Chapter 1559: Farewell (I)

“Milord! Professor Yuan is still making his way through Skyward and Commander Lin is braving the risks of contacting New Martial. Silver Moon is still within Senior Number Two’s body and roaming near Skyward...” Gan Wuliang hastily transmitted, even ignoring the heavyweights outside the dao foundation site.

Li Hao couldn’t lose control!

Gan Wuliang knew the human heart well, so he was also taking a risk at the moment to remind the young man of what was at stake.

The violent light in Li Hao’s eyes faded away. He looked at Gan Wuliang and didn’t say a word. This was the first time he’d experienced the threat of losing control!

I was almost affected by seventh rank strength to the point of not being myself anymore! The effects weren’t as obvious when I borrowed sixth rank strength, probably because the element itself isn’t that tyrannical. But this time, it was very obvious.

If I borrow an eighth rank’s strength... whether or not I can endure it isn’t the question. I will absolutely lose control!

He could no longer brashly borrow from a seventh rank either. Otherwise, unforeseen developments were very likely to occur.

Time...

Li Hao suddenly had some reflections that time wasn’t just a sharp weapon levied at his enemies, but an enormous challenge for himself as well. It was so easy to lose oneself in that omnipotent feeling!

He could sense the shock and hesitation from Crimson Cloud outside. The young man raised his head to also see an illusory dao universe!

Skyward’s dao universe had been stirred into reacting. According to the dao chess’ explanation, Skyward’s dao universe had always been present around them. It was just that its strength had been fully extracted. Without replenishment from the same source of great dao, it sank into silence.

Today, Li Hao was borrowing the strength of the fire envoy in the past to agitate the Skyward dao universe. He could even see two particularly bright dao stars among the multitude. One of them was of water, the other of fire.

The young man didn’t look further since it wouldn’t be that easy for Skyward’s dao universe to revitalize. There wasn’t enough strength or energy to go around.

A longsword of fire appeared in his hand, stabbing out with unbounded fire energy.

Beyond the shadow, Crimson Cloud was still looking up at the sky. His heart jolted and he hastily ducked his head, abruptly seeing a sword of fire appear from the shadows.

A high rank exalted emperor?? Daoist Flamefire?! That wasn’t possible!

He’s not in Skyward! What the heck?? These are just dao echoes, why is there a seventh rank killing move??

There was no time to dwell on the matter. Crimson Cloud erupted with incomparable force—his surge of strength was a bit different from Li Hao’s. It was a bit more intangible and marked with the characteristics of Skycloud universe.

Two colossal surges of fire energy crashed into each other and exploded!

KABOOM!

The volcano erupted and dispersed endless fire energy. It washed over some of the low ranks to the rear, eliciting wails of agony. Some were obliterated on impact—the combination of seventh rank and sixth rank force was simply beyond their capacities!

Numerous exalted emperors were immediately dead out of the sixteen because they’d been caught off guard. Crimson Cloud also paled with dismay and a fiery light flickered in place over him. He was a fire cultivator, but he’d been burned by the energy of fire! His arm was singed as flames crept up his arm.

“Flamefire??” Too stunned to think, his first reaction was to flee. He could not withstand a seventh rank! It didn’t matter that he was an exalted emperor of a major world. Flamefire’s strength came from a ninth rank world, one that was higher ranked than his.

A ball of fire energy appeared, as did a “fire” supernatural character transform into a domain that blanketed the volcano. A dao universe descended to envelop the low ranks.

Crimson Cloud started when he looked up. There was a dao universe in the sky and another one on the ground...

Two dao universes? But that’s impossible...

Skyward did not have two dao universes and a dao universe was exclusive to a major world... A scene he’d seen before suddenly came to mind and Crimson Cloud gasped, “You’re actually the Silver Moon king?!”

This wasn’t Flamefire, but the Silver Moon king!! He was the one here and had become a seventh rank!! But that was simply impossible! How could this be??

Borrowing strength?!

How could the Silver Moon king borrow the strength of those in the past, and of seventh rank at that??

As a sixth rank, Crimson Cloud suddenly understood something. Color drained from his face. “The past... the power of time! And the chaos tribulation... You’re a cultivator of time!”

He understood now, but it was also too late.

Formidable strength of fire covered the premises, vibrating to death the low ranks enveloped by the dao universe. One of them looked at Li Hao in his final moments and yelled, “You’re.. Hao Moon... and... White Light?!”

It was Exalted Emperor Yu Chen!

He was only a first rank and on the verge of a mental collapse. He rued that he hadn’t recognized Li Hao before this. It was the Exalted Hao Moon Emperor, and he was the Silver Moon king! This was also the Exalted White Light Emperor that he’d met before.

Damn it, he was a fraud and a lunatic! He’d come back to kill all of the exalted emperors in Dragon Observatory!

