Replication

Er Mao's core was replication. If this conjecture proved true, it would likely upend several of Li Hao's earlier assumptions. More importantly, if Er Mao's core Dao truly was the Dao of Replication, it could provide Li Hao with immeasurable help. A Dao Spirit! A Great Dao had given birth to a spirit, transforming into an ordered existence. With this theory taking root in his mind, Li Hao looked at Er Mao as though gazing upon an infinite mountain of wealth. His delight was written plainly across his face. Er Mao felt rather uncomfortable under Li Hao's intense stare. *Is mine really the Dao of Replication? Even I'm not sure myself, yet Li Hao here is already getting so worked up.* "Li Hao, is that really it...? Even I don't know for certain..." "That doesn't matter!" Like an eccentric uncle coaxing a gullible child, Li Hao beamed at Er Mao with a radiant smile. "Er Mao, the people of Silver Moon are extraordinary; they all originated from the Time Star. And within the Time Star lie the myriad Daos... If my theory is correct, then perhaps part of those Daos came from replication—which means they came from you!" The Emperor of Battle Heaven was a genius. Li Hao believed that implicitly. Yet to be so brilliant that, without any foundation whatsoever, he could directly comprehend the myriad Daos, fuse them together, and form Time itself... That was simply too terrifying. The man hadn't even stepped beyond Xinwu back then. Unless, of course, he had continuously replicated existing Great Daos. While that would still be monstrously prodigal, it was at least marginally within the realm of reason. Otherwise... Li Hao would feel far too inadequate. After all, Li Hao had the Emperor of Battle Heaven's Time Star right in front of him. At present, he was essentially imitating it. Yet even now, his imitation lacked any real direction; let alone the myriad Daos, he hadn't even completed three thousand. The Emperor of Battle Heaven hadn't been imitating; he had created it from nothing. The gap between them was unimaginably vast. And this was Li Hao—a cultivator who had surged to the seventh rank in a breathtakingly short span of time. If ordinary Sovereigns in the Chaos compared themselves to Battle, they might as well kill themselves. Therefore, there was a ninety-nine percent chance that the Dao of Replication truly existed. "So... what do we do now?" Er Mao asked, looking at Li Hao. Li Hao answered swiftly, "First, enter my River of Memories. I believe that even if yours is the Dao of Replication, you won't be able to replicate me without knowing me thoroughly enough!" Er Mao considered this and found it reasonable. Enter the River of Memories first, then? The River of Time and the River of Memories were fundamentally one and the same. Peering into memories merely required tracing back along an individual's personal origin, which was the only distinction between the two rivers. Now, with Li Hao's true self present right here, tracing that origin was simple. Man and cat quickly manipulated time. Before long, a surging river materialized before them. ... Waves churned across the river. This time was different from before. In truth, this was Li Hao's first time tracing back through his own past. He didn't particularly enjoy dwelling on what lay behind him, but now he began the retracing nonetheless, bringing Er Mao along. His lifespan was actually very short. Yet within his River of Memories, billows crashed relentlessly, each rolling wave representing a major event in an almost unbroken chain. This meant that over these years, Li Hao had lived through far too much. They journeyed all the way back to the very beginning—the moment Li Hao was born. It was brief, reaching the end in the blink of an eye. Man and cat promptly plunged into the river. ... This was perhaps the first time Li Hao—or anyone, for that matter—had ever witnessed themselves entering the world with a wailing cry. Yes, in these memories, Li Hao was born. That was the year spiritual energy began to revive in the Silver Moon World, and superpowers officially emerged. Li Hao's birth seemed to bear witness to the dawn of the superpowered era. The tiny locale of Silver City. The house from his memory. The neighborhood auntie was not yet an auntie at this time; she was still a young woman, completely different from the endless chatterbox she would later become. The Creator worked in mysterious ways. Back then, the woman had been so quiet. Who could have guessed she would chatter so endlessly in her old age? His mother was very young. Li Hao was like an outsider looking in, his consciousness merging to observe it all, watching himself slowly grow up. Childhood Li Hao had been very happy, blessed with a warm family. While not wealthy, they were far from poor. They owned a house, and later his father even bought a car. In a tiny place like Silver City, they were considered