Chapter 578 - 574: Breaking Through to the Eighth Layer During the Duel

Chapter 578: Chapter 574: Breaking Through to the Eighth Layer During the Duel

Lin Hao was merely at the Seventh Layer of Soul Gathering Realm, yet the dragon he manifested now possessed a draconic might that shocked everyone.

Tuoba Yangyu, who was dueling Lin Hao, was even more shaken.

An oppressive pressure!

He felt a terrifying and unparalleled pressure.

It was only mist and vapor, not True Essence, yet Lin Hao had managed to imbue the condensed, dragon-shaped creature with a terrifying pressure. Even though Tuoba Yangyu hailed from a secret sect and trained in the upper court of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion, he had never witnessed such a method.

The immense pressure was like a colossal boulder weighing down on him. Tuoba Yangyu felt his body being compressed; he found it hard to breathe, and a tearing pain coursed through him.

However, Tuoba Yangyu was a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm, after all. He would not resign himself to this fate.

He clenched his fists, his body abruptly ramrod straight.

A ball of light abruptly surged from his chest, shooting straight toward the dragon-shaped creature Lin Hao had manifested.

Once the light burst forth, it blotted out the sky and covered the earth, enveloping the entire area.

It was a mass of azure light, no different from the one Tuoba Yangyu had manifested at the start.

But this time, the azure radiance was incredibly dense.

The radiance enveloped the heavens and earth, swallowing both Lin Hao and the dragon-shaped creature he had manifested.

When the radiance enveloped the world, that world became Tuoba Yangyu’s hunting ground.

And in this hunting ground, he was the master.

Thus, Tuoba Yangyu’s figure instantly appeared beside the dragon-shaped creature.

At that moment, Tuoba Yangyu discovered something utterly shocking.

The dragon-shaped creature, formed from mere mist and vapor, had not been devoured by the light he manifested. It remained completely unscathed.

This was unimaginable.

’It’s just mist and vapor, not True Essence, yet Lin Hao somehow has the ability to control it.’

But Tuoba Yangyu had no time to overthink it. He reacted instantly.

The azure qi morphed into a giant banner, wrapping around the dragon-shaped creature to grind it into nothingness.

But it was still useless.

The dragon-shaped creature simply trembled, and the banner was instantly annihilated.

Lin Hao was different from others.

When Lin Hao had forged his True Self Divine Soul, he had witnessed a true dragon taking form.

Previously, when Lin Hao manifested draconic forms, he couldn’t produce its draconic might. But things were different now. The Dao Sound had deepened his understanding of the martial path.

Concepts he couldn’t grasp before were suddenly connected, and everything became clear.

While the current Lin Hao couldn’t fully replicate the Ink Dragon’s oppressive might, producing a mere wisp of draconic might was child’s play.

The draconic might was an extension of Lin Hao’s will, and a will could not be so easily erased.

As long as the dragon-shaped creature was not destroyed, it posed a catastrophic threat to Tuoba Yangyu.

He was formidable, though. Seeing that his attack couldn’t break the draconic creature, he immediately switched targets.

Several massive hands reached out from the azure gas, all striking at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao had his will, but Tuoba Yangyu now had his own conviction of invincibility.

They were perfectly matched.

The azure gas surged, growing ever denser, and severed the connection between Lin Hao and the dragon-shaped creature.

Lin Hao’s body was instantly separated from the draconic creature.

The dragon-shaped creature trembled, and the surrounding azure gas was instantly obliterated.

But this was Tuoba Yangyu’s domain. The moment the azure gas was destroyed, it regenerated, endless and inexhaustible.

Simultaneously, Lin Hao came under fierce assault.

The azure gas was protean, born from Tuoba Yangyu’s conviction of invincibility, and was far more terrifying than his previous manifestation.

Even the ring of energy Lin Hao formed from his Chaos True Essence could not hold.

In that instant, the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill activated on its own, forming a tight shield around Lin Hao’s body.

It was still useless.

Lin Hao was grievously wounded.

’So this is the power of the Ninth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm.’

With such an unshakeable conviction, the gap between it and the Seventh Layer of Soul Gathering Realm was simply too vast.

