In the chaotic universe, distance was unknown, time unmeasured; all was muddled and turbid, lacking heaven and earth.
Countless worlds, like seeds, were embedded across the chaos, developing at will.
Boundless distances separated one from another.
Amidst the dark chaos, a world shrouded in crimson mist shone like a red moon. This was the renowned Red Moon Great World, known throughout the chaos as an aggressively expansionist realm with an insatiable desire to conquer.
The Red Moon Great World was vast beyond measure.
It was famous as a mighty realm in the chaos. Yet right now, an air of tension lingered over it.
Fifty years ago—fifty years by the reckoning of the Red Moon Great World—the Master of Red Moon had intended to attack the Yin-Yang World, also known as the Neo Martial World, another famed great world in the chaos.
Yet before the Red Moon host could even reach Yin-Yang,
Neo Martial's army of billions marched out on their own initiative to annihilate the Red Moon Great World. Both being top-tier great worlds, the countless intelligent worlds lying between them either fled or kept their distance.
A climactic clash between the two powers seemed on the verge of erupting at any moment...
Yet the Neo Martial army abruptly vanished for several years, lost in the chaos. When news of Neo Martial surfaced again, it sent shockwaves through the cosmos... For reasons unknown, Neo Martial suddenly struck deep behind the Red Moon Great World, clashing head-on with another great world in the chaos that was just as famed and equally notorious: the Bliss Great World.
Before the war between Neo Martial and Red Moon could erupt on a massive scale, an unimaginably brutal conflict broke out between Neo Martial and the Bliss Great World. Both sides committed over a hundred Sovereigns. The Neo Martial Human King personally took command, staging a fierce assault directly on the Bliss Great World's homeland. He slew over a dozen Sovereigns, forcibly tore through Bliss's seed world, and nearly struck down the Master of Bliss in one fell swoop.
Fortunately, news of the clash between Neo Martial and Bliss spread swiftly, and Red Moon promptly dispatched experts to reinforce Bliss... Even then, they suffered heavy casualties, only barely managing to beat back Neo Martial's fierce assault for the time being.
What was more... that Neo Martial Human King was outrageously arrogant, bellowing that killing one was the same as killing a hundred, and that the Yin-Yang World would pacify the chaos in a single campaign! A throng of Neo Martial Sovereigns followed the Human King as they dashed around like headless flies, regularly popping up out of nowhere... It was utterly bizarre. What was originally a clash between two worlds had, over fifty chaotic years, dragged more than ten great worlds into the fray.
Meanwhile, Neo Martial's spokesperson, the Zhang Family Supreme, issued public statements... pleading with all parties not to provoke the Human King. The Human King had merely taken a wrong turn, with no intention of disrupting the chaos or shattering cosmic peace.
The Supreme earnestly implored the masters of all great worlds: if the Human King should suddenly appear in your domain, please kindly inform him of the exact coordinates of the Red Moon World—and if convenient, perhaps escort him along the way so he wouldn't lose his bearings again.
Who could possibly believe such nonsense?
Not a single world master believed it, nor dared to. Yet the Human King continued to materialize from time to time within the borders of various great worlds... causing the warfare to spread wider and embroil ever more domains.
Neo Martial repeatedly insisted that they were merely passing through: the chaos knew no time, no heaven or earth, and no direction, so the Human King had genuinely gotten lost, possessing zero intent to invade other realms.
The result, of course, was that still no one believed them!
That Neo Martial Human King was peerlessly formidable, someone ordinary masters of great worlds could barely rival. His reputation preceded him—notorious for staging sudden raids on worlds on a whim—so who would dare allow him anywhere near?
Domineering, insolent, and rampant were the very definitions of this Neo Martial Human King.
Over time, in a war that was supposed to be strictly between two worlds, the two primary rivals had merely brushed against each other with few Sovereigns falling. Yet thanks to the Human King's frequent bouts of getting lost, after fifty chaotic years, the surrounding great worlds were short by one, and seven or eight medium and small worlds had vanished entirely.
