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Chapter 372: Heaven-Earth Phenomenon, Triple Saint Cultivation
🕑 Added 2024-10-29 15:39:09 +0000 UTC[Poetry Experience +18928]
As his poetry experience increased, Li Hao's Poetry Dao advanced from the fifth stage to the sixth stage.
"Nothingness, the origin of all things…"
[Poetry Experience +16823]
Li Hao murmured to himself, recalling Lin Qingying's Sword Dao, the Dao of No-Sword.
Previously, his understanding of this Sword Dao had remained superficial, but at this moment, he felt a sense of complete enlightenment.
Raising his hand, sword energy gathered in his palm, swirling like a small vortex, rotating and spiraling with countless sword energies, resembling a miniature sword storm.
As his Dao thoughts flowed in, the storm-like sword energy gradually dissipated, spreading from the small vortex to encompass the entire sky.
A single strand of sword energy could only cut through a breeze.
But with the heavens as his sword, he could slice through the sun, moon, and all creation!
Holding no sword in hand, harboring no sword in heart—yet the heavens and earth were all swords, and simultaneously, they were not swords.
Li Hao's eyes gleamed with realization. At this moment, he comprehended the true essence of the Dao of No-Sword. Through this Sword Dao, he seemed to have transcended, touching the bottleneck of the Sacrificial Dao!
However, this Sword Dao was what Li Hao had passed on to Lin Qingying; it was not his own Sword Dao. Still, its true essence had merged into his Sole Sword Dao, enhancing its power to unprecedented heights.
As Li Hao's thoughts gathered, the surrounding Dao aura began to contract, wrapping around him like falling clouds and leaves. This gave him the appearance of sitting in the center of a vast cosmic sea, exuding an aura of regal grandeur.
Feng Boping, seeing the clarity return to Li Hao's eyes, approached with a smile and said, "You've just had a breakthrough in your Saint Dao, haven't you?"
"Yes," Li Hao nodded. The ancient Dao scripture had articulated many of his insights, and combined with his own understanding of the Saint Dao, his Saint Dao had now condensed to an extent that even he found terrifying. It had reached a level where it could touch the traces of the Heavenly Dao!
Though he had not yet endured the tribulation, his Saint Dao was self-formed. In terms of Saint Dao alone, it was even more terrifying than his physical body!
"It's time to settle accounts with that Buddha Sect and Void Saint," Li Hao said.
Feng Boping, hearing this, pondered for a moment before advising, "Don't rush. Your Saint Dao has just stabilized, so it's better to focus on cultivation for a while longer. Besides, the Buddha Sect and Void Holy Land have other Saints besides them. The Green Lantern Buddha of the Buddha Sect is unfathomable and certainly won't stand by if you try to kill the Buddha Sovereign. Moreover, the Void Saint's master is still alive. I almost fell into his hands once."
"If they retreat into their Holy Lands, they can harness all the power within those lands to bolster themselves. In that situation, they'd be invincible against anyone in the same realm. Even if you have a chance to defeat them, killing them would be exceedingly difficult!"
Li Hao's eyes flickered. While Feng Lao knew his Saint Dao had improved, he wasn't aware of just how far it had advanced.
At his current level, except for the Supreme Saints, Li Hao was confident that he could kill both the Buddha Sovereign and Void Saint, utterly destroying them along with their Saint Daos.
However…
Li Hao recalled their prior escape, using a special divine ability that transcended the Void Extreme Realm. If they were determined to flee, it might indeed be difficult to kill them.
His movement techniques were still a weak point. In past battles, he had relied on his extreme realm to cover this weakness. In the mortal realm, the extreme realm was the pinnacle, so even though his movement skills were inferior, he could still kill his opponents with ease.
But now, all Saints possessed extreme realms, and the flaws in his movement techniques were fully exposed.
Seeing Li Hao deep in thought, Feng Boping continued, "In half a year, the Saint Dao Debate will take place. Saints from across the heavens will gather. The Heavenly Talents Battle is a mere celebration for the younger generation, but the Saint Dao Debate is a truly momentous event that can influence the entire heavenly structure!"
"The Saint Dao Debate?"
Li Hao's eyes reflected curiosity.
Feng Boping nodded, "Yes, aside from Saints debating the Dao, the event also concerns the division of the Holy Lands and the distribution of incense offerings, affecting the balance of power across the heavens! Every Saint will attend, and the debate is presided over by the Supreme Saints. Even if there are disputes between Supreme Saints, they will also be resolved during the Saint Dao Debate. Furthermore, the Source Ancestor will conclude the event by delivering a Saintly sermon."
