Chapter 440: Supreme Immortal Technique
Chapter 440: Supreme Immortal Technique
Li Hao was taken aback, thinking that this time fragment was one of the Ten Supreme Immortal Techniques that Elder Wang had mentioned. To his surprise, it turned out to be a time projection of a Personal Disciple.
"Who are you?"
Li Hao asked the voice.
"Just a lingering remnant of a soul, not worth mentioning."
The aged voice continued, "The Immortal Emperor had three Personal Disciples. One of them suffered soul heart exhaustion and perished completely. The other two, although defeated in the Catastrophe, did not die outright. Their soul hearts still exist, but it is unknown where they have cycled to or if their soul spirits have split into several fragments and fled. You must find them at all costs."
He paused and then added, "Once you find them, you will be eligible to compete for the true transmission of the Immortal Emperor's Legacy. If you are concerned about the competition, you can only become a Personal Disciple by passing the trial, which demands exceptional talent. However, finding them has no such requirements; even if your soul age exceeds ten thousand years, it is still possible."
Li Hao nodded, the implications in the other party’s words were clear. Only Personal Disciples had the chance to inherit the Immortal Emperor's Legacy true transmission. They were eager to have Personal Disciples appear and bring the Immortal Emperor's Legacy back to its former glory.
If his soul age exceeded ten thousand years and he lost the qualification to become a Personal Disciple, this could be a viable alternative, but ten thousand years seemed like an eternity to Li Hao.
"This is the second one, the Heavenly Young Goddess, Shi Miao!"
As the aged voice finished speaking, another time projection appeared before Li Hao, gradually unfolding into a diamond shape.
It showed a vast plain, where countless demonic beasts and divine creatures loomed menacingly, their numbers too many to count. The ground was filled with walking beasts and flying creatures, dragons and phoenixes soaring together, while in this dark, chaotic scene, a young girl's figure floated gracefully.
She stood tall and elegant, her presence as bright as a rainbow, hands behind her back, flying calmly through the throng of demons.
The surrounding demons were all frozen, like statues, their fur and the flames emanating from their bodies completely still, as if captured in a painting.
When the girl flew out of the demons' encirclement, they suddenly stirred, looking around in confusion, but she was already gone.
"Shi Miao was born from the chaos and mastered the Dao of Time from birth. When she became the Immortal Emperor's disciple, her time Dao had already reached the ninth level, with the potential to become an Empress through the Dao of Time."
The aged voice was filled with a mix of excitement and respect, "Among the top prodigies of the True World's ten thousand races, Shi Miao, the Divine Maiden, was at the pinnacle. In the same realm, there were few who could match her. The Immortal Emperor had high hopes for her, but unfortunately, she was too young when the Catastrophe struck. She accompanied the Immortal Emperor into battle and never returned."
He couldn't help but sigh.
For such supreme beings, time was the most precious resource.
Li Hao, however, was transfixed by the time projection, the aged voice buzzing in his ears, his mind focused entirely on the girl's face in the projection.
It was a face of breathtaking beauty, exuding a serene and calm demeanor. Most importantly, he had seen this face before.
Shi Miao, the Divine Maiden… the Immortal Emperor's Personal Disciple… Could it be her?
Li Hao was stunned. Although the aura had changed, the face was identical to Ying Xiaoxiao, whom he had encountered earlier.
However, Ying Xiaoxiao's eyes were gentler, while Shi Miao's eyes were calmer, as if she had seen through all the demons and remained unperturbed even as mountains crumbled and storms raged.
"Do you mean that if a Personal Disciple's soul heart is not withered, they will reincarnate?"
Li Hao couldn’t help but ask.
The aged voice sensed Li Hao's change and replied, "Yes, do you know the whereabouts of Shi Miao, the Divine Maiden?"
Li Hao didn’t answer immediately, but he took another look at the time projection. He was now more than seventy percent certain. If what the aged voice said was true, then Ying Xiaoxiao was likely Shi Miao, the Divine Maiden.
Otherwise, for their faces to be identical would be an incredible coincidence.
