The plan was thoroughly settled.
Even though plans rarely kept up with changing circumstances, the general direction was set. If unforeseen complications arose along the way, they would simply have to adapt on the fly.
The Sword Venerable’s thoughts stirred.
Li Hao, the new King of Silver Moon.
Kongji, the Divine Son of Bright Light.
When these two first joined company, he had felt it somewhat odd and inappropriate. Now he realized that birds of a feather truly did flock together.
Both appeared refined and scholarly on the surface, yet deep in their bones, neither could bear stillness.
It was not the least bit surprising that after crossing paths in the chaos, they had hit it off so naturally.
"Since it has been decided, I have no objections, of course,"
the Sword Venerable transmitted again. "However, some details still need to be thoroughly discussed. Attempting to raid the home lair of a rank eight great world... the slightest misstep means death! Although we do not fear death, no one truly wishes to die.
"For instance... what if the Senlan World Lord sells us out and betrays us?"
Already, they were using terms like betrayal.
This was something they had to guard against!
The Sword Venerable felt Li Hao’s plan still possessed flaws. If the Senlan World Lord genuinely reached rank seven, could Li Hao truly be certain the man would still fear them and not sell them all out?
Li Hao transmitted in reply, "I understand. Rest easy, Uncle Li! Naturally, this matter will also require your effort. If he intends to sell us out, it will inevitably happen the moment he breaks through. If the Lord of Red Moon descends here, he will betray us immediately. Otherwise, selling us out later would only incur the Lord of Red Moon's displeasure!
"At that moment, if he truly dares... we will kill him!"
A ruthless edge entered Li Hao’s tone as he continued, "First, I can lock onto the location of his Great Dao Universe! Second, he will have only just broken through. If I forcefully reverse time—even if only for a split second—he will tumble down from rank seven. Rank seven and rank six are entirely different. Dealing with a rank seven would be terribly difficult for us! But if he falls from rank seven the very instant he steps into it, his mental state will completely shatter. At peak rank six... Uncle Li, a single strike of your sword will be enough to kill him!"
At those words, the Sword Venerable’s heart gave a violent jolt!
Indeed!
Against a prepared rank seven world lord, even if the three of them joined forces, victory would be exceedingly difficult.
Yet what if the man dropped rank in an instant?
The Senlan World Lord's mindset would likely collapse entirely. At that point, facing a rank six world lord who was mentally unhinged, slaying him with a single sword strike would genuinely not be too difficult—provided they could pinpoint the location of his Great Dao Universe.
How did Li Hao plan to lock onto it?
Still, since Li Hao said so, he believed him, even if he remained curious. Pinpointing a Great Dao Universe was no simple feat.
Li Hao offered no further explanation.
The Senlan World Lord had manifested phantoms before him multiple times. Though not his true body, Li Hao had previously gleaned certain insights, dismantled two Dao networks, deliberately allowed the three to integrate into Senlan's Dao, and intentionally chosen specific locations for the Senlan World Lord to appear...
All of this had been done just in case!
Anyone who placed absolute trust in a man like the Senlan World Lord was a fool.
Once that man reached rank seven, he might very well decide that selling Li Hao and the others was far more profitable. Any prior agreement of cooperation would become a laughable joke.
It was only natural for the Sword Venerable to worry about betrayal.
Li Hao had considered it long ago.
If it came to that... the man would regret it dearly.
Of course, if the World Lord did not sell them out, their cooperation would proceed all the smoother. That was the outcome Li Hao hoped for; otherwise, the plan to raid the rank eight great world might well fall apart.
Hearing that Li Hao had contingencies in place, the Sword Venerable let out a soft breath of relief.
This fellow had a major virtue: he kept a clear ledger in his mind.
Everything was meticulously calculated.
He had half-worried Li Hao was like the Human King, who would decide to gamble on a sudden impulse. In that case, one often relied on luck, and slightly poor fortune could mean utter ruin.
In this moment, he could not help but compare the two.
In truth, Li Hao at rank four had no business being compared to the Human King, who was on the verge of stepping into rank eight and becoming one of the true hegemons of the chaos.
Yet to the Sword Venerable, things were different. Strictly speaking, his connection to both of them was far from ordinary.
Although the Human King was not his true disciple, outsiders viewed him as the Human King’s teacher.
