It was a headache, with no immediate solution.
He could only take things one step at a time; when the carriage reached the mountain, a way would present itself. If worst came to worst, everyone would have to squeeze together. Or he could simply put everyone into dormant quiescence. As long as the duration was brief, it would not pose much of a problem. Naturally, that also meant if anything went wrong on Li Hao's end, everyone would perish.
If quiescence did not give way to recovery, the flow of time would still claim their lives. Yet if everyone were plunged into quiescence, no matter how many there were, they could barely be crammed into a minor world. It would hardly be humane, but pushed to such a brink, humanitarian concerns had to give way.
***
Following the departure of the Dragon World, world lords began arriving at Li Hao's location one after another. The Dragon Lord's departure was of no concern to them; he was a colossal figure whose presence or absence had no bearing on their lives.
If every rank seven Sovereign were to leave one day, widespread chaos might follow. But for now, a whole crowd of rank sevens remained, meaning these world lords had nothing to worry about.
***
The Sovereigns of Silver Moon also began infiltrating toward this location.
Their movements were cautious, none of them daring to advance too quickly.
***
Even as Li Hao laid his plans, at the eastern boundary of the Dragon Domain, towering pillars stretched toward the sky, faint bolts of lightning flickering between them.
The Thunder Domain had stood there for untold ages.
Normally, the chaos lightning tribulation raged with such ferocity that no one dared travel through at will. Recently, however, a peaceful interval had set in, emboldening a few daring figures to attempt traversing the Thunder Domain to move between the interior and exterior.
The outside was vast—that was the hope of the experts of the four regions.
Meanwhile, within the four regions lay rank nine worlds in quiescence rather than ruin—that was the hope of external experts.
As a result, the Thunder Domain had become a barrier many experts yearned to cross. And within this terrifying Thunder Domain, a world stood half-hidden and half-revealed: half of it anchored in the Thunder Domain, half in the outside world.
The entire Thunder World was divided into two halves.
Across one half, lightning flashed endlessly day and night. Across the other half, though lightning was sparse, even the air was saturated with lightning power.
Normally, a population of over a hundred billion was the baseline for a great world. The Thunder World, however, was an exception.
It boasted many experts, yet was ill-suited for common mortals. Survival was harsh for the weak, and compounded by the blockade of the Dragon Domain, people had to risk traversing the Thunder Domain from time to time. Over countless millennia, the present population of the Thunder World had dwindled to barely over thirty billion.
This was a rank seven great world!
Even Silver Moon, when still unranked, had possessed a population of ten billion. For a rank seven great world to hold only three times the population of Silver Moon showed just how grueling survival was. Half of the world was virtually uninhabitable, fit only for experts to enter for cultivation and exploration.
The remaining half also endured year-round lightning strikes, ensuring that almost no other type of cultivator existed in the entire Thunder World; they were all lightning cultivators. Even if one wished to practice other arts, the heavens and earth lacked the necessary elements.
Within the Thunder Divine Palace, the seat of the Thunder World's master...
The palace was austere, adorned only by the endless lightning flashing across the air. Countless currents of lightning power converged here, channeling the bolts of heaven and earth to keep the world from destruction.
Today, a youthful Sovereign hurried into the grand hall, his face brimming with delight as he urgently spoke. "Thunder Emperor, the Dragon World has left!"
The Thunder Emperor, who had been teasing a dragon composed of lightning before him, turned his head. After a long pause, a voice like muffled thunder resonated. "Left?"
"Yes!" The young Sovereign was beside himself with excitement. "Word arrived from outside that the Dragon World has joined the war across the other three regions! Yesterday, the Dragon World set out for Tianfang. Four rank seven dragons carried the world, and the Dragon Lord is meeting with the other rank eight Sovereigns, seemingly to join forces in surrounding and annihilating Xinwu!"
"Xinwu..." The Thunder Emperor was somewhat surprised, as well as deeply moved.
He had heard of Xinwu, though he had never laid eyes on its experts. Yet he knew full well how formidable a rank eight world was.
Had the Thunder World not been nestled in the Thunder Domain, the Dragon Lord would have breached it long ago. Yet Xinwu had first waged a bitter war against Red Moon, then against Chiyang, and now Yunxiao and the Dragon World were joining forces to march upon it...
At times, the Thunder Emperor felt a twinge of envy.
Both were rank seven worlds surrounded by enemies on all sides, yet the Red Moon World had been destroyed, while the Thunder World could only linger on its last legs here.
"Xinwu... What a pity. The humans of the three regions fail to understand that the Dragon World is the true scourge!" The Thunder Emperor sighed. The experts of the three regions had no grasp of the Dragon Domain at all.
