Silver City.
High above the city, Li Hao read and cultivated. His acupoints unsealed one after another—one, two, three...
Surges of Great Dao power welled forth, part of which was siphoned away.
Naturally, Zheng Yu kept his word and supplied Li Hao with energy stones.
It wasn't that he intended to fund an enemy... rather, Li Hao was funding his own enemy. With the advent of the new Dao, energy stones could not compare to Great Dao power. While energy stones aided in opening acupoints, their efficacy fell far short of Great Dao power. Li Hao only absorbed a fraction of them each day. People arrived daily to collect the rest. Zheng Yu even sent spies to check where they went... and found they were literally being used to pay wages!
To anyone witnessing this, it seemed utterly absurd.
Li Hao had marched right up to negotiate with his greatest mortal enemy, funding him with Great Dao power in exchange for mere wealth to hand out as wages... What in the world was this fellow thinking?
It was baffling beyond belief!
On the third day.
Li Hao, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly closed his book. A look of doubt crossed his face as he asked slowly, "Zheng Yu, care to exchange some insights on the Great Dao with me?"
"What?"
Zheng Yu, who had always considered himself broad-minded and immensely gifted, was genuinely taken aback.
Li Hao paid his reaction no mind and continued, "Is Ying Hongyue still around? If so, he can join in as well. The three of us may share blood feuds as deep as the sea, but the Great Dao harbors no grudges. Exploring the Great Dao—be it the new Dao or the old—leads to the same ultimate truth: all Daos converge into one!"
"I possess deep insights into the new Dao, but almost none regarding the origin path, nor do I have much feeling for the Early Martial Dao... Zheng Yu, you are a half-step Sovereign, so you must know the allure of the Great Dao. Are you interested?"
Discussing the Dao?
Everyone was stunned!
Who could believe this?
Ying Hongyue had always remained exceptionally composed and graceful, but today he scratched his head in utter bewilderment, completely unable to fathom Li Hao's thought process.
Was the Great Dao truly devoid of sentiment?
Or had he attained the realm of transcending emotion entirely?
Ever since his teacher died, had Li Hao discarded all personal feelings, keeping only the Dao in his heart?
And now, Li Hao was offering his understanding of the new Dao as payment to discuss the old Dao with them!
Seeing Li Hao's grand posture, looking down upon the world as if nothing else mattered, stirred Zheng Yu's thoughts. After a long pause, a phantom figure manifested, standing proudly in the void. "You want to discuss the Dao?" he asked indifferently.
"Yes."
"Very well. But... what can you say? What are you willing to say?"
"I will hold nothing back. There is nothing about the Dao that cannot be shared!"
Zheng Yu arched an eyebrow. At that moment, Ying Hongyue appeared in person, composed and easygoing with a gentle smile. "Li Hao, are you truly willing to speak of everything?"
"Of course."
"Do you harbor some scheme?"
"A scheme is not the Dao."
Ying Hongyue fell silent.
Li Hao said, "Since none of us trust one another, an open lecture would be difficult; expounding our Daos would inevitably make us feel someone is losing out. Instead, let us question each other. One question per party in turn. If anyone fails to answer three times in a row... they can see themselves out. After all, the Dao should only be discussed with those of broad knowledge!"
Both men grew interested.
Inside the ruins, the Queen seemed anxious as well. Realizing that outsiders probably wouldn't hear their conversation, she pressed urgently, "I—"
"Not you!"
Li Hao said calmly, "What Dao do you understand? You understand nothing! Gods are born of the Dao, yet you neither perceive it nor cultivate it, merely freeloading off ancestral legacy. You lack the qualifications."
The Queen flared with fury!
This was an utter insult and humiliation!
Ignoring her, Li Hao let Great Dao power drift outward, making it feel as if only the three of them existed between heaven and earth.
Li Hao looked at the two of them. "You may ask first."
Ying Hongyue and Zheng Yu exchanged glances, finding the situation surreal.
Li Hao was an adversary they desperately wanted dead. More importantly, he was the cultivator who had delved the deepest into the new Dao—virtually its founding ancestor. And this man was willing to share it with them?
Testing the waters, Zheng Yu spoke first: "Can Neo-Martial artists cultivate the new Dao?"
"They can!"
Li Hao replied softly, "Your question is too simple, but I won't take advantage of you. I will briefly explain how Neo-Martial artists can cultivate it. Neo-Martial arts split into Early Martial and the Origin. Early Martial has no Dao to speak of; by modifying the physical body and reshaping the Dao meridians, one can cultivate the new Dao directly! The Origin relies on the origin path, which presents two possibilities. First, start from scratch—rebuild the flesh, reshape the Dao meridians, and begin from zero! Second, transplant the origin path, piercing it into the Bright Star universe to recreate a natal star. This grants a very high starting point, but the difficulty is far greater!"
