Calculations

The road of despair surfaced once more. Amidst the flashes of blades and swords, the path of the martial world unfurled as a Great Dao, resembling hundreds of millions of figures watching the battle. At this moment, those hundreds of millions of figures seemed to truly embody the living beings of primal chaos. How could the martial world lack bustling excitement? Whether achieving renown or meeting defeat, people would always pass down the tale by word of mouth. How could one walk through the martial world without an audience? *The winds and clouds of the martial world emerge from our generation!* The intent of despair originated from all living beings. In this instant, this very scene seemed to manifest before the eyes of all creatures: atop the pinnacle of the martial world, several figures locked in fierce combat. Li Hao, his white robes turned black; Su Yu, clasping the Tome of Civilization; Fang Ping, sporting a buzz cut and holding his black saber. And Chunqiu, who had been cautious and hesitant, now watching with deep wariness. Outside the battle stood a cat and an old man. Along with the indestructible, absurdly powerful Tianfang. Blades flashed, and swords gleamed! At this moment, the Human King laughed, his laughter echoing between heaven and earth. "Good, good! Li Hao, I never liked you very much, but today, having the living beings of primal chaos watch me, Fang Ping, slay Tianfang really suits my taste! When a man is powerful, how can he not manifest his glory across all the heavens? If one cannot show off before others, what use is having such strength?" The Human King roared with laughter! It was as if only today had Li Hao finally done something to his liking. "I possess the Calming Chaos Blade, to cleave the heavens and earth and eradicate the four directions. Victory or defeat matters not—if no one witnessed this battle atop the pinnacle of primal chaos, and no one knew my name, Fang Ping, what a profound regret that would be! "I am the Xinwu Human King, Fang Ping!" The Human King let out a booming laugh. His long saber stretched across the void, piercing heaven and earth with boundless heroic fervor! Even if he possessed invincible might, someone had to witness it. He was neither Li Hao nor Su Yu. Among the three, he was the only one who demanded grand spectacle whenever he went into battle—without a show, he simply would not fight! If nobody chanted "The Human King is peerless" or proclaimed "Blessings to the Human King," the victory felt flavorless and left him utterly dissatisfied. The nameless were contemptible! Since he was famous, why pursue obscurity? How hypocritical that would be! The Human King proclaimed his name so that all beings in primal chaos would know: in the past, the Xinwu Human King fought Tianfang. If he won, all of primal chaos would know him; if he lost and Tianfang triumphed, people would still remember that someone once battled the invincible Tianfang at the pinnacle of primal chaos. Win or lose, his name would spread far and wide! Meanwhile, Emperor Yu of the Myriad Realms chuckled. He did not introduce himself aloud; instead, characters materialized in the void: *"Su Yu of the Myriad Realms fought here!"* Seven prominent characters formed an imprint, searing themselves deep into primal chaos and into the hearts of all living beings. Who wouldn't want to make a name for themselves? He was simply a bit more aloof. If he wanted fame, he would not seek ordinary renown; he wanted all living beings to know that in the future—in a future that might or might not even exist—whenever they fell into moments of despair, they would see him. Su Yu of the Myriad Realms! Once, in the depths of despair, he had fought the invincible Tianfang! He did not speak, yet it provoked hearty laughter from the Human King. "Hypocrite! Still... this is quite good!" Brilliant! A lesson learned! So one could posture like this as well, without having to shout who they were every single time. *I imprint a mark with divine abilities, driving it into the hearts of mortals. Wherever there is despair, you shall see me. I am Su Yu of the Myriad Realms, a newcomer here. Lest you remain unaware, people of the future, behold me in the depths of despair!* The two displayed their respective abilities, leaving behind their marks. Such was the martial world! Wasn't everyone competing for reputation? In literature, there was no undisputed first, but in martial arts, there was no second place! Without fighting until blood flowed and clashing in a life-or-death struggle, how could it be called the martial world? Li Hao smiled softly as his Great Dao spread outward. At this point, the road of the martial world had little effect on Tianfang. He was simply too strong, having already surpassed the limits of despair; to Tianfang, the road of the martial world was nothing more than an ordinary Dao. At that moment, Li Hao waved his hand. Countless doorways seemed to emerge upon that Great Dao, like countless Heart Gates swinging open, connecting to all living beings and every world in primal chaos. Upon those Heart Gates, words were carved with a sword: *Silver Moon Li Hao!* "Wherever there is a heart, there am I!" Li Hao chuckled, joining the contest of reputations against the Human King and Emperor Yu. *You two won't do. I forge Heart Gates from emotions; where there is emotion and desire, there are Heart Gates, and where there are Heart Gates, there am I, Li Hao!