Demon Sword Li Hao

Outside the Huntian Domain. Powerhouse after powerhouse stood in silent array, their rank-eight auras numbering dozens in total. Open a heaven? Here? Now? Huntian Sovereign’s face sank like still water. Leaving aside whether Li Hao would truly abandon Time as the Human King claimed—most likely he wouldn't, as no sane person ever would—there was the location to consider: the west. What kind of joke was this! It was an utter mockery. The west was his, Huntian's, very foundation. He had entrenched himself here for countless years and built a mighty Huntian order. For Li Hao to open a heaven here... stop joking around. How could that be possible! At this moment, all traces of a smile vanished from Huntian's face, replaced by calm detachment. "Li Hao, you aren't joking, are you?" His voice was frigid, rattling heaven and earth. "Today, I resolved the matter of Chaos, and I have no desire to stir up further turmoil! Your teacher is with me, and I bear him no malice. Hand over the others, withdraw from the west, and leave Order's Heavenly Policy behind... As for the power of faith, I will deal with it myself!" In this instant, he chose to take a step back. Troublesome though that power of faith was, it could be worn down gradually. As long as its source was severed, it would eventually fade. Li Hao smiled. He looked at Huntian without a word, then turned his gaze toward his master. Yuan Shuo was looking at Li Hao as well, as if sensing something, as if seeing right through him. He chuckled and gave a helpless shrug, murmuring softly, "Little Hao... your teacher may have sponged off you for years, but you, kid, are ruthless! How could you set up your teacher like this... I'm still breathing, you know?" Li Hao offered a faint smile. "Teacher, my Dao has reached its limit. Furthermore, my temperament has always been like this. We martial artists of the jianghu hold face above all else. Knowing full well there is a tiger on the mountain, I still must take that tiger-infested path!" He chuckled. "Even when our hearts reject it, we still insist on upholding that hypocritical righteousness. Just as the Human King said, hypocritical... right down to the marrow! Today, I hesitated and lacked the resolve to burn my bridges. Teacher... if I fail, I shall sink into ruin. If I succeed... I will guide your return. What do you think?" Huntian's expression shifted slightly. What were they doing? Yuan Shuo laughed. "Will it work? Though your master has always trusted you, you... aren't always dependable, kid." "I don't know. Teacher, do you... believe in the Five Animals Secret Art?" Yuan Shuo smiled. "Of course I do." He seemed to understand completely. Ah, this disciple of mine... In this instant, he suddenly realized why Li Hao had insisted he absorb the five elements' power. It was out of fear that the five elements wouldn't be strong enough, that they wouldn't be able to pierce the barrier, wasn't it? Others sacrificed an enemy to consecrate the battle banners, but this rebellious disciple of his was going to sacrifice his teacher! Victory or death! If successful, Li Hao would welcome his master back; if not... would master and disciple journey to the Yellow Springs together? You truly are ruthless, kid. You truly are willing to give everything up. Did you think that in this vast chaos, only your teacher was worthy of accompanying you in death? That... doesn't sound half bad. As expected, I'm still the closest to you. Yuan Shuo laughed, his laughter wild and tinged with madness, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "The thing I, Yuan Shuo, am proudest of in my entire life—my greatest boast—is taking you, Li Hao, as my disciple!" He turned to Huntian beside him and gave a swaggering laugh. "Huntian, you don't understand my disciple, nor do you understand... a jianghu martial master!" Huntian suddenly seemed to realize what was happening, and his expression shifted dramatically. The Human King also drew a sharp breath, a quiet curse ringing out around him. "Fuck! Playing that big? The young are certainly fierce. Even I wouldn't pull something like this." Chunqiu and Long Zhan still seemed not to have caught on, while the rest were thoroughly bewildered. At that exact moment, Huntian moved abruptly toward Yuan Shuo—not to kill him... but to save him! Yes, to save him. Yet right then, Yuan Shuo smiled. A monstrous beast manifested above his head, the five animals merging into one. The five elements surged in all directions, and a domain instantly expanded to block out everything. Beside him, Flying Tiger was still in a daze. Yuan Shuo looked down at Flying Tiger and smiled, his voice barely audible. "Little tiger, my apologies! If there is a chance, you and I... will meet again!" The five elements burned, and chaotic power erupted in an instant. The power of