Chapter 204: The Initial Ultimate State
"We shed our blood to spare the common folk. Don't spout nonsense about solitary destinies," Li Tianzong retorted in annoyance.
Then he turned to Li Hao and said, "Call me Fifth Uncle. Remember, when you make something of yourself, if your father is no longer around, you must take care of your Fifth Uncle and treat him as you would me."
"I understand," nodded Li Hao.
The crisp sound of his voice caused Li Qingzheng to turn his head slightly. When he caught sight of Li Hao's delicate features and saw that Li Hao was also looking at him, his expression became a little unnatural.
He let out a soft hmmph and turned away. "Go on in. Stop spouting nonsense to your son."
Li Tianzong smiled and led Li Hao into the ancestral hall.
Inside, Li Hao gazed up at the numerous tablets, finding them almost identical to his memory.
To inherit the True Dragon, one must first pledge their heart.
Li Hao had previously asked Li Xiaoran about this, and he learned that the heart pledge was limited to the Huang River and would not follow him beyond. The only thing he could take away from this place was the memories and experiences gained during his time here.
Thus, any insights into martial arts or self-created techniques he developed here could be taken with him.
At this moment, Li Tianzong was leading Li Hao to pledge his heart before the ancestral tablets.
They swore to be absolutely loyal to and defend the Li family, leading the family forward.
Li Hao recited the oath that Li Tianzong fed him word for word. If he wanted to clear the Huang River trial, he had to complete the main quest of assisting Li Tianzong in defending Dragon City.
Thus, the oath not to harm members of the Li family and such had no negative impact on Li Hao.
After the oath was made, a divine light appeared on the tablets, after which Li Tianzong withdrew from the ancestral hall, leaving Li Hao alone to receive the ancestors' baptism.
Li Hao had previously established his soul with the heavens and earth, having already refined his soul imprint 360 times, reaching the limit and also refining the ultimate heaven and earth law image.
At this moment, the ancestral divine light enveloped Li Hao, once again tempering his bones, enriching his blood, and refining his soul.
It was tempering every realm he had achieved once more, surpassing the limits brought by cultivating a top-grade technique.
With this ancestral refinement, the Li family's True Dragon could match or even surpass the existence of the imperial geniuses within the same realm.
Only the crown prince chosen by the imperial family, who received a special inheritance, could once again suppress the True Dragon of the Five Great Divine Generals' Mansions.
"Hmm? What a strong physique!"
"This child's body is like iron. Has he cultivated the Way through body refinement?"
The Li family ancestors surrounding Li Hao were astonished as they tempered his bones.
Li Hao's bones shone with divine light, unlike mortal bones. Even after their refinement, the ancestors were not sure if they could achieve such a physique.
Yet Li Hao had cultivated himself to this extent, which was simply astonishing.
As the ancestors' power flowed into him, Li Hao felt his body turn soft, as if his blood flowed with the essence of Red Gold, an extremely comfortable sensation as if hundreds of tiny hands were massaging his muscles and meridians.
"This soul imprint..."
Soon, the Li family ancestors saw Li Hao's soul imprint, hidden within his consciousness like a great spirit god, and they were shocked.
"This is the Heaven and Earth Law Image, the soul of the ancient sages as told in legends!"
The first ancestor, Li Tianyuan, exclaimed in shock.
The other ancestors were also surprised, looking at Li Hao in disbelief.
The entire ancestral hall trembled.
Then, the ancestors quickly exchanged whispers and finally decided to try refining Li Hao again.
But Li Hao's Heaven and Earth Law Image was too vast and dense, and even though the ancestors burst forth with golden light, expending a great deal of soul power, they still couldn't refine it.
"Could it be that his law image has already been refined to its limit?"
One of the ancestors wondered.
Li Tianyuan shook his head and said solemnly, "It doesn't seem so. I can feel our power seeping in and being absorbed by him. However, our power is too little, and it seems like he has refined it to a certain bottleneck that needs to be broken through."
"In that case, let's try again."
After a brief discussion, the ancestors quickly made up their minds to attempt it once more.
As divine light burst forth, the entire ancestral hall was filled with reddish-golden light, and the numerous ancestors erupted with immense spiritual power.
Li Hao felt the power enveloping him, several times stronger than before.
Li Hao was slightly dazed. According to his understanding, his Heaven and Earth Law Image had already been refined 360 times, reaching its limit. Yet the ancestors said that it could still be broken through?
