Time Sword

Sword City drew closer. The Red Moon Sovereign smiled. Fools who did not know death when it stared them in the face! How could those who were not Sovereigns ever comprehend the might of one? The Bagua formation flared to life. Eight phantoms materialized. Among them, the phantom of the Sword Venerable erupted with sword qi, as though sensing the arrival of Sword City. At the same time, in the City Lord's Estate... Li Hao wore a calm expression. A strike from a Sovereign... could he withstand it? Probably not. Or rather: could he evade it and survive? Who knew? How much power did this Sovereign still possess while bound in the seal? If Li Hao could not even evade a single strike right now and was killed outright, how could he ever hope to stand against them in the future? He had told the three spirits this was a life-or-death gamble, but to Li Hao himself... this was merely a baseline probe. If he did not even possess the qualifications to test the waters, then once the seal shattered before long, how would he ever deal with a Sovereign? Sword City did not hesitate in the slightest, charging straight at the seal. In an instant, a sky-sundering sword qi surged outward, slashing directly toward the Sovereign! At that moment, it was not just Li Hao controlling it; the sword was also controlling it, and the grand seal was controlling it as well... By this point, both sides had reached a tacit understanding. They would test the might of a Sovereign! ... "What audacity!" The Red Moon Sovereign chuckled softly. Audacious indeed—far too audacious. Inside this city, someone was actively initiating an attack against him. "You dare... to despise a Sovereign!" Without another word, a colossal hand blotted out the heavens and the sun, blanketing the sky and cosmos. Only that heaven-covering hand remained, descending straight toward the center of Sword City— Right toward the City Lord's Estate! *Rumble!* The Bagua formation unleashed terrifying destructive power. In an instant, the Sword Venerable phantom erupted with monstrous sword qi, slashing toward the Sovereign! Sword City responded immediately as well, unleashing a second burst of boundlessly powerful sword qi. Two streams of sword qi crisscrossed heaven and earth! *Crack!* The void shattered like a mirror beneath the Sovereign's palm. The colossal hand obliterated the sword qi capable of killing a Heavenly King with apparent ease, as a wave of crimson energy permeated the entire cosmos! The Red Moon Sovereign's face remained impassive as the gigantic palm pulverized everything in its path, crashing straight down upon the City Lord's Estate! *Boom!* At that very moment, a surge of sword qi soared into the sky. Li Hao brandished his sword, slashing at the firmament! Apart from withholding the Longevity sword intent, all the strength of his entire life was poured into this one strike! Boundlessly powerful! Capable of slaying a Heavenly King! "Die!" Li Hao let out a low shout. Sword qi pierced the void, and Great Dao divine characters manifested. The gigantic palm overhead descended directly. *Rumble!* The sword intent Li Hao unleashed instantly exploded into fragments! "Oh?" The Sovereign's voice drifted down faintly. That tiny mortal appeared to be a descendant of the Li family? Him? *Boom!* Upon the gigantic palm, a shallow sword mark appeared—exceedingly faint. Li Hao's sword strike had failed to even pierce the palm. Li Hao looked up. A boundless pressure bore down on him, as though trying to force him to his knees! Before a Sovereign... before Sovereign might, one was expected to kneel! Yet... how was that possible? Li Hao roared fiercely, his body like a sharp blade rocketing straight into the sky. The canopy-like hand covered heaven and earth, but Li Hao charged upward, disregarding the oppressive aura. This pressure of yours isn't enough! It isn't even as strong as the pressure on the Blood Sovereign's saber! "Five Animals Sword!" With a low roar, the force of the five animals erupted from Li Hao's body. Mountains manifested, a tiger roared, willow trees swayed, ocean waves surged, and golden light illuminated heaven and earth! Five great dragons merged into the five animals—the Five Elements Dao meridians. "Die!" With another fierce cry, one sword sundered heaven and earth! *Boom!* An ant trying to shake the heavens—overestimating its own strength! With a thunderous crash, the enormous recoil shattered every bone and muscle in Li Hao's body. He had not merely dodged; he had actively launched an assault, pressing the attack! Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, it took the Sovereign slightly by surprise and drew a faint scoff. He had... drawn his sword against a Sovereign! Admirable courage! Unfortunately... his strength was far too weak. For such a frail fellow to draw his sword to slash a Sovereign was nothing more than a joke. The colossal palm crashed down with a deafening roar! *Bang!