A Staggering Harvest

A shrill, agonizing scream pierced the surroundings. The blood-red demon tree was filled with disbelief and shock... One hundred thousand years! For a hundred thousand years, they had never suffered an ambush. They had never experienced real combat. Just as Li Hao had said, they had long forgotten their fighting instincts. Born in hardship, perished in ease! This was the consequence of living in comfort for a hundred thousand years! The instant its Heart of Life shattered, this Heavenly King-level tree was still in a daze, utterly bewildered. For a Heavenly King, this was a complete failure! The Starry Sky Sword skewered it through. The next instant, amidst the tree's piercing shriek, Li Hao swung with effortless lightness, slicing the entire upper half of the massive tree cleanly in two! A Heavenly King tree! A Heavenly King known for unrivaled defense. Yet under Li Hao's blade, it offered scarcely any resistance. These Heavenly Kings were ultimately mere pseudo-Heavenly Kings. Beyond that, the Starry Sky Sword was extraordinarily sharp. But the most crucial factor lay in Li Hao himself. This true body had been nurtured from the starry river. It was powerful in the truest sense! The one in Dali was Li Hao's clone. In truth, one could hardly distinguish which was the clone and which was the original, yet this physical body before him was indeed much stronger! That body had opened ninety-nine meridians. This body had opened none. It was because this true self was no longer simply opening meridians. Instead, it continuously absorbed the power of the starry river and the myriad Daos, truly cultivating all Daos concurrently. *I enter the Dao through my fleshly body, taking myself as the Dao!* Thus, with a single sweep of Li Hao's sword, the entire treetop tumbled down. Li Hao reached out, sweeping the entire canopy into his grasp, where it vanished into thin air along with all ninety-nine Heavenly Fragrance Fruits! Heavenly King-level fruit... in the entire history of Neo-Martial up to this day, perhaps only one tree had ever produced such a thing. The Cat Tree! The cat-shaped fruit that Di Wei's father had once swallowed came from a tree that was unimaginably powerful, infinitely close to the Sovereign level, with an extraordinary background. Aside from that, there had been quite a few Heavenly King trees, but none had ever borne fruit! Regardless of whether this fellow was a pseudo-Heavenly King, its fruit was undeniably a supreme treasure. One thrust pierced the Heart of Life; a second severed the canopy. Only after these two strikes landed did the entire ancient city finally awaken. A furious roar shook heaven and earth. "Who dares to be so insolent?!" With that roar, one powerful aura after another surged into the sky! Who would dare be so bold? To perpetrate murder against a Heavenly King in the very lair of the Red Moon! In that split second, phantasmal figures materialized, followed by a manifestation of a book. As its pages flipped open, peerless, legendary figures stepped forward—all reflections of the supreme beings of the Neo-Martial era. More than one! One brandished a saber, one bore a blood bow upon his back, one shattered the heavens with a bare hand, and one cracked souls with a long spear! The Great Dao Book! A tome forged by Zhang An by gathering the Dao of multiple supreme figures of Neo-Martial. The moment Li Hao struck, the Great Dao Book had appeared. Zhang An strode between heaven and earth as figure after figure merged into his body. Moreover, a star seemed to twinkle into existence, descending directly onto the Great Dao Book. The New Dao, the Old Dao... Zhang An had not entirely discarded the Neo-Martial origin path. Instead, he was attempting to fuse the two Daos together. The origin path and the Bright Star Dao shared many commonalities. At this moment, countless phantoms entered Zhang An's body one by one, corresponding to individual Dao meridians. Zhang An's cultivation method differed slightly from Li Hao's. The saber-wielding Human King entered the saber meridian; the spear-bearing God-Splitting Sovereign entered the spear meridian; the bow-carrying Blood Sovereign entered the archery meridian... The path he walked was not entirely identical to Li Hao's. It synthesized the strengths of both sides. His internal aura erupted in an instant, sweeping forth with overwhelming power. Holding the book in hand, Zhang An suppressed heaven and earth. A Heavenly King unleashing the power of the Red Moon roared in fury, only to be directly pressed down by the book! *Boom!