Western Continent.
Li Hao attacked relentlessly.
A formidable sword intent enveloped the surroundings.
At that moment, the concentration of energy between heaven and earth climbed higher. Inside Ying Hongyue, power steadily mounted as well, yet he looked battered and disheveled, his expression exceptionally grave.
Li Hao was playing for keeps!
According to Ying Hongyue's previous assumption, Li Hao would not actually kill him. Li Hao was a smart man, and the smarter a person was, the less likely he would be to take his life. Why had everything changed?
Boom!
A sword pierced through heaven and earth. Ying Hongyue's expression shifted, and in an instant, a long whip traversed the void—the Zheng family's nine-section whip.
Bang!
The whip was swatted away. Behind him, Li Hao reached out and grabbed it. The whip struggled violently, but Li Hao held it firmly in his grasp.
Of the eight families' divine weapons, the Wind-Chasing Boots, Zhang family stone saber, Starry Sky Sword, and Hong family hammer had all been broken by Li Hao. As for the remaining Zheng family nine-section whip, Wang family Black Tortoise Armor, Zhao family gauntlets, and Zhou family spear, all except the Black Tortoise Armor were in Ying Hongyue's possession.
Now that Li Hao firmly seized the nine-section whip, it bought Ying Hongyue a moment to flee rapidly.
Ahead of him, the Queen ran even faster than he did.
Ying Hongyue's expression flickered as he continued to flee. With lingering confusion, he looked back at Li Hao. Was this an act... or the real thing?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, dazzling radiance suddenly manifested across heaven and earth.
In that instant, countless silhouettes of Li Hao emerged. Divine characters transformed into copies of Li Hao, gathering all kinds of divine abilities. Li Hao's vital blood surged to the heavens. With a harsh bellow and a tremendous crash, he shattered the Zheng family's nine-section whip directly, instantly fusing its fragments into the broken Starry Sky Sword.
He slashed out with his sword!
Boom!
A cataclysmic rumble resounded.
Simultaneously, Ying Hongyue's body convulsed as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Above Silver City, within the Eight Trigrams diagram, the trigram belonging to the Zheng family instantly dimmed.
Right at that moment, inside Hurricane City.
Another avatar of Zheng Yu materialized, instantly turning into vital blood and merging into the Eight Trigrams diagram. Zheng Yu's expression inside the city turned grim.
Li Hao... was truly determined to kill Ying Hongyue, and he was dead set on breaking the seal.
Having broken several divine weapons earlier, Li Hao had to know that every shattered weapon offered an opportunity to weaken the seal.
Yet even at this stage, Li Hao was still smashing them.
This could only mean that Li Hao had truly gone mad!
...
Ying Hongyue also completely abandoned the notion that Li Hao wouldn't kill him.
He would!
At this moment, Ying Hongyue didn't roar or despair. He only grew exceptionally grave as he fled at top speed, still carrying the Flying Sword Immortal and the Haotian Mountain Master. Even now, he didn't abandon the two of them.
His eight bloodlines violently churned.
Li Hao had actually destroyed the Zheng family's nine-section whip.
He must know what kind of repercussions breaking divine weapons would cause right now.
...
Behind him.
Having shattered the nine-section whip, Li Hao smiled and murmured softly, "Ying Hongyue, you still have the Zhao family's gauntlets and the Zhou family's spear. Why not bring them all out? By the way, you've taken such good care of the Flying Sword Immortal and Haotian... when do you plan on taking their lives?"
The two held by Ying Hongyue shifted uncomfortably, their expressions changing slightly.
Ying Hongyue vanished into the void, his voice drifting ethereally: "Li Hao, you'll really resort to any means just to kill me. Why would I want to kill the two of them?"
Li Hao pursued without haste.
He said softly, "How should I know? All I know is that you, a lustful demon who doesn't even care when your own women die, would bother carrying dead weight around? All I know is that both of them participated in the first revival alongside you... and were corrupted by Red Moon powerhouses..."
"All I know is that the Three Great Organizations are cut from the same cloth—or rather, four organizations!"
"I also know that their constitutions must have been altered when they took part in that past revival, perhaps making them better suited to store Red Moon power. Too much Red Moon power would cause you to lose control... yet at crucial moments, it can save your life."
"Are the two of them your storage vessels for Red Moon power? Or am I overthinking it, and you've simply fallen in love with them?"
As soon as these words were uttered, the expressions of both individuals changed drastically.
