Chapter 297: The Affairs of the Mortal World, Beyond Heaven's Reach
Inside the Imperial Palace.
The vast square outside the palace was in ruins. Especially in the area where Li Muxiu and others were imprisoned, the ground had become a battlefield, with several large craters marking the surface.
At this moment, within one of the deep pits, an old Daoist with a torn robe lay limp.
His hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in blood.
The sword that had once slain countless demons for the Dayu Dynasty was now impaled in his chest, pinning him to the ground, unable to move.
All his strength was exhausted, and his 108 major veins, along with his Yin and Yang veins, were all shattered. His Heaven and Earth veins were destroyed, leaving him on the brink of death, his eyes dim and lifeless.
He now resembled a discarded toy, thrown into the pit, while in front of him, the elderly figure dressed in a dragon robe was equally bloodied. Blood flowed from his body, dyeing his dragon robe entirely red.
This body, once belonging to the Yuhuang, was now being held in the hands of a young man as if he were holding a chicken or duck ready for slaughter.
The Yuhuang was in no better condition than Qin Zhenren. After Qin Zhenren's complete defeat, the Yuhuang became a substitute, the new "toy" for the six young men and women.
His hands were broken, his legs were severed by his own will, and the young man used Daoist techniques to prevent his body from healing. His major veins were torn apart, his Heaven and Earth veins crippled, and his Qi circulation was blocked.
"And yet this weakling calls himself an emperor of the mortal world."
"You had some backbone earlier, refusing to kneel even when it meant severing your legs, didn't you? I do like your rebellious spirit."
"Now, let's play a different game."
The young man in purple robes had narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes, and though he appeared handsome, the warm smile on his face sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
"Now, if you kneel and kowtow to us, for each kowtow, I will spare one person. How about that?"
The purple-robed youth smiled faintly as he made his offer.
Hearing this, the Yuhuang, who had lost all strength and lay motionless, his eyes still filled with cold killing intent, couldn't help but show a slight contraction in his pupils.
The smile on the purple-robed youth's face seemed devilish.
"That's a good idea! Brother Xuanfeng, you always know how to have fun."
The stunningly beautiful woman beside him laughed, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
The purple-robed youth smiled at the Yuhuang, saying, "I swear on my Dao heart that I will keep my word."
"Your Majesty, don't do it!"
"You beasts, how dare you torment us like this! I'll fight you to the death!"
Among the crowd, many were filled with anger and despair. An old general from the royal family could no longer bear it, roaring as he charged forward.
But as soon as he moved, his Dao Rhyme was severed, freezing him mid-air. Before he could react, his body exploded with a bang.
In the midst of his shattered body, a soul tried to escape, but it was quickly crushed by an invisible force.
Li Muxiu, Xia Linglong, and the others turned pale with rage and grief. This was the sixth person to die from lashing out in anger.
These young men and women were like demons, toying with their dignity.
The Yuhuang, hearing the youth's words, said nothing but stared at him intently.
Seeing the Yuhuang's gaze, the purple-robed youth smirked. "I mean what I say. You should have felt my Dao heart earlier, right? I wouldn't damage my Dao heart for the sake of your worthless lives."
The Yuhuang remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "But you must promise that not only you, but also the others, won't harm them. Spare their lives."
Upon hearing this, the smile on the purple-robed youth's face slowly faded, and his expression grew cold.
This old man had seen through his trick. Earlier, he had spoken only for himself, not for the others. While he could spare lives, if his companions decided to kill, it wouldn't be his concern.
The beautiful woman had also noticed this, and the others were in silent agreement, anticipating the Yuhuang's desperate reaction after kneeling, only to see his companions still being killed.
But now, the Yuhuang had figured it out.
"Has no one told you that being too smart can lead to misery?"
The purple-robed youth's gaze turned icy. "You could have lived a little longer and provided us with some entertainment, but you chose to die sooner!"
"Being clever at the wrong time is foolishness!"
He unleashed a surge of power, slamming the Yuhuang's body into the ground.
A deep pit formed, and the Yuhuang coughed up more blood. His bones regenerated slowly under the suppression of Daoist techniques.
He lay on the ground, too weak to rise. With their abilities, they could easily manipulate his body to make him kneel.
But though his body couldn't resist, his will would never submit.
"You bastards!"
Everyone realized they had been tricked. These people were even more insidious than they had imagined, playing cruel games with them.
One of the royal concubines, filled with anger, cursed aloud, but before she could react, one of the youths glanced at her, and her body suddenly exploded.
Blood splattered everywhere, some landing on Li Muxiu and the others, igniting their fury. They clenched their fists, trembling with anger, but in the end, they gritted their teeth and endured.
They knew that no matter how much they raged or fought back, it would only lead to more death.
Only by surviving could they have a chance at hope.
"Enough of this. Time to die."
