Chapter 2131: New Era (II)

But it’ll still be hard for time to become a ninth rank dao... The daos of the new chaos are not complete enough, I’ve incorporated only five thousand into it. Trying to force ninth rank from five thousand... will be hard.

It won’t happen unless the future emperor can shore up the deficiencies within.

Li Hao felt that perhaps dao rules would be stronger, so strong that five thousand would measure up to a regular eight or nine thousand daos outside. And with time in hand... perhaps the future emperor would be able to fight a ninth rank. However, he would still have some flaws on an inherent basis.

That wasn’t anything Li Hao could change.

It’s up to him to improve on what he was given. I already did a lot for him by collecting five thousand daos!

Li Hao was an entire size smaller than he’d been before. In fact, he was like a child now!

If he appeared in the chaos now... others would mistake him for being in cahoots with Spring Autumn. One little boy and one little girl, but both of them terrifying monsters.

Another ninth rank world fell apart in the distance. New Martial was on the prowl these days. Li Hao looked in the direction of the commotion, surmising that it was the work of New Martial again.

He furrowed his brows.

The Human King...

The Human King’s strength must be improving, but he still hadn’t reached ninth rank yet.

He’d given up on the dao of time back in the day and hadn’t even cultivated or comprehended it. Li Hao greatly admired the man for it. But now, Fang Ping was devouring worlds at a furious pace.

Was he going to turn himself into a dao spirit and set foot into ninth rank that way?

Somehow, Li Hao highly doubted that conclusion. That would be very hard to, no?

The Human King should have been supplementing his internal world all this time, possibly saturating it to its limit after swallowing so many ninth rank worlds. It wasn’t a matter of energy at this stage.

Spirit and dao rules were the crux of the problem.

When the Human King settled New Martial a thousand years ago, he then stagnated for a thousand years. He was only in his twenties when he pacified the land, and he’d improved at a great clip recently. But in those one thousand years of peace, he’d only risen from peak sixth rank to peak seventh rank.

One thousand years for one level!

That was fast, if one thought of it that way. But also slow, when looked at in that light.

Li Hao silently looked over, sinking into deep thought. He could see through the Human King with one glance. This was a straightforward man, but one with some secrets of his own.

In the young man’s eyes, the biggest secret was the Human King Consort that’d been missing all this time. Some other exalted emperors had never appeared in the public eye as well. They weren’t the most famous ones, but they all had to do with the Human King.

They were either his wife or his younger sister... None of these people had ever shown themselves.

The official story was that they were cultivating on Yin and Yang major world. Apparently Celestial Pole and the Pagoda King even encountered them frequently, but none of these people had participated in the harrowing battles that demanded widespread self detonation.

The Human King gave one a forthright feeling, but Li Hao had once journeyed through New Martial’s past. Was the Human King really as he appeared?

“People like the Human King Consort and Fang Yuan have almost never appeared in front of others. The Human King told me last time that the heart settles down after having a wife and kids. Can it be that he has children too?” Li Hao stroked his chin. If he did, where had the Human King sent his family?

Were they still inside Yin and Yang?

The chaos was big, but it was only so big. The Human King had always operated within the four regions and never even ventured inside Thunder Region. Where could he have sent those people?

On the other hand, Skyward and Chaos Sky were much more concerned about the cultivator of time these days. They ignored the Human King.

They felt that Fang Ping’s limit would be setting foot into ninth rank. That wouldn’t make him too much of a threat. However, they’d forgotten that Fang Ping was aware of how powerful time was, yet refused to accept it!

Just that alone was incredible!

He didn’t even allow anyone from New Martial to accept it, including the supreme. Why was the Human King so certain that the dao of time would be an incredible hassle?

A whole bunch of people in New Martial wanted it, even if he didn’t. Why didn’t he give it to anyone else?

Could it be... that he was just concerned about others surpassing him?

“Panth... you tell me. Where did the Human King send his family?” Li Hao murmured. This was a person terrifyingly protective toward his own. Even in the period of unrest during the New Martial age, his sister and parents remained hale and hearty, despite other people falling in battle and the Human King himself nearly dying a few times.

This guy a thousand times older than him could be quite selfish, but those of New Martial seemed to accept it because he shouldered the responsibilities of New Martial with his own life. It thus seemed fine that his family enjoyed a few privileges.

“Arf arf!” Panther shook its head. It didn’t know at all.

Li Hao burst out laughing. As he expected, it was a waste of time to ask the dog.

