Fear

The Bright Star Realm. Void shifted, and giant stars were displaced. Li Hao moved star after star, traversing the void again and again. After an unknown amount of time, a colossal boom shook the surroundings. Heaven and earth seemed overturned, the firmament plunged into absolute darkness, and every giant star vanished without a trace, as though all had collapsed into dark primordial chaos. Li Hao was left panting with exhaustion. Roaming through the void, sudden bursts of wind, fire, thunder, and lightning erupted all around him. In the blink of an eye, dazzling light blazed and darkness descended; the five elements surged in tempestuous waves, and blades, spears, swords, and halberds slashed forth one after another… At this moment, a smile appeared on Li Hao's face. Yet soon enough, his brows furrowed slightly once more. A fixed entrance and exit. Difficult! According to Li Fuhai, the universe had a center. Finding it was exceedingly hard, so Li Hao had put that aside for now. Still, establishing a fixed entrance and exit was of paramount necessity; he couldn't afford to emerge in a completely different place every time he tore open the void. Connecting to the Bright Star Realm was feasible, but… what could serve as the anchor? Director Wang and the others used their Origin Paths as anchors, but Li Hao had none. The Starry Sky Sword would have made an excellent vessel, but sadly it was shattered. To anchor an opening… what should he use? Li Hao rummaged through his storage ring. He had many divine weapons, but the strongest among them at present was merely the secondary mirror of the Wind and Cloud Precious Mirror. The commander's armor he had just acquired was decent as well, yet in the grand scheme of things, neither amounted to much. He did not lack divine weapons; he lacked one that was truly, peerlessly formidable. Using divine weapons as an anchor… seemed unworkable. "If a divine weapon won't do… what about the physical body? If the body won't do… then the Dao?" Thoughts surfaced one after another in his mind. Weaving a Dao out of divine characters… like a tributary, opening an aperture into the Bright Star Realm? Could it even actively connect to him, channeling Dao power directly into him? He had never entertained such an idea before. Now, however, Li Hao took it into serious consideration. Sitting cross-legged in the starry void, he pondered what to use to weave this Dao and fashion a fixed portal. Which Dao would be most suitable? And which Dao would he himself need next? As for divine abilities, Li Hao had temporarily set them aside; he had already relinquished the five elements to others. Now, he was left with only four divine abilities—wind, thunder, light, and darkness—along with his physical body divine ability. "Take the physical body divine ability as the foundation?" Thoughts flashed continuously. Using the Dao itself as the anchor! Would that really work? Furthermore, if an enemy discovered it, could they destroy it? One could imagine a Dao hanging conspicuously overhead, advertising one's extraordinary might to all onlookers—unless… it could be completely concealed, thoroughly hidden away in the void like an Origin Path. "Fuse the darkness element with the physical body Dao?" The thought resurfaced. Darkness—concealing all things? The Dao originally stemmed from the Bright Star Realm, so having it pierce through the barrier was entirely feasible. His only fear was that an enemy might deliberately shatter it. If that happened, the Dao meridian would snap, equivalent to the severing of one's Dao. When an Origin Path snapped, the cultivator died. New humans wouldn't die from that, as they possessed not just one Dao meridian, but many. Severing one wouldn't kill them, yet it would still inflict devastating damage upon their strength. Li Hao looked up toward the sky, lost in contemplation. How could he keep the Dao meridian safe so that no one could destroy it? He turned his gaze back toward the Dao Universe he had just shrouded. What if… he made the Dao Universe itself the source, the foundation of living water? These various notions stirred his ambition. Someone had once said: as long as you won't die, go ahead and give it a try. In the next instant, Li Hao waved his hand. Deep within the void, in the Sword Dao domain, a sword of the Great Dao materialized. With a single cleave, a fissure split open right at the center of the ring-shaped domain. Li Hao arrived in an instant and threw a punch. The void shuddered, and cracks spread across the Dao Universe. The Dao Universe was exceptionally resilient. Even Wu Peng, a Saint, had been entirely unable to pierce through it, yet Li Hao accomplished it with ease. This was because Li Hao understood its internal veins and pathways; blind bludgeoning would never break through the Dao Universe. Only at the nexus points of each Dao meridian was there any hope of shattering it. It was never a matter of striking just anywhere. Moreover, the nexus points of the Dao meridians were not where the giant stars currently hung; those stars had merely been shifted by Li Hao. The true connection points were where the stars had first appeared. In this vast, boundless cosmos, once Li Hao moved those stars away, no one else could ever find them. Perhaps Li Hao was the only one who knew where the original nexus points lay. Of course, with sheer dumb luck, someone might stumble upon an opening with a random strike… but the odds of that were infinitesimally small! Tearing open the void, Li Hao peered outward. Outside lay a desolate, boundless expanse, its exact location unknown even to him. He had merely breached an arbitrary point. Vanishing from the Bright Star Realm, he instantly reappeared atop a snow-capped mountain. Silver Moon needed him as an anchor point. The fixed entrance and exit would also use him as coordinates, rather than being placed at random. Meanwhile, within the Bright Star Realm, the center of the ring of stars would serve as the anchor point, establishing a true, unified connection between himself and the realm. From that moment on, a dedicated passage and gateway would be forged. With a low shout, several Dao meridians surfaced within Li