The primal chaos universe.
In the boundless chaos, a warship cut swiftly across the void.
Two notorious Neo Martial Sovereigns steered clear of danger at every turn. Even if it meant taking a detour, they preferred to travel a longer route rather than take any risks.
Steady!
The entire journey boiled down to that single principle: caution above all!
Was anything more important than stability?
Or rather, was anything in this world more crucial than staying alive?
Such was Tianji's mindset.
Tianji was truly cautious. King Huai was cautious as well, but having clawed his way up from the bottom as a former slave, a streak of ruthlessness and madness lurked beneath his cowardice and desperation to survive. Only through that combination had he managed to become one of the rare Sovereigns among the surrendered generals.
In the Neo Martial era, almost none of their enemies had been left alive. Yet this man had survived to the present day, which spoke volumes of his capability.
At that moment, the two stood hovering above the warship.
The surrounding void looked no different from anywhere else. King Huai wore a calm expression as his senses probed the area. His brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
Tianji, on the other hand, crossed his arms in irritation.
After sweeping his perception outward, he also frowned.
His avatar seemed to have stopped moving.
Staying still was not necessarily a good thing.
After a long silence, Tianji spoke up. "Any thoughts?"
King Huai sent a voice transmission: "A ninety-percent chance of death!"
Tianji curled his lip.
Ninety percent?
In his view, it was even worse.
A month had passed since they set out, and they hadn't run into a single soul. Safe as that seemed, it also meant... danger was brewing.
A truly troublesome situation!
As for the keepsake left on them by the Supreme... they weren't sure whether it was an avatar of the Supreme or a tracking device he used to pinpoint their location. One thing was certain, however: they had likely been turned into bait.
Bait to lure out enemies.
What a ruthless bastard!
The crucial issue was that this bait wasn't guaranteed to be kept safe... Neo Martial had more than just the two of them operating outside, so the Supreme couldn't keep his eyes on them constantly. They weren't the only bait out there, and whatever they reeled in would merely be small fry.
Once a big fish took the bait elsewhere... the two of them might be in deep trouble.
Was Tianji a fool?
Not in the slightest!
King Huai was even less of one.
On the contrary, both were shrewd operators. Had they not been, how could they have secured a foothold among that pack of lunatics in Neo Martial? They weren't particularly formidable fighters, they frequently dropped the ball, and neither belonged to the core faction.
Without sharp wits, they would have perished long ago!
With these thoughts drifting through his mind, Tianji probed their surroundings once more before mumbling after a long pause, "Go get some sleep! There won't be any danger for now. Even if someone wants to intercept us, they'll be held back... Either no one makes a move, or... it will be a thunderous, decisive strike!"
King Huai nodded slightly.
He thought the same.
For the time being, they would face virtually no threat. The enemy would likely keep watch over them, perhaps even following them in hopes of locating Silver Moon.
Silver Moon had been born from Neo Martial.
Capturing Silver Moon would very likely expose some of Neo Martial's weaknesses, perhaps even the vulnerabilities of their Great Dao.
At this very moment, eyes were probably already fixed upon them.
Neither expert spoke another word.
Yet both felt weighed down by anxiety.
Even knowing they were bait, they had no choice but to push forward. No matter how loudly Tianji complained, and even though his father was a top-tier powerhouse, defying the Supreme's orders was out of the question... The Supreme was far from truly gentle.
He was the kind of man who concealed a dagger beneath his smile!
Neo Martial provided for you. If you refused to contribute and fled at the first sign of danger, did you wish to die?
As the Human King put it, you had to give as much as you received. Normally, if the sky collapsed, the tallest stood to bear it. But once you were needed, even if certain death awaited, you had to die on the front lines!
Those who retreated were executed; those who evaded battle were executed; those who defected were executed... regardless of identity or status. Once a major war erupted, if even the Supreme turned tail and ran, the Human King would strike him down for the sake of Neo Martial!
As for resurrection...
Reversing yin and yang could bring someone back, but every resurrection drained a portion of the Human King's origin. It wasn't something that could be done casually at any time.
Reversing yin and yang too frequently would also provoke chaos lightning tribulations. Even though the Cang Emperor could swallow them, an overly powerful tribulation could still bring about catastrophic consequences.
Thought after thought surfaced in their minds.
The two retreated inside the warship. At that point, King Huai suddenly transmitted, "Does Silver Moon possess something extraordinary? Sword Venerable holds the fort there, Zhang An is inside, and in the past, Yuan Venerable also guarded Silver Moon! All of them are close confidants of the Human King and the Supreme..."
To say nothing of anyone else, those figures were far from ordinary.
Moreover, Li Fuhai, a direct descendant of the Shui Li family, along with descendants of other Sovereigns, were all within its borders.
Now that Silver Moon had emerged, Neo Martial would soon search for it.
King Huai wondered if there was something unique about the place.