A Saintly sermon!
This was the reason Saints were revered—by imparting the Dao to the masses, allowing all beings to comprehend it.
And when the Source Ancestor delivered his sermon, even the Saints would gain insight. The Source Ancestor's immense prestige and network of relationships stemmed from the fact that many Saints had benefitted from his guidance!
As the oldest Saint, no one could truly fathom the Source Ancestor's depths.
There had once been a Supreme Saint who engaged the Source Ancestor in a Dao debate, only to be easily suppressed, almost causing his Saint Dao to collapse and knocking him down from the Supreme Saint realm. That battle solidified the Source Ancestor's supreme status.
"You're suggesting we wait for the Saint Dao Debate to deal with them?" Li Hao considered.
Feng Boping nodded, "They've fled after being beaten by you, and they'll surely have set traps and prepared ambushes in their Holy Lands. Attacking them in their own territory would put us at a disadvantage. But they will undoubtedly attend the Saint Dao Debate, and if they don't, we can deal with them afterward."
Li Hao thought for a moment. Feng Lao's strategy was indeed cautious.
Though Li Hao had full confidence in his abilities, his movement technique's flaws made it uncertain whether he could kill them immediately.
Moreover, if they had outside help or used treasures to invite a Supreme Saint's assistance, there was the potential for danger.
The most dangerous moment often came when one was at their last stand, and Li Hao couldn't afford to be careless.
"Alright, I still have much to resolve in my cultivation. I can use this time to settle those matters," Li Hao said.
Feng Boping, seeing that Li Hao had accepted his advice, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That's right. You've already ascended to Saintly status; there's no rush. Now, it's them who should be restless, not knowing when we'll strike."
Li Hao smiled briefly, then asked, "Feng Lao, after passing the three calamities, how does one cultivate to become a Supreme Saint? What's the difference between a Saint and a Supreme Saint?"
He hadn't yet experienced the tribulation, nor had he touched that bottleneck, so he was completely in the dark.
Feng Boping laughed, knowing that Li Hao would ask. Now that Li Hao had become a Saint, Feng Boping had long prepared to explain these matters to him.
"The Three Calamities of a Saint—after passing the Human Calamity, one can preach the Dao and rapidly absorb incense offerings. After passing the Earth Calamity, one becomes invulnerable to all methods, with a body akin to a Saintly Dao Imperial Weapon!"
"Passing the Heaven Calamity completes the Saint Dao!"
"At that point, you've achieved the three realms of the Saint Dao! And beyond completion lies the Supreme Saint realm, which is akin to half an extreme realm of the Saint Dao. This realm was first pioneered by the Source Ancestor. After the Saint Dao is perfected, continued comprehension leads to an understanding of the Heavenly Dao!"
"Comprehending the Heavenly Dao is only the first step. If one can borrow strength from the Heavenly Dao, they become a Supreme Saint. At this point, within the perfected Saint Dao, there will be a trace of Heavenly Will!"
"This is why a Supreme Saint can effortlessly destroy the Saint Dao of others. After all, no matter how strong a Saint Dao is, it can't compare to the will of the heavens!"
"Additionally, Supreme Saints can sense the will of the heavens, which the Buddha Sect refers to as 'destiny.' Though it's a vague perception, it's still incredibly powerful, allowing them to foresee future dangers and act as partial prophets. This is why Supreme Saints rarely fall, as they can predict upcoming threats!"
Feng Boping explained.
Li Hao was stunned—comprehending the Heavenly Dao? Heavenly Will?
He suddenly felt that this explanation sounded familiar. When he reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Transformation, Li Hao had faintly glimpsed a trace of Heavenly Sovereign Will!
Could there be a connection between the two?
Li Hao's eyes sparkled as he contemplated. Soon, he realized that Feng Lao's explanation referred to Supreme Saints borrowing Heavenly Will, while the pinnacle of Immortal Transformation was about controlling Heavenly Will. This was why Li Hao referred to that realm as the Heavenly Sovereign realm!
"One borrows, while the other commands. So, the power of the Sixth Extreme Realm should surpass that of a Supreme Saint…"
Li Hao's eyes gleamed. However, he had only glimpsed a trace of the Sixth Extreme Realm. When he killed the six Dao Law Realm enemies in the mortal realm, he had only harnessed a sliver of the Heavenly Sovereign's Will.
Only by fully mastering it could he reach the final stage!
