Everyone Has Troubles

At the edge of the Dragon Region. A rank one minor world had been devoured, and the perpetrator had even anchored their Dao to the chaos, achieving vindication through faith. Under normal circumstances, faith power capable of catching his attention would have piqued the Dragon Lord's interest. Capturing the person to study would not have been a bad idea. Yet right now, he had a far more important mission. Moreover... he had sensed something. Someone had arrived! Leaving the pursuit to the dwellers of the Dragon Region, the Dragon Lord paid no further mind to the matter. He swiftly led the four Sovereigns, steering the Dragon World through the domain barrier into the Tianfang Region. *** Tianfang Region. Two rank eight Sovereigns had come in person to receive him—courtesy extended to the absolute utmost. Yunxiao and Red Moon! The moment the Dragon World materialized, the two rank eight Sovereigns exchanged glances, faint smiles appearing on their faces. The Dragon Lord had arrived! With this, every single rank eight Sovereign would join the fray in the coming turmoil, eliminating any fear that someone might sit back and reap the spoils of war. Otherwise, had the Dragon Lord stayed away, a full-scale clash would hardly have erupted. "Dragon Lord!" "Welcome!" The two rank eight Sovereigns approached side by side. Sovereign Yunxiao let out a hearty laugh. "I thought you would need more time, but I never expected the Dragon Lord to arrive so quickly. Truly worthy of the hegemon of the Dragon Region—as decisive in action as ever." The Dragon Lord smiled without replying. Had he not sensed that unusual aura earlier, he would not have arrived so soon. What was the rush? Taking things slowly was better. Looking at the two Sovereigns acting so close and affectionate, the Dragon Lord chuckled inwardly. On the surface, the pair seemed to share a single pair of trousers, but who knew what schemes they harbored behind each other's backs? Everyone under the heavens knew they would turn on each other sooner or later. Of course, not just yet. "I trust I am not late?" "Not at all!" Sovereign Yunxiao chuckled. "Though had you been any later, you might have been! Tianfang has shown signs of revival recently. Our thought is to take down Xinwu first, then divide Tianfang among ourselves according to each of our capabilities... Otherwise, if Tianfang revives first and Xinwu manages to seize an advantage, they will become troublesome to handle!" "Is Tianfang truly about to revive?" "Soon!" The Lord of Yunxiao made no attempt to conceal it. It was indeed soon; even the Dao star he had acquired had been shimmering with light lately. He had thought it would take some time, but now it seemed the Tianfang Universe would completely awaken before long. If so... they had to eliminate the nuisance that was Xinwu first. Although Xinwu was merely a rank seven world, the longer this went on, the more they realized how vexing their foes were. Being troublesome was one thing; the rank eight worlds had peacefully coexisted in the past without conflict. Yet those Xinwu bastards went around slaughtering everywhere, and worse, specifically targeting great worlds! In past eras, they had all devoured worlds, but only small and medium ones. Who would deliberately target rank seven and rank eight worlds? Everyone killed the weak, doing so with tacit understanding; swallowing the weak to empower the strong was second nature in the chaos, where the strong preyed on the weak. But now, someone had shattered this unwritten rule. If they dared to strike at their betters and devour Red Moon today, tomorrow it would be Yunxiao! Such rule-breakers had to be eliminated, grudge or no grudge! The Dragon Lord said little, simply nodding slightly. "If Tianfang is about to revive... then indeed, we should dispose of them before that happens..." At that moment, the Lord of Red Moon suddenly said, "Just now, I sensed that the Dragon World paused for a moment. Did the Dragon Lord spot something interesting?" "Nothing much. A new Sovereign was born, that is all..." It was no great matter, and since the one who achieved vindication through faith was a human, he did not want to elaborate. Both of his companions were humans after all. Granted, at their level, especially for Red Moon and his kind, they cared nothing for race and only for strength. That was simply because humanity reigned supreme, making racial divisions irrelevant to them. Yet the Lord of Red Moon pressed the matter, seemingly looking for something to talk about. "A new Sovereign? Achieving Sovereignty through faith?" The Dragon Lord's brow furrowed slightly. Why was this fellow so interested? The Lord of Red Moon added, "It was the world where that little rat was, wasn't it?" "Fellow Daoist Red Moon, why show such concern over a minor world?" The Dragon Lord chuckled, but the Lord of Red Moon had not brought it up with any deep