The Name of Eternals

Chapter 220: The Young Man Enters the Great Wilderness

The Eastern Huang Continent is vast and boundless. If the Dayu Divine Dynasty is considered the center, the imperial capital is the bullseye. The outline of the nineteen provinces resembles a teapot.

The spout of the teapot points upward, and the edge of the spout is Tianmen Pass. Extending outward from Tianmen Pass, crossing the gray demonic lands beyond the borders, where demons reside, lies the deep black region known as the Great Wilderness.

The Dayu military has four divisions responsible for various aspects, such as martial selection, mapping, transportation, and weaponry.

The second division, the Ministry of Mapping, oversees the maps of the entire realm, regularly updating and redrawing them.

Throughout the three thousand years of the Dayu Dynasty's history, maps have been updated multiple times, reflecting changes within the provinces. The demonic lands beyond the borders are marked as gray areas, and over the years, the mountains, rivers, and peaks within these lands have been gradually charted and named.

This has greatly aided the Demon Suppression Department in tracking wanted demons beyond the borders, though mapping these areas has cost the lives of many talented individuals.

Regardless of how the new and old maps have changed, the region beyond the demonic lands, further and deeper, remains a dark area named "Great Wilderness" by the previous emperor during his expedition. This area is always marked in deep black.

There are no geographical descriptions or details.

It is a forbidden, perilous, and mysterious place, akin to a black abyss surrounding the continent, forbidden to humans.

Over the centuries, numerous talented individuals from the Ministry of War have tried to explore the Great Wilderness, sacrificing many lives, only to bring back scant information.

These blood-written messages were compiled into a book called the Great Wilderness Scripture.

It consists of only two pages and a few hundred words.

Lives as thin as paper.

Even so, these thin pages are carefully preserved in the imperial palace, with only top-tier forces like the Divine General Mansion having copies.

At this moment, on the edge of the Great Wilderness, a young figure was walking through a towering, primitive forest.

Surrounded by tall trees and shrouded in mist.

"The records say that within the Great Wilderness, miasma fills the air, giant beasts roam, demons run rampant, and there are traces of ancient ferocious beasts."

Li Hao observed his surroundings carefully as he walked.

The records were not wrong. Although he hadn't encountered any giant beasts or demons yet, the damp and poisonous miasma in the forest was palpable.

Fortunately, his body was exceptionally resilient, easily resisting the miasma without harm.

However, if it were another person at the Three Immortal Realms level, their body would be damaged if they stayed in this forest for long.

For those with lower cultivation, it would be even more challenging.

Is my mother really living in such a place? Li Hao's eyes flickered with thoughts as he asked the elder of the Ji family, who was hidden on his person:

"Are there really humans living here?"

"Not humans, but the Holy Clan!"

The elder of the Ji family immediately corrected.

He had taken a liking to Li Hao's talent and was willing to speak more:

"My Ji family is an ancient holy clan, though of human origin, our clan possesses ancient saint bloodlines and robust physiques, far superior to you primitive barbarians. Moreover, our clan has a sanctuary that repels the miasma, making it a divine place."

Li Hao was slightly relieved to hear this, knowing that his mother lived in a relatively good environment.

As he walked, Li Hao conversed with the elder, learning that his name was Ji Yunge.

Regarding the Ji family, Ji Yunge only spoke briefly and did not go into detail. However, he provided a lot of information about the Great Wilderness, confirming that it was indeed as perilous as recorded by the many sages of the Ministry of War who had explored it.

But the danger was regional.

For instance, where they were now was the outer periphery of the Great Wilderness, where one might encounter extremely terrifying demons, but the probability was low.

Most of the area was occupied by low-bloodline demons and beasts.

However, the abundant energy in this land allowed even low-bloodline demons to cultivate to the Demon King level. Thus, the Dayu Dynasty's record that those below the Four Supreme Realms should not easily step into the Great Wilderness was a reliable warning.