"Though the extreme realm and final realm are difficult to cultivate, they seem to correspond to higher powers in the cultivation hierarchy. Once mastered, they allow one to harness terrifying abilities ahead of time…"
Li Hao's thoughts continued to swirl. He had long sensed this truth, particularly with the Fifteen Li Extreme Realm and its void-shifting technique.
If one cultivated the Fifteen Li Realm to its limit, its shifting technique would be more terrifying than the Dao Resonance Shifting of the Four Pillars Realm's First Stage, making it impossible to track!
Dao Resonance Shifting could be easily detected by those in the Hearing the Dao Realm, but void-shifting at the Fifteen Li Extreme Realm left no trace.
"You've passed the Human Calamity, and your body is comparable to a Dao Tribulation Imperial Weapon. Among the Saints of the heavens, aside from the Supreme Saints, there should be no one whose physical body is stronger than yours, not even in the Mixed Heaven Holy Land or the Dragon Demon Saints of the Ancestral Dragon Holy Land," Feng Boping chuckled.
Though a powerful body didn't necessarily mean the strongest attack power—for instance, Li Hao might struggle to catch and kill a fleeing Three Calamities Saint—it was certainly a top-tier survival skill.
Furthermore, Li Hao had cultivated the End-Force Extreme Realm, making him even harder to kill. Even a Supreme Saint would need to put in considerable effort to have a chance at killing him.
Li Hao nodded slightly but couldn't help sighing inwardly. If only his Cooking Dao had reached the tenth stage, he could have raised his Sword Dao to the tenth stage as well. Then, even if he couldn't catch his opponents, a single sword strike would be enough to cleave the Buddha Sovereign!
In that case, they wouldn't even have the chance to escape, making the issue of pursuit irrelevant.
"The incense offering you were rewarded with—you can give it a try. There have been others who ascended through the Sacrificial Dao, but later, when they tried to absorb incense, there seemed to be some obstacles. They couldn't achieve dual cultivation. I'm not sure why, but since I haven't walked the Sacrificial Dao, perhaps the Supreme Saints know a way to balance it. If you can't figure it out, you can ask the Source Ancestor," Feng Boping advised.
Li Hao frowned slightly and asked, "Has no one ever achieved Triple Cultivation?"
Feng Boping laughed, "Plenty of people have had that ambition, but no one has managed it. As you know, even ascending through the Sacrificial Dao is incredibly difficult, let alone Triple Cultivation. Besides, the Extreme Dao is linked to the Divine Race and is forbidden. Even those who've secretly cultivated it after mastering the Sacrificial Dao found they could only focus on one Dao and couldn't simultaneously cultivate all three."
Li Hao's eyes glinted. Those who could cultivate to the Saint realm were all heavenly prodigies, full of ambition. It wasn't surprising that many had aimed for Triple Cultivation.
Yet no one had succeeded.
"I'll try it myself first," Li Hao said.
He didn't plan to ask for advice right away. If the Source Ancestor knew the secret, then the Source Ancestor himself might be a Triple Cultivator!
Thinking of this, Li Hao grew even more cautious toward the Source Ancestor.
"Hmm, reaching the Saint realm means becoming a pioneer, opening new paths for all living beings and creating a new chapter for the heavens. From this point on, no one has walked ahead of us to guide the way. Now, we must be the ones to lead the way for those who follow," Feng Boping remarked with admiration, his gaze filled with both nostalgia and a sense of awe at the unknown.
Hearing these words, Li Hao's heart surged with boundless light. Yes, after reaching the Saint realm, there was no need to follow anyone else's path. The path he walked would be the one others would follow!
He would become a pathfinder, no longer a learner.
If anyone could become a teacher to Saints, it would be only two entities—either the heavens themselves or the great Dao!
From the great Dao, from the heavens, one could gain insight, writing new chapters for their own Saintly Dao and creating new cultivation systems for the masses.
Once Feng Lao had left, Li Hao took out the Incense Gold Body that was the reward for winning first place in the Supreme Heavenly Talents Battle.
Without hesitation, he imprinted a strand of his soul into the gold body.
Instantly, the incense sealed within the gold body, having found its host, transformed into dense, mist-like light, pouring from the gold body and being absorbed into Li Hao's body.
In a flash, the incense within his body began to rapidly accumulate. In no time, the second, and then the third, incense stick had fully condensed.
With the completion of the three incense sticks, he was now fully capable of becoming a Saint through incense offerings!
However, Li Hao sensed that while the three incense sticks had indeed fully condensed and were even thicker and longer than usual, something seemed to be shrouding them, making it impossible… to ignite them!
