Vanished into Smoke

Sword rays! Countless sword rays. Within the perimeter of the battle, it felt as though one had plunged into a sea of swords. Ten thousand Daos converged. The swords seemed to possess a life of their own. Some were bright, some were dark. The battered sword domain and the fractured domain of Red Moon desire merged together, transforming into what seemed like a world—a bizarre sword ocean of desire. The swords had come alive. They had desire! They had greed! What Li Hao witnessed was a war between swords. A portion of the swords had been corrupted by desire and turned against their master, while another portion battled fiercely like loyal guards. Two Dao domains collided here. Within the domain, violence erupted. The sixth-rank Longevity Sword was peerless in sheer offense. Yet the seventh-rank Red Moon Sovereign possessed his own uncanny methods. Countless sword intents defected, turning around to counterattack and butcher the Longevity Sword Intent. To an outside observer, it appeared to be merely a clash between two figures obscured by primal chaos. Only upon stepping inside did the reality become apparent. It was completely different! It felt like two armies locked in slaughter, rife with betrayal, defection, bravery, indestructible resolve, and an omnipresent heart of desire. "Slay the Longevity Sword!" "You shall gain fame, fortune, women, power, and immortality..." Innumerable such thoughts seemed to sprout in Li Hao's mind, causing his thoughts to grind to a momentary halt. That was the influence exerted by a seventh-rank Sovereign. Anyone whose will was not unyielding or whose strength was insufficient could never set foot here. They would swiftly be corroded by desire and reduced to a puppet of the Red Moon. This was the seventh rank! If an ordinary middle-rank Sovereign came to fight this seventh-rank powerhouse, regardless of raw strength, the instant they entered, they would likely lose themselves. Moments later, they would forfeit their own thoughts, becoming the enemy's puppet and tool. This power of the Red Moon did not merely influence the flesh and mind. Crucially, this unique power of the Dao was infiltrating the power of the Great Dao itself. In other words, it altered you from the very foundation. Your own Great Dao would betray you! For a Sovereign, what could be graver than having one's Great Dao corrupted? This was not the first time Li Hao had fought a Red Moon Sovereign. From Bone Corroder at the start, to slaying a third-rank Sovereign after stepping beyond the Star Gate, and recently executing a fourth rank, he had killed three Red Moon Sovereigns. Yet today, encountering a high-rank Red Moon Sovereign for the first time, Li Hao finally understood completely why the Red Moon was a great world—and a top-tier one at that. Previously, the Dao of the Red Moon had not seemed particularly extraordinary. Its offensive power had appeared mediocre, and its esoteric qualities had seemed sparse. That was only because his past impressions had not cut deep enough. Today, he finally grasped the truth: the power of the Red Moon directly infiltrated your Great Dao and even your Great Dao Universe, directly invading you to reduce you to a puppet and a slave, infiltrating from the root... Was such a Dao not extraordinary enough? If a mighty entity invaded a Great Dao Universe, they could even transform that entire Great Dao Universe into the Red Moon's domain! Was such a Dao not terrifyingly potent? Desire was something no living creature could escape. As long as you had desires, you would be infiltrated by the Red Moon's Great Dao. It was the primordial instinct of living beings. Even if your Dao was truly unfeeling and ruthless, you still harbored desires. No one could evade it! At this moment, Li Hao halted his steps. Kongji halted as well. Both cultivators were enveloped by their domains. The power of nirvanic extinction radiated outward, carving out a tiny vacuum around them. A flush of crimson light surfaced on both of their faces. That was the effect of the Red Moon's power. Before they had even fully entered the battlefield, this seventh-rank Sovereign had already taught them a lesson: arrogant fools must maintain a basic degree of respect and awe toward high-rank Sovereigns. ... At the same time. The seventh-rank Sovereign locked in brutal combat with the Longevity Sword furrowed his brows slightly and cast a glance outward. The Longevity Sword also tilted his head to glance over. Both powerhouses had sensed that someone had entered their battlefield. The newcomers were not overly powerful... yet they possessed a peculiar quality. The clash between the two combatants was effectively indistinguishable from a duel between two seventh ranks. Yet someone had barged into their battlefield. What audacity! With the slightest misstep, even a sixth-rank Sovereign might fail to enter the core circle, being pulverized before they could even step inside and becoming fuel for the Dao domains. Who had arrived? The Longevity Sword actually had a guess, for he detected a peculiar aura. That sensation... felt like sword intent. A sword intent bred in the bone. It was something the people of the Silver Moon world were born with. Their Dao meridians were fundamentally swords, and the ultimate form of their Great Dao Universe was also a sword. Opposite him, the Red Moon Sovereign remained utterly cold and aloof. He didn't care in the slightest! The newcomers were not high-rank Sovereigns. Nor did they appear to be people of the Origin. The aura of the Origin world was extremely distinct; the arrivals did not seem to hail from the Origin. Had he sensed someone like the Blood Sovereign, he would have felt a degree of wariness. A single Sword Venerable was already this troublesome; he could not help but be wary of Xinwu. Yet... it wasn't them! Since they were neither Xinwu nor high-rank Sovereigns, there was no need to be overly cautious. Nor did he sense the Dao auras of the Bright Light or Yunxiao domains; otherwise, he would have been on guard. Neither Li Hao nor Kongji had a Great Dao Universe. Kongji didn't have one either; his Great Dao Universe was his Realm of Nirvanic Extinction. "Courting death!" He knew the newcomers were not on his side. Those on his side could only be Sovereigns from the Red Moon World. Red Moon Sovereigns might be rushing here right now, but the Red Moon homeland was quite some distance away. Unless high-rank Sovereigns came, no matter how fast middle-rank Sovereigns