Chapter 420: The Fall of Li Hao
The entire process happened so quickly that the True Immortal Ancient Demon didn't even have time to react. When its primordial spirit suddenly detached from its physical body, it was horrified to realize that its body had been destroyed in an instant! A Saint-level cultivator had managed to obliterate a True Immortal's body—an unthinkable feat.
Though it was only the physical body that was destroyed, the implications were staggering.
The colossal and grotesque corpse hovered momentarily in the void before beginning to fall. The True Immortal Ancient Demon's primordial spirit, jolted into action, immediately charged toward its body, aiming to reunite and regenerate.
But Li Hao was already waiting.
"Die."
Li Hao's primordial spirit morphed into the form of a sharp sword, shooting forward with unparalleled speed. The golden brilliance from his burning divine veins surged, transforming him into a blazing sword of pure energy.
The True Immortal Ancient Demon sensed the danger and roared in fury. It quickly realized Li Hao's plan: destroy its physical body first, then annihilate its primordial spirit.
Such insolence!
For a mere Saint to calculate against a True Immortal—it was a mockery.
Black mist rapidly coalesced around the demon's primordial spirit, forming a dark, flame-like aura. An ominous dark moon materialized behind it and charged directly at Li Hao's primordial spirit.
When it came to primordial spirit combat, it was a True Immortal. Even human True Immortals wouldn't dare challenge its soul, let alone a Saint. This reckless attempt was pure folly.
Still, the demon could sense the terrifying strength of Li Hao's primordial spirit—far beyond what any Saint should possess, even comparable to weaker True Immortals. It chose to unleash its full might, erupting with annihilating power from the dark moon.
In an instant, brilliant golden light clashed with deep black radiance, colliding violently in the void.
"Slash!"
The collision froze the attention of all who witnessed it, their hearts nearly stopping in their chests.
Boom!
Li Hao's primordial spirit pierced through the True Immortal Ancient Demon's primordial spirit!
But as he penetrated the demon's essence, Li Hao felt as though he had passed through a forest of blades. Pain beyond description raked across his entire being, like countless razors tearing through him. His primordial spirit dimmed, scarred and battered, while the energy from his divine veins was nearly drained.
The True Immortal Ancient Demon let out an agonized howl, its primordial spirit ripped apart. It couldn't believe it—an ancient being born from the cycles of reincarnation had been defeated in soul combat.
Black mist spilled from its fractured primordial spirit like blood, attempting to seal the cracks and repair the damage.
Li Hao wouldn't allow it. Suppressing the searing pain, he turned back and attacked again. His primordial spirit, sharp as a sword, slashed with relentless precision.
The demon, enraged, released its Immortal Domain.
A spectral realm unfolded, filled with ghostly shadows emitting piercing wails. The dark moon within intensified its spinning force, radiating destructive energy.
Li Hao's speed, bolstered by his ten-layer Sword Dao, exceeded even the limits of the Immortal Domain. Yet even as he struck within the domain, the dark moon's rotational power scraped against his primordial spirit like a grinding wheel. The excruciating pain nearly drove him to madness.
Ordinary primordial spirits would have disintegrated instantly under such force.
"Die, die, die!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the void, Li Hao's relentless strikes shattered the silence. Each blow tore apart the True Immortal Ancient Demon's primordial spirit bit by bit.
But every attack came at a cost. Li Hao's own injuries deepened with every exchange. Still, he pressed forward with a resolve that bordered on suicidal.
Within mere breaths, they clashed over a dozen times. Li Hao's unyielding assault stunned the demon. Its initial rage gave way to alarm, and finally, to hesitation.
This human was terrifying. His primordial spirit was as strong as the demon's own, but more unsettling was his willingness to sacrifice everything to win.
The demon, with its ambitions to ascend as a dominator and its sights set on the Immortal Emperor's treasure, couldn't risk throwing its life away here.
Whoosh!
The demon's fragmented primordial spirit dissolved into thick black mist, retreating toward its fallen body. It aimed to reclaim its form and unleash a deadly counterattack against Li Hao, ensuring no further chance of defeat.
"You won't escape!"
Li Hao, gritting his teeth against the agonizing pain, saw through the demon's intentions. Summoning his control over external forces, he intercepted the primordial spirit's path.
With a final burst of strength, he hurled the demon's colossal, mountain-sized body straight into the Twin Rift Demon Valley.
Whoosh!
The ancient corpse hurtled into the depths of the forbidden zone, accelerating as it neared the twin rifts.
The True Immortal Ancient Demon froze in shock. Its mind buzzed in disbelief as it watched its body disappear into the abyss of the Twin Rift Demon Valley.
"No!"
Its furious roar reverberated across the void as it lunged toward the valley. But as it reached the zone's edge, an ominous sensation stopped it cold.
