A Contest of Swords

This resurrection could be said to have followed its natural course, succeeding with effortless inevitability. Even when the chaos thunder descended and the Sovereign posed a mortal threat, Li Hao had still held arrangements in reserve. No wonder he had remained unhurried from the very beginning, opening his Dao meridians without the slightest delay. Then, by siphoning power and turning the crisis to his advantage, he had brought Lin Hongyu back to life. Li Hao had resolved it all with ease. High in the sky, the death qi had dispersed. The chaos thunder did not descend again. So long as Li Hao did not leave Silver Moon, there would be little issue. If he stepped outside Silver Moon, however... there was still a strong possibility of detection, which would draw the chaos thunder down once more. He had succeeded in establishing his own small world. Though far inferior to the present Silver Moon, it was nonetheless his own personal domain. To create a world like Silver Moon required far more than an ordinary Sovereign; it demanded a supreme Sovereign. The upper limit of someone who created a world was fundamentally different from that of an expert nurtured by one. A world creator was bound to surpass any expert merely cultivated by a world. Take Li Hao's small world, for instance. If living beings were born within it right now, they could at most cultivate to the Sun-Moon and Dao Integration Realm. Reaching the ninth level of the Dao Integration Realm was out of the question; the river could not sustain the emergence of such a powerhouse. Li Hao felt relatively relaxed. Tianji, on the other hand, felt not the least bit relaxed. Finished with his banter, he asked somewhat helplessly, "Er Mao won't run into trouble inside your world, will it?" What bloody luck! He had stood guard for a hundred thousand years and finally managed to fulfill his duty, only for this to happen. Li Hao murmured, "It will be fine. It is actually quite special... and shares a bit of karmic affinity with me..." Affinity my ass! Tianji was immediately on high alert. "That is not something just anyone can take away, not unless you want to pick a fight with the Blood Sovereign, the Human King, and the Cang Emperor." That one word, 'affinity,' gave him quite a fright! Li Hao laughed in spite of himself. "You misunderstand! When I say affinity, I mean... its unique nature. It isn't formed from the power of time, yet it does share a connection with time. It stems from the past and the future, existing in that indeterminate projection space... many complex things are involved." At this point, Li Hao could not help asking, "Is the Emperor of Battle Heaven... truly dead?" "Dead!" Tianji nodded with certainty. "Truly dead! He had no need to hide anything. Dead means dead, alive means alive. If he had been willing to return to life... he could have done so himself back then. It was simply that he felt... there wasn't much left in this world worth clinging to." "What a pity!" Li Hao sighed with emotion. "From what you've said, that space back then—the space where Er Mao and the Emperor of Battle Heaven lived—might have been connected to time! Severing fragments from a corner of the past and making them manifest in the present is utterly terrifying!" "Just as I pulled my past self out of the river so that he could genuinely exist... such a feat is beyond me. Not to mention now, even if I became vastly stronger, I still could not accomplish it." It was terrifying! In the past, he had not understood, merely knowing it was a small illusory space. Only now, having touched upon time, did he realize how frightening it truly was! Though I am dead, I sever the past to wage war on heaven and earth once more. For such a figure to have died... it was truly a tragedy. The Human King and the others were strong, perhaps even stronger than him, but at this moment, Li Hao felt that when it came to the Dao, the Emperor of Battle Heaven was far more intriguing. His comprehension of the Dao was simply unparalleled. That was a true seeker of the Dao! The Dao was ethereal and boundless. Men like the Human King were mortal men, not seekers of the Dao. Of course, each had their strengths, and one could hardly say one was better than the other. Li Hao merely leaned toward the pursuit exemplified by the Emperor of Battle Heaven: with nothing left in the world to bind him, he came and went as he pleased. What meaning was there in living forever without dying? Sovereign Shigu had said that the Red Moon world once invaded a great world and directly devoured its World Master. That World Master could have resisted, yet chose to self-dissipate. There were no longer any people or matters in the world worth his lingering affection; to go on living would have been nothing but torment. Such was the sentiment of certain old souls. Li Hao was very young... yet deep down, there was always an urge to transcend and step outside. Ever since his teacher and the others fell in battle, his worldly desires had gradually dimmed. Had there not been that