Separated by a great distance, the two of them were unable to see their faces clearly.
But at this moment, those who could arrive at the Abyss Sky Lock were undoubtedly that young man.
“Hao Er…”
Ji Qingqing’s eyes brimmed with tears, wanting to descend along the Abyss Sky Lock to meet him, but the pardon from the Family Head had not yet arrived, and descending the island privately constituted a jailbreak.
After waiting for over a decade, she didn’t want to create any new complications.
The two of them supported each other, gazing at the two figures climbing.
Meanwhile, on the Abyss Sky Lock.
Li Hao held the Observing Heaven Mirror, and saw at the front of the Abyss Sky Stele, which was used to bind the Abyss Sky Lock, stood two figures, one of whom was his mother, Ji Qingqing.
She was concentrating on the chain, the excitement and tears in her eyes made his steps quicken even more.
Feeling Li Hao accelerate, Ji Yun Yue gave a wry smile; on this Abyss Sky Lock where power was restrained and they could only rely on their physical bodies for climbing, Li Hao’s movement technique was surprisingly faster than hers.
Just as the two of them sped up, suddenly, Li Hao felt a bizarre sensation cross his mind.
As if by instinct, he looked down.
He saw nothing but pitch-black darkness beneath his feet, devoid of light, but as he stared, suddenly, a crimson light seemed to emerge from the abyss.
Li Hao blinked, doubting if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Before he could focus again, suddenly, a terrifying tremor transmitted from the depths of the abyss.
With a bang!
The entire abyss shook, the cliffs near the barren sea trembled, and the three Abyss Sky Locks shook violently.
At the same time, the nearby barren sea seemed to be shaken, and the originally calm sea surface suddenly stirred up surging waves.
“What?”
Ji Yun Yue stopped in her tracks, grasping the chain, and looked over in astonishment.
She saw a crimson glow emerging from the abyss, growing stronger, and then suddenly, a huge tentacle shot out, wrapping around the Abyss Sky Lock they were on.
That tentacle, seemingly a thousand zhang long, when it wrapped around the Abyss Sky Lock, the heavy force nearly dragged Qiu Tian Dao down.
This sudden violent vibration alerted everyone on Qiu Tian Dao.
Some were in deep slumber, some barely hanging on to life, some deeply engrossed in deriving their Cultivation Techniques, but now, all were startled by the intense shaking.
Qiu Tian Dao shook violently like a frail boat.
“What’s going on?!”
“Is Qiu Tian Dao collapsing?”
“Look quick, the island is falling!”
On Qiu Tian Dao, the dozen criminals were all shocked; their originally dying, dim eyes suddenly widened, they rushed out of their caves, and gathered at the edge of Qiu Tian Dao.
When they saw the crimson tentacle entwining and dragging one of the Abyss Sky Locks, all the criminals were stunned.
“What is that?”
“Demons? Impossible!”
“That size, that aura, heavens, is there really such a demon guarding this abyss?!”
“Could it be that someone’s jailbreak has enraged this guardian demon?”
These criminals, having been there for varying lengths of time, had little understanding of Qiu Tian Dao, and were all horrified by this unprecedented event.
They heard that the abyss was a pit smashed out by the Ancestor, bottomless.
But now, to have a demon crawl out from inside?
A ragged, beggar-like gaunt old man lay on the edge of Qiu Tian Dao, watching the crimson tentacle, his eyes showing shock, then he burst into laughter:
“Ha ha, has the Ji Family now confined all the prodigies with Holy Bones here?”
“The Ji Family should be destroyed…”
He laughed loudly, tears streaming down his aged face.
Many criminals recognized this old man, calling him the old madman, a criminal confined here from an ancient era who was always rambling and speaking incoherently, and nobody wished to bother with him.
In front of the Abyss Sky Stele, Ji Qingqing and Nurse Ning were almost shaken off Qiu Tian Dao by the sudden tremor.
They hastily grabbed onto the Abyss Sky Stele to stabilize themselves, but they saw Qiu Tian Dao rapidly descending, continuously shaking, the island’s own buoyancy pushing it upward while the tentacle pulling on the Abyss Sky Lock dragged it down, making the entire island tilt.
“What is that thing?”
Ji Qingqing also saw the crimson tentacle on the chain; it was too large, visible even from thousands of miles away.
Her face was full of shock; she had never heard of such a terrible demon dwelling in this ancient abyss.
Nurse Ning was similarly terrified, her face pale, unknown the cause.
At that moment, on another Abyss Sky Lock, Li Tian Gang and Ji Yun Yue were also frightened by this sudden disturbance, nearly failing to hold onto the chain and falling off.
When they saw the tentacle entwined around a distant Abyss Sky Lock, Ji Yun Yue’s pupils shrank, and she exclaimed in horror, “What is that thing?”
He had never heard of it either, finding it unbelievable.
“Is it the monster that guards this place?” Li Tian Gang also changed color and hurriedly asked.
Ji Yun Yue did not answer; fear appeared in her eyes as she felt the tentacle contained the power of the Grand Tao; the Ji Family could not possibly domesticate a demon of such a level.
“Run!”
On Abyss Sky Lock, Li Hao saw clearly the movement of the tentacles and felt a chill in his heart. He immediately burst forth with all his power, pulling Ji Yun Yue forward as they rushed onward.
Ji Yun Yue also reacted, her face pale. The tentacles had wrapped around the end of the chain; there was no way back, and they could only escape to Qiu Tian Dao.
She instantly burst forth at full speed, employing the Ji Family’s movement technique, following Li Hao closely.
As the two sprinted at full speed, several more tentacles shot out from the abyss, grabbing all three chains.
The three chains were simultaneously pulled downward, causing the bowl-shaped Qiu Tian Dao to regain balance but to also plummet rapidly.
Within the abyss, a crimson giant shadow, resembling a Blood Lotus, gradually emerged.
