At this moment, Li Hao was still unaware that the Iron-Eating Sovereign, who had originally intended to seek refuge with him, had been intercepted midway.
Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.
It saved him trouble anyway!
He actually disliked courting trouble... Trouble simply had a knack for finding him. Xinwu was always the one stirring up a hornet's nest, and he merely ended up taking the blame behind them—one only had to look at Red Moon to see that.
Granted, attacking the Dragon Domain had been his own doing... but Xinwu wasn't bad; at least they hadn't taken the fall for him.
Li Hao felt that the Human King was just too arrogant and barbaric... As for himself, an honest and upright man, he had never been fond of making trouble.
At this moment, Li Hao had no mind to ponder the fate of the demon race.
Toward those he was not well-acquainted with, he had never possessed much patience or sympathy.
Be it Senlan, Kongji, or the Thunder Lord... they were all cultured, refined gentlemen who didn't stir up trouble. Li Hao wasn't fond of troublemakers; probably only the Human King enjoyed having them around.
Of course, as for Wushan defecting from Yunxiao, the Thunder Lord wanting to fight the Dragon Lord, or Kongji daring to do anything... that didn't conflict with being refined.
At least, that was what Li Hao believed.
He had always felt that those by his side were gentlemanly and polite: Er Mao was far friendlier than Big Cat, Black Panther was much more obedient than Heavenly Dog, and the two Dao Lords weren't nearly as scheming as the Supreme...
By comparison, Li Hao realized that his group was a rare assembly of honest, refined people in the chaos—every single one well-educated and reasonable.
It was not without reason that such thoughts and comparisons crossed his mind at this very moment.
Inside the Thunder Realm.
Li Hao gazed into the distance, as if sensing something. Involuntarily, a certain figure came to mind. He stared toward the horizon until Kongji called out to him, prompting Li Hao to let out a soft sigh. "The outer regions might not stay peaceful for long."
Kongji grew excited. "Are you going to do something big?"
"..."
Li Hao felt utterly helpless. What does that have to do with me?
I have never been one to look for trouble.
I have always treated others with kindness. Brother Kongji, could you have misunderstood me?
"It has nothing to do with me!"
Speechless, Li Hao said, "I seem to have sensed a faint trace of the Human King's aura..."
"How is that possible?"
Kongji didn't believe it.
He doubted two things: first, that Li Hao could sense the Human King, and second, that the Human King would appear in the outer regions right now.
The man was still in the Bright Light World, dutifully guarding Bright Light.
What a fine, upright man!
Li Hao sighed and glanced at the nearby Dali World. After being sealed off by him, this sixth-rank world had been placed directly into the Thunder Realm, which was vast, boundless, and uninhabited.
Right now, the Stargate flickered faintly.
The Stargate had been forged by the Human King and his cohorts.
Now that they had left the Four Regions, it stood to reason that they were far apart, and there shouldn't be any movement. Although the fluctuation was extraordinarily faint, why did it feel like the Human King was appearing?
Earlier, whenever the Human King drew near him, the Stargate had indeed trembled slightly, but it had been extremely weak and difficult to discern.
Having reached his current level, Li Hao could finally detect a hint of it.
Don't tell me the Human King came out?
If the Human King really was out... that might mean some of his prior speculations had come true: Xinwu might be leaving the Four Regions, and the Bright Light World might be abandoned.
It was also possible that after his inner world advanced, the Human King chose to break away...
Of course, whether things were truly as he thought could not yet be confirmed.
Li Hao simply felt... running into someone exceptionally skilled at stirring up trouble was a miserable affair... I'd better not run into the Human King. Even if I do, heaven forbid anyone finds out we're on the same side... Now that we're both out here, we're not on the same side anymore.
With these thoughts in mind, he said, "Forget it, let's not speak of this. I am about to embark on a journey... Will you stay here to continue exchanging insights with everyone, or will you come with me?"
"Together, of course!"
Kongji laughed. "I think leaving the Thunder Lord alone to guard this place is enough. He is an eighth-rank Sovereign, backed by his native world and Great Dao universe. As long as he doesn't act recklessly, ordinary eighth-rank attackers won't be able to breach it without paying a steep price. Therefore, I believe it's safer for the rest of us to travel together."
Li Hao sighed with feeling. "I am going to comprehend the Dao, not to fight, kill, and seize worlds."
"No difference."
Kongji's attitude was completely different from before; at this point, he treated everything Li Hao said as polite platitudes.
"Who would willingly exchange insights on the Great Dao with you? If they're unwilling... fighting is the only option! Of course, you Silver Moon martial masters always need a righteous pretext. But chaos experts are all exceedingly arrogant. When you, a sixth-rank Sovereign, come knocking on their door asking to spar and compare Daos, they'll see it as a provocation. And once provoked, they will surely strike back against you... and just like that, you have your righteous pretext!"