"What characteristics would a Personal Disciple have upon reincarnation? For example, would they exhibit extraordinary cultivation talent?"
Li Hao asked again.
The aged voice replied, "That's hard to say. The battle was too fierce. Although their soul hearts have not withered, they might have sealed their memories and power before reincarnating, hiding in the cycle to avoid the ancient demons' pursuit, or to settle and await their return. Alternatively, they might be in dire straits, with only a thread of their true soul escaping into the cycle.
"If you want to find them, I will project their soul hearts for you. If you find a suspected reincarnated individual, you can have them merge with the projected soul heart. If they are the true form, they will be able to merge with the projected soul heart and unlock the memory gap."
As he spoke, two beams of light suddenly appeared before Li Hao—one green and one multicolored. Each beam had a faint thread of soul spirit energy swirling within, emitting an extremely weak aura.
Li Hao, upon seeing this, absorbed the two projected soul hearts into his own soul spirit.
"Don't worry about competition and contention. If you can find them, they will be grateful to you, and might even withdraw from competing with you", the aged voice continued.
Li Hao understood his concern—that he might find and eliminate them, leaving no one to compete with him. However, to obtain the true transmission of the Dao Tradition, one must be a personal disciple. Eliminating them would only cut off his own path.
"I understand", Li Hao said.
The aged voice didn't say more. After Li Hao finished looking, the two beams of light in the void faded away.
Then, light orbs began to appear, one after another, until the tenth one appeared and stopped.
"These are the Ten Supreme Immortal Techniques. If a True Immortal can master even one, they will have the capital to rival ten thousand of the same realm", the aged voice explained. "You can use your soul spirit to lightly touch them, and choose one you feel confident you can master. Once chosen, you will receive the complete technique and cannot change your choice. Formal disciples can only choose one, while personal disciples can practice all of them, as they have the talent and ability to master them all within a thousand years."
"For formal disciples, mastering one might take several thousand years, and practicing more could hinder their cultivation. However, if a formal disciple reaches a bottleneck and wants to advance, they can exchange immortal merit for additional techniques."
"To accumulate immortal merit, you will need to speak with the Glass Empress. She oversees these matters. The Immortal Emperor left behind an imperial decree rewarding immortal merit for slaying ancient demons, and this system is still in place."
Li Hao nodded and, guided by his intuition, used his soul spirit to touch each light orb, one by one.
As his soul spirit touched these orbs, he felt the transmission of Dao sounds, and visions of supreme techniques being demonstrated before his eyes. However, what was demonstrated was only the general outline of each Supreme Immortal Technique.
【Supreme Immortal Technique 'Qing Tian' basics learned. Do you want to record it?】
A panel prompt suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Li Hao was momentarily stunned, his eyes brightening. Could he record these immortal techniques as well?
Without hesitation, he silently agreed to record it.
Soon, a new attribute appeared on the panel.
【Supreme Immortal Technique: Qing Tian (Beginner)】
【Advancement Requirement: Sword Dao Origin Level 3】
This was a Sword Dao Supreme Immortal Technique. To master it, he needed to deepen his understanding of the Sword Dao Origin. Although he was only at the beginner level, the vast amount of insight transmitted through the panel allowed Li Hao to feel the terrifying power of this Supreme Immortal Technique, which was far stronger than the Divine Guide he already knew.
Li Hao quietly digested the beginner-level insight and then withdrew his soul spirit from the light orb, moving on to the second Supreme Immortal Technique.
【Supreme Immortal Technique 'Zi Jin' basics learned. Do you want to record it?】
Soon, a second panel prompt appeared before Li Hao's eyes.
Without a doubt, Li Hao recorded it in the panel.
As soon as he recorded it, a flood of information poured into his mind.
【You have reached proficiency in the 'Zi Jin' Immortal Technique.】
【You have reached perfection in the 'Zi Jin' Immortal Technique.】
【You have reached the pinnacle in the 'Zi Jin' Immortal Technique.】
Three consecutive prompts flashed before Li Hao, who glanced at them briefly before immersing himself in the information flooding his mind.
