Chapter 600

Chapter 600: The Foundations of the Hao Family

Hao Yue Lin strode purposefully, feeling frustrated with recent events, having just bottled up a lot of anger.

When she entered the secret chamber to check the effects of the medicine, she felt relieved to finally have something go her way. She quickly adjusted her mood and said, “Stop pretending to be dead! You almost slipped past me. To think you actually cultivated the Yang Thunder Dao Body and slaughtered the entire Yu Family Fortress. If I hadn’t been careful, you would have evaded capture like the Evil Dragon or the Green Ape Expert.”

Li Hui opened his eyes and replied helplessly, “Miss, you’re impressive; you’ve got me tightly suppressed.”

Hao Yue Lin beamed with pride and said, “This little trick is nothing. I also know that your mother obtained a fragment of the Nan Hua Sutra, and based on your cultivation path, it’s the Heavenly Dao and Heavenly Fortune chapters.”

“Oh?” Li Hui felt a deep sense of dread; this woman was too adept at uncovering secrets, having noticed the specific cultivation methods he had chosen for this body.

“Haha!” Hao Yue Lin scoffed. “Well, I have a little hobby of digging up secrets. Since I know you cultivate the Nan Hua Sutra, I had someone enter the Dao Text Pavilion to retrieve the full version for me. For others, this scripture is rare, but for my Hao Family, it’s nothing.”

“The complete scripture?” Li Hui was shocked, thinking, “Just how powerful is the foundation of the Hao Family? If I have the chance, I must check out the Dao Text Pavilion she mentioned.”

“Indeed! I, Hao Yue Lin, always act fairly. If you work for me, you should be given some benefits! But you need to hurry; within three days, you must strengthen your power as someone intends to make trouble for Hao Wentong.”

“What? You want me to replace him right now?” Li Hui suddenly felt a headache. After taking the Rebirth Pill, images flooded through his mind, and now, with Hao Yue Lin unlocking his memories, he felt like he had become the young man named Hao Wentong—dressed in fine clothes, commanding servants, feeling incredibly pleased.

However, this pleasure came with a sense of unease. He was wary of Hao Yue Lin, and he also feared several members of the Hao Family. He often lamented that his life felt like that of a puppet, making him unpredictable and often unreliable, unknowingly planting the seeds of rebellion.

“Cough! It’s your indulgence that allows Hao Wentong to act recklessly, killing entire families over the slightest displeasure.” Li Hui had blood at the corner of his mouth; the empathy he felt took away ten years from his life, but fortunately, the lifespan of a Myriad Forms Stage cultivator was still long.

“If he doesn’t act recklessly, how can he ease my mind? Hao Wentong’s smarts lie in…” Hao Yue Lin suddenly drifted back, a blinding flash of lightning appearing where she had stood. Furious, she shouted, “What are you doing? Trying to rebel? As long as you leave Mufeng City, not to mention the Heavenly Gate, even the Yu Family Fortress won’t let you escape their wanted list.”

“So you feel fearless, thinking I would definitely submit?” Li Hui extended his hand and said, “Where’s the cultivation method? Right now, I am Hao Wentong, and it’s perfectly normal to do something out of the ordinary.”

Hao Yue Lin stared at Li Hui for a long time and said, “You’re a smart person. Since you’re smart, be a bit more honest. The fate that awaits an disobedient Hao Wentong is death within half an hour.”

“Half an hour? You act so quickly?” Li Hui took a deep breath. He had already resolved to kill her, but the energy in his body was in disarray, and this Hao Yue Lin had a very strong control over him.

“This is your first warning; the next time, you will surely die.” Hao Yue Lin’s demeanor turned icy, her gaze penetrating and cold. She tossed out a jade tablet engraved with the Nan Hua Sutra and said, “This is your main cultivation method; overall, it looks pretty good. Hao Wentong’s primary cultivation method is the Dragon Roar Nine Heavens Technique, adept at using sound-based spirit treasures, and his cultivation is at the mid-stage of Myriad Forms, just like yours. I find it curious that after being imprisoned in the Yu Family Fortress for ten years, how did you reach such a level in such a short time? A fourteen-year-old at the mid-stage of Myriad Forms could be a direct disciple in many sects!”

