Chapter 433: Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture

Li Hao nodded slightly, able to sense the difficulty of becoming a direct disciple, it was truly insane.

Old Wang explained the situation of the True Immortal Realm, then pointed a finger, landing it on Li Hao's brow, and began transmitting the celestial technique.

Li Hao silently accepted, feeling as if a celestial seal in his sea of consciousness was whispering teachings.

"This is the Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture. I am only transmitting the True Immortal Chapter to you. Only if you can become a nominal disciple of the Celestial Emperor will you be able to receive the Immortal Lord Chapter. When you reach the Immortal Lord Realm, I will transmit to you the Immortal King Chapter, which is the final chapter."

Old Wang's gaze was unusually solemn and serious as he said to Li Hao:

"Even just the True Immortal Chapter, among the numerous True Immortal Realm cultivation methods, it is top-tier. It can cultivate the Ancestral Immortal Body, as well as the Battle Heaven Command Method. Either of these alone is enough to sweep across the True World among those at the same cultivation level, and you will rarely find a match!"

He glanced at the prayer mats in the distance and said, "If others can pass this second trial, they can also obtain this opportunity. Even if they cannot fully comprehend it, and only learn a superficial understanding, they can still shine in the True Immortal Realm. If the Celestial Emperor were here, the selection of personnel for the nominal disciple trial would be extremely strict, and ordinary people would not even have the qualification to participate!"

Li Hao was somewhat surprised. "So powerful?"

"When this method is cultivated to the extreme of the final chapter, if one can break through its limits, it is the imperial art mastered by the Celestial Emperor, the Heaven Calamity Imperial Art."

Old Wang said softly, "Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture, follow Heaven to reign, defy Heaven to face calamity!"

His soft words, just eight characters, caused the previously quiet void to faintly echo with muffled sounds like rolling thunder.

Li Hao's heart jolted, vaguely understanding the meaning of these eight characters.

"You are currently still at the Saint level, and have only passed the Second Tribulation. With your strength, you can break free from the shackles and pass the Third Tribulation at any time. When you touch the Heavenly Dao and reach the Great Perfection of the Saint Realm, it will be even easier to comprehend."

Old Wang said.

Li Hao nodded. Enduring heavenly tribulations might require thorough preparation for other Saints, but for him, it was a minor matter.

However, speaking of heavenly tribulations, his heart stirred. If he were to simply pass through them like this, it seemed somewhat wasteful…

"You should comprehend it yourself first. I can't help you with cultivation, but you can ask me about other things."

Old Wang said, then picked up the Go set, turned and left. He then picked up a sharp hoe gleaming with Dao light from beside the house and walked towards the fertile field.

Li Hao sat on the small wooden stool. After he walked far away, he brought up his status panel.

Although he knew Old Wang couldn't see it, he was still subconsciously cautious towards this extremely high-realm old man.

On the panel, an additional celestial technique appeared.

[Skill (Quasi-Emperor Art): Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture (True Immortal Chapter - Not Yet Entered)]

At this moment, the celestial technique in his mind had already been absorbed by Li Hao, but the technique was extremely profound, encompassing both the physical body and the mastery of celestial techniques, as well as the exquisite control over celestial power.

Li Hao was somewhat astonished. According to Old Wang's words, passing the first trial only qualified one to advance to the True Immortal Realm.

But in front of this Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture, even entering the threshold was impossible.

No wonder Old Wang said that once one mastered this technique, they would be enough to sweep across the True Immortal Realm.

"Perhaps, it requires a level eleven state of mind comprehension to absorb this technique. Moreover… this technique seems to encompass both the Dao of Celestial Techniques and the Dao of the Physical Body. Maybe it requires both Daos to reach level eleven to truly master it!"

Li Hao thought to himself, instantly feeling the terrifying nature of this technique.

Other cultivation methods in the past, including the Yama Celestial Technique absorbed earlier, could be mastered with a single Dao Realm comprehension.

But this technique required both the Dao of the Physical Body and the Dao of Command to simultaneously reach level eleven to truly perfect it!

