Chapter 165

After accepting the Holy Heart Precious Talisman, Li Hao thanked Chu Jiuyue again and asked him to thank Emperor Yu on his behalf.

For that most extremely noble existence of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, Li Hao's impression in his heart still remained in his infancy, the first look he saw when he first came here.

That was a figure with a towering and extremely burly stature, sitting on the dragon chair, with an aura swallowing mountains and rivers, possessing the domineering spirit of looking down on all living beings.

It seemed he could only be worshipped from afar, and could not be approached or offended.

But the opponent's several conferments made Li Hao feel that the majestic figure didn't seem to be so cold, heartless, and unreachable.

The wind and snow were still falling.

That burned letter received no response and thus fell silent.

No more letters were sent from Qingzhou City.

Li Hao still cultivated on his own every day, tracing the wind, snow, and mountain scenery outside the pass, fishing for little demons in the mountains and fields, and at the same time exploring the vast and hazy Dao of Heaven and Earth; deep in his heart, he was still unwilling to miss that ultimate pursuit.

Perhaps, he also had a heart for the Martial Dao? Time passed in a hurry.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.

From the early winter when he first came outside the camp, to now it was deep winter, and the snow on the ground was thicker.

But all things are like Yin and Yang; when the falling snow accumulates to a certain depth, it is the day to break through the clouds and moon.

In the snow, demons secretly sneaked out of their caves in the distance, preparing to hunt for their own food.

In the forest, two wild mountain tigers were fighting over a deer corpse.

The small river was frozen, but in the river water under the ice, little fish were swimming back and forth.

And on the top of a snow-capped mountain, Li Hao sat there, perceiving every detail of all things within dozens of miles, his body seeming to merge into the peak.

He looked at the morning sun in the clouds and mist, quietly listening to the sound of this snow falling and melting.

The heavy snow drifted down from the sky, but it was the steam of the earth's energy solidifying.

The seeds buried deep in the soil sprouted, grew sturdily, turned into towering trees, and when autumn came, waiting for an autumn wind, the fallen leaves could drift toward the unreachable sky.

The fish were trapped in the water, living in the low-lying places of the earth, yet were as free as if soaring in the sky.

And the people on the land seemed to be running around, happy and carefree, yet were bound by various orders, like wearing invisible chains and shackles, difficult to break free.

All things are sentient beings, but sentient beings are not all things.

In these six months, Li Hao had touched the bottleneck of the Dao of All Things; that ultimate spiritual light was right in front of him, and only a little bit was missing to break through the obstacles and achieve mastery.

Now, his states of mind of all things were fused, and many sword techniques were reorganized again; although his cultivation was still the Heavenly Human Tianren Zongshi Realm, he had truly stepped into the limit of the Great Tianren Zongshi Realm, and his actual combat power was about half stronger than it was at Great Yuecheng.

If he encountered that little demon king again, relying on the sword moves he had newly comprehended in these six months, he would be able to slaughter it easily.

Back then, it was only within the few minutes of the battle gap that he fused and created the Reincarnation Sword Art, which possessed terrifying lethality; now after half a year of contemplation, this sword art had been improved and refined by him again.

At this moment, a cold wind struck, brushing past his face and rolling up the snow on the ground.

Wind? A thought seemed to flash lightly before Li Hao's eyes; he narrowed his eyes slightly, sat quietly for a moment, and that thought slipped away again.

He had had this feeling recently, but it was always lacking a little bit of strength to grasp it.

Raising his hand to pat the snow off, Li Hao picked up the little white fox snuggling by his knees and stood up to leave.

Traveling through the air, he returned to the camp.

In the past six months, the number of stone houses built around the camp had also increased; considering the great battle that could come at any time in half a year, Li Hao didn't spend too much effort on building residential houses, just treating it as a kind of fun, or a process of contemplating nature.

It was still him cooking lunch himself.

During the meal break, Li Hao persuaded Song Qiumo again, asking her to return to Tan Palace and not have to continue staying here with him.

That Wanshan Demon King could endure the pain of losing his son for half a year, which showed that he was a demon king with an extremely shrewd and steady temperament; if Song Qiumo didn't leave, for the sake of safety, the opponent might spend a lot of money to invite other demon kings to hold Song Qiumo back.

Therefore, Li Hao felt she didn't need to stay here and waste time with him.

Guarding Tianmen Pass, Li Hao felt it was a private matter he had promised, and he didn't want to involve too many people.

Song Qiumo didn't say anything, just ate her food silently; after eating, she raised her head and said to Li Hao: "Since you said so, I will leave today."

Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief and said: "If you go back, say hello to the Palace Tianren Zongshi for me."

"Okay."

Song Qiumo nodded; this time she agreed very simply.

After eating, she packed up some small ornaments she had purchased here during these days; they were all small items purchased when purchasing supplies from nearby cities, including silk hairbands, bracelet bells, and so on.

