One Peach Kills Three Warriors

Zheng Yu came; Li Daoheng came. The moment the Time Star emerged, even though they knew with absolute certainty that Li Hao had laid some kind of trap... the two still came. At this stage, anyone who didn't come would truly be a monster of restraint! The opportunity was right before their eyes; no matter what, they had to take the gamble. What was more, Li Hao most likely lacked the power to kill a half-step Sovereign; at worst, they would merely be trapped. Such was the shared calculation of the two supreme powerhouses. Two bright moons soared into the sky, hurtling straight toward the Time Star. In that instant, heaven and earth lost color, and the cosmos revolved. In the sky, countless stars emanated fierce sword intent, beams of sword light piercing every direction. The spiritual sea roared past as the entire spiritual world began to contract. Envelop! The spiritual world began to envelop them. Yet, at this moment, it was still connected to the Great Dao Universe, making it perilous in the extreme. Once the two sensed an issue and broke through the firmament to charge straight into the Great Dao Universe... this time, the Great Dao Universe was still very likely to be breached by them. They indeed knew something was wrong! Yet at this moment, neither cared. They charged straight toward Li Hao, straight toward the Time Star. Everything else was secondary. Killing Li Hao and seizing this star—that was their true objective! Even Zheng Yu's calm, indifferent face betrayed a hint of madness! Past, future, present! This star could actually control time and link the bodies of three lifetimes! For a half-step Sovereign like him, once he mastered this star and merged the incarnations of his three lives into one, wouldn't he be able to step directly onto the path of a Sovereign? The Dao of Sovereigns was right before his eyes! To attain the Dao and become a Sovereign, no danger mattered anymore. An opportunity! "Die!" A low shout resounded through the cosmic starry sky. In that instant, a formidable whip pierced heaven and earth, lashing straight at Li Daoheng. Zheng Yu sought to obstruct Li Daoheng, while the sword-carrying man uttered not a word, having already slashed out with his sword! Sword light and whip shadows clashed between heaven and earth, annihilating each other. Heaven and earth shook; the cosmos fractured. In this moment, the two half-step Sovereigns finally traded blows! With that single probing clash, both felt their hearts tighten. Each found the other more formidable than anticipated! Zheng Yu's expression grew solemn. Seeing the Queen's moon incarnation unable to draw closer, he cursed her under his breath as useless. Disengaging from the moon, he vanished instantly and darted straight for the Time Star. Likewise, on Li Daoheng's side, the Moon God could not withstand the radiance of the Time Star and sank into growing dormancy. The sword-carrying man strode forward with his blade, breaching the starry sky in an instant. Flanking from left and right at unimaginable speed, both charged straight for Li Hao, near whom the star hovered. Li Hao was also an essential target they meant to kill. *** At this moment, Li Hao stared blankly across from him at what seemed to be himself separated by another spacetime. He wanted to take a step forward and approach his counterpart. Yet he discovered that an entire world seemed to lie between them, preventing any touch or contact. Unlike the past self from before, the past was singular and unique, while the future held infinite possibilities! Li Hao understood this principle all too well. The future was like the moon reflected in water—visible, yet unreachable! The past had already happened, so his past self could be captured. The future, however, held countless possibilities; any random change would alter it entirely. Hence, the future self before him appeared exceptionally ethereal. Perhaps in the very next breath, any casual action by Li Hao would change everything about the future, and this weathered Li Hao before him would turn into an entirely different future, or perhaps cease to have a future altogether! Thus, he could not touch him. Even when he pierced through with the Chaos River, seemingly spanning the cosmos, he still could not touch his nearby future self. The future... could not be merged! Meanwhile, the Time Star seemed to have touched the future. At this moment, it lingered there, seemingly curious and puzzled, as if wondering how such a thing could have emerged. Naturally, the Time Star possessed such power, and Li Hao had merely borrowed a portion of its temporal might. This was an illusory future! Just as the two powerhouses charged toward him and Li Hao, seeing that he could not merge with his future self, prepared to retreat into the Great Dao Universe, that incredibly ethereal future Li Hao suddenly glanced at Li Hao, then looked toward the star. He seemed to understand something. With an odd look in his eyes, he let out a soft sigh. That sigh reverberated through heaven and earth and resonated in the depths of the heart. The voice rang right beside Li Hao's ear, tinged with helplessness: "I knew it. Nothing is gained without something lost!" Li Hao's heart jolted! "You borrowed an instant from the future, while I... was in the middle of battle! In this instant, you drew upon my power. In an instant in the future, you will have to pay it back... Do you understand what I mean?" Li Hao's heart trembled violently! *I understand!