Zheng Yu's eyes flickered.
He asked no further questions.
Ying Hongyue's heart stirred as he spoke up: "The natal stars of the new Dao all reside within the Great Dao universe. How does one distinguish them?"
"The Great Dao stars are countless and difficult to distinguish... If it is your own, you can sense it upon entering the cosmic starry sky! Beyond that, if others wish to identify them, they can only judge by strength, luster, and elemental affinity."
Having said this, Li Hao frowned. "Your questions... hardly touch upon the Dao!"
He dismissed the topic and added, "You each owe me a question!"
Turning to Zheng Yu, he asked, "Legend says that for the path of a Sovereign, Daos fuse together so that even if one loses the Origin, they retain their foundational strength without needing external augmentation..."
Just as Zheng Yu was about to nod, Li Hao asked, "How does one fuse them?"
"..."
Fuck!
Zheng Yu cursed under his breath!
He had thought Li Hao was asking whether the legend was true, only for the boy to demand the method of fusion!
Frowning, Zheng Yu suddenly felt he had gotten the short end of the stick with his earlier question. Had he known, he wouldn't have asked so casually.
After pondering for a moment, Zheng Yu said, "The origin universe is also densely packed with stars. For Neo-Martial humans, there are the Gates of the Triple Burner and the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. Finally, starting from the ninth rank, one steps onto the origin path, breaks the three gates, takes control of a star, and integrates it into the body to become a Sovereign! Integrating the star into the body is fusion, but one must break the three gates to see the star first!"
Break the three gates to see the star, then absorb the star into the body?
Stars... were essentially the manifestation of the Dao.
The new Dao was the same.
There were differences between the origin path and the Bright Star Dao. The greatest distinction was that the origin path had only a single star, which one had to continuously expand. The new Dao, on the other hand, had countless paths, and one's natal stars were not limited to just one, but many.
The two had similarities as well as differences.
Swallowing a star into the body made one a Sovereign.
Li Hao sank into deep contemplation. Could the stars in the Great Dao universe be swallowed into the body? But... those stars were originally the Dao meridian stars within the body itself. So from the very beginning, the Dao resided within.
Returning to the source?
After musing for a while, Li Hao looked at Ying Hongyue. "Silver Moon martial masters place great importance on force! Some say force is the connecting conduit between man and the Dao. What are your thoughts on this?"
Ying Hongyue raised an eyebrow.
Force!
He too was a Silver Moon martial master, one of the Thirty-Six Heroes of Silver Moon, and had ranked near the top in those bygone days.
Li Hao hadn't asked about anything else, choosing instead to ask about force.
After considering it, Ying Hongyue said slowly, "Force... in my view, is a manifestation of will! The Dao is ethereal and elusive, and so is force. To me, force and the Dao are essentially one! Whether it is the origin path or the new Dao, as long as force remains, the Dao remains! Even if the new Dao vanishes and another takes its place, force can still merge with it! Force can even connect to the Dao of the Red Moon!"
He looked at Li Hao. "Force is a unique byproduct born from the disappearance of the Great Dao. Perhaps only our Silver Moon humans can cultivate it, or perhaps it can only be cultivated in this era! Placed in any universe or world, force can serve as an intermediary medium to connect to a new Dao."
Li Hao's eyes flickered. Connect to any Great Dao?
He wanted to probe further, but after a moment's thought, he held back and looked at him. "Your turn to ask."
Ying Hongyue didn't hold back: "Aside from you, can others enter the Great Dao universe?"
Li Hao frowned and shot him a glance. "The questions you ask... have nothing to do with the Dao! Whatever, suit yourself. You're too utilitarian..."
Ying Hongyue was speechless.
To be lectured by Li Hao for being too utilitarian—what a ridiculous fellow.
"They can!" Li Hao nodded. "It is not difficult for me to enter the Bright Star Realm, but for outsiders... it is exceedingly difficult! Because I was the first to enter, or rather, the first new Dao cultivator to integrate the system, heaven and earth formed a single character of its own. That is actually the key to my entry into the Bright Star universe..."
He manifested the "Dao" character. For an instant, the auras of the other two fluctuated before the divine character vanished. Li Hao said slowly, "Don't bother trying to snatch it. It's useless. In my hands, it's a key to enter; if you take it, it's worthless scrap."
With that, he stopped speaking.
Ying Hongyue felt a surge of irritation and glanced at Zheng Yu. Zheng Yu immediately asked, "Then how can an outsider enter?"
Li Hao smiled. "Want to enter the Great Dao universe to kill me? That impatient?"