After taking all the things away, Song Qiumo bid farewell to Li Hao.

"Aren't you regretful?"

Li Hongzhuang accompanied Li Hao to see her off; seeing Song Qiumo's figure disappear completely into the horizon, Li Hongzhuang looked at Li Hao and asked.

"Regretful?"

Li Hao was confused.

"Deep in your heart, you must be hoping that she could stay, right?" Li Hongzhuang said softly.

Li Hao laughed and shook his head slightly: "Then you are wrong; I am sincerely happy for her departure; at least she doesn't have to encounter danger."

"Really?"

Li Hongzhuang was slightly surprised, staring at Li Hao.

Li Hao said: "If possible, I hope you can also leave; there is no need to stay and be buried with me; I might be able to get away, but you might not."

Li Hongzhuang frowned slightly, staring at Li Hao, and said:

"Do you have any other way? Just relying on that senior alone, I'm afraid he can't block it; unless he is the kind of existence in the Ultimate Realm like the Second Uncle, perhaps he can suppress it with one punch."

The Four Standing Realm had four levels of division, and the gap between each level was huge; Li Hongzhuang couldn't judge what level that senior was at.

"There is only one way."

"What?"

"If you can't beat them, run."

"..."

Li Hao smiled and returned to the camp.

Li Hongzhuang chased over rapidly and said seriously: "What time is it, and you're still in the mood to joke? Why don't you go find the Fourth Uncle first? If Uncle Xiaoran comes forward, ordinary Four Standing Realm demons are no match."

Li Hao's eyes flickered, and he shook his head slightly; when he left the Li family, he was all alone; besides the expensive clothes he was wearing, he didn't bring anything, not even wanting the famous sword Yongye, just not wanting to take anything from the Li family anymore, nor wanting to rely on any relationship of the Li family.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn!"

Seeing Li Hao shake his head, Li Hongzhuang hurriedly said: "We speculated earlier that if that Wanshan Demon King comes over, we will likely face the attack of three demon kings; as long as they two-on-one, holding back that senior for a short moment, the remaining one will be able to kill you!"

"I understand."

Li Hao looked at her quietly: "So I said, if the situation is not right, I will run away in advance; as for you, you might become a burden; if I can't take care of you, if you don't want to die, it's best to leave as soon as possible."

"It will be too late when you detect it." Li Hongzhuang said anxiously.

Li Hao shook his head slightly and didn't say anything more to her.

Seeing Li Hao so stubborn, Li Hongzhuang sighed and had to pack her luggage, saying:

"I can't persuade you; I'll go back to Qingzhou to find your father, find the Second Uncle, find the Fifth Uncle, and the others to come and persuade you; I hope the Wanshan Demon King hasn't had time to come over by then." Li Hao felt a bit helpless and speechless toward this little aunt, shook his head, and was too lazy to pay attention.

After packing her luggage, Li Hongzhuang also left; no one could bear the anger of the Wanshan Demon King; as Li Hao said, staying here would only be a burden.

On the other side, Li He was burning with anxiety and sent messages to Qingzhou one after another, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no response.

He didn't know what the Duke was thinking, but his order was to protect Li Hao; he couldn't leave easily like Li Hongzhuang.

At this moment, Li He was thinking in his heart whether he should knock Li Hao unconscious and take him away by force.

But after the battle of Great Yuecheng, he knew he was no match for this little young master at all; when the demons attacked, it wasn't certain who would protect whom.

While he was pondering whether to sneak attack, suddenly, his eyes went dark.

Afterward, he fell straight into the snow, his face hitting the ground.

Feng Feng Bo Ping's figure walked out from behind Li He, patted him casually, and said to Li Hao: "This old kid from the Li family's concubine line is stubborn, just like those people in the Li family; I can only send him away first."

Li He, who was just thinking about how to sneak attack and knock Li Hao unconscious to take him away, was knocked unconscious at this moment.

Li Hao smiled, handed Li He to Ren Qianqian; there were fast horses in this camp, and he said to Ren Qianqian: "Take him away from Liangzhou, go anywhere; um, go to Qizhou, wait for me in Cangyu City."

Ren Qianqian's face was full of worry; she wanted to persuade him, but in these days, she had seen Song Qiumo, Li Hongzhuang, and the others persuade him repeatedly, and it was all useless; she knew the youth's temperament and that he would never bow his head.

She could only agree, staring at Li Hao and saying: "Young Tianren Zongshi, I will wait for you in Cangyu City; you must survive!"

Seeing the girl's eyes like clear lake water, and feeling the concern without any impurities in those eyes, Li Hao smiled slightly and said: "Don't worry, you follow me to learn the sword; I haven't taught you the real sword art yet, so I won't die so easily!"

Ren Qianqian bit her lip slightly and didn't speak.

