Chapter 485: Top Ten
Chapter 485: Top Ten
"What are you doing here? Surely you're not here to take revenge, are you?"
Li Hao frowned, feeling a bit puzzled. He had never thought he had such a deep grudge with the other party that they would risk their life to kill him.
Moreover, this was the Human Race border. How did the other party manage to slip in?
"I was just about to leave, and I ran into you. So I thought I'd say hello before I go."
Mi Xueyao smiled carelessly, her fingers lightly twirling a strand of hair by her shoulder.
"I didn't get a chance to ask you earlier. You knew my identity all along. Did you plan to bring me in and expose me?"
Her casual question belied the slight narrowing of her eyes. Li Hao sensed a dangerous aura. If he answered poorly, she might lash out in anger.
"I did have that plan. You know, I'm from the Human Race, and racial enmity is irreconcilable!"
Li Hao replied.
A cold glint flashed in Mi Xueyao's eyes, and a chilling smile curved her lips. "Then why did you reveal your special ability to consume ancient demon flesh and blood to enhance your Soul Spirit? If this power were to be leaked, not only would the Ancient Demon Clan consider you their top target, but even within the Human Race, many would be jealous and try to assassinate you."
"Moreover, if an imperial-level expert from the Human Race learned of this, they might investigate your secret and confine you!"
"Since you won't betray me, this matter will remain between us."
Li Hao said.
Mi Xueyao was slightly taken aback. Her eyes flickered as she stared at Li Hao. "How do you know I won't betray you? Do you trust me that much?"
"Something like that."
Li Hao replied without changing his expression.
Trust her... How could that be possible?
As she had said, if this secret were exposed, it would make the Ancient Demon Clan wary and bring unnecessary trouble from the Human Race. This all stemmed from human nature. Similarly, her not betraying him also stemmed from the greed and exclusivity in human nature. If he were in her position, he wouldn't reveal such a secret either.
Hearing Li Hao's response, Mi Xueyao raised an eyebrow, a hint of softness in her eyes. She chuckled lightly.
"You have quite a bit of courage. Knowing I'm an ancient demon, you still dared to feed me ancient demon flesh and blood, and even revealed your secret."
"As a chef, I never refuse any guest."
Li Hao said calmly.
"You're not just a chef."
"Then what am I?"
"Definitely not a chef who wields a sword."
Mi Xueyao sniffed, her mood seemingly improving. She said casually, "I'll remember you. If I have the chance, I'll come back to taste your skills. Don't think you can expose me. Unless an imperial-level expert from the Human Race intervenes, no one can track me down."
As she spoke, Immortal Power surged around her, and her feet lifted off the ground.
Her eyes glanced at Li Hao lightly. "I've already found out your identity. I will find you."
With that, accompanied by a tinkling laugh, her figure vanished like a wisp of mist, teleporting away.
Li Hao was stunned. Through his fine control of the spatial dao essence, he could sense that she had instantly torn open a passage, transmitting herself tens of thousands of miles away, her aura rapidly dissipating.
"Coming and going so effortlessly..."
Li Hao's expression became serious. This border city was filled with secret defensive arrays, yet as an ancient demon, she could move freely here, which was truly terrifying.
With her Immortal Lord Realm cultivation, it would be impossible for her to do this. Even a King Realm expert couldn't manage it.
Unless she possessed some incredible supreme treasure.
Li Hao immediately thought of the object she had revealed when attracting the ancient demons from the Reincarnation Royal Clan.
During the two years he had spent here, he had asked Gu Changming about it. Gu Changming had said with a serious look that it was a supreme treasure from the True World, a fragment of the wheel of reincarnation.
Such a thing had only been seen in the hands of an Immortal Emperor. Both the Ancient Demon Clan and the Immortal Emperor were pursuing and fighting over it, rumored to have incredible abilities, capable of truly entering the cycle, and even reversing it!
The exact uses were not detailed, but Gu Changming knew it was a matter of great importance. Any leads had to be reported to the Immortal Emperor, and he had already informed the Yan Chu Imperial Clan, who would pass the information to the Supreme Sage in the Heavenly Palace.
"Could it be that she's using that thing?"
Li Hao's brows furrowed as he stared at the direction she had left. He had intended to turn around and inform Gu Changming about the situation.
But then he thought, if she dared to appear before him, she clearly wasn't worried about being exposed. Telling Gu Changming would be meaningless.
"This person... I hope she doesn't cause trouble in the Human Race. I must quickly improve my strength and aim to capture her the next time she appears before me."
Li Hao thought to himself.
After all, an Immortal Lord Realm ancient demon moving freely within the Human Race's territory, yet unable to be traced, was too terrifying.
