Harvest

An infant cried, and the world revived. Life and death, extinction and revival, light and dark manifested between heaven and earth. High above, the Silver Moon World began advancing, and one cultivator after another who was not yet a Sovereign strode forward to attain Sovereignhood. As if all creation were starting anew, a fresh brilliance was born into this long-dormant Tianfang World. Only at this moment did Tianfang, silenced for so many years, truly seem to begin again. In the past, living beings had resided here, yet they had felt entirely out of place within the world. At this moment, however, things were different. It was as though the world were actively embracing them. Bathed in sunlight, bathed in life. The world source also pulsed slowly, stripped of its former urgency, as if granted new life and adapting to the newborn heaven and earth. Above the world, within the Great Dao Cosmos, faint and exceedingly delicate stars seemed to emerge, joining those that had not been carried away. Vague and flickering, like mischievous children blinking their eyes, they dotted the pitch-black cosmos with faint gleams of light. Li Hao closed his eyes, feeling the revival of the ten thousand Daos throughout heaven and earth. Extinction meant the Daos had also been extinguished. Yet at this moment, the Great Dao itself seemed to be reviving alongside the world. This was a newborn rank nine world! Within Li Hao's River of the Great Dao, more and more realms appeared. All were fragile, yet their numbers steadily climbed—rising from over six hundred to seven hundred, then eight hundred... In truth, Li Hao already understood many of these Daos. He simply had not condensed them into realms before. Now, taking advantage of the revival of all things, he transformed these Daos into realms. His goal was to first manifest a thousand realms; as for how to fill these new realms later, that would be his own business. Those were troubles for the future! Once a thousand realms became tangible realms, rank six would be well within reach. He did not truly need to reach ten thousand realms right away. Reaching ten thousand realms would no longer place him at rank six—it might mean rank seven, rank eight, or perhaps even rank nine! A thousand realms, a thousand Daos! In fact, according to the layout in Dao Chess, advancing a thousand squares only corresponded to the level of a rank one Sovereign. But those were mere Daos—a Dao was merely a single line, whereas Li Hao was not merely treading Daos, but transforming Daos into realms! A realm was a massive web! Li Hao expanded every single Dao into a vast web. Thus, even with just a thousand realms, if all of them could be fully manifested into tangible realms, he would be a genuine rank six Sovereign—and the most formidable kind at that. At this moment, roughly four hundred new realms had been born. Filling these small realms would require at least ten million Great Dao crystals each. Four hundred small realms was not too many—around four billion Great Dao crystals in total. The crux of the matter was that the preceding six hundred realms also needed to absorb energy and be replenished with the power of the Great Dao. Some realms were even developing toward the tier of medium worlds. As a result, the consumption would be even greater. Moreover, due to differing attributes, some Great Dao crystals would inevitably be lost in the process. Li Hao estimated that he would not need an excessive amount... doubling the figure to eight billion would certainly be enough. That wasn't too much, was it? The corner of Li Hao's mouth curled slightly. Was it a lot? In the past, he would have considered this an astronomical, terrifyingly vast figure. But thinking about it now... it seemed manageable. It was merely the total energy contained within a single rank seven cosmos, which held at least ten billion Great Dao crystals. Viewed from that perspective, it was hardly anything. If he had not provided replenishments just now to Dao Chess, Kongji, and the Silver Moon crowd, he would have had a real chance of stepping into rank six right then and there. Still... free of debt, a person felt as light as air! He had settled many debts today. Advancing a bit later did not matter. The essential thing was seizing this opportunity to comprehend the Dao, gaining insights into even more Daos. That was the root. Now, he could say to Kongji: "When it comes to advancing to rank seven, you'll have to figure out a way yourself. I've done all I can." For a wealthy second-generation scion like Kongji, officially stepping into rank seven would also require an astronomical sum. For a Sovereign of six Daos and three extremes, if you didn't devour an entire rank seven cosmos, you would be too embarrassed to even claim the title! Figures like Sword Venerable and Li Zhu had consumed roughly that much. Of course, for Li Hao himself... advancing to rank seven would require an astronomical sum among astronomical sums. He had no idea which year or month he would finally manage to step into rank seven. How many realms would need to be manifested for rank seven? Two thousand? Three thousand? Or four thousand... Each realm was comparable to a world. If he swallowed every world in the Four Square Region, would that be enough to enter rank seven? Naturally, there was no need to go that far. As long as he continued filling his small realms, his power would accumulate steadily. Even without a qualitative transformation, a quantitative change would occur. When that time came, a rank six slaughtering a rank seven, or even a rank six slaughtering a rank eight, might become reality! Perhaps he would manifest nine thousand realms and still remain at rank six. Yet could a rank six Sovereign who had accumulated