Silence

Tianfang Great World. There were not that many native inhabitants—or rather, they were not truly natives at all, but newcomers. Now, with several domain lords evacuating, some had taken portions of the population with them, while those left behind were presently being settled into a minor world. All of them were cultivators. Anyone capable of stepping into Tianfang from the chaos, whether born later or arriving at the very beginning, was a cultivator. The energy of a rank nine world was simply too rich; even newborn infants were cultivators. A massive evacuation was underway. Some of Tianfang's Sovereigns chose to remain, preparing to join Senlan World, while others had already migrated away. With four rank seven Sovereigns presiding over Tianfang, how could any of them dare to linger? Though deeply dissatisfied with these newcomers seizing Tianfang for themselves... Tianfang had no master, and strength dictated ownership. They only found it strange. The Great Dao cosmos of Tianfang had not revived, so what was the point of taking over Tianfang right now? …… The migration proceeded continuously. A minor world was exiled directly outside Tianfang, drifting through the void and moving steadily away. Many cultivators felt reluctant to part with it. A rank nine world was vastly superior to such a minor world; its energy was incomparably richer. Alas... they might never have the chance to return to Tianfang again. At least the King of Silver Moon was humane enough to grant them a minor world. Without it, anyone other than a Sovereign would be left to die upon stepping into the chaos. There were quite a few Sovereigns within this minor world as well. One murmured curiously, "Do you think they can open the Great Dao cosmos, and that's why they drove us out?" "If it could be opened, do you think those rank seven and eight Sovereigns wouldn't have come?" another countered. Those Sovereigns had all entered the Great Dao cosmos and surely judged that it could not be unsealed in the short term. Otherwise, would they have walked away so easily? Fair enough! Another Sovereign asked, puzzled, "I'm more curious about the relationship between this King of Silver Moon and Xinwu. A rank five Sovereign actually joined forces with the Divine Son of Light to slay Sovereign Qishui... Moreover, the one calling the shots in Tianfang doesn't seem to be Xinwu's Sword Venerable, but... the King of Silver Moon!" There was genuine confusion. In everyone's impression, Silver Moon was merely a subsidiary world of Xinwu. Prior to this, nobody had paid it much heed, treating it purely as Xinwu's subordinate. Yet this time, four rank sevens were holding the fort in Tianfang, and the leader on the ground appeared not to be Xinwu... but Silver Moon! That was utterly baffling. How could the king of a subsidiary world command rank seven Sovereigns? Xinwu was ostensibly Silver Moon's suzerain; by all rights, it was never Li Hao's place to call the shots. Not only that, even the son of the Radiant Sovereign seemed to take orders from him, which was all the more bewildering. There were also Wushan and the Senlan World Lord—hegemons in their own right, all gathered together, and all guarding the world gate. Four rank seven Sovereigns standing guard! "I don't care much about that. What interests me more... is that two new rank seven Sovereigns from Xinwu were born right here, not to mention the Xinwu Human King, Cang Emperor, and Yang God. Rumor has it that Xinwu's Supreme has also stepped into rank seven... Xinwu is truly extraordinary, giving rise to six rank seven experts!" That was the real crux. No one understood or knew the secrets of the King of Silver Moon. But as for Xinwu, a rank seven world producing so many high-tier Sovereigns was truly shocking. What was more, two of them seemingly had not advanced by means of a Great Dao cosmos... which made them all the more terrifying. Reaching rank seven without relying on a Great Dao cosmos? "The Chiyang Domain is probably about to descend into chaos! It's said that Xinwu lacks yang qi and needs supreme yang energy to replenish itself. The previous Zhiyang World was only rank seven, but given Xinwu's foundation, I reckon only a rank eight world would suffice... Sovereign Chiyang is probably nursing a massive headache right about now." Several Sovereigns chatted idly among themselves; they had nothing better to do anyway. The chaos had been turbulent lately, far from peaceful. In just a short span, a massive number of Sovereigns had fallen, including many high-tier figures. …… While those Sovereigns continued their idle chatter, back inside Tianfang World, with all the outsiders cleared out, the entire realm had completely become Li Hao's territory. At this moment, the boundary of Tianfang's Great Dao cosmos parted, and Silver Moon World emerged. An entire world was placed directly into the domain of Tianfang, hovering in the sky like a floating city. Compared to Tianfang, Silver