Great thunder shook the world, purple lightning surged like a tide, vast and turbulent. This was a world of lightning, yet Ji Hao stood within it, feeling the thunder's roar.
Ji Hao's flesh had split open from the strikes, his body charred black as crimson blood flowed. He endured unimaginable damage.
The Tai Chi Diagram was also enduring the onslaught, and innate patterns began to form upon it.
Though it was not made of Immortal Metal, the Tai Chi Diagram was extraordinary, like a reflection of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth—far more astonishing than an ordinary Vessel.
Boom!
Thunder descended. This time, it was not a Lightning Sea, but nine phantoms stepping out from the ruins of the Heavenly Palace, woven from electric radiance like nine deities!
The nine figures were formed of lightning. Some resembled humans, some True Dragons, while others looked like birds, beasts, fish, and insects. None were alike.
Kill!
Ji Hao shouted and charged forward, battling the nine phantoms. It was not just him; the five Divine Deities within his Dao Palace attacked alongside him.
As he fought them, he used the Bodhi Sapling to comprehend the traces of the Dao within the Lightning Tribulation.
In the end, Ji Hao fought himself into a frenzy. Some insights regarding the Void surfaced in his heart, and the Secret Technique he had previously been unable to use was now unleashed with a raised hand.
Void Severing Two Realms!
The Taboo Secret Technique from the Void Scripture instantly severed every phantom before him. The five Divine Deities also transformed into five currents of Qi, wrapping around the severed phantoms and returning to the Dao Palace's Heaven and Earth, where they slowly refined the Dao Principles contained within them.
Ji Hao's eyes grew brighter. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit gradually transformed amid his struggle against the Heavenly Tribulation, while the medicinal power of the Nine Wonders Immortal Medicine hidden within his body was also stimulated.
His gaze blazed like the fiery golden eyes newly forged within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and boundless Divine Power swept through everything around him.
Gradually, more people gathered nearby. They were cultivators from the six surrounding Grotto-Heavens. Even from afar, they could sense a majestic, world-ending danger. It was difficult for them to imagine what kind of tribulation the person within the violet sea was enduring.
"Could this be Heaven's punishment?"
"My heavens, can a person even survive this kind of Heavenly Tribulation?"
"It's completely denying people any path to survival!"
This was only the beginning. Five Elements Divine Thunder, Yin-Yang Divine Thunder, and Ancient Character Divine Thunder arrived one after another.
Yet Ji Hao was excited. Though the thunder was terrifying, it was indeed a rare stroke of Fortune. His Divine Sense transformed into a tiny figure and rushed out as well, accepting the baptism of thunder!
His Physical Body and Divine Sense stood together within the Thunder Cloud, protected only by the Tai Chi Diagram as they continuously endured the trials of the Lightning Tribulation.
Suddenly, Chaos Qi filled the Lightning Tribulation, and bolts of Chaos Divine Thunder rapidly condensed.
Divine Power flowed through Ji Hao's fingers, tracing mysterious paths through the Void and blooming with boundless holy radiance, as though forming an eternal mark!
Heaven-Cutting Finger!
Boom!
Rumble!
I absorb!
Ji Hao's Divine Power shook the world, his blood and Qi as vast as an ocean. With a sweep of his fingers, he shattered the Chaos Divine Thunder, sending it collapsing one after another. Everyone was stunned. They had never imagined someone could directly blow apart a Heavenly Tribulation head-on. Even an Ancient Emperor in his youth could not have been much more impressive!
What he did next made countless people's scalps go numb. The tiny figure formed from his Divine Sense opened its mouth and directly swallowed the shattered Chaos Divine Thunder. Its cheeks bulged, and even Chaos Qi leaked from the corners of its mouth.
The Divine Sense figure was pierced through from within by Chaotic Divine Light, turning into a blazing beam of radiance. Its Divine Sense was nearly burning away. It was in unbearable pain, yet did not give up, because this was a rare stroke of Fortune!
Before he could refine that bolt of Chaos Divine Thunder, his provocative actions brought the second, third, and fourth bolts crashing down in succession.