Ying Hongyue, however, remained composed, his tone as placid as ever: "Li Hao, give a dog a bad name and hang him. You're thinking too much. The two of them only possess mid Sun-Moon power. How much Red Moon power could they store? Isn't using them as storage vessels underestimating me a bit too much?"
Li Hao's eyes flickered. That was true.
The two did possess Red Moon power, but not nearly as dense as one would imagine.
Yet he couldn't figure out why Ying Hongyue insisted on keeping them along.
He had previously guessed that Ying Hongyue might use them as vessels to siphon Red Moon power from at a critical juncture, but had he guessed wrong?
Ying Hongyue's explanation wasn't unreasonable.
Of course, Li Hao was certain these two served a purpose. As for what that purpose was, he wasn't a god and couldn't know everything—not that a god could either.
He couldn't be bothered to guess.
If he kept hunting Ying Hongyue down to a dead end, Ying Hongyue would inevitably activate whatever it was.
The void shattered once more.
Li Hao grew faster and faster.
Ying Hongyue's figure turned illusory as his speed climbed as well, catching up to the Queen. Seeing him draw near, the Queen's expression shifted, and she immediately wanted to veer away from him.
Li Hao's desire to kill Ying Hongyue was far greater than his desire to kill her.
The moment the thought surfaced, Ying Hongyue transmitted his voice: "Don't run! Joining forces, we can hold out for a while longer. Barring any surprises, reinforcements will arrive shortly to save us. If we split up... that's when we truly die! Li Hao is genuinely trying to kill us right now... there will be no mercy!"
The Queen wavered.
Ying Hongyue added, "Keep mobilizing the power of the Silver Moon. The Silver Moon is the foundation of the entire world, and its power is boundless! With the power of the Queen, if you truly achieve full revival, back in the day only a Sovereign could kill you... It won't be that easy for Li Hao to kill us!"
With that, he glanced back and felt a jolt in his heart. Li Hao was merely feet away!
A surge of shock swept through Ying Hongyue. Suddenly, an Eight Trigrams diagram manifested like a seal. Eight streams of vital blood surged as a wave of Red Moon power spilled forth, hurtling straight toward Li Hao!
Li Hao swung his sword. With a resounding crash, the Eight Trigrams diagram shook violently, yet it did not break.
The diagram descended directly toward Li Hao to envelop him.
Simultaneously, the Silver Moon power within the Queen surged. Letting out a furious roar, she thrust a scepter through the void, smashing it straight at Li Hao with a deafening bang. Li Hao threw a punch, sending the scepter flying back, though the impact caused him to stagger slightly. In the next instant, the Eight Trigrams diagram descended once more to seal him.
"Impressive methods!"
Li Hao felt a trace of surprise. It was a simplified version of the Heaven and Earth Eight Trigrams Array.
Back in the day, that array had been used to seal Sovereigns.
Ying Hongyue actually possessed such a trick.
Boom!
At that moment, a massive city bore down from above. The words "Battle Heaven" shone brightly as if descending directly from the Great Dao universe. With an earth-shattering boom, the Eight Trigrams diagram shattered completely!
Ying Hongyue vomited blood continuously, his expression truly turning pale.
This Eight Trigrams diagram had taken years of painstaking effort to forge.
Earlier, Li Hao had been blocked by it and had even failed to break it with a single strike, proving its strength. Yet Battle Heaven City had descended and crushed it to pieces in an instant!
"Li Hao!"
Ying Hongyue's voice turned cold. "I suspect you might know something. But killing me... can you truly pull it off? You and I are both pawns... We should have joined hands..."
"No, no, no. I'm not a pawn, you are. I'm the disruptor!"
Li Hao chuckled. "Since I've decided to disrupt the board, killing you will certainly make things far more interesting. I also want to see what consequences follow your death. And I want to know if you feel even the slightest regret for murdering my parents and friends—regret that you didn't kill me sooner instead of waiting until now."
Ying Hongyue realized there was nothing left to say to Li Hao.
With Yuan Shuo dead, this man had become entirely unreasonable.
The Li Hao of the past possessed wisdom—great wisdom. He could see through many things and had plans; he would never take such reckless risks. If he truly came to kill Ying Hongyue, he might release the Sovereign.
Yet the current Li Hao... simply didn't seem to care.
When dealing with someone who didn't care, words were useless.
