The Harvest

Tianfang World. With the avatar of Tianfang slain, the Human King's vitality surged with unmatched ferocity. At this moment, his power had climbed to an absolute peak. He had forcibly assimilated every powerhouse of Xinwu! The powerhouses of Xinwu were not merely those within the Great Dao Universe. Figures like the Supreme, the Yang God, and the Sword Venerable had actually transcended Xinwu's bounds long ago, yet now they had all been forcibly absorbed and integrated into his being. Though felling his opponent with a single blade strike had left him somewhat weakened, he remained terrifyingly formidable. Meanwhile, Long Zhan was swaying unsteadily on his feet. Evidently, churning the Great Dao of Chaos had cost him immensely. Huntian, on the other hand, was holding up relatively well... Yet in the very next instant, Huntian sensed an impending crisis. He could not help but let out a low curse. He was ordinarily refined and disliked crude language, yet now he was driven to swear, "Fuck!" Boom! A saber slashed out! The Human King's gaze was ice-cold. He had made his move. Everyone thought he was mad, but in his own heart, he knew he was more lucid than anyone. All the world is drunk, and I alone am sober! He had merged Xinwu to kill Tianfang because the avatar had posed too great a threat. If a mere avatar was this formidable, the true body was unimaginable. Huntian had been unwilling to go all out, and Long Zhan had been powerless, so he had handled it himself. Now, Tianfang was dead. If he could also kill Huntian and Long Zhan... Why wouldn't he? Allies? Bullshit! Xinwu had only one true ally, and that was Silver Moon. Even with Silver Moon... if it ever infringed on Xinwu's core interests, Fang Ping would cut them down all the same! No one could dictate Xinwu's destiny—no one at all. He would never pin his hopes on anyone else, not even the Supreme. Xinwu, in the end, belonged to him and his comrades, but ultimately, it was the Xinwu under his leadership. Slash! Huntian retreated. With a backhand slash of the saber, the Human King struck toward Long Zhan. Long Zhan roared and transformed into a colossal golden dragon, his massive body sweeping across the void. His eyes were cold and unbothered by surprise. Since when had the Human King ever been a benevolent figure? Right now, the Human King was at his zenith, but that power would inevitably wane. Power gained from fusion was not his own after all. Taking advantage of the present moment to kill a few more threats was naturally his obvious course. Long Zhan had anticipated this the instant Tianfang died. Huntian swung back around, throwing out a fist that suppressed heaven and earth! Why return to intervene instead of fleeing? Because the east needed checks and balances. Xinwu and Silver Moon could not be allowed to monopolize it. Those two were far too difficult to deal with, and Long Zhan was needed to tie them down. He could not let Long Zhan be slain; otherwise, once Xinwu completely secured the east, they would inevitably march into the other three regions. The Human King was a madman, and that Li Hao was hardly any better. Two jackals from the same lair! And so Huntian did not retreat. He punched forward, bringing strict order in his wake, as if imposing rules upon the very heavens and earth. The Human King sneered. Back when they had fought Tianfang, Huntian had certainly shown no such enthusiasm. Huntian was no saint either. One against two! Saber energy pierced through heaven and earth. In this moment, as if countless Buddhas paid homage to a supreme master, the Great Daos bowed before him. Surrounding chaotic power converged and detonated in unison! Meanwhile, Li Hao wore a radiant smile. He did not intervene there; instead, he vanished instantly. A sword struck out! As the sword flashed, the Red Moon Sovereign's face turned pale, and he scrambled backward in terror. Seeing this, Feng Yan and the others roared and unleashed their powers! Li Hao's voice drifted faintly across the void: "Strike!" The Thunder Emperor, Bright Light Sovereign, Wanhua, Dao Chess... All those powerhouses who had not been merged surged in from the distance, crossing the void without a word of preamble to unleash their attacks! Long Zhan was forced back, bellowing, "Must you push things this far?!" They had only just dealt with the ninth-rank threat—and a mere avatar at that—yet these two were already turning their blades to hunt his Chaos clan. Despicable! Though he had anticipated treachery, he had not expected the Human King to be this monstrously strong after consuming Xinwu. Even with Huntian fighting alongside him, they were merely battling him to a draw. Of course, a cunning fox like Huntian was definitely holding back. Perhaps Huntian wanted him weakened as well. His Dao clashed somewhat with Huntian's. While Huntian wanted him alive to keep Xinwu in check, Huntian did not want him growing too strong. In Huntian's ideal scenario, the Chaos clan would be wiped out, leaving Long Zhan with a blood feud against Xinwu and Silver Moon while lurking in the shadows... That was likely the outcome Huntian desired most. A solitary, factionless expert hidden in the dark would be what Xinwu and Silver Moon feared most, while his subordinates