Neither spoke, simply staring at him as if to say: *As long as you know. Do you dare answer?*
After some consideration, Li Hao said, "First, use overwhelming might to tear open the Great Dao universe directly... A Sovereign might have hope, but as for you two... go home and dream on!"
"Second, locate your natal star. As long as your cultivation in the new Dao is profound enough, you can perceive it. At that point, by piercing through to the universe, you can enter... but it is very easy to get lost. You would need a vital divine weapon tied to your life to serve as an anchor in the outside world to guide your return. Otherwise, once you go in, you won't come out."
"Third, obtain sufficient blessing from heaven's will!"
Their expressions shifted slightly. Li Hao continued, "Or rather than heaven's will, obtain the blessing of a god..."
"What?"
Both Zheng Yu and Ying Hongyue were startled. Li Hao chuckled. "Consider this an extra answer! Gods are born of heaven and earth, a direct manifestation of the Great Dao—one could even call them children of the Dao. If a god possesses deep enough comprehension of the Great Dao, they can actively guide others into the Great Dao universe! However... almost all gods have fallen now, and Her Majesty the Queen... is merely a second-generation Moon God. Her comprehension of the Dao is shallow; she's an idiot when it comes to cultivation, merely coasting on the blessings of her predecessors without any real perception of the Dao. So you two are probably out of luck."
The two pondered the veracity of Li Hao's words.
Was it true?
Was it feasible?
They had no idea!
Li Hao might not be telling the whole truth, but he couldn't be fabricating everything.
At that moment, Li Hao spoke again: "Once a Neo-Martial combat technique reaches the ninth rank, is there a shortcut to comprehending the origin path?"
"..."
Zheng Yu frowned. *Are you seriously thinking of cultivating the origin path?*
"You took Battle Heaven City; don't you know this already?"
Li Hao shook his head. "It's not that I don't know, but the methods they mentioned cannot be used right now! The Origin has been severed. What I want to know is whether there are any shortcuts right now, at this very moment. Otherwise, cultivating merely the physical body, vitality, and spirit does not count as cultivating the Origin!"
Li Hao added, "To put it simply, is there any way for me to reconnect to the Neo-Martial Origin right now?"
Zheng Yu frowned, looking at Li Hao in silence.
Li Hao laughed. "Is there none? If not, how did you cultivate to the half-step Sovereign realm? Did you reach this tier purely through flesh, vitality, and mental strength? What kind of half-step Sovereign would that be... At best, that's the peak of a Saint, not a half-step Sovereign, not even a Heavenly King."
Zheng Yu's frown deepened.
After a long pause, he said, "If you want to know, fine. But I need to ask you a few more questions in return, otherwise... it's not worth it!"
"Agreed!"
Li Hao nodded. Zheng Yu thought it over and realized there was no harm in telling him. If Li Hao truly tried to cultivate the Neo-Martial origin path... that would actually be wonderful, for that road was already a dead end! Even if he tapped into the Origin, he wouldn't be able to progress because he couldn't absorb any origin power.
With that in mind, he held off on asking Li Hao his questions and explained, "There are a few methods. First, directly seize the origin path of a Neo-Martial cultivator! Their origin paths still exist; they aren't severed, so they can be usurped! This requires specific techniques. Battle Heaven City should know about this—in the early days of Neo-Martial arts, many people stole Daos using such methods."
"Second, go to the ends of heaven and earth... Though the Silver Moon world is sealed and the Star Gate serves as the entrance, along the world's edges and the four directional barriers, there are still tiny fissures connecting outside the universe!"
"Beyond the Silver Moon world, the origin universe still exists... The difficulty is immense, and you won't absorb much origin power, but you can barely perceive a sliver of the origin path... If you have the skill, you can attempt to link to the origin path in those places. However... the price you must pay is ten, a hundred times greater than cultivating the new Dao!"
It was entirely unprofitable.
Zheng Yu wished Li Hao would go try it right now. A man who controlled the new Dao universe wanting to cultivate the origin path... Sure, go right ahead! In the time that took, he could have opened countless Dao meridians in the new Dao.
Li Hao sank into thought, inwardly delighted.
He didn't actually want a method to connect to the origin path; what he wanted was a way to transform Neo-Martial combat techniques into divine characters. To form divine characters... one needed to comprehend force, and turning force into divine characters seemed simpler and smoother via the origin path.
After all, Silver Moon martial masters who cultivated Neo-Martial techniques had a relatively easier time comprehending force.
This was likely a compromise born of necessity when the origin universe disappeared and became unreachable.
If he cultivated Neo-Martial combat techniques and attempted to connect to the origin path, he would most likely fail... but failure was a good thing! From failure, force could be born.
He had finally gotten to the crux of the matter!
