The four great worlds trembled.
Soon, the other experts finished dragging their respective worlds close to Red Moon.
Within the worlds, countless living beings wept in terrified helplessness. Blood-red rain poured from the heavens. The incomparably mighty Sovereigns of ordinary days were either slain on the spot or fleeing into the chaos. The Heavenly Kings and Saints wished they could burrow into cracks in the earth to hide. Fiends had invaded!
Were they wrong to call them fiends?
Not at all.
In a war between worlds, ordinary mortals had no say. It was a conflict waged by the world lords. Commoners only knew that on this day, the realm that had nurtured them was being invaded, butchered, and stripped of its Sovereigns.
Sword Venerable and the others watched without the slightest ripple of emotion.
Such was the world of cultivation.
The weak were meat, and the strong ate them.
In the chaos, there was no right or wrong. No such distinction existed.
If you were not strong, this was your fate.
Lesser, weaker worlds suffered even worse fates. Sometimes when a powerhouse stumbled upon one, they might obliterate it entirely just to refine it into a treasure for their descendants, instantly reducing billions of lives to dust.
None of them spoke, nor did they intervene.
They had no interest in slaughtering the weak, but neither did they care to soothe the common populace of hostile factions.
At that moment, everyone turned their eyes toward Red Moon.
Red Moon’s heaven and earth trembled.
A Great Dao universe descended directly between the sky and the earth. Several experts took one look and slightly furrowed their brows. It seemed significantly weakened; a rank eight universe should not have been this fragile. Clearly, some unforeseen crisis had occurred.
Even so, bringing a Great Dao universe out in the open meant that the Lord of Red Moon had lost control over it.
Excitement and anticipation welled up in the crowd.
A stroke of fortune!
The Red Moon universe—a rank eight universe—had actually been seized. The outcome had exceeded their wildest expectations.
Just then, the Red Moon universe seemed to split open, and Li Hao strode out. His world was still absorbing Dao power, but he cast that aside for the moment. Looking out at the Sovereigns gathered outside, he called out, "Sovereigns of Senlan, unite your strength and pull Senlan out! The Red Moon universe has been broken, and Senlan is free! The Senlan World Lord is alive and safe... Rest assured, everyone!"
Yan Fang looked at Li Hao with a complicated expression.
Red Moon... was gone!
Truly gone.
Even its Great Dao universe had been stripped away. Because Senlan had not fully integrated, it could be extracted right now. Moreover, the master of the Great Dao universe was no longer the Lord of Red Moon, meaning no one was left to hold them back.
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Wandao!"
"Don't mention it, it's only right!"
Li Hao smiled. The Senlan World Lord sought freedom, so setting everything else aside, they had to decouple Senlan first. Otherwise, if the absorption went too far, it might consume Senlan's own Dao universe.
Before long, Yan Fang and his group began hastily peeling their world and its Great Dao universe away.
With no one suppressing them, no master governing it, and Li Hao assisting them, the decoupling process was not overly difficult. After all, they had merged only recently.
Li Hao then turned toward the three nearby great worlds and said, "Sword Venerable will take the Tianlan World, including its Great Dao universe. Sword Venerable, can you claim it?"
Sword Venerable looked at Li Hao. A complete Great Dao universe plus an entire world... Tianlan's World Lord had died right here, so little of its energy had dissipated. Combining the world power with the Dao power, even if it didn't push him straight into rank seven, it should come very close.
In fact, it should be more than enough, since he would enjoy it alone rather than sharing it.
A Great Dao universe sustained dozens of Sovereigns. Supplying only him, it would easily suffice for an advancement.
He nodded. "I have no objections!"
He had contributed plenty this time, but with Wushan's intervention, it had not been nearly as difficult as expected. It had gone far smoother than anticipated.
Otherwise, slaying a rank seven would have been an immense ordeal.
"Senior Li Zhu..."
Li Hao turned to Li Zhu. "The Yueming World is rooted in the Dao of Yin Darkness. In the past, Senior was King of the Underground Caves, grounded in stealing heaven and swapping the sun... Yueming suits you well. Senior, you may take the Yueming Great Dao Universe!"
Li Zhu looked at Li Hao and nodded.
A Great Dao universe did not include the world.
A world was a world, and a Great Dao universe was a Great Dao universe. Though intimately intertwined, they were not one and the same. It was normal that he did not receive a complete world—in truth, obtaining a Great Dao universe was already plenty generous.
"Senior Wushan!"
Li Hao addressed Wushan next. "Senior cultivates the Mist of Heavenly Secrets, though I do not know your exact Dao. I offer you the Cangjiang Great Dao Universe and the Cangjiang World in their entirety. Will they suffice to restore you to your peak?"
He spoke only of recovery, not advancement.
Wushan weighed the offer and nodded. "Restoring my peak rank seven strength shouldn't be difficult. With an entire universe as a foundation, it is definitely possible..."
Only...
While he was still pondering, Li Hao said, "Everyone, devour your Great Dao universes. Do not take command of them!"
Everyone froze.
It wasn't that they insisted on ruling them, but devouring them... None of them currently possessed a Great Dao universe foundation, effectively making them rogue cultivators. What did Li Hao mean?
