Chapter 312: Heavenly Will Against Divine Will

"In ancient times, when tales of immortals and gods were prevalent, a four-word idiom was passed down: 'Heaven and Earth, Mysterious and Yellow.'"

"The Dao Heart is also classified based on these, but I've never heard of a Dao Heart surpassing the Earth grade. If there was, then it would be the Heavenly Heart, the Heart of the Heavenly Dao!"

"The teachings of the Sages are vast and endless, yet their aspirations only reach the Earth grade of the Dao Heart. This is already beyond our imagination, but there are even greater ambitions?"

The people within the Immortal's Gate exchanged astonished glances.

According to their understanding, a Dao Heart that surpassed the aspirations of the Sages was unimaginable.

Such a concept was unheard of, and they were more inclined to believe that the Dao Heart Tower had malfunctioned rather than accept this new idea.

As they discussed this, Yu Zu's gaze fell on the youth outside the gate. He said in a low voice,

"He's about to enter. My Primordial Sacred Land will go to any lengths to accept him. I hope none of you will compete with me for his allegiance."

"Yu Zu, your words are rather domineering," a dignified goddess-like woman beside him spoke, her calm voice carrying a hint of rebuke. "Although my Celestial Phoenix Sacred Land may not be as powerful as yours, we are also willing to dedicate everything to nurture him."

Yu Zu glanced at her indifferently and replied, "The Celestial Phoenix Sacred Land is of the Demon Race, and you have many female disciples. That doesn't seem appropriate, does it? Are you trying to stir up conflict between humans and demons?"

The goddess-like figure retorted, her noble aura unwavering, "So what if we're of the Demon Race? There are cultivation techniques suitable for humans as well. Our two races have coexisted harmoniously for ages. Yu Zu, your words seem to be the ones causing discord."

"Moreover," she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly, "having many female disciples may not be a bad thing for him."

Yu Zu withdrew his gaze, a cold chuckle escaping his mind. He knew this youth was from the mortal world and had connections with the Jin family. Securing his allegiance would be an easy task compared to competing Sacred Lands.

He glanced at the ancestor of the Void Sacred Land, expecting a challenge, but the old man remained silent, showing no interest in vying for the youth. Yu Zu was surprised; even the Void Sacred Land wasn't tempted by such a remarkable genius?

The other powers present were left speechless by the exchange between Yu Zu and the goddess-like woman. The two half-sage elders were already competing for the youth's allegiance before he had even stepped through the gate.

However, they knew their chances were slim. A peerless genius like this would surely be personally accepted as a disciple by a Sage and cultivated in a Sacred Land.

Ji Xuansheng and his companions shared soft sighs, once again astonished by the youth's ability to stir up trouble and captivate everyone.

"Boy, come in," Yu Zu called out to the youth.

Outside, Li Hao awaited feedback from the Dao Heart Small Tower, puzzled by its silence. However, he wasn't concerned about the evaluation of his Dao Heart; it was his own heart and path, regardless of how it was rated.

Hearing the invitation from within the gate, Li Hao retracted his thoughts and looked toward it, knowing that this step would be his departure from the mortal world.

He turned to glance at the square, at Ren Qianqian atop the Ascending Heaven Ladder, at Yu Huang soaring in the sky, and at the old Daoist who had flown over. Their gazes met, and Li Hao bid them a silent farewell with a nod.

Li Hao's divine sense also noticed Ji Tianchao of the Ji family, standing outside the Imperial Palace in the distance. Feeling goodwill and warmth toward the elderly man, Li Hao offered him a gentle smile and a nod.

Ji Tianchao's heart stirred as he met Li Hao's warm gaze, his grief melting away. His eyes reddened, and he returned the smile, giving Li Hao a thumbs-up.

Li Hao's gaze swept the crowd, landing on Li Yuanzhao and the others, who looked on excitedly. He offered them a soft smile and a wave.

"Brother Hao saw us!" Li Yuanzhao exclaimed, his excitement palpable.

Li Wushuang and Li Zhining, witnessing the youth's gentle expression, found themselves smiling as well, though there seemed to be a glistening in their eyes.

Li Hao gave Ren Qianqian an encouraging look before turning and stepping into the Immortal's Gate.

As he entered, Li Hao sensed something strange. The gate seemed to flow like water, giving him a sense of traveling through time and space.

However, before he could adjust to this feeling, the blurry figures behind the gate only became more indistinct, as if they were moving farther away.

Suddenly, a cold killing intent assaulted him from the void, accompanied by immense pressure. It was a mighty Divine Will!

Li Hao's pupils constricted as he looked up, only to see boundless chaos with a vague figure and will striking down with overwhelming force!

The abruptness of this attack caught him off guard, and he felt an intense sense of danger, reminiscent of facing the saintly demon corpse in the abyss.

"A Sage?!" Li Hao exclaimed, shocked and incredulous. But his surprise quickly turned to anger.

He burst into action, entering his Godly Power state as the Heavenly Vein rapidly absorbed the power of heaven and earth, triggering the Extreme Fairy Transformation.

Bang! His body exploded under the immense force, unable to withstand the overwhelming power.

Behind the gate, Yu Zu and the goddess-like woman waited for Li Hao to pass through. Their expressions changed as they sensed subtle energy fluctuations, and they looked up at the sky, where a vague figure seemed to appear and disappear—a trace of Divine Will!

It was the work of a Sage, and they immediately recognized it as the Void Sage!

Yu Zu glanced at the ancestor of the Void Sacred Land, who maintained his indifferent expression, a cold smile tugging at his lips.

