The Villain

With the two powerhouses pursuing the new world, the battle to open the heavens finally drew to a complete close. Countless lives had been lost in this war. The western quadrant was shattered beyond repair. The incomparably formidable cultivators under Huntian's command were almost entirely wiped out. Only a handful of seventh rankers who had not taken part in the battle survived, left behind to guard the Huntian World. Hunluan had fallen. Long Zhan, along with vast numbers of chaos clan powerhouses, had perished in battle. The ancient beings serving the hidden ninth-rank experts had likewise been slain one after another. In the wake of this singular clash, the chaos fell quiet. The people were gone. It was practically hollowed out. At the very least, most of the powerhouses were dead. As for the hegemons of the various quadrants, the northern Five Elements were utterly finished, the Four Regions' Long Zhan was gone, and while Chunqiu's side had suffered modest losses, this battle had plunged her into self-doubt. *Can I... really win against these monsters?* They were either unfathomably treacherous, utterly insane, or concealing trump card after trump card. Chunqiu was by no means weak, but on a battlefield like this, who could she truly hope to defeat? And the youngest of them all, Li Hao, filled her with a sense of dread. Yes, dread. Even now, when Li Hao had abandoned everything, she still feared him. After all, right under her nose, Li Hao had effortlessly obliterated Poshan's physical body, and she had not even managed to stop him in time. It was simply inconceivable! *** Alliance City No. 9. By now, this place had virtually become Li Hao's base of operations, the stronghold of Silver Moon. Yet the Sovereigns currently gathered in the alliance city could not help but sigh. The once-bustling All-Heavens Dao Arena was gone. With Li Hao discarding Time, the spacetime corridors could no longer be sustained. While illusory realms still lingered in various places, they were no longer linked across the heavens. The lively All-Heavens Dao Arena had collapsed just like that. The group was filled with regret and melancholy. The existence of the All-Heavens Dao Arena had earned Li Hao the tearful gratitude of countless Sovereigns. But when the great war erupted and Li Hao renounced everything, the Dao Arena vanished. Now, those Sovereigns did not dare venture outside heedlessly. All at once, the entire chaos had turned deathly still. Most of the powerhouses were dead, the weak dared not leave their worlds, and the ground where they had exchanged insights on the Great Dao was gone. In an instant, the chaos felt like a graveyard. "Sigh!" With a heavy sigh, Sovereign Wanhua, who had returned alongside them, looked rather dejected. Back when the All-Heavens Dao Arena was established, he had benefited immensely, breaking through to the eighth rank. Afterward, following Li Hao's faction into endless battles, he had even merged his spirit into the new heavens, seizing the opportunity to act as an innate god-fiend for a time. Yet upon returning to Alliance City No. 9 and beholding the collapsed passage—where ten thousand Sovereigns had once gathered, now entirely desolate with only a single illusory realm remaining—he felt a profound emptiness. Gone! All gone! Of course, they were far better off than the north and west. Those two quadrants were practically bled dry, their high-rank Sovereigns nearly slaughtered to the last. As for the east... Well, apart from those of Xinwu and Silver Moon, almost all eighth-rank Sovereigns in the east had been wiped out too. The vast chaos seemed remarkably bleak right now. Nobody could descend into the once-bustling All-Heavens Dao Arena anymore, so Sovereign Wanhua naturally felt deeply melancholic. Others, however, were worried. Worried for Li Hao! Without Time, without divine characters, without the Dao River... where would Li Hao go from here? Though the chaos was desolate, the supreme powerhouses still remained. Even if the Chaos Great Dao was destabilized, that turbulence had a limit. Sooner or later, it would settle. When that time came and the ninth rankers descended... could they rely on Xinwu for rescue? Would those ninth rankers spare Li Hao? Not a chance! Li Hao had completely ruined everyone's plans. The ninth rankers had their clones slain because of him, and Huntian had been reduced to an utterly wretched state. If not for the lack of absolute certainty in taking down the Human King and Chunqiu, Li Hao would likely have been struck down the instant he emerged from the new heavens. "Marquis!" Qian Wuliang called out, looking fraught with worry. He had also entered the new world during the heaven-opening and gained a great deal. He had even comprehended many insights and left behind legacies belonging to Silver Moon within the long river. But... what good would that do? Even if powerhouses emerged from it in the future, the future belonged to the future. In the end, they were not Silver Moon people. Just like Xinwu! The people of Silver Moon would never proclaim to the outside world that they were Xinwu's legacy; they were solely the legacy of Silver