Slaying the Behemoth

The Star Gate, sealed for a hundred thousand years, had opened today. Li Hao sighed with emotion. At the same time, he saw those enormous eyes that rivaled the sun and moon, and felt the faint pressure radiating from that direction. Clearly, that chaotic expert had made no effort to conceal itself. Why would it need to? A nascent world without a Sovereign, instantly advancing into a medium-tier world and facing a chaotic lightning tribulation, could scarcely withstand that chaotic lightning even with the combined might of its entire realm. An effortless prize! As a Sovereign, if it still had to hide with cautious timidity at such a moment, wouldn’t it appear completely incompetent? That this nascent world could actually ascend to a medium-tier world was quite unexpected. The massive eyes swept over Li Hao. This was presumably the strongest being in this world. Quite impressive! Roughly... peak half-step Sovereign aura? That seemed about right. Not a Sovereign. Otherwise, even though the Great Daos of different worlds varied, Sovereigns possessed unique qualities. At the very least, when one Sovereign encountered another, they could sense each other's pressure. At this moment, Li Hao had no mind to pay attention to that powerhouse. That being was not the key. The key remained this chaotic lightning tribulation. Within the chaos, humanoid lightning figures materialized. Li Hao looked up with a glance, but paid them no heed, silently pondering instead. Time, speed, flow rate, spatial isolation... The shift in that brief instant had sparked countless thoughts in the blink of an eye. Changes in space, changes in speed, differing flows of spacetime... A single instant felt as though he had lived through thousands upon thousands of years. The difference in the flow of time between inside and outside was hundreds, even thousands of times greater! Unimaginable! "Relative time?" Li Hao murmured once more, not even caring about the tribulation lightning. Even though this lightning seemed even stronger than last time—when three beings near the Sovereign level were struck dead—that had occurred inside, where those Sovereigns were not true Sovereigns. This time, although it was far stronger, the threat it posed to Li Hao was not much greater than before; it all depended on what was to follow. Boom! In that split second, the lightning descended, hurtling directly toward Li Hao. A humanoid silhouette manifested as if intending to obliterate him on the spot. It was only the first bolt of lightning, yet behind Li Hao, even Tianji's face twisted in shock! What a formidable chaotic lightning tribulation! During the previous tribulation, Tianji felt he could have endured at least seven or eight bolts. He certainly would not have survived the tenth, but he could have handled the earlier ones. Yet now, merely the first bolt made him sense mortal danger! Was this chaotic lightning tribulation targeting Li Hao, or the entire world? Li Hao was only a half-step Sovereign, but this first bolt already held the power to obliterate a half-step Sovereign! One had to remember, Li Hao had merged the dual Daos and reached the ninth tier of the Dao Integration Realm—a genuine peak half-step Sovereign! Yet this first bolt... felt no weaker than Li Hao. Boom! The lightning silhouette struck down instantly, as if brandishing a weapon, slashing a sword downward. It indeed targeted Li Hao alone, not the entire world. Meanwhile, the Silver Moon World was also rapidly expanding, inhaling and exhaling the chaos. The Silver Moon World, originally modest in scale, was swelling swiftly. At the same time, the dual Dao universes began to encircle the world internally, using Silver Moon as the core to forge a new Great Dao core, rather than relying on Li Hao's Time Star. Thus, only Li Hao stood outside the gate. Li Hao raised his long sword and struck downward as well! This was merely the first bolt of lightning. If he could not withstand even this first one... he would truly be useless. Although this bolt possessed the power to slay half-step Sovereigns, colliding with Li Hao's sword intent unleashed a deafening roar. It exploded instantly, the figure dissipating as Li Hao's sword slit its throat! The lightning silhouette shattered completely. The scattered power of chaos diffused in all directions, merging into the Silver Moon World. ... "Eh..." At that moment, the colossal chaotic beast let out an exceedingly faint sound. Bizarre! This chaotic lightning tribulation had not targeted the ascending world, but rather the expert of that world... Why was that? It had rarely witnessed a chaotic lightning tribulation, only having glimpsed one from afar long ago, so it did not entirely understand the specifics. Could it be because this man represented the ascending world, requiring him to be slain first before the tribulation turned to the world itself? Impressive strength! The power of an entire