The Cataclysm

The chaos lightning tribulation descended once more. A carefree smile played across Li Hao's lips. He had weathered this lightning once before and had experience with it now. Of course, experience was utterly useless. The previous strike had been far weaker than this, yet the second bolt had reduced Li Hao to ashes; had the power of time not resurrected him, he would already be dead. Even so... the sight of the two figures not far away filled him with boundless cheer. At this moment, the lightning struck with blinding speed. It gave them no time to gather their strength. Boom! All three were struck in an instant, the devastating power behind the blast rivaling the full-strength blow of a peak half-step Sovereign. Among the trio, Li Hao was by no means the weakest right now. Struck by the ferocious bolt, Li Hao let out a muffled grunt, taking the brunt of it. As for the other two... Li Daoheng let out a fierce shout and severed half the lightning bolt with a single sword slash, while the Red Moon Sovereign blasted the heavens with a punch, virtually shattering the rest into scattered sparks. To all appearances, Li Hao had suffered the worst of it. Yet this only proved that the three figures withstanding the tribulation this time were far more powerful than before. In truth, all three stood infinitely close to the Sovereign level. Li Hao's aura had reached the realm of a Sovereign, even if his power was too hollow and unsteady. Li Daoheng might even use this lightning to prove his Dao and ascend to Sovereign. As for the Red Moon Sovereign, he had been sealed for countless years, his strength drained and worn away. Having just lost two avatars as well... he truly was not much stronger than Li Daoheng. In short, the three were evenly matched. To call them Sovereigns was not quite accurate. Yet to say they were not Sovereigns was equally flawed: Sovereign Shigu was an authentic Sovereign of old; Li Daoheng lacked only the tempering of a tribulation bolt; and Li Hao, having devoured his future, carried the full majestic aura of a Sovereign. The state of all three was exceedingly wondrous. In the distance, Li Daoheng's aloof expression cracked into a sudden smile. "Thank you!" Thank him for what? He thanked Li Hao for drawing down the lightning. Though it was not an ordinary Sovereign tribulation, the chaos lightning tribulation was vastly more formidable. While it offered no heavenly gifts, Li Daoheng had never lacked blessings—what he needed was a psychological breakthrough. He firmly believed that surviving this tribulation would see him emerge as a true Sovereign! Thus, he owed Li Hao his gratitude for granting him this opportunity to cross the threshold in his mind and step formally into the realm of Sovereigns. Li Hao beamed, his smile radiant. "Don't mention it!" The first strike had carried the power of a peak half-step Sovereign. There would be at least nine strikes... But would there truly be only nine this time? No one had likely ever endured two chaos lightning tribulations in a single day. Drawing it down a second time had clearly enraged the chaos. It would not be strange in the least if eighteen strikes fell, or even twenty-seven. It would continue until Li Hao was blasted into utter nothingness—and that, too, was perfectly normal! Thank him? *No need to be polite, Li Daoheng. Perhaps only I know what we are truly in for.* Nearby, Sovereign Shigu cursed under his breath. What foul luck! He had been sealed away for a hundred thousand years, relentlessly battered by the seal's power, and no sooner had he crawled out than he ran headfirst into an impossibly terrifying chaos lightning tribulation... Who on earth was he supposed to complain to? Was he supposed to be the invader here? Had any invader in history ever been so pathetic? The moment he entered Silver Moon, Silver Moon slapped a seal on him. It had taken two natives squabbling and fighting to exhaustion for them to finally set him loose... He had not even broken free by his own might! And in the blink of an eye, the chaos lightning tribulation—something one might not witness in millions of years—had struck twice in one day! This was merely a small world... By all rights, a single Sovereign should have been able to run rampant across a small world of this level with impunity. Instead, a Sovereign in this wretched place was reduced to playing the frightened grandson. Boom! The second bolt descended instantly, far stronger than the first. Li Hao withstood it head-on, offering neither an attack nor a defense, relying purely on his physical body to endure the blow. In truth, he no longer had a physical body—the entirety of Silver Moon was his vessel now. Within him, the Time Star remained dead quiet... as though it, too, feared the chaos lightning. The Time Star was an invincible entity capable of sweeping away all opposition, yet today it had been frightened twice. The first time was when the Cang Emperor appeared; this time... the appearance of the chaos lightning had thoroughly startled it. It sensed that this tribulation differed from the last. During the previous tribulation, even the ninth bolt had only barely touched the power of a Sovereign, and multiple half-step Sovereigns had joined together to endure it. Even so, the Red Moon Sovereign's avatar had nearly been obliterated. Yet now, this second bolt alone approached the ferocity of the previous ninth strike! Li Daoheng and Sovereign Shigu struck out again, taking the initiative to meet the lightning head-on. Seeing Li Hao take the strike with his bare body, both felt a flicker of suspicion. Dark storm clouds hung heavy over the heads of the three mighty figures. Off to the side, Tianji quickly dodged away. Although the lightning would not harm him so long as Li Hao did not intentionally redirect it toward him, the terrifying power of chaos lightning filled him with deep dread. The thing was simply too lethal. He was merely an avatar and the weakest of the group at present. A few strikes would be the end of him. He scurried over to Er Mao. By now, Er Mao seemed to have regained some lucidity. It blinked in confusion, gazing up at the sky and then glancing at Tianji with unfamiliar eyes. The space in which Er Mao lived was a projected world. When it had fallen in battle in the ancient past, it had only ever seen figures like the Human King. It knew little of Tianji, the crown prince of the Western Emperor, but it recognized the Western Emperor