End of the Road

Using time itself as bait. Who could possibly refuse? At the very least, Chaos could not. Perhaps there were still things in this primal chaos that others could turn away from, but when the time that these rank-nine entities pursued was right before his eyes—when he was just one step away from taking command of time... Even knowing full well that Li Hao was using him, Chaos accepted it. He took it! This was an open scheme. It was also what Li Hao excelled at most—an overt scheme you had no power to resist. He used covert plots as well, but in the end, everyone was made aware that it was a trap. Yet... you had no choice but to step right into it. Everyone present knew this was Li Hao's plan. To lure Chaos into the fray! First, he restored Chaos's chaotic spirituality, returning him to full combat strength. Then, he gathered the power of time. None of them dared allow a rank-nine—a veteran rank-nine—to wield time. A nascent master of time was someone they could control. Yet once time fell into the hands of a veteran rank-nine, it was a different story. They knew one another far too well. Every scheme ever devised against time was known to all of them. Therefore, every plot would come to naught. With time under his command, Chaos possessed the power to flip the chessboard entirely—a power that Li Hao currently lacked. Huntian had asked why Li Hao had not negotiated with him. Why should Li Hao have negotiated with him? Was Huntian rank nine? Huntian was indeed powerful, but that strength was predicated on the fact that the rank-nines had not yet descended with their full might. That did not mean Huntian could truly kill a rank-nine, nor did it mean he was guaranteed, one hundred percent, to step into rank nine. If that was the case... why choose you? You carried far too many uncertainties! Chaos, on the other hand, was an absolute certainty: a bona fide rank-nine Sovereign who knew Tianfang and the others inside and out, just as Tianfang and the others knew Chaos. If he did not choose such a person, what point was there in choosing you? At this moment, the entire western border was thrown into utter turmoil. A vast multitude of formidable auras fluctuated wildly. Those rank-nines had not originally planned to descend right now. Their clones were not particularly strong, and if killed, it would inflict a grievous loss upon them. Furthermore, descending too often siphoned away too much spirituality, making it far more troublesome for their true bodies to descend later. Thus, unless pushed to the absolute brink, they were genuinely unwilling to descend at this time. Yet now... who could tolerate this? In the distance. Chaos Sovereign's aura surged violently as he roared, "Since someone must wield time, why can't it be me? Fellow Daoists, if I take command of time, does it necessarily mean I will act against you all?" Even now, he still wanted to struggle for it. Since you all thought Li Hao was unfit, and Li Hao has now given it to me... how fitting I am! Just let me have it! At this moment, Tianfang and the others were chillingly indifferent. No matter whom it was given to, it could never be given to you. You are a rank-nine whose core is chaos itself; creating upheaval is your very nature. That was the first issue. Furthermore, order was now beginning to crumble, and with chaos unchecked, you were already the greatest threat. If you took command of time on top of that... would you leave anyone else a way to survive? If you won't leave us a way to live, how could we ever let you succeed? Tianfang's voice carried a sharp chill: "Chaos, do not make a fatal mistake. Do not stray into ruin for the sake of something you cannot have, destroying the camaraderie we have shared for so many years!" "Sever the time within you, return it to Li Hao's body... or else... today, you will not escape death!" Tianfang's clone traversed the void in an instant. At this moment, his clone was not weak either, vanishing in a flash. The other rank-nines also displayed their divine abilities. Though they were all merely clones, and individually inferior to Chaos, they were nonetheless rank-nine clones who commanded Great Daos. Moreover, there were many of them. In merely an instant, they completely encircled Chaos. Lightning manifested in the void. That was Calamity Sovereign. All around, the five elements circled like a cage; that was the Five Elements Dao Lord. A millstone of yin and yang appeared, obliterating heaven and earth; that was the Yin-Yang Sovereign. Light and darkness flickered, alternating in a flash between blinding day and pitch-black night; that was the Light-Darkness Dao Lord. ... Every single clone of the rank-nine Sovereigns was utterly cold and detached. Chaos, you achieved sovereign status through a single Dao and were never particularly strong to begin with. Reaching rank nine was already no easy feat; why be so insatiably greedy for more? Meanwhile, Chaos Sovereign's thoughts churned through hundreds of calculations. He had considered giving it up! He was not someone incapable of letting things go. Just like before, he had been willing to abandon even his Chaotic Dao Spirit just to escape with his life. Yet at this moment, despite knowing full well that Li Hao had set him up... he still chose to persevere. He gritted his teeth, a ferocious glint surfacing in his eyes. I know this is a trap. I know I'm being