Re-entering Tianfang

The Tianfang Great World. At this moment, Tianfang was bustling as well. The King of Silver Moon was merely an unexpected variable. Tianfang had been preparing to deal with Xinwu experts all along; hunting the Sword Venerable was a plan laid down long ago. Of course, hunting a sixth-rank Sovereign naturally required preparation. Moreover, the Sword Venerable kept a relatively low profile, and they had never managed to pinpoint his whereabouts. Today, however, several silhouettes flickered across an enormous screen. Among them was Huilong Sovereign. The experts of Tianfang had begun their deliberations. ... Inside Huilong Temple. Huilong Sovereign made no attempt to conceal his appearance or suppress his aura. Addressing the screen directly, he said, "The King of Silver Moon killed Ming Hao and the others and took the Silver Moon World with him. His purpose in infiltrating Ming Hao's team was obvious: to rendezvous with Xinwu experts like Tianji and King Huai!" "And Xinwu throwing out those two pieces of trash—everyone knows what that's about. It's bait. They're just seeing who hooks whom!" "Right now, among the Xinwu Sovereigns who have the closest ties to Silver Moon and who still have the time and energy to care... you should all know that the only one is likely the Xinwu Sword Venerable!" Huilong Sovereign laid out his analysis, which was quite logical and sound. In fact, it was the truth. "Therefore, Tianji and the others are the crux of the matter. Tianji and King Huai are there, so the Sword Venerable may appear in the vicinity, and the King of Silver Moon might show up nearby as well..." Hunting Xinwu experts was not their true goal. The true goal was wealth. Resources, quotas for Great World Sovereigns, the hope of reaching the seventh rank... These were what these experts pursued. They held no personal grudge against anyone. If Xinwu could offer enough resources and benefits for wiping out the Red Moon Sovereign, none of them would mind ambushing Red Moon instead. At that moment, someone spoke up: "Huilong, rumor has it that a Great Dao universe might have been born in the Silver Moon World where that King of Silver Moon hails from. Is that true or false?" "Unclear... It could be true, or it could be false." The speaker sounded dissatisfied. "We all know your background. Are you truly unclear, or are you just unwilling to say? Besides, from what I know, that King of Silver Moon is very likely Bright Moon Sovereign... If it's him, he was part of your Huilong Temple. How could you not know?" Did he take them for fools? Huilong frowned slightly. "It's merely conjecture. Of course, I had my suspicions too, but I tested him before. If he truly possessed a Great Dao universe, to be blunt, I would have taken him down long ago. Would I have left any chance for you all?" "If we're cooperating, we must have a modicum of candor. If I don't know, then I don't know. Could I just make something up to deceive you? If it turns out there is none in the end, wouldn't I be asking for trouble?" In any case, he had never discovered any trace of a Great Dao universe on Li Hao. That was no lie. He could claim there was one... but if there really wasn't, these figures were not people to be trifled with. When they came looking to settle scores, where would he go to plead his case? "Enough, now is not the time for this." Someone cut in, quickly shifting the topic: "The current situation is that the Red Moon Great World is hunting him as well. Tianji and his companion are almost certainly being watched by Red Moon. If the Sword Venerable appears nearby... do we still go?" "Of course we go!" Huilong Sovereign replied. "Red Moon offered resources precisely because they don't want their losses to be too heavy. The Sword Venerable is no weakling. How many sixth-rank Sovereigns of Red Moon dare to fight him one-on-one? Red Moon being there is actually better. If high-rank Sovereigns appear, Red Moon will definitely intervene... which instead adds a layer of security for us." That made sense. "Then we cannot delay any longer. It's time to act!" "Indeed. From what I know, the distance between Tianji's group and where the King of Silver Moon disappeared isn't very far. Right now, experts are searching along the way, which might delay them for a while, but both sides will cross paths sooner or later... We must hurry, or we might miss this opportunity. I feel... it is still possible that a new Dao universe was born in Silver Moon. Otherwise, how could that King of Silver Moon have progressed so fast?" "Right, I suspect the same!" "..." The Sovereigns chimed in one after another. Huilong Sovereign said no more. Whether there was one or not, he was not certain himself. Earlier, the World Master had suspected there was one, but he had simply failed to test it out. "Then everyone, get ready. This time, it's best if we act together. Since a Great World is involved, we must exercise caution." "Agreed!" "By the way!" someone suddenly called out. "Huilong, what is the situation with Kongji?" At these words, the others turned their gazes back to Huilong Sovereign. Huilong Sovereign frowned slightly. "You all know what