* His present self was summoning his future incarnation, and that future self was having power borrowed away while engaged in combat... In that instant, his power was suddenly drained by his past self... This meant that the counterpart—or rather, his future self—would lose his power at a crucial moment and be slain by his enemies! Sure enough, at that moment, the future self suddenly grew even more insubstantial, fading further as he sighed softly. "Every cause has its effect... This is merely one possibility of the future. Yet for the present you, at some moment in the future, a crisis will inevitably arise where you instantly lose your power to fill the void left behind today! "In the future of my spacetime... at this very moment, I have already been struck down by my foe... I hope you do not end up like me... Beware of that unavoidable crisis in the future!" Li Hao was deeply shaken! If this was indeed one possibility of the future, then recklessly summoning his future self right now would lead to the death of his future self! At that exact instant, the weathered Li Hao took a step across the star, as if walking forth from the boundless cosmos of the future. A single step crossed the chasm! In a flash, he manifested beside Li Hao with a trace of bitterness—the bitterness of his future self being slain by an enemy yet having no recourse, because his present self was currently borrowing the strength of a certain future instant. Incredibly complex temporal power! In that split second, he merged into Li Hao's body. His voice echoed in Li Hao's mind: "Do not use this method again... The drawback is far too severe. Once, you might still find a way to remedy it, but two or three times... drawing upon future power will inevitably manifest at a critical moment rather than some trivial time. It will erupt at the exact moment your battle intent is at its peak! That is the drawback of the future self... Fortunately, this is only one of tens of millions of possibilities... You must be careful when it erupts next time..." As the voice faded, Li Hao suddenly felt his vitality surge explosively. Countless sword intents manifested within his body like a waking dream. The future self! The Bright Moon Sword! Countless insights, thoughts, and sword intents surged into his mind... Were these what his future self had comprehended? It felt somewhat unreal, almost like an illusion. Yet the sword intent genuinely materialized. Countless stars reappeared in the sky—one hundred, three hundred, five hundred... In an instant, a thousand stars converged! The Sword of a Thousand Daos! At this moment, Li Hao suddenly felt infinitely powerful—so powerful that he felt capable of fighting the two half-step Sovereigns bearing down on him, and perhaps... even defeating them? Innumerable thoughts raced through his mind, accompanied by a wave of boundless dread. In the future, the version of him wielding the Sword of a Thousand Daos would have all his power drained away in a single instant... and then be killed by an enemy! Was that how it would unfold? Even if he survived today, would he fail to survive the next time? Yet... that was still in the future! Without another word, Li Hao wanted to know whether the Sword of a Thousand Daos could truly match a half-step Sovereign! A sword slashed out! A thousand stars converged; all swords unified as one! "Die!" A low shout shook the cosmos. The sword struck forth with heaven-shaking killing intent, aimed straight at Li Daoheng. The sword-carrying man thrust out his own blade, carrying the formidable might of the Longevity Sword intent. As the two swords collided, Li Hao's body shuddered violently; the illusory power seemed insufficiently dense and dissipated considerably in an instant. Meanwhile, the sword-carrying man's sword qi violently destabilized. His longsword shattered, and he stumbled back several paces, his arm bursting apart as blood sprayed everywhere! A flash of shock surfaced in his eyes! Zheng Yu's expression shifted slightly as well. Li Hao, who had been at the fourth tier of Dao Integration, had seen his strength surge explosively in this instant. Judging by the standards of the New Dao, this strike possessed the power of at least the eighth or ninth tier of Dao Integration! Perhaps only at the eighth or ninth tier could one rival a half-step Sovereign, or even gain a slight upper hand. "The power of time!" Zheng Yu murmured, his madness deepening! Was this the power of time? He had not heard the words spoken by the future Li Hao, nor would he have cared if he had. He only knew that Li Hao, a fellow merely in the early Heavenly King Realm, had actually unleashed the might of a half-step Sovereign after absorbing the power of time and momentarily merging with his past and future! Incredible! Without uttering a word, Zheng Yu shattered heaven and earth with a lash of his whip, charging straight at Li Hao! Li Hao's expression changed slightly. The illusory power... was not solid enough. Moreover, after just a single clash, some of it had already dispersed. This meant the power had not truly integrated into his body; even if it could rival a half-step Sovereign, it was only for an instant. His mind raced. Saying nothing, he turned and fled, reaching out to grab the Time Star as it seemed ready to leave... Yet at that moment, Li Hao used the Chaos River as a path, guiding the Time Star as he dashed toward the depths of the cosmos! The Time Star seemed