Before cultivating the Sacrificial Dao, Li Hao had felt as if the three incense sticks were always close at hand, intimately connected. But now, they felt distant.
Moreover, whereas he had previously been able to manipulate incense power, he now found that this ability had vanished.
"I can't ignite them? I can absorb incense, but I can't use it?!"
Li Hao was stunned, realizing that incense offerings and the Sacrificial Dao were indeed incompatible, preventing dual cultivation.
As for the Extreme Dao power, it remained dormant within his limbs, far from the three incense sticks in his core.
Li Hao frowned as he carefully probed the situation. He soon discovered that the Saint Dao power within his body was suppressing the three incense sticks, making them impossible to ignite.
The Saint Dao acted like a membrane, cutting off air, and without air, the incense couldn't be lit.
The only way to ignite the incense would be to create a crack in the Saint Dao, allowing air to flow through. Only then could the three incense sticks escape their suppression and be lit.
But doing so would weaken both the incense and Saint Dao powers, leaving both at half-strength and ultimately less effective than single cultivation.
"So this is the difficulty of dual cultivation?"
Li Hao's eyes glinted as he contemplated the challenge. It seemed like an impossible puzzle.
If he wanted to ignite the three incense sticks, he would have to crack open his Saint Dao, which would severely weaken his overall power. The cost wasn't worth it.
"Unless my body were larger, with two chests, or if I had a clone…"
Li Hao's mind raced, filled with ideas. He imagined creating two more bodies, placing the three powers in separate vessels, and then merging the three bodies together. Would that enable triple cultivation?
With this thought, he acted immediately. Biting his finger—though his skin was as tough as a Dao Tribulation Imperial Weapon, his teeth were sharper, capable of biting through even such a weapon!—he let his divine blood drip and condensed it into a clone.
He then attempted to transfer the incense power into the clone.
Though the process was difficult, it ultimately succeeded.
Once transferred, Li Hao tried igniting the three incense sticks within the clone.
This time, they ignited smoothly, though there was still some resistance. The soul within the clone contained traces of his own Saint Dao power, but it was weak enough that it didn't suppress the incense power.
As the incense power burned, the Saint Dao within the clone was gradually consumed, weakening it.
In the end, the clone possessed only incense power, with no trace of the Sacrificial Dao.
Li Hao frowned as he absorbed the clone back into his body, the process proceeding smoothly. As the two fused, the incense power returned to his main body.
But once the three incense sticks were back in his body, the incense power was immediately extinguished, once again suppressed by the Saint Dao.
Li Hao was at a loss. After all that effort, he had made no progress. As long as the powers were reunited in his body, the incense would be suppressed.
Relying on the clone to hold the incense power was meaningless.
After all, in the clone, the incense power would drive away the Sacrificial Dao power, and the overall strength wouldn't increase much.
"It seems you can only cultivate one Saint Dao at a time. The powers repel each other…"
Li Hao's eyes flickered. It looked like he would need to consult the Supreme Saints on how to proceed down this path.
With this in mind, Li Hao turned his attention to the three Heaven and Earth treasures. He didn't rush to use them, deciding to keep them as gifts for when he sought advice from the Supreme Saints.
Sensing Feng Lao's presence in the Holy Land's cave dwelling, Li Hao sent him a message, saying he would visit the Tianyuan Realm.
"Do you need company?"
"No, I'll be back quickly."
After informing Feng Lao, Li Hao set off at once, speeding across the barriers of the Small Thousand Realm.
Now that his body had ascended to Saintly status, Li Hao could see the great Dao of the heavens with his naked eyes and even perceive the many void fissures, allowing him to traverse them effortlessly, covering tens of thousands of miles in an instant. This far surpassed the limits of the Fifteen Li Realm's object flight.
However, this was a method of navigating the void through Dao pathways, a different concept from sheer brute force.
Even a Saint couldn't simply travel tens of thousands of miles by sheer strength alone.
At full speed, Li Hao reached the Tianyuan Realm within half a day.
Arriving at the familiar Tianyuan Sacred Mountain, he made his way to the summit.
"Hao Tianzun, my master has ordered me to wait for you here. Please follow me."
Upon reaching the summit, Li Hao was greeted by a Half-Saint of the Source Ancestor's Holy Land, an elderly man in white robes who appeared to be in his sixties. With a respectful bow, the man spoke with a trace of awe in his voice.
"Hm?"
Li Hao raised an eyebrow, surprised. The Source Ancestor had predicted his visit?