"..."
Speechless!
Li Hao smiled wryly.
How could that be?
Can't we just have a proper, civil exchange...?
"Don't worry, I understand you. We're doing it all for justice, defending righteousness!"
Having fully grasped Li Hao's playbook by now, Kongji said briskly, "Didn't we hear that some barren islands trade in slaves? That is trampling upon the dignity of cultivators! We can just pick a random barren island and attack it. Those islands will definitely have experts guarding them, and they probably have great worlds backing them in the shadows. Beat the small ones, and the old ones will come. Fight enough... and the entire outer chaos will be our enemy!"
Kongji wore a confident expression. "When that time comes, we can hit whoever we want. Not a single one of them will be innocent!"
"..."
Li Hao stared at him for a long time before saying, "You've been following me, not the Human King... Brother Kongji, did you... get something mixed up?"
Strange!
They say birds of a feather flock together, and everyone around me is refined and gentle. Kongji used to be extraordinarily refined—why has he... changed?
Kongji looked at him, fell silent for a moment, and said after a pause, "Brother Haoyue, on the surface, the Human King is wild, arrogant, and reckless, but on the inside, he is cautious, responsible, and steady."
Li Hao watched him. And then?
"As for Brother Haoyue... on the surface, you look harmless to men and beasts..."
At this point, Kongji hesitated, seemingly debating whether to speak, but finally muttered, "Deep down... Brother Haoyue, think about it: across the entire Four Regions, out of all those seventh- and eighth-rank experts who died... who killed more of them?"
"..."
Li Hao looked at him silently. Are you talking about me?
I was merely forced to fight back in self-defense.
Seeing Li Hao's refusal to acknowledge it, Kongji felt helpless. All right, we've known each other for a few years now. Ever since Li Hao stepped out of Silver Moon, the two of them had known each other and cooperated up to this day.
What kind of person was Li Hao?
Everyone in the Four Regions claimed the Human King was arrogant and overbearing, but the Human King didn't actually push things to absolute extremes—he only did so against those who offended him.
And Li Hao?
He was... truly ruthless. Among those who had offended him, only the Lord of Red Moon was still alive today. As for the Dragon Lord, Li Hao had taken the initiative to attack the Dragon Domain. But among those who had crossed Li Hao, in the vast Four Regions, only the Lord of Red Moon had survived.
In truth, there hadn't been that many battles in the Four Regions beforehand. The Human King had only wiped out Bliss and Deep Dark; nearly all the other great worlds destroyed were connected to Li Hao. That included the destruction of Chiyang and Yunxiao... It seemed unrelated, but without the destruction of the Red Moon World, Xinwu wouldn't have unleashed its might afterward.
As the saying went, barking dogs seldom bite.
One only had to look at their pets to see the truth. Xinwu's people, cat, and dog flaunted everything openly on the surface. On Li Hao's side, whether people, cat, or dog... they were the type that bit without barking.
This man and the Human King were two opposite extremes.
Li Hao rubbed his chin, giving Kongji a look that said "you know too much," which left Kongji completely helpless.
Li Hao chuckled and said, "All right, Brother Kongji, let's stop bantering. Ever since leaving Tianfang, you've become fonder of joking around, Fellow Daoist."
"..."
Kongji shrugged and said no more.
This fellow Li Hao was polite to everyone, constantly tossing around words like "Senior," "Elder," and "Fellow Daoist," but when it came to striking, he showed not an ounce of mercy.
Too lazy to say more, Kongji got straight to the point: "Where do we go next, then?"
"There are many worlds in chaos. I'd most like to visit the south, but... the distance is one issue, and secondly, the south is the territory of the demon race, so going there isn't very convenient. Furthermore, we don't know much about chaos as a whole. Let's take things one step at a time. This place is closest to the Gemini Universe, so we'll head over there first, and then check out other worlds in the east, including Samsara..."
First, take a look at the eastern powerhouses and gauge the strength of the eastern hegemons.
To seek the Dao out there, one needed strength.
In this day and age, seeking the Dao without sufficient power would get a person killed.
It was too dangerous!
The path of seeking the Dao was fraught with hardships; I shall search high and low. But if the Dao cannot be sought or inquired through peaceful means, one can only resort to ungentlemanly methods.
"Sounds good!"
Kongji agreed readily and called out, "Seniors, Fellow Daoist Haoyue is about to set off!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In an instant, cultivators shifted over one after another.
"..."
Li Hao was speechless. Why are you all so excited?
I'm just going out to look around, truly just a casual look. If we can seek the Dao, we will; if not, we'll just find another place.
It's just roaming through chaos, wandering the four corners.
