Chapter 312: Betrayal, Reaching the Ultimate Boundary of Strength
The indifference and supremacy conveyed through the divine will were as if gazing down upon the world from the clouds.
However, that trace of Heavenly Venerable intent stood even above the clouds, looking down upon all living beings with even greater indifference and majesty!
"Hmm?"
A faint hint of surprise seemed to emanate from the divine will.
Immediately, the Heavenly Venerable intent ruthlessly suppressed it, forcibly severing that divine will that spanned thousands of miles!
As the divine will dissipated, only a surge of immense force remained in the space.
Li Hao's newly formed body was once again shattered by the chaotic force, turning into countless fragments.
But soon, he was reborn from a drop of blood once more. As long as a single drop of blood remained, he would be immortal. This was the power of the Threefold Immortality Ultimate Boundary.
Taking advantage of the brief respite when the divine will was severed, Li Hao quickly reassembled himself, transforming to the extreme state of an immortal, and then sped away.
However, the surrounding space was chaotic, making it impossible to distinguish between directions. Even with his acute sensitivity to the heavens and earth in his extreme immortal state, Li Hao felt as if he were in a river with no shore in sight, the space around him seemingly shifting at any moment.
The immortal gate that had been right in front of him now seemed to be isolated by layers of space, unreachable.
Li Hao's heart was filled with both shock and anger as he quickly activated various body refining techniques.
Earlier, when summoned by Chu Jiuyue, he had stepped into the Enlightenment Realm, but had not yet fully completed his cultivation. The Dao energy had not been fully converted, and many body refining techniques had not been fully practiced to temper his body.
At this moment, taking advantage of the surging power of heaven and earth, Li Hao suddenly activated the Primordial Dao Body.
The surging power flowed into his body. This originally incomplete technique had now been deduced by Li Hao to the Dao level, allowing him to cultivate the Supreme Dao Body, temporarily becoming one with the Dao, making him elusive, undetectable, and invincible!
As the technique operated, Li Hao's flesh and blood were also being refined and enhanced, and his physical strength slowly increased.
While concealing his presence with the Supreme Dao Body, Li Hao groped for an exit in this chaotic space.
But it didn't take long before a powerful will descended upon him—it was the same divine will that had been severed earlier.
However, this time, beyond the indifference, there was a clear trace of anger.
For his divine will to be severed was simply unimaginable!
Moreover, the vast and boundless intent that had severed his will seemed not to be the will of an individual, but the suppression of the entire sky.
This was a power beyond his comprehension.
As the divine will descended, through his understanding of the void, he quickly captured Li Hao's presence.
Though extremely concealed and merged with the Dao, he still noticed it.
Had it been any other sage, they might not have detected it.
To think that he could merge with the Dao... this truly deserves death!
With a bang, a vast force swept over, once again targeting Li Hao for annihilation.
Li Hao, upon realizing he had been discovered, was both shocked and furious. He hadn't expected this sage to be so relentless.
Roaring, he once again condensed the Heavenly Venerable intent, slashing out.
"Whose will is this?!"
That divine will was instantly severed, seeming to be truly enraged. Without the manipulation of divine will, the power locked onto its original target, quickly acting upon Li Hao.
Li Hao swiftly activated the Supreme Dao Body, merging with the Dao, like a gust of wind. Yet, even in this Dao form, his body was sliced apart.
The Dao cannot be annihilated, but it can be cut, just as Li Hao had previously done to the six Dao Realm beings. With enough oppressive force, the Dao could be split like flowing water. Though not annihilated, even if shattered into billions of pieces, the Dao would remain intact, though disconnected.
Li Hao hastily tried to heal himself once more, entering the extreme immortal state, using his sensitivity to the heavens and earth to search for an exit in the chaotic space.
If he stayed here, he would eventually be found again.
However, before Li Hao could catch his breath, that severed divine will condensed once more.