made the scapegoat. But I... am completely willing! Only after stepping into rank nine did one truly understand: even at rank nine, if you were not among the very pinnacle of beings, you still had no say whatsoever. Only by becoming the master of time was there any hope of suppressing Tianfang and this entire crowd. He roared fiercely, "Everyone has the right to become strong! In the end, you are all merely clones. If you think you can stop me, you're dreaming! Today, I shall take command of time! Even if I die in battle here, none of you will have an easy time of it!" He would fight with everything he had! "Hopelessly stubborn!" Tianfang vanished in an instant, and a chilling voice echoed a moment later: "He cannot resist the temptation of time and has completely lost his mind. Everyone, shatter his Dao and bring him back to his senses!" A colossal battle erupted instantly. Yet Chaos Sovereign was, after all, a true body, and he had regained a vast amount of spirituality. Coupled with the collapse of order in this place, chaos now reigned supreme, making him extraordinarily formidable. Tianfang's spatial traversal was exceedingly difficult to break; had his true body been here, it would have been impossible for Chaos to shatter it. Yet now, a clone was ultimately just a clone. Just because Li Hao and the others had struggled to break it last time did not mean Chaos would struggle as well. He unleashed a punch, and space convulsed. The void trembled, myriad Daos permeating the area to completely lock down all spatial paths. With a crisp shatter, the void broke apart. Frowning, Tianfang was forced to emerge. A rank-nine was still a rank-nine, fundamentally different from those of rank eight. Moreover, descending had been exceedingly rushed this time, making this clone even weaker than the one before. But at this point, who had time to care about that! ... Over by Li Hao. Sovereign Huntian's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the Human King and Chunqiu, bellowing, "That is the Dao of Time... It cannot be seized by a rank-nine! Are you two going to keep besieging me? Join forces and kill Chaos..." Dammit, you're still fighting me? What the hell are you fighting me for! Seize the Dao of Time first! If it really came to the absolute worst... then shatter time and execute Li Hao. Whatever happened, they could never let a rank-nine wield time. If Li Hao wielded it, he was already hard enough to deal with, to say nothing of a rank-nine. That was far too terrifying! Time was not something just anyone could control, yet the master of time of this generation had actually passed the Dao of Time to Chaos... This was something no one had anticipated. Do you truly dare throw time away? Are you certain you can ever take it back? If you cannot... the trouble will be catastrophic. At this moment, the Human King smiled brilliantly. "Have your Ninefold Guard stand down, and I won't be interested in hacking at you either. What do you say?" Huntian's eyes turned slightly sinister, and he said nothing more. The Human King... was unwilling to back down. Meanwhile, Chunqiu had a dazed expression, as if only just regaining her senses. She glanced at Li Hao, then looked at Huntian, murmuring after a long pause, "He is truly vicious... truly... truly brave." She no longer knew how to describe Li Hao. In truth, opening a heaven at this moment involved far too many unpredictable variables. The rank-nines, Huntian, Chaos, Long Zhan... All of these were variables. They could strike at any moment! Yet in the end, every single variable had been hurled onto the battlefield at this very moment. The rank-nines had descended in clones with hasty urgency; it would be exceedingly difficult for their true bodies to descend now, given their depleted spirituality. Even if they did... they might not be that much stronger than their clones. By that point, they would probably be truly terrified to descend! Every variable had become a participant on the battlefield; there were no variables left. A rank-eight cultivator had used the Dao of Time as bait, using such unique methods to drag everyone into this game—the game of opening a heaven. Li Hao... was truly a madman! He seemed never to pin his fate on whether someone might refrain from striking or whether someone might help him. Even if she and the Human King were to withdraw from the battlefield right now, perhaps... Li Hao would still have methods to deal with it. No, even if she truly withdrew right now and Huntian moved to kill Li Hao, someone else would step in to stop him. Yes, someone would! He... seemed to have always relied only on himself. In truth, he had not even counted on the Human King, never placing his hopes upon them. At this moment, the Human King also understood. Except for the day Li Hao had walked out of the Silver Moon and had no choice but to borrow external strength, from beginning to end, this kid had always had his own plans. Without absolute certainty, he rarely took risks. Whether today or before, he would not necessarily have failed even without himself or anyone else. Even when the Myriad Heavens Battlefield had been established—if he had not stopped those rank-eights from the east that day, had Li Hao been confident in resolving the crisis brought by Samsara? Perhaps... he had been. What a truly lonely guy... The Human King saw it clearly now. Perhaps the only