world had nurtured a top-tier half-step Sovereign. The behemoth could tell he was no weakling. What a pity that he was facing a chaotic lightning tribulation; otherwise, taking advantage of the world's ascension, he might have had a chance to step into the Sovereign realm! If he then took control of the entire ascended medium-tier world, he would soon become an even stronger being... Unfortunately, he would have no such chance. The behemoth watched silently. It calculated when this lightning tribulation would end. Of course, chaotic lightning tribulations were extremely targeted and would not strike anyone other than the tribulation crosser. The behemoth could actually intervene and even kill Li Hao, but it feared that... if it killed this person and the tribulation did not disperse, it would target the ascending world. With no one to block it and the behemoth unable to stop it, the world might be blasted apart. That would be too great a pity! While it was still pondering, the second bolt of lightning descended at lightning speed, granting no time to prepare. Sword in hand, Li Hao said nothing. A long river materialized, encircling him before seeming to transform into a long sword that fused into the Sky Sword, slashing downward! "Hmm?" The behemoth again let out a soft sound of bewilderment. What was that? A river... the Great Dao legacy of this world? Quite unusual! It sensed a peculiar power, so unique that it could not be certain. As the long river emerged, Li Hao swung his sword. A burst of sword intent erupted like the detonation of tens of thousands of stars, directly blasting the second bolt of lightning on the spot, scattering chaotic power outward once more. Two bolts of lightning of that magnitude could likely obliterate many weaker half-step Sovereigns. Yet before Li Hao, they were effortlessly cut down! At this moment, even the chaotic beast sighed in admiration. He was a capable fellow; nurturing someone with the power of an entire world could indeed produce a powerhouse, one exceedingly close to a Sovereign! A fellow like this, without the chaotic lightning tribulation and without itself present, truly had a bright future. The third bolt of lightning descended! A giant sword materialized between heaven and earth. Li Hao gave a low shout and leaped into the air to meet it head-on, stepping beyond the Star Gate and slashing his sword toward the heavens. The manifesting sword intent was brimming with chilling slaughter—just like the Battle Heaven Army of the past, like that first silver warrior he had ever seen leading a unit of the Battle Heaven Army, swinging his sword to strike the firmament! "Kill!" With a chilling aura and resolute intent to slay, Li Hao was cold and sharp. The long river churned with turbulent killing intent as he struck toward the third bolt of lightning! It was only the third bolt! A mere appetizer, as Li Hao knew full well! Therefore, he had to obliterate the lightning as quickly as possible. While few experts had gathered around, he needed to cross the tribulation swiftly, absorb the tribulation lightning's power, and step into the Sovereign realm. Otherwise... this crisis would be difficult to survive! Boom! Killing intent shook the heavens, and the third bolt of lightning instantly shattered. Li Hao's long sword vibrated violently as destructive power spread up his arm, scorching it to ashes! At that moment, behind him, two figures turned pale. The King of Dali and the Queen! Both looked ghastly pale. According to their agreement, Li Hao was supposed to let each of them face one bolt of tribulation lightning. The problem was... damn it, the first three bolts were already this terrifying, and Li Hao hadn't let them take one. Did that mean... he intended for them to take the later ones? Holy shit! The third bolt of lightning this time was no weaker than the sixth bolt from the previous tribulation. If he expected the two of them to take the tribulation... wouldn't that be equivalent to taking the ninth, tenth, or even later bolts of the previous tribulation? Was he joking? They wouldn't even know how they died! The King of Dali was white as a sheet, and the Queen was terrified. Don't fool around. They would truly be blasted into nothingness. Last time, three top-tier beings died to the tenth bolt of lightning, and Li Hao had only returned through resurrection, split into three parts. This time, she and the King of Dali were supposed to take one bolt each? Just then, after crushing the third bolt of lightning, Li Hao's voice echoed in their ears: "What are you standing there for? The Silver Moon World is on the verge of ascension... Take this chance, when heaven and earth are generating boundless innate energy! It's your opportunity! Advance beyond the seventh tier of Dao Integration to have a chance of survival... Otherwise, you won't stand a chance!" The two exchanged glances, itching to curse his ancestors! Even if they became