Advancing to Dao Integration

The Bright Star Realm. Heaven and earth shuddered, and the cosmos trembled faintly. The fall of a Heavenly King was a great boon for the newborn Great Dao Universe, a perfection of its Great Dao. The Great Dao was even parsing and absorbing this fallen Heavenly King. At this moment, Li Hao and the others were all smiling. Though everyone was wounded, and Li Hao's physical body continued to tear apart, unable to endure the immense explosive force, he was still smiling. In this battle, they had faced numerous, powerful foes. Yet it had not been nearly as perilous as the battle of Boundless City. This was because Li Hao had planned this fight from beginning to end. Heaven, earth, and mankind had all been aligned on his side. Those who uphold the Dao find abundant support. The enemy had been strong, but in the end, they had been ground to death! Danger had certainly existed… but not despair. A smile lit Li Hao's eyes. He looked around at the scattered great stars. *Master, do you all see this?* *Back then, when we killed a few Saints, we were nearly wiped out. Now, we have slain a Heavenly King. Although we had the help of Neo-Martials… those Neo-Martials will soon be Silver Moon people.* *The Neo-Martials are no longer the dominant combat power.* *In this battle, I was the leader!* It was different. Before, they had gone begging others for help. In this battle, he had led them to hunt down the traitors… He was their core. Li Hao's smile grew radiant. After slaying a Heavenly King, the greatest change right now was not in raw power, but in his mindset. His heart had broadened. A Heavenly King was the pinnacle below Sovereigns. No matter what their prowess had been in ancient times, today was today. They were beings who could be killed. Li Hao did not care about the past; the present was what mattered. At that moment, his force began to manifest. He had relinquished the Great Dao, but his force remained, and his spirit remained. His force seemed to strengthen slightly. Within his body, some changes also appeared to be taking place. Li Hao could not perceive the exact nature of the change clearly, but he had a faint inkling. Perhaps… he was on the verge of stepping into the next stage. At the ninth level of Sun-Moon, he had already reached a peak. He seemed close to crossing over, to officially stepping into the next realm. Dao Integration! Yes, Dao Integration. He could feel that the thirty-six opened Dao meridians were currently merging, appearing to coalesce into a small sword. Once this small sword was complete, he would likely step officially into the Dao Integration realm. He would possess combat prowess that genuinely matched the Saint level. The late Sun-Moon stage typically fell between the peak Immortal Realm and the Saint level. Li Hao had been able to kill Saints because of his abundant methods, his numerous opened meridians, and the many Daos under his control. In reality, Director Zhao at the seventh level of Sun-Moon could not possibly rival a Saint, able to put up only a meager defense at best. Following Ten-Slayer, Hundred-Breaker, Thousand-Battler, Mountain-Sea, and Sun-Moon, Li Hao was on the verge of entering the next stage—official Dao Integration! What was Dao Integration? Dao Integration was the unification of the Great Dao. With non-elemental Dao meridians as the foundation, grounded in the thirty-six most fundamental Dao meridians, one completed a single cycle, opened all the meridians, and fused them into one, forming the embryonic form of a non-elemental divine ability. This was Dao Integration. Li Hao pondered this in his heart. Three hundred and sixty non-elemental Dao meridians could form a complete Sword Dao divine ability. In this era, reaching that stage would likely allow one to rival a Half-Emperor. *Does successfully fusing one cycle mean officially stepping into the Dao Integration realm? If Dao Integration also has nine levels, then meridians thirty-seven through seventy-two would be the second level, and seventy-three through one hundred and eight would be the third level, each corresponding to the three tiers of Saints.* *Opening the one hundred and ninth meridian would mark the fourth level of Dao Integration, comparable to a Heavenly King…* *Reaching two hundred and seventeen meridians would mean stepping into the seventh level, rivaling a Half-Emperor. Is that how it works?