Those thousand-zhang long tentacles were all extending from the back of the Blood Lotus. In the center of the Blood Lotus, there was a huge human face—a stunningly beautiful woman with extremely pale skin, her eyes tightly shut.
The woman’s red lips were lightly closed, her eyes serenely shut, her expression as if she was in peaceful sleep.
But this stunningly beautiful face had a thousand-zhang diameter. As the Blood Lotus rose, it kept pushing forward, and though its appearance was extremely beautiful, it gave one an eerie feeling.
More and more tentacles shot out from behind the Blood Lotus, entwining around the chains, pulling Qiu Tian Dao in the high sky to plummet straight down.
“That is,” said a prisoner who recognized it as the Demon Saint, Wen Ren Ji, recorded in the ancestral notes.
On Qiu Tian Dao, some aged criminals, upon seeing the giant face of the Blood Lotus, were immediately stunned and lost.
“Blood Lotus, demon face, purple soul-stealing eyes—one glance can rob a person’s soul, two can steal their Tao spirit, three cause those who hear Tao to perish!”
“This, this is the Demon Saint!!”
A few old criminals felt nearly insane, almost suffocating.
On two Abyss Sky Locks, both Ji Yun Qing and Ji Yun Yue recognized this Wen Ren Ji. Their faces contorted with fright, feeling their souls almost leave their bodies.
This was the Demon Saint!
An existence comparable to that of the Ancestors!
“Rumors said the Ancestors suppressed the Demon Saints. Wasn’t this Wen Ren Ji killed by the Ancestor? How could she be here?”
“Hurry, run!”
Ji Yun Yue and Ji Yun Qing were both terrified out of their wits. They were both from the Grand Tao of Peace Realm, but in front of this Demon Saint, they were no different from children. The opponent’s light breaths could probably kill them.
“This is the Demon Saint, run!”
Ji Yun Yue urgently called out to Li Hao.
Li Hao’s heart twitched. A Demon Saint, no wonder he felt that eerie sensation, almost numbing his whole body and rendering him unable to move.
The two ran for their lives.
Abyss Sky Lock was continually shaken by the tugging, emitting a sound of metal clashing, but the chains were extremely sturdy and did not break.
However, that Blood Lotus’s stunningly beautiful woman slightly opened her mouth at that moment, and her perfect red lips continually cracked open, revealing a mouth lined with countless sharp spikes, leading to a pitch-black depths.
A powerful suction force surged into her mouth. Li Hao and Ji Yun Yue felt as though countless threads were entangling them, making climbing upwards extremely difficult.
Upon seeing this, numerous criminals on Qiu Tian Dao scattered in terror.
“It, it’s going to devour the whole island!”
“Quick, quick, push down the Abyss Sky Stele. I’d rather ascend to heaven than die in its mouth. They say those killed by a Demon Saint don’t even get the chance to reincarnate.”
The panicked criminals started rushing towards the various Abyss Sky Steles.
An old man known as the mad elder lay on the ground, laughing loudly:
“It’s useless, useless. This Wen Ren Ji was originally a Demon Pet under the Ancestor, but she attacked when the Ancestor ascended, and was suppressed by him.”
“It must be someone who carries the Holy Bone, the scent of a Saint on it stirred her, letting her awaken from the abyss.”
“Ha ha, who would have thought the Ancestor would bury such a Demon Saint here, this entire desolate sea is its graveyard…”
In the chaos, however, no one heeded his words. About a dozen dispersed, heading towards three Abyss Sky Steles.
Ji Qingqing, hearing these people’s words, her face changed suddenly, and angrily shouted: “Stop, who dares!”
She manifested her Divine Soul, standing in mid-air, emitting a powerful Divine Light, blocking those trying to topple the Abyss Sky Steles.
The Abyss Sky Lock could not be cut, but the Abyss Sky Steles, buried on Qiu Tian Dao, could be moved. Thus, even if Qiu Tian Dao ascended and was scorched by the Scorching Sun Holy Fire, there was still a slight chance of reincarnation.
“Get out of the way, don’t block us!”
Someone roared, trying to charge at Ji Qingqing.
But Ji Qingqing’s body glowed with Divine Light from the treasured clothes, and a frost-like long sword fell into her hands. She swung her sword.
With a loud bang, the Sword Qi burst forth like a rainbow, splitting the man in half, spilling a vast amount of blood, sending him retreating.
She had been a prodigy of the Ji Family in her youth, though not the top-notch type. However, having reached her years, years of Cultivation had brought her to the Ultimate Study Realm before being imprisoned.
Additionally, having only been on Qiu Tian Dao for less than two years, her physical strength was nearly unspent. Now, her angered attack burst forth with immense power.
The other criminals, seeing Ji Qingqing’s manifested divine might, all changed their expressions and angrily said:
“Do you really want us all to die?!”
“Exactly, if you want to die, don’t drag us to accompany you in death. We still hope to be reincarnated!”
The criminals shouted angrily.
However, Ji Qingqing ignored them. Her Divine Soul soared above the island, seeing criminals scattering towards the other two Abyss Sky Steles. Her eyes brimming with murderous intent, she wielded the Divine Sword to slash, driving those people back.
“As long as I’m here, no one can touch them!”
Ji Qingqing stood against the Abyss Sky Stele, her body clothed in Divine Flame as if a descending Goddess, angrily proclaimed.
“You, you are utterly unreasonable!”
Many criminals were intimidated and blocked by her, both shocked and furious.
“This can’t go on, we’ll all die!”
Someone stepped forward and said angrily, confronted with this life-and-death situation, they wanted to fight Ji Qingqing to the death.
Ji Qingqing’s face was icy cold, but she also knew that stopping them wouldn’t solve any problems. She said,
“If you want to live, then help me bring them up.”
“Bring them up? That’s suicide, they’re definitely beyond saving, too far away!” someone protested angrily.
“If they die, then we’ll all die together!”
