Chapter 311: Heavenly Will vs. Saint's Will
"In ancient times, during the era of legends of immortals and gods, four words were passed down: Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow."
"The Dao Heart is also classified based on this system, but I've never heard of anything beyond an Earth-level Dao Heart. If such a thing exists, it would be the Heavenly Heart, the Heart of Heaven's Dao!"
"The teachings of the Saints have been passed down through the ages, and even they only possess the Dark Earth-level Dao Heart. Such ambition is already the limit of what we can imagine—could there be an even greater goal?"
The people inside the Immortal Gate exchanged glances.
From their understanding, it was hard to imagine a Dao Heart surpassing the ambitions of a Saint. Such a thing was unheard of. It seemed more believable that the Dao Heart Tower had malfunctioned, as this was a more plausible explanation.
As they discussed this, Yu Zu's gaze remained fixed on the boy outside the Immortal Gate. He spoke in a low voice:
"He's about to come in. This child must be taken by our Primordial Holy Land at any cost. I hope you all won't compete with me!"
"Yu Zu, your words are too domineering. Although our Heavenly Phoenix Holy Land isn't as powerful as the Primordial Holy Land, we are still willing to pour all our resources into nurturing him!"
The noble woman beside him, who had the presence of a divine goddess, said this calmly, though a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
"If I'm not mistaken, your Heavenly Phoenix Holy Land is of the demon race and has mostly female disciples. That hardly seems appropriate, does it?"
Yu Zu glanced at her coldly as he responded.
"So what if we are of the demon race? We have suitable cultivation methods for humans as well. Our two races have coexisted peacefully for a long time now. Are you trying to incite conflict between us?" The divine goddess's voice was cold. "Besides, having many female disciples might not be such a bad thing for him."
Yu Zu withdrew his gaze, not bothering to argue further, but he chuckled inwardly.
Since the boy came from the mortal world, Yu Zu knew his disciple's situation here and figured that the boy had close ties with the Jiang family. This would be his leverage. If the others wanted to compete with him, they would find it difficult.
As he pondered this, he glanced at an old man nearby, who was the ancestor of the Void Holy Land of Yunxia Realm. The old man remained expressionless, not speaking or showing any intention of competing, which surprised Yu Zu. How could the Void Holy Land not be interested in such a prodigy?
The other forces nearby were stunned by the divine goddess's words. The boy hadn't even entered the Immortal Gate yet, and the two half-Saint ancestors were already fighting over him—this was extraordinary.
However, they also knew they stood no chance of recruiting this prodigy, who was destined to enter a Holy Land and become a Saint's personal disciple.
Ji Xuanshen and the others exchanged wry smiles. This guy always caused a stir wherever he went.
"Boy, come on in."
Yu Zu called out to the boy outside the Immortal Gate.
Outside, Li Hao was still waiting for the Dao Heart Tower to give some feedback, but seeing that it remained silent, he felt puzzled.
However, he wasn't too concerned about how his Dao Heart would be assessed. Whether it was rated high or low, it was still his heart and his path.
Hearing the voice from within the Immortal Gate, Li Hao collected his thoughts. He looked at the gate, knowing that crossing this threshold would separate him from the mortal world.
Li Hao turned to look back at the square, at the end of the Heavenly Staircase where Ren Qianqian stood, and at Yu Huang, who was hovering in the sky, as well as the approaching old Daoist.
Their eyes met, and Li Hao nodded to them, bidding a temporary farewell.
At the same time, Li Hao's spiritual sense detected a figure outside the Imperial Palace, floating in mid-air—it was Ji Tianchao, the Ji family's God of War.
Li Hao felt a sense of goodwill toward this elder and nodded in his direction as well.
Ji Tianchao, who had been watching Li Hao with a warm and gentle gaze, felt a wave of warmth wash over him. The sorrow that had weighed heavily on his heart was suddenly soothed.
His eyes reddened slightly, and he gave Li Hao a thumbs-up with a smile.
Li Hao's gaze shifted to the crowd, where he saw Li Yuanzhao and the others, their faces filled with excitement. He smiled at them and waved.
Seeing his warm demeanor, the onlookers were momentarily stunned. They felt encouraged by his expression, and after calming themselves, they watched him turn and step into the Immortal Gate.
A strange sensation washed over him as he entered the gate, as if space itself rippled like water, transporting him through time and space.
Suddenly, as he passed through, the figures that had been standing inside the Immortal Gate seemed to grow distant.
At the same time, a chilling killing intent suddenly erupted from the void, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure—a vast Saint's Will!
Li Hao froze, his pupils contracting sharply as he looked up. All around him was a vast chaotic void, but within it, a vague figure and will came crashing down upon him!
The killing intent struck with such suddenness that it caught him completely off guard.
Li Hao's entire body tensed, his blood seeming to freeze as a powerful sense of danger washed over him. It was as if he were facing death itself, much like when he confronted the Saintly Demon Behemoth.
A Saint was attacking him?!
Li Hao was shocked and incredulous, but that quickly turned to fury.
He exploded into action, entering his Godforce state. Simultaneously, his Heaven and Earth Vein rapidly drew in power from the surroundings, pushing him into his most extreme state of transformation.
But with a loud bang, his body suddenly shattered.
Under the immense power, he was like an egg crushed under a hammer, unable to withstand the blow.
Inside the Immortal Gate, Yu Zu and the divine goddess had been waiting for Li Hao to emerge, but their expressions suddenly changed as they sensed the subtle energy fluctuations.
They were shocked and looked up toward the sky, where a vague figure appeared and then vanished—a trace of a Saint's Will descending upon them!