* Li Hao did not plan to divide the stages too minutely. Realms were arbitrary; all that mattered was matching combat prowess. Only upon reaching three hundred and sixty meridians would there be a monumental transformation. Therefore, this entire period should fall under the Dao Integration realm. Each level should integrate a complete cycle of Dao meridians. In that case, the seventh level of Dao Integration would match a Half-Emperor, and up to the ninth level, one would likely still rival a Half-Emperor without being able to surpass the threshold into the Sovereign realm. A Sovereign represented an immensely profound metamorphosis. At this moment, Li Hao had a faint revelation. A Sovereign… was terrifyingly powerful. One would need to completely fuse at least three hundred and sixty meridians to form a Sword Dao divine ability before having any hope of rivaling a Sovereign. Zheng Hongyuan, who had just been slain, had possessed the combat power of at least the fourth or fifth level of Dao Integration. As for Li Hao, although he was only at the ninth level of Sun-Moon, the combat strength he could unleash at his peak approached the third level of Dao Integration. Because he had forcibly opened so many Dao meridians and had the backing of the Great Dao Universe, his combat power had far outstripped his realm. It was only because the enemies he encountered had always been so terrifyingly strong that everyone overlooked this fact. The other Saints fell between the first and third levels of Dao Integration. Li Hao looked toward the Saints lying in the void. Among them, Li Fuhai was actually the strongest, likely possessing the strength of the second or third level of Dao Integration. Ninth Division Commander was barely at the first level. Old Turtle and General Locust were both around the second level. "Dao Integration Realm!" In that moment, Li Hao formally settled on the name for this realm. The entire Dao Integration Realm encompassed what used to be the Saint, Heavenly King, and Half-Emperor tiers. Li Hao could not be bothered to subdivide it further. Perhaps in the distant future, countless years from now when humanity's progress slowed, people would divide it into finer stages to give practitioners a sense of milestone. Otherwise, being stuck in the Dao Integration Realm for endless eras without visible progress could drive a person mad. Neo-Martial had been similar. Whether Saint, Heavenly King, or even Sovereign… all were marked by the depth of space they could shatter. In truth, grouping them into a single comprehensive realm was perfectly fine. Li Hao set the thought aside. All he knew was that he was about to formally step into the Dao Integration Realm. Through the crucible of this battle, thirty-six Dao meridians had begun to fuse. Once the process finished, he would have a basic Sword Dao divine ability. Perhaps a subtle metamorphosis would occur. It would be subtle only because it was the completion of a minor cycle, not the grand cycle. "Ten thousand victories!" Right then, the surrounding soldiers and monster plants began to cheer. Victory! A Heavenly King had been slain! When they looked at Li Hao now, their eyes burned with frantic fervor. Even during the peak of the Battle Heaven Army, they had never slain a Heavenly King. At its zenith, the Battle Heaven Army's commander had only been at the peak of the Saint path, not a Heavenly King. The City Lord of Battle Heaven City, the head of the Wang family, had only barely crossed into the Heavenly King Realm. In fact, the outside world did not even know this; they only knew that the Silver Moon world possessed a single Sovereign and a few peak Saints. There had been a gap in Heavenly Kings because most of them had been attempting to break through into the Sovereign realm or preparing for the Sovereign Tribulation! Yet today, they had slain a Heavenly King. A Heavenly King without an origin path was still a Heavenly King. Their opponent had lacked an origin path, and neither did Li Hao and his allies—even though Li Hao had never cultivated the origin path to begin with, the soldiers did not care about such distinctions. They were utterly ecstatic! Everyone was thrilled to the extreme. Killing this Heavenly King meant that Li Hao's faction had advanced to a new tier. From this moment forth, no main city, apart from Hong Chen's faction, could rival Li Hao! The world had formally entered a three-way standoff. Hong Chen's side, Red Moon's side, and Li Hao's side. From the initial chaos—with a hundred schools contending, countless powerhouses, ancient cities crisscrossing the land, and ruins everywhere—Silver Moon had now completely crystallized into a tripartite division. Furthermore, the Sovereign and Hong Chen were both severely constrained. Li Hao's side, originally the weakest, had ushered in a window of development. A faint smile appeared on Li Hao's face, and he said, "Tend to your injuries first and clean up the battlefield. I need to cultivate for a while!" With that, he slipped into the void and vanished. In the distance, a long river encircled heaven and earth. Li Hao dove into it and disappeared without a trace. Li Fuhai and the others exchanged glances, their eyes flickering. Li Hao… was likely about to advance. After fighting powerhouse after powerhouse in succession, slaying Saints and even a Heavenly King, his spirit, energy, and intent had reached a peak. At the ninth level of Sun-Moon, Li Hao was probably about to formally cross into the next realm. None of them spoke. After recovering slightly, they