Breaking the Tribulation

The avatar of the Lord of Tribulation descended. At that moment, it was still sweeping up surrounding energy to empower itself. Its strength grew greater by the second! Li Hao simply watched, looking as though he were waiting for something. Waiting for his opponent to reach the absolute pinnacle, to achieve his strongest state! It was an act so arrogant that everyone thought he had lost his mind. At this point, there was no way to fuse everyone together, the power of time was thoroughly spent, and the Chaos lightning tribulation was no longer siphoning energy. The Lord of Tribulation had made such a mistake once, and he would never make it a second time. Under these circumstances... the Thunder Emperor and the others grew anxious. As the Lord of Tribulation grew ever stronger, they stood no chance of matching such a supreme powerhouse. Over on Tianfang's side... The clash of auras had reached an extreme. Overwhelming pressure blanketed the sky. The Human King and Long Zhan had already erupted into action, engaging Tianfang in combat. Yet here on Li Hao's side, because Li Hao did not move, no one else could make a move either... All at once, they could only watch helplessly as their foe steadily grew in might, to the point where some could barely remain standing. The Lord of Tribulation said nothing. If you choose to sit by and watch, all the better. Whatever schemes Li Hao possessed, as long as he attained peak strength, all schemes would come to naught. No one could outscheme an invincible ninth-rank existence. Li Hao, meanwhile, was still observing. Ninth rank! For the first time, he was seeing a living, genuine one. Even if it was only an avatar. The most critical facet of a ninth-rank's Dao lay in spirituality. His spirituality was exceedingly abundant, which drove his Dao to evolve toward rules. Once a ninth-rank's Dao was stripped of sufficient spirituality... it was no different from an eighth-rank's Dao. Seven or eight thousand Dao principles were just seven or eight thousand Dao principles. Dealing with a ninth-rank was fundamentally different from dealing with a seventh- or eighth-rank. A seventh- or eighth-rank cultivator's Dao principles were disordered and lacked spirit—one was strictly one, never multiplying into two. Once a ninth-rank cultivator's Dao lost its spirit, the combined might of everyone present could surround and kill him. The power of Tribulation was inferior to Tianfang's. Tianfang might be able to descend with an avatar possessing 8,999 Daos, whereas Tribulation, at best, could descend with an avatar of around 8,000 Dao principles. It was only because of that spirituality that even Huntian might not be able to match him. This was the confidence of these ninth-rank experts! The ninth rank marked a monumental transformation. Yet as long as his Dao lost its spirituality, that so-called invincibility became a complete joke. This was the crux of the matter! At this moment, Li Hao gazed into the void. Countless Great Daos—every single Dao tied to tribulation—seemed imbued with spirituality, rendering them far more active and potent. As long as that spirituality was purged... Tribulation was nothing to fear! *Boom!* A colossal roar echoed. It came not from Li Hao's vicinity, but from afar, where the Lord of Tianfang had made his move. A casual strike felt like the heavens collapsing and the earth tearing apart. A grand spatial technique severed heaven and earth! Not only that, the Human King and his companions seemed instantly sliced apart, partitioned into countless spatial pockets that proved unbreakable, no matter how fiercely the Human King's saber energy surged toward the heavens or how violently Long Zhan battered them with his golden dragon body! Even as a mere avatar, the Lord of Tianfang was absurdly formidable right now. He seemed completely unbothered by being besieged by such a crowd. What difference did numbers make? At his level, whether there were many opponents or few made no difference at all. The Dao of Space was an exceedingly powerful Dao in Chaos. With a wave of his hand, worlds seemed to manifest—a whole region, a complete realm. Worlds born of a mere glance! At that moment, worlds seemed to spring into being across the Four Regions, enveloping the Human King and the others separately and suppressing them with cosmic weight. The Great Dao possessed spirit! …… Meanwhile. At the edge of the Four Regions. Outside the Thunder Domain. Two silhouettes materialized faintly. Huntian had arrived, and not only him—the dark shadow who had always accompanied him was present as well. The two looked into the distance, gazing at the projection that still lingered. Both remained silent. Ninth rank! So this was the ninth rank. In Huntian's eyes, the Human King's projection across heaven and earth had not been for vanity, but to... allow everyone to see clearly. Perhaps it was to let people like them witness just how terrifying a ninth-rank expert truly was! Perhaps he wished to show everyone that even if they died in battle, others would still glean crucial insights into the terrifying nature of the ninth rank. The Human King was truly magnificent! Huntian did not believe he had misjudged. Would an overlord like the Human King expend such a colossal price to project across the heavens merely to show off? Therefore... that had to be the reason. He wanted those in Chaos with the will to resist to witness the traits of the ninth rank and everything about