Resurrection

Where had Li Hao gone? To the river world. Within the River of Time, water rippled and shimmered, ten thousand Daos converged, and sword intent surged with vibrant life. Upstream led to the past; downstream flowed toward the future. Yet as for past and future, Li Hao was not yet capable of truly reversing them. The past was merely a place where memories were steeped, and the future was no more than an extrapolation of countless possibilities. He could not truly master time and defy the heavens. At present, Li Hao had merely scratched the barest surface. At the upstream terminus, a cat leaped and danced. Downstream, boundless darkness shrouded the river—a future unknown, where no one could tell what the next moment would bring. Li Hao entered the river world and moved upstream against the current. ... This place was actually where memories were buried. Anyone who entered would bury their memories here. It was an ocean of recollection, not true time. Just as he had told Er Mao: we all know this is fake, that these are only memories. Yet we are willing to live here. Li Hao moved upstream. Before his eyes, a small courtyard materialized—a familiar courtyard, a courtyard long destroyed. His city, his hometown, had already vanished into the vast expanse of heaven and earth. Nothing remained of it. He descended into the courtyard. Inside, a white-haired old man was practicing fist techniques. Turning his head, the old man laughed heartily. "Little Hao, you're here!" "Teacher!" Li Hao bowed slightly. Looking at that familiar face, his mind drifted for a moment. Resurrection? There was one thing he had never voiced: if they truly resurrected... would the resurrected person still be the original person? Their core natal stars had shattered! Even if something remained, it was only minor collateral stars that had never been opened. If so, would the resurrected person... truly be complete? If he resurrected his teacher, if he resurrected Southern Fist and the others, would they still be his original teacher and Southern Fist? These questions were buried deep in his heart. Yet harboring them was agonizing. And so he had come. "Teacher, your student has a question to ask of you!" Looking at the figure within this river of memories, he spoke aloud. Yuan Shuo gestured for him to sit, casually picking up a towel to wipe his sweat. Just like old times, it felt utterly real. No wonder Er Mao had immersed itself here, unable to break free, unwilling to leave. "Speak, what trouble have you run into this time?" The Yuan Shuo of memory was as unhurried and composed as ever. Back during the Silver City period, Yuan Shuo had been a grandmaster, a professor, a man of culture, omnipotent and omniscient. He was not the Old Demon Yuan exposed later on. Not the old monster who had beaten countless people to death! He was a professor who taught and educated, a gentle, amiable mentor. Li Hao experienced a fleeting daze before recovering his composure. He asked directly, "Teacher, legends say that supreme experts are omnipotent. I have been wondering: if a supreme expert's friends or family die, and that expert can resurrect them... their flesh and blood vitality will be artificial, forged anew, and even their spirit and thoughts will be newly reborn, though still based on the original person. Their memories might be preserved as well. Would such a person still be your family or friend?" Yuan Shuo seemed taken aback. He glanced at Li Hao. "Resurrection? Have you been reading novels again?" "..." Li Hao chuckled helplessly. "I'm just asking." "Study properly and read fewer novels. Most of what's written in novels is made up." "..." Li Hao sighed. "Teacher, I know that. That isn't the point. The point is... do you think that resurrected person would still be the original person?" Yuan Shuo stroked his beard and shook his head. "Probably not, right?" A pang of loss struck Li Hao. His teacher was rarely wrong. Yuan Shuo then continued, "Of course, this question is too profound. If the original person is already gone... then I think they should count! Compared to the original person, where do you think the greatest difference lies?" Li Hao pondered for a moment. "I don't know... Perhaps everything would be the same, only... perhaps something would be missing." "Then treat it as an illness!" Yuan Shuo said, "If the original person is gone and is now resurrected, I think they should still count as the person from before. Even if there are discrepancies, you can only look at it as though they've fallen ill, or lost an arm or a leg... You can't say they aren't the same person just because they're sick. "Of course, if the original person were still around and another like them appeared... then that would be a puppet, an imitation!" Yuan Shuo chuckled. "Resurrection is actually a very profound and paradoxical topic! It's complicated. Say you died, and after one year, I resurrected one of you; after two years, I resurrected another; after three years, I resurrected yet another... Would those three people be completely identical? "It's not just