https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-539-The-Match-on-the-Mountain-Top/13467201/
Chapter 538: Astonishment
Chapter 538: Astonishment
Next to the Heart-forgetting Hall, several staircases lead up the mountain.
At this moment, Li Hao followed a winding path and arrived at one of the staircases.
There were a few others climbing as well, though not many. Some sat on the steps, eyes closed, their faces serene, much like those he had encountered earlier.
Li Hao surmised that their Dao Hearts might not be strong enough, thus they were affected by the Mountain of Inquiry and entered this state.
This also meant they would stop here until the trial ended or were dragged away by others.
Li Hao ascended the steps and immediately felt a faint surge of Dao Will entering his thoughts, but it was so weak that it had a negligible effect on him.
"There are three Dao Pavilions on the way to the summit, and at the peak, there is one more trial, making it four in total!"
At this moment, the Celestial Guard Commander, seeing the crowd gathering and attempting to reach the summit, explained loudly.
"Four trials?"
The crowd that had rushed over from the Heart-forgetting Hall all looked at the seemingly unattainable summit, which was shrouded in golden clouds.
Li Hao understood and silently continued up the steps.
Before long, he arrived at one of the Dao Pavilions.
As soon as he got there, a Dao Realm Avatar appeared in the air, exuding a sense of ancient, worn, and weathered energy.
Then, the Dao Realm Avatar raised its hand, and a dark power condensed into a long rod in its palm.
Seeing the rod, Li Hao immediately understood and felt a mix of surprise and wry amusement.
He hadn't expected that among the Nine Sequences, only the Fire Dao Avatar would appear on the Mountain of Inquiry, while the others were his usual hobbies, such as artistic skills.
Could it be that the Dao Realm Avatars revealed themselves based on personal preferences?
Li Hao was skeptical but only guessed, saying, "Fishing, then what are we fishing for?"
"Ten thousand miles away, there is a lake of immortals. In the lake, there is a Dark Mystic Dragon Immortal. Let's see who can catch it first."
The Dao Realm Avatar stared at Li Hao and said, "Of course, you can also choose to defeat me directly with other methods, and that would count as well."
Li Hao shook his head. There was still plenty of time; the trial had only been going on for less than a day, and he had ample time to reach the summit. He said, "Let's give it a try."
"Good."
The Dao Realm Avatar, seeing his agreement, immediately cast the rod. A dark, ink-like line shot out, flying hundreds of meters away and then penetrating the void, as if the void were a lake, submerging within it.
"Spatial Origin, interesting."
Li Hao, seeing that the Dao Realm Avatar had mastered Spatial Origin power, couldn't help but smile. The other party had said that if he didn't want to compete in fishing, he could also compete in combat, clearly indicating that the other party's combat abilities were also strong.
He raised his hand, and Immortal Power condensed into a thread, also flying out and disappearing into the void.
At the same time, he entered the Dao Pavilion and sat down leisurely.
Seeing this scene, the Southern Domain's various Immortal Dynasties erupted in a frenzy of whispers and exclamations.
Everyone felt their jaws drop; they had never seen anything so incredible.
Others who came to the Mountain of Inquiry engaged in intense battles with Dao Realm Avatars, but Li Hao, aside from the Fire Dao Incarnation's earlier intervention, had been playing chess, painting, and now even fishing!
It was as if he were merely visiting the Mountain of Inquiry for leisure.
"Fishing, how could his Dao Realm Avatar choose to compete in fishing?"
"Fishing can also be a way to Enter the Dao? What kind of young man is he!"
"They say his soul age is only ninety-six years. Could it be that soul age can be faked, or am I seeing things?!"
Countless people were dumbfounded and couldn't believe it.
In the high sky outside the Mountain of Inquiry.
The seven emperors of the Ancient Immortal Dynasties, including Emperor Chu, were also slightly taken aback by the scene.
This young man's earlier displays of chess and painting had already surprised them, and they had barely managed to accept it. Now, he was even fishing.
Moreover, the appearance of the Dao Realm indicated that this young man had profound achievements in these areas, reaching the level of Entering the Dao.
"What kind of life does he lead in his daily routine?"
Emperor Jiang suddenly asked.
No one answered. Emperor Chu and the others had seen many grand spectacles, but they were also stunned.