And what of Tianji's avatar, which had remained in Silver Moon for so many years—did he harbor some motive?
Tianji did not hide anything and transmitted back, "Lao Wang is over there resurrecting Er Mao!"
King Huai's brow twitched slightly.
Resurrecting Er Mao?
He had not known much about that. Still... resurrecting Er Mao wasn't truly surprising. Even the Cang Emperor had mentioned Er Mao several times, deeply missing him.
Back then, within the space where the Emperor of Battle Heaven resided, there hadn't been only Er Mao.
There was another cat—San Mao.
Yet the one the Cang Emperor longed for most was still Er Mao, caring far less about San Mao.
Countless thoughts raced through King Huai's mind. "Given your avatar's temperament, for him to survive in Silver Moon, and for Silver Moon to break through the chaotic barrier and open the Star Gate, it must mean a new Sovereign—a new king—has likely emerged! In the outside world, barely over fifty years have passed... No matter how time flowed within, no matter how great the disparity, with Silver Moon sealed off, the cultivation results over all those years would only equal fifty-odd years on the outside!"
"To produce a new Sovereign, a new king, in just over fifty years... Senior, do you think this new king has something special about him?"
A mere Sovereign was nothing Neo Martial lacked.
The key was whether this new king possessed something extraordinary; otherwise, what did a Sovereign from a minor world amount to?
Even King Huai would not fear such a person in the slightest.
"He's definitely special!"
Though Tianji didn't know the full details, he offered his assessment: "Not only is he special, but he should also be reasonably easy to talk to, and probably doesn't bear much hostility toward Neo Martial... Otherwise, how could my avatar still be alive instead of destroyed? The trouble is that so little time has passed, and now he has breached the Star Gate and entered the chaos... Silver Moon's foundation is far too weak. I worry his strength is too low. Right now, the Red Moon World and our Neo Martial are locked in war, and the direction he's heading... is likely toward the rumored Tianfang Great World!"
That place was far too chaotic!
Not merely chaotic—the truth was that the powerhouses gathered in the Tianfang Great World were essentially a den of chaos bandits. Pot calling the kettle black, none of them were good people.
The moment they saw an opportunity, they were more terrifying than locusts!
It was practically a bandit stronghold!
Once the new king of Silver Moon entered... it could become an immense problem. More critically, if his identity as Silver Moon's new king were exposed... anything tied to Neo Martial would plunge him into extreme peril!
King Huai pondered briefly before transmitting again: "Which is to say... if this person inherited even a fraction of Neo Martial's style, he'll very likely head to the Tianfang Great World and stir up massive trouble within Tianfang's borders?"
"Exactly!"
The two exchanged a glance, both feeling helpless.
Indeed, if the man had inherited even a sliver of the Neo Martial way, he would probably head to the Tianfang Great World, and... he would inevitably cause huge trouble.
Even if the two of them survived their own perils and reached Tianfang, they might find it impossible to extricate themselves.
How truly depressing!
Yet even knowing this, neither dared to abandon the mission. They could only pray that this new king from Silver Moon was... best if he was like the Human King, someone with no sense of direction who got lost in the chaos.
Anything was better than him heading straight for Tianfang!
At times, they even envied the Human King's quirk: wandering aimlessly, getting lost without a care. After all, the Human King was supremely powerful and feared nothing; wherever he walked, fortuitous encounters awaited. What was there to fear?
Right now, they only hoped this new king wouldn't turn out like the Human King—a fountain of trouble stirring up chaos wherever he went.
Otherwise... between the two of them, one was second-rank and the other third-rank; even if they found him, they wouldn't be able to hold the line!
"It's fine. It'll take us a year or two to reach that area..."
Tianji consoled himself. At any rate, there was still plenty of time.
The longer it took, the better. Ideally... that fellow would keep moving over there, traveling further away while they gave chase. The longer it took for them to meet, the better the outcome.
...
Meanwhile, Li Hao already knew that these two Neo Martial Sovereigns were on their way to find Silver Moon.
His own thought was... it would be best to meet them as early as possible.
For no other reason than that the two were in considerable danger.
They had set out to find Silver Moon, after all... If they ended up dead along the way, wouldn't that weigh heavily on his conscience?
At this moment, Li Hao felt a faint sense of urgency.
When he first stepped out of Silver Moon, he hadn't felt rushed.
Take it slow!
Cultivating the Dao was not something to rush.
He didn't particularly care for plundering. In the past, it hadn't mattered much, but later he realized that while plundering yielded quick results, it couldn't compare to the speed of true comprehension. One offered short-term gains, while the other provided lasting depth.
Yet now, he wondered whether he should pursue both paths simultaneously.
As for killing and arson... Li Hao held no moral aversion to it. He had killed beyond count; why would he balk at that?
Just like that Yunyang Sovereign earlier, who had picked a fight unprovoked and was an enemy to begin with... Killing such a person outright settled the matter, sparing him endless trouble.