The Dragon Lord was the true menace!
To surround Xinwu, they had gone so far as to ally with the Dragon World. How foolish. Allying to deal with the Dragon Domain would make far more sense!
Alas, he could not leave. Even if he did, warning those rank eight Sovereigns would likely be dismissed as a joke.
Who would care about the survival of a rank seven world?
Especially a rank seven world within the Dragon Domain's sphere of influence.
If it died, it died; if it fell, it fell. The Thunder World was destitute, its population scarce, and after years under the Dragon World's blockade, every Sovereign inside was like a starving ghost. In such squalor, who would risk coming to their rescue?
The young Sovereign was still jubilant. "Thunder Emperor, now that the Dragon World is gone, can we relocate our world and leave the Dragon Domain? If we head to the other three regions, they are predominantly human, after all. Even if they don't help us, they won't deliberately target us..."
Remaining here was simply too difficult.
The Thunder World had considered leaving many times, but how? Traversing the Thunder Domain might work for the Thunder Emperor alone, but dragging an entire great world along would mean over half the tens of billions of humans in the domain would die—perhaps even all of them!
If they did not go through the Thunder Domain, there was no other path.
Enemies surrounded them in every direction. Not far away stood the Fire Phoenix World. Leaving the Dragon Domain meant crossing through it, braving formidable foes the entire way. Moreover, relocating a world was no simple task. Once they truly moved and slipped beyond the shield of the Thunder Domain, they would be courting death.
As for inching along the border of the Thunder Domain, that might allow them to slip out of the Dragon Domain, but two other great worlds flanked their flanks. Following that path would guarantee a clash with both.
The Thunder Emperor's thoughts wavered.
Yet the Dragon World's departure was indeed a rare opening. Otherwise, the Thunder World could not hold out much longer. With the Dragon World present, any movement from the Thunder World would bring an assault from a rank eight expert at any moment.
"Is the intelligence confirmed?"
"Confirmed!" the young Sovereign replied swiftly. "All intelligence gathered by our scouts points to the same conclusion. The Dragon World departed in plain view. It is said that once they crossed out of the Dragon Domain, experts from the three regions received them..."
The Thunder Emperor sank into deep contemplation.
Had the Dragon Lord truly left?
It was not impossible. After all, the commotion across the three regions was immense. To the Dragon Lord, this was an opportunity. As for the Thunder World, it was clearly secondary to the three regions in his eyes. Furthermore, with eleven chaos beast great worlds remaining in the Dragon Domain, would he fear the Thunder World escaping?
"Any movement from Fire Phoenix and the other worlds?"
"None! Same as always."
The Thunder Emperor patted the giant lightning dragon before him as though it were the Dragon Lord himself. After a long while, he spoke. "No rush. The Dragon World has only just left and is not yet embroiled in war. If it returns unexpectedly, we will be finished! Of course, we can begin preparations. While the Dragon World is away, perhaps we can gather more Great Dao power. Our Sovereigns' strength is unstable right now. Though lightning power is abundant, the chaos lightning tribulation carries vast destructive energy, which requires a large number of Great Dao crystals to neutralize..."
First, they had to secure resources to restore all the Sovereigns to their peak. That way, whether they carved a bloody path out or smuggled themselves away, they would have the strength to fight if trouble arose.
With the Dragon World gone, they could afford to loosen their guard slightly and use the opening to obtain Great Dao crystals.
"Right, those fellows who came from the outer domains... are they willing to trade?" the Thunder Emperor asked.
The young Sovereign showed an awkward expression before answering, "They are willing... but our Thunder World has nothing to trade."
That was the crux of the problem.
If they had treasures to trade, the Thunder Emperor would have sent people to the outer domains or the Fire Phoenix World long ago. But their Great Dao crystals were entirely depleted. A rank seven Great Dao universe was normally adept at absorbing chaos power and converting it into Great Dao crystals, but the surrounding chaos power had been blockaded long ago.
They had no Great Dao crystals, no minor or medium worlds, no spoils of war, and no Sovereign weapons.
At the level of a Sovereign, what could they trade?
The Thunder Emperor fell silent. After a long time, he said, "Dao charm crystals..."
"No!" the young Sovereign blurted out. "Thunder Emperor, we cannot use Dao charm crystals anymore! Those are a rank seven Sovereign's comprehension of the Dao. If you condense and use too many, you will lose your grasp of the Dao and forfeit control over the Great Dao universe!"
That was a rank seven's exclusive asset!
It could be condensed, but doing so was equivalent to transferring your own Dao directly to another person rather than imparting it. Imparting was not like this; this was a direct severance and transfer. Yet it was likely the only treasure the Thunder World could still produce.
