Volume 2 - Chapter 34: Severing Heaven and Earth
Li Hao, wielding his sword, pursued the fleeing figures beyond Tianmen Pass. The three Great Demon Kings had already escaped a hundred li away, vanishing into the distant horizon.
He rushed over to Song Qiumo's side and found her sky-blue dress soaked with blood. Deep claw marks marred her shoulder blades, and her breathing was weak, her face pale. However, she was stopping her bleeding and stabilizing her injuries, seemingly not in any immediate danger of losing her life.
“What happened to you?”
Seeing Li Hao approach with a body resembling a deity or demon, Song Qiumo was startled. Forcing her breath to steady, she quickly asked:
“Is this some kind of secret technique?”
Although she posed the question, she had never seen any secret technique capable of causing such a transformation.
Moreover, the aura emanating from Li Hao at that moment was oppressive even to her, as though the entire sky above was ready to crush down with a mere wave of his hand.
Confirming Song Qiumo was not fatally injured, Li Hao suppressed the burning fury and killing intent in his heart. Her words also served as a reminder, prompting him to quickly rein in his strength and cease drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.
But that was easier said than done. His body, already battered and fractured from before, had turned into an open floodgate. Even as he forced himself to sever the influx of power from heaven and earth, his pores seemed unable to close, and his body kept absorbing energy uncontrollably!
Li Hao crouched down, gritting his teeth tightly. His bloodshot eyes reflected his realization: if he couldn't regain control, he would face utter disintegration, vanishing into nothingness like a fleeting breeze!
He didn’t want to die!
Yet, pain from the relentless fracturing and tearing of his body spread throughout him.
The endless power of heaven and earth seemed intent on grinding his bones to powder, crushing his body, his internal organs, every ounce of his blood and flesh, until nothing was left, and he would merge into the vast cosmos.
“Ahhhh!”
Li Hao let out a beast-like roar, his vocal cords ripping apart. The sound, filled with anguish and despair, was like a cry of blood.
Song Qiumo sensed something was severely wrong with Li Hao’s condition. His state was extremely dangerous. Despite her pale and weakened face, her expression tensed with worry. She urgently asked, “How can I help you?”
But Li Hao could no longer speak.
Seeing this, Song Qiumo tried to channel her energy into a soft, healing water curtain to envelop Li Hao, attempting to heal and slow his body's collapse.
However, the moment this healing energy touched Li Hao’s body, the fracturing accelerated.
In his current state of extreme saturation, the more energy he absorbed, the faster his body approached destruction.
At that moment, Feng Boping staggered over. Seeing the scene, he froze briefly before realizing what needed to be done.
“Quick, sever the connection to heaven and earth!”
Song Qiumo, realizing her energy was not only ineffective but exacerbating Li Hao’s pain, swiftly withdrew it.
As she did, she was horrified to find that a portion of her power had been forcibly absorbed by Li Hao’s overwhelming pull.
Heeding Feng Boping's shout, she calmed her mind, drew upon her healing energy, and joined forces with Feng Boping to construct a barrier prison, enclosing Li Hao within.
To their shock, though the barrier prison did slow the disintegration of Li Hao’s body, it began trembling and showed signs of collapsing.
Even their combined barrier was being siphoned, its power drained by Li Hao!
The two were stunned. This was their own energy, yet it was being forcibly plundered!
Even among demons, nothing this horrifying existed—unless it was a Great Demon beyond the Fourth Realm, capable of draining them like ghosts feasting on mortals.
And at this moment, Li Hao was behaving exactly like such a being.
As the two stood stunned, Li Hao gritted his teeth and strained to suppress his body. The barrier created by Feng Boping and Song Qiumo managed to temporarily sever the connection to heaven and earth.
Although traces of energy still streamed into Li Hao, it was no longer as torrential as before.
Low growls emanated from Li Hao as he focused on suppressing his body and the rampaging celestial energy within. He forced the absorbed energy out through alternate channels.
Thanks to the extensive meridians in his body, combined with the yin-yang dual veins, he managed to redirect some of the immense power of heaven and earth. The residual energy no longer caused such catastrophic damage.
Amidst the excruciating pain of his body being torn apart, Li Hao strove to find peace within himself.
Only through such calmness could he activate the Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness attribute, allowing his body to begin healing.
This was a self-repair ability akin to the Undying Realm.
However, under the dual torment of physical and spiritual agony, achieving the desired peace felt as distant as reaching the heavens.