The Thunder Realm was an eighth-rank great world, currently sitting in a region rich in chaotic power. Staying here was very comfortable, yet every single one of them was being so eager.
"For this journey... I won't bring ordinary people along. Everyone also needs time to consolidate," Li Hao said after some thought. "Senior Er Mao will come with me, and Brother Kongji is going too..."
He looked toward the others—Wushan, Dao Chessboard, and the Thunder Lord. Pondering for a moment, he said, "Senior Wushan, do you wish to go out and see, or...?"
"Go out!" Wushan responded instantly.
Seeing Li Hao look over, he coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Mainly, I'm concerned for your safety. This is the outer domain, teeming with eighth-rank experts. Although you all possess considerable combat power, running into an eighth-rank here would still be troublesome..."
All right, no more needed to be said.
He then looked at Dao Chessboard. The board emanated a faint sense of grievance: an eighth-rank great world... you still owe me one. Of course I must follow along; otherwise, what if you forget?
All right, there was no need to ask this one either.
Li Hao thought for a moment and said, "Then this time, it will be me, Kongji, Wushan, Er Mao, Dao Chessboard..."
Pausing briefly, he added, "And Black Panther and the Queen."
Nearby, several people stirred slightly, though none spoke.
Qian Wuliang and the others had followed into the Dali World, which remained sealed. However, a large number of people had not entered the sealed Dali World; for instance, Hong Yitang hadn't gone in, nor had Yuan Shuo, Southern Fist, and their lot...
Not bringing any of them, bringing Black Panther was understandable, but bringing the Queen? What on earth?
Of course, Southern Fist and the others only thought this to themselves.
Meanwhile, Yuan Shuo thought: Whenever this brat heads out, nothing good comes of it. Look, bringing the Queen—what is she for?
To harvest people!
Harvest who?
The humans in worlds!
Clearly, he was preparing to do something big. Destroying worlds would be par for the course. Otherwise, nearly everyone going out this time was an expert; Black Panther was the weakest, and even he had stepped into the sixth rank yesterday.
The Queen was only fourth-rank, and an unstable one at that. What was the use of bringing her?
Her sole purpose was taking in people!
As for Black Panther, with Silver Moon placed here, he too could carry a world, and so could Er Mao...
This entire lineup was blatantly assembled for slaughter and seizing worlds.
Li Hao offered no explanation. Instead, he said, "Right, the fellow Daoist Kanghan who was invited over a few days ago—let's have him be our guide. We are unfamiliar with the outer chaos. Though not strong, he is still a fourth-rank Sovereign, which is more than enough to lead the way..."
At this point, the Thunder Lord couldn't help asking, "Then what about Senlan and me...?"
Li Hao looked at the two of them. "Both of you have great worlds to guard, which are inconvenient to carry along. Furthermore, Senlan only recently entered the seventh rank, and the Thunder Realm has just advanced to the eighth rank. You two should remain here. Watching over and protecting each other will be safer."
Realm Lord Senlan didn't mind much. He had plenty on his hands lately; his world had just reached the seventh rank, and he had more Sovereigns under his command than the Thunder Realm did. Having absorbed many people from the four worlds last time, he was busy managing those affairs.
He had his hands full!
The Thunder Emperor, on the other hand, truly wasn't very busy. The Thunder Realm had few people—fewer than twenty Sovereigns. Having been trapped in the Dragon Domain for so long, he was eager to let loose.
Yet Li Hao wasn't taking him.
An eighth-rank Sovereign could naturally leave whenever he pleased... but if he left, there would truly be no one left to guard the Thunder Realm.
The Thunder Emperor felt a bit of regret!
Li Hao was somewhat surprised; he hadn't realized that the Thunder Lord was so keen on roaming about.
Not many people were traveling together on this expedition.
Counting Li Hao and the outsider Kanghan, there were only seven individuals.
One eighth-rank, four seventh-ranks (counting Li Hao), one sixth-rank, and two fourth-ranks.
Such a lineup... disregarding world enhancements, was sufficient to conquer an eighth-rank world—provided Wushan could deal with an eighth-rank world lord.
...
When Kanghan was brought out, he was on the verge of tears.
He had assumed he was about to be executed.
Only when Li Hao gently and politely invited him to serve as their guide did Sovereign Kanghan nearly weep for real: I don't have to die?
Pure bliss!
Over the past few days, he had figured out some of the situation. For example, among this group, the one who appeared to be only sixth-rank... yes, by now he knew that this cultivator named Li Hao possessed only sixth-rank strength.
Yet a sixth-rank Sovereign was the leader of this entire group.
And within this group were two eighth-ranks!
Furthermore, there were multiple seventh-ranks!
Yet all of them listened to a sixth-rank... It was utterly incredible, unfathomable. It had once led Kanghan to suspect whether Li Hao's father might be the Lord of Tianfang.