The Thunder Emperor could condense lightning Dao charm crystals. A single Dao charm crystal could fetch hundreds of thousands of Great Dao crystals.
"Let's trade first and find a way to restore everyone's combat strength to its peak!" The Thunder Emperor sighed. "The chaos lightning tribulation is actually our best source of energy, containing boundless lightning power. The trouble is that the destructive force within it cannot be purged—it can only be neutralized! Otherwise, sitting atop the Thunder Domain, why would we ever need to beg others?"
All of them were lightning Sovereigns and had no need for other Great Dao crystals. The difficulty lay in the fact that the chaos lightning tribulation was not pure lightning. If the destructive force was left unneutralized, cultivating for too long would inevitably lead to an explosion—an outright self-destruction!
How many in the Thunder World had detonated themselves to death because they lacked Great Dao crystals to neutralize that destructive power?
"It truly is a pity..." The young Sovereign sighed as well. The Thunder Domain was a prime cultivation ground for masters of the lightning Great Dao—provided the chaos lightning tribulation contained only pure lightning. That would have been perfection.
Had that been the case, the Thunder World might have reached rank eight already, rather than struggling as they were now, sitting on a mountain of treasure yet living worse off than an ordinary minor world.
The Thunder Emperor dropped the subject and instructed, "Keep close watch on the movements of the other Chaos Alliance great worlds! The Dragon World's departure doesn't guarantee our safety. Also, take care regarding those cultivators from the outer domains: only let a small portion enter our Thunder World, not all of them. Especially when it comes to middle-rank cultivators, exercise extreme caution. The Dragon Lord is far more scheming than anyone imagines; beware of him infiltrating the Thunder World!"
"Understood!"
The young Sovereign withdrew swiftly.
Once he was gone, the Thunder Emperor exhaled slowly. He who had appeared unyielding before outsiders was, in truth, exhausted after all these years.
At times, he genuinely felt like abandoning the Thunder World and walking away alone.
Roaming free as a solitary cultivator, unburdened by a great world or a Great Dao universe—what would that matter? He could head to the outer domains, or slip into the three great regions on his own.
Yet tethered to a great world, his hands were tied. Just like the Red Moon Sovereign, who had been pulled in all directions by the existence of his great world, finding it difficult to flee and watching helplessly as other rank seven Sovereigns were slaughtered. His own situation was even more desperate than that of the Lord of Red Moon.
The Thunder World... thirty billion humans.
That was one reason. Second, the Thunder World was the last human-ruled great world in the Dragon Domain. If it fell, mankind would no longer have any foothold in the entire domain.
Was the Dragon World's departure an opportunity, or... a crisis?
He had considered that this might be the Dragon Lord's scheme to lure the snake from its hole. Yet even if it was, he might still have to take the gamble. Blockaded any longer, the Thunder World would not survive!
He was forced into action!
"Are you waiting for me to step out on my own?" the Thunder Emperor murmured. Did he have any other choice?
A trace of bitterness surfaced.
He had none! If he did not seize this chance, no opportunity would remain. Traversing the Dragon Domain was far too perilous. Perhaps he should lead the great world across the Thunder Domain. The prerequisite, however, was countless Great Dao crystals to continually neutralize that destructive force.
Countless!
The four regions might eventually fall to the Dragon Lord. His only hope was to carry the Thunder World through the Thunder Domain and push into the outer domains. Only there might a glimmer of survival await.
He gazed outside once more.
Over the years, the Dragon World had certainly never ceased its attempts to infiltrate them. External Sovereigns had arrived in the Thunder World over the years, though all were human... How many of them had been dispatched by the Dragon World?
"We still... lack a catalyst!" he sighed. The Dragon Domain had not yet descended into chaos.
At this moment, his only hope was that the native demon race would stir up trouble and draw the attention of the Chaos Alliance's great worlds. Only then would an opportunity arise!
***
Meanwhile, in the northern part of the Dragon Domain...
Five great worlds stood in a pentagonal array, encircling an area.
At this moment, within a colossal world, a massive beast resembling a giant panda bared sharp fangs. Fierce and menacing, it carried none of the cuddliness Li Hao and the others might have imagined, radiating only savagery and cold blood. Its teeth gleamed with a frigid chill. "Wait! Our demon race holds five great worlds. The Chaos Alliance will not dare strike us rashly... If they move, they must first take down the Thunder World! As long as war breaks out there, Fire Phoenix, Colossal Elephant, Mighty Tiger, and the others will likely get dragged in. With the Dragon World gone and several great worlds tied down, we will have a shot at counterattacking!"
Below, row upon row of Sovereigns remained silent. Even the experts from the other four demon great worlds held their peace.