flew, arriving swiftly would still be difficult. Since they were not his allies, they were either reinforcements sent for Xinwu, or reckless wandering rogues hoping to scavenge some spoils. Those locust-like rogues had immense audacity. As a high-rank Sovereign, before encountering the Sword Venerable, he had never placed any non-high-rank Sovereign in his eyes. Even now, he refused to believe the chaos was teeming with cultivators like the Sword Venerable. If that were true... the chaos would have fallen into utter mayhem long ago. A cultivator like the Sword Venerable, capable of defying realms to battle a seventh rank, was unique in any world. The Sword Venerable remained silent. He raised his formless sword, swung, and slashed! His sword moves were simple and seemingly ordinary—mere straightforward cuts. Yet anyone who truly understood him knew they were anything but simple. A sword forged from the convergence of ten thousand Daos possessed virtually no flaws in terms of offense. Whatever your lineage, whatever your abilities, out of my sword of ten thousand Daos, there will always be a strike that can cut you down! The Red Moon Sovereign clearly understood this principle. Even as his Red Moon Dao invaded, the other man's sword dao remained steadfast as Mount Tai. Had it not been for the fact that the Sword Venerable's Dao power was not as vast as a seventh rank's, an opponent of the same rank would surely have been slain by him! A peerless sword! Both sides traded blows back and forth. At this moment, all the Red Moon Sovereign could do was defend and bide his time, waiting for the opponent's Dao power to deplete while shielding against the sword intent so he would not be pierced and slain. As long as he defended well and exhausted his foe... the Longevity Sword was dead without a doubt. And he possessed the confidence to see it through. It would be soon! They had fought until now. Powerful as this Longevity Sword was, he was not powerful enough to slay him with a single stroke. Failing to kill him in one blow meant success for the Red Moon Sovereign. ... On the perimeter. The crimson flush on Li Hao's face vanished, while Kongji also settled into deathly stillness, his complexion turning an ashen gray. Two types of domains manifested around them. A sneak attack was obviously out of the question. The moment they stepped into the enemy's domain, their presence had been exposed. This was somewhat frustrating for the two of them. Against ordinary middle-rank Sovereigns, their approach might have gone entirely unnoticed. Yet a seventh-rank Sovereign wielding a Dao domain would naturally detect any intrusion into that domain. Similarly, possessing Dao domains themselves, they understood clearly that if anyone invaded their domain, they would immediately notice. If not for the fact that the two opposing Dao domains were entangled and partially shattered, this overpowering Red Moon domain might have suppressed them outright! The setback was minor; in truth, both of them were quite excited. This was a high rank! A genuine high-rank Sovereign! This time, whether it was the two of them, Li Changsheng, or the Red Moon Sovereign, all four possessed Dao domains. Walking within the domain of a formidable enemy was an experience in its own right. "The Red Moon World is truly something!" Kongji murmured with a sigh. He didn't seem all that tense, merely struck by revelation. "Indeed, perhaps I underestimated the Red Moon. I always assumed its Dao of desire was crude and unfit for refined halls." Now he understood he had been mistaken. Desire was a primordial Dao! Such a Dao was definitely not simple. It was not merely some trick to seduce the mind, but something that ignited one's primal desires from the root, from the source of the Dao, from the depths of the Great Dao itself! Li Hao nodded. It was indeed extraordinary. No wonder the Human King of Xinwu, despite being immensely powerful and easily slaying seventh-rank Sovereigns, had never launched a direct assault against the Red Moon. Based on Li Hao's travels through the Xinwu era, the Human King was at the peak of the seventh rank while the enemy was merely at the eighth rank... Would the Human King fear fighting an eighth rank while at the peak of the seventh rank? He wouldn't! Yet the Human King had dragged his feet on attacking the Red Moon. Had he truly just gotten lost? Or was it out of wariness? The Lord of Red Moon had to be extraordinary even among eighth-rank entities. Li Hao did not dwell on it. A long river manifested, wrapping around their surroundings to envelop both himself and Kongji. The stars of Nirvanic Extinction and Life and Death emerged, cloaking them once again in a faint Dao domain. Outside, streams of Red Moon power continued to infiltrate frantically. Yet the moment they entered, Kongji's Realm of Nirvanic Extinction extinguished them completely. With the two joining forces, mere stray wisps of Dao power could not harm them. If they couldn't even withstand that, they might as well pack up, go home, and go to sleep—hunting a seventh-rank Sovereign would be nothing more than a pipe dream. "Continue?" Li Hao looked at Kongji. Kongji smiled slightly. "Of course!" The next instant, the two strode forward, advancing deeper. All around them, large swathes of sword intent drifted past without attacking Li Hao's group. However... a portion of the sword intent that had been corrupted by the Red Moon power swarmed toward their domain like an army of traitors. Yet this chaotic sword intent, adulterated with Red Moon power, was sufficient only against the weak; it fell short against the two of them. Waves of defected sword intent were quickly shattered by the long river. Some of the stronger ones that pierced into the river's interior were instantly wiped out by the domain of nirvanic extinction. ... "Hmm?" Only now did the Red Moon Sovereign pay them any real attention. Someone had actually come! Not only had they entered, but they had also breached the merged remnants of his and the Sword Venerable's shattered Dao domains, walking inward from the periphery. Their strength wasn't weak! And their courage was immense! Knowing full well this was a clash between seventh ranks, they still dared to intervene. He was eager to see who possessed such reckless audacity to be this arrogant! The Longevity Sword was also surprised and slightly astonished. He had likely guessed who it was. However... this was a seventh-rank battle. Though he himself was not a seventh rank, in terms