Otherwise, how could this be?
Even if his father were the Lord of Tianfang, the man had disappeared for far too long. Even if he wasn't dead, eighth-rank Sovereigns from different worlds would have no reason to obey his son, right?
Of course, Kanghan had no mind to ponder such things now.
He had thought he was a dead man, but now that he didn't have to die, he couldn't have been happier.
"Senior..."
"No need to call me Senior."
Li Hao smiled. "When traveling abroad, being overly stiff is not good. You may simply call me Haoyue, or Fellow Daoist Li if you prefer. For this trip, we will rely heavily on Fellow Daoist Kanghan's help. We are strangers in a strange land and know little of the outer domain's situation... I hope you can offer much guidance."
"..."
Kanghan smiled wryly. With strength like yours nowadays, why would you fear being strangers in a strange land?
"I will do my utmost..."
After replying, Kanghan asked cautiously, "Sen—Fellow Daoist Li, where do you plan to head on this journey?"
"Let's visit Gemini first!"
Li Hao thought it over. Although he wasn't particularly eager to go, an eighth-rank world right on their doorstep wasn't out of the way to visit.
Good grief!
Kanghan was struck dumb. The very first stop was the eighth-rank Gemini Universe?
This... won't break out into a fight, will it?
By now, in his eyes, anyone emerging from the Four Regions was a maniac and a barbarian.
However... since they insisted on having him lead the way, he had no choice.
...
The group set out immediately, without any hesitation.
For the others, this was their first time stepping outside the Four Regions; everywhere was unfamiliar, so anywhere was the same. Heading to the Gemini Universe offered at least a touch of familiarity, as they had heard of it.
They also knew that of the two eighth-rank brothers, one had been slain—killed by the Dragon Lord, having nothing to do with them.
Furthermore, Wushan was an old acquaintance of Sovereign Diyan... after all, the two had clashed once.
Thus, on this day, Li Hao and his group departed toward the Gemini Realm, while the Human King, leading the two seventh-rank Sovereigns of the Iron-Eating race, headed straight for Samsara... or rather, straight toward populated regions. The Human King didn't know where the Samsara Realm was, nor did he know the specific layout of the outer domain. Regardless, wherever there were people, he could ask. Once he found out, he would decide whether to expose the giant panda, revealing him to entice the Samsara Realm's experts into seeking them out on their own.
One planned to keep a low profile; the other planned to be loud and flamboyant.
...
And at the very moment they departed...
Near the Thunder Domain, another group emerged. The Supreme sighed and glanced helplessly at Big Cat, who looked utterly despondent beside him. Fang Ping left, so he left; what's with this attitude?
The reason I didn't let you leave is that... handover takes time, doesn't it?
Why the rush?
That bastard Fang Ping tossed aside his world and left the moment he said he would, moving with a speed that left the Supreme in disbelief.
Looking beside him, the Bright Light Sovereign, currently accompanied by only four seventh-rank Sovereigns, wore a mournful look. Bright Light was gone; from now on, the Bright Light Divine Realm was a thing of the past.
Now, between his side and Xinwu, there were quite a few experts.
Having left the Thunder Domain and arrived in the outer domain, finding a foothold anywhere wouldn't be difficult.
The Supreme surveyed the outside scene and gazed into the distance. After a long while, he said slowly, "For Xinwu, it is better to take steady, measured steps. Let's find a place and make friends with the surrounding realms. In the Four Regions, our reputation was ruined by Red Moon and Fang Ping, making everyone too terrified to befriend us... Out here, barely anyone knows of our background. We can start anew!"
The Supreme gave a light chuckle. "It is said that the outer chaos has three great hegemons, yet the east alone lacks a hegemon capable of suppressing the entire region; they all fight for themselves... Now that we're out, Brother Bright Light, you'd be idle anyway, and we can't remain too idle either... wouldn't you say?"
The Bright Light Sovereign raised an eyebrow slightly.
The Supreme continued, "I hear that this outer chaos, even just the eastern region, is far larger than the Four Regions. The Four Regions only had a handful of eighth-rank great worlds, but in the east alone, there are reportedly many eighth-rank great worlds..."
"Supreme... isn't this your first time in the outer domain?"
The Bright Light Sovereign was surprised. He actually knew a bit about the outer domain; after all, as the hegemon of Bright Light, he had once hosted cultivators from the outer domain in the Four Regions.
Yet for the Xinwu Supreme to know this was no small feat.
How did he know?
Xinwu had never ventured outside before, had it?
The Supreme smiled and replied, "One must always prepare for a rainy day. Xinwu was practically hunted like rats in the Four Regions and could hardly survive there any longer. Besides, Xinwu has too many people and scarce resources to nurture them... A few years ago, I had some people step out of the Four Regions ahead of time."