the situation is. I can't say much right now. Not just me—anyone who ran into this situation... wouldn't be able to provoke him, would they?" The crowd fell silent. That was indeed true. The descendant of an eighth-rank Sovereign. More importantly, the Bright God Realm had not gone to war yet and was still in a period of quiet. It was difficult to fish in troubled waters. "Then Huilong Temple must not bring him along!" Huilong Sovereign said helplessly, "He actually wants to go and has been pressing me constantly. But now that his identity is exposed, how would I dare bring him along... It's too troublesome and too dangerous!" It was not just dangerous for Kongji, but dangerous for them as well. Rumors outside claimed that Bright Moon was the King of Silver Moon. And Kongji had openly stated in front of many people that Bright Moon was his friend. If not for his ties to an eighth-rank Sovereign, Kongji would have been taken down long ago. Even without that, people were already suspecting that Xinwu and the Bright Great World had joined forces. That was a colossal problem. If they brought Kongji, a fifth-rank Sovereign, along and he suddenly turned on them, wouldn't they be asking for trouble? They couldn't easily kill him, and they certainly couldn't just let him kill them, could they? "We definitely cannot take him along!" another person chimed in. "We can ignore him, but we cannot keep him by our side. That's just inviting trouble! Besides, his fifth-rank strength is not weak. Coming from the Bright Great World, he doesn't lack Sovereign armaments, if nothing else. He was already fifth-rank five hundred years ago, and he reached the fifth rank again after cultivating anew. He cannot be treated like an ordinary fifth-rank rogue cultivator!" "His true strength might not be inferior to an ordinary sixth-rank Sovereign. He is exceedingly dangerous!" "So, Huilong, you must settle him properly. If you intend to bring him... we won't act with you." Huilong Sovereign was speechless. I don't want to bring him either. Why act as if I'm insisting on taking him? Ordinary people might not know his background, but these people knew a thing or two. Naturally, he knew their backgrounds as well. The Tianfang Great World was divided into four major sectors. Aside from Huilong Temple, the other three directions were each guarded by sixth-rank Sovereigns, and nearly all of them had Great Worlds backing them. Otherwise, could the Tianfang Great World have been occupied so easily? In the entire Tianfang Region, there were only two eighth-rank Great Worlds, but there were plenty of seventh-rank Great Worlds. The World Masters of those seventh-rank Great Worlds could not come in person, so they all made arrangements of varying sorts. Not just the several sixth-rank Sovereigns—even some masters of smaller domains, those fourth- and fifth-rank leaders, were also mouthpieces for certain Great Worlds. Tianfang was said to be the territory of rogue cultivators... but in reality, what were rogue cultivators? Among true rogue cultivators, how many had reached the sixth rank? Without the backing of a Great World, it was exceedingly difficult to step into the sixth rank. Even reaching the fourth rank was as difficult as ascending to heaven! Huilong did not elaborate, saying briskly, "Then it's settled. I'll give everyone some time. We will assemble in the Southern Domain in ten days and depart together!" "Agreed!" Ten days was not too long for them. They needed to make preparations anyway, and traveling would take some time. Gathering in the Southern Domain was convenient for exiting through the World Gate into the Red Moon Region. ... With a wave of his hand, Huilong Sovereign put away the screen. Shortly after, he activated a mirror. After a moment, a silhouette materialized. Huilong Sovereign showed immense deference. "World Master, we have agreed to set out in ten days." On the mirror's surface, the World Master appeared indifferent, speaking slowly: "The key does not lie in killing people." Huilong Sovereign assumed an attentive, listening posture. The phantom laughed softly. "We need a large-scale war to break out rapidly between Red Moon and Xinwu, including battles between high-rank Sovereigns! The resources Red Moon offered... are not the crux. Hunting Xinwu experts is also intended to throw Xinwu into chaos, so they stop fleeing all over the place and instead choose direct retaliation!" "The people of Xinwu believe in an eye for an eye, and they usually retaliate swiftly... That is why I had you go hunt Xinwu experts." Huilong Sovereign nodded. "I understand!" He hesitated for a moment before asking, "World Master, last time I suspected that Bright Moon was the King of Silver Moon. I tested him several times, but found that he didn't use the power of a Great Dao universe. Of course, he might have concealed his strength... but still... he couldn't have emerged at the middle rank right away, could he? Additionally, Xunhan of the Absolute Darkness Great World died in Dark Demon Ridge... I cannot determine whether Bright Moon did it." The phantom pondered for a moment before replying, "I still judge that a Great Dao universe