of offense and Dao domain, he was at least half of one. If it was the new King of Silver Moon who had arrived, this fellow was far too reckless! Moreover, the strength displayed exceeded expectations. Amidst the astonishment of both combatants... Around them, waves of sword intent parted, and torrents of Red Moon power were extinguished. In an instant, a surging river crested with waves. Two figures emerged under the river's canopy, becoming a third party in this central zone. Two people, not the single person anticipated. And... a Dao river? A Dao domain? The Red Moon Sovereign instantly recognized one of them. He stared at Kongji, his eyes shifting slightly. "Kongji! No, should I call you Mingtang?" The Divine Son of Bright Light! Damn it! How could it be him? Wasn't he in the Tianfang Great World? Why had he suddenly appeared here? No wonder he was so arrogant! Of course, he didn't fear this fellow. What worried him was whether high-level experts from the Bright Light Divine Realm had come along with him. Why come to my Red Moon Domain? Though the Bright Light Divine Realm was powerful, it had rivals in the Tianfang Region, and recent movements had been stirring in the Tianfang Great World. Why had this person appeared here? Kongji offered a faint smile. "Junior greets Sovereign Xingshen!" Xingshen, seventh rank, a high-rank Sovereign of the Red Moon World. Few people mentioned the name Xingshen; most referred to him as Jingshen. Xingshen was actually his title during his middle-rank period, which had altered slightly upon reaching the high rank. Sovereign Xingshen remained utterly indifferent, merely watching the two. At this moment, he was displeased. This person's arrival spelled trouble. More importantly, he had been on the verge of grinding down the Longevity Sword. The appearance of these two might introduce unforeseen variables... Though he was not afraid, additional complications were always a nuisance. He asked nothing and said nothing. As a high-rank Sovereign of the Red Moon, and with this being Red Moon territory, he swept the area with his senses and detected no other high-rank Sovereigns. The next instant, with a wave of his hand, countless strands of Red Moon power coalesced into a colossal dragon that hurtled toward the pair. Even if Kongji was troublesome to kill... when push came to shove, what harm was there in slaying him? Even if he didn't kill them, he had to severely wound them so they would have no chance to cause trouble. Afterward, he could negotiate with the Bright Light Divine Realm! The crimson dragon, brimming with fury, intimidation, and madness, lunged toward them. Li Hao and Kongji remained silent. Li Hao's River of Life and Death expanded, making contact with the dragon in an instant! A surging force of the Red Moon directly infiltrated his Great Dao river. Instantly, the river was dyed red. "Extinction!" With a low shout, Kongji made his move. A sixth-rank Realm of Nirvanic Extinction manifested, freezing the river in place and halting the expansion of the crimson power. Seizing that fraction of an instant, life and death emerged; the crimson dragon within the River of Life and Death seemed to undergo the reincarnation of life and death. The crimson power gradually dissipated, giving rise to wisps of pure Dao power that drifted into the river. Though the two working together managed to neutralize the casual strike, the disparity between the sides was stark. If the enemy hadn't been wary of the Sword Venerable erupting and withheld his full strength, the two of them would never have stood a chance. Boom! The river surged with waves once more, and the crimson dragon vanished entirely. "Impressive!" Xingshen suddenly chuckled. "Truly impressive! Both of you possess Dao domains. I recognize Kongji, but as for the other one... the King of Silver Moon? Truly remarkable. A mere fourth rank capable of manifesting a Dao domain, and even half a Dao river... quite extraordinary." Li Hao said nothing; it was no surprise that he was recognized. He glanced across the battlefield. On the other side, the Sword Venerable looked back at him. For the first time, the two stood face-to-face. In truth, Li Hao had seen the Sword Venerable many times—from the illusion in the Eight Trigrams Formation at the very beginning, to his travels through Xinwu, up until today, when he met this King of Silver Moon in reality for the first time. The true King of Silver Moon. His hair was slightly gray, seemingly the result of excessive longevity depletion. He possessed an ethereal, transcendent bearing... not much different from what Li Hao had imagined. His sword intent brimmed with vitality—a peerless swordsman! Of course, Li Hao, having traveled through Xinwu, knew that in private this Sword Venerable was hardly a cultured gentleman. He cursed like a sailor. Only outwardly did he resemble Li Hao's own teacher, caring a great deal about his public image. "Junior Li Hao greets the Sword Venerable!" At this moment, Li Hao formally introduced himself. Li Hao! The Sword Venerable seemed slightly surprised, giving a faint nod as he looked across the distance. Surnamed Li! Bearing the surname Li did not necessarily mean he was a descendant of his lineage. He had no direct descendants of his own, though his grandniece had progeny. But many people shared the surname Li, and Silver Moon had relocated many Li clansmen back then. He did not sense an overly dense Li family bloodline in Li Hao. Nonetheless, learning that the new king walking out of Silver Moon was surnamed Li brought the Sword Venerable a hint of joy. "Not bad!" The Sword Venerable smiled and nodded, his stern and murderous aura diminishing somewhat. Despite the extreme danger of the moment... what did it matter? That the new King of Silver Moon dared to enter and was able to enter proved his capability. He was pleased and did not consider it reckless. He had seen far more reckless people... like that Human King. In a situation like this, the Human King would have barged in without hesitation. Thus, he was well-accustomed to such occurrences. Nor did he feel these two had come merely to drag him down. Xingshen laughed as well. A potent Red Moon power swept out in all directions, turning the entire world crimson. An overwhelming desire battered heaven and earth, as if the void and chaos had been converted into a realm of desire. He chuckled. "Though I failed to capture someone like the Yang God, capturing the three of you... I believe will be no worse than