Chapter 468: Shi Tianjin in Peril
Without hesitation, Li Hao infused his primordial spirit into the identity token.
Inside the token, he found a misty, ethereal space, filled with strands of wispy, faint energy drifting aimlessly.
Only when these wisps gathered together could they barely be perceived. If dispersed, they would be nearly undetectable.
"Primordial Spirit Essence? What is this?"
Li Hao pondered for a moment.
Suddenly, he recalled Feng Lao's reincarnation in the mortal realm—when he was slain by the Buddhist Lord, his soul was scattered, yet a fragment of it had been absorbed by the River of Oblivion.
That fragment… could very well be this 'Primordial Spirit Essence'.
After all, when he killed ancient fiends, he had always annihilated their primordial spirits. Yet, the identity token was still able to extract something residual from them.
Bringing his thoughts back, Li Hao carefully examined the misty space inside the token.
To his surprise, the wisps of Primordial Spirit Essence varied in strength, and the surrounding misty glow made them more visible and easier to distinguish.
Focusing his senses, Li Hao began to analyze them one by one—gradually discovering that each wisp contained traces of its owner's cultivation realm.
True Immortal Stage One, Stage Two…
Li Hao expanded his primordial spirit, meticulously counting every strand.
These faint remnants were difficult to discern, requiring great patience.
After two full minutes, he had only counted half of them.
But when he converted the count into celestial merit, he realized—
He had nearly 300,000 merit points already!
This amount shocked even him.
During the previous battle at the broken frontline, the breach was massive, and he had slaughtered fiends at an absurd rate.
In just a brief moment, he had killed hundreds.
Even if all were only True Immortal Stage One fiends, their combined celestial merit would still exceed hundreds of thousands!
"If you don't want to say, that's fine."
Xing Lan saw that Li Hao had gone silent, assuming that he didn't want to reveal his merit count.
She didn't press further.
After all, for a True Immortal Stage Three cultivator, earning tens of thousands of merit points would already be the absolute limit.
For most True Immortal cultivators, merely surviving on the battlefield was a challenge.
Ancient fiends were naturally superior, and even after ten thousand years of dedicated counter-training, the various races still struggled to match them.
Moreover, the fiends themselves had evolved, becoming increasingly dangerous and unpredictable.
"Anyway, let's keep moving. While the fiends are still attacking, this is a perfect opportunity to rack up more celestial merit."
Xing Lan's tone was calm as she turned away, preparing to continue the hunt.
If they encountered lower-ranked True Immortal fiends, she wouldn't mind letting Li Hao take a few.
Li Hao snapped back to reality.
He decided not to waste time counting any further—there would be plenty of time to tally his celestial merit after the battle was over.
For now, he had already gained an enormous harvest—one that could last him a long, long time.
"Alright, let's go."
Xing Lan called out, and Li Hao swiftly followed behind her.
As they moved, Xing Lan suddenly asked,
"How did you run into that fiend general? Was it by chance, or has the frontline already collapsed?"
She continued scanning the battlefield with her divine sense, keeping her speed high.
She didn't bother slowing down much—after all, Li Hao had survived in the Tenth Desolate Region, meaning his combat power must be at the peak of True Immortal Stage Ten.
However, as she continued moving forward, she couldn't help but steal a glance behind her.
To her surprise, Li Hao was keeping up effortlessly.
Not only that, but his movement technique was infused with profound spatial principles—a clear indication of comprehending the Space Dao at a deep level.
Xing Lan's heart trembled slightly.
Among the Nine Grand Dao Orders, Space ranked second only to Time.
Comprehending even one of the Nine Grand Dao Orders was incredibly difficult.
But to grasp one of the hardest, Space, at just True Immortal Stage Three…
That was extraordinary.
Still, recalling Li Hao's performance in the Tenth Desolate Region, Xing Lan felt that perhaps this wasn't so surprising after all.
Her master had often said—
"There will always be someone stronger. Never underestimate the talents of the world."
Now, watching Li Hao, she finally understood what her master meant.
"Yeah, I encountered him by chance."
Li Hao nodded in response.
At the same time, his divine sense expanded, scanning the surroundings for any fiends that had broken past the defensive line.
"Hmm? There's one over there."
Li Hao suddenly detected a shadowy figure moving along the eastern perimeter of his divine sense range.
It was an ancient fiend, though only at the True Immortal level.