Moon was tiny. Even after devouring countless worlds, it remained small, far from matching Tianfang's colossal scale. Silver Moon, currently evolving toward a rank five medium world, did not even cover the expanse of the Southern Domain upon descending into Tianfang. Still, it was considerably larger than the Huilong Domain had been. Newly advanced Sovereigns, along with Dao Integration, Sun Moon, and even some Mountain Sea cultivators, flew back and forth through the Stargate passage. Some landed upon Tianfang, while others circled Silver Moon World to take in the sight, as though discovering an entirely new world. Their horizons had truly broadened! So Silver Moon was only this big. So this was what lay outside their world. Before this, the chaos had lain outside, and it wasn't their place to venture out. Later, it had been Tianfang's Great Dao cosmos, where the Stargate had remained closed, keeping them inside. Only today did they finally have the opportunity to step outside Silver Moon. Such a chance was extraordinarily rare. To place one's world inside a rank nine world—under ordinary circumstances, when would anyone ever get such an opportunity? Moreover, an ordinary revivified world would exhibit a degree of rejection if it had to accommodate another world within itself. Only Tianfang was unique; its Dao was silenced, leaving behind no repulsive force. Crowds of people ventured out. Li Hao gave everyone a few days to explore Tianfang, to feel it and compare the state of Tianfang before and after its silencing. Such an experience and breadth of perspective would be of immense help to all cultivators on their future paths. …… "Is this Tianfang?" A group of young cultivators walked upon the soil of Tianfang. Liu Yin and several other new-generation Silver Moon cultivators looked around with curiosity, greedily absorbing Tianfang's energy. Silver Moon had spent nearly five hundred years with its energy exhausted; by the time they were born, Silver Moon had already become a barren wasteland. Even as the second generation, they had not enjoyed as many resources as one might imagine. Recently, Silver Moon's energy had multiplied countless times in an instant, but the breakthroughs of numerous Sovereigns and the world's own evolution had consumed vast amounts, madly sucking up energy. With hundreds of millions of cultivators absorbing it voraciously, they hadn't managed to get that much either. Every single one of them had been practically starved. Yet upon entering Tianfang, they found that as a rank nine world, it naturally drew in chaotic power and converted it. Although the Great Dao had not revived, it truly did not lack basic energy. Otherwise, it could never have sustained hundreds of Sovereigns. Even now, its energy was considerably more abundant than Silver Moon's. These inexperienced youngsters clicked their tongues in awe. What bliss! And this was a world after its silencing, where the Great Dao was said to be completely gone. If the Great Dao had still been intact at its peak, wouldn't energy have fallen like rain? "Brother Yin, they say the Marquis of Silver Moon is going to silence this world... Just how big is it?" How big? Liu Yin shook his head. "I don't know. I've only heard that this world is divided into forty minor domains. The place we're in right now is just one of them, and this single minor domain is enough for us to wander around for seven or eight days... To tour the whole thing at full speed would take months!" And that was going at full tilt. Such a world was terrifyingly vast. "Brother Yin, do you have any inside information?" a female cultivator beside him asked expectantly. The others quickly pricked up their ears. They were also considered second-generation, with parents among the upper ranks of the Silver Moon guardians, yet very few of the top brass had actually settled down to start families. Liu Long and Liu Yan had hooked up long ago, but others like Hou Xiaochen and his peers had lived apart inside and out, never having a chance to meet, let alone father descendants. Thus, while these youths enjoyed decent status, they fell far short compared to Liu Yin. "Inside information?" Liu Yin chuckled. After a moment's thought, he said, "I don't know if this counts... The Marquis mentioned it a few times before: this time, he intends to silence Tianfang World!" Everyone nodded. *We all know that. Get to the point!