Ji Qingqing didn’t give an inch and could only force them.
If it were just her here, she would have already charged down recklessly to assist, but once she left, Nurse Ning, relying only on her Tao Heart Realm, couldn’t possibly intimidate these people.
Once the Abyss Sky Stele was pushed aside, they would all die.
“Don’t you want to live yourself?!”
Someone couldn’t restrain themselves and roared, “At least we could survive on our own, why should we sacrifice everyone?”
“Either bring them up, or we all die together!”
Ji Qingqing’s eyes were icy, she didn’t engage in arguments, any further dispute was just a waste of time, she merely presented the choices.
Everyone was furious, but no one acted; the chains swayed too violently, and they all dared not step onto them.
During their brief exchange, suddenly below came another severe shock.
Qiu Tian Dao was pulled askew again; deep in the abyss, tendrils reached for the chain nearest to Li Hao, one tendril grabbed the chain, and two more struck out directly at Li Hao and another.
Li Hao’s face changed dramatically, he roared lowly, erupted into Divine Power State, and climbed with all his speed.
But the pulling force from the Demon Saint’s mouth, like a black hole, could easily uproot mountains and suck them in; were it not for Li Hao’s strong power, he would have been swallowed already.
“Go!”
Li Hao roared angrily, dragging Ji Yun Yue and sprinting forward.
Yet, thousands of miles remained to Qiu Tian Dao; under normal circumstances, they would arrive within minutes, but now it felt as hopelessly distant as climbing to the heavens.
“Child, don’t worry about me anymore, you go on ahead.”
Ji Yun Yue suddenly loosened her grip on Li Hao’s hand, holding tightly onto a ring of the Abyss Sky Lock, she shouted to Li Hao,
“Don’t look back, keep moving forward. If we hold on, Third Ancestor will definitely sense the commotion here and come to help!”
Li Hao felt a looseness in his hand and was momentarily stunned; he turned back to see the formerly always-kind elderly woman, her face determined and encouraging; his heart felt like it had been struck.
Emotions surged in an instant, but he suppressed them; he knew looking back would completely let her down.
Li Hao clenched his teeth tight and climbed forward at double speed.
Rustle~~!
Suddenly, a violent rattling sound of the chains arose.
The Blood Lotus, which seemed to be bursting from the abyss, suddenly paused momentarily, pulled back down, revealing chains behind it, all exceedingly thick and similar to the Abyss Sky Lock.
These chains bound it, preventing it from escaping the abyss.
The Blood Lotus appeared infuriated, its numerous vast tendrils striking the chains, sweeping toward Li Hao.
Li Hao hastily climbed to the other side of the chains, hiding in the crevices of the rings, employing the Supreme Skill to enhance his evasion.
Although unsure of its effectiveness, there were no other options in that instant.
The foul-smelling tendrils whooshed past, grazing Li Hao’s body but causing no harm; he exhaled in relief and continued climbing along the chain.
Upon Qiu Tian Dao, the people watching the increasingly severe pulling down of the island couldn’t contain themselves anymore; someone roared,
“Together, climb up! Even if we die, it’s better than dying at the hands of the Demon Saint.”
“Go, overthrow the Abyss Sky Stele!”
A dozen people burst forth with their remaining energy and charged at Ji Qingqing.
Ji Qingqing’s complexion drastically changed; she hadn’t yet thought of a solution as these people had lost their patience, and in this life-or-death moment, she didn’t have much opportunity to devise a strategy.
“Unless I die, no one will overturn this stele!”
Ji Qingqing shouted furiously.
Her Divine Soul exploded forth, she wielded Sword Control to strike.
On the wobbling island, pulled by the chains, a great battle erupted; Ji Qingqing engaged them in combat, utilizing her ultimate skills without sparing her energy, consecutively striking down two and then sending another seven flying.
Her Divine Flame draped on her clouds-like attire, she stood like a commanding Female General, and astonishingly successfully defended the Abyss Sky Stele.
Below was the Demon Saint approaching, above were those climbing the chains to escape, and on the island was a battle involving a dozen people.
“No one shall come close!”
Ji Qingqing’s breath grew weaker, but she had yet to use her Unwithering Strength; she retreated to in front of the Abyss Sky Stele, her eyes cold as frost as she watched the rest.
“A bunch of foolish children.”
At that moment, an old madman lying in the distance burst into laughter, “All could have lived; you insist on seeking death. Have you not yet realized the abnormality of this Demon Saint? It was long stripped of consciousness by the Saint Ancestor, what’s trapped here now is merely its shell.”
“Otherwise, if it really struck, there would be no room for your strife; you’d all be dead already.”
While the crowd paused to catch their breath, they found his laughter grating, but his words chilled them.
Indeed, though the Demon Saint was pulling on the chains, if it truly struck, they would all perish in an instant.
“It’s dead?”
Someone tremblingly asked, voicing a question they themselves found absurd.
But the existence of a Saint Realm was beyond their understanding.
Many looked to the old madman; they all knew he had lived a long time, a figure from the era of the Third Ancestor.
Seeing everyone looking his way, the mad old man burst out laughing instead of speaking further; his face full of teasing amusement, as if he was completely indifferent to the shaking of Qiu Tian Dao, which was about to be swallowed by the Demon Saint at any moment.
When the crowd saw him with this demeanor, they all felt angry, but his words reminded them; some people noticed that the Demon Saint was covered in chains and unable to break free from the Abyss.
“I have an idea!”
Suddenly, someone shouted excitedly.
Those who could become criminals already possessed wisdom not inferior to ordinary people; their only mistake was choosing the wrong path.
“We don’t need to overthrow all three Abyss Sky Steles, just two will suffice. That way, relying on the buoyancy laws of Qiu Tian Dao itself, the Abyss Sky Lock will become straight, the Demon Saint’s body isn’t long enough, at most only one or two tentacles could reach us, it might not be able to pull us down!”
The person said excitedly.
