Chapter 352: Falling Pieces, Slaying Demons, Extreme Dao's Obstruction
Li Hao looked at the stunning woman before him, her body surrounded by the Dao's aura. Her face was as if a celestial being had descended to the mortal world, a sight that stirred one's heart.
He felt his spirit waver and immediately became alert, solidifying his Dao charm, pulling his thoughts back.
"You must be the sword prodigy who stirred up trouble in Canglan Realm?"
The voice of the Deceiving Heaven Saint was calm, her eyes seemingly holding the tranquil and desolate beauty of an autumn lake, as she spoke softly.
Hearing this, Lin Baichuan and the others couldn't help but glance at Li Hao.
They had already known his background was mysterious, but couldn't find out much. There was no one like him in the Small Thousand Realm, but they hadn't expected that the Deceiving Heaven Saint also knew of him.
"Senior overpraises me," Li Hao nodded, acknowledging her statement.
The Deceiving Heaven Saint narrowed her eyes at Li Hao and then smiled softly. "You indeed have an extraordinary bearing. If you happen to meet any of my stubborn disciples in the Battlefield of the Heavens, I hope you can show some mercy."
Upon hearing her words, the first to be surprised were the saint sons and daughters standing beside her. They stared at their master in astonishment. Usually, their master never undermined them in front of the Stealing Heaven Holy Land's saint sons. But today, even before any fighting had begun, she was already lowering them in comparison. This was unusual.
Lin Baichuan and Chu Hanwei were equally astonished as they looked at Li Hao. For the Deceiving Heaven Saint to say such a thing, just who exactly was this man?
"Senior is too kind. This is my first time in your land, I must rely on everyone's care," Li Hao responded humbly.
"If you have the time, come visit me at Deceiving Heaven Peak," the Deceiving Heaven Saint said with a smile, tossing a token towards Li Hao.
Seeing this, everyone's expression changed. A saint's invitation—what kind of weight did that carry?
They grew more and more curious about Li Hao's true identity. What kind of background and abilities could make a saint personally extend such an invitation?
Li Hao had no choice but to accept the token.
Feng Boping raised an eyebrow and said, "You're not fooling the juniors, are you?"
His words implied that the invitation might be false, hiding another intention.
The Deceiving Heaven Saint glanced at him and replied, "If even you, Stealing Heaven Saint, don't dare to accept my invitation, who would? Your courage pales in comparison to this young one."
"I just don't want to increase your cultivation," Feng Boping muttered in frustration.
The Deceiving Heaven Saint's cultivation method gained strength from successful deceptions.
With a cold smirk, the Deceiving Heaven Saint waved her hand, opening the crack in the sky. She instructed her disciples, "The Battlefield of the Heavens will be filled with prodigies from other worlds. The Supreme Battle is coming. Be cautious."
"Yes, Master," her disciples answered respectfully.
Feng Boping gave Lin Baichuan and the others a few reminders, then turned to Li Hao, saying, "You should also be careful. Although there aren't many who can threaten you in there, being careless could still be dangerous."
Li Hao nodded. After Lin Baichuan and the others entered the crack, he also brought Hongyue along and followed.
Once they had all entered, only Feng Boping and the Deceiving Heaven Saint remained in the void.
"The one who helped you steal a true heart before... Could it be this boy?" The Deceiving Heaven Saint's eyes glimmered as she looked at Feng Boping.
Feng Boping casually replied, "How could that be? He's just a friend who shares similar interests."
The Deceiving Heaven Saint stared at him, then chuckled, "After all these years, you still haven't learned. Lying to me? Don't you know I can deceive the world, but the world cannot deceive me?"
Her confidence was palpable. Seeing Feng Boping trying to maintain his indifferent expression, she scoffed, "I've told you before. My true heart is yours for the taking, but you're too much of a coward to accept it!"
Feng Boping's eyes remained calm as he responded coldly, "We thieves are cautious. If we get too bold, we're no longer thieves—we're bandits."
The Deceiving Heaven Saint's eyes revealed a trace of disappointment.
Feng Boping saw this but remained unmoved. "Besides, your words are hard to believe."
