Huntian was dead.
A lifetime spent pursuing grand unification had ended at the hands of Su Yu.
He had fallen to a pseudo-Chaos Emperor.
Li Hao's act of opening the heavens had yielded the desired result. The forces of the Myriad Realms had tied down multiple ninth-rank combatants and slain Huntian, who had attained the Dao through Order and Chaos. Li Hao's objective was fulfilled.
Following the deaths of Yin-Yang and his two companions, another powerhouse who had just stepped into the ninth rank had perished.
This was the strongest cultivator born in the chaos across the past million years—and perhaps the very last cultivator to achieve the ninth rank.
Li Hao and the others had not yet stepped into that tier.
Nearby, the Lord of Tribulation and his companions looked grim.
The third generation of Time was a demon.
A demon of blood-devouring and body-snatching!
The second generation, Li Hao, was likewise a demon.
As for Fang Ping, though he was not the first generation of Time, he hailed from Xinwu, the very world that had birthed that first generation. He was the sovereign of that realm. That entire lineage consisted of monsters, and Fang Ping's dark side was just as horrifying.
Of more than twenty ninth-rank Sovereigns, only four had fallen so far... Six, if Chaos and Five Elements were counted.
Many still lived.
Yet at this moment, despondency hung over them all.
A million years of self-sealing had not culminated in the stabilization of Time, but rather in the emergence of three generations of demons.
And their ancient leader, Tianfang, had harbored other intentions all along.
Even now, though not fully restored, Tianfang held five ninth-rank Sovereigns at bay while showing no sign of faltering. Was that truly all Tianfang was capable of?
What was he plotting?
A sudden, baseless despair washed over the Lord of Tribulation. Perhaps, in Tianfang's eyes, their entire group was nothing more than pawns.
Huntian's death seemed not to surprise Tianfang in the least.
The deaths of Yin-Yang and his allies moved him even less.
It was as if he had been waiting for something all along.
It was as though he had kept his eyes on Li Hao and the others from the start, continually creating openings for them, stalling for time, and manufacturing opportunities.
Tianfang... what are you really after?
Rather than attacking Su Yu again, Tribulation turned toward Li Hao in the distance. He chuckled with a hint of madness. "Li Hao, both of them have shown their hands. What about you? What trump card do you still hold? Hurricane, be on your guard!"
Hurricane and the two Sovereigns beside him grew solemn. Instead of pressing their assault, they drew back slightly.
Fang Ping and Su Yu had erupted one after another, each slaying formidable foes. Li Hao, however, had merely entangled them until now without revealing invincible might.
Yet Li Hao had successfully opened a heaven, and that world had nurtured someone like Su Yu. Could Li Hao truly be inferior?
With that thought, the three fell back warily.
At that moment, Chunqiu could bear it no longer. Dropping all pretenses, she let out a shrill, desperate screech. "Forget about them! Save me!"
Save me!
Aren't we supposed to be on the same side?
You've all slain your opponents, but what about me?
I'm being pummeled to pieces by two ninth ranks! My avatars are almost entirely destroyed! If my true body dies, I'm truly finished!
She snarled fiercely, "That's enough! Do you really think only the three of them have hidden trump cards? I didn't want to kill you, but you forced my hand!"
The two ninth-rank Sovereigns besieging her blanched.
They dialed back their attacks and shifted swiftly into defense.
It was not that they were easily cowed, but too many grim examples had just played out before their eyes. Powerhouses had just died; neither dared to be careless. And now, all of Chunqiu's remaining avatars materialized at once!
Seemingly pushed beyond her limits, she manifested ten thousand avatars, gritting her teeth in fury. "You two bastards, haven't you had enough?"
Her avatars converged toward her true body.
"Years wither and flourish, leaving no trace of Chunqiu!"
With a ferocious cry, boundless power of withering and flourishing surged forth. The two Sovereigns grew even more cautious.
The next instant...
The heavens shifted and space-time warped as if the world were spinning upside down. A sinister gale swept across creation, and within a single breath, Chunqiu traversed space-time, vanishing along with several great demons!
When she reappeared, she was an immense distance away, remarkably close to Li Hao.
The two ninth-rank Sovereigns stood frozen for a second.
They had truly believed she was about to unleash a desperate, suicidal burst of power!
Instead... she had used the distraction to flee!
Damn it!
Far off, Chunqiu panted violently, cursing inwardly. What suicidal burst? Her opponents were two ninth-rank Sovereigns; escaping alive was already a miracle. Fortunately, those other fellows' bursts of strength had terrified them enough to give her an opening.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had a prayer of getting away.
In times like this, survival came first. Even if she unleashed everything, she might not kill a ninth rank. And even if she could, staying alive took priority. She had no desire to drag anyone into mutual destruction.