Hao's body, thick and massive like divine dragons. Dao meridians manifested! A full five of them! Physical body, wind, thunder, light, and darkness! The five Dao meridians intertwined, coiling like five colossal dragons. In an instant, boundless energy from every direction was sucked completely dry. Li Hao paid it no heed, merely glancing toward the sky with a slight frown. Five Dao meridians were far from weak, but… still not enough! At that thought, numerous divine weapons emerged from his storage ring. In the next moment, they shattered in succession, transforming into pure energy that merged into the weave. Still not enough! The five colossal dragons devoured everything, yet the structure still did not feel solid enough. Li Hao pondered for a moment, then swiftly produced vast amounts of the Spring of Life and heaps of precious ores. He had no forging skills. But that didn't matter. Not knowing how was fine; at worst, he would waste more materials, as long as the result was sturdy enough. Divine weapons shattered one after another to fuse into it, and pillars of energy poured continuously into the matrix. At this moment, it seemed as if a colossal treasure hoard had unveiled itself between heaven and earth. All things bloomed anew! A streak of emerald green suddenly sprouted upon the snowy mountain. In the blink of an eye, the green cascaded outward, melting the snow. Spring had arrived, awakening all creation. On a nearby peak, a great demon trembled violently, too terrified to move. Since this location could be opened, some Dao meridian must have connected to the Bright Star Universe here in the past. Li Hao did not mind; perhaps someone had once cultivated here and opened a Dao meridian. Of course, whether it was this demon before him… was hard to say. Did the demon race have Dao meridians? Black Panther had still not emerged from seclusion. Li Hao had previously wanted to bring Black Panther along, but sensing its unstable aura—likely at a pivotal juncture—he had been forced to leave it behind. If some wild beast had managed to accidentally open a Dao meridian, Black Panther would truly be pathetic… secluded in bitter cultivation for so many days, only to be outdone by a random wild demon. Li Hao paid it no further attention. He continued stabilizing the new passage. A moment later, ripples of a powerhouse appeared nearby, treading across the sky. From afar, they saw a figure standing upright upon the mountain and felt a surge of surprise. Thinking some supreme treasure had surfaced here, had someone beaten them to the punch? Yet as they drew closer… their soul nearly flew from their body in sheer fright! "Governor Li!" Spotting Li Hao from a distance, the powerhouse's face turned stark white. Li Hao turned to glance at him. Not recognizing the man, he merely gave a slight nod and spoke in a calm voice: "I am cultivating here. Where… is this place?" Cultivating? Good heavens! Looking at the soaring dragons and pillars of raw energy, was this what he called cultivating? "R-reporting to Governor Li… this place… is within the Fushan Mountains, nestled between Mount Cang and Mount Kui. It belongs to the northern region." The north? He had actually ended up back in the north. Li Hao nodded slightly, assessing the man. His strength was quite decent, and it seemed he had opened several Dao meridians—measuring up to the Mountain Sea realm. Nowadays, experts who possessed Mountain Sea combat strength without having joined the Governor's Mansion were exceedingly rare. The man did not look particularly old, though relatively speaking, he was around forty or fifty. Seeing Li Hao's gaze upon him, fear gripped him, yet… steeling himself, he ventured to ask, "I should not disturb Governor Li's cultivation, but… I am truly curious. Those giant dragons… could they be… Dao meridians?" "Yes." The newcomer was shaken, murmuring, "Dao meridians like giant dragons… To cultivate them to such sheer power, the Governor is truly a divine being!" Li Hao looked at him. "Anyone can do it; it is merely a matter of time. Who are you?" "Reporting to the Governor, I am Chao Baisheng." Chao Baisheng? Li Hao seemed to recall something and remarked, "In the past, when I traveled the northern lands and reached the edge of the northern continent, I heard of two factions: the White Saint Sect and the Black Mountain Bandits. The Black Mountain Bandits committed every conceivable atrocity, while the White Saint Sect was said to be a living Buddha to ten thousand families, delivering people from misery. Are you the Sect Master of the White Saint Sect?" "This humble one is indeed he," the man replied hurriedly. "I dare not accept such praise. How could I ever presume to call myself a living Buddha to ten thousand families…" Li Hao said calmly, "I once witnessed with my own eyes the disciples of the White Saint Sect setting fire to a village, posing as the Black Mountain Bandits to force the villagers to join your sect. At that time, I considered wiping them all out to rid the people of a scourge…" At those words, Chao Baisheng's face drained of all color! Li Hao continued, "Later, I heard them say that if they didn't force the villagers to leave, the Black Mountain Bandits would arrive and slaughter every last soul. Back then, I wondered: how does one distinguish right from wrong in this world? When the disciples of the White Saint Sect disguised themselves as bandits and burned the village, were they forcing people into brigandage, or delivering them from misery?" Chao Baisheng swallowed hard. He had never expected Li Hao to know of the White Saint Sect, let alone have personally witnessed their methods. Right now, he couldn't fathom what Li Hao intended, only desperately regretting that he hadn't fled earlier. Far too dangerous! This Li Hao's cultivation was terrifying. The sheer pressure alone was enough to scare him out of his wits. Yet he had indulged his curiosity to take a closer look, and now… he might never leave alive! Li Hao had indeed witnessed their actions back then, when he was traveling to the Xu family of the East. Passing through this region, he had seen that very scene and ultimately decided not to intervene. He had not