Chapter 112: Grandmaster of the Ten Thousand Things
Chapter 112: Grandmaster of the Ten Thousand Things
The mighty sword aura enveloped the entire sky above the Divine General Manor!
The Dharma Body Youth, wielding the Golden Divine Sword, seemed like a deity of swords, capable of commanding a myriad of swords to bow before him!
In the courtyard, Bian Ruxue looked up, the countless sword shadows reflecting in her bright eyes, leaving her momentarily entranced.
Such sword might could shake the heavens and the earth; she had only ever seen it in the hands of her master.
But her master was a Sword Saint, a top-tier expert in the Fourth Establishment Realm, who had questioned the heart through his sword, achieving unparalleled power!
Li Hao, however, was merely at the Fifteenth Li Realm, yet he had already displayed such initial might. His Sword Dao had caught up to his master’s level, far surpassing her own understanding!
Outside the manor, in the high skies, the guests who had left their seats earlier now paused, standing at the heights of Qingzhou City, gazing at the grand and splendid Divine General Manor where the father-son battle was unfolding.
Incredulity and shock were etched on their faces.
They had originally thought that the Li Family’s young man, who had nearly killed a Buddhist Master’s personal disciple with a mere chopstick, was already unmatched in his realm, a peerless talent.
Who would have thought that he had not even revealed his true strength?
And now, this Sword Tide was the young man’s true killing move!
If this sword technique had been used in the True Dragon contest, Li Qianfeng wouldn’t have even needed to participate.
Such might was so overwhelming that even a few of the Grandmasters present felt the intense pressure, their hearts racing uncontrollably.
"That child..."
Jian Wudao stared blankly, his shock growing with each passing moment. The youth, whose eyes showed no sword shadows, had achieved such a terrifying level in the Sword Dao.
Could it be that the other party had merely practiced swordsmanship casually, without any particular fondness, and even without Heart Immersion, and still become the pinnacle of the Sword Dao?!
Jian Wudao found it hard to believe; this twisted his understanding of things.
In the sky above the Divine General Manor, countless sword tides condensed, and with the Dharma Body Youth’s movements, they suddenly swept down toward Li Tiangang.
Like a waterfall of sword shadows falling from a thousand feet!
Li Tiangang’s pupils contracted, his heart equally shocked. Although he was a user of knives and had not cultivated the Endless Sea, he knew that the final move of this sword technique was extremely difficult to master!
But Li Hao had mastered it.
Seeing the terrifying sword qi charging at him, Li Tiangang’s eyes blazed with rage. Was this child truly trying to kill his own father?!
The Divine Soul above his head suddenly burst forth, the Divine Might knife blazing with divine light as he stepped into the sea of sword shadows.
The white sword shadows surged like ocean waves, while his blood-red figure shone like a blazing sun. The Divine Might knife, as it swung, caused the sword shadows to rapidly disperse.
However, the number of sword shadows was overwhelming, like an endless sea, relentlessly crashing down.
Even the divine light of the Divine Might knife was swallowed up.
"Shatter!!"
Li Tiangang roared, unleashing the Divine Might!
This was a power that could only be wielded by those at the Grandmaster Realm. With his Divine Soul at the Three Immortalities level, his Divine Might was far more potent than that of a typical Grandmaster.
Like an emperor descending from the heavens, immense pressure surged out, like shockwaves of energy.
The sky filled with sword shadows crumbled inch by inch!
The strongest move of the Endless Sea had been shattered by his Divine Might!
At the same time, under the intimidation of the Divine Might, Li Hao's face turned pale, his chest filled with surging blood, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
In his vision, it was as if he were facing a heavenly deity, a feeling that made him want to kneel and worship. Under the overwhelming Divine Might, he felt the urge to bow!
But to bow?!
Li Hao’s eyes suddenly blazed with a ferocious bloodlust.
If it had been the first time they met, even a single word from Li Tiangang would have made him willing to kneel.
A son kneeling to his father!
Kneeling to the blood ties, kneeling to the gratitude for the time when his father risked his life to slay a three-thousand-year-old Great Demon to help him with his Blood Dissolution Foundation Building!
But now,
the father-son bond had dissolved.
He would rather die in battle than kneel!
"Ahahaha!!!"
Li Hao roared to the heavens, his hair wild and untamed. From his throat, a roar echoed, activating the Flesh Dao’s characteristic, Tiger Pressure!
