Despair and Powerlessness

Thunder, Fate, Qiankun... Multiple Dao Lords chose to fuse the power of their Great Daos into Tribulation. Great calamity descended! In truth, these powerhouses could see through Tribulation’s intentions. His designs were not difficult to divine; everyone present, including Li Hao and Tianfang, had seen right through them, only assuming that those Dao Lords might have failed to notice. As it turned out, every single one of them had understood all along. This was the one detail that caused a flicker of emotion in Tianfang. He had not expected that even though they all knew, they would still choose to support Tribulation in the end. Tianfang frowned faintly, yet uttered not a word. Upon careful reflection, perhaps... there had been signs all along. His purpose differed fundamentally from Tribulation's. Even if Tribulation reigned supreme over heaven and earth, it would merely usher in endless catastrophe and upheaval, ensuring that an age of turmoil persisted indefinitely. An age of chaos was not necessarily bad; to top-tier powerhouses, times of strife offered opportunities for heroes to rise. In contrast, what Tianfang, Li Hao, and their kind pursued—along with Huntian and the Lord of Order—was peace, freedom... For powerhouses, that was actually a curse. To the strong, an era of peace meant their opportunities would dwindle, and someone above would act as an overbearing parent dictating their lives. Conversely, an era of chaos was precisely the age where champions could rise. "Tribulation!" Tianfang’s expression remained indifferent. "Do you truly believe this is enough to stand against me?" The Lord of Tribulation ignored him. All around, boundless powers of catastrophe surged forth. In this instant, calamitous might seemed to permeate every corner of heaven and earth, striking fear into countless cultivators and powerhouses with the dread of world-ending annihilation. The ninth-rank Sovereigns confronting Li Hao’s group looked on with conflicted eyes. Tribulation had returned to his peak. They had known what Tribulation intended, yet had never anticipated that Qiankun and the others would ultimately choose to support him. Feeling the steady drain of their own spirituality, the terrifying strength of their opponents, and the depletion of their lifespans, these venerable masters were filled with complicated emotions. *We are ninth ranks.* *Figures who once stood at the pinnacle in ancient times.* Yet in that era, ninth ranks had not been so extraordinary after all. With Tianfang and Order looming above them, their cohort had been rather unremarkable a million years ago. They were mere green leaves—foils to accentuate the brilliance of the truly supreme! Just as in Li Hao’s era, powerhouses were legion. Now that Huntian and Long Zhan had fallen, perhaps only the Human King and Su Yu could still rival Li Hao. But in truth... In the eyes of these ninth ranks, had Li Hao not willingly relinquished the Dao of Time, someone like Su Yu could never have emerged. And as for the Human King, when it came to venomous cunning, insidious schemes, and sheer ruthlessness, he could not compare to Li Hao. Li Hao was the one who had truly embarked upon the emotionless Dao. Every great war had been instigated by him. Perhaps countless years from now, a million years into the future, history would repeat itself. Posterity would remember only Tianfang and know nothing of the other ninth ranks, speaking of them only in vague passing while Tianfang remained universally known as the undisputed number one in chaos! At this moment, several ninth ranks turned their gaze away from Li Hao’s group and looked toward Tribulation. Tribulation’s aura surged without pause! Tianfang made no move to interrupt him, merely watching in silence. Tribulation frowned slightly as he looked at Tianfang. "Brother Tianfang is certainly confident!" Having absorbed the power of multiple ninth ranks, Tribulation’s strength had reached its utmost limit. Yet Tianfang remained as detached as ever. It was as though everything remained firmly within his grasp! To any proud powerhouse, this version of Tianfang was utterly infuriating. They would much rather look upon Tribulation cautiously plotting his moves, looking somewhat foolish while fancying himself clever, transparent to all yet met with tacit silence. Tribulation held no secrets in their eyes. Tianfang, however... was an enigma that never lifted. No one truly liked such a figure. It was just like Li Hao and the Human King: when the two stood side by side, people naturally preferred the Human King. When the Supreme stood with the Human King, people still preferred the Human King. Even though the Human King was hardly a saint. Even though his mouth was foul beyond measure! Yet you could