Chapter 342: Fury, A Hundredfold Suppression!
The reflection of the realm stone displayed the fierce battles taking place on the platform, while within the Buddha Hall, the three grand figures of the Saints sat in their towering presence.
The Buddha Sovereign, smiling, spoke: "They will represent our Canglan Realm in battle. The title of first place deserves some reward. Our Buddhist sect is willing to offer the incense of fifty cities as a gift. Do you two have any additional contributions?"
Hearing the Buddha Sovereign's words, both the Literary Sage and the Sword Sage glanced at him. Being Saints themselves, well-versed in the Saintly Dao and the laws of heaven, they could easily discern that among the many top-tier geniuses of this generation, the Dual-born Buddha Son stood out the most, far surpassing the others. The title of first place was almost certainly his.
This was an opportunity for the Buddha Sovereign to gather incense offerings for his disciple.
However, for them to simply accompany this gift-giving... The Literary Sage smiled gently and said, "I am willing to offer the incense of thirty cities to the second place."
He had great confidence in Lin Shuhai's abilities, with the only real obstacle being Chi Guang.
"You give to the first, I'll give to the second. That seems fair."
The Sword Sage's eyes flickered slightly, and he said indifferently, "Since you both are so generous, I'll offer the incense of twenty cities to the third place."
He couldn't stop the Buddha Sovereign from offering fifty cities' worth of incense to his disciple, but each of them could give to their own disciples.
Still, the Sword Sage wasn't entirely certain if Haoyue could claim third place. After all, there were many obstacles before him—not just Chi Guang and Lin Shuhai, but also Qing Feng.
If the Sword Master hadn't mentioned earlier that Li Hao was not yet thirty years old and had only cultivated for a short period of time, the way Li Hao had easily defeated Haoyue with a single strike made it clear that he still held back during that fight. He even had a chance to contend for second place.
Sensing their thoughts, the Buddha Sovereign sighed lightly and said, "These ten places will face off against the myriad worlds, with a hundredfold battle. Only one may reach the top ten. It's only by concentrating the incense resources that we can cultivate the finest talents."
The Literary Sage and the Sword Sage's eyes narrowed slightly as they glanced at him.
"If both of you are willing to contribute fifty cities' worth of incense, that makes one hundred cities in total. Enough to light a single stick of incense. Why not give it all to the first place and inspire them to fight even harder? If either of your prized students takes first place, I'll be the first to congratulate them," the Buddha Sovereign said.
The Literary Sage's expression darkened. At this point, it was clear that the Buddha Sovereign was intent on this outcome.
"I've long heard of the Buddha Sovereign's devotion to his disciples. Today, I've truly witnessed it," the Literary Sage said with a soft laugh, though there was a hint of sarcasm in his words.
The Sword Sage, with an indifferent expression, added, "If the second and third places are just slightly behind, the vast disparity in rewards might discourage them."
The Buddha Sovereign replied, "In martial arts, a loss is a loss. There is no 'close loss.' In life and death situations, the slightest difference can mean everything."
Seeing how far the Buddha Sovereign was willing to go for his disciple, neither the Literary Sage nor the Sword Sage continued to argue.
A moment later, after the battle between Chi Guang and Zhao Qingshu concluded, the Buddha Sovereign's resounding voice announced the reward for first place.
Hearing the reward of incense from one hundred cities, many eyes in the audience brightened.
Chi Guang's eyes burned with intensity. Three Saints jointly offering the incense of one hundred cities? He was determined to fight for first place!
In another corner, Lin Shuhai's eyes also gleamed with a hint of a smile on his lips.
Haoyue Shengzi frowned, his expression darkening. Truthfully, he had little confidence in claiming first place. His prior defeat at the hands of Qing Feng had caused a crack in his Dao heart. Although his master had helped him mend it, allowing his sword intent to grow, after seeing the Dual-born Buddha Son, his confidence wavered once more.
