Chapter 593: The Immortal Lady Plays the Zither

"Hm?"

Sensing the power on Li Hao's sword, the Huantian Saint was startled, his pupils contracting slightly—was this borrowing the power of the Dao of Heaven? He had just faintly sensed the aura of Heaven's Dao on Li Hao.

But such a technique was reserved for Supreme Saints… His eyes instantly turned icy with shock, and he abruptly mobilized the Dao of Heaven to seal off the surrounding realm.

This would cut off Li Hao's source of power—this was precisely why Supreme Saints could effortlessly slay Three Calamity Saints.

But Li Hao's spatial manipulation was swift; sensing the seal, the faint shred of the Celestial Sovereign's will within him let out a cold sneer, radiating boundless might that effortlessly shattered the sealing force.

All of this happened in an instant—Li Hao's sword light had already slashed forth, shattering the thunder in the heavens, causing the Dao that had encircled the ancient mountain for eons to retreat and dissipate, utterly breaking the scene that had endured for countless ages.

Boom! The sword light tore through the void, as if severing time itself; countless fundamental laws and brilliant sword intent converged upon this immortal's fingertip.

A violent tremor and roar erupted—the ferocious Supreme Saint Dao, carrying the momentum of heaven and earth, was cleaved apart; the blinding light bleached everything in the Huantian Saint's vision.

The void above the ancient mountain exploded into chaotic black light, ripped apart; the Huantian Saint stared blankly, a faint pain from his lone horn making him realize he had been wounded!

That was his hardest, sharpest part—and yet it was injured.

Beneath the chaotic currents of destruction, Li Hao did not flee—he surged forward at breakneck speed.

His entire body blazed like divine flame, his divine blood boiling, his Dao bones healing continuously even as they shattered; though this sword strike had blocked the Huantian Saint's attack, the shockwave of the Supreme Saint Dao had injured his body.

But fortunately, his healing speed was now so swift that minor wounds healed instantly—even if his flesh were destroyed, he could regenerate at incredible speed, as if truly immortal.

With the reinforcement of the Myriad Celestial Veins, his state, having plummeted to its lowest point, rose back to its peak in a single breath.

Second sword! Li Hao unleashed all his strength and slashed again, revealing his ultimate realm entirely, even activating the two states of Final Realm.

Boom! Startled, the Huantian Saint roared in fury and swung his claw, as if tearing off a piece of the heavens, hurling it toward Li Hao with overwhelming force.

Another terrifying shockwave erupted; Li Hao's figure pierced through the impact, his skin split and flesh torn—but healed instantly.

Third sword! Li Hao, seemingly tireless, continued swinging his blade in assault.

"You deserve to die!!"

The Huantian Saint raged—how could he, a Supreme Saint, be forced into defense by Li Hao? It was an insult!

But what was terrifying was that Li Hao's power truly could match his own!

He was merely a First Calamity, yet he could summon absurdly vast heavenly forces; the Huantian Saint no longer engaged in direct power clashes—he sensed his own energy replenishment was slightly slower than Li Hao's.

His massive body plunged downward like a black monstrous beast, his sharp horn charging straight at Li Hao.

The domain of Supreme Saint Dao enveloped everything; he unleashed terrifying might, as if capable of tearing the earth apart.

"A mere Second Tribulation Emperor Weapon—see how you break my defense!"

The Huantian Saint's eyes brimmed with killing intent as he reached out to seize Li Hao with his claw.

Brilliant sword light erupted, shoving his claw back—but as the Huantian Saint had said, though the blade was sharp, it could not pierce his carapace.

Not to mention true rupture—he could regenerate from a single drop of blood, healing instantly.

As a Saint forged through physical cultivation, reaching the Supreme Saint realm, his own body was the mightiest Emperor Weapon, rivaling a Sixth Tribulation Emperor Weapon.

Weapons capable of injuring him were exceedingly rare across the entire Land of Saints.

Aside from the Seeing Yuanzu, only the Poison of the Medical Saint could.

Boom! The Huantian Saint's claw struck Li Hao; Li Hao avoided being seized, and at the moment of contact, swiftly slashed with his sword, rebounding his body away.

His sword momentum blazed like a blazing sun—ethereal yet razor-sharp—as he struck the claw repeatedly, yet it was like hacking at divine iron, leaving no wound at all.

"Too hard."

Li Hao's gaze darkened—this was his near-maximum burst, and yet he could barely hold his own; against other Supreme Saints, he might have had a chance to wound them—but he had encountered the Huantian Saint.

Among all Supreme Saints, the Huantian Saint was among the strongest.

"If I keep fighting like this, it'll only end in a stalemate—I can't kill him."