always tell what the Human King intended to do. Tianfang, on the other hand, made everyone deeply uneasy today. He had always made them uneasy, for far too many years. Bolstered by his surging might, Tribulation cast aside all restraint. He glared coldly at Tianfang, clenching his teeth as if venting the fury locked deep within his soul: "Tianfang, you have always been like this, always convinced that nothing is beyond your reach! "Long ago, you were already like this! Acting as if everything is under your control, as if everyone was born to be your servant! You truly disgust me!" Tianfang chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Tribulation, that is not my fault. It is merely... your own inferiority complex." He resembled an aristocratic scion, retaining his extraordinary grace even now. "You feel inferior because you were inferior to me, suppressed by me for an entire era. You feel inferior because I comprehended the Dao faster, possessed greater strength, and saw far deeper into the truth of the Dao. From start to finish, I have treated all of you with the exact same attitude as anyone else—never looking down on you, and naturally, never holding you in high esteem." He smiled, finding no fault in his conduct. If there was any fault to be found, it lay entirely in their own insecurities. Whether he held them in high regard was a matter of their own competence, not his demeanor. Smiling, he glanced toward Li Hao in the distance and said softly, "Li Hao is young and not particularly powerful, still falling short of what you were back then. Yet I rather enjoy conversing with him. When people are not cut from the same cloth and belong to entirely different circles, why must you force your way into mine and demand that I accept you?" His calm, breezy tone made rage boil within the hearts of the crowd! *Not on the same level?* *Not in the same circle?* *We are all ninth ranks—what makes you so inherently superior to anyone else?!* All around, boundless lightning erupted. Heaven and earth seemed to invert. The immense power of catastrophe suddenly coalesced into blooming auspicious clouds, as if heaven and earth had been flipped and space-time distorted! Disaster seemed to transform into fortune, turning into a blessing. Only now did Tianfang take things somewhat seriously. Glancing at the unique Dao power manifesting around them, he gave a faint nod. "Now this is somewhat interesting!" Using the Dao of Qiankun to invert heaven and earth, transmuting catastrophe into blessing—that was indeed intriguing. It carried the essence of opposing polarities! "Tribulation, do you wish to spar with me?" As Tianfang spoke, the Lord of Tribulation stepped forward, his eyes freezing with boundless chill. "Tianfang, drop your arrogance! I know I might not be your match, but today, I shall see just how many hidden cards you hold, and what right you have to act so high and mighty! What is there to fear about death? We have lived for countless ages. Even if we fear it, dying here and now is no great loss!" Fearing death was human nature. Only madmen and the reckless young claimed not to fear death; the older one grew, the more one feared the end. He admitted that he feared dying. Yet when driven to a dead end with no way out, fear became pointless. He sneered, "Today, I shall tear off that eternally unchanging, hypocritical smile of yours!" Turning his head, he shot a mocking glance at Li Hao and the others. "Li Hao, I know you are full of schemes and endless tricks. But open your eyes and watch closely—this old bastard is no easy opponent! If I fall, I’d love to see how you intend to deal with him!" With those words, he vanished instantly! In a flash, auspicious clouds bloomed across the void, blanketing all of creation. In the span of a breath, his eyes turned the color of lightning, locking onto a target as a wisp of azure smoke drifted before his sight! Fate! The Pillar of Fate towered like a pillar holding up the heavens, so gargantuan that it left Tianfang nowhere to hide. A strange pulse rippled through Tribulation's eyes. In an instant, the countless auspicious clouds coalesced into human silhouettes, charging straight toward the colossal pillar. From all directions, lightning pillars materialized once more, locking down heaven and earth! At that exact instant, a fist struck out. Life and death manifested, grinding away heaven and earth! Tianfang was still smiling. His fist of life and death seemed to pierce through space itself, appearing before Tribulation in the blink of an eye. Boundless lightning detonated, space shattered, and the millstone of life and death was broken—yet the lightning vanished just as quickly! Moving faster than the naked eye could track, two figures appeared not to move at all, yet exchanged