half-step Sovereigns, they would still die! How about letting the two of them try the fourth bolt... Maybe there was a tiny sliver of a chance. As for the later ones, wasn't that pure suicide? Yet clearly, Li Hao gave them no such chance. At that moment, before the fourth bolt descended, Li Hao looked toward the distant void and shouted with a blustering demeanor, "Who goes there? I am Li Hao, Master of Silver Moon! This realm is an affiliated world of Neo Martial—the Silver Moon World! Its ascension is intimately tied to Neo Martial. Withdraw at once, or the powerhouses of Neo Martial will arrive shortly!" "Neo Martial..." The behemoth paused, then came to an understanding. So that was it! No wonder it had ascended into a medium-tier world in an instant. It was an affiliated world of Neo Martial! It actually knew a bit about the situation and realized immediately: years ago, Red Moon Sovereigns had launched a surprise attack on the Silver Moon World. Back then, the Sword Venerable had guarded it. The two sides fought their first war in the starry sky of the universe, and several Sovereigns on Red Moon's side fell... So that was how it went. It had a deep foundation, no wonder it could ascend directly into a medium-tier world. However... It might not dare provoke Neo Martial, but did that mean it couldn't provoke a mere Silver Moon? It had long wanted to leave this region; it was far too chaotic here, and the Neo Martial Human King and his cohorts were excessively ferocious. Right now... this seemed quite good. Knowing this was an affiliated world of Neo Martial actually put its mind at ease. It knew the situation: there were no Neo Martial Sovereigns here! Everyone knew where the Neo Martial Sovereigns were—fighting in various regions, roaming everywhere. Once it finished this job, it would leave immediately. The chaos was vast; powerful as Neo Martial's Yin-Yang World was, could they chase it to other territories? Besides... this was the Silver Moon World. If it devoured this world and went to Red Moon, perhaps the Red Moon Great World would even offer some rewards... Of course, it didn't even need the rewards! This world alone was enough for it to digest. At this moment, Li Hao barked again, "You hiding there! The Neo Martial Human King will arrive shortly! If you are willing to lend a hand to help me cross this chaotic lightning tribulation, there will be immense benefits, and Neo Martial will certainly reward you! Silver Moon is extremely important to Neo Martial. The reason this minor world ascended to a medium-tier world is because a Great Dao Universe was born... Currently, no one fully controls it. Once merged with the Neo Martial Origin Universe, sharing the same origin, the Neo Martial Human King will surely take another step forward and unify the chaos! "Once the deed is done, my Neo Martial will surely repay you..." The chaotic beast shuddered violently! What? A Great Dao Universe? How could that be possible! No, perhaps... it was true. It was precisely because a Great Dao Universe was born that it could instantly ascend to a medium-tier world. This... At this moment, the chaotic beast's eyes turned somewhat bloodshot. Countless minor worlds, medium-tier worlds, and even some great worlds had never given birth to their own Great Dao Universe. Under normal circumstances, only by giving birth to a Great Dao Universe could a realm truly be considered a great world. A great world represented an entire lineage of Dao, boundless potential, and a limitless future... Yet some great worlds were actually not like that; some relied purely on long eras and time, accumulating step-by-step to produce supreme powerhouses, but lacked their own Great Dao Universe! To think that today, in this very place, it had encountered a weak world that had given birth to a Great Dao Universe. An affiliated world of Neo Martial! In an instant, the behemoth knew it had struck gold! It could hardly wait to strike, kill this person, seize the Great Dao Universe, claim the world, and make a run for it. The temptation was simply too vast! So vast that it felt uneasy and apprehensive. It was afraid! Afraid that the commotion here would draw the attention of the Red Moon Great World. Although it had set up some concealment, this place was far too close to Red Moon. Yet such temptation... was enough for it to disregard the threat of a great world. It was merely a wanderer in the chaos. A wanderer... essentially meant a drifter with no world of its own. The reason it had none was that it was considerably powerful, yet not at the very peak; ordinary minor and medium-tier worlds could not accommodate it, and even if they could, cultivation would be difficult. As for great worlds, wanderers were outsiders and had a hard time fitting in; moreover, going there carried a high risk of being treated as nourishment. If it could devour this world, perhaps... it could advance from a second-rank Sovereign