a matter of whether they are identical to each other. The crux is, what would you think? "Are you from one year ago and you from three years ago the exact same?" Yuan Shuo smiled. "It actually depends on the mindset of the person doing the resurrecting. As for the one being resurrected, everything about them froze at the moment of their death! You feel they are unfamiliar, and they feel you are unfamiliar as well... You can actually treat it like someone waking from a coma! "Both sides simply need a little time to adjust to one another!" Like waking from a coma? Li Hao's heart stirred. "Then Teacher, you mean that if resurrection is possible, one should still go through with it?" "Of course!" Yuan Shuo said with a chuckle, "Since you can do it, why wouldn't you? But it also depends on what you want. If the price is too steep... you can think it over carefully before deciding." With that, Yuan Shuo stroked his beard. "Resurrection... In ancient civilization, there actually seemed to be legends about it. The legendary underworld was also said to be where people lingered after death. Why have you started researching such deep, mystical topics?" "I'm just asking casually." Li Hao smiled. Yuan Shuo looked at him, then suddenly said, "You don't seem to be my student!" "..." Li Hao froze. Yuan Shuo continued, "And yet... you also seem to be. Could it be that you're a resurrected person?" Li Hao was startled once more. Yuan Shuo looked up at the sky, puzzled. "Could it be that you died and I resurrected you? So... now you're agonizing over whether you're a living person? But if you died and I resurrected you, I should be the one questioning you... Does that mean I'm the one who died, and you're here to resurrect me? "How could that be possible?! I am the foremost hero of Silver Moon... and you're just a... little weakling... It shouldn't be your turn to resurrect me!" "..." Could an existence in a memory think like this? Li Hao sank into deep thought. Was this line of thought Yuan Shuo's, or was it his own? Could a mere phantom in memory, a mere fragment of an existence, subject him to such a soul-searching interrogation? It was truly... unbelievable! The power of time was far too mysterious. Meanwhile, Yuan Shuo seemed to be genuinely contemplating something. He suddenly said, "If I'm dead and you've come to resurrect me... and now you're agonizing over whether to do it, and whether I'll still be your teacher afterward—you brat, you've got quite the sinister heart, haven't you? I never noticed it before! Have you never heard of honoring your teacher and revering the Dao? I'm still young! I have a whole mountain of things left undone, and I haven't even had the chance to enjoy life... How can you have the cheek to fret over such nonsense?" "..." Once again, he was subjected to Yuan Shuo's soul-piercing reproach! Li Hao laughed. "Teacher, I wasn't talking about you." "The moment you twitch your backside, I know what you're up to!" "..." Li Hao truly burst into laughter. "Teacher, I was really just asking offhand." "Just asking offhand? Then when I claimed to be the foremost of Silver Moon's Thirty-Six Heroes, why didn't you react at all? That means you already knew! The key is, I never told you that!" Li Hao was dumbstruck. Was this his own projection, or was it the true thought of this person in the memory? Could it really be this lifelike? Yuan Shuo stroked his beard again, muttering, "If that's the case, the future has unfolded in a very strange direction. To think I actually ended up inferior to you, you brat, and you've even reached the point where you can bring people back to life. That's downright terrifying! In that case... I ought to treat you a bit better, shouldn't I? Should I teach you the core method of the Five Animals Secret Art?" "..." Li Hao was stunned! Yuan Shuo continued, "Fascinating. In the future I die, yet you're able to find me in my present... What kind of trick is this? Looks like I took in quite an extraordinary student! Fine, starting tomorrow, I'll teach you the Five Animals Secret Art!" "..." Li Hao stood frozen. Yuan Shuo looked up at the sky once more. "Is this a segment of time from the past? To you, this is the past; to me, this is everything happening right now... So did I teach you the Five Animals Secret Art first, or did you come back to influence me first, making me feel I should treat you better?" "..." Li Hao could not utter a single word, utterly dazed. Finally, Yuan Shuo looked back at Li Hao. "It feels like a grand dream! Kid, don't go meddling with the past casually. Even if what's past is already past... my advice to you is not to interfere recklessly! What lies at the end of martial arts cultivation is hard to say. If you can already traverse time, anything is possible. Stop messing around with this stuff... If you're going to resurrect me, just resurrect me. Since you can do it, what are you hesitating for?" "All... all right!" Li Hao stared blankly. The past was unique and singular! Could merely immersing himself in past memories... truly affect the past? His teacher had