https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-426-Eternal-Dao-Heart-Heaven-and-Earth-Bell/13451681/
Chapter 427: Reaching the Peak, Freedom in the Heavens
Chapter 427: Reaching the Peak, Freedom in the Heavens
After getting to know each other, the two Sages learned that Li Hao was a member of the Flower Touring Society.
"Zhantan... I remember that little girl. It turns out she recruited you. She has a keen eye", Flower Sage chuckled, the butterfly ornament on her head fluttering as if it were about to take flight.
"Those young ones are still around, which is quite fortunate. If they had been diligent in their Cultivation, they might not have lived this long. Cultivation is a competition, and where there is competition, there are losers..."
Wander Sage's eyes showed a mix of nostalgia and reminiscence as she glanced at the towering Heavenly Palace in the distance. She sighed softly, saying:
"When we first saw the Heavens and Earth sealed, we became disheartened and stopped Cultivating, thinking we had seen through the essence of Cultivation. Now, here we are, peering into the Heavens Beyond Heavens, just like them, striving to reach the top and vie for the Immortal Emperor's Legacy. The so-called 'non-striving' is just a lack of sufficient temptation..."
Her expression was somewhat melancholic.
Li Hao smiled and said, "There's no need to deliberately pursue it. Just follow your heart. If you want something, there's no need to pretend you don't."
Wander Sage turned to look at Li Hao, her eyes brightening, and a gentle smile appeared on her snow-like, beautiful face. "You're right. Pretending otherwise would be too forced."
The three of them exchanged glances and laughed together.
"According to Elder Wang, you have an Eternal Dao Heart, making the Heavens and Earth ring nine times. It's hard to imagine what kind of Dao Heart that must be. Your Talent must far surpass ours. This Immortal Emperor's Legacy is within your reach. If you become a registered disciple of the Immortal Emperor, we can ride on your success and visit the True World."
Flower Sage said to Li Hao, her eyes sincere, showing great confidence in him.
Wander Sage also had high hopes for this newcomer to the Monsters. Initially, they felt a sense of urgency when they didn't know Li Hao's identity, but now they felt more at ease.
Just as Li Hao was about to speak, another Sage nearby said solemnly, "Pastoral Sage is going to Challenge again!"
Flower Sage and Wander Sage immediately looked over and saw the snow-haired Pastoral Sage, who was sitting on a zabuton, slowly rise. His expression was unreadable, but his back was exceptionally steady, as if he were particularly solemn.
He paused slightly after standing and then swiftly flew toward the Training Ground.
Beyond the Heavens and Earth Bell, there was a steep black tower in the distance.
Pastoral Sage flew to the black tower, and the door opened automatically as he stepped inside.
"It seems Pastoral Sage has been somewhat stimulated."
"Of course, who hasn't been stimulated? My Spear Path thoughts are a bit confused."
"I wonder if Pastoral Sage can break the record this time and last a bit longer."
The other Sages opened their eyes slightly and focused on the black tower. Many of them occasionally glanced at Li Hao while discussing, as his arrival had caused a massive ripple in their hearts. The shock of the Heavens and Earth ringing nine times was unprecedented.
"They're all very interested in you."
Wander Sage smiled teasingly, her eyes twinkling as they swept over Li Hao. She and Flower Sage were also deeply impressed by this young man, who was truly extraordinary.
Li Hao gave a slight bitter smile but didn't say anything.
At that moment, Flower Sage pinched her fingers, and a stick of incense appeared, burning on its own, with the smoke curling upward.
"What is that?"
"It's to record Pastoral Sage's Challenge duration, to see if he can break the previous record and improve", Flower Sage explained.
Li Hao understood and waited quietly.
As the incense in Flower Sage's hand burned to two-thirds, the black tower suddenly opened, and the snow-haired Pastoral Sage emerged, his face somewhat gloomy. He silently returned to the Training Ground.
"Shorter than the last time."