ten thousand blows across the void in a single heartbeat! At this moment, the Lord of Tianfang appeared to be taking the fight seriously. The raw power he unleashed was not significantly greater than Tribulation's, yet he traversed space effortlessly at an unthinkable speed. Displaying various methods of spatial confinement, he trapped bolt after bolt of lightning right where it stood! …… Watching this, the Human King and the others looked on with strange expressions. Glancing at the motionless ninth ranks, the Human King suddenly sent a voice transmission: "Do we just watch the show, or what? There are still quite a few ninth ranks left here. We might not lose, but winning won't be easy either... "Whoever wins between those two, it won't be good news for us..." Though they had slain several powerhouses today, they were not the main protagonists. Tianfang had always been the center of it all! And now, it had become a duel between Tianfang and Tribulation. The rest of them had merely served as the opening act, fighting an exhibition match before the real protagonists took the stage. "Li Hao, do you have a way to deal with Tianfang?" The Human King seemed convinced that Tianfang would not lose, casting a sidelong glance at Li Hao. In truth, he was deeply puzzled. He had watched Li Hao's rise from the beginning. Even now, though Li Hao was formidable, having seemingly nurtured his flesh and blood throughout heaven, earth, and all corners of chaos to rapidly boost his strength... Was this all there was to it? If this was his limit... the Human King felt that by fusing with darkness, he would not necessarily be inferior to Li Hao. But that was not enough. Even if they could reach Tribulation’s current level—in fact, they might still fall slightly short. If even Tribulation fell, what would they rely on to turn the tables? Tianfang was no savior! The man had practically spelled it out: all of them had to die, and he would recreate chaos from scratch, tearing everything down and starting anew. Su Yu stared at Li Hao for a few moments. Saying nothing else, he summoned back the powerhouses of the Myriad Clans who had scattered across the battlefield, gathering a host of followers behind him once more. His own aura was growing stronger by the second. The power of Order was transforming into the power of rules, fusing with chaos. This was his true step toward integrating into chaos. Yet looking at Li Hao, he felt a faint trace of confusion. To him, this figure who had once seemed incomparably mighty as the Lord of Time... did not seem particularly stronger than himself now. Granted, that made sense; for Li Hao, only a few months had passed. Yet throughout Su Yu’s rise, the strongest, most invincible presence in his memory had always been the Lord of Time. Now... though Li Hao was formidable, he no longer inspired that sense of peerless brilliance. Perhaps... this was the inevitable disillusionment that came with growing powerful. Those figures who had once seemed supreme were surpassed one by one, gradually eroding the reverence one held for them. "Lord of Time" was merely a title bestowed upon Li Hao by the Myriad Clans. In this vast chaos, he was merely a newcomer after all. Su Yu thought to himself, feeling a slight pang of regret. Deep down... he had not wished to see the legendary Lord of Time so easily caught up to and surpassed. That figure was the faith of the Myriad Clans and Myriad Realms, the very symbol of invincibility! Yet here in the chaos... that faith was crumbling. Li Hao remained formidable, but he was far from what they had imagined. The cultivators of the Myriad Clans behind Su Yu were also grappling with shattered illusions. Had Li Hao displayed the effortless dominance of Tianfang, perhaps they would still believe he was the invincible sovereign who had opened the Myriad Realms. Even if Tianfang was their enemy, that imposing majesty was undeniable. Meanwhile, Yuan Shuo glanced at his disciple with hesitation and a sense of helplessness. Even after devouring the Dao of the Five Elements, standing against a single ninth rank remained arduous for him. In this grand war, all of Silver Moon could offer Li Hao very little support. Yuan Shuo wanted to say something, but knew not where to begin. At this moment, Li Hao stood apart from the world, neither taking the initiative to charge into battle nor issuing commands, merely waiting passively for the outcome. This differed greatly from the disciple in his memories. Li Hao had always preferred having full control over the grand chessboard. Yet today... perhaps due to a gap in strength, or perhaps due to a lack of confidence, he was merely responding passively to unfolding events. Perhaps Yuan Shuo had spent too many years integrated into the Myriad Realms