A Consensus Reached

A group walked through the Senlan World. Silently. Not a single word was spoken. Li Hao had left the fissure and was deep in thought. He had come to Senlan with a single goal: to make himself stronger. Qian Wuliang and the others had made substantial progress, but for Li Hao... it was far too slow. The crux was that he needed far too much—far more than a simple cache of Great Dao crystals could fulfill. To step into rank five, Li Hao had to perfect a vast number of minor worlds. That required colossal amounts of Great Dao crystals, worlds, and even world sources. Furthermore, the Sword Venerable required immense resources as well. Far too much! How much? So much that a mere rank six great world truly could not satisfy their needs. And so, if the original goal had been to seize Senlan, right now... it was no longer the case. Instead, he hoped to use this platform to take a gamble and plunge into Red Moon. It was perilous! Yet if it succeeded, the harvest would be beyond compare. Behind them... faint trails of divine will seemed to shadow their footsteps. Whether they belonged to Senlan's Sovereigns or hidden figures lurking in the dark, someone was watching them. "Where are we going?" Hong Yitang asked at this moment. Wandering like this... No matter how far they walked, this was only a great world, and a rank six one at that. It was hardly vast enough to hide in. If rank six Sovereigns truly arrived, could they even avoid them? "To find a place to bury rank six Sovereigns," Li Hao answered calmly. The others were struck speechless. He spoke as though he could genuinely kill rank six Sovereigns. Unless... Li Hao had found another way to borrow power? Yet lately, he had neither corpse nor Dao charm to draw strength from. Li Hao paid no mind to their reactions and continued walking across the realm. Measuring the land! The hidden experts watching him were perplexed. What was this fellow doing, wandering about aimlessly? Red Moon's powerhouses were incoming. He should either flee or seek Senlan's protection. What was the point of strolling around? Li Hao ignored the figures in the shadows. Their tracks were difficult to conceal, and there were bound to be Red Moon Sovereigns still lurking within the Senlan World, making it virtually impossible to hide their movements. The reason he moved across the realm was to survey the reach, location, and extent of the Dao web's expansion. He was gauging whether this mysterious Senlan World Lord could truly step into rank seven. If the World Lord could not, there was one plan; if he could, there was another... When facing Red Moon, the Senlan World Lord had refused to compromise and was unwilling to yield easily. Regardless of whether he ultimately joined Red Moon, he undoubtedly wanted to maximize his benefits before doing so. He would not become a complete vassal to Red Moon; he would at least demand a say. If so... Certain decisions could be tailored accordingly. After surveying the land for a time and observing key details, Li Hao sent out a ripple of Dao aura. "World Lord, some of my people wish to join Senlan. I wonder if it is convenient for the World Lord right now?" This had been promised by the Senlan World Lord himself earlier. Now, Li Hao was calling in that promise. Joining Senlan! The void rippled faintly, and the voice of the Senlan World Lord sounded in their ears: "Do not resist!" The group felt a shifting force envelop them and turned to Li Hao. He nodded. A moment later, they vanished. The trailing wills dissolved one after another. Many observers felt their hearts stir... Has the Senlan World Lord stepped in? Does he intend to protect Wandao and his crew? ... Atop a towering mountain, Li Hao's eyes flickered. The location he had chosen earlier had not been picked at random. Yet they had been displaced here. Intriguing. He said nothing. Soon, a phantom figure materialized before him, shimmering indistinctly. The Senlan World Lord had never once shown his true self, as though guarding against something. Now, the phantom manifested with an apologetic demeanor. "My true body is still presiding over the Great Dao Universe, and the universe is fluctuating violently. Please forgive me, Young Friend Wandao." "The World Lord is too polite!" Li Hao nodded. "It is only natural." With that, he added, "Three of my fellow Daoists wish to join the Senlan World." King Huai, Mo, and Chanxiu stepped forward together. The Senlan World Lord swept his gaze over them... Not a single rank three among them. Two peak rank two Sovereigns and one peak rank one... Though all Sovereigns, their strength... could only be described as modest. Many thoughts flashed through the Senlan World Lord's mind. The three weakest Sovereigns? Not quite. Wandao still had a Sovereign at his side who looked to have just broken through to rank two. These thoughts crossed his mind, and he soon smiled. "Certainly! Senlan welcomes you at any time... However, Senlan is currently only a rank six great world, and the upper limit it can accommodate right now is just three to five newcomers... If the others cannot join this time, you may wait until Senlan advances to rank seven. Everyone will be welcome to join us then!" "Our thanks to the World Lord!" King Huai and the other two spoke with varying degrees of unease. King Huai managed to keep his composure, but Chanxiu and Mo were genuinely on edge. Joining Senlan... was