The once proud and unshakable arrogance of this genius seemed to have been cut down with that single sword strike on the holy mountain of the Sword Saint's Holy Land.
Yet, the temptation of a hundred cities' worth of incense was too great—a reward equivalent to hundreds of years of cultivation!
Such incense offerings were typically tightly controlled by Saints, meaning they rarely parted with them. To obtain the incense of one hundred cities was no small feat!
"If only I had ten more years…" Haoyue's eyes flashed with intense light, filled with frustration at how quickly time passed and how fleeting opportunities were.
Aside from them, many other geniuses looked envious. Yet, although each had their own pride, none were blindly confident.
The Buddha Sovereign's words spread through the reflection of the realm stone, echoing throughout the Canglan Realm for all to hear.
For a moment, countless people sang praises of the Three Great Saints' generosity. In the cities of various kingdoms, the number of believers in the Three Great Saints increased, providing them with even more incense offerings.
Li Hao was a little surprised by the Buddha Sovereign's words. The incense from one hundred cities was enough to light a stick of sacred incense, which would shorten his path to becoming a Saint through incense offerings by a hundred years.
A hundred years was an incredibly long time for him—equivalent to a mortal's entire lifetime.
Not long after, following the conclusion of Chi Guang's battle, the third match took place: Bian Ruxue versus Li Qingyi.
Li Qingyi, upon hearing the Buddha Sovereign's words, felt a surge of excitement. Although she knew she had no hope of winning—after all, just defeating her senior brother Lin Shuhai was impossible—she could still feel the significance of the Three Great Saints' attention to this battle.
"Be careful; your opponent is the youngest Saintess of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land."
"Though young, her master is the Sword Saint, but I've heard she's only at the Four Extreme Realm."
The other Saints whispered to Li Qingyi, sharing the intelligence they had gathered.
Among the many Saintesses of the Literary Ancestor Holy Land, Li Qingyi was pampered. Her father was the Literary Saint, holding a high status, and she had a lively and warm-hearted nature, making her beloved by many.
"Got it!"
Li Qingyi nodded earnestly upon hearing her senior brothers' advice. Anyone who had made it this far was no ordinary character.
Soon, two graceful figures floated onto the stage, and the formation sealed off the arena.
Seeing the impending clash between two peerless beauties, the crowd roared in excitement.
This time, Li Qingyi didn't hide her identity as she had when fighting Li Hao but instead revealed her true strength.
She raised her hand, and a scroll of sacred writings flew out from her sleeve—a treasured Saintly Book, equivalent to a divine sword for a swordsman.
As her fingers channeled power, the pages of the book flipped wildly in the wind. Behind her, vast visions manifested in the sky. The pages of the book turned first through the chapters on demons and ghosts.
Ferocious phantoms materialized, surging toward Bian Ruxue like a raging flood.
Bian Ruxue's expression remained indifferent, her posture straight, with a faint hint of the transcendent coldness her master, the Sword Saint, possessed. She suddenly drew her sword, and its light illuminated the four directions.
With one slash, frost rose; with another, snow flew!
In an instant, the entire battle stage turned into a world of ice and snow. The fierce winds swept through, shredding the phantoms to pieces.
"Ice and Snow Sword Intent!"
Bian Ruxue unleashed her Four Extreme Realm power, her primordial spirit hovering in the air above her. She attacked with full strength, holding nothing back.
Li Qingyi smiled slightly as the book before her flipped rapidly. The "Human Realm" chapter emerged.
From the book stepped an old man, wearing a straw hat and carrying a wine gourd at his waist. His expression was carefree, but when he removed his hat, it spun like a blade, cutting through the surrounding ice and snow!
"My heart faces the bright moon!" Li Qingyi softly chanted.
Her words carried the power of law, and a bright moon appeared behind her. The moonlight gathered into the old man's hands, transforming into a sword of light!
Concentrating moonlight into a sword, it cleaved through the heavens and earth, severing yin and yang!