* The City Lord's Estate was reduced to dust. Li Hao's physical body pulverized, and the longsword in his hand even snapped. The three spirits emerged and were instantly turned to dust. The Sword Tree phantom muttered with a tinge of helplessness, "I thought there would be at least some result... In the end... we really came just to die..." We overestimated you! Beneath a single strike, Li Hao had been battered to smithereens by the Sovereign's palm, and even the Starry Sky Sword had broken, showing that... this sword was not particularly formidable. The entire City Lord's Estate instantly became an unfathomably massive black hole, revealing the faint trace of sword intent emanating from beneath. "Dead?" At that moment, a young man murmured. It truly had been a suicidal charge! Inconceivable! This person... had actually convinced the three ancient remnants to commit suicide alongside him. Was he that determined to kill me? He had originally wanted to see whether the wielder of the Starry Sky Sword possessed other methods... but he had never expected the man to truly be slain by a single strike from the Sovereign. Li Hao had been strong; that final erupting sword strike had even left an imprint on the Sovereign's hand—faint, but having the sensation of grazing the skin. Had it been slightly more formidable, it might have inflicted a minor wound on the Sovereign. That was already extraordinary beyond belief! A Sovereign represented the limit of heaven and earth. Yet now... the mortal had been swatted to death with a single palm. The Red Moon Sovereign smiled as well. Overestimating his strength! That man had never dared approach him before, yet today he had been bold to the extreme! Of course, the Sovereign had also sensed something. The next instant, he smiled. "It seems he hoped his own death would bring about yours! You do have some skill!" With those words, the colossal palm crashed down once more. *Boom!* Across the entire Sword City, countless structures instantly disintegrated into ash! These remnants of the Sword Venerable, which none of the others had been able to destroy, turned to dust in a single breath beneath the strike of a Sovereign. Even the concealing formation shattered, revealing the true form of the entire Sword City in an instant! It truly was a sword! And atop this colossal longsword, a small courtyard still stood upright. The plaque upon the courtyard radiated brilliant light, withstanding the destructive force. The Sovereign looked toward it, his eyes flickering slightly. Li Hao had not seen anything, but at this moment, the Sovereign seemed to glimpse a figure of absolute wild abandon. The Human King! The Neo-Martial Human King! Right then, the longsword suddenly blazed with boundless, radiant light. A sword-wielding youth let out a fierce shout and slashed outward—this was the true Starry Sky Sword! "Die!" Just like Li Hao, he swung his sword to slash a Sovereign! To gaze upon a Sovereign was to gaze upon a deity. Ordinary Saints and Heavenly Kings would never dare, nor would they be able, to make a move before a Sovereign. Yet today, two individuals had drawn their swords against a Sovereign! This sword strike was far more formidable than Li Hao's previous blow. As the slash tore through the air, two bursts of sword radiance erupted and instantly met the colossal hand. With a thunderous boom, a gash was actually carved into the palm! The sword-wielding youth called out coldly, "Sealed for so many years, is this all you amount to?" In the distance, the Red Moon Sovereign glanced at him and smiled. "Not bad. But... is that all you have?" In an instant, a second palm materialized! *Boom!* It suppressed heaven and earth, covering the sky with a single hand. Suddenly, the hand clenched into a fist, enclosing the entirety of Sword City in an instant. The Red Moon Sovereign murmured softly, "I am indeed no match for the Sword Venerable, but... against a discarded sword, do you truly believe such an object can slay me?" Are you underestimating a Sovereign too much? *Boom!* The massive Sword City was squeezed out of shape by the palm. Crackling sounds echoed endlessly as countless bursts of sword qi erupted. In that instant, aside from the vicinity of the small courtyard, cracks fractured across every corner of the city. Yet the sword-wielding youth remained completely unfazed. He unleashed another terrifyingly powerful surge of sword intent, piercing heaven and earth with a single strike and opening another streak of blood on the hand! "Humph!" The Red Moon Sovereign showed a flicker of irritation. Such audacity! And such sharp sword qi! Withdrawing his palm, he formed a fist and threw a punch straight toward the area where the youth stood. Before the fist even arrived, countless strands of sword qi crumbled into pieces. A Sovereign was a Sovereign; even with this youth being exceptionally powerful, it was useless! In merely a breath, the youth's phantom shuddered. *Bang, bang, bang!