The River of the Great Dao

Within the Great Dao universe. The great river had assumed the shape of a sword. Li Hao sat cross-legged atop it and murmured softly, "Wind, rise!" *** Across the Bright Star Continent. Lin Hongyu's visage materialized between heaven and earth. Her face bore a sorrowful look as she called out in a resonant voice, "All wind-element cultivators of the realm, channel your wind meridians to sweep away the dust, and forge a tranquil sky for the spirits of our fallen heroes!" The winds stirred! At this moment, everyone took the matter with absolute solemnity. A mighty gale erupted in an instant, howling across heaven and earth. "All other cultivators, pray silently in blessing! The prayers require ritual and procedure; not a single step may be missed. Only if the prayers succeed will our fallen heroes have any hope of returning to this realm to battle across the nine heavens once more!" Lin Hongyu's voice rang out continuously. Powerhouses were stationed in every corner of the world to oversee each region. Everything had to follow Lin Hongyu's instructions without error. Only then would there be hope of stimulating the life stars and awakening the fallen warriors. Granted, it was merely a hope with no guarantee of true resurrection, but even so, the numerous Silver Moon martial masters were thrilled. Experts guarded every quarter, keeping a sharp eye on their assigned zones to prevent anyone from stirring up trouble. In truth, even if a few scattered troublemakers arose, it would not pose much of an issue unless problems broke out on a massive scale. *** Within the Bright Star Realm. Along the river-sword, star after star twinkled, bursting with radiant splendor. Li Hao quickly captured each one. Stars shifted positions, and those that had not yet been tapped vibrated slightly before Li Hao promptly set them into their proper places. Originally, before Dao meridians were opened, discerning a star's elemental attribute was nearly impossible. Now, at the slightest ripple, Li Hao could immediately tell whether a star belonged to the wind element. Countless wind stars were moved by his hand into a single cluster. Soon, faint wisps of wind-element Great Dao power began to drip down like beads of water. *Drip, drop, drip, drop...* Beneath the stars, the Great Dao power of the wind element condensed into liquid, falling drop by drop and slowly trickling along. Time ticked past. Seeing that enough had gathered, Li Hao whispered once more, "Water element!" With wind as the foundation and water as the source, he would first blend their Great Dao powers, raising storm and tempest to cast the bedrock of the great river. *** In the outside world, Lin Hongyu issued another command: "Water-element cultivators, mobilize your water meridians and water acupoints to cleanse heaven and earth..." Uncounted water-element practitioners mobilized once more. By then, nearly an hour had passed. A faint glimmer of light shone from Lin Hongyu's armor. Right at that moment, an aide arrived at her side and materialized upon the sky screen, reporting, "To the Governor-General: there seems to be a disturbance down south in Shuiyun..." The moment those words were spoken, cultivators across the realm were startled. Lin Hongyu snapped, "Outrageous! We are in front of the sky screen—never mind. Shift the sky screen to project the south. Let us see what is happening. I want to see who dares cause trouble on this day of honoring the heroic dead!" "Understood!" Soon, the sky screen shifted to display the powerhouse presiding over the south. It was none other than Empress Dowager Shuiyun. Catching sight of her own image on the projection, she looked slightly uncomfortable, but she bowed slightly and said in a soft voice, "Please do not take offense, Governor-General. It is all a misunderstanding. Just now, a Shuiyun cultivator mobilized their water meridians and broke through straight from the Thousand-Battler realm into Mountain-Sea, and they are still advancing... The commotion grew a bit large and caused a minor misunderstanding!" With that, holding a sky screen mirror, she strode through the air. The projection soon swept over a contingent of soldiers. One among them possessed an aura surging with wild abandon. Cultivators all across the world stared with wide eyes as they witnessed acupoints ignite and blast open one after another. In the blink of an eye, a complete Dao meridian manifested upon him, followed by a second, a third, a fourth... It was unbelievable! Meanwhile, another voice rang out over the sky screen: "Reporting to the Governor-General, a wind cultivator in the north has just broken through to Mountain-Sea and continues to advance. Should we halt them..." Lin Hongyu's voice boomed across the realm: "This is a gift of reciprocity from the fallen heroes! Why would you halt it? Men, bestow ten thousand energy stones, a thousand drops of the Spring of Life, and ten strands of immortal power to help these sincere souls achieve a flawless breakthrough!" "Understood!" "Return the sky screen. These are merely minor matters. As I have stated, those with sincere hearts are bound to reap rewards. Even if you gain nothing at this very moment, reciprocity will follow in due time! Mountain-Sea and Sun-Moon are reachable in the snap of a finger!" The world fell silent. Yet the hearts of the people burned with fervor. Could... could there truly be