an immense gamble! At that moment, Li Hao looked at King Huai and the others. "Fellow Daoists, merge your Daos directly into the Senlan Universe! From here on, Senlan and we are on the same side. Once Senlan advances to rank seven... and can accommodate all of us, we can continue to collaborate!" The three Sovereigns were at a loss for words. Even King Huai felt a twinge of melancholy... Switching Great Dao Universes once again was truly demoralizing. The Senlan World Lord chuckled. "Of course! Then I shall open the entrance to the Great Dao Universe... Merging into a Great Dao Universe can be extremely difficult, yet it can also be very simple... There is also another matter: we need to evaluate your Dao principles... If Senlan already has Sovereigns cultivating the same Dao, merging is still possible, but it may cause unpleasant complications. For instance, Great Dao power of the same attribute is finite, which could lead to competition between two cultivators. "Therefore, it is best to avoid sharing the same attribute... Of course, if an overlap truly occurs, that is fine too; it will simply come down to each individual's prowess!" The Senlan World Lord made himself very clear. Once cultivators sharing the same Dao attribute entered the same Great Dao Universe, they would compete for energy and the Dao. Li Hao nodded. "I am aware of this." He continued, "As for whether the three of them overlap, I am not fully acquainted with the Daos of Senlan's Sovereigns... If they do overlap, that is fine as well. We are latecomers; how could we presume to contend with our seniors?" He paused, then added, "There is also one more thing I must explain to the World Lord in advance." The Senlan World Lord's laughter drifted over. "What might that be?" Li Hao hesitated before speaking: "Lest the World Lord misunderstand, I should make this clear up front. These three fellow Daoists... previously joined a Great Dao Universe, but later withdrew. However, they still carry traces of that Great Dao Universe's aura, and I worry it might cause conflicts." "..." Silence! Absolute silence! At this moment, the phantom of the Senlan World Lord seemed to quiver. They had joined a Great Dao Universe, and then... withdrew! Setting aside how difficult joining was, could a Sovereign simply leave on a whim? You take the Sovereign-level power of a Great Dao Universe, and they just let you walk away? Mere rank one and two Sovereigns, leaving whenever they pleased? What did this mean? King Huai and the others grew exceedingly nervous. Li Hao... was losing his mind again. Li Hao wore an earnest, helpless expression. "Originally, we did not wish to bring this up... However, since we are joining, I believe we must treat each other with sincerity! Not just them—in fact... we... all of us emerged from the same Great Dao Universe, only to withdraw later! "Due to various reasons, we could only roam the chaos as rogue cultivators, which is why our names are rarely heard in the chaos! Now that the World Lord is treating us with sincerity, I cannot bring myself to deceive you." Li Hao sighed. "If the World Lord finds this problematic... then so be it!" The Senlan World Lord fell silent for a time. Testing the waters, he asked softly, "Is it... the domain founded by the Fire Sovereign whose Dao domain you inherited, young friend?" Li Hao appeared conflicted. "I cannot lie, nor can I explain in detail... In short, we are sincere about joining Senlan!" What did that mean? It wasn't? Countless thoughts swirled in the Senlan World Lord's mind. Ultimately, he weighed the possibilities: they either hailed from the world of the rank seven Sovereign backing them, or... from Xinwu! But Xinwu's Sovereigns were all quite renowned; he had never heard of so many unknown figures among them. Hiding identities was plausible for one or two... but more than ten Sovereigns? Did he think not a single Xinwu Sovereign had ever roamed the chaos? For a moment, he could not be sure. If it were only one or two, that would be one thing. But every single one of them hailed from a Great Dao Universe... He nearly cursed aloud. Which world possessed such extravagance that it could casually discard so many Sovereigns? Even for a rank eight great universe, losing more than ten Sovereigns at once would be a substantial blow. What gave him an even bigger headache was that since they had already walked out of a Great Dao Universe, he might not have noticed anything even if Li Hao hadn't said a word. At most, he would find their Great Dao power purer than the muddled Daos of rogue cultivators. He would have harbored suspicions... but why had this Wandao brought it up voluntarily? Couldn't they have just maintained a tacit understanding? His mind raced. Li Hao continued, "If the World Lord finds this troublesome, we can drop it. We have no wish to put you in a bind!" "Young friend worries too much!" The Senlan World Lord considered it for a fleeting moment and made his decision. Since they had already withdrawn... who could prove he knew they came from another great world? Right now, he was still hoping Wandao might bring him pleasant surprises. Senlan had no shortage of Sovereigns, but those willing to directly slay Red Moon Sovereigns... even if they existed, first, they might not succeed; second, killing them would bring trouble down upon Senlan. The Senlan World Lord quickly thought it through and