Clash!

Tianfang shook with upheaval. Li Hao paid it no further heed and pressed onward. He traveled forward without pause. This time, he steered clear of everyone. He no longer hunted any powerhouses, nor did he concern himself with Huilong and the others. His journey had only one objective: to bring the other Sovereigns back. If he could retrieve Tianji and King Huai, he would; if he truly couldn't... then so be it. He had done his best! To link up with Xinwu, he had already exerted every effort within his power. Perhaps Xinwu had no need for this; perhaps the Supreme and the rest had their own goals. Li Hao didn't care about any of that. All he knew was that he was acquainted with Tianji, and Tianji's clone had aided him several times. Since that was the case, and Tianji was in danger, Li Hao had to find a way to come to the rescue. Do one's utmost, and have a clear conscience. Sky Sword and the others were scattered across Tianfang, but at least he knew their general whereabouts. Lin Hongyu and the rest were scattered throughout the chaos because he himself had dispatched them... Li Hao still had to bring them back. As for whether they should split up or act together once reunited, they would cross that bridge when they came to it. A fourth-rank Sovereign was no weakling. Besides, he had Qian Wuliang, Black Panther, and Er Mao by his side—three second-rank Sovereigns. If he could rendezvous with Lin Hongyu and the others, that would add several more Sovereigns to their ranks. With so many powerhouses drawn away, as long as this group didn't cross paths with a great world's forces, they could fight all out even against a medium world, provided it wasn't of the very highest caliber. A fourth-rank Sovereign moved remarkably fast. Last time, it had taken him a full month to journey from Tianfang to where Silver Moon had previously appeared. This time, even with a few days spent cultivating along the way, arriving at that same spot took only twelve days, of which only seven or eight were spent traveling. Such was the gap between the fourth rank and the first rank; the difference in speed was immense. Of course, within the chaos, this was barely noticeable. The chaos was boundless; no matter how fast you moved, anyone looking down from above would see you creeping along like an ant. Here, one could not tear open space. The chaos was one colossal expanse; there was nothing to tear through. Even a seventh-rank Sovereign could only travel through this vast space on foot, so to speak. It wasn't like being inside a small world, where one could tear through space and traverse it in an instant. All of that only applied inside worlds. The chaos was a single, seamless whole. There was no up or down, no left or right, no north, south, east, or west... Naturally, once cultivators and living beings came along, these concepts arose. At the very least, they existed on maps. Li Hao traveled due north. To the north lay the Red Moon Domain. ... A warship was moving at a sluggish pace. Though it was capable of matching the speed of a fourth-rank Sovereign, it crawled forward at an agonizingly slow crawl right now. Tianji's true self and King Huai had grown sparse with their conversation. Tianji sensed the message transmitted by his clone... wait, keep waiting. Tianji himself could feel the looming crisis. So could King Huai. Though the two Sovereigns were relatively weak, they were men who had survived all the way from Xinwu's cutthroat crucible to the present. They weren't part of the Human King's inner circle, yet they had still managed to thrive. Every single one of them was as sly as a fox. Having once wandered Xinwu, Li Hao knew all too well that Xinwu's environment had been far harsher than Silver Moon's. Back then, nearly everyone who rebelled against the Human King had been slaughtered to the last... Anyone who survived was an extraordinary figure. And among those non-inner-circle experts, anyone who could survive and even advance to Sovereign was the most extraordinary of all. Over the past few days, King Huai had kept his mouth shut, but that didn't mean he was sitting here waiting to be killed. The atmosphere seemed somewhat stifling. He had already deduced that something had likely gone awry. The Supreme's original plan might have been to reel in some small fry, or perhaps snag a few sixth-rank Sovereigns, which would already be quite an achievement—after all, seventh-rank Sovereigns didn't grow on trees. In the vast expanse of Red Moon, including the Lord of Red Moon himself, there were only five high-rank Sovereigns. Yet now, Silver Moon kept telling them to wait, refusing to come and rendezvous with them. There was no word from the Supreme either. The document Tianji had been told to carry—a document meant for the King of Silver Moon—showed no reaction whatsoever... That proved one thing: the Supreme was having them wait as well! A seventh-rank! At that moment, King Huai made his calculation: *We might have been targeted by a seventh-rank.* As for Xinwu, the Human King was off on his own searching for an opportunity, and might not be anywhere near here. The Cang Emperor carried the great world and could not appear recklessly; any appearance risked drawing a thunderous strike. The Yang God was the sole mobile force among Xinwu's seventh-rank Sovereigns. Everyone knew this. And since everyone knew it... the Yang God might not be able to pull himself away either. Coupled with the fact that he had been wounded by the Lord of Red Moon years ago, the Yang God spent much of his time nursing his injuries. The Supreme might have bitten off more than he could chew this time. Under normal circumstances, small fry like them shouldn't have lured a seventh-rank to keep watch over them. Seventh-rank Sovereigns had far too much on their plates; taking the risk to shadow them was dangerous in its own right. Were they not afraid Xinwu would throw caution to the wind and strike one down? Therefore, the unexpected variable likely stemmed from Silver Moon. Otherwise, why would Silver Moon have their side wait? *Silver Moon... Great Dao Universe... King of Silver Moon...