Chapter 653: Primordial Spirit Annihilation, Beneath the Forbidden Zone

Before leaving, the woman with the red spear selected several capable subordinates to remain behind and cover up the battle traces, then activated a divine array to shroud and conceal the Xuannu Gate—ordinary ancient demons could not detect it, unless a Grand Immortal-level ancient demon commander arrived here.

But such beings rarely come to such remote battlefields.

With the Saints departed, the myriad worlds also grew peaceful.

Countless city dwellers enjoyed the joy of survival after the calamity, building temples and golden statues to worship Hao Hao Tian Zun, who sacrificed himself for the myriad worlds.

Many factions were also being reshuffled; in the near future, the landscape of the myriad worlds would undergo massive change.

The Sword Master and others came to the ancient palace; now that Li Hao was dead, they wished to fight for the beings of the myriad worlds and make a contribution.

But when they arrived, the Saints had already departed.

However, before leaving, the Saints left a message in the ancient palace: they had followed the Immortals and Gods to the True Realm.

Seeing this message and the empty, desolate ancient palace, the Sword Master and others felt dazed.

The Immortal and God reinforcements Li Hao spoke of had truly come—but too late.

And the Saints of the myriad worlds had quietly departed, abandoning all their foundations here to follow the Immortals and Gods.

The Sword Master and others could understand the Saints' obsession and urgency: having lived countless eons and experienced everything, only the distant legend of the Immortal and God realm could move a Saint—this was even the sole driving force for many Saints to continue their cultivation.

"We came too late."

The Fox Master looked at the gap in the Immortal Gate, her eyes flickering with a touch of sorrow.

The Sword Master, knowing her close bond with Li Hao, smiled faintly and said, "Do you regret not coming sooner? Otherwise, you could have gone with them."

The Fox Master fell silent, then shook her head slightly. "Going is fine; not going isn't a big deal either. There will always be chances in the future. We're not yet Supreme Saints—the True Realm is full of ancient demons, and it's extremely dangerous. Better to stay here and live freely."

"Your words sound a bit like his nature."

The Sword Master murmured.

The Fox Master froze, her gaze darkening further as she whispered, "This world is truly unfair. These troublemakers did nothing to help, yet now they stand on the verge of becoming Immortals and Gods, while he walked this path without greed or desire, gave everything, and ended up dead and his Dao extinguished—who, then, stands upon the path to Immortality and Godhood?"

"All mortals seek fame—whether through family lineage, bearing children, it's all so that after death, someone will worship and not forget their name."

"Building achievements, pursuing grand ambitions—it's all for fame, so that one's name spreads across the land and all revere it."

"Awakening the Dao, becoming a Saint, transcending the Saintly path—it's still about fame, leaving one's name for a thousand generations, accumulating more incense and disciples scattered across the world."

The Sword Master murmured, "But whether Saint or Immortal and God, in this world, in this place, I believe that even after ten thousand generations, no one will forget him. Though he sought no fame, his name will echo eternally through the myriad worlds, passed down for all time!"

The Fox Master fell silent; the island masters of other Immortal Isles had their eyes flickering. Even Saints, after cultivating to this point, could not escape the temptation of "fame."

"But what use is memory… to him?"

A glimmer of sorrow appeared in the Fox Master's eyes; memories of the little white fox surged forth—lying curled in the boy's arms, watching an entire winter's snowfall.

Meanwhile, other boys his age labored diligently in cultivation, all to build achievements and earn glory.

The Sword Master fell silent. What use was a beautiful reputation after death? He could not answer. Perhaps he had an answer inside, but he knew the boy saw it the same way—yet he still hoped for something better.

"Since Immortals and Gods have come here, and we've seen no ancient demons invade for so long, it seems the ancient demons outside the Immortal Gate have all been dealt with—at least we can breathe easier."

The Fox Master pulled her thoughts back and smiled faintly.

The Sword Master nodded. Seeing a flower bloom in utter despair was a kind of detachment.

"I'll go see Hao Tian's physical body."

The Sword Master said, then glanced again at the Immortal Gate. "If more ancient demons invade and we can't stop them, I suggest moving the Immortal relics within the Divine Sun—but not too far from it. We may still need to flee disaster."

The Fox Master nodded slightly. "I'll go too. I'll leave my tail fur here—if ancient demons come, I'll sense them immediately."