treated him very well and taught him the Five Animals Secret Art. Had it been because of this interference, or had he always intended to teach him anyway...? It was... so complicated! Time was truly far too convoluted. "Just treat it as a dream... If this place isn't important, destroy it!" Yuan Shuo added, "For you and me, this meeting might disrupt many things. It's better to destroy this place and stop meddling with the infinite recursive paradox of past, present, and future. You can't figure that stuff out, and neither can I! As for the current me, perhaps I'll just wake from a great dream and think I should treat you better. That will be enough." Li Hao's mind spun for an instant, and he said nothing more. In a flash, he vanished from the spot. The courtyard left behind instantly shattered into pieces. Inside the courtyard, Yuan Shuo remained remarkably calm, glancing up at the sky as though he found nothing extraordinary about any of it. ... Walking out of the courtyard and stepping out of the river, Li Hao was still somewhat bewildered. Had he merely explored the past within his memories, or could he truly influence the past? It was... breathtaking! In that case, could someone from the past truly be pulled from the river and... turned into a real person? Like the Emperor of Battle Heaven! A fragment of the past who lived together with Er Mao in a special space—was that special space perhaps somewhat similar to his own River of Time? "The teacher in my memory could actually see through me and tell I was different... Crucially, was that the influence of my own subconscious, or did I truly make contact with Teacher in a certain moment in the past?" Li Hao was nearly driven mad by his own thoughts. Fortunately, he soon set it all aside and smiled. "Fascinating. I am going to resurrect Teacher!" The sooner, the better! He desperately wanted to ask whether Teacher, back before imparting the Five Animals Secret Art to him, had encountered this event, or dreamed of it, or felt any slight influence at all. If so... that would be far too interesting! Though the teacher in his memory had not fully answered all his earlier doubts... one thing his teacher said was right: resurrection was better than not resurrecting! Just treat it as an illness! Even if there were differences from before, since the original person was gone, he would not be a puppet, but a living human being who simply needed some time to adapt. ... The prayers of the countless people began. The Great Dao trembled! Constellations shone brilliantly. A vast river hung suspended between heaven and earth. Hundreds of millions of stars flickered with light, alongside countless stars scattered across the universe that remained dim and lusterless—those were unopened Dao meridians. The human population of Silver Moon exceeded ten billion. Even if each person had a minimum of 360 Dao meridians, that amounted to more than three trillion stars. Opened ones were a tiny fraction; the vast majority were dim and lusterless, tiny as specks of dust. Of course, cultivators had one advantage. When your cultivation grew powerful, even your unopened Dao meridian stars would be larger than those of ordinary people. If finding an unopened Dao meridian star of a cultivator was looking for a needle in a haystack... at least it was still a needle, and you still had hope of fishing it out. But for someone who had never cultivated at all, it was not finding a needle in the ocean, but finding a single drop of water in the sea. It merged into the ocean, everywhere and nowhere, impossible to trace. A needle, at least, had distinctive traits. If you drained the ocean, you still had hope of retrieving it. The non-core stars belonging to Yuan Shuo and the others were precisely such needles. It was immensely difficult, but there was hope. As for ordinary mortals... they were perhaps drops of water, never to be found again. ... Heaven and earth shook, the power of the Great Dao permeated the world, and the river of the Chaos Great Dao spanned the sky. Now, no enemies stood in their way. Everything proceeded with composed ease. Although many demon clans and demon beasts had been born across the world, who in this moment would dare obstruct the experts of Silver Moon? Above the river, countless stars shone brightly. And at the apex of the river stood one person: Li Hao. With a casual sweep of his hand, Li Hao pinpointed hundreds of millions of glittering stars and filtered them out. These were easy to locate! They were the simplest to find. Of the rest, dim stars that had connections to glowing stars could also be eliminated, reducing his workload. Li Hao pushed stars aside one by one, while within the river, Hong Yitang was responsible for demarcating the pushed-aside stars into a designated region, leaving behind the remaining expanse filled with countless uneliminated stars. In the void, even Tianji, who had gone back home to sleep, could not resist running over again. It was simply too lively! He hadn't wanted to watch the spectacle... but the commotion was so massive that he could see it