340
Chapter 340: Absorbing the Extreme Path, Half-Saint Demons
At this moment, Zhao Qingshu appeared somewhat disheveled. A hint of shock flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it as he stepped out of the void fissure. He looked up at the sky clock, where the vast corona displayed the time.
As he had roughly counted during the battle, there wasn't much difference from what he expected, though he had made some miscalculations.
"One quarter of an hour…" Zhao Qingshu's heart sank, and a bitter smile tugged at his lips. Only after entering did he realize just how terrifyingly fast the Twin Buddha Son's one and a half minutes had been.
Within the Sacred Land of the Literary Ancestor, Li Qingyi and the others finally relaxed when they saw Zhao Qingshu emerge. They had feared something had gone wrong, but with the Literary Saint present, and the Buddhist Master overseeing the event, foul play was impossible—there had to be another reason for the delay.
"Zhao Qingshu, 16 minutes and 29 seconds!" the Buddhist adjudicator announced loudly.
The crowd erupted in astonishment. The Twin Buddha Son had taken only a minute and a half, yet Zhao Qingshu, a renowned saint of the Literary Ancestor, who had once single-handedly fought his way into the Demon Realm and slain over a dozen Dao Law Realm demons, was taking sixteen minutes?
This disparity was a staggering sixteenfold difference!
If such a gap existed in a real battle, the outcome would be unimaginable.
Seeing Zhao Qingshu's result, the prodigies of the Sacred Land of the Literary Ancestor, the Sacred Land of the Sword Ancestor, and the scattered elites from the divine dynasties all grew serious.
They didn't think Zhao Qingshu was weak. After all, he was a saint, one of the top ten in the Sacred Land of the Literary Ancestor. For such a large gap to exist, the only explanation was that the Twin Buddha Son was simply terrifying!
"Interesting, very interesting…" Chiguang's eyes gleamed with fiery battle intent, burning brighter like a raging inferno.
The third participant stepped forward and entered the void fissure under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Time passed, this time even longer than before—about twenty minutes had gone by before there was any movement in the void fissure, from which the participant emerged.
This person was a saint from the Sacred Land of the Sword Ancestor, a strong contender, yet his face was filled with fear and exhaustion.
Seeing his result, those who had doubted Zhao Qingshu's performance realized just how fearsome the Twin Buddha Son truly was.
Many eyes turned toward the young Buddha Son, filled with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity, wondering what kind of demon was guarding the spirit pearl inside the void. No matter how strong it was, it could only be at the Dao Law Realm, right? These saints were the top figures in that realm, and for the guardians to surpass them, the demons would have to be at the level of saint-like prodigies among the demons!
Surely, they hadn't placed a Half-Saint to guard the pearl?
The thought alone caused many faces to pale with fear.
They quickly glanced at the Buddhist Supreme, but all they saw were radiant phenomena around him, his figure bathed in Buddha light, his thoughts unreadable.
One by one, more prodigies stepped forward into the void fissure leading to the Floating Demon Realm.
Most of them took between 17 to 20 minutes to complete the task.
By now, Zhao Qingshu had regained his composure. Compared to the monstrous Twin Buddha Son, he had fallen short, but compared to the others, his performance was quite decent.
Not long after, the crowd erupted once more.
Emerging from the fissure was Lin Shuhai from the Sacred Land of the Literary Ancestor.
As the top prodigy of the Literary Ancestor this generation, Lin Shuhai was a figure of immense renown, attracting the attention of many powerful forces. He was a strong contender for the top three in this prodigy battle.
"It's Senior Brother Shuhai's turn!"
"Do you think he can surpass the Twin Buddha Son?"
"It's hard to say. That Twin Buddha Son is truly monstrous."
Li Qingyi and the others watched anxiously, more nervous than if they were the ones entering the void.
As Lin Shuhai stepped forward, Chiguang turned his gaze toward him, his eyes narrowing.
The Bright Moon Son also showed a glint of coldness in his eyes. The previous participants weren't worth considering, but Lin Shuhai might provide a better benchmark for gauging the true power of the Twin Buddha Son.
Lin Shuhai maintained his calm demeanor, seemingly unaffected by the many eyes on him. With a scholarly air, he stepped into the void fissure.
The crowd held their breath, silently counting the time.
When the clock passed 1 minute and 36 seconds, many people sighed inwardly. It seemed the Twin Buddha Son remained unmatched—he was simply too exceptional.