"Ju Ao, are there only three public Dao resonance sites in the entire Huilong Domain?"
"Yes!"
Ju Ao nodded. "The Huilong Domain is the largest domain in the Southern Region. Counting Huilong Temple, there are four Dao resonance sites in total, the highest number of any domain. The other nine domains usually have only one each, all occupied by major powers. In all of the Southern Region, there are only thirteen Dao resonance sites!"
"Across the entire Tianfang Great World, there are roughly fifty Dao resonance sites in total... Furthermore, not all of them were left by high-rank Sovereigns. There weren't that many high-rank Sovereigns to begin with; even in its prime, the Tianfang Great World didn't have that many!"
"Quite a few Dao resonance sites were merely left behind by middle-rank Sovereigns..."
Roughly fifty.
Li Hao's heart stirred. If he could gain something from all fifty sites, just like he had this time... listening to the Dao expositions of dozens of Sovereigns, the weakest being middle-rank and the strongest high-rank, the harvest would be astronomical!
Of course, many of those sites were occupied by established factions.
The three public sites in the Huilong Domain were open only because their Dao resonance had dispersed to the point of being nearly undetectable. Opening them to outsiders was merely a gesture to appease visiting Sovereigns and prevent major conflicts.
"By the way, do you know where that third-rank Sovereign from the Yunyang World is?"
"..."
Ju Ao's heart shuddered, though his expression remained steady. "I know a little... Recently, he has been in contact with a middle fourth-rank Sovereign, seemingly discussing something. I don't know the exact details, but it may have something to do with Neo Martial!"
"Can you arrange a private meeting with him? Preferably outside the Tianfang realm."
*Damn!*
*Are you planning to kill him too?*
*Terrifying!*
*A third-rank Sovereign!*
*Could my guess... really be true?*
Ju Ao felt a headache coming on and quickly transmitted, "Senior, a third-rank Sovereign is a prominent target. Many people keep an eye on him..."
The underlying message was simple: please, less trouble.
What a headache!
Li Hao grew pensive. True enough—a third-rank Sovereign was hard to kill. He would need Black Panther and the others to join forces, which would create quite a commotion. It would be better to find a way to advance to the second rank first.
As for advancing to second-rank Sovereign, Li Hao already had a clear direction.
Focus on Life and Death, supplemented by the myriad Daos.
He needed certain conditions to reach the second rank, which wasn't overly difficult: a vast quantity of life and death qi. Life qi was easy to find, but death qi... he would need to slay several more Sovereigns to gather enough.
Naturally, under normal circumstances, such extreme measures were unnecessary.
Otherwise, if advancing one rank required slaughtering several Sovereigns... all the Sovereigns under heaven would soon be wiped out.
Yet to achieve speed, this was the most effective method.
In addition, he needed a large quantity of Great Dao crystals. Killing just one earlier... had yielded far too little.
Of course, he couldn't kill indiscriminately.
He had to target the right people.
Either wicked villains or sworn enemies—someone like the Yunyang Sovereign, for instance, was fair game.
Then there were the Absolute Darkness Great World and the Bliss Great World he had heard of earlier; supposedly, Sovereigns from both worlds were present here.
Enemies of Neo Martial... Even if Li Hao didn't claim to be Neo Martial, they would still treat him as their foe. When those factions sought vengeance on Neo Martial, they wouldn't care whether Silver Moon was truly aligned with Neo Martial or not; to them, both belonged to the same camp!
Look at Red Moon—even in their public bounties, Silver Moon commanded a staggering price!
"Are there Sovereigns from the Absolute Darkness Great World and the Bliss Great World nearby?"
Ju Ao's heart jolted violently once more!
What on earth was going on?
Could this man... be the Neo Martial Human King?
If so...
He nearly wet himself in terror.
Otherwise, why ask about those two Great Worlds?
"No need to worry. It has nothing to do with you; you are merely in the Heavenly King Realm!"
Li Hao transmitted this casually, but Ju Ao nearly wept.
*Dammit!*
*He really is from Neo Martial!*
For no other reason than the chaotic expanse being so vast that ranks below Sovereign were called countless different names. The title "Heavenly King" was exclusive to Neo Martial. Each world had its own terminology, and even through spiritual voice transmission, the underlying concept remained distinct.
Heavenly King!
According to the Tianfang World's phrasing, he was no Heavenly King.
*Curse it!*
*Trouble!*
Ten thousand thoughts flashed through Ju Ao's mind, thoroughly terrifying him. If the man standing before him was indeed the Neo Martial Human King... that was a top-tier seventh-rank powerhouse, one said to possess eighth-rank might when merged with the Cang Emperor!
That was a genuine, bona fide supreme Sovereign. Unless three to five Great World Masters gathered... none could claim a guaranteed victory against him!
Yet in the vast Tianfang, there wasn't even a single seventh-rank Sovereign.