Within the towering ancient trees, guided by Ji Yunge, Li Hao moved quickly.

He traversed branches of trees with diameters of several dozen meters, each branch wide enough to easily accommodate several people lying down.

As he progressed, a dark shadow suddenly shot toward him.

The attack was guided by Dao Rhythm, seemingly unavoidable.

Li Hao was momentarily stunned, and as he landed, he quickly stepped out again, disappearing from the Dao Rhythm's guidance with a swoosh.

Before the Dao Rhythm could reconnect, Li Hao appeared at the point of attack, as swift as lightning, and saw a woman hiding behind thick leaves on a treetop.

She was half-human, half-demon, with mantis-like, hideous lower limbs.

Seeing Li Hao suddenly appear before her, the woman was also stunned. She hadn't expected this seemingly unremarkable human youth to have such skills! Her pupils contracted sharply, but she reacted quickly, spitting out a stream of green venom.

Bang! Li Hao raised his hand and punched, the violent fist wind dispersing the venom and smashing into the woman's face, shattering her delicate white features and exposing the carapace-like bones beneath. She screamed in agony.

"An ancient prodigy?!"

The demon woman staggered back, looking at Li Hao in shock.

At such a young age, to possess such terrifying explosive power, she had encountered an ancient prodigy at the edge of the Great Wilderness?!

Cursing her bad luck, she ignored the pain in her face and turned to flee.

Li Hao reacted swiftly, activating the Thousand Birds Flying Chart and the Art of Vanishing, and in almost an instant, caught up to her. In the demon woman's shocked gaze, he punched through her head.

Blood splattered onto the nearby trees.

A divine soul emerged from the demon woman's body, staring at Li Hao in terror before turning to flee.

Burning her soul for full speed, but Li Hao's refined sword power had already formed into a blade, slashing out and shredding her soul. The fragmented sword energy then quickly tore her soul apart, completely annihilating it.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. This Dao Heart Realm demon king had fallen to Li Hao.

Ji Yunge, hiding on Li Hao's person, couldn't help but smile.

Though he had seen Li Hao display extraordinary talent in the Dead River, much of it was aided by Li Tianzong's lingering will.

Now, seeing Li Hao's explosive power and skill firsthand, he was reassured and satisfied.

Thinking that once Li Hao escorted him back to the Ji family, he could introduce him to the clan, allowing Li Hao to cultivate there. That would be excellent training.

At this moment, after killing the demon woman, Li Hao felt his fist sting. The venom had corroded his skin.

For such a potent venom to damage his flesh, ordinary practitioners at the Three Immortal Realms would have already had their flesh rot and bones exposed.

Taking a deep breath, Li Hao was surprised to have encountered a demon king's ambush after traveling only a few dozen miles into the Great Wilderness.

He looked at the demon woman's body, intact except for the smashed head.

Quickly returning to her corpse, he grabbed it and absorbed her life essence.

The demon woman's body rapidly withered, turning into shriveled gray flesh.

Li Hao casually clapped, scattering her remains to avoid leaving traces.

After absorbing the demon woman's life essence, Li Hao refined it within his body. The stinging sensation on his hand disappeared, the corrosion stopped, and new flesh grew.

Having just emerged from the Dead River, his true body was still at the level it was before the battle of Liangzhou, with a flesh body comparable to a weapon refined seven times.

Now, it had further improved.

Considering the demon woman's venom, his flesh was now even more resilient. Even Lu Yuan, a demon king at the Absolute Learning Realm, could hardly inflict severe wounds on him. Yet, this Dao Heart Realm demon woman had made him bleed! "With Dao Heart Realm strength to hurt me, this is the Great Wilderness's demon king. They seem stronger here."

Li Hao muttered to himself.

Ji Yunge heard this and couldn't help but smile.

For a Dao Heart Realm to hurt a Three Immortal Realms practitioner, is that something to boast about? It's truly defying the heavens.