* Perhaps Silver Moon's Great Dao Universe had been exposed! He pondered. A Great Dao Universe was more than enough to draw a seventh-rank. Moreover, Silver Moon had originated from Xinwu; if Silver Moon showed any signs of approaching them, it would readily draw Red Moon's scrutiny. *The King of Silver Moon... while approaching us, his tracks and intentions were probably deduced, drawing Red Moon's keen attention... which led to this standoff!* Countless thoughts raced through King Huai's mind. He glanced at Tianji. Tianji appeared indolent and relaxed, but King Huai knew this senior of his was actually on edge as well. The son of the Western Sovereign, an early Heavenly King Realm expert of the Neo-Martial era. While other Heavenly Kings had been slaughtered almost to the last man, this fellow had actually achieved the Sovereign realm. At the time, his father was rumored dead, leaving no one to shield him. He had played the fool and feigned madness, to the point where even the Human King couldn't be bothered to kill him. People claimed Tianji was lazy, cowardly, and terrified of death... King Huai had never believed a word of it. "Senior Tianji... we might have to save ourselves." He sent a voice transmission, heavily encrypting the message. "We might not be able to count on the Supreme!" "..." Tianji said nothing and made no reply. If the Supreme eavesdropped on that, they'd both be in for a rough time. The Supreme wouldn't do anything to you openly, but behind the scenes, he would torment you relentlessly. "Most likely, a seventh-rank is shadowing us!" Spot on! Tianji had been thinking the exact same thing. "We're sitting ducks serving as open bait; running will be hard... The Supreme went fishing, but the catch grew too big. On our side, we have at most two sixth-rank combatants—the Supreme's clone... at best a sixth-rank! Someone might be following behind us; even if there wasn't before, there probably is now. And the only one who dares confront a seventh-rank with sixth-rank power is the Sword Venerable!" Tianji still didn't reply, but he agreed with the assessment. Xinwu people understood Xinwu people. The gulf between the sixth and seventh ranks was vast. Crossing ranks to slay a seventh-rank... even the Sword Venerable most likely couldn't do it. But to wound a seventh-rank and clash with one briefly—among the sixth-rank experts, almost no one could achieve that in direct combat except the Sword Venerable. In direct combat, not through schemes. When it came to schemes, the Supreme had countless tricks up his sleeve, making it possible even at the sixth rank. But in terms of sheer offensive force, only the Sword Venerable could pull it off. "In earlier years, the Sword Venerable lacked stamina. Even if he's improved a bit now... he still can't sustain bursts indefinitely. So, he can hold off a seventh-rank briefly, but he definitely can't do it for long." "Right now, the Supreme probably can't spare the manpower to hunt down a seventh-rank, or he would have moved already! Something must have happened: the Human King isn't nearby, the Cang Emperor can't leave, and the Yang God might be in seclusion or away... In short, they can't deal with this seventh-rank right now!" Tianji transmitted, "I know. Cut the crap and get straight to the point!" "Run!" King Huai transmitted, "We can't wait any longer; we have to run! Right now, that seventh-rank hasn't struck because he might be waiting for the King of Silver Moon! Either for the Great Dao Universe, or for the Silver Moon world itself... Red Moon is waiting for them to rendezvous with us. The moment Silver Moon appears is the moment that seventh-rank strikes!" "You and I both know they aren't far from us." Tianji's expression remained unchanged. Indeed, they weren't far; his clone was actually quite close to him. *But how do we run?* One of them was second-rank and the other third-rank, standing out glaringly in the open chaos. Out here, there was no cover to speak of, unless there were worlds nearby. But even if worlds existed, they wouldn't dare barge in recklessly; that would be walking straight into a trap. Escaping right under the nose of a seventh-rank was brutally difficult. "The moment we run, that seventh-rank will definitely strike... or give chase!" Tianji transmitted, "If we could run, I'd have run long ago. You think you're the only one who thought of running?" *Who are you looking down on!* *I want to run too!