The purple-robed youth stood before the Yuhuang, his eyes filled with killing intent as he raised his foot to stomp on the Yuhuang's head.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a whistling sound came from the distance.
A terrifying force shot through the sky from a hundred miles away, crashing through the palace walls and aiming straight for the purple-robed youth.
The purple-robed youth's eyes turned cold as he withdrew his foot and waved his hand.
Boom!!
A powerful blast erupted from his palm, striking the corpse of a demon that was now partly reverted to its original form, a body several dozen meters long like a small hill, hurtling toward them with tremendous pressure.
But as the youth's power surged, the corpse exploded, and blood rained down, painting the sky.
The five figures in midair shielded themselves with their Daoist energy, preventing any blood from touching them.
Meanwhile, the rest of the square was drenched in a rain of blood.
This sudden change stunned Li Muxiu and the others, who had been consumed by despair.
The first to react was the elder known as Demon Goat Venerable, who had been silently observing from the edge of the battlefield.
He recognized the corpse that had just been hurled at them—it was none other than Ziyue Ji!
How could this be?
Demon Goat Venerable was shocked, and when he looked in the direction from which the attack had come, he saw a young figure crossing the sky and approaching the palace they controlled.
The young man's eyes were icy, devoid of emotion, as he stared at the purple-robed youth and his companions. He didn't even glance at the Demon Goat Venerable.
Demon Goat Venerable was stunned, then quickly realized the truth. Though he had never seen Li Hao before, the youth's distinctive presence could only belong to the one he loathed most!
When had he arrived? How had he concealed his presence?
How did Ziyue Ji and the others die?
His mind raced as he extended his divine sense, quickly discovering that not only Ziyue Ji but also the Dark Night Demon Emperor was dead!
Two Path-seeking Realms, dead without making a sound?
Demon Goat Venerable was dumbfounded, finding it unbelievable.
At this moment, everyone in the square turned to look, and when they saw Li Hao, many were confused, clearly seeing him for the first time.
But they quickly realized who he was. Someone so young and so imposing could only be one person in the entire Dayu Divine Dynasty.
The Haotian General!
Could it be him?
Many were shocked. In such a dangerous situation, instead of fleeing, he had come to help?
"Haotian!"
Li Muxiu couldn't help but cry out when he saw Li Hao.
He hadn't expected Li Hao to come, but the current situation was even worse than in Qingzhou City. This time, they weren't facing mere demon kings; these were top-tier Path-seeking Realm monsters!
Xia Linglong, Xia Yuanwu, and others were also stunned, then quickly shouted in alarm:
"Run!"
"General Haotian, get out of here!"
They had endured humiliation and frustration because they still held onto hope.
That hope was Li Hao.
As long as Li Hao lived, he could one day reclaim Dayu.
Even if it meant suffering now, it was better than being wiped out by demons.
But now, Li Hao had arrived.
As Xia Linglong and the others cried out in panic, the rest of the royal family, recognizing Li Hao, grew tense.
T
They had heard many legends about this young man. Although he was indeed powerful, he was still too young, only sixteen. Even if he could rival Qin Zhenren, he was no match for these six. Moreover, these six had been acting relaxed and casual the entire time, never even exerting their full strength.
"Damn it, what are you doing here? Who told you to come? Get out of here now!"
In the crowd, Li Tiangang saw Li Hao, his face suddenly changing, and he couldn't help but roar in shock and anger.
"Leave? Now that you're here, leaving won't be easy."
"It seems someone interesting has arrived."
"Strange, my Violet Extreme Spiritual Eyes can't see through his aura."
The five figures in midair subtly shifted their positions, blocking Li Hao's escape route.
They were all eyeing Li Hao with keen interest.
Li Hao paid no attention to Xia Linglong and the others who were anxiously shouting at him. From the moment he arrived at the imperial palace square, his gaze had been fixed on the bloodied old man.
The man's hands and feet had been crippled, and he lay limp in a pool of his own blood.
Not long ago, this same man had been sitting in a small courtyard, chatting and playing chess with him...
After only a short time apart...
Li Hao spoke softly, "Can you let them go?"
The young man in the purple robe smiled. "Why should I? Just because you ask? You seem to misunderstand the situat..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Li Hao suddenly disappeared!
Teleportation?
But without any Daoist Rhyme!
The purple-robed youth was momentarily taken aback, and a sense of alarm surged within him.
At the same time, a terrifying force of a fist suddenly struck from his side, creating a powerful impact that compressed the air into an arc of light.
Boom!
It was as if a mountain had been shaken. The violent punch smashed directly into the purple-robed youth's head. His Daoist energy had only begun to circulate when the attack had already hit its mark.
Flying Segment attribute triggered, doubling the attack range!
Before the punch was even fully thrown, it had already landed!
Blood splattered, and the handsome face of the purple-robed youth exploded, his brains bursting.