lingering tether, the hope of resurrecting them, perhaps this time... he would not have kept that wisp of time power. The human heart was complex, and his was more complex than most. Hearing him say this, Tianji gave a slight nod. "That man was indeed formidable and terrifying. So... don't you get any ideas about Er Mao." "I won't. It is merely indulging in the past at the end of the river." Li Hao smiled. "It knows very well what it is doing. Besides, I have a slight doubt. The Blood Sovereign might have meant well by reviving it, but... with the Emperor of Battle Heaven gone, reviving it only adds sorrow. What meaning is there in that?" "Being alive is the meaning!" Li Hao shook his head. He did not agree with Tianji's words. A cat that had lost its master, a cat that had lost the companion of tens of millions of years—in that final moment, choosing to share life and death with its master was what it had truly desired, what it had hoped for. Yet now, they had revived it... People like the Blood Sovereign shouldn't have done such a thing. "Could it be that the Emperor of Battle Heaven is about to return?" Li Hao asked, but Tianji shook his head. "How could that be? Back then, he dissipated everything he possessed into the world, merging it into Neo-Martial and bequeathing it to the Human King, the Blood Sovereign, and the others. He will not return." Li Hao froze, then suddenly murmured, "Merged into Neo-Martial..." "Silver Moon was born from Neo-Martial..." He fell silent for a moment, gazing out at heaven and earth, murmuring, "Could it be... that the energy source of the Silver Moon world actually belonged to the Emperor of Battle Heaven?" Tianji was stunned, taking a long moment before answering, "Surely not? It was merely energy that casually leaked out from the Neo-Martial world." "Can casually leaked energy easily create a world? Can it... forge the Great Dao of Time?" How unique was the Dao of Time! Yet it had been born within a small world! And Battle Heaven City's severing of past fragments had already faintly touched upon time, only Neo-Martial had no such concept back then. At this moment, thoughts stirred in Li Hao's mind. He let out a soft sigh. "Perhaps Silver Moon was formed from that wisp of power left behind by the Emperor of Battle Heaven. That would explain why Er Mao was revived here in Silver Moon. Perhaps the Blood Sovereign hoped Er Mao could always remain by the Emperor of Battle Heaven's side." Tianji was dumbfounded. Could that be true? Impossible! He looked at Li Hao, somewhat suspicious. "You..." He wasn't making this up just to take Er Mao for himself, was he? Li Hao wielded time and was the king of Silver Moon. If the Silver Moon world truly formed from the final power left by the Emperor of Battle Heaven after his death, it would seem reasonable for Er Mao to belong with him. Still... how could there be such a coincidence? The Emperor of Battle Heaven had died long ago. The power he left behind had fulfilled the Human King and the Blood Sovereign... Could it really have fulfilled Silver Moon as well? Li Hao said softly, "Don't look at me like that; I'm not that shameless! Without anyone actively opening it up, could a small world form purely on naturally leaked power? If so, this universe would be full of countless small worlds!" "The birth of the Silver Moon world, I believe, is most likely connected to that final remnant of power from the Emperor of Battle Heaven. Otherwise, given the Human King's domineering personality, would he ever allow Neo-Martial's energy to leak away?" Tianji frowned. "That was done for the Sword Venerable..." Li Hao shook his head once more. "The Sword Venerable unified ten thousand Daos into one. Whether he devoured it or not made little difference. Of course, that is another valid explanation. I'm merely sharing my thoughts; they aren't necessarily right. I simply feel that the Blood Sovereign reviving Er Mao was too abrupt. Even if he couldn't bear to let it go, he shouldn't have taken it away from the Emperor of Battle Heaven's side... leaving it all alone was too selfish." Selfish? Reviving it was considered selfish? Tianji was at a loss for words. In any case, he didn't want to die; living was still wonderful. He didn't quite agree with some of Li Hao's ideas. Yet thinking it over carefully, Li Hao's conjecture wasn't entirely baseless. Did that mean the energy source for the birth of the Silver Moon world truly belonged to the Emperor of Battle Heaven? As if recalling something, Tianji suddenly said, "The Neo-Martial world was divided into the Yin and Yang realms. The Yin realm actually existed very early on, but no one discovered it—only the Emperor of Battle Heaven did!" The Human King had actually been pulled out of the Yin realm by the Emperor of Battle Heaven. Thus... that meant the Emperor of Battle Heaven had long since comprehended Yin and Yang! Two sides of a world—in that era, only the Emperor of Battle Heaven had discovered this. Later, through methods he left behind, he created the Human King. Li Hao nodded, not