* Ignoring the complaint, King Huai continued transmitting, "The Sword Venerable can hold them off for a moment. Once we run and that fellow strikes, the Sword Venerable will have to step in... We'll quickly rendezvous with the Silver Moon world. The fact that the King of Silver Moon and his people could approach us without being detected means they most likely didn't bring the Silver Moon world with them!" "Only Sovereign-level cultivators likely came... The Great Dao Universe shouldn't be here either. But if a Dao Lord is present, a Dao river must exist. We'll quickly merge into the Dao river to purge the origin aura from our bodies... Our origin aura is too dense; that's the key to how they locked onto us." "Once merged, we'll flee together..." Tianji frowned. It sounded simple, but the prerequisite was that the Sword Venerable could stall their pursuer, and second, that they could survive the ensuing pursuit. Furthermore, Silver Moon truly needed to possess a Great Dao Universe, and the King of Silver Moon had to be present. Otherwise, without a Dao river, merge into what? Xinwu's origin aura, stemming from a peak seventh-rank Great Dao Universe, was exceedingly rich—far beyond what Silver Moon possessed. Without thoroughly purging that origin aura, shaking off the pursuit would be near impossible. Ignoring those doubts, King Huai pressed on, "We'll have to abandon your clone. Let your clone pilot the warship and flee! We have to flee in separate directions. Even if the enemy repels the Sword Venerable and continues chasing, with a fifty-fifty choice... we'll still have a fifty percent chance of survival!" After a beat, he added, "That thing on you might be the Supreme's clone. If it is... cast that clone aside as well, and it becomes a one-in-three choice! Our survival rate jumps to seventy percent!" "Then where do we run to?" Tianji asked. King Huai transmitted, "We are near the Red Moon Great World. Recently, because the Human King slew the Lord of Extreme Darkness, multiple great worlds have gathered around. I don't know the exact number in the Red Moon Domain, but I know of at least nine. Two were destroyed; setting aside Xinwu and Red Moon, that leaves five great worlds! And right now, four of them are clustered near Red Moon, along with numerous medium and small worlds... That's where we go!" Tianji drew in a sharp breath. *Holy shit!* *Have you lost your mind?* He understood what King Huai meant. It was hard to hide in the open chaos. What could they do? They could only head straight for the enemy's belly. The vicinity of the Red Moon Great World was currently ringed by numerous worlds, including quite a few great worlds. With so many worlds encircling the area, filled with countless people, cultivators, and Sovereigns... the Red Moon Great World had refrained from blanketing those worlds with the Red Moon Great Dao Universe in order to court its allies. Otherwise, it wouldn't be an alliance—it would be subjugation. At the very least, appearances had to be maintained. *We, Red Moon, have come to ally with you all, not to rule over you.* Moreover, once they slipped into that region, whether they hid inside a world or wandered the chaos nearby, Red Moon would find it very difficult to track them. Red Moon's Sovereigns could not casually barge into other worlds; doing so would be an invasion. Everyone had come to form an alliance, not to be invaded. That place indeed offered a shot at survival. However... damn it all, once the alliance was formally forged, Red Moon might conduct a sweeping cleanup. Those allied worlds might also lift their restrictions. When that happened, it would be walking right into a trap! "Are you sure?" "Certain!" King Huai nodded firmly. Tianji was speechless. Only after a long pause did he transmit back, "Fine. To be honest, I actually agree with the idea! But I fear one thing even more... you know what it is?" "I know," King Huai sighed. "You're afraid the Human King will suddenly charge in. He never takes the time to distinguish friend from foe—he just slashes out with his blade, one blade per world! If we're hiding inside one of those worlds... snap, and we're gone!" Indeed. While the threat from Red Moon certainly existed, Red Moon generally wouldn't act too recklessly right on its own doorstep. What were they afraid of? They were afraid of the Human King showing up. The Human King had been lingering nearby all this time. Now that so many worlds were congregating, he might catch scent of the opportunity, find an opening to charge in, and unleash a devastating strike—who knew who he might cleave in two? Tianji felt utterly helpless. *Yes, that's precisely what I'm afraid of.* "We have to gamble!" King Huai transmitted again. "Gamble that the Human King isn't near here. If he were close by while a seventh-rank is shadowing us, he'd have charged over long ago. Would he have waited until now?" The two of them were actually weighing whether the Human King was in the vicinity. If he wasn't, they were ironically safer. The Human King's knack for raiding the enemy's home turf was terrifyingly formidable. As for getting lost or anything of the sort, that didn't matter. Once he spotted an enemy nest, he didn't care whose nest it was; he'd wipe it out first and ask questions later. The Human King didn't subscribe to the fear of alerting the enemy; his philosophy was that the enemy only had so many powerhouses, and every kill was one less to worry about. He didn't care about startling the snake in the grass! One fewer enemy meant one less threat. Setting grand strategies and broad directions aside for a moment, the Human King firmly believed one thing: you couldn't spawn countless powerhouses out of thin air. Once I kill one of yours, it'll take you a very long time to produce another. "Fine!" Tianji had no other choice. It wasn't that they distrusted the Supreme; it was precisely because they trusted him that they had willingly served as bait out here. Yet the net had not been drawn, which could only mean one thing: a hitch had arisen. A seventh-rank had appeared, and Xinwu lacked the resources in place to hunt a seventh-rank Sovereign right now... or perhaps they possessed the resources, but had deployed them elsewhere or targeted another great world. Either way, this sector had to be put on the back burner. In that case, they would just have to save themselves. As for whether this would disrupt any broader