This region had become a forbidden zone within the chaos.
Anywhere in the chaos, one might run into the Neo Martial Human King at any moment...
The reason for the Red Moon Great World's current tension was that a few years ago, a chaos wanderer reportedly spotted the Neo Martial Human King near Red Moon. He had been completely alone... Supposedly having lost his way again, he grabbed someone just to ask for directions, scaring nearby chaos wanderers nearly out of their wits as they fled blindly in all directions.
Afterward, the Neo Martial Human King vanished once more.
Red Moon searched for years without finding a trace, leading the Master of Red Moon to suspect whether the Human King had secretly infiltrated the Red Moon World. Multiple investigations yielded nothing, which only heightened Red Moon's vigilance.
To dare launch a proactive strike against the Yin-Yang Great World, Red Moon was naturally no weakling, boasting countless powerhouses.
Yet that Neo Martial Human King completely defied conventional logic, roaming alone and showing up every few days in random places, stirring up trouble and even deliberately provoking top-tier chaos wanderers.
Currently, more than a dozen supreme entities—lone wanderers comparable to the Sun God—were either hunting him down or looking for a chance at revenge.
The outcome was that whenever the Human King lingered in an area, an earth-shattering battle would swiftly erupt. While those titans rarely suffered much harm, their apocalyptic clashes caused severe catastrophe to several worlds over the years, leaving them devastated or wiped out altogether!
As a result, more and more beings joined the hunt for the Human King, expanding the scope of the war. Yet whenever conflict flared, it was almost always the surrounding worlds that paid the price, with countless small worlds annihilated or lost in the boundless cosmic void.
At this moment,
within the Red Moon Great World.
Inside a towering palace that resembled a divine court, majestic figures whose auras pierced heaven and earth stood in the void. Their voices resonated with thunderous power: "My King, is the Neo Martial Human King truly inside our Red Moon Realm or not? Even before our war has formally begun, several world masters have already fallen... Across the four quarters of chaos, the lords of various great worlds are already demanding answers, asking whether this war between Red Moon and Yin-Yang is nothing but a conspiracy!"
Was it a conspiracy?
If not, why had the supreme figures of both sides barely clashed, sustaining virtually no losses, while their inconclusive conflict had resulted in multiple worlds large and small being shattered and numerous world masters perishing in the vast universe?
Red Moon was still devouring small worlds, and Neo Martial was doing much the same; whenever fighting broke out, the third parties ended up suffering the most.
Who would believe that this was unintentional?
Another peerless entity spoke with a voice like thunder: "Word has come from chaos wanderers that several great worlds are preparing to form an alliance to jointly resist Red Moon and Yin-Yang. They are establishing the Slay Dual Alliance to stand against both Red Moon and Neo Martial! Both of our sides are their targets for elimination..."
They were rendered speechless, with nowhere to plead their case.
The Red Moon Great World's target was indeed Neo Martial... But when they marched toward Neo Martial and Neo Martial marched toward them, just as the clash was imminent, the Human King went mad and veered off to attack someone else! Beating one wasn't enough; he attacked a second, a third, a fourth...
Now, Neo Martial's notoriety in the chaos was worse than Red Moon's. Red Moon had been dragged into the mud with them, becoming the target of universal condemnation, accused of conspiring with Neo Martial under the guise of an open conflict while secretly carrying out covert aggression!
In truth, they felt terribly wronged.
Yet no one would believe them. If you two were at war, why drag the rest of the chaos into it?
Both worlds were supposedly marching toward each other, so why did Neo Martial suddenly veer off course, get lost in the chaos, and pop up everywhere? And the Neo Martial Supreme kept claiming it was all a misunderstanding... Only an idiot would buy that.
Could a venerable world master truly lose his way so easily in the chaos?
At the far end of the great hall, a figure radiant as a blazing sun spoke in an ethereal tone: "Let them think what they will. The Neo Martial Human King is courting death, so what of it? He has countless pursuers at his heels. The most critical matter now is to slay him outside our realm—under no circumstances must battle break out within our borders!"
