Chapter 1710: Setting a Small Goal (III)

“How many seventh rank major worlds do you see running around the place?” laughed the Sword Sovereign. “There are far too few of those who can. That makes the Ash Emperor wandering through the chaos with New Martial an enormous threat!

“It takes at least a seventh rank chaos beast to casually travel with a major world. While there are chaos beasts in Dragon Region that can accomplish the feat since they are very strong, none can do so as easily as the Ash Emperor.”

The Ash Emperor was a unique being. It could go anywhere it liked with the New Martial home world and didn’t leak any presence as it moved. That was the most frightening of all.

If Silver Moon wished to do something similar, Panther would need to enter seventh rank. Even then, it would still be unable to conceal its presence as perfectly as the Ash Emperor did. Without that cultivation level, the dog would only be able to forcefully drag the world around. That would cause enormous fluctuations in presence and make it nigh impossible to conceal the ripples.

Hence, New Martial being able to easily switch locations facilitated its lethal threat to other major worlds. Red Moon wouldn’t have easily called that many worlds to it for an alliance otherwise. New Martial was such a threat that it needed to be eliminated!

So when Li Hao said that New Martial would become a public enemy... the Sword Sovereign felt that his home had become one long ago! There was no need to worry about what’d already come to pass!

Void smiled at having his suggestion accepted; he was immensely satisfied. “That’s right, Brother Hao, what are you afraid of? We’ve reached this step now and just need to seize Skyward to ensure that those cultivating in Silver Moon will be able to train amongst Skyward. They will comprehend the daos of a major world and truly experience a ninth rank world!

“The small population on Silver Moon will soon be filled with powerhouses. That will further stoke development of its dao universe. Since you don’t lack dao crystals, you can just burn them all for cultivation. I can’t say that you’ll immediately become a seventh rank world, but sixth rank will be easily within reach!

“That means Silver Moon will be able to support more exalted emperors. It’ll rival the Orchid Forest of old. No, wait, it will be able to support double the number of exalted emperors because it has twin dao universes!

“Only then will Silver Moon develop at a rapid pace in a short amount of time. How much longer will it take to reach seventh rank if you keep skulking around and hiding in the shadows?”

“It’s not that I like to put on a brave front...” Li Hao glanced at the rest of his group. “But that this... will be an immense burden on everyone...”

“It’s uncomfortable for us to receive so much if we don’t do more than what we already have,” Fog Mountain interrupted. “Although I killed two seventh ranks with the Sword Sovereign, would you guys have failed if we hadn’t? I received an entire seventh rank world for my effort, it sits hot in my hands!”

“Alright then!” Li Hao nodded with a smile after he thought it over. So these guys had set their eyes on Skyward.

If we take Skyward and control it, turning it into a training ground for Silver Moon... Is it appropriate for a fourth rank world to utilize a ninth rank world as temporary lodgings and a practice room?

It was very appropriate! They were borrowing the chicken to lay the egg!

It so happened that Skyward’s dao universe had fallen silent. This was perfect for their purposes. There would be no effect otherwise since the twin dao universes could pretend to be Skyward’s dao universe for the moment.

It would be a very difficult undertaking, but so what?

“Then this time... we’ll set our sights on Skyward!” smiled Li Hao.

Excitement rustled through the Pagoda King and others on the side. They could contain themselves, whereas Gan Wuliang itched to rush into action. If they could conquer Skyward, then...

Man, the rewards could scarcely be imagined!

They would be borrowing another’s home for their purposes! It would be up to their own strength, fortune, and planning as to whether or not they succeeded. But so far, the situation looked favorable.

Li Hao sized up everything once more. This was indeed an immense opportunity for Silver Moon to develop! If they succeeded, this would be such a stroke of favor from the heavens!

Having set a few small goals, the group accelerated forward. They were immensely excited at having another target to obtain.

......

Skyward.

There were many exalted emperors here and many of them on high alert. Numerous presences filled Skyward. Domineering, unstoppable, two that were eighth rank shook the world.

Multiple seventh ranks that’d come late could not enter the Skyward dao universe at the moment. Each of them took up residence in a corner of the world outside, immensely regretful about their late arrival.

Others had stolen a march on them, whereupon the dao universe then closed itself. They were unable to find traces of it now, but neither were they willing to leave just like this. They were also worried that someone would ascend to ninth rank if they fully claimed the Skyward great dao!

There would be enormous trouble then.

Everyone was waiting, waiting to see who claimed the ultimate prize. It would be fine if it went to a seventh rank, but any eighth rank that claimed the dao universe would immediately become public enemy number one. They would not permit anyone to become a ninth rank exalted emperor!

That might produce a tyrant in the four regions where there’d been no master for so long!