began cleaning up the battlefield. The wealth left behind by the death of a Heavenly King was immense. Leaving aside any treasures he carried, his flesh, bones, and energy were supreme treasures in their own right. Under normal circumstances, one rarely harvested the flesh and blood of a human. But in this era, with heaven and earth severed, and with the victim being a traitor—the only Heavenly King they had ever slain—who would care about such qualms? "Zheng Hongyuan is dead… and Zheng Gong was killed too… We are completely locked in a fight to the death with the Zheng family!" Old Turtle suddenly sighed. Of the Zheng family patriarch and his three sons, the eldest had gone outside. Either he had refused to collude with the three of them, or… he had been struck down by the Sword Venerable when he ventured out. Of the three who remained in the Silver Moon world, only Zheng Yu still lived. This third son of the Zheng family was likely Hong Chen. He, too, was a Heavenly King. He was even stronger than his father, which was terrifying. In an era where the origin path was cut off, he had advanced rapidly from the Immortal Realm all the way to Heavenly King, perhaps even Half-Emperor… It went without saying that Zheng Yu was extraordinarily gifted. Beside them, Li Fuhai stroked his broken horn in distress. Hearing this, he sneered, "So what? Are you afraid of that Zheng Yu? Zheng Hongyuan claimed his son possessed the bearings of a Great Emperor… If he were truly confident in surviving the Sovereign Tribulation, why would he scheme so much?" "If he were truly unmatched under heaven, he would have advanced to Sovereign back in the Neo-Martial era and marched out to battle the Red Moon Great World. He might have even reached greater depths as a Sovereign… But he acted in secret, clearly lacking the confidence. So there's nothing to fear from him." In any case, he was not afraid! What was there to fear from a coward who had dreaded the Sovereign Tribulation in the late Neo-Martial era and had not dared to face it? The Human King had not established the Sovereign Tribulation to extinguish the hopes of Neo-Martial. On the contrary, the Human King was a monarch of grand vision. So long as your character, strength, and capability were sufficient to survive the tribulation, he would even permit you to leave freely with all your energy and power. If you were capable enough, you could venture into other universes and live freely like the Sun God, unbound by anyone—not even the Human King would restrict you. If you lacked that ability… then you stayed obediently in the Neo-Martial world under the protection of the Human King and the others. Old Turtle sighed. "That may be true, but if Zheng Hongyuan was right, Zheng Yu might really have reached the Half-Emperor level. Regardless of his character, a Half-Emperor, no matter how deficient, is not someone we can face." That was indeed a fact. Li Fuhai nodded. Without the origin path, their progress was excruciatingly slow. Suddenly, Li Fuhai looked toward the starry world and said, "The origin path… has no future! Not that it's bad, but we can't draw upon the origin to cultivate right now. Are we supposed to rely on killing Saints and Heavenly Kings to cultivate? Killing one Heavenly King isn't even enough for one of us to advance once… On the other hand, this newborn Great Dao, this newborn universe, is growing…" At these words, everyone's hearts stirred. Old Turtle said softly, "We have no Dao meridians…" Were they supposed to copy Old Wang? Change physical bodies directly? "Tch!" Li Fuhai looked exasperated. "You really are thickheaded! So what if we don't have Dao meridians? That doesn't actually matter." "What do you mean?" "Dao meridians are merely connection points. We have our origin paths, and the origin path doesn't conflict with the new Dao. As long as we pierce through to the universe and establish a fixed channel, we can fabricate a great star of the Dao however we like and shove it into this river of stars… You can have whatever Dao you want!" He did not care much. As a descendant of Sovereigns, with two Sovereigns in his lineage, he was not like those young disciples from Yuanping Martial Arts University. He was a Sea Suppressing Emissary. Out of all the monster clans, being able to secure the position of Silver Moon's Sea Suppressing Emissary meant he was no ordinary figure. Li Fuhai was vastly experienced and knowledgeable. He continued, "Take the fire element, for example. You use your origin path to pierce into the fire region, forge a fire-element great star, and since the universe is newborn, the rejection won't be strong. Once it operates for a while, it becomes your fire-element Great Dao!" "Once the Great Dao Universe grows strong, we won't have the chance anymore, because by then, a mature universe will reject foreign matter…" He added, "To give an analogy: when a turtle is small and young, if you shove a ball into its backside and it grows into