Flower Sage glanced at the incense in her hand, pinched her fingers, and the incense disappeared. She smiled faintly, "It seems your arrival has caused many to lose their composure."
Li Hao was speechless.
The others also noticed this, shaking their heads slightly and glancing at Li Hao before resuming their Cultivation.
Wander Sage said to Li Hao, "You don't need to worry. Go ahead, and we won't hold you up."
Li Hao nodded slightly. When Flower Sage and Wander Sage began their cultivation, he took out his Painting Board and started his own practice.
"What are you doing?"
Wander Sage glanced at Li Hao's actions, her expression momentarily stunned before turning slightly surprised.
Li Hao, understanding her thoughts, smiled and said, "Just trying to ease my mind a bit."
"..."
Wander Sage was speechless but didn't say anything more. She simply replied, "Alright, show me when you're done. I have a bit of a fondness for this art form too."
Li Hao nodded.
Once Flower Sage and Wander Sage had each started their cultivation, he focused intently on his painting.
At the Tenth Rank of the Art Dao, he already had his own Saint Path, and his paintings were imbued with a thick, powerful flow of Heaven and Earth Energy and traces of the Great Dao. As he began to paint, Li Hao's gaze swept over the area. If he were to paint the Sages beside him, the Great Dao's influence might interfere with their cultivation, which would be disrespectful.
However, he could still paint the scenery.
Li Hao looked at the Heaven and Earth Bell in front of him, his eyes gleaming, and immediately began to paint.
On the Painting Board, he splashed ink with a flourish, the ink drawing in a vast amount of Heaven and Earth Energy. As he sketched, the Great Dao was attracted and condensed within the strokes of his brush.
With just a few strokes, the Great Dao gathered, and the outline of a great bell gradually appeared.
As the Heaven and Earth Bell took shape, an extraordinary aura seemed to emanate from it.
Li Hao's gaze became even more focused, his mind fully immersed in the painting. The bell in the painting grew clearer and more lifelike, and suddenly, a resonant bell sound rang out in his ears. Li Hao felt a surge of power radiate from the painting paper, directly impacting his spirit. Three bell sounds echoed in his heart!
With each bell sound, Li Hao's Soul Spirit seemed to grow more refined and stronger.
Unfortunately, his Physical Body, being of the ninth-grade mixed origin divine blood, was like a fixed Divine Armor, unable to be enhanced. Otherwise, his Physical Body would have also undergone changes.
"Hmm?"
Flower Sage and Wander Sage, who were cultivating nearby, opened their eyes, and the other Sages also looked over.
While they were cultivating, they had suddenly heard a booming sound, initially thinking someone was testing the Heaven and Earth Bell again. But when they opened their eyes, they saw the aura of the Heaven and Earth Bell emanating nearby. Turning their heads, they saw Li Hao sitting on a zabuton, his brush tip gathering thousands of wisps of the Great Dao.
The Great Dao swirled around the young man, and in front of him, a phantom of the Heaven and Earth Bell floated in mid-air, as if it were a projection.
"What is this?"
Everyone was surprised. If they weren't mistaken, he was painting?
"He..."
Wander Sage's eyes widened in astonishment. She could tell that Li Hao seemed to be entering the Dao through his painting. This was far from a simple hobby; it could even be a Sacrificial Dao.
In front of the house, Elder Wang waved his fan, his rocking chair gently swaying. He watched the scene at the zabuton, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, then a smile formed on his lips. The little guy truly exceeded expectations. He claimed to have mastered the Sword Dao, but it turned out he also had this exceptional skill in the Art Dao.
At that moment, Li Hao's brush continued to move, and as he splashed ink, the Great Dao condensed, and the Heaven and Earth Bell in the painting emitted a radiant light.
The Heaven and Earth Bell in front of the training ground suddenly burst into a brilliant glow, resonating with the one Li Hao was painting.
Seeing this, everyone was amazed.
