Chapter Seventy-Six: The Astonishment of the Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Purification Array
Chapter Seventy-Six
The Earth-Shaking Purification Array of Heaven and Earth Yin and Yang Foretold by Li Hao
Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen were pondering why there were two identical Li Haos, and how that imposing war halberd at Li Hao's side had come to be.
Kuihu asked, “Young Master, just now, who was that person who looked exactly like you?”
The question Kuihu asked was also what Li Zhan and Qin Zhen wanted to know. The three of them had never heard Li Hao mention any brother or sibling. Now, they were all eager for an explanation.
“That was another me.”
Li Hao's simple answer left Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen completely bewildered.
“Young Master, another you? What does that mean?”
This time, Qin Zhen spoke up, still unclear on what Li Hao meant by ‘another self’. Li Zhan and Kuihu were equally perplexed.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Lin Xueyou explained, “Li Hao means that was his avatar, another self.”
“What!” The three were utterly incredulous, even more amazed. How could Li Hao, only at the Wandering Realm, produce such a powerful avatar? The avatar's strength matched theirs, so wasn't the Li Hao before them even more formidable?
They knew that in the Wandering Realm, a few exceptionally gifted cultivators could harness the laws of heaven and earth to conjure a false body, but had never heard of anyone splitting off a true self at this stage.
Li Hao beside them brought them an overwhelming sense of awe. His brilliance was dreamlike. Even the cold-blooded strike he had just delivered, decapitating his enemy, paled in comparison to this shock.
Li Hao’s oddities were inexplicable even to himself, let alone others. He had been astonished by his own uniqueness many times; outsiders’ astonishment was only natural.
Li Hao could only attribute all his peculiarities to some transformation following a grave injury. Indeed, this was true.
Seeing everyone’s curiosity, Li Hao didn’t quite know how to explain to his friends. He merely smiled and offered a vague explanation:
“All my unusual traits—I can't even fully understand them myself. Perhaps, at birth, I suffered a severe blow; my three souls and seven spirits were all on the verge of collapse. My grandfather sent me to Grandpa Hundred Herbs for treatment. Maybe during that ordeal, external forces caused some mutation, leading to what I am now. Perhaps it’s what Grandpa Hundred Herbs often called ‘blessing in disguise’.”
After Li Hao finished, his companions felt enlightened. There was no better explanation for Li Hao’s uniqueness.
Li Hao didn’t realize that this casual explanation would later help him resolve many deadly crises.
“Young Master, what about that magnificent war halberd you wielded just now? Where did it come from?”
Qin Zhen’s question piqued Kuihu and Li Zhan’s curiosity as well. Among the three, Qin Zhen was the sharpest and asked the most questions.
“That was a gift my grandfather left for me when he departed. I hadn’t used it before because he sealed it; my strength wasn’t enough to wield it or break the seal. Yesterday, when we entered the Inner Realm and I unexpectedly broke through, the seal was lifted. You three broke through as well, didn’t you?”
The trio finally understood.
“Yes, Young Master! We all broke through. Oh! Young Master, you seem to have entered the early Wandering Realm?”
Kuihu answered joyfully, simultaneously sensing Li Hao’s cultivation and feeling a slight shock. Li Hao was so much younger, yet hadn’t lagged behind them in realm.
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The three had managed a minor breakthrough in Lishui City after much accumulation. The breakthrough in the Inner Realm was pure chance. What they hadn’t expected was that Li Hao had kept pace.
What they didn’t know was that Li Hao had, in the past ten days, advanced four minor realms and one major realm. If they knew, their surprise would be boundless. Moreover, Li Hao was not yet at his peak.
“Everyone, we've all fought hard today. Let’s rest and recover our strength, then discuss our next steps. Sister Xueyou and I believe this trial in the Inner Realm isn’t just about surviving an illusion or escaping enemies until time runs out. Do you remember last night’s strange black clouds and thunder?”
“Yes.”
Everyone nodded.
“I think last night’s ominous clouds were a warning before a storm. Also, have you noticed anything unusual about the Inner Realm?”
Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen thought for a moment and shook their heads. They hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
Qin Zhen asked, “Young Master, did you find anything different?”
Li Hao replied, “Since we woke from the illusion, we haven’t seen any living creatures. Have any of you seen any?”
Upon hearing this, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen realized they hadn’t noticed any animals or life forms, which was indeed odd.
“Have you wondered why we fainted upon entering the Inner Realm? During our unconsciousness, the laws of this realm scattered us into different areas.”
Li Hao posed the question, and everyone shook their heads; evidently, they hadn’t considered it.