the flesh, it'll grow up thinking it was born that way… But once it's fully grown, if you try to shove a ball in, won't it bite you to death?" "…" Old Turtle did not want to dignify that with a response. Why bring him into it? He had not provoked the beast, and that analogy was absolute garbage! He possessed great seniority, but Li Fuhai's background was just as distinguished, boasting two Sovereigns—or arguably three—in his lineage. Old Turtle could not afford to offend him. How could the spirit of a divine weapon compare to such a fellow? Thus, he could only accept it in helpless silence. Li Fuhai looked at the others again. "Right now, we are still Saints, with respectable combat strength and solid Daos. Forcibly inserting ourselves into the Great Dao Universe is still viable! In the future, once the Great Dao grows stronger, we won't be able to force our way in… Then our only option would be to reforge our physical bodies and become humans of the new era. That means starting from scratch. Although we'd advance faster than others, recovering Saint-level combat strength would require cultivating to the stage after Sun-Moon… How much time do you think that would waste?" The others sank into deep contemplation. Li Fuhai chuckled, unbothered, muttering, "A bunch of ignorant youngsters. No wonder you were relegated to being minor lackeys in a backwater like Silver Moon…" The group was speechless. Ninth Division Commander was not intimidated. Frowning, he said in a deep voice, "Senior… you are in Silver Moon as well!" Li Fuhai laughed. "It's different! Naturally, I don't mean your Li family. My purpose in coming to Silver Moon was different. I wasn't banished here, nor was I out of options. I came because this new world was brimming with opportunity! I wanted to become the king of the monster clan here! Complementing the Sword Venerable, once he became the World Master, I would secure the title of Monster King and snag the rank of pseudo-emperor… Alas, the Sword Venerable never devoured the world, so I gained nothing. What a massive loss." He felt immense regret, lamenting, "What do you youngsters know? Back then, to secure this post, two Sovereigns from my Water Force Divine Clan personally came forward. They pleaded my case with the Human King, the Cang Emperor, the Supreme Being, the Southern Emperor, and several other supreme experts! They even paid the Sword Venerable a massive sum of resources… Otherwise, the Sword Venerable would have nearly starved to death! And in the end, I got nothing. A disastrous loss!" At this, he grinned again. "Fortunately, there's still a chance!" Ninth Division Commander froze. *You paid a bribe? How come I never heard about this?* Of course, that had been a transaction between Sovereigns; it was completely normal for him not to know. Who would have thought? While others had been unwilling to come to this desolate land, the Water Force family had gone so far as to enlist the Human King, the Cang Emperor, and the Supreme Being just to send someone here. That was truly extraordinary. The Sword Venerable would certainly have had to give them face. Li Fuhai was utterly arrogant, but he had the qualifications to be arrogant before them. Seeing them struck dumb, he continued, "The opportunity is right in front of you, yet you hesitate instead of seizing it. How can you accomplish anything? A bunch of foolish fellows! Origin path, internal world, new Dao, old Dao, Neo-Martial, Beginning Martial… what does it really matter? Even if you cultivate the Red Moon path, so long as you turn around and strike Red Moon when it counts, the Human King will still praise you for a job well done!" "During the Neo-Martial era, weren't there Beginning Martial powerhouses and origin path powerhouses side by side? The Sword Venerable was even more of an outlier, cultivating no established path at all, unifying myriad Daos into one. Did that stop him from doing whatever he pleased?" Ninth Division Commander raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Li family's path is still considered an origin path…" "Bullshit!" Li Fuhai showed no courtesy whatsoever. He had no need to show reverence to this junior and cursed bluntly: "The Sword Venerable didn't cultivate any damned origin path! Long ago, he swallowed the Dao into his belly: 'Three Gates and one bridge enter my belly; in all the world, there is only the Longevity Sword!' He carved out a unique Great Dao long ago, returning all mighty power to himself. It might be a new Dao universe, or he might have become a universe unto himself… Why was the Sword Venerable always unwilling to devour Silver Moon? Perhaps he felt there was no need; he might have been nurturing the Great Dao of a universe within his own body. Do you understand?" Ninth Division Commander was stunned, as were the others. *What?* *Nurturing a universe within himself?* *How could that be possible?