* Silver Moon Li Hao! Su Yu's name merely borrowed the power of despair to imprint itself across the heavens. The Human King was cruder still; with a single shout, those who remembered him would only be the mortals of today. As for him... he engraved himself into the hearts of men. As long as the hearts of men endured, he would endure. One glance made it obvious whose skill was superior. "Fuck!" "Truly... shameless!" Both the Human King and Emperor Yu cursed under their breaths. Utterly shameless. Neither of them had cultivated their Dao into the depths of others' hearts, but Li Hao had genuinely cultivated the Dao of the human heart, and now he had actually imprinted it as gates—absolutely brazen. The three exchanged glances and smiled at each other. Did victory or defeat matter? Not particularly. Tianfang was extraordinarily strong; they knew that all too well. Yet they were unwilling to merge. Sometimes, killing the enemy was not the most important thing. Each of them dominated their own domain and walked their own path, seeking only to spread their own names! If the three of them fused into one, with each inside the other, would they still be themselves? If one could not live as oneself, what was the point of surviving? Therefore, from the very beginning—from the tripartite fusion, from the past, future, and present, from the way battle had run through the three of them their entire lives—they knew that perhaps one day they would join hands. However... joining hands did not mean merging into one. Even if they lost, so be it. No myth of invincibility lasted forever! This battle had nothing to do with the living beings of primal chaos; those people were mere passersby. Whether Li Hao, Fang Ping, Su Yu, or Tianfang, none of them intended to slaughter the mortals of primal chaos. All living beings were just passersby, merely spectators. This battle had nothing to do with the survival of the masses; the three fought only to save themselves, while Tianfang fought solely for his own ideals. This was a struggle of Daos and survival. Tianfang fought for his Dao, while the three fought to survive. ... At this moment, billions of living beings looked up at the sky. Swords and blades flashed above the martial world. On this day, the living beings of primal chaos learned the names of three individuals. Xinwu Fang Ping, Myriad Realms Su Yu, Silver Moon Li Hao! They stared blankly, utterly mesmerized. Amidst despair, a sliver of hope emerged once again. They did not even know who was the enemy and who was the hero, nor did they know who would win and who would lose. In this instant, all living beings felt somewhat bewildered. Yet that did not stop them from watching this battle, nor did it prevent them from sensing primal chaos trembling and worlds fracturing as several mighty figures clashed, their Great Daos blanketing the heavens while primal chaos crumbled around them! Right at that instant. In the sky, a millstone of Yin and Yang manifested and suddenly bore down. The Human King was forced back, and a cat's pained yowl echoed from his long saber. Tianfang emerged and struck downward with a palm, pressing the Yin-Yang millstone down upon him! "What does leaving your names throughout eternity amount to? Do you not see that the Ninefold Heaven and Earth still stand today, while the Order King of old is nowhere to be found?" Tianfang laughed softly. He did not stop the three from leaving their names. It was meaningless. Fame and profit stirred the hearts of men, but once absolute spacetime emerged, everything would become an illusion and begin anew. What did it matter if anyone remembered them? When a man dies, his light goes out. The Ninefold Heaven and Earth remained here, but how many still remembered the Lord of Order from years past? Life and Death emerged, forcing the Human King back. Tianfang turned and threw a fist, conjuring Life and Death as he struck toward Su Yu. The instant Life and Death appeared, Su Yu's expression changed drastically. Heaven and earth transformed into a realm of reincarnation; though Su Yu had weathered life and death, he still found himself hovering precariously on the brink. Turning back, Tianfang had already vanished, reappearing before Li Hao. A punch was unleashed, and the Five Elements manifested! The Five Elements formed a cage! Within the cage, a ferocious tiger materialized. Tianfang's voice resonated: "I know you liken yourself to a caged tiger, unwilling to be bound by these bars. But today... can you break my Five Elements cage? "The Human King reverses Yin and Yang, Su Yu prides himself on having no fear of life and death, and you, Li Hao, refuse to be restrained, likening yourself to a chivalric wanderer of the martial world... Today, I will shatter the bottom lines in your hearts and tear apart the cores of your martial Daos. I want to see if the three of you can still hold on!" He was unbelievably powerful! He wielded myriad Daos effortlessly, like a grown man handling toddlers. Fighting three people alone, he still held them in the palm of his hand. This was Tianfang, who commanded the power of myriad Daos—the strongest in all of primal chaos, the one at the very limit. At this moment, all three faced the greatest crises of their lives. Looking at the Yin-Yang millstone, the Human King roared furiously and slashed out with his long saber. Even the phantom of Big Cat emerged, yet he still could not match the Yin-Yang millstone and was relentlessly suppressed! Emperor Yu, on the other hand, was undergoing cycles of life and death, as if stepping into reincarnation, seemingly transported back to the past where countless monsters and demons were killing him again and again, threatening to drag him back to his past and shatter the invincible heart he had built over the years. And Li Hao... a cage closed in around him. He truly seemed to have become a caged tiger. He let out a roar as a black tiger rose from above his head, its sharp claws attempting to tear the cage apart! *Boom!