The vast sword intent surged out like that of a peerless swordmaster, causing cracks to form in the icy landscape, as if a gust of wind had blown through, dispelling the cold.
Bian Ruxue's eyes filled with astonishment. Her opponent, through Literary Dao cultivation, had summoned a terrifying sword aura.
"I establish my soul with heaven and earth!" Li Qingyi's eyes shone with brilliance as a majestic Heaven and Earth Aspect appeared behind her. Her body merged with the aspect, and boundless power surged into her. The old man unleashed an even more fearsome aura.
He raised his sword and slashed forward.
With a thunderous crash, the ice shattered.
Bian Ruxue tried to block, but she was unable to. Despite revealing her full strength in the Extreme Realm, her power was suppressed by her opponent. Her Ice and Snow Sword Intent was severed by the sword-wielding old man!
Her opponent's literary intent was stronger than her sword intent!
Return to the Void!
Bian Ruxue narrowly dodged the incoming sword strike and immediately rushed toward Li Qingyi.
"Heaven and Earth, Eight Desolations!" Li Qingyi whispered.
Around her manifestation, lava erupted and a violent hurricane rose, creating an awe-inspiring scene. Bian Ruxue's figure had barely appeared before she was forced to retreat.
The old man in Li Qingyi's conjured form leaped forward, utilizing the Return to the Void technique. With a single sword strike, he severed hundreds of strands of Bian Ruxue's hair.
The outcome was clear.
The audience below was left in shock before bursting into cheers.
No one had expected such a fierce and overwhelming battle within the Literary Ancestor Holy Land.
The Jie Shi projection revealed the result of the battle to countless spectators. Some wondered why the Saintess of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land didn't use her Heaven and Earth Aspect.
But no one provided an answer.
After all, only a select few knew that Bian Ruxue had not yet achieved a Heaven and Earth Aspect. Those aware of this were all distinguished individuals who had come to witness the battle in person.
Bian Ruxue's expression turned bitter. She hadn't expected to fall short of the top ten.
However, recalling her master's words, her heart was somewhat at ease.
After all, she didn't possess a Heaven and Earth Aspect, and she was still too young… but as she thought of these things, an image of that one strike, which had defeated Haoyue, surfaced in her mind.
The Sword Master had mentioned that the one who had struck Haoyue down was also not yet thirty, but their sword had already reached the Dao.
As this thought crossed her mind, her eyes flickered, and she looked toward the crowd, seeking out that familiar figure.
He too was watching the battle, and as their gazes met, Bian Ruxue's eyes trembled slightly. A strange, indescribable feeling stirred within her.
But soon, she thought of the figure from her childhood, and her inner turmoil quickly subsided, shifting her focus back to her own sword.
All these years, she still hadn't completely severed her past. Perhaps this was the last obstacle on her path of swordsmanship.
As this realization dawned on her, her gaze turned icy and resolute. Without a word, she turned and left the stage. In her mind, countless images began to fade away.
Watching her victorious opponent, she understood that if she continued like this, she would keep losing, one by one, to these extraordinary geniuses.
She needed to cut it off entirely—to freeze her heart with ice and snow, and then shatter it!
With this resolve, she began to feel the stirrings of enlightenment.
Up in the Buddha Hall, the Sword Saint seemed to sense something. His gaze swept over to see Bian Ruxue sitting among the spectators with her eyes closed, and a faint aura of Dao swirling around her.
A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by a smile. He waved his hand, and Bian Ruxue's body disappeared from her seat and appeared beside him. However, this movement did not disturb her—she remained with her eyes closed.
He had merely shielded her from external distractions, allowing her to remain undisturbed.
The Literary Saint and the Buddha Sovereign looked over, and the Literary Saint's eyes lit up with surprise. Smiling, he said, "Congratulations, Sword Saint. I hadn't expected your disciple's talent to be so extraordinary, achieving enlightenment during the battle. She seems close to entering the Dao."