person this fellow genuinely trusted was the master he himself had driven to death. Yes, only at this moment was it plain to see. He had been willing to drive his master to death because he trusted that only his master would truly and willingly go to die for him. He seemed unable to trust anyone else. The Human King felt an unbidden pang of sympathy. Li Hao seemed to have never trusted anyone. There were so many Silver Moon martial masters, and things were fine on the surface, but he did not seem to share profound feelings with them, nor did he trust them that deeply—or rather, trust that they would truly be willing to die for him. His own Xinwu... was not his alone; it belonged to all of Xinwu. Only the Silver Moon was Li Hao's alone... No, the Silver Moon was the Silver Moon, and Li Hao was just Li Hao. He had walked alone from the start, never lingering. ... Boom! A dragon tail pierced through the void. At this moment, Li Hao was exceedingly frail, and a vicious glint surfaced in Long Zhan's eyes. He was afraid. Yes, at this moment, he feared Li Hao. He feared that Li Hao would recover once more, feared that Li Hao would truly succeed in opening a heaven, and feared that after Chaos died, time would return to Li Hao, turning him back into an unkillable monster. Perhaps only at this moment could he kill this terrifying young man. He had not originally wanted to kill Li Hao, but again and again, Li Hao had filled him with escalating dread. It had even branded a deep imprint in the depths of his heart. Li Hao... was someone he could not match. This person might not possess peerless combat strength, but he was far too willing to sacrifice, far too ruthless, and far too solitary! He was willing to give up everything! He could even abandon time... As for abandoning his master, Long Zhan felt there were others who could do that. But abandoning time—he knew that he himself could never have done it. At this moment, three phantom figures behind them panicked, and someone roared in fury, "How dare you! Long Zhan, stop! If you dare kill him, we will exterminate your Primal Chaos clan!" If Li Hao died, Chaos would take complete command of time. The crux was that they would not dare kill Chaos easily then. By that point, they would have to worry about whether Chaos, having just gained control of time, would be able to pass it on upon his death, or if it would vanish entirely. Wait another million years? Time would certainly exist again. Yet they had already waited a million years last time. How many million years did they have left to wait? None! If they had to wait another million years, even as rank-nines, they would die of old age without sufficient spirituality to sustain them. Boom! Three surges of aura erupted simultaneously as three rank-nine clones struck at Long Zhan together. Formidable auras swept across heaven and earth. The power the three unleashed right now amounted to only seven or eight thousand Daos, slightly weaker than Long Zhan. Yet with the three joining forces and their auras blazing, Long Zhan also sensed boundless peril. His dragon eyes were filled with fury and indignation! Because his Primal Chaos clan had produced no rank-nines, no one could help him at this moment. If there had been even a single rank-nine from the Primal Chaos clan, they might have been able to lend him a hand and turn the tables right now! Yet there was none. "Get lost!" Long Zhan coiled his massive dragon body and turned to strike back. He had wanted to kill Li Hao, but the threat from the three could not be ignored. Boom! A deafening crash resounded through heaven and earth. The three phantom figures trembled slightly, falling back a step, while scorch marks appeared along Long Zhan's dragon tail. From the power the three unleashed, their identities could be discerned. One cultivated the Dao of Corrosion; this should be the legendary Decay Dao Lord. One cultivated the Dao of Shadow, concealing himself within the void; this should be the Shadow Dao Lord, who was rumored to have once clashed with the Light-Darkness Dao Lord, though that was a legend from many years ago. One cultivated the power of tempests; this was likely the Wind Dao Lord, the Gale Dao Lord. The Dao of the Gale was not particularly powerful among the various Daos, but few people cultivated it. It was considered a relatively specialized system, as getting started was difficult—comprehending the power of tempests had a steep learning curve. It was not like the five elements, which were much easier to perceive. Though merely clones, the three rank-nine Dao Lords were exceedingly formidable. The Decay Dao Lord's expression was somewhat sinister: "Long Zhan, do not persist in your delusion! Li Hao can die, but not now. Life is not easy for your Primal Chaos clan; there is no need to bring disaster upon yourself!" Long Zhan's tone was equally grim: "He is a far greater threat than Chaos! Are you all blind? Can you truly not see it? Everything today has been within his calculations! We are all merely his pawns. You fancy yourselves rulers of heaven and earth, but what of it now? Are you not still dancing to his tune? His combat strength may not be peerless, yet he easily dragged everyone into this battlefield. Do you still pin your hopes on him bringing you hope?" At this moment, he harbored no hope in Li Hao whatsoever... Hoping Li Hao would resist the rank-nines? Forget