Star Gate

The world compressed itself!

Even though Silver Moon was a minor world, it still wasn't something that a Saint could withstand. Only when one reached the half step emperor level could one hope to defy a world's compression. If it wasn't for that, the Saints would've long emerged in the world!

Zheng Yu's primary body looked quietly at Li Hao, not saying a word. He'd suffered unspeakable losses on this expedition!

Granted, he wasn't the only one to do so—Li Hao had also lost quite a bit. The young man had severed countless great daos and destroyed the Barren wasteland just so he could end this group of Saints.

Ten Saints with Zheng Yu had died this time! And of the ten that he'd sent out... would any of them be making it back alive?

Perhaps... none of them would!

And now, the world could only contain seventh level Sun and Moon again.

Fuck that kid to hell!

"Don't worry, so many people died this time that it's only a matter of time before everyone grows stronger again." Li Hao beamed from ear to ear. "The world is stable, so it will be able to hold Saints again very soon! Next time, I probably won't have much of an effect even if I self detonate!

"The heavenly will definitely hates me after this battle. It probably thinks I do nothing but torment it. It won't give me a chance to do so next time—not even the great dao will. So this is the only time that I can pull this off. Don't be afraid, you just lost some Saints, that's all."

Just lost some Saints?

Zheng Yu seethed.I lost a lot of them! And they wereSaints!

This was where the foundation of the Zheng family laid. He'd lost more than half of his Saints—there were less than ten left in Galewind. He did have a few Empyrean Kings left, however.

But how could his forces have taken such a hit in such a short period of time??

And now Saints were unable to walk freely for the time being. Li Hao himself had relinquished most of his strength.

Damn it!

This should've been a period of fast-paced development for him. Zheng Yu should've stood a chance of making it to second or even third level Fused Dao. But now he was capped at where Li Hao was—seven level Sun and Moon, peak Immortal.

Although Li Hao's great dao had collapsed, Silver Moon martial masters benefitted in the end. He'd given them all of his dao power, so they were the ones furiously ascending now.

Sky Sword and the rest shot toward seventh level Sun and Moon. On the other hand, Panther looked woefully at Li Hao. It'd thought that it would reap a massive harvest, but now it realized that Li Hao was a vile and nasty little boy. He specialized in giving his own people the short end of the stick!

No wonder you wanted me to come!

It was because the dog was a monster spirit with a strong physical constitution that it could survive an explosion of heavenly will. The others... would probably die.

This was such a bad deal!

Panther sensed that its dao meridians were tattered beyond repair and its body was incredibly feeble. Blood dripped onto the ground as it raised a miserable look at Li Hao. Oh how it ached and suffered!

You tricked me again!

"Arf arf!" Panther's bark was both pitiable, innocent, and aggrieved.

Li Hao lifted his head at the void and looked at the moon, smiling at the sight.So you guys have gone inside, Li Daoheng... You won't be able to come out for a short period of time. The world cannot tolerate Saints yet.

The young man then turned to Zheng Yu and Galewind. "Stop looking at me!" he said cheerfully. "This situation will persist for roughly a month at most. The world will be able to hold Saints after that! This is just a temporary shattering, not permanent damage!

"The world is still recovering at the end of the day. It's devoured so much energy after so many Saints died. This is just a temporary depletion of energy because the people have pulled on it. The world will revitalize soon!"

Zheng Yu looked coldly at him. He knew that! It was just, he was still irate and resigned about having lost so many Saints.

"Can you recover to the Saint stage after a month?" he asked slowly. "The world will be more stable next time, Li Hao. You've detonated your great dao and dao meridians. Will you be able to cultivate your way back to your current heights in a month?"

The young man was done for if he couldn't. This was a probing question. Zheng Yu wanted to know just what had given Li Hao the confidence and certainty to do what he'd done.

Zheng Yu didn't lose his mind at having so many of his Saints tricked to death. He could suffer this blow. Ying Hongyue was probably still alive because the seal was intact. The rest of those Saints... likely wouldn't be returning.

As for the queen, no one cared if she was alive or dead.

Apart from the situation at hand, if there were any Saints in the other ruins who happened to be exploring the world outside, likely none of them would be making it back in time. They would all die!

Li Hao had cleaned house with this battle!

Zhang An and the rest had entered the seal. The young man didn't know any other Saints as his were all on standby in an ancient city. The old turtle and redwood had been shoved into the dao universe.

If there were Saints present in the outside world at this moment... they wouldn't be on the side of good, no matter who they were. Their deaths were well warranted then!

"There's still one month left." Li Hao remained beaming brightly. "I have twenty-eight unattributed dao meridians that barely maintain my cultivation of seventh level Sun and Moon. Another eight more would make me ninth level Sun and Moon. I only need to open about a dozen to enter Fused Dao again. That's just three dao meridians a day.

"Why do you think so little of me, Zheng Yu? I'm more curious to see how many Saints you'll have under your banner then. Bring them all out, let's see if I can wipe them clean in a month! Don't forget, I have quite a few Saints too! Can your useless little pawns kill me?"