the five elements shook heaven and earth as Yuan Shuo unleashed an overwhelmingly powerful aura. Instead of attacking anyone else, he clenched both fists and stepped into the void, his battle intent reaching its absolute peak. "Five Animals: Demon Roar!" "Roar!" A deafening howl exploded like a fierce beast bursting from its mountain lair, like a fiend descending upon the world. The piercing sound made every cultivator present dizzy and disoriented. In the void, a halo of five elements materialized across the sky. Like a demon, Yuan Shuo crossed the emptiness, force and spirit fusing into one. Clenching his fists, he struck out with a heavy blow. With a single punch, the primal chaos ruptured, and Yuan Shuo bellowed, "Yuan Shuo of the Five Animals asks for guidance!" A martial master of the jianghu dies by the jianghu. My disciple wants me to fight, so I... shall fight! In the distance. Li Hao's expression remained utterly calm, like dead water. He did not act, nor intervene, nor speak. Teacher... my Dao has reached a dead end. The only path forward is to open a heaven! To open my own Dao. Today, I have gathered my spirit here; it can brook no further delay. If the heaven opens, I will welcome your return as the Lord of Heaven-Opening. If I fail... the heritage of the Five Animals Sect will end with us. There was not much sorrow, only a faint sigh. Old Demon of the Five Animals, can this strike of yours wound him? Can it? Can you, having just stepped into rank eight, injure a peak cultivator who borders on rank nine? Boom! Heaven fell and earth split as the five animals roared. A colossal beast manifested, merging into a unified whole, domain uniting as one. Sword intent surged skyward as the Five Animals Jade Light Sword unleashed an overwhelming aura. Like a madman, Yuan Shuo threw his punch. Between heaven and earth, there remained only this all-out strike of the Five Animals that burned away everything. The onlookers were dumbfounded, completely at a loss! Why? Only the Human King's expression remained impassive as he looked at Li Hao, his face devoid of emotion, his thoughts inscrutable. What a man, this Li Hao! Knowing full well he was no match for Huntian, he still insisted on opening a heaven here today... and that teacher of his truly dared, truly had the guts, was truly wild! The Supreme also seemed to understand at this moment, his brows slightly furrowed, his heart trembling. Consecrating the resolve by the master's blood, burning the boats behind them! If the heaven opened, Yuan Shuo would merge into the primal chaos and reform the five elements. If the heaven did not open, he would dissipate into smoke, leaving no further chance unless the chaos origin was broken. A fight to the death with no retreat! This Li Hao... usually so mild-mannered, was utterly ruthless and unhinged when it truly mattered. Huntian naturally realized this as well. His eyes turned chilled and severe, his expression turning ugly as he barked, "Master and disciple... you truly seek death!" He threw out a palm, shattering heaven and earth and crushing the five animals. He had originally intended to hold back thirty percent of his might to spare Yuan Shuo's life. A first drum rolls with vigor, a second weakens, and a third exhausts all strength! As long as he broke their momentum, Li Hao would be forced to retreat today. Yet at that exact instant, Yuan Shuo let out a piercing shriek. His Dao merged as the Chaos Great Dao manifested, circled by the five elements. The spirit of heaven and earth appeared—the Spirit of the Great Dao, the spirit of the five animals—instantly stripping away the five elements from all directions! At this moment, the Dao of the Five Elements between heaven and earth seemed to find a new master, exultant and frenzied! Nearby, the four surviving Five Elements Emissaries suddenly turned deathly pale. The power of the five elements within their bodies was instantly drained away, torn out as if by the Spirit of the Great Dao itself. Yuan Shuo threw his head back and laughed uproariously, wildly insolent and unmatched under heaven. The power of the five elements throughout heaven and earth seemed to be sucked dry in an instant. Even deep within the primal chaos, a stone sculpture was visibly jolted, snapping its gaze toward this direction. The five elements gathered in frenzy, their spirituality bursting forth as though a rank-nine Sovereign had descended! *** Having melted into the void to conceal his traces, Chaos suddenly looked back, thoroughly startled. Had the Dao Lord of the Five Elements descended? Could he be coming to seek vengeance and kill me? A moment later, he sensed more closely and frowned slightly. No... it didn't seem like the Dao Lord of the Five Elements. Aside from him, could someone else have attained rank nine? And in the Dao of the Five Elements, no