A heavy silence descended.
Chunqiu had fled!
By then, Xinwu's Human King and the Myriad Realms' Su Yu had converged. Around them, Tribulation and several ninth-rank combatants held back. Seeing that the two Sovereigns had lost Chunqiu, Tribulation offered a faint smile. "Chunqiu is a minor figure. Pay her no mind, both of you. Come here!"
Their expressions shifted, but they said nothing and hurried to join Tribulation.
Tribulation no longer pressed Su Yu, nor did he concern himself with Tianfang. Turning his gaze toward the Xinwu Supreme and the others, he called out, "Let them regroup!"
The ninth-rank Sovereigns who had been locked in a grueling fight against the Xinwu experts were already losing their composure. Hearing his words, they retreated without hesitation and fell in beside Tribulation.
In an instant, ten ninth-rank Sovereigns assembled in one place, encircling the combatants of Xinwu and the Myriad Realms.
Tribulation did not attack. Even with ten mighty experts gathered, he made no move to continue the siege. Instead, he looked toward Tianfang and Li Hao.
Finally, his gaze swept toward Yuan Shuo on the Silver Moon front, and he smiled. "Fall back. Let Yuan Shuo and his companions regroup as well..."
If all his allies united, they still commanded twenty ninth-rank powerhouses.
His eyes flickered as he called out, "Brothers, return! Since Brother Tianfang held back, we shouldn't treat him so harshly. It was all a misunderstanding!"
Tianfang's brow furrowed slightly.
Devourer and the others besieging him exchanged looks, then fought a retreating battle as they fell back toward Tribulation.
Evidently, Tribulation had sensed something amiss and was gathering the ninth ranks to huddle together for warmth.
The situation was convoluted.
They could not fathom Tianfang's ultimate goal. As for wiping out the Myriad Realms, Xinwu, and Silver Moon, Tribulation had initially assumed it would be an easy task, so dividing their forces had seemed inconsequential. But now that danger loomed, he refused to disperse his strength any longer.
The other ninth ranks might have harbored their own thoughts, but they, too, had spotted the clues.
Gradually, the Sovereigns converged, abandoning their separate skirmishes.
Yuan Shuo caught his breath and quickly moved to join the Xinwu line.
Meanwhile, the Human King's dual-faceted form continued to absorb Great Dao energy, and Su Yu steadily refined Huntian's remaining power.
Far in the distance, Chunqiu had not departed entirely.
This battle would decide the ultimate fate of the chaos; she would not leave lightly. However, severely wounded as she was, she focused on rapid recovery and prepared to initiate another transformation.
Tianfang made no move to stop her.
As the five powerhouses joined Tribulation, seventeen ninth-rank Sovereigns gathered around him, including himself. The remaining three stayed near Li Hao. Though they did not retreat, neither did they strike; they merely barred Li Hao from delving deeper into the Chaos Great Dao.
Tribulation seemed to have cleared his head entirely, shaking off his earlier arrogance and the illusion that overwhelming numbers guaranteed supremacy.
He looked toward the Human King and then at Tianfang, smiling faintly. "Though we are all ninth ranks, we are not invincible among our peers. Whether for Xinwu, Silver Moon, or the Myriad Realms, the ultimate adversary was likely never us!"
"Things have reached a point where everyone present should be able to see who is truly the strongest, and who poses the greatest threat!"
"All we wanted... was to survive!"
He sighed, appearing entirely lucid. "We have no desire to be enemies with anyone—not Silver Moon, not Xinwu, and not Tianfang. We never sought this fight. It is you who have constantly sought to slay us! Reaching the ninth rank is not a crime, nor was the dissipation of spirituality our doing. That is simply how the Great Dao works. Whoever reaches the ninth rank faces the same consequence. A million years ago, had it been you who broke through, you would have done no different..."
"We endured countless hardships to reach the ninth rank, yet we did nothing untoward. We only wanted to live... Is that a sin?"
A profound sorrow colored his words.
"For a million years, we sealed ourselves in the depths of the chaos because we feared consuming too much spirituality would cause the chaos to collapse into quiescence. If Time could stabilize the chaos, what was wrong with that? Why detonate it rather than leave us a single sliver of hope?"
He looked across at Su Yu, Fang Ping, Tianfang, and finally Li Hao in the distance. His voice boomed through the void. "Since attaining the Dao, we have not slaughtered the innocent, devoured worlds, or committed heinous atrocities! Our million years of self-sealing—voluntary or not—brought about a million years of peace, or at least relative peace!"
"The ones truly calculating and scheming are not us. We were merely waiting for Time to stabilize the chaos. What fault is there in that?"
The ninth-rank faction still possessed numerous powerhouses.
They had not yet reached total despair.