and had grown accustomed to Emperor Yu’s decisive, unmatched ruthlessness! Looking at his disciple now... he seemed even less proactive than the Human King. Watching the fierce duel unfolding in the distance, where ripples of Dao power swept through heaven and earth, Yuan Shuo finally could not hold back: "Little Hao, you have a plan, right? You must have foreseen all of this..." He spoke as if trying to reclaim ground for his disciple, as if trying to bolster his own spirits, and as if trying to prove that his student was still the strongest, the one with the deepest calculations! He could not bear to see his disciple appear so powerless in the eyes of the other factions. He wanted to prove that Li Hao had planned for every contingency! Li Hao turned his head, looked at his master, smiled, and shook his head. "They are too powerful, and we have had so little time to rise. Master... let us just watch for now!" Yuan Shuo’s brow furrowed instantly! He choked back a faint, barely audible curse, feeling his own utter uselessness while his heart surged with boundless emotion. From the day they stepped out of Silver Moon... no, from the day they fought the surviving experts of Neo Martial, not a single soul in the vast expanse of Silver Moon had truly understood Li Hao anymore. They had long lacked the strength to do anything. He glanced toward the Myriad Clans, then toward Neo Martial. The people of Neo Martial had all been absorbed by the Human King. Over on the Myriad Clans' side, their Daos were currently connecting into Emperor Yu’s world. Their fates were bound tightly to these two kings; though many of them had died in this battle, none harbored any regrets. As for Silver Moon, after previously devouring a ninth-rank world, several seventh-rank and even eighth-rank cultivators had emerged. Yet... in this battle, they had contributed very little to Li Hao. Aside from Hong Yitang lending some power of faith to the Supreme to help him slay a ninth rank, the cultivators of Silver Moon had achieved practically nothing of note. Even he... had accomplished little. And he had received so much, including the Dao of the Five Elements. Now, they were encircled by nine ninth ranks. Even if they wanted to do something, they were utterly powerless. The bond between his disciple and Silver Moon was not as tight as one might think. The Human King linked the entirety of Neo Martial through his internal world. Emperor Yu united all the Myriad Clans through his new world. Yet Li Hao stood aloof and detached. His connection to Silver Moon had severed completely from the day he relinquished the seat of Dao Lord to Hong Yitang and Qian Wuliang. Yuan Shuo glanced behind him. The people of Neo Martial had disappeared into their king. The Myriad Clans looked at Li Hao with complicated expressions, but viewed Emperor Yu with boundless veneration. And looking at his own side, some of Silver Moon’s cultivators had fallen, while the survivors appeared thoroughly disheartened. Even though Li Hao had previously slain two ninth ranks, it felt as though Silver Moon had nothing to do with it. There was no role for them to play. Kongji, the Thunder Emperor, and Dao Chess all appeared somewhat dazed. The Bright Light Sovereign had fallen, and Kongji, who had always stood by Li Hao as a fellow traveler, did not even look at him now, standing in a daze of grief. A bitter ache gripped Yuan Shuo’s heart. Ever since Li Hao surpassed him, he had believed that all the hope and glory of the Five Animals Sect rested on Li Hao’s shoulders. But now... Looking at the ninth ranks outside, who also appeared somewhat despondent, they seemed just like the Silver Moon cultivators—gripped by a sense of utter helplessness. Behind him, many including Qian Wuliang were still alive, yet staying alive felt agonizingly hollow. "Qian Wuliang!" he suddenly called out via voice transmission. In the rear, Qian Wuliang snapped out of his daze and hastily looked toward Yuan Shuo, hesitating. "Professor Yuan..." "This battle is of paramount importance; none of us can remain detached! Neo Martial and the Myriad Clans were essentially fighters dragged in by our Silver Moon, yet now, our Silver Moon... is holding back, completely powerless!" Qian Wuliang remained silent. He had stepped into the eighth rank, but so what? In a clash of this scale, they had no power to affect the outcome. "You are the Dao Lord of our Silver Moon!" Qian Wuliang hesitated. *Am I? Perhaps so!* "Li Hao is unwilling to absorb Silver Moon, perhaps because of lingering trauma from the past, or perhaps... because he cannot bear to watch everyone die before his eyes again... But this time, the spirit and morale of our Silver Moon people have been shattered!" They had not lost yet! Yet their spirit and morale were completely crushed. Qian Wuliang fell silent. *He's right, probably.