Chapter 443: The Heavens Resound
The Immortal Kingdom descended, shrouding the world in silence. The sun and moon dimmed, and the colorful-dressed woman felt as if she had fallen into an abyss. She could not sense even a shred of her immortal power, her strength completely stripped away. She was like a mortal with broken limbs, her heart filled with despair and terror.
Suddenly, a streak of silver light tore through the darkness, illuminating her world with a single glimmer.
That light pierced through her gaze and, in an instant, shattered her jade-like skull. Blood sprayed, and her primordial spirit perished.
An ancient bloodline of the Zhan Tian Clan had fallen within the sacred grounds.
The Chaowu Immortal Sword, after slaying three in quick succession, seemed elated. It emitted a low, thrilling growl, as though rejoicing. But it soon calmed, following Li Hao's intent, returning to his grasp. With a faint flicker, it disappeared into the spatial domain within Li Hao's body.
The darkness of the Immortal Kingdom receded like a tide. The three True Immortals who had previously oppressed the sacred grounds with their overwhelming presence had perished in an instant. Countless onlookers were left speechless with awe.
As the three fell, the murderous aura in Li Hao's eyes gradually dissipated, leaving only the joy of reuniting with his people after a long absence.
He smiled warmly at Feng Boping and the others, saying, "Thank you all for waiting."
These simple six words caused Feng Boping and the rest to feel their eyes welling up with emotion.
Five years. A brief span of time by the standards of cultivators, yet each day of those five years had felt agonizingly long. Li Hao's lifeless body had been before their eyes, unchanging, as they endured countless nights of anguish and sorrow.
"I thought you…"
Lin Qingying approached like a gentle breeze, covering her face as tears cascaded freely. For the first time in front of Li Hao, she allowed her emotions to pour out unrestrained.
Li Hao looked at her, his expression complex.
He was well aware of Lin Qingying's feelings, but he had no room in his heart for such matters now. Yet the sight of her tears, like soft blades, brought an inexplicable ache to his chest.
After a moment of silence, he opened his arms and gently pulled her trembling body into his embrace.
"I'm back…" he said softly.
Hearing his words, Lin Qingying's body seemed to melt further into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder, letting out a muffled, tearful hum of acknowledgment.
Five years of longing, pain, and memories—all were filled in an instant by his quiet declaration.
"Haotian…"
"Big Brother Hao!"
Voices called out as Li Wushuang, Li Yuanzhao, and others flew toward him, their faces brimming with uncontainable joy.
Li Muxiu and Li Qingzheng also approached silently. Though they didn't join the throng of voices, their eyes shone with pride. The sight of Li Hao slaying three True Immortals with ease filled their hearts with a mix of awe, relief, and bittersweet emotions.
Amidst the growing calls of excitement, the sacred grounds rang with the name "Haotian."
Within the crowd, He Jianlan and the others of the Li family were tearful yet full of pride. Though Li Hao no longer bore their family name, his strength and deeds brought them immeasurable honor and joy.
Meanwhile, Li Ping'an stood amidst the jubilant crowd, a dazed expression on his face.
That radiant figure—the one who had effortlessly slain three True Immortals—was the very shadow he had aspired to chase since childhood. Yet now, standing in the same place as Li Hao, Li Ping'an realized he hadn't even touched the edge of that shadow.
Memories of his parents' forlorn expressions flashed in his mind. Their disappointed gazes made sense to him now, a revelation that filled him with a quiet sadness.
He stood there, feeling like a nameless background character, silent and gray.
Li Hao's return set the entire Haotian Sacred Grounds alight with celebration.
Once Feng Boping and the others calmed their emotions, they recounted the events of the past. Hearing of the three True Immortals' audacious attempt to steal his body, Li Hao felt a cold chill run through him. If he had returned even a moment later, he might have been too late to save his companions.
The thought made him realize that reducing those three to dust wasn't nearly satisfying enough.
"So Yuan Zu and the others survived and have even gone to the True Realm?" Li Hao asked, astonished after learning about the last five years of upheaval.
Though surprised, he soon felt at ease. The woman with the crimson spear had ultimately kept her promise, bringing reinforcements to protect this realm.
Still, the survival of Yuan Zu left Li Hao deeply shocked.
Mitian Saint explained solemnly, "Yuan Zu and the Divine King are both old foxes. They've cultivated for countless ages, so no one could have guessed that the bodies they revealed to us weren't even their true forms."
Li Hao had never imagined such a possibility. Yuan Zu's revealed power had been overwhelming, capable of suppressing countless Saints. To think that was only an avatar!