it! He feared that before the rank-nines even descended, he would already have been thoroughly worked to death by Li Hao. Li Hao was not the type to appreciate someone as a fellow hero, say he wouldn't kill you, let you go, and fulfill your wishes... He was not that kind of person! Today, everyone had blocked his attempt to open a heaven and driven his master to death... Even though it was Li Hao's own scheme, it was obvious that Li Hao was prepared to break the cauldron and fight to the death. Whoever obstructed him was his greatest enemy! He would retaliate a thousandfold! This was true for himself, true for Huntian, and true for these rank-nines. Could Li Hao still be allowed to live? Absolutely not! "Cough, cough, cough..." Opposite them, Li Hao continued to fall back, his laughter somewhat grating. "Long Zhan, I merely killed one of your Dao companions. Besides, you have plenty of Dao companions; you won't miss just that one. Why must you keep making an enemy of me? I still respect you as a brave fellow... In truth, if you don't look for trouble with me, I can't be bothered to look for trouble with you either, nor was I set on killing you... Why bother?" These words sounded exceptionally harsh to Long Zhan's ears! Li Hao! He regretted it. He regretted that back when Li Hao had fled from the Four Regions, perhaps he should have pursued him relentlessly and killed him on the spot! He spoke no more. Even with three rank-nines obstructing him, it wouldn't stop him! They were merely clones, and there were only three of them... It was not as though he had no hope of slaying them. In an instant, the Chaos Great Dao convulsed! Around them, spirituality seemed to manifest as phantom figures of ferocious beasts appeared one after another, as if ten thousand beasts were descending. "Roar!" A howling roar shook heaven and earth. In the distance, the cries of phoenixes and dragons rang out in succession. A chorus of roaring beasts! Long Zhan's combat strength seemed to elevate slightly. Above his head manifested an immensely thick power of Great Dao rules, transforming like a sentient entity into a colossal dragon that charged straight for the three rank-nines. Not only that, his true body did not engage them, but instead... lunged to kill Li Hao once more. The three rank-nines were thoroughly enraged. They had told him to stop, yet he persisted. Did he truly think he was a rank-nine? The three struck simultaneously, Daos boiling over. Countless Daos tangled together, shattering frantically. ... Meanwhile, Li Hao's time had dissipated, his physical body was grievously wounded, and before him floated only that counterfeit Time Star, meant to serve as a source of life. His divine characters were scattered all across the west. At this moment, he was perhaps at his weakest. The shattering of Order's Heavenly Policy had dealt a heavy blow to his spirit as well. Li Hao was far too frail right now. It was precisely because Long Zhan saw all of this that he insisted on killing Li Hao; this was the best possible opportunity. Seeing this, the three rank-nines panicked as well. The Shadow Dao Lord barked fiercely, "Bastard, do you truly want your race exterminated?" The three of them also fought with all their might. Boom! Long Zhan's entire body trembled, his Daos snapping, yet he gritted his massive dragon teeth and pressed on, pouncing toward Li Hao! Extermination? If he did not kill Li Hao, he suspected that before the rank-nines could even come to exterminate them, Li Hao would already have wiped them out. What was their threat worth? Nothing! He had no fear of their threats whatsoever. If you have the ability, have your true bodies descend right now to exterminate my race. Otherwise... today, it will be useless no matter who comes. The dragon tail struck toward Li Hao like a blade, intending to pin him dead in the void. Li Hao retreated continuously. Stripped of order, stripped of time, and stripped of a vast number of divine character territories, he was exceedingly weak right now. He simply retreated! His feet shifted, as if transposing the void, barely evading Long Zhan's powerful attack. Looking at the three Sovereigns frantically tangling behind him, he sighed. "He has consumed a great deal of strength, and you three are all rank-nines. Leaving aside killing him, can you not even hold him back? Must you watch me get killed by him, so that Chaos becomes the Master of Chaotic Time?" Damn it! The three were incensed! Had you not given time to Chaos, how would it have come to this! Under such rushed circumstances, how strong could their descended clones possibly be? Without prior preparation and lacking sufficient spirituality, how were they supposed to fight a powerhouse whose physical body was formidable to the absolute extreme? Dammit! It was easy to talk when your own neck wasn't on the line! All three were filled with fury. They were not his servants. Protecting him right now was merely in the hope that after Chaos was slain, time could be preserved; it was not because they truly wanted him alive. The Shadow Dao Lord said in a low voice, "Long Zhan, you may wound him severely, but you must never kill him! If you forcibly slay him, you will force our rank-nine true bodies to descend in person! Do you truly think you can rival a rank-nine?" The three were struggling to hold Long Zhan back and were forced to threaten