“Ole Dragon!” A powerful mind suddenly descended upon where the dao universe had been previously open to the world. A shadow that burned like the blazing sun appeared, unquestionable in his might.

Another presence split the world in response—a golden dragon with unequivocal might. He asked in a wizened voice, “Do you have some thoughts in mind, Blazing Sun?”

“I do.” This exalted emperor’s tone was charged as much heat as he was projecting. “Join hands with the other seventh rank masters of the world and see if we can locate the dao universe. We need to create an opening that we can force our way through.

“Just waiting like this will not do. Once those inside claim Skyward’s dao, that will result in a fatal threat to both you and me!”

“Can you lock onto anything?”

“I might not have been able to before, but now... possibly! There is a seventh rank of the Blazing Sun Region inside. I simply need to lock onto him and use him as a medium through which I can break through Skyward’s dao barrier!”

“I have no objections to that!” said the Dragon master after some consideration. “But if you fail...”

“If we fail, then we’ll attack Skycloud, Red Moon, and Light,” sneered Blazing Sun. “We’ll force those guys out of the dao universe! They won’t be getting it if we can’t get our hands on it.

“Just one party attacking won’t have much of an effect, but you and I working together will be a cause of concern for them. They’ll have to consider whether they wish to continue or exit to protect their homes!”

Whatever the result was, it might not be permitted for the eighth ranks to vie over Skyward’s dao universe. Eighth rank was the highest level in the chaos at the moment—those exalted emperors were the tyrants of their region.

No one was willing to see that balance broken and someone enter ninth rank.

“Let’s try breaking through the dao universe first. If we attack their homes... that will be the start of true open hostility between us!”

It wasn’t that they couldn’t work together, but that it would cause all out war between the relatively peaceful eighth ranks. There might be pitched melees between the four regions then!

So that course of action was being reserved as a final contingency.

Skycloud had left a very weak force behind in defense, as had Red Moon. Both of them only had one or two seventh ranks in residence. It wouldn’t be too hard to seize those worlds. The caveat being, their eighth rank masters couldn’t return in time.

“It looks for now that Skyward’s great dao has not yet fully revitalized,” said Blazing Sun. “Otherwise... there should be some dao ripples going through the world. I haven’t sensed any of those!

“It’s also a big question as to how it opened before. Perhaps that had something to do with the Sword Sovereign and dao chess. It might not be that the dao universe really had revitalized. If it didn’t... then that means those guys will likely be emerging soon.”

They’d studied the situation over the past couple of days and felt that Skyward’s dao universe didn’t seem to have successfully recovered. If it had, why were there no ripples from Skyward’s dao whatsoever?

As they conversed, Blazing Sun furrowed his brows while Dragon looked around, confused. Various unconcealed presences were making themselves known in Skyward!

Li Hao’s group was so large and contained two seventh ranks. How could they stay hidden?

“Eh?”

“Fog Mountain??” Both eighth ranks blinked. Fog Mountain? What was going on here?

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

While they’d arrived later, they were aware of the situation that happened that day. Fog Mountain had relinquished all of his energy and left with the Light Crown Prince Void. But now he was... a peak seventh rank?

He’d recovered?!

How was that possible??

It was no easy feat to fully recover to peak seventh rank. Otherwise, the eighth rank Skycloud master would not have wanted Fog Mountain to leave behind all of his strength. It was impossible to make the recovery without a seventh rank dao universe.

Had Light supplied the resources necessary for Fog Mountain’s recovery? The eighth ranks regarded the possibility with utmost solemnity. They would’ve had to have paid an enormous price to do so.

One had to know that Light major world possessed a treasure called the Source of Light. It was said to be useful for fifth or sixth ranks only. Did Light have some other sort of treasure that was applicable to seventh ranks?

If that was the case... that would be a plausible explanation. But would Light really be willing to make such an investment to help Fog Mountain? Had Fog Mountain joined Light instead of remaining at Skycloud?

In addition, there was another seventh rank to consider! Were they a wandering cultivator?

There were no ripples from a dao universe present, but how were there seventh rank wanderers in the chaos? The only possibility was if a major world had toppled and its seventh ranks forced to become chaos wanderers.

A swordsman?

Their first thought was the Sword Sovereign, but the Sword Sovereign was only a sixth rank. It was very hard for a sixth rank like him to ascend, and he was also said to have been one of the first to enter the Skyward dao universe.

As for sixth ranks like Void or fifth ranks like Li Hao... the two eighth ranks outright ignored them. They were mostly concerned with Fog Mountain and the Sword Sovereign. Fog Mountain’s recovery was uncanny and he was accompanied by a seventh rank wandering swordsman! This was... most incredible and unbelievable!