less? Wait, that wasn't right! The veteran rank-nine expert suddenly sensed that countless elemental powers were being wildly siphoned across the surroundings, converging toward the west. Probing with care, his brows furrowed. "A new spirit..." Someone new had forged a new spirit—the spirit of the five elements. Only... just like Li Hao had done that day, this person was burning the spirit! Were they out of their mind? This person had actually comprehended spirituality, yet chosen to ignite it at this very moment. A million years ago, such a figure would have been virtually guaranteed to attain rank-nine power. "What a pity." Chaos shook his head with a sigh. He had originally intended to find a deserted place to hide, but struck by a sudden thought, he changed direction and risked flying toward the west once more. Who was wielding spirituality and burning it to unleash a supreme strike? Alas, I might not get to see it in time. Was it to deal with Huntian? *** In the west. Huntian's expression shifted slightly as he let out a low growl. "Impressive, Yuan Shuo. What a shame..." A shame that your peak holds only enough power for a single strike! A shame that this is not a million years ago. A shame that you have only just entered rank eight; you lack the qualifications to gather the five elements of the entire world. Order was established. A palm struck out, and the Great Dao seemed to reconstruct itself, walling off the five elements. The four surviving Five Elements Emissaries collapsed limp to the ground, twitching all over, completely hollowed out. Beside them, Flying Tiger was still bewildered... yet in that instant, an asphyxiating aura swept over. It let out a mournful wail as its physical body began to disintegrate. I think I'm finished! What is going on? I haven't even figured it out, so why... did a fight suddenly break out? And nobody else is fighting except... Yuan Shuo, this weakling who was supposedly Li Hao's master... Well, fine, he's a rank eight too, but just a weak rank eight. Why is he suddenly so formidable? What on earth happened? It couldn't make sense of it. Flesh and blood were crumbling into ash. Flying Tiger whimpered mournfully. Dead, I'm dead! How pathetic. I never once got to look majestic in my whole life, and now I'm dying like this, so miserable! Then, as if struck by a thought, it mustered its remaining strength and lunged to bite the massive hand descending from the sky! To die having bitten the strongest being in the current chaos would surely... give me great face! In my next life, I must read more books and become an educated tiger. That way, I won't get tricked, swindled, and beaten to death for no reason at all... Yes, I must definitely read more books, and learn to recognize words too. Boom! A shattering detonation rang out. The rank-seven chaos beast burst apart in the void like brittle tofu. Flying Tiger's jaws, however, managed to make contact with that enormous palm. Clutching its final baffling thoughts, its jaws snapped shut—crack!—actually biting out a shallow wound on the palm. Seems like... it was worth it. Flying Tiger disintegrated completely, turning into ash. Yuan Shuo's fist had already arrived. In this instant, the power of the five elements detonated with a thunderous roar... Countless strands of order collapsed in an instant. Yuan Shuo wore a sinister grin. As his fist struck, the palm of order fractured with a sharp crack. Huntian's face darkened, and in an instant, darkness descended! At this moment, the outer layer of his Dao of Order had been pierced, laying bare the malicious energy beneath. The colossal palm turned pitch-black in the blink of an eye. "Die!" Huntian held back no longer. This strike might surpass certain hegemons, but unfortunately... it was only a single blow. To wound me was nothing more than a pipe dream. Boom! An explosive shockwave erupted, sweeping outward in all directions. Fist and palm collided. The surrounding Ninefold Guards barely had time to react before the shockwave blasted toward them. It had happened far too quickly. In the span of a breath, the weaker experts retreated, while the stronger ones were filled with both furious indignation and dread. Yuan Shuo... was merely a weak cultivator. How could he unleash such a blow? Even the four Five Elements Emissaries nearby were caught in it. Someone spotted them and wanted to save them, but in that mere instant, the shockwave of five elements and dark energy detonated! Boom! The four emissaries turned deathly pale, lying slumped on the ground as the shockwave crashed over them. The surging waves of power drove them into utter despair. They... were actually... going to die here. And in such a pathetic manner. They were experts, powerful ones... but with the five elements' power inside them drained dry, they were currently barely