If the other party were to indulge in a binge, they could rapidly drain entire cities, causing unimaginable casualties.
Although the other party had treated him decently, Li Hao would not believe that they would still be so courteous if he had no value to them.
After a moment of thought, Li Hao turned and left the alley, temporarily setting aside this minor incident as he headed toward the border teleportation array.
He showed his identity token and, under the stunned gaze of the guards at the teleportation array, stepped into it and vanished.
...
Yan Chu Immortal Capital, Imperial City.
In the vast square, a massive, collapsing-like passage opened in the Ancient Immortal Realm.
The ground was scorched and barren, exuding the primitive atmosphere of the ancient Barbaric Age.
A towering black monument stood majestically, reaching toward the heavens, with countless golden numbers rapidly flickering on its surface, like flashes of lightning or golden insects darting up and down the immortal stele, vying with each other.
"I'll give it another try!"
At the Great Dream Nine Abyss Sect disciple area, Yue Xi looked at her rank number, which was at 829 on the immortal stele. However, in just a short two hours, she had been surpassed by three golden numbers, dropping her three places!
With less than five days left, if this pace continued, she might be pushed out of the top thousand by the end of the five days.
"There's no need. Unless you can break through the Tenth Wasteland, staying in there for the next five days won't help you surpass your previous performance."
Li Tiemu shook his head and stopped her, saying, "Stay calm!"
Yue Xi's face was grim, but she knew Old Li was right. She had previously managed to last six days in the Tenth Wasteland, where she could navigate it with ease. However, as her Immortal Power was gradually depleted, she eventually couldn't hold out any longer.
"That's right. Just now, someone suddenly came out. Don't worry. With your strength and current rank, if you can't stabilize your position, this competition would be a bit too exaggerated."
Murdong Qingwu comforted her softly.
After three years of intense cultivation, they had returned with significant improvements in their strength, leaping from around two thousandth place to within the top thousand. Especially Gu Yan, who had surged to the 300th position, a truly astonishing rate of improvement!
At this rank, they would almost certainly remain in the top thousand for the next five days and avoid elimination.
And this was just Gu Yan's improvement over the past three years. With the Southern Domain Battle still seven years away, more than twice the time, who knew how much higher that monster could climb in the next seven years?
Yue Xi fell silent for a moment. She was now at the Ninth Level of True Immortality, and she had gradually managed to control the chaotic power of her lineage. Even if she encountered a Tenth Tier True Immortal, she could completely suppress them.
However, she hadn't expected that in the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasties, her impressive performance would only place her at 800th.
She raised her head, her gaze landing on the top thirty positions.
Three years ago, the number 19 had been in that spot, but now it was at 25.
Even so, it was still an incredibly impressive achievement.
After all, that young man had achieved this rank while still at the Third Tier of True Immortality.
How could there be such a significant gap between True Immortals of the same realm?
"Less than five days left, and Hao Tian still hasn't shown up?"
Murdong Qingwu noticed Yue Xi's gaze and couldn't help but ask Li Tiemu.
Li Tiemu also felt somewhat helpless, shrugging and saying, "You're asking me? Who should I ask? That kid is a recent beginner and doesn't listen at all. Remember how that brat conned me out of a drink before he even became my disciple?"
Thinking about it, he crossed his arms and huffed.
Murdong Qingwu was speechless, rolling her eyes slightly. "Is that how you act as a master?"
Li Tiemu glared, raising his hand as if to strike, and Murdong Qingwu stuck out her tongue and jumped behind Yue Xi, saying:
"Could he really wait until the last day to show up?"
"Most likely. He did the same thing at Emperor Sword Mountain, only showing up on the last day. He loves making grand entrances, hmpf!"
Li Tiemu said with a hint of annoyance.
Gu Yan and Yue Xi were both silent, a hint of disappointment and regret in their eyes. If he waited until the last day, there wouldn't be enough time to talk to him.
"Did you hear? Spear Abyss's Senior Brother Ye Chen has broken through to the Immortal Lord Realm. Look, he's already climbed to 17th place!"
At that moment, a Sword Abyss disciple exclaimed.
They all looked up and saw a rank number climbing, reaching 17th place.
Surrounded by 0-100 ranks of the imperial clans, the four-digit number stood out clearly.
"At least our sect has produced a prodigy who can match Star Hall's Xing Lan and Ten Thousand Mountains Sword Tower's Tian Hongyi."
Li Tiemu's eyes gleamed as he saw the rank, not with jealousy but with genuine pride.
Gu Yan and Yue Xi, along with the others, raised their heads to gaze up. They had all heard of Senior Brother Ye Chen, who was already over two thousand years old, far older than any of them. Given his age, they weren’t surprised by his performance and didn’t entertain thoughts of competing with him.
