In Complete Accord

The chaos was exceedingly quiet. Only the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena had begun to grow bustling. More and more cultivators had come to learn of the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena, learning of this mysterious forum for discussing the Dao... Well, in truth, it was not mysterious at all, as entrances to the Dao Arena were everywhere. With Li Hao borrowing power twice, over ten thousand Sovereigns had profited from both occurrences. By now, the Dao Arena's renown had long since resounded throughout the chaos. Even Sovereigns of the south, north, and west had caught wind of it. Some powerful Sovereigns did not hesitate to cross hundreds of millions of chaos chi, taking great risks just to catch a glimpse of the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena. Across the four directions of east, south, west, and north, the chaos now understood thoroughly who the true overlords were. Xinwu in the east, Chunqiu in the south, Huntian in the west, and the Five Elements in the north... Or perhaps Xinwu ought to be considered the center, with the true east being the Four Regions domain, where the Chaos race held dominion. The Silver Moon King, Li Hao, had founded the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena. In the eyes of the crowd... this man did not resemble an overlord so much as a true propagator of the Dao, and was even hailed by many Sovereigns as the Dao Lord of the chaos. The Lord who preached the Dao! Such empty fame was something Li Hao did not care about or pay heed to. At this moment, he was constructing his own chaotic system. Four thousand Dao domains, five thousand Dao domains. For these two thousand domains, he took Witherspring and Order as the core, while the preceding three thousand Great Daos took Life and Death, Nirvana and Revival, and Desire as their cores. Once these five thousand domains were perfected, he would truly step onto the pinnacle of the world, the pinnacle of the chaos. At least at present... no other Sovereign possessed an appetite as voracious as his: taking a world for each Dao! One Dao, one world. In truth, it was not that figures like the Human King could not achieve this, but rather that... the consumption was far, far too immense. Inconceivably massive! Through all his battles, Li Hao had killed countless powerhouses and seized so many worlds, yet even now he had still not completed the construction of his Dao domains. ... Within the Dao River. The waters of the river flowed incessantly, surges of myriad Great Dao power galloping forth. From the chaos, boundless chaotic energy also came surging in. Li Hao sat cross-legged above it, opening one minor world after another. At this moment, these minor worlds were still somewhat ethereal. Li Hao's mastery and comprehension of the Great Daos were now exceptionally profound; the existence of the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena had provided him with countless ideas and insights. Domains were opened continuously. At appropriate moments, he would make adjustments, tweaking and altering some of his earlier Great Dao domains; every single adjustment would whip up towering, monstrous waves. Within the river, only Er Mao and Dao Chess were currently watching. Dao Chess provided Great Dao insights, while Er Mao's task was to replicate various Great Daos at a moment's notice for Li Hao to experiment with and test whether they could achieve seamless fusion. With Er Mao present, Li Hao discovered that constructing Dao domains was vastly simpler. The Dao of Duplication truly possessed unique advantages. Whichever Dao one wished to test for fusion—without it being convenient to dismantle one's original Daos—one could simply have Er Mao replicate a strand. Disregarding its strength, the experiment could be smoothly completed. Lying atop the river, Er Mao watched in silence. The Li Hao of today was far stronger and far more mature than before. Under the surging of his Great Daos, he grew ever more formidable. Yet... with the ninth rank beginning to emerge in the chaos, even Er Mao did not know whether Li Hao could weather these tribulations. Today, it was also thinking about certain matters. It was thinking of Zhan. It wondered whether Zhan had truly foreseen the future—foreseen this endless, wearying outbreak of warfare... The Human King had said Zhan was irresponsible, unwilling to be sullied, and had therefore renounced longevity. Er Mao had actually overheard that. It wanted to say that wasn't true... yet the facts seemed to prove that it was indeed so: Zhan simply had not wished to take on these boundless vexations, and thus chose to depart. And all of this—Xinwu's tribulations—had been left for the Human King to bear. As for the chaos's tribulations... perhaps... Li Hao was the one bearing them. Time... It was a good thing, yet also a bad thing. Those ninth-rank experts seemed very eager to use Li Hao's Dao of Time for something. Now, the dagger had finally been revealed at the end of the unrolled scroll. Er Mao wondered if Li Hao could overcome that suffocating ordeal. And then there