and caught the scent of the Western Emperor's bloodline on him. Er Mao looked up at the sky, then glanced at the figures in the distance. It sensed a familiar aura radiating from Li Hao and remembered that this man had fed it and brought it back to life. "Meow..." Er Mao gave a soft cry, regarding Tianji with curious eyes. Tianji had no time to rejoice. Filled with worry and dread, he muttered under his breath, "It's just a small world... but every last one of them has gone mad! Not even the Human King and the others could have guessed this wretched place would draw down two chaos lightning tribulations, bring forth a Time Star, and produce multiple fighters with the power of Sovereigns..." This world had been preserved for only two purposes: first, to resurrect Er Mao; second, to serve as sustenance for the Sword Venerable. Neither the Human King nor the Blood Sovereign had truly cared about Silver Moon. For such a backwater to give birth to a single native Sovereign would have been a stroke of unbelievable fortune across three lifetimes. Yet now, was it just one? Had Zheng Yu not perished, this cursed place could have birthed Zheng Yu, Li Daoheng, and Li Hao—several Sovereigns in one realm! Who could have imagined it? A realm no bigger than a fart birthing three Sovereigns... If they had simply carved up the Neo Martial world into hundreds of small worlds, wouldn't that have yielded over a thousand Sovereigns? This Silver Moon world... truly harbored bizarre fortunes. Not only that, but with every blast of lightning, the status and tier of the Silver Moon world itself seemed to be ascending. The previous tribulation had already lent the world an inkling of ascension, but now it was unmistakable. The entire world was expanding, and the world boundaries were pushing outward. Chaos lightning had such an effect? ... Boom! The third bolt of lightning manifested. This time, both Li Daoheng and Sovereign Shigu turned pale. Li Hao, however, still wore his smile. He gazed into the sky and murmured, "Only the third bolt... and it has already reached this level. How interesting!" *Spurt!* A mouthful of blood mingled with the power of chaos and time sprayed into the air. After three strikes of lightning, this pseudo-Sovereign had actually been wounded—and not lightly. The longsword in Li Daoheng's hand shattered into powder in an instant. Sovereign Shigu's fist was scorched black and charred. Both men wore grim expressions! There was no time to prepare or plot anything, because the lightning fell too fast, leaving not a breath between strikes. Sovereign Shigu could not hold back a furious barrage of curses: "Li Hao, if you want to die, die on your own! Drag Li Daoheng to hell with you! I haven't done a single thing since entering Silver Moon! I haven't killed anyone! All of you killed your own people! Cast me out of Silver Moon right now, and I swear upon my honor I will never return..." Boom! The fourth bolt struck. *Bang!* A colossal roar shook the heavens and the earth. With this strike, Li Hao, Li Daoheng, and Shigu coughed up blood almost simultaneously. Three beings standing infinitely close to the Sovereign realm had been battered into vomiting blood by a single bolt of lightning, and a vast swath of Red Moon power was blasted away from Sovereign Shigu's form. The scattered power of all three dissolved into the Silver Moon world. At this moment, because of Zheng Yu's death, the descent of the dual Dao universes, the striking of the chaos lightning, and the dissipation of the trio's dispersed energies... the entire world seemed to undergo an evolution! The overflowing energy and coughed-up blood of the three were utterly absorbed by the realm. In the distance, Mount Cang grew madly, expanding without limit. The almost ruined Taboo Sea surged and rolled, broadening relentlessly. The entire Central Continent stretched outward, becoming denser and firmer. Li Hao's smile remained brilliant as he glanced at Sovereign Shigu. "Don't say that, Sovereign. It has only been four strikes. I believe that once we survive this tribulation, we will all reap great benefits! So long as we cross it... there will surely be rewards! The world's rank seems on the verge of ascension. As the chief contributors, we will all receive a share of the harvest—perhaps a natural Great Dao, or the power of tribulation lightning... In short, if we endure to the end, rewards will come!" *Fuck!* Sovereign Shigu cursed at the top of his lungs! What did the elevation of this world's status have to do with him? He truly felt he had been cursed with the worst luck in existence. He had never felt that way before, but having been freed only to face a tribulation as his very first order of business... his mind was on the brink of collapsing. He had never been this unlucky in his life! By the fourth bolt, he was already struggling to hold on. Boom! The fifth strike of lightning descended. With a deafening crash, Sovereign Shigu was the first of the three to be hammered into the dirt. The ground split open and healed an instant later, burying him deep beneath the surface. Li Hao also staggered, tumbling from the sky, his entire body covered in spiderweb fractures. Li Daoheng's sword intent soared toward the heavens, only to be blasted to pieces by the lightning! At this moment, Li Daoheng's expression finally shifted. Five strikes... These five strikes were already harder to endure than a genuine Sovereign Tribulation! Any of them crossing a normal Sovereign Tribulation would have succeeded without a shadow of a doubt. Yet now, facing this chaos lightning tribulation, after only five strikes, all three formidable experts had been severely wounded! Li Hao remained leisurely and composed. "Li Daoheng, do you still wish to thank me?" Li Daoheng's face remained cold and aloof. "It is a good thing; why shouldn't I thank you? Once I endure nine bolts, I will surely become a Sovereign. At the very least... I won't be the weakest Sovereign, nor will I be trash like Shigu!" From the earth, Sovereign Shigu clawed his way out, his expression hideous. The words were crude, but the truth was undeniable! Though neither of these two was an authentic Sovereign yet... and both fell short of his peak, he had been the first to be hammered into the dirt during this joint tribulation. To be left so bedraggled was utterly humiliating! Of course, Li Hao's power was unstable and hollow—all fabricated through borrowed time. As for Li Daoheng, a man who had stood poised to become a Sovereign yet refrained, Shigu had nothing to say. However... He sneered inwardly. *True, I may not be at my peak, but my body is that of a genuine Sovereign. At the very least, my recovery rate is far faster than Li Hao's or Li Daoheng's.