Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 397

Volume 3 - Chapter 103: Crossing the River of Death, the Fall of the Imperial City – Part 2

Li Hao stayed on guard against the attacks around him as he spoke in a cold voice.

Feng Boping's obsession fell into silence. After a long pause, he finally said, "Using a sincere heart as bait to fish for a life… You've fished out your own life. You've won."

"What?"

Li Hao was momentarily stunned.

Feng Boping's obsession fixed his gaze on Li Hao and spoke slowly, "This is his obsession. He has been searching for a sincere heart, the rarest treasure in the world and something he could never steal!"

Li Hao was taken aback and asked in surprise, "So, does this mean I've cleared the level?"

Having previously crossed the River of Death twice, Li Hao had gained some experience. The requirements for crossing these Rivers of Death were incredibly diverse.

The first time, at Fengshan River of Death, he painted a picture that moved a subpar artist to tears, thereby clearing the level. The key was resolving the artist’s yearning.

For the Longcheng River of Death, it was about embracing the idea of being at home everywhere, dissolving Ji Yunge's obsession and dragging him out of the River of Death's influence.

Now, in the River of Death that confined Feng Lao, the key turned out to be a sincere heart.

It seemed that none of these trials relied on martial strength or cultivation levels, which explained why the Wang family had researched the Rivers of Death for years but managed to clear so few.

Without a fortuitous encounter, sending someone else into Feng Lao's River of Death would have left them utterly helpless.

Similarly, if Li Hao hadn’t known Feng Lao beforehand, he wouldn’t have been able to clear it.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, dark energy surged from Feng Boping’s obsession, coiling around him like mist.

His expression changed slightly, and his eyes suddenly emitted a silver glow, exuding an aura of grandeur and vastness.

The aura made Li Hao’s pupils contract. Was it an illusion, or did he sense a hint of the sacred power he had once felt from the Sacred Bones of the Ji family?

"Trying to abandon me? Too late!"

Feng Boping’s obsession burst with cold light. The silver glow enveloped the dark energy on his body, binding it in place as it attempted to flee.

At the same time, the small town reflected behind him abruptly collapsed, twisting and distorting.

The surroundings no longer resembled the Qingzhen River but alternated between a cavern strewn with wreckage and a plain covered with weapons and armor.

“Child, get out of here quickly.”

Feng Boping’s obsession suddenly spoke to Li Hao.

Li Hao cast him a deep look and retreated at high speed.

It seemed he had realized something.

If Feng Lao’s obsession was about sincerity, then solving it didn’t just clear the Qingzhen River.

Even the hell-level River of Death it reflected might be affected!

Could he clear both at once?

Li Hao couldn’t help but wonder. Though the idea seemed far-fetched, he felt a glimmer of hope.

But soon, Li Hao realized he had been overthinking. After his retreat, the town outside collapsed entirely, transforming into an ancient path shrouded in black mist.

The ancient path extended endlessly into the distance, its end invisible.

Yet, upon seeing this path, Li Hao felt a chill more profound than anything he had experienced with the reflected town.

The path was littered with bones, an endless expanse of desolation.

"Suppress!"

Feng Boping’s voice echoed coldly from within the black mist, starkly different from his usual tone.

The turbulent mist abruptly slowed, as if restrained by a powerful force.

“Child, farewell...”

Feng Boping’s voice emerged from the thick mist, fading quickly.

At the same time, the dense mist dissipated.

In front of Li Hao, a notification from the River of Death appeared:

[Permanently reduced “Silent Path River of Death” by 10%, removed the "Reflection" rule, awarded 10,000 merit points!]

Li Hao was stunned. Ten thousand merit points?

According to the Wang family’s research, destroying a hell-level River of Death yielded 10,000 merit points. Yet he hadn’t even destroyed it.

But permanent reduction?

Li Hao stared at the now silent ancient path and suddenly understood. The reflection rule was gone, permanently erased, weakening the River of Death.

By using the reflection rule to confront the obsession, he had cleared the trial.

Fearing his success would threaten its existence, the River of Death had removed the reflection rule, invalidating his clearance but causing a reduction in its power.

Did this River of Death have sentience?

Li Hao took a deep, thoughtful look at it. Meanwhile, he noticed that the power surrounding the Qingzhen River of Death was rapidly dissipating.

This power had been driven by the reflection rule, and with it invalidated, the power vanished.

Li Hao turned to see Feng Lao’s figure floating toward him.

“You reckless child, you really are impulsive.”

Feng Boping looked at Li Hao with eyes full of affection.

Li Hao chuckled. Before him, another notification from the River of Death appeared—the Qingzhen River of Death had been cleared!

Not only that, but the reward for clearing this River of Death was 20,000 merit points!

The notification read:

Congratulations, Chong Er, you have cleared the Qingzhen River of Death (Corrupted).

Reward: 20,000 merit points.

Adding the previous 10,000 merit points, Li Hao had earned a total of 30,000 merit points from this journey!

To put it into perspective, Wang Zhendong had spent years clearing Rivers of Death and had only recently accumulated 10,000 merit points.

Simply destroying this hell-level River of Death would have earned him just 100 merit points.

Li Hao glanced at the notification, then looked at Feng Lao and grinned.

“Feng Lao, we can go home now.”

Feng Boping’s eyes were filled with complex emotions as he gazed deeply at Li Hao. “Yes, we can go home...”

...

Meanwhile, in the Holy Capital of Dayu Province...

Shrieks and wails echoed everywhere, and the streets were drenched with blood and corpses.

The once-majestic Sacred Imperial City, standing for thousands of years, was now stained crimson. The protective moat encircling the city had turned into a river of blood, with armored soldiers and demonic bodies floating in its waters.