Even if you don't teach me the sword art, I don't want to see you die... She stared at Li Hao deeply; these words were only in her heart and were not spoken.

There were not many parting words; Li Hao patted the butt of the Red Blood Horse and sent the girl away.

Li He's body was also carried on the horse's back, leaving along the Longguan Road together.

This Longguan Road had been cleared by Li Hao; occasionally demons would pass by within half a year, but they were all killed, so it was relatively safe.

"Little guy, if something happens to me, you just find a cave in this wilderness and cultivate yourself."

Li Hao lowered his head, looking at the little white fox tightly hugging him with its two little claws by his feet.

The little white fox raised its head, looking at Li Hao with watery, pitiful eyes, and let out a bleat, its voice peculiar.

Li Hao returned to the fenced small courtyard; with the departure of others, this courtyard suddenly became somewhat empty.

In the snow nearby, the figure of the girl practicing the sword was gone.

In the bedroom on the side, there was no charming figure of Song Qiumo.

In front of the lonely grave a thousand miles away, there was no bright red figure sitting quietly drinking.

"Tianren Zongshi Feng, you haven't fished for a demon king yet, right?"

Li Hao looked at the old man leaning on the rocking chair in the courtyard and smiled; knowing each other for many years, it could be considered a friendship across generations; owing too much and too deeply, there was no way to start thanking him.

"Hmm, you can try this time."

Feng Feng Bo Ping laughed lightly, holding a pot of wine in his hand, shaking it gently.

Li Hao sat beside him, took two sips, and asked: "Tianren Zongshi Feng, having been here for so long, you seem to have never urged me to cultivate."

He knew that in the eyes of others, his daily behavior was a waste of time; when he was in that mansion, he still had some concerns, but here he was completely let go.

Let go of "cultivation."

"Cultivation is also for the sake of being happy; since you are happy, what does it matter if you cultivate or not?"

Feng Feng Bo Ping laughed lightly.

Li Hao had long known that Tianren Zongshi Feng's temperament was free and easy, not sticking to small matters; hearing this, he still turned his head and stared at him, then laughed:

"If I could become stronger, you wouldn't have to be so hard-working."

Feng Feng Bo Ping shook his head slightly, his demeanor indifferent: "A mere three years of wind and frost, what's worth mentioning."

Li Hao looked at him and didn't speak again.

An old man and a young man drank wine quietly, looking at the snow scene; although there were fewer people in the courtyard, it was even more peaceful.

To deal with the arrival of the Wanshan Demon King, Li Hao and Tianren Zongshi Feng still made some preparations, secretly burying many secret lines outside Tianmen Pass.

Both were good at fishing, and were also waiting for the opponent's arrival.

As for whether they could rival them, it depended on how much they caught and how big it was.

If the line snapped, it would be time to abandon it.

In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed.

Li Hao sat on the top of the mountain, bathing in the cold wind.

Today's wind seemed particularly strong and particularly cold.

Li Hao sat quietly, and the little white fox had already shrunk into his arms.

With Li Hao's physique, he naturally didn't care about this bit of cold wind; he looked at the cold wind carrying countless falling snow, drifting down from the sky; in his field of vision, countless snowflakes rolled, drifted, and fell among all things.

Suddenly, a feeling of spiritual inspiration seemed to surge up.

The thinking and precipitation accumulated over many days, as well as the spiritual light that had repeatedly hit his heart door, at this moment, suddenly broke through the final wall of his heart.

Li Hao had an epiphany.

He suddenly understood what it was that he had been bitterly pursuing.

And he also suddenly understood what it was that all things in this vast world had in common.

—It is a breath of Qi!

Mountains, rivers, birds, beasts, and all living things are moved because of this breath of Qi!

Martial arts cultivation is also the same.

Mortals live by this breath of Qi.

Martial artists rely on energy to walk through the great meridians and exert force.

Seven emotions and six desires are all a breath of Qi.

The growth of all things is also a breath of Qi!

But this breath of Qi is not the breath of Qi understood by ordinary people; this is a breath of Qi between heaven and earth!

This breath of Qi can evolve all things, can nourish all things, can turn into mountains, rivers, birds, and beasts, and can turn into life in the world! Li Hao closed his eyes, and the aura of his whole body rapidly contracted, transformed, and merged with heaven and earth.

This feeling was very similar to cultivation, but not quite.

The energy in his body merged with heaven and earth, all dissipated, and under the refinement of heaven and earth, it transformed, like washing away lead and fire, blooming with dazzling and brilliant luster.

This luster was ethereal and illusory, as if it did not exist in the real world.

Li Hao gave all his energy to heaven and earth, and then asked heaven and earth to borrow a breath of Qi and integrate it into himself.

Li Hao called this breath of Qi "Immortal Qi."

Tianren Zongshi limit, Land Immortal Realm, achieved! (End of chapter)