* The cage remained unbreakable, trembling only slightly before instantly unleashing an even more terrifying Dao power, suppressing him downward! The three great experts had joined forces, yet in mere moments, all three encountered the greatest crisis of their lives. Tianfang sought to crush all their pride! *You are not enough!* Right at this moment, the chirping of a cicada rang out from behind Tianfang. "Time!" Chunqiu manifested, unleashing all her Daos as countless clones fused together. Time seemed to wither and decay; having devoured the Dao powers of several ninth ranks, she was extraordinarily formidable now. She had originally intended to flee. Yet she never expected that Li Hao and the others would fall into immense danger right at the start. Seeing this, she felt both desperate and helpless. She had no choice but to fight! Otherwise, if the three of them were defeated, no good end awaited her either. Tianfang turned to look at her and smiled. "The summer insect knows nothing of spring and autumn; the morning mushroom knows nothing of dawn and dusk!" "To me, you are merely a mantis trying to stop a chariot. How can you block my path?" Tianfang pointed a finger forward, resembling fleeting beauty yet also the merciless passage of time. Chunqiu's Dao of Withering and Thriving instantly destabilized. Tianfang chuckled. "Withering and thriving has its Dao, which requires balance. How can one endure by doing nothing but blindly siphoning?" In an instant, Chunqiu's Dao shattered! Incalculable Dao power scattered wildly. A bloody mark was gouged directly into Chunqiu's forehead like a gaping wound, instantly slaying her on the spot! Yet in the next moment, Tianfang's brow furrowed slightly. Li Hao and the others, who were busy breaking their respective techniques, also looked over immediately. Tianfang was too strong; though Chunqiu was powerful, her instant death at his hands still caught them somewhat by surprise. Yet at this moment, all of them froze slightly. Li Hao, who had been madly trying to break through, suddenly halted his movements, allowing the massive cage to shrink rapidly as he turned to gaze into the distance. Gradually, a new Chunqiu was born between heaven and earth—seemingly smaller, yet appearing even stronger. At this moment, Chunqiu seemed thoroughly enraged. "I hate when people talk down to me like that! What do you know about the Dao of Spring and Autumn? What do you know about withering and thriving? You've never experienced it, yet relying purely on your own imagination, you think you truly understand the myriad Daos of heaven and earth? *Each year, a withering and a thriving; wild grass cannot be burned out by prairie fire, and when the spring breeze blows, it is born anew!* "My life is cheap as grass, and the reason I have walked this far is my unyielding resilience! I have died ten thousand deaths to be reborn, and I have never known fear! Did you really think this master was afraid of you?" In an instant, heaven and earth shifted color, as if spring had returned to the world! *I am unyielding, struggling again and again, rising reborn from death!* *Did Li Hao, Su Yu, or the Human King die as many times as I did?* *Over all these years, my strength may not have been the greatest, but if you expect to kill me once and shatter my Great Dao, you look down on me, Chunqiu, far too much!* "You three, don't think you are the only ones capable of fighting this fellow!" Chunqiu was brimming with arrogance now, like wild grass instantly reborn from death. "Tianfang, kill me a million times, and perhaps... you might succeed!" Tianfang looked at her and chuckled. "Intriguing, truly intriguing! No wonder you could reach this stage today. Your ambitions soar higher than the heavens, yet your life is thinner than paper... and yet you possess the regenerative power of flora—so long as the roots remain unbroken, your life will not end!" Chunqiu had indeed exceeded his expectations. He had killed her, yet she had revived in the blink of an eye. *When the spring breeze blows, it is born anew!* This was Chunqiu. Though her Dao of Withering and Thriving was somewhat unbalanced at this moment, her powerful will to survive still stabilized and reversed it. Truly unexpected! Chunqiu wore a proud expression. *Don't think that my dominating the south for so many years was utterly useless. I might have no other skills, but I can survive—far better than anyone else!* She manifested once more, bringing quiescence to heaven and earth! "Aren't your myriad Daos formidable? Watch me break your myriad Daos and extinguish them! Don't you pursue balance? When your Daos fall into quiescence, let's see how you maintain your balance!" Chunqiu had turned utterly insolent! At this moment, the Human King, who was being suppressed by Yin and Yang, suddenly laughed. "Li Hao, good eye! I couldn't tell earlier, but you were waiting for this all along!" Chunqiu was actually beginning to bring quiescence to the myriad Daos of heaven and earth, snuffing out Tianfang's Dao. No wonder Li Hao had kept Chunqiu around. Not only was she hard to kill, but she was also of immense use. "Just so-so!" Li Hao smiled modestly, though inwardly he was astonished. *How was I supposed to know she could truly be born anew with the spring breeze? You think too highly of me! If I'd known, I wouldn't have let Chunqiu just watch the show all this time!