Moon. Now, Yuan Shuo was dead, having failed to return. And Li Hao had lost Time, lost Order, and lost everything. The great Silver Moon was suddenly showing signs of decline. Silver Moon was weak now, and in the future, if newcomers stepped forth from that world, Silver Moon might possess fewer powerhouses than that faction. Even without the Human King, Xinwu still had the Supreme, the Yang God, and countless others. What about Silver Moon? Qian Wuliang felt thoroughly pessimistic. No matter how close their ties were, Silver Moon was ultimately just Silver Moon. Right now, it seemed poised to become the first faction wiped out. Whether they had many enemies was not the crux—the problem was that their pillar had weakened. As for Li Hao destroying Poshan's physical body, everyone had witnessed it. What they had failed to see, however, was Chunqiu's attempt to stop him. They merely assumed that slaying a fully dormant, desolate body was no great feat for Li Hao. Even if Li Hao retained the strength of a newly advanced eighth ranker, it would be useless. In the chaos of today, a fledgling eighth ranker might count as an expert, but certainly not a hegemon. Without an absolute hegemon, where would Silver Moon go? Wushan, the Thunder Emperor, Dao Chess, Er Mao, Kongji, Wanhua—without exception, these experts were all outsiders. As for native eighth rankers, apart from Li Hao, only Yuan Shuo had managed to reach that level by a stroke of fortune. Now, with Yuan Shuo fallen in battle and Li Hao's strength plummeting, there was not a single third eighth ranker in the entire Silver Moon. At this moment, the surrounding Silver Moon martial masters fell into silence. Silver Moon's faction had fought across the heavens and appeared mighty. In recent times, every single one of them had reaped tremendous rewards—first from the All-Heavens Dao Arena, then as heaven-opening deities. Yet to this day, leaving the eighth rank aside, even the seventh rank had only been achieved by Qian Wuliang, the Black Panther, and Hong Yitang. Queen Lingyue had continuously absorbed the power of chaos, yet she remained at the peak of the sixth rank. The others were still hovering at mid-rank Sovereign. Given their massive harvests, breaking through to the seventh rank would not be excessively difficult, but it required an enormous amount of energy—which they currently lacked! Li Hao had funneled all of it into the new world. Without sufficient energy and reserves, even if their comprehension had reached the necessary level, attempting to cross into the seventh rank was hopeless. A mere handful of seventh rankers plus Li Hao... If not for Xinwu shielding them from the front, their days would be dire. At this moment, Qian Wuliang harbored another concern: now that Li Hao had abandoned so much, what would become of the Thunder Emperor and the others? They were outsiders after all. They were not native powerhouses of Silver Moon. In this era where powerhouses vied for supremacy, if Li Hao had opened the new heavens and advanced further, there would naturally be no issue. But Li Hao had abandoned the new realm. Even though they had anticipated it from Li Hao's repeated claims, facing the reality still left the Silver Moon people feeling utterly helpless. Inside the alliance city, Li Hao simply sat cross-legged in the void. Hearing Qian Wuliang's sigh, he turned his head with a smile. "What is the matter?" Feeling uneasy, Qian Wuliang spoke up nonetheless. "Marquis, this time... we all gained tremendously. The breakthrough in our realms and the broadening of our horizons were immense. Innate god-fiends, natural integration with the Dao, the gathering of spirit, not to mention the founding of the All-Heavens Dao Arena and our insights—all of it brought massive improvements to us!" How many Sovereigns went their entire lives without such an opportunity? Yet in a short span of time, they had experienced it all. That included the recent battle in the west, where countless powerhouses slaughtered one another. These were rare and precious experiences. Even so, Qian Wuliang continued, "The current Silver Moon Universe is still fairly strong. After Director Hong withdrew, the Black Panther reached the seventh rank, and by merging two Daos, I have also stabilized at the seventh rank. For now, Silver Moon can probably support one more seventh ranker... but supporting any more will be difficult. The others can only rely on establishing their own Dao domains and drawing energy to break through." At present, Silver Moon could sustain only one more Sovereign advancing to the seventh rank. In the past, a seventh ranker was an invincible supreme expert. Now... what use was that? He had some idea of how to reach the eighth rank, but where would the energy come from? Given Silver Moon's size and its dual-Dao structure, becoming an eighth-rank universe would be virtually impossible without devouring the Huntian World. Unless he also disregarded Silver Moon, stepped out, and constructed his own Dao domain, he would have no hope of reaching the eighth rank. Bringing the entire universe with him into the eighth rank would be as difficult as ascending to heaven! Xinwu had