* *That is the key!* *As long as I endure, even if my wounds look worse with every strike, in the end, I will be the first to recover.* ... At this moment, all eyes were fixed on the sky, watching the world-ending lightning unfold! Within the seven main cities, everyone watched with trembling hearts. What had begun as a normal cultivation session for Li Hao had ended up drawing out every supreme expert, claiming the life of an invincible powerhouse like Zheng Yu. Now, even Sovereigns were coughing up blood under the onslaught. The sheer scale of this upheaval far exceeded anyone's imagination. Hong Yitang remained silent, pouring immense waves of life force into Lin Hongyu's body to suppress the death energy coursing through her, his brows knit tight. The death energy was simply too dense! The King of Dali had also channeled an incarnation from the past... but it was not his own, and he had suffered no major backlash. Lin Hongyu, however, had summoned her own future, only to discover that her future self was already a corpse. Now that the half-step Sovereign power had receded, she was shrouded in the chill of death. Whether she was truly dead or alive, even Hong Yitang could not tell. Lin Hongyu's Great Dao star... had been taken by Li Hao. The moment Li Hao instructed her to summon her future, he had claimed her natal star. Whether that star still existed, Hong Yitang had no way of knowing. Thus, he could not determine whether the woman before him was dead or alive. Nearby, Qian Wuliang tried several times to edge closer for a look, only to be driven back by Hong Yitang's chilling gaze. Qian Wuliang offered an obsequious smile, signaling that he harbored no ill intentions. He felt thoroughly helpless! He had inherited the Illusory Dao universe, which came as a surprise to everyone. Now, not only Hong Yitang, but Zhang An, the King of Dali, and the others were all watching him like hawks to ensure he attempted nothing foolish. *Do they think I'm an idiot?* Qian Wuliang grumbled inwardly. Li Hao was still alive. So long as that man breathed... would he dare make a reckless move? Look over there! Even a Sovereign had been dragged into a tribulation by him. If anyone dared step out of line, the entirety of Silver Moon was blanketed by Heaven's Will. This kind of lightning was something not even Sovereigns could withstand; if Heaven's Will turned its gaze on him, a single stray bolt would reduce him to cinders! At this juncture, whoever dared act rashly was courting certain death! In the entire Silver Moon world, even Tianji would perish after three strikes of such lightning. Aside from those three monsters... who else would dare face such a tribulation? ... The sixth bolt descended! Boom! A deafening roar echoed across heaven and earth. The power behind the sixth strike was unfathomable—it was unquestionably on par with the full-strength blow of an authentic Sovereign. Under this strike, Li Hao's body disintegrated into flying ash. From within, a solitary star materialized. Soon, the power of time surged, and an ancient, wizened Li Hao took form once more, though his aura had weakened considerably. As a pseudo-Sovereign, he could not truly withstand a blow of this magnitude. Not far away, the stubborn-mouthed Li Daoheng saw the flesh stripped from his bones in an instant. Yet in the blink of an eye, his flesh knit back together. His skeletal frame flowed with boundless sword intent, which now leaked outward into the void. Sword bones! Watching this, Tianji took a sharp breath. This Li Daoheng was truly unbelievable—he had tempered his entire skeletal structure into sword bones, far more terrifying and durable than the white jade bones of the Primordial Martial masters! Had this man been in Neo Martial, he would have ascended to Sovereign long ago. What a pity! He had insisted on staying here to contest a small world. Otherwise... he would have stood a chance of becoming a top-tier Sovereign. Of course, the odds were slim; Neo Martial had too many titans, and even with his monstrous talent, his opportunities would have been far fewer. Sovereign Shigu's flesh was likewise blasted apart. He glanced at Li Hao, then at Li Daoheng, and cursed under his breath once more! *Fuck!* One recovered via the power of time, while the other possessed an absurd set of sword bones. Compared to them, he didn't seem unique at all. Though he was a genuine Sovereign and his physical form was somewhat stronger... it was merely a bit tougher, lacking their bizarre specialties. Comparing oneself to others was truly enough to drive someone mad with rage! He had no time for stray thoughts. Looking up at the brewing seventh bolt, he gritted his teeth. "Six strikes nearly killed us! The seventh... none of the three of us will survive it alone! We must join forces to block it, or we won't have a prayer! I suspect the ninth strike will be capable of slaughtering a Sovereign!" He snapped furiously, "Li Hao, that cat, Tianji, and the two Great Dao masters can all shoulder a portion of the burden... Do you insist on dying alongside us?" He doubted he could survive the ninth strike! It would be far better to disperse the damage. With more people to share the burden, even if they absorbed only a fraction, it would work to his advantage. He added hastily, "If all else fails, try... try summoning that cat's past again!" The Cang Emperor was terrifying beyond measure! Yet... if he were summoned across time once more to swallow a few bolts of chaos lightning, wouldn't they survive? After all, he had done it once before. Tianji had confirmed it! Li Hao remained perfectly calm. "We are all going to die. Once the three of us perish, the lightning will naturally disperse... What is the rush?" "Li Hao!" Sovereign Shigu roared in fury. "Do you believe I will slaughter the entire continent right now?" "I don't believe you," Li Hao said, shaking his head. "The seventh bolt is almost here. If you move to attack, I will stop you. Senior Tianji and the experts in the seven cities will stop you... Even a split second of delay will be enough for the lightning to blast you to death. So go ahead, try it!" Shigu was beside himself with rage! Yet... looking up, he let out a venomous curse—the seventh strike had arrived. It truly gave them no way out, granting them not a single breath of respite. The sixth strike had fallen, and only a few seconds later, the next had arrived. Not even a true Sovereign Tribulation was this relentless. Three massive pillars of lightning crashed down in unison. *Rumble!