Green Yang City, at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
Li Canglan, head of the Li Lineage, slammed his teacup onto the table and sprang to his feet. His eyes gleamed as he stared at the ancient bronze mirror in the loft, exclaiming, "What? That Desolate Ancient Waste Physique from the Ye Lineage can cultivate now? And who is that beside him?"
Crack!
Zhao Wuji, head of the Zhao Lineage, unconsciously tightened his hands, crushing the Drunken Immortal Pavilion's rosewood railing on the spot. Yet he seemed entirely unaware, staring fixedly at the ancient bronze mirror, his face ashen.
"The Ye Lineage really hid this deep!"
"If the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body breaks through to become a Marquis, he'll be strong enough to crush many divine-son-level figures!"
"Even if the Blood Refining Hall Master came in person, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything to him!"
"As for the man beside him, he's probably someone the Ye Lineage invited to help!"
Zhao Wuji roared furiously.
Li Canglan drew a deep breath and narrowed his eyes slightly. A moment later, a smile appeared on his face again.
Zhao Wuji snorted coldly. "You surnamed Li, you can still smile at a time like this?"
Li Canglan waved a hand and said slowly, "There's no need to worry. That Ancient Desolate Sacred Body hasn't opened his Life Palace. At most, he's just a minor cultivator at the peak of the Wheel Sea Realm."
"So what if the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body can contend with a Great Emperor once fully developed?"
"An Ancient Desolate Sacred Body in the Wheel Sea Realm is nothing but a clay chicken or a pottery dog!"
"The man beside him is probably a legacy disciple from some divine dynasty or great sect. Still young, after all, full of hot blood and daring to meddle in anything. He truly has no idea how to spell death!"
Hearing Li Canglan's words, Zhao Wuji carefully sensed for a moment, and his heart settled.
"Exactly! The Ancient Desolate Sacred Body is only at the peak of the Wheel Sea Realm, nothing to worry about! With the Ye Lineage's connections, what powerful outside help could they possibly find? Trying to resist the Blood Refining Hall is still a fool's dream!"
Zhao Wuji laughed heartily.
Crimson Flame Ancient Sect, Hall of Clear Mind.
The Crimson Flame Sect Master unconsciously clenched his hands. Two solid red flames burst from his eyes as he watched Ye Hao in the images hovering in the air.
After a long while, the Crimson Flame Sect Master heaved a long sigh. "In this golden age, anything is possible! In the end, we made the wrong choice!"
Elder Chen, who controlled the Luminous Fire Cloud Mirror, carefully sensed for a moment and frowned. "Sect Master, while an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body capable of cultivation is indeed rare, this one is only in the Wheel Sea Realm. It's almost impossible for him to mature! Is there any need to take him so seriously?"
The Crimson Flame Sect Master shook his head gently and smiled bitterly. "You don't understand how powerful the curse on the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body is!"
"Even if our Crimson Flame Ancient Sect used every last bit of its reserves, we couldn't enable an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body to open his Wheel Sea!"
"That was precisely why I refused to let the Ancient Desolate Sacred Body join our Crimson Flame Ancient Sect!"
"Since he managed to open his Wheel Sea, he must have encountered a heaven-defying opportunity and possess boundless great fortune!"
"After today, this boy will surely soar into the heavens in a single flight!"
"What's more, I can't see through the man beside him. His background is probably no small matter!"
Hearing this, Elder Chen said dismissively, "However heaven-defying an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body may be, he's still only in the Wheel Sea Realm! He won't survive this calamity from the Blood Refining Hall! Not to mention that a colossus like the Hundred Refinements Devil Palace stands behind them! That man is too young. How could he stop the Blood Refining Hall?"
The Crimson Flame Sect Master said with feeling, "You don't understand how heaven-defying those blessed with great fortune can be! Just keep watching!"
Green Yang City, the Ye Lineage.
Only now did Li Wushang, the Blood Refining Hall's enforcement elder, notice Jiang Chen. Seeing how young he was, he paid him little mind and let out a sinister cackle. "To think someone actually came here expressly to die! Give your name and meet your death!"
"You're not qualified to know my name," Jiang Chen replied coldly.
A vicious light flickered in Li Wushang's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed Ye Hao beside Jiang Chen, and his eyes lit up.
"What powerful blood Qi! To think an Ancient Desolate Sacred Body like you actually opened his Wheel Sea! Refined into blood pills, you'd be dozens or even a hundred times more effective than before! The Hall Master will certainly reward me this time!"
Li Wushang laughed wildly, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes, as though he were looking at priceless prey.
"Master, I'd like to try my hand!"
Ye Hao licked his lips, battle intent rising in his eyes as he sought Jiang Chen's permission.
Only three days had passed since Ye Hao opened his Wheel Sea, but he had spent three full years fighting in the Samsara Dream Trial Pagoda!