* He had never anticipated this—never imagined that she could revive even after being struck down by a supreme expert like Tianfang! Meanwhile, Su Yu, who had been shaken by the cycles of life, death, and reincarnation, looked at Chunqiu and suddenly smiled, murmuring softly, "Chunqiu is immortal—how fascinating. Enduring a million years of time, withering and thriving year after year... a million metamorphoses and rebirths. Time, I know why you kept her around now. You wanted... to motivate me! So that was it!" *I originally thought I feared life and death least of all.* *From the age of six until my rise, over more than ten years, three to four thousand days and nights, I was killed night after night. I suffered all my life!* *Yet today... I suddenly feel it was nothing special!* *This Chunqiu is merely a spring-and-autumn cicada, withering and thriving through time, experiencing life and death each year for a million years, undergoing transformation after transformation, struggling repeatedly to survive...* *In comparison to her, my deaths seem... negligible!* *A few thousand times compared to a million times.* *What did that amount to?* In this instant, Su Yu reached enlightenment! Li Hao probably knew of his past experiences. That made sense—Black Scales had escaped, and Black Scales was the desire in Li Hao's heart, so he naturally knew of Su Yu's past. Therefore, he had used Chunqiu to tell him: *What you went through was nothing much at all!* *The barrier of life and death isn't that hard to break!* *Su Yu!* *Are you really inferior to a mere cicada like Chunqiu?* Su Yu chuckled. The interference of life and death that had tormented him now seemed clear; at this moment, he seemed to attain the Dao. With a laugh, countless corpses appeared before him, as if he had been slain countless times. He sighed with emotion. "Life and death are trifles. The universe is so vast, cycling through reincarnation again and again—what do a mere few thousand deaths amount to?" With a single punch, a divine character surfaced! The divine character for "Life and Death" erupted with boundless radiance! Boundless power of life and death was instantly drained empty by him. He let out a burp and chuckled, "So it was that simple. My thanks to Fellow Daoist Chunqiu!" At this moment, Chunqiu was shattered again by Tianfang, feeling somewhat bewildered. *Thanking me for what?* Li Hao was also amused. He understood Su Yu's thoughts, but... he was truly wronged here. He hadn't kept Chunqiu around for Su Yu, nor for the Human King, let alone because she was unkillable and could bring quiescence to Tianfang's Dao. They had completely misunderstood! Naturally, he had no intention of explaining himself right now. He chuckled, putting on a profoundly knowledgeable air. "I knew all along that Tianfang would use this method to strike at our inner vulnerabilities. He doesn't want us to die too gruesomely, nor does he want us to exhaust too much power and disrupt the balance... Therefore, he would only choose the simplest method to kill us... Su Yu, no need to thank me; it is also thanks to your own keen comprehension!" Su Yu glanced sideways at him, looking at the Five Elements cage that was rapidly contracting around Li Hao, suppressing the roaring black tiger above his head to no avail. He couldn't help but say, "I always feel like you aren't that miraculous. If you can break that cage, I'll believe you. Otherwise... I still have my doubts, and what I said earlier was just speaking from the heart!" Li Hao burst out laughing. "What's so hard about that? I'm simply waiting for Senior Human King. If Senior hasn't broken Yin and Yang and I break the Five Elements first, wouldn't that leave the Human King in last place? He is a proud man; if that happened, how could he face us in the future?" Hearing this, the Human King was furious! "Like hell I believe you!" With that, his long saber swept across the void as vitality surged above his head, instantly coalescing into a blade. At this moment, countless figures seemed to materialize from all directions, as if Xinwu had been reborn. "The Human King is invincible!" "The Human King is peerless!" "Blessings to the Human King, blessings to Xinwu!" Roars resonated through heaven and earth. Red gleamed in the Human King's eyes, carrying a touch of madness. *Who are you looking down on?* *The more people there are, the stronger I, Fang Ping, become—commonly known as thriving in a crowd!* *Before a grand audience, with the living beings of primal chaos watching, can I afford to lose face?* With a furious roar, a massive maw seemed to emerge upon his long saber, unleashing an incomparably terrifying power of devouring that bit a chunk directly out of the Yin-Yang millstone! The Human King bellowed. The giant maw vanished, and his saber slashed down. With a thunderous boom, the millstone shattered! Stumbling slightly, the Human King sneered and looked toward Li Hao. *Weren't you waiting for me?* *I broke it!* *What about you?