Securing the Realm

Samsara had fallen! Life and death could not overcome desire. Even after his cycle of life and death was shattered, the Samsara Sovereign had not fled. Instead, he chose to fight to the very end to bear witness to time—and was struck down by Li Hao’s sword. The paramount powerhouse of the east had fallen just like that. "Our king!" "Dao Lord!" "..." Cries of anguish echoed across heaven and earth. One seventh-rank Sovereign after another turned pale with horror. These were the Sovereigns of the Samsara Domain, their faces filled with sheer disbelief. In a direct, one-on-one clash, Samsara had died. Slain by Li Hao! The Silver Moon King, who had emerged from the Four Regions not long ago, had truly killed the Samsara Sovereign. At this moment, Sovereign Pengcheng and the other Sovereigns were shaken to their core. Danger! It was over! Samsara had actually been killed so quickly by Li Hao! Sovereign Pengcheng spat out a world, intending to flee immediately, not daring to linger for even a second. Seeing that he was about to make his escape, the visibly weakened Li Hao frowned slightly and called out from behind, "Take the people of the Samsara Domain with you! You gave your word to Samsara—are you going to break it now?" Sovereign Pengcheng, poised to flee, jumped in shock. *This...* *You just killed Samsara; what do you mean by this?* Li Hao spoke in an utterly calm voice: "Is an eighth-rank powerhouse really so cowardly? Leaving aside how weakened I am right now, even if I were in peak condition, I would not lay a hand on you since we made an agreement beforehand!" Sovereign Pengcheng was terrified, yet he halted his steps. It was not just because of Li Hao's words. The Samsara Domain still had many experts—quite a few seventh-rank Sovereigns, along with a vast number of mid- and low-rank Sovereigns. Now, Samsara was dead. The Huntian Domain had not actually lost much; not a single Sovereign belonging to Huntian had died across several clashes. All the dead belonged to the eastern region. Of course, all of Huntian’s arrangements in the east had gone up in flames! Sun Moon, Sunder Earth, Gemini, Samsara... Plans across so many worlds had turned to ash. In truth, their losses were catastrophic! If he could bring back the surviving Sovereigns of the Samsara Domain right now, it would count as an achievement, sparing him from returning empty-handed. After a moment of hesitation, he remained where he was. The other two eighth-ranks did not dare to utter a sound. Sovereign Pengcheng glanced cautiously at Li Hao. At this moment, Li Hao was extremely frail. Sovereign Pengcheng knew that slaying Samsara must have come at a price, but even seeing this weakness with his own eyes, he lacked the courage to cross Li Hao. He was genuinely terrified! Earth Spirit, Fengming, Samsara... Were any of these Sovereigns weak? Yet all of them had been slain by Li Hao. Even an overlord like Long Zhan had been driven back into the Four Regions by Li Hao's scheme. How could Pengcheng dare launch a sneak attack against Li Hao now? In his eyes, Li Hao was someone only an overlord could match! Unless the three great overlords or Long Zhan acted in person, Pengcheng believed no one in the vast Chaos could suppress this man! "Thank you... thank you, Silver Moon King, for granting this..." Though Li Hao was their greatest enemy, Pengcheng still offered his thanks, feeling uneasy as he quickly looked toward the Sovereigns of the Samsara Domain and barked, "Take your people and evacuate... Disconnect from the Samsara Universe..." One seventh-rank Sovereign gritted his teeth in fury and roared, "Kill him! My Lord—" He thought there might still be a chance. Samsara was dead, but Li Hao had to be severely injured. It was impossible for him to be unharmed. Yet in the next instant, a fierce glint flashed in Pengcheng's eyes. *Are you out of your mind?* *At a time like this, you still want to provoke him?* With a flash of astonishing speed, a deafening boom rang out. The seventh-rank Sovereign was smashed to pieces by Pengcheng, whose formidable physical body was fully displayed. Pengcheng shouted harshly, "Before the Samsara Sovereign died, he asked me to lead you away! Otherwise... who would care whether you live or die? Hurry, disconnect from the universe and follow me!" A seventh-rank Sovereign was completely insignificant before him. Li Hao looked up, and Sovereign Pengcheng glanced back at the same time, his heart skipping a beat upon meeting Li Hao's gaze. Li Hao said nothing. Whether it was bullying the weak while fearing the strong or something else, these were not his people—they were his enemies. Sparing them now was partly because he had promised Samsara, and partly because Li Hao was currently drained of strength. Countless domains were collapsing. Many of the stars scattered by Time had already shattered. Those overseen by spiritual projections fared somewhat better, but while there were several thousand spiritual projections, the remaining unattended Daos were currently breaking apart. His