The thunder subsided, leaving the world submerged in dead stillness.
In a single day, the powerhouses of all factions had been wiped clean, and Sovereign Shigu, who had plagued Silver Moon for a hundred thousand years, had also perished within this small world.
Swept by the chaos thunder, experts from every side had fallen, Sovereigns among them... At this moment, the entire Silver Moon world was expanding at a frantic pace. No other small world had ever been like Silver Moon, where within a single day, entities equivalent to four Sovereigns had fallen.
What was more, chaos thunder tribulations had descended twice in one day.
Between heaven and earth, pure qi rose while turbid qi sank.
It was a scene reminiscent of the dawn of creation!
Blood rain continued to fall, yet the world was beginning to reopen. Not far away, Mount Cang stretched ever outward, and the Taboo Sea surged and boiled.
Countless beasts gained sapience in an instant.
Deep in Mount Cang, several great demons advanced in an instant, leaping across the Mountain-Sea Realm and into the Sun-Moon Realm.
Towering trees shot up from the earth one after another; demon plants had gained sentience!
Demon plants were beginning to emerge in Silver Moon as well.
Heaven's Will had fallen twice in a single day, and the blood rain dissolved into the Dao, nourishing all living things. The demon race began to emerge, with demon beasts and demon plants alike evolving. As for humanity, it went without saying: worldly energy was limitless, and at this moment, people were naturally having their apertures opened even without cultivating.
It had practically crossed into an era of martial cultivation for all in the truest sense!
At this moment, newborn infants across the realm received the baptism of heaven and earth, just like the very first revival, born carrying Heaven's Will. Yet the commotion of the first revival twenty-one years ago was far lesser than this.
That year had given birth to peak figures of the new era like Li Hao and the Western Queen.
Today, with the fall of Sovereigns and Heaven's Will, and the chaotic thunder cleansing heaven and earth, the Silver Moon world advanced. Any infant born on this day would undoubtedly be a darling of the era.
Natural-born cultivators!
...
Yet the masses were silent.
There was no joy.
Across the entire realm, only the roars of wild beasts and the cries of infants echoed. The rest of the people were bewildered, filled with a hollow sense of loss and an inexplicable grief.
In truth, they did not know what had really happened.
And yet... Heaven's Will had dissolved into blood rain, and the towering, earth-shaking auras had all been extinguished. It gave rise to faint surmises... Perhaps the marquis and those formidable foes had... fallen together!
Li Hao was a man who had debuted as a devil, killing beyond count.
He had walked out of Silver City and out of Silver Moon seeking vengeance, a path of relentless slaughter that never halted.
Yet he also possessed the bones of a chivalric hero. He walked the land doing deeds of righteousness, slaying devils who sowed chaos and striking down the corrupt ruling class. Vengeance was one part of it, but chivalry and justice were another.
He had promoted universal education and martial arts for all, enlightened the minds of the people, suppressed the supernaturals, and broken the hierarchy of class.
Though the time had been brief, the people of Silver Moon had all benefited from him.
No matter how mighty an expert or how perilous a war, whether dealing with Neo Martial traitors or Neo Martial remnants, Li Hao stood atop the world, unassailable and unyielding. Peace reigned under heaven, a glorious golden age!
The invasion of the four kingdoms, the revival of the eight cities, the Three Great Organizations, the seven divine mountains...
Every one of these powerful factions had been slain or brought to heel by Li Hao.
The minds of the people had been opened. No longer ignorant, they knew good from evil, debts of gratitude from vendettas, and reason from folly. They also knew that the peace under heaven today could not exist without Li Hao. Even though Li Hao appeared less and less frequently, the heroes and powerhouses under heaven were all suppressed by his presence alone!
The ambitious schemers of the City of Supernaturals, Lin Hongyu and Qian Wuliang.
The proud, untamable martial masters of the Silver Moon Province, such as Heaven Sword and Tyrant Saber.
The Neo Martial nobility, such as Zhang An and Jiang Yingli...
It was only because of Li Hao that these people could come together and fight as one. Otherwise, engaged in mutual conflict, who could have easily united Silver Moon?
Only on this day did everyone feel dazed and enlightened, struck with a mixture of realizations and foreboding.
Some people already wore expressions of panic, unease gnawing at their hearts.
Li Hao was dead!
With Li Hao dead, would the world... enter a golden age or an era of chaos?
Who could keep Neo Martial figures like Zhang An under control?
Who could suppress Tianji, that peak half-step Sovereign backing the King of Dali?
Who could deal with the Queen, that worldly deity and ruthless woman who had replaced the true Moon Goddess?