* All three suffered devastating impacts. Li Hao's figure flickered in and out of existence, shattering and reforming repeatedly. Inside him, the star had become exceedingly well-behaved, quietly channeling the power of time to sustain him. The Time Star was no longer playful. It had been consumed by Li Hao. If Li Hao perished now... the chaos lightning would surely grind the Time Star into dust before relenting. The root cause of this entire catastrophe had everything to do with the Time Star. For a tiny world and a newly born Dao universe to give birth to time was utterly unfathomable. Even mighty cosmic systems like the Origin Universe and the Red Moon Universe had never birthed a miraculous power like time. Summoning the past and future was truly an act of defying the heavens! Past, present, and future were meant to remain singular, not summoned at will. Li Hao had abused this power recklessly, even daring to summon an existence at the level of a World Master, completely drawing the attention of the chaos. The chaos lightning had come to annihilate time itself. Time was too extraordinary. It should never have appeared here, nor should it exist within the chaos. ... As the seventh strike crashed down, Li Daoheng's flesh was instantly reduced to ash. Sword intent erupted from his bones, but even his skeleton began to snap and fracture, his sword intent spilling across the world. Within his body, Dao meridians surfaced, and his origin path manifested in full view. Dual cultivation! He was genuinely practicing dual paths. He had also cultivated the new Dao, devouring massive amounts of power from both the corporeal and illusory Daos. Now, nestled within his bones, a sword emerged! A sword clearly forged from the opening of 360 meridians. The internal sword shot forth, piercing the heavens. Its sword intent was peerlessly ferocious—Li Hao's Hundred Dao Sword was far inferior by comparison. This was a true swordsman! Seven strikes of lightning had flooded his body with boundless destructive energy, which he continuously ground away with his sword intent as his bones shattered and knit back together. Beside him, the Red Moon Sovereign's flesh and blood were similarly blasted away. Vast quantities of Red Moon power inside him were instantly reduced to dust, turning him into a scarlet skeleton. He said nothing, quietly staring at the heavens. By the seventh bolt, he was already at his limit. Li Hao, constantly flickering between the ethereal and the real, appeared to be in better shape by comparison. The eighth bolt was already faintly gathering above. Li Daoheng's voice rang out, "Shigu, let us join forces to resist it together!" He did not call on Li Hao, nor did he trust him. Li Hao had already resolved to die, intent on dragging them down with him. The man had completely lost his mind. Attempting to cooperate with a madman courting death was pointless. He was better off working with Sovereign Shigu! For someone of his caliber to propose cooperation showed he understood just how dire the situation was. His earlier hopes of proving his Dao and becoming a Sovereign had been thoroughly dampened. The chaos lightning tribulation was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined! Li Hao ignored them, quietly watching the sky. A sword materialized in his hand. Under the bombardment of the destructive lightning, he gave the sword a light flourish, and Dao meridians suddenly surfaced within his body! Star after star corresponding to his Dao meridians manifested once more, hanging high in the sky! The illusory energy within him poured into these stars, opening meridians! At this very moment, Li Hao had actually chosen to open Dao meridians. Originally, Li Hao had opened 180 Dao meridians. Yet now, he began the process anew. Reduced to a scarlet skeleton, Sovereign Shigu sneered, "Don't you think it's a bit too late for that?" *Opening Dao meridians now?* *What were you doing earlier?* *If you weren't ready, what was the point of all this? If we had talked things through properly, we could have waited for you. Why did you have to provoke this damned chaos lightning?* *Was cultivating to the Sovereign realm easy?* *Coming here from the Red Moon Universe, he had planned to reign supreme as an overlord... Instead of becoming an overlord, the moment he arrived, the Sword Venerable had swept him inside with a single sword strike that nearly killed him.* *Then, the moment he entered, the Star Gate slammed shut, and he was trapped by the seal.* *Now that he was out... things were even worse.* At this moment, Sovereign Shigu felt he must have exhausted all his lifetime's luck before arriving. His entire life had been smooth sailing up until he attained the rank of Sovereign. Though he wasn't among the strongest of Sovereigns, that was only relative to other Sovereigns. Even in the Red Moon Great World, he was an ancestor-level existence. Yet here... he was worse off than a dog! And this was merely a small world! Where was he supposed to seek justice? ... Li Hao paid him no mind as star after star manifested, each looking somewhat ethereal, because the source of his current strength was itself an illusion. Aside from the Time Star, the other 179 stars he had originally condensed hung suspended in the void, blanketing the sky. The eighth bolt was about to descend. Li Hao did not care, silently watching the heavens. Step by step, without haste. *So long as I do not die, the lightning will not cease.* *Did they truly think nine strikes would be the end of it?* *Those two probably still believe they have a chance to survive after enduring nine strikes.* In an instant, the eighth bolt crashed down. *Rumble!