* Li Fuhai could not be bothered to say more. Turning his head toward the monster plants lying across the ground, he called out, "Hey… little Redwood, do you have any thoughts?" Far away, the Redwood Tree immediately responded, "I shall follow the Marquis's every command!" *Damn you! An even bigger suck-up than me. You've got a bright future!* Li Fuhai chose not to speak further. Closing his eyes in thought, he quickly began healing his wounds while planning his next move: he had to switch Daos as soon as possible. While there were still few people around, which territory should he claim? He possessed a sharp eye! The River of the Great Dao did not have many Daos yet and remained incomplete. He had to pick a domain and become its master. The Five Elements… He actually wanted the water element, but he knew water had likely been claimed by Li Hao's direct subordinates. That wouldn't do; if he took water, he would have to share it in the future, and he might not even get the lion's share. Blades, spears, swords, halberds—he wasn't skilled in any of those. Wind, lightning, light, darkness… Those wouldn't work either; people under Li Hao already cultivated those elemental divine abilities. Various thoughts flashed through his mind as he looked toward the Great Dao regions along the river. After a long while, an idea struck him. It did not matter which region Li Hao occupied; a person like Li Hao would never restrict himself to a single domain, but would oversee the whole. As for the monster clan… and for himself, other fields were not his specialty, and cultivating them might not go smoothly. *What about… the physical body?* *Yes, the physical body!* In a flash, he vanished, reappearing in a tiny domain. At present, very few people cultivated the physical body Dao—only a few direct subordinates. Throughout the entire river, this physical body region glowed with a faint milky-white light, with very few stars. And they were all tiny. The only slightly larger star belonged to Li Hao himself. The others… were minuscule. This region was far inferior to the Five Elements, inferior to the other elemental divine abilities, and even inferior to the blade and sword domains. Yet Li Fuhai's eyes sparkled with delight. For the monster clan, this place was wonderful! The physical body was bound to become a mainstream path in the future. Even if not everyone made a powerful physical body their primary goal, everyone cared about having physical strength. If he claimed the physical body region… and became the sovereign of this path, that would be a true opportunity. He glanced sneakily behind him. Those fools probably hadn't thought this far ahead yet. Young Nine of the Li family had practiced the sword until his brain was numb; he probably hadn't thought about this, and even if he did, he would aim for the Sword Dao. The Sword Dao was formidable, but too many people practiced it. A whole crowd of Li Hao's direct subordinates were sword cultivators. As of now, hardly anyone was qualified to compete with him for the physical body Dao. *This place… is mine!* Paying no heed to anything else, he began gathering power of the Great Dao and condensing the stray milky-white physical body energy to forge his own star. Though he had not officially switched Daos yet, he could prepare the groundwork. The moment Li Hao emerged from secluded cultivation, he would announce his intention to switch, instantly link his star, and transfer over to the new Dao. Fortune favored the prepared beast. While he was busy, another figure—or rather, monster—appeared in a region thick with life force. Looking toward the old buffalo, Redwood transformed into human shape and said with an ingratiating, humble smile, "Lord Emissary, what do you think… if I choose this life region?" The old buffalo marveled inwardly. *A true talent of the monster plant line.* General Locust, by contrast, was a pity—he didn't seem nearly as clever as this fellow. *What a waste of your ancestor's service to King Locust!* "If you choose this… it's certainly a good place. The Dao of Life is extremely important in any era. Consider for yourself whether anyone will compete with you for it, and whether you can beat them…" Redwood pondered. He glanced into the distance where Di Wei was still foolishly doing manual labor. That fellow was too green and a bit dim. Yet… he was the first ancient powerhouse to support Li Hao. If Redwood seized this life region, Li Hao might not intervene, but he might allow Di Wei to take root here as well. In the future, would they have to share the life region? How could sharing between two compare to reigning supreme alone? For monster plants, the choices were either the Dao of Life or the Wood Dao. But the Five Elements had too many cultivators, whereas the Dao of Life currently seemed unclaimed. He felt conflicted and hesitant. He might not necessarily lose to Di Wei in a contest… but competing might cause complications. "Senior… could you offer some guidance? The monster plant line has never had truly supreme experts. As fellow