Otherwise... not only was the Human King extraordinarily powerful, but the pursuers tailing him were formidable in their own right. Convinced that the Human King was colluding with Red Moon to annex the surrounding worlds, those pursuers might, in their fury, end up wrecking the Red Moon Great World along with him.
One or two opponents meant nothing to the Master of Red Moon.
If he couldn't handle a few top-tier powerhouses, he never would have dared initiate an attack on Neo Martial in the first place... The problem was that the Human King had provoked at least a dozen top-tier entities, stirring up trouble whenever he had free time.
In the chaos, he was so domineering and insufferably arrogant that he acted as if he were the mightiest under heaven. At times, even the Master of Red Moon second-guessed himself: Had he somehow actually teamed up with this madman to slaughter the powers of all quarters and seize control of the chaos?
Otherwise, where did this lunatic get the audacity for Neo Martial alone to take on so many factions?
The Master of Red Moon did not dwell on the matter, continuing, "Yesterday, I sensed the demise of Bone Corrosive... In the past, Bone Corrosive attacked Silver Moon, a subordinate realm of Neo Martial. Of the several Sovereigns dispatched, all fell except Bone Corrosive, who entered Silver Moon and vanished along with it.
"Now, Bone Corrosive has fallen, roughly to the north of Red Moon... Silver Moon originated from Neo Martial. Currently, the Yin-Yang World wanders through the chaos alongside the Neo Martial Cang Emperor, its whereabouts unknown. If we can locate the Silver Moon World once more, we might be able to pinpoint the Yin-Yang World and lure the Neo Martial Human King back to Yin-Yang, saving us from having him roam the chaos all day, elusive and impossible to track down..."
The Master of Red Moon's voice was grandiose, yet tinged with a faint helplessness.
Back then, during that fierce clash, Silver Moon had been flung into the chaos by a flick of the Sword Venerable's blade, disappearing without a trace. Red Moon had intended to search for it, but before they could, the Neo Martial Human King came storming in... The Master of Red Moon began preparing for battle.
And so he waited and waited... waited for an eternity, only for the man to run off and strike the Bliss World instead.
Once things with the Bliss World had mostly settled, he thought, *Surely now we can have our final battle...* Yet the man vanished again, heading off to attack other worlds.
Day in and day out, the Master of Red Moon had waited in his lair for ages!
Every time, he thought the war was finally about to erupt, mobilizing Red Moon's experts, preparing for battle, readying to wipe him out... and yet to this day, he had not even caught a glimpse of the man's shadow.
The more he thought about it, the more speechless he felt.
Was that Neo Martial Human King truly mad, or... as the Neo Martial Supreme claimed, had he genuinely just gotten lost? But who could believe such an excuse?
In any case, he didn't quite believe it either. Yet Neo Martial had provoked so many powerful foes for no good reason that great worlds in every direction were now enraged, joining forces to slay him... and grouping Red Moon together with him in the process. The Master of Red Moon felt that he had gotten the raw end of the deal.
The Red Moon World was driven by intense desire and invaded all quarters, but always with a reason, a pretext, or an excuse.
For instance, tempting the other side to attack first, or harboring defectors from another world to provoke them... all manner of calculated factors. They never invaded simply over a minor disagreement.
Their planned invasion of Neo Martial was likewise justified on the pretext that the Sun God had intruded into Red Moon.
After all, the chaos was vast, home to countless worlds.
Without a plausible pretext, the other great worlds wouldn't just sit by idly. Yet the Neo Martial Human King... damn it, from beginning to end, he used only one excuse: "I'm looking for directions!"
Below, a peerless expert chimed in: "Does My King intend to search for Silver Moon's former location again? However, Silver Moon has been out of contact for many years, and even Neo Martial hasn't searched for it. Perhaps its connection with Yin-Yang was severed long ago. With the Neo Martial Human King lingering nearby, is it necessary to search for Silver Moon?"
If the connection was severed, that place didn't even qualify as a small world.
What would be the point of finding it?