* His body began to disintegrate. There was no blood, only countless dispersing strands of sword qi. He murmured, "After so many years, you remain this formidable... A Sovereign, indeed..." A Sovereign was truly unmatched. A leap to the heavens! Even with his immense power, even drawing upon the might of Sword City, even erupting with countless sword qi, and even... exhausting everything he had, he was still no match for a single punch. Such was a Sovereign—a Sovereign who had been sealed for a hundred thousand years! The youth's form collapsed, transforming into a longsword covered in crack after crack. Yet the sword seemed unconcerned, for countless fissures had also spread across the entire Sword City! A good thing! As long as he survived this blow, he would be able to refine the true Starry Sky Sword. Yet he could not block this punch from the Sovereign. Even so, the sword showed no sign of worry. Suddenly, it trembled violently with a sense of jubilation. At the same time, the Sovereign let out a chuckle. "I knew you would come. You have quite the nerve!" In that split second, the cosmos seemed to tear open, and a man carrying a sword on his back stepped forward! Things had not played out as the Sword Tree had warned—that the man would be unable to come once the Moon God's true body vanished. It was merely slightly more complicated. When the longsword struck, the sword-bearing man had sensed it, realizing it was likely clashing with the Sovereign. And so, he had appeared. Without a word, the sword-bearing man drew his blade. A strike descended from the heavens, illuminating the entire cosmos! As the sword came down, the cosmos seemed to shatter! Colossal fist and sword radiance collided! Silence! No deafening explosion rang out. Soundlessly, vast stretches of void collapsed, turning into a black hole in an instant. A faint residual impact struck Sword City, sending it flying backward. It crashed clear through the seal, rocketing away and disappearing into the boundless cosmos! Meanwhile, the sword in the man's hands instantly shattered. The Sovereign's colossal fist dissipated, yet a deep bloody gash appeared on his hand. The next instant, with utter coldness, the Sovereign threw another punch! *Boom!* The firmament was torn apart, and the Great Dao universe seemed to quake. The sword-bearing man had arrived precisely through the Great Dao universe. At this moment, another longsword manifested within the Great Dao universe and fell into his grasp, slashing down once more! *Boom!* The sword shuddered, instantly dissolving into countless stars, many of which shattered. The sword-bearing man's body shook, and the Sovereign struck out with another fist! "Li Daoheng, you are not weak... but... you are not a Sovereign after all! Even sealed for a hundred thousand years, this Sovereign is not someone you can contend with!" At their level, there was no need for flashy tricks. It was straightforward and direct! A single punch split into thousands upon thousands of blows. *Rumble!* The sword-bearing man coughed up blood repeatedly, his body fracturing as he was forced backward in retreat. The Great Dao universe trembled violently and began to close rapidly! The Sovereign's gaze shifted slightly, and he soared toward the heavens as if intending to charge into the Great Dao universe. Right at that moment, he suddenly whipped his head around, his expression shifting. Behind him, the Sword Venerable phantom, which had seemingly been gathering power all along, abruptly drew its sword and slashed! *Boom!* Once again, terrifically potent might erupted. As the sword swept forward, the Sovereign frowned and swung a fist in return. At the same time, a portal descended from the void, pressing downward—the Star Gate. The moment the Star Gate descended, the Sovereign's body shuddered. The Sword Venerable phantom slashed its sword down. *Boom!* The Sovereign staggered back several steps. The colossal fist vanished, and a fissure tore open on his hand, dripping blood continuously. In the sky, the Great Dao universe was sealing shut. Drenched in blood, the sword-bearing man wore an icy expression. "Nothing more than the weakest of Sovereigns... Star Gate, Qiankun Bagua Array... Once the Lifeless Sword is forged, this seat will return to spar with you again. I shall slay a Sovereign to celebrate my ascension!" The Lifeless Sword! The Sovereign looked grim as the Great Dao universe sealed completely and vanished. Roaring in fury, he punched the firmament. *Boom!* The sky fractured! Yet the Great Dao universe was already gone. The Red Moon Sovereign snorted coldly. "A sharp tongue indeed. Though whether you can keep that Silver Moon alive remains to be seen!" This descent of the Great Dao universe had still relied on the Moon God. The already wounded Moon God had once again served as the beacon, locking onto this location and tearing through the world boundary. Whether she could survive remained questionable. Looking down at his hand, then up at the Star Gate in the sky and the restlessly stirring phantom of the Sword Venerable, the Red Moon Sovereign frowned slightly and cast a glance into the distance. This time... that fellow might have gotten the better end of the bargain. The Lifeless Sword? Devouring the Longevity Sword Venerable's sword—did that earn it the name Lifeless Sword? Still... could he truly succeed? He raised an eyebrow slightly. Earlier, he had crushed Li Hao to death with a single palm, but... was the boy truly dead? He knew a bit about Li Hao. Crushing him had been far too simple. Although it was natural for a Sovereign to swat him dead, this Li Hao was different from the one he knew. "Faintly... there was another power present. What a pity... Li Daoheng's sword appeared too quickly, leaving me no time to investigate..." He tilted his head toward the