taking a seventh rank!" The Sword Venerable, a cultivator wielding seventh-rank offensive might. Li Hao, the King of Silver Moon. Kongji, the Divine Son of Bright Light. He laughed. Today was truly an auspicious day. If these three were captured, Kongji might become the key to an alliance between Red Moon and Bright Light. With the King of Silver Moon captured, the Silver Moon World was within reach, and the Xinwu homeland would not be far behind! Slaying the Sword Venerable would eliminate in advance a threat capable of advancing to the seventh rank and becoming invincible in that tier. Splendid! Even the heavens were aiding him! The Sword Venerable smiled as well. "No more pleasantries. A formidable enemy stands before us; we'll chat later. Today... let us slay him first!" He voiced harsh words, but what he meant in reality was: We've met and become acquainted; now run! We'll talk later! Boom! A staggeringly powerful blast of sword qi erupted, instantly shattering countless streams of Red Moon power between heaven and earth! A sword of ten thousand Daos manifested from the cosmos, thrusting straight toward Sovereign Xingshen. Yet Sovereign Xingshen merely laughed. It was weaker than before; the Sword Venerable was simply too exhausted. With a wave of his sleeve, numerous crimson shadows appeared, the majority lunging toward the Sword Venerable while a small portion swept toward Li Hao's group. Let it end here! These crimson shadows were condensed entirely of Red Moon power, extraordinarily formidable, invading the Great Dao directly. In the void, the great sword was encircled by countless crimson shadows like locusts, gnawing ravenously at the blade. The sword instantly became pitted and scarred; the power of ten thousand Daos lost its stability, partially dissipating, turning into Red Moon power, and even beginning to rebel. On Li Hao's side, the two struck together once more. The long river encircled them, absorbing waves of crimson shadow power... which shattered instantly before being subjected to nirvanic extinction. This time, however, the burden proved too great. Li Hao's river fluctuated violently, breaking through the intent of extinction. Streams of blood dragons surged directly toward Li Hao and Kongji. The river instantly morphed into a long sword, identical to the Sword Venerable's. At that moment, stars coalesced in the starry sky, forming the shape of a massive sword. Li Hao's voice rang out: "Junior's sword—I invite the Sword Venerable to critique it!" A sword slashed out! It swept across heaven and earth with a deafening roar, shattering wave after wave of crimson shadows. In the cycle of life and death, the crimson shadows plummeted, and the blood dragons shattered to merge into the river. Just as the Sword Venerable was about to issue a warning, the river seemed to lose control, showing signs of rebelling against Li Hao. Too much Red Moon power made it easy to manipulate. Yet at that very instant, a destructive force surged within the river, transforming into a sword. If Great Dao lightning could crush Red Moon power, chaotic lightning naturally could as well. In a flash, the power of destruction flared. Boom! A fracturing sound echoed within the river, and in the blink of an eye, the crimson hue receded. Sovereign Xingshen glanced over and smiled. Some skill! Of course, it was only that much. His main focus was the Sword Venerable; against these two, he had used a mere tenth of his strength. They were decent among middle-rank Sovereigns, but... what difference could they make? The Sword Venerable said nothing, secretly pondering how to escape with both of them. Since they had come, he had to take them along. Why hasn't that bastard Old Zhang created an opening for me yet? The intrusion of these two was an opportunity in itself, but knowing they were allies, he couldn't just abandon them. Otherwise, he would have fled long ago. Now, the opening was gone. Li Hao paid no attention to this, looking instead at Kongji. Kongji needed no words from him. In an instant, he vanished into the river. He hadn't come to play spectator; he had come to hunt a seventh-rank Sovereign. In the next instant, he appeared in an unoccupied space. The Realm of Nirvanic Extinction expanded wildly. It spread across the entire expanse in an instant! Waves of sword intent were extinguished by him, and waves of Red Moon power were wiped out. When the domain expanded toward the Sword Venerable, the latter raised an eyebrow but did not move. Yet when it reached Sovereign Xingshen, it instantly shattered into extinction! Kongji let out a muffled grunt, unbothered. The Realm of Nirvanic Extinction had already encompassed the Sword Venerable, and that was enough. He wasn't familiar with the Sword Venerable, but it didn't matter—Li Hao was. Well, in truth, Li Hao wasn't all that familiar with him either. Right now, Kongji possessed a Source of Bright Light capable of restoring the power of a fifth- or sixth-rank Sovereign. But for the Sword Venerable... it would most likely be useless. The Sword Venerable was no ordinary sixth rank. Kongji smiled and looked at the Sword Venerable. "Senior Sword Venerable, your fame precedes you. Today... Kongji shall demonstrate a little something, if only to give Li Hao some face, showing that the friends he makes are no incompetents!" Sounding almost like someone meeting the family, Kongji's words seemed peculiar, but in truth he simply felt that Li Hao shouldn't lose face before Xinwu. The companions Li Hao made were no trash. Before the Sword Venerable could understand, and while Sovereign Xingshen was still puzzled, both of their expressions shifted. At this moment, the Realm of Nirvanic Extinction suddenly ceased to be completely lifeless. In an instant, Kongji depleted an immense amount of Dao power. Within the dark realm of nirvanic extinction, a tiny blossom materialized beneath the Sword Venerable's feet. The Sword Venerable instinctively moved to evade, but Li Hao's voice carried over: "Sword Venerable, rest assured!" The Sword Venerable halted and did not move. In truth, this was extremely perilous. He didn't know Kongji, was unfamiliar with him, and the young man belonged to the Bright Light Divine Realm. Yet in this moment, the Sword Venerable remained still. A chance encounter like this was fate. Coupled with the presence of Li Hao from Silver Moon, whether it was carelessness or broad-minded boldness, he chose not to budge. The next instant, the tiny blossom bloomed beneath his feet, taking