stronger than ordinary Sovereigns. This ferocious aftershock was plainly beyond their ability to withstand. Boom, rumble... Flying Tiger had been the first to explode and perish, becoming the first high-ranking powerhouse to fall here. And the four emissaries became the sacrifices for the battle banners, ruthlessly obliterated in this moment. The energetic shockwaves swept past, yet the deaths of several rank-eight experts caused not the slightest ripple. Instead, their five elements' power had fulfilled Yuan Shuo's strike. In this instant, a thought surfaced in their minds... It would have been better to die alongside Huoyan. If they had died with Huoyan back then, perhaps—even if the chances were slim—the Dao Lord of Tianfang would have resurrected them had he triumphed. But now, they had surrendered, they had betrayed him... And they had not yet built sufficient trust and goodwill with Huntian. Dying this time was likely true death. No one... would resurrect them. Huoyan had at least preserved his bond of master and servant with Tianfang through death, but they had not. A strange sorrow welled up. Why... did it turn out like this? Why was Yuan Shuo's spirit so powerful that it could seize the five elements from their bodies when he was merely a rank seven... or at best, someone who had barely stepped into rank eight? A roar shook heaven and earth. A faint muffled grunt sounded. The fall of the four emissaries drew not a single glance; completely drained of energy, their deaths created no stir whatsoever. Everyone's eyes remained fixed on the clash of fist and palm. Under the descent of dark power, the enormous fist began to fracture, the power of the five elements bursting repeatedly, and the force spirit above Yuan Shuo's head crumbled. The muffled grunt had come from Huntian. A faint crack appeared across his palm, spreading wildly as a drop of blood seeped out. Huntian's face was cold and detached. Looking at Yuan Shuo, he saw that this was all he had. Just like your disciple, you like to borrow power? What is borrowed will always remain borrowed. Just as the thought crossed his mind, his expression changed violently, and he took an abrupt step back. In that instant, an illusory third hand seemed to materialize from the void—appearing right as Yuan Shuo was on the verge of total collapse. Not even Huntian could tell where that hand had come from. It simply appeared in the void, so abruptly it defied reason. That barely perceptible palm carried a ruthless edge, materializing directly beneath Huntian's crotch. Across Yuan Shuo's cracked face spread a smirk of malicious glee. "The Miraculous Hands Restore Spring!" Yuan Shuo laughed wildly as his body began to disintegrate into dust. Boom! A terrifying burst of power erupted from Huntian's groin. The colossal phantom hand instantly shattered, but his robes were torn open with a ragged tear. This was a formidable Sovereign armament, yet it had been ripped open on the spot. Huntian's face was hideously dark. Though the scene some might have secretly anticipated did not come to pass, he had thoroughly lost face. Not far away, the Human King clicked his tongue and shook his head, lamenting, "What a pity it failed. What a pity! I really wanted to see Yuan Shuo rip him to shreds with that grab. Truly a shame! He only tore the pants and didn't even get to show the rest... Was it too small?" The Human King muttered to himself, but his voice echoed far and wide. Huntian's face darkened even further. At this moment, Yuan Shuo remained motionless. With great effort, he turned his head to look at Li Hao. To look at the disciple who was his greatest pride. Well? How was that? In the distance. Li Hao remained expressionless. The killing intent around him began to surface, expanding without limit. His eyes, like the sun and moon, instantly turned pitch-black. A malevolent aura seeped out, as if a fiend had descended upon the world. Heaven and earth dimmed noticeably. All around, the world fell into deathly silence, permeated by an aura of demise. Within the river of Dao, a river of death materialized, its pall beginning to spread. The Dao domain expanded wildly. The suppressed rank-eight experts felt as though the end of days had arrived, their faces drained of all color. Li Hao... had gone mad. Using his master's death in battle as the catalyst, he had completely fallen into the demonic path. Was it worth it? Did he have to go this far? Huntian Sovereign's face was equally unsightly. Staring at the silent Li Hao, he gritted his teeth and barked in a low voice, "What are you trying to achieve by doing this? In this vast universe, where can you not open a heaven? Why must you choose my west? You beast, using your teacher's blood to consecrate the chaos—you are callous to the extreme!" Before him, Yuan Shuo's body continued to collapse. Yet