If they took Red Moon as a foundation and merged the three great worlds into it, even if it couldn't become a rank nine universe, it would certainly become one of the stronger rank eight universes.
Wushan would have had a solid chance of stepping into rank eight.
Meanwhile, Li Zhu, Sword Venerable, and several others could step into rank seven. In other words, they were fully capable of founding an independent rank eight world right here to fill the vacuum left by Red Moon.
"The broader situation is uncertain. Right now, staying behind to guard a world would only make it a burden! The Lord of Red Moon isn't dead; he merely detached from his universe to become a rogue cultivator... I don't know if he will be killed, but for now, he is alive! Although a Great Dao universe can move, a world cannot, nor can a universe's anchor. Moving great worlds is exceedingly difficult... If we remain to guard them, we will become trapped beasts!"
Li Hao stated flatly, "Devour them directly, skin, flesh, and bones. Consume them whole, leaving nothing behind!"
If they devoured everything, the result would be entirely different.
There was no need to consider the long-term upkeep of territory!
Just eat it up and be done with it!
The others felt a stir in their hearts. None objected; it was indeed a sound approach.
Li Hao continued, "In this battle, the Senlan World Lord gave much as well! Many Sovereigns fell in Senlan's domain... We will leave the world power of Yueming for Senlan to devour and stabilize its rank seven breakthrough!
"Furthermore... Silver Moon likely cannot digest all of the rank eight Red Moon World. Once we have absorbed our share, the remaining Dao power will all go to Senlan!"
Over to the side, Yan Fang froze. *What?*
*Red Moon goes to us?*
Not far away, Kongji hesitated, almost speaking up. *What about me?*
Senlan got the Yueming World and a massive share of Red Moon's power... Li Hao and he were supposed to be the leaders of this operation, yet it seemed they were coming away with almost nothing.
At least Li Hao had claimed a good portion of Red Moon's power.
Just as Kongji was thinking this, Li Hao spoke again: "Directly extract the world power of Red Moon... Kongji, you handle the extraction. Extinction or resurgence, experiment however you like. The world power of a rank eight great world will be more than enough for you!"
Kongji could not hold back: "Then what about you?"
*So you're saying you get nothing?*
Not strictly nothing—he had drawn some Red Moon Dao power, but Li Hao and his people couldn't siphon much of a rank eight universe's energy. Even if Li Hao broke into rank five, he wouldn't drain it dry; he wasn't at that level yet.
Wouldn't Li Hao be taking a massive loss?
Li Hao grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth. "All of that goes to you all. As for the rest... the Sovereigns' personal savings and the treasuries of the worlds will belong to Silver Moon! Think of it as opening blind boxes—we get whatever we get! If our luck is good, we might open tens of billions of Dao crystals, dozens of Sovereign armaments, and hundreds of smaller worlds... Remember, these are four great worlds. If fortune favors us, it might be worth even more than the worlds themselves!"
"Out of hundreds of Sovereigns... they can't all be paupers, can they?"
Indeed, Silver Moon had no need for immovable realms; he would gamble on blind boxes!
Whatever was inside was theirs.
Was he taking a loss?
Not really.
A world was like a house—real estate, an illiquid asset.
No wealthy magnate kept only real estate; they inevitably had liquid assets. Right now, Li Hao wasn't claiming the houses of the four great worlds; he was betting on how much liquid wealth these fellows possessed.
After all, they had existed not for a year or two, but for millions of years. Could they really have accumulated no liquid assets over that time?
It was hard to quantify.
Real estate, on the other hand, sat out in the open, easily tallied.
Li Zhu had put in substantial effort, though he hadn't contributed much to slaying rank seven foes. Granting him a Great Dao universe was far from unfair.
Sword Venerable had shouldered a heavy burden, so he received a complete world.
Senlan not only claimed a rank seven world's power, but would also absorb whatever remained of the rank eight Great Dao universe after Li Hao and his companions had their fill. All told, they were receiving roughly one and a half rank seven worlds, which more than did right by Senlan's Sovereigns.
Wushan received an entire rank seven world simply for his recovery... which was more than plenty.
Kongji received the world power of a rank eight great world, plenty to fuel his experiments.
None of them could feel that Li Hao had shortchanged them. On the contrary, they were now feeling hesitant. Li Hao made opening blind boxes sound grand—win big on luck!
Yet... what if they found nothing?
What if everyone truly was a pauper who held only real estate?
Then Li Hao, the mastermind behind the entire campaign, would walk away with next to nothing beyond a handful of Red Moon Dao power!
A catastrophic loss!
Sword Venerable spoke up: "I only need a universe; I don't necessarily need the world power..."
Wushan also felt a bit awkward. "Well... I... same here. I don't even need to waste Dao universe power. Just give me the world power. I only need to recover, not advance..."
It was simply too much; they felt embarrassed taking it.
Truth be told, this battle hadn't been terribly hard.
Slaying Aihong had been remarkably straightforward.
Killing the other rank seven, Sovereign Lanyue, alongside Sword Venerable had cost him little. Besides, he had been a cripple before; it was Li Hao who had restored him in the first place.
Looking at it that way... the share was too generous.