* At this moment, all living beings in primal chaos seemed to hold their breath for Li Hao. The Human King had broken Yin and Yang, and Su Yu had shattered Life and Death—could this Li Hao break the cage of the Five Elements? The Human King and Su Yu had broken Tianfang's Daos one after another. Li Hao watched the cage shrink further and further, feeling the force spirit tiger above his head being suppressed inch by inch. The oppressive power of the surrounding Great Daos grew heavier and heavier. At this point, failing to break the Five Elements would truly be humiliating. The power of the Five Elements was actually somewhat stronger than Yin and Yang or Life and Death. The others were dual-element Daos, whereas the Five Elements comprised five Great Daos; to Tianfang, the power of each Great Dao was roughly comparable. Therefore, Li Hao actually faced greater pressure. Li Hao wasn't making excuses—it was simply the truth. Meanwhile, Tianfang suppressed Chunqiu once more. This time, he merely pinned her down rather than killing her. Holding Chunqiu under his finger, he turned toward Li Hao. *I would also like to see how you break my Five Elements!* Li Hao looked up at the sky. Above, the Five Elements swirled. At this moment, Li Hao suddenly looked toward Yuan Shuo in the distance, a faint smile surfacing in his eyes. Yuan Shuo was currently squeezing Er Mao's head. Seeing Li Hao look over, his heart tightened. *Why are you looking at me?* *Although I cultivate the Five Elements, you've already stripped away my Five Elements power. I'm completely useless right now. Don't expect your teacher to do anything this time—I can't do a damn thing.* "Five Elements..." Li Hao smiled. In an instant, sword intent surged, manifesting between heaven and earth. That was... Yuan Shuo's heart jolted! This was... the Jade Light Sword! *You little brat!* *You're using your teacher as a simulation target!* The jade-green sword intent instantly merged into the Five Elements cage. In a flash, five Great Daos appeared, trembling slightly, yet the Jade Light sword intent smoothly blended into the Five Elements! Even Tianfang was slightly taken aback. *How could this be?* The Dao of the Five Elements was an interlocking cycle of five paths that could not accommodate other Great Daos. Yet in this moment, Li Hao's Jade Light sword intent had actually fused into it. Li Hao smiled! As expected! His teacher truly possessed talent; his own Five Elements Dao had incorporated the Jade Light sword intent. At this moment, Li Hao was merely copying him, recalling how his teacher had originally integrated it. *Teacher, you went after women and ended up cultivating a technique to break Daos!* *Unfortunately, you were held back by women your entire life... otherwise, you would have been far stronger. Ah well, today your disciple will use your method to break Tianfang's Five Elements!* In an instant, the sword intent thoroughly integrated! The Five Elements cage shook violently, the sword intent whistling as it coiled around the five Great Daos. In the blink of an eye, the sword intent erupted, and with a thunderous roar, the Five Elements cage blew apart! Seeing this, Tianfang chuckled. Remembering something, he looked toward Yuan Shuo nearby and laughed again. "Fascinating... The Jade Light Sword broke my Five Elements Dao. Did Yuan Shuo come up with that?" "A secret technique of the Five Animals Sect!" Li Hao chuckled, looking toward the Human King and Su Yu. Both of them cursed silently in their hearts! *That worked too?* Li Hao had actually broken the Five Elements Dao with such ease. At this moment, the tiger roared, and the three charged toward Tianfang simultaneously without uttering another word. Tianfang flicked Chunqiu away with a finger and faced the three attackers. He was slightly surprised that they had broken his Daos so quickly. However... that was still not enough! In an instant, one body divided into three! Three Lords of Tianfang appeared. The three Lords of Tianfang charged in three directions: one clad in black on the left, one clad in white on the right, and the one in the middle appearing somewhat ethereal, each governing three different laws. The one in the middle controlled space! In a flash, the Human King ran to the left, Su Yu ran to the right, and Li Hao... ran to the left as well! Seeing this, the Human King cursed loudly, "Get lost!" *Outrageous!* The one in the middle, who controlled the Dao of Space, was definitely the strongest. Normally, he would have fought him without hesitation. Not today, though... the fellow was too strong, and taking him on was just asking for abuse. Fighting the black-robed Tianfang was far better! Li Hao had actually tried to snatch it from him. That fellow had maintained such a towering momentum and acted so arrogantly just now, yet now he was chickening out! Li Hao was also annoyed. The middle one was clearly the strongest; the Dao of Space was Tianfang's core Dao. *Human King, you're so cocky, you're the oldest, and your slogans were the loudest—why aren't you taking him on?