the least bit surprised. "If he could sever fragments of the past, he could naturally divide Yin and Yang and determine life and death." Tianji opened his mouth, taking a while before saying, "Fair enough. I never considered all that." Even so, he added, "Regardless, I don't care about any of that—Er Mao doesn't belong to you!" "..." No matter what you say, I won't care; Er Mao still isn't yours! Tianji continued, "You saw the Cang Emperor's projection earlier. He invited Er Mao to eat dried fish... The Cang Emperor may be forgetful, but if you take Er Mao away, you might find yourself hunted down by him!" Think carefully before you act! Li Hao chuckled. "How have I taken Er Mao away? It swam upstream along the river of its own accord to return to the past..." "The Cang Emperor doesn't listen to reason!" Tianji shook his head. "It's useless telling me that! The Cang Emperor is completely unreasonable. If he were reasonable... he wouldn't be the Cang Emperor! In short, if you want to take Er Mao, suit yourself. Consider the consequences on your own!" To the side, Lin Hongyu let out a soft laugh. "He won't, Senior Tianji, please be assured... May I take the liberty of asking, just how strong is this Cang Emperor?" Tianji felt like rolling his eyes. What, inquiring about his strength to see if you can take a shot at him? What are you dreaming of! "How strong? Put it this way... In Neo-Martial, once someone reached the Sovereign tier, we rarely made distinctions, since it didn't hold much meaning. Yet among Sovereigns, there were indeed differences in strength! Take the mighty ones, like the Heavenly Emperor—taking on five top Sovereigns was child's play for him. The Human King slew the Heavenly Emperor, and the Human King and the Cang Emperor shared their power, possessing equal strength... and all of that was back during the final battle of Neo-Martial!" "As for top Sovereigns, that refers to the level of the Supreme and his peers—namely, Zhang An's grandfather and the rest." "Beneath the top Sovereigns came the level of my father and his generation, the veteran Nine Emperors and Four Sovereigns..." "After them came Sovereigns like the Sword Venerable." "Below them was my generation, all slightly weaker—people like myself, the Queen of the Human King, the Nether King's Sword, and the like..." "Then came those slightly weaker still, like King Huai, who was a notch below me, along with several Sovereigns from Star Suppressing City..." "And at the very bottom were the substandard Sovereigns of Li Fuhai's father's generation—such as his father Li Wuqi, the Demon Suppressing Emissary who half-counted, and the half-Sovereign Cat Tree..." He looked at Li Hao. "That final tier was roughly on par with Sovereign Shigu. And the power Shigu displayed earlier was only his weakened state after losing the shroud of the Red Moon world's Great Dao. In his prime, he was definitely not so weak! He was stronger than you are now..." In other words, even Li Hao at this moment was inferior to Shigu in his prime. Placed in Neo-Martial, he would be weaker than the lowest tier of Sovereigns—merely a half-step Sovereign of that era. Meanwhile, the Cang Emperor and his peers stood at the absolute pinnacle of Sovereigns. By comparison... Lin Hongyu felt there was no need to make enemies of these Neo-Martial powerhouses over a cat. Li Hao, however, merely smiled. "Why bring all this up, Senior? I never said I wanted to take the cat... Besides, Senior Er Mao has its own mind. It isn't an object I can take just because I wish to." "I'm only giving you a warning!" Tianji put on an indifferent face, though he cursed inwardly. If he didn't warn the boy, what if he actually stole it away? Li Hao did not pursue the topic. He glanced outside and asked, "While I was dormant, did any other unforeseen events occur?" "None!" Lin Hongyu no longer opposed him and answered swiftly, "The time was too short. Even Qian Wuliang made no moves! He is a clever man; unless he is absolutely certain you cannot be revived... he would never rebel right now!" At that, she asked with some curiosity, "Was Qian Wuliang taking control of the illusory Dao part of your plan?" "What plan could there be?" Li Hao laughed. "You overthink things. If everything were planned, I would be an omnipotent god! I merely had him lie low and act as the opportunity arose. Of course, if Li Daoheng or Zheng Yu were truly no match for me and insisted on disgusting me... it was possible he would do so. But that was only one possibility; a greater likelihood was blowing up the Illusory Dao universe." A plan? It could hardly be called a plan. At best, it was one possibility among tens of millions, with very slim odds. If Zheng Yu hadn't reached that point, hadn't been outmaneuvered by Li Daoheng... how could such an opening have emerged? Qian Wuliang had simply acted to spite Li Daoheng. Li Hao added, "Qian Wuliang won't betray us, at least not now! When I mentioned an unforeseen event, I was referring to Li Daoheng." "Li Daoheng?" Lin Hongyu was startled. "He's dead! He was