111. Questioning the Grandmaster with All Things

Chapter 111: Questioning the Grandmaster with All Things

The vast sword aura enveloped the entire Divine General's Mansion!

The young man wielding the golden divine sword, like a deity of swords, commanded countless swords to bow before him!

In the courtyard, Bian Ruxue gazed up, the countless sword shadows reflecting in her bright eyes, leaving her in a trance.

Such sword aura could shake the heavens and earth; she had only seen it from her master.

But her master was a Sword Saint, a top-tier Four Pillar expert, who sought the heart through the sword, immensely powerful!

Yet Li Hao, at merely the Fifteen Mile Realm, already possessed such a presence. His swordsmanship had already caught up with her master, far surpassing her own understanding!

In the sky outside the mansion, the guests who had left earlier now paused, staying at high vantage points in Qingzhou City, watching the father-son duel within the magnificent Divine General's Mansion.

Incredulity and shock were written all over their faces.

They had thought that the young man from the Li family, who nearly killed a disciple of the Buddha with a single chopstick, was already peerless in his realm.

Who would have thought that he had not even shown his true power?

The sword tide before them was the boy's real killing move!

If this swordsmanship had been used during the True Dragon competition, Li Qianfeng wouldn't have even needed to step onto the stage.

Such a presence, even the few Grandmasters present felt an oppressive force coming at them, their hearts couldn't help but beat fiercely.

"That child..."

Jian Wudao stared blankly, the short time he had been observing him, the shock in his heart had grown more and more profound. The boy, who had no trace of sword shadow in his eyes, had reached such a terrifying level in swordsmanship.

Could it be that he casually practiced the sword without any love for it, and still became a leader in swordsmanship?

Jian Wudao was reluctant to believe it; it twisted his understanding.

In the sky above the Divine General's Mansion, under the gathering of countless sword tides, Li Hao's avatar swung, sweeping down towards Li Tiangang.

It was like a waterfall of sword shadows falling from a height of ten thousand feet!

Li Tiangang's pupils contracted, his heart equally shocked. Although he used a blade and had not practiced Boundless Sea, he knew that the final move of this sword technique was extremely difficult to master!

Yet Li Hao had mastered it.

As he looked at the terrifying sword energy coming at him, Li Tiangang's eyes burst with anger. This son truly wanted to commit patricide?!

The divine soul above his head suddenly charged out, the brilliant divine blade in its hand radiating divine light, stepping into the sea of sword shadows.

The white sword shadows crashed like ocean waves, but the blood-red figure was like a proud sun, wherever the divine blade swung, the sword shadows rapidly dispersed.

But the number of sword shadows was too vast, seemingly endless, rushing madly.

Even the divine light of the divine blade was submerged.

"Break for me!!"

Li Tiangang roared angrily, releasing divine might!

This was a power that only a Grandmaster could wield. With his divine soul at the Three Immortals level, the divine might he released far surpassed that of a Grandmaster.

Like a divine emperor descending, immense oppressive force surged out like sound wave energy.

The countless sword shadows suddenly shattered inch by inch!

The strongest sword move of Boundless Sea was broken by his divine roar!

At the same time, under the shock of the divine might, Li Hao's face turned pale, his chest's blood and energy surged, and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

In his vision, it was as if he was facing a god-king of the heavens and earth, feeling a compulsion to bow in reverence under the immense divine might!

But bow?

Li Hao's eyes suddenly filled with violent bloodlust.

If it had been when they first met, even a single word from Li Tiangang would have made him kneel in reverence.

A son kneels to his father!

Kneeling for the bond of blood, kneeling for the grace of risking his life to slay a three-thousand-year-old demon and lay the foundation for him in his childhood!

But now,

the father-son bond had dissipated.

He would rather die in battle than kneel!!

"Ahhhh!!!"

Li Hao roared to the heavens, his hair standing on end. He roared, unleashing the characteristics of the Fleshly Dao, Tiger Roar!

Although he did not roar, from his body came the aura of a caged tiger, sending out a shockwave of tiger's roar to counter the vast divine might!