This 'Zi Jin' Immortal Technique required a profound understanding of the spatial origin. It was a terrifying technique capable of sealing off all of the enemy's means of attack.
Once unleashed, the enemy would be completely unable to use any Immortal Techniques in front of Li Hao, leaving them at his mercy.
With his fourth-level understanding of the spatial origin, Li Hao immediately grasped this Supreme Immortal Technique to its pinnacle.
Li Hao wondered if reaching the fifth level of spatial origin would surpass the pinnacle and lead to a higher realm, or if the limit of this Supreme Immortal Technique was already set, and further improvement would only cause a qualitative change in the technique.
As Li Hao absorbed and digested the information, the ancient voice remained silent, and the place was very quiet.
In the ancient voice's eyes, Li Hao's slow contemplation was entirely normal. After all, the Ten Supreme Immortal Techniques were extremely precious, and choosing them required careful consideration and thorough examination.
After a long while, Li Hao fully mastered the Zi Jin Immortal Technique.
He slowly opened his eyes, took a step, and then touched the third Supreme Immortal Technique with his Soul Spirit.
Soon, another prompt appeared on the Panel.
[Immortal Technique 'Wan Ying' basics learned. Do you wish to record it?]
Record.
As Li Hao's Soul Spirit touched each technique, one by one, the Supreme Immortal Techniques were recorded in his Panel.
Of the ten Supreme Immortal Techniques, Li Hao recorded six.
The remaining four were beyond his current Dao Realm understanding, so he couldn't grasp their basics from the outline and thus couldn't record them.
Li Hao didn't feel regretful. Each of the six recorded Supreme Immortal Techniques was extremely powerful. If he could master them all to the same level as Zi Jin, he could hardly imagine how much stronger he would be compared to a typical True Immortal Realm cultivator.
No wonder the ancient voice said that mastering any one of them would allow one to dominate enemies of the same realm.
Among the ten Immortal Techniques, two were related to the spatial Dao, and two were related to the temporal Dao.
As the two strongest origins in the Nine Sequences, once mastered, they granted terrifying abilities. Even ordinary attacks would be on par with Supreme Immortal Techniques.
In the end, Li Hao and the ancient voice chose the Zi Jin Immortal Technique.
He didn't select the ones he couldn't record because there was no point in doing so. It would be better to spend his thoughts on refining his chess skills or perfecting his paintings.
Seeing that Li Hao had made his choice, the ancient voice raised his hand and summoned the light ball. The ball then shattered, and the restraint was released, flooding Li Hao's mind with a vast and profound amount of information.
However, Li Hao had already digested and absorbed this information when he reached the pinnacle of Zi Jin, so he had already mastered the entire Immortal Technique.
This was merely a review, and he quickly absorbed it.
"Practice diligently and don't let us down."
The ancient voice said gently, then sent Li Hao out of the Legacy Stone.
"How did it go?"
Elder Wang asked immediately as Li Hao emerged, his eyes filled with concern.
Li Hao replied, "I chose the Zi Jin Immortal Technique, which aligns with my spatial origin."
Elder Wang nodded. "I guessed you would choose this one. Among the Ten Supreme Immortal Techniques, only Zi Jin and 'Arrival' require the spatial origin. With your spatial origin realm, you can quickly master either one to perfection, or even higher levels."
Li Hao smiled; he had already mastered both to their pinnacle.
With 'Arrival,' he could leave a spatial mark and instantly teleport to any place he had once visited, covering vast distances in an instant.
This was far more powerful than Netherwast Teleportation, and it was no wonder that a technique with just the ability to 'Arrive' could be considered a Supreme Immortal Technique.
In battle, using it to escape would make one almost invincible.
"Arrival is for escape, and Zi Jin is for attack. It seems you prefer offense more, just like in chess."
Elder Wang laughed.
Li Hao smiled and said, "Who would risk an attack if they could defend themselves?"