* Just as Li Hao was about to speak, the Human King let out a furious roar and accelerated instantly, heading straight for the black-robed Tianfang! He had even begun burning his vitality! Li Hao chuckled helplessly. He had no choice but to head toward the somewhat ethereal Tianfang. At this moment, the middle Tianfang also revealed a smile. "You three are still so amusing at a critical juncture like this. It seems you have quite a few disagreements. Li Hao, why not reconsider my proposal?" Li Hao materialized, slashing out with his long sword! The power of the Five Elements erupted, as if retaliating for having been suppressed by the Five Elements earlier. His voice drifted through the air: "What do you know? This is called having fun! Respecting the elderly and caring for the young—the Human King is older than me, and Su Yu is younger than me. I was merely joking with the Human King. As the bridge connecting the three sides, naturally I must take on your Dao of Space personally!" "Fun?" Tianfang smiled. Space compressed, and invisible spatial power fended off all Dao powers as if walking through uninhabited land, heading straight toward Li Hao. "Then capturing you will be fun as well." In an instant, as if traversing the distance in a single step, he materialized right before Li Hao. The road of the martial world beneath Li Hao's feet held little restraint over him, and he stepped past it in an instant! Tianfang was different from Tribulation; he had not compressed his spatial power, but instead blocked all emotions of despair, appearing completely out of tune with heaven and earth, yet also independent of it! On both sides, ferocious explosions had already erupted! Yet on Li Hao's side, everything remained utterly silent. Tianfang reached out, seemingly aiming to seize Li Hao, when a doorway materialized before Li Hao, spewing forth boundless power of despair! That was still not enough! Suddenly, a second doorway emerged. In this instant, countless desires for life and survival seemed to surface between heaven and earth. "I don't want to die..." "I want to live!" "Save me!" "..." At this moment, countless living beings seemed to be crying out. Their intense desire to survive caused the doorway to expand rapidly, merging with the Gate of Despair in a flash. Despair and survival fused in the blink of an eye, transforming into a black-and-white sword! Delight flashed in Li Hao's eyes! He struck! With that single sword strike, space seemed to be torn apart. Up ahead, Tianfang was too close; in an instant, a tremendous roar sounded, and Tianfang was forced back a step. At this point, his somewhat ethereal body gradually solidified. Looking at Li Hao, he smiled once more. "Now this is getting interesting. I told you long ago to merge your wills, yet you insisted on waiting until now to give me a surprise?" In an instant, he threw a punch! Severing black and white! Despair was forced below, survival above, seemingly seeking to cut Li Hao's two wills completely apart! Li Hao remained silent as a ten-thousand-zhang sword intent surged from his body! Countless thoughts merged into the Great Dao beneath his feet, and the Dao of the martial world spread once more. At this moment, all living beings saw it: amidst despair lay a trace of life, a glimmer of hope. For a time, their feelings grew increasingly complex! At this moment, they suddenly... hoped Li Hao could kill Tianfang. This person was simply too strong, and mortals naturally sympathized with the weak. So many people could do nothing against Tianfang; the living beings of primal chaos could no longer distinguish friend from foe, knowing only that... Tianfang was so strong that he couldn't possibly be a good person, and if Tianfang wasn't killed, perhaps none of them would survive! "Alas, mediocre people cannot distinguish right from wrong." Tianfang shook his head. *How could these people understand my vision?* *Once absolute spacetime emerges, everyone will be immortal, living forever with boundless space. Only then will there truly be a Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.* *Unfortunately, you don't understand.* He didn't bother to explain. Actions spoke louder than words. Li Hao smiled. "Mediocre people cannot distinguish right from wrong? Perhaps! But Tianfang, everything is merely your wishful thinking! Go ask the living beings of primal chaos if they are willing to go to your so-called absolute spacetime! Do you truly think everyone wishes to live forever? Do you truly believe that boundless space will eliminate all disasters?" "I do not know, which is why I want to try. What do you think? Practice yields true knowledge!" Tianfang remained calm. *I do not know, which is why I want to try.* *Back then, Zhan didn't even dare to try; he lacked the courage. But I dare!* "Li Hao, stop using these petty tricks. Where is Time? Without Time, you cannot break my space!" His gaze gradually turned cold. "I have been giving you opportunities. If you use the power of Time right now to gather Time once more, you might still have a chance. Otherwise... you won't have a single chance! Whether despair or survival, both are mere illusions before space!" With that, he suddenly materialized before Li Hao again. Li Hao's long sword descended! *Boom!* A deafening roar sounded, but... only the void shattered. Tianfang completely ignored the sword strike, as if he did not exist within this space, within this dimension. He walked directly toward Li Hao, ignoring all attacks. "Space is ever-changing; you cannot even touch me! How can you kill me?" Li Hao took a deep breath, his resolve unshaken. *Time?* Using Time might allow him to hit the opponent, but using Time might also trigger unforeseen changes. Tianfang had been anticipating his use of Time all along—so he simply refused! "Give up on that thought. As long as I do not wish it, you will never see Time again in your life!" Li Hao sneered. Tianfang looked at him coldly, then suddenly glanced toward Yuan Shuo and Chunqiu in the distance. "Then what if I wipe out your teacher, and wipe out your Silver Moon followers?" "As you please!" Tianfang nodded, understanding. Indeed, if such things could threaten Li Hao, he wouldn't be worth anticipating. He didn't actually go to slaughter those small fry; it was rather pointless. In that split second, Li Hao broke through the void as two divine characters surfaced beneath his feet. *Cosmos!