Tribulation's impassioned defense was an appeal to the crowd, and perhaps an inquiry directed at the chaos itself: Were they in the wrong?
Reaching the ninth rank was the pursuit of every cultivator.
That a ninth rank devoured spirituality at an alarming rate was not their fault. Perhaps the Dao of chaos was imperfect, or perhaps the fault lay in their cultivation methods, but the issue was not inherently of their making.
Even if they had not attained the ninth rank, others would have. So long as cultivators reached that stage, the chaos would inevitably have arrived at this very juncture.
Tribulation continued, "Do not accuse us of devouring worlds. Among all who have risen to power, who among you—or us—has not done the same? We have all done it, so it cannot be called a crime! I only fail to understand why, having come this far... if Su Yu were willing to offer up Time instead of shattering it, perhaps this battle could have been avoided!"
Su Yu sneered.
The Human King curled his lip.
Avoided?
Impossible!
Of course, had Time been preserved, now that they had demonstrated such strength, there might indeed have been room to cease fighting.
The Human King spoke plainly: "Tribulation, is there any point in spouting all this now?"
"Not much," Tribulation replied, shaking his head. "I say this not to claim the battle is over, but because I want the truth! I want to know whether Time could truly stabilize the chaos! I want to know how the drain on spirituality is supposed to be resolved! And I want to know what certain individuals in this chaos have been scheming all along!"
He laughed self-deprecatingly. "We have no desire to keep fighting for an outcome we know nothing about. We want to know what you are plotting! Using so many ninth ranks as pawns... what magnificent ambition!"
He turned toward Tianfang with a cold smirk. "Tianfang, isn't that right?"
Tianfang said nothing.
Tribulation's gaze turned chilling. "From the very beginning up to this day, what are you still hiding? In the ancient past, what exactly did Zhan say to you, and what did he do? From then on, you have tirelessly promoted the development of Time. You told us Time could stabilize the chaos. We believed you, and indeed we had reason to believe in its efficacy... But what now?"
"When Time shattered, were you truly unable to stop it? You are the Master of Space! If others couldn't, could you truly not? Where did your ability to traverse space go? You did not intervene. Why? Tianfang, I want to know!"
"If you pushed for the growth of Time all along... why did you allow it to disperse?"
This was the question that baffled him most.
Tianfang had seemingly been waiting for Time to mature. Yet when Su Yu detonated it, even if the others were powerless to stop it, could Tianfang—the strongest among them, capable of matching five ninth ranks even now—truly not have stepped through space to suppress it instantly?
That nascent Time had only possessed peak eighth-rank power.
Could a ninth-rank powerhouse like him truly have failed to prevent its destruction?
He certainly could have!
Yet he had done nothing.
It was from that moment that their trust in Tianfang had completely broken, prompting them to turn on him. Now, Tribulation laid everything bare: the upheaval in the chaos had been instigated and guided by Tianfang from the shadows.
Looking at Su Yu, Fang Ping, and Yuan Shuo, Tribulation smiled. "Tianfang is the true mastermind behind all of this. I do not fear you, even though your strength has grown considerably. Right now, I only want an explanation. I want to die knowing the truth. If possible... I am even willing to join forces with you to slay the mastermind first! Afterward, regardless of the outcome, we can settle our grievances in a fight to the death!"
"I simply refuse to let us all die in ignorance—without even knowing why we fell!"
"Human King, didn't your Xinwu always despise schemers of this sort? If Tianfang refuses to speak... why should we continue slaughtering one another and exhausting our strength just to fulfill his desires?"
The Human King's eyebrow twitched.
Tribulation was certainly clever. Having lost several companions and witnessed their true prowess, he was now proposing an alliance against Tianfang!
Not far away, the Lord of Tianfang raised an eyebrow. Looking at Tribulation, he spoke in a measured tone: "Tribulation, we have known each other for countless years, yet you repeatedly provoke me. On several occasions, you were the one orchestrating the moves—whether descending ahead of time, besieging Li Hao, or hunting Su Yu. At most, I was merely a bystander. If anyone had a hidden purpose, perhaps only you truly know what it was."
He gave a soft chuckle. "The power of tribulation has permeated the chaos without ever receding. I simply preferred not to bring it up. You speak of the loss of spirituality and claim you haven't gathered any for a million years. Everyone remembers Tianfang, but they forget that the Thunder Domain was the realm enveloping the Four Regions! You deliberately stirred all of this up, turning the others against me while playing the failure time and again to proclaim your innocence. Are you... truly innocent?"
The Lord of Tribulation sneered. "My Dao encompasses barely nine thousand five hundred laws. How could I compare to you? What could I possibly achieve under your watchful eye? You overestimate me!"