"The credit belongs to your disciple's remarkable talent for defeating her so decisively, which gave her this opportunity for enlightenment," the Sword Saint replied with a smile.
He was greatly comforted by Bian Ruxue's progress.
He was well aware of her past, knowing that to enter the Dao, she had to take this crucial step.
Now, she had finally grasped the insight on her own.
"Look! Saintess Bian Ruxue has appeared beside the Sword Saint."
"She seems to be cultivating!"
"No, that's not cultivation; she's in the midst of enlightenment!"
"My heavens, she achieved enlightenment after losing this battle?!"
"No wonder she became a Saintess before turning thirty. Her talent is truly monstrous!"
Countless people in the audience were stunned. Cultivators often spoke of enlightenment, but to actually attain it was extremely rare and difficult. Achieving it in battle, under extreme pressure, was understandable. However, to achieve enlightenment after losing a fight was highly unusual and unnerving.
"Hmm?"
As Li Qingyi stepped down from the stage, she noticed the scene and was equally surprised. She sighed softly, feeling somewhat helpless—unexpectedly, she had become a stepping stone for someone else's breakthrough.
Chi Guang and Lin Shuhai also glanced over, but their expressions remained indifferent. They quickly looked away.
Even though enlightenment was impressive, she was still a defeated opponent who hadn't made it into the top ten. For them, she posed no significant threat.
At their level, every genius had moments of enlightenment in their cultivation journey. The timing of her breakthrough was only noteworthy because of the attention it attracted.
With the third match concluded, it was now Li Hao's turn to face the Buddha Sect disciple.
Without delay, Li Hao stepped onto the battle platform once it was cleared.
His tall and imposing figure immediately drew the attention of the entire crowd.
On the other side, the Buddha Sect disciple stepping onto the platform triggered murmurs among the sect members.
"It's the Holy Son, Pu Hua!"
"This is going to be an interesting fight. If Qing Feng underestimates Holy Son Pu Hua, he's going to regret it!"
"Pu Hua managed to hold his own against the Twin Born Holy Son for three moves. He's a specialist in divine abilities, and he's terrifyingly powerful."
As the formation activated and sealed the platform, Pu Hua Holy Son, dressed in a white-gold kasaya, smiled gently. Yet, there was a faint sharpness in his gaze. He clasped his hands together and greeted Li Hao, "Greetings, benefactor."
Li Hao noticed the subtle change in Pu Hua's temperament from earlier but politely nodded in return, maintaining decorum.
After the formalities, Li Hao summoned his sword aura, making no effort to conceal it, nor did he attempt any surprise attacks.
Pu Hua Holy Son radiated a dazzling Buddha light, and behind him appeared the towering manifestation of a Luohan. Simultaneously, a golden crack opened on his forehead, revealing a beam of divine light.
"The Heavenly Eye!"
Opening his third eye would allow him to perceive the details of the battle with greater clarity.
As the Heavenly Eye opened, Pu Hua Holy Son's gaze locked onto Li Hao's hands, where he saw swirling black energy. His expression darkened instantly as he angrily exclaimed, "You... are a demonic cultivator?!"
"Hmm?"
Li Hao was momentarily confused, then glanced at his own hands. He had sealed the slaughtering resentments in his divine blood after absorbing them earlier, and they were still being refined. How could this person see it?
"As a demonic cultivator, you dare set foot in the pure land of the Buddha Sect? You are far too bold!"
Pu Hua Holy Son's gaze grew colder, and the sharpness in his eyes intensified.
His words caused an uproar in the audience.
A demonic cultivator?
Qing Feng is a demonic cultivator?
Countless princes, noble children, and disciples from prestigious families looked at one another in shock and disbelief.
Pu Hua's accusation, broadcast through the Jie Shi projection, created a massive wave of astonishment across the entire Canglan Realm.
Although the Land of the Saints is highly inclusive, where even demons and humans can coexist, most commoners still cannot accept the existence of flesh-eating demons and bloodthirsty demonic cultivators, who are universally despised.
