Step by step, Ji Hao walked forward. Ripples spread through the Void as he crossed several miles. His glazed Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes opened, and he spotted ancient trees growing atop a distant mountain. He quickly headed for the summit.
The nine Holy Mountains were towering and majestic, covered in ancient trees that reached for the sky and strange jutting rocks. They were truly magnificent.
Ji Hao's pace was neither fast nor slow. The power of "Desolation" pervaded the Forbidden Zone. It could not only drain Vitality, but also restrict flight and seal the Void.
Had the Emperor Blood within Ji Hao not resonated with the Void, he too would have had no choice but to climb toward the summit step by step.
The Holy Mountain was lush with vegetation and dotted with peculiar rocks, making it remarkably beautiful.
He soon reached the summit. Around a spring pool roughly two meters across stood eleven small trees, each over half a meter tall. Green light shimmered from them as though they had been carved from jade, dazzlingly verdant and crystalline. They resembled pine trees, their needle-like leaves clustered together as if polished from green jade Divine Marrow, gleaming with radiance.
Without hesitating, he swiftly picked three fruits and sealed them away. He then slapped one of the divine trees, similarly imprinting the Laws contained within it, before immediately turning toward the other Holy Mountains.
Hit once, then change locations.
"This is too slow. The Desolation Servants could arrive at any moment. There are still seven trees left. Let's split up."
Within the Heaven and Earth of the Five Directions Dao Palace inside Ji Hao's body, the Divine Deities silently chanting Scriptures opened their eyes.
The next moment, the five Divine Deities each carried a Saint Weapon. Without further hesitation, they transformed into five-colored Astonishing Rainbows and raced toward five separate Holy Mountains.
It couldn't be helped. As the most favored child in the family, he was just that extravagant.
Within the Yanhuang Family, only Nüwa, who had transformed into a Jingwei Bird, could compare to him. However, because Nüwa had become a Jingwei Bird and lost her consciousness, her share was actually in Ji Hao's hands as well.
Saint Weapons were handed out by the bundle!
Ji Hao also charged toward the remaining two Holy Mountains.
He soon arrived atop an adjacent Holy Mountain. This kind of sacred fruit resembled tiny suns, each one golden and perfectly round, about the size of a baby's fist.
This divine root had nine small trees growing symbiotically around it, naturally producing nine fruits. Resting in his palm, they made his entire body seem brilliantly radiant.
They resembled essences of the sun itself. Their medicinal power was mysterious and potent, beautiful and crystalline enough to intoxicate anyone.
Merely smelling their Aura gave one the illusion of ascending in a rosy glow. After taking a bite, every pore in his body opened, and his Divine Power was continuously tempered and condensed by the scorching medicinal strength.
His foundation became even more solid, and his Divine Power more majestic. Dazzling golden light burst from within him, washing away another portion of the Death Qi.
Opening his mouth, he drew in water like a dragon. He sucked the Sacred Spring Water from the Divine Spring into his mouth, and boundless Life Essence flowed into the Dao Palace, replenishing the five Divine Deities' expenditure.
Ji Hao's Main Body was unafraid of the power of "Desolation" because of the Stone Bowl. The five Divine Deities, however, might possess Saint Weapons, but they could not ignore the power of "Desolation," especially since activating Saint Weapons required an enormous amount of Divine Power.
If he had not been pressed for time, he would not have dared to do this.
Ji Hao wiped the moisture from the corner of his mouth. "Only the last Holy Mountain remains."
He collected another portion of Sacred Spring Water and was about to head for the final Holy Mountain, crossing past the grim White Bone.
"That is..." His expression suddenly changed. At some point, an incomparably graceful woman had appeared on the Holy Mountain. She stood there quietly, looking at him.
The woman's eyes were bright and her teeth white, her neck slender and elegant. Like a lotus rising from the water, she was peerlessly beautiful. She stood upon the cliff's edge; if she took even half a step farther, she would fall into the endless abyss below. Her white robes fluttered in the wind, making her seem like a Guanghan Fairy about to ride the wind away, otherworldly and transcendent.