“What’s so difficult? I absorbed the essence blood of everyone from the Yu Family’s third branch and inherited a bit of their cultivation. During the tribulation thunder, I fought against the heavens for my life and absorbed the Yang Thunder to forge the Yang Thunder Dao Body.” As Li Hui spoke, he had already used the jade tablet to imprint the Nan Hua Sutra into his heart, repeatedly deducing it. The benefits of the Heart Talisman became apparent; he found that there were three revisions in the scripture. If he truly followed the text as written, he would surely explode in thirty years.

Hao Yue Lin looked at Li Hui and said, “You’d better create another miracle and tidy up the Dragon Roar Nine Heavens Technique. Although the Rebirth Pill helped you comprehend this technique, you’re still missing at least fifty percent of its essence.”

Li Hui had already deduced the Dragon Roar Nine Heavens Technique. He was good with artifacts, not with sound attacks, and the methodologies didn’t align. He squeezed his throat and switched to a voice like Hao Wentong’s, coldly laughing, “Hehe, Sister Yue Lin, it would be best for you to be generous and open the treasury for me to select some useful treasures. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee I will get through the current predicament.”

“Fine! Choose five treasures.” Hao Yue Lin raised her eyebrow. She always felt that this Li Sifan was somewhat unfathomable but couldn’t find any traces of him being possessed by a high-level cultivator, so she wanted to track his path through his selections.

“So generous?” Li Hui suddenly understood her intentions and took the jade tablet to examine it. Inside were countless names etched; the treasures were so numerous he felt he was going to suffocate. He thought, “Oh my goodness! This, this, this… All the treasures needed to raise the Ideal Body to the Traveling Realm are here! There are even Rare Treasures from the Celestial Palace, along with the medium for crafting Celestial Talismans. Wait, there are even ready-made Celestial Talismans!”

The more Li Hui looked, the worse his expression became. Holding the jade tablet, he wore a distressed expression and said, “The emperor may not lack hungry soldiers, but your Hao Family has already become extraordinarily wealthy. You dare to call yourself the lady of Mufeng City, letting me pick just five treasures?”

“Hahaha!” Hao Yue Lin couldn’t help but laugh, but then she faced him with a straight expression and said, “What do you know? A big family has big expenses. The Hao Family has enemies among the top ten families and must support powerful allies. We have to treat guest elders well, manage countless lackeys, and expend huge amounts of resources. Plus, there’s the burden of welcoming and sending off others, celebrating the longevity of the ancestors from other families, making marriage gifts for direct descendants, and honoring Great Powers from prestigious families returning from seclusion, etc. You think it’s easy for me to hold Mufeng City by myself? I also have to be cautious of the remote influences of my family members as well as potential attacks from other direct branches. Had I not been hands-on, managing such trivial matters daily, with my qualifications, would I still be stuck at the late phase of Myriad Forms without breaking through?”

This time, Hao Yue Lin rarely opened her heart in front of others, perhaps feeling that Li Sifan was entirely under her control, so she inadvertently revealed her struggles.

“Ten treasures! If I don’t get ten treasures, I won’t get out of bed.” Li Hui understood the importance of being thick-skinned to get more food; the treasures mentioned in the jade tablet made him drool in greed, and he would definitely not let it slide easily.

“No way, that’s too many.” Hao Yue Lin shook her head.

“Nine treasures! As soon as I choose them, I’ll get to work.” Li Hui began to act shamelessly.

“Haha!” Hao Yue Lin laughed again, nodding, “Alright, nine treasures. Tell this young lady your choices.”

“The ultimate treasure, the White Steed Passage Sword, the Leaf Obscuring Banner artifact, the Yuan Magnetic Lightning Boots, the three Thunder Dragon Talismans, the Rare Treasure from the Celestial Palace, the Thunder Zhi Dao Bottle, the Yang Stone, and the Fallen Magnet Gold—just the right amount of nine.”

Hao Yue Lin felt perplexed. “You’re really not holding back, asking for an ultimate treasure right off the bat. But can you even use a sword? Especially the White Steed Passage Sword, which has dense time Dao principles.”