Chapter 407: Establishing a Sanctuary, Refuge Across the Heavenly Realms
"This…"
The Saints were momentarily stunned, witnessing Li Hao's swift and decisive elimination of the Ancient Demon.
When Li Hao turned to leave, they finally snapped back to their senses. That terrifying Ancient Demon had not even survived a single exchange under Li Hao's hand.
Was this the reason Li Hao had managed to endure twelve years on the Ancient Road?
At this moment, they finally understood that Li Hao had not been lying to them earlier. But now, the mess had been made, and it was too late to regret.
"Li Hao-zun!"
Yuan Zu hurriedly stepped forward and stopped in front of Li Hao. He stared directly into Li Hao's eyes and said:
"With your strength, if you join forces with us to eliminate the Ancient Demons, we may still be able to hold them off."
Shen Wang, however, remained standing in place, watching Li Hao with cold indifference.
He had already made up his mind: if the Immortal Gate truly broke open, he would follow Li Hao's example and find a hidden place to hide. As for the fate of the common people—what did it matter to him?
During his countless years of being sealed, the mortals had worshiped the Saints who had betrayed him while branding him as a demon. To him, the mortals deserved nothing but his hatred.
Li Hao frowned and said to Yuan Zu, "You overestimate me. While I can kill the Ancient Demons, this one was merely the weakest kind. The stronger ones inside rival True Immortals. How can I possibly cross realms to slay a True Immortal?"
Yuan Zu was rendered speechless by Li Hao's words. "Then… is there really no other way?"
Li Hao couldn't be bothered to respond and strode off.
"Li Hao-zun, didn't you claim earlier that you wanted to protect all living beings? And now you're abandoning them so easily?" a Saint called out, trying to stop him.
"With such a critical matter, if you had insisted on guarding this place earlier, we wouldn't have made this mistake!"
Another Saint added, attempting to shift the blame onto Li Hao.
Hearing this, Li Hao sneered and quickened his pace.
Yi Sheng glanced at the Saint who had spoken and shook her head slightly. At this point, assigning blame was meaningless. The catastrophe had already begun. What they needed to consider now was how to avoid further disaster.
Even if they managed to hide temporarily, the mortal realm had nowhere to run.
Furthermore, if the mortals were slaughtered, their incense faith would be severed, and their cultivation would eventually deteriorate. Once weakened, they would inevitably be found by the Ancient Demons.
Yi Sheng said nothing more and quickly followed Li Hao. Her heart was tied to the disciples of her Holy Land.
Outside the ancient temple, Yi Sheng caught up with Li Hao. In the vast void, only the two of them remained. Yi Sheng looked at Li Hao's cold, stern expression and tightly furrowed brows, and asked softly:
"Do you really have no other way?"
Li Hao didn't look back as he continued forward, saying, "My only solution is to protect a small number of people. Even if I stand guard at the Immortal Gate and kill the Ancient Demons that enter, it's not a long-term solution. Besides, I can't predict what's happening outside the gate. If I kill too many third-tier Ancient Demons, and a commander-level Ancient Demon suddenly breaks the gate, I'll be the first to die."
Hearing this, Yi Sheng fell silent.
The Saints had caused this disaster. It was unreasonable to force Li Hao to stay behind and guard the gate.
"Are we just supposed to hide until this world collapses?"
Yi Sheng asked.
She had also considered one way to survive—to hide until the Heavenly Realms were completely destroyed. Once the Ancient Demons devoured everything, they would eventually retreat.
Li Hao remained silent.
Unless… the Immortal Gate was more resilient than he expected.
In that case, if he had enough time to improve his skills and advance to the True Immortal Realm, gaining full control over his immortal power, he might be able to carve a path for the Heavenly Realms' beings.
Alternatively, the reinforcement from the woman with the red-tasseled spear might arrive in time.
But those were all uncertainties. Before that, his priority was to survive.
"I plan to create a sanctuary like Mi Xu Tian and Qian Luo Holy Land—a refuge where people can hide."
