Departure

Just as Li Hao had said, by forsaking the Dao of Time for another path—even the Dao of Life and Death—attaining the Sovereign rank seemed not particularly difficult for him. Of course, that was only true for him. An ordinary person... simply could not do it. A cycle of life and death was virtually impossible to pull off in the first place. Second, the chaotic lightning tribulation was commonplace to Li Hao; having undergone tribulation so many times, the chaotic lightning tribulation seemed almost made for him. Under normal circumstances, a newly ascended Sovereign would likely find such a tribulation nearly impossible to withstand. Yet beneath Li Hao's sword... it had parted like tofu. These two points alone shattered anyone else's illusions of replicating the feat. A Sovereign of Life and Death was far from an ordinary Sovereign. Any existence capable of provoking a chaotic lightning tribulation could never be simple, so everyone felt immense envy. Even if Li Hao himself was reluctant... all of Silver Moon seemed to be cheering for him. At this moment, everyone gathered in a circle. Seasoned experts like Zhang An, who had yet to cross into the Sovereign rank, were even more envious. Looking at Li Hao's youthful face, Zhang An was momentarily lost in thought. Li Hao was nearly twenty-two. According to him, opening the Star Gate marked the start of a new calendar, and with the new year, he was effectively twenty-two. Zhang An recalled back: when the Human King had achieved the Sovereign realm, unified the realm... and even become an extraordinary, top-tier Sovereign, he hadn't been very old either—perhaps... slightly younger than Li Hao. The Human King had entered the academy at eighteen and practically unified the realm three years later. Yet the Human King's era and this era were fundamentally different. Li Hao truly had become the Human King of this era. A Sovereign of Life and Death! Li Hao had only formally stepped onto the first stage of the martial path at the age of twenty. All sorts of thoughts surfaced. As the giant beast continued navigating the chaos, Zhang An spoke up: "Li Hao, in your eyes, are the Dao of Life and Death and the Dao of Yin and Yang completely different? Which is stronger: Life and Death, or Yin and Yang?" Hearing this, the others—including Tianji—instantly grew intrigued. They were genuinely curious! The Human King could be considered a Yin-Yang Sovereign, right? Naturally, such supreme beings wielded many Great Daos, but there were always a few paramount Daos serving as their foundation. The Neo Martial world where the Human King resided was a Yin-Yang World, which showed what dominated that world. Back when the Human King had slain the Heavenly Emperor, he had reversed Yin and Yang, reviving the fallen warriors, opening the two realms of Yin and Yang, and completing the energy cycle within the Great World. Yet the Dao of Life and Death sounded tremendously formidable as well. Seeing their interest, Li Hao smiled. "There are tens of thousands of Great Daos, and fundamentally they are much the same. As for which is stronger, doesn't it ultimately depend on how well you cultivate and apply it?" Evidently, this answer did not satisfy them. Seeing their expressions, Li Hao added, "Of course, Daos do differ in their profundities!" As the youngest cultivator present, it was a rare sight for Li Hao to preach the Dao and explain the differences between Daos to the group. Yet it was true that among those present, Li Hao's comprehension of Dao was likely the deepest. "Take Life and Death versus Yin and Yang..." Li Hao pondered a moment before saying, "Yin and Yang represent two opposite sides, hardness and softness complementing each other! Reversing Yin and Yang allowed Neo Martial to revive everyone—though strictly speaking, it wasn't resurrection... it was reversing the extreme of Yang into the extreme of Yin! Then, from the extreme of Yin, cultivating the extreme of Yang to restore them to life!" "Whereas Life and Death... the Dao of Life and Death actually lacks the power of resurrection!" Everyone was taken aback. The Dao of Life and Death actually couldn't resurrect anyone? Li Hao continued, "The defining trait of the Dao of Life and Death lies in the collision between origin and culmination..." Tianji could not hold back. "Say something we can actually understand! Keep it crisp and direct!" "..." Rendered speechless, Li Hao had no choice but to explain, "Simply put, in terms of