to third-rank, or even fourth-rank! The behemoth was thrilled to the point of terror. A first-rank Sovereign was one who had just attained the Dao of Sovereignty, the level of a Sovereign born from an ordinary minor world. A second-rank Sovereign was comparable in strength to the master of a minor world, or perhaps slightly superior. Reaching the third rank... under normal conditions, the master of a medium-tier world possessed such strength, and depending on circumstances, some veterans were even stronger. At the Sovereign level, various worlds had different nomenclatures. In recent years, however, terminology had gradually unified. The original names were manifold, which hindered communication among chaotic powerhouses. Being overly profound was troublesome, so it was better to be straightforward. Figures like the Neo Martial Human King or the Master of Red Moon... were beyond the behemoth's ability to gauge. Yet a second-rank Sovereign was at least not the weakest. It was qualified to roam the chaos. Still, a second-rank Sovereign was only on par with the master of an ordinary minor world... Such beings were plentiful. Only upon reaching the third or fourth rank did one hold a genuine place in the vast chaos! At its current cultivation speed, roaming the chaos continuously, it would take at least tens of thousands of chaos years to have any hope of advancing. Yet now... the opportunity had arrived! It was ecstatic, fearing that delays would invite disaster. Seeing the fourth bolt of lightning descending, it was impatient to step in immediately, kill this man, and seize the world and Great Dao! Its voice trembled slightly from excitement at this stroke of fortune. "An affiliated world of Neo Martial? The Silver Moon World? This Sovereign has long admired Neo Martial. The Yin-Yang Great World is renowned throughout the chaos... Why has little friend encountered a chaotic lightning tribulation? Do you require my assistance?" Li Hao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and replied hurriedly, "Senior knows of Neo Martial? That is wonderful... I was worried Senior might not know! There is no need for Senior's help; this chaotic lightning tribulation targets only me, not all of Silver Moon! I likely cannot survive this tribulation... Senior need only protect Silver Moon for a short while after my death. This place might be near our enemy, the Red Moon Great World... The Neo Martial Human King needs a little time to arrive here! "Senior must not be a Red Moon powerhouse; I have encountered the power of Red Moon before..." Li Hao spoke at breakneck speed: "As long as Senior can help us stabilize Silver Moon for a time, once the Human King arrives, you will be handsomely rewarded!" What? Targeted only him? The behemoth froze, its thoughts racing. If it targeted only him and not the entire world, did that not mean that once this person died, the lightning would naturally disperse? A chaotic lightning tribulation struck only those doomed to die. Still... how could a mere half-step Sovereign provoke a chaotic lightning tribulation? "Little friend, there is no need to be polite. The Neo Martial Human King is known to everyone among chaotic experts! If you can receive his guidance, your future will surely be limitless... Ascending to Sovereign is just around the corner! But why did little friend provoke a chaotic lightning tribulation? Is there a way to dispel the tribulation?" Li Hao looked up at the fourth bolt gathering in the sky, appearing nervous and pressured. "There is no way to dispel it; it must be forcefully endured! The reason for this is that the newly born Great Dao of my Silver Moon World is peculiar. I devoured the Heart of the Great Dao and mastered a unique power, so the chaos must kill me..." The Heart of the Great Dao? The behemoth shook again! What kind of Great Dao Heart would make the chaos want to kill you? There were countless Great Daos under heaven, and many great worlds possessed unique Daos, yet none had been marked for death by the chaos. Why would it want to kill you? At this moment, its curiosity burned uncontrollably. Li Hao added, "Senior, I need only endure nine bolts of lightning, and I will surely attain the position of Sovereign... By then, I have hope of surviving. But the commotion here is too great and might draw Red Moon's attention, so... I beg Senior to help conceal us!" Surviving nine bolts gave hope of attaining Sovereignty? The behemoth's heart stirred once more. At the same time, the fourth bolt of lightning descended. Li Hao roared, his long sword floating into the air as the Hundred Dao Sword manifested. Hundreds of stars transformed into a long river, slashing toward the lightning. The lightning crashed down nonetheless, exploding with a thunderous roar that destroyed half of Li Hao's body! Yet the fourth bolt of lightning was extinguished as well. This fourth bolt was formidable, already approaching the power of the previous ninth bolt. The behemoth watched with inward shock. What potent lightning power! Crucially, this Master of Silver Moon, Li Hao, was actually quite strong to have blocked it! In that case, whether he could survive the ninth bolt was truly hard to say. Once this man became a Sovereign, if he could instantly master a medium-tier world... he would be at least a second-rank Sovereign. Wouldn't that make him... equal to itself? Jealousy! Envy! This was the advantage of being a world master—growing alongside the world was far more advantageous than being an unattached wanderer like itself. *Should I strike?