plan, that didn't matter. Xinwu had no rigid, unchangeable plans; one adapted to the situation. As long as higher-ups hadn't issued an absolute command, they were free to do as they pleased. If anything went awry, the Supreme could shoulder the fallout himself. "I'll find a way to signal my clone so they can get ready to rendezvous at any moment! Once we meet up, we head straight for the Red Moon Great World!" Tianji transmitted rapidly, "The Supreme's clone... if there really is one, toss it aside! Carrying that thing around is far more dangerous!" King Huai nodded. Indeed! It definitely had to be ditched. Otherwise, such a powerful aura—and one belonging merely to a clone—would make it far too easy for an expert to lock onto them. "Additionally, from what I know, after the Absolute Darkness Great World fell, several great worlds gathered near Red Moon: the Yueming Great World, the Tianlan Great World, the Cangjiang Great World... Those are all extremely dangerous." "However, there's also a rather pathetic great world..." Tianji caught on. Which great world was pathetic? Of course there was one. The most pathetic was the one whose Dao Lord had tracked the Human King before the Lord of Extreme Darkness was slain, only to be cleaved down by the Human King. That Dao Lord had merely been a sixth-rank Sovereign. That great world possessed only two peak sixth-rank combatants: one Dao Lord and one World Lord. The Dao Lord had been cleaved to death, and the terrified World Lord had hurriedly fled with the world, rushing straight toward Red Moon. Because the world itself remained intact, even though the Dao Lord was dead, the Great Dao Universe most likely still existed... though it had probably suffered severe damage, and the World Lord was likely trying to repair it. That place was the most lightly guarded, and thus the safest. Because its Great Dao Universe was damaged, even if they hid inside that world, the World Lord might not detect them immediately. Furthermore, outsiders would definitely be swarming around it. Why? The Great Dao Universe might still be there, while the World Lord possessed only peak sixth-rank power. Would other sixth-rank powerhouses be tempted? Without a doubt! Of course, because negotiations for an alliance with Red Moon were ongoing, ordinary people wouldn't dare act rashly right now for fear of drawing Red Moon's ire. Yet even Red Moon itself might have designs on it. It all came down to whether this sixth-rank World Lord chose to merge directly into Red Moon, or if Red Moon would support him to swallow and mend the Great Dao Universe, seeing if he could ascend to the seventh rank and become Red Moon's loyal subordinate. Regardless, Tianji and King Huai were certain that place would be in absolute chaos. Outsiders would not be lacking. They didn't know what was happening over at Tianfang, but even if they did, they would assume many people wouldn't dare go there—the stakes were too high, and the battle involved high-rank Sovereigns. Here, on the other hand, even fourth-rank Sovereigns might try to fish for scraps. "You mean the Senlan Great World?" "Exactly!" A smile crept into King Huai's eyes. "That very one! It was already a weak great world, and its Dao Lord was slain by the Human King. Even if the Great Dao Universe wasn't destroyed, it's constantly destabilized. Beset by greed from all sides, it's a complete mess! Inside the world, the World Lord must be busy stabilizing the Great Dao Universe, and the other Sovereigns have also been affected. Going to their home right now is like walking through wide-open doors... And Red Moon, in order to woo them, won't conduct direct searches on the surface. Otherwise, how could they attract allies? Even if they learn we've slipped in... they won't dispatch overly formidable figures to search for us!" Tianji nodded again. It made complete sense. Spot on! The prerequisite was that the Human King didn't go there—yes, that was the only condition; nothing else mattered. That place was an excellent hiding spot. "Then we head there?" "We head there!" The two instantly settled on a direction. However... once they met up with Silver Moon, would they be willing to run with them? The only worry was that the new King of Silver Moon might be overly arrogant, insisting on picking a fight with a seventh-rank only to be wiped out instantly... Never mind; if he was truly like that, the two of them would run on their own and leave the rest behind. Young people were prone to recklessness; they couldn't afford to be dragged down to their graves. Still, since the clone had consistently told them to wait, he clearly recognized the danger. He shouldn't be so foolish. In this vicinity, running or hiding anywhere else would be difficult. Only the vicinity of the Red Moon world, while seemingly perilous, was actually the safest haven. As for waiting for the right moment... to hell with waiting. A person had to save themselves. Powerhouses who didn't take survival into their own hands never lived long. Passively waiting for others to arrange everything was a surefire way to meet a grim end; the two of them understood this truth all too well. ... Tianji and King Huai began plotting their escape route. They had even selected their destination. Meanwhile, not too far from them. Several Sovereigns lay in wait, concealed in the dark. None dared draw close. Just then, Tianji's clone suddenly sent a voice transmission to those around him: "My true self seems to be stirring. His speed has picked up slightly; he's heading toward us! I already told him not to approach, yet he's still coming. He probably sensed the danger and wants to flee." No one knew