Li Hao immediately looked at Ying Hongyue and asked, "Can a single force be split into multiple forces? I see that you have eight meridians and eight forces, which merge into one. That resembles the Five Animals force of my Five Animals Sect... yet it also bears similarities to Martial Uncle Hong's technique of splitting a single sword into ten thousand forces... How did you manage to sever force, merge force, and even give them different elemental affinities?"
Ying Hongyue frowned again, remaining silent.
He had no desire to answer this.
Seeing this, Li Hao said, "If you are willing to answer, I will tell you a secret, and tell Zheng Yu as well, to repay the questions I just owed."
Both men paused. What secret could possibly be worth paying back two major questions?
Ying Hongyue hesitated, then asked, "What if we do not accept your secret as valid?"
"As long as you aren't deliberately finding fault, you may ask me anything else."
Hearing this, Ying Hongyue nodded. "Fine. It is actually quite simple: eight meridians, eight cultivations!"
"What?"
"One meridian, one cultivation. Have you never tried it?" Ying Hongyue said bluntly. "Eight bloodlines, eight Dao meridians, cultivating the exact same technique! Cultivate eight meridians simultaneously, comprehend them simultaneously, and cultivate a single force across all eight. Once a divine ability meridian is formed, it yields a force of a distinct attribute..."
Li Hao froze. Cultivating the exact same technique?
Previously, he had used divine characters to cultivate meridians individually, but to match their respective attributes, he had always used different techniques.
Yet Ying Hongyue was saying he cultivated a single technique.
Divine ability Dao meridians inherently possessed different attributes; once mastered, they yielded eight forces of varying attributes.
Was this... another variant of the Five Animals Art?
The Five Animals Art was also a single technique, yet it could produce five distinct forces.
Li Hao felt a surge of insight, mixed with a trace of regret. "So that's how it is... Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered asking. A pity my teacher is gone. Otherwise, if I asked such a question, he would have beaten me. He wouldn't have believed I could even ask something so obvious—isn't this just an Eight Animals Art?"
Ying Hongyue kept quiet.
It truly was.
This was indeed a variant of the Five Animals Art. What he cultivated had been adapted and modified from the Five Animals Art that Yuan Shuo had disseminated. If Yuan Shuo were here, he really would have beaten Li Hao.
To forget your own sect's defining craft!
Li Hao sighed. "Sure enough... you are all useless at cultivating the Dao. If my teacher were here, these questions wouldn't even be worth mentioning! Alas, I had forgotten these things myself. When it comes to cultivation talent, I cannot match my teacher."
The two remained silent. With Yuan Shuo dead, Li Hao had been constantly lamenting him; could this lunatic snap at any moment?
Li Hao gave a self-deprecating smile. "Very well. Since I proposed this discussion, I will share the secret with you! The human body possesses more than one side! And the Great Dao universe possesses more than one side as well!"
"I rarely delve into or explore the spiritual level because my mental strength is not exceptional. I have barely unsealed any Dao meridians within my mind... However, based on my deductions, the Great Dao universe likely has two sides!"
"One side holds non-elemental Dao meridian stars and divine ability Dao meridian stars, while the other side holds spiritual Dao meridian stars!"
Li Hao added, "One side is corporeal, the other ethereal! I control the corporeal meridian universe, while the other side must be an ethereal meridian Great Dao universe!"
After a moment's reflection, Li Hao continued, "The Great Dao universe has a center. This center is not a planar midpoint, but the center between the corporeal and ethereal universes. Currently, I have only seized control of the corporeal meridian universe. As for the ethereal meridian universe, I do not know if anyone controls it."
Both men were flabbergasted!
Corporeal meridians?
Ethereal meridians?
One physical, the other spiritual.
Was this real or fake?
They certainly knew less about the Great Dao universe than Li Hao, but this revelation completely shocked them.
How could that be?!
Did that mean... the Great Dao universe could give rise to two masters?
Then... didn't that imply that as long as one unsealed ethereal meridians and opened spiritual Dao meridians, everyone had a chance?
At this moment, even Zheng Yu, a half-step Sovereign, found it incredible. Would Li Hao truly reveal such an immense secret to them?
Impossible!
It had to be false—a trap!
Ying Hongyue's expression shifted repeatedly. Fake... would Li Hao really share such a secret with others?
Who would believe that?!
Li Hao said softly, "It is very dangerous. To date, I have only discovered a single spiritual Dao meridian. To open the ethereal meridian universe, one must unseal multiple meridians at the very least. Let me think... without at least ten, there is little hope!"
"If you open the wrong ones or unseal them recklessly, it is a dead end... I actually hope you will try it, serving as a cautionary tale for me. If you kill yourselves trying, I would be delighted!"
