Chapter 639: Flesh Destroyed, Divine Sun Seeks Refuge

"Go, don't waste their sacrifice, don't burden Lord Hao!"

The Sage of the Ming Clan watched Li Hao battling fiercely against the True Immortal Ancient Demon, his face grim—he never expected the one to bear this burden at last would be the boy before him.

He gritted his teeth and ordered all the Sages to retreat and flee; staying here was meaningless, but if they survived, perhaps they could still find a way, fight once more—even if hope was vanishingly slim, only the living held hope.

The Yin-Yang Sage and the Mo Clan Sage and others also realized this: staying here would only mean dying alongside Li Hao, offering no help at all.

Although the Military Sage's battle array could greatly aid Li Hao, the Ancient Demon's Immortal Domain enveloped them, and within the array, they could not withstand it—they would collapse in an instant.

"If death is certain, I will stay and fight alongside Lord Hao to the end!"

"Since death is inevitable, I am willing to die for the Ten Thousand Realms."

Among the hundreds of Sages, some stepped forward with furious expressions; witnessing Seeing Yuanzu and the Divine King holding the rear, even a being as mighty as the Divine King had fought for the Ten Thousand Realms—yet this Li Hao, whom they themselves had wronged, the one least deserving of suffering in this catastrophe, was now fighting desperately to the death, and they felt if they fled, they could never face their own conscience.

If a Sage cannot face himself, he cannot face his own Dao—everything will collapse.

Seeing this, the Sage of Ming roared: "Go! Don't burden Lord Hao! Your staying here is meaningless—shameful survival demands more courage than noble death!"

"Only the living hold hope!"

The Law Sage also spoke gravely.

The Sages who had wished to stay and die in battle suddenly wore complex, grim expressions.

But reason compelled them to admit the Sage of Ming's words: the gap with the True Immortal was too vast—even burning their Primordial Spirits might not inflict a single scratch upon this True Immortal Ancient Demon.

Sorrow and despair! The Sage of Ming roared as he charged far away, deliberately creating loud noise and commotion.

If the True Immortal Ancient Demon chased him, he would die—but then Li Hao might survive, gaining precious time.

Unfortunately, the True Immortal Ancient Demon, dodging continuously under Li Hao's assault, had no attention to spare for anyone else.

To it, only this human Sage posed a real threat; all others were mere insects, easily crushed at any moment.

The Law Sage, the Yin-Yang Sage, and others also scattered in different directions to avoid being cornered and wiped out by the True Immortal Ancient Demon.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Dozens of Sage figures scattered like falling stars, vanishing swiftly from the scene.

In an instant, only Li Hao and the True Immortal Ancient Demon remained in the void.

Two broken Immortal Swords howled as they pierced, creating terrifying sonic booms and rifts in space—space itself was nearly torn into darkness, dissolving into spatial chaos.

Roar! After continuous dodging, the True Immortal Ancient Demon saw Li Hao showed no sign of exhaustion, and roared in fury—ignoring the incoming broken swords, it slammed its Immortal Domain down upon Li Hao while lashing out a sharp tail spike.

Its tail spike severed space, nullifying all cosmic laws within the void, piercing straight through Li Hao's Eternal Dao Domain and impaling his chest.

Li Hao could not dodge; beneath its Immortal Domain, his Nine-Stage Body Technique was useless, and even his Nirvana Extreme Realm could not evade detection—he could only take the blow head-on.

But seizing the moment of its attack, the two broken Immortal Swords struck at full speed, instantly carving hundreds of gashes across the True Immortal Ancient Demon's body.

A terrifying aura, like a death-bringing ghost rising from the abyss, washed over the True Immortal Ancient Demon—it felt that same dread again, its fur bristling, its spine chilling, and it roared inwardly: how could this attack reappear again?

It hastily activated its body's self-defense, once more unleashing the power of Reverse Fate, altering its Primordial Spirit's resonance.

Boom! Its exploded flesh sprayed outward, yet hung suspended in the void, not falling.

Only a small amount fell downward, vanishing into the depths of the Ten Thousand Realms—the Nine Heavens Abyss.