Such a wretched place was beneath Neo Martial's notice, and Red Moon naturally looked down on it as well. Devouring a realm that wasn't even a small world was utterly meaningless!
It could hardly even produce a Sovereign.
Spending time, manpower, and resources to find it would be a losing bargain—and worse, they might run into the Neo Martial Human King at any moment...
Well, this "at any moment"... had remained "at any moment" for years on end without them ever actually meeting.
It was exasperating to no end!
After waiting all these years, the man hadn't come, nor had he found them. When they tried looking for Neo Martial, they couldn't find them either—it was as if they had seen a ghost.
At times, the others felt like just giving up... There were many worlds in the chaos; they didn't necessarily have to fixate on Neo Martial. But now, it wasn't as if Red Moon could back out just because they wanted to. Neo Martial was stirring up all quarters under the banner of settling scores with Red Moon.
If Red Moon backed out now... it would only solidify the accusation that they were working together with Neo Martial to invade other worlds.
The Master of Red Moon pondered for a moment before speaking: "It is still necessary. Weak as Bone Corrosive was, and despite his severed connection to Red Moon's Great Dao, he was nonetheless a Sovereign. Yet he fell in the Silver Moon World, accompanied by a faint sensation of thunder—most likely... Chaos Thunder!
"Chaos Thunder does not appear under ordinary circumstances. Either a peerless treasure has emerged, or the order of chaos has been disrupted—much like when the Neo Martial Human King reverses life and death at will to resurrect the fallen, drawing down Chaos Thunder... Silver Moon hardly qualifies as a world, so how could Bone Corrosive have provoked Chaos Thunder?
"Therefore, some unforeseen change must have occurred in Silver Moon. Perhaps a peerless treasure has emerged, or a heaven-defying individual has arisen, or a Great Dao Universe has formed, or the realm is ascending..."
After offering his conjectures, he added, "Silver Moon stems from Neo Martial, sharing the same roots. If we wish to thoroughly eradicate Neo Martial, Silver Moon must be destroyed as well! Furthermore, the death of Bone Corrosive—the loss of a Sovereign—is an open provocation to Red Moon... If its connection has not been completely severed, we could also invert heaven and earth to invade the Yin-Yang World, forcing the Human King to return!"
Hearing this, several who had initially deemed it unnecessary began to reconsider upon hearing mention of the Chaos Thunder Tribulation.
Although Silver Moon hardly counted as a small world, it had originated from Neo Martial after all.
If a supreme treasure had truly appeared... it would certainly be extraordinary.
The Yin-Yang World was no fragile realm.
Reversing life and death was an ability that many great worlds did not possess. That Neo Martial Human King, relying on brute force without delving deeply into the Great Dao, had nonetheless grasped the method of reversing life and death once in command of his world... an exceptionally high level of power.
Perhaps Silver Moon had inherited a fraction of it as well.
"My King, I am willing to go and investigate!" an expert volunteered, accepting the task.
The danger was not immense.
The key was simply not to trigger the Chaos Thunder Tribulation.
Bone Corrosive's death was due to his own weakness; dying inside Silver Moon with his connection to the Red Moon Great Dao severed, his combat strength had been severely impaired, so his fall... frightened no one.
"Granted," the Master of Red Moon nodded, looking at the speaker. Sending this person posed little concern.
Though not a top-tier powerhouse, his strength was formidable enough.
As long as he didn't recklessly provoke Chaos Thunder, dealing with a mere Silver Moon wouldn't be an issue. Besides, one couldn't encounter a Chaos Thunder Tribulation just because one wanted to.
The others in the hall said nothing.
To them, even if a supreme treasure had appeared, under normal circumstances it was of limited use. Of course, if Silver Moon had birthed its own Great Dao Universe, that would be another matter, but that was exclusive to great worlds, whereas Silver Moon didn't even qualify as a small world.
Right then, another person spoke: "The guardian of the Silver Moon World is the Yin-Yang World's Sword Venerable. His swordplay is superb. Thirty chaotic years ago, he severed the foundation of a medium world's master with a single strike, slaying him! Now that Silver Moon has resurfaced, who knows if the Sword Venerable might head there. If he does... some caution is warranted!"
