Coordination

Besieged by eight eighth-rank Sovereigns, the Human King showed unyielding resolve. In that instant, myriad powers converged within him as though he were about to detonate on the spot. "The people of Xinwu never die without taking someone with them!" The Human King laughed wildly, arrogant and overbearing as ever, lunging straight toward the Fusheng Sovereign. He roared with laughter, "You scurrying rat, you think you can kill me? Do you even have what it takes?!" The Fusheng Sovereign was terrified! Ever since the Human King had slain him previously, he had lived in mortal terror of the man. Only today, with eight eighth-ranks ganging up on the Human King's side, had he dared act without restraint. Now that the Human King was self-detonating and charging straight at him, even the eighth-rank Chaos beast that had been blocking the escape route took a step back. Terror consumed the Fusheng Sovereign. "No..." If he died again, he would not be able to resurrect. Even if he somehow did, he might only survive for a few days before dying of exhausted lifespan on the spot. He scrambled in retreat! Behind him, the Samsara Sovereign roared furiously, "Block him!" The Samsara Sovereign's expression shifted. Fusheng had faltered in fear. An eighth-rank Sovereign usually possessed an ironclad will, but Fusheng had been slain by the Human King before and harbored an instinctual dread of him. In that single heartbeat of hesitation, an opening appeared. Within the Human King, a surge of aura erupted. With a thunderous boom, a shockwave of energy scattered in all directions. All the flesh on the Human King's body burst apart, exposing golden bones underneath. Like a golden skeleton, he darted through the gap Fusheng had yielded, slipping past the encirclement in an instant! "Hahaha!" The Human King's unrestrained laughter echoed between heaven and earth. Self-detonate? Who the hell was self-detonating? He was far from finished! He had known all along that Fusheng would never dare face him head-on. Once again, he had gambled correctly. Breaking out from the encirclement of five eighth-rank experts had cost him every scrap of his flesh, yet in exchange he had bought himself a brief moment of respite. To the Human King, it was more than worth it. "Coward!" The Human King laughed in absolute disdain. Having retreated, Fusheng's face turned deathly pale. The Samsara Sovereign appeared beside him, his expression deeply displeased. Fusheng's previous death at the Human King's hands had left him with an overwhelming terror of the man—a glaring, fatal vulnerability. Had the Human King not been encircled and instead encountered Fusheng alone, he wouldn't even need to expend the effort he had last time. A single slash might have severed Fusheng's life. "Pull yourself together!" the Samsara Sovereign snapped coldly. "Five eighth-ranks are besieging a single man—what are you afraid of?" Even if he self-detonated... Granted, Samsara had been slightly apprehensive just now, but they were still eighth-ranks. If the Human King truly detonated, five eighth-ranks joining forces to suppress him might not necessarily be killed. On the contrary, allowing the Human King to slip through the encirclement was the real nightmare! "Fusheng, go deal with Silver Moon!" the Samsara Sovereign commanded in a low voice, no longer trusting him to remain in this encirclement. Keeping him here made him a liability; sending him to the other battlefield was a far better choice. With a pale face, the Fusheng Sovereign glanced at the fleeing Human King, who was already being suppressed back into combat by the Samsara Sovereign. Gritting his teeth, he turned and flew off. He could not stay. He knew he was afraid. The Human King had become his inner demon. Whenever he had to face him alone and see that figure before his eyes, nothing remained but sheer terror. In the preceding instant, he had felt as if his very mind were cracking. His gaze turned vicious. Ignoring the Human King, he looked toward Li Hao. At that moment, Li Hao was still cutting through the ghosts. While the other three eighth-ranks were held down by opponents, Li Hao was virtually invincible amidst the spectral horde. Even the strongest ghosts could do little against him. Since he could not kill the Human King, could not match him, and was prone to being targeted by him... The Fusheng Sovereign vanished in a flash, darting straight for Li Hao. In the distance, having briefly broken from the encirclement, the Human King was merely clinging to life. He had sacrificed his flesh to buy a fleeting breath of time, and now his golden skeleton was locked in a brutal struggle once more. With one less eighth-rank bearing down on him, things were marginally better than before. But with Fusheng heading toward Li Hao, the pressure on a seventh-rank like Li Hao facing an eighth-rank would undoubtedly be staggering! The Human King maintained silence, concentrating entirely on fleeing in a direction completely opposite to Li Hao's position. By now, genuine fury surged within the Samsara Sovereign. His voice rang out with chilling detachment: "Silver Moon King, the Human King thinks of nothing but his own escape. If he succeeds, there will be no way out for any of you! Are you willing to sacrifice yourselves for this man? Thunder Emperor, Wushan, Dao Chess... are you willing to throw away your lives for a stranger?" "Huntian Sovereign has already ascended to the ninth rank, and now with my Samsara's aid, the chaos will be unified sooner or later under a true, grand dominion! Do none of you care for your own futures?" He struck mercilessly while attempting to sow discord among their ranks. These people hailed from different worlds, not