root in an instant. Before the Sword Venerable could even process the thought, his expression transformed. The Dao power that had been completely drained suddenly began to surge with resurgence. Boundless Dao power erupted in an instant. The Sword Venerable felt his near-prostrated body rejuvenate in a flash, his entire being reinvigorated with boundless energy. Boom! A deafening roar sounded as Sovereign Xingshen sensed that something was amiss. His expression warped in horror, and he attacked directly! Resurgence! Damn it! He understood now—this Kongji had actually comprehended the dual extremes of the Dao, resurgence following nirvanic extinction! This was bad; if the Sword Venerable recovered, it would pose a colossal threat to him. "Lifeless!" At this moment, the Sword Venerable was wild with joy, slashing out a frantic strike! His power had not fully returned, but at least ninety percent had been restored! For him, this meant he had the strength to fight again. Only... even at his peak earlier, he had failed to kill the opponent, much less now. Escape was still the priority, especially since he noticed Kongji seemed to have been completely drained of all energy in an instant. Clearly, this art of resurgence imposed a staggering toll on Kongji. ... Kongji gasped for breath. A Source of Bright Light appeared in his hand. He chuckled and consumed it immediately. While it likely wouldn't restore the Sword Venerable, taking it himself allowed him to recover instantly, which meant he could perform another resurgence for the Sword Venerable. He wasn't the primary attacker. He was merely support. Kongji understood this clearly. Thus, the moment he revitalized the Sword Venerable, he retreated immediately, not daring to take a direct blow from a seventh rank. Otherwise, death was certain. This was enough. In a three-man team, a superb support like him was often the key to deciding victory. "A Source of Bright Light!" Sovereign Xingshen roared in fury upon seeing it! Damn it! Bastard! He hadn't anticipated that this Kongji could truly revitalize someone. Confound it all! While he wasn't terrified, the Sword Venerable had regained most of his strength. In their earlier clash, exhausting the man had left Xingshen injured. To do it again... and if there was a third time, even if he killed these people, he would end up severely wounded. No! He could not allow him a second chance! Sovereign Xingshen resolved instantly to hold off the Sword Venerable while denying Kongji any opportunity to perform a second resurgence. Otherwise, the trouble would be immense. Sources of Bright Light were scarce, taking a hundred thousand years to birth a single one. Even within the Bright Light World, there couldn't be many. He refused to believe Kongji had a surplus. A single one was likely his limit. At this moment, he paid no heed to Li Hao whatsoever. Compared to Kongji, what did a fourth rank like Li Hao amount to? No matter how great his potential, it was merely potential! Boom! Sword intent erupted, shaking heaven and earth. A single strike slashed out, opening a realm of lifelessness where heaven and earth seemed to sink into nirvanic extinction. Kongji's expression shifted slightly as he watched the sword, drawing a soft breath. This sword strike actually contained a profound intent of grand nirvanic extinction. He had originally thought he would merely observe and serve primarily as support... yet he witnessed the grand state of nirvanic extinction unleashed by the Sword Venerable's sword intent! Boom! Sovereign Xingshen was forced back, his face darkening slightly. The sword intent obliterated everything; the Lifeless Sword destroyed all, eradicated all, and extinguished all! Kongji watched unblinkingly, thrilling with excitement. Coming here had not been in vain! Of course, he didn't forget Li Hao. What was Li Hao doing? Preparing to borrow power? From whom? In his mind, for Li Hao to participate in this battle, the gap was simply too vast; borrowing power was his only option. Otherwise... Li Hao couldn't do a thing. Taking advantage of Sovereign Xingshen being knocked back, Kongji glanced at Li Hao. Yet Li Hao wasn't borrowing power at all. Instead, he seemed to be setting up some sort of barrier. Peculiar energies permeated the void, carrying the faint impression of a Dao domain and shielding the surroundings from detection. However... you are merely a fourth rank. A Dao domain like this can be shattered with a flick of the hand. What is this fellow doing? The Art of Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun! Li Hao was laying down a special Dao domain to shield against the chaos. It wasn't meant to deal with the seventh rank. He merely cast a simple shroud over the surroundings. At that moment, the Sword Venerable's voice echoed in his ears: "Prepare to run!" The Sword Venerable clearly believed the chance for a second resurgence was slim. Even if there were a second time... to be frank, the probability of him killing a seventh rank was minuscule. His offensive power was simply insufficient to execute a seventh rank, though holding his own was feasible. They couldn't just keep recovering indefinitely. On a second resurgence, Kongji would likely be singled out by this seventh rank and slain outright. Run? Li Hao hadn't come here to run. He knew his own weight; a fourth-rank Sovereign was too weak. He never expected to slay a seventh rank himself. He and Kongji shared the same assessment of their roles: this time, Li Hao was also merely support. The true primary attacker was only one person—the Sword Venerable! "Grind him down!" Li Hao called out softly. "Kongji can restore Senior Sword Venerable again! He has plenty of Sources of Bright Light! Let's grind this fellow to death!" The Sword Venerable nearly cursed aloud! I said run because even if we grind him down, I still might not be able to kill him! Why doesn't this kid have any sense? Do I have to spell it out directly... that I lack the power to execute a seventh rank outright?! Grind him down... Even if Kongji had mountains of Sources of Bright Light, they shouldn't be squandered like this! Just as the thought crossed his mind, Xingshen sneered coldly. An overwhelming surge of Red Moon power blanketed the entire world, directed especially toward Kongji as massive torrents of Red Moon energy invaded. You want to grind me down?! If we drag this out, the one who dies won't necessarily be me! Kongji's expression changed. The Realm of Nirvanic Extinction manifested