was indeed born. Perhaps there are some unique peculiarities... Otherwise, without a Great Dao universe, a pure rogue cultivator could never cultivate so fast." "Just sorting out the Great Dao is an enormous undertaking. Only a Great Dao universe can proactively help someone organize their Dao." "However, every time he attacks, chaos tribulation lightning appears... It might be related to certain special Daos." "All of this will naturally become clear once we capture him." The World Master spoke a few more words before adding, "After you leave, I will send someone to take charge of Huilong Temple and Dark Demon Ridge. Tianfang is also very important. We cannot allow Tianfang to fall just to hunt Xinwu experts!" At this point, he asked Huilong, "Has there been any other unusual activity in Tianfang recently?" Huilong Sovereign thought for a moment and shook his head. Last time, some anomalies had occurred over in Tianhe, and Tianfang's Great Dao universe seemed to show signs of surfacing, but there had been no movement since. "None?" the phantom murmured to himself. "Last time Tianhe Sovereign was killed, an anomaly appeared... It was said there was chaos tribulation lightning back then as well. Could it be related to this King of Silver Moon? Did he do something in Tianfang that triggered the anomaly?" "If you can capture him alive, it's best to take him alive!" The phantom spoke slowly, "Compared to Xinwu, or even Red Moon, Tianfang is actually far more important! Tianfang is our key to advancing to the ninth rank, as well as our key to entering a ninth-rank Great World! Once Yunxiao can enter a ninth-rank Great World, a metamorphosis will occur. At that time, it should yield some Dao Source power, perhaps even producing several more seventh-rank Sovereigns... Huilong, you have worked hard in Tianfang all these years. When the opportunity arrives, it will be your chance to reach the seventh rank!" Huilong Sovereign hastened to express his gratitude. At his level, the seventh rank was everything, but achieving it was far from easy. Now that the World Master had given his promise, discarding him after his usefulness ended was generally unlikely and not worth the trouble. If such a quota truly existed, gaining another seventh-rank Sovereign would be a boon to Yunxiao as well. Seeing that the World Master was about to terminate the communication, he hurried to say, "World Master, there is one more matter regarding the Bright World..." "Are you referring to the son of the Lord of Light?" The phantom chuckled. "Ignore him for now! Of course, if he comes looking for trouble... there's no need to be polite! Neither the Bright God Realm nor I are prepared to go to war right now. Wait until a victor emerges between Red Moon and Xinwu!" Without preparation for war, neither side would take drastic measures. Otherwise, if they started fighting before the other side did, wouldn't they just be doing someone else a favor? Huilong Sovereign nodded again. "Understood!" In any case, there was no need to fear that fellow too much. Of course, he shouldn't proactively pick a fight either, as that would only bring trouble. Moments later, the mirror settled back into stillness. The connection was severed. For an eighth-rank master to expend immense power just to chat regularly with a sixth-rank Sovereign showed the weight he placed on the matter. Huilong knew that the land of Tianfang was exceptionally important. This place might hold the fortune for several Sovereigns to enter the ninth rank. Once he left, Kongji, a fifth-rank Sovereign, would become the strongest individual in Huilong Temple. Huilong Sovereign worried that this fellow might stir up trouble. Of course, Yunxiao would dispatch someone over. As for whom they would send, he didn't care. What he needed was for Kongji to cause no trouble before that person arrived; otherwise, things would become very uncomfortable for him. Just as he was thinking this, his expression shifted slightly. A moment later, a figure appeared before him. Kongji said calmly, "Temple Master, forgive the intrusion!" "..." Huilong Sovereign forced a smile. "Kongji, is something the matter?" "Temple Master, when exactly does the hunt for the Sword Venerable begin?" "Soon!" Huilong Sovereign smiled, cursing silently in his heart. Kongji looked at him again. "The Temple Master will bring me along, right?" Right, my foot! Huilong Sovereign had an aching headache right now. He forced another smile. "I will..." "The Temple Master doesn't actually want to bring me along, does he?" "..." Kongji glanced at him. "Is the Temple Master worried about something?" "Not at all!" Kongji gave him a deep look. Ever since his identity was exposed, he didn't really care about the exposure itself, but it did cause some inconvenience, such as right now. After a moment's contemplation, he said, "Then I won't put the Temple Master in a difficult position... but I have a condition." "What is it?" Huilong Sovereign frowned slightly. Kongji said calmly, "I want authority over Dark Demon Ridge... During the time the Temple Master is away, I will guard Dark Demon Ridge, entering and exiting at will. Without my permission, no