* This time, Li Hao was instantly blasted into flying ash. The Time Star within him erupted with a tremendous surge of temporal power, clashing against the destructive force. As the two powers collided, heaven and earth seemed to flow in reverse! Not far away, Li Daoheng roared, transforming his entire body into a sword that stabbed through the vault of heaven! Endless lightning was reduced to sparks. Yet the remaining lightning still cracked his bones, shattering some of them into dust. Half a skeleton hung between heaven and earth, surrounded by destructive energy that relentlessly eroded his sword intent. Sovereign Shigu roared repeatedly, his scarlet skeleton battling the heavens. His colossal fist unleashed hundreds of strikes in rapid succession until his fist crumbled into flying ash and half his body was obliterated. Only then did the eighth bolt finally dissipate. Both skeletons were reduced to mere halves. Within Li Hao, the Time Star flashed erratically, time and time again. Gradually, even the Time Star began to buckle, its light dimming considerably before it finally extinguished the remaining destructive energy. When Li Hao's figure manifested once more, he cast a glance at the Time Star inside him. Its temporal energy was almost entirely depleted... Relying on the star alone might not be enough to withstand the ninth strike! "Damn it!" Sovereign Shigu clawed his way out of the earth once more, his half-skeleton floating between heaven and earth. Though cursing bitterly, he let out a cold laugh. "The ninth strike... I... I still have a chance to live!" There was still hope! Though only half his body remained, he believed he could still survive the ninth strike. All three had suffered catastrophic injuries, but he noticed that as the lightning swept through him, all the chaotic, extraneous energies within him had been wiped clean, allowing him to recover relatively quickly. *The ninth strike—this Sovereign will surely endure it!* *Li Hao, you little bastard... just you wait!* He had hated Li Daoheng the most, but now his hatred had shifted. A hundred thousand years of imprisonment had not caused him as much damage as these eight strikes of lightning. Had he known, he would never have broken the seal. Li Hao continued to condense Dao meridian stars in silence, star after star surfacing in the void. More than two hundred stars now hung overhead. Still not enough! He continuously drew power from his surroundings. As Heaven's Will, he possessed one distinct advantage: he could draw upon the strength of the entire Silver Moon realm. Massive quantities of energy coalesced toward him, aiding in the illumination of each star. In Sovereign Shigu's eyes, such actions were utterly laughable. Rather than gathering energy to heal his wounds, what was the point of boosting his strength by a sliver right now? Besides, these stars were clearly ethereal, condensed entirely from borrowed future power. Once that future power receded, the stars would collapse anyway. What was the use? To gain a bit of experience? The real question was: did Li Hao even have a future left to speak of? Just as the thought crossed his mind, Shigu suddenly shrieked, "Endure it together!" With that, he dashed beside Li Daoheng, roaring, "We join forces! Take turns taking the brunt, alternate repeatedly..." Otherwise, surviving the ninth bolt would be impossible! This time, Li Daoheng raised no objections. Cooperation had been his idea in the first place, and it was clear Sovereign Shigu knew he was at his limit as well. A colossally thick bolt of lightning plunged from the heavens! It carried the power to annihilate all creation! Not far off, Tianji drew a sharp breath, praying inwardly. This single strike truly possessed the power of a mighty Sovereign's full-strength blow. Killing a Sovereign with it might be difficult... but did these three have any of their earlier strength left? They possessed no Sovereign-level power now! Could Li Hao withstand it? Fortunately, his future power had not yet completely dispersed—a stroke of luck. Had his future power faded at this moment, death would have been absolute. Boom! A colossal roar shook the entire world to its core. The Silver Moon world expanded once more; mountains, earth, and rivers stretched outward frantically. The seven main cities rocked violently. Hong Yitang's Great Dao manifested to steady the world, yet the ground continued to fracture, and countless buildings began to collapse. Fortunately, over the past year or so, the entire continent had undergone restructuring and was built by cultivators, making the structures relatively sturdy. Had they been the frail buildings of the past, everything would have collapsed by now. Furthermore, martial arts were practiced across the land. Though most were not exceptionally strong, there were plenty of Mountain-Sea and Sun-Moon experts scattered everywhere. They sprang into action, steadying the earth. By the time the lightning struck, the mortals previously frozen in time had already awakened. Now, terrified and shaken to their souls, they felt as if the world might shatter at any moment. Countless cultivators emerged, either rescuing people or hastily mending the split earth. Earth-element experts took it upon themselves to repair the ground, stabilize structures, and offer aid. The land stretched madly. Buildings that had stood side by side were suddenly separated by hundreds or thousands of meters. The entire terrain expanded at a terrifying pace! The Silver Moon world was evolving at an unbelievable speed! ... Near Silver City, the three powerhouses met the ninth strike of lightning. Li Daoheng struck with his sword, and Sovereign Shigu struck with his fist. The two skeletons assaulted the lightning with mad fury, trading blows with the tribulation. Destructive power swept through them; their bodies repeatedly shattered, only to frantically reform. At this moment, they brought out every last trump card they possessed. A blood-red orb floated out from within Sovereign Shigu's chest, radiating light like a miniature red sun, unleashing boundless Red Moon power. This was his most precious, bottom-of-the-box treasure. He had been reluctant to use it, as it was the crystallization of Red Moon power accumulated over countless millennia. Now, he unleashed it all without hesitation! Meanwhile, Li Daoheng's entire skeletal frame shattered, transforming into a flock of bone swords. A towering sword formation materialized, using his very bones as the swords! The formation swept across heaven and earth, only to be continuously pulverized by the lightning, bone sword after bone sword reduced to flying ash. Joining forces with everything they had, the two barely managed to escape death by a hair's breadth. A moment later, they wiped out the remaining lightning. In the air, only a single bone sword remained! The crimson bead had also shattered completely, yet Sovereign Shigu burst into wild laughter: "Hahaha!" *I survived!