would all be dead. That suited Huntian's interests perfectly. In an instant, Long Zhan saw through it all. Naturally, the Human King and Li Hao understood this just as well. That was why Li Hao was not joining the effort to surround Long Zhan; the odds of killing him were low, as Huntian would stop at nothing to prevent it. Li Hao had even detected that other powerhouses might be lurking in the shadows, likely Huntian's people. *** "Suppress!" The power of time erupted once more, weighing down heaven and earth! The Red Moon Sovereign and his companions grimaced in agony. Nearby, the Realm of Extinction materialized. Bright Light Sovereign fought alongside his son for the first time, throwing out a fist—the Bright Divine Fist! In an instant, the Six Paths Divine Fist detonated. At the same time, Long Zhan bellowed, "Lend me a hand! Otherwise, once Xinwu and Silver Moon annihilate my Chaos clan, they will surely devour Tianfang World!" Only at this moment did people seem to remember that Tianfang still had surviving powerhouses. The Five Elements Emissaries, Panlong Sovereign, and the Life Emissary. A full seven eighth-rank Sovereigns! Earlier, Tianfang had fought alone. At that level of combat, they could not have offered much help. But now that Bright Light Sovereign and the others had entered the fray, these Sovereigns once again held enough strength to sway the tide of battle. Yet... Within Tianfang's territory, those eighth-rank Sovereigns clung desperately to the world gate, not daring to step outside. Even their Dao Lord's avatar had been slain! Long Zhan roared again, "They dare not kill you! If they kill you, the accumulated spirituality will allow Tianfang's avatar to descend once more! They dare not touch you, nor do I! As long as you stay together, no one will kill you! But once they kill me and slaughter the cultivators of the Chaos clan, you will surely die. No one cares more about the Four Regions than I do!" Did his words make sense? They did! Long Zhan did not want the Four Regions destroyed, nor did he want the Lord of Tianfang descending again. But Xinwu and Li Hao did not necessarily share that fear! At worst, they could simply relocate. This place was not their native homeland anyway. "Panlong!" he roared once more. All his earlier preparations now hinged entirely on Panlong. Inside Tianfang's domain, Panlong Sovereign's expression shifted continuously. The Five Elements Emissaries turned to look at Panlong with complicated eyes. What should they do? Long Zhan was an enemy! Yet Xinwu and Silver Moon were even worse. They had slaughtered countless Tianfang cultivators. Long Zhan's faction had only killed a few seventh-rank Sovereigns, while nearly all the eighth-rank casualties had fallen at the hands of Xinwu and Silver Moon. Should they strike? Or continue to hold their ground? Panlong Sovereign wore a conflicted look before suddenly speaking: "If the Xinwu experts wish to be revived, the Human King will likely hunt us down to seize Tianfang World. Even if he hesitates to kill us for fear of the Dao Lord descending again, he will still conquer Tianfang..." "You want to help Long Zhan?" the Life Emissary sneered. "I knew all along you were no good." Helping Long Zhan... just because they were both of the dragon race. Panlong Sovereign said in a deep voice, "Then do we just sit by and watch?" He paused, then added somberly, "If you are unwilling, find a way to contact the Dao Lord. Ask him... who poses a greater threat: Long Zhan, or Xinwu and Silver Moon?" He was certain that even if they could reach the Dao Lord, the Dao Lord would instruct them to aid Long Zhan rather than Xinwu and Silver Moon, because the latter two posed far too great a menace. Anyone with eyes could see it! Long Zhan was strong and connected to the Great Dao of Chaos, but earlier, after paying an immense price, he had only shaken the Chaos Great Dao. He had not struck at the foundation of a ninth-rank avatar like the Human King and Li Hao had. In raw strength, Long Zhan might have been stronger than an un-berserk Human King, but in future potential, he fell far short. The Life Emissary gave a cold laugh and glanced at the Five Elements Emissaries. "The five of you working together are the strongest. You five decide: do we hold our ground and await the Dao Lord's return, or what?" Working together, the Five Elements Emissaries had held Long Zhan off for a long time. Individually they were not overwhelmingly strong, but united, they were exceptionally powerful. With Life and Death severed and only the Life Emissary remaining, he naturally could not match their collective weight. Since consensus was impossible, the five eighth-rank emissaries carried the deciding voice. Among the five, Huo Yan said in a low voice, "Between us and Li Hao... there is, in fact, some past connection..." The Life Emissary frowned. He disliked Li Hao even more. After all, Li Hao had killed the Death Emissary. Yet before he could finish his thought, the Metal Spirit Emissary sneered with a metallic clang: "Whether it's Li Hao or Fang Ping, both are ruthless and merciless! Huo Yan, that 'connection' you speak of means less than fart to them!" Even among the emissaries, opinions were clearly divided. Right at that moment, Long