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Chapter 353: Gathering of the Prodigies, Name on the Heavenly Monument
🕑 Added 2024-10-06 04:53:47 +0000 UTC"If they cannot coexist within, perhaps they can be cultivated externally…"
Li Hao murmured to himself.
The two forces repelled each other, but if they could be separated while cultivating them, maybe they could be fused in some way.
But how could they be separated?
If one used an avatar, once the avatar and the true body merged, the forces would still repel each other. If it were that simple, others would have thought of it already, and Feng Boping wouldn't have concluded it was impossible.
"Unless there's an absolute barrier between them, or perhaps if the body could be extended…"
Li Hao's eyes flickered with thought, and he suddenly recalled the concept of the qi meridians he had considered earlier.
The 108 meridians in the body, combined with the dual meridians of yin and yang, formed the ultimate meridian system, Extreme Heaven Meridians.
This was the limit of the physical body, the naturally formed acupoints. However, if one could simulate these meridians with qi and extend the body outward, it would form qi meridians.
If the qi meridians could be successfully cultivated, it might lead to the second final realm.
The integration of force and qi, with both meridians complete, was already considered the endpoint of cultivation.
"If I can extend my body like the qi meridians…"
Li Hao's eyes flickered again, realizing that he needed to cultivate the qi meridians first to explore this idea further. Without them, this concept was just a theory in the clouds—pursuing it blindly would be a waste of time.
Since he could no longer absorb extreme dao energy, he decided to sit cross-legged and start refining the qi meridians.
The qi surged through his body's meridians as Li Hao began to control and refine it, forming a meridian-like structure. One end connected to the 108 meridians in his body, while the other extended outwards, forming a spiraling stream of qi.
Soon, however, Li Hao encountered resistance.
Simulating the qi meridians wasn't difficult, but maintaining them was.
The qi meridians extended outside his body like rootless plants floating in the wind, and without a sustaining force, they would quickly dissipate and scatter.
However, using power to sustain them meant that the energy absorbed by the qi meridians would barely compensate for what was consumed to maintain them.
"Could this path be wrong?"
Li Hao frowned, his eyes filled with doubt.
But soon, he dismissed that thought.
Faced with obstacles, the solution was to overcome them, not to doubt the path. After all, it wasn't as if he had reached a dead end.
"The qi meridians are clearly able to absorb more energy, which means the idea is feasible. The challenge is sustaining them. If the maintenance cost can be reduced and the number of qi meridians increased, the resulting transformation could be terrifying…"
The acupoints of the body had limits, but the formation of qi meridians did not!
If one could cultivate hundreds or even thousands of qi meridians, the accumulated energy would be unimaginably vast.
In other words, this path had great potential; it was just temporarily out of reach.
Li Hao condensed a second and third qi meridian, and soon there were seven or eight spiraling around him like ribbons.
He sensed the energy they absorbed, but his frown deepened.
There was another issue: in battle, these qi meridians could easily be severed by enemies.
If he condensed hundreds or thousands of them, an opponent could easily see through the trick and cut them down, rendering all his efforts useless.
"Extending them outside the body makes them visible and vulnerable. How can I prevent others from seeing them while still maintaining them independently…"
Li Hao's thoughts raced, and a slight headache crept in.
This was something his panel couldn't solve for him.
The panel could reduce the time needed for cultivation, but when it came to the insights required for extreme realms, that was something only he could achieve.
While Li Hao was contemplating the qi meridians, in another part of the battlefield, deep within a cavern…
Suddenly, the cavern shook as several figures shot out.
"Damn it, run!"
"Don't wait for that beast tide to return! If they attack from inside and out, we're done for."
Lin Baichuan and Chu Hanwei were the first to escape, their faces tight with tension.
The cavern was packed with void demons, and within its walls were countless void crystals. The void demons used these to unleash terrifying void tides.
Even for prodigies like them, the overwhelming number and power of the void demons forced them to retreat.
As they fled, a shockwave suddenly swept through the area. Their faces paled as they used Gui Xu to teleport, narrowly avoiding the impact.
The ground trembled as a swarm of void beasts surged from the cavern, but Lin Baichuan led his group in a fast retreat, circling around until the demons finally stopped their pursuit, seemingly wary of going too far.