Seeing the enemy repeat the same tactic, Li Hao's eyes gleamed—he drew another broken Immortal Sword, concentrating all his Primordial Spirit power into it; his previously burned Primordial Spirit energy was spent, so he burned five more Golden Meridians, recalled the two broken swords to his side, then hurled the newly drawn sword forward.

Amid the scattered flesh, the True Immortal Ancient Demon's body coalesced; as the writhing flesh sealed shut and its true form was about to restore, the broken Immortal Sword stabbed through.

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

The broken Immortal Sword pierced its body, ravaging its interior, instantly causing massive necrosis—over three hundred bones were severed.

"My Sword Dao!"

Li Hao pushed his Sword Intent to its peak; aided by the Sword Dao, the blade grew sharper and slightly faster—Boom! When only ten bones remained, the True Immortal Ancient Demon roared and regenerated its ruined body.

In an instant, all its wounds healed. Li Hao's eyes showed a flicker of pain—so close.

If my Sword Dao could reach the Tenth Stage, perhaps I could sever it! The True Immortal Ancient Demon glared fiercely at Li Hao; it was cunning, having fought in the Fall of Emperors War, with immense battle experience—it had sensed Li Hao might strike during its regeneration gap, and had already prepared, fusing its Immortal Domain into its body to seal the weakness.

This boy, so stubbornly repeating the same technique—it sensed vaguely that he held some method capable of killing it, but for now, the method had failed.

Whoosh! Its Immortal Domain surged outward, preparing to strike Li Hao again.

Li Hao's expression shifted—he immediately commanded the two broken Immortal Swords to continue piercing the demon's body.

Seeing this, the True Immortal Ancient Demon had to halt and dodge the blades.

Li Hao kept attacking; he no longer hoped to kill it—he only wanted to prolong the battle, buying more time so the Holy Lands and the Nine Immortal Isles could evacuate to the Divine Sun.

As Li Hao pressed forward, the True Immortal Ancient Demon dodged rapidly; each time he struck, the broken swords' edge accelerated, forcing the demon into constant defense.

It loathed the boy with every fiber of its being, vowing that when Li Hao finally collapsed, it would make him suffer more than death.

This battle ultimately became the prolonged war Li Hao dreaded most—luckily, the Ten Thousand Celestial Meridians granted him endless energy; yet wielding the broken swords drained his Primordial Spirit, and he did not know how long his Primordial Spirit could endure.

The battle continued.

Ten minutes. One hour. Four to five hours.

The furious clash echoed endlessly through the void.

On the other side, the Sages had long since fled the scene.

After scattering, they reconnected via command tokens and quickly confirmed each other's positions.

With Seeing Yuanzu and the Divine King dead, and Li Hao locked in desperate combat holding the rear, the Sage of Ming and other Supreme Sages became the leaders of the remaining Sages.

"At this point, you all head to Lord Hao's Holy Land for refuge; I will seek out Mi Xu Tian's Mi Tian Sage to see if he has any ideas." The Sage of Ming made arrangements.

"I'll find the Nine Island Masters of the Nine Immortal Isles—I've heard their isles are mysterious, relics of Immortal Gods—perhaps they hold some power that can harm this True Immortal Ancient Demon." The Law Sage said, though deep down he held little hope; after all, this Ancient Demon calamity must have reached the Nine Immortal Isles long ago—if those Immortal God relics truly held great power, they would have contacted them already.

In such a catastrophe, he refused to believe the Nine Immortal Isles would be so foolish, watching the calamity sweep the Ten Thousand Realms with open eyes.

"I'll think—can the battle array be improved or enhanced?"

The Military Sage spoke gravely; in the past, he had always worked on such things secretly, afraid of drawing trouble, which slowed his progress—but now he no longer needed to fear such things. Still, time seemed to be running out.

"Go! All of you, find solutions!"

Said the Sage of Ming.

The Sages were heavy-hearted; though Li Hao held the rear, death could strike at any moment—and under this crushing despair, they all strained their minds, searching desperately for hope.

Soon, the Sages arrived at Li Hao's Holy Land.

At this moment, the Holy Land was filled with noise and chaos, packed to the brim with people.

"Why are you here?"

Feng Bo Ping had just relocated half the people of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty into the Holy Land—it was already full; the rest he planned to send to the Nine Immortal Isles, which still had space.