a man better than himself. Tianji's clone quickly added, "With King Huai beside him, he's definitely urging my true self to run immediately. They must have formed some plan. Most likely, they've deduced that a seventh-rank Sovereign is shadowing them and intend to leverage whatever contingency Xinwu arranged to temporarily shake off the seventh-rank and rendezvous with us." Hong Yitang was somewhat surprised. Surprised because transmitting messages in the chaos was extraordinarily difficult; across long distances, communication was virtually impossible. Before Tianji's clone and true self reunited, the distance was too great for direct contact. Yet this clone... truly understood his other half. He was also surprised that Tianji's true self and the legendary King Huai could accurately assess the situation. With such limited information, could they truly deduce these perils? Their approach toward them right now... was it because they had a plan, or did they simply want to rendezvous... He hesitated slightly. A hasty rendezvous could lead straight to death. Li Hao had not yet sent word for them to meet, clearly feeling it was still unsafe. Tianji's clone looked at him. Here, Hong Yitang and Lin Hongyu were in charge. With no word from Li Hao, should they rendezvous or not? In the chaos, one couldn't simply wait for instructions on everything; one had to adapt, or opportunities would slip away all too easily. The other three Sovereigns who had defected to them held no say in the matter. Hong Yitang fell into deep thought. Rendezvous? Was it dangerous? Undoubtedly. Li Hao had sent no message... Thinking this through, Hong Yitang transmitted, "Senior Tianji will come with me to draw closer to them. Hongyu, the rest of you leave this area first. I'll go make contact!" They still had to go. They couldn't simply abandon the rendezvous. However, they couldn't all go together; dragging Lin Hongyu and the others into the fray would create massive trouble. Lin Hongyu frowned slightly and transmitted, "You go? Uncle Hong, if you go and make contact while leaving me behind, how will we rendezvous with Li Hao? Without me, he can't pinpoint everyone's location! The others can stay behind, but I must go!" Hong Yitang paused, feeling helpless. That was true. The chaos was simply too vast. Without Lin Hongyu, even if Li Hao wanted to meet up with them, tracking them down would be an immense ordeal. Without Lin Hongyu in tow, Li Hao would have no way to reunite with them quickly. Though Qian Wuliang was also present, that weakling was only at the second rank. His sensory range was far too narrow to detect their tracks. Otherwise, among the three defected Sovereigns, someone had entered the Illusory Dao universe, allowing their location to be sensed. Yet Qian Wuliang's perception range was too small. Seeing this, Lin Hongyu smiled. "Let's go together! Since Senior Tianji's true self has come in person, taking a risk is nothing. If his true self dares to come, he must have some confidence." For someone as terrified of death as Tianji, the fact that his true self dared to rendezvous meant he had a degree of certainty. Everyone understood the underlying implication. Tianji's clone neither agreed nor disagreed. There was nothing wrong with that reasoning. Without confidence, would his true self dare show up? Definitely not! Since he was coming... they might as well give it a try. After deliberating, the group decided to go together and link up with the two Xinwu Sovereigns first. Lin Hongyu and the others had another thought in mind: no matter what, they needed to transmit their comprehension of the Dao of Utmost Yin back first. Even if it involved some risk, what did it matter? If they kept waiting... now that Tianji's true self was moving, if they stayed put, something might go wrong. Those two death-fearing Xinwu Sovereigns might just flee on their own, and tracking them down would become far harder. ... No word had come from Tianfang yet. Li Hao, still on the move, raised his eyebrows slightly. *Lin Hongyu and the others were stationary before, seemingly waiting. Now there's sudden movement—it seems they're traveling. Something might have changed on their end!* He quickened his pace, sweeping Qian Wuliang and the others straight into the long river as he sped forward. *Go pick them up... The only question is where to flee. If they're truly being shadowed by a seventh-rank... The imprint on the Dao Chess board hasn't stirred, which means Kongji might not have continued along the Dao Chess path; he must have gone outside.* He felt somewhat helpless. Kongji had most likely exited. Otherwise, had he reached square five thousand, knowing Kongji, he would definitely have secured that opportunity for Li Hao. *Kongji, ah, Kongji, you can be rather unreliable at times.* Of course, the pot shouldn't call the kettle black. It could only be said that the situation at Tianfang was shifting rapidly. Multiple seventh-rank Sovereigns might have appeared, perhaps even seventh-rank Sovereigns from the Bright God World, prompting Kongji to head out and meet them. Never mind! Li Hao thought to himself: *Pick up the people first.* As for where to flee... The chaos was boundless and unending. Once he gathered everyone, running elsewhere would be difficult. Li Hao looked around... and finally turned his gaze in a certain direction, falling silent for a moment. *Perhaps... our only choice is near Red Moon.