Chapter 313: Ten Years, The Sacred Land of Sword Ancestors
As the Void Sage struck again, waves surged through the void. These were the tides of the void, a manifestation of the true power of the Void Sage's projection.
Li Hao propped up his domain, but even with forty-nine layers, they were quickly pierced, unable to hold.
He manipulated the void's power, condensing it into a sword and slashing through the tides before him.
With his Dao energy surging, he swung his hand, striking the surrounding waves.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions of Dao energy echoed as the void trembled, but the tides seemed endless, continuously crashing towards Li Hao.
However, Li Hao felt as if his strength was inexhaustible, his energy abundant, constantly at the peak of divine power.
Yet, despite the transformation brought by reaching the ultimate boundary of strength, which altered his bloodline, the increase in power was not as significant. His immense physical strength of ten million pounds was still insufficient against the void tides.
Boom!
The tides approached, tearing Li Hao's arms apart.
Golden divine blood splattered, but it was not obliterated by the void's blades.
In the past, his flesh would have quickly been destroyed, but now, the divine blood remained suspended in the void, like golden beads, spinning and twisting, resisting the void's crushing power without being annihilated!
This subtle change gave Li Hao a glimmer of hope.
He continued to strike with his sword, allowing the void's power to shred his body even further.
His blood and flesh scattered, his body riddled with holes as if it were a honeycomb, eroded by the void's power.
Yet, his bones and blood scattered all around him, and Li Hao could sense that each drop of blood contained his will and consciousness, ready to reassemble into a new body at any moment!
At that moment, Li Hao suddenly understood that all the extreme realms of martial arts, including the final boundary, were interconnected, supporting each other! For example, the seventh extreme realm, Blood Rebirth, allowed him to fully unleash the power of the sixth extreme realm, enabling him to transform into the ultimate immortal.
Now, with the divine blood of the final boundary, every drop of blood could form a new body. But without the ability to merge his will with heaven and earth through the ultimate immortal transformation, the newly regenerated body would only be a puppet, devoid of the original consciousness.
However, his consciousness could now merge with heaven and earth, making it difficult to be eradicated. The divine blood's resilience and indestructibility had significantly enhanced his survival capabilities.
Whoosh!
Under the control of his will, the divine blood flew in all directions.
Li Hao's form dissolved and scattered, shooting out in all directions.
"Hmm?"
The Void Sage noticed that Li Hao's flesh and blood were difficult to destroy with void power, and a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.
The Divine Clan was feared by the saints mainly because they could ascend to sainthood through the extreme path, which was a very convenient route. However, their bodies were not as resilient as the boy before him. This was likely because the Divine Clan members they encountered were mostly descendants of the progenitors, with diluted bloodlines.
Boom!
The Void Sage raised his hand, attempting to merge the void and imprison all of Li Hao's divine blood. As the void's power enveloped and destroyed, much of the divine blood was trapped, but it was as if placed in a void furnace, slowly being melted down, not instantly dissipating, but gradually being torn apart thousands of times per second, slowly dissolving.
The process resembled refining.
The remaining divine blood quickly reformed into Li Hao's shape, splitting into countless forms and rushing in all directions through the void.
The Void Sage's face turned cold as he imprisoned the void, trapping and refining each drop of divine blood.
He hadn't expected that such a lowly Enlightenment Realm cultivator would be so difficult to kill.
The gap between a sage and the Enlightenment Realm was vast. Even a half-sage could easily kill with a thought, let alone him, who had manifested a projection.
As more and more of Li Hao's divine blood was imprisoned and refined, it distracted the Void Sage, allowing Li Hao's fragmented body to flee. The divine blood left in his wake gathered into forms, wielding heaven and earth power to further disrupt the void.
Li Hao noticed that when he had communicated with the sage's mark earlier, the sage's projection had momentarily opened a rift in the void.
Although the rift quickly closed, Li Hao had caught a trace of it.
As he continued to strike with his sword, he deliberately refrained from fully resisting the void's corrosive power, allowing his body to become more damaged and scattering more of his divine blood.