Inside Tuoba Yangyu’s domain, Lin Hao was completely suppressed.

The dragon-shaped creature annihilated one attack after another, but its power was steadily weakening.

It was under Lin Hao’s control, but now that he was grievously wounded, he no longer had the strength to command it.

In the next moment, the dragon-shaped creature was obliterated, and within the azure gas, a sun and a moon appeared simultaneously.

The sun and moon then merged at incredible speed, transforming into a Tai Chi Array Map.

The Tai Chi Array Map immediately enveloped him, shielding Lin Hao within its center.

Under the protection of the Tai Chi Array Map, the pressure around Lin Hao decreased significantly.

Only then did Lin Hao have a chance to catch his breath.

But Lin Hao could still feel the terrifying attacks from all sides; the Tai Chi Array Map was in danger of being destroyed.

At this moment, Lin Hao dared not be careless. He immediately began to circulate the Divine Illumination Scripture.

The moment the Divine Illumination Scripture stirred, a celestial phenomenon manifested. Stars appeared in the vault of the heavens.

A single spark of starlight then grew into a wildfire.

The stars in the firmament multiplied from one to two, two to three, and soon became a dense, teeming multitude...

After his battle with Emperor Hongtian’s spiritual imprint, Lin Hao had already gained a terrifying level of insight into the Divine Illumination Scripture. Now, the Dao Sound had allowed him to achieve complete mastery.

It was no exaggeration to say that from now on, Lin Hao would face no obstacles within the Soul Gathering Realm!

As the stars appeared in the sky, they were immediately drawn downward, casting their light upon him.

The Tai Chi Array Map rotated around Lin Hao’s body while the power of the stars gathered above his head. Bathed in sacred light, Lin Hao looked like a god descending to the mortal realm.

With two Great Emperor-level techniques manifesting simultaneously, a sliver of enlightenment suddenly bloomed in Lin Hao’s mind.

The next moment, ignoring Tuoba Yangyu’s assault completely, Lin Hao actually closed his eyes.

He felt as if everything around him had ceased to exist.

As the power of the stars entered his body, it nourished every inch of his skin. His Chaos True Essence surged with exhilaration.

The Tai Chi Array Map in his Dantian also began to spin frantically, and the drop of Lifebound True Blood at its core started to glow.

At the same time, the Dao Sound echoed in Lin Hao’s mind, eventually converging once more into a single character.

Just then, the True Self Divine Soul seated cross-legged in Lin Hao’s Upper Dantian stirred.

The rest of its body remained still, but it opened its mouth.

Its lips opened and closed repeatedly, as if trying to form a sound.

With his essence, energy, and spirit unified, Lin Hao instantly perceived what was happening.

He knew what the True Self Divine Soul was trying to say.

It was that one word!

Lin Hao had a feeling that if his True Self Divine Soul could utter that word, he would gain unimaginable benefits.

The next moment, Lin Hao reacted decisively. He stopped his body from absorbing the stellar power and instead channeled all of it into his True Self Divine Soul.

The Divine Illumination Scripture was, at its core, a Soul Gathering Realm Cultivation Technique, a Secret Technique designed to nourish the Divine Soul. As all the stellar power was absorbed, the True Self Divine Soul became even more brilliant, its body glowing with light.

But it was still not quite enough.

Lin Hao circulated the Divine Illumination Scripture once more, drawing in even more of the stars’ power.

The stellar power surged madly toward the True Self Divine Soul, aiding its attempt to speak.

The scene was breathtaking.

Although the elders had witnessed Lin Hao’s manifestations before, they were still shocked speechless.

As for the disciples of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion’s upper court, they were utterly stupefied.

’Is this really a Seventh Layer Soul Gathering Realm Martial Artist circulating his technique? Even a Spirit Transformation Realm Martial Artist would be hard-pressed to do more than this.’

Meanwhile, Tuoba Yangyu was going from shocked to utterly furious.

Lin Hao was completely ignoring him in the middle of their duel, seemingly attempting a breakthrough. To Tuoba Yangyu, this was the ultimate insult!

His body shone with even greater brilliance as he tried to shatter Lin Hao’s defenses, but it seemed to be too late...