heavens, a mocking sneer curling his lips. Li Daoheng... what was the use of creating so many avatars? Had the true body been present, he might have detected some clues. With the true body absent, could that sword of his... truly succeed? Absurd! In any case, the Red Moon Sovereign did not look favorably on it. He suspected Li Hao was not dead, merely feigning death! Naturally, to him, it did not matter. Whether Li Daoheng or Li Hao, whichever won... neither was anything good. If both suffered mutually assured destruction, that would be for the best. ... In the depths of the cosmos. The massive Sword City battered through the firmament. Above the city, a young man gradually materialized, his face deathly pale. The entire Sword City was breaking apart, fracturing with fissures, yet he wore a faint smile. However, the next moment, his expression shifted slightly as he looked not far away. Where the City Lord's Estate had stood, there was now no estate at all. Where Li Hao had been swatted to death, a faint glimmer of light suddenly shimmered—utterly ethereal, as though someone were walking out from illusion itself! The sky suddenly parted, revealing a long river. A figure gradually took shape atop the river. Holding the Starry Sky Sword, Li Hao walked out from the river step by step, murmuring softly, "If the Dao is destroyed, I am destroyed; if the Dao exists, I exist. The Sovereign destroyed my physical body, but not my spirit. Li Daoheng... or should I say, the Lifeless Sword, it seems your success is far from guaranteed!" He stepped out from the illusion. Landing upon the colossal longsword, the blade seemed to hum with joy. This was the true Starry Sky Sword; even after taking a punch from a Sovereign and being sent flying, it had not broken. This was the true blade of the Sword Venerable! Li Hao held the smaller Starry Sky Sword. Within the ethereal glow, the three remnant spirits emerged. The three spirits were utterly stunned! Hadn't we died? How are we back out? Li Hao chuckled softly. "The person may die, but the Dao remains. Within a short span, while the long river flows, one can still revive! With merely a moment to reverse time and space, I return!" In the distance, the youth's expression shifted before his voice turned cold. "A fine 'reversing time and space, I return'! However, as expected, if that long river is severed, you will never return again!" His aura sharpened instantly. "I was wondering how someone bold enough to charge a Sovereign and draw a sword against him could die so easily, so quickly. I felt something was amiss. It seems I underestimated you after all!" He chuckled softly. "Not only would shattering the long river finish you, but killing you once more... would likely make it impossible for you to revive again. There is a peculiar power within you; strip that power away, and you are dead without a doubt!" Li Hao nodded. "Sharp eyes! I have to admit, without me... you might well have succeeded, refining everything... With merely two avatars, you dared make a move against a Sovereign. If your true body succeeds with the new Dao, merges the three bodies into one, devours all, and takes command of the Great Dao... you would surely become an overlord of the grand cosmos... But... why did you have to provoke me?" With those words, he advanced with sword in hand, treading through the void, strolling amid illusion. Drawing his blade, Li Hao said softly, "Your realm is higher than mine, and your strength surpasses mine. Even now, you are stronger than me. I won't take advantage of you, and you shouldn't take advantage of me... Sever your connection to Sword City." "Do you think that possible?" The sword-wielding man smiled. The next instant, his face changed abruptly. Li Hao slashed outward, releasing a burst of pure Longevity sword intent directly into Sword City! Sword City shuddered violently, shaking intensely as the sword intent sank into it! Li Hao had not used it to strike his foe! This mighty sword intent had taken him seven days to collect, yet now he channeled it entirely into Sword City. In an instant, Sword City erupted with dazzling, boundless radiance! *Boom!* With a thunderous crash, the sword intent exploded. The sword-wielding man was sent flying, spitting a mouthful of golden blood as countless strands of sword intent scattered. His form blurred and reverted into a longsword. The ethereal thread that had connected him to Sword City snapped in an instant! The aura of the Lifeless Sword plummeted sharply. From a state nearly possessing the might of a half-step Sovereign, it slipped continuously, only stopping just before falling below the Heavenly King level. The sword-wielding man manifested once more, visibly shaken. "You... wielded the Longevity sword intent?" Li Hao had not used the intent to kill his enemy; he had merely stimulated the true Starry Sky Sword, causing it to erupt and awaken, driving the Lifeless Sword out and severing its ongoing devouring process! Li Hao smiled. "Now it's fair. You are at the early Heavenly King level, and I am at the peak of the Saint realm... Still, I am human, you are a sword; I am the true body, you are an avatar. For you to be slightly higher than me is something I can accept... Lifeless