clearly even from his home. Besides, Silver Moon had no major crises at present, so he might as well come watch the show. Resurrecting people... he had witnessed it before. In the late stages of Neo-Martial, the Human King had established the Yin and Yang realms, and countless fallen experts had walked out of the Yin Realm, resurrected. Yet what kind of strength had the Human King possessed back then? Back then, a single breath from the Human King could have blown the current Li Hao to death. Now, Li Hao was actually trying to resurrect people too, and by dredging for needles in the ocean at that. This was completely different from the Human King, who had controlled the Origin and the Seed World, allowing him to reverse things effortlessly. In the void, Tianji was not the only onlooker. Nor did Li Hao stop them. He took it as everyone gathering to celebrate those being revived. As for whether it would succeed... Li Hao firmly believed it would. If it truly failed, beating these spectators half to death would at least offer some comfort to everyone. Everyone watched with anticipation and curiosity. Seeing Li Hao wave his hand and separate hundreds of millions of stars, they clicked their tongues in wonder. ... The King of Dali was somewhat puzzled and sent a voice transmission to Tianji: "Senior, just what level of strength does this fellow possess right now? Why does it feel like even the Dao Lord is nothing in his hands? Hong Yitang controls the corporeal Dao universe, yet why do I get the impression... Li Hao could slap him to death?" "That's about right!" Tianji replied via voice transmission: "Strictly speaking, this kid is still a half-step Sovereign. But in terms of combat power, if the Bone-Corroding Sovereign from before had broken the seal and fought him... he would most likely have been beaten to death on the spot! You have to remember: at the present stage, experts nurtured by the Silver Moon world are still far from comparable to those of the same realm in Neo-Martial! The gap is significant; you have to downgrade them by a full tier across the board!" The King of Dali understood this, yet remained somewhat puzzled. "Isn't it said that upon reaching the level of the Red Moon Sovereign, they are no longer heavily restricted? Their Dao sources have already merged into their bodies..." "That applies to truly powerful beings. The Bone-Corroding Sovereign was weak as a chicken. How could he count as a true Sovereign?" "..." Fine. The Bone-Corroding Sovereign was weak as a chicken. If he was so weak, weren't you no match for him either? Otherwise, a hundred thousand years ago, you probably would have stepped up and beaten him to death! "Can Li Hao succeed?" The King of Dali asked nervously, "He wants to borrow all my blood vitality to forge physical bodies. Senior, I keep feeling there's a trap in this..." He recounted what had transpired earlier. Tianji gave him an odd look and glanced at him. After a long moment, he replied via voice transmission, "Actually, what he said was true. It will benefit you!" Of course, there were two fatal catches. First, the depletion of lifespan. The King of Dali might not care right now, but later on, he might well cry his eyes out. Second, the chaos thunder tribulation. Clearly, the kid Li Hao harbored no great benevolence. Stepping outside the Star Gate would inevitably invite lightning strikes. By agreeing, the King of Dali had effectively volunteered to help bear the brunt of the thunder... Whether he would be struck dead depended on luck. Naturally, Tianji could not be bothered to bring up these two issues. Hearing Tianji confirm there would be benefits, the King of Dali felt a bit more at ease. It seemed he wouldn't come out at a loss this time; he was truly terrified of being tricked. Tianji paid him no further mind. At this moment, as Li Hao continued sorting, countless stars were swept aside, yet what remained was still an astronomical amount. The crux was that if he truly had to sift through them one by one... even scanning a thousand stars in an instant would keep him busy for ages. Moreover, not all stars in the Great Dao universe were gathered here. Some places that looked completely empty might hold countless stars gathered together, simply too minuscule to be seen. ... High above, Li Hao looked at the sea of stars, feeling a headache coming on. This was truly difficult! What a pity he hadn't possessed his current strength back then; otherwise, he would have located all their non-natal stars while they were still alive no matter what, which would have made things simple. Feeling somewhat helpless, Li Hao said nothing. He circulated the arts within his body. He knew every martial art in Silver Moon and every breathing technique. At this moment, he circulated the Five Animals Secret Art! A fluctuation, like a human breathing, like a heart beating, spread out until the entire Silver Moon world seemed to begin breathing in unison. The colossal power of the five forces swept through heaven and earth! A fierce tiger materialized once more, roaring through mountain and