the power of nine thousand worlds truly still be called a rank six Sovereign? Li Hao smiled again. The thought alone was amusing. Ten thousand realms manifesting, using ten thousand realms as the foundation to create a Dao web of ten thousand worlds—perhaps that was his path to rank seven, transforming into a Dao domain of ten thousand realms. An ordinary rank seven Sovereign merely formed a web out of the Great Dao. He, on the other hand, would form walls out of ten thousand realms. Only in this way would he truly step into the high-rank tier. The path ahead grew clear once more. Not far away, Kongji was growing rapidly. Li Hao casually tossed out several Dao techniques along with a massive quantity of Great Dao crystals, replenishing Kongji and Lin Hongyu's depletion with pure crystal energy. Both were growing rapidly. Back then, Li Hao had used Yuan Shuo to awaken Kongji's memories... by giving him a thorough beating. In truth, Li Hao had better methods now and plenty of experience. Yet... A moment later, he still materialized within Kongji's realm, grabbed him, and gave him a sound thrashing. It was, after all, a rare pleasure. As for Lin Hongyu... Li Hao chuckled, not having the heart to strike her, and instead employed a Dao-guiding technique to draw her memories back! ... At this moment, all of Silver Moon was advancing. More individuals were attaining Sovereignhood. Several Silver Moon martial masters who had missed their chance previously were now rapidly attaining Dao. Golden Spear, Jade Rakshasa, Wang Ming, Hao Lianchuan, Thunderbolt Leg, Mountain-Cleaving Axe, and Hong Qing, along with the ancient Saint of the Zhang Clan's ancient city from New Martial, and Jiang Yingli and Li Shengzhang from Yuanping Martial Arts University—who had pledged allegiance early on—were all attaining Dao! This time, no one held back out of hesitation. The first batch of those due to attain Dao had already done so. Now, whoever attained Dao would not be seen as snatching someone else's spot. Moreover, there should be enough spots to go around. Twenty spots! Amid the crowd, the youthful Dao Sword, an individual who had always maintained a low profile, also began to attain Dao. His sword intent surged vigorously, carrying a touch of Li Daoheng's aura. Because he had been influenced by Li Daoheng, he had previously been hesitant to actively attain Dao, fearing he might draw unwanted attention. Now, with everyone else attaining Dao, he began as well. Hong Yitang's family had truly struck good fortune: three Sovereigns under one roof, plus Hong Yitang himself, a Dao Lord who had stepped into rank five. Second to draw attention was Liu Long's family. Liu Yan, whose talent was not particularly outstanding, also began attaining Dao under the continuous accumulation of Dao resonance. Their son, Liu Yin, had actually reached the ninth layer of Dao Harmony. Yet he seemed to fall just a bit short of attaining Dao. In the end, this rising Silver Moon powerhouse chose to give up the attempt. Even if he succeeded, it would be extremely forced; if he could not succeed through the Dao of the spear, he was better off waiting. This time, several people close to Li Hao also secured significant opportunities. Several members of the Demon Hunt Squad, including Wu Chao, Chen Jian, and Yun Yao, seized the chance during this elevation. In an almost unbelievable fashion, they stepped into the ranks of Sovereigns one after another. They had not left Silver Moon in the early days. It had taken them five hundred years to barely catch up with Southern Fist and his peers. Last time, though many of them were at the eighth or ninth layer of Dao Harmony—even higher in cultivation than Southern Fist and the others—Southern Fist's group had attained Dao first. This second time, with the aid of the boundless Dao resonance of the Tianfang Great World, this group had barely crossed into the Sovereign tier. In the future, reaching rank four would likely be immensely difficult for them. Meanwhile, the probability of Southern Fist and his peers reaching rank four was far higher. Beyond them, Empress Dowager Shuiyun, who had pledged allegiance, High Priest Jiang Li of the Dali Dynasty, and Princess Jun of the Great Desolation Dynasty also attained Dao one after another. Yet the Western Queen and the King of Dali were conspicuously absent. At this moment, some sighed inwardly upon realizing the two had vanished without a trace! Otherwise, given their foundations—having been top Heavenly Kings back in the Silver Moon era and infinitely close to half-step Sovereigns—they should have been among the very first batch to attain Dao, perhaps even earlier than the others. Unfortunately, both had slipped away. Now, even Jiang Li and the others had attained Dao, while those two... might still be half-step Sovereigns. It was hard to say whether that was a blessing or a curse. After all, the Silver Moon cultivators attaining Dao now had relied heavily on external forces, whereas if those two were to attain Dao, they would rely entirely on themselves. ... Amid the crowd, there was one person who was exceptionally unique. Perhaps he was one of the few remaining figures of the older generation, a rare presence who by all rights should not have failed to attain Dao, standing by and watching: Yuan Shuo. This Old Demon Yuan, once the head of the Thirty-Six Heroes of Silver Moon, remained at the peak of the ninth layer of Dao Harmony to this day. Even Liu Long's son was on the verge of attaining Dao! Yet Yuan Shuo had only reached the same tier as Liu Yin. There was even a batch of the younger generation catching up to him. By age and seniority, Yuan Shuo possessed the oldest credentials among this group, not to mention being Li Hao's master. At this