* A pervasive sense of powerlessness hung over them. Li Hao seemed to be drifting farther and farther away. "Back when Li Hao wielded the Great Dao, he once said... in the future, everyone would be a Dao Lord! Everyone would have a place in the Great Dao River! Just like the Myriad Clans when the world was opened—your spiritualities were integrated back then, so you should know how the process works! You should also know that the older generation of Silver Moon wields the force of martial arts, which is spirituality itself! "When it comes to force, Silver Moon is the most unique, singular existence in all of chaos... As the Dao Lord, you ought to do something!" Qian Wuliang's eyes flickered as he glanced at Li Hao’s back. "Stop looking at him. As for how he is right now... it's hard to say. Perhaps... aside from me, or maybe even including me, none of us are truly that important in his eyes!" Yuan Shuo spoke with a touch of melancholy. Perhaps cultivating the Great Dao and walking alongside it had truly erased Li Hao’s emotions. Long ago, he had poured his desires and everything else into the Myriad Realms, leading to today’s consequence. How could a mortal exist without desires? Li Hao had turned his seven emotions and six desires into the Human Gate, birthing the spirit of the Human Gate within the Myriad Realms. Others did not know this, but Yuan Shuo did. Perhaps the Seventh of the Human Gate slain by Su Yu—Heilin, who had achieved perfection in desire—had been the true manifestation of Li Hao’s core desires. And with Heilin’s destruction, Li Hao’s final desires had been extinguished as well. At this moment, countless thoughts raced through Yuan Shuo’s mind. He transmitted his voice to Qian Wuliang once more: "He has completely obliterated his desires. When Huntian stabilized the west, Li Hao said that Huntian's eradication of humanity was not the righteous path... yet he has walked that very same path himself..." Qian Wuliang’s heart stirred. "Wuliang!" Yuan Shuo continued, "Your Dao is one of seven emotions and six desires, and it stems from Silver Moon. Silver Moon... is Li Hao’s sole remaining anchor to this world. I want to... awaken everything within him, to return him to the martial master Li Hao who once roamed the lands, rather than the emotionless, detached Li Hao of the Great Dao today! Will you help me? "Even if one becomes a demon, a demon should still possess sentiment! In the Myriad Realms, Heilin was no match for Emperor Yu because Emperor Yu was not emotionless. Pure desire is a curse, but complete detachment is an even greater curse!" Qian Wuliang seemed to grasp his meaning. Being exceptionally sharp-witted, he transmitted back, "I understand what you mean, Professor. The Marquis has always been the King of Silver Moon! I never intended to replace him. The Dao Universe was originally yielded to me by the Marquis; returning it to him is only right. If it can awaken all of the Marquis's emotions, it will be well worth it! "The heroes of Silver Moon are no cowards... We shall follow your instructions in all things, Professor!" Having said that, he asked, "What about... those outside the Silver Moon system..." "Excellent, thank you for your support, Wuliang! Tell everyone to prepare their Dao stars to return to Silver Moon. Let the illusory and real Great Dao Rivers merge completely, using force to nurture the Dao, using force to unite! Transmute strength into desire. You shall oversee it and await my command. If the situation changes..." He left the rest unspoken. Qian Wuliang understood his intent and said no more, immediately contacting the others through the Great Dao River. The resonance of the Great Dao echoed within their minds. The surviving Silver Moon cultivators all showed slight changes in expression. Soon, they resumed their composure. Everything appeared as before. Yet some glanced at Li Hao ahead of them, while others looked at the nearby cultivators of the Myriad Clans. Those who had previously felt inferior suddenly held their chests high and lifted their chins with pride! Meanwhile, Yuan Shuo transmitted again: "As for those outside the Silver Moon system... we'll see. By the way... Black Panther, Er Mao..." He trailed off. He felt a faint trace of doubt. Black Panther's disappearance was understandable; Li Hao probably did not want the dog participating in this battle, having sent it away to hide somewhere—to return if they won, and to live peacefully as an ordinary dog if they lost. As for Er Mao's disappearance... had the cat fled? Perhaps because Time was gone, Er Mao was no longer willing to serve Li Hao. That made sense; Er Mao had followed Li Hao solely because of the Dao of Time. Now that Time had dispersed, Er Mao's departure was only natural. Still, it left a sour taste. *So without Time, even that cat isn't dependable.