forest. It seemed to patrol in every direction! Yet between heaven and earth, there were far too many stars. The stars of the deceased resonated far less with the breathing technique than when they were alive; had they been living, he would have sensed them long ago. Li Hao had wanted to try simpler methods to find them. Now it was evident... that was too difficult! In that case, he had to take the complicated route. Taking a deep breath, a vast river surged into existence in an instant. Waves tumbled and heaven and earth trembled, evoking a resonance from the Great Dao universe. Within the River of Time, a star emerged, shimmering brightly between Li Hao's brows. In that instant, Li Hao resembled a celestial being! "Reverse!" Li Hao barked a low shout. The longsword in his hand suddenly burst with radiant brilliance, and scenes emerged from the blade. At this moment, the sword seemed to tremble slightly, as if afraid! Suddenly, eight divine weapons appeared in the imagery! One of them was the nine-section whip formed by Boundless City. Li Hao reached out to grasp that nine-section whip, seemingly reaching into past spacetime. The River of Time trembled violently. At the river's terminus, a cat suddenly turned its head, seemingly seeing Li Hao, seeing right through him! The cat's eyes held a touch of displeasure. Yet soon, looking at the phantom beside it, the cat gave a reluctant "meow." Its massive feline body weighed down upon heaven and earth, suppressing the river so that it ceased shaking. Not far away, Tianji cursed under his breath! That bastard Li Hao! Li Hao said nothing. He merely looked up at the Star Gate imprinted in the sky. Faint dark clouds seemed to swirl within the gate, and Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly. A thought struck him... Right now, the outside of Silver Moon was undoubtedly shrouded in dark clouds! The chaos thunder tribulation had not left! That was both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing was that even if Red Moon experts arrived outside and saw the chaos thunder tribulation... they most likely wouldn't dare act rashly. Once the chaos thunder attacked, not even a Sovereign could endure it. The bad thing was that if he went outside, he would be struck dead with absolute certainty! Of course, dark clouds shrouding Silver Moon might also completely conceal Silver Moon's existence. That way, neither Neo-Martial nor Red Moon would likely be able to find it. "Qian Wuliang!" At this moment, Li Hao called out sharply. Helplessness written all over his face, Qian Wuliang instantly transformed his star into a Dao. The illusory Dao universe immediately manifested, rising into the sky to shroud heaven and earth. The dark clouds drifting from the Star Gate seemed to lose their target somewhat. Yet some dark clouds still gathered slowly. Qian Wuliang was terrified, frightened of being struck. This thing... was truly not to be provoked. Even the likes of Bone-Corroding and Li Daoheng had been destroyed by it; one could imagine how terrifying it was. By now, the nine-section whip had already manifested in Li Hao's hand. Li Hao barked in a low voice, "Reverse!" Return to the past, back to the day those people had fallen in battle. The river trembled violently. Er Mao suppressed the end of the river. As the fluctuations grew increasingly violent, Er Mao turned its head toward Li Hao again. Li Hao looked back at it. "I wish to resurrect my friends and family, just as Senior immerses itself in the past. Could Senior lend me a hand?" Er Mao looked at him from the end of time. In the end, it uttered no sound, but its body grew even larger, suppressing the entire river. The river's turbulence was exceptionally violent, capable of washing a half-step Sovereign to death at any moment. Yet under Er Mao's suppression, it remained utterly still, showing just how formidable this cat was! Before Li Hao, time flowed backward! In an instant, scenes from that day's battle emerged, and the figures of Silver Moon martial masters appeared one after another. In that split second, time froze! Li Hao's expression grew solemn. As the River of Time washed over him, his long hair fluttered, each strand shedding away. A hand suddenly reached into the imagery. He sought to seize people from the past and drag them into the present. Using the person to fix the star! Tianji's expression changed drastically as he looked up at the sky. Dragging people back from the past was truly defying the heavens. The Illusory Dao universe could not conceal this! Sure enough, the moment Li Hao pulled someone out, dark clouds suddenly covered the sky, blotting out the sun. Qian Wuliang trembled, feeling boundless suffocation, convinced he was about to die! Holy crap! The lightning tribulation was about to strike! Below, Li Hao frowned slightly and looked up. Though the river remained stable, the tribulation lightning seemed bent on stopping him. But... how could he allow himself to be stopped? In an instant, a thunderous sword intent surged within his river—the remnant thunder sword intent left behind