"
He said urgently, "Right now, only by swiftly wiping out an ancient city can we disrupt some of the enemy's plans... Otherwise, if we continue to be restricted, a major disaster will occur sooner or later!"
Saying this, he added, "If the Governor-General is unwilling... then... then I shall go as an envoy to the three ancient cities to ascertain the truth! I can see through human hearts; whether they are good or evil, I will know at a glance!"
"If they harbor hostility toward me... then we strike and annihilate them!"
Everyone's hearts stirred. Southern Fist asked with some curiosity, "Can seizing an ancient city prevent heaven and earth from reviving?"
At this moment, Zhang An remained silent.
To the side, Director Wang hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice: "This... ancient cities extract the power of heaven and earth with immense force. If allowed to draw freely, they can extract not only the power of heaven and earth, but also life force... Ancient cities are treasures; they can... can delay the second resurgence!"
Southern Fist was still puzzled: "Then wouldn't it be fine for Battle Heaven City to extract it directly?"
Director Wang was speechless. Only after a long while did he say, "The Eight Families had an agreement not to extract the power of heaven and earth without restraint... Whoever does so first might be treated as a traitor. Thus, even the family that truly rebelled wouldn't do so, as it would invite a siege from the other seven families! Besides, everyone is currently waiting for the second resurgence; who would deliberately do such a thing?"
Wouldn't that be foolish?
The second resurgence was almost upon them, and deliberately draining all the energy of heaven and earth... wouldn't that prevent everyone from coming out?
Moreover, it was exceedingly easy to be branded a traitor in the eyes of the other factions.
Southern Fist said no more.
Li Hao seemed to be pondering as well. After a long time, he spoke: "Is this... appropriate?"
"It's quite good!"
Yuan Shuo spoke up suddenly: "Everyone has been holding their breath. Why not find an ancient city... Since they're enemies anyway, let's fight to the death and destroy them!"
Zhang An glanced at the group, saying nothing.
He suspected... Li Hao had harbored this intention all along.
He had simply had misgivings and never brought it up.
Li Hao sighed, however: "It won't be easy. Even a newly awakened Saint is not easy to deal with!"
Zhang An still said nothing.
Li Hao smiled. "Let's discuss it again once we return. Qian Wuliang, you... go as an envoy to the three cities. If you cannot find them, there is nothing to be done, but if you do, you can communicate with them and see their attitude!"
"Understood!"
Qian Wuliang hurriedly complied, groaning inwardly. This was by no means an easy errand!
Sure enough, he was the scapegoat.
This was clearly the Governor-General's own intent!
Li Hao, meanwhile, looked toward the northern horizon. Had the King of Dali... dealt with Ying Hongyue?
Although a clone was following along, it was very weak, and without its return, Li Hao found it difficult to know the exact situation.
The four nations could be fought!
However, there had to be a contingency plan: either seize an ancient city to absorb the power of heaven and earth, negating the impact of eliminating the four nations, or... abandon the Eastern Continent and let the Great Desolation enter, encroaching upon heaven and earth.
In short, purely eliminating the four nations was an exceedingly dangerous decision.
At this moment, countless thoughts raced through Li Hao's mind.
A difficult choice!
Yet, choosing the lesser of two evils, perhaps... it was time to take a risk.
Chapter 328