Deep down, they all subconsciously believed that by the time they reached his age, their achievements would be no less impressive.
"The top thirty are indeed the Immortal Lord Realm’s domain. That Boya Xuejian from the Zhuyu Pavilion is the most impressive, ranking second!"
"Xing Lan from the Star Hall has also surged to ninth place, and Tian Hongyi from the Ten Thousand Mountains Sword Tower has made it to seventh. Senior Brother Ye Chen has only recently broken through to the first level of the Immortal Lord Realm, so he can’t be compared to them in terms of Dharma Images."
"Rumor has it that the top ten will receive a mysterious reward. It’s a pity we won’t have a chance at it."
In front of the Immortal Stele, many voices whispered and murmured.
The hotly contested rank numbers, though mysterious, had still been uncovered, and the identities of those who held them were now known.
"The seven Immortal Dynasties—just in our Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, there are so many prodigies. I wonder how spectacular it will be when the prodigies from the seven Immortal Dynasties and the Heavenly Palace gather!"
"I can’t wait to see that day."
"I thought I was already quite outstanding, but here, I can’t even make it into the top ten thousand. It’s too difficult!"
Amidst the many discussions, Gu Yan frowned slightly. The self-congratulatory voices filled him with disdain. He turned his head to take a look at the other Heavenly Sects.
At that moment, his gaze caught a figure flying swiftly from a distance.
"Hmm?"
Gu Yan’s casual glance suddenly turned back sharply.
Li Tiemu also sensed something and turned his head. Upon seeing the newcomer, his face lit up with a delighted smile, and he greeted him, saying:
"Good boy, you finally decided to show up. I almost thought you’d wait until the last day to make your grand entrance with His Majesty!"
Li Hao winced as Li Tiemu’s punch sent a sharp pain through his shoulder. He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, then scanned the surroundings, noticing Yue Xi and Gu Yan, among others, all of whom had visibly grown much stronger over the past three years.
His gaze then shifted to the Ten Thousand Mountains Sword Tower. At the edge of the Sword Tower, he saw a figure in a green robe, her eyes filled with worry yet clear, watching this place. Their gazes met for a moment.
The worry in those clear eyes instantly dissipated, turning to surprise, like dark clouds parting to reveal the sun shining on a snowy mountain in spring.
Li Hao couldn’t help but smile, waving his hand, and then he and Old Li descended to where the disciples of the Nine Depths of the Great Dream were gathered.
"Hao Tian!"
"You’re back."
Yue Xi and Murong Qingwu saw Li Hao and their eyes lit up.
Lin Mingrong, who was by the old woman’s side, also noticed Li Hao. She was momentarily stunned, her gaze fixed on the young man.
Three years had passed, and although he hadn’t cultivated in the Langya Painting Realm, his realm had greatly improved, reaching the Ninth Level of the True Immortal Realm!
Such rapid progress was no less impressive than cultivating in the Langya Painting Realm. It seemed he had cultivated in another equally prestigious secret realm or holy land.
"Everyone’s here."
Li Hao approached them, greeting them with a smile. "How about it? Have you all taken on the wasteland? What were your results?"
"Everyone’s been in."
Li Tiemu’s smile was wide, his eyes squinting with satisfaction. "You four did well."
Li Hao was somewhat surprised but then noticed that their realms were on par with his, with Murong Qingwu even reaching the Tenth Level of the True Immortal Realm. He immediately understood.
"That’s good."
He looked up at the Immortal Stele, seeing his rank had slipped to 25.
Although he had dropped a few places, Li Hao wasn’t bothered. There wasn’t much difference between 19 and 25.
"Your rank dropped."
Gu Yan gazed at Li Hao, saying, "In three years, your realm has advanced to the Ninth Level of the True Immortal Realm, and your Immortal Power has increased by fifty to sixty times. You should be able to climb higher in the rankings."
"Sure."
Li Hao nodded frankly.
"Go give it a try. See if you can make it into the top ten. Based on my calculations, entering the wasteland twelve times should give you a good chance of making it into the top ten!"
Li Tiemu said, his face filled with anticipation.
Li Hao was taken aback and replied somewhat helplessly, "Is it really necessary to waste so much effort? This isn’t the Southern Domain Battle. It’s just a selection process."
"You little slacker, are you trying to avoid the hard work again? Then why did you come?" Li Tiemu couldn’t help but glare.
"To watch the show."
"..."
Li Tiemu, Yue Xi, Gu Yan, and the others fell silent.
After a moment, Li Tiemu took a deep breath and said, "There are benefits to making it into the top ten."
(End of Chapter)
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