He suddenly thought of his godlike state, which required a million pounds of force to unlock. However, his physical strength could still be further enhanced.
At that time, he had suspected that this ultimate state might not be the true limit.
And indeed, it seemed that was the case.
But beyond the Heaven and Earth Law Image, what was the true limit?
And beyond the Land Immortal Realm, could there be an even more ultimate state?
Could it be true immortal ascension?
As Li Hao pondered, the divine light completely bathed him, and the spirits of the numerous ancestors surrounding him dissipated, their gazes resolute and calm, infusing his law image with power.
Suddenly, Li Hao felt his law image tremble slightly, and then his soul refinement count reached 361 times.
Just this once more, but Li Hao felt as if some kind of bottleneck had been broken through, and a surge of power rushed forth, gathering from the heavens and the four directions, giving him the feeling that his law image was in harmony with the world.
Li Hao immersed himself in this sensation. Only then did he truly understand the power of the Heaven and Earth Law Image. It was not just a simple increase in strength but the ability to draw upon even greater power. If combined with the veins of heaven and earth, his combat strength would increase severalfold.
When Li Hao opened his eyes, he saw that the golden light on the spirits of the numerous ancestors had dimmed, and only a few ancestors still shone brightly, but even they were much weaker than before.
"Child, this is the best we can do," Li Tianyuan said gently to Li Hao. "If we continue to help you, we may have to burn ourselves out, and even then, we may not be able to fill you up."
"But it doesn't matter. You have already far surpassed your peers and stepped into a broader world. In the future, if you cultivate other top-notch soul-refining techniques, you will be able to refine your soul to even higher levels on your own."
Seeing their weakened state, Li Hao sighed inwardly and nodded. "I understand."
"The help we gave you in soul-refinement only had a tenth of the effect despite using all our strength. If you cultivate on your own, it will be much easier. This is just the beginning." Another ancestor said.
"The future of the Li family rests on your shoulders."
The other ancestors also spoke, their spiritual voices much weaker, but their tones remained firm and resolute.
Even the Connection Realm's bone-strengthening only added a hundred thousand pounds of strength to Li Hao.
The blessings bestowed by the True Dragon were extremely significant for ordinary people, but for Li Hao, if he could find more techniques, he would be able to accumulate even more power.
The greatest gain from this inheritance was that Li Hao learned that 360 refinements of the Heaven and Earth Law Image was not the limit, and thus he also understood that the ultimate state he had achieved before was merely the initial ultimate state.
However, throughout the Great Yu Divine Dynasty's history, only a handful of people had been able to reach this initial ultimate state.
And not every realm could attain this level.
...
With the inheritance of the True Dragon, Li Hao gained more freedom, and his needs became the top priority of the Li family.
Li Tianzong sought out numerous cultivation techniques for Li Hao, allowing him to enhance his abilities at a faster rate.
Li Hao no longer went to the martial arts arena and chose to cultivate in his own courtyard instead.
He spent his days cooking, painting, and practicing various arts, quickly improving in all of them.
As he absorbed the myriad techniques, Li Hao's entire body meridians were opened up—the 108 meridians along with the Yin-Yang meridian, forming the Heaven and Earth meridians.
His God-Refining Law and Object-Controlling Law also improved, and if he could safely leave the Huang River, his God-Walking Realm and Fifteen-Mile Realm would further enhance, as the cultivation memories gained here could be taken with him.
At the age of eleven, Li Hao smoothly entered the Grandmaster realm, becoming a Land Immortal.
With the combination of the Heaven and Earth meridians and the Ascension technique, Li Hao attempted to manipulate the rules, and it worked. Some of his cultivation memories leaked out, giving him a sense of deja vu during his daily practice, which greatly aided him in comprehending mental states.
Now, Li Hao focused on entering the spiritual level in culinary arts.
He had to successfully enter the spiritual level before the age of eighteen to step into the Three Immortals realm.
As Li Hao grew rapidly, the demons and monsters outside Dragon City became increasingly restless.
The harmonious and cheerful atmosphere in the Divine General's Mansion gradually faded, and most evenings, Li Tianzong would be poring over maps and military books, so absorbed that he didn't even notice his food getting cold.
The eldest brother, Li Xingbei, the second brother, Li Fengping, and the others donned their armor and served in Dragon City, defending the fortress.