was the splitting open of the heavens in the chaos... This time, if he completed the fusion of five thousand Dao domains, Li Hao's combat strength would reach an apex. In the short term, it would be difficult for him to make further progress. Beyond five thousand Dao principles, without another massive war like this one, it would be almost impossible to gather enough energy for Li Hao to casually fill a thousand domains at a time. Was opening the heavens... truly inevitable then? Li Hao had always hoped the Silver Moon martial masters could grow strong swiftly, but reality proved that time was too short. Now, if they wanted to overtake around the bend, the only way was to open the heavens! When heaven and earth were first split open, Time would manifest, and myriad Daos would sprout... At that time, if a great number of cultivators entered and participated together in opening the heavens, they would have the opportunity to take the inside track and surpass the older generation in a single leap. Thus, at this moment, Er Mao was not actually worried about whether Li Hao could complete the construction of five thousand Dao principles... There was no doubt about that! It trusted that Li Hao could easily achieve it, because he was Li Hao. However... Er Mao was already worried about what would follow. Opening the heavens had to be accomplished before the ninth-rank experts fully descended. Otherwise, such an opportunity would hardly come again. Yet if he opened the heavens, it would inevitably trigger backlash from various parties: chaos powerhouses, powerhouses of ninth-rank worlds, or even ninth-rank Sovereigns forcibly sending down avatars... or their true bodies! It was not necessarily impossible for their true bodies to descend. At worst, their Dao spirituality would weaken and their strength would decline, yet they would still be genuine peak eighth-rank experts, no weaker than Huntian. It was just that the ninth-rank experts did not wish to die, nor did they wish to die in a weakened state; hence, none had descended in true body. It was not that they could not return, but that upon returning, the deficiency of spirituality could not sustain their might. If they died here, it would be an immense loss. That was the real reason the ninth-rank experts had not manifested. A cat that previously minded its own business now felt frustrated and troubled over Li Hao's future. And... After opening the heavens, if Li Hao gave up Time, would that also mean giving up all these painstakingly constructed Dao domains? Would he walk away all alone then? Then... relying solely on his physical body, how strong could he be? Seventh rank? Or eighth rank? It certainly would not be as strong as he was now. And the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena he had built, along with all of this, would become someone else's—perhaps belonging to that person from the future, or perhaps to someone else... Had Li Hao truly thought this through? The emperor was in no hurry, yet the eunuch was frantic with worry! In truth, Er Mao really was anxious. At times, it simply could not understand Li Hao's thoughts. It did not see what was so bad about inheriting Time. Zhan was dead, and Time was masterless. If you inherit Time, no one will contest you for it. Why... must you insist on giving it up? Was it for pride? To avoid being called Zhan's pawn by others? Yet... was that truly important? Important enough that, for the sake of pride, you would renounce peerless might and an invincible Great Dao? Amidst its stray thoughts. Years began to wither and flourish. The long river seemed to enter nirvana. In an instant, it revived once more. Li Hao opened his eyes, falling into deep thought. The Dao of Witherspring, the Dao of Nirvana and Revival, the Dao of Life and Death... In truth, they shared certain similarities. Of course, there were differences as well. Chunqiu's Witherspring was formidable, and what was even more formidable was that Sovereign Chunqiu died once every year; upon dying, she revived anew... This was not the Dao of Life and Death, but Witherspring. Reviving through life and death extracted too great a price. Whereas Witherspring... was like an old tree meeting spring, akin to Di Wei where the son succeeded the father upon the father's demise; it was far less troublesome. It did not require paying a tremendous price. That was the difference between Witherspring and Life and Death. As for Nirvana and Revival... the revived entity was still the original existence. Witherspring, in truth, represented a new birth. There lay the distinction. "Does Chunqiu... truly have eight hundred thousand avatars?" One withering and flourishing a year... If Chunqiu truly possessed eight hundred thousand avatars, ranging from weak to mighty... that would be utterly incredible! Moreover, if every avatar preserved sufficient energy, where would she obtain all that energy? Or did she only leave behind empty husks while the energy was actually transferred, just like Di Wei's father—or rather, the previous generation's Cat Palace guard—passed down his energy to Di Wei? "According to Chunqiu, the avatar she