mighty power was rapidly dissipating. He did not bother concealing it. In truth, he was genuinely weakened, which Pengcheng could easily perceive. The Thunder Emperor and the others were extremely tense, guarding Li Hao in their center, but Sovereign Pengcheng had no intention of counterattacking. Nor did Li Hao seem to fear that he would. Though the Sovereigns of the Samsara Realm were unwilling, many were terrified. They began to disconnect from the Great Dao Universe, not even daring to forcibly damage it. Once Samsara died, their spirit had been completely broken by Li Hao. Soon, one Sovereign after another detached from the universe. Sovereign Pengcheng looked nervously at the great world and said anxiously, "I carry no world with me, so it is inconvenient to transport mortals..." "Do as you please," Li Hao replied calmly. "Since that is the case, Fellow Daoist Pengcheng, return quickly and pass word to the Huntian Sovereign... Today, I, Li Hao, am no match for Huntian. In the future, I will settle the score for the Sovereigns of the Huntian Domain besieging me!" Sovereign Pengcheng did not dare make any threats in return. Though Li Hao's words sounded somewhat arrogant, to Pengcheng's mind, they were entirely within the realm of possibility. When a newcomer who had risen in mere years and managed to slay Samsara made such a declaration, would anyone truly dare dismiss it? Without another word, Pengcheng led the other two eighth-ranks and the surviving Sovereigns in a hasty retreat. At this moment, he had no time to worry about anything else. Yet just then, the furious roar of the Polar Ice Sovereign echoed across the distance: "You beasts! You're just leaving like this?" "Damn you!" "Bastards!" He was going mad, howling in shrill rage. The moment Samsara fell, at least five or six eighth-rank Sovereigns had fled. Li Hao's side had not yet had the time or capacity to provide reinforcements. Yet the instant Samsara fell, at least five or six eighth-ranks had run, terrified out of their wits! They feared that once Li Hao caught his breath, he would come to assist. Thus, a whole group had fled in the blink of an eye. Now, seeing Pengcheng also retreating, the Sovereigns who had still been holding on realized the situation was hopeless and took flight one after another. The Polar Ice Sovereign wanted to flee as well, but he had no chance. The Human King had been locked onto him the entire time! At this moment, the Human King was utterly ruthless, grinding his teeth and laughing wildly: "Damn it, run, why don't you? You thought you were so capable! Nobody else stuck their neck out, but you just had to, didn't you?" Ignoring everyone else, he swung his saber madly at his opponent! No one was left to stop him. Of the fifteen eighth-rank Sovereigns, the two from the Polar Ice Realm were dead, and the Supreme and his companions had slain one more during the battle. Three had died, and the rest had mostly scattered. Only this unfortunate fellow had been targeted, unable to break away no matter how hard he tried. The Polar Ice Sovereign grew desperate: "I surrender! I'm willing to surrender..." After this battle, the Eastern Alliance had completely crumbled! Once he died, only eleven eighth-ranks would remain in the east. Originally, there had been many, and they had dared to fight. Would the remaining eleven dare oppose Xinwu and Silver Moon? What a joke! Many of them would likely flee the region altogether, abandoning their universes. "Too late!" the Human King roared. It was unclear whether his fury stemmed from Li Hao stealing the spotlight or from Polar Ice surviving for so long. His long saber shattered completely! Heaven and earth seemed to turn into purgatory as a frenzied slash tore through the void. The Polar Ice Sovereign's frozen world instantly shattered. Despair overwhelmed the Polar Ice Sovereign, and he cursed hysterically: "Huntian, Five Elements, Spring and Autumn... you are all beasts! Anyone who trusts you is courting death!" He had believed the three great overlords when they said they could wipe out Xinwu and Silver Moon and allow Polar Ice to unify the east. It was all bullshit. Was this their plan? A host of eighth-ranks had died! Even Samsara had been slain, and now... he was about to follow in his footsteps. Regret gnawed at him. Had he known this would happen, he would rather have cooperated with Samsara from the start. Together, they would have unified the east long ago. Now, everything had fallen apart. Samsara was destroyed, and he was about to die as well. *Rumble!