unexpected rewards? To leap directly into Mountain-Sea or Sun-Moon in a single day was nothing short of miraculous. Whether it was real or staged, no one could tell for certain. Yet... what if it were true? How difficult was it to reach Mountain-Sea or Sun-Moon solely through one's own bitter cultivation? In that instant, the power of Dao meridians throughout heaven and earth thickened even further. With sincerity came hope... Meanwhile, experts across the world secretly channeled drops of the Spring of Life or strands of immortal power into various locales, enabling a number of people to make sudden strides, which immediately sparked an uproar. Hearing rumors was one thing, but seeing was believing! Right beside them, someone had genuinely broken through! Even if they hadn't leaped directly to Mountain-Sea or Sun-Moon, and had merely opened one or two additional acupoints, even a single occurrence in a city was enough to send the entire populace into a frenzy! Soon, the entire Bright Star Continent was gripped by excitement and wild enthusiasm. Praying for fallen heroes yielded unexpected rewards—who wouldn't be overjoyed? Even cultivators who had initially planned to merely go through the motions sat down cross-legged, eagerly awaiting the next phase of the ritual. *** With such a massive commotion sweeping the Bright Star Continent and the entire world praying in unison, Hurricane City naturally remained far from ignorant. Zheng Yu gazed outside, his eyes flickering. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Beside him, several of the city's foremost powerhouses were also peering outward. One frowned and asked, "The whole world praying... what is the meaning of this?" "Are they cultivating the Human King's Dao?" "Or are they preparing to revive those who fell in battle?" These people possessed sharp eyes. They quickly discerned a few clues. Dao meridians from all across the realm were converging; this could not possibly be just a prayer. It was an orderly method of aggregating Dao meridians, far from simple! Yet as for its exact purpose, they still could not comprehend it. Their understanding of the new Dao remained limited. Still, cultivating the Human King's Dao or reviving the dead were both plausible possibilities, akin to how gods were revived. Zheng Yu perceived his surroundings for a moment before speaking slowly: "The Human King's Dao... there are no signs of that yet, nor is that how it is cultivated. Reviving the dead... that, however, is possible! Yuan Shuo and the others died, but they possessed numerous new Dao meridians and life stars. If those dormant stars can be stimulated back to life, resurrecting them is indeed feasible!" Was Li Hao truly trying to revive those people? Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Should they intervene? Saints could not leave... but the city still harbored some Immortals. For now, there did not seem to be any other major movement. Zheng Yu had also cultivated the new Dao and could sense the conditions within the Great Dao universe. Although his true body had not practiced it, his avatar had cultivated it continuously. Probing it now... conditions within the Great Dao universe were rather murky, though he could vaguely perceive stars shifting about. Did he need to stop it? Silver Moon also possessed a fair number of Immortals. Sending his own people out to disrupt things might well mean they would never return. "Let us wait and see!" Zheng Yu frowned and said no more. If Li Hao truly intended to revive Yuan Shuo and the others, it was not necessarily a bad thing. Just like Lin Hongyu before, the more attachments Li Hao had, the better. Only with more bonds would Li Hao have weaknesses. Ever since Yuan Shuo died, Li Hao had acted without restraint, striking with ruthless ferocity every time and inflicting heavy losses on Hurricane City's experts. Even if Yuan Shuo and the others were resurrected, they would merely be at the Sun-Moon level. The real fear was... that his goal was not reviving them at all. *** *Drip, drop!* The sound of water drops echoed. Beneath the river-sword, a pool had already formed, filled entirely with Great Dao power. The power of the Great Dao had condensed into liquid. Yet it remained somewhat chaotic. Without a word, Li Hao stirred his blood vitality. The liquid gradually began to blend, shifting from chaos to order. Following a unique Dao sequence, he fused these Great Dao energies together, transforming them once more into a primal source of chaotic water. He might fail... but cultivation was all about trial. Failure held no terror. Ten thousand stars shook! For Li Hao, the trembling of ten thousand stars brought immense strain. His physical body was integrated into the starry river, so the shaking of the stars rattled his flesh and bone. A divine character for "Dao" emerged upon the forehead of an illusory phantom. The "Dao" character cast its brilliance in all directions once more, radiating across heaven and earth. "Black Panther!" Li Hao called out softly. Black Panther dashed over at once. Li Hao spoke with a touch of gravity: "If... anything goes wrong, I will need you to do one thing: devour the gathered Dao energy. It might gorge you to death..." Black Panther instantly turned golden, baring a fierce, ruthless expression! *Did you think I feared that?* *Why didn't you say so earlier!* *I’ve been waiting to eat!