Shen Xue was utterly panicked, realizing that this tyrant might actually save the world.

The bloody stench in the underground palace had yet to fully dissipate.

But as that half-step ninth-grade phantom was swallowed alive by the new Son of Heaven's Sword, the crowd, whose nerves had been stretched to the breaking point, finally had a moment of respite.

However, this respite was not an easy one.

Instead, it felt heavier than when they were engaged in slaughter just moments ago.

Because everyone remembered those dying words.

"The true eyes are at the Crimson Moon."

If the crowd's previous understanding of this great tribulation had remained at the level of "something went wrong with the demon-suppressing rift," "the Heavenly Secret Pavilion might have intervened," or "there are variables in the Yan Mountain Secret Realm," then now, the direction had suddenly become frighteningly clear.

Clarity, sometimes, was even more terrifying.

Because when things were ambiguous, people could still hold onto a fluke, thinking it might just be a localized loss of control; but once it pointed to the Crimson Moon Demonic Sect, it meant that behind this incident, there likely stood a massive faction that had begun plotting long ago.

Moreover, they weren't just causing trouble.

They were aiming for a cataclysm.

Shen Xue stood by the shattered altar, her face a few shades paler than usual. Her fingers clenched tightly within her sleeves, her knuckles turning slightly pale.

It wasn't her first time dealing with the Crimson Moon.

The Ice and Snow Divine Palace and the Demonic Sect had been in a standoff for years, clashing both openly and in secret more than once. Because of this, she understood better than anyone else what the words "the true eyes" meant.

It wasn't a stronghold, nor was it a hidden channel.

It was a "nexus."

It was some kind of core arrangement capable of affecting the entire grand scheme.

If what this phantom said before it died was true, then the Crimson Moon was likely no longer just a simple demonic sect headquarters, but a source nurturing a great disaster.

Thinking of this, a trace of lingering fear even sprouted in her heart.

Because before coming to the Yan Mountain Secret Realm, it wasn't as if she didn't have other calculations in mind.

The Great Zhou was strong, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was insidious, and the Crimson Moon Demonic Sect was hidden; the situation of the world was like a tightly stretched net. Her original thought was to use the mutual restraint of these parties to fight for the greatest room to maneuver for the Ice and Snow Divine Palace.

To put it bluntly, let others wear themselves out first.

As long as the Great Zhou, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and the Demonic Sect fought fiercely enough, the Ice and Snow Divine Palace could protect itself with the minimum cost.

This thought wasn't strange.

It was even very normal.

From a sect's standpoint, preserving oneself was always the priority.

But the problem was, she now suddenly realized—if the situation had truly deteriorated to this point, continuing to think about "watching from the sidelines" and "leveraging the situation" might not necessarily save them.

Because in the end, there might be very few people capable of suppressing the situation.

Even looking at the various factions today, the one who looked most like the person who could forcefully hold the situation down was, surprisingly, Wang Hao.

This realization made her extremely uncomfortable.

And extremely hard to deny.

"What are you thinking about?"

A voice suddenly came from her side.

Shen Xue turned around and saw Wang Hao walking over.

Having just experienced a great battle, his sleeves were still stained with unfaded black blood and dust, and his expression could hardly be called relaxed. But compared to the wretched state of the crowd after the battle, the steadiness about him was even more apparent.

Especially at this moment, he no longer wore his usual punchable smile. With his brows slightly drawn together, his entire person exuded a rare solemnity.

Shen Xue's heart skipped a beat.

She didn't like this feeling.

Because once this man stopped acting like a rogue and stopped being foul-mouthed, his lethality would inexplicably become even stronger.

"Nothing," her tone remained cold.

Wang Hao glanced at her and didn't expose her. He merely followed her gaze toward the rift and said softly, "You're worried about the Crimson Moon."

It wasn't a question.

It was a statement.

Shen Xue remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.

"If what that phantom said is true, the problem over at the Crimson Moon is probably more serious than here."