struck dead by the thunder; even his Great Dao was shattered." Even Sovereign Shigu had died, let alone Li Daoheng. They had died together! Li Hao thought for a moment and gave a slight shake of his head. "He wouldn't die so easily! Even if his Great Dao shattered, that was only the origin path. He also cultivated the new Dao; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to devour Zheng Yu's new Dao power!" "It's just that the new Dao power was limited, so it didn't amount to much." Lin Hongyu grew instantly tense. "He's still alive?" Then... wouldn't that spell trouble? "Even if he's alive, it doesn't matter; his strength is vastly diminished." With that, he recalled something. "Come, let's go see him!" "What?" Lin Hongyu froze. You know where he is? Tianji was also bewildered. Even I don't know, and you do? "Is that Dao Jian him?" "No." Li Hao shook his head. "Follow me, and you'll see!" Tianji was curious as well. Saying nothing more, he decided to follow along and have a look. Li Daoheng wasn't dead? The group of three vanished in an instant. ... The Silver Moon world continued to expand. Meanwhile, the myriad citizens of Silver Moon were beginning preparations for Li Hao's resurrection. At the edge of heaven and earth. Near the Star Gate. Suddenly, three silhouettes manifested. Beside the Star Gate, which no one dared approach recklessly, a small courtyard stood quietly. Anping Residence. The courtyard that had originally existed upon the Starry Sky Sword, the dwelling left behind by the Human King where the Sword Venerable had resided. At this moment, a person sat within the small courtyard, a longsword strapped to his back. He turned his head toward Li Hao, a faint smile surfacing on his face. "You've come?" It was as though he had long anticipated that Li Hao would return. And Li Hao, too, seemed to have been certain this man would be right here. Li Hao stepped through the void, crossing the threshold in a single stride. Behind him, Tianji and Lin Hongyu were both shaken. This man truly is still alive? Incredible! Li Daoheng's long hair fluttered in the breeze. Clad in azure sword robes, his face remained serene. "Sit!" Li Hao sat down naturally. At a stone table, the two sat across from one another. Li Daoheng did not look at Tianji, nor at Lin Hongyu. His aura was not overly strong, yet sword intent surged within him as he looked at Li Hao. "I knew you wouldn't die so easily!" Li Hao replied, "I also knew you wouldn't die so easily." Li Hao smiled. "Care for a drink?" "Your wine isn't aged enough." Li Daoheng produced a jar of wine. A wine cup materialized out of thin air and was filled in an instant, coming to rest before Li Hao. Li Hao raised the cup and drained it in a single gulp, boundless sword intent erupting within his body! He silently sensed it for a long while before remarking with emotion, "Impressive. Your comprehension of the sword runs deeper than mine!" "In a hundred thousand years, even a pig would make some progress." Li Daoheng remained calm, looking at Li Hao. "Still, I am somewhat curious. Why were you so certain I would be here?" "You received the true inheritance of the Sword Venerable, and there is no longer any place in the world for you to go. With the Star Gate unsealed, where else could you turn if not here? You also knew I wouldn't die easily and would find you sooner or later. Zheng Yu said you spent these hundred thousand years like a rat, which you likely refused to accept. In that case... you might as well stay in Anping Residence." Li Daoheng nodded. "True enough! Other than here, where could I possibly go?" He gave a laugh, lifted the wine jar, and drank deeply. His expression was untamed, carrying a hint of arrogance and disdain. "What was Zheng Yu? He merely fancied himself the master of all things! Of course, I am nothing impressive either. If I truly possessed supreme capability, I wouldn't have fallen to this state today!" "The Sword Venerable once said: those who learn from me shall live, those who resemble me shall die... In our clan, having a Sword Venerable emerge is an honor, but also a burden!" Li Daoheng suddenly veered into seemingly unrelated matters. "Take Zhang An—is his talent poor? Is his talent weak? Does he not work hard enough? No, not at all... It is because a predecessor stands before him. The prouder one's spirit, the harder it is to go far! If one merely copies, then Heavenly King, half-step Sovereign, or even a weak Sovereign is well within reach!" "If one is mediocre, like Senior Tianji, one can feel entirely at ease, seeking not to be first, and still go far!" Tianji was displeased! Li Daoheng paid him no mind, continuing, "It is those like us who suffer the most—possessing extraordinary talent, yet not truly peerless; holding lofty ambitions, but lacking the foundation; striving for supreme strength, yet unable to reach the boundless peak... People like that endure the bitterest torment!" He looked at Li Hao. "Had I been willing merely to learn without seeking change, becoming a half-step Sovereign would have