expected to cross paths with the master of that sect today by sheer coincidence. Li Hao added, "To reach Mountain Sea, matching the divine abilities of the past, proves you have good talent, capable methods, and no small amount of nerve. Knowing I was cultivating here, you still dared to linger. Perhaps you harbored a shred of covetous ambition as well…" "I wouldn't dare! The Governor misunderstands…" Li Hao said softly, "No matter! A heart of greed is common to all men. It suffices to restrain yourself, restrain your mind, and restrain your deeds. A saint is judged by his deeds, not his inner thoughts. Even if it is a pretense, if one pretends to be a saint for a lifetime, then he is a true saint!" Chao Baisheng froze, staring at Li Hao, struck dumb. Li Hao went on, "Our meeting here today can be considered a stroke of fate. If you do something for me, I shall bestow an opportunity upon you. How about it?" Chao Baisheng started, then hurried to say, "Please instruct me, Governor! I would not dare disobey." "It is not an order. Whether you do it or not is entirely up to you…" Li Hao looked at him. "The White Saint Sect is one of the few religious factions still standing. In subjugating the four continents, I have not yet had the time to purge the various sects… Your White Saint Sect enjoys a decent reputation and has survived to this day. I want you to help me gather all those across the realm who refuse to submit. Have the rebels, villains, cutthroats, and bandits from every quarter join your White Saint Sect. Round up all the fleeing miscreants from across the world. What say you?" Chao Baisheng's expression changed abruptly. "I wouldn't dare! If the Governor is concerned, I shall disband the sect immediately… The White Saint Sect was merely formed by a gathering of impoverished folk to resist the Nine Departments and the imperial court, which have now been extinguished by you, Governor…" "No!" Li Hao shook his head. "Better to gather them than disperse them! I am busy, and my subordinates are busy. No one has the mood, the desire, the time, or the energy to hunt them down one by one. Herd them together, and we can purge the realm in one stroke! The White Saint Sect has little connection to me, and no one knows we met today. Our meeting is destiny. "I can bestow upon you the Dao of Light. Its Dao meridian is formidable, and it may well propel you into the Sun Moon realm in a single day, giving you the power to sweep across the four quarters! Gather the realm's wickedness, and annihilate them all in one fell swoop! Forsake the darkness for the light, and once you succeed, you may formally join the Governor's Mansion. How about it?" Chao Baisheng was stunned. A chill seized his heart! Li Hao! This leader, reputed across the world as a near-saint, was actually… so utterly ruthless. He wanted him to lure the world's villains into the White Saint Sect, only to trap and slaughter them all without leaving a single survivor. Was this the benevolence spoken of in legends? This… was terrifying. Refuse? There was no refusing! He dared not say too much, quickly declaring, "Exterminating evil is this humble one's bounden duty! There is no need for a reward, Governor—this is what Chao Baisheng ought to do…" "Force is not everything, yet without force, one cannot suppress the world. In the transcendent realm, martial power and intellect go hand in hand… If you accept my Dao of Light, I can locate you at any moment and restrain you as well. Of course, you are free to refuse…" "Thank you for the bestowal, Governor!" Chao Baisheng didn't dare utter another word of refusal. If he refused now, he was terrified he would never walk away. Far too frightful! This Li Hao… did not possess the slightest resemblance to a benevolent sovereign. He was a ruthless hegemon of his era! The world had completely misunderstood him. In the next instant, one of the five giant dragons detached itself and surged directly into Chao Baisheng's body. With a deafening boom, his physical flesh nearly tore apart, but in the nick of time, the power of light burst forth, shielding his body. Li Hao glanced at the four remaining dragons in the air and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Giving away the Dao of Light had been a matter of necessity; light and darkness intertwined awkwardly and were difficult to stabilize together. With the Dao of Light present, it was easy to be detected, severely weakening the concealment effect of the Dao of Darkness. He had just been preparing to discard the Dao of Light when he crossed paths with this man who styled himself a holy paragon of light. Was this the will of Heaven? The will of Heaven… Li Hao smiled faintly. Perhaps not Heaven's will, but rather the will of the Great Dao. Someone was already cultivating the Dao of Light—the Bright Sword. However, Bright Sword had already reached the peak of the third-tier Sun Moon realm and was on the verge of the fourth tier. She had no need for Li Hao's Dao energy. Since they had met… he might as well place a chess piece in passing. Only now did Chao Baisheng truly feel the immense majesty of Li Hao's power. It was merely a single Dao meridian, yet his own inner strength skyrocketed. Having only recently stepped into the early Mountain Sea realm, his aura rapidly approached the middle stage in the blink of an eye. Before long, it breached the middle stage and began climbing toward late Mountain Sea. Chao Baisheng's face twisted as he let out low roars of agony. Li Hao pointed a finger, causing a Dao meridian within Chao Baisheng's body to light up. "Open this Dao meridian. This is a physical body Dao meridian—do not pass it on to anyone!" Chao Baisheng's expression changed drastically. Daring not say a word, he hastily gathered energy to open the meridian. Before long, the surging power forced open the physical body meridian, rapidly strengthening his flesh. The body that had felt on the verge of bursting began to calm. Li Hao merely watched in silence, continuing to anchor his own Dao passage. After another span of time, Chao Baisheng's aura climbed higher, and with a resounding boom, as if breaking through a bottleneck, his aura suddenly grew overwhelmingly