At those words, the expression of the expert who had taken the mission shifted slightly.
That was indeed something to be wary of!
However, the Master of Red Moon said, "No matter. From what I know, after the Sword Venerable destroyed that world thirty years ago and devoured its power, he entered seclusion and vanished without a trace, likely digesting his gains. He is unlikely to appear in the vicinity of Silver Moon..."
*That is good, then!*
The expert let out a quiet breath of relief. Although the master of a medium world was not as terrifying as the master of a great world, to have one's foundation completely severed and slain while in command of a world showed just how dreadful the Sword Venerable was.
At the very least, he was not someone this expert could afford to provoke.
After a brief discussion, the expert soon followed the clues and sped northward through the void from Red Moon.
Coordinates in the chaos were chaotic and often difficult to pin down.
Yet since the Master of Red Moon could sense it, it meant the distance was not too vast, likely within the reach of the Red Moon Great Dao Universe; otherwise, sensing any of it would have been nearly impossible.
And since it was in the north, spending a bit of time should be enough to locate it.
...
At the same time.
In a remote corner of the chaos, a world loomed indistinctly.
Like a star dotting the void, its exterior was enveloped in a dense layer of tribulation clouds. Yet outside the world, a gateway stood tall in the void, blocking the tribulation clouds from seeping through.
It was none other than the Star Gate!
This world, once utterly dim and as inconspicuous as a speck of dust in the chaos, was now drawing in chaotic energy from all around. Covered by tribulation clouds, it possessed a distinct demeanor.
The entire world resembled a sword, radiating a faint silver glow.
Time was lost in the chaos.
Just as the dark clouds cloaked the realm, in the far distance, an enormous beast the size of a planet seemed to catch a scent. Looking toward the horizon, it vaguely made out faint glimmers of light.
Chaotic energy surged all around, signaling that a world was likely in the midst of ascension.
The giant beast felt a touch of bewilderment.
*Ascension? In this godforsaken place?*
This area fell within the influence of the Red Moon Great World. Under normal circumstances, even if a world were to ascend, no one would choose this place. Moreover, it was said that the Neo Martial Human King had roamed here in recent years, making the area perilous in the extreme.
*Could it be an uncivilized world?*
If so, it would make sense. Having never seen the chaos and knowing nothing of its perils, blindly attempting ascension had led to the ruin of countless worlds.
The giant beast changed direction.
It flew toward the glimmering specks of light. Though its speed was frighteningly fast, against the boundless backdrop of chaos... it seemed frighteningly slow. A distance that wasn't particularly vast felt exceptionally remote.
The giant beast had originally planned to head elsewhere, where several great worlds were supposedly gathering to discuss major affairs and form an alliance against their enemies.
It had wanted to join the excitement... Slaying the Lord of Neo Martial or the Lord of Red Moon was out of the question—it had neither the inclination nor the strength. But no matter who was being slain, an explosive clash between supreme powers was an opportunity for chaos wanderers like itself.
Whether seizing the chance to invade worlds or devouring remnants, it was a prime opportunity to grow stronger.
Still, while there was time, it might as well take a look first. If a world was indeed ascending, it might even feast to its heart's content.
Once this was over, if it couldn't reap any benefits, it planned to leave the area.
In recent years, this region had been neither peaceful nor safe.
The Neo Martial Human King was constantly "taking wrong turns"... That was what they called it, but all factions believed it was deliberate, a ploy to build up his strength. Lately, whether chaos beasts or chaos wanderers within this region, many had been slaughtered by the Human King. Someone had even spotted him roasting a chaos behemoth in the middle of the chaos!
A horrifying existence who had shattered the unspoken understanding of the chaos—and shattered its tranquility.
...
Inside the Silver Moon World.
Li Hao and the others knew nothing of what was transpiring outside. In the entire Silver Moon World, aside from a few Neo Martial figures, not a single person—no matter how talented or powerful—had ever set foot beyond Silver Moon.