"..."
The Bright Light Sovereign was speechless.
This...
The Bright Light Divine Realm had stood in the Four Regions for a million years, yet he had never arranged for anyone to venture into the outer domain, believing he might never leave in his lifetime. But look at this man—he had arranged for people to venture out long ago?
Xinwu had only risen a few years ago!
Why the rush?
Or had he anticipated long ago that Xinwu would inevitably be despised by all in the Four Regions?
The Supreme said nothing more. Making advance arrangements was normal; even if useless, letting people go out to broaden their horizons wasn't bad. There was no need to make a fuss.
...
In another place.
The Four Regions.
With Xinwu's retreat, Bright Light's disappearance, Silver Moon's departure, and the demon race subdued...
At this moment, unrest continued across the Four Regions. Formidable powerhouses of the chaos race, led by the two eighth-rank Sovereigns, Black Tiger and Red Moon, intimidated all directions!
In accordance with the Dragon Lord's demands, all seventh-rank great worlds were to gather in one place near the Tianfang World for ease of administration.
The chaos race would not invade the various universes, and would even dispatch seventh-rank chaos Sovereigns to help relocate the worlds.
As for the various seventh-rank universes, they only had to offer one-tenth of the Great Dao crystals generated by their Great Dao universes each year as tribute. Beyond that, the Dragon Lord made no other demands.
Small and medium worlds were likewise required to assemble together for ease of management.
As for those who refused to obey... they were welcome to test whether more than twenty seventh-rank and several eighth-rank Sovereigns of the chaos race could storm a universe.
Even if they rebelled together... could they truly unite?
With veteran eighth-rank universes like Red Moon, Chiyang, Bright Light, and Yunxiao vanishing into smoke—their lords dead, departed, or surrendered—the entire Four Regions welcomed its first grand unification in a million years!
Even if the seventh-rank lords were unwilling and resentful... how many possessed the resolve to abandon their worlds and leave?
In truth, the Dragon Lord had also offered a choice:
Either abandon your universe and leave the Four Regions on your own—taking advantage of the Thunder Domain's current relative calm—or even devour your world and depart alone; no one would stop you.
Yet nurturing a seventh-rank world was unimaginably difficult. How many possessed the audacity to abandon an entire universe?
By staying, perhaps an opportunity would present itself.
Moreover, it was only surrendering one-tenth of the Great Dao crystals born from their Great Dao universes. Gritting their teeth, they could endure it. As long as the Dragon Lord did not truly invade, these people could bear it.
...
Dragon World.
At this time, the Dragon World had also shifted its position, no longer remaining in the Dragon Domain. Tianfang was the true center of the Four Regions, and right now, the Dragon World sat in Tianfang's vicinity.
At this moment, Feng Yan felt somewhat puzzled. "The Dragon Lord had all worlds gather here. With so many seventh-ranks gathered, should they rebel... it would pose an immense danger instead. Right now, among the three regions, there are as many as thirty-six known seventh-rank universes still in existence, and forty-two seventh-rank Sovereigns!"
This was more than expected; according to initial estimates, the three great regions were thought to hold only twenty-odd seventh-rank universes.
As it turned out, seventh-rank universes had emerged even from secluded corners—places that had gone unnoticed, or whose existence had been known but kept thoroughly mysterious. Now, all had surfaced.
Over forty seventh-ranks, most of whom were both Dao Lord and World Lord combined, while a few had their realm lord and Dao lord separated. All enjoyed the advantages of their worlds. Although the chaos race, bolstered by the surrendered demon race seventh-ranks, had no shortage of seventh-ranks either...
It was still extremely dangerous.
Once these worlds converged, should they stage a rebellion, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Moreover, exacting only one-tenth of these worlds' Great Dao crystals was too lenient. In the minds of Feng Yan and her peers, it would be far better to execute a batch, intimidate a batch, devour several universes, and force the remainder into submission as slaves bound by Great Dao agreements.
Reducing them all to servitude like Red Moon was the optimal outcome.
At this moment, the Dragon Lord silently gazed at the Tianfang World. After a long silence, he sighed softly. "You must understand that currently, this chaos still belongs to the human race... Even if we achieve complete unification in the future, humans will still predominate... It is not as if my chaos race can birth endless offspring simply by occupying universes."
He sighed with emotion. "In the past, behind closed doors in the Dragon Domain, we were all our own kind. I knew everything you did, turning a blind eye because it didn't matter. But now, when dealing with human universes, we must not exploit them too harshly. I know these people well: as long as they are not squeezed too severely, they rarely rebel. They will think, 'If I resist and die, all is lost...'
"Therefore, taking one-tenth is already quite a lot. One-tenth from each universe means ten seventh-rank universes yield the full output of a complete seventh-rank universe—and on a continuous basis...