offensive methods, the Dao of Life and Death hinges on two things. First, draining vitality! Accelerating aging... It looks similar to the Dao of Time, but it is different. The Dao of Life and Death only affects living vitality; it has no effect on inanimate objects! I can cause a Sovereign to die of old age, but I cannot make his weapon decay... Meanwhile, Time encompasses life and death. Be it person or object, both age together; as time flows, even weapons turn into scrap iron!" "Second, just as the power of life can be drained, the power of death can as well... One can keep a dying person hanging on by a thread by drawing out their death aura... or inject death aura into someone to annihilate them!" Though it sounded simple, upon reflection, everyone found it rather terrifying. To be able to drain vitality, inject death aura, and plunge even a Sovereign into decrepitude was exceedingly formidable. Sovereigns rarely aged or withered. Yet judging by Li Hao's words, he should be capable of doing just that. "Can't Yin and Yang do that?" Li Hao shook his head. "No... Of course, as long as you are powerful enough, any Dao will do. If you are strong enough to grab a Sovereign and cleave him in two with a single blade, death descends just the same—there is no difference! Whether Yin and Yang or Life and Death, each has its unique strengths. But for now, the Dao of Yin and Yang simply reversing Yin and Yang to bring the dead back to life is already extraordinarily potent!" Hearing this, Tianji pressed no further. Many in Neo Martial did not delve deeply into the nuances of various Great Daos. Once they reached the Sovereign rank, they simply adhered to their own Daos and paid little heed to others. Tianji dropped the subject and immediately asked, "Then what about you now... if that giant beast from earlier appeared and you fought it alone, do you think you could win?" All Tianji knew was that he was likely slightly stronger than that giant beast, but not as strong as the Red Moon Sovereign from earlier. Strictly speaking, he was at the peak of the second rank of Sovereigns, having failed to break into the third rank. Of course, that was many years ago... relatively speaking, in the chaotic universe, only fifty-odd years had passed. Still, Neo Martial experts campaigned constantly across different realms, so their progress should not be slow. By now, if his true body had good fortune, it should be no weaker than that Red Moon Sovereign. He wanted to know whether Li Hao, having ascended via the Dao of Life and Death, could rapidly reach that level. Li Hao smiled at the question and offered no reply. Tianji blinked, quickly caught on, and cursed under his breath. *Fuck!* *You can really match him?* While Li Hao remained silent, Er Mao, who had stayed quiet the whole time, mumbled, "Of course he can... Before ascending, he could already deal with ordinary Sovereigns. Now that he has formally crossed into the Sovereign rank, the Dao of Life and Death is hardly simple either!" Alongside their surprise, everyone felt a surge of excitement. For Silver Moon, the emergence of a Sovereign—and a potent one at that—benefited the entire world. Moreover, Li Hao had reached the Sovereign rank at extraordinary speed. This time, he had started afresh, putting everything at an absolute peak: no weakness, no decay, no aging. His physical body was now in its youngest, most pristine condition. A Li Hao like this would surely make even greater strides going forward. Yuan Shuo spoke up as well: "Then after becoming a Sovereign, how do you advance? From what we've seen, Sovereigns aren't all the same; there are strong ones and weak ones..." Li Hao replied, "For now, the focus is still on strengthening the Dao of Life and Death! At the same time, I'll continue enhancing other Great Daos to achieve an overall cultivation improvement. However, in this state, it is difficult to trigger a true transformation! To achieve a metamorphosis, it's best to cultivate more Great Daos. For instance, if I cultivate Yin and Yang next, using the unification of Yin and Yang as a foundation to drive the entire river of Great Daos forward, I could undergo a second transformation..." Tianji asked, "A second transformation? Similar to that Red Moon Sovereign earlier?" "No, he hadn't achieved it!" Li Hao shook his head. "Once my Dao of Life and Death grows a bit stronger, I should be able to match him! The transformation I'm talking about isn't like his; it's a metamorphosis to