Chapter 2125: Villain (III)

Li Hao’s people didn’t know what he had in mind, but understood that the young man might want to spend some time by himself for a while. Given that, they didn’t say anything more.

“Since Your Lordship would like a period of quiet, why don’t we leave Panther behind?” Gan Wuliang raised after turning the idea over in his mind. “It can run some errands for milord or get in touch with us through contacting Silver Moon. What does Your Lordship think?”

Li Hao glanced at the dog that insisted on maintaining dog form. You’re a seventh rank now, alright?? And you still pretend that you can’t talk!

“Very well, let Panth stay.” He nodded after a moment.

That finally set Gan Wuliang at ease. The others quirked their brows at him. Gan Wuliang knew how to pick his people, alright. Since Li Hao wanted some solitude, he wouldn’t agree to anyone they offered, even Lin Hongyu.

As the saying went, a dog was preferable to a person!

The group soon departed after quick discussions. Timing was everything now, they couldn’t let New Martial be first to the pickings. It would be too late if that faction destroyed all of the ninth rank worlds first.

......

Li Hao dwelled in silence for a while after everyone left before suddenly grinning, “I really couldn’t get rid of them!”

He shook his head with amazement. Next to him, Panther stared quizzically at the young man. Why did he say that?

“More and more people look to you to feed them when you command a larger group.” Li Hao understood the look in the dog’s eyes. “It’s so tiring! Wandering heroes of the martial world wander around by themselves. That’s because it’s impossible and so tiring to feed so many mouths!

“Tell me, wouldn’t you work incredibly hard if so many people are all looking to you to support them? I’m beginning to see that all leaders are pushed into occupying their position! Isn’t it nice to go alone otherwise?

“I was thinking that they could go to New Martial after my strength had declined and my introduction. They could kick it back with the Human King, which will make life easier for me. But then they started talking to me about loyalty and brotherhood...

“Well, nothing I can do when they start doing that,” Li Hao laughed. “Thankfully it’s safe enough to leave now, and they’re self-sufficient as well. Otherwise... how damn tiring would it all be?”

“Arf!”

“What should I do, hmm?” Li Hao grinned. “I’ve relinquished all of my external dao and can’t be bothered to cultivate any more external daos. Dao originates from the body, it is strong when the body is strong! Not to mention, the connection between external daos and chaos dao isn’t that free flowing.

“It’s actually rather restrictive! It’s the same as the great dao levying restrictions on cultivators in the new chaos. The river of time there is their chaos dao, and those who’ve incorporated their dao into it are in the same situation as us!

“It’s just that we, and this ‘we’ includes the ninth ranks, have incorporated our dao into chaos dao. Chaos dao is our version of the river of time!

“Panth, do you remember Demon Flame?” Li Hao launched into a simple explanation. “He refused to enter the river. Although he was repulsed by it, he doesn’t suffer any inference from it either! If someone eventually gains control over the river, for example, then they’ll also gain control over everyone part of it!”

Panther nodded thoughtfully.

“I’m in the same state as Demon Flame right now. I’ve forsaken all external loads and completely segregated myself from the chaos. I’m basically Demon Flame! He... probably won’t be able to overcome the powerhouses born from the river in the new chaos. Well, naturally he’ll have some chances to do so.”

Demon Flame might not be able to fully take advantage of them, though. But in Li Hao’s eyes, not entering the river was also an opportunity. Since he hadn’t and was just relying on himself, if he broke the river and swallowed it... then not even Li Hao would be able to constrain Demon Flame!

The only exception was if Demon Flame had some ideas of his own in mind and decided to become the new master of the river.

At the same time, there was no need to do so.

There was no saying if Demon Flame’s decision was right or wrong. Li Hao was walking the same path as well. The caveat was that he was stronger and more intelligent than Demon Flame.

Li Hao stroked Panther’s head with a smile. “Most of the strength in the chaos comes from the energy exuded from chaos dao. Everything originates from it. Currently, it looks like there’s no master of chaos dao.

“To be honest, that doesn’t really matter either. My only concern is that there might be a master of chaos dao. That would be trouble then!

“I’ve finally shaken off the old system I was part of and want to try another one now. But just as everyone says, I lack energy at the moment. Everyone knows where the source of the chaos’ strength is. It’s too hard for a cultivator like me to strengthen myself if I don’t devour dao energy!”

Li Hao sighed and shook his head. It was very, very hard. Where would he get sufficient energy from? And the key was, he needed to fly under the radar. He needed to avoid ninth rank detection so that he could stun them with his opening move in the future!

All of you guys think I’ve gotten weak and think that you can determine my condition through monitoring chaos dao. But am I, Li Hao, that easily controlled by you guys?