Yu Zu was furious and astonished. No wonder his opponent had refrained from competing for the youth from the very beginning. It seemed they never intended to let this monster join them and instead planned to assassinate him directly!

Furthermore, to prevent any interference, a Sage from the Void Sacred Land had personally taken action! With their sagehood achieved through the Void Path, their mastery over space was unparalleled. Within the short distance of the Immortal's Gate, the Void Sage could transform the area into a vast battlefield.

"Void Sacred Land, you've gone too far!"

Yu Zu couldn't help but roar in anger and shock.

"Yes, even if we couldn't win him over, there was no need to destroy him like this," the goddess-like figure added, her face cold. She didn't believe that their Celestial Phoenix Sacred Land had no chance of competing for the youth, but now, that possibility was completely gone.

"Apologies, but that boy offended my sacred son. He must die," the old man replied calmly in the face of their angry accusations.

The sudden turn of events also shocked the other powers present. Upon hearing the conversation between the three elders, they were all taken aback.

Ji Xuansheng, Jiang Licheng, and the others were waiting to greet Li Hao and say hello, but after he stepped through the Immortal's Gate, he suddenly disappeared, as if he had been transported somewhere else. They were puzzled by his absence when they heard the words of the three elders and were equally astonished.

"Destroy? What's going on?"

Ji Xuansheng and the others looked at the old man in shock.

The old man instantly became the target of everyone's anger, but he remained unmoved, his expression calm as if he didn't take the matter seriously.

Everyone knew that their anger alone was not enough to challenge a sage.

"I will report this matter to the Primordial Sage, and your Void Sacred Land must give an explanation!" Yu Zu said, his eyes flashing with killing intent as he suppressed his fury.

The old man's face remained impassive, and he did not respond. When he had secretly communicated with the Sage earlier, he already knew that this would be the outcome.

Although the youth was extraordinarily talented, once he was dead, he was no longer a threat. Moreover, he had not yet joined the Primordial Sacred Land, so even if they demanded an explanation, compensation could be offered.

The Sage wouldn't start a war over a dead youth, and eventually, the matter would be settled.

In the world of the strong, right and wrong didn't matter—only interests did.

As long as the interests were secured, even if one knew they were wrong, they would still be praised.

Even if one knowingly slandered a good person, it would be blamed on the victim for being foolish and not smart enough to avoid provoking the wrong people.

"You're despicable!" Jiang Licheng glared at the old man, his anger clear. He now guessed the reason behind the old man's words about offending his sacred son.

Earlier, Li Hao had killed six of the Dao Fa realm cultivators and let one escape. Obviously, this old man was the one plotting to steal the incense of longevity from the Jiang family.

He never expected the culprit to be right before his eyes.

"Hm?" The old man's eyes turned cold as he glanced at Jiang Licheng.

Jiang Licheng felt a powerful will bearing down on him, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His face paled, but his back straightened as the buzzing sound of his sword bone rang out, slightly shielding him from the might of the half-sage's will.

Yu Zu waved his hand, blocking the old man's oppressive aura and gaze from Jiang Licheng and the others. He glared at the old man and said, "Are you trying to force me into a battle here?"

The old man's expression remained cold and indifferent as he withdrew his gaze. At this point, he knew that their Void Sacred Land had lost any chance of recruiting these disciples.

However, it was just a loss of a few outstanding disciples. Besides, some of the most talented ones might not have been willing to join them anyway, so there wasn't much loss.

While it was beneficial for the vast Void Sacred Land to recruit excellent disciples, sacrificing them to eliminate a monster like Li Hao was an extremely worthwhile trade-off.

Otherwise, if they allowed Li Hao to grow and accumulate incense to become a Sage, he would pose a significant threat to the Void Sacred Land!

Moreover, through this incident, while there were losses, it also established the might and authority of the Void Sacred Land, sending a clear message that they were not to be trifled with!

"If the other Sages find out about this, they will also demand an explanation from you!" The goddess-like figure glared at the old man, her face icy. She could see that he was acting with impunity.

"There's no need for you to trouble yourselves," the old man replied nonchalantly.

As they conversed, within the chaotic void of the Immortal's Gate, space seemed to elongate, and Li Hao's body shattered into countless bones and blood that scattered through the void.

At that moment, the bones and blood began to rapidly heal and reassemble.

Li Hao heard the shocked and angry voices from beyond the gate, and he suddenly realized something. The voice of the old man was familiar; it was the same one he had heard half a year ago when he killed the sage son of the Void Sacred Land, and the one who had helped him escape through the Immortal's Gate.

It was exactly the same! The old man had probably recognized him from the start but waited until he stepped through the gate to take action, borrowing the power of the Sage within the gate's space.

This person who tried to steal the incense of longevity from the Jiang family was from the Yunxia Realm and was one of the three major sacred lands. No wonder they had been able to spy on the Jiang family's incense of longevity; perhaps they had harbored such intentions for a thousand years.

However, knowing this now was of no use. Li Hao's consciousness returned to the void, and as his body began to condense, the sage's will appeared once more.

"Blood Rebirth? No wonder..."

A majestic and indifferent murmur echoed, revealing a high and mighty coldness. Then, the sage's will descended again.

Li Hao's heart surged with anger and shock as the sage tried to kill him without even showing himself, using only a thread of his will.

Li Hao roared, entering the Extreme Fairy Transformation once more, as his Heavenly Vein frantically drew upon the power of heaven and earth.

His body was covered in golden skin, and his hair turned snow-white as his consciousness merged with the void, once again sensing the majestic Heavenly Will.

He borrowed a strand of Heavenly Will and slashed towards the sage's will.