one may enter!" Dark Demon Ridge! Huilong's brows knitted tightly. That was the very foundation of Huilong Temple. Of course, Dark Demon Ridge had been heavily depleted recently. It couldn't be entered again in the short term, and even if someone went in, it would require a vast amount of resources. Why did Kongji want authority over Dark Demon Ridge? Had Bright Moon discovered something when he entered last time and told him about it? Huilong Sovereign couldn't tell for the moment. On one hand, he worried that this fellow might actually stumble upon some fortune; on the other hand, he worried that refusing might cause trouble. In truth, Dark Demon Ridge was of little use right now. Handing it to Kongji to manage wasn't really a big deal. The crux was... if he agreed the moment the other asked, wouldn't he lose too much face? As he was hesitating, Kongji added, "Temple Master, either take me along to hunt the Sword Venerable, or... I will oversee Dark Demon Ridge!" Huilong frowned slightly. "Kongji, you..." Kongji remained composed. "I know the Temple Master may not fear me; after all... Huilong Temple doesn't have simple backing either. However, if I insist on causing trouble, Temple Master—if I kill you, Sovereign Yunxiao might not necessarily pick a fight... at worst, some resources would be paid in compensation! But if you kill me... my father will definitely hold you to account. That is the difference! Neither side wants to fight in the Tianfang Region while the war in the Red Moon Region is underway, but killing me will definitely start a war. Killing you... after all, to the outside world, you are merely a rogue cultivator, are you not?" That made frustratingly good sense! In truth, Huilong Sovereign understood this very well; otherwise, why would he give Kongji so much face? Although he was backed by Yunxiao, not all people were treated equally. If he died, as long as the Bright God Realm was willing to compensate with enough treasures, Sovereign Yunxiao might not pursue the matter further. But if Kongji died, unless the two sides went to war, he himself would be finished. Still, was there an issue with Kongji insisting on controlling Dark Demon Ridge? Kongji glanced at him and let out a light laugh. "Is the Temple Master worried that I might obtain some opportunity?" "Not at all!" Huilong Sovereign chuckled as well. "If there truly is an opportunity, it would be your destiny. I couldn't be happier!" After some thought, he said, "Since you insist, very well! However, in a few days, a friend of mine will come to oversee this place for a time. I hope you will assist him well and avoid any conflict with him..." Kongji understood that someone from Yunxiao was probably coming. After considering it, he nodded. "As long as he doesn't pick a fight, I naturally won't cause trouble." "I trust Fellow Daoist Kongji!" Huilong Sovereign smiled. To avoid complications and prevent this fellow from insisting on causing trouble or tagging along, he finally made his decision. Regardless of whether Dark Demon Ridge held any opportunity, he would let this fellow take charge for a time. Soon, he produced a treasure that looked like a medallion. "This is the access token to Dark Demon Ridge. With this, you can open the portal and enter whenever you wish..." "Thank you!" Kongji took it, said nothing more, and swiftly vanished. With his identity exposed, he knew it would be difficult for these people to trust him again and take him along to hunt the Sword Venerable. Leaving Tianfang was likely inconvenient. In that case... taking charge of Dark Demon Ridge was fine too. Li Hao would return to Dark Demon Ridge sooner or later. The reason was simple: the Dao Chessboard could bring Li Hao back. Taking charge of Dark Demon Ridge was essentially lending Li Hao a hand. If Li Hao encountered a crisis and chose to use the Dao Chessboard to return, others aside, Huilong Sovereign—who held authority over Dark Demon Ridge—might sense it. By taking charge of it himself, he would eliminate that trouble. In passing, he could also seize the opportunity to meditate on it. Previously, because Huilong was around and Kongji feared that meditating for too long would cause him to miss the hunt for the Sword Venerable, he had temporarily chosen not to enter seclusion. Now, since these people were unwilling to take him along anyway, using the chance to comprehend the Dao Chessboard was a fine alternative. The two sides quickly reached an agreement. Watching Kongji depart, Huilong Sovereign exhaled and cursed under his breath. Soon, though, a smile returned to his face. Fair enough! At least he had managed to stabilize this nuisance. That was a good thing! ... At the same time. Li Hao led the Black Panther and the others as they sped toward Tianfang at high speed. However, the Black Panther's size was difficult to shrink. Compressing an entire world within oneself to achieve true freedom of movement was exceedingly difficult. At this stage, the Black Panther could not do it—unless it stepped into the seventh rank. At that point, it would be like the Cang Emperor, able to compress itself however it pleased. Such a massive body was quite