Apart from testing the Dao Heart, the Heaven and Earth Bell had always been still, emitting no aura. Now, it was being drawn by the phantom in Li Hao's painting. This young man's painting skills were truly incredible!
"Shouldn't he be called the Saint of Painting for his Ascension through painting?"
"Actually, in the Myriad Dao Immortal Technique, there is the Art Dao, which suggests that this cultivation path does exist in the True World."
"He actually Ascended through the Sacrificial Dao. This level of Insight is quite impressive. It seems this newcomer is indeed a monster."
The crowd focused their attention on Li Hao, their respect for him growing, and a sense of urgency gnawing at their hearts.
Previously, the Pastoral Sage and the Bright Sage had a significant lead, but their progress was visible, and there was even a glimmer of hope for catching up.
However, Li Hao's stunning performance left them feeling a strong sense of crisis.
As the ethereal glow from the Heaven and Earth Bell dissipated, Li Hao stopped painting. He had closed his eyes at some point, his mind immersed in deep contemplation.
The act of painting had allowed him a glimpse of Immortal Intent.
He also realized the shortcomings of his Art Dao.
Recognizing these shortcomings was a significant step forward. If he couldn't identify his flaws, that would truly be a bottleneck.
"Painting... form and spirit, neither are true. What is the essence?"
"The essence of the Immortal Dao..."
"What is the Immortal Dao..."
Various thoughts swirled in his mind, a mix of confusion, sudden enlightenment, and the frustration of trying to grasp something just out of reach.
After a long while, Li Hao slowly opened his eyes and saw the notification that appeared before him. His Art Dao Experience had surged by millions, filling up one-fifth of the Experience bar.
Li Hao was stunned. This was the highest amount of Art Dao Experience he had ever gained in a single instance.
After all, painting a Sage previously only gave him 300,000 Experience.
This was ten million!
Moreover, the Experience from the Tenth Rank of Art Dao was of a higher quality than the Ninth Rank.
The Heaven and Earth Bell before him was not just an immortal treasure but likely an extremely extraordinary Level.
However, advancing from the Tenth Rank to the Eleventh Rank of Art Dao required a tremendous amount of Experience. Previously, he had spent twelve years on the ancient path, cooking corpses to accumulate Perfection. Now, here, his Art Dao Experience was skyrocketing.
"I didn't expect you to Ascend through painting. That's impressive."
At that moment, the Wander Sage's voice sounded from beside him.
Li Hao turned his head and smiled. Indeed, that was how it happened. During the Supreme Sage Heaven's Pride Battle, he had used saint blood as ink and the Heavens as his canvas, breaking through to the Tenth Rank of Art Dao and then instantly attaining Sagehood.
"Judging by your appearance, you should pass the first trial very soon."
The Flower Sage said, a touch of admiration in her eyes, recognizing just how strong Li Hao's talent was.
After a brief exchange with Li Hao, the two of them resumed their cultivation, unwilling to fall behind anyone as Sages.
Li Hao also put away the Heaven and Earth Bell he had just painted. He realized that this was no longer a simple painting but a Dao Armament that possessed some of the Heaven and Earth Bell's effects!
If tested with a Dao Heart, it could detect the Dao Hearts of Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow.
However, it seemed unable to withstand higher Chaos-grade Dao Hearts.
This meant that Li Hao's Art Dao skills still needed improvement.
Li Hao began painting again, using the Heaven and Earth before him as his canvas. He casually gathered Heaven and Earth Energy, condensing it into ink, and used the Great Dao as his brush.
With his fluid and spontaneous strokes, a second Heaven and Earth Bell took shape.
The bell's resonant sound echoed not only in Li Hao's heart but also in the hearts of those around him.
Some Sages opened their eyes, seeing Li Hao fully engrossed in his painting. They understood that this was not intentional on his part but a natural result of his cultivation. They immediately set up Dao Domains around themselves to shield from its influence.
Soon, the second Heaven and Earth Bell was complete. Li Hao faintly grasped some insights, though not as clearly as the first time.