"Those beasts have turned back."
Panting, Lin Baichuan and the others rested in the void, feeling exhausted. The constant use of Gui Xu to teleport felt as taxing as a hard-fought battle, depleting their strength rapidly, even with the Heavenly Meridians replenishing them.
"It's a pity. These beasts contain starfall essence, a crucial material for forging Dao Tribulation Emperor Weapons. I was hoping to hunt a few more."
"These demons always group together. It's difficult to kill them individually."
Their expressions were grim. As saintly sons and daughters, being chased by beasts like this was humiliating. If word got out, it would be a disgrace.
"Fortunately, that earlier horde didn't return in time. But what were they doing in Lihe Valley? Trying to vent their frustration by destroying the place?"
Chu Hanwei's face suddenly changed.
Hearing this, Lin Baichuan frowned and said, "Let's go check it out."
They adjusted their direction and flew toward Lihe Valley.
As they neared, the stench of fresh blood filled the air.
Their hearts tightened as they cautiously approached, only to find a field of blood and the mangled corpses of countless void demons.
"These void demons…"
Chu Hanwei was stunned, her eyes widening in disbelief.
The once mighty horde of void demons had been utterly massacred, their bodies lying twisted and grotesque, a horrifying sight.
Lin Baichuan and the others were equally shocked. They quickly inspected the corpses, realizing that all the demons had been killed with a single strike, as if an incredibly sharp blade had cut through the entire horde in one swift motion.
"They didn't even have time to scatter. They were all wiped out at once!"
One of the saint sons was visibly shaken, his heart pounding.
Lin Baichuan extended his divine sense, scanning the area within a hundred-mile radius.
He soon spotted two figures sitting atop a peak in Lihe Valley. They were seated comfortably on plush cushions, a chessboard between them, with wine cups filled to the brim.
Lin Baichuan's pupils contracted slightly—could it be…
He said nothing, retracting his divine sense, and flew directly toward Lihe Valley.
The others also detected Li Hao's presence and, astonished, followed Lin Baichuan to the mountaintop.
"Brother Haotian?"
Lin Baichuan saw Li Hao sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, surrounded by swirling qi meridians, as if in the midst of cultivating something.
Sensing their approach, Li Hao retracted the qi meridians, only to realize they couldn't be drawn back into his body. Once retracted, they would dissipate, requiring him to reassemble them again. In battle, this would be impractical, as it would take too long to prepare.
It seemed this path had several fatal flaws. Could it truly be the wrong approach?
Opening his eyes, Li Hao saw Lin Baichuan and Chu Hanwei, along with four others. They were all dirtied, looking as if they had just gone through a tough fight. One man's sleeve was torn off, revealing his bare arm, suggesting it had been severed and then regrown.
Noticing that they had interrupted his cultivation, Lin Baichuan offered a slightly embarrassed smile.
"Brother Haotian, we wanted to ask—were those void demons in the battlefield a hundred miles away killed by you?"
Li Hao, surprised, nodded. "Yes, I killed them. Were they something you were hunting? Did I steal your kills?"
"…"
Lin Baichuan and the others exchanged glances, suddenly understanding why their master had treated Li Hao with such respect.
"Brother Haotian, you killed over a thousand Dao Law realm demons on your own…"
Lin Baichuan's gaze grew complicated. Earlier, he had wanted to spar with Li Hao, but their master had refused on his behalf, likely knowing that their strengths weren't comparable.
A sense of frustration gnawed at him. He had studied under a saint and was known for his extraordinary talent, gaining fame across multiple divine empires from a young age. And now, in Dao Tian Holy Land, he was one of the top talents, yet he wasn't even qualified to challenge Li Hao?
"Those void demons can unleash void tides. To think Brother Haotian could handle them—impressive."
One of the saint sons, who had initially been displeased with Li Hao's presence, now spoke with admiration. At first, he had been uncomfortable with how much attention Li Hao received from their master, but now he was completely convinced.
"Void tides? I didn't notice."
Li Hao was puzzled. Had he killed the demons before they had a chance to unleash it?
Hearing his response, the group observed how clean Li Hao's clothes were—there wasn't a single speck of dust on him. After such a fierce battle, he hadn't even been touched by blood, which indicated he had likely held back.