* In that instant, sabers, spears, swords, and halberds struck as though the Human King and the Sovereigns themselves were attacking... In a flash, the heavens fell and the earth cracked! Boundless dread seized that Heavenly King, who let out a shrill scream. "Zhang An?!" How could Zhang An be here? The grandson of the Supreme! Supreme Zhang, one of Neo-Martial's paramount experts—a true supreme figure who had assisted the Human King in conquering the world, striking terror into countless hearts in days of old! When the Red Moon Universe invaded Neo-Martial, Supreme Zhang was ranked among the top three targets marked for death! He was also the supreme strategist of Neo-Martial! Yet Zhang An remained completely unfazed. He merely cast a glance toward Li Hao, his expression shifting slightly. Li Hao was also brandishing his sword, executing an airy, weightless slash. With a deafening roar, the Heavenly King tree, which had barely managed to take human form, split wide open under the strike! The old man that the tree had transformed into split apart... his face frozen in sheer disbelief! At this moment, three Heavenly Kings remained unassailed. In an instant, all three lunged toward Li Hao simultaneously. The reason was simple: Zhang An was terrifying. He was the Supreme's grandson! As for Li Hao... to them, he did not seem quite as terrifying yet. Kill Li Hao first, then execute Zhang An! Zhang An's expression shifted slightly. The Great Dao Book rumbled with thunderous roars. He thrust out with a long spear, which instantly transformed into a broad saber executing another cleave, and in the blink of an eye became a longbow drawn taut, loosing arrows in rapid succession... His attacks were ever-shifting and unpredictable! The Heavenly King trapped by him shrieked in agony as cracking sounds echoed. Countless bloody wounds split across his body, and he screamed incessantly. Zhang An's face paled slightly. After all... this opponent was still considered a Heavenly King! To thoroughly obliterate him required considerable effort and deliberate maneuvers. Zhang An's expression flickered. This was troublesome... at this rate, he might not be able to help Li Hao in time! He had originally expected at least one or two of the remaining three Heavenly Kings to target him. Yet... none did. Those cowards were frightened and had all ganged up on Li Hao instead. Bastards! Zhang An cursed inwardly! This was not the outcome he wished to see. With the Great Dao Book, even if another Heavenly King joined the fray, breaking his defense would not be easy... but they had avoided him altogether! "Li Hao..." Zhang An let out a low shout. A long sword materialized in his hand, stabbing downward. The Great Dao Book flared with blinding brilliance, forcefully suppressing his foe! *Crack!* The long sword pierced clean through the enemy's body! With that thrust, the opponent's shrieks abruptly ceased. The Heavenly King's physique split apart, and a phantom surfaced. Just as it emerged, the Great Dao Book unleashed ten thousand streaks of lightning, detonating in an instant! *Rumble!* Blast after blast erupted, and in the blink of an eye, the phantom was blasted to smithereens. A Heavenly King had been slain on the spot! Though not dispatched in a single strike, Zhang An's formidable prowess was on full display. With the Great Dao Book suppressing his target, he had finished off the Heavenly King with remarkable speed! Zhang An had no time to sever his foe's Dao, nor was there any need to do so now. Once the physical body and spiritual soul were dead, the opponent had virtually no means to counterattack. Moreover, these beings had converted to the power of the Red Moon; whether their origin paths even remained was questionable. Stowing the Great Dao Book, Zhang An rushed toward Li Hao, only to find a crowd of Saints blocking his way. His expression darkened. Trouble! These fellows might not have fought for a hundred thousand years, but their reactions were not slow at all! Just as his heart grew heavy, a shrill, agonized scream echoed from the distance. In an instant, a battered, shattered tree was torn into pieces! Li Hao's sword sliced through the void, unleashing ten thousand blade beams that pulverized the blood-red tree into fine powder! The moment its spiritual soul emerged, it was shattered in the blink of an eye. Dead! The second Heavenly King had fallen! Li Hao's killing speed had seemed slightly slower than Zhang An's. He had struck first, yet his kill had concluded moments after Zhang An's. The remaining three Heavenly Kings were already bearing down on him. Zhang An's face changed as he bellowed, "Li Hao, regroup with me!" *Hurry!* Zhang An wanted to break through to him, but over a dozen Saints joined forces, unleashing torrents of Red Moon energy in an instant. Zhang An's mind wavered momentarily as the Great Dao Book thundered in response! In the distance, one of the three Heavenly Kings roared, "Trap him!" Not to kill Zhang An, but merely to pin him down. Once the three of them dealt with Li Hao, Zhang An would surely be dead! By now, everyone recognized the two invaders: one was Zhang An, and the other was Li Hao... What made it even more alarming was that Li Hao was reportedly at the Forbidden Sea today, and several Saints from the city had even gone out to assist the battle! It was a conspiracy! Regardless... they had to kill these two first. Li Hao sheathed his sword and looked toward the