moment, many felt puzzled. Why had Yuan Shuo still not attained Dao? It was one thing to miss it last time, but he had still not attained Dao this time either. Twenty spots sounded like a lot... but they were also few. With Jiang Li and the others concluding their breakthroughs, the quota was nearly filled. With only a single spot remaining... Something completely unexpected happened. A fellow who had remained quiet all along suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "The Marquis is peerless, foremost in the chaos! Believe in the Marquis, attain Sovereignhood!" "..." Even Li Hao was caught off guard. An intensely fervent faith burst forth! Within the River of the Great Dao, atop the river of the illusory Dao, a Great Dao manifested furiously and expanded with wild speed. Li Hao turned his head, utterly dumbfounded. Qian Wuliang, Lord of the Illusory Dao, was equally stunned. Good heavens! There was someone... who could flatter even more shamelessly than himself? Tianji, King Huai, and the others were all visibly shaken, turning one after another toward the young man. They saw him wearing a fawning grin, his face crowded with obsequiousness, looking nothing like a Sovereign, dripping with servility and wretched sycophancy. In the distance, Hou Xiaochen could not help but take several long looks. Hu Qingfeng! A man who knew only how to fawn and flatter, an early Rising Light powerhouse from the Night Patrollers' headquarters. He had once been considered a genius second only to Dao Sword and a few others among the Night Patrollers. When he had gone to Silver Moon Province to stir up trouble back then, Hou Xiaochen had nearly killed him. Now, among Dao Sword's circle, only Dao Sword had attained Dao, while Big Eyes, Long Saber, and Raging Spear had not. Even Hu Hao and Li Meng, Li Hao's junior disciple brother and sister from his early days, had not attained Dao. Yet this fellow had snatched the final spot in an utterly bizarre fashion! Under the incredulous gazes of countless onlookers, through wild fanaticism and sheer sycophancy, he had actually... attained Dao! This was the very man who had nearly been killed by Li Hao and his companions in the past. Even in the Inspectorate headquarters, Chen Zhongtian had attained Dao, while his son Chen Yao had not. When even a minister-level figure had failed to attain Dao, this fellow Hu Qingfeng had actually managed it! Qian Wuliang looked on in disbelief. What kind of Dao was this? As the Lord of the Illusory Dao, he could sense it. He probed it for a moment... and was struck numb. The world was full of wondrous Daos, but this was beyond belief. The primary Dao Hu Qingfeng cultivated... he didn't even know how to describe it. He merely sensed fanaticism, servility, fawning, and obsequiousness. It resembled a Dao of Faith, yet the object of faith was none other than Li Hao! Qian Wuliang was speechless for a long time. Damn it, talk about an eye-opener! Even this works? Li Hao was also stunned. Even this works? There were truly too many Daos in this world, and some were utterly bizarre. Even Hu Qingfeng could attain Dao? To be honest, Li Hao had considered many candidates for the final spot: Hu Hao, Li Meng, Chen Yao, Big Eyes, Mad Saber, Long Saber... a whole group of people, all of whom had seemed plausible, even if each fell slightly short. Yet... by no stretch of the imagination should it have fallen to Hu Qingfeng! Even the demonic plants from New Martial that had pledged allegiance, certain regiment commanders from the Battle Heaven Army, or students from Yuanping Martial Arts University would have been more plausible than Hu Qingfeng! If all else failed, Liu Yin of the younger generation had seemed far more likely! And yet... you attained Dao? Li Hao could not help but burst into laughter! Having maintained an unruffled demeanor throughout, he finally spoke, looking into the distance with a chuckle: "Hu Qingfeng, you... are quite amusing!" Hu Qingfeng's face beamed with subservience! He hurriedly called out in a ringing voice, "The Marquis is peerless! All thanks to the Marquis's promotion! Believe in the Marquis, and attaining Sovereignhood is as easy as lifting a finger..." Over to the side, King Huai glanced at Tianji. Tianji glanced at King Huai. At this moment, the two New Martial Sovereigns known for their flattery—especially King Huai—felt utterly outclassed. King Huai's reputation might be foul, but claiming that his Great Dao was built on sycophancy would be going too far! King Huai, after all, possessed genuine ability. This fellow, however, had redefined the bottom line. His entire branch of the Great Dao now rippled between heaven and earth, and even its appearance vaguely resembled Li Hao! Damn it! He had flattered him down to his very bones! Even his Great Dao had taken on Li Hao's appearance! Li Hao was left thoroughly helpless. Just then, Kongji recovered to his peak. Hearing the shouts, he froze, glanced in that direction... and nearly burst out laughing! Even this is possible? "What... Dao is this?" Kongji's aura surged wildly. Though he had not officially crossed into rank seven, in Li Hao's estimation, even if he fell slightly short of Sword Venerable at that time, the difference was minimal. He was a presence truly capable of matching a rank seven, though in a prolonged duel, he would eventually lose. Li Hao shook his head, caught between tears and laughter. "I don't know. I never perceived this Dao within Dao Chess. I can't say whether it's newborn or hidden deep in the latter portions of Dao Chess. Perhaps even the Lord of Tianfang never comprehended it, because... what true hegemon would ever perceive such a Dao?" A hegemon could hardly fathom such a Dao, could they? If the Lord of Tianfang had obtained