Chapter 236: I Will Leave the Ji Family
Countless members of the Ji family were stunned, their eyes wide in disbelief at the scene before them.
The elders of the Ji family, however, paled in shock. They recognized the manifestation of the Heaven and Earth Law, the revelation of the Third Extreme Realm!!
Even within the Ji family, an ancient sacred clan, cultivating to the limit of the first two realms was achievable with exceptional talent and longevity. But the third realm was a vast chasm; only by inheriting the heavens and earth like the progenitor could one perform 360 Soul Condensations and manifest the might of the Heaven and Earth Law!
The proud geniuses of their family mostly inherited the progenitor's saint soul, achieving 270 Soul Condensations. No matter what Soul Condensation technique they cultivated, they couldn't break this limit because a saint's soul could only withstand 270 Soul Condensations! Unless they started anew, inheriting the heavens and earth as their soul.
But inheriting the heavens and earth was no easy feat. One needed top-notch mental and natural endowments, a spirit that could shake the ages, and cultivation nearing the limit in both the Connection Realm and the Circulation Realm to even have a chance.
While the Ten Proud Geniuses of the Ji family had mostly mastered the Divine Power state, they had only focused on tempering their physical bodies and pushing the Connection Realm to its limits later in their cultivation journey.
If one pursued inheriting the heavens and earth in the Soul Succession Realm, they would face an extremely long stagnation. They would need to repeatedly refine their Connection and Circulation Realms, slowing their progress by at least a few decades, and even then, success would be uncertain.
This path hadn't been untraveled, but those who attempted it mostly failed.
Even with extremely powerful Connection and Circulation Realms, capable of withstanding the pressure of inheriting the heavens and earth, one still needed a will that surpassed the progenitor, a will that surpassed all living beings, to gain the recognition of the heavens and earth! Thus, this third realm was incredibly difficult and exceedingly rare.
It was even harder than the Divine Travel Realm and the Fifteen Mile Realm!
Boom!
The clouds atop the mountain peak ruptured, howling as they were blown away.
At this moment, the fist swung by the Heaven and Earth Law smashed towards Ji Xuansheng's head, carrying anger and madness as if it wanted to crush Mount Daodo itself!
And Li Hao, who was almost suppressed to the ground, roared as he swung a peerless fist. His fist intent and power, like a roaring angry lion and a soaring dragon taking to the skies, rose to meet the fist of the Law, a large and small pair of fists sandwiching Ji Xuansheng in between.
Ji Xuansheng's pupils constricted as he saw Li Hao's Heaven and Earth Law. His heart trembled; he knew very well how difficult it was to condense this Heaven and Earth Law, and in the Ji family, it was only recorded in the books left behind by the progenitor. In the past ten thousand years, only two exceptionally talented proud geniuses had cultivated it.
And now, the legend had once again come to life. The youth was using the will of his Soul Succession Realm to oppose Ji Xuansheng's innate saintly bones!
"I am invincible!!!"
Ji Xuansheng roared, his eyes wide with fury. "You have the ambition to defy the heavens, but I will crush your will! Domain, tear!!!"
The grand meridians in his body ruptured and shook, bursting out with their limit. The heavenly meridians acted like pumps, madly drawing in the surrounding power of heaven and earth, but to his shock, the power he could draw was extremely weak.
The power of heaven and earth in this area had disappeared or, rather, been absorbed by Li Hao - !
Ji Xuansheng's eyes bled as he roared like a madman, his long hair flying wildly. His heavenly meridians ruptured, shaking with boundless might as he pushed his domain out.
At this moment, these two dazzling proud geniuses erupted with the most extreme power of their lives, colliding violently.
The world seemed to lose sound.
Along with the brief silence came a buzzing ring that vibrated in everyone's ears.
All the spectators could see was a brilliant sight like the bursting of stars, but they couldn't hear a thing.
Until the countless energies vented, impacted, and vibrated on the barrier, there was a two-second delay before the ear-piercing, earth-shattering booms like a magnitude-ten earthquake erupted! Then came the long-lasting reverberation of energy, impacting the barrier and continuously vibrating and booming.
And that figure in mid-air, the most dazzling and outstanding genius of the Ji family of this generation, had his domain shattered and annihilated. Under the impact of those two fist intents, he was like a little bird with broken wings, slamming into the barrier and spitting out a mouthful of blood before falling straight down to the edge of the broken dojo.
