Chapter 209: Battle Against the Grand Tranquility Dao Domain
Within the city, Li Hao and Li Xiaoran, their figures concealed, watched as three figures suddenly charged out from the battlefield. Their eyes turned cold as they immediately recognized the pursuing Candlelight God and Lu Yuan, along with Yin Furen.
This meant that no one was guarding the outside of the Mo River.
Of course.
Leaving only Yin Furen to guard the place might not be enough to stop either Li Hao or Li Xiaoran.
"As expected, they're always keeping an eye on us..." Li Xiaoran's eyes were sharp as a blade as he spoke, "This formation probably won't hold against the Taiping Dao Domain for long. We must act quickly. If you can't withstand it, retreat immediately. There should be many sacred heart talismans in the secret vault. Did you bring them?"
"I did," Li Hao nodded.
After inheriting the true dragon, in addition to the divine weapons of the Li family's ancestors, there were also countless treasures that had been passed down over millennia, including numerous sacred heart talismans.
Such precious items were stacked thickly in the secret vault, showcasing the profound heritage of the Li family!
Among them were also some offensive sacred heart talismans that posed a great threat to those in the Dao Heart realm.
The reason Li Hao wanted to test the Candlelight God's Dao Domain was because he had access to the myriad treasures of the Li family's secret vault, giving him an even greater advantage here than outside.
After all, everything was born of Li Tianzong's obsession, so he didn't feel any heartache from consuming these resources.
"Kill!"
Li Hao suddenly charged forward. Although he didn't have Feng Lao with him and hadn't learned the Heaven and Earth Invisible Technique, his cultivation had broken through to the Three Immortals realm, constantly refining and strengthening his body. The rules' constraints on him had weakened, allowing him to constantly touch that elusive sensation as he comprehended movement techniques, eventually leading him to understand the Heaven and Earth Invisible Technique on his own.
With a six-stage Dao realm in body movement technique and the occasional "divine inspiration" to refer to, it wasn't difficult to deduce the technique.
Now, with the addition of the Li family's top-notch movement techniques, his speed had increased even further.
Combining this with the calligraphy, paintings, and musical scores he had collected, his movement technique was further enhanced by the artifacts, allowing him to cross a dozen li in the blink of an eye, appearing in front of the formation at full speed as if he had teleported.
Bang!
Li Hao's Qingfrost sword suddenly slashed out.
He had an array token on him, allowing his attack to penetrate the formation and fall upon the Candlelight God.
The Candlelight God hadn't expected Li Hao to turn back and attack, and that too in the blink of an eye. His eyes narrowed, and he subconsciously tried to dodge, but Li Hao's swordsmanship was also at the sixth stage. The sword intent of Hai Wuai cut through space and fell upon him directly.
Although it wasn't guided by Dao rhyme, the sheer speed alone made it extremely difficult to evade.
Fiery flames erupted, and the Candlelight God's Dao Domain had already unfolded. Seeing Li Hao's sword light slashing into his Dao Domain, he was shocked, and his eyes blazed with angry killing intent.
How audacious!
Did this brat dare to attempt to counter-kill him? He had unleashed his Dao Domain, and yet this Three Immortals realm cultivator dared to challenge him?!
There was a loud bang as the divine fire in the Dao Domain burst, the sword light shaking the heavens. The violent impact force rippled through the formation, causing it to ripple with waves, and countless divine patterns flashed rapidly as if they were about to burst apart.
The collision of their attacks nearly tore the formation apart!
The Candlelight God's body retreated a few steps, his pupils narrowing slightly as a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.
Within his Dao Domain, his martial arts were the rules, the order!
The extreme flame path could burn all things, and within his Dao Domain, everything could be destroyed and incinerated.
If he were in a battlefield filled with people, he would only need to extend his Dao Domain, and everything around him, whether it be Heavenly Masters, Three Immortals realm cultivators, Dao Heart realm, or the Supreme Exalted realm... they would all turn into balls of charcoal and burn instantly!
Only by relying on the chance of reversing fate could one barely break free.
Even Li Hao's sword qi and divine weapon would be burned and melted under the rules of this extreme flame path!
And indeed, Li Hao's sword qi did melt. However, during the process of melting, the residual power of the sword qi forced him back! The power contained in that sword qi seemed capable of splitting a hundred mountains!