The city gates had shattered, and the walls were ripped open with massive breaches.

Above, figures fled through the skies, only to be pursued and mercilessly torn apart by demon kings.

Inside the city, countless buildings were destroyed and burned. Corpses of civilians lay everywhere, and the cries of the dying echoed endlessly.

This city, known as the strongest fortress in the land, was protected by the most formidable formation in existence: the Xuantian Emperor Array.

But now, that formation had been breached.

Yet the array wasn't broken by the attacking demon kings from outside. Instead, it had been sabotaged by several generals of the Chen family, who colluded with outside forces. Through bribes and insider manipulation, combined with the Chen family’s influence within the Si Tianjian, they disrupted the array's core patterns, rendering it inoperable.

Yes, the Chen family—one of the Five Divine General Mansions, long known for its neutrality—had betrayed them!

Without the array's protection, the entire city was exposed to the demon hordes. Despite the millions of soldiers stationed inside, they couldn’t withstand the ferocious onslaught. The demon kings’ attacks devastated the city, killing tens of thousands with ease, their rampage leaving destruction and death in their wake.

At the first sign of attack, the city deployed the Eightfold Signal Flags, calling for reinforcements from all corners.

But while the flags were fast, the city's fall was faster.

Many elderly masters who had been living in seclusion within the city revealed themselves, their number exceeding thirty, stunning everyone.

However, these masters faced a terrifying duo: a black-robed youth and a graceful woman with purple markings. Within moments, the city’s strongest defenders were killed, leaving only a few survivors desperately fleeing for their lives.

The black-robed youth and the woman slaughtered their way through the city at a leisurely pace, occasionally summoning the elders of various demon clans to assist in annihilating the human forces. Their goal was to eradicate every last inhabitant.

For them, this massacre was little more than entertainment.

The Sacred Imperial City lay in ruins. Even within the towering Imperial Palace, many buildings had been destroyed.

Though the palace was also protected by the Xuantian Emperor Array, this time, the formation was forcibly destroyed.

The divine emperor’s phantom conjured by the array barely lasted a few moments before it was torn apart, shattering the formation.

Boom! Boom!

Two elderly figures who had been hiding were suddenly caught and exploded into bloody fragments.

The black-robed youth swept toward the scene, casually collecting their remains into his spatial realm, evidently saving them as snacks for later.

Then, his gaze turned toward the area above the palace, his expression becoming grave and wary.

There, violent clashes erupted in midair, creating astonishing phenomena. Thunder roared, winds howled, and rain poured down—this was the battlefield of Dao Law Realm cultivators, where words created reality, and every act manifested great power. It was a realm beyond the reach of Dao Seeker cultivators.

Surprisingly, the ones engaged in this celestial battle were not aged sages but five or six young figures.

Their strikes were effortless yet devastating, their demeanor casual as they exchanged banter and taunts.

Boom!

A figure plummeted from the sky, crashing into the palace courtyard. His robes were torn and bloodied, his appearance wretched and miserable.

He struggled to stand, only to fall again as one of the young figures softly uttered, “Suppress.”

The single word caused his body to collapse once more, and the ground beneath him cracked like a spiderweb spreading outward.

Despite his desperate resistance, his body was nearing its limit.

“Real person…”

Around the courtyard, dozens of individuals stood frozen in place, unscathed but paralyzed with fear.

Earlier, some had attempted to fight back. But when one of the young attackers casually spoke a word, their bodies exploded instantly.

They hadn’t even had the chance to use their fate-reversing powers; their spirits were annihilated on the spot.

Even a top-tier hidden Dao cultivator at the Supreme Dao Realm met the same fate.

This overwhelming disparity revealed the terrifying gulf between the Fourth Pillar Realm and the Dao Seeker Realm.

Despair engulfed everyone. They pinned their last hopes on the real person still standing.

Earlier, the six terrifying young figures had declared that the real person could "play with them." For every attack he endured, they promised to spare one life.

These fearsome figures had turned the massacre into a grotesque game for their amusement.

Now, even though the real person was fighting with all his might, it was clear he was on the verge of defeat. Not one of his enemies had fallen, and he seemed utterly outmatched.

Despair, terror, sorrow, and frustration filled the hearts of everyone present.

For thousands of years, this divine dynasty had stood tall. And yet, the holiest and most majestic place within it had been invaded and trampled upon with ease.

Against absolute power, they found themselves incapable of resistance.

It was as if they were ants, painstakingly building their nest, only to be crushed beneath an enormous foot without warning.

Ants.

That was how everyone felt—as insignificant as ants.

“Is this the end of our Dayu Divine Dynasty?”

The gathered survivors, who had come as reinforcements, looked on in despair. Among them were Xia Linglong, Xia Yuanwu, and Li Muxiu.

The Wang family, the furthest from the Imperial City, had yet to arrive.

When Xia Linglong and the others arrived, they had expected a fierce standoff bolstered by the protective arrays. Instead, they were greeted by the sight of carnage.

Before the six young figures, the city’s vast armies and elite troops had been effortlessly slaughtered. Even the formations had been torn apart. Within half a day, the palace had fallen.

Years of accumulated power and resources seemed utterly meaningless before these six terrifying figures.

Standing on the sidelines of the battlefield, the Demon Ram Lord clutched his staff tightly, his heart filled with apprehension.

The Holy Son had, after all, promised to slay that young man and had returned without disclosing the outcome. He merely instructed them to wait.

Now, he had brought these six harbingers of doom, each an unimaginably powerful monster.

Still, the Demon Ram Lord understood that the Holy Son must have paid an immense price. Though the situation was entirely in their control, he noticed the Holy Son’s expression remained far from pleased.

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