The crowd ran to the edge of the island, looking at that terrifying yet gorgeous face and the enchanting Blood Lotus.
Indeed, the other party stopped rising, held back by the chains, struggling continuously, but the chains that bound its flesh seemed to also fix it at the very center of the Abyss, causing its body to have to stretch outward desperately to even touch the rocky walls at the edge of the Abyss.
If only one Abyss Sky Lock were pulling Qiu Tian Dao, it would be in a straight position, Qiu Tian Dao would deviate from the center of the Abyss, appearing outside the Abyss, aligned vertically with the other end of the chains, like stakes at the Abyssal Heaven Peak!
Then, the parts of the Demon Saint’s flesh that could touch the chain would be even fewer, possibly unable to pull down Qiu Tian Dao.
This way, they might have a way to survive!
The others caught on to the person’s plan, their eyes lighting up instantly; indeed, it was a good approach.
If this plan still didn’t work, they would have no choice but to abandon the last Abyss Sky Lock and let Qiu Tian Dao ascend, to endure the scorching of the Scorching Sun Holy Fire.
Ji Qingqing was startled, hearing this also eased her mind; pushing over the other two Abyss Sky Steles was indeed a method.
“Now, you have no reason to stop us anymore.”
Someone looked at Ji Qingqing, worried she might go crazy again and genuinely want to perish with them.
“You guys go.”
Ji Qingqing said.
Seeing her approval, everyone else also relaxed and quickly dispersed, running toward the other two Abyss Sky Steles on the island.
Standing beside her, Nurse Ning turned her head, but suddenly noticed on another chain, two figures were rapidly climbing.
“What’s that?”
With her Divine Soul manifesting behind her, her vision enhanced, she immediately saw people on that Abyss Sky Lock.
Hearing her words, Ji Qingqing, too, concentrated her Divine Soul to look, and that glance made her pupils contract, dumbstruck.
On that chain, approximately three hundred li away from the island, two figures were struggling to climb upward.
They were very close to the island, having climbed the majority of the several thousand li of the Abyss Sky Lock, with only the last tenth of the journey remaining.
The suction seemed not so strong; though their climbing was slow, in another four or five minutes, they could reach Qiu Tian Dao.
But the faces of those two people, Ji Qingqing recognized them all.
When she saw clearly, her mind seemed to thunder, as if something had burst open, leaving a brief blank in her mind.
Li Tian Gang!
Her husband!
Ji Yunqing, his uncle!
Ji Qingqing felt as if she had been struck by lightning, somewhat dazed.
But in just a second, she snapped back to reality, her Divine Soul surged upward, rushing towards the Heavenly Stele by the chain.
“Halt!!”
A sword light howled, slashing down in front of the four people about to touch the Abyss Sky Stele.
Seeing Ji Qingqing go back on her word, all four of them were furiously enraged: “Are you crazy?!”
“Wait for them to come up.”
Ji Qingqing’s Divine Soul shakily spoke.
Her Divine Soul quickly descended, guarding in front of the Abyss Sky Stele, with her sword blocking and her back as a fortress.
Several people raged, saying, “Keeping two Abyss Sky Locks is no use; the Demon Saint will still pull us down!”
“Give them some time.”
Ji Qingqing ground her teeth and said.
Her physical self looked towards the two figures painfully and arduously climbing up the chain, tears streaming from her eyes.
She never expected Li Tian Gang to be here too.
Earlier, when Nurse Ning mentioned Li Hao came alone, she was surprised; knowing Li Tian Gang’s strong sense of responsibility, how could he let his son come alone?
She thought there was some hidden reason, but now she realized he had also come, it was just that Nurse Ning’s information was outdated.
“You guys, why are you all so foolish…”
Tears streamed down Ji Qingqing’s face; she herself had cautioned him, never to enter the Ji family before breaking through the Four Stands Realm, but now, she could tell at a glance, Li Tian Gang’s cultivation still remained in the Defying Fate Realm.
No doubt, he had come to the Ji Family with a determination to die.
Just like back then, when he shielded her behind him, confronting the entire hall.
A general who abided by rules, for her, broke his own compliance for the first time, breaking the laws he followed; that was also why she decided to marry him, determined to stay by his side for life.
Boom!!
Suddenly, Qiu Tian Dao violently shook.
A Abyss Sky Stele was uprooted, overturned, and fell from Qiu Tian Dao.
Falling alongside it was the unbreakable Abyss Sky Lock, under the pull of two tentacles, dropping into the Abyss, crashing onto the Demon Saint’s Blood Lotus.
With one Abyss Sky Lock’s pull gone, the island immediately tilted, and the Blood Lotus, as if enraged, suddenly erupted, pulling the several thousand li long Abyss Sky Lock, causing the entire island to rapidly plummet downwards.
“Not good!”
Everyone on the island felt a sensation of weightlessness as if their feet had left the ground, all turned pale with horror, except for the mad old man.
On the chains, Li Tian Gang and Ji Yunqing, who were desperately climbing, felt the lock plummeting rapidly and were also panicked. They burst forth with all their strength, frantically climbing upward.
Their eyes were fixed only on the island, thousands of miles away, as well as the great stele wrapped by that chain.
Although distant, their extraordinary vision allowed them to see clearly the scene in front of that great stele.
“Is that, Qingqing?”
Suddenly, Li Tian Gang saw that divine soul in front of the stele and paused for a moment, then became astonished.
Though it was just a silhouette, he could never confuse it; it was his wife whom he longed for day and night.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
At the moment, his wife seemed to be confronting someone, guarding at the entwined chain above the stele.
He immediately realized that she was guarding this lifeline for him!
“Qingqing!!”
Li Tian Gang roared, climbing upwards with all his might.
On the other end, Li Hao’s body shone with golden-red, and despite the astonishing suction power from the mouth of the Demon King, his movement technique was extremely swift. The journey, originally over a thousand miles, had in the blink of an eye, been reduced to just two or three hundred.