"What kind of divine power is this?!"
The Candlelight God was shocked. This was the first time he had been forced back while unleashing his Dao Domain, and by a Three Immortals realm cultivator, no less!
When he looked again, he saw Li Hao's body glowing with a reddish-gold light, like a war god, exuding endless killing intent and ferocity.
He had cultivated in the Mo River for eighteen years with time acceleration, but in reality, it had only been less than two months.
This was the first time Li Hao had truly revealed his strength!
This terrifying aura shocked the crowd on the nearby city walls, causing them to stare at the young man in astonishment.
"Little Ten..."
Chen Hefang and the other aunts, including Li Qingling, stared in amazement at the young man's figure.
It was hard to imagine that the child was so powerful and fearsome.
Three Immortals realm?
At this moment, the might he exuded caused even them, who were also in the Three Immortals realm, to feel their hearts tremble, as if they might be instantly eradicated.
Even more frightening was that Li Hao had forced back the peak demon king in the Taiping Dao Domain with just one sword—it was simply unbelievable!
Li Xiaoran, who was following closely behind, was a step slower than Li Hao in terms of speed, and he, too, was stunned by the scene before him.
Was this Li Hao's plan to probe the depths of the Taiping Dao Domain?!
It was a common belief in the martial arts world that the Dao Domain was invincible, but at this moment, that belief had been shattered by Li Hao, who had no Dao Domain of his own!
"It seems that as long as one's power is great enough, even the rules of the Dao Domain may not be able to suppress it immediately!" Li Hao's eyes were icy as he spoke, having already grasped the peculiarities of the Taiping Dao Domain from that single strike.
It was indeed just a moment, but the stronger one's power was, the longer they could extend this moment!
Therefore, the Dao Domain was not invincible!
Kill!
Li Hao drew his sword once more, his divine power state enhancing him, and with the connection to the heavens and the earth, he took out a divine pill and swallowed it, causing his aura to surge once more.
One benefit of being in the River of Extinction was that his fast cultivation was also due to his ability to consume divine pills without being isolated.
Without having to consider the consequences, even if there were side effects to the divine pills, Li Hao could devour them freely, doing everything in his power to increase his strength during this period! After all, everything would be for naught once he left the River of Extinction.
Bang! The second sword strike was like a raging tide, gathering countless sword auras and furiously slashing down.
The Candlelight God came to his senses, feeling enraged. This feeling was like an emperor being insulted by a commoner beggar, his royal robe sullied, which left him feeling humiliated.
The golden light on his forehead split open, like vertical pupils, shooting out scorching divine fire. With the enhancement of his Dao Domain, this divine fire seemed capable of incinerating everything, giving the illusion of burning black smoke in the surrounding space.
When the sword light fell into the Dao Domain, it rapidly burned and melted, but the sword light was like a piece of kindling refined to its extreme, constantly burning on the surface while remaining solid within. It pierced through dozens of zhang within the Dao Domain before colliding with the blazing divine fire, finally turning into a wisp of flame and dissipating.
Even though it was just sword qi, it felt like a blade of grass being rapidly burned through.
Li Hao's expression changed slightly as he realized the extraordinary power of the Dao Domain. If his opponent seriously unleashed their Dao Domain, enhancing their power, his sword qi, though threatening, would be extremely limited.
After all, his opponent's strength alone was enough to dominate the Supreme Exalted realm.
"This brat!"
Lu Yuan rushed forward, astonished to see Li Hao engaging the Candlelight God and even holding his ground. He was shocked by the other's growth rate.
"Husband, I'll help you!"
Yin Furen rushed over, raising her hand to unleash the Black Moon, its curved blade resembling a scythe as it viciously slashed down.
However, standing within the formation, Li Hao was protected. The black curved blade struck the formation, causing divine patterns to ripple, but it failed to break through in one go.
At the same time, several figures flew over from the city, having sensed the aura of a Supreme Exalted realm demon king and wanting to assist Li Hao in repelling him.
Li Xiaoran also took action, his sword light crisscrossing and directly slicing through the Black Moon, shattering the moonlight.
"A half-step Dao Domain, and you still need others' help?"
Li Xiaoran roared and slashed at Lu Yuan as well. His sword light arrived before his body, tearing through space and landing on Lu Yuan's head.