The heavenly treasures he had previously plundered had allowed Gongming to repeatedly transcend and ascend, but compared to these Supreme Saints, his foundation was still far too thin.

If he couldn't kill him, there was no point in lingering—otherwise, drawing the attention of Long Sheng or the Seeing Yuanzu might not be wise.

As he thought, Li Hao fought while retreating, each sword strike unleashed with full force—only this way could he match the Huantian Saint.

"Trying to run?"

The Huantian Saint pressed in relentlessly, his massive body astonishingly agile; Li Hao could only dodge by countering.

Seeing Li Hao's intent, the Huantian Saint sneered—though Li Hao had repeatedly stunned him, defying his expectations, he had cultivated for too short a time; a Second Tribulation Emperor Weapon posed no threat to him.

As top-tier beings of the myriad heavens, Supreme Saints controlled roughly eighty percent of the cultivation resources and incense offerings; the rest were fought over by the old Three Calamity Saints and other Saints.

This was why Half-Saints struggled so fiercely for incense—most of it was held by Supreme Saints; even Saints themselves competed for it, let alone willingly giving it to Half-Saints.

"Heavenly Prison!"

The Huantian Saint suddenly raised his hand; his Supreme Saint Dao domain emitted intense suction, engulfing ten thousand li and activating his physical divine technique.

In the void, a colossal, semi-transparent hand slowly clenched, aiming to crush Li Hao.

Li Hao's expression changed slightly—if caught by the Huantian Saint, it would be pure power comparison, and he might not win.

"What I perceive, I command; what I command, I shatter!"

Sword scars appeared in Li Hao's eyes; his Sole Self Sword Dao seemed to subtly advance once more, and he slashed out with sudden force.

The Eternal Dao Domain and the sword shadows in his eyes coalesced and struck together.

The vague giant hand in the void split open—but without a single explosion.

Li Hao shot through the black fissure and broke free.

"Pity—my body technique is too slow. If I could elevate my body technique to the Dao level, even just combining it with my Ultimate Realm would let me escape!"

Li Hao flew forward continuously, yet felt his speed was still too slow; though his cultivation was already astonishingly fast, there remained much room for improvement.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Li Hao break his technique, the Huantian Saint's face grew cold as he chased after him again; though he cultivated Supreme Saint Dao, mastering brute force that shattered all methods, his body technique was not his strength—yet still surpassed most Three Calamity Saints.

In an instant, the Huantian Saint caught up to Li Hao again.

Li Hao's figure flickered, dashing toward the immortal spirit shadow atop the ancient mountain.

The immortal spirit shadow still sat, seemingly unaffected; only as Li Hao flew closer did it slowly open its eyes, its gaze piercing through time to fixate on this very moment in the future.

Then, the spirit shadow's expression subtly shifted, glancing at Li Hao, then settling on the Huantian Saint behind him.

Its eyes grew cold, as if whispering a faint sneer, then it raised its hand; a beam of light shot forth—but the farther it traveled from its body, the faster its power faded.

"Just a shadow? You dare try to suppress me?"

The Huantian Saint, sensing the attack targeted him, grew furious; he roared and charged forward, smashing the attack apart with his head—only a faint wisp of smoke and tiny cracks appeared on his body, healing instantly.

The immortal spirit's attack faded as its figure slowly dissipated, vanishing atop the mountain.

Li Hao knew this was merely a shadow etched by time—but what was chilling was that even this shadow possessed autonomous awareness.

What level of cultivation was required to achieve such ability?

Li Hao did not turn back; he pressed forward, using the immortal spirit's attack to create a slight distance from the Huantian Saint.

He repeatedly used the Void Return teleportation, piercing through rifts in the heavens, escaping the ancient mountain; ahead, after teleporting tens of thousands of li, lay another ancient mountain.

This mountain, too, was wreathed in thunder and fire, enveloped in tribulation energy; atop its peak sat an immortal spirit shadow—but its appearance differed from the previous one.

Li Hao dashed straight to the summit; the immortal spirit shadow opened its eyes, seeing Li Hao, its gaze piercing through illusion to fixate on him.

Soon, it sensed the Huantian Saint approaching; upon seeing him, its eyes instantly turned cold.

Then it raised its hand, just like the previous immortal spirit, and launched a spear-like attack, piercing straight through.

The Huantian Saint roared in fury and charged forward without hesitation.

Li Hao did not know whether these immortal spirits regarded the Huantian Saint as a demon, thus avoiding him and attacking only the Huantian Saint.

He did not turn back; he kept sprinting forward.

Behind the passage lay more ancient mountains; Li Hao teleported through seven in succession, using their immortal spirit shadows to barely widen the distance from the Huantian Saint.

"Hm?"