Sensing the presence of many Sages, he rushed out of the Holy Land—and upon seeing them, he froze in shock.

His gaze swept rapidly—but he saw no dazzling figure. He tried to look again, but his heart turned icy.

That figure was too radiant—among millions, even without looking, one would notice him instantly—but now, he could not find him.

"Where is Lord Hao!"

Feng Bo Ping roared.

Li Hao had gone to meet them—but they returned, and Li Hao did not! "It was a True Immortal Ancient Demon—Lord Hao held the rear for us and hasn't returned. Seeing Yuanzu and the Divine King also held the rear and sacrificed themselves…"

The Yin-Yang Sage spoke in a low voice, explaining to Feng Bo Ping; in the past, if a Three Calamities Sage had dared to roar at him like this, he would have punished him—but now he understood the man's anguish.

"Held the rear…"

Feng Bo Ping shuddered, his eyes instantly reddening; though he had been in deep meditation in Mi Xu Tian, he had heard everything upon awakening.

"The disaster was your doing—how could you make him hold the rear!"

"You—you are unworthy of the title Sage!"

Feng Bo Ping pointed at them like a thousand accusing spears, furious.

Watching him like an aged, enraged lion, the Sages all wore grim faces but said nothing.

"You twisted the truth, smeared his name, and now he comes to clean up your mess—how can you bear it!"

Feng Bo Ping roared, nearly out of control.

Yet inside, he felt only profound sorrow.

That child—he had not changed at all, his innate kindness carved into his bones since childhood.

During their daily life together, he had long seen Li Hao's true nature—otherwise, why would he have followed him so faithfully, merely because they shared a love of fishing, even risking everything to shield him from the demons watching when he stepped out of that Divine General's mansion?

Feng Bo Ping's roar echoed above the Holy Land like thunder—many within the Holy Land rushed out, witnessing the scene and hearing his words.

Many stood frozen, their faces drained of color.

Among them, Lin Lin Qingying swayed, barely standing; though she had already forged the Chuxing of her own Sage Dao, as a Semi-Sage, she now felt a dizzying numbness in her mind.

Ji Yu Xuan Shen and others all felt dry throats, lost in shock.

Besides them, Chi Guang, Lin Lin Shuhai, the Moonlight Holy Son, and others were also present, their eyes filled only with awe—could that unrivaled prodigy really perish here? Even as rivals, they had looked up to and admired that boy—now, he stood atop the peak, yet was about to fall from it.

Besides them, Zhan Tan and others from the Flower Gathering felt deep sorrow.

"If he's gone, why are you here?"

Huang Tian Sage looked coldly at the Sages; though saddened by Li Hao's choice, it also deepened her impression of the boy.

The Mo Clan Sage sighed, bitterly saying: "We could not aid Lord Hao—we came here for refuge, and to pool our strength and find a solution. Don't misunderstand us—we are not fleeing. If we could kill that True Immortal Ancient Demon, even if I were shattered and could not reincarnate, I would be the first to step forward!"

"That's right—I'm willing too."

The Sages all chimed in.

"We were wrong before. Now the damage is done—we no longer expect forgiveness. Forgiveness is meaningless. All we want now is to preserve the spark, to let more people survive."

One Sage said.

"That's right. Lord Hao is holding the rear, fighting the True Immortal Ancient Demon to the death. We are willing to die beside him—but it would be meaningless. If you don't believe us, then if the True Immortal Ancient Demon comes, we swear to fight to the death—I swear by my Dao!"

"I understand your feelings, but now the urgent task is to find a solution—we must not betray them."

The Yin-Yang Sage stared at Feng Bo Ping and the others, speaking gravely: "Lord Hao holds the rear—for us, and for you. He could collapse at any moment; the True Immortal Ancient Demon could arrive at any moment. Don't waste time. Once we find a refuge, you may curse us all you want—but now, act!"

Feng Bo Ping's fists clenched with a cracking sound—he wanted to punch the man in the face—but he knew the man was right: they had reached here only because Li Hao held the rear.

Even Li Hao had laid down his resentment for the greater good—he could not betray the boy now.