Amidst the copious blood, dozens of drops of divine blood quietly hid themselves, utilizing the Supreme Dao Body's abilities to transform into Dao and blend into the void, dispersing in all directions with the power of myriad forms.
Escape!
Li Hao knew that continuing to fight the sage's projection here would be pointless. Even if he managed to destroy the projection, the true body might follow.
Moreover, he didn't have the power to destroy the projection yet—the gap in strength was too vast, and being at the Seventh Extreme Realm was far from enough.
If not for touching upon the Heavenly Venerable will of the sixth final boundary, even a trace of the sage's intent would have been enough to obliterate him!
The difficulty of fighting in such a dire situation was beyond imagination.
Whoosh!
Li Hao's divine blood shot out in all directions, and under his will, the divine blood unleashed terrifying power, all executing Return to Ruin Teleportation!
Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of divine blood droplets simultaneously teleported in different directions.
This method infuriated the Void Sage. What should have been an easily subdued ant had now shown a terrifying tenacity for survival.
He moved swiftly, compressing and solidifying the void. Many droplets of divine blood had barely emerged from the void when they were locked in place, imprisoned within the void.
Yet, the void's power couldn't immediately destroy them and could only slowly refine them. If the imprisonment were released, the divine blood would escape, but continuing to imprison them consumed the Void Sage's strength.
His projection, reflected here, began to feel a sense of helplessness!
To kill a mere Enlightenment Realm cultivator, he found it surprisingly difficult and troublesome.
But this only strengthened his resolve to kill Li Hao. Another projection materialized in the void, and two projections attacked simultaneously, imprisoning and destroying the scattered divine blood.
Boom!
Li Hao's body was completely torn apart by the void tides, but his bones and blood scattered in all directions.
If the sage used his intent to track him, Li Hao would counter it with the Heavenly Venerable will, forcing the Void Sage to use more laborious methods to search and suppress him.
Li Hao's thoughts grew more focused and calm, suppressing his anger deep within. He quietly concealed the attributes of "Jiang Xue Map" and "Hidden Bow" on a few drops of his divine blood, stretching out the blood with the "Invisible Line" technique from fishing, hiding these strands of divine blood within the chaotic void.
The remaining divine blood either fled or reassembled into his body, unleashing a tide of swords towards the enemy, creating a terrifying momentum.
But his purpose was not to attack but to cover his escape.
With his current strength, he had no chance of defeating a sage. His only option was to hide and flee.
He had remembered the trace of the rift he had seen earlier, and now he stealthily moved some of his divine blood towards it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the void, the tides and sword energy clashed. The Void Sage grew annoyed, and suddenly, the two projections combined their power, pressing down with a single hand.
In an instant, the entire void solidified, as if time had stopped.
Even the divine blood that had teleported far away was now frozen, and the void within a radius of ten thousand miles became still! Then, the Void Sage raised his hand, refining the imprisoned divine blood.
What once could be easily obliterated with a wave of his hand now resembled golden beads, requiring slow grinding to destroy, a time-consuming process.
Though frustrated, the Void Sage had no other choice. This battle had yielded valuable insights for him—he had witnessed firsthand the secrets of the Divine Clan's origins. As time passed, the scattered divine blood, bones, and remnants in the void were gradually destroyed and ground down by the Void Sage.
"Such a difficult Enlightenment Realm cultivator is rare indeed. To think the Divine Clan is formed through body cultivation... it seems I still have room to improve in the path of body cultivation. It's not as worthless as I thought."
The Void Sage murmured to himself, then looked around the void, seeing that it had been thoroughly cleared.
He extended his senses and soon detected a faint fluctuation in the void.
Boom!
With a grasp of his hand, the void trembled, and a drop of divine blood was forced out.
The Void Sage stared at it for a moment before continuing to refine it.
This boy had many skills that had expanded his horizons. This hidden method, if not for his mastery of the Void Dao, might have gone undetected.
After spending over ten minutes grinding away at this drop of divine blood, the Void Sage scanned the void one last time, then disappeared from the scene.