Li Hao's attack was as swift as lightning. After landing the first blow, he immediately followed up with a flurry of punches.
The purple-robed youth, who was used to thinking with his physical brain, momentarily stalled in action. The subsequent barrage of punches from Li Hao, raining down like a storm, all landed on the unprotected remnants of his shattered skull.
The attacks weren't heavy, but they were rapid. With direct contact, the deadly attribute of the Yellow Sparrow Diagram was triggered, acting like the grim reaper's scythe, cutting down the youth's life force.
The purple-robed youth's soul reacted, transforming from calm and elegant to enraged, but before he could cast his techniques, a terrifying shadow enveloped him.
In an instant, his world seemed to turn pitch black.
What?
The purple-robed youth was stunned. He then realized that his five senses were being stripped away, and his body was rapidly falling.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several life-saving treasures shattered on him.
But they changed nothing—his body seemed to fragment, his senses fading, plunging into the abyss.
"No..."
His Daoist flame-like soul, once brilliant as divine fire, quickly dimmed.
The headless body fell stiffly to the ground, its life force completely extinguished.
This abrupt turn of events stunned Xia Linglong and the others, who had just been calling out in panic, as well as the five onlookers who had been observing Li Hao with interest.
The cries were abruptly silenced, and the square plunged into dead silence.
But in that silence, Li Hao's movements did not cease. After killing the purple-robed youth, he immediately teleported again, this time targeting a stunningly beautiful woman.
The woman, with her devastatingly beautiful face, momentarily appeared dazed, her beauty striking fear into hearts. But Li Hao showed no mercy, teleporting in an instant and delivering another killing blow.
Boom!
This time, however, his fist was blocked by a force of Daoist energy. A faint green light emerged from within the woman's clothing, revealing a protective treasure.
In that brief fraction of a second, the woman reacted, her face changing drastically as she tried to teleport away, seeking to distance herself.
Her teleportation was not the same as Li Hao's Void Extinction teleportation but rather the Dao Heart Realm's Dao Rhyme-based technique. As the Dao Rhyme manifested, Li Hao's fifteen-layered domain suddenly enveloped her.
That thread of Dao Rhyme was immediately cut off.
But the woman's response was quick. She shouted angrily, "Begone!"
This wasn't just a shout but a command laced with the power of law.
Li Hao's body felt a compulsion to curl up and roll away.
But with his fifteen-layered domain, the law's effect, though penetrating, was slightly delayed.
In that fleeting moment of delay, Li Hao's fist, infused with immortal energy, pierced through the Daoist energy's barrier, landing directly on her head.
Boom!
The woman's peerless beauty shattered in an instant, her delicate nose and brows torn apart, her head exploding.
But before Li Hao could strike again, two loud "Suppress!" commands echoed out.
Bang!
The fifteen-layered domain was forcibly retracted back into Li Hao's body. At the same time, his body was suddenly pressed down, as if to be pinned to the ground.
Li Hao quickly used Void Extinction teleportation to shift to another location, trying to evade the force.
But the law followed him like a shadow, pursuing him as soon as he moved.
Bang!
The force finally caught up to him, causing the ground beneath him to sink and crack.
Yet, Li Hao remained standing, his body emitting a blazing golden light, activating his divine power. Simultaneously, he harnessed the power of the Heaven and Earth veins, transforming a mouthful of immortal energy to tap into the power of the heavens, entering the immortal transformation state.
Using eighty percent of his immortal transformation power, Li Hao withstood the suppressive force without being forced to kneel.
All of this happened in a flash. From the moment Li Hao attacked and killed the purple-robed youth to when he shattered the head of the stunningly beautiful woman, only a single breath had passed.
At this moment, the woman's shattered head quickly regenerated, her stunning beauty restored, but her expression was one of extreme anger, her eyes glaring at Li Hao.
The other four also looked on with grave expressions, their eyes fixed on Li Hao.
In just a brief exchange, they had realized that this young man's strength was formidable, his methods even more terrifying than Qin Zhenren's.
Yet, in appearance, the two couldn't have been more different in age.
And while they didn't concern themselves with an aging Daoist like Qin Zhenren, Li Hao clearly belonged to a different, monstrous category of talent.
"Be careful. He's mastered the Void Extinction extreme path!"
The young man in yellow and white robes, who exuded a noble aura, spoke in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, the other four's pupils contracted slightly, their eyes reflecting a trace of shock.
Void Extinction extreme path?
He had actually mastered that extreme path? No wonder his teleportation was so strange and unpredictable.
Extreme paths in martial arts varied in difficulty. Paths like the Limit of Strength and Divine Power Extreme Path were relatively easier to attain. As long as one had deep enough foundations, rich resources, and plenty of time, most exceptional talents could eventually achieve them.