"Not probably." Wang Hao stood with his hands behind his back, his tone as calm as if he were stating a foregone conclusion. "It's a certainty."

"The Yan Mountain Secret Realm, when it comes down to it, is a demon-suppressing land left behind by the Martial God. Even if something went wrong, the foundation is still there, and the seal hasn't completely collapsed."

"But the Crimson Moon is different."

"If there really is an 'eye' there, it means someone is actively nurturing the disaster, even using living people, the Demonic Sect's territory, or something even deeper to feed it."

He paused here.

"A passive rift and actively nurturing demons are entirely different concepts."

Shen Xue's gaze focused.

She had a similar judgment to begin with, but she had always been unwilling to think of things in the worst possible way. Now that Wang Hao had mercilessly pointed it out, that thin veil of self-deception was completely shattered.

"So?" She looked at him. "What do you plan to do?"

After asking this, even she herself was slightly stunned.

Because this was no longer an ordinary conversation.

It meant she was seeking Wang Hao's judgment.

For someone like her, this was an almost rare concession.

Wang Hao, naturally, could hear it too.

So he first nodded with satisfaction in his heart.

Very good.

Her mindset was beginning to loosen.

The previous act wasn't performed in vain.

Oh no, it wasn't fought in vain.

However, he didn't show the slightest bit of it on his face. He just sighed softly, and a trace of indescribable exhaustion and heaviness actually surfaced in his expression.

"What can be done?"

"The situation has reached this point; I can't just pretend not to see it."

"The people of the world can retreat, but We cannot."

As soon as these words came out, let alone Shen Xue, even Yun Meng not far away was stunned for a moment, and then her expression became extremely strange.

Her first reaction was: This dog is starting again.

But her second reaction was: Yet it actually looks quite convincing.

Because in a situation like this, having just experienced a fierce battle, and with the situation suddenly drawing out a larger source of disaster, Wang Hao's phrase "The people of the world can retreat, but We cannot" truly had no small impact.

Especially since he wasn't smiling mischievously this time.

He wasn't deliberately trying to take advantage.

He was just looking at the rift, as if he were very seriously stating something he was supposed to do anyway.

Ren Mingyue's eyelids twitched as she listened from the side.

She understood Wang Hao too well.

At least, she understood him a bit more than the others. After all, they had shared a room, even if it was passive.

The words that came out of this man's mouth were usually thirty percent truth and seventy percent calculation; but the most terrifying part was that his thirty percent truth was often moving enough.

Just like now.

To say he was acting, it wasn't necessarily all an act.

He indeed wouldn't sit back and watch the situation spiral out of control.

Because to him, the world falling into chaos was in itself a threat to imperial power and a detriment to his plans.

He wanted to stabilize the world, both for himself and for the Great Zhou.

But if you said he was purely righteous and awe-inspiring, that was absolutely not the case either.

He knew very well how much of an impact his posture of "knowing there is a great tribulation ahead, yet still willing to enter the fray" would have on someone like Shen Xue, who had a firm will but bore the responsibilities of her sect.

He didn't even need to say much.

As long as he established that figure from behind, it would be enough.

Shameless.

Truly shameless.

But unfortunately... it was effective.

Shen Xue looked at Wang Hao and didn't speak for a moment.

She had never believed in pretty words.

But some things weren't judged by "whether you believe it or not," but by "whether he did it."

From Yan Mountain all the way until now, although Wang Hao's methods were dirty, his mouth was foul, and he always loved to throw people into pits, every time the grand scheme was truly about to collapse, the one who stepped forward to hold down the fort was indeed him.

This point couldn't deceive anyone.

"If the Crimson Moon truly becomes a source of disaster, you, an Emperor of Great Zhou, might not be able to withstand it." Her voice was lower than before.

"I still have to withstand it," Wang Hao answered calmly.

Then he turned to look at her and suddenly smiled.

The smile wasn't arrogant; rather, it was somewhat faint.