Lu Yuan, having witnessed the terror of Li Xiaoran's sword art before, was both shocked and furious. His body flashed with thunderous light as he tore through the sword light, but he still ended up injured, blood dripping from his head.
"Bastard!"
Enraged, Lu Yuan knew that in a one-on-one fight, he might not be a match for Li Xiaoran.
"I will kill him myself!"
Hearing Li Xiaoran's roar, the Candlelight God raised his hand to stop his wife, Yin Furen, who was about to assist. His eyes burned with golden fire, blazing within his eye sockets, as he stared intently at Li Hao:
"Do you dare to come out?"
Li Hao sneered, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"
He swung his sword in rapid succession, unleashing a continuous barrage of strikes.
Sword light erupted, pounding against the opponent's Dao Domain. Each strike was incredibly terrifying, and if not for the Dao Domain, it would have been enough to slice through hundreds of miles, severing mountains and splitting rivers.
However, within the Dao Domain, the sword light could only advance a dozen zhang before being engulfed in flames and rapidly deteriorating.
"You truly dare to challenge me?"
The Candlelight God was so angry he felt like laughing, but he no longer paid attention to Li Hao. Earlier, he had been caught off guard by Li Hao's sudden attack, which had pushed him back within his Dao Domain. Now, with a massive influx of power into his Dao Domain, Li Hao's attacks couldn't touch him, as they were incinerated by the rules of the Dao Domain!
"Wait till I break this formation and kill you!"
The Candlelight God started punching madly, attacking the formation with the intention of shattering it.
The older generation of the Li family's side branches, furious, also unleashed their attacks. However, as soon as they entered the opponent's Dao Domain, they were burned to nothingness, vanishing without a trace.
Witnessing the sword qi rampaging within the Dao Domain, they deeply felt the terrifying power of this descendant of the Li family's main line!
"Heaven's Edge Freedom Blade!"
Li Xiaoran also unleashed his ultimate move, his sword light seeming to sever the void. On the Candlelight God, whom he had locked onto, a towering mountain shadow appeared, seemingly about to suppress him.
That was the destination of the sword light—the edge of the heavens.
However, as soon as the giant mountain shadow appeared, it burned and vanished. The sword light rapidly closed in, but within the Dao Domain, the sword intent was incinerated, causing its speed to slow down. What was initially almost instantaneous now left traces to follow!
With a loud bang, the Candlelight God raised his hand and released a wave of scorching heat, shattering the sword intent.
His eyes turned icy, and although he casually crushed Li Xiaoran's ultimate move, he didn't feel satisfied. Instead, he felt ashamed and angry.
It was disgraceful that these two members of the Li family could trespass into his Dao Domain!
"Die!"
The violent flame fist shook the formation, causing the divine patterns on it to smoke and melt.
Li Hao's pupils constricted as he continuously swung his sword, stimulating the grand meridians in his body and drawing upon the power of the heavens and the earth to strike with full force.
The sword light slashed onto the fiery fist, which was as scorching as molten lava. The sword qi ignited, and the fiery light was only slightly diminished.
Although Li Hao could attack Candlelight God within his Dao Domain, his power was still insufficient due to the suppression of the Dao Domain.
The attacks of the others were incinerated as soon as they entered the Dao Domain, leaving behind not even ashes.
"We can't hold them off!"
Li Xiaoran's expression turned grim as he transmitted his voice to Li Hao.
Li Hao's eyes turned even colder, and he took a deep breath, entering the Transformation Immortal Realm.
The heavenly veins acted like pumps, wildly drawing the power of the surrounding heavens and earth, causing Li Hao's entire body to surge with power. His eyes shone with divine light, and his unruly hair billowed.
He raised the Qingfrost Sword and swung it again, the sword light seeming to gather the radiant light of the heavens and condense it into a sword intent as cold as autumn frost. With a sudden slash, it penetrated the Dao Domain.
The sword light, now a greenish-blue, shone brilliantly as it flew into the Dao Domain, transforming into flaming sword light that maintained its speed and shot straight toward Candlelight God.
Candlelight God's expression changed slightly, and the divine fire on his forehead shot out once more, only to be torn apart by the burning sword qi. The sword qi remained undiminished and continued its assault.
Candlelight God was shocked and roared as he threw a punch.
Bang!