Li Hao shared his thoughts with Yi Sheng: "If you want to seek refuge with me, you can bring your disciples, but limit their numbers. You know as well as I do—the more people, the greater the risk of exposure."
He had to be prepared for the possibility of the Immortal Gate breaking. Tomorrow and the unexpected were both unpredictable.
Yi Sheng understood Li Hao's intention and nodded. "I'll manage it carefully."
She knew that her best chance of survival was to stick with Li Hao.
The speed at which he had killed that Ancient Demon indicated his strength was likely far greater than Yuan Zu's and Shen Wang's.
Afterward, the two parted ways in the void. Yi Sheng needed to return to her Holy Land to gather her disciples for the evacuation.
Meanwhile, Li Hao headed back to Yunxia Realm.
On his way back, he sent a message to Zhan Tan using the Huayou Token, instructing her to gather Ji Xuan Shen and the others.
Soon, when Li Hao returned to Yunxia Realm, Ji Xuan Shen, Zhan Tan, and the others were already waiting for him atop a famous mountain in one of the realm's sacred empires.
"Li Hao, what happened?"
Seeing Li Hao, Ji Xuan Shen immediately asked.
Li Hao had left in such a hurry earlier that they all sensed something major had occurred.
Li Hao sighed and explained what had happened with the Immortal Road.
Hearing Li Hao's explanation, Ji Xuan Shen and the others were stunned at first, then their expressions turned to shock and fury.
"So the Saints acted recklessly, and now all the Heavenly Realms are in danger?"
"They've gone mad! Even if they didn't believe you, how could they gamble the fate of the Heavenly Realms on an unknown risk?"
"How could they risk the life and death of all living beings on a mere gamble?"
Everyone was furious.
Hearing their words, Li Hao's expression softened slightly. At least his friends were sensible people.
"Now that the gap has been exposed, the Ancient Demons could invade at any moment. I don't know if the Immortal Gate can hold. In any case, I plan to build a sanctuary—a refuge. You can all come and hide there. You can also bring your friends and family, but we'll have to see if there's room for anyone else."
Li Hao informed them of his plan.
Hearing Li Hao's words, no one was happy. Instead, their faces grew heavy.
Compared to the vast Heavenly Realms, the capacity of a single sanctuary was far too limited.
But they knew that Li Hao was already doing his best.
After explaining everything, Li Hao instructed them to disperse. Creating a sanctuary would take some time.
Once the sanctuary was built, Li Hao still planned to visit the mortal realm and bring his friends there.
Otherwise, when the Ancient Demons invaded, the mortal realm would likely suffer as well.
Thinking of the mortal empires, Li Hao frowned slightly. The Da Yu Divine Empire was vast, but a single sanctuary could not accommodate all of its people.
He planned to bring people like Emperor Yu and other close friends to the sanctuary while he remained to guard the empire. How long he could hold out, he didn't know.
As he returned to the Heavenly Realms, Li Hao realized that the flow of time on the True Realm Ancient Road was identical to that of the Saints' Domain, whereas the mortal realm's flow was ten times faster. By his calculation, over 150 years had passed in the mortal realm.
Such a long time—he wondered how Er Ye and the others were doing now.
Li Hao shook his head, suppressing these thoughts. He arrived at a spot deep within the void and activated the Heavenly Star Meridian, drawing in a vast and terrifying force to create a sanctuary out of thin air.
As the laws of the Dao Domain circulated, rock and soil began to manifest in the void, taking form as though born from nothingness.
While Li Hao was building the sanctuary—
At the Ancient Hall, before the Starry Sky Immortal Gate, the gathered Saints were desperately battling an Ancient Demon.
Shortly after Li Hao's departure, two Ancient Demons had already squeezed through the gap, arriving in this place.
It was only during these battles that the Saints fully realized the gap between themselves and Li Hao. The Ancient Demons were incredibly difficult to deal with, even for all the Saints working together. Their combat abilities were more troublesome than that of Supreme Saints.
Yuan Zu and Shen Wang both realized the peculiarity and sheer threat posed by these Ancient Demons. Their expressions turned grim.
