Star Gate

Chapter 2035: Breaking Calamity (I)

The look in Long Zhan’s eyes shifted as well.

“Withdraw immediately if the situation doesn’t look right,” he transmuted to the chaos powerhouses. “Run with the Human King’s group, but don’t get too close to them. I’ll cover the retreat...”

He was prepared for things going south!

Were the chaos beasts supposed to look to the Human King to safeguard their rear?

That’d be worse than a death wish!

Long Zhan needed to do it himself. He was hesitating over their plan of attack. Skyward... might be stronger than he’d anticipated. He might not be able to take the human.

“Red Moon... you are the key to our success!” He transmitted as he flicked a glance at the man. “The dao of desire is not weak. Li Hao could use it to kill Reincarnation, so you can do so as well since that is your primary dao. Not to mention, you will have help from me!

“Do you think you can evade Li Hao’s hunt for the rest of your life if you do not achieve a mighty feat in this battle? How about the Human King?”

Red Moon’s expression shifted drastically. Could he?

Of course not!

The ferocity that New Martial and Silver Moon had demonstrated in the day’s battle made him despair. They’d be able to easily capture him even if he hid, to say nothing of fighting them. They could even travel to the past and kill him there!

That was horrifying!

But... this was Skyward, on the other hand!

That was an invincible existence, even if only the replica was here. Can I... do it?

“You can. To be alive is to possess desire, particularly him. He’s been asleep for a million years, so the strength of his desire boggles the mind. We stand a chance of success so long as you can interfere with him for a split second!”

Red Moon was immensely unsettled. But when he thought of how his enemies included the Human King, Supreme Zhang, Sun God, Silver Moon king...

It was a huge group!

Perhaps even Long Zhan would give up on him if he didn’t put his back into it. Then it would be death in his future all the same.

Red Moon set his jaw and a vicious look surfaced in his eyes. “I... am ready,” he transmitted. “It’s just... what the Dragon master promised...”

“I will make good on my word. I... still need to find my footing in the chaos. Even someone as shameless as the Human King and his ilk do not renege on their words to outsiders. Look at Light and the dao chess. Do I have less character than them?”

That was true!

Red Moon believed that response. It wasn’t that Long Zhan possessed more integrity, but that even a group as immoral as the Human King and his comrades would not break their promise in front of all of the heavyweights in the chaos.

Long Zhan would be even less inclined to do so, since he wished to overthrow the current power hierarchy of the chaos and create his own dynasty. He needed to keep his word!

In Red Moon’s eyes, the dragon’s character... should be better compared to the Human King and Li Hao.

The Skyward master was in no hurry to walk out of his world. He looked at Thunder Region and smiled at it. His voice was calm and tinged with an unknown emotion. “Calamity, are you returning today as well?”

Although everyone’s primary bodies were located together, only he and Calamity had the right to return to their original worlds at present.

......

In the distance, Thunder Region.

An air of calamity overshadowed the world. The entire region came alive.

The firmament shattered, the skies fell in, and flames erupted from the ground. Scorching fire and plague crisscrossed the void...

A figure began to materialize and it answered with mirth, “I hadn’t thought this would happen either, Brother Skyward. I thought even less that those of my world that’d come back would be killed to the last...”

He sounded both regretful, but not that regretful. Dead was dead. I might not have been able to return had they not died.

Although I’m just a replica, it’s still enough. So long as I complete certain plans, it’ll only be a matter of time before my primary body returns.

The two held a conversation that sidelined all other powerhouses in the chaos. They were the only ones that mattered, because they were ninth ranks!

Even a ninth rank with only seven or eight thousand dao rules was sufficient to kill any opponent. It didn’t matter if the other possessed 8,999 dao rules. So long as they weren’t a ninth rank, they lacked sufficient spirit and order.

Skyward and Calamity’s seven or eight thousand dao rules placed them on par with the best of the current chaos.

Yet, could they be victorious against someone beyond their cultivation level?

What kind of joke was that?

Seventh ranks could kill eighth ranks, but never had an eighth rank killed a ninth rank. A ninth rank’s replica was also invincible!

The two ninth rank replicas exchanged a word of greeting before the slowly materializing figure looked at Li Hao in the distance. His smile was filled with gratification, anger, and regret.

“I once exchanged blows with you a million years ago. Even though just a few memories remain of that and not much actual experience, I know how difficult an opponent time is!

