Chapter 272: Soul Spirit, Seventh Peak Realm (Second Unity)
Chapter 272: Soul Spirit, Seventh Peak Realm (Second Unity)
In less than half a day, Li Hao once again arrived at Youzhou.
This time, considering Xia Yuanwu's speed as the Master Son, he did not rush, for the scenery along the way was equally important.
Upon arriving at the Xia Clan's Divine General Manor, he saw Xia Linglong standing at the entrance to greet him, and this time, there were a few more people, including three elderly men with deep, restrained auras, clearly members of the older generation of the Xia Clan.
Seeing the young man dismount from the back of the Candlelight Deity, the Master Sons who had been leading troops outside all focused their attention.
Li Hao's feats, such as slaying the Gluttony Valley Lord and quelling the chaos with the Sword Tide, were witnessed by millions.
Moreover, when they rushed to Qingzhou, they learned that the Dragon Gate and Holy Palace, which had besieged Qingzhou, had been completely eradicated by Li Hao.
The leaders of those two major forces were both in the Great Peace Dao Realm, and for years, they had been a constant threat to the several Divine General Manors. Now, they had been eliminated in a single day by Li Hao, leaving the older generation deeply shaken.
"General Haotian, please."
Xia Linglong gazed at the young man with a gentle expression and invited him with a smile.
This time, seeing him again, her feelings were different. Previously, she and Xia Yuanwu had witnessed Li Hao slay the Gluttony Valley Lord, and later learned that he had also killed the old Demon Kings Long Jueshen and Feng Lingxiao in Qingzhou. She knew that despite being only in his teens, this young man had already reached the pinnacle of Dayu.
Apart from the True Person of the Qian Dao Palace, perhaps only the acknowledged second strongest, the Buddhist Master, could match him, and even then, the outcome would be uncertain.
Many of Xia Linglong's generation, including the next generation who were Li Hao's peers, had also heard the news and gathered to watch from a distance.
Learning that the legendary young man was coming, many of the younger generation of the Xia Clan were extremely excited, a mix of curiosity and admiration.
Born into a military family, they carried the honor of the Xia Clan but also had a strong admiration for strength. In the military, it was always about real skills, not empty talk.
Most of those born into military families were straightforward and disliked pretentiousness. Solid realms and solid achievements were the most convincing things.
And Li Hao had both.
Whether it was his awe-inspiring Fourth Establishment Realm cultivation or his achievements in slaying Demon Kings, any one of them was beyond the reach of his peers.
"Back then, they said he was at the Fifteen Li Realm at fourteen. Logically, his cultivation speed should have slowed down after reaching the Fifteen Li Realm, but it only accelerated."
"Is this General Haotian? Indeed, he is as young as the legends say."
"I heard he slew the Gluttony Valley Lord with a single sword strike. In the Great Peace Dao Realm, he is a fearsome deity."
The Xia Clan's young disciples watched from a distance, whispering among themselves.
Among them, some exceptionally talented prodigies had complex expressions, not out of jealousy, but from the immense gap they felt, and a blow to their confidence.
They were still competing with their peers and had yet to stand out, while that young man was already being treated like a rising star among their parents and even the older generation.
The gap was too great.
Upon arriving at the Xia Clan's guest hall, Li Hao sensed the enthusiastic atmosphere and immediately told Xia Linglong that he wanted to visit the Lingyuan Pavilion.
Xia Linglong noticed that Li Hao seemed to dislike the noise. This young man had a serene quality, as if he were sitting atop a towering peak, calm and distant, no matter where he was.
She immediately dismissed the many Xia Clan disciples and then led Li Hao to the Lingyuan Pavilion.
Li Hao had Xiyuan remain on the Candlelight Deity to wait.
He then asked Xia Yuanwu, the Master Son, to take care of Ren Qianqian.
Ren Qianqian had been nervous and uneasy throughout the journey, but she was also full of excitement and amazement. She never expected Li Hao to be treated with such high regard in the Xia Clan, another Divine General Manor.
Seeing Li Hao about to leave, she felt a sudden surge of anxiety but still nodded obediently, giving him a reassuring smile.
Xia Yuanwu noticed the little girl's unease. The Divine General Manor's stern atmosphere could be overwhelming, so he led her to his courtyard to ease her tension.
On the other side, Li Hao arrived at the Lingyuan Pavilion.