After a long while, an old bull gave a soft sigh. "Must we strike back?"
"Fool!" The panda flew into a rage. "I know some of you have been swayed by the Dragon World! All that garbage about the demon race and chaos beasts being one family—pure nonsense! Chaos beasts are chaos beasts, and the demon race is the demon race! Most demons are born within worlds; in terms of origin, we are actually closer to humans! Chaos beasts are spawned by the chaos itself. The source of our worlds and the source of our lives are entirely distinct!"
Whether human or demon, native-born beings all originated from the same world source. Chaos beasts, on the other hand, were born of heaven and earth, spawned from the chaos source. The two were fundamentally different.
A portion of the demon race had indeed evolved after chaos beasts entered worlds, but they were a minority. After generations, they too were born of the world source, no longer of the chaos source.
The giant panda gave no credence to the Dragon Lord's rhetoric, though he knew some fools certainly would.
The beast roared furiously, "What the Dragon Lord wants is to become the hegemon of all four regions! If he succeeds, no one—human or demon—will meet a good end, except the chaos clan! Some of you four houses may already be swayed. I know all about it! But let me warn you: even if you are dead set on defecting to the dragon clan, you had better get lost quietly. If you dare strike against us when we launch our counterattack, I will slaughter you, even if it means wiping out your lineage! Our Iron-Eating Clan possesses three rank seven Sovereigns, and we will fight you to the death!"
"Ahem, Daoist Iron-Eating, calm your fury!" someone below mediated. "Brother Barbaric Bull was merely offering a thought, not proposing defection to the dragon clan! It's just... right now, multiple alliance great worlds surround us. Not only do they have rank seven Sovereigns, but their middle-rank and low-rank Sovereigns are also vast in number. They can relocate their worlds into battle, giving them an advantage over us... Over the years, they have blockaded our perimeter and siphoned away chaos power, leaving us struggling to sustain ourselves. To counterattack at this moment..."
It was difficult—far too difficult!
Together, the five demon great worlds commanded eight rank seven Sovereigns: three from the Iron-Eating Clan, two from another world, and one each from the remaining three.
Eight rank seven Sovereigns!
Were they many? Very many. Yet the chaos beast clan possessed even more rank sevens!
Some had emerged in recent years, while others were rovers of the chaos. Even if there were only twelve chaos great worlds including the Dragon World, the actual number of rank seven Sovereigns far exceeded expectations.
How could they strike back? And even if all eight rank sevens attacked and broke out, where would they go afterward?
"Daoist Iron-Eating, even if we shatter the surrounding defenses, we have nowhere to go. The three regions belong to humans. Though there are some demon worlds, none are particularly strong. If all of us take our experts to the three regions, things might turn out even worse!"
"As for the outer domains... to say nothing else, we cannot cross the Thunder Domain."
Another Sovereign sighed. "The Thunder World has hope if it counterattacks. It can head to the three regions—they are human, after all—or cross the Thunder Domain into the outer domains, where humans also dominate... But what about us?"
They had nowhere to run!
The Iron-Eating Sovereign wanted to strike back, and the others had wanted to previously as well, but over the years, they had been partially brainwashed by the Dragon Lord's words.
Where could they go? Where could the demon race turn?
The chaos beasts were their best home. Wherever else they went, the demon race would meet the same fate, if not worse. What was there to fight back against? Whom would they fight?
The Iron-Eating Sovereign's gaze turned chillingly cold. That was the second house! First the Barbaric Bull Sovereign, and now the Iron Eagle Sovereign; both great worlds were entertaining thoughts of surrender. The demon race might truly lack the will to fight back.
The longer they waited, the harder a counterattack became.
After a brief silence, the Iron-Eating Sovereign said coldly, "Do you believe that the moment the Dragon Lord subdues every world, he will demand your Great Dao universes? Even if you surrender, it will be the same! He needs to nurture more rank seven chaos clan experts, and Great Dao universes are the key to their parasitism—or to merging them into the Dragon World to forge a rank nine great world! Are you truly willing to hand them over?"
At that moment, the demon Sovereigns fell silent.
This was the very reason they were still willing to gather here for discussions: fear on this front.
After a long pause, the Iron-Eating Sovereign said in a deep voice, "Whatever you may think, as long as the Thunder World does not move, we hold our ground! Once a clash erupts at the Thunder World... that will be our chance!"
"Will the Thunder World move?" a Sovereign asked hesitantly. "The Thunder Master is well aware of the danger..."