somewhat curious. The next moment, the river seemed to take root in a barrier, unable to advance further! Behind him, the two half-step Sovereigns pursued at incredible speed! Their speed was unimaginably swift. Li Hao's eyes flashed with golden light, allowing him to perceive something. At the edge of the world lay what resembled a wall, into which countless tree roots were anchored. This was his spiritual universe! The Sword Tree served as the world barrier, rooted in the barrier of the Void Dao Universe. At this moment, Li Hao no longer turned back to face the two half-step Sovereigns. He knew that while he might be able to fight them briefly right now, his power was continuously slipping away! In the end... he most likely wouldn't be able to kill the two of them. Furthermore, as his power dissipated, he was very likely to be killed by them instead. Now that he possessed such formidable strength, he could accomplish something else. In an instant, he thrust his sword into the world barrier, and the firmament shattered with a loud crack! It seemed as though a passage had been opened! Behind him, the sword-carrying man had not realized what was happening at first. But in the next breath, he sensed a familiar aura, and his face changed drastically! At the same time, Li Hao breached the barrier and swept his sword back. Startled, the Time Star lingered no longer, darting along the opening in the sky. To it, either universe was essentially the same. Whether it was the Real Dao Universe or the Void Dao Universe, it could permeate both. They were merely two sides of the same coin! The Time Star instantly vanished into the Void Dao Universe! The sword-carrying man's face darkened, and he barked coldly, "How dare you!" Dammit! At that moment, Li Hao stepped deep into the void, heading straight into the Void Dao Universe. How dare he? If he wasn't daring, how could he deal with them? Zheng Yu didn't even spare a glance... He vaguely sensed something amiss, but at this point, he couldn't care less. To him, the Real Dao Universe or the Void Dao Universe made no difference; he wasn't the controller of either. Entering either was fine, so long as it was a genuine Great Dao universe, he would never come out at a loss! Moreover, the Time Star had entered... That was what he cared about most. In an instant, Zheng Yu followed the passage and plunged straight inside! A breath later, he realized that this was not the Real Dao Universe, but the Void Dao Universe. Behind him, the sword-carrying man looked ashen. Yet he could not ignore this; he had to return, drive the two out, and find a way to seal off the Void Dao Universe. He let out a fierce shout and slashed his sword! *Boom!* A tremendous roar rang out alongside a shrill cry of pain as countless roots of the Sword Tree were severed. The sword-carrying man snorted coldly. "Sword Tree!" By now, he saw through everything completely. That damned Li Hao had used the Sword Tree as an anchor, rooting it into the barrier of the Void Dao Universe. Curse him! Paying no heed to the wailing Sword Tree, he severed all its tendrils with a single slash and plunged into the Void Dao Universe in a flash. He had to drive these two out as quickly as possible! Otherwise... disaster would ensue! He too vanished instantly! All three powerhouses entered the Void Dao Universe at the same time. *** The Void Dao Universe. Stars were densely arrayed, fewer in number than in Li Hao's universe, but each star was brimming with mystery. Sweeping his gaze across them, Li Hao noticed they actually took the form of a great sword. The instant the three entered, that sword seemed to transform into a person. A moment later, the great sword formed a human face—it was Li Daoheng as well! At this moment, this Li Daoheng appeared remarkably calm. He swept his gaze over Li Hao and the others, glanced at the fleeing Time Star, and vanished in an instant to give chase! This was likely his true body. Behind him, Zheng Yu gave chase with wild abandon, coldness and madness gleaming in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he roared in a low voice, "This belongs to me! Li Daoheng, if you dare obstruct me, I will shatter this universe today and ensure none of you get anything!" Killing Li Hao... Li Hao was no longer important! What mattered was this star! Besides, this was Li Daoheng's territory; killing Li Hao right now would only grant his rival an opportunity. Behind them, the sword-carrying man charged forward with his blade, barking furiously, "Get out!" Zheng Yu and Li Hao had actually both entered. Damnable bastards! Although the star was exceptionally mysterious, Li Hao looked into the distance. Previously unable to see it clearly, he could now vaguely perceive it. Though the star fled at unimaginable speed... in the eyes of a half-step Sovereign, there were still traces to follow. His expression shifted slightly... Could it actually be caught? If so, things would become troublesome! Looking back at the sword-carrying man and Zheng Yu clashing in the universe, heaven and earth collapsed in an instant, throwing the cosmos into turmoil. Li Hao suddenly veered away, thrusting his sword into the universe! This strike was peerlessly formidable! *Crack!