Almost there.
Li Hao’s eyes blazed golden-red. Affected by the Abyssal Laws on this Abyss Sky Lock, his strength could not radiate outward, and naturally, he could not utilize his Divine Soul, but with his Divine Power and physical eyes, he could see clearly the situation hundreds of miles away.
There at the end of the winding chains, the silhouette of a woman stood guard, her body enveloped with Divine Flame, a picture of valor and vigor.
Li Hao recognized her at a glance; it was indeed his mother.
His heart trembled, and the words he had heard in infancy echoed in his mind:
“No matter what happens in the future, your mother will stand in front of you, never letting anyone harm you…”
That promise from fifteen years ago, she seemed to have kept.
With her slender body, she stood at the end of the chain!
Li Hao’s eyes were slightly reddened. He let out a low growl, bursting forth with power once again and accelerated some more, rushing at full speed.
But just then, the chain behind him jerked fiercely, pulling him down harshly.
The Demon Saint seemed to have gone mad, erupting with extremely terrifying strength, the speed at which the chain was yanked increased significantly.
Li Hao felt as if he was pluming into an abyss, but in the brief moment of his stupor, he once again roared and charged out. The Heaven and Earth Traceless Skill, combined with the amplification of many legacy attributes, rushed towards the end of the chains at full speed.
The Demon Saint’s tendrils swept and chased from behind, with Li Hao racing against the Grim Reaper.
Whilst atop Qiu Tian Dao, everyone witnessing this rapid descent was consumed by panic and despair.
“Quick, if we don’t topple the Abyss Sky Stele now, it’ll be too late!”
“There’s no time left!!”
The rest cared for nothing else and furiously rushed at Ji Qingqing.
“Just wait, give them a little more time!”
Ji Qingqing pleaded urgently, but seeing that everyone else was heedless and rushing towards her, she had to burst forth with her Divine Soul and fight with all her might.
“Don’t force me to burn out my Divine Soul and use the Dao Domain!”
One of the elders said angrily.
His body exuded an extraordinary aura; he was a master of the Grand Tao of Peace Realm. Now, by igniting a bit of his Divine Soul, he released a powerful presence.
He had been imprisoned here for so long that his power had long been depleted, which was why he had kept a low profile.
Moreover, originally charged with the grave crime of colluding with Demons to assassinate clan members and steal treasures, he preserved his life solely based on his ancestors’ glory. His descendants had also been banned from visiting him, leaving him nearly drained of power over the years, with only the Strength of the Physical Body remaining.
Ji Qingqing saw the elder’s enraged face and her complexion changed dramatically. If the other party really burned his Divine Soul, even if he could only unleash a momentary power of the Dao Realm, she would not be able to match him.
“Wait, just give them a little more time!”
Ji Qingqing pleaded earnestly, “Among them is the Ji Family Dao Seed, our hope for the Ji Family!”
“I don’t care about any Dao Seed. Whoever wants to deny me my life, must die!”
“That’s right; we’re all held here already, what do we care about the Ji Family’s honor or disgrace, it must be that Dao Seed that brought the Demon Saint upon us!”
The crowd shouted angrily.
Ji Qingqing’s face turned pale, watching the elder’s Dao Domain aura grow more vigorous, she could only bow and plead:
“Please, elders, just give them a little more time, I’m kneeling to you!”
Saying this, she knelt to the ground, knocking her forehead on the soil with a resounding thump.
“You acknowledge we’re your elders, yet you want to drag us to death with you?”
“What use is kneeling? I don’t want to die, move aside!!”
The crowd was furious. None accepted Ji Qingqing’s plea; they only wished to save themselves, at least to fight for a chance of rebirth.
“Step aside, or else we all die together, and you won’t save anyone!”
The elder’s face was sullen. His Divine Soul was burning. If he really used the Dao Realm, he would also perish here, taking a stride he said:
“If you can’t bear to lose this one, then we’ll go topple that one. Choose one, now!”
Amidst his roaring voice, the chains trembled, Qiu Tian Dao shook violently, and the fall became even more rapid.
Ji Qingqing looked at the elder’s wrathful face, and her heart seemed to twitch with tearing pain.
How could she not know that if there was any further delay, everyone might die?
But how to choose?
On one side was her husband, and on the other, her own son.
“Fine, I choose.”
She stood up, her movements sluggish, trying to buy them just a little more time.
The elder, seemingly noticing her intentions, shouted angrily, “Choose fast!”
“Hurry, there’s no time left!”
The others were equally agitated, pressing forward.
Ji Qingqing’s face was void of color, feeling as if heavy hammers were pounding against her chest, her blood seemed to freeze.
She turned around and saw on the Abyss Sky Lock, a figure clad in golden-red rushing towards her rapidly.
The distance was less than a hundred miles now.
With her own eyes, she could see the young man’s face.
After fifteen years of separation, the gazes of mother and son met at this moment, clearly recognizing each other.
Ji Qingqing looked at the handsome youth, was this truly the son she had given birth to?
She felt a bit dazed, it had been so many years, had the child from the swaddles really grown this much?
In a Divine Power State, no wonder he had become the pride of the Ji Family…
Large tears flowed from her eyes as she covered her mouth, her heart tearing apart like being cut by knives.
“It’s too late, push it away!”
The others, seeing Qiu Tian Dao being pulled and falling askew, were all shouting in alarm and anger.
They all surged forward, pushing towards the Abyss Sky Stele.
But this time, Ji Qingqing just covered her mouth and took no action.
Li Hao, who was desperately climbing upward, saw this scene and was stunned.
Why… not stop them?
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His thoughts seemed to pause for a moment, but in the next instant, he suddenly came to his senses, and in a panic, rapidly summoned the Merit Treasure Vault.
A golden light swiftly emerged from the Gold Paper in his palm, and Li Hao quickly chose to exchange for an opportunity to defy fate.