* Amidst a tremendous roar, the Polar Ice Sovereign perished completely amidst his curses. Even in death, he remained unreconciled to dying so pathetically. The Human King panted heavily and sneered. The three fools of Polar Ice were all dead. In his eyes, those three had been utterly foolish. How had they dared dream of unifying the east? Did they deserve it? Did they have the strength? They had been used as pawns by the three overlords, faring even worse than Samsara. At least Samsara had held some initiative and mobilized many eighth-ranks to join the fight. The three fools of Polar Ice had emptied their own reserves, gaining nothing before throwing their lives away for the three overlords. And now... nothing remained. He turned his gaze toward the distance, where Li Hao's battlefield lay. The Human King spat a mouthful of blood and muttered a curse: "Bastard... how did he pull that off?" Indeed, even he was astonished. Li Hao had slain Samsara and the others in succession. It was unbelievable. The Supreme panted, his Great Dao Book somewhat battered. He looked in the same direction, smiled, and said softly, "He... shattered time!" The Human King nodded. He had felt it too, and sighed with mixed feelings. "It's a good thing, but... still somewhat regrettable. If he can't restore it, it'll be an even greater loss. That kid's Myriad Heavens Dao Arena... might very well be ruined." He turned toward the Four Regions. The tribulation lightning over there had nearly dispersed. Outside the Four Regions, a towering silhouette seemed to shroud the entire domain. That was Long Zhan. At this moment, above the Four Regions, Long Zhan shattered the last of the tribulation lightning. Panting slightly, he looked into the distance. In his hand, he held a divine character that rippled constantly, quickly manifesting as a projection of Li Hao before his eyes. Long Zhan looked at Li Hao, and Li Hao looked back at him. Long Zhan spoke first: "Congratulations!" The tripartite alliance's plan to surround and annihilate Xinwu and Silver Moon had completely collapsed, and Long Zhan's hope of maintaining a balance of power had been thoroughly ruined by Li Hao. He had to admit that he admired the young man. At such a critical juncture, Li Hao had triggered the tribulation lightning to draw him away. Though it annoyed Long Zhan, the move had been undeniably timely. Otherwise, had Long Zhan remained on the battlefield, he would never have allowed Li Hao to slay Samsara. After this battle, aside from the three great overlords who still possessed the strength to oppose Li Hao and his allies, even Long Zhan's faction only had him left to exert any deterrence. In truth, Long Zhan felt a sense of crisis. Indeed, a crisis! The east had collapsed! The eighth-ranks had either fled or died. This time, none might dare remain; even if they did, they would have to bow their heads and submit. Frankly, he had not expected it to happen so fast! He had anticipated that the two factions working together could conquer the east, but never this quickly, nor this smoothly. Moreover, he had never intended to make things so easy for them. Yet the outcome had defied all expectations. In just a few short months—not even a year since Li Hao and the others had emerged from the Four Regions—the two factions had thoroughly subdued the east. Samsara, Polar Ice, Gemini, Sun Moon, Sunder Earth... All of these worlds had fallen. The backbone of the east had been snapped. As for the three overlords, Earth Spirit and Fengming had been slain. Moving forward, the other two factions would have to beware of Huntian, because Huntian had suffered no losses—at least none on the surface. Those two must be nursing massive headaches right now. They had likely never expected to fail, let alone that Li Hao would slay only their people while sparing Pengcheng and his allies. Not a single one of Huntian's three eighth-ranks had died, and they had even escorted back many seventh-rank Sovereigns. Li Hao had likely done this on purpose. "It was nothing, really," Li Hao replied. Long Zhan regained his composure and smiled. "Did you spare Pengcheng and the others so Huntian would invade the southern and northern regions?" Li Hao laughed and shook his head. "I had no such thoughts. My strength simply fell short. At this moment, I am truly quite weak. If Senior Long Zhan were to strike right now, the Human King and I would be hard-pressed to resist..." "You jest," Long Zhan said with a light laugh. "If I were to step out of the Four Regions right now, wouldn't that be exactly what you wish for?" Pausing, he added, "Tianfang is likely about to make its formal return. I can already sense it. With so many Sovereigns dead and the east unified, if they don't return now, it will be too late!" His gaze turned solemn. "Taking this opportunity today, let me ask you one thing... When they return, will you assist them?" Li Hao considered for a moment, then replied, "When the three Daoists—Panlong, Huoyan, and Shuiling—return, I will certainly help them! Regardless of what you plan to do, those three must not only return, but return safely! Furthermore, they must maintain their combat strength, whether by remaining in the Tianfang Universe or taking their Great Dao Stars with them. In short, I will protect them!" At this moment, he had earned the right to stand before Long Zhan and speak these words. Li Hao's phantom trembled as he smiled. "If Senior chooses to obstruct them... then we go to war! If Senior is willing to grant this junior's request, I have no desire