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Chapter 380: Evening Lotus Bodhi, Return of the Divine Clan
🕑 Added 2024-11-07 10:16:18 +0000 UTCLi Hao advanced without pause, pressing forward and slicing out another fierce sword strike after shattering the Green Lantern Buddha's Dharma form.
This strike was equally powerful, drawing on the energies of heaven and earth. Behind him, the Heavenly Meridian pulsed and converged, with faint starlight emerging from it—the strength of the myriad stars. Without this added force, the Heavenly Meridian alone wouldn't have been enough to support such intense exertion.
"As expected, you've truly grasped the means of a Supreme Saint…" Green Lantern Buddha's face grew pale. His Dharma form had been shattered, and half of his accumulated incense power dissipated instantly. The energy behind Li Hao's sword strike surpassed even the full strength of the Buddha Sect's holy incense. The power needed to gather such a vast force so quickly could only come from reliance on a sacred domain or through direct connection to the heavenly Dao!
Seeing Li Hao approaching, the Green Lantern Buddha didn't retreat. Instead, his eyes filled with an intense, deadly resolve. His Dharma form erupted into a blue flame, and both hands struck out repeatedly toward Li Hao. With a thunderous sound, Li Hao's sword energy, roaring like a silver dragon, destroyed the Buddha's palms.
But standing within the core of his Dharma form, the Green Lantern Buddha raised a blue lantern. Li Hao's gaze focused, and he spoke coldly, "This time, I won't let you escape!"
If the Green Lantern Buddha attempted to flee again with this artifact, Li Hao would be forced to use his Three Saint Convergence power to stop him.
The Green Lantern Buddha didn't respond. His gaze lingered on the blue lantern, and a hint of sorrow and regret appeared in his eyes. That lantern had accompanied him through countless years of cultivation, embodying his Dao and countless years of practice. And now…
"One Buddha's light can burn through a thousand years of darkness," he murmured, chanting quietly.
The blue lantern in his hands began to radiate a brilliant azure light, spreading across the heavens. The entire sky turned blue before transforming into a blazing flame. From the Buddha's lantern emerged an ancient aura tinged with calamity, filled with the power of judgment and age.
Li Hao's expression tightened as he gazed at the lantern, which now shone so intensely that even his divine vision was obscured. Within that radiance, the Green Lantern Buddha himself seemed to merge with the flame, his figure appearing to blend into the lantern's wick.
It seemed as though the light was igniting directly from his body.
Surrounding him, the energy of the heavens roiled, forming rings of thunderous judgment, each containing the destructive power of lightning. These rings of energy swirled around the Green Lantern Buddha's Dharma form, creating a barrier of immense power.
Li Hao paused. He could feel the Green Lantern Buddha amassing a terrifying killing force. If he charged forward recklessly, it would trigger an even more devastating onslaught. Knowing not to underestimate the ancient Three Calamities Saint, Li Hao took a deep breath, summoning starlight behind him, linking the energy of the myriad stars to himself.
In an instant, light condensed from all directions, and a vast, boundless force surged from him, rivaling the dazzling blue radiance before him.
Simultaneously, the Green Lantern Buddha raised his Dharma form's hand, and from the palm emerged a flash of gray thunder, flickering with an ancient, devastating energy.
"This lamp contains an ancient calamity force," he said, his eyes filled with cold killing intent. "The power dispersed by the Celestial Gods during their tribulations. Even a Supreme Saint would respect this."
He raised his hand, and the gray thunder transformed into blinding lightning that tore across the heavens, splitting the sky with a deafening roar.
Then, in a single, swift motion, the bolt of tribulation thunder shot toward Li Hao.
Sensing the approaching power of death and destruction, Li Hao didn't move back. There was no time for retreat, and he had anticipated this. No matter the divine abilities or skills, his strongest method of attack remained his sword.