* Seeing their eager faces, Liu Yin chuckled again. "I've never seen an entire world undergo silencing, and honestly, neither has my father or the others... But word has it that during the silencing process, certain Dao resonance grounds—places where middle- and high-tier Sovereigns once cultivated—will shatter and release their Sovereign Dao resonances! Those are the insights of Tianfang's Sovereigns. Since Tianfang's Great Dao cosmos is silenced, if you're lucky enough to perceive their Dao resonances now, you might inherit some of Tianfang's legacies!" "And if you can inherit a Tianfang Sovereign's legacy... perhaps... you can enter the Tianfang Cosmos!" This "entering" was not the sort they had done before; it meant transplanting one's Dao! Liu Yin lowered his voice. "I hear that Tianfang's cosmos still hasn't revived and only the Marquis can open it, because he inherited some of Tianfang's legacy. If anyone else inherits a portion, they might also be able to activate some of the silenced Great Dao stars within Tianfang Cosmos..." "Silver Moon is great, but right now it's only rank four, whereas this was once a rank nine world. Once you inherit some of Tianfang's legacy, first, you won't need to take up one of Silver Moon's Sovereign quotas to prove your Dao. Second, once Tianfang Cosmos fully revives and the rank nine world awakens, I don't need to tell you what that means—an opportunity! A monumental opportunity!" "Of course, the risks are just as huge!" The surrounding youths, enthralled by his words, suddenly froze and stared at him. Liu Yin's expression turned grave. "They say... although our Marquis has many friends who are top-tier powerhouses, he also has... countless enemies!" "Rank seven and eight Sovereigns by the bunch... truly terrifying! Tianfang is coveted by every expert out there. Right now, four rank seven Sovereigns are merely helping our Silver Moon guard it temporarily; they'll leave sooner or later. And Silver Moon itself, despite having many Sovereigns now, cannot hold Tianfang!" "When that time comes, if Tianfang Cosmos is seized by others, anyone who attuned to Tianfang's Dao will be in deep trouble." Everyone's hearts stirred. That was indeed true. "Brother Yin, even four rank seven Sovereigns can't hold Tianfang?" "Nonsense! I heard that dozens of rank seven and eight Sovereigns fought here earlier, and quite a few died! Later, our Marquis relied on clever diplomacy and alliance tactics, along with Xinwu's support, to secure this place!" Liu Yin sighed with emotion and shook his head. "Silver Moon is too young. By chaotic reckoning, barely fifty years have passed since the Sword Venerable left... For such a young world, producing even a single Sovereign would be incredible, let alone a whole crowd!" "In short, Tianfang definitely holds opportunities, but... opportunities come with danger. Once Tianfang is abandoned and the Marquis retreats with Silver Moon, anyone tied to Tianfang's Great Dao cosmos won't be able to detach easily." *So that's how it is!* Everyone understood, yet temptation still lingered in their hearts. This was a rare chance! "What if we comprehend Tianfang's Great Dao without entering Tianfang Cosmos?" "That works too!" At that, the youths relaxed. Another asked, "Where are these Dao resonance grounds? Are there many?" "Plentiful! Back then, Tianfang World supposedly had hundreds of Sovereigns, and every domain has its Dao resonance grounds..." At this point, he switched to a voice transmission: "However, I know that some Dao resonance grounds ran dry of resonance long ago, while others are still brimming. Some were left by middle-tier Sovereigns, and quite a few were left by high-tier Sovereigns... These are classified secrets!" Hearing this, the youths were overjoyed. Sticking with Liu Yin really did yield inside information. No such news was circulating in Silver Moon. Even if one knew that Dao resonance grounds existed, with so many of them around—some already ruined—how would anyone know which were useful and which were barren? Which were left by rank seven Sovereigns, and which by rank eights? …… At the same time, similar information was spreading continuously. Nearly everyone from Silver Moon who ventured out heard whispers of it—in truth, Li Hao and his inner circle had intentionally released this intelligence. Of course, as for how people chose, where they looked, and whether the Dao resonance grounds they found were formidable... that remained uncertain. Furthermore, danger was real. When a world was silenced and Dao resonances erupted, the residual will left by ancient powerhouses could easily harm bystanders. Within the Great Dao cosmos, a group had gathered. Li Hao's plan to borrow a nest to lay an egg was far from simple. Looking at the two Dao Lords, he spoke with a touch of gravity, "By silencing the entire world this time, I hope Silver Moon can seize the opportunity of Tianfang to soar to the heavens in a single bound!" "Silver Moon is too young... Youth means vast potential, but it also means our foundation is fragile. Even if I release endless Great Dao power into the cosmos, it's hard for such an exceptionally young cosmos to directly match a veteran world!" The powerhouses nodded. Li Hao continued, "My idea is... both Dao Lords will directly connect the Great Dao river to every Dao resonance ground. When the world is silenced and the Dao resonances erupt, it will serve on one hand to protect the Silver Moon cultivators observing them, and on the other... to allow the