At 1 minute and 58 seconds, the void fissure rippled, and Lin Shuhai emerged, looking as composed and serene as when he had entered, holding the silver-white spirit pearl in his hand.
A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd. Though he hadn't beaten the Twin Buddha Son, the difference was minimal!
With only about a 30-second gap, it might have been a matter of taking a slightly longer route.
Chiguang's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists, his battle spirit growing even stronger.
Lin Shuhai stepped out of the void fissure and glanced at the Twin Buddha Son, who remained standing, his hollow eyes gazing distantly at the floating clouds, as though his mind was elsewhere, disconnected from the world.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Shuhai's lips as he handed the spirit pearl to the Buddhist Master before returning to his seat among the ranks of the Literary Ancestor.
"This Lin Shuhai is formidable…"
Behind the Twin Buddha Son, the other Buddha Sons and Bodhisattvas glanced toward Lin Shuhai, their expressions heavy.
The others might not know just how terrifying the Twin Buddha Son was, but they did. Yet here was Lin Shuhai, managing to complete the task in nearly the same amount of time. Beneath that scholar's appearance was clearly another monster!
As the excitement caused by Lin Shuhai's performance subsided, the other participants took their turns, with the times returning to around the 16-minute mark. Li Hao noticed Suyun, who completed her run in 16 minutes and 21 seconds.
Qiu Wuhen finished in 14 minutes and 12 seconds.
Bian Ruxue completed her attempt in 15 minutes and 29 seconds.
Most of the participants were completing their tasks within a quarter of an hour, with only minor differences.
As the twentieth person completed their turn with a time of 16 minutes, the participant who had taken 20 minutes paled, realizing they were on the verge of elimination.
Not long after, Li Hao saw Lin Qingying step forward.
Lin Qingying's expression was solemn. Advancing to the top 20 was a small matter, but the results of the Twin Buddha Son and Lin Shuhai loomed like two great mountains over everyone. They were the pinnacle of the same realm.
She glanced at Li Hao, who gave her an encouraging smile. The tension on her face eased, and she returned a calm, peaceful smile.
She nodded at Li Hao before stepping into the void fissure, her blue robe flowing behind her.
It didn't take long for the fissure to ripple, and Lin Qingying's figure emerged. The crowd immediately erupted in astonishment.
Her time was 4 minutes and 15 seconds!
Within the Sacred Land of the Sword Ancestor, Lin Qingying's final result ranked third, and no one had expected her to perform so well at this crucial moment.
"Another monster!" murmured the onlookers, their expressions growing serious as they took note of this woman.
"It seems she's gained some insights into the way of the sword," Li Hao mused with a smile. Before leaving, he had hinted to her that the ultimate extreme of the Way of Softness in swordsmanship was the concept of nothingness. It seemed she had grasped the idea.
The second-ranked prodigy of the Sacred Land of the Sword Ancestor, Linghuan Saint Son, had a change in expression. He happened to be up next. Previously, when Lin Qingying's Dao Fetus had been destroyed by the Bright Moon Son, leaving her gravely injured, he hadn't had the chance to challenge her. But now, it seemed he would likely lose.
Soon, Linghuan Saint Son's result was announced—8 minutes and 9 seconds!
The difference was almost double that of Lin Qingying's time.
When he stepped out of the fissure, Linghuan Saint Son glanced at the woman below the stage, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
Meanwhile, the Bright Moon Son frowned. He had once used Lin Qingying as a stepping stone for his own understanding of the sword, severing his emotional ties and comprehending the ruthless essence of the Sun and Moon Sword. He had thought that destroying her Dao Fetus would cripple her, but now, seeing her stunning performance, he realized he had underestimated her.
Looking at her beautiful face, his eyes flickered with a hint of the emotions he had previously severed. However, he quickly crushed those thoughts once again.
As more prodigies completed their attempts, the elimination threshold slowly crept up to 18 minutes.
Zhao Qingshu and others began to feel a bit nervous.
Soon, the Bright Moon Son stepped forward, immediately drawing the attention of the crowd.
His eyes were cold, and he cast a glance toward Li Hao, who was sitting among the divine dynasty contestants, his gaze frosty.
Sitting beside Li Hao, Chiguang noticed the look and raised an eyebrow, returning the gaze with a cold smile. However, he quickly realized that the Bright Moon Son wasn't looking at him, but at Li Hao, who was sitting next to him.