Endless speculations surfaced again, and Ju Ao forced a smile that looked uglier than weeping: "Senior speaks with absolute truth. Ju Ao understands and will never utter a word!"
Li Hao had intimidated him again and again.
Ju Ao understood all too well that his survival hinged entirely on still being of use. Otherwise, to experts of this caliber, an ant below the Sovereign realm could be snuffed out with a single breath!
"Both the Absolute Darkness Great World and the Bliss Great World have several Sovereigns present in the Tianfang Great World. Currently, each side is led by a fifth-rank Sovereign... Precisely because of this, the four major factions in Tianfang are all trying to win them over!"
"The reason they haven't moved to other Great Worlds is that they fear being swallowed up by other World Masters... On the other hand, factions like Huilong Temple are not Great Worlds and are overseen by sixth-rank Sovereigns, which fits their expectations. As a result, the various sides have been engaged in frequent discussions lately!"
"There are quite a few Sovereigns from those Great Worlds. I'm not certain of the exact number of survivors, but together, there are no fewer than ten! Several Sovereigns are stationed right here in the Huilong Domain, maintaining contact with Huilong Temple."
Li Hao nodded. That was indeed quite a few.
Moreover, with fifth-rank Sovereigns leading them, they were far from weak.
"Have any Sovereigns from Neo Martial arrived in the Tianfang World?"
"None for now,"
Ju Ao explained. "Neo Martial Sovereigns are primarily active near the Red Moon Domain. The Red Moon Domain is enormous, containing over a dozen Great Worlds—no fewer than the Tianfang Domain. Even with two destroyed, quite a few still remain..."
"Then what are the various factions in the Tianfang World actually scheming?"
"Scheming..."
Ju Ao sighed helplessly. How was he supposed to know?
"Roughly... there are a few intentions. First, they seek to claim a Great Dao Universe. Second, although the Tianfang Great World lost its Great Dao Universe... rumor has it that the origin of Tianfang's Great Dao remains here. That is to say, if someone breaks through to the seventh-rank Sovereign realm here without the backing of an existing Great Dao Universe... a new Great Dao Universe might be born! That person could unite the Tianfang World, take dominion over it, and become a true hegemon of the region!"
Li Hao's thoughts stirred once more. No wonder several sixth-rank Sovereigns had gathered here.
Did this mean... advancing to the seventh rank here offered a chance to birth a new Great Dao Universe?
It wasn't impossible!
Even if a Great Dao Universe had been taken away, the native world still maintained ties to it. Once certain elements were reawakened, an entirely new Great Dao Universe might truly take form.
And this world had originally been far more powerful than ordinary Great Worlds.
Ruler of Tianfang—even at the seventh rank, such a person would rank among the supreme figures of that tier.
Yet if these wanderers knew about this, there was no reason the Great Worlds wouldn't. Factions like Huilong Temple likely had ties to certain Great Worlds, or... might even be their agents.
Otherwise, where would a rogue sixth-rank Sovereign without a world come from?
Without a backer, stepping into the sixth rank without cultivating a Great Dao Universe was practically impossible.
Li Hao continually weighed the situation, hoping to extract information beneficial to himself.
Before long, they arrived at the second Dao resonance site.
Mount Huoxing.
A Dao resonance site left behind by a Fire Sovereign. It was said that in ancient times, fire Dao resonance frequently erupted here. Over time, however, it gradually subsided, and the flaming mountain had long ceased to erupt.
This signaled that its Dao resonance was thoroughly depleted.
Now, it had become something of a tourist attraction. Sovereigns still came seeking fortuitous encounters, but their numbers dwindled by the day.
Mount Huoxing occupied an immense territory.
The moment Li Hao arrived, he sensed Sovereigns clashing in the distance. Rather than intervening, he led Ju Ao toward another direction to avoid unnecessary trouble. Right now, what mattered most was whether he could comprehend some of the Sovereign's Dao resonance.
As for repeatedly invoking the power of time, the drain on his lifespan was only one concern. Second, Li Hao worried about another factor: the appearance of a tribulation.
If that happened, things would get messy.
He could only hope the tribulation wouldn't form so quickly.
...
Inside Mount Huoxing, amidst a field of magma.
Li Hao once again channeled the power of time. Though shielded by death qi, he could sense that the chaos had likely caught wind of it. If this continued, it would very probably trigger a chaos lightning tribulation.
Yet the opportunity lay right before him.
After weighing his options, Li Hao chose to proceed. A tribulation might not necessarily fall this time.
...
At the same moment.
Outside the chaos.
Temple Master Huilong looked up at the gathering and dispersing tribulation clouds, his brow furrowed.
They had just scattered, only to gather again.
What on earth was happening?
Chaos lightning tribulations were exceedingly rare.
Yet today, one was gathering for the second time.
Could it be... that some anomaly had truly surfaced in Tianfang?
Could Tianfang's Great Dao Universe be preparing to manifest?