"After all these years, you still haven't changed."
The Deceiving Heaven Saint shook her head slightly. "Master was right. You're naturally timid. Even if the Great Dao were right in front of you, you wouldn't dare to step forward. With such a lack of courage, do you truly think you'll follow me in seeking revenge against that wretch?"
"We can only seek him out after we both reach sainthood. You've deceived ten thousand hearts and survived three tribulations. Is there still a path ahead for you?" Feng Boping's eyes glimmered with a trace of killing intent as he spoke, recalling some old memories.
The Deceiving Heaven Saint laughed softly. "Of course, there's a path. Deceiving heaven, deceiving earth, deceiving all living beings—ultimately, it's about deceiving oneself. If there comes a day when I truly believe I'm a Supreme Saint, then I will be!"
Hearing her words, Feng Boping's mouth twitched. Deceiving herself into believing she's a Supreme Saint?
It might sound absurd, but he knew that her path truly worked this way. If she could deceive even her own Dao heart, then she would indeed become one.
Seeing that she had glimpsed the way forward, Feng Boping felt a bit more relieved and smiled, "If that's the case, then we'll wait a little longer."
The Deceiving Heaven Saint narrowed her eyes. "And what about you?"
"I have my own path," Feng Boping replied with a smile. "Not too far off. But we'll wait until my young friend becomes a Saint. If we don't, I'm afraid his nature will cause him to be devoured by the Saints."
The Deceiving Heaven Saint fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, "Seems like you've stolen a true heart by offering your own. Fine…"
Her words carried a sense of regret. She looked up at the crack in the sky and said, "This boy possesses the sixth extreme, which is tied to those hidden secrets of the gods and immortals. Peace will not come easily. How long can you protect him?"
Feng Boping shook his head and simply said, "As long as I can."
...
On the other side of the crack, within the Battlefield of the Heavens.
As soon as Li Hao stepped into the place, he saw a desolate and dark world. The ground was bare, devoid of any vegetation.
The rocks here were gray and black, resembling meteorites, radiating intense heat.
In stark contrast to the barren land, the sky was filled with brilliant starlight. It seemed like they were beyond the walls of a small world, with a direct view of the stars, the blazing sun, and the bright moon.
"This is the Lihe Valley. Once you enter the valley, you'll be in the Battlefield of the Heavens," Lin Baichuan explained.
Before leaving, Lin Baichuan had received orders from his master to take care of Li Hao during their time in the battlefield.
This left Lin Baichuan feeling frustrated. Judging by his master's demeanor, this person's strength was clearly not below theirs. Why should they be the ones watching over him? The favoritism was too blatant.
Following Lin Baichuan's gaze, Li Hao saw a valley ahead, flanked by two towering peaks.
This place seemed to be where everyone was assembling before entering the battlefield. Beyond the valley was where the real chaos would unfold.
Sweeping his gaze across the area, Li Hao noticed wisps of black killing intent gathering in the air. Even though they hadn't entered the battlefield yet, the killing intent permeated the entire Battlefield of the Heavens, allowing him to start absorbing it right away.
He smiled slightly and said to Lin Baichuan and the others, "You all go ahead. I'll wander around on my own. No need to wait for me."
Lin Baichuan looked at Li Hao in confusion. Chu Hanwei, however, curiously asked, "The Deceiving Heaven Saint seemed to know you earlier. Are you perhaps a disciple of some Supreme Saint?"
Li Hao was taken aback for a moment and shook his head. "I don't have a master."
"No master?" Lin Baichuan frowned, clearly not believing Li Hao. He assumed Li Hao was just being evasive and unwilling to reveal the truth.
But after dealing with the disciples of Deceiving Heaven Holy Land, who were notorious for their lies, they had grown accustomed to deception. Though they felt a bit displeased, they didn't press the matter further.
"Fine. If you don't want to come with us, we'll go ahead," Lin Baichuan said.
After all, if something happened to Li Hao, he could report to his master truthfully—it wasn't his fault, the other party simply didn't want their help.