a higher stage!" Tianji's heart stirred. He glanced at Zhang An. Zhang An's eyes flickered as he said, "We aren't entirely sure how the chaotic universe specifically categorizes Sovereigns. However, years ago when I traveled in another Great World, I heard some things. Sovereigns should be divided into several major stages... generally based on the limit of a Minor World Lord, the limit of a Medium World Lord, and the limit of a Great World Lord, forming three major stages!" "The transformation you mentioned... that second transformation should mean stepping into the Medium World Lord level, perhaps even its peak..." Li Hao nodded, looking thoughtful. "At the Sovereign rank, all practitioners integrate Daos into their bodies. Even chaotic beasts cultivate a form of Dao—the Dao of the physical body! If we look at it through the lens of Minor, Medium, and Great Worlds, it can indeed be divided into three stages... Each stage has its own differences in strength! The chaotic beast earlier and that Red Moon Sovereign should both belong to the first stage, and Shigu should have been in the first stage as well..." "In that case, without undergoing a true transformation, the first stage can roughly be divided into three tiers!" Li Hao drew a light breath. "It seems the disparity between Sovereigns is quite substantial! Taking Neo Martial as an example, based on what you senior figures have said, Senior Tianji is most likely in the first stage, while figures like the Blood Sovereign are likely in the second stage, and the Human King and the Cang Emperor are perhaps in the third stage!" Neo Martial was truly not weak. Besides the Cang Emperor and the Human King, the Sun God was also said to have reached that level, as well as the Heavenly Emperor who had been slain back then... Of course, that was in the past; it was hard to say whether that Heavenly Emperor had been in the second stage or the third stage. In any case, none of them were existences the current Li Hao could match. The gulf remained vast! Putting Neo Martial aside for the moment, the crucial issue was the Red Moon Great World! That was also a Great World—one capable of rivaling or even surpassing Neo Martial... If Silver Moon crossed paths with Red Moon, the other side would show no mercy; Li Hao had already killed two of their Sovereigns! From the looks of it, if a first-stage expert like that Red Moon Sovereign came again, Li Hao combined with Black Panther, the fused twin Dao Lords, and Er Mao... dealing with the opponent wouldn't be as difficult now, and they were confident they could slay him again. Yet if a second-stage expert arrived... that would be an entirely different story. They would most likely be no match. "We know far too little about the chaos!" Li Hao looked toward the boundless void, frowning slightly. "And right now we cannot go looking for Neo Martial... Therefore, it would be best if we could find a relatively friendly and not too powerful chaos drifter to learn about the situation! At the very least, we need to know the basics." Right now, everything was based on guesswork. The real problem was that drifting aimlessly like this could be disastrous if they drifted into the domain of some Great World. He turned to look at the others. "That aside, now that the Silver Moon world has advanced and I have refined the Dao of Life and Death somewhat, Uncle-Master Hong, Hongyu, Qian Wuliang—the three of you have high hopes of quickly ascending to the Sovereign rank!" The three exchanged glances; they hadn't felt that at all. Li Hao added, "Hongyu aside, if you spend time contemplating the star of life and death I condensed earlier, it shouldn't be a problem! Of course, when you become a Sovereign, you might also be a Sovereign of the Dao of Life and Death... but you'll probably be slightly weaker than me, since your foundation isn't as deep as mine!" Lin Hongyu didn't mind that part so much. Instead, she furrowed her brows. "Then do I... have to undergo rebirth like you did?" Was that... really a good idea? Li Hao said, "That would be ideal! After all... like me, you once summoned a future body—and a dead future body at that... It likely left behind quite a few hidden drawbacks. Walking the path anew wouldn't be too difficult for you. Most importantly... you could become younger, and perhaps advance rapidly just like me... That way, you wouldn't be over thirty anymore..." "..." Lin Hongyu was struck speechless! *I...