The fiery fist trembled, and the sword light was dispersed by the punch, but the terrifying power left a sword mark on Candlelight God's fist.
Candlelight God was injured!
"Husband!"
Yin Furen's face paled in shock at the sight.
The Grand Tranquility Dao Domain had actually been injured by a mere Three Immortals realm cultivator?!
"You!"
Candlelight God was stunned as the pain shot through his fist, unable to believe that he had been injured within his Dao Domain.
Li Hao's eyes shone with divine light, and his killing intent burned even more fiercely. It seemed that he had sensed the limit of his opponent's Dao Domain's suppressive power.
At this moment, with his Transformation Immortal state at 30%, combined with his tempered body and the amplification of various divine pills, he could barely injure the Dao Heart realm!
"Damn it!"
Candlelight God trembled with rage, and the golden flames spread from his eyes to engulf his entire body. Like a deity bathed in flames, he stood opposite Li Hao, who was also clad in crimson gold, separated by a formation array. It was as if two divine beings were about to clash!
"I will kill you!"
Candlelight God roared and threw another punch at the formation.
However, before his fist could land, the formation suddenly exploded.
Li Hao and Candlelight God were both taken aback, and Li Hao's pupils contracted as he looked toward the distance. There, a young man clad in a black tattered robe stood in the air above the eastern city, calmly retracting his hand.
Apparently, this young man had destroyed the formation.
"The Taiping Dao Domain!"
Li Xiaoran's pupils constricted as he quickly transmitted his voice to Li Hao, "Things have changed, let's get out of here!"
"Finally decided to show yourself, you bunch of damned dead souls!"
Candlelight God's eyes flashed with anger as he glared at the young man in tattered robes, but he quickly suppressed his emotions.
The young man was a peak demon king in the Grand Tranquility Dao Domain, and a genuine one at that.
Previously, Candlelight God had used his Dao Domain to scout the area and encountered these terrifying auras lurking in the Demon Abyss. He had visited them one by one, intending to join forces to attack Dragon City.
However, only two figures had responded to his call, and the others, who had initially agreed, now ignored his signals, acting as if they didn't care at all.
Li Hao's expression also changed slightly. Without the formation array to hold them back, although he now had the power to barely fight against Candlelight God, there was now an additional Grand Tranquility Dao Domain to deal with!
On only the third day, such a startling change had occurred.
At this moment, Li Hao suddenly noticed that golden light was converging in front of him, and the ancient characters of the Mo River appeared:
The main line task has been modified:
Defend Dragon City for one day.
The countdown has begun...
Seeing the flickering characters, ancient symbols representing seconds and minutes, Li Hao's expression changed slightly. The task duration had been shortened from 3/10 days to just one day?
Were the demons and beasts launching their total assault ahead of schedule?
Looking at Candlelight God before him, Li Hao seemed to understand what was happening, and although he felt angry, he also knew that it was time to stop.
If they continued to fight, he would be in danger, and he would also endanger Li Xiaoran.
"Go!"
Li Hao roared and swung his sword several times, sending sword lights toward Candlelight God, Lu Yuan, and Yin Furen to cover Li Xiaoran's retreat.
Li Xiaoran, having witnessed Li Hao's formidable movement technique earlier, didn't say much and quickly took the lead, rushing toward the God General Mansion while unleashing two ultimate moves.
As he retreated, his mind was constantly on Li Hao, and if Li Hao were in danger, he was prepared to burn his soul and protect Li Hao at all costs!
Li Hao was the hope of the Li family and the only one who could truly free his eldest brother.
"Arghhhh..."
Suddenly, a hideous and cruel roar echoed from the direction of the God General Mansion.
The figure was enveloped in billowing black qi, resembling a demon or an evil spirit. His face was contorted, and he roared as he charged toward the young man in tattered robes who had destroyed the formation.
"Big brother..."
Li Xiaoran immediately recognized the figure as Li Tianzong.
Originally, they were supposed to defend Dragon City for four days, and after the city fell, Li Tianzong would appear and undergo a transformation, as if his obsession was awakening, causing him to enter this demon-like state.
However, with Dragon City falling ahead of schedule, Li Tianzong had also entered this state earlier than expected.
Sadness filled Li Xiaoran's eyes as he understood that defending Dragon City was his eldest brother's final obsession.