Chu Hanwei, feeling a bit disappointed by Li Hao's reluctance to reveal more about himself, waved to him and followed the others over the Lihe Valley, heading deep into the Battlefield of the Heavens.
"Where are we going, Young Master?" Hongyue asked, feeling a bit anxious seeing Li Hao choosing to go alone.
She was weak and would have preferred staying with the group rather than venturing off on their own.
"Here's fine," Li Hao said, pulling a mat and a chessboard from his space.
"Come, this is a beautiful spot for a game of chess."
Hongyue was taken aback. She hadn't expected that Li Hao had brought her here just to play chess.
All the other prodigies were off seeking trials and battles, yet here Li Hao was, relaxing and playing?
"Young Master, isn't this a waste of a great opportunity?" Hongyue asked, unable to contain herself.
"How is it a waste? You're here with me, aren't you?" Li Hao replied, sounding confused.
Hongyue's cheeks flushed slightly at his words. "But… shouldn't you focus on cultivating? I heard you're participating in the Supreme Prodigy Battle, competing against all the realms. If you want to play chess, I can accompany you anytime later."
"Now is fine," Li Hao interrupted her, not wanting to waste any more time.
Hongyue sighed, feeling helpless, but obediently sat down as he instructed.
The winds here were strong, seemingly blowing from beyond the heavens, cold and biting. Li Hao noticed Hongyue shivering slightly, so he casually raised his hand, forming a barrier to block the wind for her.
As for himself, his body was too strong. The cold wind felt like a gentle breeze, leaving him completely unfazed.
As they played chess and sipped wine, Li Hao observed the surroundings while thinking about his next move. At the same time, he was steadily absorbing the surrounding killing intent.
This killing intent was only visible to those with divine blood. As Li Hao absorbed it, streams of it gathered and entered his body, completely unnoticed by Hongyue.
Extreme Dao cultivation, chess to accumulate experience, and wine to enjoy—Li Hao didn't miss out on anything.
After two rounds of chess, with one win and one loss, Li Hao had not only gained valuable chess experience but also absorbed a great deal of killing intent—much more than he had in the Floating Life Demon Realm of the Buddhist sect.
This accumulation of killing intent flowed into his arms, merging with his divine blood, which then refined and contained it.
As the killing intent in the surroundings began to fade and the third round of chess ended, Li Hao found himself losing by five stones—perhaps because his mind was elsewhere.
Li Hao stood up and said, "Let's go find another spot."
Seeing him stand, Hongyue felt relieved, thinking that he was finally done with chess and ready to focus on cultivation.
After three intense rounds, she was mentally exhausted as well. Every match required deep thought, making it quite draining.
Li Hao raised his hand, retrieving the chessboard and mat. Wrapping Hongyue in his power, he took her and soared over Lihe Valley.
They arrived at a towering peak. From here, the land ahead was vast and open, with little to block the view except for a few small hills. The ground was littered with bones, and the killing intent was thick.
Li Hao immediately sat down at the top of the peak, laying out his chessboard and mat again, stretching out as he asked Hongyue to join him.
On the other side of the battlefield, Lin Baichuan and the others had crossed Lihe Valley, advancing further into the vast battleground until they reached a field of scattered boulders.
This area was already somewhat deep within the battlefield, and from the cracks between the rocks emerged slumbering void demons, their bodies flickering with blue lightning as they attacked Lin Baichuan's group.
These void demons resided in the void, treating the Battlefield of the Heavens as their lair—or rather, the Saints had turned their lair into the battlefield.
Now seeing Lin Baichuan and his group as intruders, the demons bared their fangs and charged in rage.
Lin Baichuan and the others had come here precisely for real combat training, and they quickly engaged the void demons in battle.
"What a pity. The major conflict hasn't begun yet. If it had, we could've gained military merit and exchanged it for incense offerings," Lin Baichuan thought regretfully as he fought the demons.
The battlefield was relatively quiet at the moment, without the large-scale conflict they had hoped for. If a major war had broken out, the saint sons and daughters of the various realms would undoubtedly be the brightest stars on the battlefield.
As they hunted the void demons, a sudden and piercing roar echoed from among the demons, shaking the air.