As for Li Hao, he hailed from Silver Moon and was surnamed Li. Judging by his tone, he was very likely tied to the Li family. His sword techniques resembled the Longevity sword intent, and the Sword Venerable could even sense the auras of the three spirits—the Sword Tree, the Sword Seal, and the Sword Stone...
Moreover, he had already noticed that Li Hao’s Sky Sword bore an immense connection to his own Starry Sky Sword.
The origins between Li Hao and himself were exceptionally deep.
Naturally, the Sword Venerable did not bring any of this up. Both were Sovereigns now, and Li Hao was a hegemon in his own right. Could he simply walk up to Li Hao and say, *I might be your ancestor, you're a descendant of my grandniece countless generations removed, you should call me Old Ancestor, and your sword arts, your sword, and even your world are deeply tied to me*?
Wouldn't that be asking to be snubbed?
Toward these hegemons who had carved their own path out of their home worlds, the Sword Venerable was not entirely sure how Li Hao would react, but he knew the Human King all too well. If anyone had dared say such a thing to the Human King—suddenly stepping into Xinwu from the outside and trying to treat him like a grandson—the Human King would have pummeled the fellow so badly he would never speak again.
Clearing his head of myriad wandering thoughts, the Sword Venerable quickly set them aside and said, "If what you say holds true, the Senlan World Lord will be manageable! But there is another point: the three surrounding great worlds. Even if the Lord of Red Moon departs and the Senlan World Lord is disregarded, Red Moon still has another rank seven. We could handle one rank seven by joining forces, but if the three adjacent great worlds intervene, one of them—the Tianlan Great World—has two rank sevens! That means there are four other rank seven Sovereigns nearby who are currently allied with Red Moon..."
Add the rank seven from Red Moon, and that made five.
Even if the rank eight departed, the three nearby worlds were not far away. If they stepped in, even escaping would be difficult.
All of this had to be factored into the equation.
"Teleportation!"
Li Hao transmitted, "If we cannot flee, we will attempt teleportation! I will return to Tianfang first. While opening the boundary domain, I will reach an accord with Dao Chess to grant me an opportunity to teleport..."
That way, they could instantly teleport from Red Moon to Tianfang, thereby bypassing the crisis.
"Will Dao Chess agree? Even if it does, the imperial weapon of a rank nine Sovereign might not be entirely trustworthy. If it teleports us directly before the Lord of Red Moon, that would mean instant death!"
"We will have to try!"
Li Hao transmitted, "In previous instances, Dao Chess was quite supportive. When Kongji came over, it assisted with the teleportation. In my view, risks are inevitable. If possible, we will flee directly from Red Moon without teleporting; if not, we must take the risk!"
He was a gambler, yet he always minimized danger as much as possible. Nothing in this world was entirely without flaw.
If one did not dare take the slightest risk, how could one ever become a Sovereign?
Whenever the odds were above fifty percent, it was no longer a pure gamble. In Li Hao’s eyes, betting on a ten percent chance was gambling with one's life; fifty percent or higher was seizing an opportunity!
As his plan stood, they held at least a fifty percent chance.
At this moment, Kongji transmitted, "Then how do we return to Tianfang? Right now, there is no way to teleport back. It takes quite a bit of time. From Red Moon to Tianfang, traversing the void takes at least a month...
"Furthermore, Dao Chess’s teleportation produces a noticeable disturbance. If the Lord of Red Moon happens to be near Tianfang or passing by, crossing paths with the spatial fluctuations could alert him."
These were all real hazards.
Hazards that Li Hao had not fully understood.
He had not known teleportation left such fluctuations, but Kongji seemed to know.
"The teleportation creates significant fluctuations?"
"It is manageable—not excessively large, but top-tier experts can detect something... When I teleported here earlier, I might have crossed paths with an apex entity during the transit. It was terrifyingly formidable. For an instant, I felt the threat of death. That person might even have been capable of severing the teleportation passage!"
Kongji had not mentioned this earlier because there had been no need.
Bringing it up would have made it look as though he were flaunting his toils and achievements.
Danger was par for the course.
Making a point of mentioning it would feel like claiming credit.
Now that Li Hao intended to use it, however, he had to offer a warning. From what he had felt during the transit, the teleportation was not an instantaneous displacement of space, but rather a journey through the chaos guided by an extraordinary formation at speeds bordering on rank nine.
Only that allowed one to arrive elsewhere in a flash.
The chaos possessed no layered spaces, making true spatial overlapping and folding impossible. Teleportation merely compressed the transit process.