Thus, this slash condensed the power of the myriad stars and the Transformative Celestial Power, manipulating the energy of half the sky as it slashed forth. This blade gleamed with unparalleled brilliance, embodying the elegance of an ancient immortal's gesture, reaching out with an air of timeless grace. As the calamity thunder descended, Li Hao's sword light met it, flickering as though an ancient immortal's fingertip had lightly tapped the bolt.
Boom!
A resounding explosion shook the heavens for hundreds of miles, reverberating through nearby kingdoms. Some citizens, paralyzed with fear, fell to the ground, trembling.
Within the Buddha Sect's holy land, countless disciples and many saints-in-training lost their hearing, their vision blurred. The shockwave rattled them to the core, and those with weaker cultivation, even at a distance, perished on the spot.
The towering Ten Thousand Buddha Hall trembled violently and began to collapse, shattering into ruins. The three golden statues of Buddha inside the hall cracked open, their serene, compassionate expressions crushed as the beams and stones crashed down.
As the sky-blue light faded, the sword stroke that seemed to transcend time and space disappeared as well. The tribulation force dissipated, and the Green Lantern Buddha's Dharma form shattered, vanishing into the void.
He seemed disoriented, his gaze lost, yet somehow calm. In his hand, he still clutched the blue lantern.
The ancient Dao Calamity Emperor Weapon, born from the universe itself, flickered weakly until its flame finally went out.
With its extinguishing, fine cracks appeared across the surface of the lantern, slowly spreading until, with a faint sound, it shattered into stardust and crumbled in his hand.
Releasing that fragment of tribulation power had been enough to drain the lantern's life, leaving it on the brink of death. But he hadn't anticipated that even such a move would fail against the young saint before him. How could a newly ascended saint possess such terrifying strength?
As the faint blue light finally vanished, he slowly looked up to where Li Hao now stood before him.
He didn't flee or tremble; his expression was devoid of anger or hate. Only a calm gaze remained, with a trace of mocking. "If the Supreme Saints were not so fixated on becoming Celestial Gods, you, as an abnormally gifted one, would surely be deemed a threat beyond tolerance…"
While most prodigies earned the favor of great powers, those who were extraordinary enough to overturn them became objects of fear.
Li Hao had used his Reversion Domain technique to close the distance, but he didn't strike immediately. He could already sense that the Green Lantern Buddha's life force was waning rapidly; the act of controlling the tribulation power had inflicted a mortal wound.
"If your Buddha Sect could discern right from wrong, the grudge between the Buddha's disciple and me would have remained solely between us," Li Hao said quietly.
Hearing this, the Green Lantern Buddha's mocking gaze softened into one of bitter regret. He raised his head, gazing skyward, and spoke gently:
"The Supreme Saints long to transcend, and we do as well. To fail in becoming a Celestial or a God is to become dust in the wind. They say there's calamity even for Celestial Gods. The Buddha Lord, the Buddha's disciple, and I all planned to undergo the Three Calamities, hoping to unify and achieve divinity together. No one has ever walked this path before, but we wanted to try…"
He spoke softly, his body now beginning to crack and split open. He seemed indifferent to the visible injuries but continued calmly:
"If not for this desire, I would have acknowledged the right and wrong in your feud with the Buddha's disciple and handled it fairly…" He chuckled bitterly. "Perhaps… this was my calamity, striving to become a Celestial God and thus inciting disaster."
He thought of how even the power of the calamity had failed to kill Li Hao, and his laugh grew more bitter.
Though saints understood destiny and the workings of karma, even they could not escape fate's grip or transcend its cycle. "The disciples of the Buddha Sect are many, and most are innocent and unaware of these events. I hope you can spare them."
Half of his body had already faded away, yet he looked at Li Hao with a serene gaze, full of compassion.
In response, Li Hao replied coldly, "I would have done so regardless. But those who still bear murderous intent toward me will not be forgiven."
The Green Lantern Buddha murmured a quiet "Amitabha" and, with a faintly relieved smile, cast one last lingering look at the holy mountain beneath him as his form faded entirely.