As Ji Xuansheng was defeated, the might of the saintly bones also dissipated. The ten thousand mountains pressing down on Li Hao's body seemed to suddenly disappear, and the pressure lessened.
But the destruction of Li Hao's body didn't stop. He clenched his teeth and held on, desperately trying to block the influx of the power of heaven and earth.
However, much of his flesh and blood fell off, and his body seemed like a leaky wall, these powers constantly permeating into his bones, trying to tear his body apart.
Finally, the contracting heavenly and earthly energies ceased their invasion, blocked by the Heaven and Earth Law Image, allowing Li Hao to focus on healing his body and regenerating his flesh.
His regeneration was astonishing, visibly restoring his body before their very eyes. It was as if he was being reborn from the ashes, and soon, with most of his body healed, the influx of energies stabilized.
The young man was bathed in blood, his entire body glowing with a reddish-gold light, like a war god. Slowly, he straightened his back, emanating an aura akin to a deity. He stood in the air above the dojo, his face cold and resolute, bearing the marks of one who had endured great tribulations.
Above and below, all was silent.
Countless members of the Ji family outside Mount Daodo were stunned, their eyes fixed on the young man. They couldn't imagine and dared not believe that the youth had fought to the very last moment.
With just his iron fists and a teenager's body, he had defeated all of the Ji family's proud geniuses, and none were left to challenge him!
Surprise also flashed in Ji Daoxin and Ji Tianchao's eyes as they stared intently at the youth in the arena.
They could see more clearly the terrifying power that Li Hao had unleashed, and it was highly likely that it was the legendary sixth extreme realm!
The Land Immortal Realm!
The difficulty of this realm even surpassed the Heaven and Earth Law, far beyond the reach of the other extreme realms!
Even the Ji family, which had produced countless proud geniuses, had never had anyone achieve this.
Not even they could!
The half-sage ancestor lying in the ancient coffin had only managed to condense the Heaven and Earth Law Image and had not entered the Land Immortal Realm!
But they had only heard of this legendary realm and had never witnessed it themselves, so they couldn't be sure.
In the dojo,
Li Hao fixed his gaze on the edge of the arena, where Ji Xuansheng slowly climbed to his feet, his body covered in cracks. His physical body had been punctured by Li Hao's unbeatable fist, and the force of the Law Image's punch had shattered his organs and broken most of his bones.
At this moment, Ji Xuansheng sat up, his body mostly healed, his aura still strong and unfading. He looked at Li Hao with a mixture of shock and gloom.
In this moment, he knew he had lost.
Relying on his saintly bones had already dimmed his glory, and now he had been defeated.
More importantly, that young man was only in his teens and had only reached the Third Immortal Realm!
It was like crossing an entire major realm to fight him, and to have fought to this degree, he had lost thoroughly!
Seeing the lack of fighting spirit in Ji Xuansheng's eyes, Li Hao raised his gaze, scanning beyond the dojo, and said slowly, "Is there anyone else?"
His voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of calm that resonated throughout Mount Daodo. It was like an autumn breeze, whispering past countless people's ears, yet no one answered.
Ji Qingfrost and the others, who had yet to make their move, stood at a distance from the dojo, staring blankly at the young man.
Earlier, they had been standing by the dojo, but the intense might displayed by the two fighters had scared them away.
Who else would dare to step up?
No one.
Aside from the fact that Li Hao could choose to continue the challenge tomorrow if anyone stepped up now, even if he accepted the challenge immediately, the youth's aura made them feel that victory was improbable.
The opponent seemed to know no fatigue, and they couldn't see any way to defeat him.
He was too strong and had no weaknesses!
Just his perfectly refined physical body made them feel helpless.
Techniques like movement, sneak attacks, and frontal assaults were meaningless in the face of such a body. Even Ji Xuansheng's domain hadn't gained much advantage, let alone them.
No one responded.
Among the numerous members of the Ji family outside the arena, no one argued; they were all still reeling from the shock the young man had given them.
"If no one challenges, then Ji Leping is the strongest proud genius of the Ji family and becomes the Dao Seed!"
Ji Daoxin stepped forward, first glancing at Li Hao before announcing loudly to the crowd.
His voice resonated throughout Mount Daodo, snapping everyone back to reality.
The young man had actually succeeded in his challenge, defeating all of the Ji family's proud geniuses!
Their previous biases and ridicule, laughing at him for being mixed-race and trying to infiltrate the Ji family by changing his surname, now seemed laughable.