agenda. At this moment, he hesitated slightly before saying, "I didn't pay it much mind before since you showed no interest, Dragon Lord, but seeing you linger there reminded me that I was once drawn there myself..." The Dragon Lord paused. The next instant, as if realizing something, he glanced at the Red Moon Sovereign, his gaze shifting subtly. Could it be... that this fellow had also sensed that extraordinary power? He had sensed it, yet he knew how profound and elusive that ripple was. Under normal circumstances, without immense comprehension of the Great Dao, perceiving it was nearly impossible. Could Red Moon be hiding his true strength? Right now, the Dragon Lord could think of nothing else. What else could draw a rank eight Sovereign to a rank one world besides that extraordinary fluctuation? The Lord of Red Moon, however, was not thinking of that at all. He had been drawn there previously by a trace of desire power; he had not sensed the power of time in the slightest. The two were not on the same page. Nevertheless, both had indeed been drawn to it. For a rank one world to catch the attention of two rank eight Sovereigns, it undeniably had something unusual about it. The Dragon Lord gave a faint smile. "Then it seems Brother Red Moon also sensed something amiss... As did I. However, the other party fled beforehand, and sensing that you two were waiting here, I did not wish to keep you waiting. So I left it alone and came straight here." The Lord of Red Moon nodded, then mused, "I now wonder... could it be related to Silver Moon?" Silver Moon? What did this have to do with Silver Moon? The Lord of Red Moon could not help considering the possibility. He had sensed desire power back then, but being thoroughly disgusted by the stench, he had not pondered further. Now, seeing that the Dragon Lord had also been drawn there, he naturally looked back and felt... he might have been tricked. That place might very well have been where the Silver Moon King had stayed! Curse that wretch! If so, he had missed the prime opportunity to kill him—what a pity. "Silver Moon?" "Yes, Silver Moon!" The Lord of Red Moon continued, "Last time, the Silver Moon King took advantage of my absence to lead the Sword Venerable and the others in a surprise raid on the Red Moon World. I suspect they may repeat the trick now that the Dragon World has departed... Even without the Dragon World, the Dragon Region still holds numerous rank seven worlds. I believe the Dragon Lord should not be careless. It would be best to leave behind a rank seven Sovereign solely to hunt them down—or ideally two..." The Dragon Lord smiled. "My thanks for Brother Red Moon's suggestion." It was a good suggestion, but clearly driven by selfish motives. He had brought four rank seven Sovereigns with him, whereas Red Moon had none and Yunxiao had only two. Four rank seven Sovereigns joining forces, backed by a rank eight great world... he could practically take on both of them at once! Asking him to leave two behind was framed as a precaution, partly driven by a desire for vengeance against the Silver Moon King, but it was also aimed at diminishing the Dragon Lord's strength. The Silver Moon King? I know your Red Moon World was ambushed, but this time, the Silver Moon King has no rank seven Sovereigns by his side. And what you may not know is that in the Dragon Region, the other eleven rank seven chaos beast worlds are one united entity! Do you understand? One entity! His Dragon Region was not the sieve that was the Red Moon Region. Still, a degree of caution was warranted. The Silver Moon King and Kongji had slain rank seven Sovereigns together, after all. Was the person who fled just now from Silver Moon? The Dragon Lord was not certain, yet he still said, "A rank seven Sovereign will not be necessary... Dealing with Xinwu is of greater importance. However, I will issue an order throughout the Dragon Region to hunt down the Silver Moon King and his accomplices! In the Dragon Region, human cultivators will find infiltration rather difficult..." With that, he added, "Fellow Daoist Red Moon, your comprehension of the Great Dao is profound indeed. It seems that even without the backing of a world, you remain extraordinary... Congratulations!" "..." What nonsense was this? The Red Moon Sovereign was speechless. I asked you to hunt down the Silver Moon King, and you turn around to congratulate me? Are you mocking me? What in the world is this? For a moment, he could not fathom the dragon's thoughts at all. He raised an eyebrow slightly, keeping silent. Sovereign Yunxiao, on the other hand, felt a stir of suspicion. What did that mean? They were just discussing Silver Moon—why did the Dragon Lord suddenly congratulate Red Moon? How bizarre! What the Dragon Lord was thinking was that since the Lord of Red Moon could perceive that elusive ripple, he was most likely concealing considerable strength. Knowing