The location wasn't far from where he had been fleeing earlier.
It had likely been one of the fiends that followed the fiend general into the breach.
Just as Xing Lan was about to turn toward another direction, she suddenly froze.
She turned to look at Li Hao, her expression filled with astonishment.
She had only just detected the fiend—
Yet Li Hao had sensed it at the same time as her.
A mere True Immortal Stage Three cultivator, matching her perception?
A cultivator whose divine sense should be vastly inferior to her own?
This was absurd.
"You… can actually detect it?" Xing Lan blurted out, a strange mix of shock and disbelief flashing in her eyes.
She was a top genius of Starry Sky Hall.
Her divine sense was already stronger than most cultivators of her realm.
Yet this random True Immortal had matched her?
How could that be possible?
Seeing her disbelief, Li Hao simply remained silent.
After all, once they fought side by side, Xing Lan would definitely realize how strong his primordial spirit was.
There was no point in hiding it.
Xing Lan fell into deep thought.
She had clearly underestimated Li Hao.
She had assumed he was just another talented disciple from a major sect.
But now… she realized there was much more to him than she thought.
Still, she didn't press further.
After all, they weren't from the same sect—she was from Starry Sky Hall, and he was from Da Meng Jiu Yuan.
In some ways, they were even competitors.
No need to reveal too much.
Instead, she focused on their immediate goal—
Tracking down and eliminating the fiend.
A moment later, the two of them closed in on their target.
The ancient fiend finally sensed their presence.
However, Xing Lan had already anticipated this.
She had deliberately concealed her aura, making herself appear as if she were merely a True Immortal.
She wanted the fiend to drop its guard.
Li Hao watched closely, intrigued by her strategy—
Now, it was time to hunt.
The ancient fiend had no idea that anything was off.
It merely saw two human True Immortals approaching and sneered inwardly, thinking it had found easy prey.
Just as they drew near, Xing Lan examined the fiend—it was only at True Immortal Stage Seven.
With a mere flick of her fingers, she could instantly kill it.
But after a brief thought, she decided not to act, leaving it for Li Hao instead.
This was their second encounter, yet she had never seen him actually fight.
Although he had revealed his profound celestial energy when being pursued by the Fiend General, she was curious about the true strength of his primordial spirit.
"This one is yours."
She gestured toward the fiend.
Li Hao didn't hesitate.
At this moment, delicious ingredients were far more important than a beautiful woman.
Whoosh.
With a flick of his fingers, he unleashed a blade of sword energy—it looked simple and casual, yet it carried the sword intent of 'Azure Sky'.
The sharpness was frightening, even space itself warped under its force.
This was the fusion of Space Dao and Sword Dao, a combination that made slaying a True Immortal Stage Seven fiend as easy as cutting tofu.
To Li Hao, this fiend was nothing more than a high-quality ingredient.
Boom!
The fiend froze in place, its eyes filled with disbelief as it stared at the two 'insignificant' humans before it.
How was this possible?!
It had no chance to react before the sword intent's primordial spirit force severed its soul.
Whoosh!
Li Hao raised a hand and pulled the fiend's corpse toward him.
Then, with a swift motion, he tore open a rift in his spatial domain, directly absorbing the fresh, untouched body into his personal storage.
The entire process was smooth, effortless, and ridiculously proficient.
From start to finish, it took less than half a breath's time.
Xing Lan was stunned.
She had expected Li Hao to kill the fiend easily—
But not this easily.
If she ignored his cultivation realm, just based on his execution, she would have thought a Celestial Lord had made the kill.
And more importantly—
Li Hao looked way too calm.
His movements were natural, efficient, and practiced—
As if he had already done this hundreds of times before.
"Let's go. There's more ahead."
Li Hao's voice was steady and casual.
Xing Lan snapped out of her momentary daze.
Using her divine sense, she also detected a small group of fiends ahead—at least ten of them.
They weren't particularly strong, with none at the General level, meaning they were easy prey for her.
But before charging forward, she turned to Li Hao with a slightly complex gaze.
She had yet to sense the full strength of his primordial spirit, but the fact that he could instantly execute a Stage Seven fiend meant that it was terrifyingly powerful.
Azure Sky Sword Dao, Space Dao, an incredibly strong primordial spirit…
She studied Li Hao carefully for a moment.
But in the end, she chose to stay silent.
After all, they weren't close enough to discuss such personal secrets.