* Rumor had it that numerous great worlds and countless medium and small worlds were clustered nearby, forming a bustling hub within the chaos. Going there offered a slim glimmer of hope. Li Hao set his thoughts aside. Once everyone was gathered, that was the only place to go. At this moment, Li Hao had no idea that the Human King and his companions had rushed toward Tianfang, while he was rushing from Tianfang toward Red Moon. The two sides had swapped directions: one heading straight for Tianfang, while the other was determined to flee into the sphere of the Red Moon alliance. ... At that moment, the warship picked up speed, showing signs of fleeing. Within the dark chaos, a formidable entity observed from afar and suddenly frowned slightly. *Speeding up!* *What's going on?* *Fleeing, or rendezvousing with Silver Moon?* The Sovereign found it hard to judge. Still, he had to follow. He could not allow these two runts to escape his sight. In an instant, the high-rank Sovereign moved as well. Meanwhile, on the other side. A white-haired old man looked into the distance, his eyes flickering slightly. Tianji and his companion were on the move. Those two fellows were as cunning as ghosts and ought to be aware of the danger. Accelerating so suddenly was unusual. *Fleeing?* He couldn't be sure. Then, a voice sounded by his ear: "Tianji and the other one are about to run!" "Are you sure?" "Certain!" The Supreme's voice came through: "A seventh-rank came this time. Originally, it was an opportunity, but unfortunately..." Sounding somewhat regretful, he added, "The Yang God has departed, making it impossible to deal with the seventh-rank here right now. Otherwise, we could have given it a shot." "Why don't you come in person?" "Me?" The Supreme chuckled. "I can't take on a seventh-rank." "Heh!" The Supreme laughed again. "Save the scoffing. I have other matters to attend to. Not just me—Big Cat is coming with us as well... We have no choice but to give up on this seventh-rank. If Tianji and the other want to run, let them run; we'll create an opportunity for them to get away!" "Giving up on it..." The Sword Venerable pondered. It seemed King Wu and the others had another target, one potentially far more important than this seventh-rank. As to what it was, he couldn't be bothered to ask. Still, willing to forgo a seventh-rank here meant the harvest elsewhere was undoubtedly greater. "We could actually wait..." Just then, the Supreme spoke up again. "A major upheaval seems to have occurred at Tianfang. But there's no telling how long we'd have to wait; it's hard to judge right now. Tianfang is missing a spark. Fang Ping still can't be reached; otherwise, we could have used him as that spark to ignite the flames of war at Tianfang!" "Then do I strike now?" The Sword Venerable couldn't be bothered with these machinations. He took no interest in such arrangements; doing his own duty was enough. As for the brainwork, let those with brains handle it. All of Xinwu operated in this fashion. Those who used their heads focused on strategy, while those who didn't were tasked with killing. Even the Human King was like this; if he could avoid thinking, he wouldn't bother, pouring all his focus into cultivating the Dao... and killing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have advanced so swiftly, standing on the verge of stepping into the eighth rank. "Wait a moment longer. Confirm whether they're truly fleeing..." Yet the Sword Venerable found it hard to judge. "How do I tell if they're truly fleeing or just traveling like before?" *I can't tell.* Those two fellows weren't operating on the same wavelength as him. Their tacit understanding wasn't that deep. Only that old scheming bastard could match their wavelength. "Simple... watch whether they cast aside the document I gave them. Then you'll know." "Your clone?" "A semi-clone, not entirely a clone," the Supreme's voice resonated. "It contains a portion of the Neo-Martial Dao, serving as a meeting gift. Naturally, it also possesses a certain degree of combat power..." *Fine!* *You always pull these dirty tricks.* The Sword Venerable didn't care to say more. *Ditch the document?* Then he had to watch closely. If it was thrown out, that meant the two were truly fleeing, and he would have to strike to buy them a chance. A slight pity. A seventh-rank Sovereign was someone best eliminated if an opportunity presented itself. Having lured this one here, he didn't know why they were suddenly abandoning it. Had King Wu truly never considered hunting down a seventh-rank? He must have. What target could possibly make him abandon the hunt and instead send him out to intercept a seventh-rank? As he was pondering, the Supreme's voice sounded by his ear once more: "Stop guessing. By coincidence, the Yang God stumbled upon an Utmost Yang Great World! On our Xinwu side, many sixth-rank Sovereigns have run into problems—serious problems, as you well know! The batch of people who were resurrected... all lack yang energy and vitality. Even the Xinwu world currently lacks them. Tell me, compared to a seventh-rank Sovereign from a great world, which one is more important?" "..." The Sword Venerable came to an immediate realization. "The Yang God... what incredible luck!" He had actually stumbled upon an Utmost Yang Great World! No wonder the Supreme couldn't spare any hands; otherwise, even if no seventh-rank arrived, dispatching several sixth-ranks would have been no problem. The Blood Sovereign, Iron Head, God Splitter, Earth Sovereign, Old Zhen, Old Zao, Western Sovereign... If all these people charged over, besieging and killing a seventh-rank would have been well within their capabilities. Now, he understood. Those people had all died once. Xinwu was, after all, a newly born Great Dao Universe; the vitality and yang energy within it were no longer abundant. Fang Ping was an exceedingly