he smiled brightly, his flesh vaporizing bit by bit. Looking at Li Hao, he whispered softly, "This is how it should be... kid... now... you have a righteous pretext!" Huntian could not fathom it! He could not understand. Why go this far? I already yielded! Yet Li Hao had signaled his master to fight to the death... a righteous pretext? What a joke! Power dictated everything here. What did a righteous pretext matter? Yet in the next breath, Huntian seemed to sense that something was wrong. As Yuan Shuo disintegrated and crumbled away, Li Hao's aura surged madly, strands of Great Dao power swelling inexplicably. Li Hao looked at Yuan Shuo without grief, only letting out a soft breath. There was no need for farewells. Today, once I succeed in opening the heaven, my teacher will also reside within that new sky. Reborn from chaos in a body of five elements. If I die, farewells are all the more unnecessary. A righteous pretext, the disciple carrying on the fallen master's cause... this was the jianghu. If this chaos disliked the air of the jianghu, then... I would create it myself. Teacher, you will live to see it. Crash... The waters of the long river roared between heaven and earth. The spirits that had perished seemed to awaken in this instant. The Chaos Great Dao manifested, and boundless chaotic power surged into the river. Spirituality bloomed upon Li Hao's form, and five thousand Dao principles began to stir. Order's Heavenly Policy instantly dissolved into fine powder, fusing into every single principle. Huntian let out a muffled grunt. Only at this point did the others seem to snap out of their stupor. Chunqiu's mouth fell wide open! In her entire life, she had seen all kinds of people, but never a disciple who drove his own master to death just to serve as the catalyst for his own demonic awakening. Indeed, in her eyes right now, Li Hao had turned demonic. The Human King also let out a breath and drew his long blade. This kid was somewhat deranged, somewhat heartless... Today, his intent was set on the absolute success of opening the heaven. To make his resolve clear with such a deed—you truly are a fine disciple. If your master didn't die, it would almost be an insult to such devotion... What a piece of work. Long Zhan's expression was grave. At this moment, he felt conflicted and troubled. Li Hao... sent a chill down his spine, yet Huntian was perhaps even harder to deal with. Should he help Li Hao, or help Huntian stop him? Within the river of Dao, the six rank-eight captives were deathly pale. Countless colossal waves crashed down! Wave after wave tore their flesh open, threatening to dissolve them entirely. Huntian's aura erupted, his fury unleashed. "Li Hao! Do not force me to kill you!" Li Hao raised his head, a long sword appearing in his grasp. "I want this land of yours! You killed my teacher, so I seize your western territory. This is justice! Huntian, if you withdraw today, I will spare your life. If you stay, I will kill you!" You kill me? Laughable! Huntian was enraged! He had always possessed exceptional composure and magnanimity; hardly anyone could truly infuriate him. Yet in this moment, he was thoroughly provoked. This master and disciple were shameless beyond measure. His master had insisted on throwing his life away, humiliated Huntian, and killed the four newly surrendered emissaries... Before Huntian could even vent his fury, Li Hao was playing the hypocrite, claiming vengeance for his master! Seizing my western territory so you can open your heaven. What kind of logic is that? Even bandits are not this brazen! "Let's see what ability you have to kill me!" Huntian could endure no longer and barked, "Ninefold Guard... kill him!" Kill Li Hao! Kill this shameless wretch. To think such a creature existed in this chaos. "Dao Lord..." Just then, terrified cries rang out. Within the long river, the six rank-eight experts wore expressions of horrified despair. The five thousand Dao principles seemed to come alive at this moment. Surging outward, they enveloped them in a flash, threatening to swallow them whole! Among the six experts, one roared, transforming into a giant roc to flee. Another turned into a ray of dark light, hoping to escape into the void and leave the river. Others, consumed by fury and despair, were devoured directly by the river's Great Dao. The stench of death permeated the waters. Holding his sword, Li Hao gazed down at the Sky Sword in his hand, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Today may be the final battle you fight by my side!" The Sky Sword trembled faintly, as though truly possessing spirituality. Was the sword... to be gone forever? The Sky Sword shivered, then quickly succumbed to frenzy, steeped in mad abandon. Li Hao swung his sword in a casual arc. Crack! The giant roc on the verge of breaking out