Li Tiangang's eyes showed surprise—was that Grandmaster-level divine might?

Though the aura was weak, it was taking shape!

He snorted coldly, his divine soul holding the blade, striding forward to completely destroy Li Hao's avatar and suppress him!

Seeing the tiger roar unable to stop the opponent, Li Hao's eyes turned fierce, quickly summoning many illustrations he had collected earlier.

After the battle in Cangyu City, he had found many famous paintings that had not yet been embedded.

These famous paintings were:

Thousand Mountains Bird Flight, Snow Mountain Spirit Fox, Qilin Steed, Blood Sea Fierce Dragon, Coiling Mountain, and Qiongqi Mountain Range!

At this moment, Li Hao had no time to select or think about which characteristics these paintings would provide for the Fleshly Dao, embedding them all at once.

In an instant, his bones and muscles seemed to undergo a transformation under some vast, unseen power.

Messages flooded into his mind, each describing the characteristics brought by the paintings.

Three paintings had effects similar to "Tiger Roar"!

Li Hao's eyes turned blood-red, activating these three paintings in succession.

Blood Sea Fierce Dragon!

A roar like a dragon's cry emanated from his body, the air around him turning blood-red, with a faint shadow of a giant dragon coiling behind Li Hao!

The dragon shadow, a hundred feet long, seemed to roll and turn in the blood sea, roaring at the approaching divine might of Li Tiangang!

But the divine soul shone with golden light, only slightly pausing under the dragon's roar, then stepped forward even faster!

Next, the second painting's characteristic power emerged.

Coiling Mountain!

A majestic, beautiful mountain appeared behind Li Hao, stabilizing him like an immovable anchor!

"Hmph!"

Li Tiangang's divine soul's eyes turned cold. Though shocked, he did not stop. Having slain countless demons in the North of Yan, he would crush any mountain before him!

But then, a low bellow like a bull's moo sounded.

A dark shadow appeared behind Li Hao, its form resembling both a tiger and a bull, with wings on its back, landing on the Coiling Mountain.

Its eyes were ferocious and bloodthirsty, staring at Li Tiangang with ancient malice.

This was Qiongqi, a fierce beast of the ancient wilderness!

Its divine might was like the presence of a real ancient beast!

Li Tiangang's expression changed, the blazing divine flame on his divine blade forced to dissipate, leaving only the smooth blade.

With three pressures added to the previous tiger roar, the young man stood in the field, his hair floating, surrounded by beasts, exuding terrifying might and wildness!

Li Tiangang's divine soul stopped, slightly dazed. Even a Grandmaster would bow under this terrifying pressure!

Was this really his son?

A Fifteen Mile Realm warrior, capable of fighting a Grandmaster!

This talent was unprecedented, worthy of pride.

But his nature was wild and untamed!

Li Tiangang's eyes turned cold again, feeling a pang of regret. Perhaps he should have kept Li Hao by his side in Yan North, despite the danger, to temper his wild nature.

With such talent, why not shine across the world?

"Very good, but unfortunately, you've chosen the wrong path!"

Li Tiangang took a deep breath, his eyes shining with a soul-stirring divine light.

He no longer held back. His spirit suddenly gripped the blade tightly, unleashing an extremely domineering strike!

The terrifying blade aura formed, seemingly about to cleave the entire Qinglian Courtyard, even the entire Divine General's Mansion!

This formidable power was even more fierce than Li Hao's previous Boundless Sea sword technique.

"Li Tiangang!"

Li Qingzheng couldn't help but change his expression, shouting angrily.

But Li Tiangang acted as if he hadn't heard, his blade aimed straight at Li Hao's soul.

The blade intent contained killing intent as cold as ten thousand years of ice, carrying the power to split the heavens and earth, unstoppable.

Li Hao's face changed drastically. Even with the characteristics of the three famous paintings to resist the divine power, he couldn't withstand this strike!

Without hesitation, Li Hao quickly merged his soul and body, using his control power to dodge at full speed.

His body suddenly became ten times lighter, thanks to the Thousand Mountains and Birds Flight Chart and the Snow Mountain Spirit Fox Chart, drastically increasing his speed.