this Dao, would that count toward completing the ten thousand Daos? He was a Sovereign, after all! Even King Huai's Dao was somewhat sinister, but it was certainly not this brazen brand that practically announced to the entire world: I attained Sovereignhood entirely through kissing ass! How could one even wield such a Dao? Did it possess any power to speak of? Li Hao was torn between amusement and exasperation. Nearby, Lin Hongyu, having manifested a set of robes, could not resist glancing over as well, letting out a laugh. "Hu Qingfeng... he simply hasn't crossed paths with you very often. Every time he sees me, Master Yuan, or Minister Hou, his enthusiasm is completely overwhelming!" Truly overwhelming in the literal sense! He fawned shamelessly over everyone he met, heaping praise so thick it made your scalp tingle. "He wasn't like this at first..." Li Hao recalled. Though not many years had passed, he still felt a touch of nostalgia. "Back then, he came as a representative of the Night Patrollers' headquarters, throwing his weight around in Silver Moon Province. We nearly killed him! Later, Minister Hou ordered him back to headquarters to serve as an advance scout... The fellow knew how to read the wind, but eventually, I nearly forgot about him. Who would have thought?" Though twenty spots was a generous sum, Li Hao didn't feel it was a waste when others attained Dao. But with this fellow, he genuinely felt a bit shortchanged. Did this count as wasting a spot? After a few words, he laughed. "Forget it, it's fine! Hongyu, you've entered rank three as well. Congratulations!" Lin Hongyu set Hu Qingfeng aside and nodded with a smile. "Rank three..." Then she added with a light chuckle, "In this lifetime, going by my current age, I should be... eighteen!" Li Hao paused, then broke into helpless laughter! You actually consider yourself eighteen! Lin Hongyu, however, didn't care. To this day, she had never forgotten Li Hao saying: You're thirty, ten years older than me, getting a bit old! Old? In this lifetime, Li Hao was probably the only person who had ever said that to her. Someone actually thought she was old? Unbelievable! If she was old, what did that make an ancient hag like Mo? Hong Qing was already over five hundred—what was she? Wouldn't Auntie Bright Light and the others be ancient monsters? Kongji was somewhat baffled. In his eyes, every single person from Silver Moon—setting aside the New Martial crowd—was remarkably young. Why obsess over age? Even he himself, discounting his current state, had been only a thousand years old before, which was exceedingly young! Was there any need to bring up age? Women were truly impossible to fathom! Kongji didn't dwell on it, turning to Li Hao with a hint of regret: "I'm sorry. This seizure of Tianfang was originally arranged for Silver Moon and you, yet in the end, it primarily served me, leaving you with nothing to show for it!" Right now, he was just a single step away from rank seven, just like Sword Venerable. Devouring a single rank seven world would guarantee his breakthrough! Li Hao, on the other hand, seemed to have gained nothing, even wasting an entire lifetime. Having previously reached his fourth lifetime, he remained at the strength of rank five. Looked at that way, his earlier urging of the others to seize Tianfang for Li Hao's sake... had ended up rather selfish. Everyone had ended up serving his advancement. Crucially, even the energy for this breakthrough had been supplied by Li Hao. As for the elevation of the rest of Silver Moon, that had also drawn on Li Hao's prior stockpiles of energy. He had poured all the spoils from conquering the four great worlds into this endeavor, leaving him with practically nothing from the campaign. Everyone had made immense gains! From the four rank seven Sovereigns above to the Silver Moon cultivators below, all had profited handsomely. Except for Li Hao... Li Hao shook his head and laughed. "No. Your extinction and revival of Tianfang brought me considerable gains. I already possessed some understanding of Tianfang's Dao from Dao Chess. Today, the world's rebirth provided me with a valuable reference for comprehending the Dao, allowing me to condense many more small realms." What was the use of that? They hadn't been filled with energy! Kongji still felt apologetic, but Li Hao chuckled. "Alright, Brother Kongji, since when did you become so motherly?" "That's not..." "Then let's leave it at that!" Li Hao dropped the subject and called out: "Everyone has just advanced or obtained various gains. Return to the Silver Moon World now! Consolidate your cultivation, stabilize the Great Dao Cosmos and the River of the Great Dao!" "As for those who haven't advanced yet... polish your foundations and await your opportunity. It may be difficult for Silver Moon to enter rank seven, but rank six won't be difficult at all! As long as everyone works together—over fifty Sovereigns absorbing the power of the chaos in unison to fill the Great Dao Cosmos—we may well become the medium world with the most Sovereigns in existence. Soon, our Silver Moon will step into rank six!" "Once Silver Moon advances to a rank six world, it will yield at least twenty more Sovereign spots, perhaps even more... Everyone will have a chance!" Those who had not advanced felt a twinge of regret. Yet they quickly settled their minds. Silver Moon had advanced far too fast. From rank three to rank four, then rank five... all in the blink of an eye. In recent days, over fifty Sovereigns had emerged—a staggering feat. Since Li Hao had stated rank six was within reach, everyone naturally believed him! ... At this moment, the four rank seven Sovereigns projected their avatars over. Sword Venerable spoke: "Bright Light Sovereign