powerful. Sun Moon! Soon, his aura stabilized. Unable to contain his ecstasy, he bowed deeply. "Thank you, Governor, for fulfilling my destiny…" "I fulfilled nothing for you," Li Hao said coolly. "This meridian is merely loaned for your use, not thoroughly fused with you. Otherwise… how could you integrate my Dao meridian so easily? Once you accomplish the task, I will grant it to you permanently!" Chao Baisheng remained profusely grateful. "Even so, my gratitude to the Governor is boundless. Meeting the Governor today made me realize I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well, ignorant of the vast heavens and earth." "No need for flattery. I still have cultivation to attend to; you may leave… Whether you do it or not remains your choice. The world's villains can never be wiped out entirely, so do not fret over every last one. Rounding up the notorious ones and consolidating them will be enough." "This subordinate understands!" He had switched to referring to himself as a subordinate in an instant, but Li Hao didn't care. It was a casual move on the board; whether it succeeded or failed mattered little. There were simply too many wicked men in the world. Heavenly Star had rotted for years, and even with Li Hao holding dominion over the world, apprehending them all in the short term was impossible. If Chao Baisheng truly managed to catch the world's villains in a single net, it would be a meritorious deed. Seeing that Li Hao paid him no further mind, Chao Baisheng dared not linger. He departed swiftly, his heart swinging between trepidation and wild excitement. He had come hunting for treasure today and found none, yet the harvest he had reaped was not inferior to any supreme treasure. Leaping straight from early Mountain Sea into Sun Moon. Even if… this power didn't entirely belong to him, what did that matter? Chao Baisheng was overjoyed. He left in high spirits. Li Hao watched him with deep, unfathomable eyes, then turned to look in another direction. Over there lay another great demon—the Snake King of Mount Kui, who had stepped into the divine ability realm long ago. The Snake King had once received guidance from someone, starting cultivation early. Later, after a few pointers from Li Hao, it had swiftly broken through to divine ability. It had been quite some time since they last met; what realm had the snake reached by now? Middle Mountain Sea? Or even late stage? Anything was possible! Since Chao Baisheng was going to gather the wicked humans, perhaps a visit to Mount Kui was in order. Since he was already here, he might as well see the Snake King. Back then, he had tasked the snake with gathering the demons of the four quarters; he wondered how it had fared. The Dao passage in the sky had stabilized considerably. Li Hao had shattered numerous treasures, yet he felt not a shred of heartache. The land of Silver Moon held secrets he had yet to unearth. For instance… who had pointed the Snake King in the right direction back then? Had the Zheng family truly spread that nursery rhyme? Furthermore, setting aside the other seven families, why had the Li family been able to carry the Starry Sky Sword out of the sealed Sword City and settle in Silver City? And why had the Human King's Empress left an inheritance here? Silver Moon was merely a minor world. Why had it been left with so many extraordinary legacies, even including the legacy of the Tyrant Emperor of old, which the King of Dali had obtained? Conversely, the Sword Venerable, who had guarded Silver Moon, had left almost nothing behind. Instead, the Blood Sovereign, who had visited only once, had left behind two characters and seemingly other things as well. What, exactly, had been left behind at the ruins of Star Suppressing City? These thoughts resurfaced in his mind. While stabilizing the passage, Li Hao glanced toward the northern horizon, his gaze seeming to pierce through Mount Cang. He murmured, "Qian Wuliang has gone over there. Ying Hongyue running into Qian Wuliang should make for quite a show! Qian Wuliang reads hearts, pitting mind against mind, coupled with the presence of the King of Dali and Jiang Li…" He mused that given Ying Hongyue's cunning, he would never remain in Dali. Aside from Dali, Ying Hongyue would never dare step into Heavenly Star within Silver Moon. Where else could he go? The Great Desolation was far too dangerous. Water Cloud was devoid of people now. That left only the Western Divine Kingdom! Could the Moon Goddess outmaneuver Ying Hongyue? Moreover, Li Hao was convinced there were still survivors from the Red Moon Great World, though they had never shown themselves. Li Hao deduced they might have gone to hunt the Moon Goddess as well. That would indeed be a marvelous spectacle. "Herd all the enemies together… so they don't scurry around. That is the best way." The world was too chaotic! He needed to peel away the layers and sort them out, just like unraveling the Great Dao, herding all these people into a single pen. Be they demons or humans, ancient or modern, they had to be gathered together. Only then would they be easy to deal with. Even if grouping them made them stronger, it was still far better than having them lurk in dark corners, hatching endless plots. Li Hao did not fear powerful enemies; what he dreaded was those vermin staying hidden and elusive. With those thoughts in mind, Li Hao stepped through the void in the next instant, appearing in the familiar territory of Mount Kui. Sensing a powerful aura nearby, he vanished once more. When he reappeared, he stood inside a massive canyon. The sleeping Snake King abruptly snapped its giant eyes open, a murderous glint flashing within them. But upon seeing the visitor, it shuddered in fright, hurriedly coiling its colossal body and bowing slightly, sending out a mental fluctuation: "This viper greets the Great Venerable!" A smile touched Li Hao's lips. He looked at the snake and nodded slightly. "Leaping through the dragon's gate and crossing into divine ability, your progress has been astonishing. You can already rival the seventh tier of Mountain Sea. For a demon who hasn't opened Dao meridians to possess such ability is truly remarkable." "The