* Of course, there was no point in holding a grudge at such a juncture. Ahead of them, Li Hao suddenly turned his head, glancing at the group with flickering eyes. Yet he said nothing. Nearby, the Human King and Emperor Yu also sensed something, glancing toward the rear, yet neither spoke. Li Hao seemed about to say something, but ultimately kept silent. At the same time, the Human King transmitted to the group: "We can't just stand here and watch!" *Rumble!* Earth-shaking roars reverberated! The clash between the two supreme beings shook the surroundings violently. Calamitous power engulfed the area, yet it remained inadequate against Tianfang. At this rate... both combatants were growing steadily stronger, their spiritualities climbing higher through the forge of battle. That was not necessarily a good thing! The Human King possessed extraordinary perception. He immediately looked at Li Hao and Su Yu. "Stop watching the show! No matter who wins, they’re both our enemies. From where I stand, Tribulation won't be able to handle Tianfang. Let's strike—slay these bastards and seize their Dao power! Every shred of strength we gain counts!" Emperor Yu nodded slightly. He shared the same thought. Under these circumstances... having these ninth ranks aid Tribulation might be ideal, but only if they were willing to cooperate—and only if they trusted one another, which was impossible. Besides, their original purpose had been to pin down his side. With that in mind, he nodded and transmitted, "Then let us strike... There are nine of them. My Myriad Realms will take two!" "Neo Martial will take two as well!" Yuan Shuo hesitated for a fraction of a second before transmitting, "I will hold down one..." Sovereign Chunqiu felt rather awkward. Seeing everyone looking at her, she could only force herself to say, "I... am heavily wounded. One is my absolute limit..." *Why are you all staring at me? I came here seeking protection, not looking to throw my life away!* Six of the nine ninth ranks were claimed instantly. Li Hao transmitted, "I will handle the remaining three. However... against three opponents, I will likely struggle to kill them. Since the Human King and Su Yu only asked for two each... I must ask that you two finish your opponents quickly and come assist me!" "..." The two kings were speechless, yet said nothing. *Fine!* This fellow was probably hiding something else up his sleeve, but it was impossible to guess. They chose not to press further. If they could slaughter the nine ninth ranks before them, they might still have a fighting chance! While those two giants had yet to decide a victor, an opportunity remained. In the next instant, the group wasted no more words and struck simultaneously! The perimeter ninth-rank powerhouses had been waiting on high alert. Though they had kept an eye on the titanic duel, they had never dared underestimate their immediate foes. In an instant, they unleashed their attacks in unison, roaring furiously! The Human King charged with saber in hand, boundless darkness surging! Emperor Yu fused Order and Chaos in a single breath, having thoroughly refined Huntian's power. Channeling the Daos of the other Myriad Clan powerhouses, he suddenly split into countless avatars, encircling two ninth ranks. In a flash, the Book of Civilization manifested, enveloping the pair as he snapped coldly, "Enter my Book of Civilization and bear the tribulations of my Myriad Clans!" In that split second, the calamities of the Myriad Clans seemed to descend all at once. Drawing upon the dense calamitous aura in the air, a divine character within the Book of Civilization drank deeply of the power of tribulation. Not far away, the Lord of Tribulation suddenly whipped his head around and cursed furiously, "Bastard!" He was locked in a life-and-death struggle with Tianfang, yet the Emperor Yu of the Myriad Realms was siphoning away his Dao power! What an absolute menace! Infuriating! He wanted nothing more than to slaughter that wretched upstart! Su Yu glanced at him with a grin. "Don't worry. Once I kill these two, the power of tribulation will descend again and only make you stronger..." The Lord of Tribulation looked furious, yet had no time to spare for words. What Su Yu said was not technically wrong. The death of ninth ranks would not disadvantage him; the thicker the calamity grew, the stronger he would become. Yet being treated like an energy reservoir felt utterly humiliating. *What an absolute brute!