a unified entity. If that was the case, why couldn't they be driven apart? Forget coming from different worlds—even beings from the same realm would naturally harbor betrayers when facing certain doom. Eight eighth-ranks besieging four eighth-ranks and a handful of seventh-ranks, yet failing to eliminate them after so long, was a stinging failure in the Samsara Sovereign's eyes. Fortunately, having burned away his flesh, the Human King's combat prowess had waned once more. Over on the other flank, Fusheng had arrived, joining forces with the ghosts to besiege the seventh-rank Silver Moon King. In every corner, Samsara held the overwhelming upper hand. If this continued, complete annihilation of their foes was only a matter of time! The Human King fought as he retreated, fissures spreading across his golden bones. His broadsword had already shattered. At this moment, his most troublesome opponent was not the Samsara Sovereign. To maintain the domain sealing off their retreat, Samsara had been unable to unleash his full might. The biggest menace was the Chaos beast. An eighth-rank Chaos beast wielded the strength of at least four thousand Daos. That alone was not the issue, as such power remained inferior to the Human King's peak. The true problem lay in the beast's monstrously durable physical body. In a one-on-one duel, the Human King would have triumphed without question. But severely wounded as he was, the beast's physical suppression relentlessly hemmed in his maneuvering room. He was on the verge of being cornered once again, rendering the sacrifice of his flesh entirely in vain. The Human King cursed furiously in his heart. Under normal circumstances, he would have cleaved this beast into pieces long ago. Yet right now, doing so was immensely difficult. Old Zhang, the Big Cat... had those bastards actually gone to Samsara's home realm, or were they on their way to reinforce him? He truly couldn't hold on much longer! *** Meanwhile, Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. The Human King hadn't actually self-detonated. That was a relief. It had happened so fast that even he had been startled, genuinely believing the Human King was going to blow himself up. But on second thought, from what he had seen of Xinwu's history, how could a man like the Human King abandon hope so easily? Back then, he had faced countless deadly perils without resorting to suicide, let alone now. There had been numerous times when the man had staged fake detonations. Playing dead, bluffing, intimidation—the Human King had done it all. One could not forget his shameless past simply because of his current renown. It had clearly been an act of intimidation, and sure enough, it had frightened Fusheng away. Except... the terrified Fusheng had come straight for him. Still, that was fine! At least it gave the Human King a moment to breathe. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the power of life and death surged as a fist crashed down. Against the Human King, the Fusheng Sovereign had been timid and servile, but facing the seventh-rank Li Hao, he struck with overwhelming force! Bullying the weak while fearing the strong! An eighth-rank facing a seventh-rank had nothing to fear. Even though Li Hao had slain Diyang, Fusheng knew the circumstances: multiple experts had joined forces to immobilize Diyang before Li Hao delivered the final blow. It did not mean Li Hao possessed the raw capability to kill an eighth-rank on his own. At the sixth rank, Li Hao could slay a seventh-rank. Yet at the seventh rank, he could not easily slay an eighth-rank. The advancement to the seventh rank had offered Li Hao a relatively modest boost, as his strength hinged on the quantity of worlds and the diversity of Daos rather than the sheer depth of a single path. Thus, while his combat strength had grown, the leap was not as drastic as his previous breakthroughs. Currently, Li Hao counted among the pinnacle of the seventh rank. In sheer power, he was still somewhat inferior to the Human King when the latter was at the seventh rank. At that stage, the Human King could match eighth-ranks, while Li Hao fell slightly short. As Fusheng struck, accompanied by the interference of surrounding ghosts, Li Hao unleashed the power of a thousand worlds through his sword, yet he still staggered back several paces. Though bloody gashes opened across the Fusheng Sovereign's fist, a smile broke across the Sovereign's face. He had harbored lingering doubts, but after trading a single blow and gaining the upper hand, his confidence surged back. The confidence he had lost against the Human King, he would reclaim from this Silver Moon King. "Time?" Fusheng sneered. "Doesn't seem like much!" He had learned from Samsara that Li Hao might cultivate the Dao of Time, but for now, it seemed unremarkable, even if they had only exchanged a single strike. Li Hao remained silent. He thrust his sword again! A tribulation manifested—the Chaos Lightning Tribulation! The Sword of Tribulation. Slightly startled, Fusheng threw a punch in haste, channeling life and death into the strike. As his fist met the lightning, his body went numb, but a moment later, he relaxed and exhaled in relief. The appearance of a Chaos Lightning Tribulation was enough to make even an eighth-rank wary, but he quickly realized it lacked the authentic, terrifying power of the real thing; it possessed only seventh-rank might. With that, his mind was at ease. Plenty of tricks! Too bad I am an eighth-rank! Li Hao merely swung his blade. While he might not be able to defeat this opponent, he had little reason to fear him either. The real dilemma lay in how to resolve the overarching crisis. A single Fusheng was trivial, but