Elder Wang understood Li Hao was referring to their chess matches and laughed heartily. "Come, now I'll take you to meet the Glass Empress. She will bestow a seal on you, and from now on, you will be a Formal Disciple of Emperor Immortal."
As he spoke, he led Li Hao out of the rift world before their eyes.
When they returned to the imperial platform atop the endless stairs, the breathtakingly beautiful figure was calmly watching them.
At this moment, Li Hao was clad in Extreme Thunder Immortal Armor, wielding the Taowu Immortal Sword. He looked formidable, his body wrapped in Lightning and Killing Aura, like a young god of slaughter.
"Glass Empress, Hao Tian has inherited the legacy. Please bestow the seal upon him."
Elder Wang bowed and said.
The Glass Empress's expression remained calm, her eyes briefly focusing on Li Hao before she softly spoke:
"Come here."
Li Hao complied and approached her.
The Glass Empress gently raised a slender, white finger, pointing at the air. Instantly, Li Hao felt a searing presence on his forehead, drilling into his Soul Spirit and leaving a mark within.
"From today onward, you are the Formal Disciple of the Heavenly Catastrophe Immortal Emperor. The Immortal Emperor's rules are strict, and you must adhere to them: do not bully the weak, do not collude with ancient demons..."
Her voice carried a sharp edge, and numerous rules appeared in Li Hao's mind as she bestowed the seal.
However, Li Hao searched through them but found no mention of not killing innocents.
In the True World of Cultivation, competing with the ten thousand races for opportunities inevitably leads to bloodshed. This is a necessary path in cultivation.
To step on the snow and reach the mountaintop, one cannot avoid crushing the tender shoots of spring.
Though the rules seemed strict, Li Hao felt they were relatively broad, with minimal restrictions unless it involved major principles of the True World.
Even the rule against bullying the weak was about bullying, not killing. These were two different things.
Killing is permissible, but desecration is not.
"Once you leave, I will depart from here. You need not know where I go. If you wish to return, you can use this pavilion seal to come back."
The Glass Empress calmly said, "You are now a Formal Disciple, but you must work hard to become a Personal Disciple to receive the true Dao Tradition. Then, I will stand by your side and support you."
Li Hao nodded.
"There are two Personal Disciples whose soul hearts have not withered. Lao Bo should have told you. Finding and helping them will benefit you more than finding and eliminating them. Do not make the wrong choice."
The Glass Empress said.
Li Hao smiled bitterly. Why were they all worried about him taking this path?
"I won't."
He shook his head, offering no further explanation.
The Glass Empress nodded slightly and then glanced at Elder Wang.
Elder Wang's eyes were filled with emotion as he deeply bowed and said, "Glass Empress, farewell to the mountains and rivers."
"Do not forget, you are someone the Emperor cares about."
The Glass Empress's eyes softened, and she spoke gently.
Hearing this, Elder Wang's body trembled, his eyes moistening. He knew what the Glass Empress meant.
He remained silent, only bowing slightly before turning to leave.
Seeing this, Li Hao also bowed to the Glass Empress in farewell.
It was finally time to leave... Li Hao felt a twinge of nostalgia. He thought of Old Feng, Sword Master, Ren Qianqian, and the others, wondering how they were doing.
And Ying Xiaoxiao—she was likely the reincarnation of Personal Disciple Shi Miao. During the ancient demons' catastrophe, he only saw the god king, but not the other Divine Race Sages. He wondered where they were.
Li Hao's eyes flickered. Everything would become clear once he stepped out.
Five years had passed, and he wondered what the state of All Heavens was now.
As Li Hao and Elder Wang returned, at the zabuton, Bright Sage and Lin Sheng, among others, were eagerly waiting.
Seeing them, Elder Wang smiled and said to Li Hao, "As a Formal Disciple, you have the right to choose Immortal Guards. They can serve you and gain Immortal Guard cultivation techniques. You have ten slots. Would you like to choose from among them?"
Li Hao was not surprised. The Glass Empress had informed him of this when she bestowed the pavilion seal.
(End of Chapter)
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