If the Tianfang World were to birth a second Great Dao Universe, it might truly provoke a chaos lightning tribulation!
After all, it had happened once before; a second occurrence would violate the order of the chaos.
"Could it be right near my Huilong Domain?"
he thought to himself, for the tribulation had consistently formed near the southern territory.
Not across the entire Tianfang World!
By now, several more Sovereigns had gathered nearby, nearly all of them middle-rank—some were domain masters from other regions, while others were outsiders.
The commotion here was considerable, drawing their attention.
One Sovereign after another looked toward the tribulation clouds gathering in the chaos. Someone remarked softly, "Is this a chaos lightning tribulation? It doesn't feel particularly strong... Is it newly born, or is the factor triggering it simply not powerful enough... resulting in only a feeble tribulation force?"
Such a tribulation cloud did not appear formidable.
At most, it wielded the might of a first- or second-rank Sovereign.
To them, should the tribulation attack, they could shatter it with ease.
Only... why had it appeared?
Everyone stood in contemplative silence, their thoughts aligning with Temple Master Huilong's. Could it be... that the anomaly in Tianfang signaled the long-awaited opportunity was arriving—that Tianfang was about to birth a new Great Dao Universe?
That would be a genuine, earth-shattering fortune!
Whoever gained control of the new Great Dao Universe would become the Dao Master of the Tianfang World, perhaps even leaping to become the World Master in charge of the entire realm. When that happened, even if one had not reached the seventh rank, sealing off the Great World would make it nearly impossible for ordinary World Masters to breach Tianfang!
For at its core, this was a ninth-rank Great World!
When Silver Moon sealed itself, even a Sovereign struggled to break in. Having been sealed for countless years, the world itself harbored tremendous energy.
A fourth-rank Sovereign wielding a Great Dao Universe and its world might rapidly advance to the fifth or even sixth rank. And with the world sealed, even a seventh-rank Sovereign would find Tianfang nearly impenetrable.
At that point... one would soar straight to the heavens!
Temple Master Huilong cursed inwardly.
*Damn it!*
These fellows were clearly tempted. The problem was that he was not the only sixth-rank Sovereign in the Tianfang Great World, and... many Great Worlds across the Tianfang Domain had eyes and ears stationed nearby.
The emergence of a chaos lightning tribulation now... seemed like nothing good for him!
At that moment, as if to deflect attention, a Sovereign suddenly spoke up: "News seemed to arrive earlier from the Red Moon Great World, claiming that a subsidiary world of the Yin-Yang World may have triggered a chaos lightning tribulation once before... With a chaos lightning tribulation suddenly appearing here, could it be related to Silver Moon?"
Naturally, this was pure deflection.
Even if a minor world had provoked a chaos lightning tribulation once, could it trigger a second or third?
Did they really think anyone could conjure a chaos lightning tribulation at will?
Yet under the circumstances, everyone was feigning ignorance; deflecting attention was better than turning on one another before the opportunity had even shown itself.
At these words, Temple Master Huilong's eyes flickered, and he spoke slowly: "It is possible! Silver Moon was previously an unranked world. Rumor has it that when it provoked a chaos lightning tribulation, a Sovereign from Red Moon even perished... Perhaps some drastic change occurred within that world... And this place is not too far from its original coordinates. Word from Red Moon also suggests Silver Moon might be migrating toward the Tianfang World... Seen in that light, it is indeed a possibility."
He hadn't considered it before, but after mulling it over, he added, "Furthermore, this chaos lightning tribulation appears weak. If it were drawn by the Tianfang Great World, such frailty... would defy reason! But if Silver Moon brought it on, it makes sense; after all, it is merely an unranked world..."
There was some logic to that.
While the others had merely sought to shift focus, they now exchanged glances. A fifth-rank Sovereign suddenly spoke in a cold, chilling voice: "If Silver Moon is indeed nearby, I ask all of you not to compete with me! I will personally obliterate that entire world, wipe out Silver Moon, and slaughter every living being within its borders! Of course, I care nothing for the rewards offered by the Red Moon Great World; take them as you please!"
No one objected. This Sovereign reeked of murderous intent, hailing from the Absolute Darkness Great World.
Temple Master Huilong had been courting him all along, and he smiled. "Naturally! My Huilong Temple guards the southern domain of Tianfang, overseeing the Southern Boundary Gate... If Silver Moon is truly heading this way... a migrating world must either be swallowed by a chaos behemoth or moved by some other power... Whichever it is, we will investigate thoroughly! In addition, we will dispatch men to scour the surrounding chaos to see if any chaos beasts have appeared nearby recently."
Without a chaos beast, moving such a world was virtually impossible. Even if doable, the speed would be dreadfully slow.
The Sovereign from Absolute Darkness nodded slightly. "Then I shall trouble Sovereign Huilong!"
"No trouble at all! The Yin-Yang World acts with tyrannical perversion, casually destroying Great Worlds and disrupting the order of the chaos. It is only right that we unite to eradicate them!"