The young man threw his head back with maniacal laughter. "Now this is what we call being safe! It feels so bad to have dozens of Saints hunt me down at the drop of a hat. Now look at me, I'm the boss of the world again! What can you guys do to me if I don't enter a ruin?

"I either don't wish to be a powerhouse, or become your daddy when I decide to be one! I'm your big brother, Zheng Yu! What do you have to say about that?"

Zheng Yu's face darkened as he watched the preening young man hoot with laughter. Galewind suddenly disappeared, flashing into the ground.

That damned brat! Li Hao had dealt a heavy blow to his enemies without winning anything for himself! He'd opened more than eighty dao meridians, but crippled half of them without batting an eyelash.

He did this just so he could call the shots for a month!

But it was a decision that caused Zheng Yu to nearly suffer a heart attack! He'd lost too many Saints! Even if the world could tolerate Saints next, he wouldn't dare send his people out. Li Hao had many Saints on his side to answer his show of force!

He wouldn't be able to dominate the young man with sheer force anymore. In fact, Li Hao's side might crush his instead.

In reality, Li Hao was the boss for far longer than a month. Unless the world could hold Empyrean Kings after a short period, there was no one who could keep Li Hao in check.

Gan Wuliang and the others finally opened their eyes from meditation. All of their presences flared as they looked at Li Hao with complicated expressions.

There were suddenly numerous seventh level Suns and Moons among the Silver Moon martial masters—Director General Zhao, Gan Wuliang, Sky Sword, Tyrant Blade, Light Sword... Almost all of them were seventh level.

The Great Li king, Watercloud empress dowager, Barren king, Jiang Li, Director General Wang, and others were almost all seventh level Sun and Moon as well. They'd either maintained their previous cultivation level or taken small steps forward.

Li Hao had stood above the others before, but now many were on the same level as him!

"My lord!" Gan Wuliang called out to Li Hao with a complex mix of emotions. He really didn't know how to describe what he was feeling. The same went for everyone else.

Who would do what the young man had undertaken if they reached his cultivation level? A bunch of them were seventh level Sun and Moon now, the same as Li Hao. While that wasn't an invincible cultivation level, was he not concerned at all?

He'd snapped his great dao and parceled out the power to everyone else.

Li Hao hadn't gained anything this time, but greatly enhanced the Silver Moon crowd. Liu Yan and the others focusing on the five elements also neared seventh level Sun and Moon. They'd soared the sky in one step!

With so many Saints dead, a group of powerhouses might arise today from those with sufficient fortune to their name. It would be quite normal for mundanes to bound into Mountain and Sea!

Li Hao had enriched others at his expense!

"What's with the long faces?" Li Hao chuckled softly, his face an open book. "It's just some snapped dao meridians! They were a mess to begin with, re-cultivating them is a good thing!

"The Barren wasteland was just a fake world—I hadn't planned on blowing it up, but Zheng Yu got too caught up in the moment. He chased after me with two dozen Saints! If I hadn't given him what for, he'd think that I'm an easy target!

"I had a great time today!" Li Hao flashed a brilliant grin. "Who would've thought that we would dispose of so many Saints! That's way more than twenty down. And when Zhang An emerges from the seal... and I hope he takes his time. If he comes out now, he'll have to suffer a few slices from the void. Granted, that won't matter with Star River there, unless someone isn't in the city."

The ancient cities were the greatest defensive shields now. The void fissures avoided the cities. Perhaps it was because the cities stabilized the world, making them a cornerstone. Without the cities, all of the Saints in the ruins might be cut to pieces as well.

The crowd fell silent.

"What's there to be unhappy about when everyone's improved?" Li Hao laughed. "It's the Great Li king that I need to apologize to. I'd thought of substituting the fake for the real and propelling you to Fused Dao. But you see what happened when everything grew a bit out of control. You don't mind, do you?"

What could the Great Li king say about that?

He remained silent. Seventh level Sun and Moon... everyone was at that level now, the same as Li Hao. Whatcouldhe say?

But it also represented that he'd gained absolutely nothing for his efforts. Jiang Li was a bit stronger than before, but this was still not worth all of the trouble that they'd gone to!

Still he had no response to offer! Had Li Hao done this on purpose... or did he have no choice in the matter...

Only Li Hao knew the answer to that. The Silver Moon martial masters had made out like bandits after this battle. Zheng Yu suffered a grievous loss, as did Divine Nation. It was unclear whether Li Hao had made a gain or loss, but all of his enemies had come out worse for the wear!

These were marvelous methods indeed!

The Watercloud empress dowager and Barren king were immensely conflicted. Li Hao... truly possessed great ability!

He'd strengthened Silver Moon and weakened the enemy. As for himself, he might really be able to quickly set foot into Fused Dao again. That would mean the enemy would suffer yet another loss then.

Not to mention, the young man had also cleared out a number of unknown powerhouses and enemies!

There'd been Saints employing hit and run tactics lately in Silver Moon, popping up here and there. Perhaps they were all dead now. Ever since the young man entered Fused Dao, everyone had forgotten—or no one had considered—that he could weaken the world again. This was precisely what he did at the end of the day!

Everyone kept sneaking glances at Li Hao. The young man seemed easy to talk to and his grin was as warm as ever, but the more they looked at him, the more their hearts chilled!