An expert capable of severing the passage mid-transit...
Li Hao’s expression shifted slightly. That truly was terrifyingly strong.
One had to remember that Dao Chess itself had been refined from a rank eight great universe. The phantom had stated that against a rank seven, it could teleport Li Hao away without the opponent being able to give chase. But against a rank eight, matters became far trickier.
Did this mean Kongji had run into a rank eight along the way?
"The Human King..."
Li Hao paused, then suddenly said, "Could you have encountered the Human King?"
While in Senlan, he had also learned of what occurred in Tianfang.
The Human King had suddenly appeared and slain a rank seven of Red Moon. By that timeline, the most terrifying powerhouse near Tianfang had almost certainly been the Human King.
A peak rank seven combatant.
A powerhouse like the Human King was fully capable of noticing something. Moreover, their paths likely aligned: the Human King was traveling from Red Moon to Tianfang, while Kongji was heading from Tianfang toward Red Moon...
Kongji froze, thought it over, and transmitted, "That genuinely might be it!"
Yet a hint of doubt remained. "If it was the Human King, rumors say he fears nothing. Having noticed something back then, wouldn't he have slashed down with his saber?"
The Sword Venerable kept silent.
*Do you take Fang Ping for an idiot?*
*He is far from one!*
Teleportation, chaos, rank nine...
The Sword Venerable was fairly certain it had been Fang Ping. Seeing such an occurrence, Fang Ping would instantly wonder whether a rank nine was facilitating the teleportation. Rumors from the outside world were just rumors.
In the Sword Venerable's eyes, the Human King merely disliked thinking. When he actually bothered to use his head, his intellect was far from low; had he been foolish, he would have perished long ago.
Striking out against what might be a rank nine teleportation would have been true stupidity.
He had surely weighed the risks and decided to let it pass.
Furthermore, not long after that teleportation, Xingshen was killed on this end. The Human King would undoubtedly deduce that the teleportation had some connection to Xingshen’s demise...
The Sword Venerable quickly transmitted, "It does not matter. There is no need to worry about the Human King. He likely knows the teleportation is connected to us. Even without knowing the specifics, he will not pry unnecessarily."
Hearing him speak with such certainty, Li Hao and Kongji concluded that Kongji had indeed crossed paths with the Human King.
Kongji said no more.
Internally, he was quietly startled. The Human King... even if not yet a rank eight, was truly only half a step away. Backed by formidable combat prowess and the dual Daos of Yin and Yang, he might genuinely be capable of fighting a rank eight.
Xinwu's progress was astonishingly fast.
"I understand the situation and will remain cautious!"
Li Hao wasted no time. "Uncle Li, depart first. For now, your sole task is to keep an eye on the Senlan World Lord! When enough rank sixes from the great worlds gather within the boundary domain—once their numbers exceed four—make your move!"
At least four!
"Take care, then!"
The Sword Venerable said nothing more. With the two of them joining forces, supported by several other Sovereigns, four rank sixes would not necessarily be able to overcome them.
Just as Li Hao had not asked whether the Sword Venerable could slay four rank sixes if they gathered.
Could he?
Undoubtedly!
The Sword Venerable was practically invincible among peers of the same rank. If he could not handle a four-on-one, he would not be the Sword Venerable.
...
Before long, the Sword Venerable departed, vanishing without a trace.
Kongji silently materialized beside Li Hao, his appearance shifting until he vaguely resembled King Huai, while King Huai and the other two remained off in the distance integrating into the Great Dao.
Previously, the others had not noticed Kongji's arrival. Now that an unfamiliar figure stood among them, several were visibly startled.
Tianji's true body looked Kongji up and down, then took a slight step back. *This fellow clearly isn't a good sort either.* Silent and unassuming—just like a dog that doesn't bark before it bites. Tianji disliked dealing with such people.
They were nothing but trouble!
Kongji paid no heed to the rest; he possessed an aloof, dismissive air.
Toward ordinary people, he showed only apathy and indifference.
A scion of nobility, a prodigy, one who chose to strike out and build his own path... such individuals held themselves in exceedingly high regard. Had these people not been Li Hao’s companions, even Great Dao masters would not have earned a second glance from him—especially masters of such weak Daos.
As for Li Hao, when they first met, they had shared a similar demeanor, even though Li Hao had essentially been a country bumpkin at the time.
Kongji’s interest had been piqued back then, prompting him to converse further, which led to their acquaintance.