smiled. "Since it is already in the past, why dwell on past matters?" Li Hao immediately looked moved and grateful, saying with excitement, "Thank you for your forbearance, World Lord!" Then, looking somewhat bashful, he added, "Er... there is one more thing. May I presume to ask the World Lord a question? I wonder if the World Lord... can answer?" "Speak freely, young friend." Li Hao hesitated slightly before speaking: "Currently, our Senlan stands in confrontation against Red Moon. The reason we have held out this long is solely because Xinwu poses a massive threat to Red Moon, and Red Moon wants to save face and avoid openly seizing Senlan by force! "If... if a critical moment truly arrives, whether the World Lord advances to rank seven or not, you will still face Red Moon's threat. If you cannot advance, not only Red Moon but others as well will eye Senlan hungrily! "And even if you advance to rank seven..." Li Hao pressed on, "Even if you step into rank seven, as a newcomer to that rank in this chaotic Red Moon Domain, you will have no real advantage. More than one or two rank seven Sovereigns have fallen already. I wish to know: in the end, will the World Lord yield to Red Moon?" The Senlan World Lord fell silent. Did this man come from Xinwu, the Chiyang Domain, or another major power? Was he asking about my future plans? A rank four Sovereign asking a peak rank six Sovereign about his plans for the future... Normally, the Senlan World Lord could have simply ignored it. Yet Li Hao's identity was murky. Behind him might lurk a terrifyingly powerful faction. Whether Xinwu or Chiyang, neither was someone Senlan could afford to provoke. The Senlan World Lord pondered for a while before saying slowly, "Senlan, after all, resides in the Red Moon Domain! This region is named Red Moon! A rank eight Sovereign is not far away and could descend at any moment. If I cannot advance... Senlan will inevitably lean toward Red Moon in the end! "And if I do advance to rank seven..." He sighed helplessly. "Unless Xinwu appears to hold off Red Moon, then... even if I step into rank seven, I will only be a novice rank seven. Moreover, we are too close to Red Moon, and we have killed Red Moon Sovereigns. At that point, to safeguard Senlan's interests, the only path will still be submitting to Red Moon!" Li Hao nodded. "In other words, regardless of what outcome we achieve here in Senlan... in the end, it will still yield to Red Moon?" The Senlan World Lord remained silent. Yes! It was inevitable. There was no escape, for Red Moon would never allow Senlan to leave. Yielding to Red Moon was Senlan's only way out. The deterrent force of a rank eight Sovereign was simply too immense. What he was fighting for now was merely future benefits—benefits within the Red Moon hierarchy. As for killing Red Moon Sovereigns now, once he achieved rank seven, his standing would be fundamentally different. Red Moon would never make trouble for a rank seven Sovereign—a lord of a great world bringing a whole retinue of Sovereigns to submit—over a few weak dead Sovereigns. "Is there no way for Senlan to maintain its independence as a great world?" Li Hao sighed. The Senlan World Lord said softly, "It is difficult! If the Lord of Red Moon paid Senlan no heed, there might be hope. But if he intervenes, Senlan... cannot possibly break away!" "Will the three surrounding great worlds intervene?" "No." A trace of disdain colored the Senlan World Lord's voice. "They fear Red Moon on one hand, and dread Xinwu on the other. Xinwu is ruthless and mad—especially the Yueming World Lord, who is terrified that the Human King will kill him next. Last time, the Human King slew the Lord of Extreme Darkness. Whether it was truly an accidental killing or deliberate, the Yueming World Lord dares not side with Xinwu! "As a result, with Xinwu being so terrifyingly strong and Red Moon having suffered substantial losses, if push comes to shove and Red Moon absorbs us to restore its strength, the other three worlds would actually be glad to see it... At the very least, a stronger Red Moon makes their alliance sturdier! In truth, they have no desire to weaken Red Moon right now. Otherwise, who would withstand Xinwu's threat?" That made sense! Li Hao nodded. This World Lord saw things clearly. The three neighboring great worlds had sent people here merely to see if there were scraps to pick up. If not, Senlan would have to be absorbed into Red Moon to help it recuperate! Put this way, Li Hao understood completely. If Red Moon was not strong, who would resist Xinwu when it attacked? Red Moon had lost three rank seven Sovereigns. Under normal circumstances, without Xinwu's threat, the lords of those great worlds would be overjoyed. Weakening the hegemon gave them a chance to become hegemons themselves. But now... if Red Moon was weakened to the extreme and wiped out by Xinwu, their worlds would be doomed as well. Li Hao sighed. "Then if we slaughter many Red Moon Sovereigns today... Our standing cannot compare to yours, World Lord. If the Lord of Red Moon truly claims Senlan tomorrow, will there be any way out for us?" The Senlan World Lord answered softly, "Not necessarily. When two armies clash, mutual casualties are standard. Within a world, beyond it, or in the chaos, the victor accepts surrender without settling old scores. They would not punish Sovereigns over casualties sustained in war; doing so