"Furthermore, I suspect someone has already opened the ethereal meridian universe!"
Zheng Yu's expression changed slightly. "Impossible! Even you haven't opened it, so who could have?"
Even if Li Hao's words might not be entirely true, how could someone else open an ethereal meridian universe when Li Hao couldn't even do it, and others didn't even understand ethereal meridians?
Li Hao pondered and said, "This is no baseless guess! I originally thought you had opened it in secret, which is why I brought it up. Could it be that you didn't?" He frowned slightly. "Take the Prophet God, for instance. His Dao meridian is essentially an ethereal meridian—an opening of a meridian on the spiritual level... I have never been able to find his natal star! I initially thought it was simply because I hadn't spotted it; the universe is vast, and missing a single star is completely normal!"
"However..."
Li Hao shook his head. "I soon realized it wasn't that I couldn't find it, but that his natal star doesn't exist on my side! Last time, the few of you tried to revive him, but failed, didn't you?"
Ying Hongyue nodded. He and the Queen had indeed tried repeatedly to revive that god without success, assuming it was because Li Hao had slain him too thoroughly.
Li Hao added, "I was actually happy to see you try to revive him! In fact, I was eager for you to do so, hoping I might pinpoint his location... Yet when you called upon him and used faith power to revive him, I noticed a problem... The consumed faith power never entered the Great Dao universe! Or rather, it didn't enter the Great Dao universe on my side!"
Li Hao said softly, "That was when a suspicion struck me... This person's natal star is not under my jurisdiction! It isn't even on my side of the Great Dao universe, but has entered the universe on the opposite side!"
"And he isn't the only one!"
Li Hao continued, "There are others like him. For instance, Tyrant Saber, who cultivates mental strength and the saber of the mind! I found the corresponding natal stars of everyone else in the Great Dao universe, but I couldn't find his. That's very strange. Everyone else is there, so why isn't he?"
"Also, I wonder if you recall: among the gods, several—such as the Misfortune God and the Fate God—have not completely perished! That day, I slaughtered a vast number of gods, and the natal stars of many were immediately obvious, including Saint-tier deities like the Sun God and Dark God. Yet not a single one of these special-system gods was eradicated outright!"
"..."
The expressions of both men shifted.
They began to recall the events.
When gods died, heaven and earth reacted, producing anomalies that allowed them to know which gods had truly perished—meaning their natal stars had been severed by Li Hao.
And the ones Li Hao named indeed hadn't completely died.
Meridians of a special nature, linked to the spiritual realm... none had been found.
One might be an exception, two a coincidence, but three or four... was that still a coincidence?
At this moment, both men actually believed it.
Unless Li Hao had orchestrated an immense scheme from the very moment he began killing gods, this phenomenon could not have occurred.
Li Hao continued, "If my deduction holds true, it means the Great Dao universe has two sides. Neither of you doubts this, correct? Yet what baffles me is that even my teacher and I only discovered a large number of corporeal Dao meridians. Who could possibly discover an abundance of ethereal Dao meridians? Unless that person possesses an intimate understanding of the new Dao, has researched the spiritual plane to an unbelievable extreme, and has had contact and conducted research with spiritual-tier gods... I've thought about it over and over... Only the Moon God fits the bill! Tell me, could the Moon God have secretly taken control of the universe on the other side?"
He looked at them. "Why don't you two head back, capture the Queen, and interrogate her? You might uncover something! Or perhaps, clever as you are, you can probe for clues and take her down..."
Neither responded to this suggestion.
However, they genuinely took note of the matter.
If an ethereal Great Dao universe truly existed, and if someone had already taken control of it, who could it be?
And if no one controlled it... did that mean they had a chance?
That would require tremendous mental strength... Zheng Yu possessed ample mental strength—he was a half-step Sovereign, after all!
And Ying Hongyue was no weakling either.
Both men sank into contemplative silence. Li Hao smiled. "This secret should be more than enough to repay my debt for those questions, right?"
The two nodded without objection.
Whether real or false, it was a possibility.
Li Hao chuckled again. "Furthermore, if you truly locate any spiritual Dao meridians, you can trade with me for the locations of corporeal Dao meridians. Only through mutual exchange can we perfect the new Dao! Perfecting the Dao is what cultivation is truly about; relying on a single person to complete it is nearly impossible! Besides, if the corporeal Dao meridians form a sword, do the spiritual Dao meridians also form a sword? Or something else? You can take that as a reference. At any rate, your mental strength is formidable; a few failed attempts won't kill you..."
"Li Hao!"
At that moment, Ying Hongyue looked at him with a complex expression. "Regardless of whether your words are true or false... you have shaken us. I practically watched you grow up, and I have studied the eight families for many years, yet it seems I have never seen through you."
