Hello, Chaos!

Plop. They tumbled back into the river. Li Hao gasped for air, and for the first time, a flicker of genuine dread surfaced in his usually calm eyes. Pursuing across time! It had not come as too much of a shock that the Supreme had sensed him; beings at that supreme level could more or less perceive such anomalies. But in the final moment, Li Hao had been shuttling through the currents of time itself! Yet the Human King of that era, and the Cang Emperor of that era... had both chased him across the flow of time and pinpointed his presence directly. That kind of ability was terror in its purest form. After all, he had merely projected himself back into a memory of the past. This meant that even back in that era, the Human King and the others already possessed such unfathomable might. One had warned him that if he dared to come back, he would be beaten to a pulp. The other had said that next time they met, he had better bring food, or else he would be eaten instead... Spoken so casually, the words carried boundless horror! "Phew!" Li Hao panted heavily, visibly aged a bit more. Beside him, Zhang An exhaled deeply as well. He was not particularly frightened; whether it was the Human King, the Cang Emperor, or the Supreme, they were all his old acquaintances and his family. However, this was also the first time he had looked back at himself and observed everyone else from a third-party perspective. He suddenly realized many fascinating things he had completely overlooked in the past. The Sword Venerable, the Qin Sovereign, and the others had all shared special encounters with him back then. The Sword Venerable's sword strike, and the Qin Sovereign's habit of constantly finding fault with him later on... On the surface, they were picking trouble, but in truth, it was a form of tempering. Unfortunately, his younger self had understood none of it and had paid no heed. His grandfather had actually been watching over him and caring about him all along. From high hopes to disappointment, and finally to gentle acceptance... Grandfather had simply wished for his safety, asking nothing more of him. As for leaving him behind in Silver Moon, perhaps... he had simply felt that it didn't matter. Even if Zhang An were killed, Grandfather could resurrect him the moment he returned to Silver Moon. And whoever had killed his grandson, Grandfather would kill in return! That was his grandfather! A faint smile appeared on Zhang An's face, accompanied by a wave of emotion and feelings he could hardly describe. So... it turned out that everyone hadn't been indifferent toward him after all. Turning to look at Li Hao, Zhang An smiled. "How was it?" Li Hao smiled as well. "Fascinating, incredible, and terrifying!" That was his takeaway. A fascinating era, incredible figures, and a terrifying Human King and Cang Emperor. "Did you gain anything from it?" Zhang An asked. Li Hao had embarked on this journey to seek the Dao. Yet in Zhang An's eyes, given his own past experiences and the relatively limited interaction they had with the peak powerhouses, Li Hao might not have reaped much. Li Hao nodded. "Yes. A tremendous harvest!" Zhang An looked puzzled. Li Hao explained, "The Dao—cultivating the Dao is cultivating the heart!" He had always believed this. He had never been particularly interested in the specific methods of cultivating the Dao; what truly intrigued him was the journey of cultivating the heart. And this trip had been precisely such a journey. Only by traveling to that era in person and experiencing it firsthand could Li Hao comprehend why so many peerless powerhouses had emerged from it. It was because... all of Neo Martial had been cultivating the heart. Not deliberately, but because the times had molded that generation of people. They fought for the people, for themselves, for their era, for their race, for their convictions, and for what they sought to protect... It was never an intentional pursuit; they were simply immersed in their era and naturally embraced their roles. Thus, every single one of them was cultivating the heart. For the humans of that era, there was no need to consciously temper their hearts. As long as you became a part of it, as long as you were willing to step forward and fight for the era, your heart Dao had already reached perfection! Compared to Neo Martial, Silver Moon was still lacking a few things: it lacked existential crises, the fatal threats that hung overhead every single moment for hundreds and thousands of years, and the fierce drive to fight for survival and wrest daylight from darkness. The people of Silver Moon were accustomed to muddling through life. Under the reign of the imperial family and during the rule of the Nine Departments, defiance had never run especially deep. In the Neo Martial era, however, humanity frantically seized every single opportunity, for extinction could strike at