"It's a pity only Saints can cross into this place. I'll station half-Saints from the Sword Ancestral Sanctuary to guard the ancient palace permanently."

The Sword Master said.

Once arrangements here were settled, they would all head to the Li Tianyuan Small World.

In this place, the physical bodies of the True Immortal-level ancient demon and Li Hao were both preserved, guarded by dozens of half-Saints from the former alliance.

Feng Bo Ping had already arrived, found Li Hao's body, and saw that Li Hao's body radiated immense pressure, with no Primordial Spirit to restrain it—the pressure was utterly uncontained, like a god asleep with eyes closed, his body a perfect proportion, as if meticulously sculpted by the world's greatest artisan.

Around Li Hao's body, dozens of half-Saints stood guard, gazing at it with reverence in their eyes.

Feng Bo Ping stared at the breathtaking body, his sorrow deepening further; he silently cursed the heavens. They say heaven envies talent—but this envy was too cruel. How could the heavens bear it?

He waved his hand, ordering the surrounding half-Saints to withdraw; he wished to sit alone with Li Hao, quietly speaking to an old friend.

He took out a flask of wine brewed in his space of heaven and earth, poured a cup for Li Hao, poured one for himself; as the wine's fragrance spread, he smiled and spoke to himself.

"... This is your favorite wine. You brat, you started drinking at thirteen or fourteen—even in that strict general's household. It's astonishing…"

"Remember that black dragon with the loose, frayed tail? Last time I asked you, you said you didn't remember. You little rascal—I clearly saw your eyelid twitch. You remembered perfectly—you probably counted every scale on that black dragon…"

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Hao beside him—still standing with eyes closed, expressionless, unresponsive. He smiled, but his eyes were already wet.

"I'll go back to the mortal realm again and find that black dragon for you…"

"When will I ever taste your grilled fish again…"

…

Besides Feng Bo Ping, others arrived in succession: Li Li Yuanzhao, Li Li Wushuang, Li Ping'an, Lin Lin Qingying, Ji Ji Xuanshen, and even the Moonlit Saint Prince and Chi Guang, who had once fought Li Hao—all came here, gazing at the statue-like figure with complex eyes.

At this moment, Li Hao's body was enormous, in the state of Dharma Manifestation.

Without a Primordial Spirit to restrain or contain it, his body had reverted to its cultivated state, radiating terrifying divine power. "Big Brother Hao…"

Li Li Yuanzhao's eyes blurred; beside him, his wife Xia Shi stood silently.

Since arriving in this myriad world, Xia Shi first sensed a profound change in her husband—vastly different from before. He had revived from his despair; though he wore a perpetually worried expression, something within him had changed.

Li Li Yuanzhao's earlier despair began after Li Hao's departure, when one day he suddenly learned that his parents' deaths were not mere misfortune: his father died on the battlefield, and his mother died in childbirth.

He had long known this, and always felt guilt and blame, believing he had killed his own mother. But later he learned that someone had leaked the news of his father's battlefield death to his mother, causing her emotional collapse and leading to her death in labor.

That person was Liu Liu Yuerong, long since imprisoned by Li Hao. After learning the truth, he drowned her himself in the dungeon, bearing the guilt himself. He did not use the power of the General's Mansion to cover it up—he simply accepted it all quietly. From then on, his entire demeanor changed; he drank daily, indifferent to everything.

Li Li Wushuang and her younger brother Li Yun and younger sister Li Li Zhining stood at the edge of the square, gazing silently.

Now her siblings were both generals of the General's Mansion, having entered the Three Immortal Realms, nearing the Four Foundations. Once childhood companions of Li Hao, they now all had spouses, families, and careers—yet Li Hao, once the brightest among them, remained alone, now separated by life and death.

Perhaps this was heaven's punishment for prodigies: the brighter they shone, the shorter their lives.

"At the Tan Palace, in the mansion, in Emperor Da Yu—he left traces everywhere he went. In the myriad worlds too, he was truly… the first person who ever made me truly respect him."

Li Yun whispered. As a child, he had seen Li Hao as a rival—until one day Li Hao caught him and gave him dozens of hard slaps on the buttocks, making him abandon that notion.

Now, those days of childhood seemed to make even the pain on his buttocks feel nostalgic and warm—but they could never return.

…

Outside the Forbidden Zone, the Twin-Fissure Demon Valley.