* *So this is what you wanted from me! If you'd said so sooner, I’d have started chowing down already.* Li Hao chuckled helplessly. "Not right now. I said only if something goes wrong are you to eat!" Whenever it came to food, this fellow showed boundless enthusiasm. Right now, it wasn't necessary. Only if the Dao power grew unstable, or if a particular attribute proved too difficult to fuse, would Black Panther's role come into play—to devour the surplus, unbalancing, or chaotic energies. And that amount might be staggering! "Black Panther, don't take this lightly. I must maintain an equilibrium. Certain Dao energies are bound to exceed our needs—like the five elements, which hundreds of millions cultivate. If something goes awry... you won't be able to swallow it all!" "*Woof, woof, woof!*" Black Panther looked down on all creation, cocking an eye with utter disdain. *Who are you underestimating?* The power of the Great Dao was supreme nourishment. As long as there was food, even if he couldn't swallow it on the spot, he could pack it away to go! Seeing this, Li Hao said no more. The hound was sharp; it understood his intent and wasn't merely bragging, but reassuring him that it could handle the task. "In that case... the water element is likely too plentiful!" "*Woof!*" Black Panther instantly expanded into a colossal golden hound. In a flash, it snapped open its jaws, generating a tremendous devouring suction. Immense quantities of water-element Dao power condensed into liquid and flowed into its body. Its primary cultivation had always focused on the water element, so this was a natural fit. Deeply satisfied, it feasted with immense delight! Right at that moment, drops of fire-element Dao power, resembling molten magma, coalesced into being. Outside, the ritual had already moved on to the fire element. Li Hao suppressed the myriad stars, extracting their power while constantly shifting their alignments to rearrange those that had been out of place. He was occupied beyond measure, while Black Panther waited silently. A moment later, Li Hao's voice drifted over: "Absorb the fire element!" "*Roar!*" Black Panther's body enlarged once again as it began devouring the fire-element power. However, with water and fire clashing within, Black Panther began to feel uncomfortable. As more and more fire energy was drawn in and continued to form droplets, the discomfort mounted sharply. It seemed... it had overestimated itself. There was simply too much! Yet Li Hao gave no order to stop. This Great Dao power was difficult to preserve and could not be carelessly discarded; once cast away, it could easily flow back and cause havoc. At the same time, Li Hao encountered another massive problem! From the boundless void, more stars were converging. As if drawn by the Great Dao power here, countless stars came sweeping in—celestial bodies that had never been discovered before. Their arrival threatened to disrupt the operation of the entire starry river and could even shatter the river-sword. Li Hao felt a throbbing headache. He had anticipated this, but he hadn't imagined there would still be so many undiscovered stars. In this single instant, at least a thousand stars came hurtling toward them. He quickly manifested an avatar and flew toward the incoming celestial bodies. *Rumble!* The stars spun, battering Li Hao's avatar backward repeatedly. Nevertheless, he managed to hold them back, repositioning the stars into place. Yet as these stars entered the starry river's system, powers that had already been extracted—such as wind, water, and fire—suddenly erupted from them, catching Li Hao momentarily off guard. The tiny brook forming a faint river below suddenly destabilized. Li Hao turned pale with fright, but fortunately, Black Panther instantly swallowed all the newly generated Dao power. Even so, Black Panther felt its scalp go numb! If this kept up... it would be finished. They had only gathered a few types of Dao power so far! By now, it was already stuffed to bursting, frantically digesting the energy within. Thunderous roars rumbled from inside its body. Never before had they looked upon an excess of Great Dao power with such dismay! Perhaps it would have been better if Li Hao had brought more people in. Yet with more people came the risk of exposure. Li Hao did not readily place absolute trust in others, especially when it concerned matters as monumental as the restructuring of the Great Dao and the starry river. At present, everything was exceeding Li Hao's expectations. Going too smoothly... was not necessarily a good thing, because the pace was so fast that Lin Hongyu could hardly interrupt the process, and neither could he. At this point, he almost wished someone would cause a disturbance to grant them a brief pause. "What a headache!" Li Hao manifested another avatar, as yet another wave of stars came hurtling forward. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of stars flared with radiance once again. Earth-element stars erupted, sending vast amounts of earth-element Dao power surging together! Li Hao had no choice but to manifest yet another avatar and begin extracting the earth-element power. Multiple incarnations of Li Hao bustled about frantically. He had to strain every nerve to tear through the void and transmit a message outside: "Slow down..." *** Heavenly Star City. Upon receiving the message, Lin Hongyu also felt a headache coming on. Slow down? First fast, then slow. The orders had already been issued, and this involved billions of people, not just one or two. Slowing down was easy enough to control with a small group, but with so many, it was nearly impossible! Yet since Li Hao had said so, she quickly racked her brains. Soon, the sky screen carried her voice across the four quarters once more: "I seem to perceive the return of heroic souls... The earnest efforts and sincere blessings you have offered have allowed our heroes' spirits to feel everyone's goodwill and warmth... Let us pause our cultivation and listen silently to the voices of the heroic dead..." At that moment, Lin Hongyu swiftly sent transmissions to every region. Soon, faint whispers sounded by the ears of many people. Though indistinct, it truly sounded as if someone were speaking. Some were startled; others were overjoyed. Lin Hongyu waited for a time before speaking with a tinge of regret: "I seem to have heard what they were saying, yet sadly... it was not clear enough. Perhaps our efforts are not yet sufficient for them to manifest before us. Continue the prayers! Wind-element cultivators, offer another round of prayer! I seem to have heard the voices of the wind-element heroes..." Nearby, several people gave her strange looks. *She's lying through her teeth!* *None of us heard a thing!* By now, many people sensed that something was amiss and had their own private thoughts. It was at times like this that the importance of legitimacy and status became truly apparent. Had Li Hao not been absent from the scene, anyone else attempting to manipulate the realm's cultivators on such a scale while changing plans on the fly would have provoked a rebellion long ago! It would have been entirely natural for her to be forcibly detained on suspicion of nursing secret plots. Yet because of her status, no one could easily speak out. Li Hao had not shown himself, Lin Hongyu held the title of the Marquis's wife, and she wielded the Haoxing Token. Moreover, no casualties had occurred. Even if she was scheming something... everyone had no choice but to pinch their noses and go along with it. Lin Hongyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though her tension mounted even further. *Don't go changing the plan again!* She was even more nervous than Li Hao. With him altering plans and adjusting speeds back and forth, timing every shift was an ordeal that required her to invent endless excuses and justifications. And she had to keep the entire realm convinced... Tell enough lies, and even she would begin to lose herself. *** Within the Bright Star Realm. Li Hao let out a breath and chuckled softly, murmuring, "She does have some capability... It seems Black Panther won't need to absorb too much as long as we keep boosting the other elements..." Just now, fire energy had been in excess while wind was lacking, forcing Black Panther to devour massive amounts to preserve balance. But with a second round of wind cultivation replenishing the wind element, Black Panther wouldn't need to ingest nearly as much. This also gave the hound time to rest and digest. As for how Lin Hongyu would keep adjusting things... Li Hao smiled. She would have to figure that out herself. If she wanted to take risks and reap the rewards, she had to pay the price. If she truly couldn't hold on, they would deal with it then. Not far away, Black Panther panted heavily as explosive pops sounded within its body. It finally had a moment to adjust. Continuously absorbing Great Dao power, it forcibly blasted open its Dao meridians one after another. Originally at the fourth tier of the Sun-Moon realm, Black Panther was growing stronger at a visible rate, already reaching the sixth tier. Its progress was swift, and its physical body could still hold up; the physique of demonic beasts was naturally formidable. Meanwhile, Li Hao had also channeled a small river that began to flow. However... Li Hao took a glance and drew in a breath. This river was only about one percent the length of the river-sword... Which meant he needed roughly ninety-nine more segments of this length to form a rudimentary, true starry river! "Black Panther... we've only finished one percent!" "..." "*Awoooo!*" Black Panther let out a wolf-like howl laced with despair. *No way!* Li Hao sighed helplessly. "It's true. So... you've only swallowed about one percent of the surplus power. There's still ninety-nine percent left. Can you... hold on?" "...*Woof, woof, woof!*" Black Panther shook its head frantically. Gone was its earlier arrogance; now it desperately denied its own capability. One percent had nearly burst its belly; taking in ninety-nine times that would blow it to smithereens! Li Hao also felt a huge headache. After some thought, he glanced at the countless stars. Perhaps... he could merge a portion of the Dao power back into some of the stars. However, doing so might cause certain stars to fracture. Of course, it might also grant breakthroughs to certain individuals. Both were possible. *Never mind, let's give it a try. Gathering the power of the populace might just forge a few powerhouses.