a comfortable middle-class household. If life had simply continued like that, Li Hao would have lived a peaceful, contented life... Of course, it could have been shattered at any moment anyway, because Silver City was critical, drawing the eyes of countless figures. ... Scenes of playing with Zhang Yuan during childhood surfaced in the memory. His childhood friend had been very obedient even as a boy, always listening to Li Hao. The two of them had darted through the streets and alleys. Seeing this rekindled memories that had faded over time. His multiple resurrections had dulled some of his recollections. Yet now, as he retraced his past, those memories were reignited. His father, his mother, his brother... Figures that had gradually faded from his mind reemerged. Retracing his own past was akin to tearing open old scars, yet Li Hao accepted it with composure. Losing portions of his memories hadn't been intentional. It was just that each resurrection softened his emotions a little more. Gradually, his mind still knew and understood that these people had existed, yet over time, he had almost... forgotten. Mortals were so prone to forgetting. After watching his past for a while, Li Hao suddenly froze. He knew his history well; before the age of eighteen, there had been almost nothing unusual about him. His sudden startlement wasn't due to anything about himself... Rather... at that moment, he saw Yuan Shuo. Back when he was a child, his teacher seemed to have been living in Silver City as well. Silver City wasn't large. When Li Hao was four or five, Yuan Shuo had likely gone there to preserve his life. The superpowers had been on the rise for a few years by then, and Yuan Shuo, finding it difficult to contend with them, had chosen to lie low in Silver City. Spotting Yuan Shuo wasn't inherently strange. What was strange was that Yuan Shuo actually had a woman by his side—and crucially, it wasn't the Jade Light Sword! Li Hao clicked his tongue in disbelief! Teacher, this... Back when he was young—no, when he lived in seclusion, he wasn't young at all; he was already in his fifties! At that age, Yuan Shuo had still been picking up women! Unbelievable... All this time, Li Hao had thought of his teacher as a figure of virtue and prestige. Even when everyone called him an Old Demon, Li Hao had viewed him as a man of honor. It turned out he was this shameless all along. Really... He couldn't watch any more! Any further, and his teacher's image would completely collapse. Yuan Shuo was merely a brief corner of his memory. Silver City was small, so running into him wasn't odd. During childhood, Li Hao had even passed Liu Long on the street. Back then, Liu Long had been just an ordinary inspector in the Silver City Inspectorate. The two had brushed past each other, never imagining that more than a decade later, their lives would become deeply intertwined. Viewing his own life from the perspective of an onlooker, Li Hao found it unexpectedly fascinating. Beside his ball of consciousness, Er Mao was also watching intently. After observing for a while, Er Mao felt that Li Hao's childhood had been straightforward, free of misfortune. Being clever from a young age, Li Hao had been loved by everyone around him and lived happily. Until... as the memories flowed forward, there came that day. The teenage Li Hao stood before two charred, mangled corpses... His parents had lost their lives in a sudden car accident. Only then did Li Hao's life plunge into massive turmoil and upheaval. Gazing at that scene in the memory, Li Hao fell silent. His childhood and early youth had been full of joy. The turning point began at this very moment. From this day onward, the Red Moon organization infiltrated, rumors of the Silver City Eight Families' secret spread, and descendants of the Eight Families were murdered one after another, dying in utter silence. Accident after accident struck the small city. Following his parents' deaths, he had believed it was merely an accident back then. Grieved though he was, the young Li Hao continued with his life. His brother Zhang Yuan showed him even greater care and concern, keeping Li Hao from sinking into overwhelming loneliness and despair during that time. Later, he and Zhang Yuan entered Silver City Ancient Academy together. Thanks to his sharper memory and greater aptitude, Yuan Shuo took notice of him and selected him to study the ancient script system. Thus, Li Hao officially crossed paths with Yuan Shuo, becoming his final disciple at the academy. The memories continued fast-forwarding... Li Hao's will grew slightly tense. Er Mao sensed it too—Li Hao, a seventh-rank Sovereign, was actually nervous at this moment. ... The memory arrived at a rainy night. A red shadow materialized. At this moment, Li Hao's will surged with turbulence. He almost wanted to reach into the past and slaughter that shadow on the spot! He