"That is the first reason! Second, our strength is not yet at a level where we can slaughter them all without facing an encirclement by outer domain powerhouses... Their presence constitutes the foundation of the Four Regions. If all these people died, the outer domain would see tens of world lords perish all at once. Even if our chaos race could birth some new ones, our numbers would still drop drastically, which would only tempt the outer domain to set their sights on us.
"Third, the humans here are merely a fraction, not the whole; throughout chaos, humans are countless... Killing one or two, or destroying one or two worlds, is harmless. But if you were to wipe out all humans here... such madness would only bring about our ruin. At that point, even if the human hegemons didn't care personally, they would be forced to act because too many had been slaughtered!"
The Dragon Lord shook his head. "Do not act out of momentary spite. What matters most is... securing our status! That is number one. Number two is establishing communication with the outer domain as quickly as possible. The outer domain also hosts vast numbers of the chaos race, far more than our side. We need to trade and exchange with them, using specialty resources from the Four Regions in exchange for our kin in the outer domain!
"And the existence of the human race enables us to trade with them more effectively."
Having said that, he added in a low voice, "Furthermore, the Tianfang Realm is actually still alive, not dead. Last time, Li Hao distributed a pile of Great Dao stars to a crowd, and many still hold them... Now, with dozens of great worlds gathered here, countless Great Dao universes blanket, nourish, and even activate this land...
"It will allow Tianfang to awaken much faster!"
He paused and suddenly looked toward Tianfang with a sigh. "Tianfang is a wondrous place, but I have one concern right now. If Tianfang truly revives..."
Would the Lord of Tianfang return?
If he did, that would be catastrophe incarnate.
Was the Lord of Tianfang still alive?
In all likelihood, yes.
In that case, the terror lay in Tianfang's revival heralding his return, which would prove troublesome indeed.
He spoke no more of this, instead turning his gaze to Feng Yan. "You must step into the eighth rank as soon as possible; you are still far off. The eighth rank is exceedingly hard if called hard, yet ordinary enough if called easy. What is truly difficult is the road to the ninth rank!"
He continued, "The path from the eighth to the ninth rank is grueling beyond measure... Constructing myriad Daos is something you likely have no hope of achieving..."
Feng Yan didn't mind. Since ancient times, the Four Regions had seen only one ninth-rank.
Having no hope was nothing to fret over.
Seeing her lack of concern, the Dragon Lord shook his head, his thoughts drifting to Fire Phoenix... What a pity. Fire Phoenix had possessed great hope of reaching the eighth rank, endowed with exceptional talent and brilliance. Of course, Feng Yan had been raised well by her.
However... she was too young!
After all, Feng Yan was the only member of his bloodline to reach the seventh rank. With Fire Phoenix having fallen in battle, the Dragon Lord also felt he had failed her. Had he returned swiftly after Long Xuan's death back then...
Had he been slightly more resolute and emerged earlier, none of them would have died.
Thus, he treated Feng Yan with greater regard and affection. Now, he added, "Ordinarily, constructing a Dao domain of myriad Daos would be difficult for you to achieve. Even if you succeeded, it would take countless ages of accumulation... However, there is another way, just like that Huantian!"
He hadn't seen Huantian in a long time, but based on his current deductions, he pondered and said, "Tread the path of grand unification! Establish order within chaos! Turn disorder into order... When you have free time, visit the various realms. You must learn certain skills—such as disguise!"
The Dragon Lord said softly, "I do not care whether humans hate me, fear me, or wish to kill me... You do not have to be like me. The daughter of an overbearing Dragon Lord might possess a benevolent heart, pure and innocent!
"Whomever I wish to kill, you may save... Whatever world I wish to destroy, you may plead for mercy... Whenever I suppress, you may secretly aid humans!
"Take it step by step. That includes erecting shrines in some realms, particularly small and medium ones. Dragon daughters and phoenix daughters are often regarded as totemic deities among mortals. I am not having you tread the Dao of faith, but rather harvest hearts and minds, establishing a Dao domain of your own..."
The path he laid out for Feng Yan might not take her all the way.
Much depended on himself.
If he could unify chaos... he would not walk the Dao of grand unification, but his daughter could.
Once he secured enough standing, territory, and resources for the chaos race, his daughter could win over these humans and become their creator and protector... It was actually simple: as generations died out, subsequent generations would know nothing of the truth.
When that time came, it would depend on how she played her cards. Play them well, and the ninth-rank Dao of grand unification would be accomplished.
Feng Yan listened attentively. In truth, she didn't care about any of this, nor did she wish to hypocritically aid humans... In her eyes, and in the eyes of the chaos race, humans were mere food and enemies!
Yet since her father said so, she listened, for her admiration of the Dragon Lord knew no bounds.