is still outside... Kongji, do you want to go out and meet him?" Kongji took a deep breath, considered it, and said, "Never mind. I haven't reached rank seven today. Senior Sword Venerable, please pass a message to my father... tell him to return first! I'm doing very well, and I don't wish to have too much entanglement with Bright Light for now..." It wasn't that he refused to acknowledge his father, but... if they met, whether for his father or himself, issues regarding their stance would inevitably arise. New Martial was a grave threat, yet he was close friends with Li Hao, so he could not stand on Bright Light's side and treat New Martial as a mortal enemy. Right now, he was merely at rank six and carried little say. Before his father, he was still just a child. Only when he reached rank seven as a Sovereign of six Daos and three extremes—ranking second only to his father even within the Bright Light Divine World—would he possess genuine authority. Even his father would have to respect a rank seven Sovereign of six Daos and three extremes! Li Hao laughed. "Why not tell him yourself? Wouldn't it be good to meet your father and exchange a few words?" Kongji paused, glanced at Li Hao, and finally shook his head. "Meeting too often is tiresome!" Li Hao's parents had died early, it seemed. Yet Li Hao was skilled in the Dao of Time and the Dao of Life and Death; had he never chosen to resurrect his parents? He felt a faint trace of wonder. Of course, he did not know that Li Hao's parents were ordinary mortals without even Dao meridian stars. Resurrecting them was not completely hopeless—by reversing time, intercepting the past, and projecting them into reality just as with Er Mao, revival was naturally possible. Yet... the current Li Hao could not accomplish that. Moreover, even Er Mao had not truly descended into reality in the fullest sense. Simply fashioning a set of parents out of thin air was easy enough, but that was not the outcome Li Hao desired. He wished, like the Emperor of Battle Heaven, to extract them directly from the past. Of course, when that day came, it might not entirely match what he sought either. Even so... it was far better than conjuring an empty fabrication now. Seeing that Kongji was unwilling to go, Li Hao smiled and pressed no further, turning to Sword Venerable: "Then I must trouble Uncle Li to pass along a message as well... Neither Kongji nor I represent anyone else: I do not represent New Martial, and Kongji does not represent Bright Light! It is purely a matter of personal friendship. Whether Bright Light chooses enmity with New Martial, allies with other rank eight worlds to encircle New Martial, or allies with New Martial itself... none of it concerns the two of us!" Sword Venerable was speechless, caught between laughter and tears. "I am a New Martial Sovereign, you know!" To say such things right to his face... Fortunately, he wasn't Old Zhang; otherwise, Old Zhang would have dragged Bright Light into the fold by any means necessary. Of course, since he wasn't the Supreme, he felt no great offense and smiled: "Very well, I'll pass the message!" ... Beyond the realm boundary. When Sword Venerable relayed the words from his son and Li Hao, Bright Light Sovereign fell silent for a time. His son said they would not meet for now. The Silver Moon King said that Bright Light's stance had nothing to do with them, and that even if Bright Light opposed New Martial, it would not involve Kongji... How should he choose? New Martial was bound to be a source of upheaval. As the lord of a rank eight world, who didn't harbor ambitions of hegemony? If New Martial truly entered rank eight, who could rival the combined might of the Human King and the Cang Emperor? Where should Bright Light turn? Should he ally with Red Moon, Yunxiao, and Chiyang to encircle New Martial, or... truly join hands with New Martial? Given the Human King's temperament, even if Bright Light won in the end, it could only ever play second fiddle. Having reached his level, how could he be willing to serve as someone else's subordinate? His feelings were deeply conflicted! If his son had simply made a few ordinary friends, it would have had no bearing on his decisions. But the people his son associated with included Sword Venerable of New Martial, and this Silver Moon King who, despite being only rank five, commanded immense respect. There was also Wushan, who had walked away from Yunxiao, and Senlan, who had advanced to rank seven... His son was not befriending ordinary people. He was keeping company with geniuses who might shape the future landscape of the entire chaos. "I understand." After a long pause, he looked at Sword Venerable. "I am myself, and Mingtang is Mingtang... Since Sword Venerable knows him and shares a friendship with him... if Bright Light truly ends up on the opposing side of New Martial, I hope... he will not be dragged into it!" Sword Venerable knitted his brows slightly, then said, "Of course! Aside from everything else, Kongji contributed to both Li Zhu and me advancing to rank seven. We people of New Martial... still uphold righteousness toward friends! If you and I meet as enemies on the battlefield... regardless of whether Bright Light wins or New Martial prevails, I can even speak on behalf of the Human King right here: so long as Kongji does not actively move against New Martial, New Martial will never turn its blades against him!" Bright Light Sovereign smiled. "Sword Venerable is the Human King's master and a top figure among rank seven Sovereigns; your word is naturally trustworthy! I, too, hope... to coexist peacefully with New Martial, and that... the day never comes when we meet upon the battlefield!" With that, he stepped into the void and entered the Great