* Meanwhile, the Human King gathered darkness, his might climbing as he locked two ninth ranks in fierce combat. Yuan Shuo let out a piercing howl as the five elements converged into one. Leading the Silver Moon cultivators, he charged straight toward one ninth rank. Chunqiu hesitated, glanced at Li Hao, gritted her teeth, and lunged at another ninth rank! *To hell with it!* Li Hao had previously said she was still useful. The man had endless tricks; perhaps at the critical moment, he would pull her through. The remaining ninth ranks were just about to converge on Emperor Yu when Li Hao struck! A Dao domain of heaven and earth manifested, enveloping the trio with peerless, razor-sharp sword intent. A smile graced his face. "Gentlemen, why not spar with me instead?" The three looked grim and said no more. Li Hao was terrifyingly strong! Having gathered the flesh and blood of the Myriad Realms, the power of intent within him was immensely potent. His aura pressed down with suffocating weight, leaving the three grim-faced. Without needing Li Hao to say another word, they unleashed their full strength. One of them barked, "Fight to the death! Comrades, even if we fall today, we must expand the great calamity and bolster Tribulation so he can slaughter these wretches! Let that fulfill our final wish!" Life and death no longer mattered. Winning would be ideal; if they lost, their deaths would only feed the calamity and empower Tribulation further. So be it! A fight to the death! Instant detonations rocked the void! Countless Dao powers materialized like solid matter, erupting furiously as the entire Great Dao of Chaos manifested once more, shaking all creation! …… Deep within the Great Dao of Chaos. A dog crept stealthily forward. Before its eyes lay the Chaos Origin, pulsating like a beating heart. Outside, the battle raged with feral fury. Whether anyone had noticed the dog or not, no one had the luxury to pay it any heed. Black Panther was extremely nervous. Li Hao had told it to seize the Dao of Tribulation. But right now... aside from the Spatial Dao, the Dao of Tribulation was the most overwhelmingly powerful force in the entire Great Dao of Chaos. How was it supposed to seize it? As for damaging the Chaos Origin... the pressure radiating from that beating heart was terrifyingly oppressive. The dog felt that rushing in would be nothing short of suicide. Black Panther felt utterly helpless. Li Hao had promised there would be an opportunity, yet it saw none. What was it supposed to do? It could sense the earth-shattering battle erupting across chaos. Could it be that... the opportunity Li Hao spoke of was Tribulation’s defeat? Was it meant to seize the Dao of Tribulation only after Tribulation fell? If that was the case, there might indeed be a slim chance. Yet... if Tribulation himself had already lost, what could the dog possibly accomplish even if it seized the Dao? Black Panther was beside itself with worry. Recalling Li Hao’s instruction to deal with the Chaos Origin, it stared at the distant throbbing heart with an aching head, feeling as though its canine skull were about to burst. That thing looked even harder to tackle! How could it possibly deal with it? Seize the Dao of Tribulation first, then attack the origin? Perhaps that offered a sliver of hope! Furthermore... It could not resist secretly probing the situation out in chaos. Li Hao was battling three ninth ranks all on his own, displaying formidable might. Though the Human King and Emperor Yu were immensely powerful, Li Hao was not far behind. Having reclaimed all that distributed flesh and blood, Li Hao had grown significantly stronger. Yet Black Panther’s eyes flickered. Its nose twitched faintly. It looked away, thinking to itself... *This won't do. I can't let that guy outshine me. I am the master's favorite pet!* *Yes, I am!* *I’ve been lurking here all this time, but my mission is far more critical.* Unbidden thoughts flashed through its mind... *If I don't achieve any merit this time, I won't have the face to see anyone ever again.* It thought of Li Hao again... Though it did not fully understand, it dared not dwell on it. Thinking too much in this dangerous place was asking for trouble. *Once Tribulation falls, I’ll seize his Dao and ram the Chaos Origin... Yes, that's the plan...