"He is even more aware that if he doesn't move now, he never will!" The Iron-Eating Sovereign sighed. "This is his only chance. Otherwise, once the Dragon Lord gains the upper hand in the three regions, or one or two human rank eight Sovereigns fall, all hope is gone! Even knowing it's a trap, he will have to jump. At least the Dragon World is away right now—this is his greatest opening. If he doesn't jump, he simply waits for death!"
Jumping at least offered a sliver of hope.
***
Elsewhere, Li Hao was also waiting.
All three sides were waiting, watching for an opportunity, hoping someone else would jump out first and pick a fight to create an opening, shattering the suffocating quiet of the Dragon Domain.
As long as someone struck first and broke the stillness, the chance to fish in troubled waters would present itself.
Unfortunately, it seemed everyone was waiting for the same catalyst.
Looking at the peripheral worlds, Li Hao sighed softly and turned to Kongji. "The Thunder World makes no move, the Fire Phoenix World makes no move, and the demon race makes no move... With things so quiet, getting anything done is ridiculously hard!"
He shook his head.
The Dragon Lord had left; wouldn't any of them resist?
Well, he understood that the others were likely doing the same thing as he was: the Thunder World waiting on the demon race, the demon race waiting on the Thunder World. Naturally, no one was waiting on him, because no one knew he had arrived. Even if they had known, they wouldn't have cared—a mere rank five Sovereign hardly counted for anything!
Kongji was in no hurry, looking thoroughly relaxed. He was even in the mood to brew tea. Neither of them had entered Silver Moon; they remained inside the peripheral rank six water world.
Sipping his tea, Kongji chuckled. "It can't be helped. The chaos clan's power is overwhelming, and no one wants to be the first to stick their neck out—it's too dangerous! Let's wait. They are more anxious than we are..."
"I can't wait!" Li Hao smiled. "Once the Silver Moon people arrive, I'm making my move. First, I'll take down those world lords outside! After taking them, I must find a rank seven world... and strike!"
"Hm?"
"For you!" Li Hao looked at him. "Stepping into rank seven won't work with these small and medium worlds. You need a rank seven world. Only when you enter rank seven as a Sovereign of six Daos and three polarities, and I step into rank six, will we have a sliver of hope to sweep through the Dragon Domain! Otherwise, do you really expect the two of us, at our current strength, to pull that off?"
Kongji was touched. "Brother Haoyue... you've taken such pains!"
See, this was a true Dao companion, single-mindedly planning his breakthrough to rank seven!
"We have to be fast..." Li Hao added. "Any slower, and either your home base is gone, or Xinwu is gone..."
"Hm?" Kongji froze.
Li Hao said solemnly, "The Dragon Lord is too formidable. He is likely at the peak of rank eight, stronger than anyone anticipated. Right now, he will either join Yunxiao and Red Moon to assault Xinwu, or... deal with Radiance! Personally, I think targeting Radiance is more likely. Taking down Radiance first before heading to the Chiyang Domain to surround Xinwu leaves their rear completely secure!"
Kongji frowned. "My father..."
His father was immensely powerful!
Yet at the thought of the Dragon Lord, he frowned again. Moreover, there were two other rank eight Sovereigns. Yunxiao would surely leap at the chance to strike Radiance first, as Yunxiao and Radiance had perpetually vied for supremacy in the Tianfang Region.
As for Red Moon, he likely wouldn't object either.
Kongji had previously thought this had nothing to do with Radiance, but now his brow furrowed deeply. "It is indeed possible... But my father is no fool; he must sense the looming danger. Under these circumstances, he will either step forward and choose an alliance, or..."
Or he would be forced to compromise, perhaps even signing Great Dao pacts with the three parties in exchange for peace.
Troublesome indeed!
As for whether his father possessed such vigilance, he surely did. Kongji trusted that his father was not so foolish as to remain completely off-guard.
Kongji said no more; worrying was pointless now. Strengthening himself was the priority.
"Then those world lords outside—when do you plan to meet them?"
"No rush. Let Black Panther appease them first and handle the communications. We'll wait until the others arrive!"
The Sovereigns of Silver Moon were en route and should arrive soon. As long as they stayed cautious, there should be no issue; most experts were holed up in their own worlds, and roaming Sovereigns were rare in the Dragon Domain. Since they were all Sovereigns now, Li Hao had no need to worry over them like children.
***
Outside, the scene was bustling.
Though Black Panther felt nervous, with Li Hao leaving it to its own devices, it had no choice but to deal with the arriving world lords itself. The agreed-upon half-month deadline had not yet arrived, yet a substantial number of Sovereigns had already gathered.
Almost all of these fellows had brought their worlds along.
Chaos beasts had this advantage: when they wished to leave, they could swallow their world and carry it off, even if their travel speed suffered slightly. As for when the world would be devoured, according to Black Panther, they had to wait until everyone arrived so all could share... Though the early-arriving world lords were somewhat disgruntled, hearing this from a rank five Sovereign, they could only wait.