swallowed an unimaginable amount of energy before barely advancing into an eighth-rank universe. Silver Moon had once possessed the same opportunity. If Li Hao had not opened a new realm, having all of Silver Moon advance to the eighth rank would have been simple and straightforward. Everyone was weighed down by anxiety. This battle could be counted as a resounding victory for Silver Moon! In a single stroke, their enemies had been all but wiped out. Yet even with so many dead, those ninth rankers plus Huntian were more than enough cause for fear and concern. Only the weak had died; the true powerhouses were still alive. Just then, Sovereign Wanhua spoke up. "Sovereign Haoyue, now that the passage of Time has collapsed and the All-Heavens Dao Arena is extinguished, is there still a chance to revive it?" In the future, even if someone took command of Time, would they ever build such a Dao arena again? Discussions of the Dao across the heavens... what a pity. It had lasted only a brief while. It might well become a lifelong memory for many Sovereigns, never to be seen again. The Thunder Emperor did not dwell on that. Instead, he said, "With Order dispelled, Hunluan slain, and the Dao of Chaos thrown into turmoil, the chaos remains restless and unstable. Order no longer exists. The way I see it, the turmoil will only drag on. If this continues, more great battles are inevitable, and the ninth rankers could descend at any moment!" Dao Chess wore a troubled expression as well. "Earlier, when we shattered Tianfang's teleportation passage, the spatial power within me was completely annihilated. I no longer possess the ability to teleport. Once battle breaks out, it will be difficult for us to escape!" Indeed, Li Hao had stripped and wiped out nearly all the spatial power within him to destroy Tianfang's teleportation passage. In any future clash, with neither the River of Time nor spatial teleportation, running away would be exceptionally hard. One problem after another was brought up by the crowd. Yet Li Hao looked thoroughly relaxed, leaning back casually against the void. After pondering for a moment, he smiled. "All feasts must come to an end! The situation across the chaos has become entirely clear. "Setting aside the ninth rankers who have yet to descend, we have Chunqiu in the south, Xinwu in the east, and Huntian in the west. "A large number of eighth rankers are gathered right here. With so many eighth rankers having perished, your status has actually risen! Currently, Xinwu reigns supreme in the east, having crushed all opposition and firmly established its footing. Xinwu and Silver Moon are closely linked by nature, and I share some friendship with both the Human King and the Supreme. If any of you are interested, I can introduce you!" The expressions of the crowd shifted dramatically. Kongji frowned. "Haoyue, what are you saying? Have we reached the point where we would leave just because your strength has declined? We all walked out of the Four Regions together to reach this day, relying on your might all along. If we left now, wouldn't we become the laughingstock of the world? Sticking around when there are benefits and scattering the moment trouble arrives—what would that make us, a pack of rabble? "So what if you lost Time? Since you were willing and dared to give it up, I believe you have the chance to rise again!" Kongji said solemnly, "All you lack right now is energy. Once you have enough energy, your comprehension of the Dao laws is already sufficient. Even if you cannot return to your previous strength, you can at least wield the power of five or six thousand Dao laws. Worst comes to worst, we can each pitch in and wipe out a few worlds to help you. Otherwise, do you expect Qian Wuliang and the other seventh rankers to provide for you?" Li Hao's words clearly hinted at parting ways! Yes, they hailed from different factions. Even within Silver Moon, Li Hao had never claimed that he was their master or that they were bound together forever; they came together when their interests aligned and parted when they did not. Yet even if they were to part ways, it could not be now. If word got out, everyone would view them as ungrateful wretches! Li Hao chuckled. "I am being serious, not trying to provoke you. I am simply... a little tired. Now that I have finally shaken off some troubles, having you all follow me... to be frank, I have no ambition to vie for supremacy. Following me will only make you miss opportunities." He smiled and continued, "What I mean is, Xinwu is still expanding and wiping out worlds, which presents an opportunity for all of you! Your comprehension of the Great Dao is exceptionally strong right now, but you lack energy. Seizing the present moment is your chance! Not just ordinary worlds, but those ninth-rank worlds that surfaced earlier—most of them are still there. Furthermore, with their eighth rankers having stepped out, they are at their weakest right now! "Huntian and Tianfang are busy searching for the new world and have no time to care, but Xinwu certainly won't let this opportunity slip by." Li Hao said earnestly, "My point is, we cannot let Xinwu have it all to