Panther looked on worriedly as well. That’s true! So what are you going to do? You can’t absorb chaos strength or won’t do it. You won’t integrate with chaos dao either. Where are you going to steal energy from?

Li Hao wasn’t a weakling! There weren’t that many choices if a powerhouse like him wanted to collect a lot of energy.

“Arf arf...”

“Devour a dao universe?” Li Hao laughed. “That’s tied to chaos dao as well, you know? It’s all the same. What do you think a world is? A world is a branch in the river, didn’t you see when you were in the new chaos?

“When I established the worlds, they had to become part of the river before they could create a world. It’s the same theory. The worlds in the chaos are actually branches of chaos dao!”

Panther’s head drooped. Then there was no helping it.

Based on what you’re saying... you can’t cultivate anymore.

“Panth, there’s more than one kind of energy out there,” Li Hao chuckled. “Chaos dao supplies only chaos strength. I managed to confirm something this time, and that spirit, or whatever powers it, is not supplied by the chaos!”

The dog started.

“You remember the aura, right?” Li Hao continued. “Aura, mental strength, blood qi... That comes from the heart and willpower. A strength like the aura is the most unique of all!

“The same martial masters of the Sunderer level can be very different if one wields the aura and the other does not. You’re aware of that too! The one with the aura will be many times stronger with the same amount of energy. This strength comes from the self, the heart, the mind...”

Panther was beginning to understand, but still felt very lost.

Aura?

So... are you going to recreate the aura?

That was the path of martial masters when Silver Moon was weak. Are you going to walk the same old path again? Then haven’t all our years of hard work been a joke?

“Not a joke.” Li Hao shook his head, reading the dog’s mind again. “We didn’t understand what the aura was before, or what the spirit was. It took this journey to fully understand everything. When you stand at a high vantage point, you can see far into the distance.

“The aura is very unique! Perhaps it is the reason for Silver Moon’s rise! It’s connected to spirit, which might be the greatest benefit and hint that time has left for Silver Moon!

“Time is just a kind of energy. The aura is what it has left to us as the best way to access it...

“If we are to fully resolve the issue with the ninth ranks and break away from their control, we must break their understanding of existence!

“Whether it is the Human King, Spring Autumn, or the one from the future, all of them might be able to reach ninth rank. They will definitely be of use in future battles, but they are still within something else’s control.

“The Human King’s dao of all daos being him has to join the chaos at the end of the day. He must devour the chaos and be apparent to all! And while the other exalted emperors may not be able to do anything, what about Skyward?” The look in Li Hao’s eyes sharpened. “My goal is not the other ninth ranks, but Skyward!

“I can see through the other ninth ranks, but I cannot see through Skyward. He came in contact with War back in the day. And yet, War ultimately... decided to kill himself after he returned to his own time. Why?

“Perhaps he saw the future, how the future him would not be able to measure up to Skyward no matter how hard he tried. This was a powerhouse who truly reached the end of the great dao. If it wasn’t for the fact that there was only one time, perhaps he could’ve grasped time as well!

“Keep in mind that he cultivates all daos, but he’s only demonstrated space to us from beginning to end. He’s only shown us speed. Is he strong? You don’t know! Does he know anything else? You don’t know either!

“The Human King and others might be able to handle the other ninth ranks, but Skyward is the greatest issue of all!

“He summoned the ninth ranks and headed to the depths of the chaos together. Clearly, he’s the one who chose that place. He also knew that there wasn’t enough spirit in the chaos, that their future existence wouldn’t be supported. Why did he know? How come other people didn’t know?”

Li Hao spoke of his speculations and thought out loud, sorting through everything.

“Skyward major world was born at the foundation of chaos dao. In fact, I think that the four regions of our chaos are the Human World of the future!”

He was comparing his experience in creating his own chaos with the one he lived in. The four regions weren't in the center of the chaos, like the Human World wasn’t either. Both were situated off to the side.

Why?

Because that was safer and was less of a zone of contention. It was better for development.

If he superimposed his chaos on the one he lived in... then the four regions were the core of the chaos, much less the Human World was the heart of the future.

Skyward major world had been born here.

Well, New Martial and Silver Moon had been as well, but not as early as Skyward. Skyward major world was the oldest of them all.

“The combination of a myriad daos can result in all of the various daos. But Skyward’s replica demonstrated only spatial dao from beginning to end. The more he acts this way, the more sinister this means he is!

“He has the five elemental envoys under his command, as well as the envoys of life and death, yin and yang, light and dark. Do you think he knows these great daos? Is he skilled in them?”

Panther blinked, then nodded. If the subordinates were skilled with this dao, then Skyward should be too!