Even without a roar, it seemed as if a fierce tiger had been unleashed, a wave of tiger-like might shaking and charging toward the vast Divine Might!
Li Tiangang’s eyes widened in surprise. It was actually the Divine Might of the Grandmaster Realm?
Although the power was not overwhelming, it already had a nascent form!
He let out a cold snort, holding his Divine Soul and advancing with large strides, determined to completely destroy Li Hao's Dharmic Avatar and suppress him!
Seeing that Tiger Pressure could not stop the opponent, Li Hao's eyes turned fierce, and he quickly summoned the many illustrations he had gathered earlier.
After the battle in Cangyu City, he had found many famous paintings, which he had not yet embedded.
These paintings were:
Thousand Mountains and Flying Birds, Snow Mountain and Spirit Fox, Qilin and Steed, Blood Sea and Ferocious Dragon, Mountain Range, and Qiongqi Mountain!
Li Hao no longer had the patience to select or consider what specific traits these paintings could bring to his Flesh Dao. He embedded all of them into his Flesh Dao in one go.
In an instant, his bones and muscles seemed to undergo transformation and enhancement under some unseen, vast power.
A flood of information surged into his mind, all the traits brought by the illustrations.
There were actually three illustrations with effects similar to Tiger Pressure!
Li Hao's eyes turned bloodshot, and he activated these three illustrations one by one.
Blood Sea and Ferocious Dragon!
A roar like that of a dragon echoed from within him. The surrounding air seemed to thicken with a dense, blood-red hue, and a vague shadow of a great dragon coiled behind Li Hao!
The dragon shadow, a hundred feet long, its body thrashing and twisting as if in a sea of blood, roared at Li Tiangang, who was emitting Divine Might!
But the golden light of the Divine Soul, though momentarily halted by the dragon's roar, did not stop. Instead, it quickened its pace even more!
Then, the power of the second illustration manifested.
Mountain Range!
It was as if a towering, majestic mountain had appeared behind Li Hao, suppressing all directions, making his body feel solid and unshakable!
"Hmph!"
Li Tiangang's Divine Soul, with cold eyes, was inwardly shocked but did not stop. "So what if there's a mountain? I've slain countless demons in Yanbei, demons or mountains, they all fall before me!"
Everything would be crushed beneath his feet!
But at that moment, a low, bellowing roar suddenly echoed.
A dark shadow emerged behind Li Hao, its form resembling a tiger or a bull, with wings on its back, landing on the mountain.
Its gaze was vicious and bloodthirsty, its eyes cruel and dark, staring intently at Li Tiangang, emitting an ancient aura of malice and ferocity.
This was a fierce beast from the Great Wasteland Sky, the Qiongqi!
Its Divine Might was like that of a true, ferocious beast!
Li Tiangang's face changed. The intense divine flames on his Divine Might blade were forced to dissipate, revealing only the smooth blade.
With three sources of pressure, plus the earlier Tiger Pressure, the young man now stood in the center of the battlefield, his hair moving without wind, as if surrounded by a hundred beasts, like a king of the mountains, radiating a terrifying and wild aura!
Li Tiangang's Divine Soul could not help but pause, momentarily stunned. This terrifying pressure was enough to make even a Grandmaster bow in submission!
Is this my son?
At the Fifteenth Li Realm, capable of challenging a Grandmaster!
Such talent is unprecedented, enough to make anyone proud.
But his character is wild and untamed!
Li Tiangang's eyes turned cold again, a hint of regret in his heart. Perhaps he should have taken Li Hao with him to Yanbei years ago, despite the dangers. At least he would have been by his side, and this wildness might not have developed.
With such talent, why worry about not shining in the world?
"Very well, but you've taken the wrong path!"
Li Tiangang took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with a captivating divine light.
He no longer held back. His Divine Soul clenched the blade tightly and unleashed an extremely tyrannical strike!
The terrifying blade momentum seemed capable of splitting the entire Qinglian Courtyard, even the Divine General Manor!
This power was several times more ferocious than Li Hao's earlier Endless Sea sword technique.
"Li Tiangang!"
Li Qingzheng's face changed, and he shouted in anger.
But Li Tiangang paid no heed, his blade aimed straight at Li Hao's Divine Soul.
The killing intent in the blade's intent was like ten thousand years of ice, carrying the power to split the heavens and earth, unstoppable.