by Li Daoheng. The longsword in his hand appeared once more: the Sky Sword. The thunder sword intent merged into the Sky Sword instantly. "Go!" The sword howled through the air, transforming into an incarnation of Li Hao. With monstrous sword intent piercing through the universe, it charged straight toward the edge of heaven and earth. Thunder materialized in the sky, while below, thunder sword intent erupted from the Sky Sword as it cleaved toward the vault of heaven! Boom! A colossal roar echoed across the world. Without even looking up, Li Hao reached out and hauled a figure from past spacetime. Dazed, the figure instantly dissolved into flying ash, which merged directly into the Great Dao universe. At once, among the hundreds of millions of stars in the Great Dao universe, an extraordinarily dim star suddenly flared with light. Li Hao felt a surge of joy! There! With a reach of his hand, the star was drawn to his side. He initially intended to revive them immediately, but glancing at the sky, he decided against wasting time—it was better to revive them all at once. He reached into the past once more... This time, the bones of his hand withered into rot instantly. Li Hao paid it no heed and pulled out another figure. The onlookers outside widened their eyes... Was that Southern Fist? The moment Southern Fist appeared, he turned to ash and merged into the Great Dao universe. Once again, a star shone with light. Delight showed plainly on Li Hao's face! Paying no heed to the lightning tribulation overhead, he reached into the Great Dao universe again, pulling another star to his side. Repeated several times, phantoms were pulled out and merged into the Great Dao universe, appearing remarkably simple. Yet overhead... the Sky Sword could no longer hold out against the chaos thunder tribulation. The sword body manifested, scorched marks covering its surface. Just as lightning was about to strike down, Qian Wuliang let out an abrupt, agonizing scream as a thread of thunderous power seeped into the Illusory Dao universe. The blast nearly shattered Qian Wuliang! And that was while merely concealing heaven and earth! Under normal circumstances, the chaos thunder tribulation would not attack uninvolved bystanders. But right now, the Sky Sword possessed thunder power, and Qian Wuliang was blocking it as a Dao Lord, so the tribulation had swept him into its range of attack! Below, sweat dripped from Li Hao's brow. Beside him, star after star hovered in the air. Many had died in the last battle: Yuan Shuo, Hou Xiaochen, Liu Long, Jade Rakshasa, Southern Fist, Yao Si, Golden Spear, Thunderbolt Leg, Kong Jie, Crazy Demon Saber, Rushing Thunder Fist, the previous Iron Cloth Armor... Their deaths had dealt a crippling blow to Silver Moon's martial arts world. At this moment, everyone was gripped by immense tension. They had already seen the phantom silhouettes of several people and watched them merge into the stars, signifying that their natal stars had been located. However... someone's expression shifted drastically. Some even turned pale! Yuan Shuo's star had not been found. Or rather, Li Hao had not yet pulled Yuan Shuo's past self out. During this battle, Yuan Shuo had been remarkably formidable. Li Hao had been retrieving the others first, and with the thunder tribulation bearing down, Yuan Shuo had still not been seized. Everyone grew frantic with worry! To put it bluntly, the others could wait a little, but Yuan Shuo could not! He had to be resurrected! At this moment, Li Hao frowned slightly as well. Yuan Shuo had been the strongest among them during that period! Pulling him out would create a greater disturbance. The greater the temporal backlash, the more violent the thunder would become! The Sky Sword could not hold out, nor could Qian Wuliang. Tianji and the others were untangled from these karmic bonds; they couldn't block the chaos thunder tribulation even if they wanted to. Yet if he didn't pull Yuan Shuo out, locating his corresponding star would be exceedingly difficult. He still had to do it... Li Hao reached out once more. Just then, a bolt of lightning pierced directly through the Illusory Dao universe and blasted straight toward the temporal scene, as if seeking to obliterate the past! Ferocious light flared in Li Hao's eyes! He snapped his head up. Before those below could see clearly, Qian Wuliang above saw it in full. In an instant, Qian Wuliang dared not even scream, paralyzed by boundless terror. In that split second, it seemed as if a malevolent fiend had been reborn into the world! That demon-like gaze nearly tore through the Illusory Dao universe. "Again and again..." Li Hao barked coldly. Suddenly, the river surged. From downstream in the River of Time, incarnation after incarnation of Li Hao stepped forth one after another. At the upstream terminus, even Er Mao's eyes shifted. Each Li Hao that appeared carried monstrous might. Every one of them wielded a sword! One person, one sword! Swords shattering heaven and earth! The lightning was slashed into oblivion. Li Hao reached out and forcibly seized