* She genuinely felt like cursing! The others were equally rendered speechless. At a time like this, did such a thing really matter? To a Sovereign, was there any significant difference between being thirty-something, three-hundred-something, or even thirty-thousand-something? Li Hao... wasn't he being a bit too particular? Wasn't this guy usually so open-minded? So what if she was a little older than you? Lin Hongyu had no response to that, so she ignored the remark and asked instead, "If I take the path of Life and Death, won't I also have to face the chaotic lightning tribulation? You can withstand it... but I probably can't! You aren't merely a Sovereign of Life and Death; your sword intent is immensely powerful, and you have dipped into other Great Daos. Whereas I... my comprehension of Dao isn't as deep as yours. Can I survive the Tribulation of Life and Death?" She was no Li Hao. It wasn't as if every cultivator of the Dao of Life and Death could successfully overcome the tribulation—otherwise, the chaotic lightning tribulation would lose its purpose. The tribulation existed precisely to test and eliminate Sovereigns of Life and Death. Li Hao had resolved it with ease because of his supreme offensive prowess, not solely the Dao of Life and Death. Li Hao nodded. "It won't be a big problem! Your star has already entered my River of Life and Death... In truth, you cultivate the same Dao as I do. When you face your tribulation, at worst I will lend you the Great Dao power of the river. Even by wearing it down gradually, you should be able to grind through it! The chaotic lightning tribulation should only have nine strikes. The final strike likely possesses the full-power strike of an expert at the level of that chaotic beast... If you withstand that, you'll be fine!" Hearing this, the onlookers felt both envy and dread. A full-power blow from a chaotic beast was no small matter. For an ordinary, newly ascended Sovereign... whose strength had yet to undergo a major leap, being struck dead by a single blow was entirely possible. As expected, this path was not for ordinary people. Yet because Lin Hongyu had merged into Li Hao's river and become virtually one with it, she could rely on Li Hao's foundation to grind through it by sheer force. Indeed, when one person achieved the Dao, even their dogs and chickens ascended! Tianji and the others were not surprised. Back when the Human King and his peers successfully ascended, how many people had forcefully become Sovereigns by leaning on them? That too had been a case of one man ascending and lifting all his associates. Every era had such fortunes. Li Hao turned to Hong Yitang and the others. "Now that chaos has connected with our Silver Moon, things will be much simpler for the two of you. It will just take a little time. The entire populace is advancing... and all of Silver Moon is inhaling and exhaling the chaotic energy as the world ascends. In truth, even if the two of you didn't cultivate, given enough time, you would naturally become Sovereigns!" "Even a Minor World naturally produces Sovereigns, to say nothing of a Medium World... Silver Moon is bound to give birth to several Sovereigns!" These individuals were all reaping the dividends of Silver Moon's ascension. For the Great Dao Lords of a Medium World, becoming Sovereigns was merely a matter of time, carrying little difficulty. The real difficulty lay in everyone else beyond these few... For anyone else to become a Sovereign would be extraordinarily hard. Including Yuan Shuo! Li Hao glanced sideways at Yuan Shuo. His teacher had tremendous talent, but... after all, he had died once, and subsequent opportunities had been scarce. Now that the Great Dao Universe had been divided up, for him to attain the Sovereign rank... the difficulty was immense! Yuan Shuo was most adept at the Five Elements Dao. If he took complete control of the Five Elements and became a Five Elements Sovereign, there was indeed hope. However... not even the Great Dao Lords had become Sovereigns yet. Only after these two Great Dao Lords became Sovereigns first, causing the Chaotic River to grow powerful and the entire populace's Five Elements to flourish, would Yuan Shuo—wielding the Five Elements—stand a chance to follow them as a Five Elements Sovereign. Furthermore, just as Lin Hongyu could not surpass Li Hao, Yuan Shuo would likewise be unable to surpass the two Great Dao Lords. No matter how strong a branch was, it could hardly rival the main trunk. At this point, Li Hao suddenly