Tianfang remained unruffled and laughed softly. "Not necessarily. The power of tribulation is far from weak. People claim the powers of the two poles are the strongest, but they forget that tribulation encompasses natural disasters and human calamities, chaos, darkness, turmoil, pestilence, and disease—even punishment, lightning, and desire."
"Every misfortune falls under tribulation. The more tumultuous the chaos becomes, the more people perish, and the greater the turmoil, the ultimate beneficiary is never Space, but Tribulation! Your power has in fact been steadily climbing."
He added gently, "No matter how many die, you suffer no great loss. On the contrary, it aids the recovery of your spirituality!"
"When Huntian was being possessed, you were right there beside him, yet you deliberately halted your step. With that on your conscience... how dare you point fingers at me?"
At these words, eyes flickered across the battlefield.
The ninth ranks beside Tribulation grew uneasy.
Tribulation... The Thunder Domain had indeed once enclosed the Four Regions. Could Tianfang's words be trusted?
Perhaps there was truth to them.
The Lord of Tribulation countered with a cold sneer: "If that were truly my intention, I wouldn't have called everyone together. I would have let the slaughter continue to nourish my spirituality! Tianfang, your logic doesn't hold!"
Tianfang chuckled. "Why wouldn't it? Isn't it natural that you would need time to digest that spirituality? So many mighty experts have fallen in succession; weren't you afraid of choking on more than you could absorb? Tribulations are everywhere. Where are natural disasters and human calamities absent?"
The Human King looked as though enlightenment had struck him. "So both of you are underhanded scoundrels among the ninth ranks! Sounds to me like you both planned to sacrifice the other ninth ranks to feed yourselves, didn't you?"
"Human King..." Tianfang smiled. "You take playing the fool to its absolute limit. What need is there for that?"
The Human King burst into laughter. "I'm nothing like you shameless bastards who screw over your own friends! Look at me—have I ever betrayed a friend? Look at yourselves. You cultivate and cultivate, and by the time you reach the peak, is there a single friend left whom you can truly trust?"
Tianfang sighed softly and nodded. "That is true. Thus it is said that the Great Dao is ruthless. When one cultivates to the pinnacle, sentiment inevitably fades."
At this moment, three distinct camps stood in opposition:
The Silver Moon alliance, perhaps including Chunqiu;
Tribulation's faction; and
Tianfang alone.
Yet that solitary figure inspired immense dread. Some of Tribulation's accusations might have been exaggerated, but one thing was undeniable: Tianfang was terrifyingly strong and had been scheming for ages.
Even the destruction of Time had not shaken his composure. The man was unfathomable.
He remained the only supreme being to date who had assembled all ten thousand Daos, mastering every single law.
Fighting five ninth ranks single-handedly, he had not yielded an inch.
The Human King cared little for their back-and-forth and grinned broadly. "I don't care about any of that. You plot too much for my liking. Tribulation, if you're truly sincere about killing him, an alliance isn't out of the question!"
Glancing toward the distance, he laughed, "Those fellows over by Li Hao... I say you call them back too. Li Hao is already crippled. Why keep staring him down?"
Crippled?
A man who had tangled with three ninth-rank Sovereigns and emerged unscathed was considered crippled?
Did he take them for blind fools?
If Tianfang was a schemer, Li Hao was no pushover either.
When he opened the heavens, Su Yu had been born. Now, Su Yu led the powerhouses of the Myriad Realms, had slain Huntian, and held off multiple ninth ranks while diverting attention away from Li Hao. To claim Li Hao had no plans of his own—perhaps people might have believed it before, but now? Not a soul.
Tribulation dropped the subject and looked intently at Tianfang, speaking with utter gravity: "Tianfang, answer me this: aside from Time, can the chaos truly no longer accommodate ninth-rank cultivators? Or will... Time reappear?"
He refused to believe this was the end!
If it were, why was Tianfang not in the least bit anxious?
Tianfang's lifespan had reached its two-million-year limit. Even if ninth-rank Sovereigns enjoyed vast longevity, his end was drawing near.
"Time has always existed," Tianfang replied softly, completely unperturbed. "From beginning to end, Time has been right beside us, before our very eyes, flowing past with every passing moment. Time... has never vanished."
What did he mean?
Everyone knew that time constantly flowed, but the Great Dao was entirely distinct from the natural passage of time.
The Lord of Tianfang did not elaborate on that, continuing instead: "The dissipation of spirituality is fundamentally tied to the disorder of the chaos. Ever since the Myriad Realms were established, their order has steadily grown. Have you not noticed? When the heavens were opened, only a fraction of spirituality was drawn upon. Yet now, so many powerhouses have emerged from the Myriad Realms, each possessing dense spirituality. Thus, as intellect awakens and flourishes, spirituality actually rises!"