eye-catching, even in the chaos. Bringing the Black Panther to Tianfang was definitely out of the question. Or the Black Panther could spit out the small world and go on its own; that would work without much trouble, as Tianfang was not overly hostile toward chaos beasts. Yet if the left-behind small world were discovered... with its Dao Master gone, its World Master gone, and Li Hao absent, any Sovereign who stumbled upon an ownerless medium world would definitely devour it! Such an immense benefit—any fool would know that if you couldn't take it away, you ate it! Furthermore, it was best to bring the Black Panther to Tianfang. If the Black Panther did not go to Tianfang, then even with Qian Wuliang present, it might not be possible to simulate a genuine Great Dao universe. In fact, it was best if the Silver Moon World could also reach the vicinity of Tianfang; otherwise, if the Great Dao universe was too far away, simulating it convincingly would be very difficult. This was the problem Li Hao had to solve right now! Secondly, there was another point: they had to slip into the Tianfang World. All four World Gates were guarded, and a strange Sovereign arriving would easily draw suspicion. "Qian Wuliang!" "Here!" Qian Wuliang responded hurriedly. As Li Hao traveled, he asked, "The Black Panther's size is too large to approach Tianfang. But without drawing close, if Silver Moon is not near Tianfang, it will be hard to extend the Great Dao universe's reach into Tianfang. Do you have a solution for this?" Qian Wuliang felt somewhat aggrieved. He never asks me about easy things. Whenever he asks me, it's never simple. "I do!" Qian Wuliang answered bluntly. "Does the Marquis wish to hear it?" "..." Nonsense! Wait, this fellow actually had an idea? "Marquis, worlds can actually be compressed." Nonsense, I know that. Li Hao thought to himself, but said nothing, continuing to listen. Qian Wuliang was quick-witted and could sometimes offer dependable advice. "The trouble is, because the Black Panther is not strong enough, compressing it... might cause the world to collapse, leading to the deaths of countless Silver Moon people!" Li Hao nodded. Qian Wuliang continued, "Therefore, my thought is to find a small world right now and eliminate everyone inside! Kill the master of that small world, pull off a substitution, temporarily migrate the people of Silver Moon into it, and then have the Black Panther compress the Silver Moon World! That way, as long as we disguise it well, Silver Moon can hide for a while. There are plenty of small worlds in the chaos, and the Marquis happens to have a map... Some of those small worlds are backed by Great Worlds, so in the short term, no one will come looking for trouble, nor will anyone care..." Wipe out the living beings of an entire world! Then migrate Silver Moon's populace into it. It was indeed a method... but far too ruthless. Although Silver Moon was a medium world, its population was only ten billion. That was merely the population of some small worlds, and it could easily fit inside one. That way, the Silver Moon World could be compressed and moved with ease. Worlds could naturally be compressed; otherwise, no one would trade in worlds. In the Tianfang World, there were even factions that openly sold worlds for Sovereigns to devour. Nearly all of those were compressed worlds. Devoid of living people. Even if there were any, they were few, because if anyone below the seventh rank compressed a world, it would inevitably collapse. Qian Wuliang's methods had always been ruthless. Li Hao was used to his way of speaking. Yet... he still shook his head. "The living beings of a world number in the billions at least! For now, we still maintain the attitude of not attacking unless attacked. Unless the other party attacks me proactively, wiping out an entire world of living beings is unacceptable." Qian Wuliang said faintly, "If it is inconvenient for the Marquis, I can do it..." Li Hao smiled faintly. "Wouldn't that be burying our heads in the sand?" Qian Wuliang sighed helplessly. Then I have no other ideas. This was actually a great plan! Not only could it conceal their tracks, but it would also make Silver Moon vanish from public view. Handled properly, going undetected for tens of millions of years would be entirely normal. Who would examine every single small world to see if its inhabitants were the original residents? Sometimes, Li Hao gave Qian Wuliang an impression of hypocrisy. In truth, Li Hao did not consider himself benevolent; he merely adhered to the philosophy of a wanderer of the martial world: you don't mess with me, I don't mess with you; you mess with me... I kill you. It was that simple. He had great interest in killing the strong, but killing the weak... slaughtering an entire world of innocents was something he had little appetite for, unless he was dealing with worlds like Red Moon. Red Moon was an enemy. And enemies had to be uprooted completely! Qian Wuliang's idea was impractical. Still, it was an approach. Thinking of this, Li Hao suddenly said, "Senior Second Cat, you are at the second rank. You should be able to swallow a world into your body just