presented no difficulty! Had I been willing to depart alongside the Sword Venerable... perhaps I could have aspired to become a Sovereign... Yet my heart reached higher than the heavens. I foolishly tried to resemble him without truly learning, yet failed to achieve mastery and harmony. To end up like this today is entirely of my own making!" Such words were difficult for ordinary men to grasp. Yet Li Hao understood, nodding. "I understand." "You don't understand!" Li Hao shook his head. "I do. My teacher was also a martial master of great talent. What you speak of is something I have experienced. Fully imitating him would yield no small achievement, yet wanting to break free of his influence, bearing lofty ambitions, striving to carve out one's own path... that is exceedingly difficult! Even today, when it comes to martial talent, I don't consider myself the strongest." "Fortunately, my teacher had one virtue..." Li Hao paused, then smiled. "His strength was not overwhelming. I surpassed him in power, breaking the shackles he had previously placed upon me! If he had been as mighty as the Sword Venerable, leaving me forever beneath his shadow, I imagine I would have felt profound despair as well!" Li Daoheng sighed, nodding. "Put that way, you have a point! That is why Zhang An, in my eyes, possessed greater talent than his elder brother and younger sister, yet was not strong enough to surpass the Supreme. Thus... he was left half-accomplished. As for me, I considered myself the most talented of the Li clan apart from the Sword Venerable, yet I could not surpass him... unwilling to merely copy him, haughty and proud, unable to surpass him—in the end, walking toward destruction was only natural!" "Someone like Senior Tianji possesses true self-awareness. Knowing he is inferior to his father and inferior to the Human King... he obediently followed the old path, seeking not to surpass but merely to imitate, and still attained the seat of a Sovereign." Tianji smiled. "Not wrong!" Those words were truly beyond dispute. Li Daoheng nodded slightly. "Senior's mindset... is actually his greatest strength. Were it me, I could never maintain such an attitude! Years ago, right in this very place, the Sword Venerable told me that if I could break through the boundaries, my future would be limitless; but if I could not... I would spend my entire life beneath his shadow and meet a miserable end. I heard his words, yet I remained unconvinced, unwilling, firmly believing I could break through..." With that, he shook his head. "Reality proved that I failed!" He chuckled. "I drove myself into a dead end, fancying I could succeed, when in truth, in the Sword Venerable's eyes, I was likely nothing more than a joke!" Li Hao nodded. "Most likely." Li Daoheng laughed. "You are very direct!" "Why beat around the bush?" Li Hao smiled as well. "Inferior is inferior! Eras differ. When it comes to talent, perhaps neither you nor I fall short of the seniors, but the era we live in is different. As the saying goes, the times create heroes. Since you were not in that era... it is hard to grasp the essence of those times! Sometimes, effort, desperation, and talent combined still cannot match riding the tailwinds of the era. If you miss the era... it becomes very difficult to surpass them." Li Daoheng pondered, nodding slightly. "Does that count as comfort? I suppose it does!" He smiled, producing another jar of wine. "Have another drink. Young as you are, your insights are plentiful. Your mindset is truly better than mine!" Li Hao did not refuse. Another cup of wine went down his throat. He savored it slowly, while opposite him, Li Daoheng continued drinking as well. After a long silence, just as Lin Hongyu and the others were growing impatient, Li Daoheng spoke: "I wish to make one last attempt!" Li Hao paused, then nodded. "Very well!" "My sword is peerless!" Li Daoheng looked at him, emphasizing each word: "A contest of swords! If I lose again, all of my sword intent will be left to you. Whether you study it or give it away, it will be yours! If I win..." He hesitated briefly before continuing, "Leave the sword intent to my worthless younger brother... consider it my compensation to him!" Win or lose, the outcome would be the same. With Li Hao's return, he was doomed to die. There was no mutual admiration between heroes—none of that existed, and he was no hero. Could Li Hao... count as one? Perhaps! Li Hao nodded. "Agreed!" At this moment, Li Daoheng's combat strength was not formidable; he was barely a half-step Sovereign, and in truth fell somewhat short of that. If they engaged in a true life-and-death battle, only death awaited him. Yet in a contest of swords, the man had immersed himself in the sword for a hundred thousand years; his mastery of the sword was formidable. Li Hao's sword might not necessarily rival his. Right then, Tianji spoke up: "I shall act as the arbiter! I will oversee this duel. What do the two of you think?" Li Daoheng nodded. "I have no objection!" Li Hao smiled as well. "That works!" In a