"Why did he not reveal a Spatial Dao Realm Avatar when he started fishing, even though his Great Dao contained Spatial Origin power and his realm is not low?"
Emperor Tianzhao was puzzled and equally curious.
"The Dao Realm Avatars on the Mountain of Inquiry are random. Unless the climber only cultivates one type of Great Dao, like the one who has already reached the summit, who only cultivates Water Dao, and easily crossed all the trials, now sitting at the peak."
Emperor Chu said.
Her gaze swept over the snow-clad youth atop the mountain. He sat calmly, his eyes fixed on the golden clouds above, as if he was contemplating a greater challenge. If Li Hao were to see this youth, he would recognize him as Boya Xuejian.
As they discussed the matter, the elders and patriarchs of the various Immortal Dynasties and Heavenly Sects below were also buzzing with speculation.
"That kid, what's he up to? Why not just finish off that Dao Realm Avatar in a few moves!"
Li Tiemu couldn't help but stomp his foot, a mix of amusement and urgency in his voice.
The Great Dream Master was also slightly dazed. Li Hao's mastery of the Art Dao was profound, requiring immense effort. His Chess Dao skills were also impressive, and now, he had even demonstrated his Fishing prowess, which caught her completely off guard.
"Don’t worry, he must be confident in his abilities."
The Great Dream Master focused her gaze, speaking to Li Tiemu beside her.
Li Tiemu also noticed Li Hao's calm demeanor, which suggested he was confident about reaching the summit. He had witnessed Li Hao's Nine Resonances of Heaven and Earth in the Heart-forgetting Pagoda, knowing that Li Hao possessed an Eternal Dao Heart. Reaching the summit should be a sure thing, as long as nothing went wrong.
"I hope so. This kid always keeps us on edge. Can't he just be more reliable?"
Li Tiemu couldn't help but mutter. He recalled Li Hao's performance on Emperor Sword Mountain, where everyone was competing to climb, but this brat was playing chess at the base. It wasn't until the last day that he climbed to the top in a single step, splitting the Ancestral Dragon with a single strike to reach the peak.
At this moment, on the Mountain of Inquiry, Yue Xi and Gu Yan, along with others, were running up the steps and arrived at the first Dao Pavilion.
As they entered, they saw Li Hao sitting calmly inside the pavilion.
They were all taken aback and gathered around him.
"Hao Tian, what are you doing?"
Yue Xi couldn’t help but ask.
"Fishing."
Li Hao nodded toward the Incarnation beside him, indicating that they were in a competition.
The others’ gazes fell on the Dao Realm Avatar beside Li Hao. It stood within the pavilion, holding a fishing rod, and the two were so close that they could easily attack each other, yet neither seemed to have any intention of doing so.
They were stunned, having never seen anyone coexist so peacefully with their Dao Realm Avatar.
"Fishing? Your Dao Realm Avatar is competing with you in this?"
Gu Yan and Yue Xi's faces were filled with confusion. What was this all about? Could Fishing be a way to Enter the Dao?
At that moment, their own Dao Realm Avatars also materialized.
Gu Yan's was a Sword Dao Incarnation, which appeared and immediately formed a sword in its palm, bowing to Gu Yan.
Yue Xi's Dao Realm Avatar was peculiar, exuding a calamitous aura and a strange, unpleasant smell. The ground beneath it was connected by Thunderfire and lava.
Upon seeing their Dao Realm Avatars, their expressions changed. They didn’t have time to speak with Li Hao and quickly engaged in battle with their Avatars.
More people arrived at the scene.
Soon, they all noticed the young man sitting alone in the Dao Pavilion and the others outside, competing with their Dao Realm Avatars.
"What's that guy doing?"
Yin Jingcheng and Meng Huaiyue also arrived, and upon seeing Li Hao in the pavilion, Yin Jingcheng was taken aback. He had expected to see a fierce battle between this kid and his Dao Realm Avatar, not this peaceful scene.
Meng Huaiyue was also bewildered but managed to say, "He, he seems to be fishing? I remember my grandfather doing something like this..."
"Why isn’t his Dao Realm Avatar attacking him?"
Yin Jingcheng’s eyes were filled with disbelief, having never seen such a harmonious coexistence with a Dao Realm Avatar.
Others who witnessed this peculiar scene were equally shocked, discussing it among themselves.
"That person's Dao Realm Avatar isn’t attacking him!"