Yan Fang also looked as if he wanted to speak, but Li Hao turned straight to him. "The Senlan Realm has just stepped into rank seven. It is precisely when it requires vast amounts of world power and Dao power, so don't be polite! The Senlan World Lord refuses to abandon Senlan... so let us make Senlan sturdier. A rank seven guarding a powerful rank seven world might not be able to match a rank eight, but at least rank eights won't dare invade lightly!"
Yan Fang's gaze grew even more complicated. The Senlan World Lord was not present.
Right now, if Li Hao had shown even the slightest ruthlessness, forget dividing the spoils—he could have swallowed Senlan whole, and they would have had no way to resist.
Then it would not have been four great worlds, but five!
Not only would there have been one fewer person dividing the loot, but there would have been far more to take.
Li Hao could have split it however he pleased.
"Many thanks, Silver Moon King!"
Yan Fang said nothing more and bowed deeply to the waist. "Our World Lord is not here. Today, on behalf of our Lord, the Sovereigns of Senlan thank the Silver Moon King for his generosity!"
Generosity?
No, it was simply... he didn't even know how to put it into words.
Receiving the world power of a rank seven world and most of a rank eight Great Dao universe... This was an unimaginable windfall, so vast that Senlan's Sovereigns felt as if they were dreaming.
Once they digested these gains, Senlan—which had only just advanced to rank seven—would have only one rank seven Sovereign, but its world and Dao foundation would not be inferior to top-tier rank seven universes.
Under natural development, Senlan might have needed a hundred thousand years, two hundred thousand years... or even longer to reach such heights.
"There is no time to waste!" Li Hao called out. "Everyone, digest your gains immediately! Advance if you can; if not, stabilize and strengthen yourselves as much as possible... Uncle-Master Hong, Black Panther, go scour the four worlds immediately! Take all the treasures!"
Hong Yitang asked in a heavy voice, "What about the common cultivators and mortals of the four worlds?"
"Leave them be!"
Li Hao began, then corrected himself: "No, wait... do it this way: relocate all cultivators from the other three worlds into Red Moon! Move the common mortals of Red Moon into the other three worlds!"
"Drain their energy dry and leave them to their own devices! They will simply fall from mighty cultivation realms into worlds where martial arts have vanished... Cultivators will gradually die out. If fate allows, new paths of cultivation will naturally emerge; if not... they will vanish completely into the chaos!"
Not slaughtering them was already Li Hao's greatest mercy.
However, in a state of utter chaos, cultivators caused too much devastation... In that case, let all the cultivators play together in one realm, while the common folk were scattered across the other three. Wasting a bit of time to separate them was his final benevolence.
Remembering something, he looked back at Yan Fang. "Senlan has just advanced, and its population is sparse. If Senlan is interested, you may select some people to bring back!"
After a moment's thought, Li Hao added, "Don't pick only cultivators... Population is vital for a stable world. You can select a portion of ordinary mortals as you see fit, but be quick!"
Yan Fang's eyes lit up!
Indeed, for worlds that were not independent rogue entities—worlds possessing both a Great Dao universe and a physical realm—population was paramount. They practiced the path of universal cultivation.
The cultivators of these four great worlds had broad horizons, dense numbers, high foundations, and great potential... Bringing them in to enrich Senlan would yield immense benefits.
Yet Li Hao added, "Try not to choose individuals who are too powerful. You can pick some infants... take their whole families. The young have greater potential. The current cultivators likely harbor deep hatred toward you. With the Senlan World Lord absent, forgive my presumption!
"Also, don't take too many, and try to take a balanced share from all four worlds..."
Yan Fang nodded hurriedly.
Seeing him rush off eagerly to work, Li Hao hesitated briefly before sending a sound transmission: "You can also pick a group of powerful Red Moon cultivators and Red Moon citizens who harbor hatred toward you... Form an adversarial faction within Senlan. That way, Senlan won't lack a trial ground, and your people won't need to venture into the chaos! Senlan has just reached rank seven, and hearts are not yet settled. Internal challenges and external threats foster unity!"
Yan Fang's heart stirred, and he immediately nodded.
This Silver Moon King was said to be young, yet he grasped these matters so profoundly.
He was entirely right. So long as it remained under control, introducing a rival faction within Senlan would indeed forge greater solidarity.
...
"The rest of you, go scavenge!"
Li Hao barked an order. "Clean up the battlefield quickly! The commotion here was not small. Remember, the Red Moon Domain has more than just these few great worlds. The remaining realms may be far, but that doesn't mean they won't come. Move swiftly!
"Uncle Li, recover what you need to recover, advance what you need to advance... Drain the energy as fast as possible! Leave nothing behind!"
Sword Venerable said nothing more upon hearing this, plunging directly into the Tianlan World.
Li Hao added, "Advancing won't happen overnight for everyone... While you are absorbing, I might enter your universes to help dismantle the structures... Just leave a back door open for me!"
Four great worlds! How thrilling would it be to dismantle them?
It would grant an immense boost to his own Dao comprehension. Naturally, he had no intention of missing out; right now, he wished he could divide himself into multiple avatars!
Besides, how much Silver Moon gained this time depended entirely on the blind boxes.
Just then, Kongji flew over with a look of regret, transmitting his voice: "Haoyue, to be honest, I wanted a Great Dao universe... not world power..."
He was speaking his mind.
Getting the Red Moon World wasn't weak at all—it was a rank eight world!