His thoughts raced, but he quickly understood. As someone who had ascended through the Sacrificial Dao and now possessed incense power, it wasn't surprising that the Source Ancestor had anticipated he would seek guidance. After all, Feng Lao had mentioned that Supreme Saints could vaguely sense the will of the heavens and glimpse the future.
Following the elder into the Tianyuan Sacred Mountain, Li Hao soon arrived at the cave dwelling where the Source Ancestor had previously hosted the Supreme Saints and himself.
The cave was simply furnished, but Li Hao could feel the Dao resonance contained within every object—the tables, chairs, even the tea cups. The entire cave exuded Dao energy, like a celestial abode.
"Young friend, you've come seeking a method for triple cultivation, haven't you?"
The Source Ancestor sat within the cave, sipping tea. Beside him was a familiar figure—Xiao Tianyu.
Compared to before, Xiao Tianyu now exuded a drastically different aura—more calm and serene, with an ethereal, otherworldly presence.
Li Hao immediately recognized that Xiao Tianyu had become a Saint, his body filled with the rich power of incense offerings.
As the disciple of the Source Ancestor, it was only natural that Xiao Tianyu wouldn't lack for incense power.
One of the reasons the Source Ancestor commanded such respect from all Saints was his unrivaled quantity of incense power across the heavens.
In the world of incense cultivation, the quantity of incense offerings directly determined strength, and the Source Ancestor's accumulation of incense was unparalleled. No one could compete with him in this aspect.
"Indeed, the Source Ancestor is truly perceptive," Li Hao said with a smile.
The Source Ancestor smiled faintly and replied, "I knew you ascended through the Sacrificial Dao, so I anticipated you'd come for advice. I just didn't expect it would take you a few months. Your patience is admirable."
Li Hao had spent those months immersed in the Dao scripture and integrating it with his Saint Dao. Only recently had he absorbed the incense power, but the Source Ancestor likely assumed he had done so months ago and had only come after hitting a wall in his cultivation.
The difference wasn't significant, and Li Hao didn't bother explaining. He had indeed come seeking guidance, hoping for a solution. If the Source Ancestor had an answer, all the better. If not, perhaps he could at least provide some insight.
As the two conversed, Xiao Tianyu sat quietly by the side, sipping tea and observing Li Hao.
After several months, Xiao Tianyu now stood on equal footing with Li Hao as a Saint.
However, he knew that even though they shared the same title, the gap between them remained significant. Li Hao's previous victory over the Buddha Sovereign and the Void Saint had made that clear.
"I've brought a small gift. Please accept it, Source Ancestor, and share your wisdom on triple cultivation," Li Hao said, presenting two of the Heaven and Earth treasures, keeping one for himself.
The Source Ancestor glanced at the treasures and chuckled. They were the same ones he had rewarded Li Hao with earlier.
"I appreciate the thought, but there's no need for gifts. To be honest, many Saints have come to me with the same question, including those who are now Supreme Saints. Even after years of pondering, I've only come up with a partial solution," the Source Ancestor said with a smile.
"Triple cultivation may indeed lead to the pinnacle of the Saint Dao, potentially unlocking unimaginable power—enough to suppress all other Saints in the heavens single-handedly!"
"However, the path is fraught with difficulty. My partial solution is likely a dead end."
He looked at Li Hao and asked, "Knowing this, do you still wish to pursue it?"
Li Hao's eyes flickered, and he asked, "How do you know it's a dead end?"
"Because while this method allows the three powers to coexist, it doesn't lead to the ultimate realm I envision. And the path to the Saint Dao's pinnacle offers only this one possibility," the Source Ancestor explained.
Xiao Tianyu quietly listened to their conversation, sipping his tea.
As a prodigy who had become a Saint, Xiao Tianyu, like many others, had harbored ambitions of achieving triple cultivation. It was akin to mortals dreaming of ascending to the heavens—lofty yet elusive.
Li Hao understood and nodded. "Please share the details. I still wish to try."
Seeing Li Hao's determination, the Source Ancestor smiled knowingly and said, "I've tried many methods—clones, reincarnations, even splitting one's soul across multiple lifetimes—but none of them worked. In the end, I resorted to the simplest, most direct approach. I created two barriers within my body, like walls, to separate the three powers."
"When needed, you can lift the barriers slightly and use the powers."
Li Hao was momentarily stunned. Barriers within the body to separate the three powers?
That was certainly a straightforward approach… His eye twitched slightly, but he quickly realized that while the method seemed simple, the barriers themselves were likely incredibly complex.