Some half-Saints volunteered to guard here; countless figures came from the void to pay homage, one after another. Some imperial clan members of divine dynasties, with low cultivation, unable to cross the void, rode royal dragon carriages just to bow in person.

This once terrifying forbidden zone had become lively, resembling a scenic spot.

Yet no one dared to step into the forbidden zone.

Inside the forbidden zone, the Twin-Fissure Demon Valley remained as still as ancient, utterly silent.

Deep within the fissures, darkness reigned, bottomless, swallowing all light and even laws.

Falling, falling.

Time returned to when Li Hao and the True Immortal-level ancient demon fell into the Twin-Fissure Demon Valley.

Li Hao felt his body continuously plummeting; chilling forces wrapped around his Primordial Spirit, and his Primordial Spirit felt cold, as if gradually freezing.

Li Hao was shaken. Is this the first forbidden zone of the myriad worlds?

Here, there was no heavenly or earthly power—just a dead, silent place. His Primordial Spirit could not move; bound by the rules here, he could only keep falling.

Ahead of him, the True Immortal-level ancient demon fell too, but its eyes revealed fury and terror. As a True Immortal, it had truly been driven to the brink by a Saint.

Yet despite its rage, under the suppression of Immortal laws here, it could not move—this was why it feared: it did not know where it would fall, and the place was slowly consuming its Primordial Spirit's strength, intensifying—would its Primordial Spirit simply fall until it vanished?

As Li Hao and the ancient demon stared at each other's Primordial Spirits, suddenly Li Hao felt his body pass through a membrane-like barrier; then, the darkness before him erupted into blinding light.

The chilling forces around him receded like a tide. After a second or two, Li Hao's Primordial Spirit adjusted, seeing before him—not only the True Immortal-level ancient demon's Primordial Spirit—but a magnificent palace stretching to the sky, radiating boundless radiant auroras.

Before the palace, the steps alone numbered tens of millions—uncountable.

Li Hao was stunned. Where was this?

At this moment, the True Immortal-level ancient demon's Primordial Spirit also regained awareness, staring in shock at the scene before it. It immediately sensed overwhelming Immortal energy—so thick it was unbelievable. Countless Immortal laws drifted through the void—powers only Immortal Lords could capture and master! It suddenly felt a revelation, then excitement, then ecstasy.

Its purpose in coming here was to find the Immortal Emperor's relics—and this towering palace, majestic even to it, seemed to be the Immortal Emperor's palace!

This was the Immortal Emperor's relic it sought—the realm truly had it!

Intense excitement made it momentarily want to hug Li Hao and kiss him. But when it remembered Li Hao, it snapped back to reality, its expression instantly changing.

Though it was a True Immortal, its Primordial Spirit strength was not much greater than Li Hao's—that was why it had been dragged here.

Still, if it unleashed its life force, it might still have a chance to kill this Saint.

It turned, its eyes cold as it stared at Li Hao, preparing to strike—when suddenly, a vast, overwhelming aura surged up from below.

As if a giant hand on the ground had suddenly extended into the void and seized it.

Compared to that earth-shattering might, the True Immortal now seemed like a fly hovering in midair.

With a pop, the True Immortal-level ancient demon's Primordial Spirit was crushed—without even a cry or protest, it vanished instantly.

Completely, utterly, from the void.

Li Hao felt no trace that the ancient demon's Primordial Spirit had ever existed.

He froze, then trembled all over, a chilling fear gripping him.

He looked toward the source of the power—and realized he had been so fixated on the towering palace that he hadn't noticed: outside the palace, on the flat ground, was a grassy clearing.

On the clearing stood a thatched cottage, surrounded by seven or eight mu of fertile farmland.

Before the cottage, an old man stood before an empty, swaying rocking chair, as if just rising. His face was kind, but his eyes were icy as they fixed on Li Hao.

Besides the old man, Li Hao noticed dozens of meditation cushions on the ground nearby; on over a dozen of them sat figures.

And the aura of these figures—all were Saints.

Li Hao was stunned. Deep within the Twin-Fissure Demon Valley's forbidden zone was this scene—and so many Saints? As Li Hao lowered his head to look, the old man's icy gaze slowly softened; noticing Li Hao's gaze, he smiled and waved his hand, beckoning Li Hao over.

(End of chapter)