And this time, it wasn't just divine will—a vague figure appeared in the void, a projection of the sage's true form.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, the vague figure raised its hand, and this time, the killing intent was even stronger. The surrounding void seemed to suddenly contract, and countless razor-sharp void blades, like a hurricane, swept towards Li Hao.
Li Hao's eyes widened in fury as he swung his Dao Sword, slashing out violently.
The sword energy surged like a river, reverberating in the chaotic void, but was soon overwhelmed by the chaotic force, which crushed down relentlessly.
Li Hao hurriedly condensed another thread of Heavenly Venerable intent, slashing towards the projection.
But this time, the projection was prepared. Raising its hand, it created layers of space that extended the suppression of the Heavenly Venerable intent.
However, the Heavenly Venerable intent seemed to transcend time and space, still managing to accurately suppress the projection despite all the defenses.
The vague figure trembled slightly, almost disappearing. The divine will was restrained, but this time it did not dissipate completely. With the projection as support, it managed to endure.
Nevertheless, Li Hao's actions thoroughly enraged it.
Countless violent whirlpools surged in the void, rushing to devour Li Hao.
Li Hao felt as if he were adrift in the ocean, and his opponent was the master of this void sea, able to summon wind and rain at will.
"Break!!"
Li Hao's eyes glowed with madness as he roared.
Having survived countless tribulations, he refused to die here.
He hadn't shed tears before the Divine Might Blade, nor had he bled before countless demons beyond the pass. But now, he unleashed his soaring will, furiously circulating all his Dao energy and pushing his physical strength, as well as the heaven and earth power he commanded, to the extreme.
Boom!
He mobilized a portion of the void's power, slashing it violently towards the surrounding whirlpools.
The whirlpools were torn apart, but the next moment, more void storms swept in, endless and unceasing.
Even just a projection manipulated by divine will had methods and power surpassing the Dao Realm by dozens of times!
Puff!
Li Hao's body was torn apart, his flesh and blood shredded by the void's power, unstoppable, reducing his body to fragments.
Even in his Dao form, merged with the heavens and earth, this void power could still cut through, for this was the attack of a sage!
Li Hao desperately activated various Dao-level body refining techniques, trying to resist the encroaching power, but his body was still being torn apart.
His blood and bones scattered, intense pain flooding his consciousness. At that moment, his mind, dominated by the thread of Heavenly Venerable intent, suppressed everything, including his own pain.
He struggled to gather his remains, striving to regenerate from a drop of blood.
But at that moment, the vague projection sensed Li Hao's intent. After two previous encounters, it had already grasped Li Hao's survival methods. It raised its hand and pointed, causing the void to boil and tremble. Countless razor-sharp forces sliced through Li Hao's scattered remains.
The scattered blood was churned and utterly annihilated.
Li Hao's consciousness trembled, filled with terror and dread. His opponent aimed to obliterate all his flesh and blood, leaving nothing behind!
Although he could regenerate from a drop of blood, if not a single drop remained, death was inevitable!
Since emerging from the abyss, this was the first time Li Hao faced absolute despair, and it was merely a projection of a sage.
He had once thought that the gap between the Enlightenment Realm and the Sage Realm was just one stage, but now he felt as if it were the difference between clouds and mud. Before a sage, everything was as insignificant as ants. Even the Enlightenment Realm was just a slightly larger ant, with no ability to resist.
From his broken body, suddenly, a domain was released. Forty-nine layers of domains spread out instantly, forming an absolute field.
But the next moment, this domain was invaded by the unstoppable void power, gradually being torn apart. The supreme laws contained in the void were like blades honed to perfection, slicing through the domain. Although it seemed slow, like cutting through a thick book, it was still tearing it apart!
"Hmm?"
The vague projection's divine will revealed a trace of surprise. Clearly, it hadn't expected Li Hao to have so many techniques. Forty-nine layers of domains were quite exaggerated.
With such effort, if he had focused on cultivating his realm, he might even have walked the path of Sacrificial Dao.
Boom~!
More void power surged in.