This time, the bell rang four times, but the fourth note lingered longer than before.
Li Hao continued to draw the third, fourth... As the images of the Heavenly and Earth Bell emerged, Li Hao's Art Dao Experience rapidly increased.
In just two days, Li Hao completed seven drawings, and his Art Dao Experience had already reached Perfection.
However, Experience is easy to gain, but Mindset is hard to comprehend.
As he continued drawing, Li Hao found himself losing the initial feeling. He knew he needed a breakthrough, and this breakthrough could not be achieved by simply repeating the same process. It required some change or unexpected event to bring it about.
Li Hao stopped drawing, got up from the zabuton, and began wandering around the area.
Elder Wang noticed Li Hao moving about and called him over, explaining the places Li Hao could and could not go.
The area where they could stay was not large. The towering palace in the distance could not be climbed until one passed the trial. The steps outside the Heavenly Calamity Hall were only accessible to those in the True Immortal Realm; anyone else would be instantly crushed by the Imperial Hall's divine might, their Saint Path destroyed.
Li Hao felt a bit bored and asked, "Senior, don't you find it boring to stay here all the time?"
"Boring?"
Elder Wang smiled and said, "When you have seen all the splendor, you will seek a place of peace, a place to be alone and do nothing, think nothing. Then, you won't find it boring; you'll feel happy."
Li Hao couldn't fully understand this feeling, as he still had many places he wanted to go, many sights he wanted to see, and many people he wanted to meet.
"Compared to those old companions, I am the most fortunate."
Elder Wang whispered, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes, but it quickly vanished. He smiled again and said, "Your soul age is too short, less than a century. Feeling bored is quite normal. Others have been here for a very long time."
Li Hao nodded and, looking at the nearby fertile fields, had a sudden idea. "Senior, how about you teach me how to farm?"
"Farming?"
Elder Wang was taken aback. Seeing Li Hao's gaze, he chuckled and said, "Aren't you supposed to focus on cultivation? You said your Myriad Dao Immortal Technique was about Sword Dao, but the past few days, you've been cultivating Art Dao. You haven't even touched the Yama Immortal Technique yet."
"No rush, no rush. Cultivation is not like climbing a mountain. Once you reach the top, you'll be free in the heavens."
Li Hao said with a smile.
Elder Wang had never heard such a saying before, but after pondering it, he found it somewhat reasonable.
However, that was for ordinary cultivation techniques. Supreme monsters might achieve sudden enlightenment in a day, but for Immortal Dao techniques, only those with true talent could achieve sudden enlightenment. For the rest, they needed to practice day and night to improve their skills and gradually gain insights, to eventually break through the final bottleneck.
"There are two types of people in this world. One type can see the endpoint even before they move their feet; they are called geniuses. The other type can only see their toes, but they travel long distances without rest, and through the faint light at their toes, they eventually reach the endpoint. These are the diligent ones."
Elder Wang said meaningfully, "Those who come here were once geniuses, but in the face of Immortal Dao techniques, they can only see the faint light at their toes. Without the courage and perseverance for a long journey, they will give up halfway. That's the third type—neither talented nor diligent, just a clump of mud resting halfway."
Li Hao heard the advice in his words and smiled. "But there is a fourth type of person, who stands still, unwilling to go anywhere or take a single step."
Elder Wang was taken aback. Seeing the bright smile on Li Hao's face, he felt a moment of confusion.
He suddenly remembered Li Hao's Dao Heart. His actions followed his heart, and his knowledge and actions were in perfect unity, surpassing the Saint Path.
With such a Dao Heart, Li Hao naturally had such a mindset.
Elder Wang felt at ease and smiled. "Will this fourth type of person turn the starting point into the endpoint?"
"The so-called endpoint is something one sets for themselves. For some, the endpoint is crossing a river; for others, it's climbing a mountain. My endpoint is to stand still and quietly watch them run in the sunset."
Li Hao said with a smile.
(End of Chapter)
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