them, so they could prepare to fight back. Putting himself in harm's way—he truly lived up to the title of the Xinwu Human King! "Dao Lord..." the dark shadow whispered. "Shall we intervene to help?" Right now, only two avatars had descended. The Human King and his allies might hold out for a while longer, but over here in the Thunder Domain, Silver Moon stood alone against the Lord of Tribulation. They stood little chance. The Lord of Tribulation was continuously growing in power, while Li Hao appeared powerless to stop him. Once battle erupted, Li Hao might be slain in an instant! When that happened, everything would be lost. Li Hao had previously exerted the power of time to annihilate the experts of the Thunder Domain and Tianfang, thoroughly draining his remaining reserves. Both of them had witnessed it. In the dark shadow's eyes, only their intervention might turn the tide now. And even then... it was far from guaranteed. Huntian furrowed his brows slightly, glancing in all directions before saying in a deep voice, "Would Sovereign Bright Moon really seek his own death?" That was the first point. Second, he worried that once their side intervened, it might draw out even more powerhouses, including factions belonging to other ninth-rank experts. Figures like Tribulation and Tianfang had taken their subordinates with them when they left, so they required revival to return. Were the other ninth-rank experts the same? They couldn't all have taken their people away. Within this vast Chaos, worlds belonging to other ninth-rank Sovereigns were bound to exist, lying dormant in hidden quiescence. Today, they might awaken. If Huntian made a move, it might lure those very beings out. Moreover, even if he did not intervene, those beings might still emerge. Thus, what he needed to do most right now was perhaps stay right here and intercept any powerhouses attempting to enter the fray. Yet they were short on hands! Over at the Five Elements World, there were likely subordinates left behind by the Lord of the Five Elements, whom Spring and Autumn was currently dealing with. And that was only on the surface—what about those lurking in the shadows? Huntian looked toward Li Hao in the distance... He didn't expect Li Hao to defeat Tribulation. He only asked that Li Hao stall for a short while. However, sensing the Lord of Tribulation's aura grow so overwhelming that it was almost unbearable, Huntian shifted his stance. He could not watch any longer. If he kept watching, the eastern front would collapse entirely. Once it broke, the three eastern overlords wouldn't be the only ones suffering. Huntian himself would suffer a catastrophic blow. …… Natural calamities, earthly disasters. Countless powers of the Great Dao manifested. Plagues ran rampant. In just an instant, several Sovereigns who caught a whiff of the aura and were tainted by the plague fell dizzy and disoriented. The weaker cultivators among them turned pale purple in the face and hastily retreated. Before Tribulation had even fully unleashed his might, they were already unable to withstand it—it was terrifying to the absolute extreme. Flames sprouted from thin air, suddenly blazing. Several Silver Moon martial masters let out muffled shouts as fires spontaneously ignited across their bodies. Taking a few steps back, they somehow tripped over nonexistent obstacles. Dignified Sovereigns collapsed like small children in an instant, and before they could rise, countless chaotic forces engulfed them, nearly grinding them to pieces. This was Tribulation! The Lord of Tribulation strode forward step by step, looking at Li Hao with a faint smile. As he drew nearer, the entire Silver Moon martial master brigade met with disaster. Natural calamities and human catastrophes... Southern Fist slipped up slightly, letting his fire power surge just a bit too strong, and it spiraled out of control, spreading to several people beside him. In an instant, they were scorched by their own ally, their expressions turning utterly hideous. Southern Fist felt completely innocent, having burned himself into a daze as well. He felt utterly helpless, yet deeply unnerved and fearful. They did not fear powerful foes, but someone like the Lord of Tribulation seemed to bring endless disasters just by nearing you—accidents of every conceivable kind—leaving one miserable and filled with dread. Li Hao, however, saw much more. Merged into the Chaos Great Dao, he had been watching the entire time. Spirituality permeated the void alongside the power of the Great Dao, imperceptible to the others. These so-called disasters were no accidents at all. They were manipulated by a Dao of spirituality. Disasters never arose without cause! They were entirely... orchestrated. Of course, to the weak who could neither see nor grasp it, nearly killing oneself several times despite being an exalted Sovereign was a threat far more terrifying than a powerhouse who simply smashed you with a fist. It was dreadful beyond measure! Auras erupted from several eighth-rank Sovereigns. Sovereign Wushan's eyes seemed to reflect his opponent's destiny... but the moment he peered into it, blood sprayed from his eyes. What he saw was blinding golden radiance, a Great Dao of piercing, overwhelming might! Stirring the other party's fate was utterly impossible; doing so only invited violent backlash upon himself. Lightning flared across the Thunder Emperor's body, yet the surrounding Chaos lightning tribulation suppressed him