As the Green Lantern Buddha's body disappeared into the void, his aura faded, leaving the Buddha Sect's holy land in profound silence.
Then, sorrowful cries rang out, calling the Green Lantern Buddha's name.
Many disciples, including some half-saints, knelt down, weeping openly in farewell to the ancient Buddha. In the Sword Ancestor's holy land, the Swordmaster and the Sword Saint stood silently in the sky, gazing toward the Buddha Sect.
As the Green Lantern Buddha's presence dissipated, a sense of melancholy filled their eyes. This majestic holy land, which had stood for countless ages, was now destined to vanish.
The ancient Green Lantern Buddha, who had already been a saint when they were still far from sainthood, couldn't evade his fate.
In the Literary Ancestor's holy land, the Literary Saint stood in the sky, gazing in the same direction. He sighed softly, murmuring to himself, "Right or wrong, name and honor… even saints cannot let go and ultimately cannot escape…"
Amidst the mournful cries of the Buddha Sect disciples, Li Hao remained indifferent. Without the Green Lantern Buddha's final stand, there would have been no mercy, no compassion.
When power proved insufficient, what remained was only kindness.
He swept into the shattered remains of the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, cleared away the rubble, and retrieved the Treasure of Heaven and Earth sealed beneath the three golden statues.
Returning to the half-saints who remained, Li Hao declared, "The Buddha Lord has perished, and the Green Lantern Buddha has fallen. From this day forth, the Buddha Sect will be erased from the world. Any who claim its name, regardless of distance, shall die by my command!"
His words, imbued with the solemn authority of a saint, instilled anger and fear in the half-saints before him, even as they mourned.
Many disciples found it hard to believe their master had fallen. But with the Green Lantern Buddha slain within the holy land and the Buddha Lord absent, it was clear he, too, had likely fallen, or he would have appeared by now.
The mourning intensified.
Ignoring them, Li Hao's divine sense scanned the Buddha Sect's holy land, locating several valuable items.
Behind the holy mountain, he found a Bodhi tree laden with radiant fruit, brimming with rich Dao resonance.
Standing before the tree, Li Hao felt a presence within it, and it rumbled in a low, resonant voice:
"Not being of the Buddha Sect, I would sooner destroy myself than yield to you."
Li Hao's expression grew cold as he released his Eternal Domain, encompassing the Bodhi tree to subdue it. In this domain, time seemed to slow, allowing him to pluck one of the fruits and take a bite, tasting its sweet flavor infused with pure energy—it was indeed a Wen Dao Fruit.
"This Buddha Sect actually has a Wen Dao Fruit Tree," Li Hao murmured in surprise. In the Desolate River, a single Wen Dao Fruit required ten thousand points, and here, a whole tree was laden with dozens, if not hundreds, of them. "You want to destroy yourself? Then let me help you."
Li Hao summoned Xiyan, who appeared beside him, momentarily taken aback by the sight of the fruit. Li Hao directed her, saying, "You share the same origin as this tree in spirit. If it wishes to perish, you may assist it."
Xiyan's eyes gleamed with understanding, a smile spreading across her face as she responded, "Then I'll be glad to!"
Transforming into a crimson vine, Xiyan swiftly entwined herself around the Bodhi tree, taking root and beginning to absorb its energy and life force. The Bodhi tree, shocked and alarmed, cried out, "You have no mercy!"
"Overused line," Li Hao said indifferently, taking a seat nearby with a cup of tea he'd summoned from the temple hall, drinking leisurely as he waited for Xiyan to finish draining the Bodhi tree's essence. Meanwhile, his divine sense continued to search the Buddha Sect's holy land for other treasures.
Before long, he found signs of more valuable items. With a thought, he summoned them directly to himself. While he had no need for these treasures, they would be useful as gifts for his friends.
He located two Treasures of Heaven and Earth beneath a statue in a secluded temple hall. In addition, Li Hao found fragments of forbidden territory maps and some shards of a Dao Calamity Emperor Weapon. Although, like Gongming, these fragments had no special powers, they were incredibly durable.