When he reached another ancient mountain, Li Hao saw that this one bore no thunder or fire—only crimson-gold clouds, as if painted with powdered gold, breathtakingly beautiful.

At its peak stood jade pavilions and crystal towers, immortal waterfalls and spiritual pools; a female immortal spirit shadow sat by the cliffside pavilion, gently playing a zither.

Around her, the Dao's resonance flowed like radiant hues, exquisitely beautiful.

Hearing the faint, distant music, Li Hao froze; with his mastery of the Dao of Sound, he recognized this as a peerless divine melody.

He felt an overwhelming urge—if he could obtain this melody, he would willingly sacrifice his life and longevity! "What a beautiful tune…"

Li Hao momentarily lost himself; the killing aura behind him snapped him back—he changed course, no longer luring the Huantian Saint toward the summit, unwilling to let this moment vanish.

Yet as he turned, the woman atop the mountain glanced at him with serene calm, her lips slightly upturned, then gently plucked a single note—a terrifying blade of sound, vertically slashing toward him.

"This melody is Nine Rivers' Lament…"

An ancient, exquisitely gentle thought surfaced in Li Hao's mind.

Then Li Hao watched the immortal spirit shadow atop the mountain gradually fade—her lingering moment in time had been exhausted by the sound-blade, vanishing utterly.

Li Hao stood frozen, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of loss.

But he silently memorized the name of this melody.

He did not know whether this woman was dead, or whether he would ever meet her again.

Li Hao pulled his thoughts back, sensing the furious roar behind him; he did not turn, pressing forward—he could not betray this final, perfect song.

When he reached another ancient mountain, he saw that here, too, there was no thunder or fire—only a shattered, charred landscape, as if ravaged by a great battle.

No immortal spirit shadow sat atop; the ground was blackened, lifeless.

Li Hao paused briefly, then did not linger—he sprinted onward.

But as he neared the exit of the mountain, he spotted something glinting; he narrowed his eyes.

It was a broken blade, jutting diagonally from a charred rock.

Yet strangely, the broken blade bore no dust—it looked brand new.

Li Hao reached out and summoned it; the blade swiftly flew through the air and landed in his hand.

Li Hao sensed no tribulation energy, nor any trace of Dao rhythm surrounding it.

But its presence here suggests it is most likely a Dao Tribulation Emperor Weapon—though, like its former glory, it has been shattered into fragments.

"Die!!"

A low roar came from behind—Huntian Huntian Shengren's eyes burned crimson, both by nature and fury.

As it flapped its wings, its form surged forward like a Kunpeng, claws tearing through space, aiming to rip Li Hao's flesh to shreds.

Only after tearing apart his body would he have the chance to devour him during his rebirth.

Li Hao's expression shifted slightly; he hurled the fragment in his hand, then swung his sword downward.

The swordlight flared violently, striking the opponent's horn—seeking to trade blows—but the next instant, Li Hao saw the claw suddenly snap off, blood spraying!

This sudden sight left Li Hao stunned; Huntian Huntian Shengren froze too, pupils contracting in shock as he stared at his severed claw.

The blood halted quickly, regenerating swiftly—but he was bewildered.

Li Hao didn't even check whether his sword strike had landed; his gaze snapped to the break, catching a brilliant glint—and his heart lurched. Could it be…?

He immediately burned his Primordial Spirit, drawing forth its power to yank the fragment's blade back toward him.

Without hesitation, he imprinted his Primordial Spirit onto the fragment—now, for Huntian Huntian Shengren to seize and control it would be extremely difficult, unless his Primordial Spirit strength surpassed Li Hao's by several times, capable of erasing the imprint and seizing another's Emperor Weapon.

But clearly, in terms of Primordial Spirit, though Huntian was a Supreme Saint, his gap with Li Hao was negligible—both were at the Ultimate Realm.

"What is this thing?"

Huntian Huntian Shengren's face darkened; his gaze fixed on the fragment, realizing it was no complete Emperor Weapon—yet that made it even more astonishing.

Li Hao now realized: though incomplete, this fragment was terrifyingly sharp—perhaps a top-tier Emperor Weapon, even surpassing Dao Tribulation Emperor Weapons! No wonder, after countless eons, it still gleamed so brightly, untouched by dust, so razor-sharp.

"Go!"

Li Hao directed the fragment, swiftly striking toward Huntian Huntian Shengren, testing its edge.

Huntian Huntian Shengren roared in fury, extending his Saintly Dao domain, then reached behind his carapace and pulled out an Emperor Weapon.

Facing Li Hao, he had never intended to use an Emperor Weapon—it was humiliating, like a college student solving a math problem by pulling out a calculator.

Even winning would be disgraceful.

(End of Chapter)