Outside the arena, Chi Guang and Lin Shuhai were a little surprised by the accusation, but their expressions didn't change much.
Commoners fear demonic cultivators because they are defenseless, their fear rooted in vulnerability. But as cultivators—especially top-tier geniuses—these figures understood that weapons do not harm people; it is the people wielding them who do.
Demonic cultivation or demon races, when utilized properly, could also serve as guardians of the human race.
The revered divine beasts, after all, originated from demonic creatures, only gaining respect after being subdued and tamed.
Demons feed on humans, but human geniuses likewise cultivate through slaying demons. The only real difference between them is species, not good or evil.
Thus, even upon learning that Li Hao practiced demonic cultivation, they didn't view it as something grave. As long as his power was used to protect humanity, it was beneficial.
However, the Buddhist disciples in the audience were collectively alarmed, glaring at Li Hao with both shock and anger.
Li Hao frowned as his gaze swept over the crowd. Aside from the few familiar faces—such as Lin Qingying and the alchemists like Lin Shanhai—who looked concerned for him, the rest of the princes and nobles in the audience were mostly filled with disbelief and contempt.
Li Hao raised his head to look toward the Buddha Sovereign, who sat atop the grand Buddha hall, gazing down with an expression of complete indifference, as if he were observing insignificant ants.
Retracting his gaze, Li Hao felt a touch of irony. They had mistaken his act of purifying the resentments and slaughtering aura as demonic energy. It wasn't demonic energy at all, but rather his way of delivering the resentments to rest, guiding them toward reincarnation.
If anyone should be accused of being a demon, it would be the Buddha Sovereign himself.
According to the words of the semi-saint spider demon, it was highly likely that the Buddha Sovereign had also reached the "Ultimate Power" realm and had been absorbing these resentments. Furthermore, the slaughtering auras within the Floating Life Demon Domain were most likely nurtured by the Buddha Sovereign himself...
This realization struck Li Hao, and a deep unease filled his heart. If that was true, the Buddha Sovereign was plotting something much grander—perhaps aiming to simultaneously achieve sainthood through both incense offerings and extreme paths!
Li Hao took a deep breath and looked back at the Buddha Sovereign's golden, Buddha-light-illuminated face. With a cold voice, he said, "Don't slander me. What demonic cultivation are you speaking of? If anyone is a demonic cultivator, isn't your Twin Born Holy Son also one?!"
"He is different from you. He was born with an inner demon, destined from birth to battle with it, carrying great vows and a mission. His life's purpose is to subdue his inner demon—he is nothing less than great, while you have chosen to fall willingly into corruption!" Pu Hua Holy Son's eyes narrowed as he coldly replied.
Li Hao stared at him and suddenly laughed. "He carries demonic energy inside and a demonic figure outside. That makes him a savior, but for me, it means I've willingly fallen into darkness?"
"You needn't argue. As a human, using such vile methods to cultivate—it's grounds enough for your death!" Pu Hua Holy Son's eyes were filled with righteous indignation. "I know your swordsmanship has reached the path, and I may not be able to defeat you. But I will use every ounce of my strength to suppress you, let the Buddha light illuminate the world, and protect humanity!"
These words, broadcast to the tens of cities across the Canglan Realm, elicited thunderous cheers.
Just hearing this declaration was enough to win Pu Hua Holy Son the faith of many. Temples would be built for him, and incense offerings would be made in his honor.
Li Hao wanted to laugh. He could now see through Pu Hua's motives.
"You know my swordsmanship has reached the path, and it's not of demonic origin. So why would I need to practice demonic arts? My swordsmanship is enough to roam freely without bounds; why would I require demonic cultivation?"
Li Hao's voice rang out loudly.
"Such arrogance! Your swordsmanship may be strong enough to defeat some of us, but compared to the top geniuses, you're still lacking. It's not uncommon to see someone drawn to demonic cultivation out of desire for power, especially if they aim to place in the top ten, or even to win first place in the Supreme Genius Battle." Pu Hua Holy Son retorted.
