Chapter 133: Lin Hao
At that same moment, in the depths of a canyon, the void above suddenly trembled.
A noble figure draped in black-and-gold embroidered robes stepped forth. It was none other than Li Changsheng.
"So, you are here."
Li Changsheng projected his divine sense, taking in the landscape for ten thousand miles at a single glance. With a flicker of thought, he murmured softly. Looking down into the deepest part of the gorge, he spotted a ragged figure fighting a bloody battle. The man was surrounded by a miasma of demonic energy, his expression deranged, bordering on insanity. It was Lin Hao.
Lin Hao was currently besieged by tens of thousands of eerie, venomous insects. His situation was precarious, yet it was precisely this desperation that caused a strange, profound power to emerge faintly around him—a sign, as Li Changsheng well knew, of an imminent breakthrough.
"Reaching the Nascent Soul stage already?"
Li Changsheng’s eyes flashed with a hint of eccentricity as he watched the stubborn, battered youth below. With a flick of his fingers, he cast a spell, sending a wisp of a remnant soul toward a dead insect lying near Lin Hao. This was the remnant soul of Chu Tian.
*Swish… swish…*
A bizarre, liquid sound rippled through the air, and the carcass of the venomous insect shuddered. As its eyes slowly pried open, it sensed the potent blood energy emanating from Lin Hao, and a flicker of hunger emerged within its gaze.
*Screech!*
With a shrill cry, it lunged toward Lin Hao. In an instant, it was upon him.
"This…" Lin Hao was startled. He had clearly slain this insect just moments ago; how could this be happening? But there was no time to dodge. The insect possessed by Chu Tian burrowed directly into Lin Hao’s body.
"Argh!!" A piercing agony tore through him, and Lin Hao let out a wretched scream. As blood vessels bulged in his eyes, his cultivation base surged, breaking through its bottleneck. A towering wave of blood energy erupted, causing the surrounding insects to recoil in fear and scatter into the distance.
However, only Lin Hao knew that his vitality was being devoured by that insect, and his very soul felt as if it were on the verge of shattering. This was a catastrophe!
*Why, why!* Lin Hao thought. *I am of the Demon Immortal lineage, a noble bloodline, yet I am constantly restrained, plagued by endless, nauseating calamities! That scoundrel Li Changsheng, meanwhile, is born into nobility with luck that defies the heavens!*
Facing this disaster, Lin Hao’s expression twisted, and a murderous rage took root in his heart—a rage directed at the very heavens. Within him, Chu Tian was frantically consuming his life force. For Chu Tian, having narrowly escaped death, vitality was his most desperate need; only with enough of it could he seek his revenge and utterly destroy Li Changsheng. Both men, fueled by the same hatred, fought against their fates.
"I wonder, what interesting things will happen when two Sons of Destiny cross paths?" Li Changsheng watched from above, his expression calm and detached, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. The previous generations of Demon Immortals associated with Lin Hao had not appeared, which made it difficult for Li Changsheng to set his plans. Currently, Chu Tian’s remnant soul still held 3,000 points of Destiny, not far off from Lin Hao’s nearly 5,000. Their mutual attrition should prove useful.
*Ding! Lin Hao’s state of mind has completely twisted, malice has surged, and Heavenly Destiny has been damaged. Destiny points reduced by 1,900. Bonus Destiny points awarded to the host.*
*Ding! Chu Tian’s humanity has been completely extinguished, Destiny has been damaged, and Destiny points reduced by 1,000. Bonus Destiny points awarded to the host.*
A Destiny explosion? Li Changsheng felt a tinge of surprise watching the two below desperately trying to kill one another. He hadn't expected the encounter between the two Sons of Destiny to be so intense. However, after a moment’s thought, he felt relieved. Both had harbored ulterior motives; had they been truly upright, they would not have ended up in such a state.
"In a few more days, their luck will be exhausted, and that will be the time for the harvest."
Li Changsheng chuckled at the fiery struggle below. With a flash of profound brilliance in his eyes, he took a step and vanished once more. When he reappeared, he was atop a vast mountain peak.
"This should be enough to break through."
He murmured to himself, then looked at Zhao Wan'er by his side. "Wait for me here. I shall return shortly."
With a gentle gaze and a soft whisper, he stepped out again, appearing in the endless void.
"The River of the Underworld."
A sharp light glinted in his eyes as he channeled the pure spiritual energy from the Underworld River into his body. His cultivation soared rapidly: Half-Immortal realm… nearing the Immortal realm… until—
*BOOM!*
A roar, unprecedented in power, erupted from within his body! Li Changsheng’s eyes blazed with intense light, and a terrifying aura swept out in all directions, accompanied by the ethereal, lingering sounds of celestial music.
*Hum…*
Simultaneously, a primitive and heavy humming sound resonated, and the entire sky suddenly flooded with a brilliant white radiance. Endless divine energy surged forth. Ethereal palaces and sacred halls rapidly manifested in the void above.
*Boom!*
Within mere heartbeats, with another thunderous explosion, the celestial palaces solidified. Before Li Changsheng appeared a bridge of translucent white jade, shimmering with divine aura and faint celestial intent. It was holy and extraordinary, giving the impression that one could only attain immortality by crossing it.