They did not know how vast the chaos was, how many worlds existed, or how many powerhouses dwelt within it.
Nor did they know how many years had passed outside.
All they knew was that Silver Moon enjoyed peace, martial arts flourished, and the realm had entered its most glorious era in a hundred thousand years.
The world was in the process of ascending. The Marquis of Silver Moon's sword Dao encompassed heaven and earth, open for all living beings to comprehend. Among ten billion people, there were always geniuses who seized the moment and the opportunity; day after day, breakthroughs occurred without end.
Whether the corporeal Dao or the illusory Dao, both experienced massive elevation.
Those who comprehended force walked the illusory Dao; those who couldn't walked the corporeal Dao. Amidst myriad paths, there was always one suited to each individual.
Mountain-Sea and Sun-Moon experts sprang up in endless succession.
Though Dao Integration remained rare, some had begun making strides toward the Dao Integration Realm, though blending the illusory and corporeal was something no one could yet achieve.
The powerhouses did not squander this rare period of tranquility either.
Qian Wuliang and Hong Yitang were both exceedingly proactive.
They preached everywhere, even holding public lectures. Across various martial academies, debates had even emerged between the two great Daos: was the illusory Dao stronger, or the corporeal Dao?
In some academies, students even focused exclusively on one path.
Yet no one intervened to stop this.
As Li Hao put it, let everyone showcase their strengths.
As long as everything stayed out in the open, whether it was debates, discussions on the Dao, or even martial sparring, it was all harmless.
With their formidable enemies wiped out, the world was at peace. A throng of cultivators possessed boundless vigor; if even sparring and martial contests were forbidden, it might well stir up greater trouble instead.
Of course, Li Hao had not been idle either.
At this moment, he was chatting casually with someone, casually stroking the other's Great Dao Book from time to time. After this happened repeatedly, Zhang An finally reached the end of his patience: "Are you listening to a word I'm saying?"
Li Hao nodded with a beaming smile. "Every word!"
"Then what do you think?"
"Opening the Star Gate right now to let you scout the way outside... wouldn't that just be sending you to your death? If you die and your grandfather comes storming over seeking vengeance on me... wouldn't that hurt our own people?"
Li Hao chuckled pleasantly, far more genial and talkative than before.
Then he added, "You don't need to worry about me, nor do you need to worry about Silver Moon. The ship will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge! Actually, I do have a favor to ask..."
"What is it?"
"Lend me the Great Dao Book... and not just the book, but... Senior yourself!"
"Me?"
"That's right!"
Li Hao smiled with deep meaning. "Senior is a veteran who has been around since the early days of Neo Martial. Would Senior be interested in joining me to explore the past, allowing me to witness Neo Martial through your eyes?"
Zhang An's expression shifted slightly.
Li Hao said earnestly, "Lately, I have felt how difficult it is to advance. The crux lies in my narrow perspective—I have never witnessed true powerhouses. Even if I glimpsed them in illusions, I never truly experienced it firsthand; I never lived through that era!
"So, I wish to journey into the past together with Senior!"
Li Hao looked at him. "For Director Zhang, this is a good thing as well. Your Dao is too cluttered, too chaotic, and too vast! Because you have witnessed too much, you have lost your own direction... If the two of us review your past together, viewing yourself from the perspective of an onlooker, a third party, you can reexamine who you are! In this way, I will not alter the past or disrupt it, and neither will you... making it thoroughly safe! Given your pivotal status, no one would deliberately try to obliterate me..."
"Obliterate you?"
Zhang An blinked in surprise. Li Hao nodded. "Neo Martial has countless powerhouses. Based on your history and records, there are at least several individuals capable of detecting temporal anomalies—such as the Human King and his contemporaries in the later era, or the Heavenly Emperor and the Emperor of Battle Heaven in the earlier era, or even the world consciousness, the seed's consciousness!
"Even if we merely take a stroll through an illusory past, it could invite a lethal strike from them!"