While pondering, Li Hao suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

If he could accumulate his Dao of the Physical Body and Dao of Command to level eleven here, and cultivate this technique to perfection, then when he advanced to the True Immortal Realm, wouldn't that mean he might have a chance to pass the third layer of the True Venerable Tower trial?

The third layer is a projection ten times stronger than oneself, but if he were to deliberately suppress his realm, this tenfold difference might be enough to overcome, right?

Thinking of this, Li Hao became somewhat tempted.

After all, Old Wang had also said that the higher the disciple's status, the more Celestial Emperor's Dao heritage would be unlocked.

"Although this is somewhat like cheating, those direct disciples who are able to pass are either born from chaos or eat celestial herbs as snacks since childhood. Compared to ordinary people, that is also a kind of cheating, isn't it?"

Li Hao thought to himself.

In this world, honest people suffer the most.

He closed the panel, then got up and looked around. Seeing Old Wang's figure, he immediately hummed a song and trotted over to him.

"What's wrong? Is it too difficult?"

Old Wang saw that Li Hao hadn't immediately started cultivating and couldn't help but laugh.

Li Hao nodded in agreement, saying, "It is indeed very difficult."

He needed to raise both the Dao of the Physical Body and the Dao of Command to level eleven, just thinking about it felt like a long journey.

Hearing Li Hao's words, Old Wang couldn't help but laugh heartily. No matter how talented and outstanding you are, in front of this Quasi-Emperor Art, you still have to diligently study and practice honestly.

"It's alright, take your time. You are already on the third step, leading ahead of others. With your talent, as long as you don't slack off, no one else can surpass you."

Old Wang smiled.

Li Hao nodded. He wasn't comparing himself to others, but thinking about finishing sooner, so he could leave here earlier.

But…

"When I go out, Old Wang, will you still be guarding here?"

Li Hao rolled up his trouser legs and followed Old Wang's footprints in the muddy field, stepping deep and shallowly to come behind him. He asked curiously.

Old Wang's action of weeding the celestial herbs paused slightly, then he smiled indifferently, "Yes, I will continue to guard here, taking care of the Celestial Emperor's Palace."

Li Hao's eyes deepened slightly, and he said, "That must be lonely."

"Loneliness is not scary, boredom is."

Old Wang, with his back to Li Hao, continued weeding, only his voice reaching Li Hao's ears, "Before you guys came, I have always, and will always, be passing time like this."

Speaking of this, he suddenly stopped, raised his head, and looked towards the distant, unreachable sky, or perhaps the even more unreachable place beyond the sky, and whispered:

"Those old friends who died in the True World, I wonder if anyone will collect their bones for them. That is true loneliness…"

As he said this, a gentle breeze arose in the fertile field, softly caressing the surrounding celestial herbs.

Streams of misty light drifted and gathered, like gentle, soft hands, soothing the old man's pained emotions.

Li Hao was silent, thinking of the bones scattered everywhere on the ancient road he had seen, that endless land of buried bones.

At first glance, they were just corpses, but now thinking about it, perhaps Old Wang's old friends, or even relatives, were lying within.

"Is it the rules that restrict you, or is it that you yourself are unwilling to go out?"

Li Hao asked softly.

Old Wang lowered his head and chuckled, his shoulders gently shaking. "This place is the incense offering to the Celestial Emperor. Relying on just a nominal disciple is not enough. In a dangerous place like the True World, nominal disciples can also fall. Unless a true formal disciple appears, I can go out with them as a Guardian of the Way."

Speaking of this, he turned to look at Li Hao, his gaze becoming kind and gentle, "You have a sliver of hope to become a formal disciple, but it's only a sliver of hope. You have also experienced the second trial of the True Venerable Tower, do you have the confidence to pass?"

Li Hao was stunned for a moment, but his eyes brightened.

Three years of playing Go, three years of idle chat. Although he hadn't discussed cultivation with the old man, they had talked about almost everything else.

They already had a feeling of friendship across generations.

If he could help the other party leave, Li Hao would do his best!