gave me is her strongest one, roughly possessing the power of a novice eighth rank... If so, her other avatars might not be this formidable; they could merely be empty shells." "Could all those avatars fuse together, like the Supreme and the others, or like my domains?" "Do all her avatars cultivate the Dao of Witherspring?" Thoughts drifted through his mind. By now, he had witnessed Long Zhan strike, witnessed Huntian strike, was thoroughly familiar with the Human King, and had even seen ninth-rank experts. Only regarding Sovereign Chunqiu... did he possess merely a superficial understanding. For this winter cicada to reach her present standing... Li Hao had never dared to underestimate her. "Years withering and flourishing..." Li Hao fell into contemplation. Perhaps he still did not understand this Dao well enough. Past molts, avatars, withering and flourishing... wherever there was withering, there had to be flourishing... As of now, he had only grasped some aspects of withering, yet had failed to comprehend the true essence of flourishing. "Witherspring... revival... nirvana..." Deep in thought, Li Hao looked at the core of the four-thousandth realm. After a long while, an idea formed. Perhaps the crux of the Dao of Witherspring lay not in withering, but in flourishing. It was just that Chunqiu gave everyone the impression... of a withering Dao of boundless ferocity. Yet no one had ever witnessed her Dao of flourishing! "Could 'flourishing'... allow everything withered and decayed to... flourish once more?" He suddenly thought of a possibility, his expression turning solemn in an instant. Could all those withered past bodies suddenly restore themselves to their peaks? That was impossible! If so, eight hundred thousand past remains instantly recovering to their peaks prior to withering away... Good heavens! Li Hao clicked his tongue in disbelief. Even disregarding earlier eras, Chunqiu had been at the eighth rank for at least a hundred thousand years. With at least a hundred thousand eighth-rank molts instantly flourishing, wouldn't that make a hundred thousand eighth-rank experts? What a joke! No ninth rank, no matter how powerful, could withstand that. "Impossible... There must be limitations. First, energy constraints. Second, Great Dao power cannot sustain the existence of so many avatars. Third, just like nirvana and revival, recovery might be possible, but never without limit..." Yet at this moment, he seemed to have deduced Chunqiu's trump card. Sovereign Chunqiu could certainly cause some avatars to recover instantly—that was the "flourishing" in the Dao of Witherspring! And when killing enemies, she typically aged them in an instant. Decay, withering desolation. Then... over all these years, had she killed countless people and seized their energy and Dao power to prepare for the revival of her avatars? Strictly speaking, those were not avatars, but Chunqiu's past true selves! Perhaps fusing them would be even easier than fusing ordinary avatars. The more he thought about it, the more astonishing it seemed. If the Dao of Witherspring was truly like this... it was utterly terrifying. Today's Chunqiu had likely not unleashed her full strength at all. For this southern overlord to be mistaken for wielding the Dao of Time was testament to her combat prowess; even Huntian might not be able to do anything to her. Yet she had always maintained the appearance of a little girl. Was it because she truly could not grow up, or... did she do it intentionally to disarm others' vigilance? "The true essence of Witherspring... lies not in withering, but in flourishing. If combined with the Daos of Revival and Samsara..." Li Hao fell into contemplation. Now that he had grasped these Great Daos, could he utilize and integrate them? His thousands of worlds were currently still relatively independent; could he seize this opportunity to fuse them all into one? As of today, aside from his Sword of Time, he still lacked definitive finishing techniques among eighth-rank combatants. Musing inwardly... Li Hao looked at the hovering minor worlds and the Dao of Witherspring. And the Dao of Order he was to cultivate next, which would transform all five thousand Dao principles into ordered existences and establish true order... Vague ideas took shape in his mind. He did not dwell on the research further. Once he began cultivating the Dao of Order and perfected the five thousand domains, he would integrate them. Beyond five thousand domains... he might not open any more. Because... even if he opened more, it wouldn't necessarily be within the Dao River. Beyond five thousand domains, not only would the consumption be enormous, but he had long decided that once he opened the pseudo-chaos, he would no longer concern himself with it; instead, he would replan his own Dao and perfect his own lineage. In that case, the future of the Dao River was not his to worry about. What he needed to care about was himself—his own being! Everything now was merely practice. "Everything right now is just practice work. I can experiment however I like. In any case... even if it turns out chaotic, it will be the