Instead, she simply turned and led the charge toward the fiends.
Once they arrived, Xing Lan decided to split the targets evenly.
"Half each."
Though she was a Celestial Lord, fully capable of annihilating them all, she decided to let Li Hao take his share.
"Fine by me."
Li Hao nodded.
Xing Lan raised her hand, summoning the laws of the celestial path.
A vast starfield materialized around the fiends—
Then, a meteor shower fell.
Each streak of starlight was a piercing celestial blade, raining down and tearing through the fiends, leaving their corpses mangled and broken.
Li Hao watched with mild concern.
These bodies were too damaged.
If the ingredients were this ruined, wouldn't it affect the taste?
Freshness and completeness were key!
Whoosh!
Li Hao swiftly attacked.
But unlike Xing Lan's destructive celestial strikes, his sword energy was highly controlled.
Instead of tearing the fiends apart, his precision strikes pierced their vitals, following the natural flow of their anatomy.
The result—
Each fiend died instantly, yet remained whole, appearing as if they had fallen into a deep sleep rather than been slain.
By the time the battle ended, Xing Lan turned to glance at Li Hao.
She had taken down seven to eight fiends, including a Stage Nine fiend—
Yet Li Hao had done the same.
And once again—
He looked completely at ease.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
Even among True Immortal Stage Ten cultivators, few could be this calm and precise.
But what truly surprised her was that—
His kills were clean.
No excessive bloodshed, no brutality—his victims looked as if they had simply collapsed peacefully.
It was elegant, in a way.
Even compared to her own methods, his kills were far more refined.
Silently, Xing Lan stored away her own kills.
Meanwhile, Li Hao effortlessly retrieved his prey and absorbed them into his storage.
She watched him with interest, then finally spoke.
"It seems you don't need my help after all."
Her voice was calm, but there was a trace of amusement in her tone.
"With your abilities, as long as you avoid being surrounded or facing a Fiend General, you should be fine. We'd only slow each other down."
"Fair enough."
Li Hao agreed without hesitation.
If they split up, it meant he could hunt freely and increase his haul.
Xing Lan's expression shifted subtly.
She had never seen someone cut ties with her so effortlessly.
Most people, upon forming an alliance with her, would try to stay as long as possible.
Yet this guy just agreed instantly.
"Hmph."
She rolled her eyes faintly.
Without another word, she turned around.
But before leaving, she deliberately demonstrated her abilities—
"Shifting Starfall."
In an instant, she vanished, her body flickering across the horizon.
Li Hao watched her go, then turned and headed in the opposite direction.
As he moved forward, he began to notice—
The battlefield wasn't just filled with ancient fiends.
There were also many disciples from various sects, all engaged in slaughtering fiends.
Further ahead, the Wildfire Army was scattered across the battlefield, engaged in chaotic combat against the fiends.
This meant—
There were still plenty of opportunities to hunt.
Li Hao moved swiftly across the battlefield, his presence a fleeting shadow.
Wherever he saw groups struggling against ancient fiends, he stepped in—swiftly executing the fiends and ensuring the rescue of the embattled cultivators.
He made sure not to interfere in fights where the human side held the upper hand.
Instead, he focused on weaker groups, subtly aiding them without making it seem like he was stealing their kills.
All along his path, he rescued numerous sect disciples, many of whom expressed their heartfelt gratitude.
But Li Hao merely waved them off and continued forward, uninterested in lingering.
At the Rear of the Battlefield
On a massive celestial platform, three powerful figures stood, their auras restrained yet immense.
The platform was encircled by towering battle banners, each dozens of meters tall, fluttering in the endless void.
Glowing celestial formations surrounded the area, and within them, phantasmal beasts loomed—all of them from the Sound-Heeding Tribe.
This was the Grand Marshal's Celestial Platform, one of the core command centers of the Yan Chu Celestial Empire's military forces.
To control the platform meant one could extend their divine sense across vast distances, touching upon hidden celestial formations scattered across the battlefield.
With such a vantage point, every movement within the warzone was under their watchful eyes.
"The first defensive line has collapsed."
"The second line is still holding, but the pressure is immense."
"The third defensive line remains intact, and all major sect forces are engaged at the second line. The Wildfire Army is also present…"
A battlefield scout reported sternly, his voice carrying across the celestial platform.
"The Seven Luminaries Starfield has already fallen."