asked, "By the way, Senior Zhang, can you sense the existence of the Origin Universe?" Zhang An started, then shook his head. "No!" Li Hao nodded slightly. It seemed that the Great Dao Universe's range of influence was still limited. Formidable though the Origin Universe was, its reach still could not extend here. Yet last time, outside Silver Moon by the boundary barrier, he had seemed to sense the existence of the Origin Universe. Could it be... Neo Martial was nearby at that time? Surely not? If Neo Martial had been nearby, why hadn't they come looking for Silver Moon back then? According to what he knew, that shouldn't have been the case. Li Hao did not know that the Neo Martial Human King had actually hovered on the periphery of Red Moon for over ten years—which, converted, amounted to twenty or thirty thousand years in Silver Moon. During that span, he had passed near Silver Moon a few times, his influence radiating over it. He might have only briefly passed by, yet his effect on Silver Moon could last decades or centuries. Now that Silver Moon had emerged into the open, under the buffeting of chaos and with the Human King's departure, it could no longer be sensed. Without the Origin Universe, Zhang An's Old Dao remained frail. Unable to seamlessly fuse the new and old Daos, Zhang An would find it even harder to step into the Sovereign rank than Qian Wuliang and the others. Li Hao calculated silently. According to Tianji and the others, an ordinary Medium World had at least three to five Sovereigns. Presently, Silver Moon still fell short of a normal Medium World. Only when the two Great Dao Lords advanced, alongside Black Panther, himself, and Lin Hongyu, and preferably with himself reaching the second stage, would it truly qualify as a bona fide Medium World. Otherwise, their current strength wasn't much different from a Minor World's. Silver Moon had advanced too quickly. "Black Panther!" Saying no more, Li Hao instructed, "Search for any signs of life and try to make contact with some chaotic creatures! Nothing too strong... If you encounter that kind, get away immediately!" "Woof!" The giant beast let out a dog's bark. By now, the giant beast's form had undergone subtle alterations—Black Panther was reshaping it in hopes of molding it into the likeness of a dog. However, he had possessed it for too short a time, so completely reshaping it into a dog was still a long way off. ... At that moment, the giant beast continued roaming through the chaos. Back where Li Hao and the others had undergone tribulation, a formidable figure manifested. Sensing the chaotic aura, he looked into the distance, frowning slightly. The Silver Moon world had actually vanished. Which meant... it had either been carried off by someone or swallowed whole. Should he pursue? He could still sense a faint residual aura; pursuing it, he might catch up. However... the specifics were unclear. Once he stepped outside the Red Moon Great World's domain, though he could still employ the power of the Great Dao within the chaos, losing the home-field advantage would be troublesome. Reinforcements would be hard to come by as well! In truth, Black Panther carrying the Silver Moon world hadn't traveled very far yet. Pursuing right now, there was a good chance of quickly tracking them down. Yet at this juncture, this powerful fourth-rank Sovereign hesitated. On Neo Martial's end, the conquest of two Great Worlds had put immense pressure on Red Moon. The Neo Martial Human King might still be lurking nearby. If he ended up alone and ran into the Human King... the man had already slain seventh-rank Sovereigns; would he care about adding another fourth-rank Sovereign to his tally? After repeated consideration, this Sovereign opted not to step beyond Red Moon's domain. He merely gazed into the distance. This was north of Red Moon, and further north lay another Great World. In the vast chaos, east, south, west, and north were not arbitrarily defined. Chaos had no directions; only later were directions established. Ordinary people found them hard to discern, but knowing one thing was enough: the further north one went, the more chaotic it became. Over there, things were far more turbulent than in this chaotic region. This place had actually remained relatively calm until Red Moon and Neo Martial went to war, throwing local affairs into turmoil. Yet up north, things were said to be even wilder. Had the Silver Moon world headed in that direction? ... At the same