Who could rein in Qian Wuliang, an ambitious schemer who saw through the human heart, commanded the Illusory Dao universe, and possessed the combat strength of a peak Heavenly King?
Li Hao had seemed indifferent, yet men like Qian Wuliang feared him to the bone and never dared rebel.
A youth of peerless cunning, under whom mighty experts all perished, a man who overturned the heavens and the earth—who had dared act rashly before him?
Yet today... who could keep them in check?
The Stargate was sealed, and the Neo Martial experts could not leave. The Silver Moon world had upgraded; if it had been a small world before, it could now at least be considered a medium-rank world. Even if it was inferior to Neo Martial, the entire realm now held countless opportunities and immense fortuitous encounters.
Right now, this world was no longer the Silver Moon of the past.
Even Sovereigns would be tempted.
Heaven's Will had fallen, leaving the realm without a master... There were two Masters of the Great Dao—would they wage war against each other?
Countless thoughts surfaced in everyone's minds.
Powerhouse after powerhouse crossed the void, arriving from the Central Continent.
...
The two Masters of the Great Dao arrived, the Saints of Neo Martial arrived, the King of Dali arrived, and the Queen, who had recovered somewhat, arrived...
Silver City had turned into a boundless sea.
The seas had turned into mulberry fields, and the world had shifted. No one could believe that this was Li Hao's hometown; just days ago, it had been a city, but today it was completely submerged into an ocean, with the Taboo Sea even cutting straight through it.
Hong Yitang stepped forward and looked up at the sky. A glint of red appeared in his eyes, as though he wanted to weep, but it vanished in an instant. A son of Silver Moon never shed tears easily.
Not far away, a black dog's nose twitched as it continually sniffed for that familiar scent, almost choking with sorrow.
In the air, a half-dead figure stood motionless, as if already deceased.
Hong Yitang's voice was like a great bell: "Senior Tianji, I ask you: is our Marquis of Silver Moon alive or dead?"
A shock ran through everyone's minds!
Alive or dead?
Tianji remained silent.
Naturally, he was dead.
That world-ending tribulation, combined with his strength being drained in an instant, and then expending all his vitality to resurrect Lin Hongyu... For Li Hao to have achieved this much and slain Sovereign Shigu at the final moment had already defied all expectations.
None could believe he had pacified the world in a single battle.
Even though... he had died.
Tianji looked toward Hong Yitang and sighed softly. "He has fallen... A genius favored by the heavens! As for Li Hao... in all my life, those I have seen who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him number no more than two or three!"
It was not that no one could compare, but who was Tianji?
He had lived through the eras of First Martial, Origin, Neo Martial, and Silver Moon. The Heavenly Emperor, the Nine Emperors, the Four Emperors, the gods of First Martial, the Neo Martial Human King, the Supreme...
Countless heroes and many Sovereigns never even entered his eyes.
Yet of Li Hao, he said those who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him numbered no more than two or three, and the Neo Martial Human King was surely one of them. It was evident that throughout the long river of history, those who could rival him were virtually nonexistent!
Yet such an answer could not satisfy anyone.
In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent.
The faces of the powerhouses grew grim, heavy, and sorrowful... entangled in countless emotions.
He was truly dead!
At this moment, Qian Wuliang spoke with a grave expression: "May I ask Senior: has our Silver Moon world elevated in rank as a whole?"
The moment the words left his mouth, several people looked at him with indignation.
Why ask about this at such a time?
Tianji was quiet for another moment before nodding. "It has advanced! To put it simply, in the chaotic universe, a world capable of giving birth to a Sovereign, where that Sovereign serves as master of the world, is a small world... In truth, the Silver Moon of before was not even considered a small world, as no Sovereign had ever been born from its native soil!
"A world capable of giving birth to multiple Sovereigns—such as three to five, or even seven to eight—can be considered a medium-rank world.
"And a realm like Neo Martial, which gave birth to a multitude of Sovereigns, as well as beings above Sovereignhood—existences like the Human King, the Cang Emperor, and the Yang Shen—is a true great world!"
He looked across Silver Moon, then toward the crowd before him. "Silver Moon has even bypassed the ordinary small world stage and is advancing toward a medium-rank world! Because it gave birth to a Great Dao universe, Silver Moon will certainly give birth to more than one Sovereign! Now that chaos has merged into Silver Moon and expanded it, the birth of several Sovereigns in the Silver Moon world... is just around the corner!"
Reaching the heavens in a single bound!
In fact, had the battle not been so intense and the thunder tribulation so terrifying, this single day might have seen three Sovereigns born: Li Hao, Li Daoheng, and Zheng Yu. All three could be considered people of the Silver Moon world.