mere instant, both figures vanished. Above Anping Residence, a distinct patch of void manifested. The two stood opposite one another, each holding a sword, sword intent brimming. A strike! Plain and unassuming, the longswords clashed without a sound. Holding their swords level, each retreated a step. Lin Hongyu and Tianji merely watched. In truth, they could discern little that was special—merely foundational sword stances meeting and separating upon contact. One strike, two strikes, three strikes... Gradually, Lin Hongyu frowned. It was too ordinary, too plain. Both men struck and disengaged at the slightest touch. There was no world-shattering clash, no overwhelming might severing the void—only plain simplicity. ... Within the void, Li Hao struck once more—the 181st strike! As the sword went out, it was like the passage of time. His opponent struck as well, a thrust aimed at obliterating all things. The two swords clashed! In that single instant, the Sky Sword trembled. The sword in Li Daoheng's hand disintegrated into dust, leaving not a trace behind. The sword was gone! Li Daoheng looked at Li Hao, then let out a soft laugh after a long pause. "The Sword of Time... truly fascinating!" With those words, his silhouette began to unravel, bearing a touch of self-mockery. "In truth, I was defeated long ago, wasn't I? Li Hao, you are more courteous than the Human King; at least you were willing to grant me an opportunity. If it were the Human King... I likely wouldn't have had such a chance!" Li Hao watched in silence, then glanced down at the sword in his hand. A scorch mark had unexpectedly appeared upon the blade. He said softly, "In a contest of swords, I am inferior to you. There is no need for false modesty. You absorbed the destructive intent of the chaos thunder. Were it not that you lacked a worthy sword... My time is still weak, inferior to destruction! Otherwise, the lightning wouldn't have been able to shatter time earlier..." Li Daoheng's body continued to dissolve, transforming into wisps of sword intent, his voice remaining calm. "A contest of swords tests not merely the sword, but the Dao! In truth, I understood that long ago! It was merely that I refused to accept it! The Sword Venerable reached the realm where the sword is form and the Dao is root, whereas I remain far behind. I still pursue form, lacking the root! A sword without the root of the Dao... cultivating the Dao for so long, all I cultivated was an obsession..." "You actually see things more clearly than I do. You know the sword is merely form. It is just form—if you are inferior, you cast it aside... Yet I clung to it for a hundred thousand years. Had I let go early on, perhaps I still had a chance. But if I had let go early on, I wouldn't have been Li Daoheng. Such is my nature, obstinate for a lifetime!" At this point, a smile crept into his voice. "In truth... dying by your hand was not what I desired. Throughout these hundred thousand years, my sole dream was to truly take a single sword strike from the Sword Venerable. I thought that I would be slain by him!" "I slaughtered the entire Li clan precisely to await that day!" Li Daoheng's voice turned chillingly severe. "Though the Sword Venerable taught me sword intent, he refused to strike at me. I wanted... to receive one of his strikes; even in death, I would have had no regrets! Since he was unwilling, I waited for him to turn his sword against me!" Li Hao frowned slightly. "If the Sword Venerable turned his sword against his own kin, he wouldn't be the Sword Venerable! You truly are terrifyingly obstinate." "Perhaps!" Li Daoheng's laugh echoed out. "There is no need to tell Li Daozong that I have died once more... I died once already; saying it again holds no meaning!" "Alright!" Li Hao nodded. Before him, the silhouette had completely vanished, leaving behind only a wisp of sword intent that resembled lightning. At this moment, both Tianji and Lin Hongyu were surprised. Lin Hongyu floated upward quickly, looking at that strand of sword intent and then at Li Hao, somewhat wary. "Could he... have feigned death again?" The chaos thunder had failed to obliterate him! Crucially... knowing Li Hao could still resurrect, the man had simply waited here. Furthermore, after a simple exchange without any grand techniques, Li Daoheng was dead? Could there be another conspiracy? "No feigned death. He is truly dead." Li Hao sighed softly, shaking his head. "This fellow was too proud, too obstinate, and too ruthless!" Too ruthless? For killing the Li clan? Right at that moment, Li Hao's river world suddenly materialized. Lin Hongyu looked closely and froze. Within that river world, lightning crackled everywhere, resembling the chaos thunder! She was stunned. What was this? "Left behind by his final strike!" Li Hao's body showed faint signs of unraveling before quickly stabilizing. Within the river, the destructive thunder was swiftly enveloped by Li Hao, suppressed deep within the river's depths. Beside them, Tianji marveled, "That fellow's sword intent was truly