knew! This night was etched indelibly into his memory. His brother had died on this very night, urging him to flee the academy with his dying breath. And that was what had led to Inspector Li Hao of the Silver City Inspectorate! In the past, Li Hao had only known the aftermath. He had never known what had truly transpired beforehand. Today, he saw it. The red shadow seemed to hesitate. It hovered between Li Hao's dormitory and Zhang Yuan's. Clearly, the red shadow hadn't anticipated sensing the bloodlines of two of the Eight Families on the same night. Or perhaps it had sensed them, but Li Hao's aura was richer. While its original target was likely Zhang Yuan, it hesitated between the two until the Red Moon puppeteer behind the scenes directed it into Zhang Yuan's room. Li Hao's will plunged inside in an instant! Er Mao hurried in after him. Inside the dormitory, darkness reigned. The red shadow suddenly bored into Zhang Yuan's body. The soundly sleeping Zhang Yuan jolted awake, feeling as though his entire body had been set ablaze. He was gripped by agonizing pain, yet unable to make a sound! Spontaneous combustion! In truth, the red shadow was incinerating his bloodline power—the bloodline power of the Zhang family. Zhang Yuan was in such excruciating pain that he couldn't emit a single cry. His entire being felt as though it was burning to ashes, the agony so great that he nearly abandoned all struggle. Originally, for supernatural power like the red shadow, dealing with a mortal was child's play. It would let the victim die in ignorant oblivion! Incapable of resisting, incapable of fighting back. Yet at this very moment, Li Hao noticed that the tormented Zhang Yuan seemed to sense something, see something. With his bloodline ignited to its peak, that concentrated bloodline power appeared to reveal something to his eyes... Next door! A crimson thread of blood! It was the Qiankun Bagua formation connecting the Eight Families above Silver City, the very array sealing the Red Moon Sovereign. In this instant, Zhang Yuan seemed to see his own crimson thread snapping apart. And next door... was Li Hao. Above his head hung another blood thread. From somewhere unknown, a desperate will to live surged forth. Zhang Yuan, who had been lying paralyzed on the bed, suddenly thrashed with all his might and crashed to the floor with a loud thud. There were others in the dormitory. Startled by the commotion, someone called out a few times, but received no response. In the darkness, Zhang Yuan crawled, inch by inch, struggling through unspeakable agony... Only now did Li Hao understand what had truly occurred that day. He had always known that on that wind-swept, rain-drenched night, everyone had gone to sleep early. But soon, noise had broken out in the neighboring room, growing louder until screams erupted. That commotion had drawn him out of his room to see what was happening. And what he saw was a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life. Yet he hadn't known that before all that, Xiao Yuan had already given up struggling, accepting his death. Only in the end... had he fought to move. *Did he see that the final thread of the Bagua diagram was connected to me?* In the darkness, a figure crawled with everything he had. The dorm door was so close, yet he struggled, crawled, and squirmed like a wretched bug, the locked door becoming an insurmountable barrier. He slammed his head against the door, the tremendous noise jolting everyone in the room wide awake. Someone flicked on the light, followed instantly by screams of horror. Someone scrambled to unlock the door. Another tried to help Zhang Yuan up, only to screech from the searing heat. Flames seemed to dance across Zhang Yuan's skin, sending piercing shrieks echoing through the room. Yet Zhang Yuan... seeing the door open, continued his crawl. He squirmed through the doorway inch by inch. Numerous students had gathered outside, but none dared approach, shouting in terror and dread... Until the neighboring door swung open, and the Li Hao of that era walked out into the corridor. Only then did the crawling Zhang Yuan, his eyes seemingly scorched blind, find a flicker of peace. His lips parted slightly, as though whispering something to Li Hao... Li Hao knew what he had said. *Run!