Shortly after he left, three drops of divine blood suddenly appeared in the void.
These three drops of divine blood carried Li Hao's will and swiftly rushed towards the trace of the void rift he had detected earlier, fearing it might disappear.
The moment Li Hao's divine blood reached the void rift, a figure suddenly appeared—it was none other than the Void Sage.
His gaze was cold, tinged with a mocking sneer, as he stretched out his hand and grasped all three droplets of divine blood.
"You thought I didn't notice this trace? I left it here on purpose."
The Void Sage's eyes were icy as he held the divine blood in his palm, the power of the void surging as he continuously tore and refined it.
Li Hao tried to resist, but with only the strength of three droplets of divine blood, he couldn't summon much of heaven and earth's power. Before long, the divine blood was refined and extinguished.
The Dao force within the divine blood was stripped away, gradually dissipating into the void.
Dao force could not be annihilated, but as the will that wielded it was destroyed, it would slowly fade away, returning to the heavens and earth.
The Void Sage glanced at the void, chuckling twice before his projection dissipated.
The void returned to its tranquil state, silent and still.
A long time passed.
Finally, a single drop of golden divine blood emerged from the void.
As soon as it appeared, it rushed toward the void rift once more.
As it moved, the divine blood rapidly reformed, taking the shape of Li Hao.
Whoosh!
Finally, he touched the trace and drilled through it.
However, just as he crossed the rift, Li Hao saw a familiar figure and aura.
It was the Void Sage's projection again!
The Void Sage stood in the world beyond the rift, looking at Li Hao with a faint, mocking smile.
"You really managed to survive. Quite the disguise."
He reached out to grab Li Hao directly, locking the void in place.
At this moment, though Li Hao had been reborn from a drop of blood, he was in an extremely weakened state. He stared at the Void Sage with a mixture of anger and despair, roaring, "Even in death, I won't let you go!"
But his body was quickly crushed and shattered.
The Void Sage gathered the shattered blood and flesh into a sphere and refined it in his palm.
"These hiding techniques are impressive, even fooling me for a while..." the Void Sage murmured to himself. He had noticed earlier that Li Hao possessed some extremely unique abilities that could even evade a sage's perception.
This only made him more determined to eliminate such a monstrous talent.
While this projection of the Void Sage was busy eliminating Li Hao, his true form was elsewhere, dealing with the questioning of saints from the Origin Sacred Land and the Celestial Phoenix Sacred Land, preventing him from splitting his attention further.
Though the true form couldn't be present, it didn't matter—the Void Sage's projection had no intention of leaving. He continued to monitor this part of the void, as a sage had all the time in the world. Meanwhile, within the Celestial Gate.
The Feather Ancestor and the Divine Maiden sensed that the fluctuations within the Celestial Gate had ceased, as if the battlefield had shifted, or more likely, that the young man had been killed by the Void Sage.
After all, he was merely in the Enlightenment Realm, and the moment the Void Sage's will descended, the outcome was sealed.
This filled their eyes with a mix of anger and frustration. Such a monstrous genius had been slain by the Void Sacred Land.
The Seventh Extreme Realm—an unprecedented phenomenon—was incredibly rare in the entire Land of the Saints, something they had never heard of before.
One must know that within the Land of the Saints, many saints had reincarnated and started anew, even undergoing rebirth themselves, all in the pursuit of the Eighth Extreme Realm!
Now, this young man had been only a step away, but he had been killed by a saint!
Even many reincarnated saints had failed to reach the Seventh Extreme Realm. Even if this young man had been a reincarnated saint, his achievements in this life would have been unparalleled throughout history.
The difficulty of reaching the Seventh Extreme Realm was far greater than anyone could imagine. Besides the conventional extreme realms such as the Boundary of Strength and the Heavenly Cycle, some realms could not be achieved merely through time and foundation, such as the Soul Continuation Realm. If someone reincarnated but lacked great resolve, they still couldn't use the heavens and earth to continue their soul!