Once the Eight Trigrams diagram shattered, Ying Hongyue stopped fighting back and focused entirely on fleeing.
The Queen, on the other hand, had the inclination to retaliate. Sensing the immense Silver Moon power inside her, she turned back and struck several times with terrifying might, faintly approaching the power of the Saint path.
Yet this was hardly Li Hao's first time slaying Saints.
He had fought intense battles against Heavenly Kings!
Inside Battle Heaven City, two Saints were currently stationed. Even if she possessed the power of a Saint, so what?
"Break!"
With a low cry, the void shuddered. A bright moon seemed to plummet from the heavens, hurled toward Li Hao through the Queen's hands. It suppressed heaven and earth and locked down the surroundings, even sealing the entrance to the Great Dao universe as if attempting to bottle it up.
Li Hao looked up toward the sky.
Was this the Queen's technique, or... was someone merely using her hands?
Formidable!
Suddenly, heaven's will churned. From all directions, heaven's will roiled and crushed down upon that bright moon. Li Hao muttered softly, "Slay the fiends and empower the world. Heaven and earth of this realm, lend me your aid!"
Boom!
Heaven's will roiled in all directions, shattering the phantom of the Silver Moon. The Queen coughed up a spray of silver blood, her eyes filled with disbelief. She had been surprised by how terrifyingly powerful that strike was just moments ago.
Yet Li Hao had suppressed it directly!
Not only that, but the portion of heaven's will that had favored her seemed to sense an even greater power of heaven's will. It seemed to deem Li Hao a more worthy investment. At this moment, heaven's will began abandoning her, turning toward Li Hao.
Heaven's will was muddle-headed and nascent.
Thus, it was divided into many fragments rather than unified as one. Traces of heaven's will existed all across the world—a collective whole yet dispersed into countless individuals.
Li Hao had gathered the largest piece.
The Queen had actually gathered quite a bit as well, but now it was steadily drifting away and merging into Li Hao. Her repeated clashes with Li Hao and repeated defeats had made heaven's will decide that she was unreliable.
Li Hao glanced at it, then looked up at the sky once more.
Heaven's will was gathering toward him!
In truth, this wasn't necessarily a good thing. Gathering it in one place might be playing right into a certain someone's hands.
But it didn't matter!
Before you make your move, I will capture all of this heaven's will.
Right now, perhaps you're pleased to see this happen. The more mature heaven's will becomes and the more it gathers together, the easier it is to capture, right?
Just then, Li Hao snapped his gaze toward the distance.
Powerful auras surged, piercing heaven and earth.
Someone was coming!
Heaven and earth were in turmoil.
Having revived slightly, the realm was now capable of accommodating the Saint path, and Zheng Yu couldn't wait to send reinforcements.
He was certainly eager!
It seemed he considered the Silver Moon his property, and breaking the seal would cost him the most.
Ying Hongyue and the others sensed the auras as well, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Reinforcements were here!
If help hadn't arrived, the two of them truly wouldn't have lasted. Li Hao was far stronger than anticipated; he was definitely no ordinary Dao Integration cultivator, and was far more troublesome than even mid-to-late stage Saints.
"Li Hao... it seems you aren't capable of killing us after all!"
The Queen turned back, her face icy. "You aren't all that either!"
A faint smile appeared on Li Hao's face. He glanced into the distance where the void fractured. In an instant, several figures carrying the momentum of heaven and earth and the intent to suppress the realm rushed toward them.
One, two, three...
Li Hao's eyes flickered. So many.
Nine of them!
The leader was likely an avatar of Zheng Yu. Now that heaven and earth had stabilized considerably, his avatar dared to step outside.
He possessed half-step Sovereign strength. Even if his avatar was only at the early Saint stage, it might prove more troublesome than ordinary late-stage Saints.
Such was the might of a true powerhouse!
Nine Saints, plus Ying Hongyue and the Queen, who were no weaker than Saints...
Faced with such strength, Li Hao would be outmatched and might even be counter-killed.
The Queen spoke now deliberately to provoke him, hoping he wouldn't run. She had been chased so miserably just moments ago; if Li Hao didn't leave, they would have a chance to turn the tables, kill him, and avenge their humiliation in mere moments!
Li Hao glanced into the distance. Perhaps exposing Li Daoheng was a good idea, perhaps it would alert Zheng Yu...
Yet Zheng Yu was arrogant beyond measure; he might not believe it. In fact, he most likely wouldn't.