Lin Baichuan sensed something but wasn't afraid. He narrowed his eyes and soon felt the ground begin to tremble. From deep within a distant burrow, a massive wave of void demons crawled out.
These demons, resembling giant insects, had bodies covered in blue lightning and were swarming together in the hundreds and thousands.
"This isn't good—it's a void tide!" Chu Hanwei's face turned pale.
"A mere horde can't hurt us," another saint son scoffed, looking extremely confident.
But at that moment, the void demons' lightning began to converge, forming a massive surge of blue light that radiated outwards.
The saint son didn't react in time, and the light struck him, causing his entire body to burst with blood as his skin tore apart, and the void energy began to corrode and rip at his flesh.
"Help me!" he screamed in agony.
His face split open, his body tearing apart. If not for the secret techniques he was using to hold himself together, he would've died on the spot.
"Mystic Corridor Technique!" Lin Baichuan's expression changed as he quickly unleashed a top-tier divine ability, reversing the void energy within the injured saint son and transferring it outside. The injured saint son then used an indestructible force to heal his body, quickly retreating.
"Run! There are too many of them. When they combine their power, their void tide is unstoppable—it'll kill anyone it touches!" Chu Hanwei urgently shouted.
The group immediately ascended into the air, using void movement techniques to evade the demons.
The void demons, unable to find their targets, roared in anger and rushed off into the distance.
Lin Baichuan and the others reappeared in midair, watching the ground tremble as the void demons ran off. They all breathed a sigh of relief.
They hadn't expected the void demons to be so terrifying when they gathered in such large numbers.
"Thank you, Brother Lin," the injured saint son said to Lin Baichuan.
Lin Baichuan shook his head and looked toward the burrow. "These demons crawled out from there. Who's brave enough to come with me and check it out?"
His words caused the others to hesitate.
Though they were prodigies, they weren't fools. While they had confidence in their abilities, the danger they had just faced made them cautious. The burrow could very well be a nest of demons, full of unimaginable peril.
"Wait… those void demons seemed to be heading toward Lihe Valley," Chu Hanwei said, her face turning pale as she stared in the direction the demons had gone.
The group was momentarily confused, but Lin Baichuan's expression shifted. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "That kid must have gone somewhere else by now. He wouldn't just stay there."
"Yeah, it's been a while. He must've moved on by now, even if he's just walking."
The others quickly nodded in agreement.
Chu Hanwei sighed in relief, thinking it made sense. After all, so much time had passed. Even if Li Hao had been walking slowly, he would've already left Lihe Valley by now.
"Forget about that place. Who's coming with me into the burrow?" Lin Baichuan asked again.
Chu Hanwei replied, "I'll go with you."
"Good."
Lin Baichuan grinned.
Seeing the two of them heading into the burrow, the others sighed but followed along, their curiosity piqued.
While they were exploring the void demon nest, back at the peak near Lihe Valley, Li Hao, who had been deep in thought over his chess game, suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath him.
He snapped out of his thoughts and looked into the distance, where he saw a massive horde of demons charging towards him.
Hongyue also noticed and immediately paled. "Young Master!"
She called out in alarm.
Li Hao glanced at the approaching demons, noting their numbers and realizing that most of them were at the Wendao Realm. He was slightly surprised by how strong the demons in the Battlefield of the Heavens were.
Was it due to the harsh environment here?
He didn't dwell on the thought for long. Seeing that Hongyue was panicking, he calmly reassured her, "Don't worry. Focus on the game."
"…"
Hongyue was dumbfounded. Even with the demon horde charging at them, Li Hao was more concerned about her concentration on their chess match. She was speechless.
But then, she witnessed something unbelievable.
Li Hao, still holding the black chess piece he had been pondering over, suddenly sent it flying. The piece shot through the air like a streak of light, heading straight for the oncoming demons.
The chess piece wove through the horde, like a thread passing through fabric, cutting through the bodies of the demons one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The demons' bodies exploded in quick succession wherever the chess piece passed. It
exploded like they had been struck by a massive hammer, shattering instantly.
The chess piece was imbued with the will of Li Hao's sword path, effortlessly cutting through the domains of the demons and severing the void laws they had condensed, as if it were a massacre.