Great Venerable overpraises me…" Li Hao said nothing more on that, glancing around before asking, "Have you gathered many demons?" "Yes… The Great Venerable previously instructed me to build a demon holy ground on Mount Kui. Coupled with the recent upheavals across the lands, many demons have come to seek refuge at Mount Kui… It is said that the peerless experts Sky Sword and Tyrant Saber have been sweeping through the Seven Divine Mountains, purging factions gathering power across the world. Another batch of demons fled to Mount Kui as a result. Now, there are nearly ten thousand demons here! However, powerhouses are few…" That was already a massive number! Li Hao sensed their presence and nodded. "Good! Identify every demon that has eaten humans. In the coming days, use those demons as the vanguard to clash with the White Saint Sect at the foot of the mountain. When you encounter Chao Baisheng, tell him those were my words! He should understand what I mean, and so should you. I do not care how you clash; you need only leave behind the humans and demons I require!" At that thought, Li Hao added, "A pretext is easy enough to find: Chao Baisheng's strength has surged after acquiring a supreme treasure. Does the Snake King understand my intent?" How could it not? The Snake King nodded its massive head vigorously. "This little snake understands! Please rest assured, Great Venerable, I shall never disappoint you!" Li Hao nodded, then asked, "You mentioned before that an expert gave you guidance in the past. Now that your strength has grown and you can recall more, can you provide any new clues?" The viper fell into deep thought. After a long silence, it spoke: "Back then, I was too ignorant and weak to perceive much. Looking back today, perhaps… perhaps… like the Great Venerable, that person was a sword cultivator?" A sword cultivator? Li Hao's heart stirred. A sword cultivator? Now that was intriguing. Could it be someone other than the Zheng father and son? Anyone capable of roaming the world in that ancient era was certainly no ordinary figure. Back then, the powerhouses of the ancient cities were all in slumber. Previously, Li Hao had suspected the Zheng father and son had passed by and casually offered a few pointers. That was perfectly normal. Even if they were villains, it didn't mean villains never felt inclined to offer guidance; when a whim struck, anything was possible. However, the Zheng father and son did not cultivate the Sword Dao. A name sprang into his mind. Li Daoheng! The Ninth Division Commander's elder brother! Supposedly, when Sun Xin rebelled, this man had personally gone to persuade him. Yet ever since Sword City vanished, he seemed to have been sealed away completely. Yet… could someone who knew of the Red Moon's existence, knew of the betrayal, and had even masterminded the entire plot truly be sealed away so quietly? Sealed alongside the Red Moon Sovereign and Sword City near the Star Gate? Could he have failed to foresee such an outcome? The Zheng father and son had now become the leaders of the rebellion. What about Li Daoheng? And what of the other members of the Li family involved? Had none of them made any preparations? The moment the Snake King mentioned the Sword Dao, Li Hao thought of the Li family. Yet no one seemed to speak of them, and no traces of them had been found among the ruins of the realm. "Were the Zheng father and son… truly the ringleaders of the betrayal back then? According to Sun Xin, more than one Heavenly King was involved. He said there were other Heavenly Kings, yet only the Zheng family has surfaced so far!" The number of Saints didn't add up either. Sun Xin had stated that numerous Saints had joined in destroying Heavenly Star Town—far more than the few encountered so far. The waters of Silver Moon were still extraordinarily deep! Nonetheless, Li Hao had come to terms with it by now. At the very least, Li Fuhai's words rang true: those who had plotted for a hundred thousand years without making any progress were destined never to achieve greatness! Whether it was the Li family, the Zheng family, or that Red Moon Sovereign… In a hundred thousand years, they hadn't even conquered a minor world. A Sovereign had been easily suppressed by the seal of Sovereign Wu and a mere illusory projection left behind by the Sword Venerable… In the Neo-Martial era, such a figure would have been nothing more than a minor lackey. Even after the true masters had departed, you proved so incompetent. On that basis alone, how could you ever contend with Neo-Martial? Li Hao said no more. Glancing at the Snake King, he instructed, "Be more active recently; do not spend all your time sleeping! Winter is passing and spring is here. All things awaken, warm blossoms open, and light shines down… Heaven and earth are on the brink of great transformation!" The Snake King only half-understood. It seemed Li Hao was speaking of the weather, yet also not. Though not fully comprehending, it nodded its massive head. "Rest assured, Great Venerable, I shall mobilize the demons of Mount Kui at once…" "Yes. Also… if possible, enter the Mount Cang region. There are several formidable demons there. You may invoke my name. The demons of Mount Cang… must not fall into chaos." "This little snake understands!" The Snake King dared not ask further, merely feeling perplexed: why had Li Hao suddenly come here today to assign it these tasks? Li Hao spoke no more, vanishing from the spot. Only then did the Snake King exhale in relief. This person… felt more and more terrifying with every passing day. …… Meanwhile, Li Hao roamed between heaven and earth. After a while, he vanished and reentered the Bright Star Realm. Following the imprint he had left behind, he traveled through the void. A moment later, he tore the firmament open once more and disappeared. Within Battle Heaven City. Li Hao reappeared. By this time, the energy fluctuations in Battle Heaven City had subsided. Over the past few days, everyone had been cultivating, burning through countless energy stones, and the aura of living beings within the city had grown significantly. As Li Hao showed himself once more, several experts converged