was instantly cleaved in two, tumbling down to dissolve into the river and become part of it. Opposite him, the Ninefold Guards were incensed. They charged madly toward Li Hao! Damn it! In the blink of an eye, Li Hao had slain one of the six rank-eights, while two others were directly devoured by the Dao principles to nourish their power. The remaining three were fleeing in desperation. Yet with a smile on his face, Li Hao struck with his sword. Time seemed to blur, as if millions of years had slipped by in a flash. Above the long river, the three silhouettes suddenly froze, and in the next breath... three swords seemed to descend simultaneously! Boom! Beneath Li Hao's sword, the three rank-eight experts were struck down at the exact same moment. Although their Dao power had long been drained away by Li Hao, they were still rank eights. From Yuan Shuo's eruption until now, Li Hao had obliterated six rank eights in an instant, with unbelievable speed. It had all happened in the blink of an eye. Huntian's aura surged forward, faster than the others, yet he was still a step too late. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "You are cutting off your only path of survival!" Li Hao had just slaughtered six rank-eight cultivators under his command. And just moments before, Yuan Shuo had drained the four surrendered emissaries to death. Huntian had commanded twenty-four rank-eight powerhouses, yet in the span of a breath, ten had perished—as if rank-eight cultivators were nothing more than ants here. After battling Chaos for so long, he had lost only a single rank-seven cultivator and ultimately subdued eight rank-seven experts. Yet here, before he had even made a move, this pair of master and disciple had butchered ten of his rank eights. This was a grudge to the death! The others were stunned; the turn of events had simply been too swift. Yet someone remained unfazed! Gripping his long blade, the Human King laughed and let out a low roar. "Kill! Slay Huntian!" In an instant, his blade materialized, spanning heaven and earth, his frigid shout echoing in all directions. "Since it's started, let's play! Li Hao, if you fail to open the heaven today, I'll look down on you. Slaying your master to prove your Dao taints the name of Xinwu... Of course, you aren't a man of Xinwu. If you cannot open this heaven and resurrect your master, should you dare to flee, I will cut you down myself!" Either die here, or succeed in opening the heaven. If you see failure looming and choose to flee just to save your skin, I, Fang Ping... will strike you dead! He was a man of his word! He didn't care what methods Li Hao used to stimulate himself, to enter the demonic path, or to drive himself mad... but he refused to witness a coward who drove his master to death only to run away. At worst, Li Hao could die fighting here too! Li Hao's laughter drifted over, carrying an indescribable demonic edge. "Human King, just when I thought you understood me, you misunderstand me again. Today, it is either heaven-opening or death—this is my Dao. My master sacrificed himself to fulfill my path; if I flee, I will have no face to cultivate the Dao for the rest of my days. I might as well smash my head open and die. Why dirty your blade?" The long sword chimed crisply, its ring echoing across the expanse. The primal chaos shook! The nine heavens trembled violently. A smile surfaced on Li Hao's face. I am the Demon Sword! "Today is no battle of rank nines... The rest of you had best not meddle!" Li Hao laughed heartily and slashed his sword toward the sky! The Chaos Great Dao materialized. Ignoring Huntian and the others, Li Hao thrust his sword straight into the heavens toward the Chaos Great Dao. Huntian had intended to kill him, but now paused for a fraction of an instant. Within that Chaos Great Dao, stone sculptures seemed to emerge, and giant palms took shape. Some sneered, some were enraged, and some scoffed. "Insolence!" "Fiend!" "Execute him!" "Scoundrel!" At this moment, it seemed every rank-nine Sovereign had been provoked. Li Hao actually dared to sever the Chaos Great Dao to block their descent and deny them any chance of interfering. What an arrogant Demon Swordsman! What gave you the right to sever the Dao of Chaos? Did you think the power of eight thousand Daos you unleashed was enough? Do you have what it takes? "What gives me the right?" Li Hao laughed. Suddenly, countless divine characters emerged in the void—so many they defied imagination. Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million... Densely packed! As if materializing out of nowhere. No one knew where those divine characters had come from, but now they converged, pouring into Li Hao's sword. In an instant, under Li Hao's smile, those countless divine characters began to merge! "Suppress!" Ten million divine characters fused into one, becoming a single character—"Suppress." Spirituality erupted, transforming it into a true character of spirit, the Spirit of the Great Dao. The divine character was colossal, if slightly impure. It had been cultivated by countless humans in the Divine Kingdom under the Queen's decree up to this day. A single character was weak, ten thousand were still weak... Yet the Divine Kingdom gathered countless mortals, trillions upon trillions of them. All those characters fused into one, laden with vast amounts of faith. In a single instant, it suppressed the spirituality of the chaos. As the divine character appeared, heaven and earth were brought to a sudden halt! Huntian's expression changed! With a wave of his hand, he halted the Ninefold Guards' charge. That single character was suppressing heaven and earth, locking down the Chaos Great Dao. If aimed at him... it might not do much, but the others, even Jieduan who approached eight thousand Daos, might be suppressed in an instant and slain by Li Hao! Li Hao, this madman! He hadn't used this against Huntian, but instead... to sever the Chaos Great Dao, barring the rank nines from descending to disrupt his heaven-opening. What was he thinking? Or did he believe... Huntian was less of a threat than those rank nines who might not even dare to descend in their true bodies? In that split second, countless palms struck toward the divine character! Phantoms of rank-nine Sovereigns appeared, brimming with wrath. What a brazen scoundrel! To dare suppress their path of return! Even if Li Hao hadn't suppressed it, they hadn't fully decided whether to descend, but now... with Li Hao taunting them so overtly, even those who had planned to wait and watch could no longer stomach it. Whether we descend is our own choice—it is not for you, Li Hao, to interfere! Yet Li Hao merely chuckled. A moment later, his eerie, chilling voice rang out. "Tianfang, aren't you going to stop?" Deep within the Dao, Sovereign Tianfang frowned slightly. Li Hao, are you... ordering me? Yet... in the next breath, Li Hao's silhouette grew translucent. The Time Star sank into his forehead, radiating an eerie glow! The Time Star cast a faint luminescence. In this instant, a dark passage appeared before Li Hao's eyes, leading straight toward the Four Regions. A fierce tiger manifested above Li Hao's head—the spirit that had once detonated seemed to reappear. It roared and plunged into the void, seizing something in an instant. The Time Star erupted with limitless power, the energy of time spilling out to suppress heaven and earth. Boom! The chaos shuddered. Even Huntian and the others fell back, their eyes flickering with uncertainty. Huntian seemed to see something as well. In that moment, a passage seemed to emerge within the dark chaos. The tiger above Li Hao's head was tearing at it furiously. Li Hao himself held his long sword, which instantly drew upon the power of all directions. Boundless power of faith burst forth, forcing the originally formless, invisible chaos passage to manifest in the open. Li Hao slashed with his sword, and with a crisp crack, the passage fractured. Deep in the chaos, the Lord of Tianfang's face was cold. Li Hao! A spatial passage. It had been prepared for their return—not only for Tianfang's experts, but for himself as well. It was meant to preserve more strength, so that even under equalized descent, he could surpass the power of others! Yet now... Li Hao was destroying it! Li Hao had never liked relying on others, nor did he place his hopes on the inaction of others to achieve his goals. He preferred to plan ahead and nip all variables in the bud! At this moment, the Dao Lord of Tianfang's voice drifted over. "What do you want?" Block the other rank nines? He wouldn't do that. Li Hao could name his terms. Yet Li Hao seemed not to hear, merely chuckling as he reached out. In the distance, Dao Chess suddenly felt a pulling force. Startled, he hesitated for a fraction of a second before being drawn along by the force. In an instant, he landed in Li Hao's grasp. Li Hao pressed his long sword against Dao Chess. Dao Chess's phantom appeared, gripped by shock and fear. You want to kill me? Yet in that instant, illusory board squares surfaced across Dao Chess. The sword's power flooded into them, and an invisible spatial force was thoroughly drawn out by the blade. Boundless power of faith assimilated all of that spatial energy, leaving Dao Chess feeling completely hollowed out! Virtually all of his power had been drained by Li Hao's sword Dao. A sword intent of space erupted at that moment, peerlessly formidable! The sword struck! Crack... Rumble... The dark passage fully materialized, and under this sword strike, it was sliced clean through and began to collapse. From the endless void, Tianfang's voice drifted over. "Li