the predicament on the Human King's end was exceedingly grim. Besieged by four eighth-ranks, including powerhouses like Samsara and the eighth-rank Chaos beast, the Human King was in dire straits, and Li Hao had no means to match them directly. Their only hopes were either waiting for Xinwu's reinforcements or... Time? At this stage, the only possible wild card was the Dao of Time. Yet how could he deploy Time to break this deadlock? Or should he wait? The timing was not yet right. His only fear was that the Human King might perish before the opportunity arose. Li Hao was torn with indecision. In truth, exerting the full power of Time offered a chance to forcefully reverse the Human King back to his peak state prior to receiving heavy injuries. That would grant the Human King an opening to turn the tables. Yet as matters stood, even returning to his peak might not shatter this siege. Moreover, the timing had to be precise. Going all out to reverse time once was manageable, but for an expert of the Human King's caliber, attempting a second reversal would consume every drop of Li Hao's remaining lifespan. Boom! Mid-thought, a deafening collision made Li Hao stumble back. A large chip appeared along the edge of his sword, causing his expression to darken in frustration. Even after reaching the peak of the sixth rank, the Sky Sword struggled to endure his power. Clashing against an eighth-rank Sovereign pushed it to the verge of shattering once more. A weapon was better than none, but its material foundation was simply insufficient. Every time he exerted his full strength, it teetered on total destruction. This left Li Hao helpless. The sword's quality was too lacking; it was already struggling while he was only at the seventh rank. Once he reached the eighth or ninth rank, it would be entirely unusable. The overall situation was growing dire! Should he wait? Had Xinwu perceived the crisis? If they waited, would a turning point reveal itself? Glancing across the field, the Silver Moon Sovereigns were battling the ghosts with difficulty, but under Er Mao's coordination and with seventh-ranks anchoring the formation, they managed to hold on. The three eighth-ranks on their side were outmatched by their three new eighth-rank adversaries, yet they could endure for a short while longer. The gravest peril remained with the Human King. Next was his own side: an eighth-rank Sovereign and two seventh-rank ghosts were besieging him, leaving him in perilous straits of his own. Could Xinwu create an opening for them? Would the Supreme and his cohort arrive as reinforcements, or would they assault the Samsara World? And if they assaulted it, could they breach it? With Samsara deploying all four of its eighth-ranks to the battlefield, had they truly never considered the possibility of their homeworld falling? The thought resurfaced. Suppressing his unease, Li Hao resolved to wait a little longer. As long as the Human King had a single breath left, he could reverse his state once. Even if the man suffered grievous injuries now, with his bones beaten to splintering fragments, Li Hao had to hold back. As long as a thread of life remained! Knowing the Human King, he ought to relish this sort of thrill anyway. *** Outside the Samsara World. The Supreme and his companions arrived. However, the Cang Emperor appeared uneasy, looking into the distance. The usually carefree cat seemed uncharacteristically restless. "Meow meow... Sneaky Zhang, something... feels off..." The Supreme paid no mind to the cat's nickname for him. The feline loved inventing epithets and blurted out whatever entered its head. At this moment, there was no time to conceal anything. The Martial King peered into the distance, but nothing was visible. The Samsara Sovereign had veiled the battlefield, making it perceptible only from nearby. Yet having fought alongside the Human King for so many years and having governed Yin and Yang together, the Supreme also sensed that something was amiss. Perhaps the situation was graver than anticipated. He might have placed excessive faith in Fang Ping. Even so, he maintained his composure. While an unexpected turn might have occurred, it had not yet reached the point of certain doom. He knew full well that when that moment truly arrived, he would feel it. Suppressing his disquiet, he looked toward the Samsara World. Even without its eighth-ranks, the realm housed a substantial number of seventh-ranks—a full fourteen of them, though four had been slain previously. The Supreme did not yet know that those four had already been revived. Fourteen seventh-rank Sovereigns guarded the Samsara World! Not one or two, but fourteen seventh-ranks defending a pinnacle eighth-rank grand world. All were native Sovereigns, formidable beyond measure upon their home ground. Though he did not know the exact number, the Supreme's expression turned solemn. He glanced back at his allies; his side possessed plenty of seventh-ranks. The Bright God Realm had four seventh-ranks, while Xinwu contributed the Blood Sovereign, the Sword Venerable, Li Zhu, the Earth Emperor, and the Yang God—bringing the count to nine. In truth, new seventh-ranks had also emerged, as the Dragon race had previously ceded three grand worlds. The Human King had absorbed only the Bright Light World, leaving those three worlds intact. Those three worlds had nurtured two new seventh-rank Sovereigns. The demon race's worlds were naturally suited to demonic beasts, and one of the new seventh-ranks was the Heavenly Dog. The other was Qin Fengqing. Though not a beast, Qin Fengqing was shameless enough to demand the resources before anyone else could speak, leaving the others with no choice but to wait. Eleven