Zhan roared once more: "Help my Chaos clan, and the Four Regions can at least remain intact! When Tianfang descends again, there will still be an undivided territory for him! But if Xinwu and Silver Moon succeed, there might never be another chance! Even Tianfang World will cease to exist..." The Metal Spirit Emissary suddenly spoke up: "Long Zhan... swear a Great Dao oath upon the Great Dao of Chaos that you will not turn against us..." Long Zhan's eyes flickered, and just as he was about to speak— The Human King burst into hearty laughter: "Come, help me instead! How about I swear an oath for you?" "..." No one replied. The Five Elements Emissaries remained completely silent. For one simple reason: they did not believe him. Although no one was familiar with the Human King, and he was human while Long Zhan was of the Chaos race, in this moment, everyone naturally and instinctively trusted Long Zhan more. What was the point of exacting an oath from a lunatic? When pushed, that man slaughtered his own allies without hesitation. Would he care about a Great Dao oath? Besides, Long Zhan was deeply entwined with the Great Dao of Chaos, which gave weight to any oath he swore upon it. But to the Human King, what did the Great Dao of Chaos matter? Did he give a damn? Not in the slightest! Who would possibly believe him? Realizing this, the hesitant Tianfang powerhouses suddenly made up their minds. Cooperating with the Human King was far too dangerous. Right now, their highest priority was preserving Tianfang World. They had to hold out until the day their Dao Lord's true body descended. Before then, coexisting peacefully with Long Zhan was the best course. Moreover, Long Zhan likely needed peace even more than they did, trapped as he was with two ruthless monsters on his doorstep. Boom! Seeing them ignore him, the Human King flew into a rage: "Who are you looking down on? Let me tell you the truth: if you dare step out, I'll butcher the lot of you! Long Zhan and I already struck a deal—we're trading your lives for the lives of the Chaos clan!" "..." Could... could that be true? Blade marks carved into his flesh, Long Zhan retreated, coughing up blood. Without wasting any words, he directly resonated his Dao, stirring the Chaos: "I, Long Zhan, Clan Leader of the Chaos clan, hereby swear a Chaos Oath! If the powerhouses of Tianfang aid me in repelling Xinwu and Silver Moon today, not a single cultivator of the Chaos clan shall invade Tianfang until the Lord of Tianfang returns! Should I violate this oath, let Chaos strike me down!" The Great Dao trembled, and heaven and earth resonated. It was as if the Great Dao of Chaos itself had come to life, as if a ninth-rank Sovereign were bearing witness... In that instant, the very source of Chaos seemed to awaken. Heaven and earth shook violently! A faint spiritual resonance seemed to transmit a message across the void, as if the Lord of Tianfang himself were sending guidance... All seven eighth-rank Sovereigns seemed to receive a directive. In the next moment, Panlong Sovereign was the first to step out. Transforming into a gigantic dragon, he charged straight toward Li Hao's side. Li Hao smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoists, you helped me in the past, and I saved you once today... But if you raise your hands against me, our past goodwill is wiped clean!" Panlong Sovereign said nothing. Goodwill? Had there been any? Perhaps a sliver. Yet Li Hao had slain the Death Emissary and injured their past selves, leading to the deaths of the Light, Dark, Yin, and Yang emissaries. Any goodwill had long vanished. And as for saving their lives... the mere thought made his blood boil. Did simply refraining from slaughtering their past selves count as saving their lives? Looking back, Li Hao's reluctance to kill them back then had likely been calculated to weaken the Dao Lord and deprive him of spirituality. They had not realized it then, but considering it now, the possibility was glaring. Goodwill from Li Hao's mouth was worth just as much as an oath from the Human King—utterly worthless! Li Hao sighed softly. Earlier, he had appeared to be barely keeping the Red Moon Sovereign in check, holding only a slight upper hand. It had looked as though the Red Moon Sovereign were exceptionally formidable. It had looked as though Li Hao's injuries had yet to heal, that the earlier tremors of the Great Dao had wounded him severely, showing none of the terrifying might he had displayed when slaying the avatar of the Lord of Tribulation. Yet the moment the Tianfang Sovereigns emerged in full force, Li Hao sighed softly: "I am a man who values sentiment. You aided me once, and though I repaid that favor, I still cherish our old ties and wished to avoid falling out... The Human King wanted to slaughter you, and I had intended to brazenly plead for your lives once more... Alas, the falling blossom yearns for love, but the flowing brook is heartless..." The Human King sneered, "Little Li Hao, the most heartless man here is you! What's with the hypocrisy in front of me? An honest villain is better than a hypocrite. Talk like that again and I'm going to get pissed!" That kid was as cold-blooded as they came. Yet here he was, putting on a sickening display of