instantly, crushing countless streams of Red Moon power, but the consumption was severe. At this rate, he would deplete his own Dao power before he could even perform a resurgence on the Sword Venerable. "Jingshen!" With a low roar, Sovereign Xingshen seemed to fly into a rage. Boom! The Red Moon power suddenly detonated with a thunderous rumble. Li Hao, Kongji, and even the Sword Venerable felt their hearts violently lurch, succumbing to an uncanny, terrified stupor. Spirit Shock! Their Great Daos seemed to take fright, panicking to the point of losing control. At this moment, even the Sword Venerable's sword of ten thousand Daos felt a tremor of fear. Rumbling loudly, it was driven back by Sovereign Xingshen's counterattack, its sword intent beginning to fracture! Sovereign Xingshen's Dao power was also heavily depleted, but he gave a cold sneer. He had been waiting for this very moment! He had originally reserved this to use when the Sword Venerable tried to flee, but now... since they wanted to play, he would let them taste it. Kongji felt as though his liver and gall were rupturing! His Dao power drained away wildly, and the entire Realm of Nirvanic Extinction began to crumble. He and the Sword Venerable were the primary targets of the attack. As for Li Hao, whose strength was weaker, his long river fluctuated violently at this moment. Stars began to fall like frightened beasts, and the river lost its stability. Within the river, figures like the Sword Seal and Sword Tree emerged, their faces pale with horror, trembling all over as though on the verge of being scared to death. A terrifying ability. An intimidation directed straight at the origin of the Great Dao! A faint wisp of time manifested, reversing for a split second. The figures of the Sword Seal and the others vanished, their terror gone. The falling stars began to rise again, and the fear on Li Hao's face dissipated significantly. Over on the other side, Kongji gauged the depleted Dao power within his body and furrowed his brow slightly. Though he had held on, the consumption was simply too severe. To perform another resurgence... was impossible now. Xingshen was also greatly depleted, yet he smiled. Kongji, do you still have another Source of Bright Light? You don't, do you?! Did you truly think I had no means of dealing with you? This time, everyone was severely exhausted. But for Sovereign Xingshen, no matter how much he consumed, he still held the upper hand. Right at that moment, another long river manifested between heaven and earth. A single star hovered within the river. The Sword Venerable, who was contemplating how to escape and preparing to retreat, suddenly felt a stir in his heart as if sensing something. Looking out of the corner of his eye toward Li Hao, his thoughts rippled. At this moment, Li Hao had suddenly transformed into a sword! Yes, Dao meridians surfaced one after another, and stars returned into his body as he merged into the river. Li Hao had actually transformed his Dao body into a sword! The native form of the Silver Moon Dao meridians was a sword! The Sword Venerable's heart stirred. Transforming into a sword for me to wield? But... you are only a fourth rank! Even if I take up a fourth-rank sword, it won't be of much use. To deal with this fellow, I need at least a seventh-rank blade! Simultaneously, Sovereign Xingshen noticed it as well. His thought mirrored the Sword Venerable's... This fellow turned himself into a sword? What bloody use is a fourth-rank sword?! While a fourth-rank sword was decent enough, the amplification it offered the Sword Venerable was negligible. What an arrogant King of Silver Moon! In that instant, Li Hao truly became a great sword. His voice resonated across the void: "Sword Venerable, use me to slay the enemy!" In a flash, the colossal sword flew toward the Sword Venerable. The Sword Venerable cursed inwardly, but could only say aloud: "Fine, how polite of you!" Well, consider it me carrying you along as we flee. He slashed out a strike, forcing Xingshen back. Xingshen didn't bother to block, merely offering a contemptuous smirk. What difference would a fourth-rank sword make? At the Sword Venerable's level... it was nothing more than a hindrance. In an instant, the great sword settled into the Sword Venerable's grasp. Over in the distance, Kongji stared blankly. Will this work? Holding the sword, the Sword Venerable gauged its weight... It was decent, not weak, but... largely useless, a white elephant. If he erupted too fiercely, he feared he might shatter the boy! Breaking Sovereign armaments was nothing new to him. If a sword was too weak, it couldn't endure his destructive force. Otherwise, he wouldn't have discarded the Starry Sky Sword back then. That sword had merely been an ordinary Sovereign armament, too fragile; he feared that a single full-power eruption would snap it completely. The next instant, Li Hao's voice echoed in his mind: "The Sword Venerable's burst is formidable, yet insufficient to kill a seventh rank. If one strike isn't enough, what about stacking two, three, or four?" Without a second thought, the Sword Venerable replied instantly: "Stacking three strikes would be enough to kill him... but..." "Swing your sword, Venerable, and stack four strikes to ensure absolute certainty!" If I could stack four strikes, would I need you to tell me?! The thought flashed through his mind. Utter nonsense! Yet the next moment, the Sword Venerable didn't even hesitate. Since you said so, I'll give it a shot. The kid's words gave him an eerie sense of familiarity, as though he had returned to over a thousand years ago. Back then, someone had directed him like this too. That person had also been a weakling! Of course, that person later grew immensely powerful—the Xinwu Human King. That fellow had been the exact same back then... regardless of whether it would work, beat the crap out of him first! Deal with it afterward; how would you know if it worked without trying? "So decisive!" Li Hao was startled as well. I was planning to say a few more words, but while you protest with your mouth, your hands move terrifyingly fast! An overpowering force of ten thousand Daos coalesced in an instant. Li Hao immediately felt a boundless slaughterous aura, truly sensing the terrifying might of the Longevity Sword for the first time. The strike burst forth, peerless and unmatched, altering the very colors of heaven and earth. Even Xingshen was startled. Has he lost his mind?! He's not running? He's holding nothing back, unafraid of exhausting himself with a single strike and leaving himself open to being slaughtered by me? As long as I block this strike, this fellow is finished. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a creaking, cracking sound seemed to echo from the sword in the Longevity Sword's hand. "Reversal!" At that exact moment, Li Hao manifested a potent power of time, reversing time itself! Time was not merely for borrowing power. Reversal was a technique he had used many times, mostly upon himself. This time, however, he directed it toward the Sword Venerable. He intended to reverse the Sword Venerable once, rewinding the erupted sword strike back to stack the sword intent—just as he had reversed sword intent that day to slay the chaos behemoth. The Sword Venerable instantly felt a peculiar power wash over him. The energy he had just expended seemed on the verge of recovering... yet fell slightly short, lacking just a fraction. Right then, Kongji's heart leaped. The energy he had expended suddenly restored itself. To avoid complications, Li Hao had not reversed the Sword Venerable's energy; rewinding a fully realized Sword Venerable would be too difficult and demand too much energy for him to endure! However, for Kongji, who had just stepped into the sixth rank, it was feasible. Sure enough, Kongji felt his energy reverse in an instant. Without needing Li Hao to say a word, the Realm of Nirvanic Extinction manifested, and a tiny blossom bloomed beneath the Sword Venerable's feet. The Sword Venerable understood in a flash! In the blink of an eye, his energy was restored, and a fresh surge of sword intent appeared out of nowhere in his hand. The previous strike remained suspended in the void, and as the two strikes stacked together, his power was drained once more! At that moment, Kongji felt his energy restored again... Without a second word, he unleashed the art of resurgence once more! The Sword Venerable's energy surged back... A third strike manifested! This unfolded faster than the mind could comprehend. The Sword Venerable had stacked three strikes! Li Hao had intended to repeat the process once more, but suddenly sensed a colossal crisis descending. He instantly realized the trouble: the Chaotic Lightning Tribulation! Not just his own, but Kongji's as well. Neither resurgence nor nirvanic extinction alone would draw down chaotic lightning, but the fusion of the dual Daos would. Now, lightning tribulations for both of them had arrived, and even the art of stealing the sky could no longer fully suppress them. Just in time! Time to test the method of swapping the sun taught by Li Zhu! "Strike him!" Li Hao's voice echoed in the Sword Venerable's ears. Without hesitation, the Sword Venerable slashed the three stacked strikes toward Xingshen. In truth, he had still been waiting for that fourth strike! It never came. Evidently, this kid was also a master of bragging—promising four stacked strikes, only to fizzle out after three! "Break!" With a ferocious bellow, the three strikes merged into one. Sovereign Xingshen's expression warped drastically. What sort of ability was this? How could the Sword Venerable have stacked three strikes in an instant? There was no time to think. A single strike could already wound him; stacking three strikes wouldn't merely triple the damage—it was lethal! In an instant, his Dao domain manifested, compressing heaven and earth as boundless energy erupted and the Great Dao Universe was drawn upon once more! Boom! The sword obliterated everything. The three stacked strikes slashed forward, tearing the Dao domain apart. With a thunderous roar, the domain shattered into powder, and Sovereign Xingshen's formidable physical body was breached by the sword, disintegrating instantly! Inside his body, a crimson moon emerged—the source of his Dao. The Dao source erupted with staggering Red Moon power, enveloping the sword. The two energies clashed across heaven and earth with deafening booms. The phantom of the great sword shattered in an instant, while the Dao source was left battered and torn in the blink of an eye. Within the crimson moon, Sovereign Xingshen was still reeling in shock from the sheer might of the strike, but a ruthless sneer quickly spread across his face! I blocked it! I'm not dead yet! Meanwhile, the Sword Venerable wore a hint of embarrassment. He said nothing, but his eyes conveyed his thoughts... I said three strikes would definitely kill him... turns out it was just a tiny bit short... Yet now, he, Kongji, and Li Hao were all thoroughly drained of strength. How awkward! Still, it didn't matter; Old Zhang's clone was still outside. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a faint Dao domain power manifested upon the great sword in his hand, enveloping everyone within. The next instant, Li Hao attempted the technique of Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun taught by Li Zhu. He transferred all of their auras away. His own, and Kongji's! Within the shattered crimson moon, Xingshen was hurriedly drawing upon the power of the Great Dao Universe to recover, when he suddenly noticed a tiny trace of foreign power clinging to his Dao source. Time, life and death, nirvanic extinction, resurgence... It was extremely faint. Such a negligible attack had virtually zero effect on him. Were these people truly at their wit's end? You dare attack me with such a pathetic scrap of power? Just as he was thinking this, the Dao domain vanished. The next instant, a dark cloud materialized in the sky, as if it had been waiting for ages. It seemed consumed by rage, feeling utterly deceived, having accumulated until now with uncontrollable fury! In an instant, the dark cloud transformed into a lightning tribulation. It wasn't overwhelmingly powerful—roughly the peak of the sixth rank, not even as strong as the lightning Li Hao had crossed that day. Yet at this moment, the situation was entirely different. With both sides thoroughly exhausted and heavily damaged... the lightning crashed down. Boom! The battered crimson moon was blown apart in an instant. Xingshen nearly lost his mind. How can this be?! What does this lightning tribulation have to do with me?! If you're going to strike someone, strike them! They're the ones who used all those bizarre tricks to give the Sword Venerable the chance to stack three strikes, alright?! Boom! Boom! Boom! The lightning tribulation paid no heed to his protests, striking down in rapid succession with furious