Reflecting on the catastrophic battle with the ancient demons, Li Hao couldn't help but see himself as naïve, nearly losing his life in earnest.
But even knowing this, if time turned back, Li Hao was certain he would make the same choices again.
"So, the various realms of the heavens have established connections with sects in the True Realm? Wouldn't this sort of development bring some benefits, perhaps even good fortune?" Li Hao asked.
Feng Boping's expression turned somber as he replied, "It's not all good fortune; there's a mix of pros and cons. Take what just happened as an example—it was clearly a disaster."
"Such calamities aren't unique to the Haotian Sacred Grounds. These visitors from the True Realm treat our lands like those of uncivilized natives. They scavenge treasures from every corner, robbing or stealing at will. Some sacred grounds have lost divine herbs cultivated over millennia."
"Those so-called True Immortals don't treat our world as a legitimate realm at all. With their abilities, they come and go freely, as though no rules bind them."
Li Hao's eyes flickered with cold light. The events he had just witnessed under his very nose painted a clear picture of how these True Immortals viewed the heavens and its people.
"Still," Feng Boping added, "it hasn't all been bad. Take Lie Tian Sheng as an example—she went to the Heavenly Palace. Thanks to you, she's now a True Immortal herself."
"Because of me?" Li Hao asked, surprised.
"Did you forget the grand lie she told? She declared that the heavens would survive and that a turning point would come. And she was right," Feng Boping said with a laugh.
Li Hao suddenly remembered. If the heavens had fallen, Lie Tian Sheng's lie would have collapsed, taking her Saintly Path with it and costing her dearly. But instead, she had used this gamble to ascend directly to the True Immortal realm.
"Major sects like the Heavenly Palace came here to recruit disciples with proper decorum," the Sword Master added. "They're mindful of the future potential of Yuan Zu and the Divine King within the Heavenly Palace, so they conduct themselves with dignity, earning respect."
"But other True Immortals… Perhaps it's because they're less disciplined, but they act with arrogance. They forcefully take disciples from wherever they please. Whether the locals consent or not, they're simply whisked away. And who knows if they're even truly taken to be taught?"
Li Hao's gaze darkened. The introduction of the heavens to the eyes of the True Realm had drawn in all sorts of visitors. As a pseudo-realm of an Immortal Emperor, it was inevitable that the heavens would attract both noble intentions and malice.
"Where are these True Immortals recruiting now?" Li Hao asked.
Mitian Saint replied, "The Heavenly Palace has already departed, as have a few other significant factions after recruiting their disciples. But there are still scattered True Immortals across various regions. Let me send word and determine their locations."
"No need for that," said the elder, smiling gently. "I can take a look myself."
As he spoke, the elder's eyes softly closed. After a brief pause, they opened again, radiating a profound light. He turned to Li Hao and said, "There are still quite a few True Immortals. See for yourself."
With a casual wave of his hand, the void rippled, projecting images before them.
In one image, two True Immortals sat imperiously on the dragon thrones of an imperial palace. Immortal energy surged around them, and auspicious dragon shadows loomed behind the thrones. Before them knelt an emperor in regal robes, along with an entourage of opulently dressed concubines and princesses.
One of the True Immortals casually pointed at a concubine. She trembled as she approached, and he promptly stored her within his spatial domain.
Another image revealed a True Immortal rifling through a sacred ground's scripture library. He flipped through divine techniques casually, discarding them one by one while muttering disdainfully.
In yet another image, five True Immortals gathered before a grand palace, seemingly preparing to explore a forbidden zone.
The elder's projections displayed the True Immortals scattered across the heavens, their actions broadcasted for Li Hao and his companions to witness.
Such a display left Feng Boping and the others in awe, their expressions tinged with disbelief. They couldn't help but recall the elder's earlier power—the force that had snuffed out the so-called bloodline of the Zhan Tian Clan.
"If you want to act, just say the word," the elder said, smiling knowingly at Li Hao.
Li Hao's expression was dark. The True Immortals treated the heavens like a personal playground, behaving with brazen impunity.
"This one, and this one…" Li Hao pointed to several projections, each depicting True Immortals abusing their power. Some bullied imperial families, while others plundered sacred grounds and abducted disciples with arrogance and disregard.
"Let's start with them," Li Hao said coldly, his voice like frost.
As Li Hao pointed, the projection shifted. Within the image, a True Immortal seemed to sense something amiss and quickly looked around, alert and panicked. Yet in the next instant, their body violently exploded, collapsing into a singularity before vanishing entirely into the void, utterly obliterated.