virtue. If they were not on the same side, the Human King would have loved to hack him to pieces with a saber! Li Hao chuckled. "The Human King misunderstands me. You know nothing of my past, so I do not blame you. Back then, everyone praised me as a champion of justice who enforced the law impartially. I even won the title of Outstanding Inspector... Someone once gave me a pennant praising me for being helpful and having a heart full of boundless love..." The corner of the Human King's mouth twitched, and he slashed his saber! Saber light blanketed heaven and earth as he sneered, "Is that so? Not bad! Still a step behind me, though. Back in the day, my enemies praised me every single day—they praised me so much I blushed, and some even begged me to kill them just to end their misery... I'm a helpful guy too, and with great reluctance, I helped quite a few. You know Li Zhu? He used to be my greatest nemesis, but later he practically knelt and begged to become my lackey before I finally accepted him..." "..." Li Hao had to admit the Human King's tongue was remarkably sharp. Fine. No point bickering over this; it was utterly meaningless. You were bragging, but I was serious. Someone really did give me a pennant once! Sadly, nobody ever believes me. Of course, everyone from Silver Moon knew. That pennant was still hanging back home. Listening to their exchange, the Five Elements Emissaries were momentarily stunned. What was the meaning of this? Just boasting? In the next instant, their faces drained of color. Li Hao had vanished! A laugh echoed through the void: "Human King... care to play a bit?" "Let's!" The Human King vanished as well! Both Huntian and Long Zhan froze. A heartbeat later, their expressions shifted drastically. Caverns had suddenly appeared throughout the Chaos void. Long Zhan's face twisted in horror: "Damn it..." When on earth had these two planted a network of tunnels around Tianfang? Yes, tunnels! Resembling pockets of newborn worlds! Hiding spots—and they were all interconnected. Neither of them had paid it any mind or even sensed it. Why were there so many tunnels dotting the perimeter of Tianfang? Where had they come from? Neither Li Hao nor the Human King cared to explain. That credit belonged to the Sword Venerable, though the origin traced back to the Human King, with Li Hao later adding more. They had not prepared them for this specific moment, but rather as cunning hares digging multiple burrows; they had fashioned countless such holes throughout the Four Regions. They stepped in and vanished instantly! They had not used them when the Lord of Tianfang was present because he was a Sovereign of Space; using spatial pockets against him would have been effortlessly exposed. It would have been useless. Now, however, the Sovereign of Space was gone. In a flash, Li Hao materialized directly before the Life Emissary, while the Human King appeared right in front of Panlong Sovereign. Saber and sword struck simultaneously! Long Zhan roared and lunged forward! Huntian Sovereign frowned, cursing silently. What was with these two? And Long Zhan... how could people dig so many tunnels under your nose in the Four Regions without you noticing? Damn it all! They had closed the distance in an instant! Li Hao thrust his sword, his sword energy piercing the heavens. Ten thousand realms manifested, and countless mental entities roared in excitement. Time to kill again? Suddenly, they felt a swelling sense of shared glory. Boom! The Life Emissary was sent hurtling backward, coughing up blood, his face frozen in utter disbelief. How had he appeared beneath his feet out of nowhere? It was entirely without warning! No preparation, no fluctuation—as if it were the Dao Lord's own spatial teleportation... In that split second, sword light illuminated the void! Crack! The sword cleaved through the void, causing the Great Dao stars to convulse. Li Hao reached out as if plunging his hand directly into the Great Dao Universe. Breaching the barrier of the Great Dao, he dragged a star straight out! In an instant, his power invaded the eighth-rank star. Within a breath, the entire celestial body crumbled... shattering into pieces! A faint wisp of spirituality drifted out, but Li Hao let out a light laugh. Opening his mouth, a devouring force erupted, thoroughly obliterating the spirituality in an instant. Li Hao looked completely relaxed: "Spirituality? I can swallow it too. And if I can't, Er Mao can... Just because I let a sliver of spirituality descend earlier, did you really think I had no means of dealing with it?" Spirituality? Others might struggle to strip it away because they were unfamiliar with Tianfang's Dao, but he knew it intimately! Dao Chess's Dao might not encompass all of Tianfang, making a direct confrontation with the Lord of Tianfang difficult, but against Tianfang's subordinates? When they died and their spirituality scattered, did they think he was truly helpless? "Life...!" The Five Elements Emissaries blanched in terror! Seven eighth-rank Sovereigns had ventured out, and the moment they appeared, Li Hao had obliterated one. Meanwhile, the Human King let out a fierce roar. His massive saber swept through the void, cleaving with a crisp crack. The formidable Panlong Sovereign