And the most challenging of all was the Sixth Extreme Realm.
Neither comprehension nor techniques could make up for it.
"Your Void Sacred Land had better be prepared to face the wrath of all the saints!"
The Feather Ancestor's eyes burned with fury. A genius like this should have belonged to the Origin Sacred Land. If he had become a saint in the Origin Sacred Land, even if he regained the memories of his previous life and returned to his saintly state, it would have been a significant connection for the Origin Sacred Land—a vast network of influence!
But now, it was all in vain.
"Hmph, do we continue the trial? If not, let's withdraw the Celestial Gate." The elder snorted, not bothering to argue.
Ji Xuan and the others heard their conversation, their faces pale with disbelief.
That dazzling young man… was he really… just gone?
They hadn't even caught up to him, and now he was reduced to dust.
They felt dazed and lost, as if something important had suddenly been torn from their hearts, leaving a void.
The elder's aloof attitude towards life and death made them angry, but they knew that compared to a Sacred Land, they were far too weak. Anger wouldn't help.
...
In the chaotic void.
Time flowed in a strange manner here, with no sense of its passage. It could have been months, or it could have been years.
Suddenly, a small golden bead appeared in the void—it was a drop of divine blood.
However, this divine blood no longer glowed as brilliantly as before; it had been dimmed by the corrosive forces of the void.
Even though the divine blood appeared, its aura remained faint. This time, instead of heading toward the rift, it drifted through the void, searching for another way out.
As the divine blood floated, it slowly reformed, becoming Li Hao's figure once more.
"That guy should be gone by now, right?" Li Hao cautiously scanned his surroundings.
But suddenly, a figure materialized before him and said softly:
"Are you looking for me? You've got quite the patience. Is this the last drop?"
The figure was the Void Sage.
He looked at Li Hao, whose aura was now weakened and corroded by the void's power, his expression calm with a faint hint of killing intent, as if he had expected this.
The void was not a hospitable place, and after such a long time, even with all of Li Hao's disguises, the void's corrosive power would have worn him down. Unless someone comprehended the Void Dao within the void, they couldn't remain here for long.
And if someone had truly comprehended the Void Dao, he, the Void Sage, would have sensed it.
"You…"
Li Hao stared at the Void Sage in shock, his eyes slowly filling with despair.
"You did a good job hiding before, but it's time to end this."
The Void Sage's eyes turned cold as he raised his hand, unleashing a wave of void power that enveloped Li Hao.
Li Hao, desperate, unleashed everything he had, but he was far too weak now. He was quickly overwhelmed, and his body shattered.
This time, his broken bones and blood didn't scatter—they were imprisoned by the Void Sage and directly refined.
The Void Sage glanced around, shaking his head slightly, before his projection dissipated.
However, he did not truly leave. He remained hidden in the void, waiting quietly.
Although he was confident that this was the last drop of blood, he chose to stay just in case.
The boy's previous life must have been one of those saints who had undergone tribulation, as there was something on him that prevented the Void Sage from fully calculating his situation…
The Void Sage's eyes flickered with thought. Normally, he would have easily been able to divine the boy's condition, without needing to wait here in uncertainty.
During this time, his true form had endured quite a bit of pressure, as many saints had come to question him upon hearing the news, and some had even tried to use the opportunity to cause trouble.
But compared to those who merely engaged in verbal disputes, the real danger came from two saints who had directly attacked him, triggering a battle between saints.
Saints rarely fought each other, as it was difficult to kill another saint completely. Without the certainty of a decisive victory, they wouldn't easily make a move.
But these two saints had attacked with reckless abandon, and if it hadn't been for the Void Sage's renowned survival abilities, he might have been seriously injured.
In the void, his home ground, each saint's Dao was unique, and in a battlefield aligned with one's Dao, a saint was nearly invincible. Even the most powerful of saints would be reluctant to engage him here.
Those two had attempted to rescue the boy, but fortunately, the Void Sage had already moved the battlefield in the void far from the Celestial Gate, to a place where no one else knew.