At that point, the trouble would fall on Li Hao.
Li Daoheng probably wouldn't appreciate anyone revealing the rules of the game ahead of time, would he?
Moreover, it would disrupt his own plans.
Thus, there was nothing to say to Zheng Yu.
Should he leave?
He hadn't reaped enough benefits yet.
He glanced at the Starry Sky Sword in his hand. Originally broken into many fragments, it had recovered significantly, and after devouring the nine-section whip, it had recovered even more.
Li Hao said nothing.
At this moment, more than ten copies of Li Hao materialized around him. Li Hao murmured softly, "Cultivators of the new Dao across the world, lend me your strength!"
At this instant, a profound tremor rippled through heaven and earth.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the minds of countless new Dao cultivators—even including Ying Hongyue and his companions. It was Li Hao, his majestic voice echoing across heaven and earth:
"Lend me your strength!"
At this moment, how many people cultivated the new Dao?
Far more than tens of millions—at least a billion people were practicing it!
And countless people had opened their meridians.
Li Hao possessed far more prestige now than before. Last time, he had been routed by the Queen because people feared deities more. But now, with Lin Hongyu and the others constantly deifying Li Hao, his several live broadcasts, and his feat of carrying a city across the realm... the people of the world almost viewed him as the supreme god of the world!
Under such circumstances, heaven and earth boiled in an instant.
In the unseen realm, countless people prayed.
"We are willing to offer our strength for the Governor to slay the fiends!"
Boom!
Boundless momentum swept in like a tempest, shaking heaven and earth and causing heaven's will to boil.
Countless lights flared even within the Bright Star Realm.
Ying Hongyue's expression changed drastically!
The Queen's face drained of color as well. She suddenly manifested her scepter. In that moment, faith power surged across the Western Divine Kingdom as the prayers of countless Divine Kingdom citizens echoed: "When heaven and earth were born, the Moon God descended upon the mortal realm..."
Faith power swept in like a tidal wave. Last time, it was this very power that had shattered Li Hao.
Yet this time... things were entirely different.
Boom!
An even mightier power swept across heaven and earth, suppressing everything. Thunderous roars sounded alongside cries of terror. The prayers across the Divine Kingdom shattered instantly, and phantom images crumbled to dust.
Faith power was instantly suppressed.
Across the Western Divine Kingdom, the Moon God statues within countless divine temples rumbled and shattered one after another. Temples exploded directly, causing countless casualties in a single instant!
The Queen's face twisted in horror as she continuously spat blood, her eyes filled with disbelief!
Li Hao's voice remained calm: "How many people are there in the west? Three hundred million? Five hundred million? Or a billion? Do you know how many cultivate the new Dao? They are all cultivators! Martial arts have spread across the world, and everyone believes in me, Li Hao. Do you... still think you are the Moon God?"
Boom!
Li Hao's aura surged violently, erupting with an overwhelmingly immense power. The broken sword in his hand vibrated intensely. In the distance, Zheng Yu's expression changed as well.
The Human King Dao?
The Human Sovereign Dao?
Li Hao could actually borrow the strength of the multitude! He had done so once before, but after being routed that time, he had never used such a technique again.
Today, he used it once more.
And he wiped away his past humiliation, instantly shattering the Queen's faith power that had once defeated him.
The long sword erupted with dazzling radiance!
Killing intent crisscrossed heaven and earth, making it seem as though a gigantic sword manifested across the entire world!
"Run!"
Ying Hongyue roared. In an instant, he hurled two treasures—the Zhou family spear and the Zhao family gauntlets...
At a moment like this, who cared about such things?
At this instant, Li Hao was virtually invincible in the mortal realm!
If this sword fell, all of them would die!
When had Li Hao reached such heights?
And the common people were truly ignorant, actually placing such blind faith in Li Hao. Detestable!
In the distance, Zheng Yu's avatar tore through the void, hurtling toward them. The long sword descended with a thunderous roar!
Heaven and earth were overturned!
Everything blocking its path shattered. The Zhou family spear and Zhao family gauntlets were pulverized in an instant, devoured directly by the Starry Sky Sword to mend itself. The sword continued its descent.
Another Eight Trigrams diagram manifested in Ying Hongyue's hands, unleashing boundless Red Moon power, yet it was still powerless to resist and was cleaved apart by the sword!
The Queen's scepter shattered in an instant as well. Silver Moon power surged out, yet failed to halt the strike.