Xia Linglong smiled, "General Haotian, this is the Lingyuan Pavilion, the heart of the Xia Clan. Its aura soars to the heavens. Our ancestor built this pavilion with the hope that the Xia Clan would gather all martial arts from the world, allowing future generations to freely study and master countless cultivation techniques, creating a golden age of martial dao."
Li Hao nodded and said, "For a golden age of martial dao, sharing cultivation techniques is essential."
Xia Linglong was slightly taken aback, her gaze locking onto the young man for a moment before she smiled, "General Haotian is right. The Xia Clan has indeed planned to introduce lower-grade cultivation techniques to martial halls across the land, teaching them to the commoners. Although this will likely lead to arguments with the scholars in the court, it shouldn't be too difficult. The real challenge is the demons rampaging outside our borders. If we don't address the external threat, internal issues could arise."
Li Hao was a bit surprised but quickly understood.
The external threat was the demons. If a large number of cultivation techniques were made available at low cost or even for free, the number of martial artists would skyrocket. More martial artists could lead to chaos and internal strife.
Some martial artists in the jianghu, while adhering to martial dao, lack martial virtue. They might do anything for profit, competing with each other and even working for demons, driven by greed.
If demons infiltrate and collaborate with these jianghu sects, internal and external threats could erupt simultaneously, accelerating the decline of Dayu.
However, to suppress the demons, more martial artists must be cultivated, which is a contradiction.
If martial artists are managed, it would be like enlisting them into the military. If the number of enlisted martial artists is large, providing food, shelter, and cultivation resources would be a significant expense. During peacetime, this burden would be too heavy, and dismissing them would be problematic.
Once dismissed, these martial artists might cause chaos, potentially turning into bandits and harming the commoners.
Thus, the court needs to use martial artists to slay demons while controlling their numbers. Balancing these factors is a complex and intricate task, with countless ingenious strategies that are hard to describe.
"Everything is like yin and yang, but achieving balance is difficult", Li Hao said.
He was not skilled in governing the world, which requires understanding the human heart. Once you see through the human heart, life can become unbearably dull.
He could endure the loneliness of drinking alone but not the tedium of life.
Xia Linglong's eyes flickered with thought as she gazed deeply at the young man and softly said, "General Haotian, please. You can stay and read for as many days as you like, as long as you promise not to share anything outside."
"I will not betray the trust of the Xia Clan's leader", Li Hao replied.
He then entered the Lingyuan Pavilion.
The pavilion was filled with cultivation technique manuals. Li Hao glanced around; the setup was similar to the Rain Listening Pavilion.
He didn't waste time, quickly flipping through the books and recording them in the panel.
Initially, he had been selective about which cultivation technique manuals to record, but now he didn't have the time to carefully evaluate each one for redundancy. He decided to record them all first.
After all, the only downside was the additional names on the panel.
Since the battle in Qingzhou City, where he had slain the avatars of the two Wasteland Deities, Li Hao had become more cautious. Although he was now in the Great Peace Dao Realm and only a few known experts in the Great Yu Divine Dynasty could match him, there were still the true selves of the two Wasteland Deities, both at the Enlightenment Realm.
However, they had not directly attacked the Great Yu Divine Dynasty. Instead, they were using the demons outside the borders to create distractions. If not for his intervention, they would have remained hidden.
If one truly wanted to invade the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, they would only need to assassinate the emperor and massacre the Imperial Clan. Then, they could take over the throne and use the Imperial Capital to eliminate the Five Divine General Manors. This would be the optimal strategy.
The fact that the other party hasn't done this suggests either they are foolish or unable to do so.
Either the True Person of Qian Dao Palace is too powerful, or there are hidden forces within the Great Yu Divine Dynasty that they fear, requiring external help to force them out.
Now, with the two Avatars of the Wasteland Deities slain by Li Hao, they undoubtedly view him as a thorn in their side. The mere Avatars are already terrifying; if he were to face their True Selves, Li Hao would have little confidence in winning. Any increase in power would give him a better chance.
At this moment, with the cultivation techniques and secret manuals being recorded, Li Hao also included the body refinement techniques in the Panel.
Using the Eightfold Flesh Dao to deduce the body refinement techniques, he advanced lower-grade cultivation techniques to upper-grade, upper-grade techniques to secret techniques, and then combined them to create even more upper-grade cultivation techniques.