Li Hao watched helplessly as the domain was invaded and torn apart, unable to stop it. At this point, he had only one final card to play.
His consciousness rushed into his sea of consciousness, activating the sage's mark!
With a hum, the silver-gray mark seemed to stretch out in his sea of consciousness.
Then, waves of vast and boundless aura began to spread from Li Hao's sea of consciousness.
Li Hao had a deep impression of the sage who had bestowed the mark upon him, as if he were seated in a divine realm, surrounded by divine radiance and the Dao, untouched by the mundane world.
Now, he had no choice but to seek help from this sage.
He had delayed activating the mark earlier because he wanted to rely on himself as much as possible, avoiding the burden of more favors. But now, there was no other option.
"Hmm?"
As the sage's aura spread from within Li Hao, the vague projection of the other sage frowned slightly and immediately intensified his attacks, intending to annihilate Li Hao completely.
However, as the mark was activated, the hazy aura it released enveloped Li Hao's body, shielding him from some of the attacks.
At the same time, a vague figure appeared before Li Hao—the very sage who had bestowed the mark.
"Save me," Li Hao hurriedly pleaded.
The sage looked at Li Hao with some surprise. "You're still alive?"
"What?" Li Hao was stunned, feeling as if a thunderbolt had struck his mind, leaving him bewildered as he stared at the figure.
This figure seemed to be separated by an infinite void, its form indistinct, making it impossible to see its face clearly, yet its voice was transmitted with utmost clarity.
"You..." Li Hao felt his thoughts becoming chaotic. What did this mean?
But at that moment, the sage no longer paid attention to him, instead focusing on the nearby Void Sage's projection. With a slight sense of realization, he said, "Being hunted down, huh? In that case, it's convenient for me. I had planned to slowly render you useless under my tutelage, but this will save me the trouble."
"Yang Sage?" The Void Sage's projection recognized the sage Li Hao had summoned.
Sages live for eons, and clearly, they knew each other.
"Void Sage, why would a mere junior arouse your killing intent? You have no grudge against the Ji family, do you?" The projection of the Yang Sage asked curiously, probing for information.
Hearing this, Li Hao felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, chilling him from head to toe. He suddenly became clear-headed.
But what followed was a surge of anger and fury.
Everything had been so abrupt—he had detected no signs at all earlier and had thought he held a trump card.
But it turned out that the offer to take him as a disciple was a sham?
Moreover, judging by the conversation, it seemed that this sage had a grudge against the Ji family?
Was the mark given to him with the intent to kill him?!
"Is this boy a descendant of the Ji family? I see..." The Void Sage's projection, hearing the Yang Sage's words, immediately relaxed his hostility.
He knew that the Yang Sage had a significant grudge against the Ji family's ancestor, who had later perished and been reincarnated. Since the reincarnated form had severed ties with the past life, not even a sage could trace it, unless the reincarnated person themselves awakened their memories and regained their sagehood.
"In that case, I shall finish this boy off. You won't interfere, Yang Sage?" The Void Sage's projection said calmly.
"Of course not. In fact, it saves me the trouble. Even if you didn't act, I would have done so myself. This place is no longer the Ji family, nor the human realm. Killing him here won't alert the Ji family," the Yang Sage said with interest. "I'm just curious—how did he provoke you?"
"He injured my holy son. He deserves to die," the Void Sage's projection replied succinctly.
He didn't mention that this boy was in the Seven Extremes Realm during the human world's apprenticeship trial. If this news spread, it would shake the entire land of the saints. Though he knew this information couldn't be kept hidden, as it was witnessed by both the Origin Sacred Land and the Celestial Phoenix Sacred Land, he intended to kill Li Hao before the news spread, so that everything would fade into obscurity.
A genius who shone brightly but briefly would, at most, be mentioned by others in passing before fading away, buried in the dust of time.
If he revealed this information now, it could complicate matters and provoke unexpected reactions.
"I see." The Yang Sage nodded and didn't dwell on it further. Other than this point, he couldn't think of any other reason why Li Hao would provoke a sage.