Gritting his teeth, Li Hao shut his eyes tightly, fists clenched, his body curling up like a shrimp.
He felt the wind around him, wishing it could carry away his pain, leaving him in tranquility.
But the wind merely brushed past, leaving nothing behind.
“Am I going to die like this?” Li Hao couldn’t help but wonder.
Memories surfaced—the brilliant starry courtyard, the crowd bidding him farewell as he left the grand Divine General Mansion.
He thought of the little white fox, of Ren Qianqian, of Feng Lao who had stood before him moments ago, taking a fist-sized hole to the chest.
And of the pale, fragile face of Song Qiumo.
Hot blood dripped from his face like sweat.
Li Hao took slow, deliberate breaths, recalling the serenity he once felt atop the snowy peak when he attuned himself to heaven and earth.
He realized that mere resistance and redirection weren’t enough. He needed to guide this energy, to let it flow outward, as naturally as a snowflake rising on the wind and falling when it ceased.
His breathing, initially labored, gradually became calm and steady.
His tightly curled body relaxed, and eventually, he sat down on the ground.
The enormous body, swollen to four or five meters, slowly began to shrink back.
As his bones and flesh contracted to their original state, his ruptured skin hung in tatters, blood soaking his entire body like a crimson sculpture.
Song Qiumo watched in silence, her delicate hands gripping the snow beneath her tighter and tighter.
Her stream-like eyes darkened, filled with mounting anger and killing intent.
Feng Boping, seeing Li Hao’s condition stabilize, finally let out a sigh of relief. The barrier they had constructed had dissolved, riddled with holes.
The chaotic energy of heaven and earth continued to flow toward Li Hao, though most of it now spiraled around him like a vortex before dispersing into the surroundings.
At the center of this storm, Li Hao’s expression gradually softened into one of tranquility. Although his blood-soaked body continued to ooze fresh blood from numerous wounds, the bleeding began to subside.
At that moment, the Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness attribute activated. Amid the torment of what felt like an infernal purgatory, Li Hao achieved a state of inner peace and relaxation.
His breathing steadied, growing long and even.
The shredded flesh covering his body began to scab over.
Beneath him, the once-pristine snow was now a deep red.
No one could say how much time passed.
Li Hao slowly opened his eyes, meeting the concerned gazes of Feng Lao and Song Qiumo. He gave them a faint smile. “I’m fine.”
“Fine? You were on the brink of death, and you dare say you’re fine!”
Feng Boping gritted his teeth, raising a hand as though to knock some sense into Li Hao, but he hesitated, then lowered it again. His tense body finally relaxed as he slumped onto the snow beside him.
Song Qiumo looked at Li Hao deeply, saying nothing.
Li Hao raised his hand, dispersing the swirling energy around him. He had now regained control of the rampant celestial energy within and stopped drawing more from the surroundings.
The turbulent power in the heavens and earth settled, like autumn leaves drifting gently to the ground.
“Sorry for dragging you into this,” Li Hao said, looking at the other two. All three of them were severely injured and in a sorry state.
“Forget about apologies! Once we recover, we’ll go after them ourselves!”
Feng Lao managed a slight grin as he flipped his hand to reveal several bottles of medicine from his robes. Pouring a variety of pills into his palm, he began selecting and swallowing them.
These pills were of extraordinary value but required time for their effects to spread. Still, they would help him recover within a day or two.
“Agreed,” Song Qiumo said softly, taking out her own healing pills and swallowing them.
Li Hao nodded. Today’s debt would not go unpaid.
“Here, brat.”
Feng Boping tossed a handful of pills toward Li Hao. However, Li Hao shook his head slightly, declining them. His unique condition rendered such medicines ineffective, leaving him to rely solely on his innate recovery abilities.
Fortunately, the Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness attribute was more effective than any pill. Li Hao believed that if he could break through to the Three Immortals realm, combining it with his recovery abilities would grant him unimaginable resilience.
Feng Boping was about to retort when a sharp sound of rushing wind pierced the air from afar.
The three looked up, their faces darkening as they saw the source. The three Great Demon Kings who had fled earlier were now returning!
“Well, well! It seems you’re not looking so good, are you? Hahaha!”
Leading the charge was Myriad Mountains Demon King, his eyes gleaming with both murderous intent and cruel delight.
As he approached, he took in the sight of the trio: Li Hao, drenched in blood and resembling a skinned corpse—the most pitiful among them—and the other two, as feeble as candles flickering in the wind, still far from recovery.
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