At these words, several Sovereigns held their tongues, declining to respond.
One could not chime in recklessly on such matters.
Sovereign Huilong certainly maintained ties with certain Great Worlds and had nothing to fear, but they were different. Neo Martial's Yin-Yang World was not an entity they could afford to provoke. Even if they harbored private ambitions, they had to keep a low profile.
On the surface, showing courtesy remained the wiser course.
Sovereign Huilong said nothing more. Soon, he ignored the tribulation and flew toward the portal. Reaching out, he pulled a registry scroll into his grasp and examined it. Recently, four Sovereigns had entered the Great World through the Southern Boundary Gate.
The appearances of all four experts surfaced in his vision.
All four were merely first- or second-rank Sovereigns.
One hailed from a Great World, someone he had seen twice before. Of the remaining three, that Zu An looked somewhat familiar, having stayed here for a time years ago. Sovereigns could still be recognized even after long absences.
The last two were a man and a woman. The man was none other than Li Hao.
As for the female Sovereign, Sovereign Huilong studied her closely. Female Sovereigns were rare in the chaos, and he was unfamiliar with her. Like Li Hao, she appeared to be a newcomer.
Moreover, both had arrived from the south.
To the south lay the Red Moon Domain. Naturally, given the sheer scale of the chaos, travelers from other regions could also approach from the south—whether Sovereigns from newly birthed worlds or those emerging from hidden realms to temper themselves.
However, judging by the intelligence from Red Moon, if Silver Moon were truly migrating in this direction... these two fell under heavy suspicion.
Could one of them be the Lord of Silver Moon?
Silver Moon had remained sealed for decades. Did this opening signify the emergence of a newly risen Sovereign?
Previously, he hadn't paid it much mind. A single Silver Moon, even if exchanged for a medium world, was of little consequence to a sixth-rank Sovereign like him!
Yet Silver Moon was tied to Neo Martial... and right now, many were plotting against Neo Martial, himself included.
With a flicker of thought, he quickly transmitted an order: "Keep an eye on the two newly arrived Sovereigns. Ju Ao and Hu Xin are their guides, correct? Watch the situation closely and report back at once!"
They knew little about Silver Moon.
They did not know whether the newly risen ruler was male or female, human or demon, or what distinct traits they possessed... None of it was clear.
Thus, observation was the only option for now.
Two first-rank Sovereigns were hardly a threat, but Sovereigns could not be touched carelessly lest greater trouble be stirred. Their backgrounds had to be verified before any move was made.
...
Meanwhile, Li Hao was still reversing time.
He descended once more into an ancient era.
This time, unlike the dragon expert before, a red-haired human powerhouse appeared before him. Suddenly, flames flared in the man's eyes, and he let out a sharp, cold snort: "Who is so bold as to pry into my Dao methods?"
The man abruptly turned his gaze toward the space where Li Hao lingered. In an instant, as if sensing something, fire danced in his eyes.
"Reversing time?"
These ancient experts possessed terrifying insight. Discerning the truth at a glance, his expression shifted faintly. "A person of the future? A person of the past? Or something else?"
Li Hao's heart skipped a beat, but he dared not respond.
When he had replied to the dragon expert previously, an immense sense of mortal peril had nearly crushed him.
This time... unfortunately, he hadn't caught the man expounding the Dao.
He intended to see if he could wage a battle of patience. The man would have to cultivate eventually, wouldn't he?
Though prying into another's Dao was improper... it remained his swiftest shortcut to rapid advancement.
"Prying into my past and future, yet daring not utter a word... Could your strength be merely mediocre?"
the man muttered to himself. "Through what object or place are you peering at my Dao embodiment? Could it be... in Tianfang, within my Fire Divine Mountain?"
One remark followed another as the man deduced the circumstances, appearing far sharper than the dragon expert. After a long moment, his voice boomed like a great bell: "The power of time... the chaos does not tolerate it! The Realm Lord once said: Life and Death, Yin and Yang, Universe, and Time are all Daos of disrupted order! They shatter order and destabilize the chaos... The Dao of Time is virtually impossible to find in this world. Perhaps it exists in the past, perhaps in the future... To seek a Time Dao Lord in the present era is harder than ascending to the heavens!"
"You seek out my Dao embodiment... prying into my past and future... to what end?"
As he spoke, a realization struck him, and his brows arched like erupting flames. "Very well. You cannot reply; perhaps... your strength is indeed modest, and by some stroke of fortune you brushed against the Dao of Time... You wish to pry into my Dao? Fortunately for you, I am of a gentle disposition and treat others with kindness..."
Kindness?
The Lord of Fire Element was renowned for a temper like an inferno.
"If you are of the past, you pry into my future... perhaps we shall meet soon! If you are of the future, you pry into my past, which proves I must still be alive..."
Still alive?
