https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-399-The-Great-Dream-of-the-Nine-Abysses-Part-2-/13451561/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-400-Soul-Spirit-Growth-Taking-the-Initiative-Part-2-/13451563/
Chapter 400: Soul Spirit Growth, Taking the Initiative (Part 1)
Chapter 400: Soul Spirit Growth, Taking the Initiative (8K Monthly Votes) (Part 1)
"This taste..."
The middle-aged warrior took the dish and began to enjoy it. However, just one bite made him widen his eyes in surprise.
The rich meat aroma, combined with a special Power in the flesh, flowed through his body as he ate, making him feel refreshed and invigorated. His Soul Spirit was nourished.
"This ancient demon flesh contains Soul Power and is also an excellent delicacy."
Li Hao was also enjoying the ancient demon flesh. Beyond the ultimate taste, he had also cooked the Soul Power within the flesh, which would be impossible to absorb if eaten raw. His cooking skills had reached the Dao, allowing him to cook even Soul Power, with effects comparable to alchemy, and better absorption without any side effects.
"Delicious, impressive!"
The middle-aged warrior's eating speed noticeably increased, almost wolfing it down. He barely had time to comment.
He could sense that the cooking technique to transform ancient demon flesh into such a rare delicacy was far from simple, even rivaling some high-grade alchemy masters.
"Don’t rush, there’s plenty more."
Seeing how he was eating, Li Hao couldn’t help but smile.
As a chef, the best praise from a diner was seeing them wolf down the food, giving him a sense of achievement and satisfaction.
Both of them focused on eating, taking large bites.
As they consumed piece after piece of ancient demon flesh, Li Hao felt his Soul Spirit burning, a warm sensation swirling within it. The accumulated Power in his Soul Spirit, unable to find an outlet, eventually condensed into a new pathway, like a seed breaking its shell.
Li Hao noticed that a second golden pathway was gradually forming within his Soul Spirit.
With the appearance of the new pathway, Li Hao felt his Soul Spirit grow stronger, his thoughts clearer, and his Divine Sense extending over a wider area.
"If I continue cultivating like this, perhaps I can reach the ultimate limit of my Soul Spirit."
Li Hao thought to himself, this intuition filling him with excitement.
In the previous battles with Supreme Sages, who had also cultivated their Soul Spirits, his advantage was limited. However, Li Hao knew that the strength of his Soul Spirit, when facing those who hadn’t reached the ultimate realm of Soul Spirit cultivation, could easily slay their Divine Souls with a single strike.
Before long, the cooked ancient demon flesh was divided and consumed by Li Hao and the middle-aged warrior.
Both had their mouths greasy, but their faces were filled with happiness, still savoring the taste.
"I didn’t expect you to turn these ancient demons into such a rare delicacy."
The middle-aged warrior patted his belly, looking at Li Hao with surprise.
Beyond the taste, his Soul Spirit had been nourished. After years of fierce battles, his Soul Spirit had become somewhat withered, leaving many hidden injuries. But now, many of those injuries had healed.
If he could eat more, he felt he could even return to his peak, and perhaps even advance further!
If he were alone, he would either eat the ancient demon flesh raw, which would cause indigestion and be pointless, or roast it, which would still result in eating as much as he excreted.
"These ancient demons have unique physical bodies, but they are still ingredients, just more difficult to handle."
Li Hao explained with a smile.
If not for his cooking skills reaching the Dao, he might not have been able to turn them into a delicacy.
This top-tier ingredient was far more challenging to handle than dragon meat or phoenix blood. If not properly prepared, it could be highly toxic, not only failing to become a delicacy but also having negative effects.
The middle-aged warrior looked at Li Hao with complex eyes. Earlier, he had hoped Li Hao would leave quickly to avoid the danger, but now, he wished Li Hao would stay. After experiencing such a delicious meal, he was somewhat reluctant to let him go.
However, he didn’t say anything. If Li Hao truly wanted to leave, he would let him go.
After all, this ancient path was too desolate.
"Senior, do you know how to play chess?"
After finishing his meal, Li Hao stood up to stretch and casually asked the middle-aged warrior.
The middle-aged warrior was slightly stunned. Chess?
His mind wandered, as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were distant memories.
Here, battling ancient demons, his mind and body were filled with endless slaughter.
"I forgot long ago."
He shook his head.
Li Hao felt a bit disappointed and could only set up his fishing line. The ancient demons that had rushed over and touched the fishing line earlier had given him quite a bit of fishing experience.
Once Fishing Line was set up, Li Hao continued to draw. This was the only form of entertainment he had at the moment.
“You don’t plan to leave?”
The middle-aged warrior, seeing Li Hao’s actions, couldn’t help but ask.
Li Hao shook his head and smiled. “If I leave, it will be hard to find such top-tier ingredients in the future.”
The middle-aged warrior was taken aback, then burst into laughter, his gaze softening as he looked at Li Hao.
He didn’t know if Li Hao’s words were true, but the danger of the place made him secretly hope that Li Hao would stay. After all, countless years had passed, and he was too lonely.
“I’ll restrain my Divine Blood and rest now.”