any moment. Zhang An was stunned. Cultivating the Dao was cultivating the heart. He had heard this phrase countless times. Yet Neo Martial humans had never placed much emphasis on such concepts, while Li Hao claimed to have comprehended something profound. Seeing his confusion, Li Hao added, "Senior, you and I are different. In your era, everyone was cultivating the heart. Being part of it meant an entire era was tempering its spirit and awakening together. Silver Moon, however, is only at the beginning; the spark of awakening has only just sprouted... By comparison, our current era is more akin to the earliest stages of Neo Martial..." The very beginning! A stage before the populace had awakened, when consciousness was only starting to dawn—a time when someone had to step forward to guide them. This was the dawn of an era! By the time of the Human King, the era had already found its stride. Li Hao believed that in another few decades, Silver Moon could reach that state as well, but for now, it still fell short. "Did your strength improve?" Zhang An asked again. Li Hao chuckled. "How could it be that simple? It was merely a journey of the heart, granting me deeper insights and impressions. True strength cannot be gained overnight; it will come in due course." "Still..." "Do not fret, Senior!" Li Hao looked up at the sky and smiled. "The outside world is indeed magnificent. I genuinely want to step outside, interact with those figures, and meet the Supreme and the Human King in person. They are fascinating people with captivating souls..." Zhang An stared in slight bewilderment. In Li Hao's eyes, there was longing and anticipation, but... not a trace of fear. He was truly curious—was Li Hao genuinely not afraid of them? "You feel no fear at all?" "Why should I fear them?" Li Hao smiled. "To converse with a group of fascinating people about intriguing matters and accomplish exciting things—that is the very essence of life and experience. The beauty of life lies in experiencing wonder and meeting fascinating souls..." Zhang An suddenly felt as though he had lived all these years in vain. He sighed softly. "Truth be told... I’ve always been afraid of interacting with those powerhouses. Around them, I constantly felt like I could never fit in..." Li Hao nodded. "That is because you have yet to realize your own uniqueness, Senior, and you lack confidence. Take that Qin Sovereign, for instance—he was truly a remarkable character. In the presence of mighty figures, he never flinched. He was confident, believing that he would eventually catch up, join their ranks, and even surpass them... It was precisely that mindset that allowed him to rise even while surrounded by monsters of talent." "That was because he had the favor of the Seed..." Zhang An trailed off, but Li Hao cut in, "No, Heaven's Will is nothing!" Shaking his head, Li Hao said, "Countless people have enjoyed the favor of Heaven's Will, yet not everyone becomes a peerless powerhouse. Silver Moon's Heaven's Will favored people as well, and what came of it? Even favored by Heaven's Will, you remain who you are. Some people can walk far even without its blessing; their journey is merely a little more arduous!" He firmly believed that given what he knew of Neo Martial's Qin Sovereign, even without the favor of Heaven's Will, he would still be a Sovereign today—and by no means an ordinary one. He possessed sufficient resilience and distinctive character. That was something most lacked. Among the vast sea of living beings, ordinary people were the majority and mediocrity was the norm. But anyone with a distinct nature of their own could ride the wind and soar the moment they seized an opportunity, no matter the era! Living in that era, Zhang An had never understood those powerhouses deeply enough. Li Hao, on the other hand, could perceive the underlying truth. *Perhaps... I am more exceptional than Zhang An?* Li Hao smiled with a playful smirk, glancing at Zhang An. "Senior, enough about me. How do you feel right now?" "Sigh... In the past, there was so much I failed to grasp, so much I didn't understand, and even some lingering resentment... Looking back this time, I suddenly realized that... I truly was blind to many things." Filled with sentiment, he added, "I have a few ideas, but they will take time. When Silver Moon ascends, it might be an opportune moment for me... However, even if I make progress, half-step Sovereign is my current limit. As for Sovereign..." He shook his head and fell silent. A half-step Sovereign was the farthest boundary he could currently envision. He knew very well that he had not yet reached the level required of a true Sovereign. Li Hao nodded. That was indeed the case. For Zhang An to step into the Sovereign realm, he still needed more—including real combat, a touch of madness, and reckless determination. Without lingering on the topic, Li Hao said, "I