river to absorb the insights of Tianfang's ancient Sovereigns!" The two Dao Lords looked pleased, but Li Hao quickly added, "However, the issue now is that if the residual Dao resonances of Tianfang's Sovereigns aren't aggressive, that's fine. But if they are aggressive... and there are many of them, that will be dangerous!" The few he had encountered hadn't been hostile, but that didn't mean every Tianfang Sovereign was the same. If the Dao resonances erupted violently, two rank four Dao Lords might not be able to withstand them. Qian Wuliang said gravely, "Marquis, the Sovereigns of these Dao resonance grounds have been gone for ages. If they erupt, can they still harm us?" They were rank four Sovereigns now! "Ordinary ones can't, and even rank sevens would find it difficult... But I once entered Dark Demon Ridge, a rank eight Dao resonance ground, and rank five Sovereigns were killed inside." Hearing this, both of them grew solemn. Li Hao added, "From what I currently know, Tianfang had the Five Elements Envoys and the Light and Dark Divine Envoys. The Light and Dark Envoys were both rank eight Sovereigns. Among the Five Elements Envoys, the weakest—the Water Envoy—seemed to be at the peak of rank six... The other four were reportedly rank seven, though the leader, the Metal Envoy, might have been rank eight... The specifics are unclear, and nobody knows for certain. Furthermore, where their Dao resonance grounds are located is hard to say." "And then there is the Lord of Tianfang... a rank nine powerhouse!" Li Hao sighed with emotion. "To this day, I've only discovered the Dao Chess he left behind, which doesn't necessarily mean it was his Dao resonance ground or his place of cultivation. He specialized in space, making his cultivation grounds exceedingly difficult to find under normal circumstances. But once the world is silenced, we might... uncover his traveling palaces and the like. Silencing a world means silencing the entire realm; even secondary dimensions will be laid bare!" "When the silencing occurs, anything might appear... even hidden Sovereign weapons, or perhaps mighty beings slumbering within the world..." "Slumbering mighty beings?" The two froze, staring at Li Hao. Was that possible? Tianfang had vanished for countless years—well over a million years. By all logic, across such an immense span of time, everyone below high-tier Sovereigns would have died of old age, as rank five Sovereigns couldn't live for a million years. Rank sixes were roughly the same. Only rank sevens were virtually immortal. Unless rank sevens had remained behind in Tianfang back then, concealing themselves all this time or even actively silencing their own Great Dao power... how could any slumbering powerhouse still exist? Li Hao sighed. "Avatars!" "..." Everyone paused. "Even Senior Tianji could leave an avatar behind. What if a supreme expert like the Lord of Tianfang left an avatar as well? It wouldn't need to occupy the Great Dao... Even if it's merely an avatar, the avatar of such an existence would be terrifying. Though we have rank seven Sovereigns holding the fort... we must still be cautious!" Everyone nodded again. Li Hao arranged further, "In addition... with this silencing, we even intend to silence the world source along with it. The world source of a rank nine world had never been found before; otherwise, it would have been devoured long ago. This time... it might surface. Everyone must be careful... Of course, this is Black Panther's opportunity... and Senior Er Mao's opportunity as well!" The world source of a rank nine world! Tianfang's had to still exist; otherwise, this would be an utterly dead world, incapable of sustaining any life. "If Black Panther can devour a portion, Silver Moon World's breakthrough to rank five will be assured!" Black Panther wagged its tail, looking a little nervous. Yet this still did not encompass all of Li Hao's objectives. Hesitating slightly, he considered it thoroughly before speaking again: "Furthermore... if... during this process, Tianfang Cosmos shows signs of reviving... if any Great Dao stars begin to awaken... both Dao Lords, immediately shift those stars into Silver Moon Cosmos!" "..." The two looked at him in surprise. Was he... planning to dismantle the place? Dismantling a Great Dao cosmos? And Tianfang's at that! Li Hao exhaled and said, "No need to worry. Tianfang's Great Dao cosmos is most likely arranged according to the rules of Dao Chess. I know how to dismantle it. Though I haven't traversed all of it, I know the first few thousand paths!" Indeed, his mind was made up: if there were signs of revival, he would dismantle them and prevent Tianfang Cosmos from reviving right now. Reviving at this stage, once noticed by others, would bring colossal trouble. So long as Tianfang's Great Dao cosmos remained dormant, no one had any interest in troubling them. But the moment it revived... all those who had left previously would return. Could