* The void trembled. At this moment, Li Hao was also terrifyingly powerful. In a cold voice, he demanded, "Open a passage yourself and let me out..." In an instant, a black hole formed beneath his feet! Li Hao's willingness to leave was the best outcome; right now, Li Daoheng had no attention to spare for him. Furthermore, Li Daoheng's voice echoed through the entire universe: "Zheng Yu, this is my territory! Once Li Hao leaves, he will surely kill those Heavenly Kings and seize Hurricane City... You are alone here; you might as well leave with him..." Zheng Yu didn't listen at all. In an instant, stars across the Void Dao Universe erupted, transforming into miniature versions of Zheng Yu that surged toward him, countless illusory Daos integrating into his body! Zheng Yu's aura swelled even further. In the blink of an eye, his long whip struck through heaven, earth, and the cosmos. He vanished from his spot in an instant, hurtling straight toward the distant star! What did he care about Heavenly Kings? What did he care about Hurricane City? Today, seizing this star was his greatest opportunity and the only way to resolve Li Daoheng. Otherwise, if Li Daoheng claimed it, his own death would follow! By now, both had completely deduced Li Hao's intentions. Yet... even knowing them, neither could care about that anymore. Speeding away into the distance, Zheng Yu shouted harshly, "Li Hao, you'd best not leave! Help me stall that sword dao clone for a moment! Otherwise, this is the Void Dao Universe, Li Daoheng's domain. Once I am defeated by him and he claims the Time Star today... your death will come very soon! Your scheme has succeeded... yet it has also failed! You damned fool, utterly short-sighted!" Even if you go kill a few Heavenly Kings and seize Hurricane City today, if this star is lost—especially while inside the Void Dao Universe—your death will not be far off either! Li Hao didn't look back. Stepping into the passage, his voice rang out with a touch of cold detachment: "Which is why... Senior Zheng must succeed in stopping him! Once Li Daoheng successfully seizes the Time Star, which serves as the heart of the Great Dao, mastering an entire Great Dao universe and commanding the power of time, he will be comparable to a Sovereign even if he isn't one! At that point... it will be the end for both of us!" Zheng Yu was furious! "Is it worth doing this just to kill a few Heavenly Kings? Li Hao, if you want to kill them, once I successfully seize the star, what does it matter if I hand them over for you to slaughter?" Did he truly not understand what was most crucial? Yet Li Hao had already drifted away. At that moment, Li Daoheng's voice resounded through the Void Dao Universe: "Zheng Yu, Li Hao has left. Right now, heaven and earth remain shrouded under the Great Dao Universe. I give you the chance to leave, and you can still return to Hurricane City... Otherwise, you will die here!" Zheng Yu's expression turned ferocious. "Li Daoheng, do you think I fear you?" *Boom!* A formidable aura instantly blanketed heaven and earth. Zheng Yu's presence surged by another notch, his blood vitality churning and making the cosmos tremble. His eyes were icy cold: "Now that Li Hao has left... you and I can fight in earnest! If you want to seize the Time Star, you'll have to ask my permission first!" Turning around, he threw a punch that shattered heaven and earth. The sword-carrying man slashed out with his sword, only to shudder violently as his longsword shattered, a look of shock crossing his face. Zheng Yu's expression was frosty. "A mere clone thinks it can kill me? Li Daoheng... you are daydreaming!" Stamping through the void, he shot straight toward the edge of the universe. Today, even if he couldn't seize the Time Star, he would never let Li Daoheng have it! *Li Hao... you are ruthless enough!* To think he actually dared to expose this star. No wonder he was so certain that he and Li Daoheng wouldn't pay him any heed. *** At the same time. Li Hao manifested in the outside world. At this moment, his form was somewhat ethereal, the power within him rapidly draining as the future strength dissipated. Li Hao sighed softly. Remaining in such a state might have allowed him to trade blows with a half-step Sovereign for an instant, but... what would be the point? In that case, he might as well do something more meaningful. While his strength still remained! In an instant, he vanished from his spot. *** Hurricane City. With the disappearance of the Time Star, heaven and earth shook, and the people in Hurricane City had returned to normal. Several Heavenly Kings were filled with dread and unease. Where was Zheng Yu? In that brief instant earlier, they had caught a vague glimpse of Zheng Yu rushing out, but they had been sealed off immediately afterward. Now, Zheng Yu was nowhere to be seen. In the sky, only the two bright moons remained, currently recovering. Just as they were trembling with anxiety, a figure suddenly flashed into view. "Li Hao!" A shrill roar echoed through heaven and earth as a Heavenly King paled with fright. Why was Li Hao here? Where had Zheng Yu and Li Daoheng gone? Meanwhile, Li Hao struck out with an instant sword strike—a strike incomparably formidable, piercing through heaven and earth. As the Sword of a Thousand Daos descended, a thunderous roar erupted. The ancient city trembled, and its outer defensive barrier shattered instantly. A monster plant at the Heavenly King level shuddered uncontrollably, screaming in horror, "Flee..." Hurricane City shook violently! Yet at that moment, Li Hao reached out and grabbed. Heaven and earth seemed sealed shut as a colossal suppressing force bore down, and in the next instant, the Great Dao