* Yes, Li Hao remembered that day with absolute clarity. His brother had died that night. In the chaos, no one had noticed what Zhang Yuan said, nor could they decipher his parted lips, assuming he was pleading for help... Only Li Hao knew that he was telling him to run! ... The past memory rippled with turbulence. Beside him, Er Mao hadn't known this history. Now, it was deeply shaken. Under such conditions, an ordinary mortal had actually crawled all the way out just to find Li Hao and warn him to flee. Perhaps... without Zhang Yuan's struggle, on another stormy night a year later, Li Hao would have perished in silence just like him. Had that happened, the entire Silver Moon, the entire Chaos, would look nothing like it did today. It was Zhang Yuan's struggle and warning on that very night that allowed Li Hao to see the red shadow, filling him with a suffocating sense of crisis! And thus, the Li Hao of today was born. He had walked out of Silver City Ancient Academy and joined the Inspectorate, pursuing the truth, uncovering the supernatural, fully stepping into the martial artist system, and casting off his mortal coil. All of it led to this moment. Er Mao had thought it understood Li Hao well, but now it realized that no one truly did. No one had seen this scene. Even though people knew that Li Hao's parents and childhood friend had died at the hands of the Red Moon organization, none knew the exact reality of what had occurred back then. They had no idea that if Zhang Yuan hadn't struggled and had simply given up, he would have died without a sound. The red shadow would have vanished, Li Hao would never have seen it or sensed danger, and he would never have left the academy. A year later, Li Hao would have died the exact same way. The bloodlines of the Eight Families would have fallen entirely to Ying Hongyue... Perhaps that would have been Ying Hongyue's story instead. The memories continued to flow. Er Mao saw more: Li Hao unearthing the truth bit by bit within the Inspectorate, learning of superpowers, martial artists, Red Moon... Everything after that, up until Er Mao's resurrection, was already familiar to the cat. ... The river surged. The wills of Li Hao and Er Mao detached from the river. Space-time rippled, and Li Hao regained his composure. Now looking at Li Hao with a hint of sympathy, Er Mao asked, "Do you want to resurrect him?" Li Hao appeared entirely calm and unaffected, his expression serene. "I do! Why wouldn't I? Killing Ying Hongyue back then was letting him off too easy! If I had known Xiao Yuan died like that... I would have put him through far greater agony!" Er Mao started to speak, but held back. Ying Hongyue was already dead. As for the Red Moon World behind the scenes, only the Red Moon Sovereign remained alive. The vengeance was essentially settled. Yet reviving a person was profoundly difficult. An ordinary mortal who had never cultivated or awakened a Dao meridian... Countless such mortals had perished in the Silver Moon World. Even if their Dao meridian stars truly existed, they would be like motes of dust or grains of sand adrift in the Silver Moon Great Dao Universe. Countless billions of them! Which speck would belong to an ordinary person like Zhang Yuan? Even as powerful as Li Hao was, resurrecting all the billions of deceased souls was an impossible feat. Attempting it would cost Li Hao his own life. Li Hao didn't dwell on this, turning instead to Er Mao. "Now that you've seen all my memories—not through a mere retelling, but from inside out—do you have any ideas?" Er Mao felt like rolling its eyes. What ideas could it have? Replication? As if it were that simple. Besides, it still wasn't sure if it was even capable of it. It kept those past events tucked in its heart. Clearly, Li Hao had never truly let go of them. Venturing beyond Silver Moon to target Red Moon wasn't purely for Xinwu's sake; Xinwu was merely a convenient justification. Targeting Red Moon was likely also tied to Zhang Yuan and his deceased parents. Ying Hongyue was dead, and so was that Sovereign of Red Moon, but the root of it all lay in Red Moon's invasion. It would be stranger if Li Hao didn't target them. This guy held grudges like nobody's business. "Replication..." Putting those thoughts aside, Er Mao frowned in distress. "Replicating you is actually very difficult. You command far too many Daos. Even if I truly know how, fully replicating you would be next to impossible..." Li Hao nodded. "You don't need to make an exact replica. Even replicating a single Great Dao would suffice. That would prove you have the ability." If it could replicate, the implications would be entirely different. At present, even if Li Hao integrated the Silver Moon Great Dao Universe, it would only grant him a modest boost—not a massive increase in strength. However, if those seventh- and eighth-rank Daos were replicated into Daos identical to his own, they would possess natural affinity. They could merge directly into him, swelling and strengthening his foundation. That wouldn't be borrowing power; it would be something he inherently possessed! If some Daos reached the eighth rank and others reached the seventh, supplemented by the Daos of fifth- and sixth-rank Sovereigns, the stacking of these Daos could unleash unprecedented might. Er Mao also knew this was an opportunity—an opportunity to establish a firm foothold. Without having to rely on anyone. Well, except perhaps relying on a cat. Lost in thought, Er Mao