Their ancestors may have come from the Neo Martial world, but they themselves were born in Silver Moon.
Hearing this, dead silence fell over the crowd.
The Silver Moon world was advancing toward a medium world. Though still inferior to Neo Martial... it had originally been an insignificant world born from a trickle of leaked Neo Martial energy. Yet now, it had officially separated from Neo Martial and was capable of giving birth to its own Sovereigns.
More than one, at that!
Hong Yitang glanced out of the corner of his eye at Qian Wuliang. At this moment, he suppressed all emotions in his heart. He looked toward Lin Hongyu; she remained silent, as if truly dead.
He looked around once more... The Saints and powerhouses of Neo Martial all appeared somewhat lost.
He knew that with Li Hao's death, the minds of the people had grown unsettled!
He had no time to grieve. At this moment, he had only one thought: Silver Moon belonged to Li Hao, and the Real Dao universe—no matter what, no matter who came to seize it—belonged to him!
Because... it held far too many things.
Yuan Shuo, Liu Long, Hou Xiaochen...
These people whom Li Hao cared for and valued, who had died, still had a chance at resurrection. And that chance lay within the Real Dao universe.
That day, when Li Hao transferred the Great Dao universe to him, he had stressed repeatedly that within the Real Dao universe, those were the only things he truly cared about.
Now, Hong Yitang was also at the sixth tier of Dao Integration, wielding the combat strength of a peak Heavenly King.
Yet in this world, there were still those stronger than him: Tianji, for instance, and Zhang An... Indeed, Zhang An, who had always kept a low profile, was by no means weak when he previously joined forces with the King of Dali to battle Zheng Yu.
Neo Martial had many Saints as well!
Besides them, there was Qian Wuliang, who was roughly on par with him, and the Queen, who had devoured the Moon Goddess and was currently somewhat weakened, but fundamentally formidable...
All of them were top-tier experts.
Even Dao Jian, who had received some leftovers from Li Daoheng—though mere pawns casually discarded by others—had stepped into the fourth tier of Dao Integration, reaching the Heavenly King Realm.
Every one of these figures could sway the entirety of Silver Moon.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind, leaving no room for sorrow. He quelled the restless unease, the fury, and the despair, his expression remaining as calm as ever: "Senior, the Marquis of Silver Moon embodied Heaven's Will. As long as heaven and earth endure and time turns, I believe he can return!"
His voice boomed: "Within this Great Dao universe, some of the marquis's stars still remain... Thus, he can be resurrected, can he not?
"Through past and future, from antiquity to modern times, only the Marquis of Silver Moon has spanned the ages. Could mere lightning destroy him?"
Stepping forward, Hong Yitang's face was composed: "Therefore, I wish to call upon everyone to gather our Real Dao and summon the will of the masses to awaken the marquis from death. Senior, do you think... it can succeed?"
Tianji's heart stirred, and he glanced at him.
The people before him... truth be told, they somewhat exceeded his expectations.
Though Li Hao had fallen in battle, whatever sorrow they felt was buried deep within. At this critical juncture, they had not collapsed; on the contrary, individuals who usually stayed out of affairs had stepped forward, ready to rally and keep Silver Moon from crumbling!
Qian Wuliang chimed in promptly as well: "Indeed! If the aid of my Illusory Dao is needed, I will do everything in my power to resurrect the marquis! Even at the cost of my life, I would not hesitate! Senior, please guide us!"
Over to the side, Director Zhao suddenly spoke: "We must resurrect the marquis, no matter the cost! Everyone, though the powerhouses plaguing Silver Moon have been slain... the Silver Moon world drew down two lightning tribulations, causing a commotion that was undoubtedly immense. We may well be within the domain of the Red Moon universe. If we were near Neo Martial, it would be fine, but if we are near Red Moon... one of their Sovereigns has fallen, and earlier... there was even the faint resonance of a Great Dao transmission!"
He looked around at the crowd. "If the marquis cannot be resurrected... who among us dares claim they can contend with a Red Moon Sovereign? Forget multiple Sovereigns—even if just one comes... who among us can withstand them right now?"
Abandoning his usual low profile, his voice rang firm and clear: "Perhaps some have hope of advancing to the Sovereign realm, such as Earth-Overturning Sword and Qian Wuliang... Even the King of Dali and the Western Queen have a chance. But ask yourselves: if the powerhouses of the Red Moon universe attack, can you... lead the people of Silver Moon in resistance?"
Director Zhao's voice boomed: "At this moment, we must seize any opportunity and pay whatever price is necessary to resurrect the marquis! Only under the marquis's leadership is there hope—whether of finding Neo Martial or making Silver Moon strong on its own!