The Holy Physician and the Vast Heaven True Person exchanged glances; though they blamed them, they knew the Yin-Yang Supreme was right, and given their current strength, without the Heavenly Sovereign here to hold the line, they could not resist if they tried to force their way.

They turned to Feng Feng Bo Ping, who clenched his teeth and said, "Then let's act quickly—we'll join forces with the Nine Heavens Immortal Isle. Originally, the Heavenly Sovereign was to lead, using his Primordial Spirit to envelop the Sacred Ground and evade the Ancient Demon's detection, but now the one arriving is a True Immortal-level Ancient Demon; we can only hope the Immortal Deity ruins of the Nine Provinces Immortal Isle can block it."

Hearing his words, the other Saints realized that even seeking refuge was extremely difficult.

Yet they remained silent, saying nothing.

"Let's go—meet at the Nine Provinces Immortal Isle!"

Said the Holy Physician.

Feng Feng Bo Ping nodded, then looked at the other Saints and said, "Help me—unite your power and activate the Sacred Ground, hurry over."

Upon hearing this, the Saints immediately moved, feeling a slight sense of relief.

But the heavy, suffocating shadow of death still weighed heavily on their hearts—only slightly less oppressive than before.

Soon, with the aid of the Saints, a void corridor was constructed in the air, easily spanning a million li.

The Sacred Ground shifted through the corridor, arriving at the location of the Nine Provinces Immortal Isle in less than a minute.

Within the Sacred Ground, the Saints' domains shielded everyone—even such violent transit caused no harm; otherwise, ordinary people without cultivation would have been torn apart by the void.

On the Nine Provinces Immortal Isle, the Law Saint had already arrived ahead, explaining the situation and projecting the earlier battle.

The nine island masters of the Nine Provinces Immortal Isle were ancient demon kings with immense lifespans, long since transformed into Saints; seeing the projection of the Saints fighting alongside Li Hao, though it seemed they had suppressed the True Immortal Ancient Demon, they were in fact cornered.

After all, the True Immortal Ancient Demon could not be killed—its recovery far surpassed theirs; in the end, it would be them who died.

"Heavenly Sovereign..."

The Fox Master's face was pale; memories of the mortal world surfaced. She never imagined she'd never had the chance to repay her debt before this fate arrived.

As the Saints arrived, the island masters accepted this reality—only the Fox Master seethed with hatred, but with the greater good at stake, she reluctantly accepted the other eight masters' decision, and after deliberation, led the Saints to their most mysterious Immortal Deity ruin.

It was an Immortal Deity's cave mansion, still largely intact.

Though called a cave mansion, it resembled a divine temple, its interior vast enough to contain the entire Nine Provinces Immortal Isle—and Li Hao's Sacred Ground.

As the Immortal Deity ruin was extracted, the nine island masters each sent one of the nine islands into it, then incorporated Li Hao's Sacred Ground as well.

After completing this, Feng Feng Bo Ping noticed extra space remaining on the islands and immediately proposed to them: bring over the remaining people of Great Yu.

"With this remaining space, we can bring over the Dao-Enlightened from the Ten Thousand Realms—they're far more valuable than ordinary civilians."

Hearing Feng Feng Bo Ping's words, the Law Saint said.

Feng Feng Bo Ping stared coldly at him and said, "This was the Heavenly Sovereign's wish. If we speak of value, he's worth more than any of you—but look where we are now?!"

The Law Saint fell silent, saying nothing more.

The Mo Sect Supreme sighed, "Whether Dao-Enlightened or ordinary civilians, all are lives. We live only because of the Heavenly Sovereign's protection. This is his wish—follow the Thief Supreme's advice. Besides, we don't even know if this refuge will hide us from the True Immortal Ancient Demon."

The Fox Master was the first to agree with Feng Feng Bo Ping; once the other island masters followed suit, they tore open the void together and went to Great Yu to evacuate the civilians.

The Jiang Ancestor also tore open the void to assist.

With the cooperation of several Saints, in barely half a stick of incense, all civilians were transferred.

"Let's go—to Divine Sun!"

Once the Immortal Deity ruin was filled, everyone set out for the planned refuge at Divine Sun.