Fighting humans! Fighting demons! Fighting devils!
Every day had been filled with frenzied battles!
In the Samsara Dream Trial Pagoda, Ye Hao had suffered death and injury more times than he could count. The pain of his entire body being torn apart remained fresh in his memory, making his will nearly a hundred times tougher than before, while his combat experience had grown unimaginably deep!
Although Ye Hao had not broken through another realm, his understanding of the Heavenly Emperor Prison-Suppressing Scripture had already crossed the threshold. At the same time, he had comprehended many precious offensive arts of the Holy Battle Technique.
His cultivation was at the peak of the Wheel Sea Realm, yet in the trial dreams, he could easily slay Life Palace Realm enemies. If he fought with all his might, he could even battle and kill True Spirit Realm enemies.
With the Heavenly Emperor Prison-Suppressing Scripture and the Holy Battle Technique at his disposal, Ye Hao brimmed with confidence and wanted to experience a Marquis's methods firsthand.
Jiang Chen glanced up at Ye Hao, inwardly surprised. Is this kid really this reckless?
"Go ahead."
Jiang Chen nodded.
When Ye Hao could no longer hold out, he would naturally step in.
This kid's getting far too carried away. Without a good beating, he'll soon forget his own surname!
"All right!"
Ye Hao answered and soared into the air, looking toward Li Wushang as his battle intent surged.
Li Wushang's face darkened like storm clouds as he said sinisterly, "A mere peak Wheel Sea cultivator actually dares to challenge a Marquis. A newborn calf truly has no fear of the tiger! Since that's the case, I'll cripple you first! Then I'll wipe out your entire Ye Lineage!"
With that, vast swaths of blood-colored mist spread from Li Wushang's body, transforming in the blink of an eye into a blood-red domain that swept toward Ye Hao, blotting out the sky.
A pungent stench of blood spread, faintly accompanied by the shrill wails of dead souls, making it feel as though one had entered purgatory.
"Just what I wanted!"
Ye Hao gave a deep shout and curved his arms around each other. A miniature mountain shrouded in a hazy green glow appeared between his palms, giving off a heavy, dense presence.
Mountain-Embracing Seal!
Ye Hao raised his hand and hurled it. The miniature mountain grew in the wind, becoming a towering green mountain dozens of zhang across in the blink of an eye. With the crushing force of thunder, it smashed into the blood-colored domain.
Boom!
With a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering crash, the towering green mountain shattered. The blood-colored domain merely rippled once and continued charging toward Ye Hao without slowing.
Ye Hao's expression shifted slightly. His hands rapidly formed one Dao seal after another, and the Holy Battle Technique manifested a blazing sun, a radiant moon, a towering iceberg, a surging sea of fire, and more, all hurtling toward the blood-colored domain at once.
Rumble...
Deafening crashes resounded through heaven and earth. The foul, viscous blood-colored domain churned gently, dissolving every one of Ye Hao's attacks.
The Holy Battle Technique was peerless in offense, but several major realms separated Ye Hao's cultivation from Li Wushang's. Even the Holy Battle Technique could hardly bridge such an enormous gap.
Hum!
Ye Hao's expression shifted slightly. Golden divine power surged within his Wheel Sea, and his vast blood Qi rushed ceaselessly like mighty rivers. A towering figure with indistinct features condensed in the void behind him.
The towering figure shone with dazzling golden light. Wearing a tall crown, its features indistinct, it was clad in a brilliant golden imperial robe patterned with Dao markings. It naturally exuded a nobility that weighed upon the myriad Daos, like the sovereign of them all.
"Suppress!"
Ye Hao shouted sharply. The towering figure behind him raised its palm, seemingly slowly yet swiftly, and struck toward Li Wushang from afar.
At once, a brilliant golden phantom palm flew from its hand. Its center held vast sealing might, deep as an abyss and forbidding as a prison, possessing an immense power that could suppress all things.
Heavenly Emperor Suppresses the Prison, subduing all evil!
Rumble!
Deafening crashes rang out one after another. The blood-colored domain met resistance and churned violently. The golden palm imprint disintegrated and vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the Heavenly Emperor phantom behind Ye Hao shattered between heaven and earth along with it.
"Ugh!"
Ye Hao gave a muffled groan. Traces of blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, his face turned paper-white, and his body fell uncontrollably from midair.
"Ye Hao!"
"Little Haozi!"
Everyone in the Ye Lineage cried out, their eyes filled with anxiety.
Jiang Chen raised a hand and beckoned. An invisible force crossed the blood-colored domain and brought the gravely injured Ye Hao back to his side. With keen interest, he asked, "How did that feel?"
Ye Hao was noticeably steadier. He drew a deep breath, golden light shining in his eyes, and said solemnly, "The pressure was immense! But once I break through to the Life Palace Realm, I may well have a chance to fight him!"