* The behemoth debated continuously. *Should I strike now?* It definitely could not allow the man before it to survive nine bolts of lightning. Perhaps this man lacked experience, having been sealed inside Silver Moon. He knew some things about Neo Martial, but clearly knew nothing of the treacherous hearts of men. A greenhorn clutching at straws in desperation, telling it everything without reserve! How... naive! Of course, it was also possible... that he was doing it intentionally, hoping to deter it with Neo Martial? Just then, the behemoth suddenly looked into the distance, its heart jolting! Was a powerhouse rushing toward them? Could it have drawn someone else's attention? Its heart pounded! This was a newly ascended medium-tier world with a Great Dao Universe. Once discovered by someone else, it would turn into a life-or-death battle. To seize such an opportunity, even Sovereigns would fight to the death! Not good! Its massive eyes turned back to Li Hao. No, no matter what, this had to be settled quickly. It would kill this man to see if the lightning dispersed; if all went smoothly, it would swallow this world and flee immediately! At this thought, the behemoth grew eager to act! ...Below, Li Hao had shattered the fourth bolt of lightning, panting heavily as half of his body melted away. He looked up into the endless void! The true form of that colossal entity could now be vaguely discerned—it was gigantic! As large as a genuine star! For a moment, one could not even take in its entire form; only that pair of frighteningly massive eyes looked down toward him. Li Hao watched in silence. He actually hoped this behemoth would attack. If it attacked now, he would feel more at ease. Otherwise... the lightning was growing stronger and stronger. Even though he had made many preparations, he did not know when the lightning would cease. If it didn't attack now and waited until later, the King of Dali and the Queen would have no chance to block the lightning's power! Moreover, this place was likely truly not far from the Red Moon World. Li Hao also understood that delays bred trouble. Seeing the behemoth look over, he remained silent. Whether his earlier words were effective... depended on the depth of the behemoth's greed. If it was greedy, it would likely strike. Of course, if it was purely benevolent... that would be another matter entirely! At the same time, a voice sounded by his ear—it was Tianji! "We've run into a big one!" Tianji's voice was grave: "Not good. This is not one of the weakest Sovereigns; its strength is decent. Judging by its form and aura... it's probably a notch above those shoddy Sovereigns. Even if it's not equal to my true self... it's not something you can handle!" Unwelcome news. Not the weakest Sovereign. At the Sovereign level, a slight difference in rank meant an immense disparity in strength. Li Hao showed no emotion. *Not the weakest?* No wonder its aura felt far more formidable than Sovereign Shigu's. Although Shigu had been depleted for many years and lacked Great Dao support, he was fundamentally a Sovereign, and his pressure had remained unchanged—yet he was indeed not as strong as this beast! Killing it would be difficult! Moreover, it was a behemoth; killing it while keeping the corpse intact would be even harder. Perhaps... he would have to pay a price. With countless thoughts swirling in his mind, Li Hao barked softly, "The fifth bolt of lightning is coming. Everyone behind me, grant me your strength!" Soon, two long rivers extended from behind him. At that instant, the behemoth stirred. Looking at the two extending rivers, its heart leaped. This... seemed to be rivers of the Great Dao. It did not possess one, but it had seen them! Many world masters and Dao masters had condensed similar Dao rivers! There truly was a Great Dao Universe here. Its massive head turned in a certain direction, its giant eyes flashing. Someone was truly coming! This place was very close to Red Moon, so it was likely a Red Moon powerhouse! Once they arrived, it would lose its chance. It suddenly spoke up: "Not good, little friend! A Red Moon expert seems to be approaching... Little friend, this place is very close to the Red Moon Great World. The Neo Martial Human King previously seemed to have appeared nearby, but his whereabouts are