* *Li Hao has to be dead by now, right?* He turned his head toward Li Hao. Over there, the Time Star had surfaced, releasing an immense surge of temporal power, which was swiftly ground away by the lightning. The entire Time Star dimmed, its internal store of time power virtually exhausted! Not only that, but the future power within Li Hao had also been nearly emptied under the bombardment of the lightning. Even that was not enough. Li Hao continuously gathered power from all around, only for it to be shattered the moment it coalesced, over and over again, until his aura withered to the absolute brink. Only then did the lightning finally disperse. Sovereign Shigu felt a twinge of regret... The brat had actually survived. Still... he was as good as dead. His temporal power was completely spent. Perfect—now he was doomed! In the air, that final bone sword morphed back into Li Daoheng. His face was as pale as a corpse, yet a faint smile curled on his lips. He had crossed the tribulation! At this moment, he felt a monumental shift occur within his mind. *Even the chaos lightning tribulation could not destroy me. Given a little time to recover... I will surely become a Sovereign, free of all shackles!* *As for Li Hao still breathing... what did it matter?* The borrowed, hollow strength inside him was completely gone. Even if he recovered, without the power of time, Li Hao was nothing more than a lamb waiting for slaughter. Of course, he still had to be wary of Tianji. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he noticed Li Hao was still quietly condensing stars, appearing neither thrilled nor anxious. More stars materialized in the sky, still faint and illusory. Sovereign Shigu sneered, "Condensing Dao meridians now is useless! Li Hao, you've ruined this Sovereign. If you don't die today, I will never rest in peace! You destroyed my Blood Moon Divine Bead..." Mid-sentence, his expression suddenly shifted, and he looked toward the sky. Li Daoheng did the same, both of their faces draining of all color! At this moment, another bolt of lightning was slowly gathering. Sovereign Shigu screeched in disbelief, "How can there be more?!" Nine strikes had already passed! Li Daoheng turned ghostly pale. Looking at Li Hao, he blurted out, "I understand now! So long as Li Hao does not die, the lightning will never cease!" The tenth strike was coming! His face went stark white—he could not block it! Both he and Sovereign Shigu had emptied their reserves against the ninth strike. To survive nine strikes was already a miracle, yet now... a tenth strike was brewing! Gritting his teeth, he growled, "Quick! Before the lightning descends... kill Li Hao! The next round will give us a brief moment of respite!" Sovereign Shigu had barely regenerated a layer of flesh, and now his face was equally bloodless. Kill Li Hao! Yes, kill Li Hao! Only by slaying Li Hao was there any hope of surviving this tribulation. Damn it all! Had they known, they should never have stood there blocking the lightning—they should have slaughtered Li Hao from the very start! At this moment, Li Hao spoke: "Senior Tianji, hold them off for just a moment..." Nearby, Tianji's face was also pale. "Why is there more?" "Senior, the lightning won't attack you. Hold them off for a breath!" The two had expended virtually everything, while Tianji remained at his peak. He was more than capable of intercepting them for a short time. Tianji gritted his teeth and paid no heed to anything else, charging forward with his blood saber raised, cursing inwardly: *Why the hell do I keep listening to him?* *And Li Hao has been weaving Dao meridians non-stop, gathering nearly three hundred stars in the sky now... Is that going to help?* *Can he survive the tenth bolt?* *Will it work?* Li Hao did not know. The tenth bolt was still gathering, leaving a sliver of time. He looked into the distance, his voice calm: "Martial Uncle Hong, Qian Wuliang, lend me the power of the dual Dao universes!" Far away, the two experts' expressions shifted slightly. Without a word, even Qian Wuliang swiftly channeled a massive torrent of Illusory Dao power! In an instant, more star meridians coalesced in the sky. They were still just short of 360. Li Hao paid it no mind. Reaching out with an open palm, heaven and earth converged. In an instant, a stone, a seal, and a tree flew forth from various corners of Silver Moon, instantly forming a barrier that enveloped the stars. These three had been buried into the land of Silver Moon by Li Hao when he first merged into Heaven's Will. Now, the trio gathered once more, forming a miniature world. Li Hao looked up at the sky, his brows furrowing slightly in thought. The Time Star, its temporal energy utterly drained, suddenly surfaced and drifted to the core of this tiny realm, settling as a dim, motionless star at the very center. Nearby, Tianji had already engaged the two powerhouses, and explosions rattled the air! Though Tianji was formidable, and the other two were heavily drained, the pair fought with suicidal frenzy, driven by the absolute resolve to slaughter Li Hao. Li Daoheng unleashed a sword slash, roaring, "I will hold him off—go kill Li Hao!" Tianji threw a punch and slashed his saber, but neither adversary was easy to handle. Li Daoheng transformed into a sword, forcing Tianji back step by step with every strike, while Sovereign Shigu charged straight for Li Hao! If they didn't kill Li Hao, everyone was finished! Li Hao looked toward the heavens, murmuring softly, "Still lacking a bit of energy... not quite enough!" He turned his gaze toward Sovereign Shigu. The power gathered by the 360 stars was still insufficient. If he added this half-crippled Sovereign to the mix... it would probably suffice. Yet his own internal power was almost entirely spent. Although his opponent was maimed, he was still an authentic Sovereign... and by no means easy to kill. Could he slay a Sovereign right now? Li Hao suddenly smiled! In an instant, the eight main cities, including Sword City, trembled violently. Within the blink of an eye, the cities converged, shaking the earth! Boom! Eight divine weapons, each stretching hundreds of li in length—a sword, a saber, a whip... They manifested one after another! The main cities reverted into divine weapons! As the Eight Divine Weapons appeared, the Sky Sword manifested in Li Hao's hand. He murmured softly, "Today, the mission of the Eight Divine Weapons is complete. The cat has been resurrected. In that case... lend them to me. Having borrowed so much already... a little more won't matter!" The Eight Divine Weapons instantly hovered around Li Hao, commanded by Heaven's Will! The Eight Divine Weapons had originally been forged to seal heaven and earth, gather the world's power, and revive that cat—treasures left behind by the Blood Sovereign. The Sky Sword trembled violently. Li Hao smiled. "Devour them... Leave only the Sword Venerable's courtyard. Devour them... and become a true divine blade!" The Sky Sword quivered with boundless intensity! It seemed thrilled, excited, yet somewhat apprehensive... *Can I truly devour these Eight Divine Weapons?