three. They instantly formed a triangular formation, encircling Li Hao, their faces grim and burning with boundless fury! "Li Hao, your audacity knows no bounds! You seek death!" "Kill him!" The three bellowed simultaneously, unleashing their attacks at once. Li Hao seemingly had no time to relocate the entire city. Yet... at that exact moment, the three Heavenly Kings suddenly caught sight of something, and for a fleeting instant, their minds blanked... They seemed to glimpse a star. Half-ethereal, half-solid! To their perception, it was only a brief, almost imperceptibly short instant... Yet in that instant, the actions of the three Heavenly Kings froze for a fraction of a second... Li Hao did not use this instant to strike. At most, he could kill only one, and the remaining two would still give him his hands full! In that split second, stripped of the Heavenly Kings' power suppressing the ancient city, the city trembled violently. A massive rift tore open in the sky. The ancient city shook violently and surged straight into the heavens! The three Heavenly Kings abruptly snapped back to their senses. They were not even aware that an instant of time had passed. They continued their attacks as before. *Boom!* The three powerhouses struck. With a thunderous crash, they slammed into Li Hao, making the surging river water around him roar, splashing like blood, or perhaps merely resonating like rushing currents! The three were taken aback! Only then did they sense that something was wrong. They looked up... and the starry sky was no longer the one from before. Their expressions shifted drastically! This was... the Great Dao Universe? How was that possible?! The three of them had been relentlessly harassing Li Hao—how could they have abruptly entered the Great Dao Universe? At the same time... countless bolts of lightning surged into existence across the Great Dao Universe. In that single instant, the entire universe seemed to convulse! Wrath! Boundless wrath! There was far, far too much Red Moon energy: three Heavenly Kings, over a dozen Saints, more than a hundred Immortals... all cultivating the power of the Red Moon. Hovering above the ancient city was even a blood-red moon, containing immense reservoirs of Red Moon power! The Great Dao Universe was thoroughly enraged! *Boom!* Ten thousand bolts of lightning rained down in an instant! This time, with no one to hold them back, the strikes were less concentrated, yet they still brought shrieks of agony from countless people. Within the city, several Ancient God Guards wailed as their Red Moon energy was instantly vaporized! The weaker individuals were reduced straight to ashes under the lightning! Zhang An's heart shuddered! He knew the Great Dao Universe would target them, but... under the circumstances just now, how Li Hao had managed to shift everyone inside was something he hadn't even clearly perceived. How... had he done it? What he did not know was that Li Hao had once been bathed in the light of the time star, and the star had even swum within the river—effectively swimming within Li Hao's own body. Li Hao had comprehended a sliver of the power of time. Previously, he had caused a dog near the Dao Integration realm to zone out for seven to eight seconds, and back then, it was only managed by Li Hao's clone. This time, his true body was controlling it in person. The three Heavenly Kings had paused for roughly a hundredth of a second, but that tiny fraction of time was enough for Li Hao to act! For top experts, that brief moment was even enough to kill a Heavenly King! Yet Li Hao had chosen not to kill, but to relocate the ancient city! "How can this be?!" One Heavenly King was utterly horrified as he shattered a bolt of lightning with a punch, only for ten thousand zhang of thunder to sweep down again in the next moment. The three were terrified! In the next instant, they bellowed in unison, "Kill Li Hao first! Kill him, and maybe we can escape!" Damn it! They had actually been transported into the Great Dao Universe. Just then, Li Hao let out a soft laugh and suddenly transformed into a giant. Blood surged within him as countless stars in the sky shone with brilliance, mirroring the starry river and the currents within Li Hao's body! Countless Great Dao powers began to surge! Li Hao grew taller and larger! When the three Heavenly Kings struck, he didn't even look at them, nor did he counterattack. He merely gazed toward the distant void, looking deep into the depths of the universe. In that split second, a star seemed to sense something. Filled with curiosity and playful delight, it traversed the void and came flying. At that moment, Li Hao spoke with a soft laugh: "Look over there..." He pointed a colossal hand! Some instinctively turned to look... and instantly froze in place. Some did not look, but in the next instant, the star hurtled straight toward Li Hao. In that moment, everyone saw it... and the next second, the entire city, including Zhang An and the three Heavenly Kings, froze