Li Hao was much the same; he rarely spared a glance for ordinary Sovereigns, even though he was merely at rank four himself.
"Red Moon has dispatched one rank six and two rank fives!"
Li Hao walked along as he briefed the group. "We will not kill the rank six. If we do, the enemy will perceive an overwhelming threat, which might prompt a rank seven to intervene! We must make them feel that our combined strength poses a lethal threat to rank sixes—that we could potentially kill two rank sixes working together. To ensure our demise, they will have to send at least three or four rank sixes to feel secure!
"We must calibrate the intensity ourselves."
Kongji nodded slightly. "I understand. Rank sixes are not so easily handled anyway. Though I broke through to rank six, it was done in haste. I am no Sword Venerable, so do not overestimate me. In a one-on-one, I fear nothing, but one-against-two is currently quite difficult for me."
Li Hao smiled. "Firmly suppressing one rank six is enough!"
Kongji nodded; that much was well within his capabilities.
If he could not even suppress one, wouldn't abandoning his rank five Dao of Light and spending five hundred extra years switching to the Dao of Nirvanic Emptiness have been completely in vain?
Had he stayed on the Dao of Light, he would already be a rank six cultivator by now.
Li Hao then turned to the rest and said, "Short of manifesting our Great Dao Universes, employ every method at your disposal! Our objective this time is to eliminate those two rank fives!
"And it must be done swiftly!"
Li Hao said solemnly, "We cannot give the rogue cultivators or the experts lurking in the shadows any sense of opportunity. If they intervene and the number of Sovereigns swells, it will create immense trouble! I do not want those fellows interfering with our plans."
The others exchanged glances, feeling the pressure mount.
Though quite a few of them were rank three, slaying a rank five meant jumping two whole cultivation realms.
Li Hao continued, "We only need to strive to kill one... Together, you can finish one off while I pin down the other. Slaying a rank five on my own is exceedingly difficult, but keeping one occupied is no great trouble!"
Kongji could face the rank six, Li Hao could occupy one rank five, and the remainder—a group of low-rank Sovereigns—would have to finish off the other rank five. The odds remained slim.
They had numbers, but they lacked the striking power to kill a rank five.
Tianji hesitated for a moment. After a long pause, he took the initiative to speak, sounding somewhat dejected, "How about I merge with my clone? Once unified, though I won't reach rank four, I can at least attain peak rank three!"
It might not feel like a massive difference, but at peak rank three, as a cultivator who had merged First Martial and Origin, he possessed at least one clear advantage—he could take a beating!
A rank five Sovereign might not even be able to kill him in a single strike.
Among everyone present, once he and his clone merged, his resilience would be second only to Kongji and Li Hao.
*He is voluntarily offering to merge!* Even the clone was caught off guard, though understanding dawned an instant later.
Why merge?
Because King Huai was out working!
And on quite a perilous assignment, at that.
With King Huai toiling away for the sake of loafing around in the future, Tianji's true body clearly understood that if he didn't pull his weight at the critical juncture, slacking off down the line would be out of the question.
Sure enough, Tianji’s true body added, "Once merged, I can act as a meat shield a few times... but I don't have the strength to kill a rank five. I can only soak up a few ultimate moves..."
Li Hao pondered this for a moment and nodded. "That works! But... between the two of you, who will take the lead?"
Previously, neither the clone nor the true body had been willing to assume dominance.
And now?
Tianji’s true body glanced at the clone, looking thoroughly dispirited. "What do you think?"
The clone remained dead silent.
*I’m not saying a word!*
*I’m just a clone.*
Kongji grew slightly intrigued. Looking the pair up and down, he couldn’t resist transmitting, "The clone and the true body are wrestling for control? It seems the flaws of clones are truly substantial..."
"No, neither of them wants control!"
"..."
Kongji froze, completely at a loss for words.
Tianji of Xinwu truly lived up to his reputation!
Everyone said Xinwu had two notorious slackers: Tianji and King Huai. Leaving aside King Huai, who lacked a prominent background, Tianji had powerful backing. His father was the Western Sovereign, a mid-rank Sovereign rumored to be at rank five or possibly even rank six...
Yet while the people of Xinwu were making frenzied progress, Tianji had slacked off for over a millennium and barely managed to step into rank three.
For such a person to abandon control altogether now... he truly was a bizarre anomaly!