oneself and one's enemy—if I can sense it and you can too, then you and I... must both be at the peak of rank eight! This person warranted caution. He could not be underestimated! Previously, the Dragon Lord had failed to see it, even thinking the man was somewhat useless. Now, he could not help letting his mind wander: had the Red Moon World truly been breached by accident? Or had this man done it deliberately? At this level, shedding the constraints of a world meant that losing a Great Dao Universe was inconsequential. Was he weaving his own domain of the Great Dao? If so... that made him terrifying! In truth, the Dragon Lord harbored similar thoughts at times. Their current Great Dao Universes were external creations rather than their own. He felt that to enter rank nine, one perhaps had to break free from an existing Great Dao Universe—or at least an external one. If one were to build one, it had to be self-constructed. Perhaps that was the true path to rank nine. If the Lord of Red Moon had done this intentionally... then this man was truly frightening, far more decisive than himself, casting aside his world the moment he decided to. Clever people always thought too much. Yet he could not stop himself from thinking! Look at that useless Yunxiao, who had sensed nothing at all. Meanwhile, Red Moon seemed to have paid attention to that place before. Had he sensed it long ago? Moreover, was what he had sensed earlier truly the power of faith? Why did it feel different from the faith power he had encountered in the past? A native of Silver Moon? What kind of energy was that, giving even him a feeling of being unable to fathom it? And what level had Red Moon reached? Ten thousand Daos converging into one—how many Daos had he united? Four thousand, five thousand, or six thousand...? At this moment, the Dragon Lord merely stared in silence at the Red Moon Sovereign, ignoring Yunxiao beside them. Anyone incapable of perceiving that extraordinary power was not worth his attention, even if he was a rank eight Sovereign! Even with a Great Dao Universe in hand, he still was not worth it. Of course... the fellow might also be feigning ignorance. These human Sovereigns were all extraordinarily cunning. And the Red Moon Sovereign was clearly feigning ignorance as well. Yet since you brought it up, and we both understand the reality, is there any need to play dumb? At this moment, the Red Moon Sovereign racked his brains. What is this fellow trying to do? There is no enmity between us, is there? Congratulating me out of nowhere—isn't that just provoking Yunxiao to guard against me? Is he doing it on purpose? Sure enough, these chaos beasts are no good either! With a strained smile, he replied, "There is no need for congratulations. Once we bring down Xinwu, we will all be able to breathe a sigh of relief!" "As for Xinwu, if Brother Red Moon is willing to put forth his full strength, taking them down is only a matter of time!" The Dragon Lord wore a faint, knowing smile. We know each other's depths. If we both give our all, whether against the Human King or the Cang Emperor, dealing with them one-on-one will be effortless, won't it? "..." Dammit! The Red Moon Sovereign felt the beast was targeting him. Who hadn't put forth their full strength? He was utterly at a loss. He was the one who had reached out to recruit the Dragon Lord, yet now the fellow treated him like this. He could not understand: did I offend you? Aren't you deliberately setting me up? How strange! Neither wanted to speak openly, keeping their thoughts to themselves. On the surface, they maintained a veneer of peace. The Dragon Lord said no more, simply remaining vigilant! Still, he wanted to issue a warning: I know your real foundation! If you want to move against Yunxiao, go ahead, but if you wish to act against me, weigh your own chances first! As for the Lord of Yunxiao... that fellow was not destined for a good end. Then again, Red Moon had even given up his own Great Dao Universe. If he truly meant to target Yunxiao, it probably wasn't for the Great Dao Universe. Could it be to eliminate his rivals one by one? A fine scheme indeed! Losing his Great Dao Universe helped dispel some of Yunxiao's suspicions. Otherwise, rashly approaching a rank eight Sovereign would be unthinkable; anyone would guard against you. Now, Yunxiao harbored no such wariness. Even if he found Red Moon cunning, he would never suspect that the man had voluntarily abandoned the Red Moon Universe. Taking the thought a step further: when Red Moon attacked Xinwu back then, had it all been in anticipation of today? Waiting for Xinwu to breach his Great Dao Universe, so that he would have a justifiable reason to discard it? A ruthless man indeed! The deeper he thought, the more terrifying Red Moon seemed. Today, a single minor world had allowed him to see through this fellow. It had been well worth it! The Dragon Lord suddenly