As one cultivation technique after another was recorded, a massive amount of information flooded Li Hao's mind. However, with his current physique, he could easily digest it all.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands!
All the cultivation techniques and secret manuals in the entire Lingyuan Pavilion were recorded in the Panel as Li Hao wandered through them.
Among these cultivation techniques, Li Hao discovered that most were inclined towards spirit refinement and object control techniques. Body refinement techniques were few, and sword techniques, fist techniques, and saber techniques were also relatively scarce.
Li Hao had heard before that each of the Five Divine General Manors had their specialties. The Li Family was diverse in their studies, the Xia Clan specialized in spirit refinement, and the Wang Family was known for their bizarre cultivation techniques and their ability to control puppets and mechanisms.
In the Divine Wanderer Realm and the Fifteen Li Realm, the Xia Clan generally outperformed the other Divine General Manors.
Their strongest spirit refinement cultivation techniques were nearly on par with those of the Imperial Clan.
The same was true for object control cultivation techniques.
This discovery filled Li Hao with surprise, making him feel that he had come to the right place.
As one spirit refinement cultivation technique after another was recorded, Li Hao's sevenfold Yudao swiftly digested them. The divine soul within him began to slowly rise, then accelerated.
Li Hao immediately enveloped himself in the Dao Domain, isolating his aura, and began to cultivate in a cross-legged position.
His divine soul appeared behind him like a golden war god, enveloped in flames, refining the divine soul.
The top-tier peerless spirit cultivation techniques of great families generally reached up to twenty miles of spirit refinement.
The top-tier spirit refinement technique of the Imperial Clan, however, reached thirty miles.
Li Hao originally possessed three top-tier spirit refinement techniques from the Li Family. With Old Feng's help, he had stolen the Imperial Clan's first spirit refinement technique, allowing his divine soul to cultivate to the level of divine roaming for fifty miles.
Now, having reached the Fourth Establishment Realm, his divine soul naturally grew stronger, capable of easily flying a hundred miles.
But this distance was achieved through his Dao Will and the refinement of his Divine Soul when he ascended to a higher realm. Without these enhancements, his limit in the Divine Wanderer Realm would still be fifty miles.
Li Hao speculated that to fully maximize the Divine Wanderer Realm, one would need to achieve a limit of at least a hundred miles.
At this moment, as various Spirit Refinement Cultivation Techniques were being deduced, Li Hao immediately began to cultivate. His Divine Soul formed seals, and Divine Fire spread around him.
All of this was isolated within his Dao Domain, not even the temperature leaking out.
As he cultivated, Li Hao’s Divine Soul continuously transformed, absorbing the Moon Essence Power that drifted through the world, filling in the gaps of his Spirit Refinement.
Spirit Refinement Cultivation Techniques were similar to how Demons cultivated by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. However, most Demons, except for those with exceptional talents, could only absorb Moon Essence. This was because Moon Essence was gentle, while Sun Essence was fierce and could easily burn the Divine Soul during absorption.
But now, with the enhancement of his Divine Soul, Li Hao absorbed both the sun and moon powers simultaneously. A scorching Divine Solar Flame burned on his Divine Soul, emitting a terrifying aura.
With just the collision of Divine Souls, Li Hao could easily ignite others' Divine Souls.
As his Divine Soul became increasingly refined, the connection between it and his True Self grew stronger. In this rapid enhancement, Li Hao had a sense that perhaps, if he cultivated the Divine Wanderer Realm to its ultimate limit, his Divine Soul would become indestructible, granting him eternal life!
After all, under normal circumstances, if the physical body was destroyed, the Divine Soul was relatively fragile and needed to quickly find a vessel to inhabit. Otherwise, prolonged exposure to the divine sun's rays would cause it to wither and perish.
But now, with his Divine Soul absorbing Sun Essence, it no longer feared the divine sun's scorching rays.
After a long time.
As various Spirit Refinement Cultivation Techniques merged, Li Hao’s Divine Soul rapidly advanced. He soon felt himself entering a mysterious state, as if his Divine Soul had undergone a sudden transformation, emerging anew from its old shell.
The golden flames on his Divine Soul, which had previously enveloped his back, now surged into his body. His Divine Soul became entirely golden and solid.
"This is..."
Li Hao opened his eyes, and with a thought, his Divine Soul erupted, breaking through the Dao Domain and flying out of the dome of Lingyuan Pavilion, standing tall in the sky.
