Everlasting Renown Chapter 398: Ancient Demon Catastrophe, Yudao Tenth Rank! (Part 2) (Part 2) - Novel Cool

Chapter 398: Ancient Demon Catastrophe, Yudao Tenth Rank! (Part 2) (Part 2)

Chapter 398: Ancient Demon Catastrophe, Yudao Tenth Rank! (Part 2) (Part 2)

"What method did you use to strike them down so quickly? You figured out the structure of their bodies in such a short time?"

Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief as the middle-aged warrior returned and smiled, saying, "I'm a chef. These creatures, though strange, are just ingredients to me. Handling ingredients requires understanding their structure and parts. It's a shame I don't have the chance to cook and taste each part."

The middle-aged warrior was momentarily stunned, then he regained his composure and chuckled, saying, "You are indeed a remarkable person."

He casually stuck his ancient sword into the ground, wiped the blood from his body, and glanced at the Broken Blade in Li Hao's hand, saying, "Let me take a look at that."

Li Hao wasn't stingy and handed it over generously.

The middle-aged warrior examined the Broken Blade, his eyes narrowing slightly, and said, "This is actually a top-tier Dao weapon fragment, almost an Immortal Artifact. What a pity."

He then tossed it back to Li Hao and looked around, saying, "Sadly, the battle here was too fierce. Most of the weapons here are damaged, and some have lost their core, unable to withstand the decay of time. They are now useless. Otherwise, you could have found quite a few Immortal Artifacts."

Li Hao thought about the many weapons he had seen along the way, their luster long faded, and couldn't help but sigh.

However, the Broken Blade was a top-tier Imperial Weapon, which explained its incredible sharpness.

"A top-tier Imperial Weapon, likely a Ninth Tribulation Imperial Weapon, requires over five thousand Heavenly and Earthly Treasures..."

Li Hao thought to himself. Even if they scoured the entire Land of Sages, it was uncertain whether they could find so many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.

In other words, even with the full power of the Land of Sages, they might not be able to forge a Ninth Tribulation Imperial Weapon!

"You were quite brave to take the initiative. It did help reduce the chariot's power consumption a bit."

The middle-aged warrior said to Li Hao, his smile more natural and gentle than before. As he spoke more, his expression became less stiff, adapting to the conversation.

"Senior, did you fight these Ancient Demons back then?"

Li Hao asked.

The middle-aged warrior nodded slightly, his expression growing more serious, and said, "These creatures consume souls. Since the Cycle collapsed, they have escaped through the cracks, wreaking havoc in the True World. The decline of the True World is closely tied to their existence."

Li Hao felt a chill in his heart and asked, "The True World you mentioned is this immortal realm, is it?"

"Immortal realm? We never call it that. This is the True World, the genuine world from which Heaven and Earth originated."

The middle-aged warrior walked to the side, sat down by the chariot's tracks, leaned against them, and wiped the blood off the Sword Edge, saying:

"The world you previously inhabited was a pseudo-world, created by the Immortal Emperor. You can think of it as the Immortal Emperor's Dao Domain!"

At this point, he sighed deeply, gazing into the distance with a mix of nostalgia and sorrow in his eyes:

"When the Ancient Demon Catastrophe struck, the major immortal sects of the True World fought on the Frontline. The Immortal Emperor gathered his descendants and disciples into his pseudo-world for protection while he himself went to face the demon gods of the ancient demons..."

"The Immortal Emperor fell, and the pseudo-world declined and sealed itself off."

He smiled lightly, "But we cultivators never cower. Not long after the Immortal Emperor left, his disciples and descendants broke out of the pseudo-world, came to this battlefield, and fought alongside us. They also sealed off the path to the pseudo-world, preserving the spark of life. The skeletons you saw on your way here are the descendants of the Immortal Emperor, including some of his disciples..."

Li Hao was stunned. The other party hadn't spoken in riddles, and with just a few words, a grand and vast battlefield from ancient times seemed to appear before his eyes.

The Immortal Deity fought bloodily, slaying the ancient demons.

"So, this is why the Immortal God Path has disappeared. I see..."