Li Hao spoke with utter gravity: "All of this is entirely possible! Those beings are simply too terrifying! Therefore... looking through your eyes might allow me to avert many perils! At the same time, I can take the opportunity to observe the past of those powerhouses. Silver Moon is also the realm with the deepest ties to Neo Martial, and by that token, the strongest era Silver Moon currently knows of is Neo Martial... Of course, Red Moon might count as well, but Red Moon's Bone Corrosive was blown to pieces without leaving a corpse behind, making him impossible to track."
*Observing the past through me!*
Zhang An was startled by his audacity. He glanced at Li Hao and sank into deep thought.
Li Hao continued, "Hesitate no longer! Senior, you simply overthink things. I harbor no intention of harming you or doing anything against you. We are merely taking what each of us needs: I observe the powerhouses, while Senior can reexamine yourself... You have now stepped into the Heavenly King Realm, cultivating both the new Dao and the origin path, but this is no permanent solution either!"
In truth, Zhang An's talent was by no means poor, and his horizons were vast—few among the people of Neo Martial had seen more than he had.
Yet precisely because of this... what he studied was too cluttered!
A single Great Dao Book contained the Dao of the Human King, the Dao of his grandfather, and the Daos of various Sovereigns—a chaotic jumble that could never be fully integrated. As a result, those of his generation had either advanced to Heavenly King long ago or stepped straight into the Sovereign realm...
Yet prior to this, Zhang An had only been at the peak of the Saint realm.
In terms of status, his grandfather ranked in the top five, or even top three, across all of Neo Martial.
Even the Human King's younger sister had become a Sovereign, yet he... had remained a Saint.
Now, while he had advanced to Heavenly King, it was solely due to the empowerment of the new Dao, not because his own origin path had achieved a breakthrough.
Considering Li Hao's proposal, Zhang An said with some gravity, "Are you certain you want to walk through my past? I know that traversing the past seems to consume a great deal of your lifespan. As you are now, do you still have lifespan left to squander at will?"
Li Hao felt as though he were on the brink of dying of old age.
His aura even carried a faint scent of decay.
Now he still wanted to tread the path of time—was he truly not afraid of dying along the way?
"It is merely from an onlooker's perspective, not the true past... just the depths of memory, though admittedly a bit more profound than simple recollections!"
Li Hao explained, "The past and memories of the past... are actually different! If I truly retraced the real past, everyone in the past would be aware of me, see me, and discover me... Whereas in memories, in the depths of memory... at most only truly invincible, top-tier beings might notice subtle anomalies! Besides, the former is something I could hardly achieve anyway; I am merely at the ninth level of Dao Integration, nowhere near able to manipulate time at will!"
Zhang An pondered and nodded. "It is fine in principle... I imagine those truly supreme beings wouldn't care if someone caught a glimpse of their past anyway. However, let me say this upfront: you are not permitted to pry into my private affairs!"
*Private affairs?*
Li Hao glanced at him with a grin. "Which kind does Senior mean? Visiting brothels, or something else?"
"..."
Zhang An shot him a glare, unwilling to indulge him.
This guy was downright obnoxious at times.
Seeing that Li Hao seemed unbothered by external threats, Zhang An cautioned him once more: "The Silver Moon World's ascension is imminent, and it truly might attract the attention of powerhouses traversing the chaos! Anyone capable of freely roaming the chaos as a lone wanderer... is at the very least a Sovereign, and no ordinary one at that!"
Li Hao nodded. "Which is why... I need to grow stronger, and why I need to walk through your past... Senior surely doesn't believe that worrying alone will make me stronger, does he?"
He smiled somewhat helplessly. "I know Senior is concerned, but one must act. Actions speak louder than words, don't they?"
Zhang An paused, then nodded. He had indeed overthought it!
Li Hao added another reminder: "Senior, it is best not to dwell on things excessively. When the time comes to decide, make the call. Senior thinks too much, likely under the influence of your grandfather, the Supreme. But if you cannot become a figure like your grandfather, it might be better to settle for the next best thing... Learn from Senior Tianji: simply charging recklessly or lying flat might just be a viable way out!"