Bathed in the light of the sun and moon, his Divine Soul shone brightly, no longer appearing ethereal but resembling a golden true form.
Suddenly, his Divine Soul erupted and vanished, entering a mysterious realm, seemingly within the spatial rift.
Soon, it reappeared.
Li Hao tried this several times and realized that he had reached the ultimate limit of the Divine Wanderer Realm. The abilities he now possessed included various enhancements to his Divine Soul, and even if his physical body were to die, his Divine Soul could exist for a long time.
Moreover, his Divine Soul could traverse the spatial rift, a place that even those in the Dao Mind Realm could not attack, unless someone in the Great Peace Dao Realm used a Dao Domain to force it out.
This was a capability possessed even in the Divine Wanderer Realm, which was truly terrifying.
"By the light of the sun and moon, one can Divine Roam through the void, traversing the void’s cracks..."
Li Hao pondered, naming this ultimate limit of the Divine Wanderer Realm as Soul Spirit.
At this moment, his Divine Soul had indeed transformed, becoming different from ordinary Divine Souls. Li Hao felt that in an evenly matched battle, he would likely discover more benefits of the Divine Roaming Ultimate Realm.
But for now, just the ability to traverse the void and only be forced out by a Dao Domain was already extremely impressive.
If he had mastered this ability earlier, he could have used his Divine Soul to traverse and kill enemies, making it difficult for anyone below the Great Peace Dao Realm to deal with him.
It's important to understand that this is just the level one can reach in the Divine Wanderer Realm.
Li Hao retracted his Divine Soul and then continued his cultivation.
The cultivation of various Spirit Refinement Techniques did not stop after forming the Soul Spirit. Li Hao's Soul Spirit continued to grow and strengthen under these techniques.
Li Hao had long known that beyond the Ultimate Realm, there should be another final boundary.
That would be the true limit.
But to reach it might be ten times harder than the Ultimate Realm.
The Ultimate Realm is already extremely difficult; even the prodigies of the Ancient Holy Clans struggle to reach it, let alone the final boundary.
Time flew by.
After a long while, Li Hao's Soul Spirit finally paused its cultivation. The various cultivation techniques had pushed the Soul Spirit to its peak.
Li Hao released his Soul Spirit from the Lingyuan Pavilion, and in an instant, he appeared outside the city. He then crossed mountains and rivers, flying under the sun and moon. The sun, which once could burn the Divine Soul, now felt warm on his body.
The Sun Essence is more condensed and powerful than Moon Essence, and it was being absorbed by the Soul Spirit, continuously nourishing it.
"I've heard that only a few ancient Demon King bloodlines can naturally ingest Sun Essence, while other races, even most of the Dragon Race, can only absorb Moon Essence for cultivation", Li Hao thought to himself. The speed at which the Soul Spirit could fly was much faster than his True Self, meaning he could swiftly slay most enemies with his Divine Soul without his True Self moving.
After wandering for four or five hundred miles, Li Hao began to feel a chill. The connection between the Soul Spirit and his True Self grew weaker. This sensation was peculiar; when his body felt cold, the world around him seemed to change, as if he were being washed by a sea that existed between reality and illusion.
Continuing forward felt like venturing deeper into this illusory sea. Getting lost in it would be extremely dangerous.
"Even with just the Soul Spirit, I still can't completely separate from my Physical Body", Li Hao thought.
His Soul Spirit began to return.
The hundreds of miles flew by quickly, and upon returning to his body, Li Hao stretched slightly before resuming his cultivation.
This time, he practiced the Object Control Technique.
The Fifteen Li Realm is named so because a Divine Soul can control objects up to fifteen li in a single breath.
This is the limit for most people without any background.
Fifteen li is also the maximum speed for a full attack, not a sustained state. For example, in the Fifteen Li Realm, one can use a full burst to control an object up to fifteen li away, but this can only be done a few times before exhaustion.
The royal Object Control Technique can be cultivated to thirty li.
Other top-secret techniques can reach forty li.
While the difference between fifteen and forty li is only twenty-five li, it is a qualitative change in combat.
Twenty-five li means that an opponent might be killed before they even attack.
This is why royal bloodline experts can command various regions. In the Fifteen Li Realm, the royal thirty-li Object Control speed can easily and swiftly defeat other beings of the same realm.
Li Hao originally cultivated to forty li and, after absorbing many cultivation techniques in the Heavenly Mechanism Tower, reached eighty li.