they notice? A reviving Great Dao cosmos would inevitably leak Dao resonance; how could they fail to notice? To claim there were no scouts sent by the various great worlds outside Tianfang right now would be grossly underestimating the powerhouses of the chaos. There might even be rank seven or eight Sovereigns watching this place in person. After briefing the Silver Moon powerhouses, Li Hao turned his head toward Kongji, who had been quietly preparing. "Silencing it won't be too difficult, in my view... But reviving it—can you bring Tianfang back?" After silencing it, it still had to be revived. Otherwise, the entire world would be ruined. Ruining a great world... aside from leaving rogue cultivators nowhere to stay, if they ran into Tianfang's ancient powerhouses in the future, those experts would surely hunt them down! "I can try!" Kongji shook his head. "It's hard to say right now! Besides, with silencing and revival erupting together, my two Daos can reach their current limit. As for light and dark, Dark Demon Ridge is here, and the Light Envoy's Dao resonance ground might appear... That shouldn't be a problem either; he was an eighth-rank Sovereign, after all! But I also want to pursue life and death... a fusion of six Daos and three polarities..." Frowning slightly, he was reluctant to settle for merely fusing four Daos. "In Tianfang's records, there don't seem to be any particularly renowned figures of the Life and Death Dao." In that case, even if this silencing succeeded, stepping into rank seven was not impossible, but it would fall short of his expectations! Life and death... Hearing this, Li Hao also hesitated. He glanced at Kongji and only spoke after a long pause: "You aren't planning to plunge Tianfang completely into death, are you? If you do that, beware of inviting massive trouble!" Some of Tianfang's Sovereigns were still alive. Daoist Panlong, Daoist Huoyan, the Dark Envoy... all of them were alive; had they died, it would have been hard to borrow past power. If the world was silenced and revived, that was fine. But if you outright destroyed the world... not to mention that you might not even succeed, it would undoubtedly court immense disaster. Kongji shook his head. "That's not what I mean. What I'm saying is..." He paused, letting out a breath. "I mean, I might want to undergo the Life and Death Dao myself..." Li Hao's brow furrowed instantly! Kongji said earnestly, "I studied life and death, but without walking the path of life-and-death reincarnation, my understanding isn't profound enough! Dying at the extreme, and being reborn anew through reincarnation from death... to undergo a true life-and-death reincarnation!" "From what you said, one might lose their memories—that's the first issue! Second, one's lifespan limit plummets! Third, other drawbacks might arise..." Kongji hesitated for a moment. "What I'm considering now is that once I walk the path of reincarnation, my Silencing World isn't yet complete. If it lacks a foundation to rely upon... your river is far more complete than mine. If I have nothing to anchor myself to and my Great Dao dissipates, I might perish entirely!" A vessel was required to bear the load. Li Hao had used his Great Dao river; the first time, he had relied on dual Great Dao cosmoses as his foundation. But Kongji was at the peak of rank six; right now, dual cosmoses couldn't sustain his reincarnation. If his Silencing World wasn't sufficiently complete to form a closed cycle, the attempt might fail. And that would mean true death! Li Hao smiled. "Using my river as a foundation... bearing one side is doable, but it would be best to have another person... I'll call on the Sword Venerable; his Dao domain is fairly complete!" However, Li Hao added, "You are extraordinarily young with boundless lifespan, making it hard to age naturally... I used too much time power. Since you cannot decay naturally, forcing the path of life and death will feel somewhat artificial... and rather wasteful!" Kongji looked at him, nursing a headache. Indeed. It was somewhat wasteful! Dying once didn't just affect one's lifespan; it also squandered an immense amount of resources. Li Hao thought for a moment and said, "How about this: if you truly want to walk the path of life and death, I won't dissuade or stop you. Doing it once isn't a huge problem! But don't waste your energy. Why not fill my minor worlds with it? I have minor worlds of life and death, silencing, revival, light, and darkness." The energy of a peak rank six Sovereign was formidable; it could help him perfect his minor worlds! Kongji was speechless. *This guy truly... never misses a chance to pluck a feather from a passing goose.