Hao, it seems... you have no intention to talk. I still harbored some hesitation, but today, I have none left. I will not stop you from opening the heaven, but... the moment it opens will be the day you die!" Li Hao had severed his passage. Using Time to anchor it and the residual spatial power within Dao Chess to assimilate the passage's energy, he had touched the spatial passage and severed it whole. He had severed Tianfang's hopes of an early return. Tianfang had indeed been hesitating before, thinking that the third generation of Time might not necessarily be good. Yet no matter how bad, it couldn't be worse than Li Hao. This was an utter madman who disregarded all worldly opinion. He had even driven his own teacher to death just to fight with his back to the wall! What chance did outsiders like them have? Was there anyone he couldn't or wouldn't kill? No one! In this entire chaos, no one was more heartless than Li Hao. Even the Human King, who made people detonate themselves at the drop of a hat and seemed cold-blooded, was actually full of sentiment. Li Hao... had completely fallen into the demonic path! The character "Suppress" was still holding off the other rank nines. Though the Lord of Tianfang had made his decision, he would not stop the others from shattering Li Hao's divine character. If any mishap occurred during the heaven-opening, they would still descend... Yet at that moment, an illusory passage of time emerged, and a figure was drawn forth by Li Hao. The Queen appeared, trembling with fright at the countless terrifying auras around her! Li Hao smiled brilliantly. "Ling Yue, do me a favor..." Ling Yue was on the verge of tears! With this massive horde of top powerhouses—countless rank eights and rank nines—what could a mere rank-six cultivator like her possibly do to help? Li Hao smiled radiantly. "Suppress the passage with your Divine Kingdom, and spread the power of faith across the Chaos Great Dao! I'd like to see who is willing to become the savior of the human race, and I'd like to see who is willing to slaughter trillions upon trillions of humans to walk out of that passage, descend into the chaos, and stop me from opening my heaven!" "Li Hao!" At this moment, even Tianfang could no longer hold back, his furious roar shaking the chaos. "You fiend! With you in this chaos, destruction is inevitable!" In this instant, Huntian, Chunqiu, Long Zhan, and the Human King all froze in their tracks. The Human King opened his mouth... but said nothing. He merely looked at Li Hao, speechless for a long time. The Queen was utterly dumbfounded. Yet a moment later, she gritted her teeth in silence. Suddenly, like a deity, she activated something. In that instant, sacred chants resonated through heaven and earth, and countless devout voices echoed across the chaos. Countless mortals prayed, and an exquisite, magnificent Divine Kingdom manifested between heaven and earth, gradually merging into the primal chaos as boundless power of faith dispersed outward... As if awaiting their savior. The attacks of the rank nines gradually died down. The rank-nine Sovereigns, like true stone statues, were momentarily petrified. They... had been threatened. Yes, threatened. By Li Hao! The man so many viewed as a scholar had threatened them with the lives of trillions of humans, and threatened them with that boundless power of faith. Do you dare descend? Either shatter this Divine Kingdom and slaughter them all, or accept the power of faith and become the savior of the human race! Choose one! Will you descend or not? From behind, Huntian watched Li Hao, his pupils constricting slightly. In the past, when Li Hao had threatened Long Zhan with the Four Regions, Huntian hadn't felt much. Today... he truly witnessed this man's demonic nature and sheer ruthlessness! Having done all this, Li Hao turned back to face everyone, smiling. "Fellow Daoist Huntian, the rank nines won't interfere with me today. Of course, once the heaven is opened, Ling Yue will depart. Though I am cruel, I still leave a sliver of hope for others. After the heaven opens, the rank nines... may descend as they please!" "Ling Yue, once I succeed in opening the heaven... you may leave. Or if I fail and die, you may leave as well!" At this moment, the Queen, who was suppressing the Chaos Great Dao with her Divine Kingdom, let out a soft sigh. Madman! I knew what kind of person you were all along, but I never expected... She smiled, her laughter holding a trace of genuine delight. Today, I, Ling Yue, am suppressing over twenty rank nines all by myself. Well, that's certainly something to be proud of! "All right, no one will stop us now. Everyone... let's have some fun!" Li Hao laughed, his laughter echoing across heaven and earth. The rank nines would have to wait a while before coming. Huntian, isn't this interesting?