will also need to enter seclusion for a few days to digest what I gained. I only wonder... at this very moment, whether the Supreme and the others have truly gained this segment of memory." Could they have? He was uncertain. Last time, his teacher had gained a fragment of memory, but they had all been within Silver Moon's boundaries. This time, they were separated by an entire world, across the boundless chaotic universe. Could they truly receive anything? If they could... that would be interesting indeed! Perhaps changes would soon sweep across the chaotic universe. *** At the same time. Within the chaos, in an endless desolate expanse, a cat resembling a planet-sized behemoth suddenly opened its eyes. Looking somewhat bewildered, it muttered, "Someone wants to bring this cat food..." As for who it was... who knew? How interesting! At that moment, the cat's eyes seemed to contain a universe, a pond where countless dried fish swam like living creatures within the world of its pupils. And those dried fish... appeared to be living entities, all of them supreme powerhouses. Little fish swam inside the cat's eyes, their gazes filled with boundless terror. Among them were chaos wanderers, chaos beasts, and even a World Master whose realm spanned vast reaches—yet he, too, had been reduced to a little fish, struggling and swimming in the cat's gaze. It was a terrifying sight! Just then, within the cat's belly, there was also a vast world where yin and yang harmoniously blended, boundless and profound! Within that world, a magnificent, towering figure abruptly opened his eyes. A sudden smile spread across his face! Silver Moon! Interesting, very interesting. A man brought by his grandson, traversing spacetime, traveling between past and future—fascinating indeed. Looking upward as though gazing at a cat, he chuckled softly. "Big Cat, wake up..." "I'm awake!" the Big Cat's voice echoed beside his ear. The elderly man stood up, clasping his hands behind his back with a gentle smile. "Good that you're awake. Summon the Sovereigns roaming the chaos and march upon the Bliss Great World. This time, we wipe Bliss out!" The Bliss Great World! A premier great world that the Human King had raided in the past, nearly tearing apart its Seed World. Only when the Red Moon Great World sent reinforcements did Neo Martial withdraw. Currently, the Human King was absent. Yet the old man had suddenly declared an assault on Bliss, determined to annihilate this premier realm. The Big Cat's voice sounded again. "Meow, Bliss? Fighting again? Cat doesn't want to fight..." "It isn't fighting; it's fishing!" The old man chuckled softly. "We're fishing for meat. This time, the Master of Bliss will be your cat food! However, our opponent is not weak. Summon the Longevity Sword, Wang Jinyang, Li Hansong, Qin Fengqing, the Yang God, and Heavenly King Zhen back. Tell those fellows to stop running about. While Fang Ping draws the eyes of the chaos, follow me to suppress Bliss... Since we've already offended them... we might as well... eradicate them!" Neo Martial had very few enemies... Because they always pulled up weeds by the roots! The previous raid had not finished the job, so this time would do. It was perfect timing: the Human King was wandering outside, drawing the gaze of countless powerhouses. With him absent, everyone assumed Neo Martial would only dare to hide... What a joke. The Sovereigns of Neo Martial hadn't relied on Fang Ping alone to conquer the realm! The Big Cat's voice carried a hint of doubt. "Call all of them back?" "Yes!" "Oh... alright then!" The Big Cat agreed. Its massive body, enveloping the world, began to drift through the chaos as peculiar ripples radiated across the void. Annihilate Bliss! The Bliss Great World was a premier great world whose Master was formidable, hardly weaker than the Human King... Of course, he was still slightly inferior; otherwise, he wouldn't have nearly been slain by the Human King. They had failed to kill him last time, so this time... they would finish him off! Even without the Human King present, these people possessed boundless, arrogant confidence. Where the old man stood, ethereal silhouettes soon materialized out of thin air. Someone asked in confusion, "Who are we hitting?" "Bliss!" "Let's do it!" "Kill them!" "Why strike now?" "My grandson told me to!" "Bullshit!" "It's the truth!" "..." The group babbled noisily, completely unconcerned with the actual reason or pretext. It was just a casual question; since the Supreme had called for a strike, strike they would! "The Bliss Dao is a decent Great Dao. Can we obliterate their Great Dao Universe?" "We can! The Big Cat will swallow it!" "Is that lazy cat willing?" "Willing... I heard the Second Cat has revived, and the lazy cat owes it dried fish... We'd better prepare plenty, or the lazy cat will look too stingy!" "Then let's do it! When is the Human