“If it fails, it fails!” Li Hao declared. “Then give me some time and chances to try the daos one by one. I’ll try different combinations one dao at a time. If one time doesn't work, then I’ll try ten thousand times. If not, one hundred thousand times, or one million times. The War Sovereign could do it, but I don’t think he did it in one go. Then why... can I not do the same?

“I don’t think I’m more talented than the War Sovereign—I’m not that arrogant! But he gave me a foundation and an example to follow. He showed me an answer and a path to take, which means he’s given me the process of problem solving and even the final answer!

“If I still can’t solve the problem after all that, then I am not worthy of inheriting the dao star!”

He’d received the general overview of the issue, which was the equivalent of the math teacher writing out the entire proof and answer. If Li Hao still could not solve for the right conclusion... then why keep such an idiot around?

Number Two looked blankly around them, then sank into the bottom of the river. This cat needs a moment.

Li Hao was only explaining his proposed course of action, he didn’t mean that he would dismantle the star of time right then and there. He wasn’t ready yet. The young man would only do so after he perfected his own dao heritage.

Meanwhile, Li Hao was feeling quite a complicated mix of emotions after surveying the crowd. Time was so tantalizing that all of these outsiders were trying to persuade him otherwise. None of them could bear to deconstruct the star of time; they found the notion incredible!

This was a group of highly confident people who placed a great deal of trust in him, but even they didn’t believe that he could reconstruct time!

War!

What a frightening existence. Li Hao suddenly wished to meet the Exalted Blood Emperor of New Martial. It was said that he was the reincarnation of War, but ultimately chose to live as his own self and not the second War.

How did he keep himself in check and abstain from War’s influence?

In addition, the New Martial Human King should be restraining himself as well. Apparently all of the energy for his rise had been supplied by War. In the later days, the Human King had somehow isolated himself from War’s influence.

Li Hao didn’t speak of any of this, it was all to be addressed in the future.

“Forget that, my current idea is to extract some of the daos of the minor worlds from the star of time, locate their corresponding dao and connect it to the minor worlds. That will create a prototype for the river of time.

“In this way, we’ll have the equivalent of a dao universe even if we get separated from each other. In fact, it’ll be more useful than a dao universe!

“A dao universe is associated with a world, but the energy of time will flow only in this river. It will conceal us to the greatest degree possible...” Li Hao grew more excited the more he spoke. This was what he liked the most. “Everyone, we might be playing a very fun game in the days to come! We’ll be yanking someone else’s nest out from beneath them!

“Of course, these are chaos beasts at the end of the day. What we’re going to do next is take the place of each one we kill. We’re going to pose as their dao, their worlds, their memories... As for how we’ll do this under the noses of a group of seventh and eighth ranks, that will be up to everyone’s skill!

“What an exciting prospect!”

Would it be fun to pretend to be chaos beasts right in front of a group of premier powerhouses?

Absolutely!

The exalted emperors who were still in the vicinity goggled with shock. Could... this work?

“I’ll also give everyone a chance to experience the wonders of time. I’ll craft another river of time outside the two rivers of Silver Moon dao. Given our current lack of energy, I’ll pull from my own river of dao for now.

“You are welcome to meld your own dao into the river of time and comprehend some of the most basic power of time—the ability to trace it!

“You won’t be going back into the past in the true sense of the word. That requires a more in-depth understanding of time. You just need to follow some of their memories, preferably with some of their consciousness and spirit. That will make your results more accurate!”

An enormous explosion rang through the world, followed by a ghastly scream from the rat. A bright moon bore down on it as a pair of gigantic fists smashed it apart!

The two monarchs really had caught up to the rat and obliterated it. They were slightly weaker than the original Li Daoheng and Zheng Yu when it came to cultivation, but the gap wasn’t great. Those two had also possessed the ability to fight exalted emperors.

Li Hao lifted his head, suddenly finding that an infinite tide of faith was surging in from all directions! It gathered toward the moon and the golden fists!

“How... easy!” blinked the young man. How blissful was this kind of life! The humans here were so easily satisfied.

They’d become believers after the Great Li king and western queen killed the big rat. The amount of faith produced swept over the land—prompting some malicious thoughts in Li Hao’s mind.

It looked like humanity did need to come in for a fair share of suffering after all. The more miserable the living conditions were, the more easily hoodwinked they were and the more faith produced...

This was also a stupid line of thinking!

Faith, true faith, did not come from the ignorant. Li Hao had once said in Silver Moon that true faith developed when an enlightened, educated population still chose to believe in their target of faith.