“How much of your time is operable now?” His smile grew increasingly angry. “Li Hao, why didn’t you just be a good cultivator of time? Why did you have to cause trouble and kill people? Do you like slaughter that much?”

We would’ve supported your rise to ninth rank had you just been satisfied with your position as the cultivator of time. Why didn’t you listen?

You just had to reverse time, go to the past, and offend everyone. Not to mention wanting to establish your own worlds and chaos dao. You’ve extinguished your future and want to break the origin of chaos dao.

I can only say that you’re completely crazy!

Only a lunatic would continuously provoke ninth ranks like that and set himself against so many peerless cultivators.

Skyward might not have permitted me to kill him before. But now... he won’t stop me.

Li Hao had touched upon the bottom line of a ninth rank and doomed his own future!

The third generation cultivator of time?

Calamity grinned. If it can be someone else, why can’t it be me or my people? Even if I can’t wield it, I can study it for a while, then find someone suitable and turn them into mine. It’ll be better than the situation we’re in now!

Time was so detestable!

Endless chaos strength surged toward him from the surroundings, even from the chaos dao. Ninth ranks were all part of the chaos dao. It was their source of strength!

Li Hao remained unmoving across the way, like he was petrified with fear!

The Calamity master furrowed his brows. He wasn’t in his world, but Li Hao still wasn’t attacking him or preventing him from fully recovering his strength. The young man simply watched.

What are you looking at?

Long Zhan and the Human King’s presence had flared to the utmost over at Skyward. Only Li Hao remained coolly composed as before.

Why... was he so unconcerned?

Calamity didn’t understand. No one did.

“Why... do you not stop me?” asked the man.

“Wouldn’t that prevent the senior from recovering to peak condition?” Li Hao responded seriously. “A replica of Calamity who is not in prime fighting condition is only on par with some eighth ranks. Your replica in peak condition is what will truly bring me the greatest harvest of all!”

“......”

You’re crazy! Calamity’s jaw dropped. Truly, you’ve lost your mind, haven’t you? This is why you give me space?

How much confidence do you have in yourself that you can kill me? You’re so full of it that you let me recover and grow stronger, just so you can maximize your gains!

“Hahaha, interesting, how interesting! Li Hao, you’re an interesting fellow!” Calamity’s laughter rang through the universe. How... fun! Can you really kill me? I don’t believe it!

No one does other than yourself.

......

Calamity’s replica was upon them. It was busy absorbing all of the energy in the vicinity. The man grew stronger!

Li Hao simply watched and waited, patiently waiting for the arrival of something. He wanted to see Calamity become the strongest he could!

This display of arrogance made everyone think that he’d truly gone off the deep end. He could not integrate everyone into his dao anymore, the power of time was depleted, and chaos tribulations would no longer appear to extract energy from Thunder Region.

The Calamity master had made that mistake once, he would not do so again.

Under such circumstances... the Thunder Emperor and the rest watched with their hearts in their mouths. The stronger Calamity grew, the less they were able to withstand this powerhouse.

Skyward.

Tension was taut to an extreme and might filled the void. The Human King and Long Zhan were already erupting with their strength in preparation for a fight. On Li Hao’s side, no one could make a move if the young man didn’t...

They could only watch as their opponent grew stronger. Some couldn’t sit still anymore.

Calamity didn’t make a sound.

It’s even better that you’re turning a blind eye to what I’m doing. No matter what you have in mind, all of your plans are useless once I regain my strength. No one can plot against an invincible ninth rank.

Li Hao was still watching.

Ninth rank!

It was his first time seeing a live one, a real one. Even if it was a replica.

The key to a ninth rank’s dao was spirit. When there was ample spirit, that induced their dao to develop into dao rules. Once a ninth rank lacked sufficient spirit, then there was no difference between their dao and an eighth rank’s dao.

Seven or eight thousand daos rules were precisely that. It was different facing a ninth rank, compared to a seventh or eighth rank.

A seventh or eight rank had dao rules without order or spirit. One was one, it would never become two. But once a ninth rank’s dao lacked spirit, everyone present could join hands to take the ninth rank down.

Calamity was not as strong as Skyward.

The Skyward master might have sent a replica with 8,999 dao rules, whereas Calamity had sent one with 8,000 at most. But since his dao possessed spirit, Chaos Sky might not be able to stand against him either.

Such was the confidence of a ninth rank!

Ninth rank marked a metamorphosis. But so long as one’s dao did not possess spirit, then they were a far cry from invincible. That was the root of things!