Universe seemed to descend! With tremendous power, he dragged the entire city directly into the Great Dao Universe! The seven Heavenly Kings took to the air one after another, and one roared, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" "Kill him, or we will all die!" "Hold on and wait for the lord's return! He won't die, hurry!" The seven Heavenly Kings unleashed their power in unison. Knowing there was nowhere to run, their only choice was to fight. Their combat prowess was formidable; even if Li Hao was powerful, they could still contend with him. Not only that, the seven Heavenly Kings roared, "Moon God, Heavenly God, join the battle! If you don't fight and we fall, Li Hao will surely kill you too!" Both moons possessed the strength of Heavenly Kings. If nine Heavenly Kings joined forces, even if Li Hao was peerlessly powerful right now, they would surely be able to obstruct him, if not kill him. The fact that the seven Heavenly Kings lacked the confidence to stop Li Hao on their own showed just how much pressure he had exerted on them recently. In the sky, the two bright moons revived. Above the moons, two figures materialized: one was the Queen, and the other was the Moon God. The Moon God was chilly and detached, while the Queen was thoroughly terrified... Zheng Yu and Li Daoheng had truly been led away by Li Hao. It was too horrifying. As for joining forces with the seven Heavenly Kings to kill Li Hao... it sounded like a reasonable decision. Yet in that very instant, the moon bearing the Queen fled without hesitation. She didn't even know why she was running. Nor did she know what good fleeing would do... She simply wanted to escape. The pressure Li Hao brought upon her was far too immense! If the man wanted Li Daoheng and Zheng Yu to leave, they truly left. Even two half-step Sovereigns were manipulated by him at will; how could she dare join these Heavenly Kings against him? The Moon God, however, hesitated slightly. These Heavenly Kings were not on her side, after all. In the brief instant she hesitated, Li Hao's sword pierced heaven and earth. Within this strike, the river of time faintly flowed. In this moment, he seemed to embody that future Li Hao—weathered to the extreme, with sky-soaring killing intent! As the sword slashed out, a Heavenly King's face contorted in horror, and he bellowed, "Kill!" The seven Heavenly Kings lashed out together, their tremendous power sweeping across the entire universe. Their only choice was to resist! If they didn't resist now, death was certain. That immense power filled them with dread, and that peerless sword intent terrified them beyond measure. It felt as though the Sword Venerable had walked the earth once more—a dreadful sword of slaughter! And Li Hao's strike was indeed terrifyingly powerful. The seven Heavenly Kings erupted in unison, and a thunderous clash resounded through the world! The sword strike slowed one Heavenly King and instantly hacked him into pieces. The remaining Heavenly Kings roared and shattered Li Hao's sword intent with a deafening blast, each of them wounded. Yet a greater panic seized them: a Heavenly King... had failed to withstand even a single strike! "His sword can slow us down!" A Heavenly King roared, "Disrupt his sword intent..." *Boom!* The longsword hacked down once more, though this time it was noticeably less sharp than before. Down to six, their combined effort managed to shatter Li Hao's sword intent with a loud blast. Noticing this, someone cried out in overwhelming joy, "His power is fading!" Li Hao's power was indeed slipping away. The future strength was far too insubstantial. Managing to kill one Heavenly King against their combined might had consumed a great deal of his power. Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly. As expected, power not gained through one's own cultivation was rather flimsy. Otherwise, a true half-step Sovereign could have ground these pseudo-Heavenly Kings to dust through attrition alone. Fortunately, he hadn't stayed in the Void Dao Universe to truly battle the two half-step Sovereigns. Otherwise, after three strikes, he would have degraded into a pseudo-half-step Sovereign, and a few more would have dropped him even further! Without a word, Li Hao instantly converged hundreds of millions of stars across the Great Dao Universe, absorbing them into his body. Furthermore, the river integrated into him, and his spiritual world merged within him. His strength surged once more. With another strike of his sword, the power of time flowed. Yet several Heavenly Kings managed to break free from the temporal constraint through explosive force. Li Hao's temporal power was, after all, too weak; handling one was feasible, but multiple Heavenly Kings working together proved difficult to bind. Yet in that ephemeral flash, the sword unleashed a thousand Dao sword intents! *Boom!* Another Heavenly King was blown apart by Li Hao! The remaining five Heavenly Kings were filled with terror. One of them roared, gritting his teeth: "His power is dissipating... Don't give him a chance to recover! Everyone, this daddy... is still half a Neo-Martial man! Fuck him to hell!" In an instant, he charged forward. Li Hao took a slight step back, and the next moment, a colossal detonation echoed through heaven and earth! *Boom!