Yet... he desired a Great Dao universe.
Now they had all been divvied up, and even Li Hao hadn't kept one. Kongji felt he shouldn't complain, yet the lingering regret remained.
A Great Dao universe was far more precious than a world.
Still, a rank eight great world was not necessarily inferior to a rank seven Great Dao universe.
Li Hao transmitted back, "Are you foolish?"
*What do you mean?*
"A world provides the energy source to perfect a domain! Dao power... what use is Dao power to you before reaching rank seven? First perfect your realm and your domain, laying down your foundation. What is there to fear about lacking Dao power? When the time comes for you to truly advance, it will be there! You won't reach rank seven this time anyway!"
"Nonsense! I'm only one step away!"
Kongji felt Li Hao was underestimating him!
Li Hao chuckled and transmitted, "Fine, if you're satisfied with being an ordinary rank seven, go ahead... But you are Kongji, master of the Six Daos and Three Extremes! To be frank, the quality of these worlds isn't high! Even Red Moon is the same. It's fine as a disposable consumable, but do you really want to make it your foundation for advancement?"
"But..."
"Think of Dao Chess. Think of the fact that the Tianfang World still has no master!"
"..."
At those words, Kongji's heart leaped. *That's true.*
In the next instant, he broke into a smile and nodded. "All right, I understand! Then I'll go extract the world power and focus on perfecting my domain of six Daos. If I finish it, I might reach peak rank six!"
Persuaded by Li Hao, he felt much better.
It wasn't that he had lost ambition; he had simply coveted a Great Dao universe earlier... But as Li Hao pointed out, the Tianfang Great Dao Universe still had no master!
Li Hao delayed no further, resuming his absorption of the Red Moon Dao power.
Qian Wuliang was absorbing as well!
King Huai was absorbing too!
Everyone walked away with substantial gains. For now, Li Hao and his inner circle seemed to have gained the least, but Li Hao believed that even the smallest share would not be negligible. With so many Sovereigns, the pooled treasures of each individual would be more than enough to feed Silver Moon to bursting!
Hoarding too much that they couldn't use served little purpose anyway.
Distributing the spoils this way maximized utility, ensuring everyone could use and digest their share.
On that day, powerhouse after powerhouse rapidly assimilated their spoils.
Because the masters of the four Great Dao universes were either dead or had fled like the Lord of Red Moon, these unowned realms were easy to seize.
Across the entire domain, auras grew increasingly formidable.
Wushan's recovery was the swiftest.
He merely needed to heal, which was a matter of absorbing enough Dao power. Under normal circumstances, where could one find enough energy to restore a peak rank seven? Yet here, an entire universe paired with an entire world proved more than sufficient.
Though he did not step into rank eight, he had completely broken free from Yunxiao, no longer bound by any restrictions. For Wushan... that alone made it worthwhile.
He no longer owed Yunxiao anything.
All the energy had been repaid; now, it was Yunxiao who owed him.
...
Meanwhile, Li Hao continuously absorbed Dao power to fill his personal realm.
The energy of Red Moon remained difficult to digest, composed entirely of desire. Though it possessed many diverse elemental attributes, Li Hao knew that absorbing too much would inevitably disrupt his state of mind.
Yet he was fearless!
He had dared to absorb time itself; what was desire in comparison? Qian Wuliang, on the other hand, had absorbed a tremendous amount and looked on the verge of advancing. Li Hao was slightly concerned that taking in too much might cause him to lose control.
If Qian Wuliang stepped into rank four, it would mark a massive breakthrough. Hong Yitang corresponded with him; while he could not reach rank four just yet, he wouldn't be far behind so long as there were enough Dao crystals.
And once the two of them broke through, the Sovereigns who had joined the Silver Moon World stood a strong chance of breaking through alongside them.
...
The Red Moon region fell into a rare calm, though chaos still raged within the worlds themselves.
Lin Hongyu and the others were sweeping through every corner. Great worlds held far too many treasures.
Several Sovereigns dispersed across the different realms, tirelessly hunting down valuables. With Black Panther present, almost no treasure could remain hidden from its nose.
Toward the end, Er Mao suddenly poked its head out. As Li Hao was busy absorbing, it scampered over and transmitted, "Then this cat will go take a look too..."
"Senior Er Mao... you're not planning to drain the world source, are you?"
"Can't I? These are four great worlds..."
Li Hao hesitated, then quickly replied, "You may, but don't take it all. Leave a sliver behind... make it even weaker than a small world, just enough to sustain the existence of life. That will also deter others from coveting them, reducing these four worlds to the mortal realm!"
That was a good outcome!
His only worry was that Er Mao would consume everything, causing the four worlds to plunge into total extinction. Li Hao didn't care much about the extinction of four empty shells, but the worlds held far too many people.
Hundreds of billions, perhaps trillions!
With so many living beings, if the world source went completely dark, they wouldn't even be able to grow crops!
Er Mao rolled its eyes. *As if I don't know that.*
*This cat has no such intention. There are too many lives; if I sucked it all dry and they all died, the sin would be too heavy.*
*Did I need you to remind me?*
Ignoring him further, Er Mao vanished, grinning from ear to ear.