so heavily that he could neither unleash his power nor even lift his head. Wanhua, Dao Chess, and Kongji all wished to erupt into action, yet all felt suppressed—an invisible, suffocating suppression. All at once, five eighth-rank Sovereigns were suppressed across the distance. It was chillingly formidable! "Fall back!" Kongji had no choice but to transmit his voice to Li Hao. "Flee to the west. Huntian is in the west; we still have a chance..." He did not fear battle, but against an opponent they clearly could not match, he could only bow to reality. He was also anxious about his father. His father was currently fighting Tianfang. If even Tribulation was this mighty, Tianfang was even more terrifying. Could the Human King and his allies truly rival Tianfang? Why wasn't Li Hao fleeing? What on earth was he waiting for? …… Li Hao was waiting for an opportunity. Waiting for the moment when that spirituality was at its most active! It wasn't yet. This was merely the beginning. The Great Dao possessed spirit, and spirit governed the Dao—this was the Dao spirit. A Dao spirit granted natural order to the Great Dao, forming the rudiments of rules. Yet because the spirituality of Chaos had waned over countless years, it was sluggish right now. However, as the will of a ninth rank descended, he could take control of spirit, causing the Dao spirit to gradually awaken. To fuse! The spirits of those cultivators who had perished earlier were coalescing. Only in this manner could the Lord of Tribulation descend with immense might, rendering his Great Dao fully spiritual. The Lord of Tribulation had refrained from unleashing his full might precisely because his spirituality was not yet sufficient. He might win if he struck now, but he would not be as strong as expected and would likely pay a price. If that price was too steep, he might end up in dire straits, for the Lord of Tianfang was also present. Would Tianfang allow him to establish a foothold? Not necessarily! Therefore, to maintain peak condition, he had to push his spirituality to its utmost limit. That was the exact moment Li Hao was waiting for. Li Hao stood motionless, an aura of unfathomable mystery about him. Opposite him, the Lord of Tribulation grew somewhat wary, frowning slightly. Why hadn't this second-generation time cultivator moved an inch? "Li Hao, if you submit to me, perhaps I will spare you this time... As long as you sign a Great Dao agreement with me... with the Chaos lightning tribulation as the penalty... I might let you live!" Since Li Hao was in no rush, neither was he. Just as Li Hao had observed and surmised, the Lord of Tribulation was still gathering spirituality. One had to admit that a million years later, the spirituality in Chaos had grown pitifully faint. That there was still some left was his only consolation. He needed to wait until spirituality reached its zenith before he would possess the strength to handle whatever upheavals followed. The people before him were mere small fry. "A Great Dao agreement?" Li Hao chuckled. "Does Senior still dare sign a Great Dao agreement with me? I've endured plenty of Chaos lightning tribulations. Does Senior really believe it can do anything to me?" The Lord of Tribulation raised an eyebrow and smiled. "The tribulations you've endured were merely disordered, scattered throughout Chaos. Perhaps... you thought they were nothing special, but you don't understand in the slightest. When I exist within Chaos, the tribulation becomes ordered. The true Chaos lightning tribulation is vastly more powerful than you can imagine!" "Can you comprehend that?" The Lord of Tribulation smiled. Did he understand? The current lightning tribulation was merely scattered fragments drifting across the realm. Did he truly believe the Chaos lightning tribulation was so simple? Only when he existed, only when he gathered spirituality and the spirit of the Great Dao manifested, would this lightning become the true, invincible tribulation—slaying anyone beneath the ninth rank! Even those who had reached the ninth rank, if on the weaker side, would be grievously injured if not struck dead. Li Hao had vastly underestimated the Chaos lightning tribulation! He then glanced toward Tianfang's direction. "I fear your friends won't be able to offer you any help. Tianfang is exceedingly strong—the mightiest among the ninth rank. Right now, he is merely in a period of recovery; otherwise, even an avatar of his would be more than enough to slaughter anyone! He is far more formidable than you imagine..." "I know," Li Hao nodded. The others were on the verge of madness from exasperation. At a critical juncture like this, both figures were acting bizarrely. Li Hao wasn't fighting back, and the Lord of Tribulation was actually in the mood to make idle chatter with him. Were these two here to chat or to fight to the death? After exchanging a few words, the space near the Thunder Domain trembled faintly. The Lord of Tribulation glanced to the side and smiled indifferently. He sensed that someone had arrived. However... Too late! At that moment, the power of the Great Dao quivered all around as though springing to life. Boundless chaotic energy surged toward them like mad. Spirituality emerged. Lightning manifested in the void. At this instant, the spirituality reached its most active state. He smiled. "Are you waiting for someone to save you? That Huntian? Perhaps he has ties to Order... A pity... he came a bit too late!" Had he arrived earlier, before I restored myself to the peak, he might have been able to contend with me. Now, it was too late! In the distance, Huntian's brow furrowed sharply as he felt the intense surge of spirituality. He nearly cursed out loud. *Li Hao, you fool, if you had just disrupted him for a moment, he wouldn't have reached his peak so quickly.