“Teacher’s spirit is still in the new chaos. If he walks out of it, he’ll probably do as he always does and catch up with the others later after he builds up a strong foundation. Okay, well, to put it plainly, he’s always a step behind. 𝔣𝖗ⅇℯ

“Once he emerges, he’ll be able to stabilize his eighth rank cultivation level! If he can set foot into ninth rank... Well, that will be very hard. I can’t guarantee he’ll be able to do that.” Li Hao shook his head.

Yuan Shuo had potential and talent, but not the best of luck. He was always one step slower than everyone else. Although that gave him the chance to build strong foundations, it also... highlighted how unfortunate he was.

If he could seize the opportunity of the new chaos... he would still probably be one step behind everyone else. That was why Li Hao didn’t have hopes of his teacher becoming the emperor of the new chaos!

Indeed, he didn’t.

But with his teacher’s personality, talent, and decision making ability, he would have a place in the new chaos even if he wasn’t the emperor. He would be one of the powerhouses.

“If teacher survives for many years inside the chaos, his spirit will grow stronger. It was already very strong before. Once he recovers his memories, it will take another step forward. This is the only chance I could create for him...” Li Hao smiled. “I’m a fair person, but also not fair at the same time.

“People are selfish at the end of the day! Teacher is skilled at the five elements, so I created some obstacles within the five elements of the new chaos. Whoever tries to integrate with them without the spirit of the Five Styles... will die!”

“......” Panther’s eyes widened. Holy fuck!

“What are you looking at?” Li Hao caressed the dog’s head. “How hard was it for me to walk out of Silver City? How many people helped me then? Chief Liu and the others are old without good potential, so I’m happy to help them live out their days.

“But since teacher still wants to fight it out, how can I not help him? Therefore, the future chaos will either not have a master of the five elements, or it will have my teacher as the master!”

There was no wiggle room with this. It was one of the few traces he’d left behind in the river of time in the future.

Perhaps many connate demon gods would cultivate the five elements or even assimilate them. But Li Hao could guarantee that only his teacher would be able to fully master them. Everyone else would be doomed if they tried!

Not only that, but all of their accumulated knowledge and strength would remain in the five elements to benefit his teacher. This was one of the final bits of bestowment that he’d left for his master.

I know that you’ll drag your heels and hem and haw, resulting in you waking slower than the others, cultivating slower, and doing everything slower. Old Demon Five Styles isn’t a good name for you. Ole One Step Too Slow is better!

In that case, I’ll have others collect the strength of the five elements for you. You’ll naturally be able to control the five elements once you walk out and be the overlord of the five elements!

“Of those who left Silver City,” Li Hao changed the subject to talk about others after he was done with his teacher. “I’m rather satisfied with Chief Liu and the others quietly living out their days. Teacher refuses to be old and you keep following me around...”

Panther raised his head.

“I don’t like arranging other people’s lives for them, but I’ve got to do something for you guys, don’t I? While I can’t afford to support all of Silver Moon’s cultivators, there’s no issue supporting you and teacher!”

Li Hao had to conduct these arrangements because his teacher was so slow. Panther didn’t have much self-autonomy and was used to someone else making the decisions for it. Therefore, the young man had to plot out the dog’s future.

“You’ve reached some achievements with the dao of calamity after I told you to switch to it. But since there is the Calamity master now, you’ll have issues surpassing him even if you cultivate to the extreme of what you can!”

Panther didn’t care.

“You need to think about whether or not you can develop into your own,” Li Hao laughed. “I may not bring you with me in the future if you’re too weak. How will you keep up?”

“Arf arf arf!” Panther wagged its tail. Whatever Li Hao said!

I’ll do whatever you say.

“The power of calamity is one of the heart and will. The dao of calamity is more special as a result. All strength of calamity and trials converge!” explained Li Hao. “I conducted some experiments and simulations in the new chaos, but the results were mediocre. Although it might have given rise to some cultivators of calamity, they might not be able to match the Calamity master once they emerge.

“The chaos is experiencing trials and confusion at the moment, so this is when it’s easiest to improve in the daos of disorder and calamity!”

This was the golden period for the two daos. There was also death and carnage, since too much killing had occurred lately. This was the best time to train in them.

“The Calamity master views me as his arch nemesis and I killed one of his replicas as well. There’s no one he hates more than me!” Li Hao smiled. “He’ll come for me as soon as he’s back! Panth, can I ask you to do something?”

The dog nodded.

Li Hao caressed the dog’s head with a smile.

“It’s been a long road to get to where we are,” he sighed with emotion. “You probably face an uphill battle if you want to become the master of calamity. Only if you speed up and pass when taking the corners do you stand a chance of becoming the first choice of the spirit of calamity!”

Panther did not understand.

“Do you know what the greatest calamity in the chaos is?” asked the young man.

The dog shook its head.

“The collapse of the chaos universe!” Li Hao grinned.