completely! A smile appeared on Li Hao's face! The "Dao" divine character flared upon his brow. *This* was his trump card! This was the true invincible might! This was the authority of a Dao Master! Why bother with intricate schemes? Why engage in a desperate, bloody brawl? The moment this star was drawn toward him... these people were doomed to die. The long river connected to the star, triggering an upheaval of Great Dao power. It had attracted this star once before, and this time... was no exception. However, after circling around and seemingly finding nothing novel to see, the star grew somewhat disappointed. It rolled playfully over Li Hao's body and vanished in an instant! Next time, if there was nothing novel, this star might not come again! The star had disappeared, yet the entire universe seemed to remain frozen in place! Li Hao raised his hand and drew his sword, plunging it straight into the heart of one of the Heavenly Kings! That Heavenly King seemed on the verge of screaming when Li Hao's domain instantly enveloped him. The Heavenly King snapped awake, boundless terror plastered across his face! What happened? He had merely caught sight of a star, and then... when he regained his senses, Li Hao's long sword was already plunged into his heart, grinding his internal organs to shreds. With the next strike, *crack*, his entire skull was shattered! Bewilderment and disbelief filled his eyes... How could this be? Just like that, out of nowhere, everyone else had stopped moving! And he... had been killed just like that? *I am a Heavenly King!* His spiritual power surged outward, taking the shape of a blood-red giant. This seemed to be the true usage of Red Moon energy. The blood-red giant looked around and saw everyone else frozen still. In his terror, he seemed to understand something! Perhaps... he had to wake them up! He let out a shrill screech, but at this moment, the entire Great Dao Universe seemed to fall silent. The power of ten thousand Daos formed a domain that enveloped him entirely! Li Hao's voice drifted gently: "Within my domain... shout all you want!" The sword struck! The formless blade pierced clean through. Li Hao chuckled. "Back in the day, the Blood God Seeds of the Red Moon organization were everyone's favorite... People weren't keen on consuming humans, but when it came to Blood God Seeds, everyone loved them! You fellows... I shall refine you into Blood God Seeds!" Indeed, Blood God Seeds! These Red Moon cultivators were practically identical to Ying Hongyue's former red blood shadows! The red blood shadows could be refined into Blood God Seeds, and the spiritual power of these beings could be used in the exact same way! A Blood God Seed at the Heavenly King level! Who could even imagine such a thing? The blood shadow appeared utterly terrified, but Li Hao had already impaled it with his sword. The Starry Sky Sword trembled violently, its previous cracks mended by the blood-red energy! The blood shadow was continually compressed! It screamed in agony, its voice ringing out: "The Sovereign will not spare you! If you kill us, the Sovereign will surely know... Li Hao, to kill us is to make an enemy of the Sovereign..." "Let him know, then!" Li Hao compressed it further, chuckling. "The Sovereign is a generous benefactor, even better than the Queen. So much Red Moon energy... to be frank, I can hardly believe it myself! While I have the chance, I'll compress you into a Blood God Seed first, then temper you with this Great Dao lightning. A Blood God Seed cleansed by the lightning of the Great Dao... this will certainly become a supreme treasure under heaven! A supreme treasure at the Heavenly King level!" "Li Hao!" Screams of agony rang incessantly. In the next instant, the blood shadow was thoroughly crushed, continuously devoured and refined by the Starry Sky Sword. Soon, a Blood God Seed emerged. Above, the Great Dao lightning seemed to have paused for the moment. Li Hao was in no rush; it would likely recover shortly. Once tempered by this lightning, this Blood God Seed would surely be an unparalleled treasure, vastly superior to those Heavenly Fragrance Fruits. After all, the fruit had merely been condensed by a single Heavenly King and split into ninety-nine portions. This Blood God Seed, however, was compressed from virtually all the power of a Heavenly King! Cruel? Perhaps! Yet Li Hao... couldn't care less. Once cleansed by the lightning and purged of its Red Moon corruption, it would become the finest elixir. Red Moon cultivators were hardly humans anyway. These fellows were better described as blood shadow puppets. In the blink of an eye, Li Hao had dispatched another Heavenly King. Counting the two who had died earlier, only two Heavenly Kings remained. Li Hao's eyes flickered, his brow furrowing slightly. As the star vanished, that strange power seemed to be fading as well. It was not infinite! Moreover, there were too many powerhouses gathered here, and too much Great Dao lightning... One of the Heavenly