When the piece was spent, Li Hao casually picked up another from the chessboard, calmly placing it on the dragon's tail of the white stones on the board.
"Your move," Li Hao reminded.
Hongyue, still staring in shock at the battlefield, had completely lost her focus, her mouth slightly agape, unable to believe what she was seeing.
The once formidable horde of demons, rushing toward them in an overwhelming wave, had all fallen to a single chess piece, as if they had tripped over an invisible wire and were crushed, one after another.
In the blink of an eye, the entire horde had been almost completely wiped out.
Hearing Li Hao's reminder, Hongyue turned her head and saw the young man, his eyes fixed on the chessboard as if the battle hadn't even been worth his attention. She was utterly dumbfounded.
She stared blankly for a few moments before finally snapping out of it, realizing that this was the terrifying power of someone who could rival the saint sons of various holy lands.
With her mind still spinning, she looked down at the chessboard. But her thoughts were a jumbled mess.
Li Hao noticed her hesitation and sighed softly. Ultimately, it seemed that the disturbance had disrupted her concentration.
He didn't rush her. The game was already halfway through, and if they started over, the effort would have been wasted, which would have been a shame.
As the last remaining void demon was pierced by his chess piece and its power returned to him, the piece disintegrated into dust and scattered in the wind.
While waiting for Hongyue to regain her composure, Li Hao extended his divine sense to scan the area behind the demon horde.
The appearance of these demons was suspicious—had someone intentionally lured them here?
But as his divine sense swept over the surrounding area, he found nothing out of the ordinary. Shaking his head slightly, he decided it wasn't worth investigating further.
Hongyue struggled to focus on the game, but her thoughts were still scattered after witnessing the earlier display of power. She played the rest of the game clumsily, ultimately losing to Li Hao.
Li Hao told her to rest for a while as he resumed his efforts to absorb the surrounding killing intent.
As the gathered killing intent surged around him, Li Hao could hear faint cries of despair and anguish in his ears. His expression remained unmoved as he calmly refined the killing intent.
With the accumulation of more and more killing intent, Li Hao began to feel his body filling up, and the divine blood in his body seemed to condense a core of immense power.
Li Hao continued to absorb and refine the energy, all the while keeping an eye on the beautiful scenery of the Battlefield of the Heavens.
The stars above were like a vast river of divine light, casting their glow across the battlefield below.
"More breathtaking than any mortal landscape," Li Hao couldn't help but murmur in admiration.
Hearing this, Hongyue curiously looked over at him. She had encountered many top prodigies before, but all of them had been so consumed with their cultivation that none had ever seemed to take an interest in their surroundings. The way Li Hao did left her feeling intrigued.
Li Hao then summoned Xiyan from his spatial domain. Such a beautiful scene was meant to be shared.
"Where is this?" Xiyan, in the form of a young girl dressed in a red gown, looked around curiously.
"This is the Battlefield of the Heavens," Li Hao replied with a smile.
"The sky here is so beautiful!" Xiyan exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Li Hao chuckled. He had once promised to show her the world's most beautiful sights. Though they were no longer in the mortal world, this celestial view was certainly worth seeing.
Xiyan was lively and full of energy as she eagerly explored the area around them, while Li Hao continued to absorb the killing intent. As it accumulated, the divine blood in his arms and legs filled to capacity. The remaining killing intent began to gather toward his chest.
But at this point, Li Hao suddenly sensed resistance. The incense power within him, which glowed like a radiant barrier, seemed to be blocking the accumulation of the killing intent.
Li Hao immediately recalled Feng Boping's words—dual sainthood was impossible to achieve. Was this the reason?
Li Hao's expression changed slightly as he realized that this was indeed the obstruction Feng Boping had mentioned, and he hadn't expected to encounter it so soon.
"Incense is the power of desire, while killing intent is the force of extreme destruction. The two forces are completely opposite and cannot coexist—they repel one another."
Li Hao's eyes flickered as he felt the forces inside him behave like the opposite poles of magnets.
No wonder they couldn't be cultivated together.