Li Hao's face turned pale. Even with the traits of the three illustrations, he could barely withstand the opponent's Divine Might, but he could not block this blade!
Without any hesitation, Li Hao quickly returned his Divine Soul to his body, merging soul and body, and used Object Control Power to dodge at full speed.
His body suddenly felt ten times lighter, thanks to the enhancements from Thousand Mountains and Flying Birds and Snow Mountain and Spirit Fox, making his movements incredibly swift.
However, the strike was ferocious. Despite Li Hao's full effort to evade, he was still hit, as the opponent suddenly accelerated while he was dodging.
With a spurt, Li Hao spewed a gush of blood and was sent flying backward, landing like a rag doll and crashing through several courtyard walls before finally stopping.
The servants and maids in the courtyards all stared in shock at Li Hao as he rolled in.
Amidst the dust, the young figure coughed up blood and struggled to his feet.
Without hesitation, Li Hao dashed at full speed toward the exit of the Divine General Manor.
Although he was seething with anger, the realm gap was too vast. Staying any longer would mean more than just injury!
"Where do you think you're going?!"
A roar echoed, and Li Tiangang's figure, blazing with divine light, pursued him like a meteor.
Li Hao didn't look back, unleashing his Object Control Power to the max as he fled from the manor.
His Object Control speed was forty miles per breath. At this moment, he mobilized his Major Meridians, releasing the power of the Yin-Yang Dual Meridians, which increased his speed by several more miles.
This far exceeded the speed of the Fifteen Li Realm, but the howling sound from behind was even faster!
Li Tiangang, wielding the True Dragon, had also received various realm enhancements from the Ancestral Hall. As a Third Immortal Realm practitioner, even with a brief drop due to injury, he was far beyond what the Fifteen Li Realm could match.
With a loud thud, a palm strike descended.
Just as Li Hao burst out of the Divine General Manor, he was slapped out of the air and crashed into a building on the street.
Li Hao climbed out of the scattered rubble. Many people around him were injured by the shockwave, but he had no time to tend to them.
However, as he rose, Li Hao saw two figures outside the rubble: Zhou Zheng and his father.
Li Hao's body trembled, and memories of the angry words he overheard before class that day flooded his mind:
"… I know my son is human, a decent and upright person, not a rat that ruins a pot of porridge!"
"… He just can't master martial arts; it doesn't mean he's unworthy of being a human!"
"My son may not have great talent, but his character is pure. Even if he's only at the Force Mastery stage, he's my pride. How dare you insult him?!"
Li Hao coughed up a small amount of blood, a self-deprecating smile appearing in his eyes.
Strange, why do I remember a stranger's words so clearly?
Was it because deep down, I harbored some hope?
Was it the power of blood ties or the societal belief that fathers and sons should have deep bonds?
Or was it the gratitude for the kindness shown in my childhood, when he helped me slay demons, that softened my heart?
The kindness he bestowed should have been a source of gratitude and warmth.
Who would have thought it would lead to such pain and injury?
At that moment, a fierce palm wind descended from the sky, as if to shatter the entire earth.
Li Hao looked up, the wind brushing his face. He saw the cold, angry eyes behind the divine palm and couldn't help but sneer.
But then he suddenly turned and fled.
He didn't expect the other to show mercy; his life was his own, and he didn't want to die here.
"Don't run!"
Li Tiangang's eyes were cold as he retracted his palm to avoid harming the innocent.
Then he leaped in pursuit.
On the long street, in the sky, father and son raced in a deadly chase.
Ordinary people couldn't see, but the terrifying waves of killing intent in the air made countless heads turn, hearts trembling.
With a loud thud!
Li Hao's body was struck again, crashing into another building. He rolled to his feet and summoned his panel.
Is there anything that can help me?
Is there anything that can save my life?!
He saw the Music Codex and immediately embedded several musical pieces into the Yudao.
A flood of information surged into his mind, as if a phoenix's cry and the sound of a small huqin were heard, along with several attributes.
But Li Hao quickly skimmed through, finding none that could help him escape or provide a significant boost.
He spread out his panel, searching, but all he saw were densely packed cultivation techniques.
He had mastered many cultivation techniques, but none could help him escape this peril!
At the same time, the figure carrying the divine might of heaven and earth was already bearing down on him, its overwhelming power enveloping him from above.
"Keep running, why have you stopped?"
"Didn't you think you were so powerful, capable of bullying your brother and killing your father? Is this all you've got!"