* *If you realized I was nearby, you should have stalled him somewhat, you bastard...* Huntian wanted to curse him to his face! *Damn it!* This was truly bad. Could Li Hao have struck some deal with the ninth rank? If so, I might have walked right into a trap. If Li Hao was colluding with the ninth rank, the rest of them might have stepped into an enormous pit! Not good! At that thought, his expression shifted. Yet at this very moment, Li Hao smiled. The time had come. He had waited so long for the opponent to reach his strongest state, for this... was also the most critical moment to shatter him. Spirituality? *I have it too, did you know?* In a flash, winds howled and clouds surged. The Lord of Tribulation was still looking at Huntian, contemplating whether to kill Huntian first and then deal with the time cultivator at his leisure, or capture the time cultivator first before deciding... Yet right at that instant, countless divine characters suddenly manifested around Li Hao. Countless! From Qian Wuliang's direction, tens of millions of divine characters suddenly spilled forth, gathering into a book. An unimaginable quantity! Silver Moon! The cultivators of Silver Moon had formed countless divine characters over this period. Though individually weak, they shared the same origin, and all of them converged in this single breath. Before Li Hao, a fierce tiger materialized. The tiger roared and swallowed the book in one gulp! A tiger spirit! "A spirit?" The Lord of Tribulation's heart skipped a beat, his expression shifting slightly. Without another word, he reached out toward Li Hao and the tiger. It was unbelievable that this fellow had gathered a spirit, and a remarkably formidable one at that! A good thing! If he devoured this spirit, his strength might increase even further, rivaling even Tianfang's avatar. With enough spirituality, he could draw upon vast energy and command even more power of the Great Dao. It was a good thing, though startling nonetheless. How had this fellow before him gathered such a powerful spirit? Strange! Yet right then, Li Hao suddenly smiled. The fierce tiger merged into the void in an instant. Within the Thunder Domain, ten thousand thunder pillars quivered—this Thunder Domain was also his opponent's Great Dao Universe. The tiger swooped down, heading straight for the thunder pillars. Those pillars were conceptually identical to Dao stars. The tiger appeared poised to seize the thunder pillars and wrench away control of the Dao of Tribulation. The Lord of Tribulation let out a cold sneer, reaching out toward Li Hao without paying it any mind! *You underestimate me!* *Your spirit isn't weak—it's remarkably strong—but those thunder pillars are integral components of my Dao of Tribulation. I have commanded them for countless years; how could they be so easily seized? If it were that simple, any random ninth rank could strip away my Dao of Tribulation.* In an instant! Above the ten thousand thunder pillars, a ferocious beast manifested, coalescing into a spirit as if out of thin air. It opened its gaping maw and lunged to devour the tiger! The Lord of Tribulation laughed loudly. "Thank you! I've made quite a profit this time!" Delivering a spirit straight to his door—Li Hao was truly a generous soul. The colossal beast was a spirit as well—the spirit of Tribulation. It was merely somewhat ethereal because the true body had not descended, limiting its spirituality, yet it was more than enough to handle the tiger. Its maw resembled a black hole! And the tiger dove right in... To Tribulation, this was an immense tonic! In the distance, Huntian had initially felt a flicker of pleasant surprise. Yet in the next breath, he couldn't help roaring, "Pull it back, quickly!" They were truly finished now! *Li Hao, you fool, your scheming was clever enough, but now you've merely handed him a gift! Once his spirit devours your Dao spirit, he might even strip away your time Dao!* His aura erupted without restraint as he charged straight over, crossing the void at blinding speed! His powerful aura made even the Lord of Tribulation frown slightly. This fellow was remarkably formidable. Had it been in the ancient era when spirituality was abundant, he might have already stepped into the ninth rank. Yet Li Hao now seemed like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, courting his own demise. The tiger spirit charged straight for the opponent. In an instant, it entered the beast's maw. The beast swallowed it in one gulp, instantly becoming vivid and lifelike as though truly awakening. Its eyes looked toward Li Hao with an apparent sneer. A tonic delivered straight to its mouth! Yet Li Hao was smiling as well, with a brilliant grin. *You... actually ate it.* *Without a shred of hesitation?* *Do you even know what this spirit is made of before daring to swallow it?