him repeatedly! Long Zhan turned a deaf ear! Li Hao, meanwhile, still wore a smile, speaking almost playfully: "Long Zhan is very strong; his physical Dao is peerless! Yet the Primal Chaos clan almost entirely relies on the Chaos Great Dao for what they have today... As rank-nines stationed in the depths of primal chaos, Long Zhan counters you, but you counter him just as well... If you truly want to protect me, why don't your rank-nine true bodies stir up the Chaos Great Dao a bit..." "Roar!" Long Zhan's roar shook heaven and earth! At this moment, he roared violently: "Do you think everyone is an idiot? Stirring up the Chaos Great Dao might wound me, but it will also sever their hope of descending immediately! If the Chaos Great Dao is thrown into turmoil, there will be no more threat to your opening of the heaven. None of their true bodies will be able to descend, and once their clones shatter, they will be completely cut off from this heaven-opening!" Yes, Li Hao's method would work. Mutual destruction! If those rank-nine true bodies stirred up the Chaos Great Dao and plunged the entire Great Dao into violent turmoil, Long Zhan would be injured, but their true bodies would be unable to descend until that turmoil subsided. That meant... completely abandoning any thought of their true bodies descending. How long would the turmoil take to settle? Perhaps a year, perhaps a month; it certainly would not be quick, impossible to recover in an instant. Li Hao suddenly coughed up blood, nearly unable to move. Struck by a blow, his entire body burst apart once more. Covered in wounds, he was sent flying backward, countless bones broken, a portion of his flesh reduced completely to powder. Frail beyond measure, Li Hao watched Long Zhan charge at him again and said with a hint of regret, "Everyone is quite sensible after all, knowing what a great threat I pose... It seems I am truly destined to die this time..." Struggling, he looked in a certain direction and smiled. "Chaos... keep at it. Once I die, you will fully command time in merely an instant... You... will avenge me!" In the distance, Chaos Sovereign was locked in frantic slaughter! Hearing these words, he could not help but curse violently in his heart! Fuck! Li Hao, just die already. Why do you have so much nonsense to say? Meanwhile, Tianfang's clone in the distance also sensed Li Hao's frailty. Li Hao's life was like a tiny flicker of flame, liable to be extinguished at any moment. Tianfang knew this was Li Hao forcing everyone's hand. And yet... The Lord of Tianfang was also growing furious: "Li Hao, you definitely still have methods! Long Zhan cannot kill you that easily. Do not use this tactic to threaten everyone!" He was actually using his own life to threaten them all! That damned bastard! Li Hao's face was bathed in blood, yet at this moment, he gave up struggling and sighed. "What methods could I possibly have left? I'm not the Human King; I can't just detonate the Silver Moon to empower myself... If you won't save me, then so be it!" "..." Boom! Long Zhan did not want him to continue speaking. If this went on, further variables might arise. The dragon tail transformed into a colossal sword, cleaving directly toward Li Hao's skull! At this moment, watching the three rank-nines unable to stop him, the Lord of Tianfang's clone cursed internally in utter rage. He felt that Li Hao might still have methods. Of course, it was also possible he truly had none. Everyone knew Li Hao's petty scheme. Having them stir up the Chaos Great Dao would gravely injure Long Zhan, but it would also make it impossible for the rank-nine true bodies to descend again in the short term! An open scheme! This was a true open scheme. Everyone knew it, everyone understood it perfectly—enemies and allies alike saw through Li Hao's intentions; it was practically written on his face! Will you stir it up, or won't you? If you don't, I die. Yet... there was truly no other way. The Lord of Tianfang's clone roared fiercely, "Stir up the Chaos Great Dao!" Dammit, he was being driven insane by Li Hao! At this moment, the other rank-nines were equally stifled and helpless, yet they truly could not let Li Hao die. In an instant, primal chaos convulsed. In the depths of the primal chaos, Great Daos manifested from the true bodies of the Sovereigns, spirituality appearing to stir the entire Chaos Great Dao! A measure of mutual destruction! Rumble! At this moment, it felt as though the Chaos Great Dao was about to snap, as if heaven and earth were splitting apart, the entire primal chaos trembling. In the distance, one primal chaos beast after another suddenly let out screams of agony. The Chaos Great Dao was tied far too deeply to the primal chaos beasts. It was tied far too deeply to the rank-nines as well! Their Daos all resided within the Chaos Great Dao. Now, the violent upheaval of the entire Chaos Great Dao harmed the primal chaos beasts while simultaneously harming the cultivators merged into the Chaos Great Dao—including Li Hao, including the Queen, and most crucially of all, Long Zhan! He commanded the spirit of the Chaos Great Dao! This was the key to why Long Zhan had been able to master so many Daos. For primal chaos beasts, it was normally very difficult to learn any Dao other than the Dao of the Body; even if they could, it was rare. Yet Long Zhan genuinely commanded the power of