Zheng Yu was on the verge of arriving!
Yet... before he could get there, they might be completely torn to shreds.
At this moment, a glint of helplessness appeared in Ying Hongyue's eyes. Gritting his teeth, eight crimson pillars of light suddenly erupted above his head. The eight pillars fused into one in an instant, yet they trembled violently, highly unstable.
Right then, he grabbed the Haotian Mountain Master. The Haotian Mountain Master had long sensed danger and wanted to flee, but... how could there be any chance left? He let out a sudden, agonized scream!
Crimson wisps of energy surfaced across his body. Li Hao frowned slightly and murmured, "So that's how it is!"
The Haotian Mountain Master... actually possessed the bloodline of the eight families!
It was unclear which family he belonged to, but the bloodline felt quite dense. In an instant, his bloodline was extracted and merged into the eight pillars of light, stabilizing the previously volatile fusion immediately.
Ying Hongyue let out a fierce roar and threw a punch, which transformed into countless Eight Trigrams diagrams that bore down to suppress the long sword!
Boom!
The long sword shattered one diagram, then a second, a third, a fourth...
It continued shattering them all the way to the end, finally striking Ying Hongyue with a bang and sending him flying, though its remaining force was spent, finally shattered by a punch from the Queen.
The sword radiance dissipated.
Ying Hongyue coughed up blood incessantly. A deep, bloody gash ran across his face. He felt lingering dread, but he hadn't died; he had survived.
Li Hao said softly, "So that's it... Every single person who participated in the first revival possessed the bloodlines of the eight families! They did, you did, and Director Zhao did too! As it turns out, their purpose was to help you consolidate the fusion of the eight bloodlines... How intriguing!"
With that, he vanished from the spot in an instant: "Don't split up, I'll be back! Zheng Yu, if you want to kill me, come at me!"
In an instant, he vanished into the void.
At the same time, Zheng Yu arrived, and the other Saints swiftly gathered around.
Zheng Yu's avatar glanced at Ying Hongyue, his eyes flickering.
Impressive methods!
In that brief instant just now, Li Hao's power had unquestionably reached the peak Saint level. Yet that sword strike had failed to kill Ying Hongyue—the fusion of the eight bloodlines!
Under the fusion of the eight bloodlines, Ying Hongyue had actually withstood a sure-kill strike!
Of course, this also showed that Li Hao was truly out for blood. If Ying Hongyue had lacked even one trick up his sleeve, he would have died without question—and so would the Queen.
This Ying Hongyue... was far from weak.
Ying Hongyue's face was pale and grim. Beside him, the remaining Flying Sword Immortal looked utterly livid!
So that was why!
The participants in the first revival were all descendants of the eight families. They hadn't even known it themselves. Neither the Flying Sword Immortal nor the Haotian Mountain Master had known they were descendants of the eight families.
Only now had Ying Hongyue exposed the truth, sacrificing the Haotian Mountain Master to block a fatal blow.
Ying Hongyue said nothing.
Not a single word.
A trace of helplessness lingered in his eyes.
In that instant earlier, he had truly felt the threat of death. Li Hao, borrowing the strength of the multitude, had surged in power once more. Had he not used the fusion of the eight bloodlines, he would have perished!
Zheng Yu merely glanced at Ying Hongyue, then looked at the Queen without saying much.
Li Hao could kill these two, but he could not.
Controlling them would be the ideal outcome.
Right now, the priority was not them, but Li Hao. His eyes flickered as he looked into the distance and spoke coldly: "Li Hao, the world can now accommodate Saints. Why not stay and see if you can kill us? Otherwise..."
Li Hao's light laughter echoed from afar: "Otherwise what, you'll slaughter the world? Kill my Silver Moon martial masters? Destroy my Heavenly Star Dynasty? I'll be waiting! Zheng Yu, I'll wait for you to slaughter them so they can keep my teacher company. Once my divine art reaches completion, I'll revive them! And don't just talk the talk—you'd best slaughter the Silver Moon down to the last person. I'd love to see if an empty world is truly what you desire. I'm looking forward to it... Don't threaten me, I'm so scared!"
Zheng Yu's expression changed slightly, and he said no more.
He had indeed intended to intimidate Li Hao.
However... Li Hao wasn't having any of it.
Or rather, ever since his parents died, his friends died, his master died, and his saviors died... this man had virtually no weaknesses left!
Kill anyone else you like!