"Spirituality is not some unique, isolated energy. It is an elevation of the spirit!"
"Wisdom, civilization, and order all contribute to the strengthening of spirituality. The chaos is simply too disorderly, which is why spirituality dissipates."
Tianfang looked at Su Yu, showing a sudden interest in him, and smiled. "Young friend Su Yu, I imagine the spirituality of the Myriad Realms grew hand in hand with the establishment of rules and order, did it not? Your era should be stronger than the age when the world was first opened, rather than growing weaker. Only the chaos steadily declines. The difference between a million years ago and today is vast; back then, multiple ninth ranks emerged, whereas today, only Huntian barely managed to reach the ninth rank by drawing upon your Myriad Realms' spirituality..."
Su Yu did not dispute him, nodding in agreement. "In an era of turmoil, spirituality inevitably drains away because rules no longer exist! When the world is unified and all people share one heart, everyone strives to cross the sea of hardship, cultivating, refining, and developing. The fruits of wisdom grow ever stronger, naturally bolstering spirituality! In other words, rules are continually expanding!"
Tianfang nodded as if receiving the validation he sought. "Therefore, the reason ninth-rank cultivators suffer constant depletion of spirituality lies in scattered rules and collapsed order. In the ancient past, the Lord of Order's endeavor to establish order was the correct path..."
Tribulation sneered. "We weren't the ones who killed him! Since you say so, why did you kill him back then?"
Tianfang shook his head. "It was not I who killed him. He... brought death upon himself! Or rather, he was courting death. Tribulation, do you truly believe that forcibly suppressing the darkness beneath order, while ignoring its root causes, can build genuine order? It can only be said that the Lord of Order was too impatient. He never truly subdued the disorder; he merely papered over the cracks. It was bound to erupt sooner or later! Turmoil and chaos cannot be suppressed that way; they require a thorough purge and reform. Had he possessed the strength to slaughter all of us and rebuild order afterward, it might have worked. Huntian's path was not entirely mistaken either; unfortunately, he lacked the power!"
At these words, everyone felt a stir in their hearts.
Tribulation seemed to reach an understanding, and the other ninth ranks looked shaken.
Tribulation said in a low voice, "So what you mean is... slaughtering everyone currently causing turmoil and chaos to rebuild the order of chaos—that is your path of order? Bringing chaos back into order? And the Lord of Order, because he was neither strong enough nor ruthless enough... in your eyes, his order was destined to crumble just like the western region did..."
"You could understand it that way," Tianfang agreed, nodding. "Of course, it does not necessarily require slaughter. Enlightenment and subjugation both work. Look at Chaos now—isn't he remarkably well-behaved?"
He pointed toward the Martial Emperor and laughed. "Look at Chaos. How docile he is now! From the start, I never favored slaughter. I have never supported resolving all problems through bloodshed, which is why I remained a bystander for the most part."
He spoke his mind without reservation, his tone touched with wistfulness: "Yet such is the world. In the end, there are always those who remain unreconciled and unwilling to submit. Thus, just as Zhan once said, perhaps this world still requires a blade-wielder to step forward and sever all turmoil... Huntian placed his hopes on the Ninefold Guards, expecting them to be the enforcers in the dark, but he overestimated them!"
Tianfang shook his head.
The Ninefold Guards were formidable, but only relatively so. Against true powerhouses, they were powerless.
He then looked at Fang Ping and the others. "You all hail from the Yin-Yang World, or rather... the World of Time! The legacies and fruits Zhan left behind shaped you. In truth, Zhan was also selecting a blade-wielder! He was unsuited for the role, or perhaps unwilling. The fact that you dared to detonate Time... Su Yu, I believe you are qualified! And Fang Ping, your ability to forsake Time without letting it taint you proves you possess that qualification as well... Li Hao is qualified too!"
"All three of you satisfy Zhan's criteria."
Tianfang sighed with emotion. "To think the ancient prophecy would truly come to pass. Zhan once said that whenever a chaotic era arises, someone will step forward to suppress it. Those capable of relinquishing Time are, without exception, peerless heroes of the chaos!"
"What the three of you seek is nothing more than freedom, fairness, and peace..."
Tianfang spoke calmly: "Yet all of that requires a cleansing. Turning chaos into order and disorder into order is all it takes! Nurture spirituality: when it is abundant, one need not fear chaotic quiescence! Awaken intellect: when wisdom thrives, one need not fear fading into mediocrity!"
"Achieve unity: with the right camp and the right direction, one need not fear internal strife!"
"Master all Daos: with the ten thousand Daos gathered and the wielder possessing virtue, one need not fear upheaval."