"The marquis has always acted with fairness, elevating the capable and demoting the inept! He never distinguished between Neo Martial and Silver Moon, nor noble and common. General Qian, Director Wang... all hail from different factions and different eras... yet in the marquis's eyes, all were treated equally without slight!"
At this point, Director Zhao's tone turned earnest: "Our Silver Moon martial masters—such as Heaven Sword in the Dao Integration Realm, Earth-Overturning Sword as Master of the Real Dao, Tyrant Saber who is about to integrate with the Dao, myself, Old Zhou who has crossed into Dao Integration, the five commanders of the Demon Hunting Martial Guard Army, and Huang Yu who oversees the military... all of us wish for the marquis to be resurrected and return to Silver Moon, to lead Silver Moon to its peak once more! Aside from the marquis, no one can represent our Silver Moon!"
His words were delivered evenly, yet their underlying meaning made hearts clench.
Whoever dared seize power, the Silver Moon martial masters would surely strike down!
Silver Moon had plenty of experts: Hong Yitang at peak combat power, and core pillars like Director Zhao and Director Zhou who had all stepped into the Dao Integration Realm with formidable strength.
Right now, whether Li Hao could be resurrected or not... they had to attempt it!
Even if... there was no hope.
Even if it was merely putting up a front.
They had to stabilize Silver Moon, using this window to find a way to steady the entire Silver Moon world.
Director Zhao glanced toward Lin Hongyu in the air, his eyes flickering slightly. "Though the marquis has temporarily vanished, Madam remains! Madam severed a Sovereign with a single sword slash, slaying Sovereign Shigu of Red Moon. Such strength and prestige are unmatched! At this juncture, we implore Madam to take charge of the realm, command all factions, and devote all efforts to finding a way to resurrect the marquis!"
Director Zhao's voice shook the heavens and earth like the tremors of the Great Dao. "Madam, please rally your spirits! The marquis, who wields time, could bring Madam back from the underworld; he will surely be able to walk out on his own as well!"
Lin Hongyu had slain a Sovereign with a single strike at the final moment!
And now, she held the Sky Sword—the very Sky Sword that had devoured the Eight Divine Weapons. Though death qi still surged violently around her, they knew that Lin Hongyu was alive.
They even wondered whether Li Hao having Lin Hongyu slay the Sovereign at the final moment... had been planned precisely for this.
Given Li Hao's character, he would certainly leave behind backup arrangements.
Lin Hongyu, for instance... was perhaps the only person right now capable of contending with a half-step Sovereign, possibly even Tianji...
Li Hao himself might not care what happened after his death, but he would never want the Great Dao universe to be seized by others. Within it... remained his family, his master, his friends, and his hopes.
At this moment, the Silver Moon martial masters all looked toward Lin Hongyu.
Not far away, Redwood transformed into human form, mind stirring, and spoke up: "The marquis can certainly return. Just as Director Zhao said, at this juncture, we ask Madam to govern heaven and earth. The realm is shifting, and hearts are filled with panic... My Demon Plant Army will faithfully carry out the marquis's orders and follow Madam's commands!"
The Demon Plant Army was also a tremendously potent force.
With this world expansion, breakthrough after breakthrough was inevitable. The Demon Plant Army possessed numerous figures in the Immortal and Peak Realms; soon, quite a few Saints and Dao Integration experts were bound to emerge.
In the air, Lin Hongyu seemed to finally snap to awareness.
She turned her head to look at the crowd. The death light in her eyes sent shivers through their hearts. Even Qian Wuliang felt a tremor in his soul, wondering: Was Lin Hongyu... actually dead or alive?
That was the first question!
Second, what level of strength did she possess right now?
Third, where was her Dao?
Her natal star had seemed to be drawn out earlier and subsequently merged into her own body. What did that make her?
An existence detached from the Great Dao, or something with a realm of its own?
For a time, no one could see through her, nor did they know whether her final strike—though it had slain a Sovereign—could ever be replicated. After all, everyone knew that at that moment, Sovereign Shigu had been weaker than an ordinary half-step Sovereign.
Could Lin Hongyu still unleash such a sword strike?
Moreover... whether Li Hao could be resurrected was the crux everyone cared about. Without confirming that, no matter how ambitious a schemer was... unless they believed themselves stronger and smarter than Li Daoheng, Zheng Yu, and Shigu, they had better pack it in and go to sleep.
Li Hao had eliminated even those figures, let alone them.
Qian Wuliang said nothing.
He had ambition. But his ambition... was actually very clearly defined.