Tianji’s true body sighed helplessly, only speaking after a lengthy pause. "Let’s just fuse however... It doesn't matter who takes the lead. Whichever set of memories is clearer can have it. Aren't we both the same person anyway? It doesn't make a difference!"
*Fuse however!*
With those words spoken, the clone raised no further objections.
If all clones and true bodies throughout the world could be so "harmonious," people would never claim that having too many clones carried severe drawbacks, nor would there ever be disputes over dominance between clones and their originals.
They truly were an extraordinarily agreeable pair!
Li Hao was equally speechless and simply let them be.
After a brief moment, the two Tianjis seemed to reach an understanding and acted decisively, initiating the fusion of their twin bodies!
No matter how great the opportunity, this fusion could not possibly propel him into rank four.
Not even the Great Dao masters were at rank four yet.
Consequently, the fusion between the two proceeded smoothly, unburdened by high ambitions. It was entirely natural, with no pursuit of breaking through during the process. Li Hao watched with a trace of emotion.
The Dao follows nature!
Since when did not caring about anything qualify as following nature?
Was this peace of mind, or a terrifyingly potent state of heart?
Though the fusion of the two Tianjis showed no sign of crossing into rank four, it unfolded without the slightest misalignment. Power accumulated naturally, bit by bit, with an aura of immense stability!
It could be summarized in a single word: steady!
"Brother Kongji, disguise yourself as his clone. That way, the vacant Sovereign spot will be filled!"
Kongji didn't mind. In short order, his form shifted into the likeness of Tianji’s clone.
This neatly filled the gap left by the missing Sovereign.
Tianji’s expression remained largely unchanged... The surrounding spectators looked on with strange expressions. Though this was their first time witnessing a Sovereign clone fuse, back in the Silver Moon World, Director Zhao’s clone had also merged, which had been quite the grueling struggle.
Yet these two Sovereigns were fusing without a single ripple.
In truth... ripples were stirring within.
At this moment, two voices echoed in Tianji’s mind.
"True body, you're crossing the line! Where are your memories?"
"My memories? Aside from a few fights... during those few decades in Xinwu, I was asleep the entire time! What memories do you expect me to have?"
"You..."
The clone was rendered utterly speechless—speechless beyond measure!
The true body had spent over fifty years in Xinwu, and aside from two or three skirmishes where he mostly hung around doing nothing, he had spent nearly the entire fifty-plus years sleeping!
*Are you the Cang Emperor?*
*Why the hell were you sleeping so much?!*
He had also spent much of his time asleep, but a hundred thousand years had passed in Silver Moon. Over such a vast span of time, interesting things were bound to happen, and he had awakened on occasion. Even waking once every thousand years for just a few years each time, he had accumulated several centuries of wakefulness across a hundred thousand years!
Consequently, his memories following their separation far surpassed those of the true body.
Their memories before separating were identical, so the crucial factor lay in what came after... and the true body had virtually no memories of that period, whereas the clone had experienced quite a lot.
As the fusion settled... the clone ended up holding the majority of conscious control.
Under the fusion, the memories of both the true body and the clone fully integrated, locking all their shared experiences into a cohesive whole.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Tianji opened his eyes.
Seeing everyone staring at him, he asked with some confusion, "What are you all looking at me for?"
"..."
Even Li Hao couldn't help but ask, "Are you... all right?"
Tianji chuckled. "What could be wrong? I am myself. The clone was me, the true body was me. I just merged with myself; what could possibly happen?"
"Then..."
"You want to ask who took control?"
"Uh... I was indeed curious."
Li Hao felt a bit awkward.
Tianji didn't mind. "Once we actually fused, I realized I’m just me. Whichever of us is in control, it's still me—one single person. There’s no such thing as who dominates whom. It's just that there are slightly more memories from the later years in Silver Moon and fewer from Xinwu, but there isn't much difference."
Li Hao nodded. *Is that so?*
*Then what were the two of you squabbling over earlier?*
*And for a clone fusion to go so harmoniously... what in the world?!*
*This completely defies my expectations!*
In terms of strength, there had indeed been an improvement. Li Hao observed that Tianji's aura was considerably more formidable than before; after all, a rank two clone had been integrated into him.
Nevertheless, he was still constrained by the Great Dao.
He hadn't shot straight into rank four.
As for the two Great Dao masters, there was little change on their end. Having an additional rank two integrated into their Great Dao Universe didn't create a massive disparity. For now, advancing to rank four remained a tremendous hurdle for both of them.