problem of the person from the future..." Thinking of that person from the future, Li Hao suddenly smiled. I've already been more than generous! He had combed through the Great Daos and conducted experiment after experiment, having largely formed a stable system. As for anything more... what did it have to do with him? Five thousand Dao principles... Recalling when that person stepped out of the river last time, seemed like... he was roughly around this level? Of course, that person's Dao was the Dao of Rules, making it extraordinarily formidable, possessing power close to eight thousand Dao principles! Which meant... yes, that was roughly the limit of his own projections. "So... that's how it is?" Li Hao smiled, struck by sudden enlightenment. His choosing five thousand Dao principles to establish the Dao of Order and thoroughly complete the construction of order in the Dao River was likely not because the person from the future was incompetent, but because... all the Dao principles he left behind in the pseudo-chaos... had their limit right here. Breaking past limits sounded simple, but if one had never seen or heard of what lay beyond, how could one break through? Therefore, if things proceeded according to his plan, that person had indeed reached the absolute limit! "The establishment of order is the embryo of rules. The emergence of Dao spirits requires the nurturing of time, and the key lies in divine characters..." None of this required his worry either. What he ought to consider was what he himself would do. For now, there was no need to consider it, but once the heavens were successfully opened and he broke away... thoroughly breaking free from Time and the current system, he would need many things and extensive preparation. "Furthermore... on that day, a multitude of powerhouses will certainly obstruct me, and even Huntian and the others might not support me..." Countless thoughts surfaced in his mind. Soon, he suppressed them all. Perhaps he still needed to make further preparations. Only when fully prepared should he undertake this. At that time, after breaking free from the Time system, he could not allow himself to be at the mercy of others; instead, he had to break through and become even stronger! "Life and Death, Nirvana and Revival, Five Elements, Yin and Yang, Order, Witherspring, Physical Body, Spacetime..." These were all the top-tier Great Daos of the present era. Presently, his five thousand realms were formed out of whichever Daos were convenient to use. But in the future, when applied to himself, he might need to make adjustments and plans. He had to prepare in advance rather than making hasty decisions on the spot. And for this... he might still need to rely on Er Mao. He looked toward Er Mao... Er Mao was also looking at him, suddenly seized by an ominous premonition. Li Hao then glanced at Dao Chess... Dao Chess, after all, was Tianfang's weapon. Otherwise, conducting such experiments inside Dao Chess would have been ideal. Yet right now, Li Hao was not entirely at ease—not because he doubted Dao Chess itself, but because he worried the Lord of Tianfang might possess means to peer into Dao Chess's interior and discern his plans. Domains began to be filled, one by one. Li Hao made occasional adjustments. The great worlds harvested this time were destroyed and dismantled one after another, their Great Dao power continuously spilling forth and flowing into the Dao River. At the center of the Dao River, the Time Star was slightly dim. Earlier, the power of Time had been heavily depleted. Even now, it had not fully recovered. Watching the incessantly revolving Time, Li Hao's thoughts had already drifted far away. ... At the same time. Deep within the Great Dao of Chaos. Those countless statues remained silent. After an unknown span of time, one statue suddenly opened its eyes and spoke: "Is there still no lead on the third-generation Time cultivator? This man Li Hao is no longer fit to control Time. To keep the Great Dao stable for millennia upon millennia and ensure spirituality remains anchored, Time is indispensable!" "We possess myriad Great Daos, yet... not one of us has comprehended Time. Tianfang, I have a question: why... is even someone like you unable to master Time? Where precisely does the mystery of Time lie?" Whether combining Daos or nurturing spirituality, all of them had done it. Why had none of them, even after reaching the ninth rank, been able to nurture Time? Instead, it was the first-generation Time cultivator who, with mere sixth-rank strength, had nurtured Time! They could not understand. Could it be that an entire group of ninth-rank experts fell short of a single sixth rank? What was the true core of Time? Combining Daos or cultivating spirituality—which ninth-rank Sovereign wasn't doing that? Why... was what they nurtured not the Dao of Time? Even Tianfang's was not Time, but the slightly inferior Dao of Space. Now, the core Dao of Time could not be manifested, while the second-generation Time cultivator was disobedient, even outrageously treasonous, opposing all ninth-rank experts. Today, even Tianfang could no longer