New Martial found it acceptable to give Skycloud to Fog Mountain because Fog Mountain had once worked with the Sword Sovereign. His character was acceptable. After he entered eighth rank, that would create another eighth rank on New Martial’s side.

It would completely change the terms of engagement. One eighth rank could easily handle two or three seventh ranks.

It was fine if the Exalted Blood Emperor and Earth Emperor didn’t ascend. New Martial would be abundant in yang qi once it took down Blazing Sun. They could produce more than two seventh ranks then!

Fog Mountain lost himself in thought. Whether it was Li Hao, the Human King, or the New Martial supreme...

Each of these unforgettable people gave him quite the shock at their first meeting.

He’d met the New Martial supreme only once thus far. The other didn’t say anything to his request for a favor. Not only did the supreme agree, but he even threw in Skycloud. That was an eighth rank major world! What a show of generosity this was!

It brought Li Hao to mind. The young man operated in a similar fashion. After taking down the four major worlds, he’d doled them out in an extremely generous fashion. He hadn’t kept anything for himself.

The same went for this New Martial group. They were so giving that an eighth rank world was nothing to them!

Fog Mountain was briefly lost in thought.

“Does the fellow daoist have reservations or other concerns?” asked the supreme. “If the fellow daoist thinks it would not reflect well on you if word of our arrangement gets out, we can... fully eliminate everyone!”

Supreme Zhang made this offer in a very lighthearted, noncommittal manner. It sent waves of shock through Fog Mountain’s heart.

Eliminating everyone... was not a simple task. Did he mean that New Martial could exterminate Skycloud?

“Supreme Zhang of New Martial well deserves his name!” Fog Mountain took a deep breath. “I am honored and fortunate to make your acquaintances. I won’t put on a big show—if you really give me Skycloud, I’ll take it!

“Not only will I take it, but I want to save some people in it. Don’t worry, they’re all my people. They’ve just had to bide their time in the world because I am not the master of dao. If I can set foot into eighth rank, then I will be the vanguard in the assault on Blazing Sun!”

Fog Mountain was very decisive in this moment.

“I only want a sixth rank world to resettle the people in. If I devour the dao universe, I will be sure to enter eighth rank! The world strength of an eighth rank world...” Fog Mountain glanced at the Exalted Blood Emperor and Earth Emperor. “I see that these two fellow daoists are just one step short. That world strength will propel them over the threshold.

“It is a similar case to when the Sword Sovereign ascended—Skycloud’s world strength will help at least one of them enter seventh rank!

“Hence, we can just devour Skycloud!”

The supreme laughed with surprise. Fog Mountain was an interesting person. He really was taking them up on their offer.

Since the world master dared to set himself against New Martial, then he’s going to lose his world today! I am a Skycloud citizen at the end of the day. I can save some people if I enter eighth rank.

There was no guilt to speak of in Fog Mountain. He was the one who’d been abandoned by Skycloud, after all.

The exalted emperors standing behind the supreme looked at Fog Mountain with odd expressions. Li Zhu and the Sword Sovereign were exceptions, however, because they were familiar with the man.

“Brother Fog Mountain is a wondrous person,” smiled the Sword Sovereign. “If he enters eighth rank, we are sure to have an easier time of breaking into Blazing Sun with his help! Otherwise, there will be at least four seventh or eighth ranks in residence at the world, with a potential of seven or eight of that level.

“We would still be confident in taking the world, but losses would be a given. Ash Cat and Fang Ping aren’t with us, so we can’t utilize the power of Yin and Yang. We’d find it hard to explain ourselves if the loss is too great!”

He spoke up as an intermediary, wanting to dispel some doubts from the situation.

“Then I’ll notify my people first.” Fog Mountain took a deep breath. “It’s very difficult to break into an eighth rank world from the outside. With the lesson posed by Red Moon, there must be defensive measures in place even with only two seventh ranks holding down the fort.

“I’ll try to enter Skycloud’s dao universe once more. If I can, I’ll attack from both inside and outside. I know the two seventh ranks well, they won’t hold out for long!”

The supreme nodded with a smile. This was the easiest and most direct way. Fog Mountain... was truly an interesting person.

It would seem that the Silver Moon king chose to partner with interesting people. Void, Fog Mountain, and Orchid Forest all had fun qualities about them. As young as Li Hao was, his eye for talent was not bad.

If Fog Mountain had insisting on living or dying with Skycloud major world, then New Martial would’ve sent him to his grave alongside that world!

Who knew how much trouble Fang Ping and Ash Cat were in? They’d paid such an enormous price to ensure that things progressed to their current state, so Supreme Zhang wouldn’t possibly forget attacking Skycloud just for someone they’d once partnered with.

That would only turn the two sides into enemies!

“Be careful, Ole Zhang,” someone’s voice rang by the supreme’s ear. “If this guy becomes part of Skycloud with the strength of peak seventh rank... then we might be in greater trouble than before. We must be on guard against anything!”