upon the City Lord Manor. This time, even more arrived. The Old Turtle, General Huai, Li Fuhai, and the Ninth Division Commander—all four were at the Saint realm. Even the Ninth Division Commander's aura had reached the Saint realm, albeit slightly unsteady. Apart from them, two other division commanders had revived: the Third Division Commander and the Sixth Division Commander, alongside the previously revived Eighth Division Commander. There was also Director Wang, who had recently joined the Battle Heaven Army system as the Eleventh Division Commander. In addition, Hong Shan and Di Wei quickly arrived. Hong Shan had not stepped into the Saint realm—it was exceedingly difficult for demon plants to enter the Saint path—yet her aura was far stronger than before. These were all figures from the Neo-Martial era. As for the people of Silver Moon, Li Hao had not brought them along this time. After taking Boundless City, they were in a phase of rapid development. With everything peaceful for the moment, Li Hao had no wish to summon them into battle again. "How is everyone's recovery?" "All is well!" The Old Turtle nodded slightly. "Besides us, thousands of soldiers in the Battle Heaven Army have revived… We can currently mobilize twenty thousand troops, though some have not fully revived and possess only remnant consciousness… The Ninth Division remains deployed outside. In total, the Battle Heaven Army can field thirty thousand soldiers!" Hong Shan chimed in swiftly, "The Demon Plant Division is fully prepared, awaiting the Lord's orders!" Li Hao spoke: "Then without further ado… Guardian Turtle, Sea Suppressing Envoy, General Huai—sever an avatar each. I shall also deploy a divine character avatar, and we shall depart openly toward the Star Suppressing ruins! "As for your true bodies…" Li Hao pondered for a moment before continuing, "I wish to bring you all through the Bright Star Realm. However, when the Bright Star Realm opens, your auras are too potent, and I worry I will not be able to stabilize your positions. I require a bit of help…" The others looked puzzled. What kind of help? Li Hao said slowly, "I want to… activate Battle Heaven City and relocate it into the Bright Star Realm!" "What?" At that moment, the experts were dumbfounded. "Out of the question!" It was the Old Turtle who spoke first: "Battle Heaven City has not fully revived. Forcibly activating it now will disrupt its ability to suppress heaven and earth. If we uproot it, the seals might loosen—that is the first issue! Second, entering is easy, but leaving is hard… If we cannot get out…" Li Hao replied, "A city is dead, but people are alive! Doing this offers another immense benefit: it will instantly eradicate all Red Moon energy within the city! Battle Heaven City is formidable, and with the two characters 'Battle Heaven' left by the Blood Sovereign suppressing it for all these years, it will not crumble upon entering the Bright Star Realm! If we unite our strength to relocate the city… we will have an established base of operations in the Bright Star Realm going forward! "The universe of the new Dao holds endless opportunities. This is an opportunity in itself, not necessarily a bad thing! "As for loosening the seal… that won't happen! The primary anchor of the seal remains Sword City. So long as Sword City stands unbroken, the seal will not break…" The powerhouses looked at one another, their headaches mounting. Concessions… Once they yielded the first step, Li Hao pushed further and further. Gradually, they had yielded to the point of utter hesitation and inner turmoil. If they kept yielding… even their ancestral home would be packed up and carried away. What were they supposed to do? Yet they had already yielded so many times. Were they to refuse now? Sure enough, after the first compromise, the second was inevitable! Li Hao… was growing ever more adept at manipulating the human heart. Li Hao added, "Furthermore, I have another idea: anchor Battle Heaven City directly above my entrance and exit passage. Should a powerful enemy pursue me into the Bright Star Universe, Battle Heaven City can suppress them on the spot! Why not seize such an advantage? It will also keep everyone far safer… There won't even be a need for your true bodies to enter the ruins, preventing the enemy from taking advantage of you! In the Bright Star Realm, it will be our home field. The Bright Star Dao combined with Neo-Martial powerhouses and the suppression of an ancient city… even a Heavenly King would meet their doom!" At this, the Ninth Division Commander couldn't hold back: "Then… didn't you conquer Boundless City?" Relocate Boundless City! Why pick Battle Heaven City? Li Hao shook his head. "The Zheng family held Boundless City for countless years. Who knows what latent ties they left behind, or if someone of the Zheng family refined the city? If Boundless City undergoes an anomaly, they might sense it, or if contact is cut upon entering the Bright Star Realm, they might deduce that I relocated the ancient city into the realm! "Only with Battle Heaven City are all its masters present right here!" The group was torn with conflict! Li Hao said meaningfully, "A new era is dawning, and countless Battle Heaven soldiers will revive. If their new physical bodies can be condensed within the Bright Star Realm from the very start, they will naturally be far closer to the Great Dao, no different from the mortals of the new era—perhaps even closer to the Dao. When that time comes… there will be far greater opportunities! It is far better than this: artificial bodies with limited potential. Even someone of Director Wang's caliber has only managed to condense thirty-six Dao meridians. Yet the human body possesses countless meridians, and I cannot personally condense countless meridians for every single soldier… "Once Battle Heaven City enters the Bright Star Realm, its safety is guaranteed. Unless I perish, the Bright Star Realm is impregnable. The Dao Universe… is not a place just anyone can enter!" Relocating the main city outright… The group fell into deep thought. Li Hao's decision stemmed from three motives: first, to prevent any leak of information; second, to