Sword, how do you see it now?" The Lifeless Sword smiled. "Fair!" He did not seem overly despondent, nodding. "Quite fair indeed. I am very interested in that peculiar energy inside your body! Naturally, you must be quite interested in me as well. What is your name?" "Li Hao!" Li Hao replied, holding the smaller Starry Sky Sword. He crouched down and gently stroked the still-trembling Sword City. "Quiet down now, and arrange a good place for us to have a proper spar! Li Daoheng's sword avatar must be very formidable... Regardless of who wins between him and me, this sword of yours, lacking sufficient spirituality, won't escape our grasp. I can only say the Sword Venerable was truly lacking in affection toward his own weapon, failing to nurture even a bit of spirituality within it." Opposite him, the sword-wielding youth remained silent. In that instant, heaven and earth spun. The two appeared as if atop an enormous arena stage. Li Hao exhaled, looking across at his opponent. "Now... shall we spar?" "As you wish!" The youth laughed softly, instantly transforming into a pitch-black sword. Soundlessly, it materialized above Li Hao's head. Li Hao swung his sword to parry, and the two blades clashed. In the distance, the three remnant spirits were already completely dazed. They still did not understand how Li Hao had pulled them back from death. Seeing Li Hao engaging the opponent, the three were about to step forward to assist when Li Hao's voice drifted over: "No need. I want to slay him alone! Only then can the Starry Sky Sword in my hand devour everything of his and become a truly mighty blade. A swordsman's blade must also learn to fight for itself! I shall use him to hone the sword in my grasp!" Perhaps in the future, this blade that had accompanied him all this time could no longer be called the Starry Sky Sword. Regardless, slaying this Lifeless Sword in this battle would serve as a tempering for his own blade. The two swords crossed, their sword intent tearing through the void! Watching this, the three spirits felt deeply conflicted... Had these two lived in the era when the Sword Venerable still walked the world, both would unquestionably have been the finest inheritors of the sword path, and the Sword Venerable would have been immensely gratified! With the two of them present, the lineage of the sword would surely have flourished! What a pity! Li Daoheng was a traitor who had slaughtered the Li family bloodline—an unmitigated madman and demon. As for this Li Hao... he did not seem much better, though at least he had not slaughtered members of the Li clan. ... Within the arena, the two swords clashed repeatedly. Sword intent swept in all directions, killing intent overflowing. Gripping his sword, Li Hao's eyes gleamed with sharp light. One strike slashed out like a spirit of the dark night, silent and traceless, then shifted in an instant to graceful elegance, willow leaves drifting, before transforming into the earth, peerless in defense! At this moment, Li Hao employed a multitude of combat arts. The Earth-Overturning Sword, the Sky Sword, even the Bright Sword, the Darkness Sword, the Willow Wood Sword, the Jade Light Sword... The Sword Venerable's sword intent was mighty... but Li Hao had his own inheritance, his own path of the sword. The martial masters of Silver Moon were his teachers. Opposite him, the Lifeless Sword possessed only one trait: ruthlessness! Every strike aimed to kill! As their figures crossed, bloody gashes appeared on Li Hao's body, deep enough to see bone. Every clash left deep bone-revealing gashes, driving streaks of sword intent into his body that tore through him and sent sprays of blood flying. There was no further conversation. Nor was any needed! Li Hao displayed every sword technique he knew, deploying each with effortless familiarity. Regrettably, their lethal power seemed insufficient, and the Starry Sky Sword in his hand seemed lacking in sharpness, faintly showing crack after crack. How could the sword arts of a group of martial masters compare to a swordsman who had mastered the intent of the Sword Venerable like Li Daoheng? They appeared cluttered and overly flashy! Did Li Hao know this? He did! He knew he possessed a wide repertoire, but none were overwhelmingly strong; some were even rather redundant. At that moment, the swords of light and darkness erupted together! The two swords merged! The next instant, the five elements swords erupted, five swords merging! The Lifeless Sword's cold voice rang out: "You have great nerve, using me to temper your sword, hoping to fuse the swords of myriad Daos? The Sword Venerable's blade was also a sword of myriad Daos. Do you intend to start from the beginning and fuse a different myriad Daos sword?" What towering ambition! Yet how could you possibly succeed? Li Hao's voice carried a smile. "One step at a time. I have already named my sword techniques: the Bright Moon Sword! It is divided into the Ten Daos Sword, the Hundred Daos Sword, the Thousand Daos Sword, and finally the Myriad Daos Sword!" "Above the land of Silver Moon, the bright moon hangs aloft! The Ten Daos Sword can slay early Heavenly Kings; the Hundred Daos Sword can slay peak Heavenly Kings; the Thousand Daos Sword can slay half-step Sovereigns; and the Myriad Daos Sword can slay Sovereigns... What do you think?" "Succeed first before you boast!" Their figures crossed, sword light blazing everywhere! Li Hao closed his eyes. Seven swords crisscrossed, merging into one. At that moment, the Nine Refinements Force erupted, fusing power into unity! Though these were the most fundamental secret arts, in Li Hao's hands, they exerted unimaginable efficacy. Wind, thunder, light, darkness, and the five elements—in an instant, nine swords merged into one, slashing outward! *Boom!