themselves! Chunqiu's faction also has several eighth rankers, but she is wary of both me and Xinwu. Even if she tries to seize them, she might not beat Xinwu to the punch. If you take this chance to act alongside Xinwu, there will be plenty of opportunities!" The eyes of the crowd flickered with interest. Kongji raised a brow slightly. "You mean... we should first ride Xinwu's coattails, plunder some energy, and help you recover? That works too!" Li Hao waved his hand and laughed. "You don't need to worry about me; just focus on making yourselves stronger! If you can grow strong on your own, that will be a load off my mind! You have all followed me for a long time and helped me immensely, but honestly... with so many mouths waiting to be fed, I, a young man, am worn out too..." A sheepish look appeared on everyone's faces. Yet they had to admit that over the past few years, Li Hao had fought across the realms and reaped vast spoils, but he had conceded the vast majority of the benefits to them. That was why so many eighth rankers had emerged—without exception, all of them had received Li Hao's support. One had to remember that before this, neither Wushan nor the Thunder Emperor had been at the eighth rank. And now? A whole flock of eighth rankers! Li Hao's words made them feel rather embarrassed, yet they still hesitated. If they left, wouldn't Li Hao's situation be far too dangerous? Could he rely on Qian Wuliang? Qian Wuliang had merged two Daos and was indeed not weak. Even if he fell short of them, the gap was not immense. But... was that fellow reliable? He was the Lord of Silver Moon! If he felt that Li Hao was finished and blocking his path, would he turn around and sell Li Hao out? As though sensing their thoughts, Qian Wuliang was utterly speechless. *Give me a break!* *Would I dare?* *Even if Li Hao's strength plummeted below the seventh rank, let alone where he is now, I wouldn't dare rebel!* *Unless Li Hao died... Well, even if he died, I still might not dare, unless he had been dead for ages. Only then would it be possible! Why are you all staring at me?* Li Hao smiled. "Truly, there is no need to worry about me. I will figure something out. I am not foolish; if I didn't have some confidence, wouldn't that just be waiting for death? While things are still relatively quiet and I lack the interest to drag everyone across the chaos, the Human King happens to have boundless energy. With him around, I feel at ease! Take this chance to chop away all the foundations of the ninth rankers! That way, you will all have an opportunity to advance further. And not just you—those from Silver Moon should also step out when it is time! "Originally, everyone was too young and lacked sufficient comprehension, and unlike me, you lacked fortuitous encounters. But now, with your comprehension from the All-Heavens Dao Arena and your experience as heaven-opening deities, I cannot guarantee that everyone will reach the seventh or eighth rank, but most of you certainly can!" "And what about you?" At this moment, Lin Hongyu, who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke up. "Will you stay here alone? If Xinwu departs and we all leave, once Huntian or Tianfang's clone enters this place, you will be in grave danger!" Stepping out was indeed a good idea. But what about Li Hao? Li Hao chuckled. "I will simply find a random spot to enter closed-door cultivation. In a chaos this vast, could they really find me so easily? Traveling alone is actually safer for me." Right then, Kongji said, "Then... there is no need to cooperate with Xinwu. We can go solo! There are few powerhouses left in the chaos right now. Even as strong as Xinwu is, they cannot wipe out every enemy overnight. It would be better if we acted independently. Chunqiu might not dare make trouble for us; we have plenty of eighth rankers and fear nothing from them! Self-sufficiency might be even better than cooperating with Xinwu. The Human King has a habit of monopolizing the spoils. Even if he shares, he gives it to Xinwu's people, so we might not get much of a chance." He looked at Li Hao. "If you truly intend to cultivate in isolation, that is fine. Rest assured regarding Silver Moon—we will take them out and bring them back in one piece!" Pausing briefly, he added, "Only... if you draw energy during your closed-door cultivation, I worry the commotion will be too loud and attract attention. That would spell trouble." Things were different now. Without Time, running away was exceedingly difficult for Li Hao. Furthermore, Dao Chess had lost his spatial teleportation ability. If they traveled too far, they would never make it back in time to provide reinforcement! If someone tracked Li Hao down, it would be fatal. Neither Huntian nor Tianfang's clone was an opponent the current Li Hao could match. And Chunqiu was someone they had to guard against as well! "Don't worry, I won't be that foolish," Li Hao smiled. "If you wish to strike out on your own, I won't stop you. The Human King... is indeed terribly partial. If you join him, you might not reap many benefits. Going solo with your number of eighth rankers makes sense—keep your eyes on those ninth-rank