How many you can kill is entirely up to your ability!
Yet was Zheng Yu truly willing to slaughter the world?
If he wiped out everyone... could the world of the Silver Moon ever revive again?
Now that the people of the world cultivated the Dao, it was actually the key to allowing their true bodies to emerge!
If he slaughtered all the cultivators in the world, the realm's revival might halt right here, never progressing further. That would be a true tragedy.
Ying Hongyue also sighed softly, murmuring, "We shouldn't have killed Yuan Shuo."
Zheng Yu remained silent, his expression exceptionally cold!
Do you think I don't know that?
Yet how else could it have been handled back then?
They had charged into Boundless City on their own initiative. With Zheng Gong facing mortal peril, was he supposed to restrain himself and spare Yuan Shuo?
Ying Hongyue's words were pure nonsense, useless hindsight!
I knew full well that killing Yuan Shuo without killing Li Hao would bring trouble!
But... was there any point in dwelling on that now?
He glanced at Ying Hongyue, making no move to pursue Li Hao, and said coldly, "You'd better put away your petty schemes! For now, you and the Moon God had best come with me to Hurricane City to lie low!"
They couldn't protect these two indefinitely. The outside world could now accommodate Saints.
Yet it was also very dangerous!
A lone Saint, or even two or three together, was no match for Li Hao.
In fact, not even two or three would suffice. With Li Hao carrying Battle Heaven City around, fewer than five Saints wasn't safe. Yet could the Saints remain clustered together forever, waiting for Li Hao to strike?
The Queen felt frustrated and said in a low voice, "Can we take the initiative and kill him?"
Zheng Yu frowned slightly. "The revival of heaven and earth is insufficient. Even I can only unleash late Saint combat power, which is roughly on par with Li Hao. My speed is comparable to his, and he can duck into the Great Dao universe at will. Catching him... is very difficult!"
The Queen frowned deeply and pressed, "Then pursue him relentlessly. Don't give him time, keep him from appearing in the world!"
"He can enter and exit the Great Dao universe whenever he pleases!"
Zheng Yu stressed his words. This second-generation Moon God clearly wasn't thinking straight!
Did she not understand what he meant?
He could slip into the Great Dao universe at any time and wouldn't necessarily re-emerge in the same spot. That was Li Hao's greatest advantage. Once you caught up, he would vanish inside, and the next moment he might appear elsewhere.
Do you understand now?
Moreover, the moment they dispersed even slightly, they would face his thunderous strike!
Hunting Li Hao down... was not a viable solution.
The only real solution was to enter the Great Dao universe and launch a pincer attack to slay him directly.
He looked at Ying Hongyue. "Can you enter the Great Dao universe?"
Ying Hongyue's expression shifted slightly. "It's difficult! I probably cannot. Her Majesty the Queen might be able to... provided she can find a way..."
The Queen was startled. "My intrinsic star isn't inside the Great Dao universe..."
How could she enter?
Ying Hongyue said softly, "Whether it's there or not, as natural-born divine spirits, you are manifestations of the Great Dao. If you search carefully, you have a strong chance. As long as the Queen is willing to put aside her pride and actively cultivate the techniques of the new Dao, you might be able to locate the Great Dao universe!"
Could she?
She glanced at Ying Hongyue, frowning slightly.
Zheng Yu said calmly, "Give it a try. Li Hao grows increasingly difficult to deal with, and the key lies in the Great Dao universe. If we cannot enter it, then... killing him will be almost impossible!"
Ying Hongyue suddenly asked, "My Lord is supremely powerful; have you never considered the Great Dao universe? Have you never considered converting to the new Dao?"
Zheng Yu glanced at him, his tone chilling: "Is any of this... something you should be asking?"
Ying Hongyue smiled and said nothing further.
Zheng Yu had certainly made preparations of his own.
He simply couldn't afford to expose them.
With the emergence of the new Dao, no one would give up studying it. Perhaps Zheng Yu had begun researching it long ago.
Still, he sighed inwardly.
The losses this time were too heavy!
Never mind losing several divine weapons; with the Haotian Mountain Master dead, he had lost another opportunity to fuse the eight bloodlines.
Right then, Zheng Yu spoke suddenly: "Your fusion of the eight bloodlines is extremely unstable! Perhaps... I have a way to help you stabilize it."
"My Lord means..."
"The stone door inheritances!"