With his realm now enhanced and his Divine Soul strengthened, his Object Control speed was even faster.
As various Object Control cultivation techniques merged, Li Hao's Soul Spirit flew out again. Outside the Lingyuan Pavilion, he picked up a speck of dust from the ground and controlled it to cover a hundred li.
As his Object Control speed increased and his understanding deepened, Li Hao gradually grasped the subtle essence of Object Control.
Object Control, no matter how fast, cannot match Void Travel.
When speed reaches its peak, it seems to tear through the Void, allowing one to traverse space.
……
……
Two days later, Li Hao emerged from Lingyuan Pavilion.
Xia Linglong had no idea how long Li Hao would stay, so after sending him to Lingyuan Pavilion, she did not wait outside. As the Patriarch of the Xia Clan, she had many matters to attend to.
Especially now, with Youzhou's Gluttony Valley Lord slain and the remaining Demons either massacred or driven away, the cities destroyed by the Demons needed to be rebuilt, and the many Commoners who had been injured or killed needed to be comforted and helped.
While Xia Linglong was busy, she received the news that Li Hao was leaving the pavilion, which made her pause in surprise.
"Only two days?"
Xia Linglong was taken aback. Then she thought that Li Hao might have read and memorized all the top-tier Cultivation Techniques, so it was normal for him not to Cultivate there.
She immediately set aside her work and went to greet him.
Li Hao exchanged a few pleasantries with the Patriarch, expressed his gratitude, and prepared to leave.
"General Haotian, the Xia Clan has two Demon Kings. Although they are not as powerful as the rulers of the Void Realm, they would still be good for guarding your gates. You could take a look at them", Xia Linglong invited.
Li Hao smiled and said, "Patriarch Xia, you don't need to be so formal. Being able to visit Lingyuan Pavilion is already a great favor to me. The Demon Kings can stay with you to fight your enemies."
Xia Linglong looked at Li Hao and, seeing that he was not just being polite, felt a deep admiration. After all, these were Demon Kings, and even if Li Hao had no use for them, they were still valuable.
Upon learning that Li Hao was leaving, the people of the Xia Clan came to see him off once more.
Li Hao took Ren Qianqian, Candlelight Deity, and Xiyuan, who had immediately climbed back onto his wrist, and bid farewell to the Xia Clan before leaving Youzhou.
Before he left, Li Hao gave the Xia Clan two Go Stones, saying they could be used as his War Banners.
These Go Stones, infused with Li Hao's Power Mark, contained Sword Qi that carried Dao Domain rules. Even a Secret Technique Realm cultivator could be easily slain, and a Great Peace Dao Realm cultivator would be severely injured.
When Li Hao explained the power of these Go Stones to Xia Linglong, she felt a sudden heat in her hands.
Stunned, she was both amazed by Li Hao's abilities and deeply grateful for his gift.
The Xia Clan, though a Divine General Manor shining brightly, had foreseen the great challenges the Great Yu Divine Dynasty would face, especially after the appearance of the Wasteland Deity's Avatar outside Qingzhou City.
To receive such a powerful treasure now was a great act of kindness.
Compared to Xia Linglong's profuse thanks, for Li Hao, it was merely payment for his time at Lingyuan Pavilion.
After all, he had gained a lot from his visit. He had successfully broken through to the Limit in the Divine Wanderer Realm and the Fifteen Li Realm, achieving the Ultimate Realm state!
Additionally, the other Cultivation Techniques he had studied had significantly improved his Sword Art, Fist Technique, and Body Cultivation, further enhancing his strength.
Apart from the Fourth Establishment Realm, all seven Martial Dao realms he had focused on had now reached their Limits.
……
Half a day later, Li Hao returned to Heavenly Gate Pass. As soon as he arrived, he sensed an extremely sinister and malevolent aura within the city.
This aura was not concealed, neither arrogant nor restrained, but simply emitted naturally. It made Li Hao's eyes narrow slightly in surprise.
Some of the city's soldiers, seeing Li Hao's return, hurriedly reported the situation to him.
Li Hao nodded, indicating he was aware, and then took Candlelight Deity back to the Wattle Yard.
In the small courtyard, a disheveled figure sat in the place where Li Hao used to drink tea, pouring and drinking alone.
His clothes were tattered, and his hands bore the marks of two severed Iron Chains.
(End of Chapter)
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