Li Tiangang's eyes were cold as he looked down at Li Hao, raising his palm to strike.
Li Hao's eyes went wide with rage as he faced the descending palm print, once again unleashing the Endless Sea!
The vast sword aura condensed, spreading in all directions.
Amid the countless sword shadows, Li Hao no longer tried to escape. He knew he couldn't.
Only a desperate, all-out battle could save him!
The sword light illuminated his face, and his eyes suddenly grew calm.
The sea has a heaven as its companion. What about me?
Li Hao felt a faint sorrow in his heart but quickly thought of Little White Fox, who had risked her life to protect him, and Li Yuanzhao, who had always trusted him.
Li Hao thought of Second Uncle, Old Feng, Fifth Master... A smile spread across his face. At least over the past decade, he hadn't failed completely; he still had a few people he could share his heart with.
His eyes gleamed with intense light as he watched the sword shadows shatter under the might of the Divine Might.
Though the sword shadows were numerous, they couldn't withstand a single strike of the Divine Might.
Over the years, he had possessed many cultivation techniques, yet he hadn't found his own path.
Where is my path?
Where is my destination?
Li Hao recalled the many ancient tales he had read recently at the Rain Listening Pavilion.
Most grandmasters had used others' cultivation techniques as references or had drawn inspiration from the natural behaviors of beasts to establish their own cultivation systems.
A grandmaster is one who takes himself as his own master.
Without a teacher, one must forge his own path and become the master of that path.
If that's the case, why be bound by the forms of these cultivation techniques?
Suddenly, a flash of insight seemed to spark in Li Hao's mind, and he experienced a sudden enlightenment.
He had many cultivation techniques, diverse and varied, each benefiting his physical body or cultivation in some way, but they lacked a unifying framework.
These were all other people's cultivation techniques, not his own.
With his understanding of the Dao, he could refine the profound principles from some of the lower-grade cultivation techniques.
These principles, derived from the cultivation techniques, opened up new paths, but they were still incomplete.
Therefore, he had only half a foot in the Grandmaster Realm.
Speaking of references...
Li Hao looked at the figure shattering the myriad sword shadows, his gaze sweeping past to the vast, cloud-covered sky.
Time seemed to pause around him, and the boisterous wind grew silent.
Even a powerful figure like Li Tiangang, a Three Immortalities, was bound by this world and this sky.
If he were to use a reference, why not take the heavens and all things as his guide?
At that moment, countless sword moves vanished from his mind.
The numerous constraints disappeared, leaving only the essence of the sword.
His internal energy began to flow naturally, following a unique trajectory through his major meridians, oscillating and surging without his conscious awareness.
This energy surged into Li Hao's eyes, and he saw a faint door appear in the world before him.
That was the Heavenly Gate.
The Heavenly Gate was everywhere, not in the heavens or the earth, but in his own heart!
Li Hao laughed heartily, his chest filled with a surging energy, and he kicked open the Heavenly Gate!
A vast energy burst forth from within him like a sudden gale.
At that moment, Li Hao felt much like the line from the poem he had read in the brothel:
The great roc rises on the wind, soaring to the heavens in a single day!
The Heavenly Gate opened, leading him to a different world.
He felt an incredible sense of freshness, as if he had emerged from deep water into a new world, his skin's sensations incredibly fine and clear.
Every speck of dust was perceptible, and his vision was razor-sharp!
This was an extremely refined and precise control over his body.
This control allowed Li Hao to push his cultivation techniques to deeper levels.
With his mindset broken through, the previously restricted information flooded in like a bursting dam.
Behind the Endless Sea sword technique, new sword forms emerged.
Endless Sea!
With a sharp sound, Li Hao's sword erupted with a dragon's roar, as if sensing its master's intent, and glowed fiercely.
All these changes happened in an instant. In the world of his mindset, time flowed differently from the outside. It felt like he could have hundreds of thoughts in a single breath, but in reality, that only allowed him to lift his hand.
The recent enlightenment had plunged him into a deeper state of consciousness, where thoughts raced, generating tens of thousands of ideas in a split second.
When the sword tip rose again, a new sword technique appeared, and the other shore was born!
The figure descending from the sky lunged at him, a palm print like a Buddha subduing demons, aiming for his head.
But suddenly, the palm print seemed distant.
A sword light flashed, cutting through the distance between them.
This sword seemed to slice through the void, containing some kind of law or principle!
(End of Chapter)
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