Upon hearing Pu Hua Holy Son's words, many people nodded in agreement. Given Li Hao's strength in swordsmanship, securing a top-ten spot within Canglan Realm was certainly achievable. However, if his goal was to challenge the heavens and achieve a top-ten ranking, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that he might have taken a dangerous path and fallen into demonic cultivation.
Yet, Li Hao couldn't help but laugh.
"If you claim that I am a demonic cultivator, then show me some proof!" Li Hao said, unwilling to waste more words.
"You've miscalculated. It just so happens that I possess the 'Divine Vision Technique' which can reveal demonic energy!" Pu Hua Holy Son seemed to have anticipated Li Hao's defense. With a cold sneer, his body suddenly shone with a dazzling golden light.
Li Hao narrowed his eyes slightly, and the power within his body surged, gathering in his arms. His divine blood began to rapidly refine the remnants of black energy inside him.
At the same time, he restrained his aura. Layers of Dao Domains emerged, one atop the other, reflecting outward and blocking the invading Buddhist light.
"A hundred-layer Dao Domain!!"
Seeing Li Hao manifest a hundred-layered Dao Domain, the audience was shocked, and an uproar ensued!
This scene, broadcasted through the Realm Stone, left the tens of kingdoms in the Canglan Realm in stunned silence.
A Dao Domain of the highest caliber was already the mark of an elite, but Li Hao had actually cultivated a hundred-layered Dao Domain!
"What?!"
Chi Guang's pupils contracted as a hint of shock flashed in his eyes. A hundred-layer Dao Domain required an immense amount of effort. While it might not be as directly powerful as mastering a technique into the Dao, the layering effect could achieve qualitative changes, turning into an immensely strong force.
Chi Guang had not spent time on this because it was too time-consuming and yielded relatively low returns. Only when technique training hit a bottleneck did cultivators typically turn to refining their Dao Domains to accumulate more power.
Lin Shuhai's expression also grew more serious. Swordsmanship that had entered the Dao, combined with a hundred-layer Dao Domain, meant that Li Hao's strength was already on par with the highest-tier geniuses.
Among the Sword Ancestor's disciples, Lin Qingying and other saints were all shocked, as this was the first time they had seen Li Hao's true strength.
Previously, when Li Hao defeated Haoyue in one move, it was clear that he had held back. Was this what Li Hao had been hiding all along?
Among the crowd, only Jiang Yingyue, watching from the sidelines, had an excited gleam in her eyes.
A hundred-layer Dao Domain!
Compared to what the Sword Lord had mentioned in the Sword Tower, that Li Hao had refined 97 layers, it seemed that in just a short time, Li Hao had added three more!
This was his true power!
I knew it! I knew it!!
Jiang Yingyue trembled with excitement, barely able to contain herself. She had only told Yaozu about this great secret, keeping it to herself the entire time, almost to the point of feeling internally suffocated. Seeing Li Hao defeat Chi Guang in the scattered cultivator battle without even using his Dao Domain, she had known that Li Hao still had more strength up his sleeve!
Everyone was claiming that Chi Guang had held back, but did they really think that Li Hao had given his all?
"A hundred-layer Dao Domain. Just with this, he can make any divine law or technique grind to a halt!"
Jiang Yingyue's eyes sparkled.
On the stage, the Buddhist light could not penetrate even a fraction beyond Li Hao's Dao Domain.
A hundred-layer Dao Domain was more than enough to block the divine power from advancing.
"Why do you hide your true face?!" Pu Hua Holy Son couldn't contain his anger and shouted.
Li Hao sneered, "It's not that I'm hiding, but your divine technique is too weak to reveal anything. You can't defeat me, so you resort to baseless accusations? What part of my displayed power even hints at demonic cultivation?!"
Within his Dao Domain, sword energy surged. It was clearly a Sword Domain, with no trace of demonic energy whatsoever.