Chu Hanwei's eyes gleamed as she studied Li Hao. "With Brother Haotian's abilities, why not head to the Heavenly Monument and see if you can leave your name there?"
"The Heavenly Monument?"
Li Hao's gaze flickered as he recalled what Feng Boping had told him.
In the center of the Battlefield of the Heavens stood an ancient monument. It was said to be a Dao Tribulation Emperor Weapon.
However, this monument wasn't an offensive weapon and had a special restriction that prevented it from being moved or shaken, so it remained in place.
Its unique ability was that it could assess the strength of any living being that touched it, displaying their name and rank on the monument.
When the Battlefield of the Heavens was open, armies from various realms would come to observe, and soldiers would test themselves against the monument, leaving their names as a testament to their strength.
Now that the battlefield was closed off to all but the saintly sons and daughters of the holy lands, the area around the monument was empty. Yet the Heavenly Monument still stood, unchanged through the ages.
"Yes, with Brother Haotian's power, you should certainly be able to leave your name. We were planning to test ourselves there later—why not join us now?"
Lin Baichuan's interest was piqued as he invited Li Hao. He wanted to see how his strength compared to Li Hao's through the monument.
"With Brother Haotian's strength, I'm sure you could achieve a purple light ranking!"
Another saint son chimed in. Though they hadn't seen how Li Hao killed the horde of demons, the fact that he had done it alone was impressive enough.
Seeing their enthusiastic invitation, Li Hao thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's go take a look."
His absorption of extreme dao energy had reached its limit for now, and the qi meridians had hit a bottleneck in his thinking. It wouldn't hurt to take a break and explore.
"The prodigies from other realms will likely be testing themselves there as well. We might run into them, so be cautious."
Chu Hanwei advised.
Li Hao had Hongyue stand up, packed away the luxurious cushions, chessboard, and wine, and then followed the group.
As they journeyed to the Heavenly Monument, Hongyue listened to the saint sons talk about the monument and the void demons they had encountered.
Being sharp-minded, she inferred from their conversation that the demons Li Hao had killed were terrifyingly strong, to the point that these saintly sons had been forced to avoid them.
Yet Li Hao had wiped them out with a single wave of his hand, not even sparing them a glance… Hongyue's eyes flickered with deeper appreciation for how extraordinary Li Hao was. She wondered how these saintly sons would react if they knew that Li Hao had slaughtered those terrifying demons without any effort at all.
With the wind howling around them, half an hour later, they crossed a vast stretch of the battlefield. Along the way, they encountered several void demons, but these demons, upon seeing Li Hao and the others, didn't dare approach. Instead, they quickly fled.
Unless provoked, the demons would not recklessly attack these humans.
They recognized that these people were not the regular soldiers from the Heavenly War, and they were not easy prey.
"Look, over there—that's the Heavenly Monument!"
Lin Baichuan suddenly exclaimed excitedly, pointing ahead.
In the distance, a low rumbling sound could be heard, and dark clouds gathered in the sky. At the edge of their vision stood an enormous monument, towering like a stone peak between heaven and earth.
Clouds swirled around it, lightning flashed, and faint sounds of the Dao echoed in the air.
"What a majestic sight!"
Xiyan, perched on Li Hao's wrist, lifted her red tendrils in awe.
Hongyue's eyes widened as she gazed at the monument. This was the Heavenly Monument?
She had heard about it from the princes and sons of nobility she had once associated with. They had told her many fantastic tales, including this famous monument of the heavens.
Many prodigies had sought to leave their names on it, hoping to be remembered for eternity. However, because the monument resided within the Battlefield of the Heavens, only those below the Saint realm could leave their names.
Though those princes and sons of nobility had never been to the battlefield themselves, they were well-informed. It was much like how common folk loved discussing royal affairs, while the wealthy merchants were too busy with their own matters to pay attention to outside gossip.
"These days, to leave your name on the monument, you need at least a blue light ranking."
One of the saint sons remarked wistfully.
"Blue light?"
Li Hao was curious. Feng Boping hadn't gone into such detail.
"Yes, the monument shows six different light rankings, though there's a legend of a seventh light. However, no one has ever seen it. The strength of an individual can be gauged by the color of the light."
Chu Hanwei, who had suggested coming to the monument, explained eagerly, "The six lights are: gray, white, green, blue, purple, and gold!"