After killing the invading Ancient Demon, the Saints all turned their gazes to the Immortal Gate, thinking about Li Hao's warning. Their hearts were filled with dread.
If the gate were to break the next moment, the entity capable of shattering it would undoubtedly possess the power to erase them in an instant.
The shadow of death loomed ever closer. They had no idea when it would come, and this feeling of helplessness stirred thoughts of retreat in several Saints' minds.
"Are we supposed to guard this place forever?"
"What if that Ancient Demon has already called for reinforcements? Li Hao-zun said their commanders are stronger than True Immortals. If one arrives…"
Their expressions turned even uglier. Those who spoke seemed ashamed, for they knew they had caused this catastrophe.
Yet, faced with imminent danger, their own survival naturally became the most important matter.
"Li Hao-zun said he would find a place to hide. While we may have caused this disaster, he also bears some responsibility. If he had remained here to guard this place, we wouldn't have gotten ourselves into this mess. I think… we should leave too."
"That's right. At the very least, we need to preserve some fire for the future."
Once someone spoke up, others quickly echoed the sentiment.
Yuan Zu remained silent, aware that the hearts of the gathered Saints were no longer in this place. Besides, staying here served no purpose.
"If we are to seek refuge, would any of you be willing to join Tianyuan Sacred Ground?"
Yuan Zu asked.
He knew that now was the time to consolidate power. The only way to survive was to gather strength. Splitting apart would only make them easier targets for the invading Ancient Demons.
Hearing Yuan Zu extend this olive branch, many Saints were delighted and immediately expressed their willingness.
They had already witnessed the terrifying power of the Ancient Demons. On their own, they had no chance of resisting such creatures.
Fa Sheng and Ming Sheng exchanged glances. They, too, began rallying Saints to their side. As Supreme Saints, they were reluctant to place themselves under Yuan Zu's command.
Before long, the Saints had come to an agreement. At that moment, another Ancient Demon invaded through the gap.
Yuan Zu led the gathered Saints to eliminate it, and then, taking advantage of a brief lull, they all swiftly departed the Ancient Hall.
Once the Saints had left, silence returned to the starry sky. The Ancient Gate stood tall, shrouded in black mist.
Not long after, another Ancient Demon arrived.
It burst through the starry void, slipped through the gap, and entered the Ancient Hall.
The Ancient Demon searched the surroundings, its feral instincts driving it, before leaping out of the hall.
It soared into the void, sniffing out faint trails of soul energy drifting through the air like incense smoke.
Its crimson eyes shone with excitement and greed.
In the next moment, it flew toward the nearest place where the scent was strongest.
…
…
In the void, Li Hao was busy constructing the sanctuary.
The sanctuary he built was larger than ordinary holy grounds, capable of housing half of a divine empire—several billion people.
Though it would be cramped, considering the situation, overcrowding was the least of their worries.
This was already the limit of what Li Hao's primordial spirit could cover and reinforce with isolating protections.
If he expanded it any further, while his primordial spirit could still encompass the area, he could not guarantee that second-tier or third-tier Ancient Demons would not detect it.
Once completed, Li Hao was confident that as long as an Ancient Demon Commander did not personally descend, he could keep the sanctuary safe.
However, even if the sanctuary were filled to capacity with several billion people, it would still only be a fraction of the total population across the Heavenly Realms.
After all, each small world had dozens of divine empires.
As Li Hao worked tirelessly to accelerate construction, his Huayou Token suddenly grew warm.
Li Hao knew someone was trying to contact him.
He sent a wisp of his consciousness into the token and immediately saw that it was Qing Zu reaching out.
"Li Hao-zun, something terrible has happened! Qinghuo Small World has fallen!"
"I've heard that monsters have appeared there, completely unstoppable. A friend of mine was at the Huoyun Sacred Ground, but it has already been destroyed. Even Chiyun Shengren was eaten alive by those creatures!"
As soon as Li Hao's shadow appeared, Qing Zu hastily relayed the news.