* As for whether they were allies or foes—anyone obediently cultivating at this moment could hardly be considered a complete enemy, no matter where their allegiances lay. *** Originally, Lin Hongyu had merely dispatched subordinates in secret to expend large quantities of treasures, forcibly advancing a handful of people. Thus, those numbers were few, and they were all staged. Yet as the prayers continued, intelligence reports poured in from all over, catching Lin Hongyu somewhat by surprise. In various places, people were genuinely experiencing sudden breakthroughs. Some made considerable leaps. However, it was excruciatingly agonizing. Unlike the staged beneficiaries, these genuine breakthrough recipients suffered immense torment, yet their gains were substantial! As a result, although several hours had passed and some people had grown impatient, the increasing number of breakthroughs reignited everyone's passion! Rallying the entire populace was manageable for a short period, but over an extended duration, even Lin Hongyu, with all her methods, felt on the verge of breaking down. If she felt this way, the common folk waiting around were naturally growing restless. They had to eat, didn't they? They had work to do, didn't they? Who wanted to wait in place indefinitely? Yet as people continued to advance, Lin Hongyu cast aside her doubts and operated the Wind-Cloud Mirror, sweeping the sky screen across the realm. Reports of breakthroughs kept arriving from one location after another! Countless numbers of them! This rekindled everyone's enthusiasm. Only then could the prayers continue. Three hours, five hours, seven hours... From daybreak onward, the prayers had carried on until dusk began to settle. Lin Hongyu's face grew pale. Throughout the day, she had directed every region to follow commands, concocted endless justifications to keep the populace compliant, and continuously channeled diverse energies to vibrate the various Daos... Yet dragging on from day to night... a massive wave of impatience had begun to surface among the people. Maintaining this for an entire day was already nothing short of miraculous. Billions of people setting aside their work to await arrangements and orders—such alignment of the populace's hearts exceeded all imagination. At that moment, Director Zhao hurried over. Without speaking aloud, he sent a voice transmission: "This is bad; it has dragged on for too long! Night has fallen... should the prayers continue? Now that it's dark, many people haven't eaten all day and night. Even if they don't eat, the elderly and children at home need food and sleep. Even if they are cultivators, old habits cannot simply vanish..." Once darkness fell, things would easily spiral out of control! He had never expected this prayer ceremony to last from dawn until nightfall, exceeding ten hours! Disorder was brewing in various regions. In some places, some of the common folk had already given up and stopped praying. Lin Hongyu's expression turned grim. She hadn't asked Li Hao how much longer he needed. She had hoped she could handle it on her own, but with more than ten hours elapsed and Li Hao still unfinished... this was trouble! "Can we hold on a little longer?" She didn't know whether she was asking Director Zhao, herself, or Li Hao. After a full day, she was physically and mentally drained, her face ash-white. She feared that an interruption would invite catastrophe. Director Zhao remained silent. This wasn't an army. An army could be commanded, but... this was the entire populace! There were simply too many people! Forcible suppression would never work; they could only rely on voluntary cooperation. Getting the entire populace to cooperate for an entire day was an extraordinary feat in any era. To have achieved this much was already unbelievable! *** Meanwhile. Within the Great Dao universe, the river had stretched outward. Li Hao was panting heavily. Black Panther had long since sprawled on the ground playing dead, occasionally bursting with miniature shockwaves that blasted bloody holes through its flesh! Yet its aura, though completely chaotic, was exceedingly powerful. At this moment, it was even approaching the Dao Integration level. Li Hao's aura was growing stronger as well. He, too, was nearing the Dao Integration level. The river was roughly one-third complete... Yes, only one-third. At this rate, it would take another day and night. However, Li Hao could also sense that as time passed, the flashing stars were dwindling. Earlier, a single pulse engaged hundreds of millions of stars, but now the number was plummeting. "Are the people growing impatient?" He understood the situation. It seemed that after persisting for an entire day, everyone had reached their limit, and even temptation was losing its pull. Yet they were only one-third of the way through. Li Hao gritted his teeth. A moment later, he tore the void once more and transmitted a message to Lin Hongyu: "Rest tonight, and resume tomorrow! Have the army and those willing to continue maintain the flow tonight! Tell everyone that persistence will yield even greater rewards... Tonight, I will empower even more people... We need at least two more days! None of you may rest; you must maintain order!" At this point, Li Hao hesitated before adding: "I am struggling to hold on here. Keeping the Great Dao from collapsing tonight will be exceedingly difficult... Tonight, I will reforge a new Dao for you. You must attempt to absorb diverse Great Dao powers. It might end in failure... Are you willing to try?" A moment later, Li Hao received a reply containing only a single word: "Yes." Lin Hongyu sent back just that one word. Li Hao said nothing