reinforce the fixed passage so it wouldn't shatter—for suppressing it with an ancient city, what divine weapon could possibly be sturdier than a whole city? Even the Starry Sky Sword was not necessarily as indestructible as an ancient city! Third… once Battle Heaven City entered the Bright Star Universe, he would hold absolute authority. This move brought endless benefits. For Battle Heaven City, there were both advantages and drawbacks. The advantage was tying their fortunes even closer to Li Hao's. The drawback was that if anything happened to Li Hao and no one could open the Bright Star Realm, Battle Heaven City would become an isolated enclave, even more desolate than Sword City. The seal on Sword City would break sooner or later. Yet if the Dao Universe closed and no one could reopen it, Battle Heaven City would become a city of the dead. Even if the Human King and the others returned, they might never find this new Dao Universe! There would be nowhere to even seek rescue! After a long, agonizing inner struggle, the Ninth Division Commander let out a heavy sigh: "We have already come this far… Guardians, let it be!" Yielding one step led to yielding every step. Having yielded to this point… what was there to fear in yielding a bit more? Nothing! The two guardians also wore bitter smiles. Cooperating with Li Hao this time… he had truly swallowed them whole, bone and marrow. Unwittingly, step by step, they had been stripped bare by him! Guardian Turtle made one last struggle: "Activating Battle Heaven City requires an enormous expenditure of energy…" Li Hao nodded. "No matter. I have prepared three hundred million energy stones; I practically hollowed out the Heavenly Star Great Mine! With this, how could we fail to activate Battle Heaven City?" "……" Well, there was nothing left to say! Guardian Turtle went silent, while Li Fuhai marveled inward. It had witnessed with its own eyes how Battle Heaven City had walked into the abyss step by step… Though perhaps it was not an abyss, but a grand path to heaven? Even so, it was astounded by Li Hao's methods. He revealed his demands bit by bit, never asking for everything at once. He waited until you yielded one step, then returned a few days later for another, and another, and yet another… until finally, you had staked your entire fortune! Trapped completely! At this point, Battle Heaven City had few choices left. They were already tied to the stake; what else could they do? Cut their losses now? That would leave them stranded on both sides with catastrophic losses. They might as well see this path through to the bitter end. "No time to lose… Let us… proceed!" Li Hao's smile was radiant. "In passing, we can purge all traitors and spies once and for all, returning Battle Heaven City to singleness of heart and ushering in an era of peace!" General Huai said no more, merely asking, "Governor Li, can Battle Heaven City… really enter? I worry the Dao Universe might repel it…" "It should be fine!" Li Hao nodded. "The Dao Universe is not excessively powerful right now, and it shares the same root as Neo-Martial, so the repulsive force has always been mild. Moreover, moving inside offers another benefit: everyone's Origin Path might subtly and gradually transform into the new Dao… Of course, if anyone is unwilling, they may actively sever the connection." Having reached this point, the Old Turtle deliberated no further, stating, "Then… let us relocate! However, if the disturbance is too great…" "It won't be. The commotion will be minimal; I shall lay down restrictions on all sides. Battle Heaven City is currently sealed off from the outside world, so no one will come probing." "Very well." After a brief discussion, the group swiftly commenced preparations. The City Lord Seal, the guardian formation, the activation of the city core… Preparations of every kind. Every time such a colossal city was activated, the energy consumed was staggering. Only because Li Hao had excavated the Heavenly Star Great Mine could Battle Heaven City even be set in motion. They prepared for a full day. On the second day, a deafening roar echoed across the lands as the massive city was swiftly compressed. High above, Li Hao tore open a fissure, his expression solemn. Transporting an entire ancient city was a first for him… The pressure weighed heavily upon him. Yet once successful, the outcome would be fundamentally altered! The Dao Universe imposed no suppression on strength. It would be equivalent to carrying an entire metropolis into battle with him! Furthermore, with the ancient city anchored there, the entire Bright Star Realm would possess fixed coordinates, capable of suppressing powerful foes and establishing a peerlessly formidable line of defense for the realm. At that moment, heaven and earth trembled. The great city slowly drifted upward, entering the void. …… At the same exact time. The other ancient cities. All of them trembled faintly, the vibrations subtle. Soon, an immense suction force surged from the direction of Boundless City. Within several ancient cities, furious curses erupted: "Boundless City… what the hell is it playing at! If it keeps devouring energy like this, we can forget about the second resurgence in this lifetime! What is going on?" "Here it goes again… Why don't we just devour energy too? Let no one revive, and we'll all just rot inside our main cities forever…" "Has Boundless City severed all connection with us? It feels like the remnants of the Qiankun Grand Formation have shattered entirely…" "Who knows?" "……" In city after city, some cursed, some sighed in helplessness, and some grieved. Meanwhile. Inside Jufeng City. Hong Chen frowned slightly, looking toward the void with a hint of doubt. Had Boundless City absorbed energy again, causing the eight main cities to tremble? Yet… Boundless City had just absorbed energy not long ago. The second resurgence had already been interrupted by Li Hao. To attempt revival again now… would merely drain the energy of heaven and earth, leaving the world even more fragile—hardly a good thing for the cultivation of the Silver Moon people. What was Li Hao trying to do? A faint unease settled into his heart. Just then, a