"A typical Dao Law cultivator would only show gray or white. If you can suppress most people at your level, you'll trigger the green light. People like us, at the very least, can trigger blue, with a chance at purple."
Li Hao nodded quietly without comment.
As they drew closer, he felt the immense Dao energy emanating from the monument. It was as if a saint were standing there, with the Dao swirling around and countless phenomena manifesting.
"Hmm?"
As they neared, Li Hao noticed several figures already gathered near the monument.
"They're the prodigies from other realms."
Lin Baichuan's expression shifted slightly. "Those people from Huangtian Holy Land said they'd wait for us, but it looks like they came ahead."
Li Hao also spotted a few familiar faces among the crowd, including Lin Qingying, who had also arrived here.
Besides her, there were several other familiar figures from Canglan Realm, like Chi Guang, Lin Shuhai, and Haoyue Saint Son.
"It's Haotian!"
The moment they sensed Li Hao's presence, they turned to see him arriving. Their expressions changed, becoming serious.
Since Li Hao's battle with the Twin-Born Buddha, which had shocked Canglan Realm, they had all come to realize just how vast the gap was between them and this prodigy.
"Haotian…"
When Lin Qingying saw Li Hao, she hesitated for a moment, then quickly flew over to stand in front of him. She bit her lip slightly before speaking. "When I saw you leave with Dao Sheng, I was worried something might have happened. Are you alright?"
Li Hao nodded before asking, "What about that pill?"
Lin Qingying's eyes flashed with a momentary panic before she responded, "I lost it."
Li Hao let out a sigh of relief and said, "Good. It's better that it's lost."
That pill had contained one of his divine blood drops, left as a backup plan. If he had perished, his Dao sense could have transferred into the divine blood, allowing him to be reborn from a single drop of blood.
The divine blood could be preserved for a long time within the pill, but now that he had survived, its importance had diminished.
When he was being hunted by Void Saint, he had been reduced to only a few drops of divine blood. Drop by drop, he had used them to escape, but the remaining blood had dissipated into the void.
Even divine blood, when exposed to the constant erosive forces of the void, could only last for about ten years. That was its limit.
Had it been mortal blood, it would have been wiped out in an instant.
However, after surviving this ordeal, Li Hao planned to leave a few more drops of divine blood with Feng Boping.
Although separating the divine blood from his body would weaken him slightly, the loss was minimal and provided him with a much-needed safety net.
This was the true allure of achieving Perfect Power Realm, and when combined with the Three Immortal Extremes, it amounted to something close to true immortality.
"And who is this?"
Lin Baichuan and the others eyed Lin Qingying, noting her ethereal bearing and unparalleled beauty. It was clear that she was no ordinary person, likely a saintess of another holy land, and quite powerful. They were all curious.
"A friend."
Li Hao introduced them to Lin Qingying. "These are my friends from Dao Tian Holy Land."
Lin Qingying's eyes softened slightly at the word "friend," but her smile faded when she realized Li Hao considered the others his friends as well. She nodded slightly and said to the group,
"Dao Tian Holy Land, I've heard of your renown."
"And you are?"
"Jianzhu Holy Land."
"Well met."
They exchanged formal pleasantries, sensing that they would all be rivals in the Supreme Prodigy War, so there wasn't much else to say.
"Are you here to leave your name on the Heavenly Monument?"
Lin Qingying looked at Li Hao with a sparkle in her eyes, as if offering him encouragement.
"With your abilities, you should easily be able to leave a golden inscription!"
Her words made Chi Guang and Lin Shuhai's expressions shift, but they remained silent.
Deep down, they agreed with her assessment.
They had already tested themselves on the monument earlier, with both Chi Guang and Lin Shuhai achieving purple inscriptions. Haoyue Saint Son had done the same, though slightly weaker than the other two.
With their purple light rankings, they knew Li Hao was almost certainly at the gold light level. They suspected the Twin-Born Buddha would rank similarly.
"Oh, by the way, I heard that the Twin-Born Buddha was revived through a relic and will be competing in the Supreme Prodigy War. He's currently in seclusion within the Buddhist Holy Land."
Lin Qingying suddenly remembered this and mentioned it to Li Hao with a serious expression.
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