Soon, ten thousand points of merit decreased.
He felt a strange power surge into his body, tried releasing it, and this power also flowed out of his body.
It was an extremely peculiar sensation, neither like Qi Force nor like immortal power, but some indescribable feeling.
When that Life-Defying Power was lost, Li Hao hurriedly looked towards the being-pushed Abyss Sky Stele.
Yet he saw the group still pushing, and the Abyss Sky Stele had been pulled out without any accident occurring.
That woman was still kneeling, without taking any action.
He suddenly thought of an issue, and instantly felt a chilling realization from head to toe.
Ji Yun Ge had mentioned that in the Tao Comprehension Realm, one could obscure the heavens, preventing those in the Defying Fate Realm from exerting a chance to defy fate, and in this abyss’s special laws, even the Dao Domain couldn’t be applied, so that defying power… probably was also shielded.
That is to say, defying fate was ineffective.
Bang!
The Abyss Sky Stele was finally pulled out and was thrust down flying.
The chain under Li Hao’s feet, suddenly going from taut straightness to slack.
He stretched his hand upward with all his might, but the entire chain had lost its supportive strength, falling along with the Abyss Sky Stele.
He raised his palm high, the blood-red Twin Flowers in it radiant and vivid, but never had the chance again to make it to that island.
Li Hao stared blankly at the falling Abyss Sky Stele, seeing that woman suddenly rise and rush towards another direction; following her running path, he saw on the other side of Qiu Tian Dao, about ten miles from the island, two figures were climbing upward.
One he recognized.
The other he recognized too.
Was it him?
Li Hao was stunned.
Suddenly, it was as if everything came clear to him.
Just like fifteen years ago, when the Imperial Command entered the Divine General Mansion, that woman had released the hundred-day-old baby from the swaddles, donned her armor, and joined her husband, heading to a battlefield tens of thousands of miles away.
Now, fifteen years later.
She had made the same choice…
The colossal Abyss Sky Stele smashed down directly upon him, striking his face, his nose, his body, and blood violently sprayed…
His entire body was heavily smashed downwards, the Twin Flowers in his hand loosened, petals shaken off like broken butterfly wings, slowly drifting in the air.
With the fall of the Abyss Sky Stele, Li Hao seemed to lose all strength, his body being pulled downwards, dropping directly into the mouth of the Demon Saint.
He made a desperate run past the Demon Saint’s tentacles but couldn’t dodge the massive stele smashing down from above.
The tentacles that had grabbed the chains, now all swung towards him.
And with the loss of the Abyss Sky Lock’s restraint, Qiu Tian Dao, like a bird spreading its wings, immediately soared, its inherent rising laws pulling along the remaining Abyss Sky Lock, quickly shifting from a steep seventy degrees to a vertical ninety degrees.
Bang!
The thick chain and Abyss Sky Stele, carrying Li Hao’s body, fell into the abyss.
On Qiu Tian Dao.
After overturning the second Abyss Sky Stele, everyone rushed towards the last Abyss Sky Stele.
“If we still can’t stop it, then we’ll have to topple this final stele too!”
Someone said in despair.
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They would rather be burned to ashes by the Scorching Sun Holy Fire and disappear into the Mo River than be completely obliterated by the Demon Saint.
Ji Qingqing’s body trembled when she heard their words, and she quickly stood up and rushed towards the last Abyss Sky Stele.
She would protect this final stele with her life!
As she ran, she glanced at the abyss outside the island and saw the gigantic Abyss Sky Stele that had plummeted down, covering the figure.
Tears poured out of her eyes, and by the time she saw the small red flower floating in the air, her heart felt as though it was being torn apart, a drilling pain.
She covered her mouth to hold back her grief and continued to rush towards the last Abyss Sky Stele.
The Divine Soul guarding this stele fused with her, drawing a sword to block in front of the stele.
Everyone looked at her angrily, but there was no dispute for the moment, as beneath their feet, Qiu Tian Dao suddenly soared upward, as if shedding a heavy burden. Like a joyous bird taking flight, the swaying speed was so fast that it almost threw the islanders off.
When the other two Abyss Sky Locks were lost, the remaining Abyss Sky Lock pulled the island upright. Everyone on the island was shocked and quickly searched for nearby rocks to cling to, to avoid slipping down.
And the original rocks on the island, along with the now completely tilted island, all tumbled and rolled down.
The loosened rocks fell in large chunks, hitting the chains and falling into the abyss.
Li Tian Gang and Ji Yunqing, who were desperately climbing, saw the boulders rolling down from above and hurriedly hid in the crevices of the chains to avoid being dragged down.
When the rockfall had almost finished, the people looked and saw that the tentacles of the Demon Saint had all retracted, wrapping around the Abyss Sky Lock that they had previously thrown off.
“Excellent!”
“That Demon Saint is actually targeting him; it looks like the old lunatic was right. This deceased Wen Ren Ji is instinctively tracking the Saint’s aura. She said that he is a Dao Seed; he must have the Innate Holy Bone!”
“Holy Bone, we of the Ji Family also rarely see such. It’s a pity.”
“Pity? Weren’t you the one who pushed the hardest just now? Now you’ve changed your tune.”
“Didn’t you push too? I just helped a little bit.”
“All right, we’re not completely safe yet. Are you already trying to pass the blame, so afraid of being held accountable?”
“After all, it’s all that Wen Ren Ji’s fault.”
“Speaking of which, is that Dao Seed also a criminal? How did he come to be imprisoned here?”
“What are you thinking? Even if a Dao Seed makes a mistake, someone else would take the blame for him. I think he’s not here because of a mistake. He must have come for someone, probably to pick up someone, right?”
People clung to various rocks arguing, their gazes turning towards Ji Qingqing.
Undoubtedly, the one the Dao Seed was here to fetch was most likely her.