Kings seemed to be trembling slightly; he might awaken at any moment! That would not do! The domain descended instantly, enveloping the trembling Heavenly King within the domain of myriad Daos. Li Hao struck with his sword once more. The instant the blade made contact, the opponent snapped awake, but... it was too late! This Heavenly King's expression changed drastically. He looked around in shock. "I... was suppressed for an instant?" He had realized it! He had definitely been suppressed for an instant by some unfathomable power. Thus, when he regained consciousness, he had felt no passage of time, yet another Heavenly King was missing from beside him. He knew something had gone terribly wrong! Yet realizing it now was useless! The Heavenly King's face shifted, and in an instant, countless blood-colored energies converged. He was going to self-detonate! Damn Li Hao! He would blow everyone awake! At that moment, Li Hao frowned slightly. In an instant, he transformed into a surging river, wrapping around the opponent and submerging him within the currents, where countless Great Dao powers swept over him! The Heavenly King roared madly, but it was too late! Stars crashed down one after another, pummeling him into collapse. His physical body quickly shattered into pieces, and a blood shadow emerged. The Starry Sky Sword, already poised to strike, pierced straight into the blood shadow! "Ah!" Screams erupted once more as the compression process resumed. The river churned, and Li Hao gradually coalesced into human form, his face slightly pale. A Heavenly King... was truly not easy to handle! Though that power was potent, it was rapidly dissipating. Before his sword could pierce the opponent's body, the enemy had already awakened, which meant he had to rely on sheer strength to suppress a Heavenly King. Fortunately, as long as he didn't touch them, they would not wake up. He only had to deal with them one by one! Otherwise... things would have been quite troublesome! The long sword thundered, pressing down and compressing the energy. Soon, another blood-red pill materialized, exuding an immensely powerful aura. Like the previous one, it was a Blood God Seed at the Heavenly King level! Li Hao turned his gaze toward the third... This Heavenly King was trembling all over, appearing on the verge of waking at any moment! Li Hao charged in an instant! Just as he arrived, the opponent's eyes snapped open with clarity. Seeing the sword right before him, his face drained of color, and he retreated rapidly in an attempt to evade the ambush! Such a massive disturbance caused ripples elsewhere as well. Over on the other side, Zhang An suddenly opened his eyes! He whipped his head toward Li Hao... and his pupils constricted! Where were the other two Heavenly Kings? What was going on? *Boom!* The Great Dao lightning began to stir once more, crashing downward anew. The retreating Heavenly King was abruptly struck by a bolt of lightning, staggering under the impact, and the long sword impaled him straight through! Li Hao shook his head. The right time, the right place, and the harmony of people were all on his side. The moment they entered the Great Dao Universe, their fate was sealed. The opponent had awakened, but the Great Dao lightning had awakened along with him. With only one Heavenly King remaining, nearly all the lightning converged on this single target. To not be blasted dead by a single strike was already a stroke of luck! *Rumble!* Lightning cascaded down relentlessly, while Li Hao unleashed sword strike after sword strike, each leaving a deep, bloody laceration on the opponent's body. After countless strikes, a deafening boom sounded, and the enemy could no longer withstand the two-pronged assault. His physical body blew apart! A blood shadow shot into the sky, attempting to flee! Yet how could there be a chance? The sword descended in suppression as the "Dao" divine character flared. With an explosive roar, it pinned the blood shadow down. The sword stabbed in instantly, unleashing boundless suction. The suppressed Heavenly King blood shadow screamed again, roaring at the top of his lungs: "Li Hao..." "The Sovereign will not spare me! I know!" Li Hao materialized in an instant, gripping the sword and radiating endless Great Dao power. He chuckled. "Just before you, someone already threatened me with that!" "You..." "I'll die a miserable death, with no burial ground, and sooner or later join you in the grave... I've heard those words plenty of times, and I've yet to join anyone in death!" "Ah!" The Heavenly King was nearing a breakdown, preparing to roar again: "I..." "Even as a ghost you won't let me go... Unfortunately, it seems you won't even get to be a ghost!" *Boom!