Chapter 1061: Difficult to Determine a Victor (II)

The queen’s smile was as chilly as the moon’s cold radiance. Her presence continued to build as she looked at Li Hao. She advanced on the young man, once more manifesting her scepter and pointing it at him. “Is this what you mean when you say that people do not have the gods in their hearts?”

Li Hao didn’t say a word. He simply looked to the rear, at the western continent, the central region, and the north. The situation was abruptly depressing.

So I really can’t shatter the gods of the heart. Perhaps too little time has elapsed or perhaps education has not been popularized enough. Or perhaps I’ve kept too low a profile with my deeds. It’s only today that I learn that the masses do worship the gods.

Not everyone accepts my ideas of strengthening and relying on ourselves. Skystar citizens have been purposefully kept ignorant for two hundred years, and it was a feudal dynasty all this time. Since it was a feudal dynasty, how could there be no gods?

It’s impossible to shatter them!

Disappointment, dejection, and resignation rushed to the fore. Li Hao managed to keep them under control. He knew that the people couldn’t be blamed for this outcome, that this was the logical result of the era’s limitations. There was only so much that the people knew and the world they saw was only so big. Whether it was Commander Li or Emperor Jiang, could these two be more terrifying than the gods?

In a society with sparse education and limited knowledge, the people would be all the more ignorant and faithful to gods.

Boom!

The domineering Li Hao was sent flying. The queen watched with a sardonic twist to her lips.

Li Hao was a wondrous talent, but he was too young and too arrogant. Did he think that his position within the people’s hearts would exceed that of the gods?

What a joke!

So he spread the new martial dao, what of it? Not everyone cultivated the martial dao and not everyone understood that the so-called gods were just more powerful cultivators. They thought that the divine spirits were truly omnipotent!

One could not wish for the people to understand whether Commander Li was stronger or the gods stronger. Therefore, Li Hao’s reliance on a united heart of the people was completely broken!

It broke so quickly that Li Hao’s troops were still celebrating him turning the tide when they saw his spontaneous defeat. The scepter pierced through his body, shattering his body and stabbing into his heart.

“Commander!”

“Li Hao!” screamed his shocked subordinates. How had this happened?!

They were stunned, baffled, and lost. When Li Hao gathered the will of the people to him, everyone—including Li Daozong—had felt that victory was at hand!

Even the New Martial powerhouses felt that the fight had gone to Li Hao. He’d learned the methods of the Human Emperor and knew how to utilize the will of the people to strengthen himself!

Who would’ve thought that it would be broken in a split second?

“Damn it!” roared someone who understood what had happened. “I said so before that there’s no need to waste so much time on those ignorant fools! Those fucking bastards betrayed us!”

He howled with indignity, wrath, and incandescent rage!

Li Hao had been betrayed. Those who’d learned his new martial dao had turned from him and chosen to trust the divine spirits instead!

“You are not their god, none of us are!” an irate Yuan Shuo snarled. “Those idiots would rather place their faith in divine spirits that bring them disaster!”

Boom!

His opponent sprayed fiery sparks through the air with his punch. Yuan Shuo’s domain of the four elements shattered and his armor exploded. His skin and flesh bore the brunt of the remaining force and was burned to a gory mess by the flames.

“You deny the gods, but want the people to treat you as gods... isn’t that ludicrous?” sneered the fire god.

Yuan Shuo couldn’t even spit blood as he was a charcoal mess. However, a tremble ran through his body at these words.

That was right!

They denied the existence of gods, but wanted the people to treat them as gods. What was that if not a conundrum? Li Hao coughed up blood nearby and also blinked when he heard these words.

Boom!

The scepter knocked him down; the young man continuously coughed up blood and was thrown every which way across the battlefield.

“That’s right... that is ludicrous,” he murmured. Since they refuted the existence of gods, why create more for the world? Just as when he was projected throughout Silver Moon world and called out to the cultivators of the new martial dao for their prayers, what was that if not the actions of a god?

The queen walked through the air with icy intent. “Li Hao, you don’t even know yourself what divine spirits are, but you seek to erase them. That is why you find yourself in these straits! You are so young and have comprehended a few hints of a great dao. Do you think that is basis enough to strut around and crow in front of the divine ones?”

The scepter struck again!

A commanding yell broke through the air as a ray of sword light illuminated the land. A sword slashed through the firmament as the Ninth Division leader took to the air, no longer battling other powerhouses.

“And what the hell are you?!” He broke through the queen’s attack with a ray of sword light. “When is it your turn to point fingers at the Lis?!”

He had his back to Li Hao as he roared, “Stop mouthing high and noble concepts when you fight, Li Hao! Battle is battle, either you die or the enemy dies! This is just one instance of your dao method being defeated!”

He rushed over to the young man when he sensed a problem. Not only were the queen’s abilities breaking Li Hao’s methods, but they were shattering his faith of invincibility!

Li Hao firmly believed that he was invincible in the world, and that the people’s heart could be employed for his purposes. But on this day, this ruler of Divine Nation broke his dao.