damages the morale of the yielding side and breeds discord! The Red Moon World has annexed many worlds, and plenty of Sovereigns who surrendered to it had once killed Red Moon Sovereigns, yet they are all living quite comfortably..." This was not unique to the Red Moon World; many worlds operated this way. They would not kill you after victory simply because Sovereigns died during the war, provided you surrendered and joined... Of course, if their goal had been annihilation from the start, that was another story. Aiming for absorption was different. "But did they kill as many as I have?" Li Hao said softly. "World Lord, I seem to have killed quite a few!" The Senlan World Lord was struck dumb. Indeed, that was true. In just a few days, Li Hao had killed a batch of Sovereigns... including two middle-rank Sovereigns. Moreover, there was no telling if he would kill more. If so, a rank four Sovereign might not be worth as much as those dead Red Moon Sovereigns. As he was pondering... Li Hao spoke again: "No matter. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" A smile spread across Li Hao's face. "I don't have grand ambitions, only a single thought. If I cannot be protected, that is fine! World Lord, these brothers and friends of mine were only assisting me... Red Moon won't target them, will it?" The Senlan World Lord could not fathom Li Hao's objective for a moment. He was in no rush to reply. Li Hao continued, "Furthermore... may I take the liberty of asking one more question?" "Go ahead, young friend." "If Senlan merges into Red Moon... can it ever break free?" The Senlan World Lord frowned slightly, remaining silent. What did he mean by that? Li Hao became even more direct, even blunter: "What I mean is, if the Lord of Red Moon leaves the Red Moon World during the absorption process, could the World Lord take Senlan, break away, quickly flee this region, and roam the chaos as an independent great world?" The phantom of the Senlan World Lord trembled violently. At this moment, even his true body within the Great Dao Universe slightly changed color. Who... on earth was this person! What did these words imply? The Lord of Red Moon leaving this place... leaving during the absorption process? How could that happen? Nowadays, unless Red Moon produced several rank seven Sovereigns to hold the fort, he would never leave easily. Furthermore, Xinwu's whereabouts would have to be uncovered; otherwise, why would the Lord of Red Moon depart? Yet what if he truly did leave during the process? After deliberating for a time, he said slowly, "The merging of great worlds takes time! Anywhere from several months to several years or decades... Initially, it is only a preliminary fusion. At that stage, a rank eight master presiding over it can accelerate the process! But if the master suddenly departs... during that window, paying a certain price naturally allows one to break away! "If there were truly a chance for independence... does fellow Daoist think a rank seven Sovereign, a lord of a great world, would willingly submit to another? Giving up control of one's world, falling from a hegemon to a vassal... Ask the rank seven Sovereigns of rank eight great worlds—which of them doesn't wish to break free?" This was common knowledge. They weren't the Lord of Red Moon's sons; who would willingly grovel before him? If they could leave, they naturally would. It was just that right now, they dared not, nor could they. Yet this required multiple conditions to be met. First, the Lord of Red Moon had to leave during the process, and not return quickly. Second, he had to advance to rank seven; otherwise, as a rank six Sovereign, he held zero bargaining power. Third, Xinwu's tracks had to be exposed—or at least confirmed not to be in the vicinity; otherwise, no matter how bold the Lord of Red Moon was, he wouldn't dare wander off. Fourth, an upheaval had to strike Red Moon, or the entire chaos, or such an opportunity would never arise. By now, the Senlan World Lord was truly suspicious. He genuinely suspected that this man was an expert from Xinwu. Neither the Chiyang Great World nor Zhiyang Great World was likely; it was far more probable that he hailed from Xinwu's camp. While he was still pondering, Li Hao smiled. "Then I understand, World Lord! Rest assured, I will not bring trouble upon Senlan... One more minor question: if Senlan forcibly breaks away after merging with Red Moon, will it cause turbulence in the Great Dao?" The Senlan World Lord's face shifted! Great Dao turbulence... You are merely rank four; you ask far too many questions. He remained quiet for a long while before nodding. "Yes! It definitely will. But as long as the Lord of Red Moon is alive, the turbulence won't be fatal; it can be suppressed sooner or later!" With a solemn tone, he added, "Furthermore, do not harbor hopes of seizing the Great Dao Universe. As long as a rank eight master lives, no one can wrest it away unless you kill him!" Could these people actually be plotting to seize the Great Dao Universe? Impossible! Unless they could kill the Lord of Red Moon. And if they could kill him... why bother with these petty schemes? At this moment, his head ached. With some matters, ignorance was bliss. Playing dumb was far safer. Once things were brought out into the open, it became troublesome. For instance, right now... even if he guessed Li Hao was from Xinwu, he would not