Dao Cosmos, followed closely by Yaoyang Sovereign. Both vanished. Turning his back to Sword Venerable, Bright Light Sovereign's expression grew deeply conflicted. New Martial... was far too great a threat! Was he truly willing to submit just like that? The Human King was exceedingly domineering. If he refused to be an underling, would that boundlessly arrogant Human King ever serve as his underling? As for dividing the world equally between them... one would have to ask whether New Martial would ever agree. Carrying intensely complicated emotions, he vanished from everyone's sight. ... At the same time. News began to spread. Kongji had not advanced to rank seven, a fact that brought relief and smiles to many—good news indeed! If Kongji had stepped into rank seven... Tianfang would have possessed a full five rank seven Sovereigns. Furthermore, the Lord of Bright Light had departed Tianfang without making contact or communicating with Kongji, which was another piece of good news. It signified that the Lord of Bright Light had not necessarily aligned himself with New Martial. Otherwise... he would have entered Tianfang, yet he had not. He had remained outside Tianfang, waiting the entire time. ... On this day, the name of the Silver Moon King, Li Hao, also began circulating through the chaos. According to the observations of several powerhouses, this rank five Silver Moon King did not appear to have a simple subordinate relationship with New Martial. The connection between Bright Light and New Martial stemmed from his friendship with Kongji. Moreover, Sword Venerable and the other New Martial figures stationed in Tianfang were not the leaders; the leader was instead this Silver Moon King, who had been overlooked before—a revelation that left many wide-eyed with shock! It appeared that figures like the Lord of Senlan and Wushan Sovereign had only established ties with New Martial out of personal regard for the Silver Moon King. This was even more astonishing! A mere Sovereign of a tiny world... Granted, they now knew that Silver Moon possessed a Great Dao Cosmos, but even so, it was merely a newborn world. For a world so weak, even if this Silver Moon King possessed remarkable strength, befriending a circle of rank seven Sovereigns should have been no simple feat, right? ... Yunxiao World. Within the colossal hall, only four Sovereigns were present: two of rank eight and two of rank seven. At this moment, they were discussing Li Hao. The Lord of Yunxiao found it rather curious: "This Silver Moon King's strength is formidable, and his path seems somewhat similar to Sword Venerable's unity of ten thousand Daos! Of course, what intrigues me more is whether New Martial possesses any control over him at all. Massive amounts of resources were squandered on a crowd of weak Silver Moon cultivators, and he even relinquished control of the Tianfang Cosmos... Brother Red Moon, do you think we can drive a wedge between them over this?" "Conquering the four great universes previously should have satisfied the cultivation needs of Sword Venerable, the King of the Catacombs, the Lord of Senlan, and Wushan. This time, extinguishing Tianfang satisfied Mingtang's cultivation. New Martial gained some spoils... but with the Human King's vast appetite, would he truly be satisfied with just that?" He looked toward the Lord of Red Moon, who raised an eyebrow slightly. "Brother Yunxiao... do you intend to sow discord between them? Silver Moon's strength is negligible; what use is driving a wedge?" "You cannot look at it that way!" Yunxiao Sovereign smiled. "He is on good terms with Mingtang. If Mingtang truly steps into rank seven, he will wield authority within the Bright Light World! Furthermore, Senlan and Wushan are both hegemons in their own right. If Silver Moon can truly pull them into a single camp... if nothing else, it would weaken New Martial's strength!" "Otherwise, from what I understand, New Martial currently has the Human King, the Cang Emperor, the Sun God, the Martial King, Sword Venerable, and the King of the Catacombs. It's even rumored that after seizing the Chiyang World last time, figures like the Blood Sovereign and the Earth Emperor have hopes of stepping into rank seven! If that truly comes to pass, New Martial will be far too difficult to deal with!" If they also had to contend with the five high-ranking Sovereigns of the Bright Light World, a breakthrough by Kongji, the traitor Wushan, and the Lord of Senlan... It would be an absolute nightmare! The Lord of Red Moon nodded slightly. "I understand. However, the ties between New Martial and Silver Moon run deep. The Human King must have met him previously and tacitly approved his occupation of Tianfang; clearly, there is some mutual understanding between them. Sowing discord will not be easy." "Then we kill the Silver Moon King!" Yunxiao Sovereign declared, "He is the key link between the two sides! Kill the Silver Moon King... and Wushan and the others might sever their ties with New Martial! Without that connection, Bright Light Sovereign will make the correct choice. Right now, because of the relationship between Mingtang and Li Hao, there are signs of an alliance forming between Bright Light and New Martial, which bodes ill for us!" At this point, he added, "I have a thought... I wonder if Brother Red Moon is willing to hear it?" "Speak." "I want... Brother Red Moon to go to the Chiyang Domain, join forces with Chiyang Sovereign and the others to encircle New Martial, apply pressure on them, and force Sword Venerable and the King of the Catacombs to withdraw from Tianfang. Meanwhile, I will rally several allies to launch a full assault on Tianfang and slay Li Hao!" Red Moon frowned slightly. Go encircle New Martial myself? Of