As a powerhouse of New Martial, the Ninth Division leader was all too familiar with this state. Li Hao walked the path of invincibility, but once that faith was toppled, the young man would be crippled. He might even go insane from doubting himself.

Li Hao was too young.

Everyone had high hopes for him and trusted him. He’d also enjoyed smooth sailing all this time. He’d brought out his full strength against Divine Nation and expected it to be a thrilling, satisfying grand victory!

He even invited the grandson of Supreme Zhang!

However, the battle did not proceed in the direction that they anticipated. It wasn’t only Li Hao, but all of the Silver Moon martial masters that were in this state. Apart from the Battle Heaven Army, even the fifty thousand soldiers beneath them were a bit lost.

They’d gathered their full strength for Divine Nation, but were rocked by an enormous setback!

Li Hao could not measure up to the queen of the west. None of the Silver Moon martial masters could withstand the divine spirits.

“Stop thinking about this,” Li Daozong said coldly with his back to the young man. “Such is war, Li Hao! There are victories and there are losses. Our forefather Sword Sovereign also lost once and had his mindset completely defused for it. He didn’t make a single bit of improvement for ten years, but our ancestor raised his sword again in the end.

“He fought an eight rank cultivator with his own strength at sixth rank! That battle stunned the world! Everyone speaks of the Eternal Sword Sovereign being first in the world when it comes to offensive abilities. Even the Human King was no match for our ancestor if they were of the same cultivation level!”

BOOM!

Li Daozong drew his sword to fight, sword intent rushing into the heavens. The scepter struck and shattered the sword light with a loud rumble!

“No matter how much you say, nothing matters in the absence of strength!” the queen denounced coldly.

The Ninth Division leader’s replica was just a replica at the end of the day. It was his sword intent that shattered after the two exchanged blows and his golden armor that began cracking. He shouted angrily and struck with his sword again!

“Swords are used for killing enemies!”

BOOM!

The firmament shattered!

The queen responded by smashing the moon into the ground and reducing the broken world into chaos. Li Daozong’s golden armor broke completely, revealing the intangible humanoid shadow within.

Sword marks appeared on the queen’s body, but they quickly disappeared.

“The descendants of the Sword Sovereign are indeed formidable.” The queen was taken aback. “You are just a core origin replica, but you are able to harm this queen!”

Li Daozong snorted and once more struck with a sword!

Sword light pierced through the world and was shattered again.

“I would be slightly wary of you if it was your primary body here. How dare a replica pretend to be of the same glory!” snorted the queen. She slammed her palm out and brought the heavenly aura down. Core origin dao was shunned by this world to begin with. Now with the aura of the world suppressing it, that made its cultivators even more hard pressed to make a move!

Boom!

Li Daozong flew several hundred meters back and coughed up strands of core origin power instead of blood. The power immediately dissipated when it touched the air. His body trembled violently, but his fingers remained firmly gripped around the sword’s hilt.

Blood had stained the corners of Li Hao’s mouth as well. He stepped forward with a grunt and slashed down with Stellaris, pulverizing the overwhelming aura with the weapon’s unbounded might!

“Ninth Division leader...” Li Hao was in low spirits.

“Must I leave you with the words ‘unable to be taught’?” The man’s voice rang as strongly as ever. “She’s simply trying to shake your faith of invincibility! She’s the reincarnation of the Moon God! How old are you? Do you have ancient memories to draw on? Do you have the experience of untold battlefields? You have nothing! This is just one battle! Victories and defeats are common occurrences for soldiers. Do not belittle yourself, Li Hao, but do not unnecessarily overestimate yourself either!”

Boom!

The void broke once more as both Li Hao and Li Daozong stabbed with their swords!

The queen was stronger than before; her scepter was so durable and it struck with infinite power.

Rumble!

Li Hao stumbled a few steps back. Li Daozong swayed, but he remained on his feet!

“Have General Pagoda and the others come down to help, there’s no need to maintain the blockade,” the division leader transmitted. “We might not win this battle. Their army’s morale is too high and we are having difficulties taking down this Moon God. No, we probably won’t win!”

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Li Hao’s expression shifted. They couldn’t win! He’d come with surefire certainty of victory and mobilized all of the powerhouses that he could. And yet, Li Daozong was telling him now that they could not win.

“And it’s not necessarily a bad thing!” the Ninth Division leader transmitted again. “The aura of invincibility is a type of faith and a burden. Only the Human King has ever stood undefeated since the ancient times, but he did so sheltered by countless powerhouses! There were premier heavyweights willing to stand guard for him in all of his clashes. You do not possess such advantages!”

Not even Zhang An counted as a guardian. As strong as the man was, he hadn’t shielded Li Hao against all foes. That was why Zhang An was not Supreme Zhang. The supreme had once blocked all enemies from reaching the Human King.

Li Hao did not have such aid. When faced with a daunting opponent like the queen of Divine Nation, he had to step forward alone.