currently unknown..." Even as it spoke, it kept an eye on the tribulation cloud. The fifth bolt was gathering, already approaching the power of a Sovereign. It hesitated no longer—it had to strike. In a single instant, its immense body shrank hundreds of millions of times. Resembling... the shape of an ox? Sharp horns sat atop its head, and rich chaotic aura radiated from its body. In the instant the lightning struck, this ox moved! It intended to slay this man, extinguish the lightning, swallow the world, and flee immediately! As for danger? Where would danger come from! To hell with it! In a flash, it appeared directly before Li Hao, just as the lightning fell. This Sovereign had timed it impeccably; though it did not fear Li Hao, saving some strength was always a good thing. If it could kill him smoothly and effortlessly... that would be ideal! At that exact moment, Li Hao sneered coldly, "I knew it!" In an instant, two figures manifested behind him—the King of Dali and the Queen. Instantly swapping positions, they appeared directly beneath the falling lightning. Both were scared out of their wits as Li Hao's voice boomed: "Block this lightning! If you survive, there will be benefits... Don't fear death either; once I succeed, I can naturally resurrect you both!" Yet neither was in any state of mind to listen; there was only cursing, only terror. Fuck! Li Hao was truly despicable. The two of them were weak! Mere peak Heavenly Kings. They hadn't even reached the half-step Sovereign level, yet this bolt of lightning could easily slaughter half-step Sovereigns, and he was making the two of them block it? Fortunately, it wasn't one person, but two sharing the burden. Otherwise... they might as well just lie down and die. Even so, this wasn't far from suicide. At this moment, the Queen roared, and countless streams of power from the Silver Moon World surged forth and merged into her body. The lingering remnants of Heaven's Will instantly poured into her. She could no longer afford to hide anything, filled with helplessness and grief. That bastard Li Hao definitely knew she had held something back. What an utter scoundrel! Her aura surged explosively. Originally, she had intended to make her move after Silver Moon opened, but now, how could she care about that! ... At the same time, within the Silver Moon World, Black Panther curled its lips, its canine mouth curling upward. Li Hao was truly brilliant. As expected, that Western Queen had held back a trump card. If she hadn't drained all that Heaven's Will right now, Black Panther might have become her puppet had it tried to merge with Heaven's Will. The chance had come! Now, while the Heaven's Will of Silver Moon experienced a vacuum, was the moment for it to integrate into Silver Moon. In an instant, Black Panther howled to the heavens! Boom! A tremendous devouring force erupted. Its body expanded infinitely, growing boundlessly powerful like a chaotic beast, opening its jaws to swallow the heavens—at this moment, swallowing the sky of Silver Moon! Its massive body began to collapse. Outside the gate, the Queen actually sensed some of this... but she was helpless. Gone! Li Hao, what a bastard. He would rather let a dog control Silver Moon than let her control it; it was infuriating. No wonder he insisted on forcing her to withstand a bolt of lightning! At the same time, the King of Dali roared, the gauntlets on his hands radiating dazzling light. He aged noticeably in an instant, but how could he care about that? If they didn't block it, both he and the Queen would die! Li Hao might not actually resurrect them. The two joined forces, unleashing their full power to strike toward the lightning! ... Li Hao, however, paid them no attention. Before him, two long rivers materialized, merging together as myriad Daos converged. The corporeal Dao and illusory Dao blended, and two figures vaguely emerged. Hong Yitang said nothing, while Qian Wuliang looked resigned, instantly dissolving into the river and transforming into a long sword that fell into Hong Yitang's hand. Holding the long sword, Hong Yitang struck out—not in an offensive move... but in defense! Earth-Overturning Sword! As if upending chaos itself, it stood before Li Hao. At the same moment, the behemoth struck, thrusting its ox horn forward. Even though the Earth-Overturning Sword's defense was peerless, even though the dual Daos had merged, even though the Dao of the myriad people was united... The formidable Earth-Overturning Sword cracked instantly! Qian Wuliang's scream rang out! This Sovereign was no ordinary Sovereign; it was a notch above. Two Great Dao masters joining forces and uniting the Daos of the people could not withstand a single thrust of its horn. One could easily imagine how terrifying this chaotic beast was. And this was merely a drifter roaming the chaos. A look of contempt surfaced in the giant ox's eyes. Quite a few tricks! Unfortunately, you