time. In the Yin-Yang World, an immense cat—far larger than Black Panther's current form—was soaring through the chaotic void. Having just breached the Bliss World, Neo Martial had chosen to depart. If they didn't leave, they might face encirclement by multiple Great World Lords. This time, Neo Martial had completely raised the curtain on a chaos-wide war. Slaying two Great World Lords in a single day posed an immense threat to neighboring worlds. Though worlds could relocate, moving a Great World was exceptionally difficult. Moreover, chaos was boundless; no one knew what they might encounter by moving about recklessly. The chaos harbored countless dangers. Having been born in this region and endured for countless ages, worlds generally did not drift about unless driven to extreme necessity. Meanwhile, inside the Yin-Yang World. Within a grand hall. A Sovereign was feeling terribly torn. Above, the Supreme spoke: "Tianji, as of now, only your clone remains within the Silver Moon realm, and only you can pinpoint Silver Moon's location!" "Silver Moon has just unsealed the Star Gate and joined with the chaos, and its circumstances are uncertain. Under these conditions... guiding Silver Moon's return is the best option!" Below, Tianji was agonizing over the task. How dangerous was that! He could vaguely sense his clone's position, but... it was very, very far away! With his strength having only recently crossed into the third-rank Sovereign level, trying to chase down Silver Moon... who knew how long it would take? Chaos was far too vast! Take a single wrong step, and correcting it would cost an eternity. Worst of all... he would have to traverse the territories of several Great Worlds. How was that any different from seeking death? Right now, Neo Martial was practically an enemy to all! "Supreme..." Helpless, Tianji pleaded, "Can I not go? From what I can tell, the Silver Moon world might... might be in motion, not stationary. The position of my clone seems to be shifting! Maybe... it got swallowed whole by a chaotic beast?" The damn thing was still moving. If it stayed put, it would be easier to find. But with it moving, tracking it down would be even harder! The Supreme merely looked at him with a faint, knowing smile. Tianji felt resigned; whenever this man smiled like that... no good would come of it! His head throbbed. If he had his way, he would rather sleep until the next era. Who knew when he would finally outlive these troublemakers? Being strong was pointless; what mattered was living long. The Heavenly Emperor had been strong too, and look—he was dead. Most of the people from his era were dead, yet he, Tianji, had survived until now, outlasting era after era... Right now, going to find Silver Moon was far too hazardous. The Supreme chuckled. "Getting you to do anything is truly pulling teeth!" Tianji wore an innocent look. "It's not that... I'm not refusing, it's just... it's too far! As I see it, I'd have to cross the Red Moon Great World! If I take a detour, it could take decades... I'm too weak. I'm not the Human King, who can cross the chaos at will." "By the time I find Silver Moon, it might already be gone..." The Supreme chuckled and pondered for a moment before saying, "This time, in breaching the Bliss World and shattering their world and Great Dao Universe, if you are willing to go, I will grant you one-tenth of the World Source! You are already a third-rank Sovereign. If you devour one-tenth of a Great World's source, it is equivalent to an entire Medium World... Your ascension to the fourth rank will be just around the corner!" "Miss this opportunity, and reaching the fourth rank will be harder than ascending to heaven!" He looked at Tianji. "It isn't that I'm determined to guide Silver Moon back, but there are many Neo Martial people in Silver Moon! Silver Moon was sealed away from the chaos for who knows how many years; I can't say for sure." "Yet those people have been away from their homeland for far too long!" The Supreme sighed softly. "Over the past fifty-odd years, we tried searching as well, but... Silver Moon was sealed and concealed itself. The chaos is vast, and with powerful enemies at our flanks, we never managed to find it..." Tianji complained inwardly: *You just want to find your grandson.* *Why dress it up in such lofty words!* *Well, your grandson really is over there.