Only then did the Saints learn the refuge was on Divine Sun itself—the Immortal Deity ruin's purpose was to resist the Dadao forces and cosmic laws of Divine Sun.

Divine Sun was a true star, blazingly intense, saturated with chaotic, destructive forces—even Saints felt discomfort near it and could not linger.

As the Immortal Deity ruin neared Divine Sun, the searing light grew blinding, waves of terrifying destruction sweeping toward them—but were blocked by the ruin.

Soon, the Saints guided the Immortal Deity ruin to the face of Divine Sun, landing on the crimson star.

The surface churned with golden magma, occasionally erupting dark-black patches.

To evade detection by the True Immortal Ancient Demon, they had to sink into Divine Sun itself.

Under the nine island masters' control, the Immortal Deity ruin settled onto Divine Sun and sank into the blazing magma; the surrounding destructive forces multiplied dozens of times, fully enveloping the ruin.

Those within the ruin felt the air suddenly grow scorching, their bodies burning with heat.

"Bad—destructive forces have penetrated the cave mansion!"

"Quick—block them!"

As the ruin sank deeper, the destructive forces of Divine Sun seeped in—forces even Saints had to handle carefully; if they struck the Immortal Isle or Sacred Ground, massive casualties would follow.

The Saints swiftly acted, deploying domains and barriers to envelop the Immortal Isle and Sacred Ground.

The scorching sensation faded—the destructive power of Divine Sun slowly eroded the Saints' domains and barriers. The Immortal Deity cave mansion was incomplete, unable to fully block Divine Sun's erosion—but the remaining gaps, the Saints could collectively seal.

"At this rate, we'll only last ten years before we're drained."

The Nameless Saint, who had failed to find the Vast Heaven True Person in the Void Heaven, contacted the Law Saint and others, arriving here; after observing briefly, he calculated the consumption.

"There's no celestial energy around Divine Sun—even heavenly forces are burned and destroyed. It's an absolute domain of death—no cultivation possible. To take refuge here, we can only refine our hearts, not advance our realms. Ten years—only ten short years. If the Ancient Demon slaughters the Ten Thousand Realms, it certainly won't withdraw from this realm in ten years."

Said the Yin-Yang Supreme.

This refuge could only extend their lives by ten years—how fleeting.

"Though this place is terrible, it's perfect for hiding—the Ancient Demon would never imagine we'd hide here. Even if he suspected, he wouldn't bother searching."

The Mo Sect Saint mused, "After ten years, we can sneak out quietly, scout the outside, replenish our strength, then return and hide again."

"That's all we can do. We don't even know what's happening outside—the Qian Luo Palace vanished. I searched—it's gone, relocated. Probably also seeking refuge, but didn't contact us—likely has its own plan."

A Third Calamity Saint sighed.

The Qian Luo Palace had secluded itself for years; now sensing the crisis, it fled first—without contacting them.

"I wonder how the Heavenly Sovereign is faring. His strength surpasses our imagination—never have I seen a Saint so powerful. I feel he's far stronger than Seeing Yuanzu. Perhaps the True Immortal Ancient Demon can't kill him." A Saint voiced concern.

The Lie Tian True Person, the Vast Heaven True Person, and others remained silent.

Feng Feng Bo Ping's face was grim; he sat in a corner, unwilling to speak.

Before entering, he had sent a message via his token, informing Li Hao they had taken refuge in Divine Sun and urging him to flee—but received no reply. He didn't know if the message had arrived too late.

"It'll be fine."

The Lie Tian True Person found Feng Feng Bo Ping, seeing his gloomy expression, whispered words of comfort.

Feng Feng Bo Ping remained silent, unwilling to speak.

"I wonder what's happening outside—if the Heavenly Sovereign can't hold back, the Ten Thousand Realms..."

The Saints stood together, imagining the horrific scenes beyond, feeling countless sins clinging to them—all the disasters they had caused.

"Even message tokens are blocked here on Divine Sun—we're completely cut off. Unless we leave Divine Sun, we can only wait. Brothers, think—what other options remain?"

Said the Nameless Saint solemnly.

The Saints remained silent—if they had a solution, they would have thought of it when the Ancient Demon first breached.

As the others entered Divine Sun to take refuge,

In the void, Li Hao still fought fiercely with the True Immortal Ancient Demon.