"I can't exactly count on Xie Wujiu, can I?"

"Aside from hiding in the background and pulling dirty tricks from afar, that old geezer hasn't shown any world-saving abilities yet."

"As for the Crimson Moon Demonic Sect..." He paused, his eyes turning slightly cold. "If I don't go, should I just wait for them to nurture the disaster to fruition and let the people of the world be buried with it?"

Shen Xue's heart trembled slightly.

She knew it was just talk.

She knew there was an element of him saying this deliberately for her to hear.

Yet, she still couldn't avoid being struck by these words.

Because she suddenly realized that the biggest difference between Wang Hao and her, as well as many sect leaders, was that he wouldn't use "the situation is too dangerous" as an excuse to retreat.

He would only use it as a reason to step onto the battlefield.

This kind of person was crazy.

And terrifying.

But in chaotic times, they were indeed the ones most likely to hold up the collapsing sky.

She remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly, "The Ice Snow Divine Palace can send more personnel."

The moment these words left her mouth, Ren Mingyue almost wanted to laugh.

Here it comes.

It really came.

This was Wang Hao's favorite rhythm.

First, he would let you see how shameless and punchable he was, then he would show you that he could truly hold his ground, and finally, at the critical moment, he would strike a pose of "though there be millions opposing me, I shall march forward."

In the end, you would willingly take a step forward yourself.

And Wang Hao was obviously waiting for this exact sentence.

But he didn't accept it immediately.

He even shook his head gently, his tone very mild: "The Divine Palace has already contributed a lot. They have already sent you here; there is no need to force yourselves."

Shen Xue looked up at him. This dog emperor is truly shameless. Did I want to come?

Wang Hao continued, "This is fundamentally a tribulation within the borders of Great Zhou. If I cannot even bear this little matter, how can I talk about ruling the world?"

This sentence was even more ruthless than the last.

Because the refusal was too dignified.

Yun Meng's mouth twitched as she listened from the side.

She had seen right through it.

How was this dog emperor declining? He was clearly elevating his posture even higher, forcing others to feel too embarrassed to back down.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the last bit of hesitation in Shen Xue's eyes faded instead.

"I am speaking for the Divine Palace, it is not forced," her tone regained some of its coldness, though it lacked its usual sharpness. "If the Crimson Moon truly becomes the eye of the disaster, then it won't just be Great Zhou's problem."

"The Ice Snow Divine Palace is willing to share border intelligence with Great Zhou, dispatch two batches of elders and disciples southward, and open three teleportation nodes in the Northern Territory for military convenience."

This was no longer simple personnel support.

This was genuine, deep collaboration.

The eyelids of the several Wang family ancestors twitched slightly upon hearing this.

An orthodox major sect of the Ice Snow Divine Palace's caliber, ranked among the very best of the hidden sects, had always valued boundaries the most. If it weren't for their shameless grandnephew forcing them to take a side, they definitely would have remained neutral. Now that the reigning Holy Maiden could say something like "open teleportation nodes," it was practically taking a public stance.

Ren Mingyue couldn't help but praise in her heart.

Truly ruthless.

With this move, after fighting a battle, Wang Hao conveniently pulled the Divine Palace behind Shen Xue even further onto his boat.

If he acted a little more right now, he could basically nail this cooperation down completely.

As expected, Wang Hao was first taken aback, then revealed a perfectly measured look of being moved.

Not wild joy.

Not smugness.

But rather a look that said, "I originally did not want to burden you, but since you are willing to stand united with the world, I will remember this."

"The Divine Palace is highly righteous," he said softly.

Shen Xue met his gaze, and her heart inexplicably skipped a beat. She hastily looked away.

She really disliked her momentary loss of balance.

She was even a bit annoyed.

She clearly knew that this man was scheming and calculating, yet whenever he stepped up at the exact moment he needed to, those schemes would become less important.

At least, in the face of the grand scheme of things, they weren't that important.

