The moment Lin Hao took a step, the scenery around him changed abruptly.
Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed.
The void. He had actually appeared in a Boundless void.
Everything around him was pitch-black, except for the space directly ahead.
In that lone bright area, the sound of thunder rumbled as lightning brewed.
"What a move, Li Long Dynasty!"
Lin Hao murmured to himself upon seeing the scene.
When an Old Flood Dragon from the deep mountains cultivates to a certain level, it must face a trial of Celestial Thunder to advance further.
Survive, and the flood dragon ascends to become a true dragon. Fail, and it is reduced to ash.
By creating this scene, the Li Long Dynasty was casting Lin Hao as the flood dragon and itself as the heavens.
It is said that royal courts have connections to the gods. What, then, lies behind this dynasty?
The thought flashed through Lin Hao’s mind and was gone.
Then, Lin Hao moved.
He strode directly forward.
Passing through the area ahead and entering the Li Long Dynasty’s inner sanctum was the simplest, most direct way to find out everything.
As Lin Hao advanced, four dashing and lavishly dressed young men were watching a scene projected in the void from a palace deep within the Li Long Dynasty.
These four were princes of the Li Long Dynasty, all of them sons of the current reigning emperor.
The scene in the projection was precisely Lin Hao’s current predicament.
"How long do you all think he’ll last? I’d say the time it takes for an incense stick to burn is his limit," one of the young men said, his eyes fixed on Lin Hao in the image.
"Sixth Brother, you’re still too naive. He’ll last for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, at least," another young man said with a slight smile, shaking his head.
"Fifth Brother, I disagree. I think he should have no problem lasting for a quarter of an hour. Third Brother, what do you think?"
"There are too many variables with him. I can’t guess. Perhaps he can last for half an hour."
"Half an hour? Third Brother, you’re overestimating him. Since the founding of the Li Long Dynasty, no more than ten outside Martial Artists have ever lasted that long in there," the Fourth Prince said. His tone then shifted as he turned to a fully armored warrior standing not far away.
"Commander Ye, why don’t you guess how long he’ll last?"
"Your Highness the Fourth Prince, this humble general would not dare," the armored warrior replied, bowing his head and clasping his fist in a respectful gesture.
"How dare you! Ye Qinghan, as Commander of the Imperial Guard, you don’t even have that much insight?! Do you take me for a fool?! Answer me!" The young Fourth Prince erupted in fury, a vast aura surging toward the armored warrior.
THUD THUD THUD!
The armored warrior stumbled back five steps before he could regain his footing.
"The spawn of a palace maid can never become a dragon. Useless trash!" The Fourth Prince looked at the armored warrior with an arrogant sneer, a flicker of sadistic pleasure on his face.
"Fourth Brother, Qinghan is still your brother, no matter what. Let it be," the Third Prince interjected, but his tone held little actual reprimand.
After chiding the Fourth Prince, the Third Prince also addressed Ye Qinghan. "Qinghan, it’s just us brothers here today. No need to be so formal. There’s no harm in guessing. How long do you think he’ll last?"
Hearing this, Ye Qinghan shook his head. "Your Highness the Third Prince, this humble general is slow-witted and lacks the talent of you princes. I truly cannot guess. I am willing to accept punishment."
"I already said, there’s no need to be so formal. If you don’t want to guess, then don’t. Why speak of punishment between brothers?" The Third Prince smiled faintly and turned his gaze back to the void.
There, Lin Hao was already engulfed by lightning.
Bolt after bolt of Celestial Thunder crashed down from above, the display terrifyingly powerful.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed in a flash.
Lin Hao’s body was in the midst of it all, yet he appeared unharmed.
"Sixth Brother, you’ve lost," the Fourth Prince said smugly to the youngest, the Sixth Prince.
"Damn it! How dare Lin Hao last that long! I’ll blast him myself!" A light of annihilation actually appeared in the Sixth Prince’s eyes.
More terrifyingly, this light of annihilation immediately appeared within the projected scene, aiming to obliterate Lin Hao.
This was an astonishing technique.
In the void where Lin Hao was, his body tensed abruptly as he sensed a terrifying aura.
This aura was even more frightening than the Celestial Thunder here.
The Celestial Thunder here wasn’t real Celestial Thunder, but it was still imbued with unfathomable divine might. For this aura to be even more terrifying surprised Lin Hao.
Then, Lin Hao saw a beam of light.
With a soft cry, Lin Hao suddenly struck, his hand reaching out to grab the light.
The Sixth Prince, watching from outside, saw this and a cold sneer appeared on his lips.
’The fool doesn’t know the difference between life and death! This world is not something you can imagine. A genius? Before my Li Long Dynasty, you’re nothing but a pushover.’
The other three princes were all focused on the scene in the void. None of them noticed the brilliant flash of light that appeared and vanished in Ye Qinghan’s eyes.
His gaze swept over the four princes, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
But when he stared at the scene in the void, shock filled his eyes, followed by a burst of brilliant hope.
By now, Lin Hao’s large hand had already caught the beam of light.
And then, the light strangely disappeared.
"Oh? He actually caught my attack." The Sixth Prince’s eyes widened slightly, but that was all.
He had only used thirty percent of his power in that attack.
’Such dense Emperor Dragon Qi,’ Lin Hao murmured to himself internally.
After comprehending the Original Secret Skill of his Sun-Devouring Emperor Body, Lin Hao’s physique had become even more terrifying. While he couldn’t absorb and refine everything in existence, he wasn’t far from it.
Although the beam of light just now was terrifying, Lin Hao had sensed a vast power within it, which was why he had moved to catch it.
The instant the light touched his palm, Lin Hao manifested a pocket world within his hand and swallowed it whole.
From within it, Lin Hao sensed a dense Emperor Dragon Qi.
This Emperor Dragon Qi then transformed into nourishment, nurturing Lin Hao’s body.
Not only that, but the endless lightning was also being devoured by Lin Hao.
However, Lin Hao’s actions were so subtle that no one could detect them.
The best method would have been to sit cross-legged in the center and devour all the lightning, but Lin Hao constantly felt as if he were being watched. Thus, he chose the most prudent approach.
PFFT!
Lin Hao took on bolt after bolt of lightning with extreme "difficulty." At first, only a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but in the end, he finally seemed unable to hold on and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
By this point, Lin Hao had endured the lightning for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
"Damn it!" the Fifth Prince also flew into a rage. "I’ll kill him!"
But he was immediately stopped by the Fourth Prince.
"Fifth Brother, our status is noble. Why lower ourselves to the level of a lowborn?"
As he said this, the Fourth Prince shot a deliberate glance at the Commander of the Imperial Guard, Ye Qinghan.
’Di Lintian, you have insulted me a total of three thousand, seven hundred, and one times. Just you wait. Your death is not far off. When the time comes, I will repay you double,’ Ye Qinghan thought, a monstrous killing intent surging within him as he seethed internally.
The emperor of the Li Long Dynasty’s surname was Di. But because his mother was a palace maid, not only did she die a tragic death, but he was also forced to take her surname.
The royal court was a dark and dangerous place. All these years, Ye Qinghan had lived cautiously and humbly, despite his heaven-shattering cultivation.
He had originally thought this would be his life, but after Lin Hao’s appearance, he saw a glimmer of hope.