* In the distance, Emperor Yu was startled and instantly looked over. In that moment, Li Hao stepped upon the characters for Cosmos and chuckled. "Above, below, and the four directions; past, present, and future—all are my territory!" In an instant, the Dao of the martial world spread! Immediately, a character appeared above his head: *"Tribulation"*! In a flash, boundless power of tribulation surfaced. The space around Tianfang, which had originally partitioned reality, trembled slightly. In an instant, spatial barriers manifested, and *boom!* Countless bolts of lightning crashed down! Tianfang's brow furrowed slightly. Not far away, Emperor Yu couldn't help but curse, "Stealing from me!" *Shameless!* That was his signature divine character. *Damn it!* This fellow had definitely learned it from Black Scales... no, he was Black Scales himself. He had secretly copied him. *Damn it, no wonder that fellow didn't care at all that I also understood the Dao of Space.* *Turns out he learned it long ago!* Truly shameless. Of course, the Dao of Space of the Myriad Realms had its limits; it was naturally inferior to the spatial Dao of the Great Dao of Chaos. Thus, even if Su Yu knew it, it would be difficult to counter Tianfang in an actual clash. Li Hao had only unleashed it to force Tianfang to materialize within this space. At this moment, Li Hao stepped upon the divine characters as if they were living creatures. They drew him into a special space, and the originally elusive Tianfang manifested before his eyes once more—this time far more tangibly. Li Hao smiled. "How's that?" Tianfang's brow furrowed slightly. Without a word, he threw a punch that shattered rivers and mountains. The Dao of the martial world trembled violently as if on the verge of breaking, and the powers of despair and survival destabilized intensely! Around them, countless bolts of lightning shattered, completely dispersed by him before they could even approach Tianfang! The power of tribulation seemed utterly trivial to Tianfang. In the blink of an eye, Li Hao attacked, striking with ten thousand swords in an instant. At this moment, the entire world was filled with sword intent—every manner of sword intent. Li Hao displayed everything he had learned in his life: what he had comprehended in the Myriad Realms, what he had comprehended in Xinwu, and the Daos he had comprehended within the World of Tribulation! Inside every one of his cells, a miniature Li Hao seemed to emerge. Great Daos manifested from his body, one after another. One thousand, two thousand, three thousand... In the blink of an eye, they soared straight to nine thousand Daos! All sorts of Dao laws surfaced madly, spreading and reorganizing within Li Hao's body. A moment later, a full 9,800 Great Dao powers emerged, yet that was still not enough! Li Hao let out a furious roar! More Great Daos spread frantically outward! The power of the World of Tribulation was drained frantically by him. Every sword strike manifested a Dao! *Boom!* A tremendous explosion rang out, and Li Hao suddenly flew backward. A few sword marks appeared on the Lord of Tianfang's body. He smiled faintly. "You didn't disappoint me. But... is that all?" Nearly 9,900 Daos. Unfortunately, though it seemed close to ten thousand Daos, progressing further at this level became increasingly difficult! Even though Tianfang had divided into three bodies, Li Hao was still no match for him! Li Hao's hand trembled, blood continuously dripping from his fingers and staining his long sword red. His gaze turned icy. "Truly formidable. I thought that by devouring the power of Tribulation, the gap between us wouldn't be so vast. Turns out... it's still just as wide!" Right at that instant, Li Hao vanished, and Tianfang vanished right after him. In a flash, Li Hao appeared beside Chunqiu. Chunqiu had just broken through Tianfang's seal. The moment she stepped out, she saw Li Hao, and in the next instant, she saw Tianfang appear! She cursed inwardly! *I just broke the seal!* "Chunqiu!" The instant Li Hao appeared, his eyes locked onto Chunqiu. Chunqiu looked back at him. *Why are you calling me? I can't beat Tianfang at all!* "Do you still remember what we discussed that day?" Chunqiu froze, recalling something as she looked at Li Hao. *You mean...* In a flash! A surge of Time power surfaced, instantly enveloping Chunqiu. The boundless power of Time left Chunqiu somewhat dazed, and at this moment, she knew what Li Hao wanted her to do. Devour Time, allowing all her clone bodies to become Chunqiu! *Can this... really work?* *Probably not, right?* *Where would so much energy and Dao power come from? Besides, I wouldn't be able to control it either, would I?* As she pondered, Tianfang appeared and chuckled. "And here I thought you truly wouldn't use it!" *You used it after all!