* Just as he thought that, the Supreme added, "Actually, it's not for Zhang An. If Zhang An dies, so be it... The key is that Er Mao is over there! Don't force me to have the lazy cat speak to you... otherwise, you know what happens..." Tianji's expression changed, thoroughly speechless! *Fucking scaring me with the cat again!* *Do you think I was born yesterday?* Just as the thought crossed his mind, a voice suddenly piped up in his ear: "Meow, meow... Little Tianji, are you going to look for Er Mao?" "..." Tianji was completely without words. *I...* *If I say no, what will you do to me?* *Eat me?* Probably... not quite. The Supreme and the others wouldn't really let that happen. But... but being turned into a dried fish, hung up to dry, and toyed with by the cat for years was practically guaranteed. Then again, being toyed with for a while wasn't the end of the world... He could just treat it as taking a nap! The problem was, this cat was sometimes muddleheaded; when half-asleep, it might actually eat the dried fish... If that happened, all bets were off! What rotten luck! He didn't want this assignment in the slightest. Even with the temptation of reaching the fourth-rank Sovereign, he had little interest. But now, he could only resign himself: "Fine, fine, fine, I'll go! I'll go, alright? But my speed is too slow..." The Supreme smiled. "No matter. A few days ago, the God Casting Envoy happened to forge a chaos voyage ship—what a coincidence... It's very fast, comparable to the speed of a fourth- or fifth-rank Sovereign. Steering this ship, your speed will increase drastically. You won't even need to determine directions in the chaos; just follow the direction of your clone. In three to five years at most, you should find them!" At this point, he added, "Of course, if Red Moon and Neo Martial have already gone to war by then, you don't have to come back. For you, that would actually be safer! If war hasn't broken out yet... you can bring our people back." Tianji's interest piqued, and he nodded. "That works!" As if having seen right through him long ago, the Supreme chuckled. "Furthermore, if the people of Silver Moon are unwilling to come along, let it be! Silver Moon has likely birthed a king of its own!" "Of course, knowing your personality, you prefer less trouble to more. If they refuse to come, you'll be only too glad!" Tianji gave an embarrassed smile. *What kind of talk is that?* *As if I'd think that way!* "Also, if you go alone, I worry you'll find a spot midway to snooze away and refuse to continue... You're entirely capable of doing that. Let King Huai accompany you!" Tianji's mouth fell open. Was that... appropriate? King Huai was even more terrified of death than he was! Weren't they afraid the two of them would fall asleep together and not go at all? The Supreme wore an ambiguous smile. "I'm not worried about King Huai being like you. Though King Huai fears death, he also desires to grow stronger. As long as he brings people back, I'll make the call to give him ten percent of the Great World Source. Having just crossed into the second rank, devouring that would give him hope of reaching the third or even fourth rank... King Huai is far more proactive than you!" "The reason I'm sending him with you is that aside from fearing death, King Huai is exceptionally vigilant. Surviving until now is a testament to his capability... With the two of you together, combat prowess aside, preserving your lives is practically guaranteed! I don't want you losing your life just to look for Zhang An and the others—otherwise, your father wouldn't be pleased either!" At this, he added with a smile, "Were it not for the possibility of war breaking out at any moment, sending your father might have been best!" His father was also an expert who kept an extraordinarily low profile—even more cowardly and evasive than Tianji. A bona fide veteran Sovereign! The Western Emperor among the Nine Emperors and Four Sovereigns was now a fifth-rank Sovereign. In terms of strength, he was substantially more formidable than ordinary Medium World Lords. Alas... the fellow lacked ambition or desire; if he could lie down, he would never stand. Unless the Great World Source was handed over in its entirety, getting him to do any work was nearly impossible. Tianji curled his lip and said nothing. *My father?* *If my father knew it was me going and not him, he'd be overjoyed!* *If I don't go, he might have to... After all, aside from me sensing my clone, my father might be able to sense it through our bloodline connection.