When they occasionally returned, they often carried a murderous aura, indicating that they had shed blood on the battlefield.
As the other brothers grew older, they left Qinglian Court to forge their own paths, some venturing out to seek their fortune, while others stayed to guard Dragon City, leaving the courtyard feeling empty.
Li Hongzhuang, now nine years old, was assessed to have a nine-grade battle body, an exceptional talent.
However, when Li Tianzong looked at his only daughter, he didn't encourage her to practice martial arts. Instead, he wanted her to lead a peaceful life as a lady, to be married off and live a tranquil life.
While martial arts could offer some protection, it also brought danger.
For example, if a border town was in peril, someone without martial arts training wouldn't feel compelled to join the reinforcement.
But once one stepped into the martial path, it was hard to extricate oneself from the entanglements of right and wrong, merit and demerit.
Li Hao could understand Li Tianzong's thoughts. Looking at Li Hongzhuang, who was on the brink of death while defending Tianmen Pass outside, he knew that if she hadn't practiced martial arts, her life would have been much more comfortable.
With the Li family's prestige, wealth, and status, her in-laws wouldn't dare to mistreat her, and she could have enjoyed a peaceful and blessed life.
However, the Li Hongzhuang here, who was embroidering and painting, was different from the one outside, who had already taken up the sword and marched onto the battlefield. Perhaps this was the destiny of the Li family bloodline.
Li Hao didn't know what the outside Li Hongzhuang was like as a child, but he guessed that she was much like the one before him—once a gentle lady practicing embroidery and painting, but everything changed as the demons and monsters invaded, and the nine Li brothers fell one by one.
Li Hao took a deep breath, knowing that as he continued to grow, he would soon face the repetition of history here.
At the age of thirteen, Li Hao entered the spiritual level in culinary arts.
His powerful cultivation base weakened the influence of the Huang River's rules, and the sense of deja vu helped him smoothly enter the spiritual level.
With the allocation of attribute points, Li Hao stepped into the Three Immortals realm. This rapid growth brought joy to the increasingly worried Li Tianzong, and the frown lines on his forehead lessened.
Li Hao took the opportunity to express his desire to leave Dragon City and slay demons and monsters.
He had discussed with Li Xiaoran that if his growth rate was fast enough, he could go out and reduce the number of demons beforehand, so that when the time came to defend Dragon City, the pressure would be much less.
Li Tianzong hesitated, but Li Xiaoran stepped in and promised to secretly protect Li Hao, so Li Tianzong agreed and temporarily handed over the Rain Listening Tower to the third brother, Li Xuanyin, to manage.
Li Xiaoran had found his Dao heart at this point and reached the Dao Heart Realm. Looking at Li Hao, who had reached the Three Immortals realm at the age of thirteen, he couldn't help but smile wryly, thinking that Li Hao's progress here seemed even faster than his cultivation outside.
However, Li Hao had to sleep here, and time-skipping had occurred.
In total, they had been in this ancestral hall for less than a month.
"Now that we have your help, we can go and deal with the demons hiding in the city first," Li Xiaoran said.
At this moment, Li Hao's strength was not much different from his outer self.
Li Hao had no objections, and this familiar power gave him a sense of security.
In addition to hunting down demon kings in advance to reduce the pressure on the day of defending Dragon City, Li Hao also wanted to use the demon kings' corpses and blood to test out the evil technique he had deduced through his cultivation.
The techniques he had comprehended here were slightly different from those outside. For example, Li Tianzong had borrowed some ultimate techniques from other Divine Generals' Mansions by exchanging them for the ultimate techniques of the Rain Listening Tower, allowing Li Hao to deduce two unfamiliar techniques based on the seventh level of the Physical Cultivation Law.
One technique was for strengthening the body, while the other was for refining it.
However, the body-refining technique was rather sinister and required a large amount of demon blood and flesh.
Li Hao intended to take this opportunity to hunt down demons and cultivate this technique.
As Li Hao stepped out of the Divine General's Mansion, golden light converged before his eyes, forming the words of the Huang River.
Activate the second branch mission: Exploration.
Mission completion rate: 0%.
Li Hao was a little surprised but soon realized that this was probably the first time he had left the Divine General's Mansion since regaining consciousness.
He had no way of knowing if he had left during the time-skipped periods.