However, ancient prodigies are like this. Defeating demon kings in adversity might shock the outside world, but in the Great Wilderness, it's just considered excellent.

Yet Ji Yunge knew Li Hao's true power wasn't limited to this, which is why even among the ancient holy clan, Li Hao could be regarded as a prodigy. This was the reason for his admiration!

After dealing with the demon woman, Li Hao didn't linger and continued his journey.

With his myriad attributes, he could conceal his presence, but the noise from his movements still attracted some demons along the way.

Li Hao dealt with two more, but they were only at the Three Immortal Realms, attempting to ambush him but getting killed with a slap.

Without weapons, Li Hao's body was already at the level of a divine weapon, his fists and feet capable of immense destruction.

As he traveled, Li Hao also digested the memories and martial arts he brought from the Dead River.

Due to his memory, these cultivation techniques were directly recorded into the panel. Within the panel, after the deductions from the Seventh Stage of the Physical Body Dao, new cultivation techniques evolved.

For example, the previously deduced "Ten Thousand Blood True Demon Technique" has now transformed into the "Sacrificial Spirit True Demon Technique." The absorption and refinement ratio of demon blood has significantly increased.

This allows Li Hao's physical body to condense to its limits much faster.

Ji Yunge guided Li Hao along the way, avoiding some of the more dangerous forbidden areas in the Great Wilderness Heaven.

These places were inhabited by renowned Great Demon Kings and should not be entered lightly.

Li Hao had no intention of taking risks to hunt them. The current priority was to escort Ji Yunge back to the Ji family. If possible, deep down, he still wanted to see his mother, to know that she was safe.

The night was cool as water.

In the endless ancient forests of the Great Wilderness Heaven, occasionally, one could see scattered skeletal remains.

A small fire built with dead leaves and twigs burned on a sturdy branch, yet it did not ignite the branch.

The thick branches contained abundant moisture and vigorous life force, making it difficult for ordinary flames to start a forest fire here.

Moreover, the miasma was humid; without a continuous supply of fuel, the fire would quickly extinguish.

At this moment, beside the fire, Li Hao stopped to rest and adjust his condition.

Leaning against the tree trunk, he picked up a blade of grass and folded it into a harmonica at his mouth, gently blowing.

Moonlight scattered, accompanied by ancient trees of the wilderness, the faint sound of the grass whistle softly floated, then was blocked by the soundproof barrier Li Hao had set, preventing it from spreading.

It only echoed among the branches.

As he played, his musical proficiency slowly increased.

This could also be considered cultivation.

With nothing else around, he couldn't study books, paintings, or chess, so he entertained himself with music.

Ji Yunge stood on the other side of the branch, hands behind his back, gazing at the distant stars and moon, eyes filled with the anticipation of returning home.

At this moment, listening to Li Hao's melodious and lingering grass whistle in this silent, moonlit night, his homesickness deepened.

He turned to look at the young man but saw that the young man was just quietly staring at the dark ancient forest, lost in thought.

"What's this tune called?"

"Moonlight."

"You said you didn't want to go home in the River of Death, but your tune is full of longing," Ji Yunge said intently.

"Two different things."

Li Hao removed the blade of grass from his mouth and said softly, "I'm missing my friends."

Ji Yunge glanced at him, "Are your friends also very skilled?"

"That depends on the aspect."

Li Hao smiled, "Some are good at fishing, some are good at eating and drinking, and some have no particular skills but are very happy."

"I think being able to live happily is a skill in itself."

Ji Yunge's eyes flickered slightly, "I saw you spending a lot of time in the River of Death, enjoying yourself leisurely. In such a dangerous environment, you still have the mind to entertain yourself. Aren't you afraid of death?"

"One can't abandon life just because of the fear of death. That would be putting the cart before the horse."

Li Hao didn't explain it was because of the panel but shared his thoughts, "Just like working hard to cultivate is for life, but if you spend all your time on cultivation, then... what's the point?"

"Without power, in the face of life and death, in the face of demons, there's only despair."