seventh-ranks, alongside Bright Light, the Supreme himself, and the Cang Cat—three eighth-ranks. With such strength, the Supreme had little reason to fear even a powerhouse like the Samsara World. Moreover, once battle commenced, they might draw out the two Iron-Eater seventh-ranks wandering nearby, whom he knew were searching for Xinwu and Silver Moon. The two had simply yet to show themselves. The Supreme gazed upon the colossal Samsara World. Numerous Sovereigns guarded the world gate. He swept his eyes over the crowd, turned to Bright Light, and commanded, "Strike! Launch a full frontal assault!" The Bright Light Sovereign was startled. A frontal assault? He had assumed this Xinwu Supreme had some subtle scheme in mind. Yet the Supreme offered no further explanation. Scanning their surroundings without a word, he signaled the charge. In the next instant, figures bolted forward like lightning. The fastest was a bald man wielding a massive saber, cackling weirdly as he hurtled straight toward Samsara! The Supreme was unfazed. Shameless as Qin Fengqing was, when a fight began, he threw himself into the fray with unmatched savagery. "Enemy attack!" A shrill shout rang out from the Samsara World. Immediately, seventh-rank auras flared as a multitude of Sovereigns mobilized within the realm. They were far from unprepared today. The Samsara World seemed entirely ready for an assault. Following that shout, over a hundred Sovereigns appeared, their Great Daos converging. Even if their individual strength was not overwhelming, their sheer numbers stirred a tremendous tempest! The Samsara Dao Universe manifested directly above the realm. Seventh-rank Sovereigns strode through the world gate in rapid succession, their auras boiling over. The leader, a peak seventh-rank Sovereign, sneered coldly, "Xinwu? The Dao Lord foresaw correctly—you rats love doing nothing more than this!" Evidently, the Samsara Sovereign had anticipated that enemies might strike at his home realm. Preparations had been made. Fourteen seventh-ranks and over a hundred mid- and low-rank Sovereigns defending their home turf presented a formidable bulwark. The Supreme swept his gaze over them, his eyes narrowing slightly. The seventh-ranks slain by the Human King last time... had been revived. While others might have overlooked those few seventh-ranks, he had kept them firmly in mind. Seeing them appear in the enemy formation, he instantly recognized the gravity of the situation. This implied that the three eighth-ranks had likely been resurrected as well, meaning Fang Ping faced at least four eighth-ranks in combat. At the very least! The Samsara realm likely lacked the resources to resurrect so many powerhouses on its own. That meant this hegemon had pledged allegiance to one of the three great hegemons. And who else could provide the resources to revive three eighth-ranks and four seventh-ranks? Huntian! Would Huntian have dispatched eighth-rank Sovereigns of his own? Almost certainly. Transporting such resources required a powerful Sovereign to oversee the delivery, which meant Fang Ping might be facing five eighth-ranks! No wonder! Clarity struck the Supreme. No wonder he had felt uneasy. Confronting at least five eighth-ranks, alongside a monster like Samsara, placed Fang Ping in immense danger. Yet even now, the sensation of certain death had not arrived. Did that mean someone had intervened? Who? Li Hao? It was possible. They had departed the Thunder Realm and might have crossed paths with Fang Ping... Thoughts raced through the Supreme's mind. Yet if Li Hao's group had intervened, Wushan and the Thunder Emperor were both eighth-ranks, Li Hao's seventh-ranks were comparable to an eighth-rank, and having taken the Gemini World last time, Dao Chess had likely advanced to the eighth rank as well... By all logic, his unease should have subsided. That meant another unexpected variable was at play! "Of the sixteen eighth-rank worlds in the east, twelve formed an alliance. Eight eighth-ranks departed for the Four Regions, leaving eight behind to guard their worlds... Gemini was destroyed, Samsara is here, leaving two eighth-rank worlds unaccounted for..." The Supreme's thoughts churned. Did that mean those two worlds had joined the fray as well? He looked back toward the Samsara World. Fourteen seventh-ranks and over a hundred mid- and low-rank Sovereigns were formidable, but still insufficient to halt Xinwu. Yet taking Samsara would be an arduous slog while they fought on native soil. Furthermore, knowing that Xinwu might raid their home, did Samsara have other hidden cards in reserve? Boom! Ahead, the clash erupted. Battle ignited instantly! Xinwu's seventh-ranks engaged, supported by a horde of lower-rank Sovereigns rushing forward. In an instant, earth-shaking battle cries filled the void! The ferocious Xinwu combatants charged Samsara's perimeter, but relying on their defensive advantage, the defenders formed an impregnable line, opting for coordinated defense rather than individual sorties. Defense was their priority. The Bright Light Sovereign looked toward the Supreme. Xinwu lacked seventh-ranks, and the enemy's fourteen seventh-ranks were united. Strong though Xinwu's seventh-ranks were, most were recent ascendants; breaching the defense under these conditions would be exceptionally difficult. "Daoist Zhang... shall you and I strike together?" The Cang Emperor was growing impatient, ready to pounce. The Supreme looked at Bright Light, then at the cat, and finally at the Samsara World, his gaze flickering. "Daoist Bright Light, I must trouble you to oversee this battlefield. I entrust the lives of over a hundred Xinwu Sovereigns into your hands!" Bright Light was taken aback. "What