Hearing this long string of events, Li Hao froze.
Eating a Saint?
Saints could draw on the power of their holy veins within their sacred grounds, greatly amplifying their strength. Combined with their foundations and formations, their power would ascend to an entirely new level.
Only a Supreme Saint could kill a Saint within their sacred ground.
Monsters? Could it be the Ancient Demons?!
Li Hao's expression changed drastically, and he immediately said, "Gather your things and come to me as soon as possible!"
He transmitted his spatial coordinates to them.
Afterward, Li Hao exited the Huayou Token and hurriedly contacted Yi Sheng using her Saint Command Token.
"I heard some Ancient Demons have already entered. What about Yuan Zu and the others?" Li Hao asked urgently.
Yi Sheng, who had more extensive connections, had already received the news and had planned to inform Li Hao. She quickly said, "I just heard. Yuan Zu and the other Saints have already left the Ancient Hall. They've all returned to their sacred grounds and are apparently planning to gather their strength for refuge—just like us."
Hearing this, Li Hao was momentarily stunned, and then his face contorted with anger and disbelief.
"They're seeking refuge too? The mess they made, and they aren't even trying to fix it? Refuge? Do they think they can hide? The Ancient Demons will hunt them down! This will only make them die faster!"
Li Hao couldn't help but feel furious.
The primordial spirits of the Ancient Demons were incredibly powerful and had innate abilities to track souls. Even if the Saints hid within protective formations, they would still be found.
Otherwise, how could the True Realm have fallen back then?
Did they really think their Dao Arts and formations could surpass those of the Immortals and gods?
Hearing Li Hao's response, Yi Sheng froze. Then she asked, "Why do you say that? Are you suggesting ordinary formations are useless against these Ancient Demons?"
"Of course it's useless! Do you think those things that left even the True Realm's Immortals and Gods powerless can be stopped by ordinary means?"
Li Hao's tone was harsh. He chose to build a sanctuary and seek refuge because his primordial spirit was strong enough to conceal its presence from the Ancient Demons' detection.
But even then, if he were to encounter a first-tier Ancient Demon, his primordial spirit could only obscure himself and a very small area.
If it were an Ancient Demon Commander, he would still be exposed. There was no way to hide—unless he were dead.
Only the dead wouldn't be noticed by the Ancient Demons.
Yi Sheng froze, her face turning pale as countless thoughts surged in her mind. Previously, she had hoped to rely on formations to shelter more people within her sacred ground. Now, it was clear that this idea was nothing but wishful thinking.
At this moment, she completely trusted Li Hao's words.
"Then… what should we do?"
"I'm building a sanctuary, but its range isn't large. It can only accommodate a few billion people. Within that range, I can guarantee it will avoid the detection of the Ancient Demons."
Li Hao spoke rapidly, "Since they aren't guarding the gate anymore, you should also start preparing."
Yi Sheng understood his intentions, but after a moment's thought, she hesitated again. "Should we inform them of this? They caused this disaster, but now the big picture takes priority…"
"That's up to you, but do you think they'll believe you?" Li Hao replied coldly.
Although he was furious with the Saints, he knew there was no point in dwelling on it now. What had happened was irreversible—he could only focus on finding a solution.
Yi Sheng fell silent. After her conversation with Li Hao ended, she picked up Yuan Zu's command token, relaying the message to him. She also sent word to several Saints she had past dealings with.
Soon, the message spread like wildfire across the various sacred grounds.
The Saints, who were busily preparing formations to hide, were left in shock.
"Formations are useless?"
"Then why can Li Hao hide?"
Although they remained skeptical, the news of Chiyun Shengren's death had already circulated. Qinghuo Small World had completely fallen, its cities reduced to silent graveyards filled with countless corpses. The bodies bore no injuries—only their souls had been drained dry.
The Saints had long-established reputations and far-reaching intelligence networks. Faced with this reality, they had no choice but to believe it.
In Tianyuan Small World, over a dozen Saints had gathered, seeking refuge under Yuan Zu.
