“Detonate your mental strength and sever the connection to the mirage realm!” roared an exalted emperor. “Let our primary bodies know that something’s gone wrong here! They’ll be easily attacked otherwise if they’re completely unprepared...”

Some exalted emperors really did want to self-detonate after these words. It was just the loss of some mental strength in return for notifying the primary body that something had gone awry. Otherwise, their primary bodies might not be aware that their connection had been severed.

The Thunder Emperor began to panic. In response, a note of great dao sounded out. Fog Mountain’s fingers strummed the air. “Please be patient! We’ll cut down the rabble-rousers in the crowd if they keep trying to stir up trouble!”

“So you guys really are doing this to kill people...”

Fog Mountain frowned, ready to extinguish the balls of light that belonged to the troublemakers. It was these bastards constantly agitating the crowd. He didn’t know why the passageways had been broken, but he knew that it wouldn’t be to do anything to a crowd of weak exalted emperors.

Just as he wanted to make a move and eliminate the sources of trouble, a massive ripple passed through the area.

The mirage realm trembled. A person hovered in the air moments later. Li Hao walked through the void with a calm expression and looked out over the thousands of mental entities.

“I am Li Hao!”

The unsettled crowd immediately quieted. Li Hao was here! Since he was here, he wouldn’t be out there attacking their worlds, right?

That put some at ease.

“Li Hao, you said that we would be free to come and go with Allheaven Hall!” A person called out angrily. “This is just the first day and already we’re barred from teleporting back! What evil do you have in mind?? You’ve definitely got something up your sleeves!”

“I know you!” Li Hao smiled at the ball of light.

“You know me?!” roared the speaker. “You said that our identities would be a secret here, but you can spy into who I am! So this means that staying anonymous is bullshit, isn’t it?!”

Li Hao couldn’t help but laugh. He had to give it to the speaker, these guys really did have some skill to their name. They could find weaknesses, no matter what, to attack him with.

“Other people won’t know, but the Exalted Myriad Changes Emperor and I will certainly know,” the young man nodded. “If even the two of us don’t know... then this construct would be a joke indeed. What else needs to be said about this?

“If even the creators of Allheaven Hall don’t know what’s going on inside of it, can everything remain under my control? What say you, friend from Reincarnation major world?”

The speaker inwardly paused with alarm. This guy...

It’d be fine if Li Hao protested or tried to defend himself, but he outright admitted to his knowledge. He even said that Myriad Changes was aware. As fellow exalted emperors, who among the crowd truly thought that those running the show didn’t know the identities of everyone inside?

That would be the greatest joke of all.

Li Hao reached out with a brilliant smile. A massive palm blotted out the skies and sun as he grabbed two people in the crowd.

“Two eighth ranks of Reincarnation have deigned to join us,” his voice echoed in the area. “Although they have only sent their mental strength, would it not be a pity if that died here all the same?”

The two immediately disengaged from the rest and one of them roared, “Li Hao, didn’t you say that your Allheaven Hal does not discern between friend and foe?? That we can freely move in and out of it?! In that case, why are you attacking us??”

“Whether it is friend or foe, you are welcome here so long as you do not create trouble. You are free to do as you wish!” Li Hao nodded. “But you two have been stirring the pot since the moment you arrived. We would be jokes ourselves if we spared troublemakers!”

The two eighth ranks erupted with motion as his hand dropped.

Immense mental strength wafted over the area and exalted emperors around the two were forced back. Eighth ranks were still mighty even when projecting pure mental strength. Their real battle strength likely outstripped some sixth ranks.

It was clear to see from that how vast the gap between sixth and eighth rank was.

The two didn’t seem inclined to resign themselves to death. Since Li Hao had discovered them and was going on the offensive, they would destroy Allheaven Hall and expose this place’s coordinates. That would facilitate a faster arrival from Reincarnation and the others.

But how would Li Hao give them that opportunity?

It took only a moment before the two mental entities froze. As everyone watched on, shocked, the two eighth ranks fell apart in the blink of an eye. Endless mental strength drifted in all directions to be absorbed by exalted emperors in the surroundings.

Eighth rank mental strength was highly nutritious. It was negligible to Li Hao, but immensely helpful to the nearby exalted emperors!

Some exalted emperors showed a marked increase in their mental strength. However, the two deaths immediately stilled the surroundings. There’d been more troublemakers than the two eighth ranks, but all of them were quiet now.

The third rank who’d led the two Reincarnation exalted emperors into the hall roared with outrage, “Today is your doom, Li Hao! How dare you destroy the mental spirits of two venerated ones! Exalted emperors from Reincarnation are due upon us soon!” he shouted at the crowd. “Allheaven Hall is a joke! Do not be deceived by Li Hao, everyone!”

Li Hao listened quietly and waved a hand when the man was about done. The third rank exploded with a bang.

