Chapter 1060: Difficult to Determine a Victor (I)

At the same time.

Zhang An frowned from his position in the darkness and was ready to take a stand. Saint-level power was yet to appear as the Moon God that Li Hao had been worried about might not be able to awaken anymore. It could’ve outright reincarnated into this generation’s queen.

The young man would not be able to withstand his opponent for much longer if the dean didn’t make a move.

Zhang An tensed, then raised an eyebrow when he sensed something else. An even stronger presence hovered over the divine temple.

Inside the temple.

The slumbering prophet once more opened its eyes. There was only anxiety in its eyes, no joy. A figure reflected out of its eyes as it looked outside.

“Zhang An?” murmured the prophet. The divine spirit was old, but Zhang An was also exceedingly old. In fact, he was older than the prophet. This was a person from the early days of New Martial. It wasn’t until one thousand years later that Silver Moon world was born.

Zhang An was older than all of the divine spirits. The prophet had known the day that Zhang An traveled to Silver Moon. It looked around in a daze—no wonder! No wonder it’d witnessed a mountain of corpses and sea of blood when peering into time. So Zhang An had come!

“You won’t have things your way, Zhang An!” the prophet declared painfully.

The world seemed to shift and the scene changed in front of Zhang An. He now stood in a future spacetime; time flowed around him. There was another old man in front of him, one that was stooped over and wizened.

“The prophet god of Silver Moon?” Zhang An frowned slightly. “Do you wish to entrap me? Divine spirits are eternal and undying, but that is only relatively speaking. If you expend all of your energy to keep me here, you’ll end up dying for it!”

“We shall see if that happens when the Moon God kills Li Hao...” coughed the prophet. “There is something in you that... comes from Li Hao. You will no longer be able to appear in this world once Li Hao is dead!”

Zhang An frowned. How... unlucky!

This prophet was a right and proper divine spirit of the first generation. It’d died when New Martial marched on them, so to think it would be awake now! The key was that being a god of prophecy, it possessed overwhelming mental strength, as opposed to a domineering physical body.

There were fewer limitations on mental strength in this world, not to mention that the prophet god was a local divine spirit subject to even fewer restrictions. It could bring Saint-level strength to bear!

Li Hao had wanted Zhang An to be on guard against Saints from Divine Nation, but it turned out that the prophet god revitalized before the Moon God did. They were in trouble now. Zhang An had to eliminate his opponent as quickly as possible!

A book of great dao appeared and countless powerhouses materialized in the air. They struck thunderously. The world threatened to collapse, but instantly recovered again. The prophet grew even older, as if burning its lifespan for the battle!

“Don’t think of getting out!” The old man coughed continuously, but didn’t go on the offensive. He’d simply dragged Zhang An into another dimension to prevent the man from leaving. He knew that he was bound to lose if the battle dragged on!

Li Hao really had brought a Saint with him, this completely took Divine Nation by surprise. Thankfully, it wasn’t like the latter was completely out of opportunities to strike a blow back.

Bam!

The book of dao fluttered through pages, summoning powerhouse after powerhouse. They broke the world again and again, yet Zhang An frowned ferociously. He was trapped by this fellow and would need some time before he could break out, even if he killed the divine spirit.

Would Li Hao be alright?

......

The queen of Divine Nation looked back at the divine temple with a clench of her jaw. “Well well, so this is your trump care, Li Hao! This queen will slaughter all of you if anything happens to the prophet!”

A unique presence soared into the air from the great hall behind them, filling the sky with unparalleled dominance!

However, the queen could sense it withering and declining. This was the prophet expending his lifespan to stop formidable opponents.

Blood continued to flow from the wound on Li Hao’s head. He looked at the queen and said softly, “You’re wrong. It is I who will slaughter the hundreds of millions of your citizens if anything happens to my people! I told you to surrender, but you insisted on resisting. I may not be the Human King, but I am not someone you can keep down!

“Is this all you have?” He reached out and closed his hand around Stellaris. The Hao Cosmos shuttered its door! Li Hao’s presence weakened for a moment. “The heavenly will does not represent Silver Moon! The tens of billions of people in this world are its master! Do not misunderstand what is primary and what is secondary!

“May all life bless me!”

Within the world, countless people beneath the heavens saw a figure form in their mind’s eye—Li Hao. Those who’d opened their dao meridians all saw Li Hao in this moment.

“Everyone has a responsibility to protect their homeland and destroy evil for Skystar!”

The people seemed to both understand something and not understand anything. But soon enough, a particular notion appeared in their minds.

We should all pray for Commander Li to triumph over his enemies!

Even though they didn’t know where the enemies were, they operated their dao meridians and acupoints to absorb and return energy to the world!

......

Tremendous auras of heaven and earth appeared out of nowhere, making even the heavenly will that favored the divine spirits wary!

Life was the true heaven!