If Li Hao was truly dead, the people before him could not suppress him, and he had no desire to risk his life for them; it was simply not worth it!
Yet if Li Hao still had a chance of resurrection, even if his strength was drastically depleted, and even if Qian Wuliang had become the Master of the Illusory Dao... he still would not dare turn against Li Hao. From the very beginning, he had never dared oppose Li Hao; no matter how impossible a demand Li Hao made, he never dared defy it.
Last time, Li Hao had sent him into the Illusory Dao universe, and later he had become the Master of the Illusory Dao... Qian Wuliang even suspected that this had been Li Hao's true goal all along. Whether Zheng Yu or Li Daoheng held sway made little difference in Li Hao's eyes.
Those two, along with Li Hao, were bound to clash!
In the end, given their dispositions... helping Qian Wuliang just to spite Li Hao was a plausible move. If so, his ascension to Master of the Illusory Dao might have been within Li Hao's calculations from the start.
Otherwise, after he entered the Illusory Dao universe, Li Hao had never checked on him again, nor given him any further tasks... It was as though he had forgotten about him. Was that possible?
With that man's character... would he ever let you idle before squeezing out every last drop of your value?
Therefore, Qian Wuliang was not as overly ambitious as everyone imagined, eager to seize control of heaven and earth right away... Leaving aside the fact that his strength had not reached that level, figures like Tianji, Zhang An, the King of Dali, and the Queen only showed deference out of respect for Li Hao.
Who was Qian Wuliang to demand anything?
If he dared step forward and claim Li Hao's place... the realm would immediately plunge into chaos, and aloof powerhouses like Tianji might even strike him down out of respect for Li Hao. He was no fool; how could he entertain dangerous ambitions at a time like this?
Lin Hongyu swept her gaze across the crowd, the death qi in her eyes boiling violently. "Resurrection?"
She looked at the powerhouses one by one, finally resting her gaze on Tianji. "At his final moment, time was extinguished, Heaven's Will shattered, and his vitality surged into my body... He was almost entirely annihilated. Does Senior think there is still a chance?"
Tianji looked at her and paused for a long while before replying, "I do not know... I know next to nothing about the new Dao, and the same goes for time!"
Having said that, he added, "Furthermore... I have no desire to meddle in Silver Moon's affairs, nor do they concern me much! My true body remains in Neo Martial. My sole objective in Silver Moon was to resurrect Er Mao. Now that Er Mao is resurrected... I have only one thought: if the Stargate can be opened, I will leave through it and return to Neo Martial!
"If the Stargate cannot be opened..."
He paused, then continued, "Then I will wait. The Cang Emperor already knows Er Mao is resurrected, and my true body should have sensed it as well... If Silver Moon is not far from Neo Martial, perhaps my true body will arrive before long, open the Stargate from the outside, and take Er Mao and me away!"
Hearing these words, everyone felt a weight lift from their hearts.
He went on: "In addition, if Beiwu wishes to expand and strengthen Dali... that also has nothing to do with me. Dali was actually passed down by the descendants of the Fist God's lineage. The Fist God was one of the supreme powerhouses of the First Martial era. To preserve the First Martial heritage, he fought fiercely against the Human King and ultimately fell in battle. The Human King bore them no hatred; on the contrary, he admired those First Martial gods who fought for their heritage, their race, and their era... Thus, he did not extinguish their lineage!
"Back then, I merely came to Dali for a brief respite, looking for a place to stay. Later, that descendant of the Fist God's lineage learned I came to resurrect Er Mao... After the Stargate was sealed, he harbored ulterior motives, so I struck him dead, and he became the bones of the Taboo Sea... That man was Beiwu's true ancestor, the one Beiwu absorbed himself..."
To the side, the King of Dali stared blankly at him in shock.
Tianji looked back with utter nonchalance: "Why look at me like that? That is simply the truth... So the first-generation First Martial god of your Dali was not me. Of course, the one who later posed as the Yang Shen—that was me!"
No one had anticipated that this would unearth a past tale.
In the distance, Zhang An paused, somewhat surprised: "But... very early on, Dali borrowed Emperor Batian's name. As the descendant of the first-generation First Martial god, the Fist God, to dare pose as Emperor Batian..."
Tianji laughed: "Quite natural! Actually... it wasn't entirely wrong, was it? When Emperor Batian swept through First Martial back then, the Fist God was practically half a mentor to him and offered him much guidance. His descendants pulled the tiger's skin to wrap themselves in glory just to preserve the First Martial heritage. Emperor Batian was completely dead, and the Iron Sovereign has a mild temper—would he make trouble over something like this? Now, daring to pose as the Yang Shen—that takes real guts!"