chuckled. "Silver Moon is insignificant! Xinwu is the crux. It serves no purpose for us to linger here. I will have my subordinates hunt them down. For several rank eight Sovereigns to gather here plotting against a rank five Sovereign would only invite ridicule. Let us go and inspect the vicinity of the Tianfang World!" "Agreed!" The Lord of Yunxiao had no objections. Having been subtly targeted, the Lord of Red Moon found it awkward to say more. Irritation simmered within him. Every chaos beast had a screw loose. What rankled even more was that the minor world might truly have harbored the Silver Moon King. Yet the Dragon Lord appeared nonchalant about it. Was he truly unbothered, or did he leave the Silver Moon King alive just to spite Red Moon? How could a rank eight Sovereign discover something amiss, only to let the quarry slip away? What a joke! The Dragon Lord cared nothing for what Red Moon thought. As for the escape, if it truly involved Silver Moon and the quarry had sensed something, it was likely due to that extraordinary energy. Had these two not been present, he would have been genuinely interested in returning to look around. To conduct a search. His only worry was wasting too much time. If these two couldn't sit still and decided to head into the Dragon Region to spectate, that would be troublesome. He had no justification to forbid their entry, but he had no desire to entice them into the Dragon Region either. *** The group steered the Dragon World straight toward the Tianfang World. Meanwhile. Amidst the darkness, the Queen fled through the void toward the uninhabited expanses of the chaos, brimming with excitement. At this moment, even she could not say what she truly was. A god? A human? A chaos beast? Heaven's Will? Or something else entirely? Who knew! She only knew one thing: at the moment of her vindication through faith, when her Great Dao manifested, she had not anchored it to the Silver Moon Great Dao Universe. Instead, like a rogue cultivator, she anchored it directly to the chaos! Yet because it was the Dao of Faith and she had established a unique divine kingdom, standard anchoring methods did not work. Thus, she recalled how the true Silver Moon had integrated into the Silver Moon World back then, and she had completely merged her Dao into the chaos. As for the consequences... she had little idea. All she knew was that right now, something felt slightly off—as if she were being dissolved by the chaos! Indeed! Were it not for the continuous influx of faith power, she might have been dissolved already. In truth, an ordinary Sovereign would never do such a thing. Not even chaos beasts would dare. It was too foolish, too reckless, too insane... Anchoring one's Great Dao entirely to the chaos. Yet the chaos was boundless; one's Dao would constantly melt away into it. Under normal circumstances, there was only one outcome: the Dao would soon be completely diluted and dissolved by the chaos. In short, nearly every Sovereign who attempted this had died! The Queen knew none of this. She lacked proper heritage, possessed no world of her own, and barely understood common knowledge among rogue cultivators. She simply felt... this had to be formidable. Others merged into worlds, while she merged into the chaos itself—was that not grand? Though she felt as if she were being eroded away, she reasoned that if she could continually subjugate more humans—if three billion were not enough, then thirty billion, three hundred billion—the constant generation of faith would naturally offset the dissolving force. And in fact, having reached this stage, that might be the only way to preserve her life. The Queen did not know, the King of Dali did not know, nor did Director Zhao. All they knew was how close of a call it had been! Not long after they fled, they had sensed an immensely terrifying aura descend. With the Dragon World being so colossal, anyone with eyes could tell what had happened. Presently, the trio sped through the void. Director Zhao felt a lingering sense of relief. "Fortunate that we left in advance, otherwise..." It had been far too perilous! He was also surprised by how quick the Queen had been to react, actually deciphering Li Hao's meaning. It was plainly a warning from Li Hao, delivered not through the Time Star, but by directly taking it away. It had been exceedingly subtle. Even he hadn't caught on! How had she understood? As if reading his mind, the Queen sneered. "Li Hao possesses supreme confidence. Since he dared leave the Time Star here, how could someone else have snatched it away? Since no one else took it, he must have retrieved it himself. Yet he wouldn't take it without warning, exposing us to danger... The King of Dali and I may not matter to him, but he would never send Silver Moon martial masters to their deaths!" Had only she and the King of Dali been present, she would have assumed the wretched Li Hao was plotting to undermine her again! Yet with Director Zhao around, Li Hao would not deliberately leave them to die. Danger was imminent. Exposing their faith power had been the signal for them to depart immediately. A moment's thought made it obvious. Director Zhao chuckled ruefully, then asked with lingering dread, "We owe it all to Fellow Daoist Lingyue's vigilance... By the way, Lingyue, achieving vindication directly... are there any ill effects?" 