members of the monster race, I hope you can guide me in the days ahead. Humanity has always held the orthodox position in heaven and earth, and our monster race will not contest that. But if our race grows strong, we will still have a place to stand…" Seeing that Redwood possessed some savvy, Li Fuhai was somewhat surprised. For a wild monster plant to have such insight was not easy; monster plants were infamous for having wooden heads, so finding a sharp mind among them was rare. He considered it. Many monster plants were bound to fight over the life path, and humans would compete for it as well, since it was a major system. "I suggest you pick something else, something people aren't paying much attention to… yet still suitable for monster plants. For example… Chaos!" "What?" Redwood was taken aback. What chaos? "Haven't you noticed that a Chaos system has already emerged? Barely anyone pays it any mind right now, treating it as the exclusive domain of desolate beasts… But let me tell you, out in the cosmic void, there exist terrifyingly powerful desolate beasts. A single one can rival a World Master, taking root in the cosmos, taking root in chaos, incomparably mighty! My grandfather once ventured beyond the Neo-Martial realm into the cosmos and had the fortune to encounter a Chaos Tree roaming the stars! For your monster plant line, taking root in the chaotic cosmos is a perfect match! Monster plants have tremendous potential!" "Of course, it's a gamble! You're betting that our side can venture out into the cosmos. Otherwise… whether in a minor world or a great world, your prospects will be limited. But if you gamble and we make it out of this world into the cosmos… hah, then it'll be extraordinary! Your chance will have come! With you in command of Chaos, rooted in Chaos, not even a Life Tree or a Wood Dao Tree could compare to a Chaos Tree!" Redwood's heart stirred. A gamble! Gamble that Li Hao could leave Silver Moon, step beyond this small world, and even roam the chaos. When that happened, if he controlled Chaos, his opportunity would arrive… Yet that seemed so distant. He glanced at Li Fuhai. The life system and wood system were truly the most suitable for monster plants. Was this senior giving genuine advice, or merely trying to suppress him? Still, what he said made sense. Right now, no one cared about the Chaos system; Redwood hadn't even known that a Chaos Great Dao had formed. At this stage, nobody would fight him for it, as no one had contact with it. As for the King of Dahuang, he had touched upon it slightly, but he wasn't considered a core subordinate. Even if the King truly surrendered and cultivated the Chaos path, he would merely be Redwood's vassal. Thoughts raced through his mind, and he struggled with the decision. In truth, he had only wanted to live comfortably as a grand figure within this small world… But choosing Chaos meant he had to hope and yearn that Li Hao would go far, taking the Great Dao beyond heaven and earth, out of this world entirely! The life system… he truly desired it. Yet looking over at Di Wei again… that simple-minded fellow had arrived earlier than him, leaving Redwood with little advantage. As a clever tree, he knew that in certain situations, winning was difficult. It wasn't a matter of strength, but of loyalty and sentiment. After weighing it repeatedly, he made his decision: "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. I shall go take a look near the Chaos system…" "You have a bright future!" Li Fuhai chuckled. Of course, this required betting that Li Hao could leave this world and strike down the Sovereign; otherwise, the Chaos system in this world would definitely be inferior to the others. Li Fuhai hadn't chosen it himself because the physical body Dao was already exceptional. The Chaos system was too much of a gamble! It was better suited for the monster plant line, whose strength was a notch lower and who yearned to make a name for themselves. If it succeeded, the monster plants would reap vast rewards; if it failed, they wouldn't lose much. Besides, Redwood was not the only monster plant. Without another word, Redwood swiftly vanished. Instead of heading straight for the Chaos system, he went to find Di Wei to do him a favor, introducing him to the life region so Di Wei could prepare to switch Daos. Although monster plants lacked Dao meridians, they could connect to a region through their origin paths and manually forge stars. Just as Li Fuhai had said, taking advantage of the Great Dao while it was still weak would allow them to integrate seamlessly as it grew. After guiding Di Wei to the life region, Redwood vanished once more, setting off to search for the feeble Chaos system. Currently, Li Hao was probably the only person in heaven and earth who cultivated the new Dao's Chaos. Within this long river, it was likely just an insignificant, barely noticeable trickle. Finding it would be difficult, and it appeared completely devoid of