One wondered whether, should this plan succeed, the two of them might stumble upon an opportunity to break through their current limitations.
With this, Li Hao's side had reached the pinnacle of their present combat strength:
Kongji at rank six; Li Hao at rank four; Hong Yitang, Qian Wuliang, Xun Ruo, Black Panther, and Tianji at rank three; Lin Hongyu, King Huai, and Chanxiu at rank two; and Mo, who was just a step away from rank two.
Of course, this excluded Er Mao.
Li Hao found it difficult to gauge Er Mao’s current state.
Previously, Er Mao had always existed as a projection. Now that he intended to manifest in reality, whether he was still roughly around rank two remained unknown to Li Hao, who hadn't asked.
...
Just as Tianji completed his fusion...
Beyond a certain fissure—the very one Li Hao and the others had previously abandoned—three Sovereigns descended!
Shihun, Jingpo, and Tansheng.
In an instant, three powerful auras revealed themselves within the Senlan World. Around them, whether it was the rank six Sovereign Yu Xiu guarding another fissure or the six Sovereigns from the three great worlds stationed farther away, hearts stirred in unison.
They had arrived!
Red Moon was formidable indeed. Even after suffering grievous losses, having to defend their home world, and guarding against Xinwu... they could still casually mobilize a substantial number of mid-rank Sovereigns.
Mere moments after losing two, three more had arrived in the blink of an eye.
The three Sovereigns descended toward the fissure.
Leading the group, Sovereign Shihun’s gaze turned cold and sharp as he surveyed the surroundings. A powerful consciousness surged outward in all directions, and within breaths, his voice rang out at the other two fissures:
"Where is that scoundrel of Wandao?"
It was exceptionally arrogant!
Yet Sovereign Yu Xiu, who was also at rank six, took no offense, responding in a measured tone, "In the southern region of Senlan... As for the exact location, I am not entirely certain."
"Understood!"
Shihun acknowledged the reply, then asked, "You are Yu Xiu?"
"I am."
"Fellow Daoist Yu Xiu, our purpose here today is to slay that band of scoundrels! I trust you will not interfere with our actions."
Yu Xiu fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "I will not. Rest assured."
Shihun addressed him as "Fellow Daoist," which appeared courteous on the surface, but underneath lay sheer condescension.
*Do not interfere with them!*
What did they consider interfering?
Who could say?
...
On the other side...
Shihun’s attitude was slightly different. He lacked the towering arrogance he displayed toward the rank six Yu Xiu, yet maintained the composure befitting an expert. "Fellow Daoists, our factions are allies to begin with. If the Senlan Sovereigns dare to make a move at a critical moment... we will be relying on your esteemed support!"
The experts from the three great worlds were also exceedingly polite. "Rest easy! With Senior Shihun descending in person, I doubt Senlan would dare intervene... If they truly do, we will certainly not stand idly by!"
A smile colored Shihun’s voice. "Splendid! We have always maintained a supportive stance toward Senlan, yet they show little gratitude, inciting that Wandao scoundrel to slay several of our companions! Of course, our World Lord is generous and will not hold it against the people of Senlan. We have always lived by the principle of never offending others unless offended first..."
After a bout of pleasantries, the Sovereigns paid little heed to the words.
Had Red Moon not cared somewhat about appearances and the stance of the three great worlds, they would have launched a full assault on Senlan long ago. What was the use of spouting such rhetoric?
Who didn't know what Red Moon was truly plotting?
Still, in a world where the strong preyed on the weak, the fact that Red Moon bothered to preserve a shred of decorum was already considered giving ample face to the three great worlds.
...
Having greeted the Sovereigns on both sides, Shihun turned his gaze toward the other fissures, where Senlan Sovereigns stood guard. A rank five Sovereign of Senlan was also stationed at the world gate.
Paying them no mind, he swept his eyes across the surroundings and suddenly declared, "Fellow Daoist Yan Fang, since you are already here, why not reveal yourself?"
A figure gradually coalesced in the void.
It was none other than Yan Fang.
At this moment, Yan Fang’s expression was intricate as he looked at the trio without uttering a sound.
Shihun remained remarkably composed. "Fellow Daoist Yan Fang, is that Wandao... a Sovereign of Senlan?"
Yan Fang fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. He was not.