was sheared straight in two. Seeing this, Long Zhan panicked entirely. This was a dragon, an ally he had expended immense effort to recruit. He could bear the others dying, but Panlong could not die. "Human King, hold your hand!" Long Zhan bellowed frantically. The Human King ignored him completely; having bisected Panlong Sovereign's physical form, his terrifying saber energy was about to surge into the Great Dao Universe to annihilate the dragon's Dao star. Desperation seized Long Zhan. Panlong was of the dragon race, an eighth-rank veteran powerhouse steeped in Tianfang's heritage. Winning him over completely would provide an invaluable pillar of support, no weaker than Pengcheng. Seeing Panlong on the verge of perishing under the Human King's blade, Long Zhan roared in haste: "Hold your blade! I will trade five seventh-rank universes for him!" "..." The Human King's saber paused slightly. Turning his head, he saw Long Zhan's grim, nodding expression. The Human King grinned. Five seventh-rank worlds? Not bad at all! The real question was... did Long Zhan actually have that many left? "Are you sure?" "I am sure!" The Human King smiled, his saber sweeping through. With a dull thud, the dragon head fell. The Human King swept up the rest of Panlong Sovereign's body, while the severed head flew toward Long Zhan, caught in his grip. At this moment, Panlong Sovereign remained in a state of dazed confusion. Did I... almost die just now? Long Zhan frowned slightly without a word. At least the life had been preserved. He quickly sent a divine transmission: "Senior Panlong, sever yourself from the Great Dao Universe immediately... The Human King and Li Hao are determined to shatter Tianfang's universe... Their true objective is Tianfang!" Panlong Sovereign remained speechless. His mind was reeling. Had they... fallen into a trap? Had those two deliberately lured them out? And... was Long Zhan in on it as well? A sudden chill gripped his heart... had Long Zhan been intentionally playing along with them? If the seven eighth-rank Sovereigns had stayed inside Tianfang alongside their seventh-rank subordinates, they would have stood a chance of defending it. But now... two eighth-rank Sovereigns had been neutralized in an instant. Having left Tianfang, they no longer possessed the deterrence of a ninth-rank native realm... They had suffered a catastrophic loss in the blink of an eye! At that moment, the Human King chuckled slyly: "Nice teamwork, Long Zhan. Next time... let's fleece a few more..." Long Zhan frowned, saying nothing. He was thoroughly incensed. These two shifted their minds on a whim. Their desire to kill him was real, but their intention to use this opportunity to thoroughly dismantle Tianfang was equally real. They simply acted on the fly! They had no rigid objective from the start! Whichever path yielded the greatest profit was the path they took! Right then, Li Hao and the Human King materialized on opposite sides of the Five Elements Emissaries. Facing supreme danger, the five clustered closely together, their eyes filled with dread and fury! Tricked again! Li Hao chuckled. "I told you, there was no need for you to interfere. Why bother? We were only playing around with Long Zhan. Senior Long Zhan is immensely powerful with hidden trump cards; how could we kill him so easily? Even if we did, we would have had to pay an astronomical price, while Senior Huntian watched from the sidelines. We aren't crazy—did you truly think we were insane?" Kill Long Zhan? Huntian was clearly waiting in the wings. A supreme powerhouse hailed as a ninth-rank—or close enough to it—who consistently fought everyone to a draw without ever taking a decisive win! Wasn't that King Zhentian's old playbook from Xinwu? Li Hao and the Human King knew that routine all too well! Fighting fifty-fifty against anyone under the sun! Huntian had picked up King Zhentian's bad habits. Neither Li Hao nor the Human King would ever pay a heavy price to kill Long Zhan just to hand Huntian the spoils. Killing Tianfang's cultivators and claiming Tianfang World was the real prize! Of the seven eighth-rank Sovereigns, one was dead and Panlong Sovereign was crippled. The Five Elements Emissaries were simply no match for them. At this point, Huntian Sovereign finally spoke: "Gentlemen, when it is possible to let someone off, do so... The Lord of Tianfang is still alive. Completely severing his legacy is unwise..." He did not seem keen on utterly eradicating Tianfang either. The leader was still alive; only an avatar had perished. If they wiped out his entire faction, the next time Tianfang descended, the consequences would be far more troublesome! Li Hao smiled faintly. "Very well. I am not one to crave slaughter. As long as the five seniors withdraw from Tianfang's Great Dao Universe, that will suffice! Tianfang no longer suits you, but... I know of a place that fits you perfectly: the Five Elements World in the north! It suits you best. If you go there, you might advance further and become the overlords of the north! That way, when Senior Tianfang returns, he will have a foothold, rather than being confined to the tiny Four Regions..." The Human King grunted in dissatisfaction: "Just kill them. Why release the tigers back to