do you mean?" "In addition, I ask that the mid- and low-rank Sovereigns of the Bright Light World lend me their aid. Rather than joining the battle against Samsara, have them accompany me elsewhere..." "You're going to the Human King?" Bright Light realized. I hold the line here while you go rescue him? It wasn't an impossible strategy. Of course, if they left, the hope of taking Samsara would become negligible. The Supreme said nothing more, merely glancing once again at the Samsara World before adding, "Furthermore... there might not be only fourteen seventh-ranks." "Hmm?" Bright Light's heart stirred. Not only fourteen? There were more? The Supreme deduced that other seventh-ranks might be concealed within Samsara—not native defenders, but external reinforcements biding their time. There might even be eighth-ranks, though that was less likely. But there were almost certainly additional seventh-ranks. Far more than what met the eye. Fourteen seventh-ranks might seem numerous, but they could not stop Xinwu's eighth-ranks. If the Samsara Sovereign had truly prepared for this contingency, there had to be at least five more seventh-ranks held in reserve to deliver a thunderous ambush at a critical juncture! "Daoist Bright Light, take care. Do not join the fray for now—merely hold the perimeter! I will leave an avatar to deceive the enemy. With the three of us abstaining from direct combat, no hidden reinforcements will dare show themselves rashly!" With those words, his true body vanished, leaving behind an identical avatar beside Bright Light. Not only that, the Cang Emperor also left behind an avatar before slipping away. Bright Light's heart trembled in astonishment. They had really left? With them gone, he was an outsider left in charge while a hundred Xinwu Sovereigns threw themselves into bloody combat. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be catastrophic. What was more, the man had instructed him not to intervene. Bright Light was thoroughly shaken. If an accident occurred, Xinwu could be wiped out entirely. These people possessed terrifying audacity. Yet as an established eighth-rank hegemon, he suppressed his emotions and turned impassively toward the Samsara World. His voice resonated across the battlefield: "Strike with all your might and slay them! We three shall wait here for Samsara's return and cut him down!" "Kill!" Roars of slaughter shook the void! Within the depths of the Samsara World, a hidden group stood silently, gazing upward without stepping forth to join the fight. The leader frowned slightly. "Not one of their three eighth-ranks has entered the fray! Since they hold back, we must not move rashly. For now, Samsara holds the upper hand... Stalling works in our favor!" Ten powerful figures stood concealed here, each exuding the aura of a seventh-rank. Some hailed from seventh-rank worlds, World Lords and Dao Masters recruited by Huntian. Others came from the two other eighth-rank worlds. An eighth-rank world typically housed anywhere from three to eight seventh-rank Sovereigns, sometimes even more. Samsara had taken only eighth-ranks with him, leaving behind a massive concentration of seventh-ranks here. Individually, they could not match an eighth-rank, but in sheer numbers, united with the fourteen outside, over twenty seventh-ranks could easily withstand Xinwu. If the enemy grew reckless and suffered a surprise flank, they might even collapse entirely! The reserve seventh-ranks nodded in agreement. One smiled and remarked, "It is better that they don't strike! Facing eighth-ranks makes even us nervous. Since they wish to wait for the Samsara Sovereign's return, let them wait!" "Our sole duty is to guard Samsara. If Samsara's native Sovereigns begin to crumble, we will strike with overwhelming force to execute several of Xinwu's seventh-ranks..." The others nodded. After all, this was not their home world. Though allied with Samsara under Huntian's banner, clashing with these fearless, high-rank zealots remained exceptionally perilous in the absence of absolute necessity. If they could avoid fighting, so much the better. *** "Where are we going? Fang Ping isn't this way..." The Cang Emperor was growing anxious. It could sense it. He wasn't in this direction. Impassively, the Supreme gazed ahead and said in a heavy voice, "We aren't going to Fang Ping. Distant water cannot quench an immediate fire... The distance is too great. Near this region, there should be two other grand worlds, definitely not far from Samsara. Eighth-rank grand worlds! Sniff them out immediately! Only by shattering those two worlds can we hope to save him... Hurry, Big Cat! Your nose is sharper than the Heavenly Dog's—be quick!" Samsara was a tough nut to crack! By the time they conquered it, Fang Ping might already be dead. Even if they exerted all their strength, killing ten or more seventh-ranks would take time. At this moment, they had to gamble on his deductions. If no other eighth-ranks had intervened, Fang Ping was in no mortal danger. If other eighth-ranks were present, they had to hail from the two eighth-rank worlds that hadn't participated in the Four Regions expedition. It was unlikely they came from other regions, as those hegemons would never allow their eighth-ranks to wander off. That meant as long as they crushed those two worlds, they had a chance to resolve the crisis. Provided they shattered them simultaneously! "Big Cat, those two worlds must be nearby, definitely not far from Samsara. Their eighth-ranks and seventh-ranks have likely departed. You take one, I take the other..." "One person and one cat!" the Big Cat corrected. The Supreme was exasperated. What time was it for such pedantry? "Stop the