Li Hao kept attacking, buying time.

The True Immortal Ancient Demon, seeing Li Hao showed no sign of exhaustion, was furious and astonished—never had it seen such a persistent human.

After careful observation, it struck again, swiping its claw toward Li Hao's head.

Li Hao's expression changed; he urgently directed the broken Immortal Sword to strike swiftly.

These two broken Immortal Swords were already chipped and more damaged; their damage to the True Immortal Ancient Demon was minimal—only scratching its surface. But even so, any wound triggered the lethal property.

Seeing Li Hao accelerate his attacks, the True Immortal Ancient Demon ignored everything and slammed its claw directly at his head.

Boom—they both faced imminent threat.

Li Hao's head exploded; celestial laws bound him, his blood-rebirth ability paralyzed, unable to heal.

Moreover, the method of splitting blood to another location for resurrection upon death was useless before a True Immortal—if the Primordial Spirit was destroyed, even a perfect body was just a corpse.

The Primordial Spirit was the core.

Li Hao swiftly severed his neck, discarding the part corrupted by celestial power, and his head regrew.

Simultaneously, the True Immortal Ancient Demon suffered the lethal property's strike; it chose self-destruction again—but this time, only part of its body exploded, transferring the lethal force.

Li Hao's heart sank—the True Immortal Ancient Demon had found a way to evade the lethal property.

At this rate, the lethal property's restraining effect would weaken further.

As the True Immortal Ancient Demon regenerated, Li Hao no longer tried to exploit gaps for attacks—he had few broken Immortal Swords left; each attempt severely damaged one, for inflicting such massive damage consecutively placed immense strain on the blades themselves.

Previous attempts had all failed; Li Hao realized he could not kill it.

Without the Saints' formation boost, it was even less possible.

Yet, as it healed, Li Hao continued directing the broken Immortal Swords to strike, trying to trigger the lethal property repeatedly.

As if fortune favored him, the True Immortal Ancient Demon's body had barely reformed when it again felt the parasitic death force—startled, it exploded once more to transfer it.

Li Hao seized the chance and attacked again.

Under relentless assault, the True Immortal Ancient Demon was trapped in self-destruction, temporarily unable to counterattack.

But after several minutes, Li Hao's luck seemed spent—misfortune struck; hundreds of consecutive attacks failed to trigger the one-percent chance.

The True Immortal Ancient Demon's body reformed again—this time, angrier than before.

But fortunately, it had now understood the nature of that power—terrifying as it was, as long as it avoided contact, it could survive.

Through repeated self-destruction and transfer, it had mastered how to evade it, no longer as fearful as before.

Now, as its body reformed, black whirlwinds erupted around it, swirling with immense Immortal power; then, a black lightning bolt began to coalesce.

Li Hao's expression changed; he accelerated his attacks.

But the True Immortal Ancient Demon's Immortal domain was now tighter than before—the broken Immortal Swords struggled to pierce through.

Li Hao saw the True Immortal Ancient Demon's eyes burning with black smoke, as if enraged beyond measure.

Li Hao felt a terrible premonition—the enemy was activating some secret technique to kill him utterly.

"Kill!"

Li Hao abandoned controlling the two broken immortal swords, instead pouring his primordial spirit energy into one broken immortal sword, and soon pierced through the opponent's immortal domain again, leaving scratches on its body.

But the attack frequency of a single immortal sword dropped by half, and at the same time, the black lightning Ningju before the true immortal ancient demon emitted terrifying ripples—Li Hao felt his hairs stand on end, sensing the breath of death.

Flee? Li Hao had considered escaping, but his nine-stage body technique was far too crude to outrun it.

The body technique Nangong Xue Jian had passed to him was an immortal-level combat art, but Li Hao's understanding of it was barely at the threshold.

"Trigger! Trigger!"

Li Hao stared fixedly at the opponent—once he triggered the lethal property, he could interrupt the attack, forcing the opponent to dodge.

The broken immortal sword slashed rapidly, but this time even fate seemed to abandon him—hundreds of strikes in a row failed to trigger! When luck had favored him before, it triggered within ten strikes.

Boom! Without warning, the black lightning, condensed to its peak, shot forward in an instant!