"Are they competing? What are they competing in?"
"That looks like fishing? I can sense the spatial origin's fluctuations!"
"Could it be that person's Dao Realm Avatar is also fishing?"
Many were stunned, finding it hard to believe. They had seen various Dao Realm Avatars, but never one like this.
At that moment, their own Dao Realm Avatars also appeared and launched attacks on them.
Soon, the area was filled with the rumbling of immortal techniques, descending into chaotic combat.
Despite the shaking from the techniques, the Dao Pavilion remained untouched. It seemed to possess some kind of power that protected it from the disturbances. Inside, Li Hao had activated his Eternal Dao Domain, shielding himself from the effects of other techniques.
He sat alone in the pavilion, fishing from a distance of nine thousand miles.
In his leisure moments, his gaze swept over the other combatants.
Seeing them engage in intense battles with their Dao Realm Avatars, locked in fierce struggle, he found it quite a sight to behold. It was a shame he lacked a bowl of sunflower seeds to munch on.
As time passed, many of the later arrivals quickly resolved their battles with their Dao Realm Avatars.
A few remained in a stalemate.
Yue Xi and Gu Yan also managed to defeat their Dao Realm Avatars, though it took them a bit longer than Li Hao.
Once they finished, they breathed a sigh of relief, only to see Li Hao calmly fishing from within the pavilion, completely unperturbed. They couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Junior brother, you haven't finished yet?"
Yue Xi couldn't help but approach and glance at Li Hao's Dao Realm Avatar, relieved to see that it wasn't attacking him.
After all, this was Li Hao's Dao Realm Avatar. If it had attacked, she would have had to put up a full defense.
"That thing is cunning; it hasn't taken the bait yet."
Li Hao replied.
"Are you really fishing?"
Yue Xi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Li Hao smiled and nodded.
Gu Yan was momentarily stunned, then followed Li Hao's fishing line with his gaze. His eyes narrowed as he said, "What are you fishing for? There's a spatial origin fluctuation over there."
"A dragon immortal, nine thousand miles away", Li Hao said.
Gu Yan was taken aback. Nine thousand miles away? Clearly, the ability to channel immortal power over such a distance indicated a high level of spatial origin.
He took a deep breath, feeling a sense of mystery shrouding Li Hao. Since their encounter on the peak of Emperor Sword Mountain, he had noticed that this formerly unremarkable fellow disciple was always shrouded in a veil of mystery.
At this point, others had also resolved their battles and noticed Li Hao still sitting and fishing. Some were surprised, while others sneered.
"What's going on with that guy?"
A girl in a green dress and her fellow disciples had also defeated their Dao Realm Avatars, but most had struggled. The girl had expended considerable effort to defeat her own avatar. Seeing Li Hao still fishing, she couldn't help but be stunned.
"Hmph, just showing off."
The young man glanced at Li Hao and sneered.
Not far away, Yin Jingcheng and Meng Huaiyue had also defeated their Dao Realm Avatars. Hearing the surrounding comments, Meng Huaiyue looked at Li Hao and suddenly narrowed her eyes, whispering, "He arrived late earlier. Could it be that he was doing the same thing at the foot of the mountain?"
Hearing her words, Yin Jingcheng was taken aback, feeling as if he had been punched in the chest. His face darkened.
"If he can't reach the summit, it doesn't matter what he did before; it will all be for nothing!"
After a moment, he said with a grim expression.
"Let's go. We'll climb the mountain and see how far we can go."
Others who had resolved their battles with their Dao Realm Avatars continued their ascent up the mountain steps.
The girl in the green dress and her companions glanced at Li Hao and decided to challenge the next Dao Pavilion. While they might not reach the summit, they wanted to test their limits.
Seeing that everyone was preparing to leave, Yin Jingcheng said to Meng Huaiyue, "Let's go. We'll challenge the summit too!"
Meng Huaiyue's gaze lingered on Li Hao, and she wanted to say something but ultimately kept quiet. She nodded slightly and was about to follow Yin Jingcheng when a surge of power erupted from the Dao Pavilion.
Li Hao's Dao Realm Avatar's eyes suddenly sharpened, emitting a sharp, sword-like glow as it murmured, "I've got a bite!"
As he spoke, he yanked the line, reeling it in.
"Me too."