* For the first time, the Lifeless Sword was sent flying backward, a faint mark appearing upon its blade. "Merging only nine swords... is not enough!" The Lifeless Sword vanished once more. The next moment, it erupted with radiant sword intent, a strike cleaving through the void to pierce Li Hao before turning to strike again. Li Hao swung his sword to block, the Starry Sky Sword shuddering violently! Indeed, there were only nine swords, representing the nine divine abilities Li Hao commonly used. The tenth sword seemed impossible to manifest. On the perimeter, the Saints grew frantic. The Sword Tree was experienced and knowledgeable, calling out anxiously, "Nine swords merged... there is still the Longevity sword intent! Merge the Longevity sword intent, and you will surely kill him!" What are you waiting for? Merge it! Haven't you been comprehending the Longevity sword intent all along? Can't you even unleash a bit of it? Ten swords merged into one would have a chance of slaying this fellow! Yet the Lifeless Sword chuckled, his voice eerie. "The Longevity Sword? Sword Tree, how ignorant you are... The Longevity Sword is not a single path of the sword! You comprehend far too little of the Sword Venerable's blade. Longevity sword intent is the unification of myriad Daos—it is already a sword of fusion. How could it be merged into this? Foolish!" Li Hao sighed as well. "Well said. The Ten Daos Sword requires pure, singular swords. If I could simply merge the Longevity sword intent... would I need to make it this complicated?" The Sword Tree... still lacked deep comprehension. A demon plant was not human after all, nor a pure swordsman. "The Ten Daos Sword serves as the foundation. All myriad swords must have a core. The Longevity sword intent is not the core of my sword... Nor will I walk the exact same path as the Sword Venerable. Emulating him can make me strong, but it cannot bring transcendence..." "Lifeless Sword, tell me: what sword intent should command my myriad swords?" Li Hao vanished in an instant, his smile radiant. "Care to take a guess?" The Lifeless Sword suddenly took the form of the youth, frowning slightly as he looked at Li Hao with grave solemnity. "That energy of yours is faint, and you control very little of it. You dare use that as your foundation?" "Why wouldn't I dare?" At that very moment, a peculiar energy rippled out from Li Hao's body. Time and space seemed to freeze! Li Hao smiled. "I had also wondered: of all the sword intents in the world, which one could command the myriad swords? Each had its merits and flaws. Until... now. I know that time is the most terrifying!" "The tenth sword... the Time Sword!" *Boom!* A peculiar ripple permeated the surroundings. In an instant, the void froze, as if time itself had ground to a halt. An invisible sword intent emerged, merging into the nine swords—formless and intangible! The nine sword paths were subdued in an instant! The nine sword paths, which had refused to yield to one another, were kneaded together effortlessly by the time sword path. In that breath, the Starry Sky Sword in Li Hao's hand turned completely transparent. Li Hao seemed to age slightly, then grew youthful again in the blink of an eye. Right then, the Lifeless Sword appeared to regain clarity, lunging forward with its blade erupting with boundless, terrifying might. "Die!" Li Hao swung his sword as well, roaring fiercely, "Perish!" *Boom!* Sword intents collided, and the void locked in place. Two titanic forces swept across heaven and earth. *Bang, bang, bang!* The three onlookers on the perimeter were instantly blown away, watching helplessly without being able to dodge, all three Saints battered and bruised in an instant! As Li Hao thrust his sword forward, the Lifeless Sword seemed trapped in a mire. A faint snapping sound echoed. The Starry Sky Sword pierced directly into the longsword, and an attractive force radiated outward, devouring strand after strand of quintessence! "Dream on!" The Lifeless Sword bellowed, reforming into human shape with the Starry Sky Sword already thrust into his body. Clamping one hand onto the blade, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. You want to devour me? In your dreams! This sword had actually merged a peculiar energy that disrupted his circulation—it was terrifyingly lethal! Yet it was not enough; that power remained somewhat frail. At that moment, a violent devouring force surged from within his body as well. The Starry Sky Sword began to tremble violently, and in an instant, all the sword path quintessence it had swallowed rushed back! Not only that, but even the original quintessence of the Starry Sky Sword itself began to drain