'Queen' was a moniker used in private, one only Li Hao called her. Since she had stated her name was now Lingyue, they addressed her accordingly. "Nothing much, just a slight... sensation of swelling!" the Queen replied. Beside her, the King of Dali frowned slightly. "It is swelling. Did you expand your divine kingdom too much? Why do I feel like... you are constantly inflating, on the verge of bursting?" She had achieved Sovereignty, while he had not. Furthermore, she had instantly drained all the faith power dry—what was he supposed to do? What a truly despicable woman! Moreover, the Queen had resumed human form, yet her body was indeed ballooning at an alarming pace, giving off the impression that she was about to explode. What was going on? The Queen had not realized it herself. Looking down, her expression shifted slightly. How could this be? She was swelling frantically! What in the world? She hastily drew upon the faith power newly generated within her divine kingdom to suppress it, but it proved difficult to control. Billions of humans were fervently generating faith at this very moment, yet... it remained hard to sustain. She was bewildered. Director Zhao glanced at her, equally perplexed, before finally saying, "Never mind that for now. Let us retreat and find the Marquis! It might be that having just achieved vindication, you cannot yet stabilize your realm..." None of the three had any experience to speak of. Right now, their only recourse was to seek out Li Hao. *** Meanwhile, Li Hao stared blankly at the star before him. After gazing at it for a long time, he turned to Er Mao. "If... I mean if someone took away my Time Star in the distant past, would that mean... I can no longer control time?" Er Mao glanced at him, taking a long while to ask, "What do you mean?" Li Hao stared at it, only speaking after a pause. "You understand." "He is dead," Er Mao sighed softly. "Apart from him, no one else can take it away." Li Hao nodded. Indeed, he was referring to the Emperor of Battle Heaven. At the thought, Li Hao said, "I am merely borrowing it for a time as a reference, and I will return it sooner or later. Regardless of whether he is truly dead, faking his death, capable of resurrection, or whatever else, could he at least let me know before taking it back? After all, I have used it for so long; I've grown attached to it!" Er Mao glanced at him again, its tone somber. "Why are you so bent on creating your own..." "Because only then will it truly belong to me. I feel uneasy right now!" Li Hao exhaled. "The more miraculous time is, the more I revere and fear it. When you grow accustomed to time and it is suddenly stripped away... I worry I won't be able to bear the blow! So I thought... I might as well make my own! If I succeed, wonderful. If not, at least I will be mentally prepared, rather than having my Dao heart shatter the moment it is taken!" With that, he changed the subject. "Do you think they got away?" "You know better than I do. Director Zhao's Dao star is still intact, so they got away..." Li Hao nodded. He was currently within the Great Dao Universe; Director Zhao was clearly alive. They had likely escaped, or perhaps the Dragon Lord's target hadn't been there at all, and Li Hao had merely frightened himself. As long as they were safe, that was enough. Relieved, Li Hao asked curiously, "Er Mao, after reaching rank seven, to advance to rank eight without devouring a Great Dao Universe, progression must depend on the Dao itself. Looking at the Lord of Tianfang uniting nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Daos, it seems to relate to the strength of the Dao web. "I once observed the Dao webs of rank seven Sovereigns like the Sword Venerable—theirs contain around three to four thousand Daos... Would rank eight Sovereigns have more? Or are their Daos simply stronger, unrelated to the number in the web?" Er Mao was speechless. You're asking me? How should I know! "I don't know." "You don't know?" Of course not! Er Mao felt thoroughly exasperated with this fellow. It used to enjoy his questions; the way he asked resembled its own younger self, brimming with curiosity about everything, which the scholar could always answer. Yet this cat was no scholar. By now, there was so much he asked that it knew nothing about, yet he kept asking! Asking what for! Piling on questions I can't answer—does that make you look capable? Er Mao was deeply annoyed! Since Er Mao did not know, Li Hao could