Leaving a tiny sliver of the four worlds' life source was plenty; leaving too much would invite trouble, as an abundant world source might attract greedy eyes. A faint ember would keep the mortals alive.
Any sane Sovereign wouldn't annihilate four worlds just for a meager shred of world source—the karmic sin was simply too great, and cause and effect had a way of coming around.
If a madman came along who insisted on draining it dry... then even if it were left behind, the world would be shattered anyway, and there was nothing to be done about that.
...
Li Hao continued absorbing energy to fill his miniature realm.
By this point, Lin Hongyu and her companions had gradually finished sweeping the battlefields. Instead of coming straight to Li Hao, they gathered to tally their findings.
Soon, smiles broke out across their faces.
Clearly, the harvest was exceptional.
Before long, Lin Hongyu carried the spoils along the river Li Hao had forged, stepping into the Red Moon universe.
...
"How much?"
Seeing her arrive, Li Hao knew the sweep was complete. In truth, he was somewhat nervous.
If the haul was too small... it would be a painful loss.
Setting himself aside, Silver Moon needed at least several billion Dao crystals to be satisfied, right?
Lin Hongyu beamed, choosing not to keep him in suspense. "Dao crystals are the most common; practically every Sovereign had some. There were a great many Sovereigns this time, and since they all hailed from great worlds, they weren't poor... After sweeping the battlefield, and factoring in the Dao power of fallen Sovereigns condensing into Dao crystals, as well as Dao charm crystals—though only the two rank sevens produced Dao charm crystals—we have a solid tally.
"There aren't many Dao charm crystals, only around ten million.
"Dao crystals, on the other hand, are plentiful!"
Her smile was blindingly bright. "Adding the stockpiles of the four great worlds, we have a full six billion Dao crystals!"
Was it a lot?
In the grand scheme of things, not an astronomical sum.
Yet compared to the bleak expectation that everyone might be broke, it was vastly more.
Li Hao's lips curved into a broad smile!
Excellent!
Six billion... more than his highest estimate for the total haul.
And that wasn't all. Lin Hongyu continued, "In addition, across the four worlds, we recovered thirty-seven small worlds and nine medium worlds..."
Senlan had produced a medium world in the past.
Evidently, these great worlds possessed them as well. Nine... was neither too few nor too many.
Li Hao nodded once more!
That was easily worth over a billion Dao crystals, though in practice, even with a billion crystals, one could hardly purchase so many worlds in bulk.
Altogether, that was forty-six worlds!
Li Hao grinned.
She wasn't finished. Lin Hongyu added excitedly, "There are various other treasures as well, including nine Sovereign armaments... Though eight are low-rank, and only one is mid-rank!"
That was somewhat disappointing—with so many Sovereigns, there were only nine Sovereign armaments.
And almost all of them were entry-level.
"Finish it in one breath. Anything else?"
"Yes!"
Lin Hongyu's excitement mounted. "In Red Moon, we discovered over a thousand massive energy veins..."
Li Hao blinked, staring at her.
*At the Sovereign level... what use do you have for those?*
"We can send them back to Silver Moon!" she said eagerly. "That way, Silver Moon will no longer be an impoverished medium world. It will instantly become an energy-rich sanctuary comparable to a great world!"
Li Hao chuckled and nodded. "Fair enough."
In truth, a thousand veins might not fetch a high price outside, but... she was right. Taking them back to Silver Moon would indeed turn it into a cultivation paradise.
Still... he wanted to point out that veins were technically a form of world power.
That had been allocated to Kongji.
Did Kongji know they were digging them up?
"Is that all?"
Lin Hongyu shook her head and smiled. "There is one more treasure. I think... you might find it useful."
"What is it?"
"This!"
Lin Hongyu retrieved an object. Li Hao took a look, slightly puzzled, before asking, "This is..."
"A map!" Lin Hongyu said joyfully. "A complete map of the entire Sifang Domain! It marks the locations of all worlds, including the numbers, names, and Dao proficiencies of top experts... We found it in the Red Moon Divine Hall. It appears to have been crafted by the powerhouses of Red Moon! It's far more detailed than the one you have!"
"What's more... I glanced over it, and it even contains brief information on other domains along the outer fringes of the Sifang Domain..."
Li Hao nodded. So that was it.
A fine treasure indeed!
Red Moon had existed for countless years. While Kongji had previously given him a map, the Bright God Realm was unlikely to hand over their most comprehensive charts, and even what Kongji managed to obtain might not have been complete.
Red Moon, however, had furnished him with a truly exhaustive map.
At this moment, Lin Hongyu asked with a trace of excitement, "Li Hao, can our Silver Moon advance to a great world?"
They had a Great Dao universe and an ocean of Dao crystals. Could their world make the leap?
Li Hao shook his head. "Our two Dao Lords are advancing too fast; Qian Wuliang is nearly at rank four! But until they reach rank seven, it cannot be considered a great world... Silver Moon is in no rush; we take it step by step! Once they break through to rank four, progressing to rank six should be relatively smooth. The only true hurdle left is rank seven, and even that might not hold them back for long."
There was no need to rush.
Silver Moon was already developing at a blistering pace.
He calculated his gains and smiled. This haul was substantial. Absorbing enough energy from the Red Moon universe to reach rank five would suffice for him, leaving the rest to propel the Silver Moon Great Dao Universe forward and grant the other Sovereigns a boost.