A Saint had attacked!
Moreover, they immediately recognized it as the work of the Void Saint!
Yu Zu turned sharply toward the old man beside him, who remained expressionless, though a faint smile seemed to touch his lips.
Yu Zu was both shocked and enraged. No wonder the old man hadn't fought for the prodigy—he never intended to let the boy join them. He planned to eliminate him from the start!
And to ensure they couldn't interfere, the Void Holy Land's Saint had personally acted!
This Saint had achieved sainthood through mastery of the void, and his control over space was unparalleled. The small gap between the Immortal Gate was like a vast battlefield in his hands.
"Void Holy Land, you've gone too far!"
Yu Zu roared in fury.
"Even if you can't win, destroying him is too much."
The divine goddess's face was icy cold. She had believed her Heavenly Phoenix Holy Land still had a chance to compete, but now that chance was gone.
"Apologies, but that boy offended our Holy Son. He must die."
The old man responded calmly to their anger.
The other forces were equally stunned by this sudden turn of events, and when they heard the three ancestors' conversation, they were left in shock.
Ji Xuanshen and Jiang Lichen, who had been eagerly awaiting Li Hao's arrival, were puzzled when he didn't appear after entering the Immortal Gate. Then, upon hearing the half-Saints' words, they were bewildered.
Destroy him? What's going on?
Ji Xuanshen and the others looked at the old man in astonishment.
The old man became the target of everyone's ire, but he remained unfazed, as if the situation didn't concern him.
Everyone understood that their anger alone couldn't harm a half-Saint.
"I'll report this to the Primordial Saint. Your Void Holy Land will have to answer for this!"
Yu Zu's eyes burned with killing intent as he suppressed his rage.
The old man remained indifferent and didn't respond. He had already anticipated this outcome when he communicated with the Saint earlier.
The boy was indeed a monstrous prodigy, but a dead prodigy was no longer a threat. Since he hadn't joined the Primordial Holy Land yet, even if they demanded an explanation, it could be compensated for.
They wouldn't wage a Saint-level war over a dead prodigy, and things would eventually settle down.
In the world of the strong, right and wrong were irrelevant—only interests mattered.
If the interests were sufficient, even if the other party knew they were wrong, they would still be praised.
If they falsely accused a good person, it would be the good person's fault for being naive and provoking the wrong people.
"You're despicable!"
Jiang Lichen glared at the old man, his mind already piecing together the reasons behind this. He suspected that the offense against the Holy Son stemmed from Li Hao's earlier battle, where he had slain six Dao Law Realm experts, leaving one to escape. That survivor must have been plotting against the Jiang family's incense, and now that enemy stood before him.
"Hm?"
The old man's gaze turned cold as he glanced at Jiang Lichen.
A vast will bore down on Jiang Lichen, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. His face turned pale as a sharp buzzing sound echoed within his spine—it was his sword bone, barely resisting the half-Saint's will.
Yu Zu suddenly waved his hand, blocking the old man's oppressive aura and gaze. He stood protectively in front of Jiang Lichen and the others, his expression cold as he said, "Are you trying to force me into a battle here?"
The old man's expression remained indifferent as he withdrew his gaze. He had already realized that with this turn of events, the Void Holy Land wouldn't be able to recruit any of these disciples. However, that loss was insignificant compared to eliminating a threat like Li Hao. Even though some of the talented disciples might not have joined the Void Holy Land, it didn't matter now.
The enormous Void Holy Land could still attract many promising disciples, but getting rid of a prodigy like Li Hao was a trade well worth making. Otherwise, if he were allowed to grow and accumulate incense power to become a Saint, he would pose a real threat to the Void Holy Land.
Furthermore, this event, although detrimental, would also reinforce the reputation of the Void Holy Land, reminding others that it was not to be trifled with.
"If other Saints hear about this, they will demand an explanation from you!"
The divine goddess glared at the old man, her face icy cold. She had already discerned that he was confident in his actions.
"That won't be necessary," the old man replied calmly.
While they conversed, within the chaotic void of the Immortal Gate, Li Hao's body had shattered into countless pieces of bone and blood, scattering through the void.
But now, those bones and blood were rapidly reassembling.
Li Hao could hear the shocked and angry voices from beyond the Immortal Gate. He suddenly realized that the old man's voice sounded familiar—it was the same voice as the one from half a year ago when he had slain the Void Saint's son, only for the man to escape into the Immortal Gate.
Exactly the same!
The old man had recognized him from the start and had deliberately waited until Li Hao entered the Immortal Gate to use the power of a Saint to attack him within the confined space.
This person, who had plotted to steal the Jiang family's incense, was within the Yunxia Realm, one of the three great Holy Lands. No wonder they had targeted the Jiang family's incense—perhaps their schemes had begun as early as a thousand years ago.
But knowing this now was of little use. As Li Hao's consciousness returned to the void and his body reformed, that Saint's will once again appeared.
"Rebirth from a drop of blood? I see…"
A towering, indifferent voice echoed, revealing an aloof coldness. Then, the Saint's will descended once more.
Li Hao's heart filled with fury. The Saint hadn't even shown himself—just a mere thought was enough to attempt to kill him.
Roaring in defiance, Li Hao pushed himself to the extreme, fully transforming into his celestial form. His Heaven and Earth Vein frantically drew upon the surrounding power of the void.
His golden skin gleamed, his hair turned snow-white, and his consciousness merged with the void, once again perceiving the boundless, supreme will of the Heavenly Sovereign.
He borrowed a sliver of the Heavenly Sovereign's will and suddenly slashed at the descending Saint's will.