Between the lines, he was saying the man only dared pretend to be Emperor Batian because Batian was dead, and Batian's successor was the Iron Sovereign, who was a simple-minded, harmless fellow... In short, he wouldn't care about such things.
The Yang Shen, however, was still very much alive; only someone posing as the Yang Shen was a true daredevil!
Of course, that was on the premise that the Stargate was sealed; otherwise... Tianji wouldn't have dared either. Forget him—even his father, the Western Emperor, wouldn't have dared.
As for the future... at worst, he could claim he had done it to attract the Yang Shen's attention in hopes that he might locate Silver Moon... What could the Yang Shen say to that?
Tianji had promptly cut off his ties with the King of Dali.
As for contending for supremacy... they could settle that amongst themselves.
To be frank, he had no desire to take part in this.
Even if this place advanced to become a medium-rank world, it had nothing to do with him. So what if a few Sovereigns were born? He was a Sovereign himself, and not the weakest one either. On top of that, he had status and dignity in Neo Martial; he couldn't be bothered to squabble with these people here.
Besides... whether Li Hao could be resurrected was something he couldn't be sure of.
Li Hao was young, but his methods were legion.
It was truly difficult to conclude that he was dead beyond all doubt.
For all he knew, his present death was merely another filter to see who would jump out. Li Hao wouldn't be the first hegemon to pull such a trick, nor would he be the last; plenty of hegemons throughout history had done the very same thing.
The King of Dali was rendered somewhat speechless. The one he had absorbed was his own ancestor?
His ancestor had been beaten to death by this man?
He...
Well, truth be told, there was no affection anyway. It was something from a hundred thousand years ago; what did it have to do with him? Calling him an ancestor... he felt nothing at all. A hundred thousand years! If everyone in Dali was considered that man's descendant, Dali had also been plagued by internal warfare and slaughter all these years... that was family killing family too.
Learning that his ancestor from a hundred thousand years ago had been beaten to death by this man... he merely found it baffling, without thinking it any great matter.
Tianji's words had made his stance abundantly clear, both directly and between the lines.
As the number one powerhouse in the world right now—it was fair to call him that—his refusal to meddle made everyone breathe much easier. Otherwise, if Tianji harbored ambitions at this moment, who could possibly rival him?
His strength might not equal a Sovereign's, but any ordinary half-step Sovereign facing him would be cut down with a single slash of his blade.
Zheng Yu and Li Daoheng were no ordinary half-step Sovereigns; they were existences infinitely close to Sovereignhood, which was why Tianji had seemed slightly weaker in comparison.
Before, an injured avatar of Sovereign Shigu of Red Moon had been sliced dead by him with ease, which showed just how terrifying he was.
The dark light in Lin Hongyu's eyes flickered as she looked at the crowd. "So... no one objects. Going forward, everyone will dedicate themselves to resurrecting the marquis, even if... it requires paying an immense price, even if... it means sacrificing the Great Dao universes. None of you have any objection?"
Seeing her gaze turn toward him, Qian Wuliang hurriedly said, "The Illusory Dao universe came to me by chance. If Madam requires it and it benefits the marquis's resurrection, take it at any time!"
Hong Yitang looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke: "If it is to resurrect him, I have no objection... However, it can only be used for his resurrection. The Real Dao universe holds many things that cannot be casually abandoned! You understand."
Lin Hongyu looked at him and nodded. She understood.
She knew all too well!
Those stars belonging to Yuan Shuo and the others, which might or might not still exist.
To Li Hao, those were even more important than his own resurrection.
Could Li Hao be resurrected?
She did not know!
Yet she knew there was hope, because at the final moment, Li Hao had channeled his vitality, along with that tiny, remnant wisp of time power, into her body.
Indeed, it seemed all time power had vanished from the entire world.
Without the power of time, how could Li Hao be resurrected?
Yet she held a tiny trace within her—left behind when Li Hao reversed time to resurrect her—a wisp of time power that not even the chaos lightning had extinguished.
At this moment, she wondered... had Li Hao done all this unintentionally, or by deliberate design?
Vitality, time power, death power... life and death, time!
All of it was linked to resurrection.
Furthermore, at the final moment, Li Hao had gathered vast amounts of energy, even seizing the last traces of Sovereign Shigu's energy to forge stars and complete his Great Dao of 360 Stars.
By that point, what purpose did completing the Great Dao of 360 Stars serve?
In the end, it too had been destroyed!
Yet at that last instant, it seemed to have succeeded.
What did that signify?