Once he dismantled the worlds further, drew upon their world power, and perfected his own Dao of Worlds, reaching rank six—though difficult—would not be out of reach.
...
The void trembled.
In the time that followed, Li Hao occasionally left the Red Moon Great Dao Universe to visit the other universes, breaking down their Daos and studying their Dao nets.
The others were progressing rapidly as well.
The Cangjiang World was nearly drained dry of energy, its world source reduced to a faint ember. Sovereign Wushan, however, had completely recovered his peak combat prowess. Though he had not stepped into rank eight, he was far happier than before.
Over the past few days, he had been grinning constantly; anyone unaware would have assumed he had broken through to rank eight.
Meanwhile, the Senlan World had been decoupled. Upon devouring the world power of Yueming, the entire realm completed its transition into rank seven, expanding dramatically.
And as Senlan absorbed the Red Moon Dao power... the entire Senlan universe grew continuously stronger.
...
Within the Tianfang Great Dao Universe.
The battle raged on. Some pursued the Lord of Red Moon, while others sought the source of the Great Dao. Meanwhile, the injuries the Senlan World Lord had sustained during his tribulation were healing at an astonishing pace!
The Human King had stood guard over him for three full days.
At this moment, the Human King felt something peculiar.
The other man's strength was not weakening; instead, the Red Moon power clinging to his body was dissipating, replaced by the eruption of a myriad-manifestation energy. His aura climbed steadily. Originally, he had only just broken into rank seven.
Yet now, he was rocketing toward mid rank seven with startling speed.
After a long time, the aura around the Senlan World Lord shifted.
Opening his eyes, he let out a deep, emotional sigh and turned to the Human King. "Many thanks to the Human King for guarding my path!"
He sighed once more. "The Silver Moon King... is truly extraordinary!"
The Human King's eyes twitched, and his brow furrowed. "How so?"
"The Senlan universe... seems to have absorbed the power of the Red Moon universe. A tremendous amount! Our world power is also surging wildly..."
With a complex expression, he murmured, "My Senlan... might have devoured Red Moon!"
*The entirety of Red Moon?*
He didn't know for certain, but he knew it was close.
He hadn't stepped outside, nor had he coordinated with Li Hao; it was a single gamble, a single choice... yet Senlan had emerged as perhaps the biggest winner on that side!
Having just stepped into rank seven, his world should have been unstable.
Yet now, he could feel it: Senlan was rock-solid, its Great Dao firm, its world stable!
And he himself had naturally crossed into mid rank seven. For a rank seven Sovereign, accumulating such vast energy without tens of thousands of years of cultivation was virtually impossible.
Yet for him, it had happened in the blink of an eye.
"He really parted with all that?"
The Human King clicked his tongue, then let out a laugh. "Not bad. Got a bit of my style!"
*Is that so?*
The Senlan World Lord smiled faintly and said nothing. Over these past three days, the Xinwu Human King had guarded his path... He couldn't help but feel that the Sovereigns of the chaos were truly cut from different cloths.
The Human King had abandoned the pursuit of his bitter enemy, the Lord of Red Moon, all because of an impulsive decision to stand guard!
The Silver Moon King, on the other hand, had gifted the greatest spoils of war to a group of Senlan Sovereigns who didn't even warrant his concern, all for a world lord who wasn't even present...
It turned out that not everyone was blinded by naked self-interest.
"What of Red Moon..."
The Senlan World Lord glanced at the Human King. The Human King sneered: "Fled. He's scuttling around in hiding. Stripped himself of his Red Moon Dao and became a rogue cultivator, heh... The fact that he escaped in that state wasn't because of his great luck, but because those two weren't putting their hearts into it. They were thinking that keeping him alive would check Xinwu, and check your Senlan while they were at it!"
The Lord of Red Moon was supposed to die!
Yet from certain death, he had survived. The Human King saw through the reasons clearly!
Neither Yunxiao nor Bright Light had exerted their full strength. On one hand, they feared driving a cornered beast to desperate retaliation; on the other, they naturally wanted to keep a leash on Xinwu!
A rank eight rogue cultivator, unbound by ties, was an immense nuisance!
"He actually survived..."
The Senlan World Lord frowned slightly, sighing. "My apologies."
Had it not been for him, the formidable Human King would have had an excellent chance of slaying that mortal foe.
"What does it matter!"
The Human King wore a playful smirk. "It's fine! It's even more fun if he's alive! A jinx like the Lord of Red Moon won't resign himself to falling from a supreme overlord to a wandering stray in the chaos... He'll gather a crew sooner or later. Just as well—I was worried that if he died, I wouldn't have an excuse to move against others. With him alive, I'd like to see who dares collude with him... whoever colludes with him dies! Otherwise, among Bright Light, Yunxiao, Chiyang, and the Dragon Domain, I wouldn't know whom to target next. For now... let's just wait and see!"
The Senlan World Lord's heart stirred.
He glanced at the man, saying nothing.
He could only marvel at how confident and arrogant these people were. Clearly, the Human King felt no fear; he genuinely thought the escape made things more interesting.
Suddenly, the Human King muttered, "I wonder if Old Man Li managed to advance this time..."