Eventually, Xiyan completely absorbed the Bodhi tree, which now stood drained of its former luster. Its leaves had faded from radiant gold to shriveled, dull husks, and its once-vibrant fruits were now shriveled and dry. Xiyan herself, however, exuded a radiant aura of auspicious light.
Originally a Bloodvine spirit, born in a field of corpses and nourished by endless bloodshed, Xiyan was transformed by absorbing the Bodhi tree's pure, virtuous energy, creating a profound shift within her. Her essence now held a fusion of Buddhist and demonic energies—a perfect, seamless blend.
This transformation gave Li Hao pause, making him think of the path the Twin Buddha sought to take. Unlike the Twin Buddha, Xiyan seemed to have succeeded in blending these forces.
Li Hao marveled at the strange twists of fate. Despite her origins as a spirit born from blood and corpses, Xiyan's essence was now naturally pure and without any sense of good or evil—qualities more aligned with the balance of Buddhist and demonic energies.
In the natural world, after all, there was neither good nor evil. These concepts existed only as distinctions created by saints.
Much like the primal animals, who killed to survive, without ever being burdened by the notion of sin or guilt.
There was a saintly saying that humanity was the most wicked of beings, capable of committing acts of evil without necessity, but humanity was also capable of supreme goodness, the only creatures to show mercy by sparing life.
"I'm feeling a bit drowsy…" Xiyan mumbled, swaying slightly as though intoxicated. She looked up at Li Hao with a soft, sleepy expression, as if she'd drunk deeply of some divine nectar.
Li Hao chuckled at her antics. "Overindulged, huh?"
Xiyan's energy held a faint, chaotic aura—a mingling of light and dark, yin and yang. Li Hao instructed her to return to his inner space for rest and recovery.
With that settled, he finished his tea, savoring the taste of the Buddha Sect's unique brew.
Not long after, he finished his sweep of the Buddha Sect's holy land, leaving not a single treasure behind. Turning to go, he cast a final, dispassionate look over the sacred grounds.
Many of the remaining half-saints watched as he departed, fearful and powerless to stop him. They knew that with their saint slain, the Buddha Sect would inevitably fade into obscurity.
As news of the Buddha Sect's defeat spread, it shook the various divine kingdoms within the Canglan Realm. The revered sect, once the foremost power in the region, had been thoroughly dismantled by a single man—the young prodigy who had won first place in the Heaven's Chosen Trial.
Departing from the Canglan Realm, Li Hao didn't rejoin Swordmaster and the others but instead made his way directly to the Void Holy Land of the Yunxia Realm. With the deaths of Xu Zu and Xu Sheng, no force capable of resisting him remained there.
The half-saints who attempted to challenge him were either cut down or quickly retreated in fear. Against a saint's might, their protests and anger were mere whispers in the storm, drowned out entirely.
In full view of the half-saints, Li Hao scoured the Void Holy Land, seizing four Treasures of Heaven and Earth along with other valuable items, including a rare Void Pearl—the prized artifact of the Void Holy Land. This treasure had the power to conceal the holy land within the Void, making it an ideal tool for preserving it from discovery.
Li Hao intended to gift this pearl to Elder Feng. Should the Thieving Heaven Holy Land encounter danger, this treasure would allow him to protect it as needed.
Once he'd stripped the Void Holy Land clean, he continued visiting the other holy lands whose saints he had previously defeated. He demanded five Treasures of Heaven and Earth from each as compensation, knowing they would never offer them freely otherwise.
And so, as Li Hao traveled from one holy land to the next, time quickly passed. Half a month later, news of the battle at the Dao Arena began to spread, sending ripples of shock through the myriad worlds.
But the news that stunned everyone most was the destruction of the Buddha Sect and the Void Holy Land. When word of Li Hao's defeat of twelve saints at the Dao Arena reached them, their last hopes were shattered.
By then, Li Hao's name had become a resounding echo across the heavens.