only speculate, "I believe it's a two-pronged path. For instance, a Dao web of three thousand Daos makes a rank seven Sovereign. For a rank seven Sovereign seeking rank eight, there are two routes. First, allowing those three thousand Daos to strengthen on their own, advancing straight to rank eight! "Second, increasing the number of Daos—weaving and adding more Daos into the web. Perhaps reaching four or five thousand Daos also allows one to step into rank eight..." You've already said as much yourself, so why ask me? Li Hao added, "What I wonder now is: how does a rank eight step into rank nine? By following the Lord of Tianfang and uniting nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Daos? And among rank nine Sovereigns, is the Lord of Tianfang considered exceedingly powerful? If so... does that mean so many are not required? Perhaps uniting nine thousand Daos, or even fewer, is enough for rank nine?" "..." Er Mao said nothing. I don't know, don't ask me, go guess for yourself. This guy is only rank five! Pondering this and that all day long—doesn't he get tired? Li Hao answered his own question: "None of this is certain for now, but I do know that the path of Sovereigns primarily revolves around the quantity and strength of one's Daos! Comprehending the Dao is the true path; devouring will never lead to rank nine! "Now, I have a small theory regarding how chaos beasts achieve rank seven..." Li Hao pondered before continuing, "When they achieve rank seven, following the way of rogue cultivators or world lords, they can only construct a Dao web. But are chaos beasts truly such geniuses? I don't think so. I suspect the myriad Daos of chaos already form a Dao web, and these chaos beasts simply anchor themselves to the Great Dao of Chaos... The Great Dao of Chaos, or rather the chaotic world itself, can perhaps be viewed as a universe... a Great Dao Universe!" However... Li Hao added, "This method works for chaos beasts, but humans had better not attempt it!" "Why?" Er Mao asked. Li Hao smiled. "The physical bodies of humans cannot compare to those of chaos beasts. Chaos beasts can swallow entire worlds! I suspect chaos beasts can achieve vindication in the chaos because the erupting chaotic power is not enough to burst them. But for humans... even those cultivating the Physical Dao might be blown apart! The two do not share the same system, and their constitutions differ... "If an ordinary human dared imitate a chaos beast, I suspect their ultimate fate would be getting torn apart by the ceaselessly expanding chaotic power! "If someone were to anchor their Dao entirely to the chaos, such an idiot wouldn't live long before being dissolved by the Great Dao of Chaos. Or rather, not dissolved, but assimilated by the countless chaotic energies that they couldn't withstand, merging them completely into the chaos! "Chaos beasts, on the other hand, can endure it. They are born in the chaos, long accustomed to it, and have evolved to survive it. Humans are not built that way..." Er Mao nodded. That made sense. It added, "That is why even human rogue cultivators do not anchor their Daos entirely to the chaos; they merely blend them in, rather than anchoring fully. So... there shouldn't be any fools like you described." Li Hao nodded. That was true. Even an unlearned Sovereign typically achieved vindication within a world, never touching chaos at the start. In the early stages, relying on a world was sufficient; there was no need to lean on chaos. Later, upon leaving the world and learning more, they would know better than to act recklessly. At this thought, Li Hao chuckled. "However, if one truly succeeded, they would likely be remarkably powerful. Thus, I feel that at equivalent combat prowess, chaos beasts might be slightly stronger than humans. Of course, humans have their own advantages with refined Dao techniques, making it hard to say who holds the upper hand. Still... I somewhat envy their physical resilience. No wonder they can house worlds within themselves. When I cultivated the Physical Dao, my hope was that my cells could turn into world barriers... yet chaos beasts are naturally capable of it!" Truly enviable! Er Mao pondered for a moment and shook its head. "How could anyone succeed? Merging into the chaos means chaotic power is battering you every single moment. If you follow rogue cultivators and only partially merge, it does nothing but muddy your Dao. If you merge completely, you must receive the chaotic power of the entire chaos... Unless you find an entirely sealed region that accepts no chaotic power at all, but then you cannot grow stronger! To grow stronger, you must emerge and accept the chaotic power... Even a sealed world constantly draws in chaotic power..." In that case, there was simply no way to resist it! Death was only a matter of time, early or late. It felt like rolling its eyes. Why was Li Hao always contemplating suicidal