While things were lively on their end, everywhere else remained locked in the quiet before the storm—an eerie stillness!
Even in the Tianfang Region, the Dragon Lord did not seem in any hurry to march toward the Chiyang Region after crossing over. Instead, he hovered near the Tianfang World alongside the two rank eight Sovereigns, showing no haste in attacking Xinwu.
***
Time slipped by day by day as everyone waited.
On this day, a smile touched Li Hao's lips. The Silver Moon people had arrived.
He vanished in an instant.
The first to arrive were Qian Wuliang and his group, who were faster and possessed greater strength.
Previously, they had been searching for suitable worlds until Li Hao sent word, whereupon they rushed over immediately. To avoid drawing attention along the way, they had taken detours, which delayed them; otherwise, they would have arrived even sooner.
"Marquis!"
Seeing Li Hao appear abruptly, Qian Wuliang was startled at first, then broke into a smile. He glanced toward the distance, where countless colossal beasts hovered outside a world.
He was astonished!
So many! At a glance, there were at least thirty or forty Sovereigns, all of them titanic beasts. Some had positioned their worlds directly outside, and many experts now circled that rank six world.
How had he managed this?
Li Hao smiled. "No trouble along the way?"
"None," Qian Wuliang replied, shaking his head. "Though it wasn't entirely smooth either. Only upon arriving here did I realize how tight the Dragon Domain's control is. Checkpoints are everywhere. We even ran into a Dragon World patrol squad—several Sovereigns operating together. Fortunately, we steered clear ahead of time, or it would have been quite troublesome. There are simply too many Sovereigns patrolling here..."
Such scenes were unheard of in the other three regions.
Patrols! If a single world went missing, they might notice it. It was exceedingly dangerous.
Li Hao nodded.
By now, he was accustomed to it. "Wait here a moment; the others will be arriving shortly. Once everyone is assembled..." Glancing behind him, Li Hao smiled. "We'll take care of these fellows first!"
Qian Wuliang expressed some concern. "There are many of them, including several middle-rank worlds. Marquis, do we have enough hands? If we are discovered..."
"The Dragon World has left; there's no need to worry!" At this point, Li Hao frowned slightly. "Old Zhao and the others... I wonder if they can make it. A minor hiccup occurred earlier, causing the river of time to snap and severing my connection with them."
Qian Wuliang had sensed the disruption, though he had no idea what had caused it.
Just as he was pondering this, Li Hao suddenly frowned and looked into the distance.
Qian Wuliang turned quickly as well, then froze.
In the distance, what appeared to be a bright moon was currently rising.
Li Hao's expression changed! Qian Wuliang's face turned pale as well. Had someone lost their mind? Who was that? The Western Queen?
Damn it, this area was swarming with chaos beast experts! Had she gone mad, displaying her Silver Moon form here? With such a massive moon, did she take all the nearby experts for blind?
***
In the distance, Director Zhao was drenched in cold sweat, and the King of Dali was trembling uncontrollably.
Fuck! Hurry!
Neither of them had expected that the Queen, who had only been swelling slightly at first, would now expand at an insane rate, ballooning beyond any ability to suppress. She had been forced to revert to her Silver Moon form. Even so, the moon grew ever larger and its radiance ever brighter!
If this continued, someone would spot them sooner or later. Crucially, the Queen herself could no longer contain it.
She had felt delighted earlier... but now, only unease, terror, helplessness, and even despair remained.
How could this happen?
If this problem was not resolved, let alone remaining hidden, she might directly explode! The power of faith generated within her divine kingdom was completely insufficient to offset the wildly surging chaos power. If this kept going... she was truly going to detonate.
Sweat poured from Director Zhao as he desperately absorbed the energy leaking from her, paying no mind to impurities. He urged in panic, "Hurry... faster! This area is Fire Phoenix World territory..."
The moon was growing larger by the second!
At this rate, everyone was doomed. He was almost tempted to change their route, as continuing on might expose Li Hao as well.
How could he have known the Queen would balloon so rapidly? She was almost the size of a city now. Was she truly going to transform into a world?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a figure materialized instantly. Director Zhao was startled, but the Queen, despite her agonizing distress, sensed the arrival. Her voice drifted out: "I seem to be out of control..."
Li Hao took one look and wasted no words. In an instant, the domain of stealing the sky and switching the sun unfolded, veiling heaven and earth. A domain of quiescence materialized in the blink of an eye, completely cloaking her and annihilating the surrounding chaos power along with it.
Li Hao frowned and reached out toward the Queen, dragging vast amounts of chaos power out of her in a single sweep!