King returning?" "He isn't. Just us!" "Damn, that's going to be a tough fight. Old Zhang, you've got guts... I like it. Let's do this ourselves!" "..." Like a band of bandits, the figures swarmed toward the depths of the chaos like locusts. Just as the Human King had said... they were all pests! Don't provoke us. If you provoke us, we hit you. If we can't beat you, we still hit you. If we can beat you, we beat you to death; if we can't, we wait a while and hit you again... As for the Bliss Great World... who told them to provoke them last time? The Human King had insisted on leading the way and gotten lost. Coupled with the Cang Cat having no sense of direction either, two directionally challenged fools had completely lost their bearings. When they went to the Bliss Great World merely to ask for directions, the other side had acted arrogantly, even attempting to devour the Human King and the Big Cat... Asking for directions was giving you face; since you refused it, we'll beat you to death! Fighting anyone was the same to them; one more enemy made no difference. Since they had already offended them past the point of no return... they might as well take it all the way and eradicate them completely! *** Elsewhere. Also deep within the chaos. A saber-wielding man casually emerged from the depths of the void. He glanced around, and when a fresh memory suddenly surfaced in his mind, he grinned. "Fascinating, interesting, fun!" As his words fell, he glanced behind him. Suddenly, the void rippled, and ancient, immensely powerful beings rapidly pursued him. Ancient voices boomed in the man's ears: "Fang Ping, fleeing endlessly will solve nothing..." The man turned his head and bared his teeth in a grin. Fleeing? Who gave you that illusion? Why did a bunch of small fry harbor such an absurd misconception? Were they so old their brains had rotted? Grinning, he said, "I heard there's a great world nearby with a terrible reputation that even ambushed my Neo Martial's Sword Venerable once... What was it called, the Tianlan Great World? Which way is it?" Behind him, an ancient being's expression turned cold. "Save your tricks. The Tianlan Great World is infinitely distant from here. The closest realm is the Yueming Great World..." "Yueming? A sworn brother to Red Moon? Why does it have 'moon' in its name?" The man snapped angrily, "Where is it?" The pursuing powerhouse flared with anger. Playing dumb again and again—he despised how this fellow feigned ignorance at every turn. Soon, however, the being sneered coldly. "Thirty thousand chaos chi to the north of here..." "Which way is north?" "..." The man looked around in confusion. Damn it, everything looks the same. The chaos has no direction! I truly admire you bastards—your strength is mediocre, yet you can actually tell north, south, east, and west apart. Doesn't the chaos look identical everywhere? How do you even distinguish north from south? Seeing no distinct landmarks, he asked again, "How strong is the Master of this Yueming Great World? Is he the strongest around here? Is it far from the Red Moon Great World? Are they in cahoots with Red Moon?" The powerhouse behind ignored him, choosing instead to wait for other experts to arrive... They had to eradicate this scourge of the universe! No one had ever acted so recklessly in the chaos. Countless chaos wanderers had been slaughtered by him simply because... when he asked for directions, they had ignored him or spoken rudely! The chaos wanderers in this region had nearly all fled. Seeing that he received no answer, the man glanced back and made an assessment... This fellow's strength was ordinary, hardly an invincible powerhouse... Forget it, he would keep them as reserves. If the Master of the Yueming Great World turned out to be a good person, he wouldn't kill him. If that Master was a villain and stronger than this fellow, he would kill that Master instead. If he couldn't find it, or if that Master wasn't particularly wicked, he would slaughter these pursuers... consider it keeping his word! Unfortunately, why hadn't he been able to find Red Moon all this time? Where on earth was Red Moon hiding? Hadn't they claimed they were going to attack Neo Martial? Why had they been hiding from him all along? Infuriating! Once he caught the Master of Red Moon, he would slice him into a thousand pieces, turn him into dried fish, and feed the Big Cat a bite every day... Detestable, hateful, worthy of death! Then again... what kind of entity was that being who had shuttled through time and added a memory to his past? Whatever, who cared! He just felt like killing people! Ignoring the pursuers behind him, he turned and strode away, but his direction was once again completely off. The powerhouse behind sneered coldly—here he went again. Claiming he was going to the Yueming Great World, yet look at where he was heading! As expected, it was all a