messenger rushed in to report: "Lord, the King of the Great Desolation appears to have clashed with the desolate beasts. The desolate beasts have begun actively invading the Eastern Continent… What should we do now?" "They've launched an active invasion?" Hong Chen set aside his lingering unease and chuckled. "Continue to maintain contact with the King of the Great Desolation… and put some pressure on the desolate beasts as well… Above all, locate the Chaotic Will… We must seize absolute initiative! We must be able to halt the Desolation's invasion at any moment and shatter the chaos!" "Understood!" The messenger departed swiftly. Hong Chen fell silent once more. After a long while, he murmured, "Everything is progressing in the direction I desire, so why… am I growing increasingly uneasy?" Why was this happening? On Li Hao's side, though he had taken Boundless City and slain Zheng Gong, their casualties were reportedly severe. That was only natural; Zhang An had been confronting Hong Chen that day. Without Zhang An's aid, Li Hao would inevitably suffer grievous losses to kill Zheng Gong and the others. Why, then, was he so worried? Or was this unease coming not from Li Hao, but from someone else? Who could it be? The sealed Sovereign of the Red Moon? Or… certain individuals in Sword City? Or perhaps those fellows in the other ancient cities? Yet those people had only recently revived and possessed limited strength. He knew them well; none of them should be able to cause him significant trouble. …… At this moment, Hong Chen's heart was restless. And at this same moment, Ying Hongyue's expression was grim. The Three Great Organizations along with Haotian Divine Mountain had brought tens of thousands of transcendent experts to Dali, yet now, only a few thousand remained by his side. He considered himself cautious to the extreme, yet… he had still suffered heavy losses in Dali! Ever since Qian Wuliang arrived here, he had faced setback after setback. Now, seeing Mount Cang right before his eyes, traveling from north to west meant skirting along Mount Cang without needing to cross it. Yet Ying Hongyue once again felt an overwhelming sense of crisis. Beside him, Yama was already visibly agitated and losing control. Seeing Ying Hongyue halt, he gritted his teeth: "What are you standing around for? Aren't we going west? Move! Damn it, if we stay here any longer, my Yama members will be wiped out!" "Calm yourself…" "How can I calm down?" Yama's fury flared violently. "We've been pursued relentlessly! That pale-faced bastard is utterly insufferable, and you can't even kill him… If you ask me, let's fight him to the death right now! Can you really not kill him, or are you holding back, waiting for all of us to die before you make your move?" Ying Hongyue frowned deeply. This was not a good omen. In the past, the other leaders would never have questioned his decisions. Yet now… Yama was furious, while the Flying Sword Immortal and the Haotian Mountain Master remained dead silent. Clearly, they too had had enough of this life—fleeing east and west, endlessly on the run, suffering countless casualties! He looked toward Mount Cang, as if trying to peer through it, his expression growing ever more somber. Was it truly Qian Wuliang hunting him, or… was Li Hao watching him all along? He constantly felt that Li Hao had never given up on killing him; perhaps he had simply refrained from coming in person because he knew certain secrets. Now that he was heading west in search of an opportunity, Qian Wuliang had seen through it. Was Li Hao… watching all of this from the shadows as well? Back then in Silver City, that boy had been watched like a hawk by members of the Red Moon Organization. Now, he seemed to have grown unfathomably deep. A sense of unease and agitation stirred within his heart, alongside an indescribable feeling of dread. At this moment… he seemed to realize something. Was everything coming full circle? Back in Silver City, Li Hao must have felt the exact same way, hadn't he? Feeling as though someone was watching him every second of every day, threatening his life, orchestrating every step he took, while those around him died one by one—waiting in terror for death to claim him! And now, those very emotions were surfacing in his own mind! Yet… it seemed impossible to resist. Unless he truly risked his life. But Yama made it sound so simple; once he fought to the death and the seal was compromised, it wouldn't just be Li Hao's problem. He himself would be the very first to suffer catastrophe! As for Li Hao… Yuan Shuo was dead, so it was said! A sharp pang shot through his heart—a bizarre, terrifying dread. With Yuan Shuo dead, Li Hao had no more scruples. If the seal broke, would Li Hao… truly be that worried or afraid? Now, keeping the seal intact was the bottom line that he, the Moon Goddess, Hong Chen, and everyone else had to defend! Yet it was no longer Li Hao's bottom line! How absurdly laughable! Ying Hongyue murmured, "Killing Yuan Shuo… was the stupidest mistake they ever made!" The others looked at him in bewilderment. Who was he talking about? Ying Hongyue said no more, his voice dropping low: "Move, and stay alert. Qian Wuliang might try to intercept us. Be exceptionally careful, especially you, Yama!" With that, he sent a mental transmission: "Do not linger in battle; flee when necessary! Where there's life, there's hope! Even if we abandon all our subordinates… so long as we survive, there is still a chance. Never give them an opening! Li Hao has lost all restraint; someone has unleashed the demon within him. Damn them all!" The others were speechless! What did this have to do with Li Hao? Damn it, it was Qian Wuliang and the King of Dali pursuing them! Had Ying Hongyue lost his mind from rage? Li Hao hadn't even shown his face here! Yet Ying Hongyue spoke no further. It was Li Hao! At this moment, endless thoughts raced through his mind. Heading west to find the Moon Goddess was perhaps… exactly what that monster Li Hao wanted to see. He himself might not die, but those around him would likely perish one by one. Does he want me to taste fear, loneliness, and betrayal? Li Hao, you will not have your way!