Wang Hao, however, acted as if he hadn't noticed her momentary fluctuation, and simply took a pre-prepared gold-patterned treaty scroll from Wei Zhongxian's hands.

"Since that is the case, relying merely on empty words would make it seem as though I do not respect the Divine Palace's sincerity."

Shen Xue: "..."

Ren Mingyue: "..."

Yun Meng: "..."

Here it comes.

It really came after all.

The heavy sense of "worrying about the country and the people" from just a moment ago hadn't even been fully digested, and this bastard had already pulled a treaty out of his sleeve.

And judging by the freshness of the scroll's edges, it clearly wasn't written on the spot.

What did this mean?

It meant this bastard had likely prepared it long ago!

He paid lip service saying "the Divine Palace is highly righteous" and "I don't wish to burden you," but in reality, he had even drafted the formatting, just waiting for your heart to soften so you'd jump right in.

Shen Xue stared at the treaty scroll, silent for a full three breaths.

She suddenly had the urge to turn around and leave.

Unfortunately, she couldn't.

Because she had already spoken the words just now.

Moreover, reason told her that the Divine Palace indeed needed this alliance.

In the end, she still reached out and took it.

Upon seeing the contents, her eyelids twitched slightly again.

The clauses were written in a grand and majestic manner, mentioning things like "jointly resisting the disaster," "mutual exchange of resources," and "coordinated border defense." Every single clause was full of righteousness, making it impossible to pick out any obvious flaws.

But upon closer inspection, one would find that all the conveniences practically allowed Great Zhou's sphere of activity and intelligence tentacles in the Northern Territory to extend even further.

It was too familiar.

This was Wang Hao's style of cooperation.

On the surface, it was a win-win.

In its bones, it was you helping me win more.

"You prepared very thoroughly," Shen Xue said lightly.

Wang Hao's expression remained unchanged. "I have always taken precautions before it rains."

Shen Xue was almost angered into laughing by his self-righteous appearance.

Taking a deep breath, she still left the Divine Palace's seal on the treaty.

In that moment, a trace of satisfaction flashed swiftly across Wang Hao's eyes.

It was done.

And it went even smoother than expected.

However, his words remained very serious: "Once the matter of the Crimson Moon is resolved, I will personally visit the Divine Palace to express my gratitude to the Palace Master."

Shen Xue raised her eyes to look at him, but didn't respond to that sentence.

Because she suddenly didn't dare to think further.

She was afraid that if she thought about it, she would realize whether her step today was truly for the sake of the Divine Palace's situation, or if, just a little bit, she had been distracted by the sight of this man's back as he stood at the very front in the underground palace.

She had always slept very soundly.

But this night was destined to be restless.

That night.

At the outer camp of the Yan Mountain Secret Realm, the wind and snow had not ceased.

Shen Xue sat alone in her quiet tent for a long time. The flickering lamplight illuminated her side profile, making her look cold and serene.

Yet, only she knew how chaotic her heart was.

On the table lay the treaty scroll, already stamped with the Divine Palace's seal.

She looked at it over and over, wanting to pick out more traces of Wang Hao's calculations so she could calm herself down a bit. But every time her gaze fell to the end, she would uncontrollably recall that scene in the underground palace.

Black mist surging, the crowd panicking.

That man standing at the very front, holding the battle seal, with lightning pressing down from above.

He was clearly so detestable no matter how she usually looked at him, yet in that moment, his back was so steady it made her heart flutter with annoyance.

"Truly crazy... even crazier than that night."

She closed her eyes and muttered softly.

This night, she barely slept at all.

And tossing and turning in her mind was entirely the image of Wang Hao walking toward the eerie shadows at the very end.

She suddenly realized an even worse problem, one that put her on guard far more than the Crimson Moon Calamity Eye itself—

She might actually be starting to believe that this tyrant could truly save the world.

Once this thought took root, it was incredibly difficult to suppress.

And to her, this was far more dangerous than insomnia.