In that instant, it reached Li Hao's face, striking his body—faster than his reflexes could react!

Li Hao's body in the void seemed frozen.

Then, suddenly—BOOM—it exploded.

His entire massive body shattered completely, annihilated by black lightning, reduced to nothingness.

The black lightning, like a gaping maw, fully swallowed Li Hao's body!

This time, the true immortal ancient demon still chose to attack Li Hao, and in an instant utterly destroyed his physical body.

His body, comparable to a sixth-tribulation emperor weapon, offered not the slightest resistance.

The void fell silent in an instant.

Only the faintly panting figure of the true immortal ancient demon remained, its crimson eyes sweeping—then suddenly tightening as it fixed on a point in the void.

Zip! There, a golden light shot away at an unimaginable speed, fleeing far into the distance.

At the same time, the broken immortal sword that had been relentlessly stabbing at him also surged forward at even greater speed, about to vanish from sight in an instant.

Roar! The true immortal ancient demon let out a furious, sky-shaking bellow—it was that human's primordial spirit! It had shattered his body, but his primordial spirit had escaped!

Run! Run! Run! In the void, Li Hao's primordial spirit fled at full speed, heart pounding with dread.

At the moment that attack struck, his body had no time to react—but his primordial spirit had reacted instantly, fleeing his body and avoiding the blow! His physical form, however, was shattered, utterly annihilated, not even a drop of blood left behind.

Such terrifying power made Li Hao tremble—was this the strength of a true immortal? Combined with secret arts, it was far beyond what a saint-level could withstand.

"Faster! Faster!"

Li Hao growled inwardly, his golden meridians burning as his primordial spirit fled at unimaginable speed.

The primordial spirit's speed was not bound by body technique—it was the speed of soul-control; how fast one could control an object, so fast could the primordial spirit move.

In a few breaths, Li Hao had already teleported one hundred thousand li.

In mere instants, he leaped ten thousand li—faster than light, faster than thunder.

But at that moment, Li Hao suddenly felt something chasing him from behind.

He turned back—and saw a pitch-black shadow leaping through the void at breakneck speed, moving like a nimble fish gliding through the sea. It was the true immortal ancient demon—but not its body, its primordial spirit!

The opponent had chosen to shed its body and pursue with its primordial spirit alone.

If it had used its body, even a true immortal-level being could not match Li Hao's current primordial spirit speed.

After consuming twelve years of ancient demons on the Ancient Road, Li Hao's primordial spirit had become terrifyingly strong—far beyond the peak of primordial spirit realm.

Roar! The true immortal ancient demon's shadow darted like fleeting light across the void, accelerating with a special primordial spirit art, closing the distance to Li Hao.

Li Hao's face darkened—this wouldn't do. He suddenly spun around, his primordial spirit transforming into a blade, slashing toward the opponent at full speed.

The true immortal ancient demon seemed unprepared for Li Hao's counterattack, momentarily startled—but did not slow, roaring as it charged forward.

As an ancient demon, which fed on souls, in primordial spirit combat, even a true immortal of the same realm was no match for it—let alone a mere saint-level.

Boom! In an instant—less than one hundred-thousandth of a second—their primordial spirits collided.

The next moment, the true immortal ancient demon let out a furious cry of pain—its primordial spirit had been torn open by Li Hao! Li Hao, seeing the wounded primordial spirit of the ancient demon, let Shayi flash in his eyes—he had wanted to kill its body all along, just to force out its primordial spirit for direct combat.

He felt his own primordial spirit energy was no weaker than the true immortal ancient demon's.

Taking this risk, he had won.

"Die!"

Li Hao turned, ready to strike again.

At that moment, the ancient demon's primordial spirit erupted in roaring black mist, radiating terrifying ripples.

Li Hao's face changed—was this a primordial spirit art?

The ancient demon's primordial spirit aura surged violently—Li Hao realized something was wrong and instantly spun around, fleeing again.

The ancient demon's primordial spirit roared as it chased after Li Hao, who buried his head and ran, both racing across millions of li beneath countless stars in the void.

Eventually, with the primordial spirit art's enhancement, the ancient demon's primordial spirit caught up to Li Hao.