promise. That meant no one would compete with him for it. …… At this moment, the monster race had sprung into action. Ninth Division Commander and the others also fell into contemplation. After an unknown amount of time, Old Turtle suddenly said, "Earlier, a great star appeared in the depths of the universe. That should have been a powerhouse who cultivates the new Dao. Judging by the strength… it was a Saint, and no ordinary Saint at that!" In the final moments of the battle, that great star had descended to suppress their foe, displaying tremendous power. At least a Saint! That person was also an expert of the new Dao. Yet Li Hao hadn't seemed aware. What did that signify? It meant that person had completed the grafting of the Dao origin on their own. Who could it be? Knowledgeable about the new Dao, knowing how to perform the grafting, and possessing Saint-level combat strength… In truth, they all had an inkling, though it was hard to believe. When had that fellow completed the Great Dao grafting? Ninth Division Commander nodded. Everyone had guessed it, but none voiced it aloud. There was no need to say more. If that person hadn't spoken up, they likely had their own reasons. Ninth Division Commander asked, "What the Sea Suppressing Emissary said just now… what do the two of you think?" General Locust considered for a moment, then replied, "It makes sense. Whether the new Dao or the old Dao, the purpose is to strengthen oneself. So long as one's heart remains true, there is no need to be constrained by form. I… I agree with this. In this era, the limitations of the origin path are simply too severe!" Clearly, he supported the idea. Old Turtle sighed and concurred, "I also suggest… while the new Dao universe is still weak, we switch over first. Otherwise, once the new Dao universe grows strong and grafting becomes impossible, we will be in trouble!" This time, even a Heavenly King had perished here. They all felt… that perhaps it was time for a change. The limitations of the origin path had fully shown themselves. Without the support of the origin and a continuous influx of origin power, even a Heavenly King's stamina was mediocre, and recovering after a single battle took ages—just as they were experiencing now. Yet Li Hao and his people recovered with remarkable speed. Why? The Great Dao Universe was right here! All they needed to do was draw upon the power of the Great Dao! Ninth Division Commander pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Once he emerges… we will discuss it." None of them spoke further, falling into silence. The cities had surrendered, the soldiers had surrendered, and the people had surrendered. Now… even their Great Dao was surrendering. Having come this far… so be it! …… At this moment, Li Hao was naturally unaware of their thoughts. Within his body, thirty-six Dao meridians were rapidly fusing. Gradually, a sword took shape. It seemed entirely tangible! Thirty-six Dao meridians, like thirty-six great dragons, merged one by one instead of remaining separate, continuously strengthening Li Hao's physical body, vitality, bones, and flesh. This small sword swam through his body. Li Hao felt his strength shifting! Surge after surge of formidable sword intent spilled outward. *Rumble!* A thunderous roar erupted, and the Great Dao Universe seemed to tremble faintly. In this moment, a new realm was born! Li Hao was the first new Dao expert to formally step into the Dao Integration level. As for that great star from before, though powerful, it had not truly reached the Dao Integration realm; its user had simply possessed formidable combat strength to begin with, which amplified the divine ability of their own path after transferring over. "This realm… Dao Integration Realm!" Li Hao murmured. At that instant, the River of the Great Dao vibrated, and Li Hao's voice seemed to imprint itself upon every star. In that single breath, every powerhouse who had opened Dao meridians and possessed a natal star—meaning every cultivator at the Mountain-Sea level—felt a thought surface in their mind: *Dao Integration!* *After Sun-Moon comes Dao Integration.* *Someone has stepped into the Dao Integration realm.* Every Mountain-Sea expert was shaken. This world had birthed its first Dao Integration powerhouse! …… The Silver Moon world. The anxious crowds suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Someone gasped, "The Marquis… has advanced to Dao Integration!" They knew it had to be Li Hao. As for why it was happening, who knew? Perhaps the Marquis's control over the Great Dao had deepened. Everyone was put at ease. Not only was the Marquis alive, but he had also broken through into the Dao Integration realm, officially entering a stage comparable to Saints. A cause for tremendous celebration! …… At the same time. In the west. Ying Hongyue and his retinue halted. Ying Hongyue looked up at the sky, his expression shifting as he muttered, "Dao Integration…" Beside him, the Flying Sword Immortal and the others wore deeply conflicted expressions. They, too, cultivated the new Dao. Consequently, they had opened Dao meridians. They, too, had heard that ethereal voice carrying the will of heaven: *After Sun-Moon comes Dao Integration!