Nine Secrets: Dou

"Senior, may I ask who you are?"

Although Ji Hao had already guessed, he still had to ask and put on a show.

"God King Jiang Taixu."

"You... come here..." The aged voice was exceptionally weak, as though every word cost him a great deal of mental effort.

Following the source of the voice, Ji Hao moved through the winding passageways, going from one ruined cave to another. The tunnels twisted and turned, with pieces of white bone scattered along the way, each skull punctured through the forehead. They belonged to those who had previously entered Purple Mountain and perished.

Before long, he arrived before a smooth purple rock wall.

On the purple wall of the ancient mine was a tall, savage figure. A vicious horn protruded from its brow, and fine scales covered its body.

Ji Hao examined it carefully and said, "So this is an ancient creature? It's really ugly. One-star review!"

"God King, are you trapped inside this purple jade wall?" Ji Hao asked hesitantly.

By seniority, he was far, far above Jiang Taixu. The Jiang Family no longer had an Emperor's Son, so by bloodline, Jiang Taixu would have to call Ji Hao Little Ancestor.

"Cor... rect..." Jiang Taixu's voice came through. Soon, the purple jade wall glowed, revealing a withered, skeletal figure. His entire body was little more than bones, like a living corpse.

"Your... cultivation... is...?" God King Jiang Taixu asked.

"I've just entered the Four Extremes!"

"The Four Extremes. Your talent is not bad. What a pity."

"Young descendant, come forward. I'll teach you one move and see how much you can comprehend..."

From the rough rock wall beside him came Jiang Taixu's intermittent voice, extremely weak.

At that moment, the emaciated Jiang Taixu on the stone wall assumed a strange stance, then tipped his head back and fell over.

Jiang Taixu had been trapped for more than four thousand years. He was nearly at the end of his rope, and even the source of his Divine Body was close to drying up.

Then, an extremely short incantation entered Ji Hao's mind. It was seemingly obscure and difficult to understand.

"One of the Nine Secrets, Nine Secrets: Dou!"

It was not limited to fists or kicks. Every part of the body could attack; every inch of skin could unleash terrifying power. It could even imitate countless secret killing arts, with power far surpassing the originals. This was the Battle Saint Method, Nine Secrets: Dou!

It was one of the greatest offensive secret arts under heaven, with very few techniques capable of standing beside it.

Taihuang's Imperial Dragon Aura and Ruthless's Flying Immortal Force.

A Bodhi Tree sapling had taken root above his Life Spring, radiating a faint glow that greatly sharpened Ji Hao's mind. He silently experienced the opening stance, then carefully comprehended and practiced it.

Ji Hao took several steps back and assumed the same stance. At the same time, the power of the Nine Secrets resonated with it.

His body moved with his will, and wondrous methods arose naturally. As he performed the opening stance, an overwhelming fighting spirit involuntarily surged within him, making him want to punch through the heavens.

His bloodline rumbled even louder as his essence, energy, and spirit reached their peak. Fragments of Imperial Dao laws resonated with Jiang Taixu within the rock wall.

It was all because of that opening stance. His essence, energy, and spirit had been stirred by his fighting spirit. As though a war god had descended upon him, an immense combat power suddenly erupted in a raging torrent.

"This is... Emperor Blood... You are an Emperor's Son of my Jiang Family!" Jiang Taixu awoke instantly, sensing that bloodline aura—of the same origin, yet incomparably powerful.

"Well, in a sense, I really am a descendant of Hengyu Great Emperor. Do you need me to get you out?" Ji Hao continued.

Jiang Taixu gathered himself for a moment, seemingly filled with regret. "Little Ancestor, you... are still too weak..."

"I remember that my Jiang Family no longer has any Emperor's Sons. They should all have gone to quell the darkness."

Ji Hao thought for a moment, seemingly considering how to explain it clearly.

"I wonder if you've heard of Emperor Corpse Spirit Awakening?"

"Emperor Corpse Spirit Awakening... so that's how it is." Jiang Taixu sighed. Ye Fan would not arrive for several more years, and Jiang Taixu still retained a trace of his origin, so speaking with him did not require waiting forever.

"Jiang Family descendant Jiang Taixu greets Little Ancestor."

"No need for such courtesy. Let me first see whether I can save you."

Jiang Taixu said nothing more and quietly waited for Ji Hao to act.

Whoosh!

Ji Hao held the Lihuo Divine Furnace in one hand, continuously pouring divine power into it. Scarlet radiance rose into the air, and the Dao laws belonging to Hengyu Great Emperor within his bloodline began to awaken. The Lihuo Divine Furnace also responded, releasing strands of Extreme Dao aura.

As the divine weapon Hengyu Great Emperor had used to battle with his imperial furnace, the Lihuo Divine Furnace would have long since become an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon if not for the limitations of its materials. Even so, it was a divine weapon at the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor realm, only a thread away from becoming an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon.

"The Lihuo Divine Furnace!" Jiang Taixu exclaimed. Back then, he had entered Purple Mountain precisely to seek the Lihuo Divine Furnace, only to be trapped there for four thousand years. Seeing this divine weapon again now left him overwhelmed with complicated feelings.

How many four thousand years could a person have in a lifetime?

The Lihuo Divine Furnace blazed brilliantly, pouring out glass-colored divine flames that instantly burned away more than half of the purple stone wall.

Unfortunately, it quickly healed.

Ji Hao frowned and was about to fully awaken the Lihuo Divine Furnace.

"Little Ancestor, do not take the risk. Many ancient creatures are sealed within Purple Mountain. Once the Lihuo Divine Furnace is awakened, they will certainly be roused."

"When that happens, it will be far too dangerous with Little Ancestor's current cultivation!"

Ji Hao frowned and thought for a moment. Could two Quasi-Emperor Weapons save him?

"If the Lihuo Divine Furnace isn't enough, then what about adding this?"

Ji Hao took out the Xuanyuan Sword.

"Little Ancestor, it is not a matter of whether there are enough Quasi-Emperor Weapons. Your cultivation is too weak, so you cannot endure the expenditure of wielding them."

"Moreover, this is the dojo of Great Emperor Wu Shi. If they are fully awakened, it could easily draw an attack from the Beginningless Bell." Jiang Taixu said, breathing heavily.

Ji Hao said, "In that case, I can only wait until I grow stronger and return another day."

With that, he took some Sacred Spring Water, a jade box containing Sacred Fruit, and a pile of Source from his Sea of Bitterness.

The Lihuo Divine Furnace exerted its power again, this time concentrating all its force at a single point and opening a passage the size of a human head.

He sent the three items through the passage.

In the blink of an eye, a Sacred Fruit burst apart. Its pure medicinal power entered Jiang Taixu's body, allowing his dried-up origin to recover slightly.

Drops of Sacred Spring Water replenished Jiang Taixu's life force.

Chunks of Source exploded and were absorbed into Jiang Taixu's body, giving his dried-up Sea of Bitterness a trace of divine power.

His flesh flickered with a faint radiance. After the Sacred Fruit and Sacred Spring Water entered him, his body was like land parched by drought receiving sweet rain, nourishing every inch of his flesh and allowing him to regain vitality.

The Sacred Fruit replenished his origin, the Sacred Spring Water restored his life force, and the Source recovered his divine power. After this complete treatment, Jiang Taixu's condition improved greatly.

Jiang Taixu's figure appeared on the rough rock wall again. His withered body gradually became fuller, and his flesh rapidly regained vitality. He no longer looked like a bag of bones.

Ye Fan would not arrive for several more years. Do not underestimate those few years—Jiang Taixu's origin had not yet been exhausted.

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