However, the blade strike came fiercely. Despite Li Hao's full effort to dodge, he was still struck. The opponent abruptly increased speed just as he evaded!

With a spurt of blood, Li Hao was sent flying, crashing into several courtyard walls before coming to a stop.

The household servants and maids in the courtyard stared dumbfoundedly at the rolling figure of Li Hao.

Amidst the dust, the young man struggled to his feet, coughing blood.

Without stopping, Li Hao dashed towards the exit of the Divine General's Mansion.

Though he was furious, the difference in their cultivation realms was too great. Staying any longer would mean more than just getting injured!

"Where do you think you're going!"

An angry shout echoed. Li Tiangang, like a burning comet, chased after him.

Li Hao didn't look back, fully unleashing his control power, fleeing out of the mansion.

His control speed was forty li per breath. At this moment, he mobilized all his major meridians, releasing the Yin-Yang dual meridians' power boost, increasing his speed by several more li.

This was far beyond the speed of the Fifteen Li Realm, but the whistling sound behind him was even faster!

Li Tiangang, having temporarily assumed the position of True Dragon, had also received various realm enhancements from the ancestral shrine. Moreover, being in the Three Immortal Realm, even though injured and temporarily weakened, he was still beyond the Fifteen Li Realm.

With a bang, a palm strike came down.

Just as Li Hao rushed out of the Divine General's Mansion, he was struck from mid-air, crashing heavily into a building on the street.

Li Hao climbed out of the rubble of the collapsed building, surrounded by people injured by the shockwave. But at this moment, he had no time to care about them.

As he got up, he saw a father and son outside the rubble.

Zhou Zheng and his father.

Li Hao's body trembled slightly, and his mind couldn't help but recall the angry shouts he heard before class that day:

"...I know my son is a person, a proper person. He's not a rat that spoils the whole pot of soup!"

"...He just isn't good at martial arts, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be human!!"

"My son may not have great talent, but he has a pure heart. Even if he's just at the Tongli realm, he's still my pride. How dare you insult him?!"

Li Hao coughed up a bit of blood, a self-mocking expression appearing in his eyes.

Strange, why do I remember the words of a stranger so clearly?

Could it be that I harbored some expectation deep in my heart?

Is it the power of blood or the societal notion that father and son should have deep affection?

Or was it the kindness shown to me in childhood by slaying demons for me that softened my heart?

He was genuinely touched and grateful for the favor.

Who would have thought it would now leave him battered and bruised?

At this moment, a violent palm wind descended from the sky, seemingly ready to crush the entire earth.

Li Hao looked up, the wind brushing against his face, and saw those cold, angry eyes behind the divine palm. He couldn't help but laugh coldly.

Then he turned abruptly and dashed away.

He didn't expect the other party to show mercy. His life was his own; he didn't want to die here.

"Don't run!"

Li Tiangang's eyes were cold. He retracted his palm in time to avoid harming the innocent.

Then he leaped and pursued.

Along the long street and in the sky, the father and son engaged in a relentless chase.

Ordinary people couldn't see them, but the waves of terrifying killing intent coming from the sky made countless people look up, their hearts trembling in fear.

With a thud!

Li Hao's body was struck by a palm again, crashing into another building. He flipped over and got up, simultaneously bringing up his interface.

What else could he enhance?

What could save his life?!

He saw the musical scores, immediately embedding several pieces into his path of control.

A flood of information surged into his mind, like a phoenix's cry or a small flute's sound, and several characteristics emerged.

But Li Hao quickly scanned through them; none could help him escape swiftly or provide a significant boost.

He opened the interface, trying to find something, but all he saw was a dense array of cultivation techniques.

He had mastered many techniques, but none could help him escape this danger at the moment!

Meanwhile, the figure carrying the might of heaven and earth had already caught up, the vast power looming overhead.

"Keep running, why don't you?"

"Don't you think you're so great, capable of bullying your brother and killing your father? Is this all you've got?"

Li Tiangang's eyes were cold as he looked down at Li Hao, raising his palm to strike again.