pragmatic man, as everyone well knew. The Supreme and a select few were brimming with yang energy upon resurrection. The others... were a notch below. And the Supreme had to resolve this internal disparity. Otherwise, united as Xinwu was, problems could easily arise. He had to restore the yang energy for a portion of the people, especially those sixth-rank Sovereigns. Otherwise, breaking through to the seventh rank would be nearly impossible. Now that an Utmost Yang Great World had finally been discovered, even if it meant shelving the war against Red Moon, they had to move against it. "Is that place strong?" "Extremely formidable—utmost yang and utmost unyielding, exceptionally skilled in offense! What's more, we cannot cause too great a disturbance, lest others detect it. It sits between the Red Moon Domain and the Chiyang Domain, so we also have to prevent the Chiyang Domain from noticing..." The Sword Venerable nodded, fully understanding now. Then this side had to be abandoned. No wonder that after waiting so long, he hadn't seen anyone else arrive. He had previously assumed Old Zhang might dispatch a portion of his forces at a critical juncture. Naturally, that side took precedence. Once their yang energy and vitality were replenished, several people would stand a very strong chance of stepping into the seventh rank, rather than being stuck as they were now, where even at the sixth rank, the seventh rank remained almost entirely out of reach. The Supreme's voice rose again: "I was the one who voluntarily gave up on Tianji's side. If they truly perish, I'll answer for it. You don't need to throw yourself away here for their sakes!" "No need for you to fret!" The Sword Venerable couldn't be bothered to listen further. He merely watched the distant, fleeing warship in silence. Old Zhang had always been like this—chillingly ruthless to the bone at times. Using Tianji and King Huai as bait had been his plan, yet the moment a far more crucial Utmost Yang Great World was discovered, he discarded them without hesitation... Though he had sent the Sword Venerable here, it was only to do his best, not an absolute mandate to save them. Had Fang Ping not backed him, a fellow like this would have been ambushed and clubbed over the head countless times by now. Of course, it was precisely because such a figure existed that Xinwu had weathered crisis after crisis. Deep down, everyone understood this and could only pinch their noses and accept it. Right at that moment, the distant warship suddenly seemed to toss something overboard. The seventh-rank Sovereign giving chase paused slightly. He also looked toward the discarded object. The next instant, the tossed document transformed into a human silhouette. The seventh-rank Sovereign grasped the situation at once and looked at the phantom, suddenly smiling. "Trying to flee?" *They really are running!* This was most likely a clone of that Xinwu Supreme. Many knew that this fellow loved scattering clones everywhere. Tossing this thing aside clearly meant they were fleeing. *What a pity!* He felt a twinge of regret. This meant it would be hard to catch any bigger fish; crucially, the King of Silver Moon and his retinue might not show up at all. Without delaying, he was just about to wipe out the phantom. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. The next moment, a look of delight spread across his face. "A big fish took the bait after all!" The Sword Venerable! Not bad at all. Though he hadn't caught the new King of Silver Moon, catching the Sword Venerable was just as good. This was the master of the Xinwu Human King! In truth, he wasn't, but out in the wider chaos, everyone believed he was. The Human King's master—this was a colossal fish. Arguably even more significant than the Xinwu Supreme! This fellow actually dared to show himself, actually chose to appear. Did he not know just how immense the gulf between the sixth and seventh ranks truly was? "Red Moon!" With a light chuckle, the entire chaos was abruptly eclipsed by a crimson moon. Between heaven and earth, only that single red moon remained. Waves of Great Dao power washed through the void. In an instant, a Dao domain manifested around them—the exclusive hallmark of the seventh rank. A personal domain! It engulfed everything in all directions. Such was the might of a seventh-rank. Flee? Flee to where? The domain directly encompassed the surroundings. Not only that, but at this moment, within the domain's expanse, countless red energies surged forth, condensing into crimson silhouettes. Phantoms of every kind materialized across heaven and earth as the power of myriad desires permeated the void. Up ahead, the fleeing pair of Tianji and King Huai were instantly affected. Tianji suddenly yawned, turning listless and drowsy, overcome by a desperate urge to sleep. Meanwhile, King Huai's eyes flashed with a glimmer of greed and madness—a desperate urge to slaughter Tianji, devour him, and break through to the third rank himself! An instinctual reaction, drawn from the deepest desires of the heart! A seventh-rank Sovereign was unimaginably powerful. Even though the two Sovereigns were still far from him, the moment they were engulfed, they succumbed instantly. Even the discarded phantom trembled slightly at this moment, wavering as if it too felt a stir of greed, desperately wishing to become a true self rather than a mere clone. Just as a smile touched the lips of the seventh-rank Sovereign, a beam of sword light suddenly blazed across heaven and earth! Silent and soundless, the domain shattered. Countless crimson phantoms instantly dissipated! The red moon cracked apart. From the