The Source Ancestor smiled and added, "These barriers took me years to perfect. If you're interested, I can teach you the method."
Li Hao looked at him, sensing the goodwill in the Source Ancestor's eyes.
Previously, when he had been wronged, the Source Ancestor had remained silent. Though he later stood up for Li Hao once the truth was revealed, Li Hao had harbored some lingering resentment. However, after understanding the concept of the "heavenly flaw" through his Saint Dao, those feelings had faded.
He could now accept that others were under no obligation to speak up for justice.
After all, the concept of good and evil was merely a construct of the Buddha Sect. Other Saints might not even acknowledge its existence. For example, the Mo Sect believed only in equality—no hierarchy, no good or evil. Their Saint Dao embraced universal love.
"How can I repay this favor?" Li Hao asked.
While Saints might not adhere to notions of good and evil, they did follow a system of exchange. This was a fundamental aspect of human nature.
"There's no need to repay me. It's not a favor," the Source Ancestor replied with a gentle shake of his head. "Don't let it weigh on you. I'd share this method with anyone who asked."
Li Hao's eyes flickered as he regarded the Source Ancestor. After a moment of thought, he left one of the Heaven and Earth treasures behind, saying, "Even if you don't require it, I can't accept this without feeling indebted. Please, take this."
The Source Ancestor glanced at the treasure and said, "If it eases your mind, I'll accept it."
With that, he accepted the treasure.
He then transmitted the two barrier techniques to Li Hao via voice transmission.
Li Hao memorized them but didn't attempt to cultivate them immediately. After taking a moment to reflect, he stood up and said, "I apologize for the intrusion. I'll take my leave now."
The Source Ancestor chuckled, "Feel free to visit anytime. My humble abode could use some liveliness."
Li Hao smiled, exchanged a few pleasantries, and prepared to depart.
Before he could leave, Xiao Tianyu spoke up. "Will you be attending the Dao Debate in six months?"
Li Hao looked at him and nodded. "I will."
At this stage, he no longer feared being targeted for assassination. Aside from the Supreme Saints, few could pose a threat to him.
Xiao Tianyu smiled faintly. "Then I'll look forward to it. If there's a chance, I hope we can debate the Dao. I want to see if my cultivation has improved in this lifetime."
"Alright."
As the Source Ancestor's disciple, Li Hao had no reason to refuse.
With that, Li Hao left the cave.
After he was gone, Xiao Tianyu turned to the Source Ancestor and asked, "Master, that barrier technique can suppress Saint Dao powers. It's one of the most advanced methods in the heavens. Are you sure it's wise to share it so easily?"
The Source Ancestor chuckled. "That young man is different from other Saints. Even if I didn't teach him, he would figure it out on his own in a hundred or a thousand years. It would only delay him. Instead, I chose to earn his goodwill. However, it seems he doesn't like to owe anyone."
Looking at the Heaven and Earth treasure in his hand, he laughed and casually tossed it to Xiao Tianyu. "Here, use this to feed your longbow."
Xiao Tianyu accepted it without hesitation and thanked his master.
"Master, you spent thousands of years perfecting those barriers. Do you mean to say he could grasp them in mere centuries? Wouldn't that make his comprehension surpass even yours?" Xiao Tianyu asked.
The Source Ancestor shook his head and smiled. "There are many in the heavens with greater comprehension than I. I just happened to be born earlier. If I had better comprehension, I wouldn't have been stuck for so many years."
As he spoke, a flicker of light appeared in his eyes but quickly faded.
"You're being modest, Master," Xiao Tianyu said quietly. He knew his master's nature. Though the Source Ancestor might not claim to have the greatest comprehension in the heavens, it was still formidable. After all, he had been the first to ascend to Saintly status in the distant past.
…
After leaving the Source Ancestor's abode, Li Hao returned to the Small Thousand Realm.
Back in his courtyard, he resumed his closed-door cultivation.
He carefully studied the two barrier techniques the Source Ancestor had taught him. The instructions were detailed, and Li Hao found them surprisingly easy to understand. He quickly mastered them.
"These barriers can suppress Saint Dao powers…"
Li Hao's eyes gleamed as he marveled at the techniques. The barriers were far from simple. The Source Ancestor's willingness to share such an advanced method with ease showed why he commanded such respect among the Saints.
Li Hao formed one of the barriers within his body, and immediately noticed the effect: the influence of his Saint Dao on the incense power diminished.
He then attempted to ignite the incense and found that all three incense sticks lit up.