the mountain?" Li Hao smiled. "Senior Human King, I do share some history with Seniors Huo Yan and Shui Linglong. When you struck down Senior Panlong just now, I almost stepped in to stop you... Never mind, let them go! The five elemental forces are ubiquitous throughout the cosmos; why fixate on them here? Sever yourselves from Tianfang's Great Dao Universe... I won't take Tianfang World for myself, and I'll give you the Life Emissary's energy to aid in reviving the others..." The Human King raised an eyebrow but said no more. Meanwhile, both Long Zhan and Huntian frowned. Send them north? The Five Elements Emissaries were all eighth-rank Sovereigns, and the north already had its own group of eighth-rank Five Elements Sovereigns... Whether they cooperated or clashed remained to be seen. Regardless, Li Hao seemed deliberately intent on strengthening the north. Huntian narrowed his eyes. A strengthened north and a formidable south—was Li Hao trying to hem in the Huntian Domain's expansion? Long Zhan also considered the implications swiftly. If those five went north, could they curb Huntian's ambitions? Perhaps they could! He promptly spoke up: "Fellow Daoists... my apologies. I had no idea they would act like this... leading to the Life Emissary's demise. Why don't the five of you... head north?" The Five Elements Emissaries looked thoroughly grim. Yet remaining here meant total annihilation! Li Hao was offering them a choice: sever ties with Tianfang, preserve their eighth-rank cultivation, and establish themselves in the north... The north was the territory of the Five Elements Sovereigns. They shared the same elemental attributes! The emissaries knew something of the situation there. Their thoughts spun until Huo Yan let out a long sigh and took the initiative to speak: "Thank you... King of Silver Moon, for sparing our lives. From this day forth, all grievances between you and the Sovereigns of Tianfang... are wiped clean." Bitterness flooded his heart! From start to finish, they had been mere pawns, manipulated and carved up at will. What did hailing from a ninth-rank world matter? Once their Dao Lord's avatar fell, they were nothing. These people dictated their fates, and they were fortunate just to keep their lives! Of the twelve eighth-rank Sovereigns, six had perished! As for Panlong Sovereign... judging by Long Zhan's demeanor, he was determined to keep him and would not let him leave. Five surviving Sovereigns was already a blessing. In this moment, Huo Yan was forced to swallow his pride and offer thanks against his conscience. He feared... feared that Li Hao would turn hostile again and slaughter them. Thanking the very enemy who had butchered their comrades... The five were choked with grief and indignation, yet utterly powerless. Li Hao's smile remained brilliant: "You are welcome. Ending all grudges is for the best! The Chaos holds little warmth, but between us, there was some past goodwill after all... I wish you all smooth sailing!" The Human King's aura had begun to decline slightly. Sensing this, he gave a careless laugh: "I never intended to kill you either. It was Long Zhan who insisted on calling you out; I was just worried you would interfere with me... Don't hold a grudge, folks. I'm actually quite friendly..." Long Zhan said nothing! Both of these bastards were rotten to the core. The Five Elements Emissaries naturally harbored bitter resentment. Yet things having reached this stage, there was nothing more to say. Long Zhan quickly rallied the remaining powerhouses of the Chaos clan. Huntian still lingered, waiting for the Human King to weaken to the point where he could no longer threaten Long Zhan's life before departing. Otherwise... if Long Zhan died, no one in the east would be left to restrain those two! The Five Elements Emissaries uttered not another word. With sorrow and resignation, they stripped away their origins. As their Great Dao power dissipated, their strength waned, though they managed to preserve the eighth rank. Without so much as glancing at Panlong Sovereign, the five gathered the remaining seventh-rank survivors and fled swiftly! With that, Tianfang World was completely abandoned by them. They no longer had the strength to hold it! Li Hao gave a light laugh: "Now that they're gone, Senior Human King, step inside and devour Tianfang. See if it can restore everyone, along with the energy from Tianfang Sovereign's avatar and the Life Emissary... If that is still not enough..." He turned his gaze toward Long Zhan: "Senior Long Zhan should hand over his five seventh-rank worlds. Once the Human King revives his people and weakens himself, it will be better for everyone, won't it?" Once the Human King revived his comrades and relinquished the Xinwu fusion, his combat strength would drop again, leaving him unable to kill Long Zhan. Right now, the Human King was at his most lethal! Long Zhan sighed without speaking. This time, he had gained almost nothing, and on top of that, he had to pay out five seventh-rank worlds. Previously, most of the Chaos clan's worlds had already been devoured. He had only kept a handful, the accumulated savings of recent times. Not only had he gained nothing, but he had lost immensely, exhausting his Chaos Spirit in the