to fight you to the bitter end at this stage; there is little point to it. The three overlords would love nothing more than to see us tear each other apart..." Long Zhan's eyes deepened. "Li Hao, I am willing to grant you this! I have no desire to make an enemy of you right now either. But if the three of them insist on taking control of the Tianfang Great Dao Universe... that could be troublesome. If they are determined to fight me and obstruct my plans, that will also be a problem. In that case... I might not be able to hold back!" His expression turned cold. "Also... do not think that Tianfang is on your side. If you believe that, you are mistaken!" Li Hao chuckled. "I never thought that! Far from Tianfang, even with Xinwu and Silver Moon being so close, I have never considered Xinwu to belong to Silver Moon. And naturally, Silver Moon does not belong to Xinwu! In this world, everyone lives for themselves. Who is purely good or bad? In my eyes, Long Zhan, you are no good person, yet in the eyes of the Chaos clan, you are a saint, a holy emperor!" "So... each of us merely pursues our own interests. But it is also a fact that I owe Tianfang a debt of gratitude." Long Zhan nodded. "Then on the day Tianfang returns, as long as the three of them do not cause me too much trouble, I will let them leave in exchange for your non-interference. If they insist on interfering... and you, Li Hao, come to take them away, I will grant you that face... But if that still doesn't work... then we go to war!" Li Hao smiled. "Thank you for accommodating me, Senior!" Pausing, he added, "Senior... can you match a ninth-rank?" Long Zhan sneered. "Where in the present Chaos is there a true ninth-rank? Without nine thousand Great Dao Laws, how can one be considered a true ninth-rank? Is Huntian a true ninth-rank? As for Tianfang, even if the Master of Tianfang returns, it is impossible for him to truly possess ninth-rank power!" Li Hao looked thoughtful. No wonder this man dared set his sights on Tianfang. He had already deduced that on the day Tianfang returned, the Master of Tianfang would most likely return alongside it—though it might only be an avatar or projection. Still, it would certainly not be weaker than Huntian. Long Zhan had to be aware of this, yet he still harbored designs on Tianfang. The man's ambitions were immense. Long Zhan said nothing more on the matter, speaking again: "Sever your connection with Feng Yan. I will allow this divine character of yours to leave, rather than letting it shatter and go to waste." Li Hao smiled. "Senior... you are truly interesting! Once the Tribulation character shatters, my connection with Feng Yan will naturally be broken..." Long Zhan sneered. "Could you not condense it again? Why play these childish games with me? Sever your link with Feng Yan, and I will release your 'Tribulation' divine character. It will save you trouble, so why insist on leaving loose ends?" *Fair enough.* Li Hao nodded, speaking with apparent regret: "Then... let it be so! In truth, I rather like Princess Feng Yan and harbor no ill will toward her..." Not even a ghost would believe that! To Long Zhan, the seemingly refined Li Hao was far more vicious than the Human King. Using the lives of countless humans and Chaos beasts across the Four Regions to threaten him, a Chaos beast... was that something a decent human would do? If word got out, no one would believe it! Traditionally, only the Chaos clan devoured worlds and used them to threaten human experts. This time, the tables had turned, and he had been threatened by Li Hao instead. It was almost laughable. Yet the absurdity had actually happened! Who would have believed it? Li Hao said no more. With a wave of his hand, a flicker of lightning seemed to surface in the void. In the distance, Sovereign Feng Yan let out a muffled groan as a contract deep within her soul shattered completely. Sovereign Feng Yan had been severely injured moments ago. Feeling the contract dissolve, she felt both rage and self-reproach. Had it not been for her, such catastrophic consequences might not have occurred. The entire Four Regions had been implicated. In her fury, she screamed, "Li Hao, you despicable villain..." Indeed, Li Hao was a villain. In Feng Yan's eyes, this man was shameless to the extreme. He had actually threatened her father with the lives of countless humans. He was hateful, abominable, and disgraceful! "You constantly claimed that you only killed my Chaos clan—killed my mother and other members of my race—because we devoured humans! Today, your actions are a hundred times more vile than anything my Chaos clan has ever done..." Li Hao nodded. "Yes, I disgust even myself. It was far too shameless. But when a jianghu martial artist falls on hard times, acting shamelessly helps him survive!" Li Hao smiled faintly, not the least bit provoked. "My master once told me: never lose your life for the sake of mere pride. Endure when you must, yield when you must, and back down when you must. I feared Senior Long Zhan, so I had no choice but to resort to such underhanded methods... Next time, I might use them again." He laughed. "Of course, if I have the strength next time to confront Senior head-on, I naturally won't need such dirty tricks. Princess Feng Yan, there is no need to be angry. Throughout history, the victor is crowned king while the loser is branded a bandit. If I die, you may slander me however you please. If I win... then it was all to protect humanity and uphold justice. Besides, I didn't actually slaughter hundreds of millions of humans, did I?" *Shameless!