* "Tribulation, did your mother never teach you not to eat things given to you by strangers?" The Lord of Tribulation froze, his face darkening as he struck a palm toward Li Hao! Clearly, he took this as a deliberate insult. Li Hao, however, laughed—laughing with radiant, utterly... mad delight! "Did you not see what I was doing earlier? I want to... revive!" Desire! All spirits—be it a tiger, rage, or breaking out of a cage—stemmed from desire. Just as Long Zhan had done, Li Hao took it to a further extreme: he channeled the entirety of his spirit of desire into Tribulation's Dao spirit. In an instant, the tiger seemed to detonate within the beast's body! A towering surge of desire rippled outward. Where there was a person, there was desire. Where there was a living being, there was desire. Once a Great Dao possessed spirit, the Dao spirit possessed desire as well, merely kept under constant restraint. But once desire erupted and was catalyzed, no living being could halt its surge. And what was Li Hao's greatest desire? Revival! Indeed, that was his supreme desire. What was required for revival? One needed to... delve into the Chaos Great Dao, searching for the source of life, the source of Chaos. In just a split second... the beast seemed disrupted by something. Suddenly, it materialized fully, emerging from the endless void much like Er Mao. Descending upon the mortal realm! "Roar!" A sky-shattering roar erupted as heaven and earth seemed flooded with tribulation and desire. It flooded everyone's mind. "Revival!" At this moment, desire instantly seized dominance. After all, this spirit had only just awakened. Had it been the true body, Li Hao might have been helpless, but this was merely a newly revived Dao spirit. Instantly, the ten thousand thunder pillars in the void erupted, fusing into the Great Dao of Tribulation in a single breath! The Lord of Tribulation's expression changed drastically! The Dao was slipping from his control! Losing control wasn't what terrified him; what truly terrified him was that the beast suddenly roared, "Revival!" The roar echoed in all directions! In the next instant, the beast swept up the ten thousand thunder pillars and surged upward, charging straight toward the Chaos Great Dao invisible to ordinary eyes. It sought to storm into the Chaos Great Dao, strip away the origin of life, and revive... As for what to revive, or whom to revive, the Dao spirit had no idea. It only knew that only by entering that place and stripping away the Dao origin and life origin could its desire be fulfilled. "A Dao spirit is merely a child..." Li Hao murmured softly. Whether his own Dao spirit or Tribulation's, their Dao spirits were childish and pure. Beings like Er Mao had matured thoroughly; such mature Dao spirits were exceedingly rare. And once such an innocent child was seized by desire... how could it possess any self-control? The Lord of Tribulation blanched instantly! Not good! His Dao spirit was sweeping up the power of his Great Dao, charging straight toward the Chaos Great Dao, madly tearing through barriers to assault the Chaos origin. Meanwhile. Afar. The avatar of the Lord of Tianfang frowned slightly. *Fool!* Indeed, a fool. Tribulation had actually been outmaneuvered by this fellow. His Dao spirit, carrying the power of his Great Dao, was charging straight into the depths of Chaos. Yet that was something many could never tolerate. At that very moment... Deep within Chaos, in an endless expanse. Several statues suddenly opened their eyes. In the next instant, someone struck out directly—not at Tribulation, but toward the distant darkness. The power of the Great Dao erupted with a low roar: "How dare you!" The Lord of Tribulation snapped his eyes open as well, his face ash-gray! He wanted to speak... Yet several nearby ninth-rank Sovereigns opened their eyes, glaring at him. One roared in fury, "Scoundrel! Tribulation, you dare let your Dao invade the depths of Chaos? What are you trying to do?" The Lord of Tribulation turned pale, snapping, "It's Li Hao, the second-generation Time—" Before he could finish, the other Sovereigns couldn't be bothered to listen. Someone barked, "Join forces! Slay Tribulation's spirit!" The Lord of Tribulation's expression twisted! Some of these people were genuinely alarmed, while others were seizing the opportunity—who told him to be the first to reach out? Now that his Dao spirit was assailing the depths of Chaos... they had found the perfect excuse. It was inconvenient to strike at him elsewhere. Now was the golden opportunity! Several ninth-rank Sovereigns gave him no chance to explain. Their auras surged as the power of their Great Daos charged straight into the depths of Chaos. A Sovereign roared, "Tribulation, suppress your Dao spirit! If it breaches the Chaos Great Dao and disturbs the source of life, we will have no choice but to slay your true body!" "..." The Lord of Tribulation's face was utterly hideous. Gritting his teeth, he growled, "It's only a Dao spirit gathered by an avatar; it may not even break through! Give me a moment, and I can regain control..." Yet who would give him time? No one would! In an instant, several Sovereigns struck, and the Great Dao roared! Countless Dao principles erupted! *Rumble!* In the distance, the beast charged into the depths of the Chaos origin like a mad creature. In the next breath, several phantoms manifested in the void, hurtling toward the beast! *Boom!* A deafening explosion shook heaven and earth. The Lord of Tribulation shuddered, clenching his teeth in uncontrollable fury! Damn it! Bastards! He couldn't help roaring, "That Li Hao commands a Dao spirit of desire! He must be slain..." *Give me a moment!