Previously, when Ji Qingqing was exiled here, it was said her crime was marrying a foreigner. Now, could it be that the Dao Seed is her son?
These criminals, old and cunning, immediately guessed the situation, but they couldn’t help but wonder with astonishment; could it be that the Dao Seed was of mixed blood? Could a half-breed become a Dao Seed? Since when did the Ji Family become so disgraceful? It seems they truly can’t do without them…
“Enough talk, hurry up, keep this Abyss Sky Stele from falling!”
Suddenly, someone exclaimed.
The Abyss Sky Stele wobbled slightly. Originally, the chains of the three steles were pulling tight and secure, but now with only one left, it began to loosen.
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed, and they quickly scrambled towards the Abyss Sky Stele, trying to press it back into the island.
Ji Qingqing was originally worried they would topple this Abyss Sky Stele too, but seeing that the Wen Ren Ji wasn’t attacking and that they were frantically guarding the stele, she couldn’t help but find it ironic.
Yet such a sight also quietly relieved her. She turned back to look towards the chains and saw Li Tian Gang thousands of meters away.
Husband and wife locked eyes, and Li Tian Gang called out excitedly, “Qingqing!”
Ji Qingqing’s heart flooded with sadness as she climbed towards the front end of the chain, saying, “Tiangang…”
After the chain stood upright, leaving the abyss, the suction from the Demon Saint’s mouth weakened. Li Tian Gang’s face brightened with surprise and excitement, and he sped up his climb to the top of the chain, embracing Ji Qingqing tightly in his arms.
He gave her a deep, tight hug, then quickly looked around and urgently asked, “Where is Hao Er?”
“Hao Er, he… he fell into the abyss.”
Ji Qingqing’s eyes reddened, her voice breaking into sobs.
“What?”
Li Tian Gang thought the wind might be too loud; he hadn’t heard clearly.
But Ji Qingqing was crying too hard to speak.
Li Tian Gang finally reacted, his body shaking as he felt the blood in his veins suddenly ignite to the extreme, then just as violently turn ice cold to his very feet.
His head buzzed, blanking out, as if he couldn’t even hear his wife’s crying anymore.
Fell into the abyss?
Li Tian Gang’s neck stiffened, and with difficulty, he turned his head to look at the other end of the chain, where the twisting body of the Demon Saint was, and the bottomless abyss.
How could this be…
At this moment, Li Tian Gang’s brain seemed to jam, and he was stupefied.
The child was dead?
Dead?!
His mind buzzed and vibrated, in disbelief and unable to accept it!
Before coming here, he had already decided that no matter how that child treated him, he would endure it. Even if it meant apologizing, bowing down, or even something more excessive, even if he had to bow, he was determined to bring the other back.
He wanted to make up to that child for his neglect.
He didn’t want to let his father die with his eyes unshut!
Although he had many conflicts with that child before and disapproved of many of his actions and behaviors, though disappointed, he had always treated him as his own child, hoping he would become better.
But now, he was dead?
Li Tian Gang’s mind seemed numbed, and after a long while, hot tears finally seeped from his eyes.
He thought of those moments in the courtyard.
The child drawing in the yard, smiling happily.
The child chatting lively with his second uncle.
The child lying leisurely on the rocking chair.
Time and again, he had watched all this with a frown.
But now, he could never see it again.
Not even the child’s playful figure!!
“This is fake, it has to be fake, right, Qingqing?”
Li Tian Gang’s voice carried a raspy and trembling tone. Having witnessed the life and death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Northern Yan, seeing Li Fu and Yu Xuan die before his eyes, his heart ached to the extreme, but he never shed tears. His father had once said, “A man only bleeds on the battlefield, not cry!”
But now, he had shed tears.
Ji Qingqing could only sob, unable to respond to his words.
“The Hao Er you mentioned…”
By now, Ji Yunqing next to him had come to his senses, his pupils dilating, trembling as if in an earthquake, shockingly said, “Could it be Le Ping?!”
Hearing this name, Ji Qingqing’s sorrow intensified:
“Le Ping is the name I gave him, Tiangang, did you tell him? It’s my fault; I led him to his death…”
Ji Yunqing froze, somewhat dazed.
The child fell into the abyss?
He couldn’t believe what he had heard, but the child had become famous throughout the Ji Family in the Pride of Heaven Battle, defeating all the heavenly talents, fighting Holy Bones with his own flesh and blood, breaking the Dao Domain to forge an invincible myth, and yet, he died here?
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“How could this happen, the chains, this…”
Ji Yunqing looked up and immediately saw the tilting state of Qiu Tian Dao, his pupils contracted, and he instantly realized what had happened.
He felt a rush of blood to his face, grief welling up inside him:
“Why not overturn our Abyss Sky Stele, why must it be that child’s, why?!!”
His angry roar echoed to the island, and those who had pushed the stele earlier all changed their expressions. If they could choose again, they might consider pushing over this stele first, but the situation had been too urgent at the time to consider much.
“I would rather we fell, not that child; he was so young, so young!!”
Ji Yunqing mournfully roared. That was the most outstanding pride of the Ji Family over a thousand years, defeated the Dao Domain with the Three Immortalities, broke legends, even earned the favor of a Saint, and yet, he had fallen.
He couldn’t accept that the light of hope for the Ji Family’s future had been extinguished.
“You should die, all of you should die!!”
Ji Yunqing’s eyes filled with bloodshot, his sorrow transforming into an overwhelming killing intent, glaring furiously at everyone on the island.
Everyone changed color, including an ancient figure from the Dao Domain whose expression was particularly grim. Ji Yunqing was of the Grand Tao of Peace Realm, and even if he burnt his Divine Soul, he would not be his match, especially in such poor condition.
When Li Tian Gang heard Ji Yunqing’s angry roar, he trembled and realized the reason.
Looking at the remaining chain hanging vertical to the sky, he felt his heart tremble, an indescribable impulse, even a desire to vomit blood.