His mental strength was likewise absorbed by those around him, but this infusion was very weak since it only came from a third rank. There wasn’t much use to it.

Exalted emperors in the surroundings drew back with horror. Li Hao killed at the drop of a hat!

Some of the alliance exalted emperors behind Li Hao hesitated, including Myriad Changes. However, the man ultimately said, “Fellow Daoist Hao Moon... it’s one thing to kill the troublemakers, but is Reincarnation responsible for breaking the passageways?”

His unease steadily mounted. Why had the passageways vanished?

“Not at all!” Li Hao chuckled. “Reincarnation hardly has that ability to affect my Allheaven Hall. Why would he send people in to stop me, if he did? He could just smash it from the outside. I’m the one behind the passageways vanishing.”

People colored with renewed alarm at these words.

“There’s no need to worry, I know this must be nerve-wracking,” the young man continued. “I did so because I did not wish to involve your primary bodies in the events to come. A large number of powerhouses will be attacking us soon. It’s fine if our mental strength is destroyed, but it would be my oversight if events here affected your primary bodies!

“Although we face many strong foes this time, I am not wholly without preparations,” Li Hao laughed softly. “Someone seeks to stop the construction of my Allheaven Hall, but I shall not let them have their way.

“We are all exalted emperors here. I feel that many people are willing to participate in a gathering place for dao, to witness the might and dao comprehension of high ranks. Everyone is here in mental form. Even if your current projection is lost, it would not affect much!

“Right now, I would like to give the various protectors and the first batch of visitors a chance. I wonder if people are interested?”

“Daomaster Hao Moon, how do you explain yourself?” someone asked sternly from the crowd. “You broke the connection to give us an opportunity?”

“Correct!” Li Hao nodded. “A marvelous opportunity! Don’t you guys wish to observe time?” He smiled. “Don’t you wish to witness a battle between high ranks? The opportunity is at hand!”

He waved a hand and materialized a large river of dao. Countless stars hovered over it. They were very weak, but there were ten thousand of them.

“This is the dismantled dao of time.” Li Hao grinned radiantly. “It’s become stars of ten thousand daos. Fellow daoists who are willing to may enter them and study a dao up close! I will fight powerhouses in a few moments. You can sit in residence at the dao stars and personally participate in a battle between high ranks.

“If I win, then not only will everyone be able to comprehend time, but you’ll be able to bear witness and participate in a battle between eighth ranks! If I lose, then all you stand to lose is some mental strength!

“Only with effort invested do we stand to gain anything! It is up to everyone’s judgment and if you think this is a worthwhile tradeoff or not. You invest some mental strength. In return, you might gain an incredible bounty!”

A new uproar gripped the crowd after Li Hao’s offer. What??

Sitting in residence at the star of time, studying it themselves, participating in a battle between eighth ranks. This...

Rustles abounded in the crowd. A few figures floated out of the assembly, both male and female. Although their identities were concealed, they were clearly powerhouses.

“So Senior Hao Moon means to say that... our mental strength will be present within the dao star and can be a part of a battle between high ranks? Does the senior mean that you will need our help in this battle?”

“You can say that,” Li Hao nodded with a smile. “I won’t deny it. Primary bodies should stay out of it since it will indeed be dangerous, but mental strength... is up to you guys if you’re interested. I’ve always been a firm believer in strength in numbers.

“There’s several thousand of us here. You can freely choose the dao star most compatible with you. These daos are all very weak, but I’ll show you how the weakest dao can be incredibly strong after completing their combination!”

He’d come to select strong talent for his use. Having dismantled the dao of time, the myriad of daos drifted through the river. It was nice to not have anyone in residence, but if those holding down the fort and all exalted emperors... There were several thousand of them here in mental spirit form! While one or two exalted emperors were useless in this venture, that was hardly the case!

Once these exalted emperors became part of a dao, they would be the equivalent of several hundred exalted emperors assimilating into Li Hao’s dao. They weren’t the equivalent of real exalted emperors being here in person, but they would push Li Hao’s dao of assimilation to its peak!

The young man also spoke the truth, that these people would stand to gain a great deal if he won. They could personally meditate over the ten thousand daos of time and participate in a clash between high ranks. Such an opportunity might be out of reach for them for their entire lives!

If Li Hao lost, all they needed to do was to pay the price of their mental strength.

“Reincarnation’s group is almost here!” Li Hao chuckled. “I hope that people will make their decision as quickly as possible...”

“And what if we are unwilling?” someone called out.

“If you are not, well, you are probably unable to return to your primary bodies right now,” Li Hao laughed. “I can only find a safe place to silence you, then let you naturally awaken after a period of time.

“If I win, then I will bring you back. If I lose, then you can try and see if you can do it on your own.”

“So Senior Hao Moon is forcing our attendance?” someone grumbled.

“I said that you can be a part of it, or not,” Li Hao laughed.

“Then I want to go back to my primary body!”