* Feng Yan trembled with fury. Long Zhan laughed as well. "Well said—'the victor is crowned king and the loser a bandit'! I truly underestimated you. When you slaughtered your way through my Dragon Domain before, I thought you were merely a hypocrite. Today, it seems I was wrong—you are a true villain!" "Hypocrite or villain..." Li Hao chuckled once more. "All of it will be judged by posterity. Right now, we are all active players in this game. Who has the right to judge anyone else? I won't take up any more of Senior's time. I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave. Thank you, Senior, for preserving my divine character!" "Father!" Feng Yan cried out, unwilling to let Li Hao's divine character leave. A single divine character was one thing, but this was the Tribulation divine character. It was immensely powerful and could even resonate with the Thunder Domain. It was far too dangerous; shattering it was the better option! Yet Long Zhan raised his hand, holding everyone back. Li Hao smiled. "Thank you, Senior!" With those words, the divine character drifted away, swiftly shooting into the distance as his voice echoed back: "Princess Feng Yan, you are still too young. You should temper yourself for a few more years!" "You..." Feng Yan was furious! Long Zhan remained silent until Li Hao had completely departed, only then speaking slowly: "Do not fly into a rage at every turn. It accomplishes nothing and amounts to nothing more than impotent fury." "But..." Feng Yan was unwilling to let it go. Even so, they should have kept Li Hao's divine character! How could they simply let it go? Long Zhan glanced into the distance and said softly, "Shattering his divine character would achieve little, other than completely alienating him. That is the first reason. As for the second..." He looked around at the surrounding Thunder Domain. "It might provoke a second eruption from the Thunder Domain, creating even more trouble!" Feng Yan had no response, feeling utterly suffocated. Black Tiger and the others felt the same—frustrated and helpless. Meanwhile, the Red Moon Sovereign was still immersed in the scene from earlier. Only now did he seem to snap out of his daze, murmuring in confusion, "Li Hao... killed Samsara with the Dao of Desire!" *How is that possible!* *I am the Lord of Desire!* Long Zhan nodded. "Do you understand now? Desire is not weak. What was weak was the person, not the Dao!" The Lord of Red Moon was left speechless. Samsara! A cultivator nearing six thousand Daos, a truly supreme powerhouse, had been slain by the Dao of Desire. His Great Dao broken, his cycle shattered... This was something Red Moon had never imagined. For a time, he felt completely lost. *It's as if... I am not even as formidable at wielding the Dao of Desire as that kid Li Hao.* It was ridiculous. ... Across the eastern region, the fighting began to subside. Li Hao's side had slain five eighth-rank Sovereigns, while the Human King's side had slain four. In a single battle, nine eighth-ranks had fallen. And all of them were formidable powerhouses. Several of the eighth-ranks who had perished this day were extraordinarily powerful. The two greatest worlds of the east, Samsara and Polar Ice, had lost every single one of their eighth-ranks in this single clash. It was fair to say that such an outcome had surpassed everyone's expectations. Li Hao's "Tribulation" divine character swiftly returned, sinking into his body and merging into the long river. Soon, Li Hao recovered some of his strength. The Thunder Emperor and the others were surprised that the divine character had actually returned intact! Dao Chess could not help but ask in confusion, "The Dragon Lord didn't destroy this divine character?" Li Hao glanced back toward the Four Regions and sighed with emotion. "That is why he is a top-tier powerhouse. The fact that he didn't destroy my divine character doesn't necessarily mean he had good intentions. The Thunder Domain was left behind by a ninth-rank after all. In short, the situation remains complicated!" With that, he looked at the spiritual projections emerging within the long river. These Sovereigns were currently bowing their heads, not daring to utter a word. Earlier, they had dared to voice their thoughts. Yet now that Li Hao had slain Samsara... even though they knew they had contributed to the battle and that Li Hao might not have possessed such strength without them, they still felt profound fear and reverence from the bottom of their hearts. He was too terrifying a person! This battle had brought them tremendous gains. Having personally participated in a clash of Daos, they had comprehended myriad Daos, Samsara, and even rules... It was fair to say that after this battle, if they could return safely with these insights, they would undoubtedly take another step forward. Only... could they still return? Without delaying, Li Hao looked at the damaged myriad Daos in the river, exhaled, and smiled. "Fortunately, only a portion shattered; it isn't completely ruined..." Turning, he called out, "Er Mao!" Er Mao emerged, looking utterly drained as well. The cat was thoroughly helpless! *Do I have to work again?