"As long as I can become a formal disciple, that's enough?"

Li Hao asked earnestly, his eyes filled with fiery brightness.

Old Wang saw Li Hao's gaze, and the smile on his face became even gentler. He gently shook his head, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture has also been transmitted to you, and you know about the Nine Flowers Immortal Seal. You should know how difficult it is to become a formal disciple!"

Li Hao took a deep breath, his resolve in his heart becoming firmer, and said, "I will definitely get you out!"

"Don't think too much, the more you think, the slower your cultivation will be."

Old Wang smiled, turned around and continued weeding the celestial herbs. He didn't elaborate on this matter to Li Hao, precisely because he didn't want to put pressure on Li Hao.

Nor did he want to let himself become a burden to Li Hao's cultivation.

Li Hao didn't say anything more, some things could only be done through action.

After Old Wang finished tending to the celestial herbs, the two returned to the edge of the field, and Old Wang started chatting with Li Hao about his cultivation days in the past.

Here, he often chatted with others about the past.

After all, he had a long lifespan and had too many distant memories, even if he talked for tens of thousands of years, he wouldn't be able to finish.

And he liked to talk because he was worried that if he didn't often talk and reminisce, he would forget.

Even with a lifespan close to eternity, he still couldn't resist the erosion of forgetting through the years.

Li Hao also put away his solemn expression and chatted with him as usual, listening.

When the sun set in the west, Old Wang carried his hoe back, and Li Hao followed him back to the front of the house, inviting him to another game today.

Old Wang was taken aback and smiled wryly upon hearing Li Hao's words. He had thought that after transmitting the celestial technique to Li Hao, Li Hao would be eager to throw himself into cultivating the Heaven-Following Ancestral Scripture.

After all, this was a Quasi-Emperor level True Immortal Realm cultivation method! In the True World, only top-tier great powers could have access to it.

However, he was already familiar with Li Hao's temperament and didn't find it surprising. He just couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment when he thought of what this little fellow had said in the fertile field earlier. Judging from Li Hao's attitude, he was still clearly enthusiastic about leisurely pursuits like Go, and didn't seem to be truly desperate to cultivate diligently.

However, he didn't blame Li Hao either, as the difficulty of becoming a formal disciple was truly too great. If one hadn't had a special foundation since childhood, it would be fundamentally impossible to achieve.

He shook his head, scattering some faint, inexplicable disappointment that he felt in his mind. He smiled, put down the hoe, and took out the Go board, playing against Li Hao under the starlight and moonlight.

In the distance, the Saints on the prayer mats were cultivating, like sleeping sculptures.

In front of the house, an old man and a young man placed pieces from time to time, occasionally laughing.

The years and time flowed quietly in this world beneath the forbidden ground.

In the blink of an eye, two years passed.

It had been five years since Li Hao came to the depths of the Twin-Seam Demon Valley.

Here, five short years passed in the blink of an eye, with no changes at all.

The people on the prayer mats remained as still as sculptures, silent as usual.

The celestial herbs in the few acres of fertile field had not grown taller. Their lifespan was too short, and their changes were negligible.

However, the game between the old man and the young man in front of the house had undergone earth-shattering changes compared to when they first arrived.

Old Wang's expression was solemn as he stared at the Go board.

The young man placed a piece, and the game on the board became intricate, like winding mountain paths, extremely difficult to discern any pattern.

It had a hint of the formlessness of a celestial shadow.

Just like when they first played, he had the leisure to enjoy tea and admire the celestial herbs in the fertile field, but now a cup of tea beside him had gone cold, yet he remained unaware.

On the other hand, the young man also had a solemn expression, his eyes focused, not daring to relax in the slightest.

The current situation in the game was also due to Old Wang's carelessness, which allowed him to seize an opening, and then advance step by step, leading to the current situation.

As the clouds and mist drifted, the aura of the celestial herbs in the fertile field rippled, and the gentle breeze caressed them, the sound of Old Wang placing a piece also rang out, with a "pat" sound.

After a long while, the young man also placed a piece, another crisp sound.