"Then I'll leave it to you." The Yang Sage said, turning to look at Li Hao with a faint smile, as if mocking him.
"Begging for my help? Did you ever wonder why I was the first to appear after the Ji family's Extreme Dao Monument test? Do you think the person who frequently loitered around your doorstep was your neighbor or your enemy?"
He sneered... "The Ji family, I'll make sure they never rise again!"
With a slight smirk, his figure gradually faded before Li Hao's eyes, showing no concern that Li Hao might survive this ordeal.
After all, with a sage's projection personally attacking, even the most extraordinary genius would be doomed.
Seeing the Yang Sage disappear without taking action, Li Hao felt a mixture of shock and anger, but also a slight sense of relief.
What he thought was a strong ally had almost become his downfall!
Sages... Sages... Li Hao clenched his fists, filled with an indescribable fury.
While the two had been conversing, he had quietly healed his body and also understood the treachery behind the mark.
The Yang Sage was the enemy of the Ji family's ancestor and had been keeping a close eye on the Ji family. The Extreme Dao Monument test was the best way to reveal the talents of prodigies. If the Ji family truly produced a genius of the Four Extremes Realm, it would be detected by the Yang Sage, who would then lure them into a trap under the guise of apprenticeship!
It was all a conspiracy, a scheme of the sage. Though he hadn't wiped out the Ji family, he had effectively doomed them!
There would be no hope for advancement as long as this sage lived!
In the face of a sage, they were reduced to mere pawns, thinking they had a future, but in reality, there was no hope at all.
At this moment, Li Hao couldn't help but feel a tinge of gratitude that he had too many things he wanted to accomplish. If he had been in too much of a hurry and activated the mark to apprentice himself to the Yang Sage...
Given his previous situation in the human realm, the Yang Sage would have accepted him, only to either lead him astray, making it impossible for him to become a sage, or simply kill him outright.
Nothing could be more satisfying and reassuring than raising the offspring of an enemy under one's own watch, making them work for you.
Devious and ruthless!
At this moment, Li Hao also realized that sages were not without desires; in fact, their desires were immense and unimaginable!
But there was no time to dwell on these thoughts now. His gaze turned to the Void Sage's projection, his anger growing heavier and more sinister.
"That was your final trump card, wasn't it? Now you must die."
The Void Sage said coldly, as if passing judgment on Li Hao.
Without any delay, as soon as the words left his mouth, the surrounding void power surged like boiling water, transforming into countless sharp blades that pressed down on Li Hao with unstoppable force.
Li Hao's eyes were filled with anger and killing intent. At this point, he could only gamble everything he had on finding a slim chance of survival.
But did such a chance even exist?
Li Hao didn't know, but he knew that he couldn't die so easily.
"Sages, sages... If I don't die, I will crush your sacred lands and twist off your heads!!"
Li Hao's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared. His body-refining techniques rapidly activated, his bones crackling, and his flesh and blood power continuously surged and increased.
His physical strength gradually approached the weight of ten million pounds. Although it was incomparable to the vast heaven and earth power he could command now, pure physical strength allowed him to enhance his body's overall abilities, improving his control and endurance over heaven and earth power.
Boom!!
Roaring, Li Hao swung his sword with all his might. His arms, flushed with blood, quickly mobilized a portion of heaven and earth's power and slashed it out fiercely.
The sword energy was like a rainbow, instantly shattering two whirlpools, then tearing straight through.
But at the same time, more void whirlpools attacked from all directions, slicing through his body.
Behind Li Hao, various shadows emerged—manifestations of the different body-refining techniques he had mastered. His bones leaped and transformed, his flesh and blood power increased, and his healing ability also strengthened. However, these void blades were too sharp and unstoppable, and even the forty-nine layers of domain could only slow down their assault.
"Void Annihilation Hand!"
Seeing Li Hao still holding on, the Void Sage's projection's eyes turned cold. He suddenly raised his hand, gathering the surrounding void power, and it swiftly formed a collapsing black hole-like hand, crushing down on Li Hao.