*Bypassing the Immortal Tribulation?*
Li Changsheng was surprised, though he quickly understood. From his knowledge, those with mediocre luck had to endure the baptism of the Immortal Tribulation to forge their own immortal meridians. Those with exceptional talent and heaven-defying luck, however, were sometimes granted the chance to bypass the tribulation and enter the legendary "Land of Ultimate Immortals," where they would face even more dangerous trials to obtain higher-quality immortal meridians.
"The Bridge of Ascending Immortals..."
Li Changsheng murmured, pondering the ancient characters inscribed on the bridge. To reach the Immortal realm was to transcend the mortal coil. This bridge was clearly a test of one's aptitude and character. The number of immortal meridians one could open depended on how many steps one could take.
Without further delay, a sharp light flashed in his eyes. He stepped onto the bridge.
*BOOM!!!*
The moment his foot landed, the entire bridge trembled. A massive pressure descended from all directions, crushing down upon him.
*Hum…*
A faint hum resonated, and Li Changsheng’s mind felt as if it had gone blank. Endless illusory threads appeared above his head, and the scenery before him shifted rapidly. The celestial palaces transformed into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. The bridge beneath his feet became a path of bones. A thick stench of blood filled the air, and an inexplicable sorrow rose in his heart. He remembered this scene; it was the aftermath of his own actions, the slaughter of the Li family’s enemies.
"Using the law of causality to disturb my state of mind, are you?" Li Changsheng looked at his surroundings with a calm expression. "This pressure is somewhat interesting."
He let out a cold laugh and began to chant, weaving a seal with his hands. A holy aura erupted from his body, and the Underworld River behind him trembled. The sky for a hundred thousand miles turned pitch black; ghostly winds howled, and blood-colored lightning flickered. The world transformed into a purgatory.
*Swish… swish…*
As a sound akin to the origin of all things and the end of the world echoed, a terrifying river surged behind him. It was haunting and soul-capturing. An aura of absolute dominion over the fate of all living beings permeated the air. Li Changsheng had unleashed his domain.
*Hum…*
The expansion of his domain seemed to provoke the bridge. The pressure from the bridge suddenly collapsed, and the scene of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood disintegrated under the power of the Underworld River.
"Is that all?" Li Changsheng looked at the fading pressure with disdain. Without delay, he took another step forward.
*Boom!*
*Hum…*
The bridge trembled again, and forces even more powerful than before emerged! Yet, both the pressure and the mental disruption hovered just outside the reach of the bridge, never quite descending.
*Are you afraid?* Li Changsheng was puzzled, a smile tugging at his lips. Gods and Immortals were two different levels of existence. It seemed, however, that a God was the stronger of the two.
"I should find time to explore the seabed of the Demon Realm," he mused, then shook his head and took another step.
*BOOM!!*
*Hum…*
An even louder roar erupted, and the Bridge of Ascending Immortals shook violently. Yet, those two lingering forces still failed to descend, as if hesitating—or perhaps, fearing him.
Seeing this, Li Changsheng shook his head in resignation and took another step, then another. With every step, a roar more intense than the last shattered the air, and the pressure above the bridge became increasingly terrifying. By the time he reached the ninth step at the end of the bridge, the pressure had accumulated to a level comparable to the Bone Dragon within the Underworld River! Yet, it still lingered, never falling.
*If you won't strike, then I shall pass.* Li Changsheng smiled and took one final step. He had crossed the bridge!
*BOOM!!*
The entire celestial palace trembled. The bridge behind him shattered, and nine holy currents of pure vitality surged into his body.
*Crack… crack…*
A series of light, crisp sounds echoed within him as nine thick, holy meridians were forged. These were the Immortal Meridians! Only by reaching the Immortal realm could one invoke the Immortal Tribulation, using its power to forcibly open one's meridians and plunder the celestial energy within. To open one's meridians in the Land of Ultimate Immortals represented endless potential.
"This place was prepared specifically for me, a land of opportunity..."
Feeling the nine holy meridians within him, Li Changsheng’s eyes shone with ambition. With his identity as the True God, what difficulty was there in claiming all the immortal meridians here? History recorded that the most successful cultivator in the Qingling Realm had opened one hundred immortal meridians, making him invincible in his realm and capable of fighting those at the peak of the Immortal stage.
But now, an infinite number of immortal meridians lay before him. The chance to shatter the myth was right here.
"If I were to claim all the immortal meridians in this place..."
Li Changsheng looked toward the endless celestial palaces in the distance, his eyes burning brighter than ever.
"There is still quite a distance to the main palace."
He mused for a moment, then flew toward the nearest bridge. Three heartbeats later, he arrived. Without hesitation, he manifested the Underworld River and stepped forward.
*BOOM!!*
*Hum…*
The roar shattered the air, and the terrifying pressure appeared. Li Changsheng remained calm and ignored it. Nine steps later, he had crossed the bridge.
*Crack… crack…*
Another nine holy currents surged into him, and nine more meridians solidified. Nine meridians open, his momentum rose again! He stepped toward the next bridge.
From high above, one could see nine vast, illusory rivers, each with a bridge. Within mere dozens of heartbeats, the nine bridges collapsed one after another. Having crossed all nine, Li Changsheng had opened eighty-one immortal meridians!
With eighty-one meridians stacked, his cultivation was incredibly solid, and his aura was terrifying. It was as if each meridian represented half of his current strength; eighty-one of them combined meant he was forty times stronger than before. Even a single punch could shatter the void!
"The power of the immortal meridians is growing…"