At the same moment, Li Hao felt the line being pulled. He could sense that the other end had snagged the dark dragon immortal.
He chuckled, his eyes suddenly glowing with divine light. Divine power erupted from his arms, his body at the ultimate limit of divine blood, augmented by his Ancestor Immortal Body, transforming into a vast, overwhelming force that surged through his immortal power.
"Rise!"
With his low chant, hundreds of meters in front of him and his Dao Realm Avatar, the line submerged in the void suddenly rippled with waves of disturbance!
The ripples spread, revealing a formidable aura that made many who were about to climb the mountain pause and turn to look in surprise.
Yin Jingcheng, Meng Huaiyue, and the girl in the green skirt all froze, their gazes turning toward the Dao Pavilion.
At this moment, Li Hao and the Dao Realm Avatar simultaneously exerted their power. The Dao Realm Avatar exuded a terrifying aura, revealing his Ultimate Realm, as if about to topple the Dao Pavilion. His black hair flew wildly.
"Quickly!"
He growled, his eyes filled with commanding authority.
On the other side, Li Hao’s Fishing Line turned golden, radiating brilliant divine light. The void rippled like the surface of a lake, and in the next moment, a spatial rift suddenly opened.
Roar!
An angry roar echoed, followed by another equally furious roar!
The void collapsed, and two massive dragon heads were pulled out. Li Hao and the Dao Realm Avatar each pulled out a dragon!
The dragon roars shook the Dao Pavilion and reverberated throughout the Mountain of Inquiry.
There were two dragons, one large and one small. The one the Dao Realm Avatar fished out was smaller, only a third the size of the other, but its aura was still formidable, indicating it was at the True Immortal Realm Perfection.
The dragon Li Hao pulled out, however, emitted an Immortal Lord Realm aura!
Although it was only at the first level of the Immortal Lord Realm, it was using the Laws to suppress Li Hao’s Fishing Line, trying to break free.
However, Li Hao’s Fishing Line was refined with Immortal Power and contained the power of the Nine Sequences, preventing the dragon’s Laws from immediately destroying it.
As the two dragon bodies were pulled out, they were thrown into the air like fish suddenly breaking the water’s surface.
Their massive bodies swept over the heads of the onlookers, casting shadows that dimmed everyone’s vision. In that instant, all eyes were filled with shock and horror!
Just like everyone present, countless people from the Southern Domain’s various Immortal Dynasties were also stunned into silence.
Two dragons, pulled from nine thousand miles away, to the Mountain of Inquiry!
The young man in the Dao Pavilion stood up, his extraordinary and majestic figure exuding a transcendent and extraordinary aura as he casually reeled in his Fishing Line.
"Where, where is this place?!"
The black-scaled dragon Li Hao had fished out, with a purple scale on its head, had transformed from fierce anger to fear.
It sensed an extraordinary pressure in this place and felt countless eyes watching it, making it shudder with terror.
When it finally saw its surroundings, it realized it was surrounded by humans, some of whom were at the Immortal Lord Realm!
Outnumbered and in danger, it was clearly in a perilous situation.
"I have lost."
In the Dao Pavilion, the Dao Realm Avatar glanced at his catch and sighed to Li Hao.
As he spoke, he retracted his line and said, "This one is yours as well."
"Thank you."
Li Hao smiled.
The Dao Realm Avatar conceded defeat and dissipated on the spot.
Li Hao’s gaze fell on the two dragons, feeling that their auras were extremely similar, suggesting a blood relation. He said, "If you don’t want to die, come to me. When we leave this place, I will release you. By the way, my patriarch’s pond is in need of a couple of small fish."
The smaller dragon couldn’t help but look at Li Hao, trembling and too afraid to speak.
The dragon Li Hao had fished out, upon seeing Li Hao, immediately recognized the aura of the Fishing Line.
It was filled with sorrow and anger, having been dragged to this place, and by a mere True Immortal Realm youth.
"Is this the Mountain of Inquiry?"
Suddenly, it realized where it was.
Looking around, it saw the many humans watching it and immediately began to tremble.
"Spare, spare our lives. I have never killed, nor have I harmed any humans. Please spare the lives of my mother and me."
It transformed into a beautiful woman and bowed to Li Hao in the air, kneeling.
Li Hao smiled and said, "Coincidentally, I don’t like killing either. If you behave, I will release you."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and drew a spatial rift, gesturing for them to enter.