Incense power surged through his body, the great Dao converging in response. The incense's smoke transformed into a vast, powerful force, coursing through his form.
However, as the smoke flowed and the power circulated, he noticed his Saint Dao power was weakening, suppressed by the burning incense.
Li Hao tried to gather his Saint Dao power and found he could still do so, but the barriers, combined with the incense power, significantly restricted it.
He then tried using the barriers to suppress the incense power, finding the opposite effect: his Saint Dao power regained dominance, while the incense power was reduced to a mere trickle.
"I see now…"
Li Hao understood. While the barriers allowed the three powers to coexist, they enforced a hierarchy.
In simple terms, even with triple cultivation, he wouldn't be able to use all three powers freely. One would always dominate the others.
Though this method was stronger than single cultivation, its limitations were clear. Two of the three powers would always be suppressed.
"No wonder the Source Ancestor said this path was flawed. If there truly is an ultimate realm, this can't be the way…"
"Yet, without this method, is there any other way to achieve triple cultivation?"
Li Hao pondered, sensing the enormity of the challenge.
Perhaps Saints could only cultivate one Dao after all.
Li Hao dissipated the barriers, causing the incense flames to extinguish. His Saint Dao once again became the dominant power.
He sighed quietly. This wasn't the path he had envisioned.
"All these powers belong to the Saint Dao. Why can't they coexist? The heavens can contain all things—why can't I contain three Saint Daos?"
Li Hao mused aloud.
But a voice in the back of his mind seemed to answer, "The heavens are the heavens. You are you. You are not the heavens."
But what if his body could be cultivated to the same grandeur as the heavens?
Li Hao's eyes glinted with inspiration.
A body couldn't truly become as vast as the heavens, but he had been born of the heavens and was part of them. In turn, the heavens were an extension of him!
Once this realization struck, Li Hao suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of enlightenment.
Dao energy surged around him as he sat cross-legged, the aura of his Saint Dao becoming even more brilliant and powerful.
What were the heavens and earth?
The heavens and earth began with nothingness, from which all things were born.
Li Hao's body began to change, undergoing refinement. A new body-refining technique born from the Dao began to operate on its own within his body, absorbing countless strands of Dao energy. His body grew larger, transforming.
"What's happening?"
As Li Hao's body swelled and burst through the confines of his courtyard, countless disciples of the Dao Heaven Holy Land saw his transformation and were left in shock.
"Hm?"
Feng Boping, who had been lounging among the clouds, suddenly sat upright, staring at the now-colossal figure of Li Hao. He was stunned. He could sense the terrifying power coursing through Li Hao's body—his bones, blood, and pores crackling with divine electricity. Li Hao's divine blood flowed like a blazing furnace, radiating intense heat.
"What is he cultivating?"
Feng Boping was astonished. The transformation was so vast, it seemed like Li Hao might burst through the heavens!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Feng Boping quickly waved his hand, summoning a cloud of mist to envelop Li Hao's massive body, shielding him from prying eyes.
But the disturbance had already drawn the attention of everyone on the sacred mountain.
"Is that the Heaven-Earth Phenomenon?!"
"No, the Heaven-Earth Phenomenon has a more ethereal quality. That's real!"
"Could this be the perfected form of the Heaven-Earth Phenomenon? How could a real body grow to such a massive size?!"
Disciples everywhere looked up in awe, only to see Li Hao's towering figure obscured by the clouds.
Among them were Lin Baichuan, Chu Hanwei, and other Holy Sons of the Dao Heaven Holy Land, all of whom stared in disbelief before exchanging uncertain glances.
"He's becoming more terrifying by the day," Lin Baichuan murmured bitterly. His gaze fell on the mist concealing Li Hao's body, recognizing it as his master's work. He turned away, his expression complicated and filled with a sense of futility.
Once, they had all been Heavenly Talents, standing shoulder to shoulder. But after the Supreme Heavenly Talents Battle, Li Hao had ascended to the rank of Saint, while they remained as Holy Sons, still far from reaching the Saint realm.
Chu Hanwei's eyes remained fixed on the mist, her lips pressed tightly together. She said nothing.
Within the mist, Li Hao's body continued to grow larger.
Powerful energy and Dao aura radiated from his flesh, blood, and pores. His body had become gargantuan, towering over all.
Once the growth reached its peak, Li Hao opened his eyes and saw himself sitting on the summit of the sacred mountain, his massive form towering over the clouds. The surrounding buildings appeared as insignificant as grains of sand, and his once-spacious courtyard was dwarfed by his colossal body.