process. Still, he had gained one eighth-rank expert—Panlong Sovereign! Furthermore, driving out Tianfang's forces was a positive outcome. At the very least, Tianfang's next descent would not occur within the Four Regions. All things considered, it had been worth it. Otherwise, he would have had to live in constant fear of Tianfang descending upon him... It was just that he had harbored far grander ambitions for this battle... and now, everything had unraveled. Nearly all the spoils belonged to Silver Moon and Xinwu. Xinwu had not truly profited either; this revival would consume almost everything they acquired. Silver Moon was the one that had made a massive fortune. Without a word, Long Zhan reached out, causing several worlds to manifest around him. Lacking enough, he spat a world from his own belly—it was the former Dragon World, stripped of much of its Great Dao power, barely maintaining seventh-rank proportions. He brought that world out as well. His expression was dark, but he offered no further words, nor did he suggest continuing the fight. Maintaining the current stalemate was perhaps the best outcome. The Human King had to be coaxed out of his current state! The Human King chuckled. It was quite a decent haul. Though he might not have made an enormous profit, as long as everyone was revived, possessing Tianfang World—a ninth-rank world—along with those corpses meant it was at least not a loss! And for himself, even after undoing the fusion, he would retain some permanent advancement. Even if he remained slightly below Long Zhan, the gap would no longer be significant. To have climbed from around five thousand Daos to this level in short order satisfied him. At the very least, he had maintained a lead over Li Hao; getting overtaken by the kid would have been truly humiliating! Without the fusion of those mental entities, Li Hao did not possess his current level of strength either. Carrying those worlds, the Life Emissary's corpse from Li Hao, and Panlong Sovereign's flesh, the Human King strode swiftly into Tianfang World. This time, no one moved to stop him! Even Huntian Sovereign remained silent. Preventing the Human King from reviving the Xinwu powerhouses would force them to confront a lone, rogue Human King. Such a man was far too dangerous—and in his fused state, he was simply too strong! Better to let him revive his people! At the very least, Huntian had scouted everyone's trump cards today. The Human King, fused with Xinwu, was infinitesimally close to nine thousand Daos. Li Hao, fused with all spirits, was infinitesimally close to eight thousand Daos. Long Zhan, utilizing the Chaos Spirit, had also surpassed eight thousand Daos, though remaining under nine thousand. All three figures in the east were exceptionally powerful, but all relied on external aid. Without those boosts, none of the three posed an immediate threat to him. Li Hao's faction had gained substantially this time: numerous worlds, countless corpses, and the avatar of the Lord of Tribulation... Their strength was bound to see another leap. Huntian mused silently, keeping his thoughts to himself. This was fine too! As for the north, his decision not to stop the Five Elements Emissaries from fleeing served another purpose: preventing Spring Autumn from devouring the northern territories! Spring Autumn was currently battling the northern Five Elements Sovereigns. With the arrival of Tianfang's Five Elements Emissaries, whether they submitted or allied, in the short term, they would have no choice but to join hands with the local Five Elements Sovereigns to fend off external foes! Thus, a brief equilibrium across the Four Regions could be maintained. Huntian weighed these calculations, quietly waiting for the Human King to dispel his fused state. As for the rest of Xinwu—though figures like the Supreme and the Yang God were formidable, he no longer paid them much mind. A strength of four to five thousand Daos was well within tolerable limits. Boom! Tianfang World seemed on the verge of rupturing! Inside, the Human King reversed yin and yang, causing heaven and earth to shift colors as lightning tribulation faintly took shape! Yet this time... the lightning tribulation was all thunder and no rain, with barely any lightning descending. It was exceedingly feeble; the surrounding space could no longer gather enough destructive lightning power to form a true tribulation. The Great Dao of Chaos churned for a time before gradually subsiding into quiet. Every eye turned toward the Human King within Tianfang's domain. At this moment, Huntian Sovereign suddenly spoke: "Fellow Daoist Haoyue... Tianfang is a ninth-rank world. If the Human King does not devour it, and you consume it instead, you could perhaps swiftly perfect four or even five thousand realms, allowing your strength to leap directly to the pinnacle of Chaos!" With five thousand Dao principles, Li Hao's true combat strength would approach at least eight thousand Daos, if not more. Tianfang possessed more than enough energy! Wasting it on the Human King to revive the Xinwu cultivators seemed a pity. Li Hao chuckled. "How could I do that? Senior Human King was the one who felled Tianfang's avatar... Had I slain it, I naturally would not yield, but since I