Li Hao understood. No wonder the Supreme Sages couldn't find the Immortal God Path; it had been deliberately sealed off.

The Immortal Deity's disappearance was because they had all come to the True World to fight the ancient demons.

All of this was beyond Li Hao's imagination and expectations. He had thought that walking the Immortal God Path would lead him to a vast and powerful Immortal God World, brimming with vitality and akin to the realm of the Immortal Deity. Instead, it was a world ravaged by catastrophe, where countless Immortal Deities had fallen.

"Senior, how could these ancient demons sweep through the entire True World? Weren't they detected when they first emerged?"

Li Hao's thoughts churned as he asked, puzzled.

If the True World was ruled by Immortal Deities, and the ancient demons were an alien race, they should have detected the danger early and not allowed it to grow.

"The Cycle collapsed, releasing them. No one could have predicted it; everything happened too suddenly..."

The middle-aged warrior shook his head slightly, looking at Li Hao, "Now that you know the situation in the True World, do you still long for it, or would you prefer to return to the Imperial Catastrophe Pseudo-Realm? The Mysterious Mother Gate has a flaw, but it can still hold back the ancient demons, unless a major leader of the ancient demons comes over personally."

Li Hao smiled bitterly, "Senior, I was truly being pursued and forced to come here. They are probably still guarding the gate."

The middle-aged warrior was momentarily speechless, then he rubbed his head, "I got a bit confused. I forgot what I just said."

He sighed, "Unfortunately, I can't cross the Mysterious Mother Gate, or it would render the seal ineffective. Otherwise, I could have accompanied you."

He looked at his sword again, shaking his head. This was his only weapon. If he had a second one, he could have lent it to Li Hao to kill the enemies.

"In that case, you can only stay here and wait to die with me."

The middle-aged warrior's lips curled into a smile, devoid of sadness or self-mockery, just a sense of acceptance:

"On the day I die in battle, you can take this sword. If you're still alive then, you can use this sword to return through the pseudo-world. At that time, no one in the pseudo-world will be a match for you."

Hum!

The sword in his hand hummed softly, as if speaking.

The middle-aged warrior was taken aback, then laughed wryly, "Don't be stubborn. It's rare for someone to come here. If I die, staying by my side won't help. If one of us can survive, that's the best we can hope for."

The Sword Edge hummed again, trembling as if struggling.

Seeing this, the middle-aged warrior quickly soothed it, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this."

Li Hao glanced at the sword in his hand, knowing it was an Immortal Artifact. However, he had no greedy thoughts. This sword had accompanied the warrior through countless battles, and the bond between them was deep and unbreakable.

"Senior, are you the only one left here? Why don't you leave?"

Li Hao asked.

The middle-aged warrior shook his head slightly, "As far as I can see, I am the only one left. I want to leave, but this ancient path is sealed. There are still many surviving ancient demons wandering ahead, and with my current power, I can't break through."

Li Hao couldn't help but look into the distance, but even at his Transcend to Immortality stage, he could only see a hundred miles at most.

Up ahead, are they all Ancient Demons?

"Is there no other way out?"

Li Hao asked, immediately feeling like he had just asked a pointless question.

If there were another way, the other party would have taken it long ago.

The middle-aged warrior shook his head slightly. "No way out. The only path left for me is to shed my last drop of blood for the Heavenly Catastrophe Immortal Emperor, guarding the Mysterious Mother Gate for as long as I can."

Li Hao fell silent.

He hadn’t expected that although he had managed to walk this Immortal God Path, it would be blocked again.

"Since that’s the case, I’ll keep you company."

Li Hao jumped down from the cart and sat beside the warrior, smiling. "At least we can chat to pass the time."

The middle-aged warrior was taken aback. He had expected Li Hao to be disheartened and despairing upon hearing this, but he was still able to smile.

Moreover, he could see that Li Hao was extremely sincere, with a carefree disposition.

"You take things lightly."

The warrior couldn’t help but smile as well. He had fought for countless years, long since becoming indifferent to life and death. On the day he died, he felt that his heart would be extremely calm, for he had been prepared for this countless times.

"Pessimism won’t change anything. I might as well find some happiness in a sad situation; at least my mood will be a bit better."