The demon's instincts screamed danger. It could only watch helplessly as its body was swallowed by the bottomless rifts.
Behind it, Li Hao's primordial spirit surged forward, prepared to deliver the final blow.
Roaring with unrestrained fury, the demon burned its own essence, amplifying its power to an unprecedented level. The dark moon behind it expanded, its rotational force becoming even more lethal.
Li Hao's expression darkened as he tried to retreat. But the demon's amplified power caught up to him, enveloping his primordial spirit in corrosive black mist.
Within the mist, the pain was excruciating—like being dissolved in acid.
Li Hao realized with grim clarity that he was being consumed by the demon's primordial spirit.
"Great Dream of Nine Abysses, Immortal's Guidance!"
Li Hao called upon the foundational form of the immortal-level sword technique, channeling his primordial spirit into a blade.
The initial move of this technique tested one's aptitude for Sword Dao. For Li Hao, a master of ten-layer Sword Dao, it was a simple entry.
Boom!
His primordial spirit moved like a celestial finger, slicing through the black mist with effortless grace.
The demon's primordial spirit, unable to withstand the strike, was torn apart once more.
"No! Impossible!"
The True Immortal Ancient Demon roared in shock and disbelief. A mere Saint-level cultivator had unleashed a pure Immortal Dao sword technique and even touched its origin—how was this possible?
Sword intent aligned with heart's intent. Li Hao tore through the black mist and, with his Sword Dao fully activated, unleashed a terrifying momentum.
Boom! Boom!
The True Immortal Ancient Demon's primordial spirit was repeatedly torn apart. Even the burning black mist surrounding it was scattered under Li Hao's relentless attacks, forcing the demon into retreat.
Roar!
The True Immortal Ancient Demon bellowed in fury. This development completely overturned its understanding of the world.
Even during the fabled War of the Fallen Emperors, it hadn't encountered such a terrifying prodigy. In that war, many brilliant True Immortal geniuses were protected as seeds by their factions and kept far from the battlefield. The few it did face, despite their strength, were extraordinary exceptions capable of surpassing the Ancient Demons in the same realm.
But those were True Immortals! This was merely a Saint!
"Die!"
Li Hao's primordial spirit surged to its limits, merging with his unique Sword Dao. He slashed with a strike that illuminated the heavens, a sword so brilliant it seemed to shine across all realms.
The golden sword light pierced through the dim void, lighting up the vast expanse of the heavens.
In the distance, the Alliance army fighting to slay the demon stood frozen in awe, hearts pounding as they witnessed this breathtaking spectacle.
Through the reflected images on the realm stones, countless beings across the myriad worlds stared at the scene in stunned silence. The golden sword light seared into their memories, like an eternal, crackling lightning bolt etched into the fabric of the void.
The black mist was torn apart. Within the radiance, the True Immortal Ancient Demon's primordial spirit fractured.
The vast and malevolent aura of its primordial spirit rapidly diminished, contracting and dissipating, as though on the verge of vanishing entirely.
Seeing this, over a thousand Half-Saints clenched their fists tightly, their hearts pounding like thunder drums. They felt an overwhelming surge of joy and exhilaration coursing through their veins.
Had they won?
Had the legendary Hao Tian Zun triumphed?
When they had witnessed the demon's colossal body hurled into the Twin Rift Demon Valley, many had already nearly erupted into cheers. Now, watching the demon's primordial spirit weaken and its oppressive might dissipate, they were on the verge of tears.
Li Hao saw this too and exhaled softly. He had won.
But just as the relief began to settle, the rapidly fading aura of the True Immortal Ancient Demon suddenly stopped dissipating.
The atmosphere shifted.
The declining aura reversed direction, swelling with explosive intensity, its power surging to levels even more terrifying than before.
Li Hao froze, his faint smile immediately stiffening.
From within the demon's shrouded black mist, streaks of silver light emerged. The silvery veins stretched across the primordial spirit, binding its disintegrating form and reassembling it anew.
In mere moments, the demon's primordial spirit was restored. Silver light gathered atop its head, forming a swirling, eye-like mark—a vortex of energy resembling a sigil.
Li Hao's pupils contracted. An Immortal Seal.
He recalled Nangong Jian's explanation: the fundamental difference between True Immortals and Saints lay in the Immortal Seal. It was the core of a True Immortal's power.
Whoosh!
The True Immortal Ancient Demon shot forward in an instant. Layers of rotational force from the dark moon enveloped Li Hao's primordial spirit, grinding it into fragments.
Li Hao gritted his teeth. The divine bones within his primordial spirit provided structural support, allowing him to quickly escape the crushing force, though it came at the cost of tremendous energy.
The demon's cold, merciless gaze locked onto Li Hao. Being pushed into this dire situation was unexpected, but as a True Immortal, its existence was fundamentally superior. Having ascended through the trials of the True Realm, its Immortal Seal, forged from pure Immortal Dao power, was indestructible.