“You guessed it!” Li Hao’s expression was calm as he masked the raging violence in his eyes. The strength of a seventh rank was too great. It was so overpowering that he felt he could kill these low ranks at will.

And the truth was, that was indeed the case.

The sword of fire that he’d fashioned crashed upon the low ranks, executing them as they flared with their own power. They went up in flames, reduced to cinders as their energy became part of the dao universe.

Li Hao rushed the fleeing Crimson Cloud!

Boom!

Two enormous bursts of fiery energy erupted. As shocked and dismayed as he was, Crimson Cloud roared, “You madman! You’re going to trigger a seventh rank chaos tribulation by borrowing Daoist Flamefire’s strength from the past! You’re expending too much energy fighting me. Your strength is flimsy and it’s only a matter of time before it disperses. You won’t be able to survive the tribulation!”

He had a keen eye for assessment and had the previous experience of Li Hao weathering a tribulation. He could instantly guess at the outcome. Since the young man was fighting him, Li Hao was wasting so much strength that he wouldn’t be able to survive the tribulation even if he killed his opponent.

Li Hao didn’t say anything.

I borrow strength so I can kill you guys. Since I’ve managed to lay hands on it, would I worry about the tribulation?

The sword of fire covered the land, turning everything into flames. They leapt into real people that seemed to bear their own spirit. This was when Li Hao realized that the strength of a seventh rank seemed to be alive! Even the energy seemed to come alive.

Creation!

So seventh ranks really can create life.

That was terrifying!

Crimson Cloud dashed madly to and fro, but was penned in by endless power of fire. It was so strong that it suppressed and burned him. The man howled with outrage, manifesting the shadow of a dao universe overhead. Dao strength seemed to descend upon the scene.

The great dao of Skycloud!

It shook as he roared, “You lunatic, my world master will know if you kill me! You won’t be able to run away from this hiding spot. None of your many tricks will be of any use! You won’t outrun an eighth rank’s vengeance and you’ve already offended two of them!”

The Red Moon master wanted to hunt the Silver Moon king down, and now this madman was going to offend another!

Li Hao still didn’t say a word. A dragon of fire appeared in his hands, one that appeared to be alive. It sent Crimson Cloud flying backward with a savage roar. A desolate dragon croon ripped through the air, causing the land to change color and erupt with the strength of fire!

The land fell apart!

Space within the indestructible ninth rank major world was beginning to fracture. Crimson Cloud flew out backwards, spraying gore in every direction.

He still focused on fleeing.

Li Hao materialized more dragons of fire, transforming them into ferocious tigers. The tiger within his heart—the one of fire—had long been incorporated into the aura of his supernatural character. It reappeared in this moment!

The tiger seemed to walk out of Li Hao’s heart, prancing with indescribable excitement and fervor. It suddenly threw its head back with a roar.

Tiger Roar Through Mountain and Woods!

All of Skyward shook from the mighty bellow.

“ROAR!” snarled the tiger, its cry reverberating through the world. Its paw slammed down, throwing Crimson Cloud through the void like a rag doll. Within the dao universe, some of the low ranks that were still alive fell to pieces when the tiger’s sharp claws slashed across them.

The ferocious tiger was as if Li Hao’s internal demon. He was a caged tiger!

The young man seemed to have landed in another cage after leaving Silver Moon. He wasn’t happy at all about utilizing the strength of a seventh rank. He’d lost himself again.

If the cage of his heart had been broken, then this tiger should no longer exist.

But here it was, and it was trapped again. That meant that his cage still existed!

“But... I don’t wish to be this way!” Li Hao was looking at Crimson Cloud and seemed to be speaking to the man, but also not. He smiled, a somewhat self-deprecating smile.

What can I do if I don’t borrow strength? I would like to peacefully discuss dao, but who will give me that chance? I am... caged again! I’ve always been a prisoner!

I can’t depend on any patrons, backers, or powerful seniors. I can only exhaust my own future. At the very least, I still have a future to utilize, don’t I?

I never left the cage!

I thought I did when I killed Li Daoheng, but... I didn’t!

“Kill!” The ferocious tiger howled its fury at the world, its snarls shaking Skyward!

I sought to break free from my imprisonment, but I find that the chaos is an even bigger prison! I broke through the Star Gate to find that no one will give me a chance!

Li Hao smiled in a grim fashion.

Do you think I like being struck by lightning? Do you think I like owing favors?! I don’t have a choice!!

Boom!

The massive tiger rampaged with complete, utter cruelty and madness. It tore through the sixth rank with a paw swipe. ripping his great dao apart. The world trembled in its wake as the tiger shredded a sixth rank from a major world!

The firmament trembled and a major world at the end of an unlimited distance also trembled. A bloody rain gathered in its skies. This signaled the death of a premier exalted emperor!