"Stabilizing the chaos depends on unity of mind. You all hail from various worlds and have unified your respective realms. You must understand that when a single world speaks with two voices, how can it ever be united?"
"Multiple voices make unity even harder!"
"Power is not everything. Having a single will, a single direction, and a single goal—that is the foundation of true strength!"
Tribulation watched him in silence.
Seeming to grasp Tianfang's intentions completely, he frowned and said in a heavy voice, "So what you mean is... our existence has become the rot of the chaos, the root of all turmoil, and you intended to purge us from the very beginning?"
"Not necessarily," Tianfang replied, shaking his head. "As I said, I never intended to kill you. I only hoped... to achieve the transition to chaotic order naturally. Over the past million years, everyone was approaching the end of their natural lifespans. Having lived for well over a million years, or even two million, through such an endlessly vast stretch of time, I thought you would have learned to let go. In the end, I overestimated human nature."
After all these years, these people still couldn't let go.
Tribulation laughed coldly.
"Have you let go? If you have, Tianfang, why don't you die before us? Then I will believe you have let go! When you cannot even do it yourself, yet expect us to, don't you find yourself utterly ridiculous?"
Tianfang shook his head. "It is not ridiculous. Someone must make sacrifices, and someone must take action! I am not Zhan; Zhan was unwilling to do it, nor did he want to. I, however, am willing to act... Unfortunately, as I said, my strength was insufficient, and there were too many ninth ranks. But after this million years, everyone has weakened considerably. Now, the opportunity to do this has finally arrived!"
Over on the other side, the Human King chuckled slyly. "So Senior Tianfang considers himself a champion of righteousness? I see... In that case, Senior Tianfang believes the three of us are the blade-wielders in the darkness... That sounds rather flattering!"
Su Yu let out a dry laugh. "Blade-wielders? We're not worthy! This senior is the blade-wielder. We... are merely the blade!"
Turning toward Li Hao in the distance, he shouted, "Time... er, Old Li, do you think you're worthy of being the blade-wielder? Or are you just the blade?"
Li Hao had no time for their banter.
The three ninth ranks were absorbed in Tianfang's words, unwilling and unable to bother him, merely keeping him from entering deeper into the Chaos Great Dao.
And Li Hao had no interest in listening to Tianfang.
Whatever Tianfang said could be dismissed as hot air.
There might be grains of truth in his words, but in Li Hao's eyes, one should only listen for amusement, never take them seriously.
Who in this chaos was truly a good person?
Who could claim to represent righteousness?
Not even Li Hao could, let alone Tianfang.
Talk of blade-wielders was mere rhetoric. Tianfang's true objective was partly to purge the ninth ranks, and partly... something else entirely.
The Human King had used the traces left behind by Zhan to cultivate his own shadow side.
In the Yin-Yang World, two Daos coexisted.
Two realms coexisted!
Li Hao wondered whether the Chaos Great Dao was the same.
It might not have two opposing faces, but perhaps beneath its surface lay another hidden layer?
Could spirituality be that hidden side?
Just like the Silver Moon World's distinction between corporeal and illusory Daos: the corporeal Dao governed the physical, while the illusory Dao governed the spiritual, or rather a form of force and spirit. Was this what Tianfang pursued?
Li Hao had strengthened himself through spirituality and mental willpower. Was Tianfang doing the same?
If Tianfang had been doing so all along... it would explain why chaotic spirituality had failed to recover over the past million years.
If that was the case... this man was extraordinarily difficult to deal with!
Li Hao felt a mounting headache. He had only begun experimenting with this recently, yet he already sensed its profound advantages and terrifying power. If Tianfang had been doing it for a million years...
Glancing toward Tianfang, Li Hao grimaced slightly. Could they truly overcome him?
Tianfang's presence suddenly shook his confidence!
When Zhan appeared and brought Time with him, had that triggered some realization in Tianfang? That the spirituality of Time was the key to this Dao? Had Tianfang spent all these years gathering spirituality?
Aside from the physical Chaos Great Dao, did an equivalent illusory Dao—a Dao of spirituality—exist?
If it did, where was it?
Why had no one ever discovered it?
Even now, Li Hao himself had never sensed the existence of such a Dao.
He fell deep into contemplation.
In the distance, Tianfang finished laying out his thoughts and looked at Su Yu and the others. "Regardless, Tribulation's faction is indeed obsolete. Asking them to abandon their ninth-rank Daos and reshape their cultivation is impossible now... Since matters have come to this and they still retain so many ninth ranks, why not... eliminate them first? Perhaps then we can talk further."
A faint smile appeared on his face. "From beginning to end, I have only observed you. I have never harmed you."
The Human King sneered. "An oversized Huntian, are you? Treating us like the Ninefold Guards? So that was all you were thinking. If that's all there is to you... Tianfang, you're not all that impressive!"