* The self-detonation of a Heavenly King swept across the cosmos. Li Hao slashed with his sword to disperse the blast, but the illusory power within him crumbled significantly. A third Heavenly King had actually detonated himself. Li Hao's aura instantly plummeted by a large margin. Frowning again, he thought to himself that the power was indeed too fragile; the self-detonation of a single pseudo-Heavenly King had driven away most of his fluctuating strength. Of the seven Heavenly Kings, only three were dead, leaving four. Li Hao sighed softly. At that moment, his spiritual sea began to churn violently, and the Dao meridians within him thrummed wildly. *External power is unreliable... but don't forget, I am no weakling myself!* *Killing a half-step Sovereign is difficult, but is killing you lot truly so hard?* The illusory Sword of a Thousand Daos vanished instantly. A hundred stars converged! The Sword of a Hundred Daos merged with one hundred and forty-four Real Dao stars. Li Hao's aura was no longer ethereal, turning exceptionally condensed in an instant. He slashed toward the four Heavenly Kings, his figure fading, appearing, vanishing, and reappearing in rapid succession! He struck from every direction! *Rumble!* Explosions echoed in all directions. The four Heavenly Kings coughed blood continuously as they fought back, yet their horror grew with each exchange. How could this be? Without the enhancement of that foreign power, Li Hao was not weak in the slightest. Although he didn't feel as overwhelmingly formidable as before, his strikes were even more ferocious. "Time!" At that moment, Li Hao let out a soft cry, and the power of time seemed to emerge once more. The four Heavenly Kings exerted themselves again. Not only that, a bright moon charged from behind, crashing down as if to smash Li Hao to death! It was the Moon God! The Moon God had joined the fray after all. Although Li Daoheng and Zheng Yu were currently clashing, to her... she couldn't truly allow Li Hao to succeed in slaying these Heavenly Kings. Otherwise, there would be no benefit for her either! "Courting death!" At that moment, a sword materialized in Li Hao's hand, emanating a distinctive sword intent—the Longevity Sword intent! This was the Longevity Sword intent he had drawn in Sword City, which he had never used until now. In this instant, the Longevity Sword intent erupted! This burst of power was even stronger than his own strikes by a margin. Slashing back toward the moon behind him with a thunderous roar, the Moon God—having only recently recovered—was pierced straight through by the potent Longevity Sword intent! A muffled groan sounded as the Moon God's true form emerged: a woman of ethereal detachment, her face contorted in agony. A gaping, bloody hole appeared in her chest. Glaring at Li Hao through gritted teeth, her aloof demeanor was completely gone! Why... was it the Longevity Sword intent? That sword intent raged wildly inside her body, unleashing countless bursts of sword qi. With a loud blast that shattered the void, the moon housing the Moon God exploded directly. The damaged moon tore through the void and fled instantly, seemingly attempting to enter the Void Dao Universe. She could enter the Void Dao Universe! Having failed to ambush Li Hao, her only choice was to flee. Just as she tore through the void to escape, another bright moon suddenly manifested alongside a scepter, striking countless fragments of the shattered moon and smashing them into dust. The Queen appeared instantly, carrying a mix of excitement, apprehension, and unease... Stealing a glance at Li Hao, she reached out and snatched away a large portion of the moon fragments, while the remaining large piece plunged into the Void Dao Universe. Pronouncing no concern over what remained, the Queen clutched her spoils and turned to flee! Then, as if fearing that Li Hao would retaliate against her for taking his spoils... she suddenly turned around again, hurling her scepter through the void toward the four Heavenly Kings. It struck the back of one Heavenly King, sending him stumbling forward as he spat blood, his furious roar shaking heaven and earth: "Bitch!" At such a moment, the Queen had actually ambushed him! In that split second, Li Hao's sword descended, severing that Heavenly King into pieces with a crisp snap. This time, the Queen truly fled through the void without looking back! *I took action!* *I helped you kill a Heavenly King... Snatching some of the Moon God's fragments counts as my spoils, right?* She fled at top speed, clutching countless fragments and madly absorbing them, brimming with delight. As expected! The Moon God trying to contend with Li Hao was far out of her league. Failing to ambush Li Hao, she had nearly been shattered entirely. Had she not been tied to the core of the Silver Moon world, she wouldn't have stood a chance of surviving. The Queen didn't care about that. Even if the Moon God revived again this time, it would be difficult for her to regain Heavenly King strength. As for herself... from a puppet, she had gained the upper hand, and the Silver Moon power she possessed now exceeded that of the Moon God herself! With the Queen's departure, despair filled the eyes of the remaining three Heavenly Kings. Seven Heavenly Kings had attacked, and four had been killed in an instant. The Moon God had nearly been slain by Li Hao's Longevity Sword intent, and the Queen had counter-ambushed her while delivering a thunderous blow to them as well, causing the death of another Heavenly King. How could the remaining three harbor any hope? "Li Hao!" a Heavenly King snarled, gnashing his teeth. "You