attack, intervene, ask questions, or leak anything to Red Moon World... Otherwise, it would mean Senlan was conspiring with Xinwu to ambush Red Moon Sovereigns—a responsibility he could not shoulder. When that time came, Senlan would face annihilation and outright annexation, not absorption! Thus, he held only one hope right now: this fellow must stop talking! Do not tell me you are from Xinwu, or I will truly be backed into a corner! The sorrow of the weak! If he were mighty, he could do as he pleased. But at mere rank six, he lacked the qualifications and leverage to offend either side. "If the World Lord wishes to advance to rank seven, what other conditions must be met?" Li Hao suddenly shifted the topic, asking a question he had no business asking. The Senlan World Lord went entirely mute. He said nothing. What, you want to help me advance? Do you even have the capability? Or... are you probing my foundation? Seeing his silence, Li Hao understood his wariness and explained, "If you merely need the Great Dao power of rank six Sovereigns... I can find a way. I can even ensure the World Lord does not have to take action personally, sparing you trouble and retaliation from Red Moon. On my side... we can handle some rank six Sovereigns!" His voice turned increasingly meaningful: "Even... peak rank six Sovereigns! That would not be an issue!" "..." Fuck! The Senlan World Lord cursed wildly in his heart. People from Xinwu! Without a doubt! Peak rank six... Only that cohort from Red Moon fit the description. Of course, maybe not just Red Moon; perhaps these fellows intended to sweep up every rank six Sovereign in Senlan. What on earth were they plotting? His head throbbed with a splitting pain! Li Hao added, "Naturally, there is a condition requiring the World Lord's cooperation... If someone slays a large number of rank six Sovereigns, it might prompt a rank eight Sovereign to descend in person! At that time, the World Lord must break through. Not only must you advance, but you must also... make a show of preparing to flee! On one side stands a newly advanced rank seven Sovereign ripe for absorption; on the other stands the powerhouse who slaughtered rank six Sovereigns. Will the rank eight Sovereign stay behind to absorb you, or... pursue the killer?" The Senlan World Lord felt his throat go dry. "Well... an ordinary rank six cannot escape slaughter at the hands of a rank eight. They would be killed in an instant. The scenario you describe wouldn't happen." Li Hao smiled. "And... what if they aren't an ordinary rank six?" A rank six who could kill rank seven Sovereigns? In that instant, the Senlan World Lord had a guess—the Sword Venerable! Damn it! As expected, the Sword Venerable was likely lurking right here in the Senlan realm. His head felt ready to explode. Though he had warned himself repeatedly not to ask, not to think, and not to care... at this moment, he couldn't help whispering, "Earlier... that one earlier... who killed him?" Xingshen—who on earth killed him? Li Hao looked thoroughly bewildered and shook his head. "I don't know." The Senlan World Lord cursed under his breath! Bastard! Was Xinwu's main force here, or... just the Sword Venerable? He weighed Li Hao's words. These people definitely had a grand scheme. Yet... if he didn't need to lift a finger to kill those rank six Sovereigns, including Red Moon's rank six Sovereigns... that wasn't a bad deal. After a moment, he took a deep breath. "Five. If I have five rank six Sovereigns... or... even four! As long as I have that many, I will certainly advance! "Furthermore, I won't need prolonged preparation—I can advance instantaneously!" At least four, or it wouldn't be enough. He might eventually advance on his own, but that required immense time, and no one was going to give him that time. "Only four?" Li Hao asked in surprise. That didn't sound like much. The Senlan World Lord was speechless! Not much? That's a massive amount! Li Hao added, "There are probably more than four rank six Sovereigns within this realm already, aren't there?" Then what are we waiting for? Just get straight to it! The Senlan World Lord shook his head slightly. "It is best if they are rank six Sovereigns from great worlds. Rogue rank six Sovereigns... have messy energy and Great Dao power! There are indeed more than four rank six Sovereigns in this realm, but many hail from medium worlds, and some are rogues. Those truly from great worlds... are few." So we need Red Moon to feed the fire? Ideally four rank six Sovereigns from Red Moon? Li Hao's thoughts stirred. In that moment, an idea formed, and he said, "I need Senior Yan Fang to help deter the others. In addition, I will find someone to assist me in dealing with these incoming Red Moon Sovereigns! We'll kill the two rank five Sovereigns first and spare the rank six... let them feel the pressure so they understand anyone below rank six is useless, prompting them to send more rank sixes..." Finding someone to help? The Sword Venerable? If so, what came next wouldn't be rank sixes! The Senlan World Lord's head ached. "If that person... if that person takes action, he cannot hide it. What comes next won't be rank sixes, but rank sevens!" Don't forget, Red Moon still has another rank seven Sovereign! "Not him!" Li Hao shook his head, refuting the assumption. Who then? Kongji, of course! The Senlan World Lord felt his body stiffen. What in heaven's