utter words urging them to wait a little longer. Li Hao intended to open the heavens—that was one thing. Second, he intended to seize the chaos source, a fact known to all, as he had not hidden it in the slightest. Figures like the Human King and Long Zhan, as well as Huntian and his peers, did not truly worry them. Those people were all aiming for the ninth rank, and those pursuing the ninth rank... would not destroy the source of chaos. Neither order nor chaos would they destroy. Yet Li Hao... would. It was as if he were not aiming for the ninth rank, but rather... None of them could fathom his true thoughts. Going to such drastic lengths for a few ordinary mortals simply failed to convince anyone. Tianfang, who had remained silent after his defeat, opened his eyes at this moment and slightly furrowed his brows. "Regarding the third-generation Time cultivator, I might know who it is. Tribulation... perhaps knows as well." The Lord of Tribulation opened his eyes and said in a heavy voice, "I have my suspicions... The figure who appeared above Li Hao's River of Time might... be the true third-generation Time cultivator!" However... He took a deep breath. "What worries me now is that the third-generation Time cultivator might only emerge after Li Hao opens his own minor chaos. The issue is that doing so... will bring... unpredictable ramifications!" He was now somewhat hesitant as well. "Tianfang, is it truly impossible... for us to wield Time?" As for the third generation, too little was known at present to be certain. Of course, it might not necessarily be that person either. Yet why could Time only be controlled by Li Hao? Tianfang remained silent for a while before saying, "Time is unique! It is not that we cannot wield it, but rather that now, with Li Hao, Time has a master; an identical Time will not be born again. Even if our Dao were identical to his, it would be impossible! The Dao of Time also possesses a spirit! Where is this spirit? Unless that spirit is destroyed, it can only be Li Hao!" "As for why we failed to research and produce Time..." At this point, recalling Zhan of the past, he said, "Because... Zhan was one step ahead of us, not necessarily behind us. Time is too complex... Speaking of this now is meaningless. If we want Time to vanish from Li Hao's grasp, then unless Li Hao is slain, or the spirit of Time is destroyed, or Li Hao voluntarily relinquishes it... it will be exceedingly difficult!" They had virtually no opportunity to research and forge another Time Star. Nor could they accomplish it. Even if the combination method was identical and replicated completely, it still would not work. "Then what now... do we just watch? How much longer... can we wait? Li Hao must be dealt with as quickly as possible. Whether we master it ourselves or let someone else take it, Li Hao is no longer suitable!" The Lord of Tianfang pondered for a moment and nodded. "That is true. This time, I came into contact with Li Hao and attempted persuasion, but to no avail." Thus, replacing him was imperative! Li Hao was simply too difficult to control. At this moment, Tribulation spoke: "If we join hands to stabilize the chaos, perhaps... we can allow one ninth rank's true body to descend..." Everyone looked at him. You? If you mean yourself, forget it. At this stage, none of them were keen on letting someone else descend first. Leaving aside the matter of controlling Time, spirituality was scarce in the chaos; if someone beat them to it and absorbed it all... whether the rest of them could ever get out would become a question. Tribulation was hardly trustworthy. "We ought to unite! The cultivators in the chaos today are no pushovers either. If all of us could descend, we would naturally have nothing to fear! But if we trip each other up, in the end, it will only benefit outsiders!" Speaking of this, the Lord of Tribulation felt rather disgruntled. Back then, had these fellows not insisted on slaying his Dao spirit, how would things have come to this? His avatar would not have been so easily slain by Li Hao! When everyone kept undermining one another, achieving success was simply too difficult. The Lord of Tribulation pulled no punches: "If we continue dragging each other down, in the end... it may lead to an irreparable catastrophe! If everyone does not trust me, we can choose someone impartial and fair, someone whom everyone trusts, to venture into the chaos, slay Li Hao, and choose a new Time cultivator!" "We must stop Li Hao from opening the heavens. If he opens the heavens, he will certainly rupture the Dao of Chaos. Once the Dao of Chaos is ruptured... all of us will lose something..." Such as infinite energy! Everyone fell into deep thought. A ninth-rank expert... impartial and fair? Was that even possible? Who could be so benevolent? At this time, Tribulation spoke again: "We can impose restrictions, including various checks and balances. At this stage, Li Hao is not yet exceedingly powerful. My fear is that he will grow strong too quickly, and then... it will truly be too late! Right now, having fused myriad spirits, he even possesses the power of eight thousand Dao