The woman saw the mountain of ancient demon corpses inside the rift and nearly fainted, almost crying as she stammered, "I, I really haven’t killed anyone. What must I do for you to spare us?"
Li Hao, somewhat exasperated, said, "If you keep pestering me and delay my affairs, don’t blame me for taking action."
The woman, with tears in her eyes, carefully examined Li Hao. To her, this young man was like a god of death, radiating boundless killing aura.
But now, she had become a fish on the chopping block, left to be butchered at will. She could only obediently enter the Spatial Rift with her child, muttering incessantly and begging for mercy.
Li Hao closed the Spatial Rift and clapped his hands, noticing that everyone present was staring at him in a daze.
He paid no mind to their reactions and said to Yue Xi and Gu Yan, “Let’s go!”
With that, he continued climbing the steps up the mountain.
As Li Hao leaped away a few steps, the crowd finally snapped out of their stupor, erupting into a cacophony of voices.
Those who had mocked Li Hao earlier now gaped with eyes wide open, their faces etched with disbelief.
A mere True Immortal Realm cultivator had actually lured an Immortal Lord Realm dragon!
And the dragon was begging for mercy, a sight that left everyone speechless.
“My God, what did I just see?!”
“He, he lured a dragon here, and it’s an Immortal Lord Realm dragon!”
“He’s just a True Immortal, right? Can a True Immortal really lure an Immortal Lord Realm creature?!”
“My God, is this the level of a Southern Domain prodigy? Is this the true strength of the ninth-ranked Dao Fire List?!”
The Southern Domain’s various Immortal Dynasties were in an uproar, people shouting in shock.
A True Immortal Realm cultivator had scared an Immortal Lord Realm creature into begging for mercy—this was too outrageous!
While a few exceptional individuals, like the young man from the Ancient God Clan, had displayed remarkable power in the True Immortal Realm, they had only defeated True Immortal Realm ancient demons, which was not as shocking as directly facing an Immortal Lord Realm creature.
In the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, the people from the nine thousand immortal cities were also in a frenzy.
They had previously seen Li Hao defeat an Immortal Lord in the Ancient Immortal Realm, stepping on an Immortal Lord Realm imperial clan, but at the time, there were no restrictions on external objects, so they assumed he had used Immortal Weapons and treasures in secret.
Now, however, he had genuinely and openly dragged an Immortal Lord Realm dragon to the scene, and the dragon couldn’t break free!
This was too insane!
“No wonder, no wonder he revealed a Fishing Incarnation!”
“This is just too much, luring an Immortal Lord Realm dragon from such a distance!”
People were discussing it, their shock evident.
Outside the Mountain of Inquiry, the elders and patriarchs from various Immortal Dynasties and Heavenly Sects gathered there were also greatly shaken, their expressions turning serious.
There was no doubt that the young man was a formidable contender in the True Immortal Realm group, and he had already shown his true colors.
“From nine thousand miles away, he lured an Immortal Lord Realm dragon. This young man is truly remarkable.”
High in the sky, Emperor Jiang chuckled, stroking his beard.
Empress Yuanzun’s eyes were bright, like a clear sky after a spring rain, reflecting the hearts of those around her. She smiled and said, “I’m really curious about his daily life. He paints, plays chess, and fishes, and he’s proficient in everything.”
“It seems this True Immortal group’s performance will be quite spectacular.”
Emperor Jiang smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over the sky to the Supreme Sage.
The Supreme Sage remained calm, seemingly unperturbed by anything, and said nothing.
At this moment, inside the Mountain of Inquiry.
After Li Hao left, the others began discussing intensely.
The young woman in the green dress and her companions were visibly shaken, and then their faces darkened.
There was no doubt that the young man’s strength was terrifying. He had managed to lure an Immortal Lord Realm dragon, and if he managed to reach the summit and secure a spot, he would be a formidable opponent in the upcoming great battle.
And they had just offended such a powerful enemy.
“Damn it.”
The young woman in the green dress, regaining her senses, looked grim and clenched her fingers.
On the other side, Yin Jingcheng stood in a daze, eventually falling silent, his head lowered and saying nothing.
Meng Huaiyue watched the young man’s retreating back. At that moment, she suddenly understood why Master had shown him such special care and admiration.
(End of Chapter)
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