didn't, it rightfully belongs to Xinwu! Or perhaps Senior Huntian wishes to claim a share? I wouldn't mind..." Huntian smiled faintly and said nothing. Li Hao then remarked with seeming curiosity, "I have yet to visit Senior's Huntian Domain. From what you've said, order has already been established there? Truly impressive. It looks like the Huntian Domain is about to begin its expansion..." Huntian chuckled. "Not at all. That was merely meant to intimidate Tianfang." "Oh!" Li Hao nodded slightly, then sighed with emotion: "A mere avatar of the ninth rank was already so terrifying. If the true body descends, what will we do? I reckon if Tianfang's true body comes, every last one of us will be battered to death!" Huntian remained silent. That was a fact. If Tianfang's true body descended, not a single one among them would survive! Yet right now, wasn't that impossible? Huntian let out a low chuckle: "Well said. However... the spirituality within Chaos is currently limited. Every bit we grow stronger reduces his chances of descending! As long as spirituality remains insufficient in the Chaos... their true bodies will find it difficult to sustain a descent!" Li Hao smiled. "Yet if... too many people die and spirituality becomes abundant, their descent will happen sooner or later." It was only a matter of time! Huntian nodded with a faint smile: "Indeed. That is why I hope the two of you refrain from further slaughter. Killing too many is no good. Every life possesses spirituality; if too many perish and spirituality scatters, the Dao principles in Chaos will grow active again, and in the end, we will all suffer for it." "Don't tell me that. I never kill indiscriminately. Save those words for the Human King and Senior Long Zhan." "..." Long Zhan was thoroughly speechless! Who on earth had killed more people here? The Human King had killed plenty, and Long Zhan didn't count himself, but this Li Hao had likely slaughtered more than the two of them combined! Huntian was equally exasperated and shifted the topic: "The figure from the Great River earlier..." "Oh, a person from the future. Would you like an introduction?" "..." Huntian gave a small smile and said nothing further, lost in thought. Someone from the Great River. Time! Did this mean Li Hao would successfully open a new heaven in the future? Or was that merely one of countless possibilities? He did not know, but he knew that Li Hao creating his own Chaos was an inevitable outcome! Right then, rumbling roars shook heaven and earth. Within Tianfang World, figure after figure began to materialize anew, their formidable auras piercing across all directions! The Human King's laughter still rang out, yet his aura began to plummet! As the silhouettes of the Supreme and the others gradually coalesced, Long Zhan glanced at Huntian... The Human King was weakening. Perhaps... this was an opportunity. Huntian narrowed his eyes as well. With the Xinwu powerhouses having just revived, even if the Human King wished to fuse again, it would take time. Perhaps this was their chance to launch a surprise attack on Xinwu! Otherwise, Xinwu would remain an eternal menace! Right at that moment, Li Hao called out in a clear voice: "Senior Human King, do you need time acceleration? Just a single instant..." The Human King's arrogant voice echoed back: "No need! What are you worried about? Worried those two dare lay a finger on me? Not to mention I don't fear them, but even if I truly couldn't beat them, they wouldn't walk away unscathed! No need to worry!" Li Hao shrugged with a smile and spoke no further. Huntian dismissed the notion, offering a light laugh: "Then congratulations to the Human King on taking another step forward, and congratulations to Xinwu on its resurgence... I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave!" With the Human King's aura significantly reduced, the danger to Long Zhan had passed. Without another word, Huntian vanished into the distance! It spared him from further bickering with the Human King—that man's mouth was simply too foul! Huntian disappeared in an instant. Long Zhan's eyes flickered with conflicting emotions. He glanced at Li Hao, then at the Xinwu powerhouses reviving within Tianfang World and the dimming realm itself. Sighing inwardly, he led his people and swiftly retreated! This battle had ended in a loss for him after all. In that moment, a thought took root in his mind... He had to find a way to separate Xinwu and Silver Moon—to sow discord between them. Otherwise, an alliance between these two was far too troublesome. Were Xinwu and Silver Moon truly inseparable? Not necessarily! For instance, the Human King had clearly wanted to slaughter the Five Elements Emissaries, yet Li Hao had spared them multiple times. And Li Hao had surely wanted to claim Tianfang World, yet had surrendered it so Xinwu could be revived. Not to mention, among Li Hao's ranks, figures like Dao Chess and the Thunder Emperor had clearly looked disgruntled, even if they had remained silent. Those people shared no deep ties with Xinwu, to say nothing of the Bright Light Sovereign and his son... Countless thoughts surfaced. Perhaps... a wedge could be driven between them. Otherwise, in the east, he would remain permanently on the back foot.