ruse to deceive them! Soon, the void rippled, and several more powerhouses arrived. "Where did he go?" "He went east!" "East?" "Yes!" "Dammit... Where is that fellow actually trying to go? Is he truly colluding with Red Moon? One moment east, the next west—he's been circling around Red Moon for over a decade without ever going to Red Moon itself... If someone told me they weren't connected, I wouldn't believe it for a second!" Hateful! All these years, circling Red Moon without ever entering it—did he expect them to believe he wasn't in league with Red Moon? "Never mind that. To the east lies the Absolute Darkness Great World, and the Master of Absolute Darkness is extraordinarily powerful... Last time, he even mentioned joining our alliance to eradicate Neo Martial and Red Moon. Since Fang Ping has gone there... this is our chance. We shall destroy him in the Absolute Darkness Great World!" With that, an ancient being sneered. "I intentionally told him north earlier because I knew how his mind worked. He definitely wouldn't go north. Sure enough, he went east, exactly as I anticipated!" In any case, that bastard always did the exact opposite of what he was told. This time, he had finally fallen into their trap! The Master of Absolute Darkness was second only to the Master of Red Moon in this region... This time, they would definitely destroy Fang Ping there, giving him no further chance to scourge the chaos! *** Time in the chaos flowed differently from Silver Moon. An instant outside was several days, or even several months, in Silver Moon. Li Hao's seclusion lasted seven days in the blink of an eye. The greater one's strength, the harder it was to advance, and the longer seclusion became. To Li Hao, seven days felt like a fleeting breath, without any of the drawn-out sensation of the past. Between heaven and earth, a long river stretched across the expanse. Like time itself, fleeting as a white colt leaping over a crevice. Within the river, a star shone brightly—the Time Star. A tree, a stone, and a seal were also faintly visible, absorbing the river's power to strengthen themselves; they were the Three Treasures of the Sword Venerable used to forge the foundation of the world. The star suddenly transformed into Li Hao's likeness. Li Hao stepped out of the river, having traversed its lengths. Looking up at the sky, the Star Gate above grew clearer and clearer. Near the Star Gate, there was even a sensation of disordered time. Li Hao knew that once the Star Gate opened... Silver Moon would no longer remain isolated. When that happened, time in the chaos and Silver Moon would synchronize. The time difference between Silver Moon and the outside world was a form of self-protection for a minor world, a Great Dao meant for self-development. Having walked through the past and comprehended time, he had gained some understanding. Not much time should have passed outside. One hundred thousand years in Silver Moon... might only correspond to several decades or a century outside. The time disparity was enormous! However, there was a trade-off. Once the Star Gate opened and connected to the chaos, massive amounts of energy would flood into Silver Moon, ending its previous state of energetic barrenness and self-confinement. There were advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of isolation had been more time, but no matter how much time one had, insufficient energy made it impossible to support the cultivation of mighty experts. Such a world... had little future. For instance, Zhang An and his peers had been forced into self-induced slumber due to the lack of energy. Aside from wasting their lives, it served little purpose. Li Daoheng and the others had prepared copious resources beforehand... Otherwise, they would have made no progress either, merely idling away their years. *Silver Moon... must integrate with the chaos!* Li Hao thought to himself. Although this carried far greater danger, refusing to connect with the chaos meant perpetual isolation, closing oneself off behind shut borders with no real future. Now, as more experts emerged, the problem became glaringly obvious: a severe shortage of energy! It was insufficient to support the birth of even stronger cultivators. Those at the Dao Integration Realm were still few, but once their numbers grew... even they would have no way to cultivate. Silver Moon's energy could not leave, nor could outside energy enter. Had the chaotic lightning not struck, and had several supreme beings not fallen, Silver Moon would never have been able to ascend. In the long run, this would only harm Silver Moon. Once cultivation stagnated, everyone would have nowhere to turn. They would be left with no choice but to wait for death, enter slumber, or slaughter one another. There was no other path! The river rippled, and Li Hao's voice echoed, "Senior Second Cat!" At the far end of the river, a cat lay looking impatient and disgruntled... What an annoying person. Why was he always calling for the cat? "Meow!" "I intend to break through the Star Gate and emerge. Chaotic lightning will surely descend! I have an impertinent request..." "Meow-wu!" The Second Cat grunted unhappily. *Then don't say it.