She gazed into the void, looking upon heaven and earth. Lin Hongyu's emotions were a tangled storm. *Have you... placed all hope of resurrection on me?*
*Then why not say it plainly?*
*Why make me guess?*
Life and death, time, heaven and earth, the Great Dao, 360 stars... All of it appeared to have fallen into place unintentionally, yet every piece seemed to declare: There is still hope, but only you know of it.
If you kept it hidden... with the prestige of having slain a Sovereign with a single sword slash, and as the fiancée of Li Hao, you would be the only one fit to rule Silver Moon, and everyone would support you!
"Li Hao... you petty bastard!"
Lin Hongyu muttered inwardly. Petty!
Shameless!
*Are you testing me?*
*Testing me with your very life and death?*
At this moment, she truly understood, realizing so very much. Li Hao really did still have hope of revival, but he had left the outcome entirely to her.
If she wished to resurrect him, she could do her utmost.
If she did not, the final wisp of time power in the world was within her; whether she extinguished it or kept quiet, if she chose not to resurrect him and uttered not a word, no one would ever know!
The Silver Moon realm would be hers.
This shameless bastard, even at the final instant of his life, still sought to test the human heart, to test human nature... It was utterly outrageous, thoroughly heartless!
Yes, heartless!
In that moment, Lin Hongyu had finally pieced it together. When all these people pushed her forward to take charge of heaven and earth, when they told her she could take Li Hao's place, when they pinned the hope of resurrecting Li Hao upon her...
She understood!
Li Hao still had a chance.
And only she knew of it, only she could do it.
Bastard!
What was more, the reason that last trace of time power had not been obliterated—why not even the chaos lightning had noticed it—was that her death qi had surged violently then, making her effectively a corpse. Why would the lightning pay any heed to the dead?
The death qi had masked that faint sliver of time power.
If Li Hao had thought through and orchestrated all of this in that single instant, Lin Hongyu could only say that this bastard, even at the very end, had remained lucid to a chilling, inhuman degree!
He had no fear of death. He was playing hide-and-seek with the chaos lightning, while casually testing human hearts on the side, treating life and death like child's play.
*I'm just playing around!*
And to think she had actually been moved to tears before.
Bastard!
Him channeling vitality and time power into her body had probably all been for his own scheme.
And the Sky Sword!
The sword in her hand...
Her heart quivered slightly. In the end, this sword seemed to have fused with all of Li Hao's stars before slaying the Sovereign. Those stars... appeared to be every single star Li Hao had previously condensed.
Did this bastard... truly plan out every single detail?
His Great Dao stars were within the sword, while time power and the powers of life and death rested inside her. Everything pointed toward one truth: she could resurrect him!
And only she knew... Even Tianji hadn't seen it clearly; that moment had been far too brief.
"Hmph!"
At that moment, Lin Hongyu let out a sudden cold snort. Everyone started. What was wrong?
Hong Yitang furrowed his brows slightly. Was she angry because he had said he wouldn't surrender the Great Dao universe unless it was to resurrect Li Hao?
Or was she... warning someone?
Lin Hongyu looked coldly at the crowd. "Resurrecting him has a great chance of success! However, I will need everyone's help, including... a brief fusion of the Real Dao and Illusory Dao universes to stimulate the extinguished Time Star, prompting the Time Star to awaken once more and produce the power of time... Of course, as of right now, the difficulty is immense!"
She then looked toward Tianji: "Since Senior has no intention of vying for Silver Moon... I will speak plainly. I ask Senior to protect me as I cast the technique, which will count as Li Hao owing Senior a favor!"
Tianji was taken aback. Just like that, he owes me a favor?
What is going on?
Lin Hongyu suddenly smiled. Upon a face steeped in death qi and killing intent, an alluring smile blossomed at this moment: "If Li Hao is resurrected this time, he will owe everyone a favor! And he will repay every single one of them!"
Yes, he would owe them all!
*Fine, you want to test me, don't you?*
*Then... I'll let you test me!*
*I'm going to make you owe debts to every single person... Will you dare be so heartless next time?*
*You act so lofty, so detached... I refuse to let you have your way. I'll make you regret, from the very moment of your death, that you ever entrusted this opportunity to me. When I bring you back to life, you will be saddled with a mountain of debts of gratitude, so that you never dare throw your life away so easily again!*
At the brink of death, Li Hao had been so terrifyingly calm, as if death were nothing at all... That mindset terrified Lin Hongyu, filling her with despair.
How could you be like this?
Is there truly nothing and no one in this world left for you to care about?
Her voice rang out grand and clear: "This time, I also need the assistance of the masses to gather the power of heaven and earth, to assemble the power of myriad Daos! All living beings of Silver Moon, join me in doing everything we can to resurrect the Marquis of Silver Moon!