"I understand!"
She was not foolish; Fire Phoenix's tutelage had been thorough. She was simply too young, lacking experience in ruling a territory on her own.
Right now, she engraved every word of the Dragon Lord into her heart.
The Dragon Lord spoke again: "Once the Four Regions stabilize, Tianfang might not revive so quickly... I will take a trip outside!"
He looked toward the outer domain, only speaking after a long silence: "I will take Red Moon with me to secretly hunt down experts and disrupt the entire outer chaos, masquerading as subordinates of Huantian, or as someone else... masquerading as humans to slaughter human experts!"
Feng Yan instantly grew worried. "This..."
Wouldn't that be too dangerous?
The Dragon Lord smiled. "During this time, coordinate with Black Tiger, Qingqiu, and the others to govern the Dragon World and the Four Regions. To the outside, declare that I am in secluded cultivation, pushing toward the ninth-rank realm!
"Black Tiger will cooperate with you to suppress and squeeze the humans, while you... must tame and win over a faction of humans during this period."
"I understand!" Feng Yan nodded.
The Dragon Lord said no more, vanishing in an instant.
That fellow Red Moon was not entirely trustworthy... Bringing him along on this journey would also make him realize that aside from cooperating with him, there was no other way.
As for Red Moon's strength not being particularly impressive among eighth-ranks... that didn't matter.
Subduing Red Moon was partly for his eighth-rank strength, but more importantly, the Red Moon World and the Xinwu World were born in the same domain. Xinwu had always been within the bounds of the Red Moon Domain, as had Silver Moon.
Yet when Xinwu first emerged, out of all the seventh-rank worlds in the Red Moon Domain, why didn't the Red Moon Sovereign attack the others, insisting on attacking Xinwu...? Could there be a connection?
Because the Human King was too overbearing?
Back then, the Human King was merely circling neighboring areas, never once provoking Red Moon. As for the Sun God wandering around, he was just a seventh-rank strolling about without causing any loss to Red Moon—why cling relentlessly to a seventh-rank?
Could all this be related to that Time cultivator born from Xinwu?
Not Li Hao, but... the previous generation's Time cultivator, whom he had once glimpsed in an image within Tianfang, conversing on the Dao with the Lord of Tianfang.
The Dragon Lord possessed no evidence. The Red Moon Sovereign didn't seem to hold such intentions either, having merely encountered Xinwu by chance and clashed with them... and now his home base had been plundered.
However... the Red Moon Sovereign was an eighth-rank cultivator who practiced the Dao of Desire, yet he was frequently backlashed by desire... That wasn't quite normal.
Perhaps it wasn't the Red Moon Sovereign's fault; perhaps... it was the influence brought by other unknown entities?
Desire was inherently prone to losing control.
Yet he had cultivated to the eighth rank!
Having reached this level, losing control multiple times—out of fear, rage, or madness...
None of that was normal.
The Dragon Lord had discovered nothing definitive, merely sensing that keeping Red Moon alive might hold greater value.
Moreover, as the first fellow to oppose both Xinwu and Silver Moon simultaneously, Xinwu hadn't killed him, Silver Moon hadn't killed him, and while Chiyang and Yunxiao had perished, he had survived. Did that not count as peerless luck?
All of this would have to wait and be seen.
...
Meanwhile, Li Hao was traversing the chaos.
The Nine Heavens.
The divisions were actually fairly distinct, but to Li Hao, barriers scarcely existed; he could walk through whichever tier he pleased. Curiously, however, cultivators of the outer domain were remarkably obedient. Even in desolate, uninhabited expanses, these cultivators did not wander haphazardly.
Perhaps out of fear of death, or perhaps out of habit, they traversed whichever tier they belonged to, and none were seen overstepping their bounds.
Did this count as a rule?
If so, who had established the rules of the Nine Heavens?
According to Kanghan... he didn't know. Ever since he was born, this rule had governed chaos, persisting to this day, and all worlds operated according to it.
As for violations, there seemed to be no overt punishment. It was just that the weak were reluctant to walk on the same tier as the strong, so the convention had endured.
At this moment, Li Hao had some thoughts.
Could this... also be the Dao of a ninth-rank Sovereign?
This seemed like another form of order—a Dao of establishing order. Yet for now, there appeared to be nothing extraordinary about it, merely dividing the entire outer domain into Nine Heavens.
There wasn't even a defined punishment, nor any special marker... Aside from the abundant, turbulent chaotic power surging between each tier of heaven, there seemed to be nothing unique.
Unlike the Thunder Domain, which was rife with chaotic lightning tribulations—marking its creator as someone with immensely formidable methods at first glance!
Was he overthinking, or was this truly the Dao of a ninth-rank?