principles. If he continues to advance... when will he reach nine thousand? Perhaps very soon..." Many powerhouses had taken action that day, yet right now, the ninth-rank experts only discussed Li Hao. Time was the entity they cared about above all else. In the end, the Lord of Tianfang spoke: "If one person must descend... I choose... Chaos!" Everyone was startled. Among the statues, a chaotic, disheveled statue also abruptly opened its eyes. Choose me? Why? His strength was not particularly high, and his say among the ninth-rank experts was not very significant; hence, he rarely spoke, let alone fought for anything. What was the point of choosing him? Tianfang said, "The chaos right now is not yet chaotic enough! Huntian and the others still exercise restraint and haven't come into open conflict. Even if a ninth-rank true body actually descends... with insufficient spirituality, how much strength can they exert? Once a ninth rank descends, those people will join hands once again!" "Only... by first throwing the chaos into disarray, causing a vast number of powerhouses to perish and turn hostile against one another, and even tearing apart Xinwu and Silver Moon to create rifts... are the keys to resolving the problem." Tianfang murmured softly, "If Chaos descends, with no one in the chaos to sanction or suppress him, he will inevitably plunge the entire Great Dao of Chaos into turmoil, collapsing order! This is also key to preventing Huntian from establishing order." "Second, muddling the Daos of chaos will make it difficult for them to comb through and align them, slowing the speed of their progress." "Third, several powerhouses in the chaos today have walked the path of converging myriad Daos. With so many Daos yet to be successfully integrated, it is the optimal moment for Chaos to exert his power. When the chaos is tumultuous and disordered, the spirituality of the Dao of Chaos will also strengthen... Doing so can avert a great deal of trouble!" Once these words were spoken, everyone fell into contemplation, turning their gaze toward that statue whose power was not particularly high. The Chaos Dao Lord! In days past, he was an existence who had caused turmoil across the chaos. However, back then, there were far too many powerhouses; after stirring up some chaos, he was quickly suppressed by the ninth ranks. Thereafter, he behaved himself. Under the suppression of the other ninth ranks, though he too stepped into the ninth rank, it was difficult for him to advance any further. At present, his Dao principle power was not exceedingly great, probably just barely over nine thousand Daos. Among the ninth rank, he was essentially at the bottom. Choosing this person... was actually not bad. Better than Tribulation! That fellow Tribulation harbored no small ambition. Furthermore, the Chaos Dao Lord had another flaw: chaos and order were perpetually opposed, yet chaos itself required order to exist in the chaos... a deep contradiction! This had led to him hesitating even after reaching the ninth rank over whether to establish order or establish chaos; the two conflicted. Consequently, over these years, he had seen virtually no improvement. At this point, the Chaos Dao Lord spoke slowly: "Me descending? That hardly seems appropriate... Setting aside whether I have the ability to suppress them, even if I did... it would be perilous, and I might not gain anything..." He didn't really want to go. Although everyone else wished to descend, he... had been feeling truly depressed recently. If I go and stir up chaos, only for you all to suppress me again later... wouldn't that be a waste of effort? At this moment, Tianfang spoke: "Your Dao of Chaos has made no progress over all these years. I suspect it may be related to the fact that order has not completely collapsed! Establishing order amidst chaos might also be a viable path for you. Right now, Huntian may be linked to order; I personally feel you should go take a look..." The Chaos Dao Lord was taken aback and fell into contemplation. Over these years, had what obstructed him been the fact that order still remained? The others were also pondering: was it appropriate for this fellow to go? It seemed... there was no one more suitable. After a long while, the Chaos Dao Lord said, "Then my descending... is not entirely out of the question. However, the chaos is not necessarily safe, even for a ninth rank like me! At this stage, with insufficient spirituality upon descending, a ninth rank might not necessarily crush eighth-rank experts, especially cultivators like Huntian and his peers..." "Therefore, if you all wish for me to descend, very well. But I have a condition!" The others cursed inwardly. You actually have conditions? This was an opportunity none of them could even dream of securing! At present, chaotic spirituality remained deficient; sustaining the descent of one or two ninth ranks was the limit. The crucial point was that the others could not leave even if they wanted to. Tianfang did not mind, smiling as he asked, "What is on your mind?" "All manpower must be placed at my disposal! Whether they are personnel left behind