* An explosion rang out as a strand of venomous resentment erupted. It was utterly excruciating! The sword light flared, and with a resounding blast, the resentment was shattered, dissipating in an instant. Li Hao said calmly, "Cracking already? Such weak willpower! If all Heavenly Kings were like this... Neo-Martial would have perished long ago. Pseudo-Heavenly Kings are truly useless!" At this point, all five Heavenly Kings had been slain! Three Blood God Seeds hovered in midair. Li Hao gave a casual toss, sending the three Blood God Seeds soaring into the lightning. Amidst ceaseless thunderclaps, the originally crimson seeds gradually took on traces of golden radiance under the lightning's bombardment! Over on the other side, because Zhang An had awakened before the Saints, he had slaughtered several of them in the blink of an eye. But now that the rest were awake, Zhang An was beginning to feel strained. Yet the remaining Saints suddenly blanched! "Flee!" Someone roared, turning to run! Li Hao had killed all the Heavenly Kings! An inconceivable outcome! "Flee... in here?" Li Hao chuckled, his laughter tinged with wicked amusement. His sword pierced heaven and earth, impaling a Saint in an instant. A blood shadow emerged, and in virtually a single breath, it was suppressed by the sword, compressed, and before long turned into a Blood God Seed! A Saint-grade Blood God Seed! Zhang An's expression flickered, and he opened his mouth, saying: "They are merely enemies. The Red Moon world is not of the human race anyway. Humans eat demons, demons eat meat, big fish eat little fish, and little fish eat shrimp... It's just the food chain!" Zhang An said no more, his face solemn as the Great Dao Book suppressed the surroundings! With several Saints dead, the survivors stood no chance against the combined might of Li Hao and Zhang An. Li Hao's combat strength was terrifyingly ferocious; with a single sword strike, virtually no Saint could withstand him! In the blink of an eye, the dozen-plus Saints were nearly wiped out entirely! Turned into Blood God Seeds one by one, they were hurled into the lightning by Li Hao to receive their baptism! As for the remaining Immortals, Peak Realm cultivators, and Ancient God Guards... many had already been blasted into oblivion by the lightning! Yet a portion were still fleeing frantically. Some fled into the starry expanse of the universe, but in the boundless cosmos, there was nowhere to hide! In the blink of an eye, Li Hao ran them down one by one! Slaughter! A boundless massacre! Shrieks of agony echoed through the cosmic void. No one could have imagined that the mighty base of the Red Moon would be scooped up and obliterated in one fell swoop by Li Hao. The five Heavenly Kings hadn't even posed as much of a threat as the patriarch of the Zheng family. Li Hao had grown far stronger, and his repertoire of methods had expanded! From this slaughter, the gains reaped were even greater! Another point was that these people possessed an exceptionally dense concentration of Red Moon energy! Zheng Hongyuan was nowhere near as steeped in Red Moon power as they were! Sword strike followed sword strike as seed after seed was tossed into the Great Dao lightning. To undergo the baptism of thunder! In the blink of an eye, Li Hao returned to the ancient city. Zhang An had also cleared out the remaining hostiles, though a few people in the city were still alive. Li Hao looked toward a woman not far away, a faint smile surfacing on his face. "Cyan Moon?" The woman trembled all over, yet gritted her teeth and snarled, "I'm your grandma! Li Hao, wipe that smirk off your face! Even if you came here, won, and slaughtered us... at the Forbidden Sea, you're still doomed! Your people will all die—it's nothing more than a life for a life!" Li Hao smiled. He reached out with a single hand, his palm blotting out the sky! Cyan Moon possessed some grit and moved to self-detonate, but before Li Hao, how could she have the chance? Li Hao suppressed and captured her in an instant, whispering, "Don't die just yet. Ying Hongyue hasn't seen it yet! He killed my parents, killed my friends, killed my brothers, and dug up my parents' graves... When I killed Orange Moon and the others, Ying Hongyue wasn't there to see it with his own eyes... I will kill you right before his face!" Boundless killing intent flared in Li Hao's eyes! Zhang An hesitated, wanting to speak, but Li Hao's voice turned ice-cold: "Senior Zhang, do not urge others to be generous! My family is ruined, my parents' bones lost without a trace. If you urge me to be magnanimous, I will truly be angry!" Zhang An sighed and held his tongue. Just as Li Hao said... there was no dissuading him. Between him and Ying Hongyue lay a blood debt as deep as the sea! An irreconcilable feud that would not rest until the other's relatives and friends were all dead. Having triumphed today, Li Hao would naturally not let Ying Hongyue off easily! In an instant, ten thousand swords pierced the heavens and earth, grinding countless corpses to dust. Li Hao pulled up the roots and eradicated the weed, leaving not a single soul alive! The lightning in the sky still had not dissipated. The blood moon above the city still radiated Red Moon energy, locked in battle against the thunder. Li Hao looked up, slightly surprised. What was that blood-colored moon? Not only had it supplied the entire city with cultivation energy, but under the onslaught of the Great Dao lightning, it had actually held out until now! As the lightning intensified, the blood moon gradually grew faint. Bit by bit, the blood moon revealed its true form! Zhang An's expression changed. "A Sovereign's blood essence!" *What?