As the domain touched this void hand, it quickly disintegrated and was ground to dust.
Li Hao slashed out in anger, but the vast heaven and earth power he mobilized seemed to pass right through the void hand, unable to even slow its advance.
Li Hao watched in frustration, his eyes filled with rage. He forcefully snapped his major meridians, breaking his connection with the heaven and earth power, and roared, pushing all his strength to the limit!
Boom!!
He swung his sword violently, gathering boundless momentum, and his flesh and blood condensed and tightened. Under the extreme operation of his body-refining techniques, his body underwent a rapid transformation.
The brilliant sword light collided with the massive hand of the void, causing the space to tremble, the laws of nature to become chaotic, and countless blades of energy to crash into Li Hao's body. Yet, even as these void blades assaulted him, more surged in from all directions, uninterrupted by his strike.
His entire body felt as if it were being torn apart, with new wounds constantly appearing.
Li Hao's flesh squirmed and trembled, continually contracting as his physical strength surged, eventually reaching the threshold of ten million pounds.
At a certain moment, Li Hao felt a shudder run through his entire body, as if his flesh and blood, every drop of blood and every cell, were vibrating.
It was as if his body was being "peeled," and from the quivering of his flesh and blood, strands of something more extreme and extraordinary began to emerge.
At that moment, Li Hao's body touched the boundary of life that he had been unable to cross, and the deepest secrets of his flesh seemed to be activated.
A volcanic heat erupted from every part of his body, from every bone and every drop of blood.
Brilliant golden light burst forth from the wounds all over his body, and the blood that had been flowing out turned into radiant crimson gold, glowing with a boundless golden brilliance, as if it were divine blood!
Li Hao's mind, thoughts, and consciousness were all compressed by this transformation, and countless insights flooded his mind.
The profound understanding of the Nine Stages of Body Refinement allowed him to quickly grasp the transformation occurring within him.
He had touched upon the final boundary of strength!
The ultimate boundary of strength was divine power, but this final boundary... was akin to divine blood!
If divine power was merely a temporary state where his strength increased tenfold and his body became golden and godlike, then now, he had undergone a complete metamorphosis. His flesh and blood had fundamentally changed!
Divine blood!
This was true divine blood!
When a strong practitioner at the Threefold Immortal Realm procreated, they could pass on a portion of their power through their bloodline, which mortals referred to as divine blood.
But in truth, it was like the titles of Sword Saints and Blade Saints among mortals—honorifics that praised greatness but did not truly reflect the reality.
Now, however, Li Hao had touched the boundary of life, and his flesh and blood had transformed. The blood within him had truly changed, turning into divine blood!
What had been unattainable in his youth, he had now cultivated through his own efforts!
And it was genuine divine blood!
This meant that, at this moment, he was no longer a mere mortal but had transformed into a god!
The golden blood within him seemed to contain boundless vitality, with each drop capable of unleashing unrelenting power!
Li Hao had a feeling that this divine blood was akin to the Dao itself—indestructible!
"Hmm?"
The Void Sage's projection sensed the sudden change in Li Hao's aura and hesitated for a moment, his expression shifting dramatically.
The brilliant golden light and the familiar aura made a name flash through his mind—Demon Clan!
No, to be precise, the Divine Clan.
But that was an ancient race long sealed by the saints, the most primordial race of the land of the saints.
"Transformation? So, this is the secret of the Divine Clan? They are formed through the cultivation of the human race? What realm is this?"
The Void Sage's projection saw the shocking secret from Li Hao, and a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes.
So the Divine Clan was not an alien race but originally human.
Was it because the ancestors of the Divine Clan had cultivated to this point and then passed on their bloodline, creating the Divine Clan?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but soon, he set them aside. As he watched Li Hao's rapidly healing flesh, exuding a terrifying and vigorous aura, his killing intent grew even colder.
"In that case, you must die all the more!"