When the clouds and mist glowed red, and the rays of dawn shone brightly, the situation on the Go board seemed to gradually become clear.

Old Wang released the piece in his hand and sighed softly. Then, he looked at the young man with a touch of exasperation, and said, "You really seized the opportunity."

"Opportunities always need to be grasped by oneself, thanks to senior going easy on me."

Li Hao chuckled, looking very happy.

After all, winning a game against Old Wang was not easy!

"How many times is this that you've won?"

Old Wang asked while collecting the pieces.

Li Hao replied almost without thinking, "Seven times!"

Old Wang couldn't help but roll his eyes when he saw how quickly he answered. This kid remembered clearly enough, humph!

"Then how many times have you lost?" Old Wang suddenly looked at him teasingly.

Li Hao coughed lightly and scratched his head, saying, "I don't know about that."

"You kid…" Old Wang was so amused that he almost laughed. What a slippery little fellow.

"I've kept count for you." A hint of smugness appeared on Old Wang's face, "1821 times!"

Li Hao: "…"

He was actually called out by the other party.

Old Wang burst into laughter at Li Hao's constipated expression. He looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late today, rest, let's rest!"

Li Hao was helpless and didn't insist.

In the past two years, his Go Dao experience had long reached level ten saturation, but he had not yet comprehended the level eleven Go Dao mind realm.

When Old Wang put away the Go board and went to rest, Li Hao also returned to the prayer mat, took out his drawing board, and began to draw the Heaven and Earth Bell under the moonlight.

In the past two years, besides playing Go with Old Wang, Li Hao had been drawing.

His Painting Dao experience had also reached level ten perfection, and he still had no clue about the mind realm.

As one painting after another was finished, a trace of bewilderment showed in Li Hao's eyes.

In the repeated painting, he felt that his painting skills had already reached the peak, but he still couldn't touch the bottleneck of the mind realm.

This made him feel a little anxious in his heart, feeling increasingly distant.

"Using heaven and earth as canvas, the Great Dao as brush, outlining peerless paintings, is still not the pinnacle. What should the most ultimate painting be like?"

Li Hao muttered to himself.

He couldn't imagine it, and therefore, couldn't even touch it.

He sat blankly on the prayer mat all night. The next day, while Li Hao was still lost in thought, a voice suddenly came.

Li Hao came back to his senses and saw that the other Saints were also startled by the sound and looked over. It turned out that Saint Mu had returned from challenging the True Venerable Tower.

"Two years have passed, Saint Mu's time this time is even longer, this rate of progress is quite fast!"

"It used to be incremental progress over decades, but now…"

Everyone was somewhat surprised to see Saint Mu's results, and then their gazes turned to Li Hao in unison.

They all knew that since this newcomer arrived, the atmosphere here had become tense, and everyone's mentality had also changed accordingly.

Li Hao felt everyone's gaze and his heart stirred slightly. After so long, it was time to try raising his Body Technique Dao to level ten to see if he could pass the second layer.

If not, he could only wait until he broke through to the True Immortal Realm before trying again.

Saint Mu, with his snowy hair, returned, and saw Li Hao on the prayer mat. Seeing that Li Hao's gaze was not on him, but on the True Venerable Tower, his brow furrowed slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

This feeling was like something he was trying desperately to fight for, but in reality, it had already been reserved by someone else, giving him a sense of striving yet being powerless.

At this moment, Li Hao had already gotten up and flew towards the True Venerable Tower.

Seeing Li Hao's figure fly out, everyone was a little surprised.

In the past two years, this was Li Hao's second challenge.

"Hao Tian is going to challenge again. Could it be that he saw Saint Mu's improved results and also wants to try?"

"His performance last time was already exaggerated, I wonder if he will improve this time."

"He doesn't seem to have cultivated much all this time, perhaps he's just unwilling to be outdone."

Among the crowd, Saint Lin and Saint Ming's gazes had already skipped over Saint Mu and looked at the figure flying towards the True Venerable Tower. For some reason, their hearts quietly tightened.

(End of Chapter)