Yet... chaos power from the surroundings continued to pour in as though completely unrestrained, bypassing the suppression of quiescence entirely. Li Hao's brow furrowed. Without a word, divine radiance flared in his eyes as he peered into the moon she had become!
The next instant, his jaw dropped!
Fuck!
Just a few days ago, he had told Er Mao that no Sovereign in this world was a fool, an idiot, or an unlucky sucker... Good heavens, today he had found one right before his eyes!
And from their own Silver Moon, no less!
He stood dumbfounded for a long time before gritting his teeth. "What... did you do?"
"Achieved vindication!"
"Your vindication... you... you fused your Dao into the chaos?"
"Yes!" Having had a large amount of chaos power drained by him, the Queen felt slightly relieved and explained helplessly, "The situation was urgent, and the world couldn't be relocated. So I anchored my Dao into the chaos. That way, by establishing a Divine Kingdom of Faith with an anchor, the kingdom could expand indefinitely, allowing me to carry everyone away..."
Li Hao stared at her for a long time before asking, "Do you suppose anyone in this world has ever achieved vindication through faith?"
Of course they had! Wasn't that obvious?
"Do you suppose there's a reason nobody was clever enough to anchor their Dao into the chaos, relying on the chaos to establish a so-called Divine Kingdom of Faith? Carving out a massive space—even a world—within the Dao of chaos... How wonderful that sounds! Roaming everywhere with my subjects, faith omnipresent, making me even more formidable than a chaos beast..."
The Queen froze. That was true... but had anyone else discovered such a method? Perhaps she was the first to stumble upon it—wouldn't that be normal? Li Hao had been the first to discover time; why couldn't she be the first to discover that a Divine Kingdom of Faith could be carved out within the chaos?
Even as the thoughts ran through her head, she realized... something was terribly wrong.
Li Hao could not help but curse, "You idiot!"
"..."
Director Zhao hurried to interject, "The situation was dire; there was no other way. Marquis, just tell us directly—is there a fatal flaw to this?"
"..."
Stupid question!
Li Hao rolled his eyes. "She's as good as dead! Merging one's Great Dao into the chaos and becoming one with it—oh, how grand! At this rate, the chaos power of the entire cosmos will flood into her body. She's a mere rank one Sovereign. Let me think... in ten days at most, she will be stuffed to bursting. Bang! Not even ashes will remain, her Great Dao will detonate, and she will be thoroughly merged into the chaos!"
"..."
Silence fell over everyone.
A phantom projection of the Queen materialized, retaining her slender figure rather than the bloated shape of the moon. Frowning, she looked at Li Hao. "Anchoring the Dao into the chaos allows one to draw on chaos power, carve out world-like spaces—my divine kingdom—within the chaos, and break free from the constraints of worlds... There are many benefits..."
Li Hao nodded. "Yes, exactly... which is why you're about to blow up!"
"Aren't you here?"
"..."
Li Hao rolled his eyes violently. Good heavens, she placed that much trust in him? What use was his presence? Could he suppress this just by standing here? Reversing time was about all he could do!
He would have to rewind back to the moment she achieved vindication. But doing that risked catastrophic consequences—what if the reversal rewound straight back to the moment the Dragon Lord arrived? Wouldn't she be terrified?
"Did the Dragon Lord head straight there earlier?"
"Yes," Director Zhao answered hurriedly, offering an explanation on her behalf. "Lingyue did it to save people; there was no other choice at the time. If the Marquis has a way, please save her..."
Had the Queen insisted on vindicating her Dao this way out of pure selfishness, Director Zhao wouldn't have bothered pleading. But she had done it to save the human race, to save all of them. He had to make that clear to Li Hao.
"I understand." Li Hao nodded, his brow tightly knit. He studied the Queen, feeling the omnipresent chaos power violently surging toward her. Even the power of quiescence could not hold it back; the chaos power seemed capable of bypassing the domain of quiescence entirely.
At this rate, even hiding her in a place devoid of chaos power might still result in her being gorged to bursting by chaos power! Because all worlds existed within the chaos.
A massive headache!
How could this be controlled now? Unless... she severed her Dao!
Yet her Great Dao was completely fused into it. Li Hao thought for a moment and said, "Sever all your Great Daos and retain only your Dao meridians. Your Dao meridian stars are still within the Silver Moon Great Dao. Find a way to cultivate the Silver Moon Great Dao instead; you cannot pursue this path any longer!"
The Queen paused, looking at Li Hao. "Is that the only way?"
"Yes!"
"I thought... to you, no problem was insurmountable."