* "I'm going to attempt to restore Time..." Li Hao said. "Check the substitute Daos I had you prepare earlier. See which ones are broken and bring them to me..." He then addressed the others: "The rest of you, go collect the scattered energy in the surroundings. I will repair Time first!" Repairing Time came first. It was not because he was in an urgent rush to use it himself, but because he needed to continue expanding the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena and send these spiritual projections back. Li Hao's voice resonated in all directions: "Please remain calm, everyone. I will send you back shortly. Afterward, the Dao Arena will officially open and operate as planned! If you have gained anything from this, feel free to help me spread the word..." A Sovereign immediately chimed in, "Why would you need us to spread the word? In this battle, the Venerable swept away all opposition and slew Samsara! Your fame already shakes the Chaos! The name of the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena will undoubtedly echo across the four quarters of the Chaos!" Through this battle, Li Hao's name had truly reverberated across the Chaos. Slaying Samsara was the battle in which he truly stepped onto the Chaos stage, made his name known, cast off the shadow of Xinwu, and established himself as an equal to the Human King. No one would ever claim that Silver Moon was a mere vassal of Xinwu again. No one would ever think that between Xinwu and Silver Moon, only the Human King was formidable while the Silver Moon King was insignificant. Only at this moment were the Silver Moon King and the Human King seen as true equals—perhaps with the former even edging out the latter... Of course, in terms of actual combat power, Li Hao had not yet reached that level. Yet he had slain Samsara. Regardless of the means employed, it was Li Hao's achievement. The Time Star had been dismantled by Li Hao. Currently, some Daos were severed, but fortunately, Er Mao had replicated them. Restoring them was still somewhat difficult. Li Hao, however, did not mind the difficulty; he was willing to test the waters and try piecing them together. Moreover, after today's battle, his comprehension of the Dao had deepened significantly. Coupled with a deeper understanding of rules, he had grasped certain truths—such as why the Time Star underwent continuous transformations of Daos. Perhaps it was not due to anything else, but rather Dao spirits... the presence of sentience. Even if the restored version was inferior to the original, it should still retain some of its original temporal power. That would be enough! The others quickly began gathering resources and cleaning up the battlefield. Having slain multiple powerful Sovereigns and secured an intact Samsara World, their spoils were immense. Naturally... Wanhua and the others did not dare harbor any hopes of claiming the spoils. They waited obediently to the side, each better behaved than the last. Today, Li Hao was the main protagonist of the Chaos! Even the Human King's thunder had been somewhat stolen. Slaying the Polar Ice Sovereign, breaking through the encirclement of fifteen eighth-ranks with just five of their own, and killing four eighth-ranks was still not as dazzling as Li Hao's feat. Watching Li Hao repair Time, everyone felt immensely tense. They wanted to look away, fearing Li Hao would notice. Yet they truly could not help themselves. Not just them—even the spiritual projections watched intently. Each of them was terrified yet fascinated as they watched Li Hao repeatedly sort and reorganize the ten thousand Daos. This was likely the most direct, profound, and miraculous combination of Daos they would ever witness in their lives. Time! Yet Li Hao—whether because he had forgotten or simply didn't care—did not drive them away, allowing them to observe freely. It was simply incredible. Soon, however, they realized that Li Hao had not forgotten. After several failed attempts at assembly, Li Hao showed no sign of irritation. He pondered for a moment before speaking: "Reassembling Time this time is somewhat troublesome. I would like to ask for everyone's help!" He continued, "Please take control of the various Daos according to the domains you originally merged with. The Daos lack a degree of sentience, making them difficult to assemble. They were originally compatible, but now there is some