all the shattered lightning power, driving it into the downstream reaches of the river. Lightning erupted across the downstream waters, sending shockwaves through the entire river! Tianji inhaled sharply again and again. Mad! This lunatic! Utterly mad! Acting like this... this kid was begging for endless trouble in the future. He couldn't help roaring, "Stop seeking death—" "Don't worry!" Li Hao's face was completely calm. "I was bound to be struck by lightning sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. Accumulating more tribulation lightning now is nothing to fear; it's a good opportunity to settle the score all at once!" With that, yet more incarnations of Li Hao strode forth. They marched into the sky, unleashing sword strike after sword strike! Bolt after bolt of lightning was cleaved apart! By now, Li Hao had caught hold of Yuan Shuo. Yuan Shuo appeared, instantly shattered, and merged into the universe. The next moment, in the depths of the universe, a star flared. Li Hao exhaled. "Hidden so deep—weren't you afraid I wouldn't find you?" He flashed across the void and vanished, quickly hauling the star back. At this point, all the stars had been found. Things had gone relatively smoothly! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, even as they watched the continually cleaved lightning power overhead with lingering dread. At that exact moment, Li Hao suddenly rewound time once more. Tianji was appalled! Time flowed backward bit by bit. The thunder overhead, which had begun to abate, swelled anew. Even the future incarnations of Li Hao were struck dead one after another. Tianji roared, "What are you doing?!" Li Hao did not reply. Time continued to flow backward! Suddenly... a city materialized. Silver City! Slowly, it grew clearer and clearer, while Li Hao appeared visibly older. Time was still flowing back... Gradually, a somewhat ancient academy came into view. Everyone felt their hearts leap into their throats! Innumerable lightning bolts flared in the sky. At the upstream terminus of the River of Time, even Er Mao could no longer remain silent: "Don't go any further!" Li Hao bit his lip. In the next breath, golden light suddenly flashed in his eyes. He saw him... He saw a familiar person, someone from the deepest recesses of his memory, and reached straight into the scene! "Don't do anything reckless..." Even as aloof as Er Mao was, it could not help but shout. Yet Li Hao's hand had already plunged inside... In an instant, his arm withered entirely. Within the temporal scene, a young man appeared, robust and earnest. As Li Hao's withered arm reached through, attempting to dredge him out... The young man shattered in an instant. Li Hao froze. The shattering youth suddenly looked up, as if seeing that hand. A faint smile graced his face, and he gently shook his head. His eyes looked just as they had back then! It was as though he were saying... *Run!* The scene began to collapse! This glimpse of the past could not bear the strain. The young man could not be pulled out. He was merely an ordinary person, a mortal who had never opened a single Dao meridian or acupoint—a regular human, insignificant as dust! In the entire scene, only those eyes remained! Just as they had that year, corroded by the red shadow, when he had struggled to crawl out of the dormitory, looking at Li Hao and telling him with his eyes... *Flee!* *Don't mind me!* At this moment, thunder erupted in the sky. The Sky Sword was struck down in an instant, and fractures split the Illusory Dao universe. The incarnations of Li Hao that had stepped from the river shattered one by one. It was as though the future was gone! Within his withered palm, the young man turned into a wisp of blue smoke, dissipating completely from the scene. Li Hao stared blankly. Was it truly impossible? *Back then, you looked at me just like this.* *That day, I could only watch helplessly... and even now, I still can't do it?* *I have already walked to the very end of Silver Moon!* Boom! The scene shattered completely. Monstrous ferocity surged in Li Hao's eyes. In an instant, he reached out to snatch the falling Sky Sword and soared into the sky. With one slash, heaven and earth cracked open! Li Hao charged upward with his sword. Thunder crashed down, met by an incomparably savage blade. In that instant, swords of destruction, time, and ten thousand Daos manifested across heaven and earth. Li Hao resembled a primordial giant, his baleful aura blanketing the entire world. It seemed no one had ever witnessed Li Hao this enraged; heaven and earth seemed to behold a truly furious Li Hao for the very first time! "Kill!" The roar of the Great Dao, the voice of heaven and earth—his killing intent was so fierce that it eclipsed even the Longevity Sword Intent. In this moment, one man and one sword slaughtered their way through the heavens. Countless bolts of thunder were obliterated, suppressed deep within the river. Li Hao remained aloft, striking again and again. Heaven and earth shattered! The firmament split apart! He fought all the way to the edge of