As unknowing as the newly born heaven’s will might be, it, too, knew that the will of life could not be defied. Heaven’s will represented the world and all of life, but at the moment, life itself prayed for Li Hao.

Heaven’s will backed away, resulting in a spontaneous weakening of the Divine Nation queen. She had to ease up from her fierce suppression of her opponent.

“Why is this happening...”

Boom!

“The Sword of Life!” Li Hao broke through the void with his sword. “And whyever not? What are the divine spirits? Do they put food on the table? Do they ask after people’s well-being? Can they raise the literacy rate and enlighten the masses? New Martial had no need for divine spirits, why does Silver Moon need any? Divine spirits... should’ve long been eliminated. They’re only good for bewitching people!”

One sword through the firmament!

Heaven’s will had retreated, this sword was one of life!

BOOM!

He knocked the queen’s scepter out of her hands, forcing her away. Thousands of cuts crisscrossed her body and radiant blood flowed freely from them, as resplendent as the stars.

Li Hao had turned the tide!

“Kill!” grunted the young man, slashing forward as if a mountain, water, fire, and wind...

Rumble!

The world was reduced to chaos once more and the queen slammed her palm forward, but the sword immediately ran it through!

When the scepter reappeared, Li Hao struck in furious succession with an explosion of destructive presence!

Crunch!

A crack appeared on the scepter.

“Break the gods of your heart and the gods of reality! Silver Moon has no need for divine spirits!” Li Hao’s voice echoed throughout the world. “Humans need only rely on themselves, not the divine! Divine spirits only know how to take from us—only the self is the strongest support. The foolishly ignorant will never be the legitimate dao of the world!”

The sword struck!

Bam!

The sword broke through the world; the queen’s eyes widened with dismay. Li Hao did not fear the heavenly will or divine spirits! He was his own god!

A singular notion appeared in everyone’s minds—

I am my own god, there are no gods in the world! Only when the self is strong is there true strength!

The battle was instantly wrenched around!

......

Li Hao ran through the queen’s palm, she regarded him with a frosty glare.

“Who do you think you are, Li Hao?! Do you know what divine spirits are? Seeking to break them and declaring that Silver Moon is without gods... how ludicrous!” The queen flew into a rage. Blasphemy was the most evil act to divine spirits. Li Hao was plainly such a heretic.

The queen spoke no more and tilted her head back at the sky. A bright moon manifested in the air—it was red and there seemed to be a doorframe in its depths. People’s hearts across the world quailed. It was their first time seeing the moon so clearly, it seemed to have fallen into the mortal world.

Red crept into the queen’s eyes! The world shifted color and the red moon illuminated the void!

Li Hao could not be forgiven for his sacrilege against the gods. Did he really think of himself as omnipotent? Did he think he was the Human Emperor just because he’d comprehended some surface details of an emperor’s dao?

Indeed, an emperor’s dao.

The queen was clear on what she faced. She was as if a goddess descended upon the world, holding the moon with one hand. A scarlet shadow drifted over it.

“I am the Moon God, the moon falls under my command.” Her voice rolled forth like the waters of a clear river, underscored with vicious tones. “The moon is at hand!”

Bam!

The world seemed to split apart and the heavenly will return. All of Silver Moon world heard her voice; it shook the heart. Terror formed in everyone—so there really were divine spirits in the world!

The Moon God!

Countless people had been praying for Li Hao moments ago, but many grew uneasy in this moment and stopped all of their internal activity. All that was left was a reverential fear of the Moon God and divine spirits.

Silver Moon world was not New Martial, after all. The human heart was yet to be settled and the people’s minds fully enlightened.

Chanting rose from Divine Nation. It was similar to the notes of great dao that appeared at the start of the world—it was the sound of countless believers worshipping their god.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“There was no law and order, no self, and no people in the beginning. Only divine spirits accompanied the birth of dao. The moon mother created humans. When humanity was born, the mother fell. The moon is our mother...”

Hundreds of millions of Divine Nation citizens began praying and their queen seemed to truly transform into the mother of all living things. A red moon hovered over her head!

The look in her eyes was frosty as endless faith shrouded her like a cloak. “Li Hao, now you should understand what is the dao of life! Are the masses that you speak of as fervent as my people? The gods shelter only the devout!”

Li Hao’s presence had noticeably declined. Plainly, as more divine spirits showcased their powers, the people were turning from him and starting to believe that there were divine spirits in the world. Compared to Li Hao, perhaps the gods were more worthy of their faith.

Such was reality!

Hundreds of millions worshiped divine spirits in Divine Nation and there were many in Skystar who believed in the gods.

Countless people in Skystar worshipped the newly revealed gods in this moment. Some cultivators of the new martial dao wanted to pull their kneeling parents and elders to a standing position, despite not understanding the intricacies of faith. However, they were hotly rebuked by their family. The gods were to be feared!

Li Hao... had not shattered the gods of the Skystar people’s hearts.