“In my unconsciousness, I saw many things—my hometown, scenes from twelve years ago, my birth. Everything I saw was what I most wanted to know deep within. When I woke, I broke through and underwent inexplicable changes. I believe this dream was meant to repair fragments of my missing memories. Once those were restored, I broke through.”
Li Hao’s words made perfect sense to everyone.
“I also saw some unknown scenes from my past.”
...
Everyone’s dream experiences were similar to Li Hao’s.
His companions all felt Li Hao’s analysis was thorough, and before they knew it, Li Hao had become their pillar. Being by his side brought peace.
After discussing their theories, everyone prepared to restore their strength. The only ones who didn’t need to recover were Lu Yao and Xiao Jiu. Xiao Jiu, when in human form, was a person; when not, he was something else—a halberd or a nine-headed dragon.
Though Lu Yao hadn’t spent any strength, she was the most diligent now. Feeling helpless to assist Li Hao, she resolved to work hard, determined not to be a burden.
Li Hao noticed Lu Yao’s change. Now, she seemed to have gained a mature charm, losing some youthful naivety. Seeing her efforts, Li Hao felt a pang of tenderness and silently vowed to protect this foolish girl, no matter what hardships lay ahead.
When Li Hao set aside all distractions and began channeling the Primordial Yin-Yang Purification Array to absorb the purified laws of the Inner Realm, everyone—Lu Yao, Zhenba, Kuihu, Li Zhan, Qin Zhen—stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at this ‘monster.’ Only Lin Xueyou remained unfazed; the rest were dumbfounded.
They stared at Li Hao, forgetting to recover their own strength. Once in recovery, Li Hao cut off his awareness of the outside, oblivious to their actions.
Li Hao had severely overdrawn himself in his near-death struggle; at first, he dared not fully absorb the laws of heaven and earth. He started slowly, nourishing his body, then finally absorbed the surrounding laws at full force.
A cultivator who overdraws their power is like a starving beggar on the street—when faced with a feast, they gorge themselves and risk harm.
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After half an hour of full purification, Li Hao’s strength was restored to its peak. The vortex array at his dantian vanished with a gesture. Opening his eyes, he saw everyone staring at him.
Puzzled, he asked, “What’s wrong with me?”
With Li Hao’s words, everyone snapped back to reality. Qin Zhen couldn’t hold back; he pointed at Li Hao and exclaimed in amazement, “Young Master, you’re not human!”
“Hm?”
Qin Zhen’s words caused an uproar of laughter. Li Hao, mystified by Qin Zhen’s comment, looked at him with a hint of displeasure, but Qin Zhen was unafraid, scratching his head awkwardly.
Then, mimicking Li Hao’s stern gaze, Qin Zhen barked at the laughing group, “Shut up, what are you laughing at?”
At Qin Zhen’s shout, everyone quieted, though smiles lingered.
When all fell silent, Qin Zhen hurriedly explained, “Young Master, don’t be angry, let me clarify—I was just too shocked and misspoke. I meant you’re not an ordinary person.”
Li Hao felt much better upon hearing this explanation, and his stern gaze softened.
Qin Zhen then turned to the others, “Do you think Young Master is ordinary?”
“No…he’s not…”
Except for Zhenba, who was not very familiar with the group, everyone else stretched out their answer.
Lin Xueyou added, “He can’t be described as human—he’s an anomaly among prodigies, a complete monster. There are many shocking things about him you don’t know yet. If you knew all his oddities, you’d be even more astonished.”
Her words captivated everyone.
Qin Zhen flashed Lin Xueyou a flattering smile and pleaded, “Sister Xueyou, tell us some of Young Master Li Hao’s astonishing feats.”
Lin Xueyou replied, “That’s his secret; you’ll have to ask him yourself. I can’t say.”
Her answer disappointed the curious group, but made sense. They couldn’t press further, so they turned their attention to Li Hao.
Li Hao had no intention of explaining. He said,
“Time is short. Something could happen any moment here in the Inner Realm. More importantly, we still have Lin Huashu, Lu Zhentian, the two brothers and Sister Xuemei yet to be found. Quickly recover your strength, and let’s search for them together. The rest can wait.”
Hearing this, everyone subdued their curiosity and began restoring their own powers.
Li Hao’s reluctance to explain wasn’t due to mistrust or secrecy. It was because time was pressing and several important friends were still missing. Besides, explaining would be troublesome—many things he himself didn’t understand—he wouldn’t know where to begin.
Compared to Li Hao’s recovery speed, the others were like warhorses compared to crawling snails.
End of Chapter Seventy-Six