Li Hao's heart leaped. Indeed, if the man were dead, could anyone still peer into his past?
Did this mean the powerhouses of Tianfang were truly still alive?
"The day will come when we meet. You pry into Tianfang's Dao, and karma runs in cycles. Whatever you gain today, perhaps... you will repay tenfold or a hundredfold in the future! Take care of yourself, and do not think that a rudimentary grasp of time allows you to stir up trouble recklessly... You must understand that the Dao of Karma is equally terrifying!"
"Every time you peer into the past or future, you will pay a tremendous price... No matter where, no matter when, there is no escape... Since you have come, I shall expound upon the Dao of Fire Element for you. Whether it is what you seek, I cannot say!"
At that moment, Li Hao's heart shook violently.
Karma?
Perhaps... it truly existed.
He had peered into Neo Martial's past, crossing paths with the Supreme and the Human King. Though he had yet to pay the price, knowing he owed them a debt of gratitude, the two had destroyed two Great Worlds on his behalf.
And Li Hao... might have to pay an enormous price in the future.
In fact, from this very moment, he had already begun repaying his debt to Neo Martial. His desperate urge to grow stronger stemmed from his desire to advance rapidly and prevent Tianji and King Huai from being killed.
And this was merely the beginning.
Otherwise, when Silver Moon emerged into the world, had that journey into the past never occurred, why would Li Hao bother?
He could have washed his hands of it entirely!
What did it have to do with him?
Yet now, he couldn't.
He owed Neo Martial a profound debt of kindness.
Regardless of whether the Human King and the Supreme had destroyed those worlds by coincidence or genuinely on his behalf, regardless of the reasons, had Neo Martial not created that massive disturbance, Silver Moon would never have had the chance to slip away. It would have been annihilated by the Red Moon Great World long ago.
And today, this Lord of Fire Element was warning him as well: you may only be receiving a fraction of my Dao inheritance now, a superficial portion that might mean little to you in the future.
Yet once he crossed paths with the people of Tianfang... Li Hao might have to pay an unimaginable price!
One had to remember that this was a boundless colossus guarded by a ninth-rank Sovereign.
The Daoist had already begun expounding upon the Dao of Fire Element.
Li Hao suppressed the trembling in his heart and listened intently, absorbing the profound depths within. For a seventh-rank Sovereign to attain the high ranks, their comprehension of the Great Dao had to be immensely profound. The Dao of Fire Element was fundamentally an elemental Dao.
Through comprehension of fire, one could extrapolate the Five Elements and deduce even more elemental Daos.
For Li Hao, this was a tremendous fortune.
His foundation was the Five Animals Secret Art, which in essence was a technique of the Five Elements.
Yet this time, excitement and joy aside... a heavy haze settled over his heart.
The power of time could not be wielded recklessly!
First was the chaos lightning tribulation, and second... the immense, thorny crisis that might await him in the future!
Tianfang had vanished abruptly. Though people claimed the Lord of Tianfang had taken it away, who knew the full truth?
By now, he had peered into the Daos of two seventh-rank Sovereigns in succession!
If such karma... had to be repaid tenfold or a hundredfold, wouldn't that mean... even a ninth-rank Sovereign could hardly settle the debt?
Li Hao warned himself sternly: no more reckless gambles!
If he continued down this path, disaster would strike.
He had grown somewhat conceited lately.
He had promised to keep a low profile, yet here he was, anything but low-profile. A mere first-rank Sovereign had no business acting so brazenly. Even if he truly wished to comprehend Dao resonance, he should stimulate the lingering resonance directly—that way, time would not be invoked!
After two experiences, he had gained a preliminary understanding of Tianfang's Dao and its Great Dao Universe.
If he visited other Dao resonance sites, he might be able to use conventional means to awaken the resonance for comprehension rather than reversing time. While time was effective, the price was simply too steep!
This time, the ancient expert expounded upon the Great Dao at length, speaking with such eloquence that divine flowers seemed to fall from the heavens.
Li Hao also came to grasp the unique nature of fire.
It was not what he had envisioned, not merely that fire was fire... That was wrong.
The meaning of fire was boundless.
In the ancient expert's mouth, all things and all Daos under heaven were fire—it was the ember of life, inheritance, enlightenment, radiant light, salvation. Fire gave birth to civilization, epochs, and the myriad Daos...
His previous understanding of fire had been far too shallow.
Two seventh-rank Sovereigns expounding the Dao to him, however rudimentary the lessons, were an extraordinary fortune for Li Hao.
He needed time to digest it all.
After a long while, the discourse on the Great Dao drew to a close.
The fire Daoist looked in Li Hao's direction, murmuring with a sigh, "The Dao of Time is far too intricate. I do not understand it, and perhaps even the Realm Lord does not fully grasp it. As for you... you may not be powerful... yet you can touch time. It is a fortune, but also a peril! Time... the greatest enemy of all cultivators! No person, no object, not even a world, not even the chaos itself can escape time!"