Chiguang's smile stiffened slightly, and a hint of killing intent flickered in his eyes, growing sharper.
Not long after, the Bright Moon Son's result was announced—exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds!
The crowd marveled at the result. It placed him in third, but compared to the Twin Buddha Son, he was still about a minute behind.
The Bright Moon Son emerged from the fissure with a dark expression. He had already calculated his time and didn't bother to look at the results before returning to his seat with a sullen face.
"Hmph!" Chiguang snorted coldly, glancing at his own place in the queue. His turn was approaching soon.
After several more participants took their turns, all finishing in around 10 to 20 minutes, it was finally Chiguang's turn.
As he stood up, countless eyes turned to him.
Although Chiguang had lost to Li Hao in the divine dynasty battle, his mastery of top-tier divine abilities had left many people viewing him as a formidable opponent.
Seeing the looks in their eyes, Chiguang sneered inwardly. What they had seen before was only a fraction of his true strength. The warm-up was over; now was the time for the real battle!
He stepped onto the platform and entered the void fissure.
It wasn't long before his figure reappeared, his body still flickering with lingering flames as he held the silver spirit pearl in his hand.
His time—1 minute and 47 seconds!
Only 11 seconds slower than the Twin Buddha Son!
The crowd was stunned into silence. Chiguang's cold gaze swept toward the Twin Buddha Son, but the latter seemed lost in thought, not paying any attention. This only deepened the cold glint in Chiguang's eyes.
He then turned his gaze toward Li Hao, his expression cold and condescending.
Li Hao found the look puzzling. Did this guy feel like he had something to prove?
Meanwhile, Chiguang's result left the entire venue in shock.
Many people were left speechless, astonished by the fact that Chiguang, as a representative of the divine dynasty, had managed to achieve such a remarkable time, second only to the Twin Buddha Son.
Lin Shuhai and the Bright Moon Son, the prodigies of the sacred lands, were both ranked lower than him. Without the Twin Buddha Son, Chiguang would have undoubtedly been the biggest dark horse of the competition!
"Are you kidding me? He's even faster than Lin Shuhai!"
"He's suppressed both of the top prodigies from the sacred lands!"
"Didn't he come second in the divine dynasty battle? How strong must the person who took first place be?"
"You don't understand," one person whispered. "I heard from his fellow disciples in his sect that his true strength lies in his spear techniques. But in the previous battle, did anyone see him use a spear?"
"Holding back, perhaps? No wonder. I always thought it was strange how the second place in the divine dynasty could be stronger than the prodigies of the Sacred Lands. But if he was holding back before, even if he took first place in the divine dynasty, this performance is still terrifying!"
"Crushing the Sacred Land prodigies—Chiguang is the biggest wildcard for the top three!"
"Is there a chance that he's still hiding his full strength, maybe even aiming for the championship?"
The crowd buzzed with shock, their voices filled with hushed speculation.
Hearing these murmurs, Chiguang's eyes flickered with a hint of arrogance. He remained composed as he returned to his seat. When he sat down, he glanced at Li Hao beside him and noticed Li Hao was deep in thought, seemingly pondering something.
The corner of Chiguang's mouth lifted slightly. Finally feeling the pressure?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Hao pulled out his drawing board.
With such an opportunity, seeing saints revealed, even if it was just their projected avatars, painting them could still yield significant experience. He just wasn't sure if it would offend anyone.
If it did, they would likely warn him first, and he could stop then.
Fortune favors the bold.
With that thought in mind, Li Hao began to paint.
"Hm?"
Chiguang's face stiffened as he noticed Li Hao suddenly take out his painting tools. His eyes fixated on Li Hao before he quickly looked away, but his clenched fists in his sleeves tightened slightly.
Li Hao chose to paint the Literary Saint first. Noticing someone's gaze, the Literary Saint glanced in Li Hao's direction, and upon seeing his drawing board and brushstrokes, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
But then, the Literary Saint glanced at Zhan Tan, as if understanding something.
Zhan Tan, too, sensed the attention. Looking toward Li Hao, she saw him painting and was momentarily taken aback, then smiled wryly.
Over the past few months of daily discussions about painting with Li Hao, she had come to realize that his love for the art was genuine. Over time, his focus on cultivation had lessened. What surprised her more was that, even during such a tense competition for the limited spots, Li Hao still had the leisure to paint.
Had he not felt any pressure after seeing the results of the Twin Buddha Son? Or was he really just here to pass the time?