won't win..." The three Heavenly Kings exchanged glances. Suddenly, they charged straight toward the depths of the Great Dao Universe, brilliant radiance erupting from their bodies. If they couldn't defeat Li Hao, they would detonate themselves to blast the Great Dao Universe apart! Even if they couldn't destroy the Great Dao Universe, they would throw it into total chaos! Since they couldn't kill Li Hao, severing his hopes of advancing further would be even more worthwhile than killing him. Fierce light gleamed in the eyes of all three! At this moment, the ferocity in their bones was awakened. Though they had betrayed the Neo-Martial era, they still possessed a measure of its defiance. If you won't let us live in peace, we won't let you have an easy time either! Li Hao frowned slightly. Just as he was about to act, an idea struck him. In that instant, he actually did nothing! Three colossal blasts erupted simultaneously—*Boom! Boom! Boom!* The entire Great Dao Universe unleashed a tremendous shockwave that swept across heaven and earth, throwing the universe into violent turbulence. Li Hao's body trembled slightly, and the river within him shook as well! Three waves of destructive force swept in all directions! Li Hao coughed lightly. A significant amount of Great Dao power actually leaked out, and his aura declined noticeably. Yet he hadn't stopped them! Li Hao said nothing, merely gazing toward the depths of the cosmos. If the Time Star was the heart of the Great Dao and the Real Dao Universe was damaged, would that star appear? To suppress the Great Dao's turbulence? If it lured the star from the Void Dao Universe back into the Real Dao Universe, that would be truly amusing. Let those two fight over nothing in the Void Dao Universe! That was one of the reasons he hadn't interfered. As for his strength declining slightly, what did that matter? A touch of coldness flashed in Li Hao's eyes. In an instant, he vanished from his spot, leaving the Great Dao to tremble, and reappeared directly above Hurricane City. There were still some people within the city. At this moment, they were utterly terrified, and someone cried out, "I surrender..." *Boom!* Ten thousand sword intents erupted, sweeping across heaven and earth. Screams of agony rose incessantly. Nearby, Zhang An materialized, glanced down, sighed softly, and said nothing. They were all traitors! Their deaths were deserved, though it was still... a pity. Why did they have to betray their origins? The entire city instantly turned into a domain of blood! Innumerable survivors were slaughtered, their wails echoing through the air. Li Hao's voice boomed like a bronze bell: "All major cities, gather here at once!" Colossal ancient cities flew across the void! Some within them had witnessed parts of the battle, while others had not, but all were profoundly shaken. Hurricane City... had truly been taken! Zhang An sighed softly, filled with emotion. One moment Li Hao had spoken of taking Hurricane City, and in the blink of an eye, it had truly fallen into his hands. Now, according to their agreement, Galaxy City was to be handed over to Li Hao as well. "Evacuate Galaxy City... Hand Galaxy City over to Li Hao!" Within the city, several Saints felt their hearts tremble! Yet they said nothing. They had seen it—they had seen all those Heavenly Kings in Hurricane City slaughtered by Li Hao. At this point, how could they refuse? In an instant, the massive Galaxy City settled near Li Hao. The several Saints appeared behind Zhang An, feeling shaken and uneasy. Li Hao had truly slaughtered all of them! He had wiped out the traitors of the Neo-Martial era. Now, perhaps only Zheng Yu remained alive. Farther away, more great cities flew in. Hurricane, Galaxy, Battle Heaven, Boundless, Wulin Alliance, Dingbian, Thunder—seven major cities gathered together. At this moment, aside from Sword City, which remained sealed, seven of the ancient cities belonging to the Eight Great Families were now in Li Hao's hands! Li Hao sensed the void and raised his eyebrows slightly. Two tremendously powerful auras seemed to pierce through the void; the two half-step Sovereigns were still locked in fierce combat! Saying nothing of this, Li Hao looked at the seven gathered cities and barked, "Arrange yourselves in the Qiankun Bagua Formation and wait for me here... I am going to capture someone!" Capture whom? Ying Hongyue! Today was the day Ying Hongyue would die! Li Hao vanished in an instant. *** In the north. Ying Hongyue's face twisted dramatically. Having caught wind of certain developments, he fled frantically without another word, panic showing in his eyes! "He wants to kill me!" At this moment, he seemed to understand. Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "He wants to kill me!" *Gathering the eight major cities to suppress the seal!* *Li Hao wants to kill me. Everything he did today was perhaps for this very moment—to kill me... to kill me once and for all!