Only at this moment did the peerlessly domineering Human King seem slightly apprehensive.
A trace of unease surfaced—something he had never shown before.
...
At that very moment.
In the Red Moon domain.
A surge of sword intent flooded heaven and earth.
A terrifyingly potent sword intent erupted, its sword domain sweeping across the world and expanding without limit!
The domain seemed to transform into a world.
Or rather, into a Great Dao world, expanding furiously, even giving birth to a Dao net.
Li Hao and the others watched closely.
Every face was solemn.
Sword Venerable was advancing. Having devoured a complete world, he was making the leap to rank seven. He had already been just one step away; now, using an entire world as fuel, he finally crossed the threshold!
His sword domain seemed to transform into a Great Dao universe.
Ten thousand swords crisscrossed the void!
Within the sword domain, Sword Venerable showed no nervousness. Instead, he appeared dashing and carefree. Soaring into the sky, he laughed with emotion: "I truly never expected my opportunity would fall on you..."
He was speaking of Li Hao. Before this, he had never imagined that a single person could bring down a rank seven world.
Even if one breached it, stripping it away intact was another matter entirely.
Yet after accompanying Li Hao for a short time, he had achieved his goal. Even when Xinwu forcibly conquered a rank seven world, what seemed like swift victory was actually the product of prolonged schemes.
Furthermore, too many people had claims on the spoils. As close as Sword Venerable was to the Human King... it was precisely because of that closeness that he couldn't compete with the others.
Too many within Xinwu needed resources.
Here, he had no need to worry about such things.
He enjoyed an entire world all to himself!
*Boom!*
A majestic sword intent pierced through the heavens and the chaos!
Before Li Hao's eyes, the Dao net was laid out with pristine clarity. The true Dao net of the Longevity Sword was completely unveiled—how it was formed, how it was constructed, Li Hao saw every detail!
It was not that Li Hao was powerful enough to easily see through it; rather, Sword Venerable had deliberately displayed the structure of his Dao net for him!
Sword Venerable smiled amiably, allowing Li Hao to inspect it freely.
The Dao was not something lightly shared.
However, one good turn deserved another. Since Li Hao had given him a universe to achieve his breakthrough, and Li Hao also walked the path of the sword, why not show him his Dao?
What did it matter?
Li Hao's eyes flickered with intense light. Sword Venerable's Dao net was remarkably robust.
It was woven from over four thousand Great Dao patterns. While not yet comparable to the Lord of Tianfang, Sword Venerable had only just entered rank seven and was still perfecting it!
Li Hao was witnessing a Sovereign step from rank six into rank seven with his own eyes—not through inheriting a Great Dao universe, but by constructing his own Dao net. This was fundamentally different from the Senlan World Lord.
It wasn't that Li Hao looked down on the Senlan World Lord; anyone who could reach rank seven was far from ordinary.
Yet... the Senlan World Lord had advanced through an established Great Dao universe. The Dao net had already been built; he was merely an inheritor, whereas Sword Venerable was a pioneer!
Given time, Sword Venerable could construct a Great Dao universe of his own, give birth to a world, and establish a great world!
He would be the founding lord of a realm!
That was the difference.
Observing such a powerhouse advance was an immense harvest for Li Hao.
He was ecstatic!
Now, with Wushan and Sword Venerable at his side—two rank seven experts—there was no need to fear any unexpected disruptions.
Yet the surprises were not over.
Right at that moment, in the distance within the Yueming World...
A black book soared into the sky.
A Dao domain manifested, revealing myriad Daos that blotted out the sky and sun.
Page after page fluttered open as a figure drifted upward. He glanced toward Sword Venerable and paid him no heed. As the pages rustled, he chuckled softly and looked toward Li Hao: "Far simpler than I expected... Rank seven is nothing more than this! The construction of a Dao net is rather intriguing. The Longevity Sword's net is far too monotonous and dull. Care to take a look at mine?"
Li Hao's eyes lit up!
Li Zhu smiled, his expression deep and inscrutable. "Today I enter rank seven... and the time has come for me to depart. Silver Moon King, I am not trying to sow discord, but have fewer dealings with Xinwu! Especially the Human King and the Martial King... The Human King is decent enough, but the Martial King is a pure political schemer who considers only Xinwu's interests. The heavens cannot have two masters; don't go looking for misery in Xinwu. That bastard Martial King wishes everyone under heaven were vassals of Xinwu. To Xinwu, he is a supreme pillar; to me, he is nothing but a wretch..."
Over to the side, Zhang An remained completely silent. His grandfather wasn't here, and he couldn't afford to provoke this man.
Besides... this fellow had hurled curses straight to his grandfather's face in the past.
*Forget it, I'll keep my mouth shut.*
Li Zhu laughed heartily. With a wave of his hand, heaven and earth seemed to transform into a domain where ten thousand Daos manifested. The Dao net rapidly took shape, Great Daos emerging in swift succession. Li Hao studied the core Dao for a moment, analyzing it... and was caught off guard.
He had assumed that because Li Zhu excelled at stealing heaven and swapping the sun, his core Dao would be something extreme yin, covert, concealing, or dark.
Yet... it wasn't!
It was grand and majestic!