the world, where a gate materialized, shimmering with starlight. Just as Li Hao was about to slash his way through with his sword, someone behind him shouted furiously: "Teacher Yuan—are you not going to resurrect him?!" Lin Hongyu looked to the heavens, soaring through the void in pursuit as she cried out, "Teacher Yuan and the others are still waiting for you!" Boom! A single sword strike cleaved the Star Gate. The dark clouds vanished completely. The Star Gate trembled slightly, and in an instant, both dark clouds and thunder disappeared. Li Hao turned his head, the ferocious gleam in his eyes completely fading away. He looked at Lin Hongyu. Under her trembling gaze, clarity gradually returned to his eyes. He nodded. "I lost control." Lin Hongyu panted heavily and gave no answer. Li Hao seemed to regain his composure in an instant. Looking around at the experts who had rushed after him, he spoke again: "My apologies, I lost my temper. The thunder has departed. Begin the resurrection!" He said nothing more, perfectly calm once more. Around him, even Tianji trembled slightly. This kid... That instantaneous fury, the sudden wave of slaughter, that moment of madness had chilled him to the core. The Human King was mad too! Yet the Human King was always that way; one grew accustomed to it. For a refined, gentle person like Li Hao to erupt in sudden, total madness, completely losing his reason until his killing intent blanketed the entire world... was downright terrifying! At this moment, Tianji thought to himself: if anyone ever truly infuriated this fellow... It was probably difficult to push him to that point, but if someone genuinely did, it would be an absolute nightmare. When dealing with Li Daoheng and the Bone-Corroding Sovereign, Li Hao had never displayed such rage. Toward all his enemies, he had always treated them with casual detachment. That young man... who was he? Yet some had already guessed. The group of Silver Moon martial masters was terrifyingly quiet. They knew who that person was. Li Hao's past was not extensive. They knew full well that this was the companion he had grown up with since childhood, someone who had died at the hands of the Red Moon Organization. Before his death, possessed by a red shadow and burning alive, he had crawled out of the dormitory, seemingly conveying a message to Li Hao. Today... Li Hao had forcibly reversed time to return to that exact moment, only to fail in pulling him out. Looking at Li Hao now, he seemed to have regained his reason. That previous rage and madness was as if it hadn't belonged to him. This instant transition made everyone's blood run cold. They only hoped that the resurrection of Yuan Shuo and the others would help this fellow remain somewhat rational, and that no one would ever provoke him again. Covered in injuries, Qian Wuliang stepped out of the void, not daring to even look at Li Hao for fear of being blamed. Terror gripped his heart... Others hadn't seen clearly just now, but he had. In that instant, Li Hao had truly resembled the vilest demon in the world! Upon failing to retrieve Zhang Yuan, Li Hao had looked as if he wanted to destroy the entire world... It had been far too frightening. Yet Li Hao smiled once more. "All right, everyone return to your positions. Do not wander about. What just happened is in the past. Begin the revival..." With that, he looked toward Er Mao at the end of the river and bowed slightly: "I have shown Senior something unseemly, and troubled Senior as well!" Er Mao looked deeply at him without a word, vanishing into the river in an instant. The cat, too, had sensed the madness in this man and cared to say nothing. It had accompanied the Emperor of Battle Heaven for countless years and seen the Human King; it had seen far too many people. Yet someone like Li Hao, whose madness existed alongside chilling rationality, was what truly made one shudder. Witnessing that instant emotional control, even Er Mao felt... it was better to remain immersed in the past. Below, Li Hao smiled radiantly: "King of Dali, I'll borrow your blood vitality!" Without a word, the King of Dali released his blood vitality... *I'm bloody terrified of you. If you want it, take it.* Without the slightest hesitation. One had to separate Li Hao into two distinct personas: Demon Sword and the Marquis of Silver Moon. The Marquis of Silver Moon was an amiable man, but Demon Sword Li Hao was the true demon. The greatest demon in Silver Moon might not be Li Daoheng and his ilk, but this very man. Li Hao laughed heartily: "Today, my teacher shall be resurrected! A glorious occasion for Silver Moon! Once my teacher and the others are resurrected, I shall offer grand thanks to all under heaven!" Boom! Stars hovered in the air as boundless blood vitality poured into them. Star after star was ignited in an instant, and human silhouettes faintly emerged. The scene from moments before seemed completely forgotten, yet those who had witnessed it etched it into their hearts, their pulses racing, praying with all their might that this resurrection would not fail.