This sudden change startled Li Hao, leaving him momentarily stunned.
He couldn't help but feel amazed—across such vast distances, the elder could effortlessly kill a True Immortal? This feat surpassed even the speed and range of spatial techniques like teleportation or void traversal.
Feng Boping and the others were similarly struck speechless, their expressions betraying their shock. None of them thought this was merely an illusion within the projection. Whatever the elder had displayed was undoubtedly a catastrophic event occurring in reality.
One by one, True Immortals fell as Li Hao pointed at their images. Each perished so swiftly that they didn't even have time to cry out.
"What if some of them belong to the Zhan Tian Clan?" Li Hao asked, his voice heavy with concern.
The elder chuckled lightly and replied, "Even if they do, the memories left behind at the moment of death won't reveal who killed them."
"And will they be able to track it back to the heavens?"
"That depends on whether any information about their arrival here has already been spread."
The elder noticed the apprehension in Li Hao's eyes and added in a calm tone, "If you wish to protect the heavens, simply lying low won't be enough. The best defense is deterrence. No one dares attack a king's city barehanded."
"I understand," Li Hao nodded firmly.
With the targeted True Immortals eradicated, reports began circulating across the heavens. Reactions varied—some were filled with fear, while others were jubilant.
"This body of yours…" Feng Boping finally spoke, his gaze shifting to Li Hao. He could feel that this was not merely Li Hao's divine soul but his actual physical body.
"This is the Mixed-Origin Physique," Li Hao briefly explained, his thoughts turning to his true body. Now that he had returned, it was time to merge back with his real form.
"You've done an excellent job cultivating this body," the elder remarked as his gaze fell upon the massive figure of Li Hao's original body, still standing majestically within the sacred grounds. Without the restraint of Li Hao's divine soul, the body naturally radiated an imposing, heaven-reaching aura.
For someone with the elder's sharp perception, it was remarkable how Li Hao had forged such a body with only Saint-level cultivation when he had first entered the Tianyang Emperor's domain. The elder's eyes held a glimmer of admiration—it was rare even among major sects in the True Realm to find someone with such extraordinary physical cultivation talent.
Li Hao didn't hesitate. He withdrew his divine soul from the Mixed-Origin Physique, severing the connection entirely. The body began to shrink rapidly, eventually collapsing into a single drop of golden blood that exuded chaotic energy.
Li Hao's divine soul then surged toward his original body.
As his divine soul merged with his body, a flood of familiarity and power coursed through him. The Mixed-Origin Physique, though powerful, paled in comparison to his true form. It was like reuniting with a part of himself that he had long been missing.
Rumble!
The entire Haotian Sacred Grounds quaked as Li Hao's soul fully returned to his body. Immense celestial energy gathered, surrounding his form like rolling thunder. Though invisible to the naked eye, it permeated the air, creating waves of oppressive power that Feng Boping and the others could keenly feel.
Nine-Petal Celestial Imprint floated above Li Hao's head, radiating vast celestial energy. The celestial veins of the heavens activated, drawing starlight from countless celestial bodies to illuminate the area around Li Hao. The stars shimmered more brightly than ever, focusing their faint but vast power into the sacred grounds.
The celestial energy that had once formed the outer shell of Li Hao's ancestral immortal body now fused with his true body, strengthening it to an unparalleled level. His physical form transcended the Nine-Tribulation Dao Weapon realm, becoming an ancestral immortal body that even most True Treasures could scarcely harm.
Under the silver glow of starlight and brilliant rays of divine light, the Haotian Sacred Grounds reflected the majesty of the celestial heavens. Li Hao's transformation into an ancestral immortal body was now complete.
As body and soul unified, Li Hao felt an indescribable clarity, as though his consciousness had ascended to a higher plane. He entered a state of profound understanding, hovering between wakefulness and dream. At this moment, he truly stepped into the realm of True Immortals.
The Nine-Petal Celestial Imprint responded, transmitting faint messages into his mind. Li Hao now clearly understood that he had reached True Immortal Stage One.
News of Li Hao's return spread rapidly from the Haotian Sacred Grounds.
When the people of the heavens learned that the Haotian Saint was not only alive but had ascended to become a True Immortal, celebrations erupted across countless worlds. Waves of incense offerings surged from every corner of the heavens, forming a golden bridge of faith and devotion that illuminated the skies above the sacred grounds.
The bridge shimmered with divine light, a testament to the reverence and hope that Li Hao inspired. As the golden bridge of incense power crossed the skies, it seemed to herald a new era of strength and unity for the heavens.