worlds and take them down one by one. Devouring even a single one will be enough to empower you substantially! Nearly twenty ninth-rank worlds emerged this time. The Human King destroyed the Yin-Yang World, and Chunqiu shattered the Life-Death World, but many still remain..." Even if they only claimed three to five of them, it would be enough to gorge themselves! At this point, Qian Wuliang thought for a moment before asking, "Marquis, if you devour a complete ninth-rank world... could you restore yourself to your previous peak?" From the sound of it, he too was ready for action! Since the Marquis did not wish to move, the Silver Moon faction might as well pull off a major heist. If possible, they naturally wanted to help Li Hao recover his peak combat strength. Otherwise, once the ninth rankers descended in the future, what would they do? Moreover, in their eyes, Li Hao was far more talented than the Human King. As for the traveler from the future, that person had merely received the Time Dao that Li Hao discarded. No matter how powerful that person became, they were merely basking in Li Hao's light. If Li Hao wound up overshadowed by then, the people of Silver Moon could never accept it. Li Hao gave a half-smile. "The best result is for you not to cause me headaches. Take care of yourselves; the great war of the future is not far off! Far too many people will want my head once the ninth rankers descend. If you still have this level of strength when that day comes, I can only tell you to stay far away from me! "Besides, the turbulence in the Chaos Great Dao will not last for long!" Li Hao calculated briefly. "A year at most, or as little as half a year, and it will likely return to calm. Your time is very limited. Of course, even after it calms down, they might not be able to descend smoothly right away. "Regardless, even if they descend directly, they will possess the power of peak eighth rankers! "I hope you will be able to take part in such a battle in the future. Even if you cannot, you should at least have some assurance of escaping with your lives, or things will be very grim!" Everyone fell into deep thought. Did Li Hao mean he had a plan? Yet they were baffled. Where would the energy come from? While Li Hao had absorbed some energy in the new realm, most of his time had been spent comprehending the Great Dao without drawing in much power. If he wanted to recover without participating in the war to destroy worlds, could he possibly be counting on the Chaos Great Dao to supply him? Right now, a horde of ninth rankers was keeping a vigilant watch over him! If he wanted to absorb chaos energy, he would have to pass the scrutiny of those ninth rankers first. Despite their confusion, they roughly understood Li Hao's intention. As long as they grew strong on their own, that was enough! Not holding him back was already a good thing. There was no need to worry about him; he had his own methods. Thinking carefully, perhaps they truly didn't need to fret. Even if Li Hao's combat strength had waned, his mind remained razor-sharp. After some consideration, Qian Wuliang spoke. "If the Marquis is confident, we are willing to follow Senior Kongji and the others to scour the chaos, striving not to bring shame upon the Marquis!" With that, he smiled again. "Xinwu has many powerhouses and quite a few eighth rankers. And from what the Marquis said, we will likely have to wait for the powerhouses of the future world to emerge. Last time, we caught a faint glimpse of them, and there appeared to be quite a few seventh-rank Sovereigns among them!" Not just quite a few, but a tremendous number. Seventh rank! Earlier, many of the innate god-fiends had reached that level. Of course, those god-fiends had essentially been themselves. They had all tasted the power of the seventh rank. If that future figure managed to unify the chaos, he could never be weaker than those innate god-fiends—only stronger. His subordinates might well include numerous seventh and eighth rankers. Xinwu had many seventh and eighth rankers because it had a thousand-year head start, which was understandable. But if a latecomer wound up with more powerhouses under his banner than Li Hao, everyone would lose face. Even though time flowed faster in that realm, overall energy was fixed. The chaos, on the other hand, held boundless opportunities right now. "There is no need to compare... but do as you please!" Li Hao waved his hand. They should all go. While things were still calm and relatively safe, seizing this chance aligned with their ambitions. Any later, and it would be too difficult. Though they remained worried for Li Hao, seeing his resolute stance, Kongji finally said, "Since you have your own plans, we won't press further. But whenever you need us, notify us at once. Even without spatial teleportation, I trust you will still have a way!" "Rest assured!" Seeing this, the others said no more. They did not know what Li Hao intended to do, but they realized he likely wanted some time alone. After careful consideration, Qian Wuliang interjected, "Since the Marquis desires some peace and quiet, why not let the Black Panther stay behind to help with