Li Hao chuckled softly. "It is truly an honor to have grown up under the watchful eyes of my family's destroyer! Ying Hongyue, on the day I kill you, I will grant you a wish... I will let the bloodlines of the eight families thoroughly merge with you! You have always coveted my bloodline. When you die, I will fulfill your wish—using my blood to merge with you bit by bit, devouring you, assimilating you, grinding you into minced flesh and strands of blood. How does that sound?"
"..."
Ying Hongyue glanced at him and vanished on the spot.
Li Hao had spoken so casually, yet the pressure crushing down on Ying Hongyue spiked violently—worse than at any previous moment. He could even sense the aura of death and annihilation.
This fellow... could truly do it!
Even Zheng Yu raised an eyebrow, cast a glance at Li Hao, and vanished as well.
The calmer this young man appeared, the more wary they became.
Even a half-step Sovereign felt that Li Hao was a ticking bomb ready to detonate at any moment. Such a person had to be eliminated as soon as possible; otherwise, no one could sleep easy.
"Running so fast!"
Li Hao laughed. He had been completely serious.
Not only about that parting remark, but everything he had said before.
Also, Li Daoheng... if my guess is right, have you already taken control of the ethereal Dao universe?
If we share the same universe, why haven't I sensed anything at all?
Though it was merely a deduction, Li Hao felt his reasoning was sound.
Few people had researched spiritual Dao meridians.
Yet someone like Li Daoheng, had he paid attention early on, might have long realized the uniqueness of the Prophet God and the others. Since the corporeal Dao universe had fallen into Li Hao's grasp, would a man of his unyielding pride continue to delve into the corporeal side?
*The Prophet God has never been revived... Is it truly impossible, or are you simply refusing to let him revive? Because his revival might expose far too much.*
*Zheng Yu, you can go ahead and test it out.*
Telling Zheng Yu directly might not convince him, and it would disrupt Li Daoheng's plans, which might only bring trouble to Li Hao.
Right now, offering a reasonable deduction... if Zheng Yu grew interested, perhaps... some amusing developments would follow.
Li Hao resumed cultivating.
He wanted to push various techniques to their limits. At this moment, he was no longer practicing a chaotic assortment of arts; instead, for every single Dao meridian—be it a divine ability meridian or a non-elemental one—he attempted to cultivate the Five Animals Secret Art.
Next, he intended to head to the edge of the Great Desolation to attempt connecting to the origin path. If he failed, it might give birth to that unique byproduct—force!
Even without a teacher's guidance, it didn't matter. Enemies could provide guidance as well.
As long as the benefits offered were sufficient, enemies could become your nourishment.
...
Li Hao cultivated in peace.
Meanwhile, Ying Hongyue and the others were unsettled.
Returning to Hurricane City, Ying Hongyue cast several glances at the Queen. Frowning, she noticed his scrutiny. Ying Hongyue hesitated, then asked, "I've always been curious: does the power of the Silver Moon count as spiritual power, or elemental power?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Seeing her guarded stance, Ying Hongyue could only ask, "Is your mental strength formidable enough?"
"Hmph!"
Ying Hongyue felt helpless. From the looks of it, it was mediocre.
So this woman was not a spiritual-path cultivator.
With that in mind, he continued, "Previously, reviving the Prophet God repeatedly failed; perhaps our strength was insufficient... Why don't we ask Lord Zheng for assistance? Let him attempt it as a half-step Sovereign. Not just him—I know deities like Fate and Misfortune have not completely perished either. How about we try reviving them?"
The Queen's heart stirred. *Why is he being so helpful?*
"This..."
"Once revived, we will have more coordinates in the Great Dao universe, making it easier to deal with Li Hao..."
The Queen thought it over. There was no downside for her, but would Zheng Yu agree?
Just as she was pondering, Zheng Yu's ethereal voice drifted over: "Whatever resources are required, simply ask! The enemy of an enemy is a friend! If you require this seat's assistance, do not hesitate to speak!"
Hearing this, the Queen felt even more suspicious. *Why are they being so generous?*
After deliberating, she nodded. "Very well! The previous failures were likely due to insufficient faith power, vitality, and Great Dao power. Gods can revive indefinitely, so long as their Dao is not extinguished..."
Since both men were eager to help, she didn't mind using their hands to revive the gods.
She quickly raised several demands.
Zheng Yu agreed without complaint, fulfilling every single request!
When she required faith power, Zheng Yu immediately dispatched a large number of Saints from Hurricane City to escort them to the west to harvest faith power. He even sent an avatar along again.
He accompanied them west to attempt reviving the gods.
...
In the Western Lands.
Altars were erected one after another. This time, there was no Li Hao to disrupt them, nor anyone else. Resources were abundant: vast amounts of Spring of Life, heaps of energy stones, and plentiful faith power had all been prepared.