Was it simply that he hadn't deciphered it yet because the creator had done it so subtly and hidden it so deeply?
Piercing through yet another layer of heaven, they entered the so-called Seventh Heaven. Li Hao sensed his surroundings: aside from the chaotic power being denser, it seemed no different from elsewhere.
Arriving at the Seventh Heaven left him with a single impression: this place was utterly desolate.
Hardly any cultivators were in sight, not even wandering rogue cultivators.
Li Hao quietly observed it for a long while before exhaling. "If this is a Dao, what kind of Dao could it be? I feel almost nothing. Aside from delineating world ranks, there is nothing special about it... If it isn't a Dao, who would expend such tremendous effort to divide the entire chaos into Nine Heavens? Were they truly that idle?"
Chaos was vast.
Why go through all that trouble?
Furthermore, with so many worlds, later arrivals had likely relocated themselves upward, but in the beginning... if no one had orchestrated it, who would have moved their world?
Kanghan looked utterly bewildered.
The others, however, were accustomed to this.
Kongji understood Li Hao's meaning; Li Hao had mentioned that the transition from eighth to ninth rank might involve order. Considering this, Kongji said, "It truly looks unremarkable. Could it be that in ancient times, chaos was once unified, and this was built for ease of governance? Creating a tiered, pyramid-like structure where each layer governs the one beneath it, while the rulers sit high in the Ninth Heaven, saving themselves trouble..."
Li Hao pondered. That was indeed possible!
Beside them, Wushan spoke up: "Artificially dividing chaos into Nine Heavens brings a degree of clarity to the disordered, messy chaotic universe, making it clear where small worlds are located, where medium worlds are located, and where great worlds are located... Does this not count as a process of combing through disorder? Perhaps the person who did this back then cared about the process rather than the result... As for whether the Nine Heavens were practically useful, maybe they didn't care at all?"
Li Hao nodded once more. That made sense too!
Dao Chessboard chimed in, "The worlds of today might not be the same as those of the past... Could it be like the Lord of Tianfang? Perhaps the worlds within the Nine Heavens back then were actually... an arrangement of Daos?"
Li Hao froze, then nodded again. That was also plausible.
Turning thousands of real worlds into a Dao, establishing a Dao domain?
This... he hadn't thought of it, yet the possibility existed! One had to realize that right now, he was also establishing a Dao domain with worlds as Daos. If he dared to conceive and execute it, why wouldn't... the ancients dare?
Li Hao drew in a breath. "That makes sense!"
Whether Kongji, Wushan, or Dao Chessboard... none of them were ignorant fools. The ideas they put forth each sounded quite reasonable.
Er Mao glanced at them, speechless.
The Queen and Black Panther stared blankly at each other—they didn't really understand, but it didn't matter; whether they understood was irrelevant.
As for Kanghan, he was utterly bewildered.
What on earth are you all talking about?
Meanwhile, Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. "I find Dao Chessboard's hypothesis very likely... Yet chaos is so immense that taking in the whole picture is difficult... If someone truly turned myriad worlds into a Dao domain, then upon the Ninth Heaven, there might exist a treasure capable of observing the chaotic universe!"
"..."
Kanghan was startled. This time he understood, yet found it completely absurd. Somewhat dazed, he said, "The Ninth Heaven... actually isn't any different. Some great worlds reside there; for instance, the Samsara World seems to have moved up to the Ninth Heaven, and the Huantian World, Five Elements World, and Chunqiu World—those hegemon powers—are all on the Ninth Heaven..."
There was nothing special about it at all.
According to your theory, there's even a treasure?
What a joke!
I'm a veteran of the outer domain, and even I don't know about this! You lot just came out and, after a bout of rambling, concluded there's a treasure on the Ninth Heaven? What nonsense!
Total bullshit!
Unfortunately, he didn't dare say that aloud.
Forget it, have it your way.
Just please don't run around recklessly. If we go to the Ninth Heaven and encounter the experts of those hegemon worlds, we'll be in deep trouble.
Meanwhile, Li Hao stroked his chin, glancing upward and around, muttering, "What great luck. The outer domain truly holds many opportunities. Right out the gate, I seem to have sensed the Dao of a ninth-rank..."
Though he hadn't confirmed it yet, if he could truly find the treasure he imagined, perhaps he could observe how a ninth-rank established a Dao using worlds as a Dao domain, providing himself with some reference.
At this moment, something crossed Li Hao's mind, and he frowned slightly.
Could it have been taken by someone already?
Looking into the distance, he sank into deep thought. If anyone had taken it... it could only be Huantian. After all, he seemed to be establishing a unified chaos. Could he be trying to recreate the Dao of a ninth-rank Sovereign?
With these thoughts in mind, Li Hao led the group across into the Eighth Heaven. The Gemini Universe was nearby.
Chapter 547