course, joining forces with Chiyang held some promise, but the crucial point was... He spoke up: "The Dragon Lord has maintained a neutral stance all along. The scourge of New Martial does not threaten a single family alone. Even with my participation, the hope of encircling New Martial in Chiyang remains slim. But if we add the Dragon Lord and his forces..." His gaze turned fierce, and he let out a cold laugh: "The Dragon Lord is a chaos beast capable of shifting worlds. While he may not match that Cang Emperor, he still commands territorial advantage! When the time comes, he can bring his world into battle, and New Martial will certainly not escape doom!" The current New Martial was exceedingly difficult to handle because they fought on home ground wherever they went. Across the entire chaos, only chaos beasts possessed such ability, and it required high-ranking chaos beast Sovereigns at that. Crucially, moving a world was no simple task—though the Cang Emperor did it with effortless ease! However, if the rank eight Dragon Lord brought the Dragon World along to the battlefield, fighting with a rank eight world as their home base, the battle would become far simpler. With that in mind, he added, "I will personally visit the Dragon Domain. We must reach an understanding with those chaos beasts! As for that Silver Moon King... with Brother Yunxiao present, once Sword Venerable and his companion depart, eliminating them will be trivial! The key still lies with Bright Light... So long as Bright Light Sovereign does not intervene, Senlan and Wushan are nothing to fear!" Yunxiao Sovereign nodded. "Indeed. The crux right now is Mingtang. I will communicate with Bright Light. Mingtang is merely a single member of Bright Light; does Bright Light truly wish to drag their entire world into the abyss?" At this point, his eyes turned cold. "New Martial's whereabouts are unknown, but... Bright Light stands firmly in place, and Bright Light is no rank eight chaos beast! If Bright Light remains obstinate, we can set New Martial aside for a moment and pull up this meddlesome weed of Bright Light first!" Every time, Bright Light Sovereign meddled, leaving everyone hesitant to strike, given the Bright Light World's considerable strength. If things continued like this, they would be pushed into an entirely passive position. It didn't matter if they couldn't find New Martial... pulling up Bright Light, this unstable factor, would achieve the same purpose. The Lord of Red Moon smiled and nodded. He agreed on this point. Chuckling, he said, "I, too, hope that the various factions of the Four Square Region can unite as one to face external threats! Whether it is New Martial, Silver Moon, or Wushan... these fellows are either newly risen roots of disaster or traitors to their worlds. All deserve death!" Yunxiao Sovereign nodded slightly. Wushan... he had wanted to execute him for a long time. Allowing him to live was a form of torment; every time he saw Wushan, he felt thoroughly uncomfortable, always regarding him as a looming calamity. The two rank seven Sovereigns beside him remained silent. They, too, shared old ties with Wushan. Yet Wushan had now completely broken away from Yunxiao, even slaying Deep Sea... The upheaval Wushan had caused for Yunxiao was simply too vast. Perhaps... their next encounter would indeed be the moment to execute Wushan. ... On this day, all factions were in deep discussion. Meanwhile, in Tianfang World, the Silver Moon powerhouses had already returned to Silver Moon. The vast Tianfang was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the singing of birds, a world reborn, yet bereft of inhabitants. The former Dao resonance sites were now completely depleted, devoid of any further opportunities for comprehension. At this moment, Li Hao prepared to depart. The phantom of Dao Chess materialized once more, sighing softly: "Then I shall return to the Great Dao Cosmos. Finding me will be difficult for them... besides, I am not weak! But... are you certain you will not seal Silver Moon this time, and instead take it with you?" Li Hao had decided to take Silver Moon with him! This was somewhat unexpected. Li Hao nodded. "I'm taking it! Silver Moon is already a rank five world with dozens of Sovereigns... Sealing Silver Moon now..." Li Hao offered a wry smile. "Setting aside whether I even have the ability to seal a rank five world, even if I could, with so many powerhouses emerging in Silver Moon, I... truly can't afford to sustain them!" He had previously considered sealing Silver Moon, but now, he gave up on the idea. Setting aside whether he could seal it, even if he did, hundreds of years would pass in an instant under the seal. Even if he sold himself, he couldn't afford to feed so many mouths! There were pros and cons. The upside was that with so many Sovereigns present, setting aside rank sevens, if they ran into a rank six... swarming them together would be enough to beat the opponent to death. The downside was... if he took Silver Moon with him, Black Panther would have a harder time concealing itself. Its abilities were inferior to the Cang Emperor's. Though it had now stepped into rank five, roaming freely while carrying Silver Moon remained quite difficult. Its speed would not be particularly fast. Hearing this, the phantom of Dao Chess nodded. "Then... I can only say, take care. Furthermore, I promised Kongji last time that I could teleport you back, a condition he never ended up using... I left an imprint in your Dao River last time. You can... teleport back at any time! This time, my energy is ample!" Having absorbed countless Great Dao crystals, Dao Chess had recovered substantially. Previously, it had been difficult to teleport powerhouses who were too strong, but