Completing his circuit of the holy lands, he found himself in possession of a total of fifty-four Treasures of Heaven and Earth.
Such a bounty would have made any holy land envious, but Li Hao's status was now beyond reproach. Even those aware of his vast collection of treasures wouldn't dare plot against him—he was now an entity just shy of the Supreme Saint level.
Finally returning to the Minor World and preparing to feed his collection of Treasures of Heaven and Earth to the Gongming Sword, Li Hao was met by a familiar figure in the vastness of the Void: Ying Xiaoxiao.
Her presence reminded him of their previous conversation regarding the Divine Realm and the possible resurrection of the Divine Ancestor.
Looking at her graceful, pure face, he smiled and remarked, "Waiting here for me—is this a special reception?"
Ying Xiaoxiao regarded him with a complex expression. News of the Dao Arena battle had reached her, but although she had known Li Hao was a prodigy of the Three Calamities, she hadn't anticipated his Saint's Dao would be even more formidable, stirring up great commotion across the realms.
"I knew you would return here, so I waited," she replied.
"Is it regarding your clan's ancestor? I've already handled Qingdeng Buddha and Xu Zu on his behalf. Let's say I'm open to 'discussing' that extreme path if your ancestor is willing to reciprocate," Li Hao said, smiling.
Ying Xiaoxiao's gaze softened, though a faint sadness lingered in her eyes as she shook her head, "It's not about that. The ancestor..."
She paused, biting her lip as her mind wrestled with what her ancestor had advised her: to leave Li Hao alone. Her ancestor hadn't seemed interested in the potential alliance. But after the shocking events of the Dao Arena, Ying Xiaoxiao believed her ancestor might reconsider the collaboration.
Yet that wasn't the primary reason she'd come to find Li Hao.
"Your path is one of body sanctification," she said, her tone solemn. "The Mixed Heaven Saint follows the same path, which could mean he'll be a danger to you."
Li Hao blinked, momentarily surprised before chuckling, "You came all this way just to tell me that?"
She looked taken aback. "You already knew?"
Li Hao nodded. "I had been warned and will remain vigilant. But this timing is sensitive—many saints' eyes are on me. Coming to see me now might not bode well for your Divine Clan."
Ying Xiaoxiao lowered her gaze, a hint of disappointment flashing across her face. She shook her head slightly, "As long as you're aware, I'll rest easier. If there's an update from the ancestor, I'll come find you."
With that, she glanced at him one last time before stepping into a rift in the heavens, disappearing from Li Hao's sight.
He paused, watching until her presence had fully vanished, and only then did he continue on his way to the Minor World.
Upon his return to the Thieving Heaven Holy Land, Li Hao presented the Void Pearl to Elder Feng.
Elder Feng, who had heard about Li Hao's journey through the various holy lands, knew of his exploits but was still taken aback when he saw the pearl.
"Such a treasure is close to a Dao Calamity Emperor Weapon, and yet you're giving it to me?" Elder Feng marveled, holding the pearl in his hands. It was an ideal treasure for safeguarding a holy land, particularly as it was challenging to steal.
"It's useless to me," Li Hao replied with a smile.
Elder Feng laughed, shaking his head but accepting the gift. He knew that soon, he and Saint Huantian would be undertaking a critical task, and this treasure would serve as a perfect safeguard for the holy land in their absence. Without further formalities, he accepted it with gratitude.
After bidding Elder Feng farewell, Li Hao returned to his quarters, summoning the Gongming Sword and his collection of Treasures of Heaven and Earth, ready to feed the sword.
Meanwhile, in a deep, molten world within a remote realm, lava flowed incessantly beneath a looming ancient temple.
Ying Xiaoxiao, clad in green, had just returned. Upon entering the temple, her grandmother's voice, full of surprise and excitement, greeted her. "Xiaoxiao, you're here! Quickly, follow me. The Ancestor has finally returned!"
Ying Xiaoxiao froze, her gaze brightening as she swiftly followed her grandmother toward the awaiting figure.
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