Zhang An wanted to emulate his grandfather, the Supreme—to become Neo Martial's strategist or even the Human King's guide, a multifaceted, all-around figure... A noble ambition, but reality was harsh.
There was only one Neo Martial Supreme.
He was not someone just anyone could imitate!
Zhang An remained silent, yet nodded; in truth, he understood his own shortcomings.
Yet Li Daoheng had been right about one thing: while Zhang An and he seemed completely different on the surface, deep in their bones they were remarkably similar... Having seen so much and witnessed so many wonders, coupled with high confidence in their own talent, they felt that even if they couldn't surpass others, they couldn't afford to be inferior either.
Obsessed with surpassing and breaking through... Had Zhang An simply focused on a single path—whether his grandfather's, the Human King's, or another Sovereign's—and received their guidance, even if he failed to become a Sovereign, achieving half-step Sovereign would have been all but certain.
And now?
Too proud to settle for less, yet unable to reach the heights!
Li Hao said no more. Zhang An knew where he stood; Li Hao had only offered a gentle reminder. In reality, these people were well aware of their flaws—they simply couldn't change their nature.
Zhang An's agreement was great news for Li Hao.
It offered him the chance to test how his Dao of Time affected others.
Peering into someone's past!
In truth, it was indeed prying into personal privacy... But looking through Zhang An's perspective was one thing; if he were to look through a top-tier powerhouse, Li Hao might not dare—that could easily be courting death!
To gaze upon the true Neo Martial, even if only the Neo Martial of the past!
The *Zhang Family Educational Records* had already imparted much enlightenment and insight to Li Hao. Combined with what he would now see and experience, there might be unexpected gains that would help him perfect his Great Dao system.
"Senior... shall we begin?"
Zhang An looked at him, nodded, and drew a deep breath. "If you insist and aren't worried, then suit yourself! It just so happens that I'd like to see... whether I was truly mistaken all these years..."
Man found it hardest to see oneself clearly.
One always thought, *If you can do it, so can I; if you are capable, so am I.* Yet reality proved that what couldn't be done simply couldn't be done.
Ever since youth, his benchmarks had been the Human King and his peers... He had shared the same era with the Human King, the Blood Sovereign, and the Iron Sovereign, separated by only a few years in age. Those were the figures he measured himself against.
Yet the outcome was lamentable: the gap had only widened, never once truly closing.
Li Hao revealed a slight smile. "Then let us be on our way. Hopefully, before Silver Moon ascends, we can reap some worthwhile gains..."
With those words, a vast river surged into view, encircling Zhang An.
Zhang An let out a breath. He had originally come to urge Li Hao to be careful, and perhaps secure permission to venture out in search of Neo Martial. Somehow, it had turned into journeying with Li Hao to retrace his own past!
Now, the river wound around Zhang An.
At the center of Li Hao's brows, a star emerged, shimmering with radiance. This authentic Time Star was now almost entirely fused with Li Hao.
Merging with his physical being... was a unique union for both Li Hao and the Time Star.
In the next moment, time flowed backward.
Memories seemed to rewind into the deepest recesses of the past!
Pasts that one was reluctant to mention—or strictly forbidden from mentioning—all surfaced in Zhang An's mind at this instant.
As if losing all weight, both of them plunged down from the river in the very next instant.
At this moment, Li Hao possessed Zhang An, while Zhang An entered his own body within the memory. Yet neither held control; instead, they watched his memories unfold from the perspective of third-party onlookers.
At that instant, Li Hao's vision cleared, and a figure appeared before his eyes—monumentally towering and incomparably formidable!
His aura was not overwhelmingly powerful, yet to Li Hao, it conveyed an endless sense of oppression.
It was... dread, stemming from Zhang An!
"Grandfather!"
It was the Zhang An whom they inhabited speaking. *Grandfather...*
In an instant, understanding dawned on Li Hao: the Neo Martial Supreme!
He had never anticipated running into this Neo Martial Supreme right off the bat. What a coincidence.
Chapter 422