"Yi Sheng says Li Hao claims formations are useless. Is that true?"
"I heard Chiyun Shengren was devoured in front of witnesses. Many Semi-Saints have fled from there already."
"If formations really are useless, then how is Li Hao able to hide? Does he have some special method?"
"Should we go plead with him?"
"Would that even work?"
In the grand hall, the Saints were engaged in a heated debate.
"If formations are truly ineffective, shouldn't we go back and seal the Immortal Gate? If more Ancient Demons come through, they'll spread everywhere like a plague, and the Heavenly Realms will fall even faster. If we seal the gate and slay them one by one, we could at least delay the invasion."
One Saint proposed urgently.
Yuan Zu's brows furrowed deeply. He hadn't expected the situation to deteriorate so drastically. At this moment, regret gnawed at him for allowing the Saints to scatter earlier.
But he couldn't deny that he, too, feared the gate suddenly breaking open, leaving him no chance to escape.
If a True Immortal-level Ancient Demon descended, no one would survive.
"Let's test it first. We'll lure the Ancient Demon from Qinghuo Small World and see if it can detect our sacred grounds."
Yuan Zu spoke after careful deliberation.
His words caused the Saints to exchange glances. A few looked hesitant, clearly aware of the danger in such a plan.
But others nodded. At this point, it was the only option they had.
"We'll verify it. If we fail, we can kill it together. If we don't have the courage to face one Ancient Demon now, what will we do if more arrive later?" a Saint added resolutely.
Once the decision was made, they acted quickly.
Yuan Zu instructed his disciple, Xiao Tianyu, to strengthen the sacred ground's defenses. He sent a projection of himself to accompany the group in luring the Ancient Demon.
Within half a day—
They arrived at Qinghuo Small World. From the void, they saw that the small world was nothing like before, where countless lights used to shine brightly.
Now, scattered flames dotted the land—houses had burned down, their lanterns long extinguished.
Upon entering the small world, they were met with a horrific scene: lifeless corpses everywhere. The bodies bore no external injuries or bleeding, simply collapsing limp onto the ground.
Entire cities were reduced to deathly silence.
Their expressions turned grim. Following the intelligence they'd received, they quickly located the Ancient Demon.
The creature, having feasted to its heart's content, was sprawled atop an imperial palace, sleeping soundly.
The palace itself was devoid of life. Every person inside had fallen limp, drained of their souls.
The Saints acted quickly, drawing the Ancient Demon's attention and luring it away. Under Yuan Zu's projection's careful interference, they fled back to Tianyuan Small World.
The enraged Ancient Demon pursued them relentlessly, eventually arriving near the sacred ground.
"It's here."
Within Tianyuan Sacred Ground, countless disciples watched nervously.
As the first sacred ground of the Heavenly Realms, they were immensely proud of their identity. Now, they stood ready to face death in battle.
The Saints, having shaken off the Ancient Demon, returned to the sacred ground, closely observing the creature's movements.
They watched as the Ancient Demon slowed its approach near the sacred ground.
"It seems to have lost the trail."
"Look, it's turning away!"
"Clearly, the formations are effective! Li Hao must have been spouting nonsense!"
"Yi Sheng must have been deceived. Perhaps she and Li Hao are working together, hoping to stall us while they flee!"
"Truly despicable!"
The Saints and Yuan Zu, seeing the Ancient Demon turn away, smiled with relief.
However, the Ancient Demon did not leave Tianyuan Small World. Instead, it descended upon a divine empire and began devouring souls at will.
Entire cities fell into ruin. The empire sent desperate cries for help to the sacred ground.
"Did you lure this thing here?"
Fa Sheng, whose Law Sect was also in Tianyuan Small World, appeared with a furious expression, confronting Yuan Zu.
Yuan Zu replied calmly, "You received Yi Sheng's message, didn't you? We needed to verify it."
"Exactly," several Saints echoed in agreement.
Fa Sheng's expression darkened with rage. "And now it's slaughtering innocents! You brought this upon us!"