miscellaneous tasks? The Black Panther is linked to the Silver Moon World and can notify us at any time. What does the Marquis think?" Li Hao glanced at the Black Panther, who was still maintaining its original beast form. It was already a seventh-rank Sovereign! Yet it was still pretending it couldn't speak. Pondering for a moment, Li Hao nodded and smiled. "Very well, let the Black Panther stay." Only then did Qian Wuliang feel somewhat relieved. The others cast a few glances at him; this fellow certainly knew how to pick his candidates. Given that Li Hao wanted solitude, he probably wouldn't even have been interested in keeping Lin Hongyu around. Sure enough, humans couldn't even compare to a dog! After a brief discussion, the group departed swiftly. Seizing the initiative was paramount right now, lest Xinwu strike first and demolish the ninth rankers' old nests before they could arrive. *** Once they were gone, Li Hao fell silent for a while before suddenly chuckling. "I really... can't shake them off, can I?" He shook his head. Beside him, the Black Panther looked at him in bewilderment. Why say that? As if reading its mind, Li Hao smiled. "When you have too many people relying on you for a living, it gets exhausting! Jianghu martial heroes are mostly lone wanderers. Why? Because... they can't afford to raise an entourage, and it is too tiring! Tell me, when so many people depend on you to survive, can you afford not to risk your life? You are hoisted onto a pedestal with no way down! Otherwise, isn't being a lone wanderer far more pleasant? "I figured that with my strength declining, I could introduce them to Xinwu and let them go there. Hanging out with the Human King would have taken a load off my shoulders. Instead, they insisted on talking about sentiment and loyalty... and once sentiment enters the picture, there's nothing I can do." Li Hao laughed again. "Fortunately, heading out now is relatively safe, and they can be self-sufficient. Otherwise... how exhausting would that be?" "Woof!" "You ask... what I plan to do?" Li Hao smiled faintly. "I have discarded all external Daos now, and I can't be bothered to cultivate external paths anymore. The Dao originates from within; when the body is strong, the Dao is strong! Besides, external Daos are tied to the Chaos Great Dao, which makes them far from free—they are quite restrictive! "Just like the new world: merging one's Dao into the river binds all those who do so. The River of Time is effectively the Chaos Great Dao of that new world, and those who merged their Daos... are in the exact same position we are in now! The only difference is that we, along with the ninth rankers, merged into the Chaos Great Dao. In truth, the Chaos Great Dao is simply the River of Time of this chaos! "Do you know about Moyan?" Li Hao explained simply, "He refused to enter the river realm. Although he was ostracized, he is free from the river's interference! Otherwise... if someone takes control of the river, all beings merged into it will fall under that person's sway!" The Black Panther nodded, looking thoughtful. Li Hao continued, "My current situation is virtually identical to Moyan's. I have abandoned all external Daos and completely severed myself from the chaos, making me practically a replica of Moyan. And Moyan... in the new realm, will most likely lose to the powerhouses born from the river. Of course, he still has a slight chance." Whether Moyan could seize it remained uncertain. Yet refusing to enter the river represented an opportunity in Li Hao's eyes. If Moyan relied on himself to break the river and devour it, even Li Hao would no longer be able to constrain him! Otherwise, Li Hao still possessed methods to keep the new master of the river in check. Of course, there was no need for that. He would not judge whether Moyan's choice was right or wrong. Right now, he was walking a similar path himself. The prerequisite, however, was that he had to be stronger and far smarter than Moyan. Caressing the dog's head, Li Hao smiled. "Most of the power in the chaos originates from the Chaos Great Dao, and the drifting chaos energy comes from it as well. For now, the Chaos Great Dao appears ownerless, so it doesn't matter much. The real danger is if it actually has an owner—that would spell disaster! "Having finally freed myself from the previous system, I want to attempt a different path. But as everyone pointed out, I lack energy. Everyone knows where the energy in the chaos comes from. Without devouring the power of the Chaos Great Dao, it is nearly impossible for a cultivator like me to grow stronger!" Li Hao sighed with emotion. It was exceedingly, excruciatingly difficult. Where could he obtain enough energy? Energy that would make him powerful, and crucially, without creating any noticeable disturbance in the chaos—the kind that ninth rankers could never detect. A bolt from the blue! *You think I have weakened, and you think monitoring the Chaos Great Dao will let you gauge my condition... but am I, Li Hao, so easily controlled?