nonsense! Remember, once we find them, each of us—one person and one cat—must annihilate an eighth-rank world. We must be swift and shatter their Dao Universes at the exact same moment. Only then can we disrupt their eighth-ranks' Daos and create an opening..." The Supreme laid out the plan rapidly, his expression frosty. "It isn't a fatal juncture yet. Fang Ping isn't so fragile, and he hasn't resorted to his ultimate measures... which means we still have a chance!" He paused, looking at the Big Cat with a slight frown. "Can you obliterate an eighth-rank universe quickly?" The Cang Cat turned its massive head, staring at him in silence. Who are you looking down on? You only just reached the eighth rank—how dare you speak like that to a cat who entered the eighth rank three days before you? "What are you staring at? Hurry up and find them!" The Supreme slapped its forehead. Why was the cat staring when its nose should be working? Sulking, the Cang Cat twitched its nose without a word. Its sense of smell was extraordinarily keen. Across vast distances, tracking was difficult, but the Martial King insisted they were nearby. Though the cat didn't understand how he knew, the Martial King rarely miscalculated—the man was far too cunning. After twitching its nose a few times, delight flashed in its feline eyes. "Over there... I smell Dao Universe ripples, but... are you certain it's..." "Quiet!" The Supreme cut it off. Of course it was. This was the Ninth Heaven! Not the Eighth Heaven. Ordinary eighth-rank worlds dared not ascend here; only a select few like Samsara and Extreme Ice held territory in the Ninth Heaven. Finding other Dao Universe ripples here meant they had found their targets. As for why he was certain those worlds would be near Samsara if they joined the battle, it was obvious: once an eighth-rank departed, any sign of their absence would invite predatory neighbors to devour an undefended eighth-rank world. Hiding near Samsara was a matter of being safest where danger seemed greatest! With everyone's eyes fixed on Samsara, who would notice the adjacent space? It was basic tradecraft. Having survived this long, these foreign powerhouses couldn't be entirely brainless. The Supreme considered hiding here completely natural. And finding them here confirmed his deduction: those two worlds had indeed entered the fight. According to his intelligence, one of them possessed two eighth-rank Sovereigns! The stronger of the two was called the Sun Moon World, housing two eighth-ranks, while the other was ordinary, possessing only one eighth-rank, named the Split Earth World. "Big Cat, will you handle Sun Moon?" Still tracking the scent, the Cang Cat turned to look at the Martial King, disbelief written across its face. You want a cat to take on the stronger eighth-rank world? "Their eighth-ranks should have left, and most, if not all, of their seventh-ranks have likely departed as well... The danger is minimal." Even so, no way! The Big Cat shook its head. "You take Sun Moon. This cat... takes the other!" Do you take me for a fool? The Supreme chuckled. "Suit yourself. Just move quickly—you're too slow! Seems you have no confidence in your own strength..." Goading a cat? The Cang Cat ignored him. As a shameless feline, such reverse psychology was useless. Man and cat moved at terrifying speed. Under the Supreme's lead, they tore through the void, showing signs of spatial transposition as they moved with unbelievable swiftness. Soon, two worlds materialized ahead, situated side by side and not far from the Samsara World. Indeed! Seeing these two worlds, the Supreme breathed a sigh of relief. His guess had been correct. Yet this meant Fang Ping and his allies were likely facing eight eighth-rank Sovereigns, perhaps even more. Who knew whether that other hegemon had sent one eighth-rank or several... At least eight eighth-ranks, yet Fang Ping hadn't been killed yet. The man's life was truly stubborn. Even at this moment, the Supreme remained composed. "Li Hao should be over there... Fang Ping isn't stupid. If he had faced eight from the start, he would have fled long ago. The eight likely weren't all present at first; these three eighth-ranks from the two worlds probably arrived later. They were originally meant to ambush us, but their opponents now... are likely Wushan and the others!" The Supreme spoke rapidly. The Cang Cat was about to charge, but halted and looked at him anxiously. "Still not attacking?" "No rush!" The Supreme remained utterly calm. "If these three are fighting Wushan and his peers, those men are strong, but as recent ascendants, they might not seize the fleeting opportunity to finish them off! They might miss the critical window to execute the three eighth-ranks. Fang Ping shares a tacit understanding with us, but these outsiders do not..." "If so, our efforts would be wasted!" At that thought, an idea struck him. "Li Hao... Li Hao is sharp. We must notify Li Hao. He has coordinated with Xinwu before. If he knows, he will surely grasp the combat opportunity. As long as those three Sovereigns are killed, a chance for victory will emerge!" The Cang Cat was speechless. They're so far away. How do you notify him now? Do you have an avatar over there? The Supreme sighed. "Don't look at me. I don't have an avatar over there. Those Silver Moon folks are proud to their bones; tailing them would only breed resentment. Since that's the case... my grandson will have to suffer!" What did that mean? Before the Cang Cat could comprehend, the Supreme drew a drop of blood essence from his body. With a sigh of regret, he murmured, "My poor grandson, you'll have to serve as my mouthpiece. I only hope Li Hao understands my meaning... and seizes