Seeing that the Literary Saint did not object, Li Hao quickly resumed his drawing.
Before long, just as it was almost his turn to step forward, he finished the painting.
As he laid down the final brushstroke, Li Hao saw the notification pop up on his interface, showing a gain of 160,000 experience points. His eyes flashed with surprise. Even a projected avatar can give such an amount of experience? The gap in experience suggested that this figure could easily suppress a Half-Saint with just a single gesture.
Li Hao's thoughts shifted toward the Twin Buddha Son, Lin Shuhai, and the others. Another valuable source of experience!
However, it was almost his turn to compete, so he had no time to paint more. He quickly put away his drawing board and stood up, bowing slightly toward the Literary Saint.
The Literary Saint noticed Li Hao's gesture and smiled faintly. Such an unusual young man, so different from the others, yet polite and well-mannered. It's clear he's had a good upbringing.
Out of the forty participants, Li Hao was set to go 35th.
As he stepped forward, the venue grew a little quieter. Many had high expectations for this first place of the divine dynasty.
While the prodigies selected from the divine dynasties usually weren't as strong as those from the Sacred Lands, Li Hao and Chiguang had already defied expectations, raising the bar for divine dynasty prodigies.
Suyun, who had performed well earlier, had earned a result that was ranked among the top of the Sacred Land prodigies, prompting many to rethink their previous underestimation of the divine dynasty elites.
"If Chiguang took second with that kind of time, this guy, Qingfeng, should be even stronger, right?"
"No way. Chiguang was the dark horse. Didn't you hear? His true strength lies in his spear skills!"
"Still, don't underestimate Qingfeng. Even if he's not as strong as Chiguang, he should at least finish in under five minutes!"
"That's true. To suppress all the divine dynasty prodigies and emerge as the top of the chosen in the Canglan Realm, he must be terrifyingly powerful."
Everyone's expressions grew serious as they watched Li Hao.
"He's stepping up now. Let's see what kind of result he'll achieve."
Li Qingyi's eyes shone as she watched Li Hao. She had finished with a time of 13 minutes, but she knew that Li Hao's result would definitely be under ten minutes—most likely within three minutes!
Lin Shuhai overheard the whispers from Li Qingyi and others, his calm gaze falling on Li Hao, a faint smile playing on his lips. Interesting.
"Feel the difference!"
Chiguang's gaze was cold as he watched Li Hao's back. He was eager to see the expression on Li Hao's face after this round.
Li Hao walked onto the platform without looking around. Once the spirit pearl was released, he calmly stepped into the void fissure.
As he passed through the fissure, Li Hao felt the familiar sensation of spatial displacement.
The scene before him shifted, and he found himself in a barren land.
The area was filled with dead branches and vines, with mist swirling all around like a desolate forbidden zone, heavy with grey-black deathly energy.
Li Hao paused, his golden divine light flashing in his eyes. Immediately, he saw that within the grey mist were numerous drifting black remnants of murderous resentment.
Could this be… a treasure trove?!
Li Hao was taken aback. He hadn't expected the trial ground behind the fissure to be such a place. For him, this was an unexpected boon!
Without hesitation, sensing the resonance with his divine blood, Li Hao raised his hand and swiftly began absorbing the murderous remnants.
At this moment, the black aura of slaughter and resentment swirling around Li Hao was being rapidly absorbed into his body, drawn in like a hurricane. His divine blood surged, encapsulating the black energy within him.
This divine blood acted like a miniature cage, trapping the black energy inside.
Encased by his divine blood, the black aura formed streaks resembling vertical pupils, emitting a mysterious energy.
Li Hao could sense that something extraordinary was being nurtured within, a power of immense potential. Once his divine blood had fully absorbed this murderous resentment, a transformation would occur—the path to becoming a saint through the power of slaughter. This would be the way to cultivate the supreme saintly path!
As he continued absorbing, the mist in the demon domain began to dissipate.
Li Hao opened his eyes, a fleeting flash of golden light before his pupils returned to their normal dark hue.
He glanced around and saw that no more black energy lingered. Without wasting any time, he realized that absorbing all that murderous resentment had already cost him half a minute.
His divine sense expanded as his primordial spirit soared, scanning for the spirit pearl.
It didn't take long for him to detect the pearl's aura, hidden deep within the demon domain. There, a sinister and terrifying presence lurked.