Was this to say he had indirectly caused Li Hao’s death?
If he hadn’t come, they wouldn’t have been on this chain, and the two overturned chains would not have involved Li Hao’s!
Realizing this, his head again roared like burning his moral principles.
Had he sent Li Hao to his death?!
But he had clearly just come to apologize…
Why did it end up like this?
Li Tian Gang’s eyes became empty, and he was speechless.
…
…
In the abyss.
When Li Hao was struck down by the Abyss Sky Stele, the force of the rapidly descending stele caused pain in his flesh.
Falling close to the abyss, nearing the Demon Saint, Li Hao finally struggled to push the Abyss Sky Stele off him, wiped the blood from his face, and then rapidly climbed to the other side of the stele, activating the Saint’s mark within him.
At this moment, only this Saint’s mark could help him escape.
As his consciousness touched it, silver brilliance blossomed from the mark but then receded, returning to its original state.
Li Hao’s expression changed drastically, touched it again, the silver light blossomed once more, only to revert as before.
Was it blocked by this demon?
Li Hao felt a mix of shock and rage, touching it repeatedly, but to no avail.
Darkness and a foul smell surrounded him from all sides; seven or eight tentacles that had previously entwined the chains now slapped towards him at this moment.
Li Hao’s eyes revealed despair. Was he really going to die here?
Looking at the unreachable sky, he suddenly realized that no one cared about his life or death.
The despair in his eyes turned to anger, becoming a boundless blaze, issuing a thunderous roar, but under the suppression of the Demon Saint’s laws, his voice couldn’t spread, like a silent scream.
He angrily swung his fists, recklessly smashing at the tentacles.
With a bang, a tentacle knocked the Abyss Sky Stele along with the chains away. Another tentacle, however, came howling towards Li Hao, its force already seeming to crush every bone in his body.
And the young man, filled with despair, roared madly as he threw his punches.
As they collided, a tentacle fell, smacking Li Hao into the giant, split maw of a Blood Lotus.
Li Hao had, in an instant, swung hundreds of fists, striking the tentacles of the Demon Saint.
His body seemed shattered, his flesh torn by the resonating force of the tentacles that exceeded his tolerance.
Had not his body been nearly as tough as a nine-fold Divine Weapon and he not been in a Divine Power State, just the sweeping of the tentacles would have disintegrated him instantly.
Inside the huge maw, which seemed like a bottomless abyss, Li Hao had fallen for a long while before crashing into a dark, sticky place with no visible end.
His entire body’s flesh burst open, with only tendons wrapped around his bones like a skeletal corpse awaiting death, lying in this abyss.
The giant mouth closed, taking the last sliver of light and sealing it away.
But just a few seconds later, suddenly, Li Hao felt that his body was still rapidly falling.
No, to be precise, it was the body of the Demon Saint that was plummeting.
He felt a sensation of weightlessness as if his body was floating up, but soon, the descent ended, and he crashed heavily into the sticky mass.
Then, shaking noises seemed to come from all around him, followed by large drops of liquid falling.
Had he fallen to the bottom of the abyss?
Li Hao thought, now devoid of anger, left only with an indescribable calm.
More and more fluid surged in, landing on his battered body, Li Hao felt his flesh burning, stinging intensely.
Was this how he was to be digested?
A slight twist formed on Li Hao’s mouth as he stared into the pitch dark where not even his hand could be seen, and suddenly felt the absurdity of his journey to this world, as if it was an unnecessary venture.
Was he here just to suffer?
Regrettably, he had not yet said goodbye to Elder Feng.
Qianqian’s swordsmanship hadn’t been properly taught either.
Yuan Zhao, that boy, without his parents and without Li Hao’s presence, wouldn’t he be bullied by others?
Thoughts fluttered through his mind.
But the burning pain across his body grew more intense.
Abruptly, it seemed a large piece of soft flesh fell from above, accompanied by liquid splashing onto his body.
Then, the surroundings violently shook, like the sky collapsing, with large chunks of soft flesh and hard bones raining down on him.
A large volume of foul-smelling liquid splashed around, resembling blood, enveloping Li Hao.
Li Hao was submerged in the blood, nearly choked.
The blood carried fierce corrosive power, Li Hao felt as if he was in boiling water, endless burning and pain tearing through him.
His flesh was ripped away, but his skeleton resisted and protected his consciousness and Divine Soul.
In this torture-like excruciating pain, Li Hao looked around and shockingly discovered that the Demon Saint that had swallowed him… seemed to have died?
The petals of the towering Blood Lotus fell powerlessly, breaking off and slamming into the Blood Sea to create waves hundreds of feet high.
The waves, like surging tides, overwhelmed him again and pushed him to the bottom of the Blood Lake.
Li Hao desperately swam upwards; as soon as he emerged, he saw other Demon Saints’ rotting limbs falling, no longer having their prior softness and destructive force.
Li Hao drifted in the blood tide, his bones also eroded by the blood.
The Demon Saint was dead?
Li Hao looked at the collapsing giant body of the Demon Saint in disbelief.
Suddenly, a flash crossed his mind, and he widened his eyes.
Could it be… that the desperate punches he had thrown at the tentacles inadvertently triggered a 1% lethal property?!
Li Hao was shocked by this thought.
The Demon Saint… had been killed by him?!
He was bewildered, but at this point, he couldn’t care about the reason. His heart, previously dark and hopeless, now surged with a potent desire for survival.
He struggled in the Blood Sea, trying to rise, but even though the body of the Demon Saint was disintegrating, the Power of Laws still lingered, preventing him from mobilizing his Qi Force, so he couldn’t unleash his power.
He could only rely on his physical body to swim in the Blood Lake.
However, the fresh blood of the Demon Saint seemed to carry a strong corrosive power; more and more of his flesh fell off, and places where his bones were exposed were also scorched and worn away. His body, comparable to a nine-fold Divine Weapon, was nearly dissolving.