* Li Hao added, "Furthermore, for your reincarnation and revival, you will need a vast amount of pure Great Dao power. Have you prepared that?" Kongji looked slightly embarrassed and shook his head. "Not yet!" Whatever he'd had before was gone. When his father left, he had insisted on taking Kongji along. Kongji had refused, determined to forge his own path, and as a result... he had been too proud to ask for money. He had absorbed the world power of the entire Red Moon World to push himself to the peak of rank six. Walking the path of life-and-death reincarnation this time would preserve a portion of his quintessential power, but vast amounts of energy would still scatter. Even if he didn't require the world power of a rank eight world, the consumed resources would be enormous. He had forgotten about this! As the son of a wealthy powerhouse, he had never lacked funds. When he had briefly run short earlier, he had absorbed the power of a rank eight great world. Only now did he realize... he had no other sources of income left. He was out of money! What was he supposed to do now? Li Hao was equally speechless. *I thought you, a privileged second-generation heir, had some savings at least. Turns out your pockets are completely empty, yet you tell me you want to walk the path of life-and-death reincarnation! You act on whims even more recklessly than I do. At least I come prepared every time!* Previously, Li Hao hadn't lacked resources either, but he had poured everything into Silver Moon. Now he was broke too, and what little remained had been spent on his own revival. "Should I... ask my father for some?" Kongji murmured hesitantly. "I should be able to preserve a portion of my strength, but to fully restore myself to my peak, without eight hundred million to a billion Great Dao crystals, it's virtually impossible." He made it sound light and simple—just eight hundred million to a billion. Earlier, Li Hao had burned through money far more extravagantly than that. Yet ten million Great Dao crystals could purchase a minor world, and a hundred million could buy a weaker medium world. Li Hao currently had none to spare! Ask the Radiant Sovereign? Kongji felt embarrassed to do so, and Li Hao preferred not to drag the Radiant Sovereign into this anyway. It would be troublesome; the man might insist on entering Tianfang, creating even more complications. An ordinary rank six Sovereign wouldn't need so much, but Kongji truly did. With that in mind, Li Hao said, "How about... we ask the four rank seven Sovereigns and scrape together what we can? Maybe they have some?" "..." Kongji was speechless. Those paupers had exhausted everything just to advance; was Li Hao certain they had anything left? Suddenly, he realized just how poor he was! He couldn't even produce eight hundred million or a billion Great Dao crystals! They were powerhouses who had plundered four great worlds, yet they were still this broke, with no idea where all the wealth had gone. Only now did he appreciate how much money Li Hao had burned in Silver Moon earlier—pure extravagance! The two of them now fretted over the issue of money. What a headache! Short on cash once again! Kongji sighed. "If it doesn't work, I won't walk the path of life and death. Four Daos and two polarities aren't bad either!" Without walking the path of life and death once, truly mastering it was exceedingly difficult. Cultivators of the Life and Death Dao had to be filthy rich. Kongji thought to himself that even as the son of a rank eight Sovereign, he couldn't afford it; doing it once was an ordeal. Li Hao had undergone it four times... and the previous time, he had personally absorbed the remnants of two slain rank seven Sovereigns, which had barely satisfied his needs. Kongji hadn't paid attention before, but thinking back, when they killed Xingshen, the three of them had each received over a hundred million Great Dao crystals. Xingshen alone had been worth five hundred million, meaning Li Hao's revival to rank five had effectively consumed a billion Great Dao crystals! He had overlooked that detail before! Now looking at it... without money, even life-and-death revival was out of reach. His head throbbed, while Li Hao pondered. A billion was something a typical great world lord could provide. Earlier, the Senlan World Lord was only the master of a rank six world, yet had he not expended so much to advance, producing several hundred million Great Dao crystals would have been easy for him. Should they rob a rank seven world lord? Kongji had helped him immensely. Seizing Tianfang this time was partly for Silver Moon and partly for Kongji... Four Daos and two polarities were already formidable, but giving up on an even greater path simply over a shortage of energy would be a true pity. Thinking of this, Li Hao sent out a transmission. A moment later, four illusory projections manifested. Still hoping to try his luck, Li Hao asked, "Seniors, pardon the intrusion once more. We're currently short on energy... Great Dao energy, about one billion Great Dao crystals would suffice. Seniors... could you pool some together? A loan..." The Sovereigns looked at one another. The Sword Venerable appeared slightly embarrassed. After a long pause, he