A faint smile touched Shihun’s lips. "Since he is not, and Wandao has slain several of my companions and friends, I have come seeking vengeance. Will Senlan... stand in my way?"
Yan Fang took a deep breath. "In what capacity have the three of you come?"
Shihun gave a light chuckle. "Rogue cultivators. Rank six rogue cultivators!"
*Nonsense!*
Yan Fang said nothing.
Even after suffering severe setbacks, Red Moon remained just as overbearing as ever. Perhaps slightly better than before, but hardly an improvement.
Who didn't know Shihun’s identity? Would a rogue cultivator dare look down on them from such high ground?
Suppressing the fury in his heart, Yan Fang said in a low voice, "Since Wandao has offended you, and his ties with Senlan are purely transactional, I will not intervene! However, should other rogue cultivators meddle, I will step in. This is Senlan!
"That is the first point... Second, since the three of you have come as rogue cultivators, you must abide by Senlan’s rules!"
Shihun chuckled. "What rules?"
"First, you shall not harm Senlan's citizens, nor shall you battle within Senlan's cities!
"Second, three rogue cultivators under Wandao's command have chosen to integrate into Senlan's Great Dao and will no longer participate in Wandao’s battles... You must not drag them into this!"
"Oh?"
Shihun froze, his brow furrowing slightly. "Three Sovereigns integrated into Senlan... Who?"
"Merely weaklings—one rank one and two rank twos... They never took part in the killings earlier and were merely going through the motions."
Shihun frowned, remaining silent for a while before speaking in a low tone. "For Senlan to recruit them and have them join its Great Dao... that is quite bold! At a critical juncture, that Wandao fellow won't also integrate into Senlan, will he?"
His voice turned cold. "We might let three weaklings slide... but Senlan must guarantee one thing: no one else may be permitted to integrate into Senlan. Otherwise..."
Yan Fang’s expression shifted, tinged with anger and indignation as he said heavily, "Whether to allow integration or not is Senlan’s prerogative! Fellow Daoists, this is still a great world!"
The three smiled without a word.
*A great world?*
A rank six great world could only lord over medium worlds. In the eyes of rank seven and rank eight great worlds, a rank six great world merely lowered the prestige of the title. Who would take it seriously?
After careful consideration, Shihun decided to show some courtesy; after all, they might become colleagues in the future!
He smiled faintly. "Very well! Then I will be blunt. Those three... since we had not yet arrived, they are now Senlan's Sovereigns, and we can leave them be. The others can also be discussed, but Wandao—and Wandao alone—shall never be permitted to integrate into Senlan!"
Yan Fang seemed to wrestle with himself. After a long while, he let out an exhale, sighed softly, and nodded. "Very well! Only... behind this Sovereign Wandao..."
"A rank seven fire-element expert?"
Shihun sneered. "Does Fellow Daoist believe that my Red Moon needs to fear even a rank seven now?"
At this point, he coughed softly. "My mistake—I am a rogue cultivator... A rank seven is formidable indeed; we will naturally tread with caution."
Yan Fang was incensed!
Though everyone understood the reality, the three Red Moon Sovereigns flaunted their identity while insisting on playing rogue cultivators, even correcting themselves right to his face as if daring him to do something about it... It filled him with intense rage and frustration!
Hateful!
Yet anger and indignation were useless; Senlan did not dare openly offend Red Moon. In this moment, he suddenly felt that the Red Moon Sovereigns Wandao had killed... had died a well-deserved death!
The more of these bastards died, the better.
This was Senlan, yet here they stood, completely unscrupulous.
The World Lord was right: without reaching rank seven, one held no standing whatsoever in Red Moon's eyes. Even if they joined Red Moon, they would merely be living under someone else's roof. If possible... if Senlan could advance to rank seven and remain independent, that would truly be the ideal outcome.
Suppressing the flames of anger in his heart, Yan Fang said in a low voice, "Then so be it! You need only adhere to Senlan's rules. As for others... if anyone else intervenes, Senlan is not incapable of putting up a fight!"
This included the other three great worlds!
The three great worlds were strong, but they only had rank seven Sovereigns. Did they dare charge in?
Senlan was not afraid!
Shihun smiled faintly. None of this mattered, so long as Senlan still feared Red Moon.
As for the rest... with him descending in person, did he need to worry about being unable to deal with a mere rank four?
"Fellow Daoist Yan Fang, pardon our intrusion this time. We will have plenty of chances to grow closer in the future!"