formidable! It actually seeped into your internal world... I nearly misjudged him!" Li Hao nodded. "In learning from the Sword Venerable, he had actually reached an extreme. It was merely his own obstinacy that made him unwilling to condense Longevity Sword Intent. When the chaos thunder appeared, he sought to make it his core, just as I made time my core... But that thing harms both enemy and self. Had he condensed the Longevity Sword before the tenth bolt descended, he might have had a chance to fight me!" With that, he looked toward Lin Hongyu and offered an extra explanation: "The tenth bolt was his desperate gamble. Using his physical sword bones as fuel to ignite his sword intent, and paying the price of shattering his origin path, he forged the Chaos Thunder Sword! In that 181st strike just now, I met thunder with time. Had his strength not been so gravely damaged, time would have been inferior to thunder in that exchange!" Lin Hongyu didn't care about that; she asked with gravity, "Does this thunder mixing into your river world affect you?" As for the rest... she couldn't care less about what Li Daoheng had tried to achieve; hadn't he died in the end anyway? "A little!" Li Hao nodded, looking up at the sky. "Originally, stepping outside Silver Moon carried a fifty percent chance of drawing down the chaos thunder. After his meddling, it's at least ninety percent!" It seemed there wasn't much difference. Of course, the danger appeared even greater. Yet Li Hao had weathered it twice already; Lin Hongyu felt a third time wouldn't be an issue either. That was good! She looked toward the sword intent left behind at his death. "How should we handle this?" "Stripped of the chaos thunder, it is merely the dissipated state of Longevity Sword Intent. Fully comprehending it offers hope of becoming a Sovereign. It is upright and balanced, devoid of his personal obstinacy and lightning... His final strike defeated me, so according to his terms, give it to the Ninth Division Commander!" Lin Hongyu showed slight concern. "Then..." "It's fine!" Li Hao shook his head, reaching out to grasp the sword intent. Indeed, it was supremely balanced and pure. In truth, it contained countless strands of sword intent, clearly structured; united, it would likely form the true Longevity Sword. What a pity... Li Daoheng had been unwilling to walk the Sword Venerable's path entirely, or else... Of course, Li Hao did not truly consider it a pity. Proud and haughty people always believed themselves unique; wasn't he the same? It was simply that some failed while others succeeded. Precisely because of this inner drive, successors occasionally surpassed their predecessors; otherwise, everyone would merely live off the legacy of the old. At this moment, Tianji floated upward as well, sighing with emotion. "That fellow... If I were him, I would have hidden, or risked stepping beyond the Star Gate. To simply wait for you here... he truly courted his own doom." Li Hao smiled without saying anything. Everyone had their own choices. Li Daoheng knew the chances of Li Hao reviving were high; hiding was ultimately pointless, and being caught by Li Hao would have been far more humiliating. Now, at least, he had been granted the chance to duel Li Hao with swords. In truth, in pure sword intent, he had won. Lin Hongyu remained somewhat suspicious, truly traumatized by these ancient figures. "Should we go back and investigate the Ninth Division Commander and Dao Jian... or even... even Martial Uncle Hong? I feel we... we should investigate them as well, at least to prevent him from possessing or seizing a body." This Li Daoheng hadn't died after being struck ten times by chaos thunder, and could still clash with Li Hao afterward. She genuinely suspected he might revive once again. Li Hao shook his head. "He is truly dead!" Who can say for sure? Just as Lin Hongyu was about to speak, Li Hao shook his head. "Truly dead! If he isn't dead this time, he wouldn't be worthy of my concern. A swordsman who walked to this point, whose wish for a sword duel I fulfilled, and who even abandoned the chaos sword intent he condensed himself—such a Li Daoheng would have abandoned his true self. Alive or dead, there would be no difference!" Lin Hongyu half-understood. Li Hao smiled. "Simply put, it comes down to the root! The root of the Dao! A Great Dao must have a source. If you abandon the root and source of your Dao, your existence as a person loses its meaning. Take you, for example: the source of your Dao isn't life and death, nor is it chaos... it is the most primal desire and ambition in your heart. If you lose even that... you are no longer Lin Hongyu. Even if you live, you are dead." The most primal desire? Lin Hongyu fell into contemplation. What is my most primal desire? Before she could speak, Li Hao said, "I don't know, and perhaps you don't know either. But not knowing... is a kind of blessing! Li Daoheng knew, so he suffered. Senior Tianji knows, yet lives very comfortably. Senior Tianji's Dao source is simply to remain untroubled by all