coughed softly. "I still have a bit of savings... around thirty million Great Dao crystals, saved up previously..." The Senlan World Lord spread his hands. "I used up everything for my breakthrough!" Li Zhu remained silent, pretending not to hear, because he had nothing—he was even poorer than the Sword Venerable. Wushan gave a wry smile. "I actually have a bit left. When I killed Hongyu earlier, a substantial amount of Great Dao power remained, which I didn't give to Yunxiao... But the power Hongyu left behind is meager. In equivalent terms, it amounts to about a hundred million Great Dao crystals at best." Four rank seven Sovereigns could only scrape together a hundred and thirty million Great Dao crystals. Add the son of a rank eight Sovereign and the rank five King of Silver Moon... A group that had thrown around money with lavish abandon earlier, watching it flow like water, couldn't even scrape together two hundred million when push came to shove. Li Hao was helpless! He pondered and said, "If we silence Tianfang, its world power can also be condensed into Great Dao crystals... But that energy is needed to revive Tianfang. Unless we don't revive it, we could scrape it together that way." That was out of the question! Silencing without reviving was unacceptable. Seeing everyone fretting over his affairs, Kongji spoke up, "Forget it, I'll just ask my father. Although a billion is somewhat steep... my father has accumulated wealth for countless years, perhaps even a million years. He can surely produce it!" Just as everyone found themselves at an impasse, an illusion suddenly flickered into view. The Dao Chess phantom! "You need Great Dao crystals?" Kongji looked at the Dao Chess phantom in surprise. The entity had chosen this moment to appear. He nodded. "Yes. Do you have any, Senior? If so, you can lend me some. I'll pay you back once I have the money..." The phantom shook its head. "I don't. If I did, I wouldn't be this weak!" *Then what are you speaking up for?!* Yet the phantom continued, "Though I don't have any, there is a place that definitely does!" Everyone's interest was piqued. The phantom got straight to the point: "Tianfang World revived many years ago; it hasn't remained silenced like the Great Dao cosmos! A rank nine world source absorbing chaotic power over a million years—even if it accumulated just a thousand Great Dao crystals a year, that would amount to a billion!" A thousand a year—could a rank nine world accumulate that much? Not ten million, just a thousand! Everyone's hearts stirred. That was indeed true. It had been far too long! Kongji looked delighted, but Li Hao frowned slightly. "Senior, you mean there are abundant Great Dao crystals near the world source?" "Yes." "Will it be very troublesome?" "You're already silencing the entire world, and you're afraid of trouble?" The phantom was speechless. *Are you lot afraid? If you were afraid, you wouldn't be silencing a world in the first place!* "Then for Senior to remind us now... does Senior also need our help with something?" "Indeed!" The Dao Chess phantom made no pretense. "My true body is the Dao Chess, as you all know! And the essence of the Dao Chess is a rank eight great cosmos, which you also know!" Everyone nodded; they were well aware of this. The phantom continued, "However, having been refined into a Sovereign weapon, I lost the opportunity for self-directed growth. Furthermore, having been placed in Dark Demon Ridge for far too long, the energy within the Dao Chess is virtually exhausted, causing my strength to plummet drastically." "I cannot easily leave Tianfang either. Once I leave without constraints, I will turn into a Great Dao cosmos... which would invite endless trouble." Li Hao nodded. "Senior wishes to replenish some energy?" "You could say that." The phantom spoke, "I told you before: back then, you borrowed some of my power, and the repayment... might require an entire rank eight cosmos! That reflects just how completely empty I am... Otherwise, why would I need so much energy?" Everyone was short on money, and Dao Chess was no exception. The phantom continued, "I am the Sovereign weapon of the Lord of Tianfang. From the day I was forged, certain rules were imprinted upon me... I cannot harm Tianfang World! Therefore, since you intend to proceed, I won't stop you. There will certainly be danger, but... if the world source truly surfaces, aside from satisfying Kongji's needs... can all the remaining energy gathered by the world source be given to me?" "..." Kongji frowned. "Senior..." The Dao Chess phantom said, "It can be deducted from the favor Fellow Daoist Li Hao owes me! However, the world source is the wellspring of a rank nine world. If it retaliates, it will be terrifying... I cannot strike directly, but I can lend you a small hand... If projections or Dao resonances of the ancient powerhouses from Tianfang's era erupt, I can help deter them! I can intimidate them with the aura of