fretted. Replicating? It was so hard! It had no clue where to start, but gradually, a sliver of an idea formed. If it truly was a Dao Spirit... that meant from the very beginning, it was purely a spirit, without any so-called true physical manifestation. Absorbing massive amounts of world source and life source had merely perfected this physical body of Er Mao's. It didn't mean that without life source, it was a dead object. Perhaps that prior state was far more suited for replicating Great Daos. Er Mao faced a choice. Looking at Li Hao, it said, "I think I might be constrained by this materialized body... Unless I abandon this manifest form—this seventh-rank physical shell—and return to how I was before to see if I can replicate. But if I do that, I'm not certain whether I can ever materialize a physical body again..." Doing so meant losing its seventh-rank strength, depriving Li Hao of a seventh-rank combatant. Was it worth the gamble just to test a hypothesis? If it abandoned its physical form, could it return to the seventh rank even if it devoured source energy again? Could it ever materialize again? Er Mao was unsure. Li Hao furrowed his brows slightly. Er Mao added, "I don't really mind, but you need to think it through. If I abandon this physical body, you lose a seventh rank. If you're fine with that..." Li Hao exhaled. "I'm fine with it!" Er Mao was struck speechless. It stared at Li Hao with sheer irritation. *I was just being polite, and you actually say you're fine with it?!* *Must you be so blunt?!* Li Hao laughed. "Worst comes to worst, I'll find more world source for you later. Are we really lacking enemies right now? Just give it a shot, it's fine. Besides, even if you abandon this body, will all the world source simply vanish into thin air? At most, a portion gets consumed... Try it. If it works, what does a single seventh rank matter? And if it fails... we won't be ruined just for lacking one extra seventh rank." Er Mao felt thoroughly dejected. *Were those even human words?!* "Then... I'm really giving it up?" "Yeah, hurry up." Er Mao glared at him. Li Hao had zero respect for his elders. What an absolute scoundrel. Back then, materializing this body had taken an immense amount of effort. It had agonized over the decision, enduring great internal turmoil, bidding farewell to the teacher and going through all kinds of emotional goodbyes... And now, this guy just tossed out a casual "hurry up"? He was worse than a dog! Helpless and reluctant as it was, Er Mao considered the situation and realized he was right. They had no shortage of opponents or enemies right now. At worst, they could shatter a major world and devour its world source to recover... With that in mind, it hesitated no longer. Massive waves of life force began dispersing from its body. Li Hao didn't stand on ceremony either—no need to let it go to waste. World source couldn't directly augment his cultivation energy, but it was pure vitality. Having just traversed time and burned through life force and lifespan, this was the perfect opportunity to replenish himself. Splendid! The vitality of a seventh-rank Sovereign was more than enough to cover his expenditures. Seeing this, Er Mao grew exasperated. *This cat isn't dead yet!* *Even if only as a gesture, couldn't you gather my life source and hold onto it so I could absorb it back if replication fails? That would be far better than this!* *You just went ahead and swallowed it whole?!* *If this really isn't the Dao of Replication, are you just going to keep it?!* Aggrieved though it was, Er Mao said nothing. As it shed all its life force, its aura plummeted... or rather, vanished entirely. Er Mao seemed to revert to the state it had been in when it was first revived. Its aura was exceedingly faint, practically imperceptible. Hovering at a threshold. It was just like the omnipresent Great Dao—you could sense something, yet couldn't clearly perceive it. This only deepened Li Hao's conviction that Er Mao was a Dao Spirit. He had wondered before why Er Mao could conceal its aura so thoroughly. Now he understood: it hadn't been intentionally hiding it. Just like the pervasive Great Dao, Er Mao was simply right there. Unless one had profound comprehension of the Great Dao, one could only tell it existed without being able to discern its presence. Linking all of Er Mao's mystical traits to being a Dao Spirit made everything click into place. Er Mao paid Li Hao no further heed, beginning its attempt to replicate, tracing through everything in Li Hao's memories to recreate it. Gradually, an unusual sensation took hold. It had never imagined it possessed such an ability, so it had never tried. Yet at this moment, as it recalled every detail of Li Hao's life and immersed itself as Li Hao, its form began to shift. It seemed to return to the day Li Hao was born. Suddenly, the cat began to melt like soft dough, reshaping