like the Cang Emperor and a chaos beast, right? And perhaps do an even better job than the Black Panther?" "If Senior doesn't mind, could you temporarily accommodate Silver Moon and part ways with me for a while, circling near Tianfang... I will bring the Black Panther into Tianfang, and it can use Heaven's Will to maintain contact with Silver Moon and connect to the Great Dao universe..." Within the river, Second Cat rolled over and continued sleeping. Get lost! Don't force a cat to curse! Once or twice was fine. Calling on "Senior" whenever there's trouble and ignoring "Senior" when there's none—aren't you annoying? It was hard enough finding a place to sleep, yet every few days something came up. Just two days ago, it had swallowed a bolt of chaos tribulation lightning and nearly burst, and now here you come again. This cat isn't Big Cat! Big Cat likes swallowing worlds and running around with them; this cat doesn't! Could Second Cat swallow a world? Naturally, it could. Whatever Big Cat could do, it could do as well, because they were two halves of the same whole—or rather, practically identical. Aside from Big Cat's strength progressing significantly over the years while it had not, there was almost no difference. However... I'm not doing it! Li Hao couldn't bear to leave the Black Panther outside Tianfang because it was indeed dangerous, yet he had no qualms about leaving Second Cat circling outside... On one hand, he felt Second Cat had more experience, was likely stronger than the Black Panther, and could conceal itself better. On the other hand, Second Cat possessed unique abilities that allowed it to evade detection. Second Cat was not very large; swallowing a world might make it somewhat bigger, but it still wouldn't be as conspicuous as the Black Panther. Furthermore, Second Cat was exceedingly skilled at concealing its aura and had almost no presence. None of these were things the Black Panther could match. Li Hao also felt a headache coming on. Second Cat was hard to manage. It was always free of desires. Meanwhile, Li Hao had already racked up countless favors with Second Cat; every bolt of chaos tribulation lightning was a debt of gratitude... Having accumulated so many, he now felt that having too much debt was no longer a burden, simply because Second Cat had no desires! "Senior Second Cat, this matter is of vital importance and directly affects my breakthrough... Otherwise, I wouldn't want Senior to take the risk..." "Then don't take the risk!" Second Cat's voice transmitted. Li Hao coughed awkwardly. "Ahem..." "In any case, this cat doesn't want to do it!" "..." Li Hao said helplessly, "Is there no room for discussion?" "There is!" Second Cat's tone shifted. "Condense the Time Star again and let this cat play with it for a while..." "That easily invites chaos tribulation lightning." Li Hao frowned slightly. "Moreover, I need to bring the Time Star into Tianfang just in case!" Under normal circumstances, playing with it was fine. Not this time, however. He had to enter Tianfang and might need it. Second Cat swished its tail, rather unhappy. Yet Second Cat also understood that if Li Hao didn't advance, Time would not become stronger. If Time was not strong, it could not resist the chaos tribulation lightning; every time it condensed, it would summon tribulation lightning. It couldn't hold the Time Star and dive into the depths of the river to play with the teacher like it used to. "Then just this once... Next time, you're not allowed to ask me!" Li Hao let out a breath and nodded. "Just this once!" "You seem to have said that before." Li Hao felt awkward. Had he? Second Cat was somewhat reluctant, and the Black Panther was also dejected at this moment. Evidently, the Black Panther also understood that Li Hao considered Second Cat more dependable, stronger, and better at disguising itself. Though Li Hao claimed that bringing it into Tianfang would help communicate with the world and the Dao, Qian Wuliang was also a Dao Master; leaving it behind wouldn't make too much difference. With Second Cat agreeing, the Black Panther remained silent. In the chaotic void, it opened its maw wide and spat out a world. A massive world! Second Cat opened its mouth and swallowed it, complaining in disgust, "This little doggy has bad breath!" "..." The Black Panther was struck dumb. Its body rapidly shrank, and after a moment, though still quite large, it was no longer boundless at a glance. Now, it was merely an odd dog about a hundred meters long. Previously, its body had been unimaginably huge, stretching over a thousand kilometers, fitting the size of a chaos beast. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell it likely contained a world. Swallowing the world caused Second Cat's body to swell rapidly as well. However, compared to the Black Panther, it was indeed far stronger, or perhaps the space within it was compressed far more thoroughly. With a universe contained within, Second Cat's body only expanded several thousand times, turning from human-sized into a giant cat several thousand meters long. A few thousand meters in the chaos was merely a drop in the ocean. Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, Second Cat's capacity to swallow and accommodate was far greater than the Black Panther's—it was merely a cat several thousand meters long... Well, still enormous, but no longer conspicuous in the chaos. At this moment, Qian Wuliang, who had remained quiet, suddenly spoke: "Senior, it would be best to alter your appearance... Otherwise, if you encounter experts in the chaos, you might easily be mistaken for Xinwu's Cang Emperor." "..." Second Cat was utterly depressed. Big Cat made countless enemies, and now this cat can't even maintain its original appearance. How miserable. True enough. If seen by others, a chaos beast several thousand meters long was nothing special, but a cat several thousand meters long that looked identical to Big Cat would be disastrous. High-rank Sovereigns might soon appear to deal with it! "Of course, if Senior feels that intimidating enemies is preferable, that might work too..." Before Qian Wuliang could finish, Second Cat snapped unhappily, "Are you stupid! Those who want to kill Big Cat are seventh- and eighth-rank Sovereigns! If one comes, this cat will be beaten to death! Whom would I intimidate?" Intimidating the weak only to lure in the strong was something it would never do! Li Hao smiled and said nothing. Soon, Second Cat shifted its appearance. Although it was still a cat, it now looked... somewhat like a pig. Li Hao suppressed his laughter, saying nothing. The group sped toward Tianfang. Without the Black Panther dragging a world along, their speed increased significantly, and though Second Cat had swallowed a world, its speed was hardly diminished. If Silver Moon had been concealed like this before, perhaps it wouldn't have been exposed so easily. Back then, however, Second Cat might not have agreed. Agreeing now was likely because it felt Li Hao had truly hit a bottleneck and needed help, and only if Li Hao broke through could Time be reconvened. Second Cat didn't care about anyone else's life or death. It didn't even care about Li Hao's. The reason it stayed was entirely tied to Time; otherwise, Li Hao would never have been able to order Second Cat to do anything. Li Hao was well aware of this. Every time he asked Second Cat to do something, it was always for this reason. Based on that, once Time was truly reconstituted in the future, he would have to satisfy Second Cat's wishes. ... Huilong Sovereign and his companions had set their departure for ten days later. Li Hao's return to Tianfang actually took longer. Before Li Hao reached Tianfang, Huilong Sovereign and the others had already departed. Li Hao was unaware of this at the moment, but even if he knew, he had no way to stop them. Moreover, those experts leaving was actually a good thing for him. Once a major disturbance erupted in Tianfang, those people would return sooner or later. ... On the way out, Li Hao and his group had maintained the speed of first-rank Sovereigns, taking over a month. On the return journey, Li Hao's speed was much faster, but because the Silver Moon World was present and Second Cat's swallowing process had caused some delay, they couldn't match Li Hao traveling alone. In the end, it took about fifteen days before Li Hao caught sight of the colossal Tianfang World. Along the way, they didn't encounter Huilong and his companions. Li Hao had deliberately avoided the conventional route and taken a detour; otherwise, the two sides might have crossed paths in the chaos. After settling Second Cat near the Tianfang World, Li Hao took Qian Wuliang, the Black Panther, Yuan Shuo, the Queen of the God Nation, and the King of Dali with him toward the Tianfang World. All of these individuals possessed the potential to attain the Sovereign realm, with the King of Dali and the Queen of the God Nation having the greatest hope. They also served as attendants to the three Sovereigns. Three Sovereigns and three non-Sovereigns matched the configuration of one attendant per Sovereign, which wasn't overly conspicuous; bringing more would draw unwanted attention. Bringing an attendant along was something some Sovereigns did, primarily for convenience. This time, Li Hao chose not to enter through the South World Gate. Instead, he circled around Tianfang, taking several days to enter the Tianfang World through the West World Gate. ... The West World Gate. Like the South World Gate, guards were stationed here. Upon seeing Li Hao's group—two human Sovereigns, a chaos beast, and three attendants—and receiving a simple inquiry met with a clear posture indicating they had no need for a guide, the guards at the West World Gate didn't dare say much. With several middle-rank Sovereigns having departed, Li Hao directly revealed the aura of a third-rank Sovereign, while the Black Panther displayed a second-rank aura. Attempting to recruit them was out of the question. Li Hao soon entered the Western Domain. Similar to the Southern Domain, this area was divided into ten major domains. The strongest was the Fuguang Domain, which, like Huilong Temple, housed a faction overseen by a sixth-rank Sovereign known as Fuguang City. Fuguang Sovereign was also a sixth-rank Sovereign, though he