Yet at this moment, his blood and Qi still surged to the heavens. Although the surrounding sea of thunder was incomparably fierce, it could not inflict fatal wounds upon him. A green radiance flowed around him, enveloping his body as flesh regenerated and his injuries quickly healed!
Nüwa Secret Technique, Fortune!
It was no weaker than Nine Secrets: Zhe!
He activated the Fortune Secret Art and returned to peak combat strength. His Divine Sense continuously refined the Chaos Divine Thunder as he prepared to withstand the incoming bolts head-on. His blood and Qi roiled, thunderous booms rang out, and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit continuously ascended.
Countless Secret Techniques flashed through his mind: Void Great Handprint, Heaven-Cutting Finger, Innate Grand Void Astral Qi, Eight Gods Desolate Force, Void Severing Two Realms... There were far too many.
Ji Hao possessed no fewer than three complete Emperor Scriptures, not to mention the many Secret Techniques he had collected. What he had learned was too numerous and disorderly.
The Void Scripture alone was enough for a Heavenly Prodigy with Emperor Potential to study for most of his life, let alone so many Emperor Scriptures.
Facing the Chaos Divine Thunder, Ji Hao actually did not know which Secret Technique he should use.
But the Chaos Divine Thunder would not give him time to think.
With no time left, Ji Hao could only raise the Tai Chi Diagram before him.
Three flashes of Thunder Light vanished in an instant, leaving Ji Hao slumped on the ground.
He was drenched in blood, his bones creaking, his Divine Sense shattered. The Tai Chi Diagram was covered in scars and directly transformed into a mass of Qi. His entire body was wounded, swaying on the verge of collapse, nearly unable to endure any longer.
The surrounding lightning swiftly closed in. Though it was not as powerful as Chaos Divine Thunder, it was no weaker than Five Elements Divine Thunder.
In Ji Hao's current state, it was difficult for him to resist.
However, Ji Hao's will was like iron. His Divine Sense rapidly gathered, transforming into a divine diagram that absorbed the remaining wisps of Chaos Qi and swiftly refined them.
The mark of the Dao!
Innate Great Dao patterns were born within the chaotic thunder Qi, making his body and mind empty and tranquil. He then activated the Fortune Secret Art once more, combining it with Living Flame. His injuries rapidly recovered, as though he had been reborn from the flames.
His Divine Sense transformed into an Immortal King, sitting cross-legged in the Void and cradling that wisp of Chaos Qi in his arms. Nourished by it, it continuously recovered and grew stronger.
His comprehension of the Dao also rapidly increased, and at the same time, he discovered one of his weaknesses.
He lacked a suitable move. Whether it was the Secret Techniques within the Void Scripture or the movements within the Hengyu Scripture, they suited him well, but something still felt missing.
He had nothing that truly belonged to himself. He lacked a Secret Technique of his own!
Not a single Ancient Emperor throughout history had reached the peak by relying on another's Dao. All had used their own Dao and their own methods to suppress the Myriad Paths.
And Secret Techniques were the beginning—the embryonic form of the Dao.
Now, Ji Hao also needed to create a Secret Technique of his own.
Chaotic Divine Light flashed between his brows, and the Wisdom Light Wheel appeared behind his head. Countless flashes of insight emerged, making him marvel at the Bodhi Tree's worthiness of its reputation.
At the same time, the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth bolts of Chaos Divine Thunder in the sky were nearly finished condensing. Once they fell, they would surely destroy everything.
Yet Ji Hao paid them no heed. His hands continuously formed seals as countless flashes of insight passed through his mind.
"Lesser Yang gives rise to Lunar Body, Lesser Yin gives rise to Solar Body. Only thus is the most fundamental form of existence in Heaven and Earth."
"The Yin-Yang fish: Yin contains Yang, and Yang contains Yin. This is Taiji."
"Taiji is the most fundamental essence of Myriad Things."
"All things oppose one another, yet also contain one another. That is Heaven and Earth."
In the end, Ji Hao formed an incomparably strange seal with both hands.
Bearing Yin, embracing Yang.
"This is the Taiji Seal!"
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