this fleeting chance!" The blood essence ignited. A phantom figure flickered into view—the likeness of Zhang An! Kinship bound by blood! The Supreme sighed. You truly have it rough, my grandson. It will hurt a bit, but the chaos is too vast for direct communication at this distance; there is no other way. *** At the same moment. Li Hao was waiting for an opening, while the Samsara Sovereign chuckled coldly. "I thought they would come. It seems they place absolute trust in the Human King, choosing instead to assault Samsara!" As the World Lord, he naturally sensed the disturbance. Xinwu had gone to Samsara. Splendid news! Perhaps this time, they could wipe out both factions in one fell swoop. "In that case, they will never make it here in time. Samsara's home realm is vast distances away; reaching us would take them ages..." The Samsara Sovereign smiled. Xinwu's whereabouts were confirmed. There were no further obstacles here. The Samsara World possessed not fourteen seventh-ranks, but twenty-four! Ten more than expected, thanks to the four resurrected Sovereigns and external allies. With so many seventh-ranks, if Xinwu truly laid siege to Samsara, they would soon discover to their horror that it could not be breached! By now, many of the Human King's golden bones had shattered, dripping marrow-like golden blood. Even his heavy panting had ceased, his jaws merely clicking open and shut. Yet despite his ghastly wounds, he sneered, "Be careful not to lose your bait along with your fish. With Old Zhang and the rest there, let's see how arrogant you remain once they smash your homeland!" "Then I shall look forward to seeing it!" the Samsara Sovereign chuckled. Could they smash it? If obliterating twenty-four seventh-rank Sovereigns were that easy, Xinwu would have become a hegemon of the chaos long ago. The power of life and death bore down once more. With a thunderous boom, several more of the Human King's bones fractured. The Samsara Sovereign remarked with genuine awe, "The Human King's vitality is truly formidable. No wonder you have survived until now..." This man was simply too hard to kill! Had this plan not been meticulously laid with multiple powerhouses joining hands, two or three eighth-ranks alone would have been helpless against him. No wonder he was so arrogant! An internal world refined into a Dao domain provided an endless wellspring of power—a truly terrifying foundation. Right at that instant, amidst the cluster of Silver Moon Sovereigns beleaguered by ghosts, someone suddenly screamed in agony. As though struck by a ghost, his blood began to burn and boil violently. The wretched cry was so agonizing that even Li Hao glanced over amidst his desperate fight. Who was screaming so terribly? Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw... Zhang An? How could that be? In Li Hao's eyes, though Zhang An's cultivation was ordinary, the man possessed fierce pride; even when gravely wounded, he would never scream so pathetically. Looking closer, Zhang An's blood was ablaze... Blood burning? This wasn't an effect of the ghosts. A spontaneous ignition of bloodline... kindred blood resonance? The Supreme? A thought struck Li Hao instantly. This was the work of the Xinwu Supreme! The Supreme was using this method to convey a message. Under normal circumstances, there was no need for communication between them... Yet Zhang An's sudden self-immolation meant there was critical intelligence the Supreme needed to transmit. What was the Supreme trying to say? Taking a palm strike from Fusheng head-on, Li Hao spat blood and flew backward, yet his gaze remained fixed on Zhang An. Fusheng and his peers cared nothing for a third-rank Sovereign, but Li Hao cared immensely. The Supreme and his allies were supposed to be attacking Samsara, yet he was sending a transmission specifically to him... Zhang An shrieked continuously, his bloodline burning away in torment. Knowing full well this was his grandfather's doing, he nearly cursed aloud! What is the old man doing?! Is he trying to burn me to death?! Staring intently, Li Hao noticed that Zhang An was being burned until his flesh cracked, coated in soot and ash—as though deliberately scorched into a fragmented, broken appearance. Thoughts raced through Li Hao's mind, connecting the pieces. Suddenly, he shouted, "Split Earth!" Among the eighth-rank grand worlds, one was named the Split Earth World! Though Li Hao did not recognize its Sovereign personally, did one of the three eighth-ranks ambushing them hail from Split Earth? The moment the words left his mouth, the Sovereign currently battling Wushan snapped his head around with a cold sneer: "You recognized me? It seems the Silver Moon King knows a fair bit about our Eastern Region. So what if you know?" He had nothing to fear! All of these people were going to die today! What difference did recognition make? Li Hao had only tossed it out as a probe, uncertain of the vague hint the Supreme had provided. Yet at this moment, certainty clicked! Split Earth! The Xinwu Supreme was not attacking Samsara—he was raiding the Split Earth World, and likely the other eighth-rank world as well! Li Hao's eyes gleamed with sudden joy. The opportunity he had been waiting for had arrived. In that breath, a wave of profound emotion washed over him. He glanced toward the Human King. The Human King seemed to have deduced the truth as well; groaning through the pain, he turned his golden skull toward Li Hao, the fiery lights in his eye sockets fixed on him. It was as if he were grinning. As if saying: *Kid, aren't my Xinwu folks reliable?