* *I can control it, suppress it! Li Hao only wields eighth-rank power, not ninth-rank; I can suppress it. It won't be too late for you to strike after I kill him.* Yet no one paid him any mind. Even the Lord of Tianfang beside him kept his eyes closed, as though he hadn't awakened at all. You were the one who rushed out, offending everyone. Now you've handed them an excuse... Furthermore, Li Hao's Dao spirit was inside it as well. Since they were purging it, they might as well purge both together. Who had the time to separate and distinguish them? Better to settle it once and for all! Someone offered a word of comfort: "Yours was merely a portion of your Dao spirit, whereas that Li Hao merged his entire Dao spirit into it. This strike conveniently obliterates the Dao spirit he cultivated, preventing him from advancing further... Once his Dao spirit is destroyed, Li Hao will be nothing more than an ordinary eighth rank, unworthy of fear!" There was some truth to those words. Yet to the Lord of Tribulation, the loss was catastrophic. A portion of his Dao spirit was lost, his avatar was likely doomed, his returned subordinates were all dead, and his Great Dao power was damaged... Such a loss was enough to make even him weep. He still wanted to plead his case! Yet in the next breath, countless laws of the Great Dao erupted—*boom!* The charging beast was blown to bits! The Lord of Tribulation grunted, blood spilling from his lips, his face sickly green. Among his countless stable Dao laws, one even let out a mournful wail, as though suffering heavy damage! The Great Dao possessed spirit. The spirit destroyed just now was only a fragment of Tribulation's spirit, but... it was indeed eradicated! Hateful! Fury boiled in the Lord of Tribulation's heart. *No, perhaps I still have a chance. The Dao spirit was destroyed, but my avatar remains, still possessing peak eighth-rank power. That Li Hao...* Even as the thought crossed his mind... Li Hao furrowed his brows and let out a soft grunt. Opposite him, the Tribulation avatar shuddered as well, looking unwell. It seemed to have lost its prior aura of mystery and crushing majesty. It felt no different from any other eighth-rank expert now. A mutual injury! Huntian, rushing from afar, was instantly overjoyed. *This... Li Hao actually wiped out the other party's spirit just like that?* Without spirituality, Tribulation was nothing special. At best, he possessed the strength of seven or eight thousand Dao principles. The Lord of Tribulation's face was dark as he said coldly, "A mutual injury... but I am merely an avatar, while you are the true body. Trading your own spirit to wipe out a fraction of mine... Li Hao, you are foolish!" *Did you think that was the entirety of my spirituality?* *You are mistaken!* *You deserve to die!* Casting aside all else, he charged straight at Li Hao, striking with a palm as lightning erupted. At that moment, several powerhouses beside Li Hao moved in unison. Gone was their prior dread; they were thoroughly invigorated! Though Tribulation remained formidable, he felt no stronger than Long Zhan's tier—no longer the near-invincible existence from before. Against such a Tribulation, they dared to fight! What's more, Huntian was about to arrive. Once he was here, slaying Tribulation's avatar was practically a certainty. "Falling from your peak, having your Dao spirit beaten to death by other ninth ranks joining forces... How does it feel?" Li Hao, however, was still smiling. The Lord of Tribulation let out a cold bark, repelling the Thunder Emperor with a single palm, and sneered, "You are worse off than me! What do you have to smile about? Li Hao, you fool, doing this only cuts off your own future, completely forfeiting your hope of mastering time..." *Did you think that even if you escaped this time, it would matter?* *Severing your own future!* *Foolish!* Spirit was exceedingly difficult to command, an indispensable prerequisite for entering the ninth rank! Yet to deal with him, Li Hao had chosen to detonate his own spirit. To many, even in death, they would strive to preserve their spirit... for a powerhouse who cut off his future was worse off than dead, enduring a fate worse than death! Yet Li Hao paid no heed to this. Did he still have a spirit? No! However... This had been part of his plan all along. A tiger spirit could always be nurtured again, yet... he recalled the Human King's words: *Why must a Dao spirit be external?* *All Daos are me. Am I... not a spirit?* *Isn't nurturing the Dao with myself far stronger than nurturing a spirit?* Since it wasn't needed... why waste time nurturing a spirit? In a flash, Li Hao stepped into his own River of the Great Dao. Flesh and blood flew as countless powers of the Great Dao flooded his body, causing his aura to skyrocket. Nurturing my own spirit! *I cultivate divine characters; the characters are me, and I am force!* Seizing this chance, he severed all external spirits completely. The tiger was essentially him, and the current him was still him. Where force resided, where the spirit dwelled, the Dao spirit remained! This was the Human King's Dao. Li Hao was drawing from the strengths of all! If the Human King's Dao worked, he would reference it. If Long Zhan's Dao worked, he would reference it as well. If anyone's Dao proved useful, he would take inspiration from it... There was no need to confine himself to a single path, nor any need to stubbornly cling to an uncharted path. Nurturing the spirit with oneself! In an instant, Li Hao seemed to return to his Silver Moon days, back when he had transformed into the Heaven's Will of Silver Moon. Wasn't Heaven's Will a kind of Dao spirit? It ought to count, right? And I... perhaps... He looked toward the Chaos Great Dao and smiled. Chaos seemed to have lost its backbone; the spirit of the Chaos Great Dao appeared gone. Even if it existed, it was exceedingly faint. *Then... now that I am merged into the Chaos Great Dao, can I usurp its place and become the spirit of Chaos?