Their intense fury suggested they likely knew the boy from his past life.
"Unfortunately for you, you crossed paths with the Void Sacred Land."
The Void Sage didn't regret killing Li Hao, even if there had been no previous enmity. Based on the information he had gathered, this boy had close ties to the Jiang family, and with the Jiang family being aligned with the Origin Sacred Land, the boy would likely have ended up there as well.
If the Origin Sacred Land were to nurture another genius like this, the Void Sacred Land would have to retreat even further in the hierarchy of the Cloudy Mist World.
Time flew by.
The Void Sage's projection continued to watch over the area. It had been a year since he had destroyed what he believed was the boy's last drop of blood.
The void's corrosive power had decayed Li Hao's body, and his divine blood had dulled.
Now, three more years had passed without any signs of movement.
Based on his calculations, and judging by the dullness of Li Hao's divine blood, three years of void erosion should have completely destroyed him by now.
In other words, even if the boy was still hiding here, he would have decayed beyond the ability to disguise his aura.
It was like a hunted animal trapped in a cave by a hunter—though it hadn't emerged for a long time, it had likely starved and decayed inside.
Still, to eliminate any possibility of error, the Void Sage's projection remained.
Saints were thorough in their work, leaving no loose ends.
As time passed, his Void Sacred Land continued to face provocations from those two saints, but the Void Sage had deployed other projections and enlisted the help of Yang Sage to stabilize the situation for the time being.
Three more years passed in a blur.
The Void Sage's projection sat in place, staring at the unchanging void. Images of the boy's final, desperate moments flickered through his mind, and he was now certain that the boy was truly dead.
That last drop of blood had been annihilated.
Even if, by some chance, the boy had survived, he must have escaped the void long ago. There was no point in staying here any longer. After such a long period, the void's corrosive power would have turned him to dust.
Yet, out of caution, the Void Sage chose to wait three more years.
Time passed quickly, and ten years had now elapsed since the opening of the Celestial Gate in the mortal world.
The Void Sage's projection slowly rose, casting one last glance at the void, where the chaotic void energy still flowed like a river. After such a long time with no sign of divine blood, there was no doubt that the boy had been annihilated.
His projection dissipated, and his mind returned to the Void Sacred Land.
...
After the Void Sage's projection vanished, the void remained as still as ever.
Time quietly passed, and several months went by.
Suddenly, a faint golden light appeared—a slender thread of gold.
It was barely noticeable and extremely inconspicuous.
This thread was cloaked in the attributes of myriad forms, the Jiang Xue Map, and the Hidden Bow, concealing its aura to the utmost degree.
Additionally, it used the fishing technique of hiding its presence like a line.
With all these concealment techniques combined, it had finally managed to escape the saint's detection.
At this moment, the golden thread was extremely weak. It emerged without checking its surroundings and immediately shot through the void.
This time, there was no Void Sage projection to block its path. The golden thread used Return to Ruin Teleportation repeatedly, and after several passes, it confirmed that the Void Sage had indeed left.
Li Hao drifted through the void, his golden thread now incredibly feeble.
This thread of divine blood had survived because he had layered it with other divine blood, like protective clothing, allowing it to endure, but it had sustained serious damage. The void's corrosive power had almost drained its Dao force.
After an unknown amount of time, just as the golden thread was on the brink of being eroded away, Li Hao finally glimpsed a rift leading to the outside world. Without hesitation, he moved toward it, quickly squeezing out of the void and into the external world.
Instantly, a surge of dense heavenly energy poured into him.
At that moment, Li Hao had truly entered the World of Saints within the Celestial Gate.
As soon as he arrived, Li Hao could feel that the energy here was far more concentrated and powerful than in the mortal world. Even without actively absorbing it, the energy seemed to naturally flow into his body.
Li Hao looked around and saw no sign of the Void Sage projection, finally allowing himself to relax.
In the void, he had hidden two other golden threads, making a total of three.
This one was still being used to test the waters, but it seemed the Void Sage had indeed left.