* Black Panther steeled its resolve. It would stake everything on this course. As for whether it would succeed, the dog had not the faintest clue. …… The entire expanse of chaos churned in violent turmoil beneath the fury of the titans' clash! Countless worlds shuddered violently. Countless Sovereigns and ordinary cultivators were gripped by dread, feeling as though the world was about to end and the heavens were about to cave in, leaving them stranded in sorrow and helplessness. Some knew that the supreme powerhouses of chaos were engaged in a final, decisive war. Others knew nothing at all. They had no idea what was transpiring, only that the sky seemed ready to collapse! The world was on the brink of disintegration! As countless worlds rocked violently, world masters wore looks of utter despair. If the battle continued like this... the entire chaos would be dragged into ruin. Boundless calamitous energy and Dao power blanketed every direction. The ambient chaotic energy in the surroundings was being ruthlessly drained dry by those supreme combatants. As the chaotic mist was vacuumed away, the formerly dark and murky void grew clearer, yet terrifyingly hollow. Cultivators who had once been unable to step outside into chaos could now clearly see what the expanse looked like! Hidden worlds were exposed one after another. Sovereigns from neighboring worlds ventured out tentatively. Some conversed in hushed tones, some wept in despair, while others prayed. Even powerhouses who had been bitter enemies in the past ceased their hostility today. Seventh-rank and even eighth-rank experts gathered together, murmuring in anxious exchange. "If this keeps up... the Great Dao will collapse into utter disorder, and chaos itself will implode!" "The Lord of Tianfang might be attempting to establish a brand-new order of chaos..." "Who will win?" "Who can say!" "Where can we go?" "We can only watch. What else can we do? This is a battle of peerless titans. Which of those combatants could any of us hope to rival?" Such laments echoed in every corner. In the eastern region. Within various worlds, people sighed with heavy hearts. Some looked at the inert entrance to the Dao arena with melancholy. For so many years, only upon entering the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena had they ever truly experienced peaceful exchange among different Daos. Even when conflicts arose, they were merely clashes of spiritual avatars, serving to foster deeper comprehension of the Dao. Yet now... the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena was no more. Li Hao, the Lord of the Myriad Heavens Dao, was locked in the grand battle, and... he was far from guaranteed to emerge victorious. Tianfang was unfathomably strong, Tribulation was terrifying, and there were hordes of ninth ranks present... They saw little hope for Li Hao’s faction. "What a pity!" A Sovereign murmured softly. A true pity. Li Hao and his companions had poured immense effort and cost into establishing the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena. Yet it had barely lasted before becoming a useless relic. With Time shattered, it had turned into nothing more than an ornament. And with the arena rendered inert, those days of joining Li Hao to populate the myriad Daos and wage war against supreme foes would never return. "Whether it is Tianfang or Tribulation, once either of them unifies chaos..." At the thought, many shook their heads in despair. Could good days possibly await them? Tribulation went without saying; if he ruled, turmoil and calamity would reign supreme. As for Tianfang... though few truly understood the Lord of Tianfang, everyone knew of his terrifying might. He intended to slaughter every single ninth rank. Under his rule, would there truly be any hope for the future? Perhaps there would be none at all. Perhaps Tianfang was merely a vastly more powerful version of Huntian—even crueler than Huntian... Perhaps he would truly tear down everything, including all their worlds, and restart from zero! In the distance, the violent ripples of the Great Dao grew ever clearer! Chaotic energy from all directions rushed madly toward that distant battlefield. Some worlds even began to drift, pulled along by the immense suction. Unable to resist, the inhabitants felt an even deeper despair. When the city gate caught fire, the fish in the moat suffered! If this continued, the common folk would be wiped out long before the supreme combatants died. Despair spread like wildfire, saturating the entirety of chaos! Scattered across the cosmos, the gates of the Myriad Heavens Dao Arena gave off a faint, ghostly luminescence, as if ready to crumble completely into the void alongside this despair. Yet hardly anyone paid them any mind anymore. If chaos itself was destroyed, everyone would die. The Myriad Heavens Dao Arena would be nothing more than an empty, shattered dream! "Alas!" Sighs echoed endlessly across the cosmos. In the distance, the thunderous roars grew ever more cataclysmic! Amidst boundless despair, the entire expanse of chaos seemed to shrink. As chaotic energy converged and the Great Dao fractured, countless worlds drifted together, drawn inexorably toward the east, toward the Four Regions. Some tried to exert their might to halt their drifting worlds, but it was utterly futile. There was no resisting the tide! On this day, all that remained in chaos was despair and powerlessness.