away. His devouring force... was actually stronger than that of the Starry Sky Sword! "And that is why you are a sword, and I am a human!" At that moment, Li Hao suddenly chuckled. In an instant, he seemed to transform into a long river, encircling the entire Lifeless Sword as streams of Great Dao currents washed over it! Having just seized the upper hand, the Lifeless Sword roared in fury, "This is a battle of the sword path!" Shameless! At this moment, he was genuinely enraged! Earlier, Li Hao had fought like a true swordsman, but now he shamelessly deployed the power of myriad Daos to wash over him. This was not the way of a swordsman! "A swordsman? No, you still don't understand. The sword is merely form; the Dao is the substance. Myriad Daos converging into one sword—that was the Sword Venerable's true philosophy. You don't even grasp the Sword Venerable's true ideals, so how dare you speak of being a swordsman? Would you claim the Sword Venerable was no swordsman?" Was a long river not the Dao? Of course it was! "Fallacy..." *Boom!* The long river surged violently. Though Li Hao's myriad Daos were still weak, they had indeed taken embryonic shape. As they washed over the youth, he was forced back into the form of a longsword, just like that day when the Sovereign's blood had been washed by Li Hao. Inside the river, the sword thrashed and slashed frantically, trying to break free of the river's confinement! Yet how could it be so easy? Beneath the battering waves, the sword unleashed powerful sword intent continuously. Right then, the Starry Sky Sword entered the river and joined the fray! *Boom!* A fierce battle erupted between the two within the long river. The river shook violently as the myriad Daos pressed downward. The Starry Sky Sword once again pierced the blade of the Lifeless Sword, and immense waves of power began to seep out! Soon, they were swallowed by the Starry Sky Sword! After a long time, a destructive power radiated from the Lifeless Sword. The youth's voice drifted out once more: "You wish to claim me... A fool's dream!" Li Hao remained unhurried. "Lifeless Sword, you disappoint me. The real Li Daoheng would not destroy himself right now. He would let me devour you, and then kill me to seize the sword! If the Starry Sky Sword absorbs you, he would obtain an even stronger blade upon taking it back! Wouldn't he?" The youth's voice halted. That was indeed Li Daoheng's style! Why destroy himself? Since the Starry Sky Sword had won and absorbed the Lifeless Sword, Li Daoheng could simply kill Li Hao and take the sword back, making it even more formidable. Destroying himself would only destroy his own painstaking effort! "You... seem to know him very well!" "Passably well!" Li Hao reappeared in an instant, the long river vanishing. He grabbed the Lifeless Sword, channeling boundless Great Dao power into it to suppress the destructive force. The opponent's momentary hesitation had granted Li Hao the window to suppress it! The sword trembled, its voice drifting out: "You cannot defeat him... I am merely a sword. Even after exhausting all your methods, you barely managed to suppress me. How will you ever defeat him?" The blade shuddered violently. By now, the Starry Sky Sword had nearly enveloped it completely, unleashing immense devouring power that greedily absorbed every drop of energy within the Lifeless Sword. The Lifeless Sword shook fiercely, without much despair or resentment, only a touch of wistfulness. "Li Hao, you are merely his test subject... The benefits he reaped from you far exceed what you gained from him..." Li Hao nodded. "I know. The Great Dao universe was his greatest discovery, so... he owes me! You are merely the interest... Repay a bit of the interest first; we'll talk about the rest later!" *Boom!* Rumbling sounds echoed as the Lifeless Sword began to fracture, shifting between blade and youth. His voice remained calm: "Interest? Perhaps... you will pay an even greater price!" Li Hao suddenly smiled—no longer so composed, but with a somewhat mischievous, gloating grin. "Let me let you in on a secret: you... won't be transmitting any message back!" The Lifeless Sword shuddered slightly. At that exact moment, Li Hao forcibly tore open the void! Countless stars manifested! Even five great cities appeared. Li Hao let out a sharp cry. With a thunderous boom, the Lifeless Sword shattered completely. A speck of light flashed, trying to breach the cosmos and vanish from the spot. This was a trace of spirit left behind by Li Daoheng. This was his sword avatar; even in death, it could return. Yet right at this moment, Li Hao tore open the Great Dao universe. Tearing it open here should have been exceedingly difficult, but Li Daoheng had breached the Illusory Dao universe earlier, which granted Li Hao the opportunity. The void split open. People were still present within those great cities, and some saw the cosmos fracture and caught sight of Li Hao... looking on in surprise. At that exact instant, Li Hao shouted fiercely, "Starry Sky!" The Starry Sky Sword broke through the void, plunging into the Great Dao universe. In an instant, it erupted with brilliant light. In the boundless void, a star seemed to take an interest once more, suddenly