name! Just how many of you have snuck into the Senlan Great World? Judging by his tone, there was at least one other rank six expert—one capable of executing rank five Sovereigns right before the eyes of a rank six... That was no weak rank six either. Could top-tier figures like the Blood Sovereign have come alongside the Sword Venerable from Xinwu? Matters had progressed to the point where things were practically out in the open. Yet neither of them mentioned Xinwu or the Sword Venerable. A tacit understanding! The Senlan World Lord rapidly weighed the pros and cons. If I enter rank seven without personally having to slaughter Red Moon Sovereigns, and then merge with Red Moon... if the scenario Li Hao described truly comes to pass and the Lord of Red Moon is tied down or unable to return, I can break free. Leading Senlan, I can escape this place directly as an independent great world lord. It seemed there was no loss for him, only gain. Furthermore... the crucial point was that agreeing to this might even resolve some bad blood with Xinwu. In truth, there wasn't much bad blood between them—the sole grudge was that their former Dao Lord had tailed the Human King and was cleaved to death in a single slash! Did that even count as a feud? One thought followed another... The Senlan World Lord spoke: "I know nothing of these matters; young friend may do as you see fit! Furthermore... are you certain these three wish to merge into my Senlan World?" Li Hao nodded. "Certain!" If they didn't merge, how could they enter Red Moon? And if they didn't enter Red Moon, how could the next step unfold? At this moment, Li Hao had formed a complete plan, a full scheme... It required the coordination of the Sword Venerable and Kongji, the cooperation of Senlan, and even the involvement of Tianfang, before he could use the leverage of rank four to budge the behemoth that was Red Moon! Back in Tianfang, he still owed a promise... his promise to Wushan. Perhaps it was time to fulfill it. Once the Tianfang Great Dao Universe opened and Wushan entered—a rank seven Sovereign entering a rank nine Great Dao Universe—could the Lord of Red Moon truly remain seated? If possible... sending the Human King in as well—who knew if Wushan would receive a delightful surprise? At that time, the Lord of Red Moon would probably abandon his world just to intercept the Human King! If I don't open the Tianfang Great World, it will be hard for the chaos to descend into turmoil. I still have to open it! Li Hao planned swiftly. This time, I must raid Red Moon's home base to satisfy the appetites of both the Sword Venerable and myself. Otherwise, a destitute rank six great world won't even be enough to fill the gaps between our teeth! By now, his thoughts were crystal clear, and he spoke: "These three will merge into Senlan! However, on one condition: if something goes awry on my end, I hope the World Lord can protect them..." The Senlan World Lord felt a headache coming on. If they are Xinwu people, they won't be easy to protect! "Rest assured, World Lord. Their identities are straightforward. Mo and Chanxiu were simply coerced into joining, while this one..." Li Hao pointed at King Huai with a grin. "Rank two, vanished from the Red Moon region, hails from a certain place..." Rank two, disappeared, Xinwu... Fuck! He understood—King Huai! That notoriously infamous Sovereign of Xinwu! Hearing this, the Senlan World Lord found his mind turning. If it was him... the trouble was actually minimal. He held little status within Xinwu, was a notorious fence-sitter, and possessed insider knowledge about Xinwu... Even if his identity were exposed, Red Moon in all likelihood wouldn't kill him. Killing him served no purpose; it would only help Xinwu clean up a Sovereign who tarnished their reputation. Upon deducing King Huai's identity, he felt somewhat relieved. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "If I truly advance, with rank seven power and commanding dozens of Sovereigns, protecting them will be no issue!" At this moment, he even deduced Li Hao's identity. The Silver Moon King! No wonder! Where else could so many unfamiliar Sovereigns have come from? Silver Moon and Xinwu have joined forces! Now everything was clear. He understood completely: the Silver Moon King, the Sovereigns born from the Silver Moon World, two Sovereigns from Xinwu, and some Sovereigns from Ming Hao's team who had reportedly been killed earlier... Didn't that account for everyone? Around them, Qian Wuliang and the others were tense. They had heard the entire conversation between Li Hao and the Senlan World Lord. He had revealed his identity! If the other party harbored ill intentions... Yet some remained perfectly calm. The Senlan World Lord wouldn't dare. He wasn't certain of Xinwu's location, didn't know who had slain Sovereign Xingshen, and had no clue how deep the crisis inside Senlan ran... At this juncture, how could he dare lay a hand on them? If he provoked the Sword Venerable... disaster would strike. Furthermore, there might be more than just the Sword Venerable. And indeed, the Senlan World Lord entertained no such thoughts. It wasn't worth it! Offending Xinwu aside, the critical issue was that he lacked certainty. Even if it were just the Sword Venerable alone, he had no assurance of victory, not to mention that the whereabouts of Xinwu's other rank seven experts were unknown. Where was the