paths? Li Hao nodded as well. "True enough... But if one possesses the ability to withstand and even digest that ceaseless chaotic power, wouldn't it work?" "Unless you are a rank eight or rank nine Sovereign. But at rank eight or nine... what would you gain from doing that? Drawing in more chaotic power? Wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse? At that stage, you should be focusing on purifying your Dao power, not chasing raw energy." That was also true! Li Hao nodded. Indeed, that made sense. Shaking his head, he put the thought aside. He had only contemplated it because he was considering how chaos beasts advanced to rank seven. He certainly had no intention of doing it himself—having no certainty, taking a blind gamble with no guarantee of winning, and yielding little benefit even if he did... only an idiot would attempt it. Dropping the subject, he said with some excitement, "The Dragon World truly left!" I guessed correctly! Er Mao said nothing. The Dragon World had left, but numerous rank seven worlds remained here. Why did he carry himself as if he were the strongest being beneath rank eight? This fellow was getting ahead of himself. Growing arrogant! Had he forgotten how pale his face had turned from fright just moments ago? There were several rank seven great worlds in the immediate vicinity alone. "Now, I just have to wait for those world lords to walk into the trap, and wait for the rest of Silver Moon to arrive... I will gradually devour these worlds, expanding rapidly toward the Dragon World..." With that, his expression turned solemn. "The Dragon Lord is not to be trifled with. I suspect he might be the strongest being in the Four Regions right now!" "Then don't provoke him..." Before Er Mao could finish, Li Hao shook his head. "If I devour these worlds, he will come after me whether I provoke him or not! But if I don't devour them, I won't be satisfied. After all, I am upholding justice..." Bullshit! Er Mao couldn't be bothered to expose him. It was half and half: seeing the plight of humanity here, Li Hao likely felt pity—certainly some, given his youth. Yet to claim it was purely for the humans here was equally untrue. Killing two birds with one stone, doing both at once. Rescuing humanity served as a banner, while strengthening himself and his world yielded tangible benefits. Er Mao simply cautioned, "You must realize that gathering so many humans requires an unimaginably vast world! But if you carry such an enormous world... you won't be able to escape with it! If you get cornered... you'll practically be handing them over to the Dragon Lord! Slaughtering them world by world was troublesome, but if they are gathered in one place, he can wipe them all out in a single sweep!" Li Hao nodded. That was true. A considerable dilemma! Moreover, were the humans of Mouse World... still alive? Old Zhao and the others had fled, but moving all those people was difficult. It was a minor world, after all, and they were too weak. A mid-tier Sovereign might have stood a chance of carrying a minor world away. For Director Zhao, it was likely impossible. Previously, he had only thought about seizing a great world to house these humans, but if he suffered defeat and had to flee, leaving behind a world packed with humans... good heavens, wouldn't the chaos beasts hold a feast of human flesh? Li Hao frowned. "It is a problem. I am not a chaos beast, so carrying a world isn't easy for me. Black Panther is only rank five; carrying Silver Moon is already a strain, and carrying another great world is out of the question... Unfortunately, Black Panther is no match for the Cang Emperor..." With that, he stole a glance at Er Mao. You and the Cang Emperor are kin. The Cang Emperor can do it, so can you... not? The Cang Emperor roams freely with a peak rank seven world, going wherever he pleases. Can you... not? Er Mao sorely wished it could swat him dead with its tail! Indeed, it knew this fellow had set his sights on it again. Er Mao grumbled, "First, this cat is not the Big Cat! Second, the Big Cat and the Xinwu World are one; it was born directly from the Great Dao Universe. That is the crucial point. It is uniquely special. By all logic, a Great Dao Universe cannot give birth to living beings without a world source. Yet the Big Cat was born from the Source Universe..." Li Hao froze, stunned for a moment. He fell silent! Right—the Great Dao Universe! The Cang Emperor was not born within a world, but within a Great Dao Universe. How... could a Great Dao Universe birth living beings? He seemed never to have considered this before. Dazed, he looked at Er Mao, speaking only after a long pause. "Right... how did the Heavenly Emperor of Xinwu create the Cang Emperor within the Great Dao Universe back then? This... shouldn't be possible!" Wherever living beings were born, a world source had to exist! A world source only arose within worlds, and