Countless energies drifted into the void.
Several statues stood atop the altars.
However... even as vast amounts of energy vanished into thin air, the gods showed no sign of reviving. The Queen grew both anxious and frustrated. Why couldn't they revive?
When gods fell, so long as they were not utterly destroyed, they should have been able to return.
Yet... nothing!
The massive influx of energy seemed to vanish into nothingness.
...
Silver City.
Zheng Yu's true body remained behind, constantly observing Li Hao. Li Hao was still cultivating on his own, causing no trouble and making no covert moves.
Yet over in the west... the gods still couldn't be revived.
He could sense the disappearance of boundless energy, as if it had vanished into thin air.
At that moment, Zheng Yu's expression changed slightly.
Why was this happening?
Gods could revive; he knew this for a fact.
Could it be... their natal stars truly resided in another Great Dao universe, and that other universe... had a master?
Just like Li Hao!
"Damn it!"
Zheng Yu's face darkened. The unknown was what was truly terrifying.
Did such a person really exist?
Perhaps... yes!
...
At the same time.
Upon the moon.
A divine hall stood quietly.
A female voice sounded: "They are trying to revive the Prophet God and the others... How should we handle this?"
Inside the hall, a cultivator carrying a long sword on his back gazed downward in silence, his expression placid. After watching for a long time, he finally remarked, "Things... seem to be getting interesting!"
"What?"
The sword-bearing man chuckled with a hint of amusement. "Reviving those gods could easily alert Li Hao. Yet Li Hao paid it no heed, Zheng Yu didn't care, and Ying Hongyue bustled about... It's as if they reached an understanding..."
After a pause, he smiled again. "Could it be... Li Hao deduced something?"
"What a fascinating fellow! To carry the surname Li is truly exceptional... Since ancient times, the Li family has produced the most powerhouses: Neo-Martial's Heavenly King Zhen, the Underworld King, the Sword Venerable... Ever since surnames began to spread, the Li family has produced the most Sovereigns."
The Moon God hadn't expected him to say such a thing. After a pause, she asked, "I was asking how to handle it. Do we let them revive, or... continue suppressing them?"
*Who asked you about people named Li?*
"What do you think?"
The Moon God hesitated, then replied, "Let them revive! The second generation is too weak right now, trapped in Hurricane City with no one to support her, and heaven's will has abandoned her. Let Prophet, Misfortune, Fate, and Disaster revive to the Saint tier. With them around, they can assist her. She is too young and lacks experience; she cannot stand against those people."
The sword-bearing man fell silent for a moment, then nodded gently. "Do as you please, then. Just ensure they forget everything. After reviving, forgetting some things is only natural."
"Understood."
Soon, a wisp of Great Dao power flickered faintly, and the moon seemed to turn slightly ethereal.
Several massive stars shone with brilliant light.
Down below, the Queen was instantly overjoyed, ecstatic beyond measure. "It's starting! They can revive!"
It had begun!
Four statues shimmered with radiance—Fate, Misfortune, Disaster, and Prophet were all reviving!
Ying Hongyue's expression shifted, and Zheng Yu's avatar looked up at the sky.
They had revived!
Now, the two were puzzled again. If the revival had failed, they would have been certain there was a problem. But now that they had revived... where exactly had they revived from?
Zheng Yu tried repeatedly to trace the point where the energy vanished.
Yet in the end, he lost connection every time.
His true body had been keeping a close eye on Li Hao, but Li Hao had simply continued cultivating on his own, completely ignoring the west. The situation grew even more enigmatic.
Was Li Hao's claim about the corporeal and ethereal dual universes truly accurate?
...
Back in Silver City, Li Hao turned to glance toward the west, sensing the shift as well.
It seemed the gods had begun reviving.
Li Hao suddenly smiled. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the river of stars in the Great Dao universe. There was no anomaly, no fluctuation—not a single star flared with light.
Judging by their auras, those beings might even recover to the Saint Dao.
Saint Dao stars were exceptionally prominent.
Yet... not a single one was visible.
Li Hao turned his gaze toward the Great Dao universe. Earlier, Li Fuhai had said to find the center of the Great Dao universe and make that the location of one's core natal star. Where was that central point?
An ethereal Dao universe likely truly existed.
However, it probably wasn't as formidable as his own. After all, those who cultivated the spiritual path were few. Still... even if it was inferior to his Great Dao universe, it remained exceedingly troublesome. Existing in different spaces made it difficult to kill.
On the other hand, the entity could invade the corporeal Dao universe at any time.