more. He quickly located Lin Hongyu's primary star, knowing well where it lay. Having found it, Li Hao hesitated... In truth, he was treating Lin Hongyu as a second Black Panther. If too much power was drawn in, Black Panther's sturdy body could still endure it. She... might not. Taking a deep breath, Li Hao said nothing further. Supporting the star with one hand, he reached out with the other. A divine character for "Dao" emerged and instantly merged into the star. The colossal star was dragged directly into the river by Li Hao. In the outside world, Lin Hongyu's body trembled violently, blood spurting from her lips as the Daos within her seemed to snap repeatedly. The sight instantly made many people blanch. Lin Hongyu waved a hand weakly and whispered, "I am fine, this is merely normal cultivation. Have the army continue, and instruct those willing to persist not to interrupt their efforts tonight... In addition, maintain order across all regions; we resume tomorrow! This must continue for at least two more days..." At this, Sky Sword couldn't help but say, "Three days? Isn't that too long?" "Three days!" Lin Hongyu said in a deep voice, "Three days at minimum! If possible, maintain our current scale through the night... If we can do that, perhaps two days will suffice instead of three. But that... is too difficult! So everyone, hold on a bit longer!" She paused, then added, "If many people give up... notify the official organs in their cities that punishments will follow! Revoke their energy stone rations, revoke their sacred rice rations, and reduce their enrollment quotas for the Martial Arts Academies..." At these words, everyone's expression changed. Someone said grimly, "Won't that stir up widespread grievances? We are here to bring light to the people... not to crush them with pressure!" Lin Hongyu replied calmly, "We are merely asking for two or three days of their time. For the sake of world peace, how much have the Marquis and all of us sacrificed? Enemies arise without end, and the Marquis asks for nothing in return. Yet now... we need them, and are they unwilling to make even a minor sacrifice? I am not forcing or physically punishing them. If they are unwilling to persist... then we simply revoke some of the benefits we granted. What is wrong with that?" "The sacred rice, the energy stones, the academy quotas... weren't all of these given by us? What have they sacrificed? Rewards come from contribution. Are we supposed to raise countless parasites?" Ignoring further debate, Lin Hongyu snapped briskly, "Director Zhao, issue a proclamation in my name affixed with the Haoxing Token to all regions! If more than half the cultivators in any city abandon the prayer, not only will their benefits be revoked, but the local officials will be punished accordingly! The common folk will receive no corporal punishment, but the officials will bear the penalty! Furthermore, absolutely no unrest will be tolerated... How they handle it will test their abilities and gauge our officials' capacity to adapt!" "The Inspectorate and the Night Patrollers must immediately commence realm-wide patrols... Chen Zhongtian, if local rebellions arise, order the Inspectorate to purge them swiftly and suppress all disturbance. Not a shred of news is permitted to leak!" Beside her, the experts departed with grave expressions. None dared to argue. Lin Hongyu currently gave off the aura of a predator ready to devour anyone. Her aura was in utter turmoil. While they did not fully understand what had transpired, they knew... it was likely related to Li Hao. Right at that moment, Lin Hongyu called out to someone: "Martial Uncle Hong, please stay. The rest of you, return to your duties!" The others dispersed. Left behind, Hong Yitang looked slightly puzzled. Glancing at Lin Hongyu, he waited as she spoke: "The Earth-Overturning Sword embraces all things! Martial Uncle Hong stays out of rivalries, devoting himself wholeheartedly to promoting education, which is truly admirable. Your sword divine character shares the splendor of the Marquis's 'Dao' character... Right now, the Marquis is dealing with some thorny issues and may need to alter your sword intent, incorporating it into the chaotic Dao to devour the power of ten thousand Daos. Martial Uncle Hong... are you willing to try?" Hong Yitang's eyes flickered slightly. He looked at her and asked softly, "To end up in a state like yours?" "Yes." Hong Yitang pondered for a moment. "Is this your idea, or Li Hao's?" "Mine." Lin Hongyu explained, "It is extremely dangerous! I understand the Marquis's intent. He fears your sword intent will lose its purity, and he worries something might happen to you. This is an untested experiment, fraught with peril, which is why he tested it on me first... To put it bluntly, if I die, he can accept it! But if something happens to you, Martial Uncle Hong... very few people who walked out of Silver Moon alongside him remain!" "Those closest to him were Professor Yuan, Captain Liu Long, Director Hou, Secretary-General Yu, Senior Southern Fist, and you, Martial Uncle Hong!" It was as though she truly understood Li Hao. She continued softly, "He hasn't been particularly close to you lately... because he's afraid. Afraid that... the last person dear to him will also die! To the outside world, he acts as though he has no attachments left, that no one can threaten him! Pushing me to