things, eat well, drink well, and live forever without dying... Such a Dao source and root is very simple, and very blissful." Beside them, Tianji felt like rolling his eyes again! Why bring me into this! What kind of person do you take this old master for? This kid was acting awfully arrogant now. If my true body were here... I'd really love to punch you to death. Wrapping it up nicely as 'untroubled by all things'—weren't you just beating around the bush to call me a coward who clings to life? As Lin Hongyu remained lost in thought, Li Hao looked toward Anping Residence, paying her no more mind. Gazing at the courtyard, he said with emotion, "Of the Li clan's bloodline, only the Ninth Division Commander remains. Li Daoheng deliberately spared him; otherwise... if he had truly severed all sentiment and emotion, the first person he killed should have been the Ninth Division Commander!" "Are you saying he went softhearted?" Lin Hongyu chimed in again, "He wasn't softhearted in the slightest!" He was a wicked villain; looking at Li Hao, did he actually believe the man had gone soft? Li Hao shook his head once more. "I'm not saying he went softhearted, nor am I saying he was a good man. I'm merely saying that he didn't even believe in himself, so how could he possibly win? He didn't even believe that slaughtering the Li clan would truly achieve anything... If so... why kill the Li clan at all? Completely redundant! Either don't do it, or do it thoroughly! Hesitating and wavering—why bother?" "From the very start, he was destined to fail!" As these words were spoken, even Tianji could not help glancing at him. At this moment, Tianji couldn't help thinking: This kid is truly ruthless to the bone. If he were Li Daoheng... he might have slaughtered Silver Moon completely a hundred thousand years ago! Those simple few sentences genuinely made his hair stand on end. Li Hao spoke casually, and Lin Hongyu failed to catch the deeper meaning. Yet Tianji, an old fox who had lived through centuries, heard the undertones and felt a chill deep in his bones. This kid looked refined and acted without haste, rarely speaking loudly or spouting ruthless threats. But a dog that bites doesn't bark... and Li Hao was precisely that kind of person! Earlier, he had felt Li Hao resembled the Emperor of Battle Heaven. In a flash, he realized he had been wrong. The Emperor of Battle Heaven was not ruthless to the bone. Li Hao was the exact opposite. "Let's go!" Li Hao looked downward, ignoring the Star Gate overhead. As he flew through the void, he smiled. "The prayers of the entire populace shouldn't go to waste. It's a fine opportunity to accomplish something—for instance... seeing if I can revive my teacher and the others. That way, owing these favors will feel worthwhile!" "Is that possible?" Lin Hongyu was stunned. Could it truly work? "In the past, it wasn't. Now... let's give it a try! In the past, they were hard to find. Now, reversing time and trying—even though much time has passed, so long as I grasp a few traces, it might just succeed!" Li Hao felt a surge of emotion and nostalgia. "They have slumbered for far too long; I hope they can all return! With Senior Er Mao at the end of the past helping me suppress the River of Time, I can give it a shot. Otherwise, with the world so fragile, it would be rather troublesome!" Tianji rolled his eyes! Fuck! You coaxed Er Mao into the end of the River of Time—could that have been a calculated move in advance as well? Just to have it help you suppress time? If so... one could only say this grandson was truly wicked! Tianji couldn't say for sure how strong Er Mao truly was. Judging from the final battle back then, Er Mao had transformed into an arrow that wounded the Heavenly Emperor. What kind of entity had the Heavenly Emperor been? Someone who could punch an ordinary Sovereign to death! For Er Mao to transform into an arrow and wound him, even with the Emperor of Battle Heaven guiding it, Er Mao's own strength was definitely far from weak. Now, with it seated in the river suppressing the past, it was indeed extraordinary. For Li Hao to revive his teacher, he needed to reverse time and catch clues from the past... With Er Mao present, the difficulty was indeed vastly reduced. The more Tianji thought about it, the more he felt the need to stay far away from this fellow. The next instant, Tianji spoke: "I still have business, so I shall take my leave. Until next time!" "Senior, Senior Er Mao is still..." Tianji had already vanished, his voice drifting back: "There's no rush right now anyway. I'm going back to rest; my injuries are too severe. Until next time!" Inwardly, he added: There won't be a next time! This Li Hao... was truly terrifying. Li Hao laughed helplessly, and Lin Hongyu couldn't help smiling either. "This senior... is truly amusing!" Amusing? Li Hao smiled as well. Not amusing, just genuinely terrified of dying. For a dignified Sovereign to be like this... you truly deserve your long life! To become a Sovereign, he had certainly forged his own unique path.