"The Jade Terrace Starfield still has eighteen war zones fighting back."
The battlefield was immense, and while the Wildfire Army's soldiers only distinguished between the frontlines and the rear, the Yan Chu Celestial Army had meticulously divided the battlefield into named sectors for precise coordination.
"The Crescent Moon War Zone has also been breached. Three sect forces and a Wildfire Army regiment have been sent to reinforce it."
"The Cloud River War Zone initially held, but was eventually overrun."
As the scout continued his briefing, the three great generals standing atop the celestial platform remained grave and silent.
"I was just about to dispatch a brigadier general to eliminate that Fiend General before it reached the rear lines.
But that girl from the Starry Sea Hall got to it first. Quite an impressive talent."
A silver-haired general in black armor spoke, his voice low and steady.
Though he looked no older than thirty, he was a legendary general who had commanded for tens of thousands of years in the Yan Chu Celestial Empire.
"That woman?"
"I know of her. She's one of Starry Sea Hall's top talents."
"Someone once recommended her to me, suggesting she be recruited into the Demon Suppression Division. She's still under evaluation."
Beside him, a woman with heterochromatic eyes smirked slightly.
Her left eye was gold, her right eye silver—resembling the radiance of the sun and moon.
She turned toward the elderly general standing at the center.
Though he too was a grand general, his armor bore a black, spear-shaped insignia—the symbol of the Demon Suppression Division.
Not only was he a high-ranking general, but he also held a significant position within the Demon Suppression Division—one of the most elite branches of the Yan Chu military.
Seizing the opportunity, the woman subtly praised Xing Lan, hoping to plant a favorable impression of her in this formidable figure's mind.
"Hmm. Not bad."
The elderly general nodded slightly, his eyes gazing into the endless void.
From their celestial vantage point, the battlefield was nothing but darkness, illuminated only by distant starlight and bursts of celestial energy.
Yet, his sharp gaze pierced through the void, focusing on a lone figure darting through the chaos.
A youth, clad in simple robes, weaving between battle regiments—saving struggling forces, slaying fiends effortlessly.
His movements were precise, calculated—yet he was not part of any major sect force.
"An interesting young man."
"His zeal for slaying fiends is commendable. Do we know which sect he belongs to?"
His voice was calm, but both generals beside him reacted sharply.
If this boy had caught the interest of the Demon Suppression Division's top brass, it meant his potential might even surpass theirs.
For in the Yan Chu Celestial Empire, the Demon Suppression Division was second only to the Imperial Army itself.
Its warriors were unparalleled, and its commanders held authority rivaling the highest generals.
"That boy… He is indeed monstrous."
The silver-haired general's eyes narrowed, following the old man's gaze.
A moment later, he too noticed the boy's startling performance.
There were many prodigies in the empire, but this youth's actions stood out.
His method of slaughtering fiends was ruthless yet clean, and he possessed a composure rarely seen even among war-seasoned generals.
And more importantly—
He had blocked a battlefield breach.
Only to be pursued by a Fiend General.
Yet somehow—
He survived.
The woman with the sun and moon eyes also focused on the youth's silhouette.
Her gaze flickered slightly.
"This ancient fiend attack is unusual."
"Their movements are erratic—it's almost as if there are multiple commanders giving conflicting orders."
Her voice was low and thoughtful.
The elderly general smiled faintly.
"The myriad races compete for supremacy."
"The ancient fiends are no different."
His tone carried a hidden meaning.
Meanwhile, on the Battlefield…
Li Hao sped toward the breached defense lines, but before he arrived—
He spotted a familiar group.
His gaze sharpened.
It was Shi Tianjin and his team.
They were not scattered but their numbers had dwindled.
And worse—
They were surrounded by ancient fiends.
Among the encircling fiends, four or five exuded terrifying auras—
All of them True Immortal Stage Ten.
Shi Tianjin and his team were under relentless assault, their injuries severe.
Even Huo Xiaoqi, who had once appeared confident and carefree, now looked tense and exhausted.
The new recruits, who had arrived with Li Hao earlier, were already missing one or two.
The survivors huddled together in the center, with Shi Tianjin and three veteran soldiers holding the frontlines.
Blood covered their bodies, their faces pale with fatigue and fear.
They were struggling.
They wouldn't last much longer.
Li Hao stopped in place, his gaze flickering coldly.
Then—
His grip tightened around Tao Tie Sword, and he stepped forward.