* Li Hao smiled. "Only when the long river stabilizes can it become more tangible, even to the point where... our true bodies can descend into the past!" The Second Cat instantly whipped its head around to look at Li Hao. "The past has already passed... but entities of the past might not be unable to descend... and we, too, can descend into the past in our true bodies..." "Extract a fragment and repeat it infinitely, and it becomes a real world!" Li Hao's explanation was intricate, yet the Second Cat understood. "What do you want the cat to do?" The Second Cat was somewhat disgruntled. *Such an annoying young man. I don't like you anymore!* "It is simple. When the lightning descends, it will inevitably draw the attention of formidable foes... At the critical juncture, I need you to absorb several bolts of lightning for me, Senior, freeing my hands to slay those enemies!" Li Hao smiled brightly. "That is all that is required. Only when my hands are free will those fellows believe I am defenseless, giving me the opportunity to kill them!" Even before stepping outside, he knew powerful enemies would appear. This was necessary for the world's ascension, and it was a tribulation he had to overcome to attain the Sovereign realm. A heavenly tribulation and a mortal tribulation! All things in the universe followed certain laws. The Second Cat pondered for a moment, then nodded its massive head. "Fine, but don't trick the cat... Someone used to love tricking the cat, and then..." And then what? Li Hao asked curiously, "What happened then?" "Then, the cat ate all the dried fish in his house, leaving him with no dried fish ever again!" "..." Li Hao was speechless. The way it spoke, he had thought something catastrophic had occurred. Truly... he had no words. Without lingering on the topic, he projected his voice across the realm: "All cultivators at or above the Dao Integration Realm, assemble before me!" There was no time to lose! Regardless of whether the Human King and the Supreme had taken action, stepping out of Silver Moon was an urgent necessity. On one hand, it was to integrate with the chaos; on the other... he was running out of time. His recent journey to Neo Martial had cost him a considerable portion of his lifespan. If this continued, he would genuinely die of old age. And what future was there for someone who died of natural old age? Even time itself would struggle to resurrect him! *** Soon, cultivators at the Dao Integration Realm swiftly arrived. Several Neo Martial powerhouses gathered as well. Li Hao waited for a moment. Seeing that one person had not arrived, he called out, "Senior Tianji, come quickly!" "..." Silence enveloped the surroundings. After a long while, the void fractured, and a figure appeared with an expression of profound irritation, glaring at Li Hao. *Why are you calling me? I didn't want to come!* Li Hao smiled. "Senior, I met the Supreme and the Human King. They told you to pull your weight..." Tianji froze. What did that mean? Li Hao chuckled. "I traveled to the past and met them. They told you to work hard!" *Was that true or false?* Tianji was stunned, uncertain. Over to the side, Zhang An was equally speechless... You went to Neo Martial, and of all things, you learned the Human King's art of swindling. You are no longer the Li Hao you once were! Truly... one takes on the color of one's company! Tianji was unsure, but he knew that Li Hao's journey into the past had to be channeled through Zhang An. He looked toward Zhang An, whose face darkened slightly. Li Hao's voice transmitted into Zhang An's ear: "He's merely a clone, so a little trickery won't hurt. Even without it, Senior Tianji would have to act anyway. After all... he is the strongest being here besides me. With the world ascending, he cannot escape this trial!" Helpless, Zhang An nodded. Tianji pursed his lips, not entirely convinced. Still... he knew he could hardly stay out of it. Resigned, he looked at Li Hao. "You definitely went to the past... and you even met the Human King!" Dammit! There was no mistaking it; the swindling tone sounded far too similar to the Human King's. What rotten luck—of all people to imitate, he had to pick up the Human King's habit of deceit! Li Hao burst into hearty laughter. Tianji couldn't help but say, "There's no need to laugh like the Human King. Your insidiously soft smile from before was actually quite nice..." *Insidiously soft?