itself. Li Hao's eyes narrowed. Floating in the void was no longer Er Mao, but a... bare-bottomed baby. That was... him! A complex, indescribable emotion surged through Li Hao. Replication... complete replication? If there was truly no difference whatsoever... that was terrifying. The Dao of Replication was formidable, but if it could replicate anything at will without limitations, wouldn't that mean it could even replicate Time? That was impossible. If so, and Er Mao truly mastered the Dao of Replication, wouldn't one Dao surpass the myriad Daos? Thoughts raced through his mind. The child before him was growing, progressing from an infant to a toddler, and gradually into a youth. It seemed to retrace Li Hao's path, practicing martial arts, cultivating, absorbing energy, and treading the Dao... It was another Li Hao! Li Hao's expression shifted. Had Er Mao back then done the exact same thing, passing off the fake as real so everyone believed it was the Big Cat's projection? It had been virtually impossible to tell them apart. The only real difference had been the stark contrast in personality between Er Mao and the Big Cat back then. A difference in temperament! Later on, differences in strength emerged as well, but otherwise, distinguishing the real from the fake was nearly impossible. The "Li Hao" before him was identical to the memory of himself, without the slightest discrepancy. The only difference was power; this "Li Hao" was still weak, though it was growing rapidly. "Meow?" Only then did Er Mao seem to snap back to its senses. Had it not been for that meow reminding him of Er Mao's identity, Li Hao would have doubted whether he could tell who was real. Still, hearing a cat's meow come out of his own mouth was distinctly eerie. Er Mao was equally shaken. "It... it really seems to work!" It didn't know why, but simply immersing itself in the memories of Li Hao's past had naturally triggered the transformation. It had genuinely become Li Hao, like a second Li Hao. A projection of Li Hao! Li Hao let out a breath. "I knew it! That means back then, everything in that illusory space—including... the Emperor of Battle Heaven—was merely a projection replicated by you!" Er Mao froze, stunned. *Replicated... by me?* *The teacher... never truly existed?* Li Hao seemed to understand and explained, "The Emperor of Battle Heaven must have spent time with you, and you might even embody a portion of his will! You can only recreate things because they actually happened! Your Dao of Replication likely requires you to have experienced and perceived something before you can replicate it." Therefore, the memories of Er Mao living alongside the Emperor of Battle Heaven had to be real. Of course, if Er Mao's true form was a Dao Spirit, then it might not have been a cat back then, but simply a Dao Spirit accompanying Battle. Er Mao drifted into a daze for a moment before asking softly, "Li Hao, are you saying... I'm actually the spirit born from the teacher's Great Dao?" Li Hao nodded. "That's what I believe. You might even be the spirit of the Emperor of Battle Heaven's core Great Dao! Otherwise, it would have been exceedingly difficult for him to comprehend Time so quickly. If he could replicate, it would have been far simpler." Er Mao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The happy part was knowing it was a genuine living being. Regardless of its nature, it truly existed. The sad part was... it wasn't actually a cat? Li Hao quickly pressed, "Are there any drawbacks or difficulties to this replication?" Er Mao reflected carefully before answering after a long pause, "Immersing myself and treating myself as you isn't too hard. The hard part is that I can't replicate you completely. I immersed myself all the way to your present, but once I reached the establishment of the Thousand Regions, it failed... I don't know if it's due to a lack of energy, or because there are too many Daos for me to distinguish individually... Unless you can provide me with the energy of over a thousand worlds, so I can try again..." Otherwise, it couldn't fully replicate Li Hao. Energy was the issue. Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a relief, then!" If it had become entirely identical to him, Li Hao would have started questioning whether he was truly Li Hao. Right now, Li Hao was more concerned with another matter. "Can you fuse with me?" Er Mao looked at him. Li Hao added after a brief thought, "Not a physical fusion, mind you. I'd mind that very much..." Er Mao rolled its eyes! "A Great Dao fusion! You channel energy, and I'll channel energy, to see if they can blend together!" Er Mao grumbled internally. *I'd mind it too, alright! Who on earth wants to fuse bodies with you? Who do you think you are?!* Er Mao channeled Great Dao power, and Li Hao did the same. Two streams of Dao energy, differing in strength, met in the void and... fused in an instant! They merged into one, erupting with power. *Boom!