in the chaos or personnel descended through other means, all must obey my command. I have no wish to repeat what happened this time... where Tribulation's people and Tianfang's people both descended, only to fight divided and ultimately give them an opportunity to exploit!" "Infighting... will only bring greater losses." Chaos appeared rather calm. Though he cultivated the Dao of Chaos, it did not mean he was inherently chaotic; his thinking was quite sound. "Right now, the chaos is divided. I need sufficient manpower to stir up chaos, strengthen myself, contend with all factions, and ultimately... manufacture even greater chaos! As for the Time cultivator, Li Hao..." He paused before continuing, "Before finding a suitable successor, killing him poses the greatest danger if Time is thoroughly annihilated. Therefore, until we have absolute certainty, and before a person with sufficient likelihood of inheriting Time emerges, I do not recommend killing him... We might even pay some price to let him open the heavens. At the very least, we can confirm whether the third-generation Time cultivator can step out of the pseudo-chaos he opens..." Hearing this, Tianfang nodded. "These words hold merit. Although everyone now feels that Li Hao is no longer suitable to control Time, that does not mean... we can slay him casually. If he is killed and Time is completely extinguished with no one left capable of inheriting it, then everyone, all our years of waiting... will be nothing but flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water!" The Lord of Tribulation frowned, but after pondering it, he nodded as well. Indeed! Though he felt it might not necessarily turn out that way, what if... it really didn't work? Wouldn't that be disastrous? Waiting a million years for Time! If no one could cultivate Time, that would be tragic. "A third-generation Time cultivator stepping out of the world Li Hao creates when opening the heavens is second only to Li Hao in terms of trouble. But if that trouble is lesser than Li Hao's... then we have no choice but to take this route!" "After all, they won't have seen much of the world..." "Indeed. Equivalent to a cultivator walking out of a minor world, lacking breadth of vision, they should be easier to control than Li Hao." "True!" "..." The group of Sovereigns discussed among themselves, and all agreed with Chaos's proposal. The Chaos Dao Lord pondered for a while and said nothing further. If all these terms were agreed to, making a trip was not out of the question. Perhaps it was also an opportunity. He had always been suppressed by the other ninth-rank experts. If only he descended this time... it might be his chance to turn the tables. ... Those ninth-rank experts were also preparing to descend upon the chaos once more. Meanwhile, Li Hao had begun perfecting his five-thousandth realm. The four-thousandth realm had been completely filled. However, the consumption had been substantial. For the five-thousandth realm... his reserves might not suffice. Though he had seized many worlds this time, Li Hao had discovered that the further he went, the harder it became to fill them and the greater the consumption grew. Even five thousand domains were this arduous; exceeding that would be even harder. No wonder others were unwilling to walk this path of taking worlds as Daos. The consumption was simply too terrifying! Almost all the great worlds of the eastern region had been eradicated, yet even now, this was all he had achieved. Anyone else could never have sustained it. Four thousand five hundred realms! By this point, Li Hao's stockpiled energy was nearly depleted—even less than he had anticipated. Only upon reaching five thousand realms would he possess sufficient strength to accomplish certain things. Short of five thousand realms, at around 4,500 realms, his power was roughly equivalent to seven thousand Dao principles, which was likely still inferior to the other few overlords. Li Hao assessed and calculated for a while. "Unless I get another seven or eight seventh-rank worlds, or two or three eighth-rank great worlds... otherwise, it won't be enough." Even to fill just five hundred domains—in the past, a great world could easily fill a hundred realms, but that was no longer the case. He might need even more than he had projected. Or else... fetch a ninth-rank world from somewhere! That would do it. Such as the Tianfang World—pity it had already been drained dry by Xinwu. In the chaos, the only ninth-rank world existing openly on the surface was Tianfang. Other worlds, including the World of Tribulation, were reduced to mere lightning pillars; it was likely that the Lord of Tribulation had drained it completely in earlier years, leaving only that behind. "Or perhaps, swallow one of the worlds belonging to those overlords?" That would probably suffice! The worlds of the overlords were not necessarily weaker than present-day ninth-rank worlds. After all, the ninth-rank worlds were masterless and had lain dormant for years; they might not even be stronger than the overlords' worlds. Chunqiu? Huntian? Or Five Elements? As for having his teacher