* Li Hao was speechless! What kind of talk was that? When had he, Li Hao, ever been insidiously soft? Resigned, Li Hao had no choice but to say, "Very well, I shall try not to laugh so loudly in the future, lest Senior misunderstand!" With that, he dropped the banter and shifted straight to serious matters. "I intend to open the Star Gate, undergo the tribulation to become a Sovereign, and facilitate Silver Moon's ascension!" Before anyone could reply, Li Hao continued, "This is a decision, not a discussion. It must be done. If we don't, I will inevitably die within three months, my lifespan completely exhausted!" The moment those words were spoken, everyone who had intended to speak shut their mouths. Not a single person objected! Li Hao looked around at the crowd. "Danger is guaranteed this time. I will bear the brunt of the chaotic lightning tribulation! What you must do is very simple: Uncle-master Hong and Qian Wuliang will take the lead to merge the twin Daos. The rest of you will integrate your Daos into the twin Daos and ascend alongside the Silver Moon World. This time, with Uncle-master Hong directing the unified twin Daos, centering on the Earth-Overturning Sword and prioritizing defense, pooling everyone's strength will surely allow us to hold back one Sovereign! Harnessing the power of Silver Moon as a medium world and gathering the strength of all its people, we can definitely contend with a Sovereign... but only one!" Qian Wuliang said nothing, while Hong Yitang gave a prompt nod. Seeing this, Li Hao continued, "If we succeed, everyone benefits. If we fail... we are all finished! Furthermore, on that day, there might be an opportune moment... Upheaval in the chaos may throw the invading powerhouses into disarray... Seize that fleeting instant; if you grasp it, we might be able to slay an enemy! If we can slay a Sovereign and merge him into Silver Moon, we can elevate Silver Moon to greater heights in a single stroke! Even if it cannot cross into the realm of a great world, we will secure boundless resources so that Silver Moon never has to worry about resources again!" Turning to several others, he said, "King of Dali, at the critical moment, you must block one lightning strike for me!" The King of Dali froze, then nodded. He had known this beforehand. Still... block it for *him*? Wasn't it supposed to strike the King of Dali himself? What did this mean? Li Hao then turned to the Queen. "Queen, you must block one lightning strike as well!" The Queen of the God Nation felt somewhat reluctant; it was exceedingly perilous. Yet... looking at Li Hao, she felt helpless and could only nod. "Very well... but... I..." "You can do it!" *To hell with that!* *Do you know how dangerous it is?!* Li Hao turned to Tianji. "Senior, what you need to do is simple... Hide at first. At the critical moment, appear from the perimeter, pose as Senior Tianji's true body... and shout that Neo Martial has returned! Release all your energy to deter everyone. This act carries no danger and aligns perfectly with your expectations!" Tianji was taken aback. Just that? That... was actually quite nice. He could accept that! Deter the surroundings using Neo Martial's name? That worked! "Senior Zhang An!" Zhang An looked at Li Hao, who smiled and said, "What you need to do is also simple. Manifest everything you can with the Great Dao Book, coordinating with Senior Tianji to fabricate the illusion of Neo Martial's return. When the time comes, step forward. Your Great Dao Book can manifest the Great Daos of the Supreme, the Human King, the Blood Sovereign, and the others... Exhaust everything to project the spectacle of the Sovereigns' return! All you need to do is shake their hearts. I hope Neo Martial's name can terrify the masses. That will be our opening!" The crowd exchanged glances, and Zhang An nodded. It sounded easy enough, but in practice, it would be extraordinarily difficult. After all, Li Hao's hypothetical enemies were all at the Sovereign level. Could anyone roaming the chaos without the strength of a Sovereign survive? At this moment, Yuan Shuo spoke up: "Are you certain Sovereigns will appear? And more than one?" Li Hao nodded. "Without a doubt! This is a tribulation—my tribulation, and Silver Moon's tribulation. The world is ascending too quickly, and I wield time itself... None of this conforms to the laws of the chaos!" "Even Neo Martial had to traverse the eras of Early Martial and the Origin, whereas Silver Moon is taking a single leap to the heavens, transforming instantly from a bottom-tier world into a medium world. Calamities both natural and man-made are inevitable!" "Everyone must seize the right moment... That way, we can celebrate by slaying Sovereigns!" Li Hao laughed. "Send word down to inform the populace that on that day, we must unite our efforts to weather this crisis together! Only when millions of hearts beat as one and all Daos converge can we hope to successfully overcome the tribulation!" "If we fail this time, Silver Moon will fall into complete ruin, or even vanish