Li Hao's eyes widened with surprise. After spending time with Zhan Tan, he had become familiar with the aura of a Half-Saint. The presence near the spirit pearl was unmistakably that of a Half-Saint Demon!
Could it really be a Half-Saint guarding this?
Li Hao's thoughts raced, but without hesitation, he darted forward, his figure blurring as he moved with astonishing speed. Utilizing Voidstep for rapid teleportation, he drew upon the energy from his Heavenly Meridian, which surrounded him with a constant flow of power. Even the high-energy consumption of Voidstep felt almost effortless, as though he had an inexhaustible supply of stamina.
Within mere seconds, Li Hao had arrived at the location of the spirit pearl.
Before him lay a massive, grotesque demon, with hundreds of eyes covering its body. It resembled a spider, but with countless deformations that made it even more monstrous. Its body was covered in sharp spikes and a thick, black carapace, and it was nothing short of terrifying.
The silver-glowing spirit pearl lay casually on the ground near the creature, as if it were unimportant.
"Hmph, interesting. The way you absorbed that murderous resentment reminds me of that bald monk," the creature's voice sounded, coming from its many purple demon eyes, with the tone of an old man filled with amusement.
Li Hao asked directly, "What do I need to do to claim the pearl?"
The Half-Saint spider demon seemed to realize Li Hao was pressed for time but showed no haste. It replied with a chuckle, "Normally, the challenge is to endure one of my attacks or leave a scar on me. You can take the pearl afterward. I don't usually make things too difficult for you young ones. But if you tell me how you managed to absorb that resentment, I'll give you the pearl directly."
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. This concerns the secrets of the divine race and the path to ultimate sainthood. If the demon weren't connected to the Buddhist sect, he might have already considered silencing it.
"Let's just stick to the normal challenge," Li Hao responded.
Hearing this, the Half-Saint demon's many eyes flickered with displeasure. "I'm giving you an opportunity here. If you agree, you can quickly transmit the answer with your divine sense. It would take less than a second. You could then claim the spirit pearl and even surpass that monk's time, giving you a rare chance to make a name for yourself. You should really think it over."
Li Hao's patience waned. Although he wasn't in a hurry, knowing that making it into the top 20 was all that mattered, he didn't want to waste time unnecessarily. Based on earlier results, finishing within 10 minutes would guarantee a spot in the next round.
"Let's proceed with the standard trial," he said.
The Half-Saint spider demon's eyes flashed with a hint of malice, its voice turning cold. "You seem pretty confident in yourself, boy!"
Trapped in this domain by the Buddhist monks, the Half-Saint demon had seen many competitors pass through. Though it was forbidden from killing, its sadistic tendencies had only been subdued by the presence of the Buddha. Otherwise, it would have devoured several of the previous challengers.
"If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll go easy on you. But if not, your path as a prodigy ends here!"
The demon clearly understood the rules of the competition and had memorized the times of the other competitors. It could easily stall Li Hao here long enough to make him fail, thus ending his journey as a prodigy without breaking the rules.
Li Hao remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, "Alright, I'll tell you. It's a unique technique that allows me to absorb murderous resentment and convert it into demonic cultivation."
"Too late for that!" the Half-Saint demon growled, its voice growing more vicious. "Do you think I'd believe you now? That technique clearly comes from a saint. Even that twisted monk couldn't sense it, yet you could harness it. This must be some kind of saintly secret!"
The demon's voice turned feral. "Even if you'd told me earlier, I would have used soul capture. Humans are deceitful creatures, even your women say men can't be trusted. Why should I believe you? Dream Weaving!"
With a roar, the demon unleashed a secret technique.
Suddenly, Li Hao's surroundings transformed into a swirl of vibrant colors, and the world itself seemed to warp. The once-gray mist became a kaleidoscope of hues, but the distortions only made everything feel dizzying and nauseating.
Li Hao's gaze locked onto the spirit pearl. Seeing his focus, the demon laughed wickedly as it shot out webbing from its mouth, ensnaring the pearl and pulling it into its maw.
"Life is but a dream... sleep now."
The demon's voice echoed, distorted and surreal.
Laws of power began to coil around Li Hao like a web, attempting to bind him in place.
But in the next moment, the Heavenly Meridian behind Li Hao suddenly activated, and a terrifying Eternal Domain appeared around him.
With the descent of the Eternal Domain, the laws trying to entrap Li Hao instantly disintegrated. The kaleidoscopic light vanished, and the twisted space was restored to its natural state.