Zheng Yu said indifferently, "All eight families have stone door inheritances. They require the divine weapons of the eight families to open... but I happen to know another method that can open them as well: the city lord seals of the eight cities! They are symbols of dignity, majesty, and authority for the eight families! Under certain circumstances, they can substitute for the inherited divine weapons! Once inside the stone doors, you might find a way to stabilize the fusion of your eight bloodlines."
"What price must I pay, My Lord?"
Ying Hongyue had previously considered entering behind the stone doors. However, opening them caused immense commotion, and some stone doors couldn't even be found.
Perhaps Zheng Yu knew where all of them were.
After all, he was a direct descendant of the eight families.
Zheng Yu looked at him and smiled faintly. "Simple. Once you grow stronger, simply siphon more Red Moon power. Ying Hongyue, you are a smart man, aren't you?"
Ying Hongyue pondered for a moment, then nodded. "With the eight bloodlines fused, my eight bloodlines become denser, allowing me to endure more Red Moon power! It truly is mutually beneficial. When the time comes, as the seal strengthens, the Queen can also extract more Silver Moon power... Right now, our common enemy is Li Hao! Even the Red Moon Sovereign wants Li Hao dead. Li Hao seems capable of purifying Red Moon power with Great Dao power!"
Zheng Yu said no more, simply stating, "Let's go!"
The Queen still felt reluctant. The Western Divine Kingdom had suffered catastrophic losses this time.
Earlier, the people's faith had been shattered, temples had exploded, and countless citizens had died.
Now... did she have to keep running?
"Where there are green hills, there is no fear of lacking firewood," Ying Hongyue urged. Staying behind would achieve nothing.
Besides, Li Hao wouldn't go mad without reason and slaughter hundreds of millions of commoners.
Gritting her teeth, the Queen nodded, speaking through clenched teeth: "Once the seal is stabilized and I extract more Silver Moon power... that will be the day Li Hao dies! If I can enter the Great Dao universe, I will shatter his intrinsic star to dust!"
Vile wretch!
At this moment, it was as if Li Hao were the greatest villain in the world.
These people were actually worried that Li Hao would slaughter civilians to coerce the Queen.
...
The group retreated at an unhurried pace.
They moved deliberately, harboring the hope that Li Hao might attempt an ambush.
However, Li Hao had no such intention.
There were nearly eleven Saints; he wasn't crazy, why would he ambush them?
This time, the Starry Sky Sword fragments had directly absorbed three divine weapons, weakening the seal considerably. Zheng Yu would surely have to pay a hefty price to stabilize it. Meanwhile, Ying Hongyue had lost his divine weapons as well as the Haotian Mountain Master, which was quite satisfactory.
As for the Queen, Li Hao didn't care much.
Heaven's will had been diminished on her end, and that was enough.
A sweeping victory!
Nearly all his objectives had been achieved.
"When Yama died, Ying Hongyue didn't use him for a burst of power... Did he deliberately hold back, or did he collect the bloodline when Yama died, meaning he can still unleash another burst?"
Li Hao thought of this and sent a transmission: "Qian Wuliang, where did Yama's corpse go after he died?"
"Ying Hongyue took it!"
Sure enough!
Li Hao's thoughts stirred. As for why Ying Hongyue hadn't used Yama's corpse this time and had chosen the Haotian Mountain Master instead, it was probably because both of them had grown suspicious and hesitant. Killing one off rid him of a piece of dead weight.
"In that case, if the Flying Sword Immortal doesn't flee, that guy might still be able to erupt twice more... provided his eight bloodlines haven't stabilized yet!"
When Ying Hongyue erupted, he was indeed formidable.
He could even seal a Saint!
As Li Hao continuously improved, this man kept pace as well. Li Hao suddenly chuckled; that fellow really had some tricks. Li Hao had practically become his convenient threat—raising an enemy to enhance his own importance, that fit Ying Hongyue to a tee.
He even suspected that Ying Hongyue had possessed opportunities to kill him in the past, yet had deliberately refrained so that a threat to everything would emerge, granting him more opportunities in turn.
Otherwise... how could he have stepped onto the Saint path so quickly?
After this, Ying Hongyue would definitely enter the Saint path!
The same went for the Queen.
Both of them actually owed him their thanks.
Without him, there was no way they could have stepped onto the Saint path in such a short span of time. The Queen was ignorant, believing herself to be the reincarnation of the Moon God, while Ying Hongyue... most likely knew a thing or two.