The New Martial Human King, for example, benefited from true mental and spiritual faith. It’d been one thousand years since New Martial became an informed and aware civilization. They still chose to believe in the Human King and Supreme Zhang. That was true faith.

There were too many drawbacks to faith from an ignorant population. It lasted for only a moment, not a lifetime, and was too easily destroyed!

It was very difficult for the Great Li king and western queen to walk the true path of faith. Even now, the people believed them only because they’d suffered too much so far in their lives. Once they reached the Human King’s level and still received everyone’s faith and trust, becoming their spiritual leader, then that would be great perfection in the dao of faith!

That would also be the so-called dao of the human emperor!

The dao of faith and the human emperor were similar. To become the human emperor was likely the ultimate form of the dao of faith.

......

Two highly excited half step emperors returned after a moment. Their presence oscillated as they’d spontaneously collected untold faith. It hadn’t seemed to fully settle in them, however.

Li Hao looked at them and said casually, “If you don’t wish to be struck by the recoil, like the Moon God once was, and die from it, you two should be even more familiar than me what you should do.

“If you reach the New Martial supreme’s heights and still receive everyone’s trust even when all are aware of his goals, then that is true success! The supreme’s dao is worthy of your study!

“The cooperation between the supreme and the Human King is also worthy of emulation. The supreme walks the path of the divine and the Human King walks the path of the king. It has always been hard for royal authority to coexist with divine power.

“Conflict often develops between the two. The situation in New Martial is the most harmonious one that I’ve ever seen. The god does not present himself as a god, but the people are still willing to admit that he is a god! The king does not style himself as a king, but the people accept that he is their king.

“They did not hail themselves as a god or a king. Those titles have been bestowed by their citizens!”

There were a few New Martial powerhouses present; they blinked when they heard the assessment. Royal authority, divine power...

New Martial didn’t seem to care about this, but now that Li Hao spoke about it... this... did seem to be the case. In their eyes, the supreme and Human King were a kind of faith!

The supreme was capable of everything and his schemes never overlooked anything. The Human King was invincible and undefeated in battle!

One was a divine spirit that walked the mortal world, the other a sovereign who dominated the land. And yet, there was such an amiable relationship between the two that it seemed one could not be without the other.

Even the queen sank into momentary thought and nodded after a while. “I understand. However, I’m more curious that if the Great Li king and I walk the path of the supreme and Human King... then what road does the Silver Moon marquis take?”

Gan Wuliang and Hong Yitang were the masters of dao, Panther was the master of the world. And now Li Hao was here to conquer the worlds, but wanted her to be the god of the people and the Great Li king to be the king of the people.

So what was Li Hao?

The young man blinked as well. Who am I and what road do I walk?

“That’s a good question,” he said after a while. “I don’t know what path I’m on, I don’t know either who I should look to for inspiration. Perhaps I just wish to be a wandering hero that journeys through the martial world...

“The chaos is my martial world,” Li Hao smiled. “Anywhere I tread is the martial world! I journey the land with my sword by my sword, ferreting out injustice and shying away from fame and honor!

“I take action if I am willing to take action, but do not if I’m not in the mood. I will be a selfish, yet at times passionate wanderer. I will not be tied down by the designs of society or burdened by considerations of reputation. Having no desire is the greatest desire at all. I... have great aspirations!”

He had enormous aspirations!

Even the strongest of powerhouses would be subject to certain restraints, but Li Hao pursued utter freedom. Such a goal was the greatest desire of all.

This was his dream!

His dream may not materialize, but he needed to have one.

I am not the Human King or Supreme Zhang, or the War Sovereign. I am still Li Hao, the one who hopes to become a martial world wanderer, one who creates my martial world and walks my own path!

I am unfettered and wholly carefree!

It sounded easy, but was the most difficult to execute on.

A group of Silver Moon martial masters had returned at this point and were moved by Li Hao’s words. To be a wanderer of the martial world had once been their dream as well.

But reality showed them that they were weaklings amid the disarray of the chaos. It was unfeasible to be a wandering hero. They could not do so either, so they could only take things one step at a time and become exalted emperors. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Who could be so carefree? Who could act according to their heart’s wishes?

No one was that unfettered without being invincible!

Having yet to verify his dao, Yuan Shuo looked blankly at his disciple. When we walked out of Silver Moon province and realized how big the world was, how many powerhouses there were, our dreams of the martial world shattered.

But my disciple is still dreaming of walking that path!

Can he succeed? Look at how big he talks, thinking of viewing the chaos as his martial world!

There are endless worlds in the chaos and countless heavyweights. There are seventh, eighth, and even invincible ninth ranks. How dare a fifth rank run his mouth and say that he wishes to make the chaos his martial world!