a Great Dao Universe was not a world. A Great Dao Universe was merely a unique space formed by Daos—unless that Great Dao Universe could spontaneously generate a life source. But if so, it meant the Source Universe could indeed birth life. Yet in Xinwu, apart from the Cang Emperor, no one else had been born from the Great Dao Universe itself. Why was that? The Heavenly Emperor was merely a peak rank six Sovereign; how could he have accomplished such a feat? Er Mao swished its tail. "That is hard to say. The Big Cat is uniquely special, whereas I... am not quite like it. We may be called one, but the Big Cat was truly born in the Great Dao Universe. As for me? I am merely a projection; our natures differ. I was not born from your Silver Moon Great Dao Universe, so naturally I cannot seamlessly merge with the world and the Great Dao Universe to carry it off at will like the Big Cat. In truth, Xinwu and the Big Cat are almost perfectly integrated without the slightest rejection. That is the secret to its freedom!" Even chaos beasts could not achieve this. They did not originate from worlds. Li Hao paused again. "Wait, chaos beasts are born from chaos. Do you think... the chaos also has an independent world source?" "..." Er Mao froze for a moment, then nodded after a pause. "There should... be one, right? It makes sense. If chaos can bestow a life source upon worlds, then... the chaos itself should possess one too... It ought to be so." Li Hao nodded. That made sense. In that case, the Cang Emperor's existence was the true anomaly. How could a Great Dao Universe birth life? Strange! No one in Xinwu seemed to have mentioned this either. If Great Dao Universes could birth living beings, what would the future hold? Everyone would become like the Cang Emperor, able to roam freely carrying entire worlds, making even chaos beasts turn red with envy. "So Senior Er Mao... cannot carry a great world?" Er Mao grumbled, "I can only be counted as a chaos beast, not a creature of a Great Dao Universe. Unless I reach rank seven, in which case I could carry a rank seven world, though not very fast. Understand?" "Understood!" Li Hao nodded, feeling a touch of regret. "Senior still differs from the Cang Emperor after all..." Er Mao rolled its eyes again. "Naturally! But the Big Cat has its flaw too: because it was born in the Xinwu World, it only achieves perfect harmony with Xinwu... If it tried carrying another world, it would be just the same!" Isn't that enough already? Li Hao didn't voice the thought, merely sighing with slight regret. "Pity Black Panther wasn't born in the Silver Moon Universe. Otherwise, it could run around carrying Silver Moon however it pleased, completely inconspicuous and hidden from outsiders. What a pity!" This man is never satisfied! Er Mao couldn't be bothered with him. There was only one Big Cat in the entire world—otherwise, why would I be called Er Mao? Li Hao said no more, falling into contemplation... Indeed, since I intend to save so many people, whether out of a fleeting surge of indignation, genuine conviction, or merely to keep up appearances... I cannot simply abandon them! There were too many people; Silver Moon could not hold them all. Devouring so many worlds... how many people would that be? It would require at least a rank seven world to accommodate them, wouldn't it? If so... how was he supposed to carry a rank seven world away? What a headache! He had no rank seven chaos beasts on his side. Even if Er Mao reached rank seven, setting aside whether it was willing, doing so would still be tremendously troublesome. At this moment, Li Hao suddenly felt troubled. Everything else was proceeding smoothly; this was the only issue causing him a headache. Right now, he truly wished someone like the Cang Emperor were around, capable of tucking a great world into their embrace and leaving or staying at will. Alas, even he lacked such an ability. As for his River of the Great Dao, it accommodated many phantom realms. Yet phantom realms were illusory after all. They were not real! Stuffing people inside would eventually starve them to death, as phantom realms could not grow crops or give rise to life. If sent into a phantom realm, even if they didn't die immediately, they would perish sooner or later! On the path of cultivation, an obstacle had finally appeared—one Li Hao could not resolve. Unless his River of the Great Dao could also generate a source of life. That was obviously impossible! If I had that kind of ability, I would already be the hegemon of heaven and earth. Why would I need to flee with people in tow? "Why was the Xinwu Great Dao Universe able to birth the Cang Emperor?" Li Hao fell into contemplation once more, his mind drifting. Strange Xinwu! Could it also be related to the Emperor of Battle Heaven? That shouldn't be possible. Time doesn't possess the power to create a source of life, does it? Yet... nothing was certain!