* Though not against him, using it on Chunqiu amounted to the same thing. This was even better! Just as Chunqiu thought, she had many clones, all of which were herself, currently governed by the spirits of ten thousand sovereigns. Even so, this wouldn't suffice. Without sufficient energy, how could those clones become powerful? Unless... Right at this moment, Li Hao let out a low shout and suddenly swept his hand through heaven and earth, reaching toward Chunqiu. Chunqiu was startled. In an instant, a long river emerged above her head, surging straight toward the Great Dao of Chaos! It was the Silver Moon River! In that single instant, a figure emerged—it was none other than the Queen. At this moment, the Queen was terrified, yet she could no longer care about anything else. Boundless power of faith erupted as she instantly merged herself into the Great Dao of Chaos! In an instant, the Great Dao of Chaos and the Silver Moon River connected! A torrent of primal chaos power surged directly toward Chunqiu to merge into her! Tianfang smiled. *I govern the Great Dao of Chaos. Li Hao, thinking you can use this minor tributary of a river to seize the power of primal chaos and satisfy Chunqiu's needs—you think far too simply!* Chunqiu had been merging with the Silver Moon River all along; clearly, this wasn't a sudden whim of Li Hao's, but a move he had calculated long ago. At this instant, the Great Dao of Chaos emerged above Tianfang's head. A breach seemed to appear upon the Dao, channeling boundless primal chaos power toward Chunqiu! Tianfang snorted coldly! He could allow Li Hao to grow stronger, but he would not permit Chunqiu to do so. That was not an outcome he wished to see. Within the Great Dao of Chaos, myriad Daos suddenly convulsed! The Queen let out a shrill scream! In that instant, it felt as though ten thousand arrows pierced her heart. She possessed merely seventh-rank power; having merged into the Great Dao of Chaos to open a channel through faith, the moment Tianfang made a move, she felt the agony of being instantly torn apart! In the blink of an eye, the Queen showed signs of being completely shredded. He was too strong! Even with Tianfang split into three, dealing with the Queen required only a fraction of his leftover strength—more than enough. In an instant, Li Hao's sword appeared, ten thousand swords manifesting as the power of tribulation abruptly erupted, flooding into the Great Dao of Chaos! *Rumble!* A massive explosion resonated! A divine character shot straight toward the Great Dao of Chaos—none other than the character for *"Tribulation"*. Tianfang vanished and reappeared in a flash, reaching out to seize the *"Tribulation"* divine character! The next second, he suddenly chuckled. "Li Hao, do you take me for blind?" In a flash! *Boom!* The Great Dao of Chaos roared again, and deep within that Dao, a dog suddenly let out a shrill yelp! Tianfang sneered—truly sneering this time. *Did you really think I wouldn't notice Black Panther merging in?* *Am I that foolish?* *What were you trying to do?* *Have it devour the primal chaos source?* *Take advantage of the chaos right now to let Black Panther make its move?* *You underestimate me far too much!* Li Hao's expression changed drastically. "You knew!" "I took control of the Great Dao of Chaos long ago. Did you think... you could hide it from me?" He burst out laughing! For the first time, he saw Li Hao lose his composure. Li Hao roared furiously, "Black Panther, bite!" In the depths of primal chaos, Black Panther was in agonizing pain. A figure of Tianfang seemed to emerge within the primal chaos source itself. Black Panther no longer cared and clamped its jaws toward the primal chaos source! *Boom!* A deafening explosion rang out. In an instant, every tooth in the dog's mouth shattered! Its entire body cracked. With a single palm strike from the Tianfang within the primal chaos source, Black Panther didn't even have time to whimper before a sharp *crack* resounded, and it completely blew apart! Torn limb from limb, utterly obliterated. Li Hao's face was flushed with fury as he roared, "Black Panther!" Tianfang laughed. "Li Hao, how about now?" Black Panther, the spirit of Silver Moon—with the Silver Moon River connected to the Great Dao of Chaos, if Black Panther had managed to take a bite out of the source, it could have instantly siphoned countless primal chaos power and funneled it through the Silver Moon River to Chunqiu. Chunqiu truly might have erupted with terrifying strength! Unfortunately... Black Panther was dead. It was too weak! If it had been stronger, there might have been hope! Li Hao seemed momentarily stunned. Chunqiu also felt the Great Dao of Chaos trembling, and the Silver Moon River was about to be repelled. She felt helpless—*it's not that I don't want to help!* *Tianfang is just too strong!* Li Hao had many calculations, but Black Panther... was killed. There was nothing that could be done now. She was thoroughly disheartened as well! Tianfang was not only unbelievably powerful, but his perception was also unmatched. In the blink of an eye, he had crushed Black Panther and severed Li Hao's hope. This time... it was truly over. "You're courting death!" In that instant, Li Hao flew into a complete rage, utterly maddened. Clasping his long sword, his black robes instantly shattered as boundless power of despair surfaced, even annihilating his power of survival. He let out a furious roar: "It followed me from the moment I stepped out of Silver Moon until today! No one can kill it—not even you! Tianfang, I will have your life!" Murderous intent instantly blanketed all four corners of heaven and earth. Like a demon possessed, Li Hao stepped upon his divine characters and charged forward in an instant. In Tianfang's hand, the *Tribulation* divine character also abruptly erupted with terrifying tribulation power, enveloping Tianfang to suppress him! Clearly, Black Panther's death had shattered Li Hao's hopes, driving him into absolute madness.