* At this moment, Li Hao's power as Heaven's Will spilled forth. Seeing the Eight Divine Weapons tremble, Li Hao looked at the cat in the distance, who was still blinking in bewildered curiosity: "Senior Cat, I fed you with Heaven's Will... You owe me a favor. Now... how about lending me the eight main cities?" Indeed, aside from the Sword Venerable's Star Sword, the other seven divine weapons essentially belonged to this cat. Er Mao blinked, then nodded its massive head, looking somewhat dazed. "Oh, oh... alright... You can have them... No, I'll give them to you. I don't need them anymore..." The moment Er Mao spoke, its words carried the weight of absolute decree. Aside from Sword City, which still shivered slightly, the other seven divine weapons fell utterly still. The Sky Sword shot forward in wild ecstasy! *Crack!* It pierced straight through a saber, devouring the boundless weapon essence within! Li Hao released his own sword intent to suppress the Star Sword, murmuring softly, "This world ought to bear the surname Li! Li Daoheng cannot represent the Sword Venerable, but I... I have the recognition of the Sword Tree, the Sword Seal, and the Sword Stone. I believe I can!" The Star Sword trembled. From its blade, a miniature courtyard suddenly detached and flew away. Without the courtyard anchoring it, the Star Sword shook for a moment before gradually falling still. In the next instant, the Sky Sword pierced straight through the Star Sword, and all eight divine weapons fused into the Sky Sword! In a flash, the aura of the sword surged to an unimaginable peak! All of this unfolded within the span of a lightning flash. Sovereign Shigu, who had just closed in to kill, suddenly sensed an overwhelming wave of power, and his face twisted in horror! *Fuck!* *Did this sword turn into a demon?* The Sky Sword had become terrifyingly potent in an instant. As Li Hao gripped the hilt, the sword thrummed violently—filled with excitement, exhilaration, and the sensation of breaking free from all restraints! In a single bound, the blade had surpassed all divine weapons. Among the Eight Divine Weapons was the personal sword of the Sword Venerable; one could well imagine just how powerful this blade had become. "Shigu... you should never have come to Silver Moon!" Li Hao murmured softly. The stars in the sky converged into Li Hao's body in an instant, and an all-consuming sword intent erupted from the Sky Sword, rising to a level that seemed capable of rivaling the Sword Venerable's Longevity Sword Intent! At this moment, Li Hao's spirit, energy, and will unified as one. He stood at his absolute pinnacle, a peak reached even without the power of time! Yet at that very moment, Li Hao let out a sudden, wry laugh. Just as Sovereign Shigu's face warped with dread, the River of Time surged forth from the unknown, sending ripples of power through the void. Li Hao's body shuddered, and he gave a bitter smile: "What... impeccable timing!" His past self had come to borrow power. The moment was now. Would he lend it? If he refused, he might instantly dissolve into nothingness, having perished in that past battle. If he lent it, this was all the power he had left, and Sovereign Shigu stood right before his eyes... So this was the moment. A thousand strands of sword intent... Indeed, he had fused the future's thousand strands of sword intent back then. So this was when it happened! Li Hao shook his head. In an instant, boundless energy was drawn away from him. The strength he had just gathered vanished in a breath, emptying his reserves in the blink of an eye. Sovereign Shigu, who had been on the verge of fleeing for his life, froze. In the next instant, he erupted into maniacal laughter: "Retribution!" *Retribution!* Li Hao had suddenly lost all his power... Hahaha! He had genuinely feared he would die beneath that strike. Merged with the power of the stars, the aura erupting from the Sky Sword had surpassed even Li Hao at his peak. Yet in an instant... it had vanished! If it was merely an ownerless sword, he had nothing to fear! In that split second, Tianji's expression changed drastically. Far away, Hong Yitang and the others turned pale. Why had it happened at a time like this? Damn it! Why now of all times! Li Daoheng was overcome with boundless joy. When the Sky Sword swallowed the Eight Divine Weapons, he had thought Shigu was doomed. But now, Li Hao had suddenly lost his strength. He could tell that Li Hao's own past self had borrowed it away! If Li Hao refused to lend it, his past self would die, and without a past, there would be no present... He would have dissolved on the spot. He had no choice but to lend it. Li Hao shook his head gently, a look of helplessness on his face. Indeed... retribution! The chaos lightning tribulation was the retribution for this battle, the price for borrowing too much future power; and the sudden dissipation of his strength now was the repayment for the previous borrow... There truly was no free lunch under the heavens! Overjoyed, Sovereign Shigu threw a punch straight at Li Hao! *Die, you bastard!* If this brat didn't die soon, Shigu genuinely feared he would be the one buried here. Li Hao's expression remained tranquil. In that previous battle, his future self—his current self—had told his past self that he would die in this battle, slain by an enemy... He had not said who, only that he would die. Right at this moment. Was Sovereign Shigu the one who would kill him? He thrust out the Sky Sword. Yet without a master to wield it, a sword was merely a sword; no matter how sharp it was, much like the Blood Sovereign's saber, it could not slay a crippled Sovereign on its own. With his power drained, he seemed to have no way left to turn the tables. Setting aside the tribulation lightning, he was out of options right now. Yet Li Hao let out a soft laugh. *Would I die?