Li Hao said with a smile.

The warrior thought about it and nodded seriously. "You’re right!"

"Senior, do these Ancient Demons appear at random, or do they follow a pattern? They know you’re here, so why haven’t they attacked directly?"

Li Hao asked curiously.

Since the other party said this ancient path was blocked by Ancient Demons and he couldn’t break through, the number and strength of the Ancient Demons must be overwhelming.

"Heh, I’ve been targeted by one of them, becoming its prey. As long as it’s not dead, the others won’t come here. They see me as food and have already divided me among themselves."

The warrior said with a cold smile.

"Is it the same Ancient Demon from earlier?"

"Exactly. It’s a First-Class Ancient Demon, with power equivalent to a True Immortal. Combined with the unique soul-devouring secret art of the Ancient Demon race, an ordinary True Immortal might not be its match."

The warrior’s eyes grew distant. "And on this path, there are at least a dozen such Ancient Demons, though they are farther away. Where there are usually a dozen First-Class Ancient Demons, there’s a small chance that an Ancient Demon Commander might be present."

He paused, his eyes returning to a calm state. "So, here I am, just waiting to die slowly. I could kill the Ancient Demon from earlier, but I know that if I do, another one will come. Before it, I had already killed seven. In my current state, I can’t kill any more, so I just keep enduring."

Li Hao understood. The warrior was keeping the Ancient Demon alive, using it as a barrier to prevent other Ancient Demons from attacking.

Li Hao asked more about the Ancient Demons and learned about their strength classifications from the warrior.

The Third-Class Ancient Demon he had encountered was the weakest, but it was still at the Saint Path Perfection level, equivalent to a Supreme Sage.

Second-Class Ancient Demons were between the Supreme Sage Limit and True Immortal levels.

First-Class Ancient Demons could devour ordinary True Immortals, and the warrior was one of the stronger True Immortals, able to slay them.

"The weakest Third-Class Ancient Demon is on par with a Supreme Sage. The starting point for the Ancient Demon race is incredibly high", Li Hao said.

Even the Dragon Race, Ancient Phoenix, and other top-tier races of Heaven and Earth didn’t have such an exaggerated starting point.

"Ancient Demons don’t belong to the myriad races of All Heavens. They came from the Cycle, not only being powerful and terrifying but also growing at an extremely rapid rate. Otherwise, the True World wouldn’t have faced such a Catastrophe back then..."

The warrior shook his head slightly, seemingly unwilling to delve into these topics further. His flesh slowly withered and shriveled, and he told Li Hao, "To conserve my strength, I usually keep my Divine Blood reined in. Don’t be alarmed."

His flesh shrank, quickly revealing his bones, returning to his previous state.

Li Hao shook his head, glancing around. The few Third-Class Ancient Demons the warrior had killed earlier had been completely annihilated, leaving no bodies behind, which was a shame.

"Senior, when another Ancient Demon comes, could you leave it intact?"

Li Hao said.

The warrior was a bit surprised. "What, feeling sorry for them?"

"I’m hungry."

Li Hao said, "Senior, didn’t you forget? I’m a chef."

"..."

The warrior stared at him with hollow eyes for a moment before saying, "You’ve only lived for sixty years, yet you’ve cultivated to this level, and you say you’re a chef?"

"Cultivation was purely accidental."

Li Hao said sheepishly.

He had never truly cultivated, except for comprehending the Ultimate Realm Mindset.

Perhaps it was this Mindset that allowed him to easily grasp the Sixth Extreme Realm back then.

The warrior was speechless. "Alright, next time, I’ll try to leave one for you. I want to taste it, so don’t disappoint me."

"Thanks, Senior. I won’t let you down."

Li Hao laughed.

The warrior didn’t say anything more and leaned against the cart to rest.

Seeing this, Li Hao didn’t disturb him and walked to one side, releasing a series of faint fishing lines, extending them out. He wanted to set up a fishing net around the area to detect Ancient Demons, using it as an early warning system.

The middle-aged warrior, though resting, remained vigilant, closely observing Li Hao's every move. When he saw Li Hao set up a series of extremely subtle Measuring Lines with particularly unique techniques, he couldn't help but find it intriguing and became increasingly curious.