* Both had only exerted the strength of a first-rank Sovereign, yet the resulting burst caused Li Hao's eyes to flicker with astonishment. Er Mao's expression shifted in the exact same manner. They stacked! A true stacking of power! The two forces blended as though naturally belonging together, merging seamlessly without the slightest discord. Er Mao was equally shocked, staring at Li Hao. Li Hao's gaze shifted rapidly. "It really works!" Er Mao was thoroughly stunned. "How can this be... If that's true, wouldn't that mean... I could replicate ninth ranks if I wanted to?" Li Hao shook his head. "You lack the ability! You can't peer into a ninth rank's past to achieve complete synchronization. You could replicate me only because I let you view my memories..." At that thought, Li Hao frowned slightly. "However, this is all you can do for now. What I need isn't for you to replicate others, but to replicate other people's Daos into Daos identical to mine!" "Also, can you replicate eighth-rank experts?" If not, they would have to settle for weaker ones. Li Hao pondered for a moment and added, "The Daos of Silver Moon all reside within the Great Dao Universe... Replicating them one by one is too troublesome. If you could replicate the entire Silver Moon Universe to share the same source as me, I could incorporate the entire Silver Moon Universe into my system and fuse it completely..." Er Mao was slightly confused. "You want me to alter the nature of the Silver Moon Universe, not turn myself into it, right?" "Yes." Li Hao nodded. "Simply changing your own form achieves very little. Your power alone as a single cat is limited." Er Mao scratched its head. Could that really be done? Was it feasible? "Wouldn't that require me to understand the composition and origin of the Silver Moon Universe, and even peer into the universe's memories?" "Quite possibly." "Then what about a universe other than Silver Moon... a stronger one? Wouldn't that be better?" Li Hao thought it over. "The Daos of Silver Moon align best with me since I originated from there. It will be relatively simpler. Silver Moon itself isn't particularly strong—it only has a few sixth-rank Sovereigns, with my teacher being the sole seventh rank. But there are many people, and their combined power is terrifying. Furthermore, it's a dual-Dao universe. If it completely integrates into my Dao, it might grant me the power of over a thousand Daos." With that, he looked at Er Mao. "You'd better change back into a cat!" Having this fellow wear his face while talking to him felt utterly bizarre. Er Mao rolled its eyes. Li Hao felt just as annoyed—*That's my face, don't roll your eyes like that, people might think it's me doing it.* Soon, Er Mao shifted back into its feline form. It felt far more comfortable as a cat. Even though it now believed itself to be the Dao Spirit of the Dao of Replication, it had considered itself a cat for countless years; that wasn't something that could change overnight. Once back in its familiar form, Er Mao asked curiously, "So you mean you want me to alter the forms of other people's Great Daos so they align completely with yours, enabling you to deal with those powerful Sovereigns?" "Correct." "Then will those people eventually be completely assimilated by you?" Er Mao asked uneasily. "Will they become entirely a part of you?" It looked at Li Hao, seeking an answer. This was exceedingly dangerous! If Li Hao grew greedy, this could be a massive shortcut. If everyone else's Daos were converted to share the same origin as his, Li Hao could simply devour them to make them his own, swiftly completing the accumulation of the myriad Daos. Though individually weak, accumulating the myriad Daos would allow him to officially tread the Dao of Time, rather than remaining stuck without finishing his accumulation. Li Hao smiled. "Do you think I would do that?" Er Mao shook its head. It felt Li Hao wouldn't, yet... human hearts were fickle! If Li Hao truly tasted the benefits of turning others' Daos into his own, achieving seamless fusion and comprehending thousands of Great Daos all at once, could he really maintain his original resolve? Even if Silver Moon's myriad Daos weren't fully perfected, he could still select several thousand decent ones, couldn't he? How much time would that save Li Hao? Yet Li Hao merely chuckled. "Alright, that won't happen. Besides, other people's Daos belong to them in the end. Even if you replicate and alter them, their essence remains theirs. If I truly harbored such intentions, I would have focused entirely on cultivating Time long ago. The Time Star has never fully integrated with me... yet it already contains the myriad Daos in full!" This cat was growing increasingly suspicious. Perhaps it had been influenced by him? In truth, Li Hao hadn't even fully committed to cultivating Time, let alone the Daos of Silver Moon's people. Had he possessed such inclinations, he wouldn't have relinquished the Silver Moon Great Dao Universe earlier. Er Mao felt reassured and bobbed its large head. "That's true... Right, why would I even think of that?" With that, it glanced at Li Hao. Though unsaid, its gaze carried a silent reproach: *It's all your fault. After viewing your past and turning into you, I was suddenly influenced by your personality.