mutual repulsion. Clearly, the lack of sentience prevents them from fusing together!" "Just as before, please help me hold them for a while until they are fully reassembled. Once that is done, I won't need to trouble you any further..." Everyone was startled, followed immediately by wild delight! How could such a wonderful thing be considered "troublesome work"? This was an incredible opportunity to comprehend the Great Dao! Something one could not obtain even by begging. Even Sovereign Wanhua and his companions felt a pang of envy. How was this merely helping out? In their entire lives, they had never seen such a complex and profound Dao. Personally participating in its reassembly—even if only observing without directly comprehending all ten thousand Daos—was an unforgettable harvest of a lifetime. Li Hao soon turned to the seventh-rank Sovereigns: "Could the few of you lend a hand as well? Seventh-ranks wield more Daos. There are ten thousand Daos here, and their numbers aren't quite enough... Let us all take part and help me repair and perfect it!" "Thank you, Venerable!" The seventh-ranks were overjoyed as well. They had just been looking for an opportunity to offer, and Li Hao had brought it up himself. They could not have been happier. The Silver Moon martial masters joined in one after another. Hong Yitang, however, did not participate. Once everyone had entered the Great Dao River, Hong Yitang looked at Li Hao with a sigh and suddenly spoke: "Li Hao..." Li Hao turned to look at him. At this moment, Hong Yitang appeared immensely sacred. Except... Li Hao frowned slightly. Hong Yitang's expression was conflicted, but he spoke nonetheless: "I want to head out first... With so many Sovereigns falling, worlds across the eastern region will be thrown into turmoil. Many Sovereigns will likely flee, and I fear they might devour worlds and slaughter living beings! I want to... gather and bring back a portion of the human race." Li Hao thought for a moment and nodded. With a wave of his hand, he extracted someone from the Great Dao River. The Queen blinked in surprise. Li Hao said, "Accompany Uncle Hong to gather the humans! You only need to collect the energy from the power of faith. As for the mental energy and the faith itself, let Martial Uncle absorb it!" The Queen was more than eager to comply! She was constantly worried about being assimilated by faith, dreading it every day. Now that Hong Yitang was willing to absorb it, she was naturally overjoyed! "Understood!" She agreed readily. Hong Yitang didn't mind either; since Li Hao had no objection, he said nothing more and quickly departed with the Queen. ... With the assistance of so many Sovereigns, Li Hao began restoring Time. Sure enough, with the help of these spiritual projections, it was as if the Daos had gained sentience. Daos that had previously refused to merge could now blend together. The difference between Daos with sentience and those without was immense. Under Li Hao's control, after an entire day of hard work from everyone, the previously difficult-to-restore Time Star was finally brought back together. Though it appeared somewhat weaker than before, a Time Star had successfully coalesced once more. Li Hao was ecstatic! After this experience, he thoroughly understood the path of merging ten thousand Daos; all the obstacles had been cleared. While it might still require a great deal of time to experiment, execute, and refine... Having taken this first step, the rest would be far simpler. With the Time Star restored and the river reappearing, the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena could naturally be restored as well. Soon, rivers of time invisibly manifested. The spiritual projections reappeared within the Dao Arena as before. Li Hao's voice echoed out once more: "You may all return now! You have done me a great favor today, and I have little to offer in return. Moving forward, whenever you teleport to the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena, each of you may enter Dao Chess once to comprehend the Great Dao... without any trials or conditions!" "Thank you, Venerable!" Countless Sovereigns offered their thanks, ecstatic with joy! The gains from this trip were simply too great! As the passages reopened, the spiritual projections did not linger, departing one after another. Before long, across thousands of worlds in the eastern region, Sovereigns received the full influx of information. In the next moment, world masters and Dao lords emerged from their worlds, their Great Daos surging in wild excitement. In that instant, they bowed reverently in the direction of Li Hao! Knowledge had no fixed order; those who attained it first were the masters! Today, they had truly experienced what it meant to "hear the Dao in the morning and die content in the evening." Even if it had not reached that extreme, for them, this was an unprecedented opportunity. Across world after world, the gates to the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena opened. Sovereigns traveled the