The courtyard that had once been so spacious was now barely larger than his toe.
Li Hao glanced down, but he wasn't surprised. His current state was a fusion of heavenly Dao and laws, a blend of body-refining techniques and divine abilities.
He called this power "Heaven-Earth Phenomenon!"
It differed from the Heaven-Earth Phenomenon, which was merely an ethereal projection of one's inner Dao. Heaven-Earth Phenomenon was a projection of energy, whereas Heaven-Earth Phenomenon was a true manifestation of physical power.
Only because his body had ascended to Saintly status was he able to comprehend and cultivate such a Saint Dao divine ability!
As he felt the boundless strength coursing through him, Li Hao couldn't help but wonder—if he could combine this with the Heaven-Earth Phenomenon, what kind of unimaginable power would he wield?
"Now, my body is part of the heavens and earth themselves!"
Li Hao murmured to himself.
He had named this technique Heaven-Earth Phenomenon for a reason.
Imitating the heavens and the earth, his body had become its own world!
"All things in the heavens and earth can coexist because they all come from one breath of air!"
"This breath of air condenses all things, creating and transforming them. The power of three Saints can be contained within this breath of air!"
Li Hao's eyes gleamed with unprecedented clarity as he grasped the key to merging the power of three Saints.
His ability to comprehend this was linked to his mastery of the Immortal Transformation Extreme Realm, which had allowed him to glimpse the heavenly origins of all things.
This heavenly breath could condense into all things, or dissipate into the boundless void.
Having mastered the Immortal Transformation Extreme Realm, Li Hao's thoughts flowed naturally, allowing him to perceive the key to merging the powers of three Saints.
He retracted his Dao power, causing his body to shrink back to its normal size, bathed in golden light. His clothing had long since been torn apart by his growth.
But Li Hao paid no mind to such trivialities. His focus was entirely on the incense power within his body.
As the heavenly breath flowed through him, his entire being condensed into one!
The Dao births one, one births two, two births three, and three births all things!
At that moment, with the heavenly breath circulating through him, the three incense sticks lit up.
Moreover, the Saint Dao within his body remained unaffected, coexisting harmoniously with the incense power.
Li Hao opened his eyes, and within them, faint sparks seemed to flicker, though they quickly faded. His aura, however, had grown deeper and more profound. As the three incense sticks burned, the power of the incense spread through his body, circulating around his Saint Dao. Li Hao could feel his strength increasing dramatically, nearly doubling.
At the same time, he sensed the countless incense offerings converging toward him. The three incense sticks grew thicker and burned more intensely.
"So that's how it works. You have to refine your body to the extreme and master Heaven-Earth Phenomenon to achieve triple cultivation!"
Li Hao's eyes glinted with understanding. He hadn't expected the conditions for triple cultivation to be so harsh.
Not only did one need to refine their body to the utmost limit and master Heaven-Earth Phenomenon, but they also had to comprehend the Immortal Transformation Extreme Realm!
These requirements alone would cause countless Saints to give up, which explained why no one had ever succeeded.
At this moment, Li Hao felt a sense of relief. This realization also confirmed that the Source Ancestor likely did not possess this power. The barriers the Source Ancestor had taught him were likely the same method the Source Ancestor himself used to manage multiple Daos.
"When I have the strength to defend myself, I can pass this method on to Feng Lao…"
Li Hao thought to himself.
If the Supreme Saints learned that he could freely wield the power of two or even three Saint Daos without relying on barriers, they would undoubtedly seek to uncover his secret.
Fortunately, even if he demonstrated the use of two Saint Daos now, others would assume he was relying on the barriers taught by the Source Ancestor. With the Source Ancestor's backing, any ill-intentioned suspicions would be quelled.
Once he reached a level of power comparable to the Source Ancestor, capable of suppressing the heavens, he wouldn't mind sharing this knowledge. Whether others could comprehend it would be up to their own abilities. But for now, it wasn't an option.
"Now, I just need to continue absorbing incense power and Extreme Dao power. My Extreme Dao power still isn't enough to ascend…"
Li Hao realized that the Extreme Dao power refined within his divine blood was still a bit short of what was needed to condense a Saint Dao.
However, now that he had become a Saint, he could no longer enter the heavenly battlefield, where Saints were forbidden.
He would have to seek out the divine battlefields of smaller worlds to absorb Extreme Dao power. Additionally, his Heavenly Star Meridian could continue to be refined and cultivated, with the aim of reaching the final stage.
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