Shihun smiled meaningfully. "We won't prolong our chat today. Next time... let us sit down and talk at leisure. I have an abundance of fine wine and tea over on my side, and you are welcome at any time!"
Yan Fang offered no reply, vanishing into the void and departing directly.
The moment he left, the rank five Sovereign Jingpo beside Shihun sneered, "Shameless wretches! If not for recent complications, would a mere rank six world even be qualified to join us?"
Over the years, Red Moon had swallowed up numerous worlds.
They had even annexed a great world.
Its world lord had been executed!
Yet this Senlan dared put up resistance. This time, their World Lord had explicitly stated it would be a reorganization, not an absorption, and that Senlan would be treated with honor and aided in reaching rank seven. With such conditions, they still dragged their feet—truly insatiable!
Shihun chuckled. "Such is human nature. The more courteous you are, the more important they think themselves to be! In truth... just wait! When that day arrives, they will understand that their current arrogance and uncooperativeness will eventually come back to bite them!"
Jingpo spoke in a heavy tone, "My only worry is that when the time comes, the World Lord might genuinely treat these people with honor—perhaps even exceeding our own. That would be hard to stomach."
Shihun merely laughed, completely unconcerned.
How could that be possible?!
Once these people truly joined Red Moon, they would serve as the vanguards against Xinwu. That included the Senlan World Lord; once integrated into Red Moon, their fates would no longer be theirs to decide!
"Enough, let's speak no more of this. Come, let us find that Wandao scoundrel, kill him, and return to report our success!"
Shihun laughed. "This fellow had immense gall, slaying several of our Sovereigns and even disturbing the World Lord. Bringing his head back will yield a reward no lesser than slaying a rank six!"
The other two nodded, breaking into smiles and putting their earlier annoyance behind them.
Indeed!
This was an opportunity—a chance to earn merit. With practically no danger involved, they could claim a massive achievement.
As for that Yan Fang, if he dared intervene... they might as well kill him too!
The trio vanished swiftly.
...
At the same time...
Across the entire Senlan domain, consciousness after consciousness swept through the Senlan World. Sovereigns stirred, eager for action!
The Red Moon powerhouses were about to make their move.
A fine show was about to unfold!
...
Within the Great Dao Universe...
The Senlan World Lord watched everything with a cold, stern expression. After a long while, he cast his gaze into the distance, toward Red Moon...
He probed the surroundings once more, yet failed to locate the Sword Venerable.
Xinwu!
"King of Silver Moon..."
He murmured softly. The Silver Moon King’s rate of progress at rank four was astonishingly fast!
Had Mo and Chanxiu ever joined the Xinwu World?
Not necessarily!
Yet both bore faint traces of a Great Dao Universe... a new Dao universe?
To think Silver Moon could give birth to a new Dao universe—truly extraordinary.
Of course, as a universe master presiding over a Great Dao Universe of his own, while a new Dao universe held immense allure for ordinary rank sixes, its appeal to him was limited.
He lacked the energy to fully integrate his own Great Dao Universe, let alone someone else's.
He needed to secure complete dominion over Senlan’s Great Dao Universe first.
He then thought of the new Sovereign who had recently appeared beside Li Hao... Was this the Silver Moon King’s hidden card against the three Red Moon Sovereigns?
Two rank fives and one rank six.
That person carried an exceedingly unique aura—not the aura of a Great Dao Universe, but a faint sensation of nirvanic emptiness...
In this instant, he managed to guess the truth.
Truly terrifying!
Could the Bright God Realm be secretly participating in all of this as well?
If so, he was even less inclined to intervene now, let alone become entangled. If Xinwu was also treated as a rank eight entity, three rank eight universes were clashing here. A mere rank six lord who threw himself into the fray would end up smashed to pieces with nowhere left to bury his bones!
"Wushan killed Hongyu, the Human King killed Jihuo, and the Sword Venerable's group joined hands to slay Xingshen... Red Moon... is likely in deep trouble."
Thoughts flickered across his mind, but ultimately, he suppressed them all.
At this moment, the Senlan World Lord felt only a profound sorrow.
Amidst all of this, he was nothing more than a backdrop for these giants.
Glancing once more at the three Red Moon Sovereigns, he let out a cold sneer. *Truly arrogant. If a rank seven or eight had arrived, arrogance might be warranted. But you lot? What right do you have to act so rampant?*
*You don't even know how much longer you have to live!*
Chapter 482