* Someone had stepped into Dao Integration! It had to be Li Hao! Terrifying! Presently, they were by no means weak. Several leaders had reached the Sun-Moon realm. Yet Sun-Moon required opening thirty-six meridians, beginning from the tenth and stretching all the way to the thirty-sixth before one could reach Dao Integration. How difficult was it to achieve Dao Integration? How long had Li Hao been cultivating? Yet now, he had stepped into Dao Integration, reaching a point where his breakthrough resonated with everyone. It was utterly terrifying. …… Not far from them, several gods underwent a sudden, drastic change in expression. *Dao Integration!* Gods were born of natural Great Daos. Now, they too heard the voice echoing from the cosmic void. The new Dao had evolved; Sun-Moon was no longer the limit—Dao Integration was the new ceiling! Even heaven and earth began to quake. When the Heavenly King died earlier, heaven and earth had trembled as if rejoicing. Now, with the birth of a Dao Integration cultivator, heaven and earth shook once more, and the heavenly will swept across the four directions. The Moon God, who had previously enjoyed the favor of heavenly will, saw her expression flicker drastically. Because… she felt the heavenly will abandoning her. Heavenly will was a pragmatic entity. Now that the heavenly path had changed and someone had outpaced everyone else, advancing rapidly to become a Dao Integration powerhouse, he was likely the first Saint born of the new Dao. As for the gods, they merely possessed strong native meridians and were not pure cultivators of the Saint path. How could the heavenly will not abandon them now? Clearly, the heavenly will was thoroughly pragmatic. The King of Dali in the north was likely suffering the same fate, with the heavenly will departing from him. "Dao Integration…" the Moon God murmured, gritting her teeth. "He actually advanced again… So fast… What's more, with his entry into Dao Integration, heaven and earth have stabilized further. Before, the world was far more fragile, but now it seems to have restored to its previous state. Is he no longer afraid?" With Li Hao's breakthrough, heaven and earth seemed to stabilize alongside him. Coupled with the dissipation of much of the chaos in the Great Desolation, Li Hao… no longer seemed as wary as before. His decision to advance was proof. Li Hao represented the ceiling of combat power for the new Dao. As a result, just like before, the clones of ancient figures could emerge, including Hong Chen's. And in terms of combat power, even if they could not match Li Hao, some Immortals might be able to emerge in their true bodies. Saints might still face restrictions, but peak Immortals might be able to step out directly from the ruins. Was Li Hao… no longer holding himself back? Why? Was he so confident he could handle those Immortals? Although Li Hao had killed Saints before… his slaughter of the Divine Kingdom's Saints had relied on trickery. The Moon God pondered this, her expression growing increasingly complicated. Now that this man had stepped into Dao Integration, could she ever take revenge? More critically, he controlled the Great Dao Universe, while the gods were still exploring it without deep understanding. If this continued, once he located their natal stars within the Great Dao Universe, he might be able to strike them dead across the void! …… On this day, nearly every cultivator of the new Dao felt something. Even those who did not hear the voice found their cultivation proceeding noticeably smoother. With the dissipation of some chaos and the death of several Saints, ambient energy flooded outward, suddenly enriching the world's energy reserves and making cultivation easier for many. People broke through their acupoints in rapid succession. Though they did not understand the underlying cause, some attributed it to Commander Li relocating cities and preparing to unify the five continents. Overnight, Li Hao was deified even further. …… Silver City. High above. Within the seal beneath the Star Gate, an ancient entity snapped open its eyes, murmuring, "Has heaven and earth resumed its resurgence? Excellent!" Previously, the resurgence of heaven and earth had been interrupted. Now, it had restarted. As heaven and earth revived and energy was unleashed, the seal would grow increasingly fragile. A second resurgence might not completely shatter the seal, but a third resurgence likely would. The Red Moon Sovereign smiled faintly, though his expression soon turned peculiar. The Red Moon power within the Silver Moon world… had weakened considerably compared to before. That Li Hao truly seemed capable of eliminating Red Moon power. This person could not be allowed to live!