* At this moment, the Black Panther also wore a look of deep concern. Indeed! What could he do then? He could not and would not absorb chaos energy, nor would he merge with the Chaos Great Dao. Where could he steal power from? Li Hao was no weakling! For a powerhouse of his caliber to absorb energy—and a vast amount of it at that—the options were inherently limited. "Woof, woof..." The Black Panther barked softly. Li Hao smiled. "Devour a Great Dao universe? A Great Dao universe is also linked to the Chaos Great Dao, you know. It's all the same. What do you think a world is? A world... is simply a tributary of the great river! Didn't you see? When I opened the heavens, they had to merge their Daos into the river before they could open their worlds. The logic is identical: the worlds of the chaos are merely tributaries of the Chaos Great Dao!" The Black Panther felt utterly defeated. There was no way out. According to that logic, cultivation was impossible. Li Hao chuckled again. "Black Panther, energy... is not of a single kind. The Chaos Great Dao only provides chaos power. This time, I have completely grasped something: spirit—or rather, the energy of spirituality—is not provided by the chaos at all!" The Black Panther froze. Li Hao continued, "You still remember 'force,' don't you? Force, spirit, essence, energy, spirit, blood... The power of spirit originates from the heart, from the will, from momentum. This kind of power is truly the most unique! "Take martial masters of the exact same Hundred-Breaker stage: you know very well how vast the gap is between one who possesses force and one who does not! "Absorbing the exact same amount of energy, possessing force makes you several times stronger! This power originates from within oneself, from the heart and the will..." A spark of comprehension dawned in the Black Panther, yet it remained bewildered. Force? He wanted to... cultivate force again? That was the path martial masters walked back when Silver Moon was weak. Was he going back to the old road? Wouldn't that make all the struggles of these past years a joke? As if reading its thoughts once more, Li Hao shook his head. "It is no joke. In the past, I did not understand what force or spirit truly meant. Only after walking this entire cycle did I fully comprehend. This is what it means to stand high and see far: force is remarkably special! Perhaps this is the true foundation of Silver Moon's rise! "Force is tied to spirit. Perhaps this was the greatest benefit and the greatest revelation that Time left to us, the people of Silver Moon! "Time is merely a form of energy, whereas force was the finest method of enlightenment that Time bestowed upon us. "To resolve the problem of the ninth rankers and break free from their control, one must shatter their perception! "Whether it is the Human King, Chunqiu, or that traveler from the future, they might all achieve the ninth rank and play pivotal roles in the coming war. Yet all of them... remain within the bounds of control. Even the Human King's 'Myriad Daos for Myself' must still enter the chaos and devour the chaos. Everything he does is out in the open! "The other Sovereigns might not amount to much, but what about Tianfang?" Li Hao's gaze turned piercing. "My true target is not the other ninth rankers, but Tianfang! I can see through all the other ninth rankers, but the Master of Tianfang is an enigma. Years ago, he had contact with Zhan, but in the end... when Zhan returned, he chose to end his own life. Why? "Perhaps Zhan saw the future—that no matter what, his future self could never match Tianfang. That man is a powerhouse who has truly pushed the Great Dao to the absolute limit. If not for Time being singular, he might have mastered Time as well!" Li Hao sighed with emotion, adding, "You must understand, he cultivated the myriad Daos, yet all he ever displayed to us was space... and speed. Is he strong? You don't know! Does he possess other methods? You don't know that either! "The Human King and the others can serve as the vanguard against the other ninth rankers, but Tianfang... might be the greatest danger of all! "He summoned those ninth rankers to the depths of the chaos together. Evidently, he chose that location. He knew the chaos lacked sufficient spirituality to sustain them any further. How did he know? Why didn't the others know?" Li Hao voiced his thoughts and conjectures, organizing them in his mind. Finally, he smiled. "And the Tianfang World was originally born right at the foundation of the Chaos Great Dao. In fact, in my eyes, the Four Regions are the future Human Realm!" After opening the heavens, he had made comparisons and reached many conclusions. The Four Regions did not sit at the center of the chaos, just as the Human Realm was not at the center of the river, but rather tucked away in a corner. Why? Because being off to the side was safer; it was not a crossroad of endless conflict. It was also convenient for development. Viewing it through that lens, the Four Regions were actually the core of the chaos, mirroring the Human Realm's standing in the future world. Tianfang was born right here. Of course, Xinwu and Silver Moon were also born here, but neither was as ancient as Tianfang. Tianfang was the oldest world of all. "Combining the myriad Daos can produce