* Li Hao felt a genuine pang of envy. Xinwu's Supreme... had actually deduced the truth, or had he known all along? The man hadn't gone to Samsara—he had gone to the Split Earth World! Glancing at Yuan Shuo, who was still locked in bitter combat amidst the fray, Li Hao suddenly roared, "Master, when on earth are you entering the seventh rank?!" "..." Slaughtering ghosts amidst the horde, Yuan Shuo froze. Damn it, how could it be that fast?! Surrounded by countless specters and hacking his way through, he nearly coughed blood in irritation. He wanted to break through to the seventh rank too, but advancement wasn't something achieved on a whim. Reaching the fourth rank at his pace was already blisteringly fast! This unfilial brat was on the verge of being beaten to death, yet he still found the time to needle his own master?! The Fusheng Sovereign burst into laughter. "Master? Your master is merely a fourth-rank Sovereign... Hahaha! How utterly pathetic! You aren't pinning your hopes on this fourth-rank weakling to save you, are you?" Yuan Shuo's face turned livid. Without a word, he unleashed his Five Birds technique with savage ferocity, wiping out the surrounding ghosts as he ground his teeth in fury. Damn it all! It was bad enough being mocked by his own disciple, but now an outsider—an enemy—dared ridicule him as well! What was wrong with the fourth rank? Was the fourth rank weak? How old was he? How long had it been since he became a Sovereign?! It was infuriating! Yet Li Hao threw his head back and laughed. "My master possesses a Dao domain! The seventh rank is within his grasp! Once his Five Elements unite and he steps into the seventh rank, his ascension to the eighth rank will follow shortly..." The Fusheng Sovereign sneered. Suddenly, he whipped around and thrust a palm toward Yuan Shuo! Then he would extinguish that hope. What a joke. With his master so frail, killing him would surely shatter Li Hao's composure! A fine plan indeed! Li Hao smiled. As expected, Fusheng had taken the bait and attacked his master, buying him a moment of reprieve. *Master... just don't get slapped to death!* Yuan Shuo's expression warped in horror. Damn it! This wretched disciple was a grandmaster at getting his teacher killed! Calling him out and heaping praise on him at a moment like this practically begged the enemy to slaughter him! You treacherous brat! What are you planning?! Yuan Shuo bellowed, unleashing his Five Elements domain. Sword qi erupted as he threw a counter-punch, displaying astonishing combat prowess for his rank. Fusheng merely sneered. Impressive—the man truly possessed a Dao domain. No wonder the Silver Moon King was so confident his master could reach the seventh rank. Too bad he would never get the chance! Cutting down a genius was immensely satisfying. Channeling greater force, Fusheng struck toward Yuan Shuo again. Meanwhile, Li Hao vanished from his side. Fusheng wasn't concerned in the slightest—where could the boy run? Slaying the master would take only an instant! At that exact second, the Time Star hovering above Li Hao's head blazed as he rocketed straight toward the three eighth-ranks, his voice roaring across the void: "Kill them!" The onlookers thought it a joke, and the three eighth-rank Sovereigns sneered in contempt. What could your arrival change? A mere seventh-rank throwing himself into an eighth-rank battle was nothing short of suicide! This brat had a death wish! *** At the very same moment. The Supreme vanished, reappearing instantaneously above a grand world. A thousand avatars materialized as the Great Dao Book expanded to blot out the sky. With no regard for restraint, the Great Dao Book bore down upon the cosmos; the instant countless cultivators looked up, they were crushed to death by Dao force! Within this entire eighth-rank world, only a single seventh-rank Sovereign stood guard. In a fraction of an instant, a colossal fist materialized before his eyes! A single punch! A thousand avatars merged into one as the Great Dao Book slammed down. With a tremendous boom, the fist struck, obliterating the defender completely before he could process what was happening... Who? An enemy raid! Yet it was already too late. In a flicker, the Supreme reappeared and unleashed another earth-shattering blow, completely inverting the world. The world source was exposed, only to be blasted apart by his fist! The Dao Universe was laid bare. With a ferocious roar, the Supreme tore through the void, ripping a massive fissure straight into the Dao Universe! A sun and moon manifested! This was the Sun Moon World. Transforming into a myriad-zhang giant, the Supreme drove his fist into the Dao Universe, and his book plunged directly into its core. In the blink of an eye, Dao power surged as though ten thousand giants were bowing in worship, and stars began detonating one after another! Not far away, the Cang Emperor whipped its fishing rod. A seventh-rank Sovereign was hooked and hauled straight into its gaping maw. Swallowing heaven and earth, the cat caused the entire eighth-rank world to collapse instantly! The Cang Emperor opened its jaws wide and bit down. With a resounding crunch, the formless, intangible Dao Universe was forced into reality, a gargantuan rift torn into its fabric by the bite! Boundless Dao power leaked uncontrollably. In this single heartbeat, two eighth-rank universes were brought to the brink of ruin by one man and one cat. Both universes had only a single seventh-rank guarding them. Both had been executed in an instant! Terrifying shockwaves rippled outward as the two Dao Universes began their catastrophic collapse. The Supreme exhaled, looking into the distance with a trace of worry. *Did you understand the message I sent?* *If you didn't... this opportunity will be lost!* *Little Li Hao, you are clever—can you grasp my intent?*