"Sealing the sanctuary and letting the Ancient Demons run rampant—they'll all die eventually."
Yuan Zu's gaze showed a trace of regret as he said, "This cannot be helped. The mistake has already been made. This is our sin to bear."
Fa Sheng clenched his fists tightly, glaring at Yuan Zu with anger before leaving in a huff.
As the Ancient Demons wreaked havoc, three consecutive divine empires were slaughtered. The other empires, hearing the news, began migrating towards Tianyuan Sacred Ground, hoping for shelter.
But the Tianyuan Sacred Ground was shrouded by an illusion array and concealed as though it had disappeared from existence. Additionally, a labyrinth-like formation caused those fleeing nobles to become lost—trapped in an endless loop. No matter how far they walked, they could not locate the sanctuary.
Despair settled over the fleeing survivors. They assumed the sacred ground had abandoned them and relocated elsewhere.
"Thankfully, we have the Mirror Mist Array. Otherwise, these fools would stumble upon us and reveal our location."
A Semi-Saint sighed in relief as he observed the situation outside the formation.
"Wait… why is that Ancient Demon coming this way?"
Someone quickly noticed that the Ancient Demon, which had been ravaging the divine empires earlier, had now turned and was flying straight towards their sanctuary.
At first, they thought it was targeting the fleeing nobles caught in the Mirror Mist Array. But to their horror, it was heading directly for their sanctuary.
Boom!
The Ancient Demon let out a roar and crashed into the protective array. Ripples of defensive patterns spread across the formation.
The Saints were stunned—this Ancient Demon could see through their sanctuary's array?!
"Did it… just feed to regain strength before coming here?"
A Saint muttered, his voice carrying a trace of panic.
Yuan Zu's face darkened. If this were true, then the sacrifice of those three divine empires had been in vain, as they had been slaughtered right under his nose.
"Kill it!"
Yuan Zu personally took the lead, rallying the other Saints to attack together.
After an intense and grueling battle, the Ancient Demon was finally killed, its massive body crashing to the ground. Yuan Zu wielded the Heaven-Sealing Whip, but even so, his primordial spirit sustained injuries that would take time to recover.
His expression was grim. Despite wielding a Seven Tribulation Imperial Weapon and fighting alongside other Saints, it had still been this difficult to kill one Ancient Demon.
Without that weapon, the price would have been even higher.
"The formation was really ineffective… how did it see through it?"
"This beast's primordial spirit is absurdly strong, and it can devour souls. Who knows how many of them have already made it through the gate…"
The Saints looked at the Ancient Demon's corpse, their expressions sour.
Moments ago, they had mocked Li Hao for fearmongering and using them, only to be proven wrong yet again.
The sacred mountain fell silent.
With the formation rendered ineffective, hiding had become a hopeless dream.
After a long pause, one Saint suddenly said, "Li Hao has a way to hide. Let's go and ask him for help. Regardless of everything, we don't have any other option left."
Yuan Zu's eyes flickered as he fell silent. Finally, he nodded in agreement. He glanced at the other Saints, then retrieved his command token to relay a message to Yi Sheng.
Yi Sheng received the message and learned that Yuan Zu wanted to seek refuge and ask Li Hao for a solution. She did not immediately agree and instead relayed the message to Li Hao.
Upon hearing this, Li Hao sneered. He couldn't be bothered to meet them, but he knew that if he didn't say something, these people would never stop pestering him. He said to Yi Sheng:
"If they want to avoid detection by the Ancient Demons, the solution is simple—their primordial spirits must be stronger than the Ancient Demons."
Yi Sheng froze at his words. She had not expected this to be Li Hao's method of evasion.
Primordial spirits were already at the extreme limit. The Ancient Demons' primordial spirits were also at that level. To surpass that—had Li Hao already reached the True Limit of the Primordial Spirit?
Her heart trembled at the thought as she relayed the message to Yuan Zu.
When Yuan Zu heard this, he was momentarily stunned.
"Is this true? The primordial spirit already reaches its extreme limit—can it go beyond that?"