Yang God? Where was the Cang Emperor? Laying hands on the Silver Moon King right now... would be suicide. "Then so be it. The three of you, remain here and merge into the Senlan World!" Saying no more, Li Hao cupped his hands to the Senlan World Lord and led his people away! Watching them leave, the Senlan World Lord remained silent for a moment before opening the Great Dao Universe. With Li Hao present earlier, he had hesitated to open it at all. Now that Li Hao was gone, there was no harm. "Fellow Daoists, please!" The Senlan World Lord said nothing further. Three rank one and two Sovereigns posed zero threat. Seeing this, King Huai and the other two hesitated no longer. Great Daos surged, Dao marks manifested, and they flowed straight into the Great Dao Universe, commencing their merger. ... "Phew!" Descending from the mountain, Xun Ruo let out a visible sigh of relief. Tianji transmitted his voice: "Kid Li Hao, you're truly audacious... Aren't you afraid at all?" "He wouldn't dare!" Li Hao shook his head. What was there to fear? The Sword Venerable was right here. Barring any surprise, he was keeping watch over them. What was there to be afraid of? If Li Hao weren't aiming for something bigger, with the Sword Venerable and Kongji at his side, they wouldn't necessarily fear the Senlan World Lord even if he reached rank seven, let alone before it. Tianji grumbled under his breath. Audacious as all hell. The kid looked gentle and refined, and from beginning to end there hadn't been any threats or signs of turning hostile, yet Tianji had genuinely broken out in a cold sweat back there! Li Hao paid no heed to his grumbling. A faint wisp of Nirvana power began to diffuse from him. He did not know where the Sword Venerable and Kongji were hiding, but he knew the Sword Venerable was watching... A peak rank six of his caliber could even evade the Senlan World Lord's senses. ... In a subterranean fissure. The Sword Venerable was meditating when he suddenly opened his eyes. "That kid... seems to want to rendezvous with us. He just made contact with the Senlan World Lord... Could it be he's ready to strike?" He chuckled. It wasn't disappointment, exactly. He had simply wondered if Li Hao could deliver a pleasant surprise. From the looks of it... Li Hao had decided this was his limit, and now wanted to join forces against the Senlan World Lord to seize the Senlan Great World? Fair enough. The timing was about right. They had stayed here for nearly a month. If they didn't act soon, he would grow restless. Kongji opened his eyes as well, letting out a breath. "Good." Time to rendezvous! Hiding here for an entire month had been terribly dull. Soon, both figures vanished. ... A moment later. The Sword Venerable's voice sounded by Li Hao's ear: "Are we striking?" Li Hao hadn't detected his approach... proof of his formidable strength. "No... Uncle Li, there's no need for you to appear right now. I'm looking for Kongji! When needed, we'll get in touch." "Not striking?" The Sword Venerable was slightly taken aback and sent a voice transmission: "The timing is about ripe. I sense this Senlan World Lord may be on the verge of advancing. Once he advances, he'll be much harder to deal with!" Slaying him and seizing the Senlan Great World, while insufficient to propel the Sword Venerable to rank seven in one leap... would bring him very close if combined with another opportunity. Chances like this were rare. If they didn't act now, Red Moon would soon lose its patience. "We won't strike for now... In fact... we won't strike against Senlan at all going forward. I want to help the Senlan World Lord step into rank seven!" "..." Even the Sword Venerable froze. What kind of madness is this? Did I mishear? "Once the Senlan World Lord reaches rank seven... if given the chance, he will definitely flee rather than stay with Red Moon. What I want... is to raid Red Moon's home base!" "..." Silence! The Sword Venerable said nothing, sinking into silence. Did I hear wrong, or has someone gone insane? This kind of move... seemed to have happened in the past. Back when the Human King was weak, he raided home bases all the time... But that was before he became a Sovereign! After becoming a Sovereign, not even the Human King went around raiding rank eight great worlds! The danger was simply off the charts! Raiding the home lair of a rank eight Sovereign on his own turf... the difficulty was unimaginably immense. Li Hao's voice sounded again: "A single Senlan cannot satisfy our needs. Whether me, Senior, or Kongji... none of the three of us are ordinary cultivators. Even if we truly seized a rank six great world, how much could we divide among us? Meanwhile, within Red Moon, there must be countless Great Dao crystals and countless minor and medium worlds—the Lord of Red Moon cannot possibly carry all of them on his person. "In a rank eight great world, even plundering a fraction of its wealth... would equal a wealthy rank seven great world! Furthermore, in Senlan's case, to allow the World Lord to advance, I suspect the Great Dao crystals they gave us earlier might already be their entire reserve! "Senior... are you willing to give it a try?" "..." The Sword Venerable remained silent, lost in thought. He considered himself arrogant enough, and the Human King was an utterly outrageous figure. Li Hao and Kongji had always seemed comparatively refined. He had thought Xinwu's