When his body had shattered and his divine blood scattered, Li Hao had employed various methods and strategies, all to deceive the Void Sage. The despairing cries and furious curses during the refinement of his divine blood had been calculated to convince the Void Sage that he was truly dead.
Even the earlier divine blood that had been corroded by the void was part of his plan, leading the Void Sage to miscalculate. It seemed that his gamble had paid off—he had won this game.
Now, as he absorbed the heavenly energy, Li Hao's body gradually began to restore itself. The golden thread coalesced into a human form.
However, after spending so long in the void, his body had been deeply corroded by the void's power, slowing his regenerative abilities. His Dao force was also weak and depleted, and his celestial meridians had been shattered during the battle. He had sustained severe injuries.
As soon as his body reformed, Li Hao's consciousness was so exhausted that he immediately fell into a deep sleep.
His body plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing into a mountain with a resounding thud.
In his semi-conscious state, Li Hao faintly detected a soft, fragrant scent and felt delicate hands lifting his arm.
His consciousness slipped away entirely, and he wandered in darkness.
Until a distant voice began to call out to him. After a long time, Li Hao slowly opened his eyes, hearing the gentle voice of an old man beside him: "You're awake?"
Li Hao blinked, his mind suddenly alert as he quickly looked around. He found himself gazing into the kind face of a white-haired old man.
At the same time, the sharp scent of herbs filled the air, along with a musty, aged odor.
As Li Hao's awareness gradually returned, he saw that he was lying on a straw mat, surrounded by dark wood, in what appeared to be a four-sided courtyard. A spacious courtyard lay just outside.
Dried herbs hung from the eaves.
Not far from the straw mat, a large bronze furnace emitted steam and the scent of medicinal herbs. Li Hao blinked, then asked the old man beside him, "Where is this?"
"This is the Sacred Land of the Sword Ancestor."
The white-bearded elder smiled and said, "You were badly injured. Were you in a fight or being chased by enemies? Fortunately, you encountered me. I treated your wounds, though no medicine seemed to work. Thankfully, I had an ointment for external application that managed to stabilize your injuries."
Li Hao hesitated, looking down at himself. He was dressed in simple blue and white robes, and faint scars were still visible on his chest. His latent recovery attribute had been slowly healing him, but after reaching the Threefold Immortal Realm, it no longer held much significance. Now, however, with his body damaged, it seemed to be helping again.
"Thank you, senior, for saving my life." Li Hao quickly sat up and expressed his gratitude.
The white-bearded elder chuckled, "No need to thank me—it was she who saved you. If you're going to thank anyone, thank her."
He nodded toward the courtyard.
There, a young woman in a green robe was practicing her swordsmanship. Her movements were slow and graceful, yet her sword's momentum was perfectly rounded, seemingly drawing upon the power of the surrounding heavens and earth.
Li Hao's gaze focused, immediately recognizing that this woman was highly skilled. Her every movement was imbued with Dao force—she was clearly at the True Person Realm!
Moreover, her sword intent was exceptionally refined and full of spirit.
Li Hao suddenly recalled the faint fragrance he had sensed while unconscious and realized it must have been from her. He quickly rose, barefoot, and walked to the courtyard. Bowing deeply, he said, "Thank you, miss, for saving my life. May I know your name? I will repay this debt in the future!"
"No need. Just recover and leave when you're healed. Don't disturb my practice."
The green-robed woman didn't turn around, nor did she stop her sword practice. Her voice was as clear and cold as the melting snow on a mountain.
Li Hao paused, glancing at her back. Then he suddenly remembered that when he had reformed his body while unconscious, he had been… unclothed. His face flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat, retreating quietly to the edge of the courtyard.
He sat down on the wooden planks under the eaves, brushing the dirt off his feet before returning to the straw mat inside. He glanced around the room, which seemed to be an alchemy chamber, filled with herbs.
"Qing Ying has that kind of personality—don't take it personally."
The white-bearded elder noticed Li Hao's awkwardness and chuckled.
Li Hao quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare. After all, she saved my life—I'm just grateful."