nearly eight thousand Daos. At this moment, Long Zhan's entire body trembled. Cracks appeared across his form, splitting open just like the Chaos Great Dao! Long Zhan let out an agonizing roar! His eyes held a trace of helplessness and sorrowful rage! Such was the human heart; such was human nature. He looked at Li Hao not far away, a look of helplessness surfacing in his eyes. He knew that he... probably could not kill Li Hao after all. It seemed the man had calculated all of this from the very beginning. He seemed to have prepared everything long ago. You want to kill me? Impossible! Because his trump cards always seemed inexhaustible, making you feel he was unfathomably deep. Behind him, the three phantom figures seized this opportunity to batter Long Zhan until blood burst from all over his body. At this moment, Li Hao slowly rose, simply patching up his injuries as he watched like an outsider. The Chaos Great Dao was still violently convulsing, and in the distance, the shrill, anguished roars of primal chaos beasts could already be heard. That was... Xinwu, Silver Moon, and several other factions seizing the opportunity while the Chaos Great Dao was in upheaval to slaughter the powerhouses of the Primal Chaos clan. Long Zhan sensed it as well. He might still be able to endure it, but the other cultivators of the Primal Chaos clan could not. If this continued, the entire Primal Chaos clan might truly be wiped out today! At this moment, Li Hao's voice drifted faintly into his ears: "The situation is in utter turmoil now. If you die, the Primal Chaos clan will have nowhere left to stand. Have you considered entering the pseudo-chaos to develop for a time? Biding your time might be the greater opportunity!" "My heaven-opening still lacks many things, especially vitality. Moreover, it lacks a powerful physical Dao to serve as the foundational Dao for cultivators in the beginning! If the Dao of the Body is not strong enough, it will be hard to sustain the development of the Dao of Rules..." "In the pseudo-chaos, everything begins anew. Perhaps... it will be an opportunity for your Primal Chaos clan. Of course, perhaps it won't!" "With so many humans rising up here, what of it if you, Long Zhan, are supremely talented? Can you turn the tables? It's impossible! Long Zhan, you are a hero, at least a hero of the Primal Chaos clan... But... there is no hope! You know it yourself, there is no hope at all. You want to kill me only... because you cannot bear, and are unwilling to accept, defeat..." Only at this moment did Li Hao reveal his true objective. Killing Long Zhan was not his goal. His objective had always been to open a heaven. Yet opening a heaven was far too difficult. He needed someone to pay the price—someone like Long Zhan! To sacrifice his formidable Dao of the Body to support the entire pseudo-chaos, he needed him to surrender his blood and vital energy, his flesh, his energy, his vitality... It was immensely difficult! To make a hegemon willingly surrender all of this—how could that ever be possible? Only by completely merging a hegemon into the pseudo-chaos could the world he opened have the potential, the hope, to develop into what it looked like in the future. Otherwise... relying on Li Hao alone would be terribly difficult. Today, the Daos, flesh, and everything belonging to all those who died in battle would serve as nourishment for the entire new world! Li Hao smiled. Little brother of the future, aren't I good to you? I worried you wouldn't reach the level where I saw you—approaching five thousand Dao rules, on par with me right now, also following the Dao of Rules and exceedingly powerful. Unless I sacrificed everything of mine to you... it might still not have been enough! Moreover, in the future, it wouldn't be just him alone; there would be other powerhouses as well. If the Dao rules weren't strong enough, there wouldn't be enough to go around. How could a foundation strong enough for the future be forged otherwise! Only... by absorbing enough resources and capital today could there be any hope of letting the future develop into the form he had witnessed. Long Zhan ignored him! Li Hao sent another mental transmission: "Your subordinates are all about to die, but... you can rest assured. If I succeed in opening the heaven, when they die, their spirituality will merge into the new world, just like my master's! I might set you up, but I will not set up my master. When your spirits merge into the new world, you may lose your memories, but you will not lose your source. In the future, once you walk out of the pseudo-chaos, you might even recover your memories!" "Everything will be reborn! Today, your Primal Chaos clan has no chance whatsoever! If you enter the pseudo-chaos and build a good relationship with the future leader of primal chaos, perhaps... your totem plan can be realized! Of course, if luck is on your side, your Primal Chaos clan might even lead the future... Long Zhan, what do you think?" At this moment, Long Zhan's physical body convulsed violently! He gritted his dragon teeth, not uttering a single sound! Delusional! What an immense appetite Li Hao had. He wanted to merge me into his new world; he actually wanted me... to merge into his new world willingly. How could that be possible! "Sigh... If you hesitate any longer, it will be too late. If you hesitate further... once you die, there