all manner of Great Daos, yet whenever the Master of Tianfang's clone appeared, he only used the Dao of Space. The more he acts like that... the more it proves just how treacherous he is! "Under his command were the Five Elements Envoys, the Life-Death Envoys, the Yin-Yang Envoys, and the Light-Dark Envoys. Do you think he knows those Daos? Is he proficient in them?" The Black Panther paused, then nodded. If his subordinates knew them, Tianfang surely did too! "The Light and Dark Envoys were outsiders, and so was Sovereign Panlong of the Physical Body Dao. Why did he allow them into Tianfang? To perfect his own Dao system! Space is not everything; on the contrary, Tianfang must be an expert in all dualities!" Li Hao's eyes shifted as he said, "He must be a master of the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, Light and Dark, Life and Death... all manner of dualities! Many of them are devastating offensive paths. Yet whenever that fellow's clone showed up, all he did was teleport and flee, acting as though he only knew space. The more he hides it, the more guilty his conscience!" The Black Panther understood! It looked at Li Hao with utter admiration. What Li Hao meant was that the Human King and the others were merely the brawn. While they might stand a chance against some ninth rankers, they definitely couldn't handle Tianfang. So the boss's intention was... to out-scheme Tianfang? Wait until Tianfang became the ultimate victor, and then strike to finish him off? Just thinking about it was thrilling! However... The next moment, the Black Panther slumped dejectedly. Tianfang was terrifyingly strong; could Li Hao truly reach that level just by comprehending force? It couldn't believe it! As much as it wanted to believe, the idea of matching Tianfang through force alone felt utterly hopeless. "Force is actually a conviction, a will, and the grand unification that Huntian has been pursuing all along. Unfortunately, Huntian only grasps the surface without understanding the root!" Li Hao chuckled softly. "The root of all living beings in the chaos is neither Order nor Chaos, much less Life, Death, Yin, or Yang... and naturally, not Time either!" The Black Panther looked blank. Li Hao loved its bewildered expressions, continuing with a laugh, "The fundamental will of the chaos is none of those things. Those are concepts only powerhouses contemplate, and powerhouses are an extreme minority. For the chaos, ordinary beings make up the overwhelming majority! Countless beyond measure! And their most fundamental desire is actually... very simple! Survival!" The Black Panther remained blank. Li Hao nodded. "Not life, but survival. Since one is alive, one must survive! This is the singular will shared by all beings. Whether strong or weak, all must survive! Even in death, one seeks a place to be buried—that too is an extension of survival. This is a will shared by every living thing in the chaos... "The chaos indeed possesses a will for grand unification. Huntian chases obedience, unification, and order, but his direction is flawed. Achieving that is impossible at any time. "Only survival is the goal pursued by all. It is true for me, for the Human King, for the ninth rankers, and even for the worlds themselves. Everyone pursues this! "As for freedom, time, and order—those are secondary. Only the living have the right to speak of such things. "And what I must do is draw upon this singular, shared will to empower my own force. Inconspicuously, as the chaos descends deeper into turmoil and everyone's yearning for survival grows fiercer... I will have the chance to overtake them on the bend and shatter the boundaries in a single bound!" The Black Panther nodded. It understood the concept, but it still didn't know how Li Hao planned to absorb this shared will. *How are you going to draw upon it?* *It sounds logical, but can you really absorb the will of every living being in the chaos?* *Can you pull that off?* It felt like pure wishful thinking. Caressing the dog's head, Li Hao smiled and gave it a gentle pat, murmuring, "Don't worry, I have a way. If we do this, we must be the ones to settle the board once and for all. As for the others, they are merely the shields I pushed out to the front. Let them fight first, while we... sit back and watch the show!" "Woof, woof, woof!" The Black Panther barked. Li Hao patted its head again, chiding with a laugh, "You're the villain here! Who says only villains can do this? Can't good people do the same? Besides, whether someone is a villain or a hero depends on the outcome, doesn't it? If the villain wins in the end... then he becomes the hero!" The Black Panther wagged its tail. That made sense. Beaming with joy, its canine eyes narrowed into slits. Now that Li Hao had a plan, it was no longer worried. It believed Li Hao would succeed because... he was simply too wicked, too sinister. A person that bad was bound to plague the world for ten thousand generations. *** At this moment, several powerhouses across the chaos felt a sudden prickle of unease, an itch running across their skin... as though they had forgotten something, or perhaps misunderstood something entirely.