Li Hao's eyes were bloodshot as he faced the descending palm. He released Boundless Sea once more!

The vast sword aura gathered, filling the surroundings.

Amidst the countless sword shadows, Li Hao stopped running. He knew he couldn't escape.

Only a blood battle, a fight to the death!

As the myriad sword lights illuminated his face, his eyes suddenly calmed down.

The sea has the sky as a companion, but what about me?

Li Hao felt a tinge of sadness in his heart, but he quickly thought of the little white fox who had risked its life to protect him, of Li Yuanzhao who always trusted him.

And he thought of his second uncle, Elder Feng, Fifth Uncle... a smile appeared on his face. At least in these ten-plus years, he wasn't a complete failure; he still had a few people he could confide in.

His eyes shone with a strong light as he looked at the myriad sword shadows shattering under the divine might.

No matter how many sword shadows there were, they couldn't withstand the divine might.

And he had many cultivation techniques over the years, but none that were truly his own path.

Where is my path?

Where is my destination?

Li Hao thought of the many ancient stories he had read in Tingyu Tower recently.

Most Grandmasters used others' techniques as references or the natural habits of beasts to establish their own systems.

A Grandmaster is a master of oneself.

Without a master, one carves out their own path and becomes the master of that path.

If that's the case, why stick to the forms of these techniques?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration seemed to strike Li Hao's mind, and he had an epiphany.

He had many techniques, all diverse, though beneficial for his physical body or cultivation, but they weren't categorized.

These techniques were all others' techniques, not his own.

Some mid-to-lower-grade techniques, with his Dao realm comprehension, could condense into profound meanings.

These profound meanings were like reference techniques, opening another path but not fully formed.

Thus, he had only half a foot into the Grandmaster realm.

If we're talking about reference...

Li Hao looked at the figure shattering the myriad sword shadows, his gaze moving past him to the vast sky filled with dark clouds.

Time seemed to stand still around him, the noisy wind becoming quiet.

Even someone as strong as Li Tiangang, a Three Immortals expert, was under this heaven and earth, under this sky.

If seeking reference, why not use heaven and earth as a reference, use all things as a reference?

At this moment, countless sword moves in his mind disappeared.

Countless boundaries disappeared, leaving only the essence of the sword.

The aura within his body naturally flowed, following a special trajectory route, vibrating and surging in his great meridians without his awareness.

The energy flowing out from this aura seemed to spread to Li Hao's eyes, making him see a faint door in the heavens and earth before him.

That is the Heavenly Gate.

So, the Heavenly Gate is everywhere, not in the heavens and earth, but in one's heart!

Li Hao laughed, the aura in his chest surging, and he kicked open the Heavenly Gate!

A vast aura surged from his body like a storm.

At this moment, Li Hao felt like the line from the poem he once recited in the brothel:

The great roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring up to ninety thousand miles!

That Heavenly Gate opened, seemingly leading to another world.

His whole body felt an extreme refreshment, like stepping into a new world, emerging from deep water, the sensation on his skin exceptionally delicate and clear.

Dust could be detected, eyesight became microscopic!

This was extremely delicate and ultimate control over the body.

And this control allowed Li Hao to push his techniques to deeper levels.

With the breakthrough in his state of mind, the previously restricted information surged like a flood, all at once.

A new sword move appeared after Boundless Sea.

Boundless Sea · The Other Shore!

With a clang, the sword in Li Hao's hand let out a dragon's roar, sensing its master's intent, and shone with a brilliant light.

All these changes happened in an instant, in the realm of the mind, where the flow of time was different from the outside. It was like having hundreds of thoughts in an instant, but only enough to raise a hand in reality.

The newfound understanding entered a deeper level of consciousness, where thoughts surged rapidly, with thousands of ideas occurring in an instant, while only a moment passed in the external world.

As the sword rose again, the new sword technique emerged, and the other shore was born!

The figure descending from the sky charged at him, the palm strike like Buddha subduing demons, aiming at his head.

But suddenly, the palm strike seemed distant.

A sword light flashed, severing the distance between them.

This sword seemed to cut through the void, containing a certain law!