truly will be no chance left. If you die, my heaven-opening might fail, but I will not die. Your Primal Chaos clan, on the other hand, will truly be wiped out!" Boom! A colossal sound shook heaven and earth. In the distance, the phantom figure of a black tiger appeared, its roar echoing in all directions. Rumble... The black tiger blew apart, yet in that final moment, the black tiger was still roaring frantically: "Dragon Lord... slay Li Hao... Even if our race is destroyed... he must be slain!" The black tiger had been beaten to pieces. Long Zhan's heart trembled violently! Black Tiger was dead. This mighty general under his command had died right now, amidst the turmoil of the Great Dao. A fiery phoenix soared across heaven and earth. Feng Yan, her entire body cracked and bleeding, manifested between heaven and earth. Her phoenix cry carried a shrill anguish: "Father..." "Flee!" Leave! She no longer wanted revenge. Right now, she saw her father being besieged, drenched in blood, likely to perish right here. Originally, this had been a war between Huntian and Li Hao's side, yet now it had turned into a crisis of extinction for the Primal Chaos clan. Long Zhan, this hegemon, had yet to march out of the Four Regions, had yet to lead the Primal Chaos clan to rise. Today... he had led them to a dead end instead. "Roar!" Long Zhan roared frantically, his screams filled with agony. Was there truly no hope for the Primal Chaos clan? Merging into the Chaos Great Dao had left them constrained by the rank-nines. By paying a slight price, the rank-nines could gravely injure them. They might truly be wiped out entirely today! This hegemon—the Primal Chaos clan's only hegemon, and their last... His eyes were filled with sorrow. Powerless to turn the tide! "Huntian!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Have your men save them!" Huntian, I blocked Li Hao today to help you! The Ninefold Guard still has powerhouses over there; have them save Feng Yan and the others! Li Hao's chilling voice pierced into his heart like a poisoned thorn: "What kind of hegemon pins his hopes on others? That's why... you were never a hegemon, Long Zhan. You are merely... a pitiful creature begging for survival!" "All your overbearing might and peerlessness were merely an act. In truth, you knew long ago that your Primal Chaos clan could never rise. You knew it all too well in your heart. Your clan's Dao merges into the Chaos Great Dao, while the rank-nines dwell in the depths of the Chaos Great Dao... Thinking you could use this against them was utterly laughable. Could you... possibly rival dozens of rank-nines?" Was it possible? It was impossible. Thus, from the very beginning, Long Zhan had been in despair. He had always been in despair. He could see no way out, which was why he hesitated, wavered, and could never fix upon a clear objective. Which path should he take? In truth, he had no path left! The sorrow of a dying dynasty's emperor, the sorrow of being powerless to turn the tide! In the distance. Huntian frowned slightly. Save the Primal Chaos clan? How was he supposed to save them? Jieduan and the others were over there, but the fact that they hadn't saved them meant it was difficult. Perhaps with the collapse of order, those people... had all run into trouble. He himself was in immense difficulty right now! It wasn't that he refused to save them; if possible, he would gladly lend Long Zhan a hand right now to gain an ally. Yet he... was powerless as well. Huntian called out in a low voice, "Hold on, Long Zhan! They cannot maintain their peak forever... They will weaken soon..." Long Zhan was thoroughly consumed by despair, his heart turning to ash! He knew Huntian might not be making excuses, but right now, he felt hate! And fury! In this battle, from beginning to end, I sacrificed more than you did. In the end, all you give me is 'hold on'? My clan will be destroyed today! Is 'hold on' all you have to give me? Where was Jieduan? Where were the numerous Ninefold Guards? Why couldn't they stop Xinwu, Silver Moon, or Chunqiu's forces? Why? The fiery phoenix ascended, soaring across heaven and earth, her body cracking apart. That was his daughter. Her mother had already died at Li Hao's hands for the grand cause of the Primal Chaos clan. Today... was she to die as well? The nine-tailed fox, Lord of Qingqiu, had just lost her elder days ago. The Black Tiger Sovereign had lost his Dao companion not long ago, and today he too had perished here... He was utterly powerless! When he was born, heaven and earth had already been divided; the Primal Chaos clan had been destined to decline. Fate had been decided a million years ago! A million years of struggling had done nothing more than produce a few more rank-eights for the Primal Chaos clan; it had changed nothing at all! In the end, they were still merely pawns and ants in the eyes of the human race! "I... am a failure..." In this life, he was truly a failure. From birth, he had borne a mission. The spirit of chaos had chosen him, making him the key to the Primal Chaos clan's revival. Yet he had failed the hopes and expectations of the Primal Chaos clan. Fate... seemed to have been sealed long ago. The Primal Chaos clan was destined for a tragic end. Start anew? Start anew in a new world? Originally, he had scoffed at Li Hao's proposal. Li Hao was a mortal enemy, an enemy he wanted to