manifesting. All things in the world froze in an instant! Including that fleeing speck of light—it froze mid-escape. The colossal star materialized beside the Starry Sky Sword, orbiting it as if sizing it up, seemingly curious. In this instant, all things stood still! Li Hao, with the "Dao" divine character suspended above his head, dragged himself forward step by laborious step. Soon, he shifted beside the speck of light, a smile spreading across his face. If you can still run like this, I'll admit you're impressive! The Starry Sky Sword had attracted that star... it counted as something novel. Whether he could attract it next time would depend on having something even more unique. Li Hao seemed to have grasped some of this star's peculiarities. Without something novel, it would not appear. Li Hao said nothing, not even glancing at the star. Without a word, he threw a punch directly at the speck of light! *Boom!* Heaven and earth crumbled. This sudden strike seemed to startle the star... The star vanished in an instant, while the speck of light erupted with a brilliant burst of sword intent, only to be shattered immediately. A silhouette flickered into view—very young, resembling the youth the Lifeless Sword had become, yet with slightly different eyes. He glanced at Li Hao, his voice actually carrying through: "Severing my avatar... It seems you have secrets you do not wish me to know..." Gazing into the distance, he seemed to spot that star, showing a hint of shock. "So that's... how it is... This new Dao is so unique?" *Boom!* The phantom exploded completely. Saying nothing, Li Hao transformed into a long river once more, scouring heaven and earth. The world trembled again, revealing a tiny speck of light that still sought to flee. Li Hao's voice echoed: "I knew someone like you wouldn't be so simple... Trying to lurk? In your dreams!" The long river scoured! Gradually, the speck of light was scoured completely clean! That was still not enough. Li Hao reached out and grabbed the Starry Sky Sword. Sweeping the blade across heaven and earth, he slashed out countless strikes, yet found no further anomalies. Li Hao did not stop; right then, the Great Dao divine character atop his head suddenly radiated ten thousand rays of light! It illuminated the entire starry cosmos! And right before him... an exceedingly faint speck of light, nearly invisible, clung to a corner of the cosmos. In a flash, it was pierced through by Li Hao's sword! Even now, Li Hao was not done. Reaching out, he snatched a dog from one of the distant cities. Kicking the Black Panther awake, Li Hao barked, "Devour the void!" The Black Panther was dazed, but without questioning, it began frantically devouring the surrounding void! The entire void was drawn into the Black Panther's belly. Countless strands of scattered energy were swallowed by the beast. At the same time, Li Hao vanished, reappearing to scrape a large amount of Red Moon energy from atop Sword City—left behind by the Sovereign earlier—and immediately fed it all to the Black Panther. In an instant, Great Dao lightning descended! *Rumble!* Lightning scoured! The Black Panther was caught between ecstasy and agony, utterly baffled. But soon, an invisible speck of light manifested within its body and exploded with a bang! ... At that same moment, in another corner of the starry cosmos... A barely audible grunt sounded, followed quickly by a chuckle: "Quite the methods..." It could be no one other than Li Hao. Fine methods indeed! He had laid countless traps within the Lifeless Sword, yet at this stage, they had all been thoroughly routed without a single trace remaining. If not Li Hao, who else could it be? Is there something you wish to hide from me? ... Within the Great Dao universe, Li Hao exhaled, gripping the Starry Sky Sword. He sent the Black Panther flying with a kick. "Go back. Don't leave the Great Dao universe for now. Have Lin Hongyu get some Red Moon energy to scour you a few more times..." The Black Panther looked utterly innocent and bewildered. What on earth happened? The moment I opened my eyes, you grabbed me to devour the void, then I was blasted by lightning for half a day for no reason, and now you won't let me out and want me blasted more... Who did I offend? Li Hao, however, said no more, retreating instantly. In this place, he could not open the Great Dao universe frequently; otherwise, it would be easy for that Sovereign to lock onto it! The Great Dao was everywhere and could be opened, but if done too often and sensed by the Sovereign, the latter might lock onto it and force his way in. That would be trouble; the current Great Dao universe could not withstand a Sovereign! The next instant, Li Hao reappeared atop Sword City. The three remnant spirits were struck with indescribable shock! It was over? That unimaginably powerful Lifeless Sword had just been taken down by Li Hao like that? It suddenly felt... surprisingly easy, not nearly as dangerous as they thought? Li Hao smiled faintly, offering no explanation. Dangerous? It had been fine. Without the power of time, he simply would have died without an intact corpse. He had now witnessed a strike from a Sovereign; compared to these peak beings... he was still far too weak!