Some people weren’t at ease with the Sword Sovereign’s declaration because the man was a straight shooter.

“Don’t worry,” the supreme transmitted back with a smile. “Even if I make a mistake, Li Zhu’s known the man for a while. He hasn’t said anything. He’s as petty as they come, so he would’ve said something a long time ago if he thought this wasn’t a good course of action...”

The person who sent the transmission nodded. Fair enough!

Fog Mountain vanished from sight.

......

Moments later.

Disturbances rang through Skycloud and the two seventh ranks flared their presences.

“It’s you?!” A stern shout echoed through the world. “Fog Mountain, how dare...”

Angry shouts rose and fell through the void. Fog Mountain’s voice echoed through the air as well. “I’m back! The world master is incompetent and lacks morals. He has been trapped within Skyward’s dao universe and cannot escape. The world is on the verge of collapse, I have come back to save everyone!”

“Bullshit, Fog Mountain, you—“

Boom!

Combat erupted with a roar in multiple parts of the world. Clearly, Fog Mountain’s people had risen up as well.

In the void.

The supreme smiled after taking a look. It was very hard to breach a major world like this from the outside. Defenses tended to be very tough. But if it was beset by internal disturbance... then it would be all too easy to break into.

“Let’s go!” laughed the supreme. A group of people moved forward and passed through the world gates in the blink of an eye. There was no one on guard here! 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Or rather, the two seventh ranks had been here, but they were alarmed and frightened after Fog Mountain ventured in. They’d left to fight him, leaving the world gate empty!

An eighth rank major world was very adept at defending itself. But once the world gates were breached and invaders entered, then it would take the world master to deploy an effective response.

The two seventh ranks entangled with Fog Mountain didn’t have time to react before a fist came their way. Dressed in flowery pants, the Sun God didn’t bother to say anything. He crushed the void with utmost strength!

He seemed to have casually thrown a punch, but immediately obliterated a seventh rank. If compared just in terms of pure offensive strength, it was on par with the stroke that Li Hao had used to kill Long Xuan.

This was the most they could bring to bear when the Human King did not combine yin and yang.

The Sun God’s singular punch eliminated one seventh rank. On the other side, a calm Supreme Zhang summoned his book and brought it down on the other seventh rank, easily overpowering the man!

Skycloud’s dao universe seems to agitate and an angry roar echoed through it. “Bastards, how dare you invade Skycloud...”

“Shut up!” The Sword Sovereign aimed a blow at the dao universe. What’s a trapped guy whining about?

It took only a moment!

Bam!

The dao universe split open; the voice vanished.

Two seventh ranks were eradicated in the blink of an eye. Their dao marks hovered into sight.

“Don’t kill them, laughed the supreme. “Strip them of their dao strength and turn them over to Brother Fog Mountain! Do the same with all of the other Skycloud powerhouses!”

Fog Mountain was stunned by what’d transpired. These people were so strong!

It was one thing if their leader, the Human King, could annihilate a seventh rank with one blow. But all of them were so strong! Each of them were stronger than typical seventh ranks. Now that was unusual indeed.

Fog Mountain’s heart pounded, glad that he hadn’t acted impulsively. These people might break through an eighth rank world by themselves, even if the world master was in residence.

“Brother Fog Mountain, hurry and absorb dao strength. Devour the dao universe before its master strips it of strength to preserve himself...”

Although the Skycloud master could not leave the Skyward dao universe, he was still connected to his dao universe. If Li Hao hadn’t damaged Red Moon’s dao origin, then Red Moon might have gotten away with more dao strength.

Fog Mountain didn’t say anything. It was hard for regular people to enter the dao universe, but he’d been second-in-command of the world. He could naturally enter it. It’d be difficult to pull it off if Skycloud had walked freely, but it was a different picture with the man trapped!

Fog Mountain quickly drew upon the dao universe, devouring everything he took in as opposed to preserving it!

Based on what Li Hao once said, everyone could be a master of their own world. What did he want someone else’s dao universe for? He would absorb whatever he could to prevent sleepless nights!

This decision indicated that Fog Mountain was being slightly affected by recent events. Otherwise, it would’ve been a better idea for him to retain the eighth rank dao universe and become the dao master himself.

But seeing how the eighth ranks he was aware of were often dragged down by their dao universe and world... Fog Mountain decided to swallow Skycloud’s dao universe and leave nothing behind!

It was hard for a peak seventh rank to enter eighth rank, but he was of the same origin as Skycloud and deeply familiar with it. Hence, he devoured it at a very fast pace.

An enormous star deep within the depths of the dao universe pulsed angrily. The Skycloud master could sense everything happening to his domain!

That filth Fog Mountain was swallowing his dao universe!

He’d already be careful to take precautions when Red Moon fell to foul play, but he’d set foot into a trap nonetheless! He was trapped in Skyward, in the same situation as Red Moon had found himself in!