realm, shouting aloud: "The Myriad Heavens Dao Arena has been established! All fellow Daoists may enter! A sacred ground for debating the Dao, a blessing for the Chaos! The Bright Moon Dao Lord, the Sage of the East..." Their praise was extravagant, yet tinged with genuine sincerity. At this moment, they truly wished to promote this Dao Arena to the world and invite everyone to take part! ... Meanwhile, Li Hao was completely exhausted and had no mind to care about any of this. Ignoring the spoils of war, he dragged his weary body through the void toward the distance. A short while later, he arrived at another location. The Human King paid him no heed, busy dismantling worlds. Faced with the Polar Ice World and another great world, the Human King was silently tearing them apart without a word. The entire starry sky was filled with energy, Great Dao crystals, and Great Dao power... The Human King was reversing Yin and Yang, preparing to resurrect those who had self-detonated earlier. Seeing Li Hao arrive, he merely turned his head and gave a slight nod, saying nothing. Although they had killed Polar Ice and the others, Xinwu's losses had been severe. A vast number of Sovereigns had self-detonated, and even if resurrected, they might not match their previous strength. Seeing Li Hao, the Supreme took the initiative to walk over, sighing with emotion. "Congratulations, young friend!" He added, "Fang Ping is currently setting up the resurrection array and cannot attend to other matters..." "Understood!" Li Hao nodded. "It seems to me that the power of two worlds might not be enough; it lacks sufficient vitality... Samsara specializes in life and death. I extracted all the vitality from Samsara and can infuse it into the array. That should at least provide enough life force for the resurrection..." "This..." The Supreme looked somewhat embarrassed. "You were the one who killed Samsara..." "You are being too polite, Senior," Li Hao smiled. "This victory does not belong to my side alone. Without you and Senior Human King, I would never have achieved such results. In truth, Xinwu and Silver Moon are already difficult to separate. In the eyes of outsiders, we are one entity, so there is no need to draw deliberate lines..." The busy Human King glanced back and could not help grumbling, "Little brat, now that you're strong enough, you don't want to split up? When you weren't strong enough, you wanted to draw clear boundaries, didn't you? Seriously..." Even as he grumbled, he did not hesitate to accept: "Bring it over quickly; we're running short on vitality anyway! And as for yourself, you borrowed external power—you didn't slay Samsara on your own. Reach the eighth rank quickly! Otherwise... after killing Samsara today, your next battle will only be more dangerous!" "Thank you for the reminder, Human King!" Li Hao chuckled, then asked, "Do you need my help in resurrecting the seniors?" "No need!" the Human King replied nonchalantly. "A trivial matter!" Seeing this, Li Hao said nothing more. Leaving behind a vast reservoir of vitality, he quickly departed without another word. Once he was gone... the Human King suddenly cursed, "What a heartless little brat! He doesn't even know how to be polite! Doesn't he know resurrecting people might draw down countless tribulations? I was too proud to ask, and the bastard actually just walked away!" "..." The Supreme was speechless! *Who told you to care so much about saving face?* Still, resurrecting so many people was bound to trigger tribulation lightning. Li Hao happened to be familiar with Chaos tribulations; with his help, things would have been considerably easier. What a pity. Now, it was too late to say anything. ... Soon, in the distance, Li Hao saw countless bolts of lightning roaring. Beside him, Kongji asked in confusion, "Why didn't you... lend a hand?" Li Hao looked into the distance and smiled. "Perhaps the Human King wants to refine the tribulation lightning? Or temper his body? I'm not entirely sure, but he told me he didn't need help. He is a senior, after all, so it wasn't my place to insist." Kongji nodded, unable to help praising: "The Human King is truly overbearing! To dare use so much tribulation lightning to temper his body! Combined, the power of those strikes is likely far more terrifying than Samsara's attacks... It's equivalent to fighting another battle. Truly unmatched in valor!" The Human King was indeed formidable. He could have avoided it by letting Li Hao handle it, yet he insisted on using it for body tempering. Such a method was extraordinary! Li Hao sighed with emotion as well... After a moment, he felt an urge to laugh. *Could the Human King really be using tribulation lightning to temper his body?* Whether he had simply been too proud to ask or had other reasons, Li Hao didn't dwell on it. He was thoroughly drained himself; helping out would have been agonizing. Since the Human King had taken the initiative to decline, Li Hao was more than happy to step aside! In any case, the lightning wasn't going to kill the Human King.