* *Perhaps!* *But I will never die at the hands of Sovereign Shigu!* At that moment, the world shifted. Suddenly, a figure crossed the void from the distance, shrouded in the thick scent of death. Li Hao looked at the lifeless figure appearing before him... smiled, and whispered, "You died for me... so I will drag you back from hell. Lin Hongyu, I don't like owing people favors... and you are no exception!" In that instant, the final wisp of temporal power seeped out from his body. A star emerged from within him, shrouded in deep death energy. Yet it converged the Myriad Daos! It was none other than Lin Hongyu's natal star, covered in cracks, yet cradled by a wisp of time power that kept it from shattering completely! The star merged into Lin Hongyu's body. Li Hao reached out and grasped the void, drawing forth streams of vital life force—not only from the surroundings, but from within himself. He smiled. "Even if I die, it won't be at the hands of an enemy, and it won't be Shigu who kills me... You died for me... so I repay you!" Every remaining shred of vitality in his body poured into Lin Hongyu. A vibrant spark of life blossomed within her. Lin Hongyu's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Though death energy still clung to her, she seemed to have clawed her way out of hell itself, resurrected from death. She stared blankly at Li Hao. Li Hao smiled. In the blink of an eye, his features aged into decrepitude, his hair turning ash-white. Reaching out, he summoned the Sky Sword back to his hand and pressed it into Lin Hongyu's grip. Drained to the absolute brink, his life nearing its end, he chuckled softly: "Go on... with this sword... slay a Sovereign!" The blade rested in Lin Hongyu's hands. She stared blankly at the withered, crumbling Li Hao, her eyes brimming with unfathomable complexity. "Don't hesitate... slay him!" Li Hao chuckled. "He isn't worthy... of my blade! You slay him!" Death energy billowed from Lin Hongyu. Gritting her teeth, she spun around and swung the sword. At that moment, the stars of the Myriad Daos converged within her, and that final wisp of time power erupted. The Sky Sword seemed to resist, but Li Hao snapped coldly, "Obey!" The Sky Sword instantly fell still. In the next instant, a sword strike infused with death, vitality, the power of time, destruction... and the power of the Myriad Daos burst forth from Lin Hongyu's resolute, furious, and grief-stricken heart! This single strike was not a whit weaker than Li Hao's peak blow. "Die!" The furious roar shook the heavens and the earth. Sovereign Shigu's expression warped in sheer terror. His only thought now was to flee. He was far from his peak—not even half-peak. Nine strikes of lightning had drained almost all his energy. In that split second, he felt the icy grip of death. Boundless indignation and despair tore from his throat: "Impossible! I am a Sovereign! I am a Sovereign!" *He was a Sovereign!* *Had he been killed by Li Hao, he would have accepted it. But what was this woman?* *A corpse?* *He was going to be killed by a dead person?* *A nameless woman who had earned a sliver of fame in Silver Moon solely on the reputation of being Li Hao's fiancée—she was going to kill him?* *This cannot be real!* Boom! The sword slashed down! Sovereign Shigu roared, pouring every last dreg of his power into one final eruption! "This Sovereign will never die here!" *Bang!* The sword struck home. Boundless sword intent erupted from the Sky Sword, and the power of time froze him for a fraction of a second. The blade split him from head to toe, unleashing an explosion of destructive energy! Boom! Sovereign Shigu blew apart in an instant, endless Red Moon power scattering into the air, trying to gather again as if to regenerate! Li Hao looked up at the sky, suddenly letting out a soft laugh. He reached out and swept his hand, condensing the boundless Red Moon power into a cluster of stars. Right at that moment, Li Daoheng's expression warped in sheer horror! The tenth bolt had arrived! Boom! In an instant, Li Hao was blasted into flying ash. Li Daoheng could no longer care about Tianji. The lightning crashed down, annihilating him in a flash; he regenerated in a blink, only to be obliterated again, his origin path manifesting only to be snapped in two by the bolt! In the void, the scattered Red Moon power was completely engulfed by the lightning, and a blood-curdling shriek rang out. "No... impossible... I am a Sovereign..." *Rumble!* The void shattered, and the Red Moon power crumbled into nothingness. At this moment, a great universe manifested between heaven and earth, resembling a crimson moon. Someone far away seemed to have perceived something, and a faint voice drifted across the infinite distance: "Shigu... chaos lightning... dead..." That illusory voice, separated by endless mountains and rivers, was faint and indistinct. In the next instant, the Red Moon Universe vanished from sight. Within the void, everything was reduced to cinders! In all of heaven and earth, only a half-dead woman shrouded in death energy remained, standing blank and motionless. Tianji stood frozen, feeling empty and bewildered. In the distance, the cat stared blankly at the sky, seemingly lost in a daze. The Sovereign was dead. Li Hao was dead. Li Daoheng was dead. Zheng Yu was dead... It all felt like a grand dream! The most powerful figures of Silver Moon had all perished in this single clash. Even Sovereign Shigu, who had been sealed for a hundred thousand years and had only just broken free, had fallen in this great cataclysm. A rain of blood began to fall from the sky. The last lingering sliver of hope seemed to dissolve into nothingness alongside the bloody drizzle. Heaven's Will... had also died! Lin Hongyu stared blankly at the shattered void, utterly silent. In her hand, fine cracks began to spread across the blade of the sword, while death energy drifted outward, blanketing the entire world. "Do you... despise me that much?" Murmuring softly, Lin Hongyu stared into the pulverized void. *Did you truly refuse to owe me a favor so badly?* *Was I... not your fiancée?* *You dragged me back from hell, only to leave like this?* *Li Hao... did you never possess a single shred of human warmth?* *It seems... you were never willing to owe anyone anything. Not a single soul!*