now it was possible. "Thank you, Senior!" "No, I should be the one thanking you!" The phantom of Dao Chess remarked with emotion: "Had it not been for your help, recovering would have cost billions of Great Dao crystals... setting aside whether I could obtain them, even if I did, their goal might have been to refine me! Li Hao, did you never consider refining me? Back then, I was exceedingly weak... your previous strength was sufficient to suppress me." It was, after all, a rank nine Sovereign weapon, yet despite Li Hao's formidable forces, not a single person had ever contemplated forcibly refining Dao Chess—refining an entire rank eight world. To be frank, Dao Chess felt rather depressed about it. Was I... considered unwanted? Now, its strength was formidable, possessing rank seven power, but previously, it had possessed rank six strength at most. This group could have easily suppressed it. Li Hao laughed. "Would there be any difference? Besides... Dao Chess is not an offensive weapon, but a supportive one. Senior has also developed sentience, no different from an ordinary cultivator. Refining Senior... would still require sustaining you, and sustaining you unconditionally at that. Right now, our relationship is a kind of transaction combined with a bit of friendship—isn't that better?" Even if you claimed Dao Chess, wouldn't you still have to sustain it? The phantom of Dao Chess remained puzzled: "But in that case, I would have belonged entirely to you. Even if you ordered me to self-detonate, I would have had to do so. But now..." Li Hao laughed again. "If matters ever reached the point where Senior had to self-detonate, turning the tables in such a situation would be nearly impossible anyway! It's the same either way. If Senior is truly eager to find a master, I think Brother Kongji is quite suitable. When he finds himself unable to advance, Senior could join forces with him and try a fusion of man and weapon..." The phantom of Dao Chess smiled without speaking, still feeling a hint of regret. Were Time cultivators always this proud? Truly, it had practically dropped explicit hints: if you wished to take me along, I would... have agreed. Yet Li Hao had repeatedly declined. Damn it! A rank nine Sovereign weapon had actively offered to accompany you, and you actually didn't want it? The phantom of Dao Chess had its pride as an artifact spirit! At this point, it could hardly force itself upon him, could it? It could only smile: "Then I look forward to our reunion. On the day the Tianfang Cosmos revives, I believe you will return... At that time, it will likely be even livelier!" "Right now, the Great Dao stars have been taken away and nurtured by various worlds. They will certainly recover to their peaks very soon. When that time comes, if they can return to Tianfang, Tianfang... may officially revive!" Dao Chess looked at Li Hao. Was this your purpose all along? Presently, every faction was surely nurturing those Dao stars. They also understood that once the Great Dao stars all returned, the Tianfang Cosmos would likely officially revive! Yet who would refuse? If it didn't revive, what use was keeping the Great Dao stars? Li Hao smiled. "Presumably so. For an individual cosmos, nurturing a single star is easy... but nurturing them all together is far too difficult! After all, these are the Great Dao stars of high-ranking Sovereigns; I certainly couldn't afford to sustain them!" With that, he waved his hand. "Farewell, Senior. You may enter the Tianfang Cosmos now; I will temporarily seal the cosmos..." Damn it, what a rush! Dao Chess was speechless; he couldn't wait for it to vanish. What a scoundrel! Saying no more, it floated upward with a hint of regret, sending a single voice transmission before disappearing: "The Lord of Tianfang... may still be able to peer into Tianfang!" As soon as the words were spoken, it vanished completely. Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled without saying anything. He had long guessed as much, but Dao Chess actively telling him was rather interesting. Looking beyond Tianfang, Li Hao let out a breath. Before anyone paid attention, it was time to leave. If they didn't leave now, someone might come to besiege them! Glancing at Sword Venerable, Li Zhu, and the others in the distance, it seemed their paths were parting for now. He would depart first, followed shortly by those rank sevens. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the rank sevens, so their departure would be far easier and simpler than his own. He then looked toward Kongji... This time, perhaps only Kongji would leave alongside him. The day this fellow reached rank seven, he should hurry up and scram too! Sensing something, Kongji turned toward Li Hao: "Where to?" New Martial was in the Chiyang Domain, the Red Moon Domain was virtually crippled, and the Tianfang Domain was perilous beyond measure... "To the Dragon Domain!" Li Hao transmitted his voice: "Whoever attacks New Martial... we attack them! Those wishing to attack New Martial may include the Dragon Domain... they might even bring their world into battle. Along the way, we can observe the Daos of chaos beasts. I truly haven't seen many rank seven chaos beast Daos... time to broaden our horizons." He had seen plenty of human Daos, but he had barely observed the Daos of chaos beasts. Perhaps there would be some gains to be had. Moreover, Black Panther happened to be a chaos beast, so going there would make it far less conspicuous, given that chaos beasts were everywhere in that region. Otherwise, roaming around here as a rank five chaos beast would be far too eye-catching outside the Dragon Domain. Kongji nodded. He didn't mind either way; anywhere was fine, so long as they didn't attack Bright Light.