* "Fine, King Huai it is... His strength may be mediocre, but he's got a knack for running away..." *Pot, meet kettle,* the Supreme chuckled silently before concluding, "Before you go, pay a visit to the Longevity Sword and ask if he has anything to say. Furthermore..." He paused in thought, frowning slightly. "The new king of Silver Moon may specialize in the Dao of Time. That Dao is exceptionally powerful and unique, but it also... attracts far too much attention! They were previously north of Red Moon, and now they should be shifting even further north... Over there, it's even more chaotic!" "Even more chaotic?" Tianji was startled. Knowing he had spooked him, the Supreme quickly added, "Of course, the Silver Moon world moves slowly. You should be able to catch up before they reach the Chaotic Domain!" Tianji rolled his eyes. *That's hardly a given.* "In short, when you meet Silver Moon's new king, given your temperament and the fact that your clone is still around, you should be able to gauge the situation accurately, so conflicts shouldn't arise... Tell that new king that Silver Moon originated from Neo Martial. Even if he is unwilling to return to our Neo Martial, that is fine. But if he finds himself unable to get by, he can always seek refuge with us!" With that, a jade pendant materialized before Tianji. "Give this to that new king!" Catching it and glancing down, Tianji looked at the Supreme suspiciously. "This isn't one of your clones, is it?" "How could it be!" The Supreme chuckled, while Tianji offered a stiff smile. *With you, it's hard to say.* *You pull this stunt all the time!* *A clone could conveniently monitor whether I'm working or not. Truly... infuriating!* "Alright, off you go!" The Supreme didn't bother saying more; with so much on his plate right now, he had no mind to chatter with this fellow. Tianji didn't linger either. Resigned, he turned and left. *What senseless misfortune!* *Had I known that leaving a guard on Silver Moon back then would lead to this, you couldn't have paid me enough to accept that mission.* *What a headache!* *I thought my clone would just take a nap and that would be that.* When he walked out of the grand hall, another expert—middle-aged in appearance, wearing a humble expression and an eager smile—was already waiting outside. "Senior Tianji, I have received the Supreme's command. When do we set off?" Tianji was speechless. "Are you in a rush to reincarnate?" "..." The man didn't take offense, his smile remaining intact. "Not at all. I just worry that if the Supreme waits too long, he'll toss the two of us to the front lines as frontline combatants. Though you and I are Sovereigns, compared to the others... we fall far short." With a great war looming, taking this mission came with benefits, and fleeing the scene wasn't a bad deal either. "What's the hurry!" Tianji grumbled, speaking as he walked: "There are plenty of dangers on the way! And the return journey is even more perilous! What's more, it's hard to say whether that new king of Silver Moon will even release our people..." The middle-aged King Huai started slightly, then nodded. "True! Kings of a new era are universally full of pride. But no matter, that's why you and I were chosen to go. We'll keep a low profile; neither of us cares about face anyway. At worst, we'll swallow our pride, say a few polite words, and beg him for a favor... That shouldn't be too hard, right?" "..." Tianji was speechless. *Motherfucker, you're even more shameless than I am!* Then again, the Supreme sending the two of them away at this particular moment... wasn't it also a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'? With war looming, if the two of them acted timid and cowardly and disgraced Neo Martial, throwing them out of sight was better than keeping them around to cause headaches. He couldn't shake the feeling of being discarded! How tragic! He couldn't be bothered to say any more and went to see the Sword Venerable. That little kid... he couldn't call him that anymore. That fellow was probably a fifth- or sixth-rank Sovereign by now—truly terrifying! He wondered if this new king of Silver Moon had any relation to him. Silver Moon had been the Li family's fief; who knew what the Sword Venerable thought of all this. ... On this day, a warship set forth from Neo Martial to traverse the chaos. Two notoriously cowardly Sovereigns of Neo Martial—whose fear of death was renowned across the entire populace—piloted this warship and began their journey toward Silver Moon.