Li Hao frowned. "I am no invincible being; I am only rank five. As for your predicament, I happened to discuss this scenario with Senior Er Mao just a few days ago. Logically, this shouldn't have happened. Of course, the situation was urgent and left you no choice... How about this: I will do everything in my power to help you achieve Sovereign rank again, but you must abandon this Dao first..."
This was the safest course of action.
Preserving her life came first. Although the Queen was a walking harbinger of trouble, Li Hao had never intended to kill her. Their past cooperations had never left him at a disadvantage, and this time she had acted to save people. He genuinely wanted to preserve her life.
This was the safest route, though it would cost her strength, dropping her below Sovereign rank. That was nothing; he could help her achieve vindication through the Silver Moon Dao later.
The Queen fell silent.
After all her bitter struggles, it would end in nothing? Abandoning the path of faith, abandoning everything, taking up the Silver Moon Dao to achieve Sovereign rank... Her physical body star in the Silver Moon Great Dao universe was the only one of decent strength.
Then she would become a weak cultivator who, only after Silver Moon advanced to rank six, might find a way to become a rank one Sovereign—and one bound by Silver Moon's control at that.
Qian Wuliang, Hong Yitang, and the rest could crush her whenever they pleased.
Was this... the outcome she wanted?
At that moment, the Queen remained utterly silent.
Being suppressed by Li Hao in Silver Moon had been tolerable, but if she chose this path, Qian Wuliang, Hong Yitang, Black Panther, Tianji, King Huai, Lin Hongyu... all of them would stand above her.
From then on... would she be shackled forever?
"No!" the Queen suddenly spoke. "I can do it!"
She looked at Li Hao, her voice icy. "I have a way! As long as there are enough people who believe in me, I can use faith to balance and suppress the chaos power. I can rapidly strengthen myself. As long as I am strong enough, I can absorb vast amounts of chaos power, fusing directly into the chaos and even becoming the Heaven's Will of the chaos!"
"You're insane!"
"I am not insane!" The Queen shook her head. "You can cultivate time; why can't I cultivate chaos faith?"
"You..."
Damn it!
Li Hao wanted to swear!
This woman had lost her mind. Drawing on faith was merely treating the symptom, not the cause. Did she not realize that the stronger she became, the faster she would absorb chaos power? She would only die a more gruesome death!
When she reached rank two, chaos power would pour in even faster, forcing her to advance to rank three at breakneck speed. At rank three, it would accelerate again, demanding a frantic push to rank four...
In other words, becoming stronger would not allow her to suppress it! Quite the opposite!
The stronger she grew, the faster and more violently she would draw chaos power. That would require her to advance endlessly until the day she could maintain a complete balance between intake and output, only then avoiding detonation.
What level of strength would that require? Rank seven? Rank eight? Or rank nine!
Did this idiot not understand that logic?
Just as he was about to speak, the Queen added, "I understand the reasoning, but I also believe every Great Dao has its purpose and significance! The Dao does not distinguish between noble and base, high and low. If it can be vindicated, it can be mastered!"
Li Hao was stunned. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "You are dead set on seeking your own demise."
The Queen regained her composure. "You said it yourself: faith belongs to me... Even if I die, I want to draw on faith first! Wouldn't that suit your wishes perfectly?"
Li Hao fell silent and said no more.
He forcefully suppressed the surrounding chaos power, yet it continued to pour out of the Queen uncontrollably. Frowning, he waved his hand to shroud the surrounding space and contain her, saying gravely, "Let's head back first; staying here is too conspicuous! Furthermore... there are dozens of worlds on the periphery. We will take them down shortly. If over a hundred billion humans can direct their faith toward you... it might sustain you for a time. Don't rush to advance... suppress the chaos power first!"
Damn it, what a nuisance!
His head ached.
Was it so bad to achieve vindication step by step? As for carving out a faith kingdom... it sounded grand, but it was giving him a splitting headache!
Not a single person from Silver Moon gave him any peace of mind. Even his teacher!
Thinking of his teacher now, Li Hao cursed inwardly with renewed vigor. Full of whimsical notions all day long, insisting on forging a Dao domain before achieving vindication—what was he thinking? Every last one of them was well up in years, yet none of them could behave sensibly!
And this Queen—did she truly believe she could suppress the violent surge of chaos power? If it were that simple, someone would have done it long ago; would it have been left for her?
Then there was Kongji, dead set on pursuing six Daos and three polarities. And himself, stubbornly tracing out myriad Daos and time...
Had he known, it would have been better to pursue a single Great Dao and charge straight to rank seven!
Countless thoughts surged in Li Hao's mind, cursing them one by one, and then cursing himself after cursing everyone else. Truly, none of them gave him any peace!
Chapter 523