Tianfang smiled again. "Regardless, it is a fact that Tribulation's faction is stronger. Human King, there is no need to ponder whether my words are true or false. Whether the weak should join forces, or you should ally with him to kill me—you ought to know which is the wiser choice!"
The Human King fell silent.
Among the three factions, Tianfang stood alone and appeared the weakest on the surface, while Tribulation commanded many ninth ranks and seemed the strongest.
Yet... Tianfang gave him a far greater sense of threat!
In truth, he would rather ally with Tribulation to slay Tianfang!
However, for Tianfang to speak so brazenly meant he almost certainly held cards in reserve. Furthermore, did all those ninth ranks truly obey Tribulation?
Could Tianfang have schemed for all these years without holding any trump cards?
It was a dreadful headache!
Over the past thousand years, the Human King had rarely bothered to think so deeply. He glanced toward the Supreme, who had been quietly tending to his wounds. Seeing Fang Ping look over, the Supreme shook his head slightly, signaling him not to act rashly. The situation might seem clear on the surface, but in reality, it was murkier than ever.
"Li Hao!" the Human King shouted. "You're full of ideas. What do you think our next move should be?"
Li Hao's laughter drifted over. "I have no idea. I only represent myself; I represent no one else!"
"Bullshit!" the Human King cursed. "Both Xinwu and the Myriad Realms were dragged into this mess by you! Without you, none of this would have happened. Without you, Su Yu would still be sleeping soundly in the Myriad Realms! You called everyone here, and now you want to wash your hands of it?"
Li Hao looked once more at the Chaos Great Dao spanning heaven and earth, sensing the chaotic energy surrounding them.
Suddenly, he said, "Since Senior Tianfang stands for righteousness... and we too are righteous people, naturally we must ally with righteousness to expel evil. Tribulation here sounds like a villain the moment you hear his name..."
The Lord of Tribulation's face darkened!
Li Hao!
He had a grudge against Li Hao, but he never expected that at this critical juncture, Li Hao would still prioritize petty personal enmity. The man's narrow-mindedness was astounding.
Tianfang clearly held numerous hidden cards!
Killing Tianfang now would give both sides a fighting chance against each other. But allying with Tianfang meant that whichever side fell first, the survivors would ultimately be swallowed whole by Tianfang!
Li Hao, can't you read the situation?
Or do you truly believe you can counter Tianfang?
"Li Hao!" Tribulation said coldly. "I already foresee disaster befalling you! I never expected such a choice from you. Tianfang and I have laid everything bare, yet your petty selfishness will doom far more than just yourself!"
Li Hao let out a soft sigh.
I know!
Yet I know even better that leaving you alive will only bring trouble.
Besides, if you don't die, how can my grander plans reach completion?
He said nothing more.
Suddenly, Li Hao grunted softly. Heaven and earth trembled, and across the four corners of chaos, countless blood-colored figures materialized, surging toward Li Hao in the blink of an eye.
His originally diminished physique was instantly inundated by flesh and blood converging from every direction. In a mere breath, Li Hao completed his reconstitution. The three powerhouses watching him experienced an abrupt change in expression!
Without a word, they turned and fled!
The moment Li Hao began his strange maneuvers, they sensed acute danger!
Who cared whether he entered the Chaos Great Dao anymore?
As the flesh and blood fused into Li Hao's body, his ten thousand Daos seemed to reconstitute in a flash, as if countless domains were merging. His blood surged like a river of the Dao, roaring with immense force!
At this moment, Li Hao's vital energy and blood erupted to the absolute peak!
The sheer potency of his vitality seemed to paint the entire chaos in shades of crimson!
Of the three powerhouses, the Hurricane Dao Lord dissolved into wind and fled; the Darkness Dao Lord melted into the shadows to slip away; and the Decay Dao Lord unleashed corrosive power across heaven and earth, attempting to burn a passage through the chaos to escape!
Though they knew Li Hao was not a ninth-rank Sovereign, Fang Ping and Su Yu had just slain ninth-rank experts. Previously, they had held their ground only because Li Hao's strength appeared limited. Seeing this display, how could they dare remain?
In that single instant, Li Hao's aura surged to its zenith, and a terrifyingly powerful spirituality emerged!
He seemed to transform into a spirit of the chaos itself. The Great Dao trembled violently, and the Chaos Great Dao shook with unprecedented fury.
Li Hao silently examined the sensation, marveling inward... Indeed, the power of spirituality was frighteningly formidable.
Tianfang... have you been doing this as well?
Or do your schemes run even deeper?
He pushed those thoughts aside. Right now, he seemed to have laid all his cards on the table, solely to strike down these three.
Today, everything would find its resolution.
Tianfang... I hope you won't disappoint me.