depths of the chaos, a figure stepped forth, holding a formless sword. He merely looked coldly at the distant Sovereign, letting out a contemptuous sneer: "Desire? My desire is to slay you with a single strike. Is that strong enough for you?" He raised his hand and lifted his sword—a sword without form! The chaos served as his sword! Ten thousand Daos converged, condensing in an instant. With a single strike, the entire domain shattered completely. In the distance, the seventh-rank Sovereign raised his hand, gathering myriad crimson silhouettes to form a colossal Great Dao puppet. In a mere instant, the puppet was pulverized. Sword light flashed, and a thunderous boom erupted, as if the chaos itself had blown apart! The Sword Venerable uttered not a word. A bloody gash appeared across the face of Red Moon's seventh-rank Sovereign. Wearing a look of disbelief, he stared at the Sword Venerable, only chuckling softly after a long pause: "Sword Venerable, you truly live up to your reputation! But just how many such strikes can you unleash?" *Fierce!* *He shattered my domain with one strike, cut down my Dao puppet with one strike, and wounded my true self!* *This man's offensive might is unparalleled!* *Yet how many such strikes can you possibly deliver?* No wonder rumors claimed that Xinwu's Sword Venerable possessed peerless offensive power, crossing realms to slay superiors with ease. But one had to remember, this was the Sovereign realm, no longer the weaker stages of cultivation. *Can you cross ranks to slay me?* The Sword Venerable sneered with disdain. "How many strikes? Try me and find out!" He drew his sword—as if pulling a great blade from the depths of the chaos. The blade was like a river of the Great Dao. Ten thousand Daos converged once more. Silent and soundless, a strike cleaved forth, seeming to sunder heaven and earth as a sword domain manifested! Ten thousand Daos forged a world, blanketing all directions, trapping even the seventh-rank Sovereign within! Ten thousand swords materialized; within the chaos, only those myriad blades shone, each one peerless! *Boom!* A tremendous roar reverberated once more as the Great Dao trembled. It was as if a Great Dao Universe had descended—the Red Moon Universe! The Sword Venerable's voice rang out: "What of a Great Dao Universe? Do you dare descend here in full? If the Lord of Red Moon dares come, the Red Moon world will fall!" Silence! The Lord of Red Moon did not descend. The Red Moon homeland's defenses were depleted; he could not afford to descend recklessly at this moment. If he descended here for the sake of a single Sword Venerable and someone stormed their native world, it would spell catastrophic disaster. Had the Human King been here, he might have descended. Unfortunately, this was not the Human King. "Kill him!" A voice reverberated as the Lord of Red Moon's Dao voice was transmitted, quickly fading away. The Sword Venerable was strong, but he was merely a sixth-rank after all! If a Xinwu seventh-rank had descended, the Lord of Red Moon would have taken the risk to descend and slay the enemy seventh-rank! Within the sword domain, the seventh-rank Sovereign's face was flushed red, covered in crisscrossing bloody gashes. He glared at the Sword Venerable, a ferocious glint in his eyes. *What a Sword Venerable!* *A Dao domain fusing ten thousand Daos into one... this man's offensive power is in no way inferior to a seventh-rank. We'll see how long he can keep this up.* At this moment, who cared about Tianji and King Huai? Those two small fry could flee wherever they pleased. Killing the Sword Venerable was no less significant than slaying a Xinwu seventh-rank! "Hmph!" With a cold snort, the Dao domain resurfaced. A colossal, wrathful Dao puppet materialized, brimming with mad fury as its fist smashed out to shatter heaven and earth. The sword domain trembled violently as two terrifying torrents of power collided, blasting across all directions! ... A warship sped away in full flight. The drowsy Tianji snapped awake, glanced at King Huai, and cursed sullenly after a long silence, "Fuck, you actually wanted to eat me! You absolute animal!" King Huai offered a fawning smile. "A misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding!" "The facts speak for themselves!" Tianji snorted coldly. The next instant, he suddenly grinned and patted King Huai. "Run first. Once we're away, I'll settle scores with you!" He had grown used to it. He wasn't genuinely that furious. A fellow like King Huai was filled with dark desires to his very core; having his desires stimulated and wanting to eat him was only natural. King Huai offered another fawning smile, bringing forth his Sovereign essence blood to directly combust the warship. Disregarding the cost, he beamed brightly, buttering up Tianji: *See? Though I thought about eating you, it was only a thought. Right now, you don't even need to tire yourself out—I'm burning my essence blood to haul us out of here. Happy now?* Tianji nodded. He was quite pleased! King Huai was sensible after all! He glanced back over his shoulder. The next instant, he spat out a mouthful of blood and ignited it immediately, all happiness vanishing. Two unimaginably terrifying energy shockwaves swept across the entire chaos! If they didn't run now, they would be obliterated by the mere aftershocks of those two! He clicked his tongue in awe. The Sword Venerable truly was something else—he could actually go toe-to-toe with a seventh-rank! Unfortunately, there was no telling how many strikes he could sustain. The famous One-Strike Hero of yesteryear... a thousand years had passed; he better last a few more strikes!