Beside him, the Ninth Division Commander materialized once more. "What now? Heaven and earth can now accommodate Saints... My true body can emerge as well. Are we going to keep chasing them?"
At this point, he faintly sensed that Li Hao had held back.
Not in raw strength, but in timing.
He could have drawn upon the strength of the multitude much earlier, which might have given him the chance to kill them. Yet he hadn't done so, waiting instead until Zheng Yu and the others were on the verge of arriving.
By doing so, he had missed the optimal window!
Furthermore, exposing his full strength was hardly a wise decision. Seeing reinforcements arrive, Li Hao should have conserved his strength instead.
"The powerhouses of several factions have gathered together!"
"This chaotic world will soon come to an end!"
Li Hao smiled suddenly. "With the three factions gathered, there will inevitably be deceit and intrigue! At this stage, they'll likely want to kill me by entering the Great Dao universe..."
The Ninth Division Commander looked at Li Hao. And then?
Li Hao pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's give them a chance!"
With that, he tapped a finger into the void. A dim star materialized. Li Hao tapped it lightly, causing the star to tremble and emit a faint glow as Great Dao power surged in.
Moments later, the star began to flicker with light.
The Ninth Division Commander was puzzled. Li Hao said softly, "This is the Queen's physical Dao meridian star..."
"Hm? Don't divine spirits only have one path?"
Li Hao smiled. "The Queen is special. The Moon God, the supreme deity of the realm, might possess many! Catalyzing it for her now means she might soon burst open the Dao meridian herself. When that happens, she will be able to sense the Great Dao universe. Have Battle Heaven City keep a close eye on this star!"
The Ninth Division Commander faintly grasped Li Hao's intention and nodded.
Was this... baiting them onto the hook?
In order to kill Li Hao, once the Queen could truly locate the Great Dao universe, they might pay a massive price to send even more powerhouses inside. When that happened, it would be quite the bountiful harvest!
...
Meanwhile.
As the Queen retreated with the group, she suddenly felt an odd sensation. A faint wisp of Great Dao power emerged within her body, causing her flesh to quiver. She investigated quickly, and a gleam of astonishment crossed her eyes.
This... a Dao meridian?
Inside a region of her body that had previously been nearly impossible to detect, a very faint Dao meridian had suddenly emerged.
How was this possible?
Didn't divine spirits have only one Dao meridian?
In the next moment, her thoughts stirred. Not necessarily. I am the Moon God, the foremost deity of the realm; perhaps I am special and possess more than one. Perhaps, like others, I have countless meridians.
This... was truly a pillow sent to a sleepy head.
I was just fretting over the fact that my intrinsic star isn't in the Great Dao universe, leaving me unable to find Li Hao or deal with him.
Yet at this critical juncture, a Dao meridian had actually appeared!
Truly, even the Heavenly Dao refuses to let Li Hao live!
It never crossed her mind that the birth of this Dao meridian inside her was artificially engineered. The Dao meridian was in her own body; what could it possibly have to do with anyone else?
She made no mention of it.
She cultivated in secret!
Following the cultivation methods circulated by the new Dao, she began cultivating this newly manifested Dao meridian.
Perhaps she would soon be able to pinpoint the Great Dao universe. If Li Hao could enter, why couldn't she?
A chilling glint flashed through her eyes!
Once I locate the Great Dao universe and can enter it—perhaps even bring others inside—Li Hao won't be able to act so arrogant anymore!
However, for now, she still had to be wary of Zheng Yu and his people.
She had to make sure they didn't take control of her!
Suppressing her thoughts, she felt a surge of joy. Opening meridians would make her even stronger. They all knew about the extraction of Silver Moon power, but they had no idea she was cultivating the new Dao!
*The supreme deity of the Silver Moon won't fall so easily. Li Hao... you've underestimated me!*
The Queen thought to herself.
...
At that moment, Li Hao had already vanished from the Great Dao universe.
Now that those individuals had departed, he had no intention of lingering in the west. This time, tearing down numerous Moon God temples had also been part of his plan. He only hoped that Li Daoheng, up on that moon, wouldn't take it too hard.
The true Moon God had likely been siphoning faith power through the temples all along.
This time, he had seemingly disrupted all of that by accident... He wondered if they would be furious.
Li Hao smiled radiantly and headed straight toward the Great Desolation.
*You all go ahead and nurse your headaches; it's time I pay a visit to the Great Desolation.*
Chapter 366