* Li Hao was startled! That was the blood essence of the Red Moon Sovereign? *Boom!* The Great Dao lightning erupted once more. The droplet of blood struggled violently, suddenly coalescing into a human figure that revealed the appearance of the sealed Sovereign. He glanced at Li Hao, then at Zhang An, and actually spoke aloud with a sigh of emotion: "What a remarkable junior! To actually breach the City of Thunder... It seems I am to lose a drop of my blood essence... What a pity!" With that, the blood essence dispersed, transforming into boundless crimson power that lunged straight toward the lightning! Evidently, the Sovereign knew this drop of blood essence could not escape, but he had no intention of letting Li Hao benefit from it. This was, after all, a Sovereign's blood essence! Only then did Li Hao snap out of his reverie! At this moment, disregarding Zhang An's presence, Li Hao let out a furious roar. Like the sun, moon, and stars, radiant light flared around him. Time seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second, causing the Sovereign's blood manifestation to blanch: "This is... the power of time..." *Boom!* The world fell deathly silent for an instant! Li Hao tore through the void, reaching out to seize the blood. Zhang An, unaffected this time since Li Hao had not targeted him, watched dumbfounded before roaring urgently, "Don't!" That was the blood of a Sovereign! Li Hao had no idea how terrifying a Sovereign was. Their blood was perilous beyond measure; even a single drop possessed the power to seize control of your body! Sure enough, the droplet of blood fused into Li Hao's body in an instant, turning his eyes blood-red! The Sovereign's voice echoed: "Greedy little brat!" To dare snatch his blood essence! The next moment, a muffled grunt escaped, carrying a hint of shock: "What?!" *What?* Zhang An was equally stunned. Right at that moment, Li Hao roared and transformed into a surging river. The great river churned violently, and in the sky, myriad stars flared with light, draping the entire river in brilliance! "You dare try to possess me?" Li Hao's voice was frigid: "If your true body came, perhaps you'd have a chance. With a single drop of blood essence, you think you can possess a Dao Master?!" *Rumble!* The river surged, currents rushing forth in torrents. Within the waters, the single drop of blood tumbled frantically, repeatedly battered and washed clean! Zhang An watched, slack-jawed! He muttered, "Madman!" Taking his own body as the river! A river of myriad Daos! How was that possible? The power of ten thousand Daos washed over it relentlessly, wave after wave. The Sovereign's blood was cleansed again and again. Soon, a faint phantom emerged, sitting cross-legged atop the blood like a lone boat battered by endless Dao currents! At this moment, the Sovereign was also somewhat astonished, sighing in admiration: "Impressive methods! Truly impressive! Taking the self as the Dao, fusing the body into the Dao! Li Hao, you are a genius of this era, a true genius... Yet this is merely a single drop of my blood essence. By seizing it today, my true body will know! Once my true body arrives... not even this incomplete Great Dao Universe will be able to hold me!" "Wait until your true body arrives before spouting such words!" Li Hao's voice resounded grandly. With a deafening boom, the Great Dao river instantly extinguished the phantom. The next moment, Li Hao resumed human form, a head-sized crimson orb resting in his hand! He charged straight into the lightning, letting countless bolts crash down upon him! Li Hao was ecstatic! A drop of Sovereign blood! And not ordinary blood, but blood essence. Even if its raw combat power wasn't equal to a Heavenly King's, the Blood God Seed refined from it surpassed a Heavenly King Blood God Seed by an unimaginable margin in pure quality! This time, he had struck it truly rich! Zhang An hurried over, staring at Li Hao in utter disbelief: "You... seized it?" Unbelievable! Not only that, Li Hao's earlier technique of freezing the Sovereign's blood for an instant was equally staggering. He finally understood how those Heavenly Kings had vanished earlier—they had all been slain by Li Hao using this very method! Too terrifying! The power of time? Impossible! Who could possibly master time? He stared blankly at Li Hao, feeling for the first time that he no longer understood the young man at all. Fusing his body into a long river and wielding a faint sliver of the power of time—such a Li Hao was terrifying! He then looked at the Blood God Seeds dotting the starry sky once the lightning