indignation. In the blink of an eye, four or five bolts slammed down. With a tremendous blast, the battered crimson moon exploded completely! A phantom figure emerged, laden with indignation and rage: Why strike me?! Boom! The lightning flared again, while Li Hao had already reverted to human form. At this moment, he, Kongji, and the Sword Venerable were thoroughly spent, yet without a word, all three struck simultaneously toward the phantom! The Realm of Nirvanic Extinction surfaced faintly, trembling as it enveloped the phantom. Two streams of sword intent pierced into the phantom at the same time. Boom! The lightning arrived concurrently. With a resounding boom, the phantom's face solidified, carrying a look of bewilderment and unwillingness as he stared at the group, before suddenly shattering apart! A surge of Dao power flowed outward in an instant. The lightning, having seemingly vented its fury and sensing the aura disperse, vanished in an instant. ... At the same time. Within the Red Moon World. Suddenly, the sky turned fiery red. In the blink of an eye, waves of crimson power spilled outward as the world cracked open and the firmament seemed to shatter! Several Sovereigns blanched! This was... the fall of a supreme entity! Who had died? A seventh rank? Inside a colossal palace, a figure's expression shifted slightly. The next instant, carrying a touch of madness and coldness, he abruptly tore through the firmament, preparing to descend across the void! Damn it! Bastards! How could this be? The Sword Venerable did not possess the ability to slay a seventh rank! At this moment, he couldn't even care about leaving the Red Moon undefended. He only wanted to descend upon that place and slaughter everyone. Xinwu must have had others involved who ambushed Xingshen! Otherwise, it was impossible for the Sword Venerable to truly kill a seventh rank! Just as the thought flashed through his mind and he prepared to pierce through the Great Dao Universe to descend directly, his face changed again. Two other colossal stars within the Great Dao were suddenly trembling violently! The Lord of Red Moon's expression warped drastically! He could bear the death of one Xingshen, but how could the two who had gone to Tianfang be heavily wounded in an instant? Impossible! Those were two top-tier Sovereigns fighting together, not alone. Even if an eighth-rank powerhouse made a move, it wouldn't inflict catastrophic wounds on both of them instantly. Something had gone wrong! Major trouble! Xingshen was dead and could not be saved, but these two absolutely could not perish. Abandoning his plan to traverse the void, he abruptly channeled vast amounts of Dao power toward those two stars! Concurrently, his consciousness descended upon the two stars. In merely a fraction of an instant... he saw a blade! A blade that seemed to pierce through time, slashing through heaven and earth! The blade flashed! A star shattered! Beneath the shattered star, a figure stood tall, wearing an innocent expression: "Fuck, I only slashed once... Don't tell me he died?" Silence. Moments later, a furious roar reverberated through the Red Moon's Great Dao Universe: "Human King!" The Xinwu Human King! A sneak attack! As the lord of a top-tier great world, he had actually launched a clandestine sneak attack... Damn it, bastard, shameless scoundrel! The ethereal youth picked his ear, stowed away a corpse, and saw the other figure fleeing at top speed. The Human King cast a glance, bared his teeth in a grin, and looked up at the sky, radiating excitement: "Thanks a lot!" In an instant, the Human King vanished. Beside himself with rage, the Lord of Red Moon momentarily didn't know which side to descend upon. While he was still hesitating... in an instant, near the shattered great star on the other side, a book suddenly materialized. A figure emerged from the book, smiling: "Thanks a lot!" "Bastard!" Boom! Heaven and earth shattered! ... At that moment, the instant the Sword Venerable's trio slew Xingshen, Li Hao was still wondering whether he should reverse the Sword Venerable once more to fend off any impending crisis of descent and knock the enemy back! Who would have guessed that the startling turn of events in the next instant would leave him dumbfounded? At that exact second, the Sword Venerable reached out and snatched the Supreme's clone from the perimeter. In the next breath, he kneaded it into the shape of a book: "Go on, disguise yourself! Pretend your true self has arrived... Hurry!" The Great Dao Book manifested, burrowing into the fractured Great Dao Universe in an instant. With a thunderous boom, the Great Dao Book erupted with brilliant light! The Supreme's voice echoed: "Thanks a lot!" The next instant, the Supreme's clone reached out as well, abruptly plucking a cat from Li Hao's river: "Big cat, get him!" Second Cat looked utterly bewildered at being grabbed! In that split second, the Lord of Red Moon, amidst his rage, was thoroughly spooked. In the blink of an eye, the Great Dao Universe wriggled frantically, expelling both the Supreme's clone and Second Cat with a massive shudder before sealing shut and vanishing completely! Li Hao stared, flabbergasted! What in the world just happened? The Supreme's clone began to dissipate, and the Great Dao Book started crumbling. The next instant, a voice shouted: "What are you standing there for? Run!" In a flash, the Sword Venerable grabbed the two dazed youths and fled madly! What are you two little fools gawking for? Run! We can scare him for a moment, but can we scare him for a lifetime? If we don't run, are we waiting to die?! He vanished instantly, burrowing into the chaos. Unlike other people's methods of fleeing, he seemed to be burrowing through tunnels—half-hidden, half-visible, appearing and disappearing in the chaos, appearing and disappearing... gradually putting distance between them and that place. Behind them, the Supreme's clone began to disintegrate completely, yet it continued to taunt: "If you have the guts, don't close your Great Dao Universe! Xinwu is right here, launching an assault on your universe!" Boom! The Great Dao Book shattered completely, detonating with a blast of heat that obliterated every trace left behind by the battle. Cleaning up the battlefield! Youngsters lacked experience. After killing someone, one had to destroy the battlefield so that even if the enemy came searching, not a single trace could be found. Bang! Everything dissolved into chaos; everything dispersed completely.