"With the marquis resurrected, the realm's prosperity will endure forever!
"The marquis still has many great ambitions left unfulfilled—transforming Silver Moon into a great world, guiding all people into the Mountain-Sea and Sun-Moon Realms... This world gave birth to him and raised him. I believe the marquis will not abandon you all, and you all will not abandon the marquis!"
At this moment, Lin Hongyu smiled with boundless radiance!
That smile... was just like Li Hao's!
For a moment, everyone felt dazed, a strange sensation welling up within them... Could Lin Hongyu have been possessed by Li Hao?
Why did her smile look so much like Li Hao's—carrying that same veneer of feigned sincerity?
Even Hong Yitang was slightly bewildered and glanced at her... Lin Hongyu's smile was truly profound and enigmatic.
Whether Li Hao could be resurrected... in truth, no one harbored much hope, merely burying their unease and terror deep inside. Yet right now, Lin Hongyu seemed exceedingly confident. Not only that, she had bound Li Hao to so many debts of gratitude in one breath.
He was someone who hated owing favors... Now, would it truly require the united hearts of all the people?
Hong Yitang did not know!
But Hong Yitang knew that if Li Hao truly came back to life... he might be thoroughly exasperated to find he had somehow ended up indebted to everyone.
Amidst everyone's daze, in the distance, the cat that had seemed bewildered all along suddenly appeared to regain its senses. Looking in this direction toward Lin Hongyu, it let out a "Meow," startling everyone into attention.
This cat... had remained silent earlier, so much so that everyone had nearly forgotten its existence.
It had an utter lack of presence!
Right now, it seemed as if it had only just woken up—wasn't its reaction far too slow?
The cat looked at Lin Hongyu and let out another cry.
To the others' ears, it was merely a meow.
Yet in Lin Hongyu's ears, it translated into human speech. A somewhat childish, groggy voice sounded beside her ear: "Meow, meow... If that person comes back to life, the thunder will come again..."
Lin Hongyu's expression shifted drastically!
It would come again?
"Only if he forms an internal world to isolate himself from heaven and earth and isolate himself from chaos can he avoid it..."
Lin Hongyu was slightly stunned. This cat... seemed to know an awful lot.
Er Mao let out another cry: "Earlier, he turned his Dao into stars, and the Three Saints isolated heaven and earth—he must have known. Concealing the Dao within the treasure sword and borrowing the eight weapons to isolate chaos—only then could he seek life from death... What a clever human!"
Er Mao seemed somewhat full of praise. What a clever person! Only now had it finally figured it out, yet that person had thought it through in just a fleeting moment!
He was as clever as Zhan!
Had it not been for those layers of concealment, he would have been doomed beyond doubt; the chaos lightning tribulation would never rest until it had struck him dead, extinguishing every last hope of revival.
Yet at the final moment, he had set so many arrangements in an instant... or perhaps, he had been laying the groundwork all along.
Truly formidable!
Lin Hongyu's heart trembled. She sent a voice transmission to Er Mao: "Senior, then what should I do?"
"You!"
"Me?"
"That's right! You're half-alive and half-dead, so strange... somewhat detached from heaven and earth, detached from chaos... If you spread your death qi across the realm to blanket the heavens, it should conceal things a bit. Once he comes back to life, he should be able to handle it himself... That person is very clever!"
Lin Hongyu's mind stirred. So that was it; there was even this layer of meaning.
*Li Hao, you bastard!*
*Why couldn't you explain things clearly?*
*Why did you have to force everyone to guess your thoughts!*
*If I hadn't realized or thought it through... once you revived, wouldn't you have immediately drawn down lightning and been struck dead all over again?*
*So if I were a bit slower, I wouldn't even be worthy of resurrecting you?*
"Meow... If you resurrect him and can't cover it up, and lightning truly is drawn down... I can swallow some of it... If this cat's help is needed... this cat can help a bit..."
With that, Er Mao grew groggy again: "Still... maybe he has other ideas... Once he's revived, you can ask him yourself!"
"Thank you, Senior!"
Lin Hongyu replied via voice transmission, shaken. Then she wondered: had that heartless bastard Li Hao even factored this cat into his calculations as well?
He truly was a piece of work!
Hmph!
*If I chose not to resurrect you... you probably wouldn't even care, would you?*
The more she thought about it, the more helpless she felt.
Indeed, the more capable a man was, the more heartless he became. Yet why did she... find such a man all the more captivating?
*Lin Hongyu, you really are shameless. You should have seized the opportunity to take control of Silver Moon and become the Queen of Silver Moon instead!*
Chapter 415