Li Hao was stunned, utterly astonished. It was an incomparably magnificent, dignified Great Dao—one that even carried the aura of imperial sovereignty!
*This... this man...*
Li Zhu smiled without offering an explanation. What was so surprising?
*I was the King of the Underground Caves!*
In the next moment, the Dao net completed its construction, enfolding the core Dao. A surging, boundless aura erupted from his body.
"Farewell!"
Li Zhu was even more hurried and carefree than Sword Venerable. With a flash, he vanished completely, his voice echoing across the void: "Longevity Sword, tell Zhang Tao when you return that my war with him isn't over yet!"
"..."
Sword Venerable was speechless. Only after the man had departed did he shake his head. "Ah, Xinwu... every one of these bastards is proud and unyielding. Letting this fellow reach rank seven—who knows if it's a blessing or a curse? He's bound to cause trouble for the Martial King sooner or later!"
Li Hao asked curiously, "Their enmity hasn't been resolved even now?"
"No."
Sword Venerable shook his head with a chuckle, then added, "Just as well. The Martial King is no saint either. If the two of them really clash, it'll make for quite a show!"
Nearby, Zhang An trembled. *Should I... say something?*
*These people all seem eager to cause trouble for my grandfather.*
*Fortunately, I haven't been constantly talking about Grandfather, or these fellows would probably look at me with disgust.*
By this point, two had advanced to rank seven, one had restored his peak rank seven strength, and nearby, Kongji let out a satisfied belch, clearly having made immense progress.
Beside him, Qian Wuliang had also stepped into rank four.
And Li Hao... chuckled. Suddenly, hundreds of domains manifested around him. With a thunderous boom, a surging aura erupted from his body!
He had observed two rank sevens validate their Daos!
Had he not suppressed his breakthrough to observe them, he would have advanced long ago.
Now that both had finished, there was no longer any need for restraint.
*Rumble!*
The surrounding domains quaked!
A formidable power swept in all directions, causing even Kongji's expression to change. *Is this power... truly only rank five?*
Hundreds of domains layered upon one another!
Li Hao's aura surged, exerting pressure that even made the rank six Kongji feel constrained. Kongji couldn't help but curse inwardly: *This fellow improves far too fast.*
*If I don't reach rank seven soon, he might overtake me!*
"Finally rank five!"
Li Hao exhaled and laughed. Looking around, he saw the four domains had shrunk considerably, their energy virtually depleted.
Beside these four realms stood another domain brimming with formidable power.
Senlan!
Li Hao smiled. "Time to work. First, haul Senlan farther away... and then... to Tianfang!"
The Sovereigns sprang into action, dragging the Senlan World away to a distant location.
From this day forward, the four great realms were thoroughly ruined.
Within the Senlan Realm, Sovereign Yan Fang gazed out at the void and sighed deeply. After a long silence, he murmured with boundless emotion, "World Lord... choosing the right path truly matters more than working hard!"
A single leap into heaven!
A single correct choice had not only secured Senlan's independence, but also stabilized and empowered it as a mighty rank seven world.
Once their World Lord returned to preside over the domain, they wouldn't fear even an invasion by a rank eight.
Such was Senlan today!
Before this, let alone independence, even preserving their heritage had seemed an impossible struggle.
And looking at this group: the Silver Moon King at rank five, the Bright God Child at peak rank six, Sword Venerable at rank seven, Sovereign Wushan at peak rank seven, and the departed Sovereign Li Zhu at rank seven...
Gathered together, while storming a rank eight great world remained difficult, against a rank seven world, they could crush whichever target they pleased.
Yet before this, some among them had been crippled, others weak.
In the blink of an eye, each had risen to glorious heights.
...
A group of mighty Sovereigns dragged the world along until they found a secluded spot with virtually no other worlds nearby. Depositing Senlan there, they set up several sky-covering Dao domains, then bolted straight toward Tianfang.
No one worried about what would become of Senlan; leaving it here posed little risk.
As for the Sovereigns inside Senlan... they wouldn't be brought along; they were simply too weak.
Tianfang—they were returning!
Over there remained the half-crippled Lord of Red Moon, Sovereign Yunxiao who had nearly doomed Wushan, the Human King, the Senlan World Lord, and the Great Dao universe... Going there promised far more excitement!
As for Li Zhu, though he had fled... Li Hao guessed he had most likely headed toward Tianfang as well.
Right now, if he wasn't going to Tianfang, was he supposed to help the Martial King attack the Supreme Yang World?
At rank five, Li Hao overflowed with confidence.
Though he was merely rank five—and in all likelihood inferior to a rank seven—Li Hao felt that even in a one-on-one duel against Kongji, he wouldn't necessarily lose.
And who was Kongji?
A peak rank six Sovereign wielding the Six Daos and Three Extremes!
He might not match the previous Sword Venerable, but the gap wouldn't be vast. One could well imagine how swollen Li Hao's confidence had become; he felt fully capable of sweeping all of rank six!
Silver Moon remained over there, and he couldn't leave it unattended.
What if someone stumbled upon it by accident?
Although Dao Chess provided concealment, they still had to be wary of prying eyes.
This time, they didn't even use teleportation. Fearing that the spatial fluctuations from Dao Chess would draw unwanted attention, the group chose to traverse the chaos on foot.
Chapter 497