*Which star is Qian Wuliang's natal star? Does it belong to the corporeal Dao or the ethereal Dao? Or... a mix of both?*
He thought of Qian Wuliang. He hadn't pried earlier, as he disliked digging into other people's cultivation secrets unless they shared them willingly. Qian Wuliang had disclosed several Dao meridians that yielded unique effects when cultivated, yet none could rival his own.
Had Qian Wuliang failed to figure it out himself, or... had he understood, yet dared not speak because he couldn't find his own natal star?
If Qian Wuliang truly belonged to the ethereal Dao, then both he and Tyrant Saber might be manipulated by someone—controlled unconsciously, in a way they couldn't even detect.
After all, they possessed no Red Moon power, allowing them to freely enter and leave the Great Dao universe without being targeted.
*Is this... planting pieces by my side?*
In that instant, Li Hao inhaled deeply, drawing in a massive surge of origin power provided by Zheng Yu. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the spot. "I am heading to the Four Extremities to cultivate the origin path and see how it goes. Zheng Yu, reinforce the seal so the Red Moon Sovereign doesn't break out!"
Zheng Yu frowned.
What a scoundrel!
Over the past few days, with this pest lounging around, Zheng Yu had been constrained in everything he did. Now that Li Hao was finally leaving, he actually ordered him to reinforce the seal! The more Zheng Yu thought about it, the angrier he became!
Moreover, the gods had revived...
In the west, the Queen seemed unwilling to return. Now that the four great gods had revived, all possessing Saint Dao power, there were five Saint-tier combatants among them. They probably had no desire to come back.
And had Li Hao truly run off to cultivate the origin path?
If so... all one could say was that this fellow had grown obsessed.
Zheng Yu said nothing, returning to his palace. The next moment, another Zheng Yu appeared inside the hall—identical in appearance, differing only in the strength of his aura. This weaker Zheng Yu was currently unsealing acupoints, his mental strength churning.
The two Zheng Yus looked at each other, their minds linked. One cultivated the Origin, the other cultivated the new Dao.
After a long silence, the Origin Zheng Yu said softly, "If the ethereal Dao universe truly exists, who do you think would cultivate it?"
The new Dao Zheng Yu seemed to ponder, answering after a pause, "Could it be someone from the Li family?"
"Li Daoheng?"
"Perhaps him, perhaps another... Aside from the Li family, I can think of no one else."
The Origin Zheng Yu nodded slightly, his gaze turning chilly. "Ying Hongyue is still not strong enough. Relying on him alone, I fear he cannot reach the Star Suppressing City ruins to seize what we need. Even my father's Heavenly King combat strength was insufficient. Ying Hongyue must at least reach the Heavenly King tier by merging the eight meridians... But if we elevate him to a Heavenly King, will we be raising a tiger that will eventually turn on us?"
"You decide."
The Origin Zheng Yu sighed softly. "I decide? Aren't you me? Between the new Dao and the Origin, even I feel somewhat conflicted now. That Li Hao is quite interesting as well. Coming to Silver City this time gave me a different feeling about him. Possessing merely Saint-level power, he still managed to make me feel pressured. Is becoming a Sovereign truly so difficult?"
"Have some confidence... Perhaps someone is plotting on a grander scale! But right now, we still hold the advantage... Find a way to elevate Ying Hongyue. No matter how dangerous he is, he is no Sovereign. If we can't even outmaneuver a petty scoundrel of this new era... then we truly are useless! He can't possibly be harder to deal with than a Sovereign!"
The Origin Zheng Yu nodded. "True! Ying Hongyue's refusal to leave is likely driven by the same thought—waiting for me to help him grow stronger... He is a curious character, riding the momentum of circumstances to thrive without ever being cast aside. Everyone inadvertently aids him along the way! Even Li Hao failed to kill him multiple times, only making him stronger... In the end, we may still need him to deal with Li Hao."
The new Dao Zheng Yu said no more, closing his eyes to cultivate.
The Origin Zheng Yu also shut his eyes, sinking into thought.
*Li Daoheng?*
Whoever it was, they would only know after testing the waters.
As for Li Hao, cultivating the Origin wouldn't be easy either. Fine, then—let them all come.
...
Meanwhile, Li Hao had crossed back into the Great Desolation, plunging deeper until he reached its furthest extremes.
Here, he truly perceived a faint, subtle wisp of origin power.
Li Hao was overjoyed!
As long as it existed, that was enough. As for whether he could achieve the Dao... he hoped he wouldn't! If he actually succeeded, he would weep. What he needed was to fail midway, allowing the failed attempt to transform into force.
Force was a byproduct of the Dao's failure, something extraordinarily unique. This place might well become the sacred ground where he turned the tables.
At this moment, Li Hao began his cultivation in the truest sense.
This time, he would comprehend force!
Chapter 368