Hearing Li Hao's retort, many in the audience began to doubt. Indeed, they had seen no signs of demonic influence from Li Hao. Moreover, given that he had mastered a hundred-layer Dao Domain and his swordsmanship had entered the Dao, did he even need to rely on demonic cultivation?
"You demonic cultivator, still trying to argue!" Pu Hua Holy Son's face flushed with anger, but his divine laws and techniques couldn't penetrate Li Hao's Dao Domain.
Within Li Hao's arms, his divine blood surged, rapidly refining the remnants of the slaughtering resentment, and soon, the demonic aura dissipated.
Raising his hand, Li Hao drew out a stream of sword energy from the void and slashed it toward Pu Hua Holy Son.
"Is this sword demonic?"
The sword energy was as pure and bright as a clear wind, radiating a vast, overwhelming sword intent.
Pu Hua Holy Son's pupils shrank. Behind him, a giant Dharma image appeared, and he roared, "If I do not vanquish the demons, I will never become a Buddha!"
"Such obsession is already demonic in itself," Li Hao said coldly, his eyes filled with disdain.
The sword light in his hand came crashing down, splitting Pu Hua Holy Son's Dharma image. With his hundred-layer Dao Domain pressing down like an unstoppable force, it crushed and obliterated Pu Hua's divine laws.
In one swift movement, Li Hao used Void Shift to appear in front of Pu Hua and kicked him out of the Dharma image, stomping him onto the ground of the battle platform, which cracked under the force.
"You call me a demon? Fine, even if I were a demon, so what? Is there a rule that demonic cultivators cannot compete?"
Pu Hua Holy Son, pinned under Li Hao's foot, coughed up golden blood filled with divine energy. Gritting his teeth, he spat, "There is no such rule... but I won't allow it!"
"And who do you think you are?"
Li Hao laughed. "Not only will I compete, but I will also take first place!"
Pu Hua Holy Son's pupils contracted as he realized the implication of Li Hao's words. If Li Hao claimed first place, Buddha himself would personally grant him the hundred cities of incense offerings. To have the Buddhist sect grant such offerings to a supposed demonic cultivator would be the greatest humiliation for the sect, a slap to their very face.
"You... you're delusional!"
Pu Hua Holy Son clenched his teeth, golden light flashing in his eyes as he prepared another attack.
But Li Hao's gaze turned cold. Sword intent flared from his eyes, piercing through Pu Hua's vision, drilling straight into his eyes and rendering them useless.
With a scream, Pu Hua Holy Son clutched his bleeding eyes.
Li Hao lifted his foot and kicked him off the battle platform, sending him crashing into the formation barrier. His victory was declared.
Seeing Li Hao's domineering behavior, the crowd was stunned. Though Pu Hua Holy Son had accused Li Hao of being a demonic cultivator, he had provided no evidence. On the contrary, it was Li Hao's sheer power that left everyone in awe. His hundred-layer Dao Domain had earned the respect of countless geniuses.
"I don't care if you're a demonic cultivator or not, but taking first place won't be so easy," said Chi Guang, addressing Li Hao. Though the hundred-layer Dao Domain shocked him, he was not afraid. His own Dao Domain might not have reached a hundred layers, but with fifty layers and his real strength, he believed he could break through Li Hao's defenses.
"And how difficult would that be?"
Li Hao turned to him, his mood clearly souring, and his expression hard. "You think you can do it?"
Chi Guang was taken aback. The Li Hao from earlier had been courteous and easygoing, but now, he was like a sharp, unsheathed sword—impossible to touch.
Chi Guang suddenly realized, Of course, a sword cultivator who has entered the Dao would naturally possess such sharpness.
Instead of feeling angered, Chi Guang laughed. "That's more like it. Interesting. I hope I get to face you soon—you better not regret those words."
"No need to wait. Defeating you would take just one sword. Anytime you want, I'll make you quiet."
Li Hao replied icily.