Ji Yunge said.

Li Hao smiled slightly, "But do fewer powerful warriors die? Many of them don't even have time to enjoy life. Senior, your cultivation isn't low, right?"

Ji Yunge was startled, his expression changing slightly. Li Hao's implication was that even someone as strong as him died.

This was somewhat offensive.

But he didn't get angry, instead, he felt a bit lost.

Looking back on his life, he lived for a long time, but most of it was spent cultivating.

At this moment, recalling his time in the River of Death, what he often reminisced about were things outside of cultivation.

The fights, drinking, hunting, and those everyday words and smiles, the ordinary scenes...

He fell silent.

In times of life and death, what one reminisces about is never how they cultivated, but about people and events.

Not to mention, he's now dead.

His desire to return to the Ji family was to go home, and the purpose of returning home was his attachment to the Holy Mountain and the people on that mountain.

Li Hao saw his silence and didn't say more, continuing to hold the blade of grass and gently playing it again.

He wasn't against cultivation, but in the midst of busy cultivation, one could also pause to drink two cups of tea and chat a bit.

That was "living" life.

The night was slightly cool, a cluster of flames, a melodious whistle, and two souls with different thoughts.

And a bright full moon...

...

For several days in a row, Li Hao was on the road.

During the journey, he also practiced the techniques recorded in the panel one by one.

Each practice refined and improved his body, and with the demons he hunted along the way, absorbing their essence blood, Li Hao made rapid progress, his physical body reaching a level comparable to an Eight-Cast Divine Weapon.

In the River of Death, his body was comparable to Nine Casts and could barely support itself in the Taiping Dao Domain.

Now, he was getting closer to that level.

After all, in reality, he didn't have as many divine medicines to consume, nor could he, relying solely on the techniques to absorb and transform. Fortunately, the effect was not worse than divine medicines, just needing a bit more time.

"Hmm? Something seems off here."

Li Hao stepped into a blood-red mountain range, surrounded by red mist. The mist touched his body, giving him a feeling of his flesh softening.

This was scarier than miasma, seemingly able to weaken his physical strength.

"This is the Crimson Wood Corpse Ridge."

Ji Yunge said, "It's the place where a Dao Seeker fell. His Dao Domain remained, forming a special forbidden area here, very dangerous."

Then he changed his tone, "However, for you, it's not much of a problem. The Dao Domain rules here aren't as strong as they were when that person was alive, but they continuously decompose your essence and blood. Staying too long can lead to physical weakness, even aging and death, but with your physique, you can withstand it."

"In the depths here, there's a Crimson Blood Demon Vine King rooted in the Dao Seeker's bones. Every sixty years, it produces a Dao Rhythm Blood Fruit, with great efficacy, greatly enhancing the body, helping to push physical strength to its extreme, and activating a divine power state."

"You can look for that Crimson Blood Demon Vine King. It absorbed too much of the Dao Seeker's blood and flesh, confined here, unable to leave, but its combat power is average. You should be able to defeat it."

Li Hao was stunned, a bit speechless. That Dao Rhythm Blood Fruit might not be very useful to him.

But since he was here, he might as well take a look. If he couldn't use it, he could bring it back for Qianqian.

While Li Hao was pondering, suddenly, several sounds of breaking through the air came from the front.

"Stop!"

"Who is that? Quick, help me stop him! I am from the Ancient Sacred Qin Family!"

Several angry shouts came.

Li Hao looked and saw a short man fleeing in front, with three figures chasing him at full speed, moving extremely fast.

The fleeing short man saw Li Hao standing in mid-air, his face changed, and he hurriedly said, "Don't block me, I'll give you the treasure!"

As he spoke, he had already reached Li Hao's side.

Li Hao was puzzled when the man suddenly attacked, slapping Li Hao's face.

Bang! The man's wrist was grabbed by Li Hao, then crushed with a crack.

Li Hao asked in confusion, "What are you trying to do?"