The middle-aged warrior said, his flesh contracting to reveal white bones.
Li Hao nodded.
He continued to draw, sketching the bodies of the ancient demons. Soon, he gained a substantial amount of Experience.
Initially, he could use this Experience to gauge the strength of his opponents, but since these ancient demons were corpses, the Experience gained couldn’t serve as a reliable reference.
However, as he drew more and more ancient demon corpses, completing a detailed illustration of a group of ancient demon corpses, Li Hao’s Painting Experience approached Perfection.
As time passed, Li Hao rested when he was tired and cooked ancient demon corpses when he was hungry.
After finishing the second-stage ancient demon fragments, he moved on to the remaining third-stage ancient demon.
Each time Li Hao finished cooking an ancient demon, the middle-aged warrior would wake up and join him in the meal.
Each ancient demon they ate nourished their Soul Spirits with abundant Soul Power, and Li Hao’s Soul Spirit gradually formed a golden vein.
Li Hao’s Soul Spirit grew stronger, and the middle-aged warrior’s Soul Spirit also healed, its hidden injuries mending. It was even on the verge of breaking through some Shackles, undergoing a transformation and forming a golden vein.
“Legend has it that if one cultivates their Soul Spirit to the ultimate level, even if only the Soul Spirit remains, they can regenerate their Physical Body!”
With his injuries healed and his Soul Spirit enhanced, the middle-aged warrior looked radiant. The deep-seated sorrow and despair in his eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a glimmer of hope.
He looked at Li Hao with genuine sincerity, no longer treating him as just a young person who had accidentally stumbled upon this place, someone he would never see again once Li Hao left.
After spending nearly two weeks together, they had shared many meals and conversations, and the middle-aged warrior had developed a strong liking for this younger man.
“The ancient demons are almost finished.”
Li Hao looked at the remaining half-corpse, enough for one more meal.
Over the past two weeks, the ancient demons hadn’t attacked again, which, according to the middle-aged warrior, was normal. After all, if they came too often, he wouldn’t have been able to survive for so long.
They usually came once every few decades, and their recent increased frequency was due to Li Hao’s presence and the detection of his aura by the ancient demons.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged warrior swallowed the hot, roasted meat in his hand and met Li Hao’s gaze.
They looked at each other and both broke into smiles.
“You really want to stay here and fight the ancient demons with me?”
The middle-aged warrior laughed, admiring Li Hao’s boldness and carefree attitude.
“If you can hold off the first-stage ancient demons and the second-stage ancient demon, I can handle the rest.”
Li Hao replied. The ancient demon flesh could enhance the Soul Spirit, and such ingredients were impossible to find outside. Even when he had consumed the demonic body of the Supreme Sage, an ancient era’s fierce beast, it had only improved his Physical Body, not his Soul Spirit.
The Soul Spirit’s predecessor was the Divine Soul, and cultivating the Divine Soul was already extremely difficult. After transforming into a Soul Spirit, advancing in cultivation became even harder.
Even absorbing the Essence of the Sun and the Moon only nourished and maintained the Soul Spirit, offering no further progress.
It was only through the Heavenly Dao’s feedback during the Sacrificial Dao’s tribulation that he had broken through the Ultimate Realm, allowing his Soul Spirit to form a golden vein.
Now, the effects of the ancient demon flesh were comparable to the Heavenly Dao’s blessing, enabling him to form more golden veins and enhance his Soul Spirit. This opportunity was rare and valuable.
Just that, although the benefits are numerous, the dangers here are also great. After all, not every encounter with ancient demons ends with a safe retreat. Otherwise, countless Immortal Deities wouldn’t have fallen and been buried here.
Li Hao’s journey has been fraught with peril, encountering challenges far beyond his normal combat capabilities. It’s only because he is exceptionally powerful for his realm that he has managed to narrowly escape each time.
“No problem. With my current strength, dealing with those first-rank ancient demons won’t be too strenuous.”
The middle-aged warrior’s eyes gleamed with a flicker of hope. For some reason, he sensed that a glimmer of light had appeared before him, perhaps offering a chance to break through the ancient path!
The arrival of this young man seemed like a reward from Heavenly Dao, a means to liberate him.
If he could continuously slay ancient demons and consume their flesh to enhance himself, it might just be possible to break through this ancient path!
Previously, he had never dared to engage in all-out battles with first-rank ancient demons, always wary of Soul Spirit damage. But now, with the nourishment from ancient demon flesh, such concerns were no longer an issue.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Li Hao said.
He too had begun to entertain the idea of breaking through the ancient path. Though not particularly intense, the thought of such an opportunity was not something to be dismissed.
At the very least, it would mean the Human Race wouldn’t face such a dire situation, and he could explore the True World in the future.
Moreover, the Mysterious Mother Gate had a gap. If he returned to the Land of Sages, even if he could live there in invincibility, the passage of time might one day see ancient demons invade. Without the power of an Immortal Deity, he would only be waiting for his doom.
“Alright!”
The middle-aged warrior nodded and immediately shared the information about the ancient demon they had encountered during their exploration.
Over the years, while defending this place, he had also quietly explored the ancient path ahead, only to find many more first-rank ancient demons, leading to his sense of despair and the realization that he could not leave the ancient path.