After countless years, could it be that the Cultivation system in the pseudo-world has become so unconventional?

Once the fishing line was set up, Li Hao brought up the Panel and glanced at the other party, noting no reaction. He confirmed that the other side couldn't see the Panel.

Previously, after defeating the Supreme Sage, Cooking Entering the Dao, and reaching the Tenth Rank, Li Hao had obtained an Enlightenment Heart and some Art Skill Points.

However, he now had a surplus of Art Skill Points, and the main challenge was advancing his Mindset.

"Previously, it was Physical Body Entering the Dao and Physical Body Ascension. Now, should I choose Yudao or Sword Dao?"

Li Hao stared at the Panel, his gaze wavering between Ninth Rank Yudao and Ninth Rank Sword Dao.

Advancing Yudao would enhance Soul Spirit Power, Object Control Power, Divine Sense, and other aspects of the soul.

On the other hand, Sword Dao would directly boost visible combat strength.

Initially, Li Hao had planned to use the second Enlightenment Heart to advance Sword Dao, further elevating his Sword Art.

But now, on this ancient path beyond the heavens, facing the ancient demons that could appear at any moment, he felt some hesitation.

In the previous battle, Li Hao had experienced the unique traits of the ancient demons. Even with his Soul Spirit Cultivation at the Ultimate Realm, he could still be injured by them.

"If my Soul Spirit could continue to advance, along with Object Control Power, and if I could control the broken blade faster, I could swiftly kill even a dozen third-tier ancient demons, forcing them to defend themselves and leaving them unable to attack me."

Li Hao's eyes flickered.

After much deliberation, he chose Yudao.

He could always use the next Enlightenment Heart on Sword Dao once Fishing or Chess Dao reached Tenth Rank.

Although Sword Dao could enhance combat strength, without a suitable Weapon, even a more powerful Sword Art wouldn't be enough to annihilate an ancient demon with a single strike.

If he couldn't kill them with one strike, they would just regenerate, making it a futile effort.

After all, Tenth Rank Sword Dao, though powerful, was only at the level of Sacrificial Dao Ascension.

Having made up his mind, Li Hao no longer hesitated.

With the Cooking Enlightenment Heart embedded, Li Hao's Yudao finally gained another point.

【Congratulations, Yudao has been upgraded to Tenth Rank】

The message appeared before his eyes.

At the same time, Li Hao felt a flood of information surge into his mind, and the world before him underwent a drastic transformation.

Colors appeared and disappeared, and the gray mist that had been visible to him became clearer.

His extended Divine Sense rapidly expanded, from ten miles to dozens of miles, and in the blink of an eye, it reached over a hundred miles, continuing to extend.

The Tenth Rank Yudao insight in his mind caused Li Hao's body to undergo a natural transformation. Amidst this change, a deep rumbling suddenly came from above his head.

A wave of tribulation power emerged, and a Raid Cloud descended from behind the gray mist, dispersing it.

"Hmm?"

The middle-aged warrior, leaning against the wheel track, was startled by this scene. His eyes, which had suddenly grown a pair of fleshy eyeballs, looked up at the Raid Cloud in surprise.

Is this a Sacred Tribulation?

He glanced at Li Hao, who was sitting cross-legged nearby, feeling astonished. He had never seen such a situation before. He could tell that Li Hao was already a Sage, and he had unified three Powers: Sacrificial Dao, Incense, and Extreme Dao.

The Extreme Dao path was extremely secretive, yet it had spread even in the pseudo-world.

But having already mastered three Saint Paths, how could he still summon a Sacred Tribulation?

Soon, the middle-aged warrior noticed the subtle differences in the Raid Cloud and realized it was a Sacrificial Dao Raid Cloud!

"You actually comprehended a second Dao Entry Level Power?"

The middle-aged warrior's eyes widened in shock. He had seen countless monsters and World-Class Geniuses with innate immortal bones in the True World's immortal sects, but even among them, it was extremely rare to see someone achieve this level at such a young soul age.

To master two Sacrificial Dao Powers in less than a decade of soul age was truly remarkable.

(End of Chapter)

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