underestimate a second-rank Sovereign too much. In the chaos, experts were plentiful. To the Neo Martial Human King and his ilk, it might not be strong, but who among those able to wander the chaos was weak? What was even more interesting... these two seemed to be part of the Great Dao Universe. Swallowing them might... allow it to devour the entire Great Dao Universe. A look of delight appeared in the giant ox's eyes! Li Hao's methods were not worth mentioning before it. You are not a Sovereign; you simply have no concept of how formidable a Sovereign truly is! At that exact instant, a sword of time burst forth from behind the Earth-Overturning Sword, equally powerful—no weaker than the combined strength of the two earlier. It struck out, colliding with the ox horn! Boom! The ox horn unleashed terrifying chaotic power that swept in all directions. The Sky Sword shuddered, faint cracks appearing upon it. As the blade was deflected, the horn punched straight through the Earth-Overturning Sword, knocked the Sky Sword aside, and slammed directly into Li Hao's chest! A sure-kill strike! No matter your myriad tricks, they were laughingstocks before absolute power. Li Hao had claimed that Great Dao masters uniting could block a Sovereign... but that only applied to beings like Sovereign Shigu. This ox was clearly stronger! Boom! The giant ox had assumed this strike would kill Li Hao on the spot, shattering him into dust. Yet when it truly struck Li Hao, an intense agony suddenly flared. On Li Hao's chest, a small plaque suddenly glowed with a faint luster. An illusory figure emerged, exceedingly faint, yet undeniably present. Without any fanfare, the phantom threw a punch! Cracks instantly appeared across the ox horn! "Ow!" A scream, utterly unlike an ox, tore out. The giant ox's heart shook violently. What was that? The Human King's plaque! Li Hao had planned for this; putting away the Human King's plaque earlier had been precisely for this moment, though he hadn't expected to use it so soon. And what he needed was this single instant. The Human King's plaque was, after all, merely a plaque; it could not truly slay a Sovereign. The long river instantly coiled around the giant ox! Right then, a sword intent surfaced within the long river. Originally in a scattered state, it instantly coalesced, and a genuine Longevity Sword Intent emerged within the waters. An illusory figure materialized, looking remarkably like the Sword Venerable! The giant ox seemed to recognize it as well, turning pale with fright. The Sword Venerable, the Longevity Sword! This was the being who had previously slain the master of a medium-tier world—a master of considerable seniority, likely at the fourth rank! To slay a fourth-rank Sovereign... just how strong was the Sword Venerable? Fifth rank? Sixth rank? Who knew! Sensing the manifestation of the Longevity Sword Intent, feeling as though it were real, the ox was utterly shocked. This place was truly worthy of being an affiliated world of Neo Martial, harboring so many treasures and trump cards! Evade! It wanted to dodge, to avoid this sword. At that moment, Li Hao moved. The long river shook heaven and earth as the Time Star flared with light. Just as the giant ox was about to flee, it felt as though it had sunk into a quagmire; suddenly, time seemed to flow backward. The step it had just taken... retreated instantly! Li Hao's face turned ghastly pale. Forcing time to reverse for a Sovereign, even for an instant... was sheer torment. His body shuddered violently! The long river thrashed wildly. At its terminus, Er Mao flicked its tail resignedly, steadying the river. Yet the giant ox experienced that momentary reversal of time, horror dawning in its eyes! Time? Impossible! Before it could think further, evasion was no longer an option. A formidable sword intent, wielded by that phantom, slashed down! Slaying all things! Ten thousand Daos return to one! The sword cleaved down from the horn, piercing straight through the ox's body. The giant ox's eyes widened in sheer disbelief and shock. Inside its body, boundless chaotic power collapsed instantly, and its life force began to extinguish! Yet... it was a Sovereign roaming the chaos! A true Sovereign! Did a single sword strike from the Sword Venerable think it could kill it so easily? It suddenly let out a deafening bellow, its body instantly expanding. Chaotic aura roiled around it, and boundless chaotic power surged toward it. At this moment, how could the giant ox care about exposing itself? It had nearly died here! If it, a second-rank Sovereign, were slain by a group of non-Sovereigns... even in death, it would become the laughingstock of the chaos! Overcoming higher realms had existed since ancient times. Yet non-Sovereigns killing Sovereigns was virtually unheard of. Even if it happened... it was only against the weakest Sovereigns. It was no weakling! Even if the other party had used the Sword Venerable's sword intent... it still wasn't enough! Inside its body, the chaotic power and life force eroded by this sword strike began to recover slowly... As long as it could wear away this sword strike, it would not die! The life force of a Sovereign, the life force of a chaotic beast, was something the man before it could never comprehend. *As long as I survive... you are dead!