entirely!" "There is only one chance. I have already reached a brief, tacit understanding with Neo Martial's Human King and the Supreme. I hope they can lend us some aid; in return, we will repay Neo Martial in the future!" The Neo Martial cultivators didn't take the claim too seriously, but the people of Silver Moon believed it wholeheartedly. They believed that Li Hao was capable of it! Finally, Li Hao looked at one person. "Ninth Division Commander, lend me your sword intent at the critical moment!" The Ninth Division Commander paused, then nodded. He was merely puzzled: could the sword intent be of any use? He had received Li Daoheng's sword intent, only to discover that formidable as it was, it merely possessed the power of a half-step Sovereign. To Li Hao... it wouldn't be of much help, would it? Li Hao looked up at the sky without explaining. Li Daoheng's sword intent might not seem overwhelmingly strong now... but his sword intents could actually be merged. Merged in an instant, they would form the Longevity Sword Intent—a strike from the Longevity Sword Venerable! A true strike of that caliber, something Li Daoheng himself had simply been unwilling to perform. Yet at this juncture, Li Hao cared nothing for such reservations. This was their pivotal hurdle in stepping out of Silver Moon into the chaos. If they failed to cross it, death was certain! If they missed this opportunity... there would never be another. As for whether the Human King and the Supreme could create an opening for him in that brief window, Li Hao could not be certain. First, the two sides could no longer communicate; second, the flow of time differed, so no one knew when they would make their move. Likewise, they did not know what Li Hao would encounter on his end. Even if they already knew Li Hao hailed from Silver Moon, knowing of it did not mean they knew Silver Moon's specific situation... This would put the tacit understanding between all three parties to the test! One of the three was bound to act first. As for who it would be... they would leave that to fate! In truth, Li Hao still had some confidence. The Star Gate had been forged by Neo Martial; once it opened, the other side might sense something. That would be the trigger—it was not a blind gamble! The crucial factor lay in whether the Supreme and the others could understand that opening the Star Gate was their signal to strike. Were they prepared? To cause an even greater commotion to mask Silver Moon's disturbance, thereby drawing away the attention of the powerhouses of the chaos. That was the crux of the matter! If the commotion was too small, the vastness of the chaos meant it wouldn't draw much notice. Li Hao was genuinely curious and expectant: could those people truly create an opportunity for him? Who knew! "In ten days, we open the Star Gate!" Li Hao set the time. Time flowed slower outside, so they needed to give those figures a bit of time to prepare. Ten days... was brief enough, but the reality was that he truly could not afford any more delay. Otherwise, once he entered a period of decline, it would bring immense trouble. Furthermore, he had borrowed a great deal of power from the future before; the chaotic lightning tribulation was one hurdle, but other unforeseen variables might arise at the crucial juncture. Thinking of this, he turned his gaze toward one person and transmitted his voice: "There is one thing you must do. If something happens to me, take control of time immediately, governing it through life and death! Over the next few days, wander the river, seize the power of time, and acclimate yourself to it. I need you to buy me a little time just in case!" "Additionally, if it truly becomes necessary... time, the corporeal Dao, and the illusory Dao can merge into one! They originally stemmed from the same Great Dao Universe, so it can be done. When that moment comes, you shall wield it!" Lin Hongyu's heart stirred, and she nodded. Could all three Daos merge into one? No one had anticipated this, nor had anyone known. As expected, Li Hao always prepared countless backup plans. It was just that he had previously preferred not to speak too candidly with everyone; this time, he had laid it bare. At that moment, Li Hao looked toward the sky once more and smiled. "If we triumph in this battle, Silver Moon will march toward a new era of glory! The chaos is vast, with worlds beyond count; it is time for the people of Silver Moon to say hello to the chaos!" Hello, chaos! Here we come! This universe was so magnificent, home to beings like the Human King. There were bound to be even more fascinating entities out there, and he could hardly wait to explore this chaotic universe! For a moment, everyone felt swept up by his fervor. Li Hao was the true Supreme of this era! Neo Martial's Supreme! He had inaugurated this new era, and he would lead it toward an entirely different future.