Sovereigns were all bandits—ruthless, fearless brigands who mocked death... While Li Hao and Kongji were undeniably daring, strictly speaking, he had felt they couldn't measure up to the Human King. Yet... when the rank four Li Hao proposed raiding a rank eight great universe... the Sword Venerable realized he might have misjudged him! It turned out we aren't the only madmen in this world. Even Old Zhang's side hasn't dared consider raiding Red Moon's home base! This fellow Li Hao, though not particularly strong... when the Sword Venerable pondered it carefully, Xingshen's death had everything to do with him. And regarding Tianfang, he had heard some details as well. Had Wushan not intervened, as formidable as the Human King was, he wouldn't have recklessly struck to kill under the eyes of so many onlookers... Thus, the deaths of Red Moon's three rank seven Sovereigns were deeply tied to Li Hao. For years, Xinwu had failed to hunt down a single rank seven Sovereign from Red Moon, yet this time, they had slain three in one fell swoop! Of course, that was inseparable from his own might and the Human King's dominance. Otherwise, those kills would never have happened. The two sides had coordinated across space with seamless tacit understanding to pull off a triple kill. The Sword Venerable was well aware of this. "Sounds thrilling... I thought killing Xingshen was the most exhilarating thing around lately. Since you put it that way... I don't mind accompanying you!" The Sword Venerable's voice drifted back. "However, you understand the dangers involved far better than I do!" "Understood, but the harvest will be commensurately greater!" "If you have no objections, then naturally I have none either... By the way, boy Kongji, what do you think?" Kongji, who had been silent, had an unsettled look in his eyes. After a long pause, he transmitted, "My... my thought is... isn't this too reckless? It's not advisable. I know rank eight worlds very well..." Neither the Sword Venerable nor Li Hao interrupted. Then they heard Kongji say hesitantly, "Or... should we give it a shot? Besides, we will probably need to lure away the Lord of Red Moon, which might require opening the Tianfang Universe... Haoyue, what if... I have my father... go entangle the Lord of Red Moon? "If Xinwu's Human King is no longer in Tianfang... It's said he often gets lost, so perhaps... we could borrow my father's hand to tie him down!" He spoke with cautious hesitation, looking somewhat timid and unsure... Yet the words coming out of his mouth left both Li Hao and the Sword Venerable speechless. Fuck! When did Kongji turn into this? He... he actually wants to try it, and even wants his old man to step up personally and entangle the Lord of Red Moon! How utterly willful rich scions could be! Kongji continued in his slightly meek tone: "Over at Tianfang, an upheaval needs to take place. With Wushan breaking away from Yunxiao, the Lord of Yunxiao should have his hands full. As for the Lord of Red Moon... if the Human King doesn't show up, only my father can step in to hold him back. In addition, Red Moon still has another rank seven Sovereign who definitely won't leave. Even if the Senlan World Lord reaches rank seven, he won't dare attack him proactively... We'll still have to deal with him ourselves. The key is that Red Moon has many middle-rank Sovereigns. Should we... summon Uncle Yaoyang over? "If we do... we might... have to share a cut with Uncle Yaoyang. Of course, his disappearance might cause some ripples. If you are confident, Haoyue, we won't call him over and will just try it ourselves!" Li Hao said nothing. The Sword Venerable, however, was at a loss for words. Both of these fellows spoke in slow, soft-spoken voices, sounding gentler than Xinwu's women. Yet the words leaving their mouths were downright... ruthless! Li Hao had merely suggested giving it a shot, and these two were already discussing how to entangle the Lord of Red Moon and how to handle the aftermath. You call this giving it a shot? This is dead-set determination! If you, the Sword Venerable, refuse to do it, I, Kongji, will summon my backing and do it anyway! How thrilling! Raiding the home base of a rank eight great world—are you in or not? If not, I'll call a rank seven Sovereign over! Li Hao couldn't help but chuckle and transmitted, "Let's assess the situation first. If we can make contact with the Human King at Tianfang... or confirm that the Human King is still there, we won't need the Lord of Bright Light to act. If the Human King truly left... then we may indeed need your father's help." "All right!" Kongji answered decisively. It was merely stalling him—to seize the Tianfang Great Dao Universe, tangling with the Lord of Red Moon for a bit was completely natural, wasn't it? It was just killing two birds with one stone! It wasn't as if his father would be making a special trip just for this. As for opening the Tianfang Great Dao Universe, Li Hao hadn't spelled it out, yet Kongji had deduced it immediately. Evidently, Kongji had either contemplated it beforehand or was genuinely brilliant. Li Hao strongly suspected that this pampered heir had actually weighed the idea before! In fact, even if Li Hao hadn't brought it up, the increasingly wild Kongji might have proposed it himself next... That was true excitement. The Lord of Bright Light probably never dreamed his son would change so fast.