With the strength and talent he had displayed, he needed no family name to carry him. He was a top genius in his own right, needing to bow to no one. All he had to do was call out, and even ancient sacred clans would compete to recruit him.
Three extreme realms, defeating saintly bones, suppressing all of the Ji family's proud geniuses!
Everyone knew that their family would give birth to a new legend.
"Without Sacred Bones, he defeats those with Sacred Bones. Without a Domain, he breaks through Domains. He's simply invincible!"
Ji Yunqing and Ji Yunyue trembled with excitement. They never expected that just before his departure, their Third Brother would give their family such a tremendous gift.
The others also snapped out of their daze, their expressions complex. Despite their previous prejudices, they were awestruck by the young man's prowess, bowing to his strength as was the way in the Great Yu Dynasty.
"What would he have achieved if he had the support of our family, with all our resources behind him?" They couldn't help but wonder, their imaginations running wild.
"Perhaps he truly could refine his own Sacred Bones and rival the progenitor!"
This thought excited them, but it also made them recall their previous obstruction of the youth in the Hall of Discussion, filling them with trepidation.
Ji Daoxin's words went unanswered, and he promptly announced, "Li Hao has become the Dao Seed, and I am dismissing the barrier."
"Young one, are you alright? Here, take our clan's divine medicine." As the barrier disappeared, Ji Yunyue and the others quickly flew to Li Hao's side, their voices filled with concern.
The sight of his bloodied body pained them. While he had emerged victorious and proven his might, the ferocity of the battle had left them shaken.
"I'm fine. I can heal myself," Li Hao replied softly.
He declined the elderly woman's offer of the divine medicine, possessing the attribute of prudence and patience. All he needed to do was relax his body and combine it with his self-healing abilities, and his wounds would soon mend.
"Why are you still so distant with us?" Ji Yunyue asked as she pushed the medicine into Li Hao's hand.
Li Hao was a little helpless but accepted it nonetheless.
Seeing his reluctance to take the medicine, Ji Yunyue and the others shared a glance, their expressions shifting slightly as they recalled how the youth had been mocked and ordered to leave the Ji family earlier. They feared that those words had left a deep impression on him.
"Child, pay no heed to others. As long as we elders are here, no one in the Ji family can harm you," Ji Yunqing assured Li Hao.
However, having witnessed Li Hao's strength, she felt a bit embarrassed as she finished speaking.
With his own prowess, Li Hao could traverse the Great Yu Dynasty without fear. Even those in the Dao Realm would struggle to oppose him unless they were from certain forbidden lands or were at the Hearing the Dao Realm. In such cases, the youth would not need anyone's protection.
"I came here only to bring Yun'ge back and to see my mother," Li Hao said quietly.
Hearing his words, the elders' expressions changed slightly. "You don't plan to stay in the Ji family?" Ji Yunqing asked, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.
Li Hao shook his head gently. "I still have things to do. I have friends I haven't seen yet. After I redeem my mother, I will leave."
The group kept their voices low, but as they spoke, the crowd outside the dojo fell silent, hanging on to every word.
The youth intended to leave the Ji family!
Everyone was astonished, their faces betraying their shock and dismay. Many felt a sense of panic as they grappled with the idea that such a genius would depart from their midst.
To become the Ji family's Dao Seed, to surpass all other geniuses, was an honor beyond compare, a position of utmost prestige. Yet, he spoke of leaving as if it were a casual decision.
For a moment, most of the Ji family members struggled to accept this turn of events.
However, Li Hao's intentions were clear. He had come for two reasons: to return Yun'ge, the war god, and to see his mother.
One was a matter of friendship, and the other, a matter of family.
Both were entirely reasonable.
But their previous scorn and anger, their demands for him to leave—all of it now felt like a bitter regret as they realized the youth could indeed walk away.
Those who had ridiculed and chastised Li Hao earlier now felt a sting of shame on their faces, a mix of guilt and anxiety in their hearts.
They knew that he truly had the ability to leave the Ji family. Without their support, he was still a peerless genius, an extraordinary talent who needed no one's sympathy or patronage.
As Li Hao spoke, even Ji Daoxin's expression turned slightly ugly, his face twisting with discomfort.
He had been aware of the discussions in the mountain's belly, but he had believed that once Li Hao became a part of the Ji family, their abundant resources and cultivation guidance would make up for any initial hostility.
After all, insults were common in the path of a genius. But now, it seemed that from the start, the youth had never intended to join their family, much less endure such treatment.