kill. Li Hao was of the human race, and Li Hao was no good man... Asking me to die willingly? To fulfill your heaven-opening? You must be joking! Yet at this moment, Long Zhan wavered. He saw the decline, saw the extinction of the Primal Chaos clan, saw far too much, and saw the unreliability of everyone. In that split second, his mind drifted. Among the people he knew... Li Hao was the most vicious, the most ruthless, yet amid that viciousness was... a reliability that could not be overlooked. He seemed never to have broken a promise. Those who followed him were happier and stronger than those who followed Xinwu. Moreover, when going into battles of certain death, Li Hao almost never brought those people along. Perhaps he didn't trust them, or perhaps... he felt that dying himself was better than letting outsiders die. Thunder Emperor, Wushan, Kongji, Senlan, Dao Chess... All those who had followed him were living well, having grown much stronger. Not one of them... had perished in those endless battles. Because someone stood at the fore. Li Hao! At this moment, he actually thought of this. Starting anew? To fight for the future once more from within the pseudo-chaos? He had seen that the future would be dominated by the human race. Yes, the future seemed preordained; human cultivators would still be powerful. Yet in the visions of the future, he seemed... to have seen the presence of the Primal Chaos clan! There seemed... to be a dragon race as well. The Chaos Dragon clan! And a Chaos Tiger clan... He was dazed for a moment, allowing the three powerhouses to bombard him. Was the future... set in stone? He abruptly turned his head toward Li Hao, his dragon eyes filled with scarlet fury: "Li Hao, is the future... absolute?" Li Hao shook his head. "There are tens of millions of futures; how could there be only one? The past is absolute, the present is absolute, but the future... is ever-changing! There is no definite future; even time itself would not dare claim the future is absolute..." The future was not set! Scarlet filled Long Zhan's eyes, a touch of madness taking hold. The future wasn't absolute? Then I... shall... take a gamble! Li Hao, at this moment, in the entire primal chaos, your words are shockingly the only ones I find believable. How laughable, how utterly tragic! "Die, all of you!" Long Zhan let out a piercing shriek, his physical body swelling to the absolute limit. With a deafening boom, his tail snapped off at this moment, the formidable flesh exploding outward and blowing the three clones to pieces in an instant! "Primal Chaos clan, fight!" Long Zhan roared in agonizing grief: "Fight until death! Our race... will never perish! Since there is no place for us in primal chaos, then... we shall die fighting right here!" "Fight to the death!" Shrill roars resounded in all directions once more. Phoenix cries, dragon roars, and the sorrowful weeping of foxes arose between heaven and earth as phantom figures manifested, exceedingly powerful, one mighty existence after another erupting into violence. Since there was no way out, then... they would fight to the death right here and be done with it! Having severed his tail to blow apart the three clones, Long Zhan instantly reverted to human form. He threw a punch, his very fist shattering, smashing the destabilized clone of the Shadow Dao Lord into fragments, obliterating it completely! Countless powers of shadow drifted between heaven and earth. The remaining two rank-nines were filled with shock. Long Zhan... was staking his life completely. Was this fellow truly going to bury the Primal Chaos clan right here? How could this be! He still had a chance to flee... If he ran, the others might not necessarily pursue him. Why... was he so resolute? Boom! At this moment, Long Zhan seemed to have gone entirely mad. He threw another punch, a dragon's roar shaking heaven and earth. With a thunderous blast, the second clone was pulverized by his fist—the Decay Dao Lord was instantly blown apart! The third rank-nine, that Gale Dao Lord, could not help but roar, "We are merely clones, while you are a true body! If you die—" Boom! Another explosion erupted as Long Zhan's vital energy burst forth, overdrawing everything at this moment as if he no longer had any misgivings whatsoever. Having cast aside every care, he was terrifyingly powerful! The fist struck! The firmament shattered, the tempests ripped apart—boom! The sound of detonation echoed out once more as tempests swept across the entire primal chaos. Long Zhan obliterated him with a single punch, his own body splitting apart with blood pouring forth. Turning, he looked at Li Hao without a word. In the distance, the expression of Tianfang's clone flickered, and he barked in a low voice, "Send two more... Save Li Hao!" Dammit! How had Long Zhan gone mad as well? Fleeing was better than fighting to the death! Why had this crowd of people, this crowd of beasts, all gone completely insane one after another? Just what kind of demonic sway did Li Hao possess? It seemed anyone who had contact with him went utterly mad! Why was it like this? Long Zhan would rather watch his race exterminated than cease fighting to the death here... Tianfang's head was splitting. What an utterly incomprehensible bunch of lunatics! Only Li Hao smiled. As I said, a Long Zhan with nothing left to lose would be even stronger! Indeed he was!