the Lord of Tianfang... That will weaken their will to resist and make it easier for you to integrate the entire world..." Li Hao considered it and found nothing amiss, though he felt a trace of curiosity. "Why does Senior need to absorb so much energy at this stage?" The phantom almost rolled its eyes! "Why? Because... everyone knows of my existence now, and everyone wants to seize me! I am very weak, and now that many Sovereigns know about me, while I cannot leave Tianfang and you might depart at any moment... once you leave, am I supposed to stay here and let myself be slaughtered?" What a question! Wasn't this all because of them? Otherwise, after enduring all these years, running on empty hadn't mattered, since no one knew of its existence. But now? They had exposed it completely! And he had the nerve to ask why it needed energy? Li Hao felt a bit awkward; he had forgotten that detail. Clearing his throat, he said, "Fair point... By the way, Senior, if you could accommodate Senior Wushan's Great Dao, perhaps both needs would be met. Senior Wushan might seize the chance to step into rank eight, and Senior wouldn't need to slowly recover on your own." "Out of the question!" Before Wushan could even speak, the Dao Chess phantom shook its head. "He won't do!" Wushan's face darkened! *I haven't even said I don't want you, yet you're scorning me? You're just an empty shell of a rank eight cosmos. What do you have to be proud of?* Ignoring what Wushan thought, Dao Chess explained, "His Dao does not match the core of my cosmos!" "Senior's core is space?" "No." Dao Chess shook its head. "Space belongs to Tianfang; I am not Tianfang! I am merely a weapon refined by the Lord of Tianfang, retaining the core Dao source of an ancient rank eight cosmos. Strictly speaking, my essential core Dao... can be considered Shadow!" Shadow! Li Hao was slightly surprised. Dao Chess continued, "That is why I was left with the Dark Envoy. The Dark Envoy cultivated the Dark Dao, and my core is Shadow, which counts as a component of darkness!" "Therefore, Wushan's Dao does not match mine. Merging the two might not bring any benefit and could result in mutual harm!" It glanced at Li Hao, then at Kongji. Both of them would actually work: one cultivated both light and dark, while the other used time to accommodate ten thousand Daos. It wouldn't mind either. Naturally, the Time Dao was the absolute best, but... the Time cultivator Li Hao seemed dead set on developing his own cosmos, which was utterly frustrating. Even a rank eight cosmos had its day of being looked down upon. Wushan spoke up as well. "I don't need it either. An empty rank eight shell offers me no help whatsoever. Aside from gaining an extra casing, there's no benefit, and it would hardly help me step into rank eight! Forget it—otherwise, I'd have to sustain the Dao Chess as well. Too much trouble!" *You look down on me, and I look down on you!* The Dao Chess phantom was speechless. Fine, they had nothing to say to each other; it hadn't fancied him anyway. At this point, Li Hao said no more, nodding in agreement. "Fine, we agree! Aside from the portion needed to satisfy Kongji, if we truly obtain it, the rest is yours! In exchange, Senior must help us suppress all Tianfang Dao resonances, projections, avatars, and the like." *Avatars?* Dao Chess was exasperated and shook its head. "There shouldn't be avatars; no need to worry overmuch. Avatars weren't very popular in Tianfang World! Even if there are, with four rank seven Sovereigns holding the fort, it won't be a problem. Rest assured!" Li Hao nodded. That made sense. Without further ado, his voice boomed across heaven and earth like thunder: "In seven days, the world shall be silenced! All Silver Moon cultivators, find a Dao resonance ground matching your path to cultivate and gain comprehension! Sovereigns, disperse and guard the regions to prevent unexpected changes!" At that moment, the Silver Moon cultivators sprang into action. Li Hao and Kongji also made their preparations. The groundwork began! The vast Tianfang World now lay completely undefended before them. …… At the same time, deep within the chaos outside Tianfang, numerous Sovereigns were indeed lurking, spying upon the world. None knew what this group planned to do after seizing this empty shell of Tianfang. Presently, the various factions were holding urgent discussions. Tianfang and Xinwu were both high-priority targets. Whether to join hands and eliminate that scourge Xinwu first, or gather their forces to wipe out the powerhouses gathered in the fixed location of Tianfang, was a matter under active debate. Meanwhile, the lurking Sovereigns had only one mission: the instant any Great Dao resonance appeared in Tianfang, report it immediately to all factions. Under no circumstances would they permit this group to seize a revived Tianfang Cosmos. Everyone waited in silence. Tianfang Domain experienced a rare quiet—one that felt suffocating.