subsided. Heavenly King Blood God Seeds, and even a Sovereign Blood God Seed! Li Hao... had truly eradicated the Red Moon Sovereign's stronghold this time! …… At this moment, within the seal. The Red Moon Sovereign snapped his eyes open! His drop of blood... was gone! The connection was severed! Even when brought into the Great Dao Universe, a connection should have remained, capable of serving as a tracking beacon. But... when Li Hao extinguished the phantom with the power of the river, the link was completely severed! The Red Moon Sovereign silently gazed toward the sky, his connection cut. Who seized my blood? Who could accomplish such a feat? Even for a Heavenly King or a half-step Sovereign, the blood would detonate in an instant; it was utterly impossible to snatch away. Yet the current situation did not look like a detonation, but rather like it had been wrested away! The Great Dao Universe? Li Hao? Or that other fellow? He stared into the sky, lost in thought. Soon, a faint smile touched his lips. *My blood... is not so easily taken!* …… At the same time. In the outside world. Night had fallen. The King of Dali grew intensely anxious: "Are we still not making a move?" What time was it already? Any longer, and dawn would break! At this moment, Li Hao smiled and stepped out through the void, laughing. "What's the rush... Come, let's go meet Ying Hongyue!" The King of Dali froze. Wasn't this supposed to be a surprise attack? *What the hell!* You're charging straight out—what kind of surprise attack is this? Li Hao's voice echoed grandly: "Everyone, come forth! Today, we suppress the Forbidden Sea!" Saint after Saint manifested in an instant! Not stopping there, Li Hao shouted once more: "Martial Uncle, Hongyu, Black Panther, all of you come!" At this moment, the few figures hiding in secret were also slightly startled. Soon, they too shattered the void and arrived. In the distance, Ying Hongyue's face twisted into an extremely grim look, an overwhelming sense of unease creeping over him! He no longer hid, surfacing above the Forbidden Sea to gaze at Li Hao from afar. His expression was unsightly as he said in a low voice, "Li Hao, you said you would leave it at that once you took your things. Why return today?" Li Hao laughed. "Ying Hongyue... there is a blood debt between you and me. When I speak, you treat it like farting, and when you speak, I treat it the same! Between the two of us, could there possibly be any trust left?" At this point, Ying Hongyue said nothing more. Behind him, a skeleton surfaced, its overwhelmingly powerful aura erupting over the Forbidden Sea. At the same time, Ying Hongyue's expression grew increasingly grave as he bellowed, "Assemble!" He had changed his plans! Moments later, powerful auras converged rapidly. In the blink of an eye, eight distinct Saint auras drifted into place. If one counted the Saints in the City of Thunder, there were actually quite a few—a full twenty Saints. He hadn't mobilized them all out of fear of scaring Li Hao away, and also out of concern that too much commotion would draw unwanted attention. Yet now... he had no choice! Li Hao's side had plenty of Saints as well! The issue was not the number of Saints, but that this fellow Li Hao gave him an unsettling feeling. Boundless unease surged within his heart—the first time in all these years he had felt this way. Even during his many previous setbacks, he had never felt so rattled. Because all of those past events had still fallen within his calculations. Only today... despite losing nothing yet, his dread was at its absolute peak! Something had definitely gone wrong! Where could the problem be? All of Li Hao's people were right here, not a single one missing, all their experts accounted for. His expression grew darker and darker as the Forbidden Sea churned madly! Behind him, the skeleton's aura climbed higher and higher! The King of Dali could barely contain himself, transmitting his voice urgently: "Attack! Hurry... that skeleton seems to be absorbing the power of the Forbidden Sea... and so is Ying Hongyue! Move!" What are you waiting for? Attack! He was nearly driven mad with fury! Was this idiot Li Hao, this fool, actually trying to uphold some chivalrous code, waiting until the enemy reached their peak before making a move? Damn it, eight Saints! Plus Ying Hongyue and a Heavenly King skeleton... his scalp was tingling with dread! How could they possibly fight this? At this moment, it wasn't just him whose scalp tingled. Even Li Fuhai and the others turned grim. This was not going to be an easy fight! Or rather, it would be brutally difficult! Handling those Saints was manageable, but that skeleton combined with Ying Hongyue... could Li Hao's group handle them? If not... this battle was fraught with peril! If Zheng Yu's side intervened at a critical moment... unless Zhang An and his allies stepped in to block them, this battle might very well end in their annihilation! The battle of the Forbidden Sea was on the verge of erupting!