“Wait here. I’ll go and investigate the ancient path again.”
The middle-aged warrior said to Li Hao.
Seeing that he was going to act alone, Li Hao couldn’t help but feel some concern.
“Don’t worry. I’ve survived for so long because I have my ways. My Body Movement Techniques and concealment skills are formidable. If not for the concentration of first-rank ancient demons at the end of the ancient path, I could even slip out quietly.”
The middle-aged warrior smiled at Li Hao.
Li Hao, hearing this, felt reassured. Indeed, countless years of battle had honed his skills to a terrifying degree.
After bidding Li Hao farewell, the middle-aged warrior quietly disappeared, heading off to investigate.
His figure vanished directly before Li Hao’s eyes, dissipating like a gust of wind into the Heavens and Earth.
Li Hao was taken aback, unable to detect any trace of his departure.
He didn’t even see the Return to the Abyss gap open, suggesting the use of some extremely formidable Body Movement Technique.
Without the middle-aged warrior by his side, Li Hao became cautious, hiding in the bronze battle chariot to wait.
Two days later, the middle-aged warrior’s figure suddenly reappeared beside the bronze battle chariot.
Li Hao had been too worried to even paint during these two days, fearing the worst.
“The situation isn’t good.”
As soon as the middle-aged warrior appeared, he noticed Li Hao in the bronze battle chariot and his expression was heavy.
Li Hao jumped out of the battle chariot, relieved to see that he was unharmed, and asked, “What’s the situation?”
The middle-aged warrior then relayed the information he had gathered during his exploration.
The ancient path outside the canyon was extremely long, and beyond it lay the chaos rift left by the great battle. These were the terrifying scars caused by the Immortal Emperor’s struggle with the ancient demons. Even True Immortals would perish if they touched them.
Therefore, one could only follow the ancient path to leave this battlefield.
Ahead on the ancient path, first-rank ancient demons roamed in small groups.
The ancient demon that had previously attacked them was named ‘Zhen,’ accompanied by hundreds of third-stage ancient demons and seven second-stage ancient demons, all under its command.
During the great battle, these first-rank ancient demons were centurions in the ancient demon army.
Behind the ancient demon named Zhen, there were over a dozen first-rank ancient demons of similar strength. The situation was similar to what the middle-aged warrior had discovered during his earlier exploration, with no reduction in numbers. In fact, at the farthest point he explored, near the exit of the ancient path, the number of ancient demons seemed to have increased.
The situation made the middle-aged warrior feel uneasy.
For countless ages, these ancient demons had not only continued to linger here but their numbers had also increased.
Could it be that the True World had truly fallen, allowing the ancient demons to breed even more?
He knew that the ancient demons had an extremely strong reproductive ability and cultivated very quickly. This was why they could swarm like locusts, causing severe damage to the entire True World.
However, there was another possibility: the battlefield outside the ancient path might still be a warzone where True World Immortal Deities were battling the ancient demons. They might be trying to clear this battlefield, which is why these ancient demons were defending this area.
If that were the case, they might encounter the Immortal Deity armies once they broke through the ancient path.
"Senior, you actually understand the language of the ancient demons?"
During their conversation, Li Hao noticed that the middle-aged warrior was extremely familiar with the ancient demons and even knew their secret language.
The ancient demons could communicate with Immortal Deities through direct mental contact, allowing both parties to understand each other’s intentions. However, if they wished to conceal their conversation, the ancient demons would use their own language, which the Immortal Deities couldn’t understand.
"I caught one of the ancient demons earlier and learned their language from it."
The middle-aged warrior explained, then looked at Li Hao. "You know the situation. Are you still willing to accompany me on this journey?"
"Let's give it a try. We'll see how it goes."
Li Hao smiled.
The middle-aged warrior was serious, and seeing Li Hao’s relaxed expression, he knew that Li Hao was also serious.
He took a deep breath and said, "Then let's give it a shot."
He immediately sketched out what he had seen. Although it lacked the divine touch of Li Hao’s paintings, it still clearly showed the terrain of the ancient path and the distribution of the ancient demons.
They then formulated a battle plan based on this map.
A frontal assault would cause too much commotion and attract too many ancient demons, leading to major trouble. They had to proceed gradually and launch stealthy ambushes.
"We can only slowly weaken the Zhen demon’s power. Once it realizes something is wrong and tries to call for help, we’ll strike quickly. But before that, we need to clear out the ancient demons around it. Otherwise, if even one escapes, it will alert the others."
The middle-aged warrior explained.
After finalizing their plan, Li Hao finished eating the remaining half of the ancient demon he had cooked. He was well-fed and satisfied, while the middle-aged warrior rested for the night. The next morning, they set off quietly.
This time, the middle-aged warrior brought along the bronze battle chariot. He drove it along the ancient path.
After traveling several hundred miles, they reached the edge of the ancient demon’s fief.
The ancient path was desolate everywhere, and the nearby skeletons had already been collected by the middle-aged warrior into the battle chariot. Only a few scattered remnants remained, all devoid of luster.
(End of Chapter)
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