* He didn't know. Yet he didn't mind trying. In an instant, he seemed to take a step straight into the Chaos Great Dao. Boundless chaotic energy surged toward him, instantly replenishing all his prior expenditure. Force arose! Sword intent was born! Using the body as the spirit, using all Daos to nurture the spirit. The Chaos Great Dao was all-encompassing, excluding nothing. At this moment, Li Hao paid no attention to anyone else, wholly engrossed in his own actions. The several eighth-rank Sovereigns could hold the line for a short while, and Huntian had already arrived. Huntian suddenly halted! His expression shifted slightly. Then Li Hao's voice drifted over: "Senior need not concern yourself with my side. Head over to Tianfang instead..." "You..." Huntian's face changed slightly as if perceiving something. His expression flickered, and he vanished in an instant. Li Hao truly did not seem to need his help. …… Standing within the Chaos Great Dao, Li Hao seemed to see through everything and smiled. "Ninth ranks... are you all in the depths of this Great Dao? Are those ordered paths within this Chaos Great Dao where you all reside? I... have found you!" The ninth ranks were truly all within the depths of the Chaos Great Dao. Though he had long anticipated this, confirming it brought Li Hao both joy and sorrow. The joy was that he now knew their hiding place. The sorrow was that if he wanted to revive people... these beings were his greatest obstacle. Without crushing them, how could he reverse the past from the source of Chaos and wrest back the life sources of his parents and Xiao Yuan? It wasn't just one or two, but all the ninth ranks! At that moment, countless powers of the Great Dao surged forth, crashing toward Li Hao. Boundless domains were steadily filled, and his depleted energy rapidly recovered. This was the key to how ninth ranks maintained peak combat strength. Previously, Li Hao had shown restraint, refraining from frantically absorbing the power of the Chaos Great Dao. Now, he held nothing back. The power of the Great Dao poured in, and whether pure or turbid, he absorbed it all. The Chaos Great Dao seemed to quiver slightly, showing resistance. Li Hao... seemed to be attempting to... merge with it! To merge completely! Not stripping it away, not seizing it, but merging. He seemed truly intent on treating himself as the spirit of the Chaos Great Dao. In that instant, the Chaos Great Dao trembled, and deep within, the voices of Sovereigns resonated: "You court death!" Li Hao actually dared to scheme for the Chaos Great Dao! He had lost his mind completely and vastly overestimated himself. Yet Li Hao merely chuckled. "I haven't gone mad. I am perfectly sane. On the contrary... all of you will die! You block my Dao, you block my future. Ninth ranks... let's see how much longer you can prance around!" Li Hao turned and stepped out of the Chaos Great Dao. Behind him, countless furious shouts and roars seemed to echo. A madman! He was threatening a gathering of ninth-rank Sovereigns! If the spirit of Chaos were not so fragile right now, preventing them from descending, this arrogant fellow would have been slaughtered by them stepping out this very second. He actually dared to threaten the ninth rank! And not just one or two, but... many! No one had ever been this arrogant. Even the Lord of Order of the past, who sought to establish order, had not been this brazen. And the Lord of Order had long become a dead man; Li Hao would follow in his footsteps! …… Stepping out, Li Hao's aura restored to the peak in an instant. Five thousand Dao principles! In the next breath, countless Silver Moon martial masters were suddenly swept back, taken into Li Hao's Dao domain. Even before fusing with them, Li Hao had been immensely powerful; now, he was stronger still! In another split second, time shattered, and ten thousand Daos manifested. Li Hao waved his hand, and as if appearing within a mystic realm, within the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena, his voice boomed: "Fellow Sovereigns, are you willing to join me in slaying a ninth-rank Sovereign?" Those who had participated before, and those who had only heard of it, suddenly grew ecstatic. Ninth rank? Last time was Samsara—was it Tribulation this time? Instantly, the phantoms of over ten thousand Sovereigns roared in unison: "We are willing! We beg the Dao Lord to grant us this honor!" A rare opportunity! If they died, it was merely the loss of a spiritual body. If they succeeded, having personally participated in slaying a ninth rank would be something to brag about for a lifetime. Some had missed out on this chance last time. This time, they would not! In a single breath, among the ten thousand-plus Sovereigns, almost none resisted. Those who had taken part once before didn't even need Li Hao to explain, merging into realms instantly while shouting, "Fuse into realms according to your attributes! Those of the same attribute can govern a realm together..." The order was unbelievable! Such an opportunity drove them mad with excitement. As for the retaliation of a ninth rank... who feared that? *Do you even know who I am?