* Flee! Yet at that moment, a surging sword qi rose behind him, and Li Hao's voice carried over: "Ying Hongyue, I believe you already know." "Li Hao!" Ying Hongyue roared in fury, "I too was struggling to survive, to protect myself, for the sake of the Silver Moon! Only by uniting the bloodlines of the Eight Great Families was there any hope of breaking the schemes of those Neo-Martial people! I did it for the Silver Moon, for our world! Sacrificing a few people... if I succeeded, I would have been the savior of the world! "Do you dare say you've never killed innocent people? Your teacher killed countless martial masters who were entirely innocent! I only killed a few ordinary people for the sake of the whole world! I am a protector of the Silver Moon too! "Twenty years ago, I was the only hope of saving the Silver Moon!" Li Hao remained utterly calm. "I have never killed an innocent person; none who died by my hand were innocent! You cannot escape. The Silver Moon is only so large; where can you run?" "Li Hao! Don't push me!" *Boom!* A formidable surge of blood vitality erupted from Ying Hongyue, and the power of the Red Moon rapidly spread. Eight bloodline powers churned frantically! At this moment, his gaze flickered, his voice shifting between struggle and imperial majesty. "Li Hao, we meet again... Li Hao... don't force me to this!" His expression alternated continuously—one moment savage, the next majestic! This was caused by the intrusion of the Sovereign's power, which had exceeded the limit of the eight bloodlines and was now invading him. If this continued... he was very likely to be possessed. Li Hao's voice rang out slowly: "Sovereign, the Time Star has already emerged. Both Zheng Yu and Li Daoheng are fighting for it. Once one of them succeeds, attaining the seat of a Sovereign won't be far off... That sliver of your blood has probably almost locked onto the location by now! "Why don't I kill Ying Hongyue? The moment the seal leaks an aura, you might be able to seep your power into the Void Dao Universe to contest with the two of them, saving yourself from being killed by them should they succeed! Do you dare wade into these muddy waters of mine?" At this moment, Ying Hongyue's face took on an imperial majesty. "Three warriors killed with one peach—you certainly have immense audacity!" The Time Star was that very peach! "The source of power for your revival was this object?" "Indeed!" At that moment, the majestic countenance of the Sovereign gradually receded, and a voice resonated over: "This Sovereign knows you intend to use the eight cities to suppress the seal... However, just as you said, the moment Ying Hongyue dies, a gap will surely appear, sufficient for me to infiltrate power into the Void Dao Universe... Yet, are you not worried that I might kill you in that very instant?" Li Hao smiled. "The Sovereign can certainly try. Let us see whether you kill me in that instant, or forfeit your chance to enter the Void Dao Universe. If you kill me, I still cannot kill you; but if you don't contest the prize, once those two succeed, they will surely be able to slay a weakened Sovereign!" An overt scheme! From beginning to end, this was an open trap. Even if you seep your power out, will you kill me or fight for the Time Star? If you delay for even a moment, will you still have a chance? The Sovereign's power dissipated entirely, and the Red Moon power within Ying Hongyue began to recede. The imperial look in his eyes vanished, replaced by a contorted, savage face. He roared in fury, "Are you all so foolish? Li Hao is the greatest threat! The Time Star... can you truly take it away? Kill him... seizing the Real Dao Universe is the only benefit you can truly secure!" At this moment, he was thoroughly terrified and panicked! The Red Moon Sovereign had actually chosen to abandon possession, abandoning the chance to manifest an avatar in the world, and chose instead to wait—to wait for Li Hao to kill him so that a flaw would appear in the seal! The three supreme powerhouses of the Silver Moon world had all been drawn to that star, no longer caring about anything else. A single star... had disrupted everyone's plans! Li Hao, meanwhile, showed a faint smile. At this moment, Ying Hongyue ground his teeth. In the next breath, a figure materialized beside him—the Flying Sword Immortal... no, Purple Moon! She no longer bore the appearance of the Flying Sword Immortal, but the likeness of Purple Moon. Lightning flashed across Purple Moon's body, her eyes flickering uncertainly. Ying Hongyue, however, felt not the slightest joy, only fury. "Didn't you flee?" Dammit! Why had she returned? Purple Moon spoke calmly: "Is it impossible to fight him openly and honorably just once? Even if we lose, it won't come to this! Father, hiding in the dark all this time, you have ultimately lost even the last shred of your dignity! Li Hao schemes against all under heaven; how could he spare me? You are a chess player too... would you ever spare a pawn like me?" Ying Hongyue's expression shifted erratically! Purple Moon continued placidly, "Fight him... Even if we lose, we can die with some dignity! One of the Thirty-Six Heroes of Silver Moon, the Sentimental Swordsman Ying Hongyue, should not fear a battle!" "Silence!" Ying Hongyue was beside himself with rage! Meanwhile, Li Hao simply locked down heaven and earth. Space shifted, and in an instant, the three materialized in the sky above Silver City. With a calm expression, he looked at the two and said softly, "Are you finished? Is entertaining yourself really that amusing? Have you degenerated so far into perversion that you split your own personality? Or do you think that by acting this way, I will share some mutual admiration between heroes with you? I am no hero... and you are even less of one! Ying Hongyue, today is the day you die!" He let out a soft laugh. Was Purple Moon... still Purple Moon? *Ying Hongyue, playing split personality with me?* Today, he would die!