the forefront now... in truth, if anyone tried to threaten him with my life, he would only smirk... because using me against him is useless!" "However, if they threatened him with you, Martial Uncle Hong... he would be cornered." Hong Yitang listened in silence, gazing at Lin Hongyu. This woman was far too clever. Truly! He felt that this woman was quite terrifying. Qian Wuliang only read hearts and moods without truly comprehending people, but this woman genuinely understood Li Hao. During Li Hao's weaker days, few powerhouses had looked after him. Yet the Earth-Overturning Sword had fought alongside him time and again. From entering Battle Heaven City the first time, to battling demons at Mount Cang, to contending against all factions during the second venture into Battle Heaven City, to the Sword Sect throwing its full support behind building the Demon Hunt Corps, to overseeing the promotion of education across the realm... The battle of the North Sea, the battle of the Heavenly Star Sea... In every battle and every perilous venture, the Earth-Overturning Sword had always been present, never left behind. To this day, among the remaining Silver Moon martial masters, only the Earth-Overturning Sword had truly accompanied Li Hao the entire way, never backing down once from start to finish. Among the Seven Swords, only the Earth-Overturning Sword had provided Li Hao with the most guidance in the way of the sword. Perhaps even more than Yuan Shuo. Yuan Shuo was Li Hao's teacher, but the Earth-Overturning Sword was practically one as well. Yet ever since Yuan Shuo and the others fell, their relationship seemed to have dropped to a freezing point. Li Hao no longer met with the Earth-Overturning Sword in private. And yet... among the five commanders of the Demon Hunt Martial Guard Army, one of them was his daughter, Hong Qing! Others hadn't noticed anything. Yet Lin Hongyu had seen right through it all. Hong Yitang considered it and said, "I have no objection, but that boy's temperament... is quite stubborn. If you tell him you put me up to this, he will likely be furious... He is in the Great Dao universe right now, correct?" "Yes." Hong Yitang mused, "If he opens the Great Dao universe again, I will send him a message. The Earth-Overturning Sword embraces all things; you weren't wrong about that! Besides, this might be an opportunity. He actually thought he could make decisions on my behalf, that brat..." Lin Hongyu's face lit up with joy, and she quickly said, "It is open!" Without another word, Hong Yitang seized the opportunity and transmitted a message. *** Within the Great Dao universe, Li Hao froze, and fury flashed in his eyes! Lin Hongyu! He despised having his life arranged by others! The Earth-Overturning Sword, Hong Yitang... Just as Lin Hongyu had said, far too few people who had followed him from the beginning remained. From Battle Heaven City to this day, Hong Yitang had fought on his behalf countless times. Absorbing the power of ten thousand Daos was an unproven, extraordinarily dangerous venture. Black Panther was fine; the hound's cultivation was messy, and it was a beast. Even if it failed, at worst it could switch to the physical path. Yet Hong Yitang was a pure swordsman. If a swordsman's Dao became corrupted and tainted, it might never recover. "Bastard!" Li Hao cursed, grinding his teeth! Furthermore, he didn't want Hong Yitang to grow too powerful. Being too strong... made one a larger target. It was better to stay like the others: if everyone was at the seventh tier, you stayed at the seventh tier, not falling behind. Once someone grew as formidable as his teacher, capable of battling Saints... when no one else could face a Saint, his teacher had been the only one who could step out, confront the Saint, and ultimately perish! Li Hao clenched his teeth. *Lin Hongyu... you woman, daring to make decisions for me, damn you!* Suppressing his fury, he tore open the universe once more and transmitted a message outside: "There is no need for Martial Uncle to assist. I can manage on my own..." The moment the message left, Hong Yitang's reply arrived in an instant: "Say no more. I want to grow stronger. You owe me a great deal; repay me today. The Earth-Overturning Sword has never bowed to anyone!" Li Hao cursed under his breath. *Back then, my teacher beat you until you didn't dare accept a duel, and you never cared about saving face—now you put on this act with me!* Hong Yitang's sword character was unique, possessing an effect similar to the "Dao" character, capable of extracting the power of myriad Daos. In truth, he was far more suitable than Lin Hongyu. Yet... to put it bluntly, if Lin Hongyu's Dao collapsed, it would be her own choice; Li Hao hadn't forced her. Just as Lin Hongyu had remarked, Li Hao could watch her die, but he could not bear to watch Hong Yitang die. Taking a deep breath, Li Hao panted for a moment, glancing at the turbulent river. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth, tore open the void, and reached out to pluck a figure straight into the Great Dao universe. Hong Yitang glanced around, wasting no words. A star swiftly shifted into place, transforming instantly into a divine character for "Sword." Inspecting it, he asked, "Merge it into this river to extract the power of myriad Daos and stabilize the river, correct?" He saw through everything at a glance. Li Hao muttered sullenly, "Yes." Hong Yitang nodded, sighing with emotion. "You've grown up, learning to pull strings from the shadows! In the past, whenever you encountered trouble, the first person you thought of was me—you didn't even think of your teacher. As a man grows stronger, his heart changes!" Li Hao looked somewhat sheepish. It was the honest truth. In the past, whenever he hit a wall, the first person he thought of was indeed Hong Yitang. In his eyes, Hong Yitang had always seemed more capable than his teacher... until the battle of Boundless City, where his teacher fought a Saint and died. He had been devastated and plunged into despair. After that, he stopped seeking out Hong Yitang. It wasn't because Hong Yitang was weak, but because... he didn't want Hong Yitang to be the next one stepping out. A side of Li Hao like this was rarely seen anymore. Hong Yitang chuckled. "Given an opportunity to grow stronger, you'd rather grant it to a dog or your wife than to me. It seems a man preparing to start a family is truly different—he loves his wife, he loves his pet, but he no longer loves me!" "..." Li Hao smiled wryly. "Martial Uncle, that isn't what I meant..." "It is exactly what you meant!" "It isn't!" "Just because you say it isn't doesn't make it so!" Hong Yitang laughed. His sword star merged instantly into the great river. A vast amount of the turbulent Dao power was extracted in a flash. He felt immense discomfort, but enduring the agony of myriad Daos pouring in, he smiled and said, "In terms of talent, I might not match your teacher... but in terms of tenacity and endurance, your teacher couldn't hold a candle to me! A mere trickle of Dao power is supreme nourishment for my growth. Did you truly think I couldn't withstand such a minor shock? Are you underestimating the Earth-Overturning Sword, the supreme defensive specialist?" Li Hao remained silent. As the Earth-Overturning Sword's character merged into the river, the raging torrent quieted down instantly as countless streams of Dao power were siphoned away by him. At this moment, not just Hong Yitang, but Lin Hongyu, Black Panther, and Li Hao himself were all extracting Dao power to stabilize the River of the Great Dao. Hong Yitang ignored Li Hao, sitting cross-legged as sword intent surged toward the heavens! Li Hao stole several glances at him. Suddenly, Hong Yitang spoke up: "Stop staring. Just as you dislike others making decisions for you, the same goes for me. We are all Silver Moon martial masters; you don't get to dictate my life. On what grounds do you strip away my hope of growing stronger? I, the Earth-Overturning Sword, was originally a top-tier powerhouse. Which of them—Hou Xiaochen and the rest—could match me? Even the likes of Huang Yu were defeated by my hand!" "And now... they are at the seventh tier, and I am at the seventh tier. When I have helped you far more, why should you deny me the benefits I deserve?" "..." Li Hao remained sheepishly silent. "Do you think that empowering my daughter is compensation enough? A mere sixth-tier Sun-Moon! Besides... if my daughter actually catches up to me, don't you think that would be a humiliation to me?" "..." Li Hao felt awkward and said nothing. "Furthermore, I had originally planned to take Liu Long as my disciple. If I had, that wretched hound Black Panther would merely be my grand-disciple. For a dog to be stronger than me—do you think that's proper?" "..." Lying on the ground, Black Panther glanced at him, but didn't utter a peep. Back then, that had indeed been a possibility. When Liu Long stayed with the Sword Sect, Hong Yitang had brought up the idea. Liu Long had considered it before ultimately declining. Still, their philosophies aligned on many points. Had that continued a bit longer, perhaps... the hound truly would have become this man's grand-disciple. Well, better not provoke him! Li Hao let out a breath. "I was wrong. But... I didn't want you to die before my eyes, Martial Uncle. I am a jinx..." "If you truly fall, do you think any of us will have a chance to survive?" "You would!" "Wrong, we wouldn't!" Hong Yitang snorted softly. "Foolish! Utterly foolish! Shrewd at times, yet terribly foolish at others! The more you pretend not to care, the easier it is to lose everything... Enough, that's enough of that. Stabilize the river. Blend more water element into it; there isn't enough water. It is a great river, after all! Whether it is chaotic water or natural water, there is no need to keep an absolute balance. A bit more water will make fusion easier; water is all-embracing." Li Hao paused, thought for a moment, and extracted additional water-element power to incorporate into the stream. He said nothing more, nor did he question the advice. Even though Hong Yitang's strength was currently inferior to his own, he was still willing to listen. The great river seemed to flow with noticeably greater smoothness. Closing his eyes, the Earth-Overturning Sword looked at Li Hao no longer. His body vibrated continuously as countless strands of Great Dao power swirled around him. Inwardly, he sighed—this brat... the stronger he grew, the more timid he became. He wasn't afraid of enemies, but of losing more of his own people. When he cared so deeply, why pretend to be detached from everything? A faint smile surfaced on Hong Yitang's face. The Earth-Overturning Sword... would make its name resound across heaven and earth once more!