"Take care of yourself!"
With those words, heaven and earth spun.
Li Hao tumbled out of the past in an instant, crashing into the river with a heavy splash. Time power rippled through the water, causing his expression to change drastically. He hastily dispersed every trace of time energy.
Only then did he look up, his brow furrowing slightly.
A tribulation had nearly fallen upon him!
Right at that moment, Ju Ao spoke beside him, trembling with fright: "Senior... just... just now news came from outside the chaos... A chaos lightning tribulation appeared! And rumor has it that Silver Moon, a subsidiary world of the Yin-Yang World, once provoked a chaos lightning tribulation. Right now... the higher-ups are investigating whether any newly arrived Sovereigns... have ties to Silver Moon..."
Li Hao exhaled softly. *What terrifying speed.*
He had only just arrived, yet he was already being scrutinized as a suspect.
Red Moon was broadcasting every piece of news outward; it seemed they were dead set on wiping out Silver Moon.
Li Hao let out a breath and said, "No matter. It has nothing to do with me. Report to your Sovereign that I wish to join Huilong Temple!"
Li Hao's tone was utterly calm: "I am merely a passing traveler. Neo Martial, Yin-Yang, Red Moon... none of it concerns me. Do not invite trouble upon yourself, understand?"
"Un... understood!"
Ju Ao trembled, feeling both terrified and suspicious. *Are you... really not going to silence me?*
As if reading his thoughts, Li Hao smiled faintly. "Silencing witnesses is the act of a guilty conscience! My conscience is clear; why would I resort to that? When the strong slay the weak purely to keep them quiet... we aren't enemies yet, so why bother? If you truly speak out of turn, killing you... will take nothing more than the snap of a finger!"
Ju Ao's heart jolted. What... a peculiar perspective.
Did the strong need a reason to kill?
Puzzled, Ju Ao couldn't resist asking, "Senior, in a world where the strong prey upon the weak... does a powerhouse need a reason to kill? If there is suspicion, killing resolves it..."
Li Hao pondered briefly before answering earnestly, "In the past, I thought the same way and did such things. Later, after experiencing more, I realized that enemies can never be killed off entirely, and many enemies are created by yourself! There is no need to kill at every turn... If you truly intend to kill, you must be decisive—pull up the weeds by their roots, wipe them out completely, and leave no lingering danger!"
"Otherwise... unless left with no alternative, killing is not the way to resolve problems."
He sighed softly. "The fellow earlier—had he not provoked me repeatedly, I wouldn't have bothered. After all... the backer behind him is still alive. Take right now, for instance: if I kill you, my presence is exposed immediately, and I make an enemy of Huilong Temple!"
"It is far better to join Huilong Temple. Even if some complications arise... it will still be better."
Li Hao smiled. "There is rarely only one way to solve a problem! The worst possible outcome is merely becoming enemies with Huilong Temple, and killing you leads directly to that worst outcome!"
Countless thoughts surged through Ju Ao's mind.
He grew contemplative, seemingly struck by a sudden realization.
After a long silence, he asked again, "Senior, then how... how should I reply?"
Li Hao chuckled. "You ask me? Speak the truth. Include the duel agreed upon with that Sovereign earlier. Report what you saw as it was, and don't make wild guesses. The more you speculate, the more mistakes you make!"
Tell the truth?
Then... wouldn't manifesting the Dao resonance to stall the two Sovereigns earlier be completely pointless?
Li Hao seemed to see through him once more. "Earlier, Huilong Temple paid no attention. Now that they care, I stepped outside once—do you think they wouldn't know? Since that's the case... there's no need to hide it. There are guards outside the boundary gate. I went out, and that Sovereign went out... both were recorded. If you conceal it, your death is assured!"
Ju Ao was seized by sheer panic!
Right, he had nearly forgotten about that.
He swallowed hard. "Many... many thanks for Senior's guidance!"
Li Hao smiled. Guidance?
What guidance had he given?
Ju Ao dared not delay and hurried to report the message, though his mind remained in turmoil. Could it truly be that simple?
A Sovereign had vanished!
Not only that, but was the man before him... a Neo Martial powerhouse, or... the new king of Silver Moon?
At this point, he couldn't be certain.
Logically, if he were the new king of Silver Moon, he shouldn't be this formidable, right?
Endless thoughts surfaced once again.
Ju Ao felt increasingly that a massive chasm separated him from these Sovereigns; he couldn't fathom their thoughts at all.
Yet whatever he thought, the other party saw through it with absolute clarity.
Meanwhile, Li Hao looked toward the sky. Huilong Temple would likely... seek him out soon.
A sixth-rank Sovereign!
Perhaps... that Sovereign would soon meet him in person.
Ten thousand thoughts flashed through his mind. He had certainly grown bold—what happened to keeping a low profile?
Li Hao gave a self-deprecating chuckle. What of it?
Chapter 435