deal with Five Elements... that was merely to give his teacher some face. His teacher had taken it seriously, but Li Hao never did. Placing hope in a seventh-rank Yuan Shuo to slay the Five Elements Overlord... was pure fantasy. His teacher had good talent, but that did not mean he could actually accomplish such a feat. Sending his teacher to the north was merely to establish an advance outpost. Sending the Five Elements Emissaries there... was also to prevent Five Elements from being annihilated by others. In truth, Li Hao had long viewed Five Elements as something already in his bag. "The Five Animals Art is still what I excel at the most, my true core... Utilizing the power of the Five Elements to construct my final ring..." Musing on this, Li Hao opened his eyes, ending his seclusion. With a wave of his hand, a figure appeared. Silent and traceless! Hu Qingfeng looked somewhat puzzled... Just as he was about to speak, Li Hao transmitted: "You, hold the fort here. Summon... well, just make that thing appear here, maintaining the appearance of seclusion! Tell no one. It's not that I distrust them, but that far too many eyes are fixed on me right now!" Hu Qingfeng understood! He hurriedly offered a fawning smile and said nothing, yet his posture made it clear: Rest easy, Marquis, I've got this handled. Seeing that smiling face... Li Hao felt rather helpless. He continued: "Do not expose my departure. I need to make a trip outside to handle some business..." Saying this, he suddenly gave a slight smile: "If someone comes looking for me, have someone go to Xinwu to ask the Human King for help..." "Mm-mm!" Hu Qingfeng nodded hurriedly. This time, Li Hao brought no one along; he intended to head to the north alone. This time... he would eradicate the north! With strength of around seven thousand Dao principles, it should just about suffice. Moreover, he would not proceed out in the open this time. In the north, Huntian and Chunqiu were likely harboring designs as well. And his teacher, wielding seventh-rank power, had probably been spotted over there, and they likely thought... his teacher was the core. This time, he might as well let his teacher take the fall and serve as a lightning rod! "Everyone assumes I'm going to open the heavens in the east..." Li Hao smiled. Why must it be in the east? The chaos was vast; what difference did location make? Going to the north, or failing that, to the west... opening it right in Huntian's home territory would also be fine. Huntian's home territory had well-maintained order, which was actually more suitable. One had to catch people completely off guard! Furthermore, he needed to hoard some energy for his own cultivation. These matters could not be prepared openly, or all his trump cards would be laid bare. "It's better for the chaos... to be a little chaotic. Pulling chestnuts from the fire is the right way!" At this thought, it also occurred to him that on this outing, perhaps... he ought to disguise himself. What about posing as... an avatar of a ninth-rank expert? Yes, such an idea surfaced in Li Hao's mind. Or a powerhouse from a ninth-rank world. In any case, if he tossed the blame onto them, they wouldn't even be able to refute it. "The Dao of Tribulation—I know it, and everyone knows that... The Dao of the Five Elements—I know it too..." He needed to impersonate a Great Dao no one knew about, a Great Dao no one knew he possessed! "Time, Life and Death, Nirvana and Revival, Witherspring, Order, Desire..." None of these Daos could be used. Yin and Yang wouldn't work either! What other Great Dao was exceptionally formidable, yet unknown to anyone that he possessed it? He knew countless Great Daos, but truly formidable ones were not numerous; most Great Dao powers had only been cultivated superficially. Crucially, it also had to be something that wouldn't easily draw suspicion to him. And... it had to be a core Great Dao controlled by one of the ninth-rank Dao Lords from a million years ago. Thoughts flickering, Li Hao had an idea. "Chaos, then!" He chuckled. Chaos—he knew it, and someone else was cultivating it too. On Silver Moon's side, someone was cultivating it—not a person, but a tree. Redwood had been cultivating it all along. In truth, the Dao of Chaos was relatively unchallenging to pick up, though difficult to make progress in. He chose Chaos because of... Order! It was the antithesis of Order! At that time, when intruding upon Huntian's territory, Huntian probably wouldn't think twice about it. And Chaos... aimed to sow chaos, which fit the logic of the Dao. "Mhm, impersonate the Chaos Dao Lord..." By now, he possessed some understanding of certain figures from a million years ago. This particular one had little renown and was said to possess ordinary strength; perhaps he was the most suitable. Having thought it through, Li Hao vanished from the spot in an instant, transforming into a wisp of gentle breeze. He disappeared from the eastern region! On this journey, he truly needed to keep a low profile for a while. Outwardly, he was still the good man maintaining order in the chaos; he couldn't let his reputation be ruined.