* Clearly, Li Hao was a deeply suspicious man. Li Hao grinned, paying it no mind. His thoughts turned, his eyes shifting as a smile spread across his face. "Enough of that. This time... we might just give our enemies a surprise! Er Mao, we're going to be very busy... no, you are going to be very busy! If our three eighth ranks can't be replicated, then so be it—it will still be enough to deal with the other eighth ranks! The crucial thing is, everyone else must be transformed into my Dao!" Er Mao sighed. Back to work it was. And this time, it wouldn't be an easy task, but a terribly arduous one. How many Great Daos would it have to replicate? It might even have to replicate an entire universe! Still, if it succeeded, the results would be staggering. ... At the same time. Xinwu. The Human King was rather curious. Li Hao hadn't come back to see him. Had demanding an eighth-rank major world frightened the kid off? How strange! Was that fellow really so stingy? Facing imminent doom, and he was still fretting over an IOU? "Old Zhang... do you think he'll run into trouble this time?" He looked toward the Supreme, who nodded slightly. "Inevitably! And not just him—us as well!" The Human King raised an eyebrow. The Supreme murmured, "If the enemies want to deal with him, they will certainly target our Xinwu as well. Polar Ice and the others... might already be forming a secret alliance. The moment Li Hao's Myriad Heavens Dao Arena is established will be the moment of crisis for Xinwu. Whether we can secure a foothold... will test not only Li Hao, but us as well! If we succeed, we become the hegemons of the east; if we fail... Silver Moon falls, and Xinwu will find it hard to survive!" The Human King frowned slightly. After a long pause, he asked, "Do you think the three great hegemons will act personally?" "Most likely not. At this stage, they are still the ceiling of power. If they act, it could trigger a war between the three factions and expose their true strength! Thus, their priority is keeping their exact power concealed, though they will likely send subordinates to assist." The Human King fell silent. Even if the three great hegemons didn't intervene, the situation remained grim. There were still fifteen eighth-rank Sovereigns in the east. If Samsara and the others returned, accompanied by a few allies... that would mean over twenty eighth ranks! Yet their side only had four. Li Hao's side only had three. Seven eighth ranks facing over twenty. Fighting three-to-one might not even be enough. The Human King grunted in displeasure. "Bullies who prey on the weak, targeting us just because we made our debut here, eh? Those fools from Polar Ice are nothing but a heap of loose sand! Nothing to fear. Kill one or two, and I guarantee the rest will flee faster than rabbits... As for Li Hao's side, we might not be able to assist them when the time comes. If Samsara doesn't come after me and heads for him instead..." Or should they join forces with Silver Moon? That might invite even more trouble! Yet if Samsara went after Li Hao's group, could their three newly advanced eighth ranks hold the line? Difficult! Immensely difficult! The Supreme, however, looked thoughtful. "Li Hao hasn't returned. Earlier, he only mentioned attempting the fusion of three bodies... Perhaps he has plans of his own and doesn't necessarily need our help." The Human King chuckled. "You think he can hold them off?" "I don't know." The Human King considered it and nodded. "Whatever. If we can't win, we run... No shame in that! Losing face is fine, but losing our lives is what matters. With Time under his control, his chances of escaping if he can't win are still very high!" The Supreme nodded, saying no more. Right now, he needed to focus on Xinwu's survival. The eighth-rank worlds of the east would certainly be instigated by the three great hegemons, whether out of self-interest or coercion, to strike against Xinwu. They had to kill a few to deter the rest. Yet with so many eighth ranks, slaying even a few was an uphill battle. Rather than worrying about Silver Moon, Fang Ping ought to consider how Xinwu was going to weather this storm. Securing a foothold in the east—let alone becoming its hegemon—was no simple task. Furthermore... Long Zhan from the Four Regions might also make a move. The Supreme rubbed his temples. This time, running for their lives might indeed be on the cards.