"If it could go further, it would mean breaking through the limit. Has Li Hao… broken that boundary?"
"Can we really believe what he says?"
Yuan Zu recovered from his shock and looked at the doubting Saint with a faint sadness in his eyes.
"At this point, he has no reason to deceive us. Besides, how long has he been cultivating? If even our formations are useless, do you really think he possesses more knowledge of formations than us?"
The doubting Saint's face changed, and he fell silent.
The other Saints were also speechless. It was true—Li Hao's cultivation time had been short, and there was no way he could surpass them in formation mastery. But his talent for cultivation was unrivaled in the ages. Perhaps he had really broken through the limit.
"If this is true, should we approach him to collaborate and seek refuge together?"
One Saint proposed cautiously.
"Will he accept us? Just moments ago, we almost fought to the death with him."
Another Saint asked doubtfully.
"There are no eternal enemies. With the Ancient Demons invading, he must lack allies. If we join forces, we can at least offer him some benefits."
The first Saint argued.
Yuan Zu's gaze flickered thoughtfully. He didn't reject the idea, though he felt a sense of unease. Though he hadn't interacted much with Li Hao, he remembered the youth's clear, sharp eyes—a gaze filled with pride and detachment.
Such a person would never bow easily.
Still, they had no choice but to try.
Yuan Zu quickly sent out a message, calling for a meeting among the Saints and explaining what had been verified.
The Saints were shocked. If the news had come only from Yi Sheng, they would still harbor doubts. But with Yuan Zu's confirmation, the truth was undeniable.
The revelation left many Saints feeling a deep sense of despair, as though they had brought doom upon the Heavenly Realms.
Soon, the Saints reconvened, but this time, their numbers had already decreased by four or five.
In just a single day, four or five Saints had fallen.
The speed of their deaths left the surviving Saints feeling increasingly desperate.
Meanwhile, Li Hao's sanctuary was already half-completed when Yuan Zu and Shen Wang arrived, leading the gathered Saints to his location.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. He had not publicized this location.
Seeing Li Hao's frown, Yuan Zu softened his tone and explained, "Li Hao, don't misunderstand. We deduced your location."
Li Hao hadn't set up any defensive formations in the area. This place was simply a temporary construction site for the sanctuary, which he planned to move once completed.
Hearing Yuan Zu's explanation, Li Hao said nothing but asked pointedly:
"Now that you're all here, who's guarding the breach?"
At this, Yuan Zu and the others looked embarrassed. The breach had been their doing, yet now they had abandoned it and come seeking refuge.
"It's true—we were wrong before. Whether you forgive us or not, we understand. Now, we've come to join you and seek refuge. We're willing to follow your lead—what do you think?"
Yuan Zu's voice was gentle, carrying a rare note of humility.
Li Hao, long accustomed to Yuan Zu's calm and measured facade, remained unmoved. He replied indifferently:
"I can forgive you, but I doubt the souls of the dead across the Heavenly Realms will. As for collaborating—I don't need you. Do as you please."
Yuan Zu's expression stiffened. Despite his humility, Li Hao still refused to give them face.
"Are you really going to force us to fight you to the death?"
A Saint could no longer hold back.
Li Hao laughed coldly. It had only taken three sentences for their arrogance to resurface.
"Fight me to the death? Then come try it."
Li Hao's gaze turned sharp as he fixed it on the Saint.
The Saint's face paled under Li Hao's stare. A chilling sensation ran down his spine, as though his very soul were trembling. In that moment, he realized just how terrifying Li Hao truly was.
"Stop wasting time. I've already told you that your formations are useless. You should be grateful. Otherwise, you'd still be foolishly guarding your sanctuaries, only to realize—too late—that half of you were dead."
Li Hao said coldly.
The Saints fell silent. They knew Li Hao was telling the truth.
Among them, the Sword Saint stood silently, his expression complicated. He wanted to speak up, but he knew his relationship with Li Hao was nothing more than passing familiarity. Compared to his senior brother, who was Li Hao's true friend, he had no standing to speak.