The gap between Saints and True Immortals wasn't merely one of power—it was a chasm of worlds. No matter how strong a Saint became, the lack of an Immortal body meant they could never wield Immortal power at its fullest.
Li Hao knew about the Immortal Seal but had assumed it was tied to the demon's physical body. When Nangong Jian had slain a True Immortal Ancient Demon, no Immortal Seal had manifested. In hindsight, this was likely because Nangong Jian's attacks wielded true Immortal Dao power, annihilating the seal and spirit in one stroke.
But Nangong Jian hadn't explained this. Perhaps he hadn't expected Li Hao to fight a True Immortal Ancient Demon as a Saint—let alone nearly win.
Whoosh!
The True Immortal Ancient Demon charged at Li Hao again.
Li Hao didn't retreat. Behind him stood countless allies and millions of lives. There was nowhere to run.
"Kill!"
He roared and leapt forward.
In their next clash, Li Hao unleashed his full might, slicing the demon's primordial spirit apart once more.
Yet under the Immortal Seal's influence, the demon's spirit quickly regenerated, healing itself in moments.
Li Hao's expression darkened. He focused his gaze on the Immortal Seal.
Once more, he burned his divine veins and charged forward.
Boom!
It felt like slamming into a mountain. The recoil nearly shattered his own primordial spirit.
Weakened and off balance, Li Hao narrowly evaded the demon's counterattack, stabilizing himself just in time to avoid being crushed.
"The Immortal Seal must be destroyed, or it can't die!"
To break an Immortal Seal, one needed true Immortal power—or at least an Immortal artifact. But the damaged Immortal swords he wielded lacked such power; they were only sharp remnants.
Li Hao struck again, cleaving the demon's spirit repeatedly, but it regenerated endlessly.
A bitter sense of despair welled up in Li Hao's heart. Why was this so impossible?
Before, he lacked a weapon sharp enough to sever the demon's physical body. Now, even with Sword Dao mastery and the ability to obliterate its flesh, he couldn't break the Immortal Seal.
True Immortals… why are they so hard to kill?
Every time he burned his divine veins to strike, his primordial spirit weakened further. At this rate, his remaining strength wouldn't suffice for another exchange.
It had taken him twelve years of relentless effort, and the consumption of demon blood and flesh, to reach this level. Each vein burned now represented decades of cultivation lost.
Escape?
Hopelessness crept into Li Hao's thoughts. His gaze drifted to the vast alliance army behind him, filled with warriors and onlookers, all watching with bated breath.
Run away again?
His expression twisted. He clenched his fists tightly. Even these people were willing to risk their lives in battle. If his death could preserve the heavens and realms, perhaps it was worth it.
His life was borrowed, after all. A name lost, a soul adrift. Among traversers, perhaps he was the most wretched.
This life, already worthless, what else could he not risk?
Feng Lao, Qianqian, Yuan Zhao, Big Mother… Li Hao bit his lips until they bled, clenching his fists tightly.
His gaze turned cold as he stared directly at the True Immortal Ancient Demon.
The True Immortal Ancient Demon also glared at Li Hao with an icy gaze. This was the strongest human prodigy it had ever encountered, but the gap between Saint-level and True Immortal was as vast as a heavenly chasm. No matter how extraordinary and incomprehensible this human was, he could not bridge that gap. This was the domain of Immortals and Gods!
In countless millennia across the myriad worlds, not a single Immortal or God had emerged. The difference between True Immortals and Saints was simply too great!
"Die!"
Li Hao erupted with power, once again burning his divine veins. His primordial spirit surged to its peak as he infused his Sword Dao into a strike that instantly slashed toward his enemy.
Boom!
The True Immortal Ancient Demon's primordial spirit shattered, but the rotational force it unleashed subjected Li Hao's primordial spirit to a pain like being flayed alive. Watching as the demon's primordial spirit began to coalesce again, Li Hao swiftly transformed his primordial spirit from a sword into a massive hand. He grabbed the demon's primordial spirit and rushed toward the Twin Rift Demon Valley.
The True Immortal Ancient Demon realized Li Hao's intentions and was shocked. Was this lunatic truly planning to perish alongside it?
This kind of prodigy was actually willing to die?
The demon roared and struggled desperately, but the distance to the Twin Rift Demon Valley grew ever shorter. Just as it was about to be pulled into the valley, it ignited its primordial spirit, breaking free from Li Hao's grasp.
As it began to escape, Li Hao suddenly erupted with power, the sound of three chains shattering echoing from his body.
Three locks had broken—this was the second tribulation of a Saint's Three Calamities: the Earth Calamity.