In simple terms, with enough time and resources, along with some talent, most prodigies could accomplish these feats.
But Void Extinction was among the harder paths. Mastering the art of teleportation wasn't easy—it required studying multiple top-tier teleportation techniques, cross-referencing and filling in the gaps, demanding extraordinary insight to achieve.
Among their group, only the young man in yellow and white had mastered it.
Mastering this path allowed one to strike down enemies as if reaching into a bag, moving like a ghost without prediction.
Unless one knew in advance and was always on guard, it was impossible to prevent an ambush.
As the five of them grew more serious, Li Hao's expression also turned more solemn. This was the first time someone had directly identified his power.
Did they have knowledge of it, or did they possess the same ability?
Li Hao became more cautious.
He had never faced someone else who had mastered the Void Extinction extreme path, but he knew how terrifying it was.
Because even he couldn't prevent a sudden ambush from such an opponent.
The atmosphere in the square grew tense as the crowd began to recover from their shock, their faces showing disbelief.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would find it hard to believe. In just a brief exchange, Li Hao had gained the upper hand?!
And in just one move, he had killed the purple-robed youth!
They looked at the headless corpse on the ground, motionless, and anyone could tell that the man was dead!
Just moments ago, this person had been so arrogant, toying with the Yuhuang, able to kill masters of the Path of Learning with a single word. Yet now, his head had been blown apart by Li Hao in one strike!
And not just his head—his very soul had been obliterated by some method they couldn't comprehend!
Even more incomprehensible to them was how the purple-robed youth had been unable to defend against Li Hao's assault.
The Four Pillars experts present quickly realized that Li Hao's teleportation wasn't a typical Dao Rhyme technique but something entirely unfamiliar to them.
"Old Daoist, may I borrow your sword?"
Li Hao glanced at the five opponents, fully aware that a fierce battle was imminent, and then addressed the old Daoist lying in the pit.
Qin Zhenren, whose eyes had been dull and lifeless, suddenly showed signs of emotion upon Li Hao's arrival. But after witnessing Li Hao obliterate the purple-robed youth with a flurry of punches, his shock turned into disbelief.
More than anyone else, he understood how terrifying that purple-robed youth was. He had assumed that Li Hao's arrival was a death sentence, yet this young man had managed to beat a Daoist Master Realm cultivator to death with his fists.
"You may borrow it freely. I'd even gift it to you if needed."
Hearing Li Hao's request, Qin Zhenren responded with excitement, though his voice was weak. Speaking strained his wounds, causing him to cough up more blood.
Li Hao nodded slightly and raised his hand, summoning the sword impaled in Qin Zhenren's chest. The sword dislodged itself and flew into Li Hao's hand.
The process caused Qin Zhenren additional pain, but it was still better than being pinned to the ground.
With the sword in hand, Li Hao's aura seemed to change, his gaze becoming even colder and more focused.
He then used his telekinetic abilities to move the Yuhuang's battered body behind him, ensuring that his enemies wouldn't be able to use the emperor as leverage during the impending fight.
"You, boy... Did you not receive the secret decree I sent to the Wang family?"
The Yuhuang struggled to prop himself up, his complex emotions showing as he looked at Li Hao.
"Wang Clan Master informed me," Li Hao replied without turning around, his focus locked on the five figures hovering in midair.
"Then why are you still here?" The Yuhuang smiled bitterly. "The situation here is far worse than you can imagine. These people come from the vast and sacred lands of the Immortal Gates. They're far stronger than the Buddhists you've faced before."
"I figured that out."
Li Hao's expression grew more serious.
The Yuhuang fell silent. From Li Hao's demeanor, he could tell the young man didn't have full confidence in this fight.
Yet, he had come anyway.
"To have mastered the Void Extinction extreme path, you're indeed a talent. But don't be foolish. The Jiang family is doomed, and this place is destined to fall. Resisting us is like defying the heavens."
The young man in yellow and white robes stared at Li Hao, his eyes narrowing as he spoke coldly.
"You don't represent the heavens."
Li Hao casually flicked the sword in his hand as if testing its weight, then calmly responded:
"And besides, the affairs of the mortal world are beyond heaven's reach."
"Then you've chosen death!"
The yellow-and-white-robed youth's voice dropped as he intoned, "Divine Art, All Things Return to Source!"
With his words, a terrifying law descended, as if the very fabric of the world was bending to his will.
Li Hao immediately felt his fifteen-layered domain rapidly shrink and then disappear altogether, leaving him unable to sense it anymore.
His eyes narrowed. He had anticipated that this battle would be extraordinarily difficult, but he hadn't expected such bizarre techniques.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Li Hao teleported using the Void Extinction technique, launching an attack at the yellow-and-white-robed youth.
At the same moment, the youth also vanished, teleporting without using Dao Rhyme.
When they reappeared, their positions had swapped, and neither could detect the other's movements.