did not seem to be within the domain at the moment. The arrival of three Sovereigns drew some attention, but because Fuguang Sovereign was away, a first-rank Sovereign from Fuguang City merely came by to exchange pleasantries before quickly leaving. The three exuded an unapproachable demeanor and showed no interest in joining Fuguang City, leaving the visitor with little room to say more. ... This time, because Li Hao was not alone, he was not in such a rush. The group avoided entering the city. Instead, they found an uninhabited area and used divine abilities to construct a temporary residence. No one dared provoke them, giving rise to rumors across the territory of Fuguang City that several Sovereigns had arrived in the area and might stay for a while. Although it was merely a temporary dwelling, it was quite spacious. Having paused their journey, Li Hao and his companions felt somewhat more relaxed. Inside the hall. Li Hao cut straight to the chase: "We came here with only one objective... to cause a massive commotion! Black Panther, Qian Wuliang, your goal is simple: try to communicate with Silver Moon from here, establish a connection, and ideally be able to summon the Great Dao universe at any time." "As for the King of Dali and the rest of you... including my teacher, your objective is to achieve the Sovereign realm!" "Tianfang has plenty of opportunities. With a bit of luck, there is high hope of advancing to Sovereign!" "As for me... I might still need some help. I'm going to look for someone to see if I can secure some support." Whom was he looking for? Kongji, of course. When causing trouble, having an accomplice was always helpful. Yuan Shuo frowned slightly. "Is he reliable?" Li Hao had stayed here for a year, but in a year's time, could one really find a trustworthy, reliable friend? Li Hao smiled. "He should be fairly reliable! Besides, creating a major commotion this time is an opportunity for him as well!" Amidst the blend of real and fake, who knew what the outcome would be? If they could truly lure out Tianfang's Great Dao universe in the end, wouldn't that be Kongji's opportunity? Yuan Shuo nodded slightly. "As long as you think he's reliable. I heard there are many Dao-infused lands here, similar to ruins. It's been a long time since I explored any ruins; I'll act on my own this time!" Li Hao frowned. Yuan Shuo laughed. "What are you frowning for? When I was robbing graves, you weren't even born yet!" "Teacher, these are all Dao-infused lands left by Sovereigns..." "So what? Back then, when I was only at the Hundred-Breaker Realm, I dared to dig. Now that I'm at least in the Dao Integration Realm, what does it matter if they're Dao-infused lands of Sovereigns?" "..." Fine! Whatever makes you happy. Li Hao said no more, turning his gaze toward the King of Dali and the Queen. "What about you two?" The King of Dali bared his teeth in a grin. "I'll venture out on my own as well!" With that, he glanced at the Queen. "Don't come with me!" She was a jinx! The Queen couldn't be bothered with him. Who would want to go with you? A reckless fool like you who will get swindled to death outside—I wouldn't accompany you in a million years. She flashed a brilliant smile. "Marquis Li, I shall act on my own as well..." Li Hao shot her a glance. "You won't take this chance to run away, will you?" "..." The Queen fell silent, only managing to speak after a long moment: "How could I?" Li Hao smiled. "If you run, you run... Just make sure you don't leak any information before I complete my plan! Whether you wish to remain in Tianfang or go elsewhere, I have no objections." If she ran, she ran; he didn't care all that much. The Queen had been thoroughly suppressed by him in Silver Moon, so wanting to flee was only natural. The Queen said helplessly, "If the Marquis is so distrustful of me, why allow me to leave on my own... Wouldn't it be trouble if I leaked the information?" Li Hao chuckled. "You're not truly stupid. If the information leaks and I don't die, wouldn't you be doomed?" "..." Fair enough! The Queen said no more. Just as Li Hao said, betraying him offered her no benefits. She wasn't even a Sovereign; even if she spoke out, no one would believe her. "Besides, once you go out, you'll realize how miserable rogue cultivators have it. Right now, you've at least integrated into a Great Dao universe... Once you step outside, you'll see how many Sovereigns desperately wish to join a Great Dao universe without ever getting the chance!" The Queen nodded and held her tongue. She would go out and see for herself first. If opportunities were greater outside, she would flee; if not, she would return. In Silver Moon, she was simply suppressed too harshly by Li Hao. With everyone having made their choices, Li Hao did not delay. Soon, he left the temporary residence and headed straight for the Southern Domain. He had heard that many Sovereigns had departed, perhaps to take part in the hunt for the Sword Venerable. He didn't know whether Kongji was still at Huilong Temple; if he wasn't, tracking him down would take some effort. Yet the vacuum left by the departure of those Sovereigns was also his opportunity.