The Earth Calamity was a calamity of the environment. If triggered in the wilderness, one might be thrust into an unknown and dangerous forbidden zone. Saints often chose to endure the Earth Calamity in a safe sanctuary, such as a sacred ground or an imperial capital. Even then, unexpected disasters like falling meteors or massive earthquakes could still occur.
Previously, Li Hao had survived the Human Calamity by killing the Hunyuan Saint.
Now, in one breath, he shattered the chains of three Saint paths—the Earth Calamity of the Ritual Dao, the Earth Calamity of the Incense Dao, and the Earth Calamity of the Extreme Dao—triggering all three calamities at once.
As the chains broke, the void fell momentarily silent.
A supreme force seemed to influence the area, and suddenly, the suction force of the Twin Rift Demon Valley intensified dramatically.
What had previously been confined to the valley's entrance now expanded outward rapidly. Li Hao knew that if the valley were damaged or agitated, its reach would grow.
The simultaneous activation of three Saint Earth Calamities appeared to provoke the Twin Rift Demon Valley, causing its range to extend abruptly. The expanding suction force quickly engulfed the True Immortal Ancient Demon, who had just broken free.
The demon stared at Li Hao in shock. It could see that he had just shattered his inner Saint path chains.
An Earth Calamity?
It realized what Li Hao was doing, but it was dumbfounded. This was a Saint-level tribulation, yet this human was using it as a weapon?
Was it even possible to weaponize tribulations like this?
Three simultaneous calamities exerted immense influence. The growing pull of the Twin Rift Demon Valley surrounded both Li Hao and the True Immortal Ancient Demon.
Li Hao transformed into a sword and lunged at the demon, attacking with insane ferocity.
Under his relentless assault, the demon's primordial spirit was torn apart again. Its fragmented state weakened its power temporarily, causing the valley's suction force to drag its form toward the rifts.
The demon roared in fury and terror, struggling desperately to escape. Yet the more it struggled, the deeper it sank into the valley, like a drowning man caught in quicksand.
Li Hao wasn't spared either. The suction force had locked onto him as well. Injured by the demon's rotational force, he was unable to break free, as though tethered by an invisible string.
Roar!
The True Immortal Ancient Demon roared in anger, burning its primordial spirit to slowly inch toward freedom.
Li Hao's expression shifted. Even now, it still had strength to resist?
His face darkened before he made a grim decision. Transforming into a sword once more, he slashed ferociously at the demon's primordial spirit.
Boom!
The demon's primordial spirit shattered again, and in its moment of weakness, the valley's suction force dragged it into the Twin Rift Demon Valley.
Li Hao followed immediately, drawn by the overwhelming pull. Despite unleashing his Eternal Dao Domain and countless sword strikes in an attempt to sever or weaken the suction force, nothing worked.
In mere moments, both he and the True Immortal Ancient Demon were swallowed by the abyss, vanishing from sight.
"Lord Hao Tian!"
"They're both… gone!"
"They've been devoured by the forbidden zone!"
The Alliance army was left in stunned silence.
Everything had unfolded in mere moments. Before anyone could react, Li Hao had thrown the demon into the forbidden zone, sacrificing himself in the process.
The void grew deathly silent, as though all sound had been snuffed out.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene, overwhelmed and speechless.
Through the realm stones' reflections, countless citizens across the myriad worlds witnessed this moment. The once-brilliant prodigy, the dazzling genius who stood at the pinnacle of hope for the heavens, had chosen to perish alongside the demon within the forbidden zone.
This unparalleled prodigy, who held boundless potential for the future, had fallen.
An indescribable sense of shock filled everyone's hearts. His act of sacrifice, his willingness to die for the myriad worlds, left them both moved and grief-stricken.
At that moment, the heavens wept in silence.
As the quiet stretched on, the Alliance army and countless spectators stared at the unmoving Twin Rift Demon Valley. In their hearts, they clung to the faint hope that Li Hao might somehow emerge from the depths.
But hope gradually dimmed.
"Lord Hao Tian… perished with the demon."
"They say it was a True Immortal Ancient Demon… a true godlike existence. And yet, Lord Hao Tian…"
"He sacrificed himself for us and saved the myriad worlds."
Expressions were somber. The most promising prodigy, the one closest to becoming an Immortal or God, had fallen.
"Lord Hao Tian hadn't even cultivated for a full sixty years, had he?"
"My great-grandson is older than him."
Figures like Mu Zu and the other Half-Saints carried profound sorrow in their eyes. By seniority, it shouldn't have been his responsibility to risk his life.
But now, they owed their survival to that very youth.
"His primordial spirit is gone. That seems to confirm his death. Lord Hao Tian's body remains…"
"But there's no sign of his soul within. The battle must have drained him completely. From what I could sense, he didn't leave even a trace of his spirit behind in his body."
Figures flew into the void to examine Li Hao's physical form. Sure enough, his body was intact, but utterly devoid of soul.