* At that very moment, Li Hao's eyes filled with madness and chilling slaughter. Suddenly, the long river trembled violently, and the sword strike that had already been unleashed... began to coalesce once more! Time reversal! As though surfacing from the past, that sword strike actually materialized again. Li Hao's body trembled violently; he gritted his teeth so hard they instantly turned to ash! According to his plan... a first-rank Sovereign would have been slain on the spot! Yet the one who came was second-rank. In that case, he had to take a greater risk, be even more aggressive! Within the long river, the Longevity Sword Intent converged once more. The giant ox's eyes filled with absolute horror! How is this possible? Li Hao's gaze was ice-cold. He, too, had sensed something... There might be other powerhouses coming, definitely more than one Sovereign! He had to end this quickly and kill this one first! Otherwise... Silver Moon was doomed! In that instant of reversing time, the lightning power in the sky suddenly surged. The King of Dali, currently charred black by the lightning, yelled in terror, "Fuck!" How could this be? The power of time had once again provoked the lightning to strengthen. Li Hao's move was drinking poison to quench thirst! Constantly using the power of time without being able to completely shield it meant he would sooner or later be blasted to death by the lightning. But at this critical juncture, who cared? The second sword intent materialized! The giant ox's eyes were filled with dread: "No... Someone from Red Moon is coming! This Sovereign can help you block them..." It had just taken a sword strike and was at its weakest. Facing another, it would undoubtedly die. The Sword Venerable's strikes usually came only once. Two strikes... even if it was sword intent from many years ago, not the real Sword Venerable himself, it was not something the beast could withstand! It was a Sovereign! Buzz! The long sword fused into the Sky Sword, sword intent erupting—ten thousand Daos return to one, ten thousand swords unite! The sword slashed down! Just like before, the giant ox was utterly unable to dodge, consumed by terror. *I am a Sovereign...* Bang! The long sword cleaved downward, pouring in sword intent that shredded all vitality. The giant ox's eyes revealed resentment, defiance, and despair... How could this be? This was supposed to be its great fortune... Why did it end like this? They were just a group of non-Sovereigns! If there had been even a single Sovereign present, it would have been wary... but there wasn't! Why did it turn out like this? The light in its eyes gradually dimmed. A powerhouse of immense might had its life extinguished beneath two strikes of the Sword Venerable's sword intent. At that moment, Li Hao coughed violently, vomiting blood tainted with an aura of deathly stillness. "Seize!" Li Hao's voice was faint. In that instant, the Silver Moon World shuddered violently, and a spectral dog suddenly charged out from the Star Gate, heading straight for the giant ox's corpse. It dove into the ox's body in a flash! Boom! A thunderous roar echoed from within the massive chaotic beast, its body expanding infinitely once more, unfurling like a star! Hong Yitang and the others were shocked! This was... Heaven's Will possessing a body? Li Hao had actually transformed Black Panther into Heaven's Will! Boom! While Black Panther was still seizing the beast's corpse, the Queen and the King of Dali screamed. The King of Dali's physical body collapsed in an instant, and the Queen shrieked as she was nearly reduced entirely to ashes! Right then, Li Hao reached out to grab them as the lightning struck. A single hand and a single head flew back, tumbling into Silver Moon. The hand belonged to the King of Dali. The head belonged to the Queen... with only half of it remaining. Yet both had survived. At this hair-trigger moment, despite his condition being deteriorated to the absolute limit, Li Hao still intercepted the lightning. The fifth bolt died out, but the sixth was already arriving in an instant—and it was far stronger than before. Li Hao's use of time to reverse the Sword Venerable's sword intent seemed to have thoroughly infuriated the lightning! At the same time, in the distance, a towering figure materialized. Looking toward this place, it was visibly shaken. Silver Moon... had ascended! And that... was the wanderer of this region, the Chaotic Demonic Behemoth? Was it... dead? Or what? Shaken to the core, it wondered: what on earth had transpired here?