A longsword materialized out of thin air, appearing as though forged from the convergence of ten thousand spirits. A single slash cleaved outward, carrying the force of world-creation—yet it was aimed not at the fleeing trio, but straight toward the Chaos Great Dao!
The sword strike was horrifyingly potent!
As the blade fell, the Chaos Great Dao convulsed violently, contracting as though it had come alive. With a deafening boom, the Dao shook the heavens and earth, threatening to bring the entire chaos crashing down!
It seemed on the verge of shattering. The three fleeing Sovereigns and the distant ninth ranks all shuddered violently!
The next moment, countless Daos along the Chaos Great Dao erupted with power, seeking to obliterate Li Hao's sword intent!
Yet at that very second, an overwhelmingly powerful Dao force surged through the Chaos Great Dao with a thundering roar, scattering the energy of the other Daos!
The Lord of Tianfang smiled faintly.
Li Hao, you were indeed gathering momentum.
Allow me to lend you a hand!
That surging force was none other than the Dao of Space. It rippled through the void, throwing the auras of Hurricane, Darkness, and Decay into immediate disarray. In the next instant, a longsword materialized behind them!
Li Hao paid no heed to Tianfang's intentions and charged straight toward the three Sovereigns!
Chunqiu had been watching the spectacle from afar, but suddenly her expression twisted in alarm. Damn it!
Why run toward me?
The Darkness Dao Lord was fleeing directly in her direction. Caught off guard, she struck without hesitation. Since you came right to my doorstep, this old lady might as well kill a ninth rank today!
Sword light blazed across the four quarters of chaos!
It was as though heaven and earth were being carved anew.
In a single breath, the void split open, draining the color from the faces of Decay and Hurricane. In the distance, total war erupted on Tribulation's front. At this stage, words were meaningless; only the complete annihilation of one side would end it!
Boom!
A catastrophic explosion rang out. In an instant, the Darkness Dao Lord was slashed into collapse. While his Dao power still trembled in the void, the miniature Human King grinned slyly, unleashing his spirituality to seize and devour the power of Darkness!
"You—"
Boom!
The Dao of Darkness shook violently, and with a resounding blast, the Darkness Dao Lord's physical form was reduced to dust, utterly obliterated by the sword light!
Li Hao frowned slightly. Seizing the Dao of Darkness at this juncture might not be wise.
Still, since the Human King had chosen to do so, Li Hao said nothing.
The next instant, he appeared behind the Hurricane Dao Lord. Hurricane condensed back into human form, looked back at Li Hao, and sighed. A violent gale erupted, tearing across heaven and earth like an exploding tempest!
A faint voice drifted through the storm: "Plotting with a tiger... Li Hao, you have made the wrong choice!"
Tianfang was the true menace!
To think you still chose to make enemies of us.
The sword light descended!
The gale shattered. Li Hao nodded slightly. Yes, I know this is plotting with a tiger.
Yet... if you do not die, we will be surrounded by both tigers and wolves.
One less enemy is one less threat!
Rumble... The hurricane burst apart, and the Hurricane Dao Lord's spirituality was instantly extinguished. He seemed not to care about death; it was merely a matter of sooner or later. The moment Time collapsed, despair had already claimed them!
Nearby, a deafening blast erupted!
Chunqiu escaped with only a tattered remnant of her body, roaring in outrage, "Why me?!"
Fuck!
When you fought the others, none of you self-destructed when killed! Why did Darkness blow himself up the moment I stepped in? Do you think I'm an easy target?
You thought your self-destruction could kill me, but not them?
This is bullying... utter demon-bullying!
In that blast, her avatars had been practically wiped out, and barely a tenth of her true body remained. Her aura plummeted drastically, showing signs of entering quiescence, while her new form was unable to molt and emerge.
Chunqiu panicked.
If this continued, she might truly perish here.
What terrible luck!
Not far away, Li Hao paid no attention to Xinwu's clash. Vanishing in an instant, he reappeared before Chunqiu. She jumped in fright, thinking he had been consumed by bloodlust and intended to finish her off as well.
Just as she prepared to resist, Li Hao waved his hand. A wave of withering and flourishing power surged forth, rapidly mending her shattered form.
Chunqiu froze... Expending so much power to heal her at a time like this? Was this fellow actually decent?
Li Hao offered a faint smile. "Don't go dying on me. I still have a use for you!"
What?
Before she could process his words, Li Hao had already vanished.
His voice echoed in her mind: "Do not molt into a new body. What is gone of the past is gone. Everything is about to begin anew!"
What does that mean?
Chunqiu's heart stirred. She had intended to discard her battered remnants, but she immediately abandoned the idea. Perhaps... she truly ought to listen to him.
Chapter 618