* *Can you find me?* …… In an instant, Li Hao's aura skyrocketed, and his smile turned radiant. He vanished from the spot in a flash. This time, he was stronger and fiercer than before. He already possessed the power of five thousand Dao principles, and now he was vastly more formidable, joined by even more and stronger Sovereigns. Even the spiritual bodies of some eighth-rank Sovereigns had joined in. In an instant, Li Hao expanded to an absolute extreme. Had the Lord of Tribulation retained his spirituality, fusing like this would have been useless—at best yielding seven or eight thousand Dao principles, incapable of dealing with Tribulation's avatar. But now... The moment Li Hao appeared, the eighth-rank Sovereigns were in wretched shape. After all, the opponent's avatar was still a powerhouse close to eight thousand Dao principles. They still couldn't match him! Yet the moment Li Hao appeared, the Lord of Tribulation frowned, and in the next instant, he abruptly turned to flee. He knew his avatar stood little chance this time. Still, preserving the avatar might prove useful. With his spirituality obliterated, he was no longer invincible in Chaos. He had originally hoped to slaughter Li Hao and his group, but the reappearance of Li Hao made him sense imminent danger. "Fleeing? You, Tribulation, a ninth-rank Sovereign, actually flee? Are you such trash?" Li Hao's laughter echoed. The ten thousand Sovereigns merged into the realms were all wildly thrilled. A ninth-rank Sovereign was fleeing... He was terrified! The legendary Lord of Tribulation was actually running away! Whether it was an avatar or not, they didn't care. A ninth rank was a ninth rank, and he had actually been scared into fleeing by Li Hao. This... was sheer humiliation! "Do you even deserve to block my Dao?" "Trash!" With a sharp bark, a long sword materialized, combining ten thousand realms. With a single sword strike, boundless tribulation power emerged—the Chaos lightning tribulation! "I slay you with the Dao of Tribulation! You... are nothing more than a false tribulation!" The sword struck! The fleeing Lord of Tribulation turned pale, snapping his head back to see the Chaos lightning tribulation manifesting. His face turned hideous. *He slays me with the Dao of Tribulation?* *Bastard!* "Li Hao!" the Lord of Tribulation roared, throwing a punch that brought forth countless lightning tribulations as he bellowed, "This seat is merely an avatar! Even if you have seized a slight upper hand... there is no need for such arrogance..." *I am only an avatar!* *An avatar stripped of its Dao spirit at that! What do you have to be arrogant about?* In the next second, ten thousand tribulations descended! Sword energy surged to the heavens as chaotic power flooded forth, and the Chaos Great Dao faintly manifested. Li Hao seemed to embody the spirit itself. With that sword strike, the power of the Great Dao commanded by Tribulation's avatar actually began to drain away! He blanched! *How could this fellow have a higher degree of mastery than me? Neither of us has a spirit; logically, it should come down to familiarity. Can Li Hao be more familiar with it than I am?* Yet there was no time left to think! The sword fell! Ten thousand bolts of lightning struck the crown of his head! *Rumble...* Perhaps for the first time in his life, the Lord of Tribulation tasted the agony of the Chaos lightning tribulation. With tribulation crashing upon him, countless powers of the Great Dao shattered, and the avatar began to crumble. He was utterly powerless to resist. "Li Hao..." The Lord of Tribulation tried to say more, but Li Hao suddenly appeared before him, piercing his head with a single sword thrust and smiling faintly. "Save your last words. Your true body isn't dead yet. Next time, when I slay your true body, you can speak to me then!" The avatar shattered, and an ethereal phantom emerged, carrying a mix of cold ferocity, rage, and profound unwillingness! *Damn it!* *To think my avatar was destroyed by him. This plan of return was broken by Li Hao alone. How utterly infuriating!* Lightning descended once more, rumbling as the phantom of the avatar was completely blasted to pieces. The avatar of Tribulation had perished under the Chaos lightning tribulation. …… *Pfft!* A mouthful of blood sprayed out, laced with a massive amount of Great Dao power. At this moment, the true body of the Lord of Tribulation possessed eyes brimming with murderous intent. Around him, the other Sovereigns closed their eyes one after another, as though they had never awakened. He was consumed with hatred, yet utterly helpless. This time, his avatar had been destroyed not just by Li Hao, but with the 'help' of these bastards. Hateful! Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the Lord of Tianfang... At this moment, he found himself almost praying... *You had better have your avatar killed as well, so we all return to the same starting line. Otherwise, I truly cannot accept this.* Had his strength not been inferior to the other's, he would have loved to disrupt Tianfang's true body right now. "Li Hao..." Gritting his teeth, the Lord of Tribulation let out a low snarl before shutting his eyes, burning with boundless fury. *You wish to slay my true body?* *Keep dreaming!* *When I return once more, I will surely slaughter you!*