Not the slightest flaw could be found on her. This woman's beauty seemed utterly unreal, giving off an intensely dreamlike feeling. She possessed all the spiritual grace of Heaven and Earth, free of worldly vulgarity, with icy skin and jade-like bones. She was nearly perfect.
Dressed only in white, she seemed as though she might Feather and ascend into immortality at any moment.
Yet at the sight of this perfect woman, Ji Hao's heart sank.
"The Tianxuan Saintess?"
As a genuine Earthling, he did not know her at all. He could only infer her identity from the plot of the original novel from his previous life.
On the cliff, the Aura of "Desolation" surged. The woman, as picturesque as though she had stepped out of a painting, swayed gracefully as she walked toward Ji Hao with delicate lotus steps.
"Not good!" Ji Hao instinctively took a step back, watching this woman who was likely the Tianxuan Saintess with vigilance.
The Stone Bowl within his Life Spring finally took the initiative to emit Divine Light, protecting Ji Hao from the Aura of "Desolation" and preventing it from stealing his Life Essence.
Ji Hao did not dare make any rash move, because he could feel that a terrifying Divine Sense had locked onto him.
"So I still have to fight in the end. But this is already far better than I had expected."
"We cultivators have nothing to fear from battle!"
Divine Power surged through his Sea of Reincarnation, while divine sounds rang from his Dao Palace. The Five Qi transformed into five supreme sacred wheels of light.
"Void Great Handprint!"
A massive black Palm Print covered the Firmament and struck toward the woman. The Void resonated with it, raising its power to another level.
Bang!
The woman lightly pointed with one finger. The enormous Palm Print descending from the sky was instantly pierced through, shattered, and dispersed into nothingness.
Ji Hao's expression remained calm. He had clearly expected this already. A being suspected to be a Saint could not possibly be harmed by such a minor trick.
His Divine Power circulated and Blood Qi erupted, shaking the Ninth Heaven Firmament. Like a young True Dragon, his black hair billowed, flowing with a faint luster. The Five Qi sacred wheel above his head transformed back into Five Elements Qi and merged into his body.
"Heaven-Cutting Finger!"
Ji Hao swung his right hand and pointed a finger forward, shooting out a divine beam that pierced the heavens. His fingers moved like several True Dragons swinging their tails, crossing together as though they had formed a pair of True Dragon shears, radiating a frightening Aura.
The Tianxuan Saintess did not move a single step. She stood quietly ahead, and even her white dress did not stir. She attacked once more, still lightly pointing with one finger. The Heaven-Cutting Finger turned into starlight that filled the sky, breathtakingly beautiful.
At that moment, five streaks of Divine Light returned from the Holy Mountain behind the woman. They were Ji Hao's five Divine Deities, returning with the sacred fruits they had picked from all around.
It was not as if he did not know that his abilities might stir up storms outside, but within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone, they amounted to nothing. He had only fought the woman because she showed no killing intent. In truth, the five Divine Deities had long used a Saint Weapon that concealed their Auras to gather every sacred fruit.
His Sea of Bitterness churned violently, enormous waves reaching the sky. At the Spring Eye of his Life Spring, Life Essence erupted like a volcano, and all that vast Divine Power poured into the Xuanyuan Sword.
Ji Hao slowly raised the Xuanyuan Sword high. Scarlet-gold divine radiance erupted, shattering the Void as Emperor might soared into the sky. Stars fell one after another beneath its edge, creating a scene that seemed capable of destroying Heaven and Earth.
The Xuanyuan Sword had revived on its own!
The might of the Xuanyuan Sword shocked countless aristocratic families throughout the Eastern Wasteland. All of them looked toward the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone. The beings of the Eastern Wasteland had no idea what had happened, but one Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon after another revived on its own, protecting their clans.