It transformed its primordial spirit into a vast black net, aiming to engulf Li Hao's.

Li Hao burned his golden meridians and roared as he slashed at the net.

In this moment of life or death, Li Hao channeled the sword intent of "Only I" and "Immortal's Guidance" into his primordial spirit—WHOOSH—he pierced through the black primordial spirit net and surged forward.

The ancient demon's primordial spirit clearly hadn't expected Li Hao to escape—it roared, trying to chase again—but its transformation into the net had slowed it, and now its primordial spirit art was nearly exhausted. The technique drained immense energy—it halted.

Earlier, Li Hao's counterattack had wounded its primordial spirit, planting seeds of caution in its mind.

Without its body nearby, if its primordial spirit was destroyed, it would be truly dead.

It felt fury—how could a saint-level being pose a mortal threat to it?

Watching Li Hao's primordial spirit vanish into the distance, it gritted its teeth and ceased pursuit.

Its gaze turned to the void, seeing countless small worlds floating—during the chase, it had sensed countless soul signatures here, far richer than it had imagined.

If it devoured them all, its wounded primordial spirit could heal—and even grow stronger.

Zip! It turned and flew back toward its body, while the faint primordial spirit energy still lingering within the body guided it toward this location.

If Li Hao suddenly turned back to strike, it was ready to activate its secret art once more.

On the other side, Li Hao fled continuously; after several minutes, he sensed no trace of the ancient demon's primordial spirit behind him—he ceased burning his divine meridians and slowed his speed.

"The ancient demon's primordial spirit art must have ended."

Li Hao's eyes flickered, considering whether to turn back and attack.

But he sensed Yinyin that the true immortal ancient demon was extremely cautious—though furious in pursuit, it had likely retained some strength.

After long deliberation, Li Hao ultimately chose to withdraw.

Before his body was destroyed, he had received a message from Old Wind—he and the others had reached Divine Sun for refuge.

With that, Li Hao finally exhaled in relief.

He concealed his aura and circled through the void; after completing a full loop and confirming no one followed, he headed toward Divine Sun.

As he ascended higher, Li Hao arrived before Divine Sun—and immediately felt searing heat engulf his entire body.

Yet, the primordial spirit could absorb solar essence to cultivate; here around Divine Sun, though lacking ambient spiritual energy, the solar essence was extraordinarily dense.

"This place can cultivate the primordial spirit?"

Li Hao was pleasantly surprised—but he sensed that even his own primordial spirit strength struggled here; a normal saint's primordial spirit would collapse quickly, let alone absorb solar essence to cultivate.

Li Hao sent out his intent, opened his realm, retrieved his token, and asked Old Wind for his location.

Though his body was destroyed, his realm remained tied to his primordial spirit.

Upon receiving Li Hao's message, Feng Feng Bo Ping, who had been sitting alone in sorrow atop the mountain within the Immortal-Deity Ruins, suddenly widened his eyes, then leapt up in joyful surprise.

"You're alive? You brat, you brat!"

Feng Feng Bo Ping was so excited he could barely speak coherently.

Beside him, Huang Tian Sheng froze, then her beautiful eyes widened in astonishment and delight.

Soon, Feng Feng Bo Ping informed Li Hao of the Immortal-Deity Ruins' location.

Li Hao followed the coordinates and entered the Immortal-Deity Ruins.

All the saints within the Immortal-Deity Ruins had also received the news from Feng Feng Bo Ping—that Li Hao was not dead! The revelation filled them with joy and excitement; they all stepped out of the ruins to welcome Li Hao.

Seeing all the saints present, Li Hao was unsurprised and immediately approached Old Wind and the Sword Master.

"You—your body…"

Feng Feng Bo Ping, seeing Li Hao was only a primordial spirit, froze in shock.

Li Hao smiled and said, "My body was destroyed, but I kept my life—I left my divine blood in the Sacred Ground; this is essentially a golden cicada shedding its shell."

As he spoke, he stepped onto the Sacred Ground, raised his hand—and a drop of blood sealed in a corner of the Sacred Ground pierced through the fissures, flying to him.

As his primordial spirit merged with the divine blood, the drop rapidly regenerated—within moments, his physical body was restored.

(End of Chapter)