Chapter 539: The Match on the Mountain Top
Chapter 539: The Match on the Mountain Top
On the Mountain of Inquiry.
After leaving the Dao Pavilion, Li Hao swiftly climbed.
Along the way, he encountered a few people who had gathered in the Dao Pavilion earlier and left ahead of time.
When these people saw Li Hao approaching, they were somewhat surprised but didn’t pay much attention, continuing their climb. However, many others stopped on the steps, clasping their hands together, their faces resembling pilgrims.
Li Hao’s steps were light, and he soon arrived at the next Dao Pavilion.
As soon as he reached this place, many people were speculating about what type of Dao Realm Avatar Li Hao would manifest this time. His Dao Realm Avatar then appeared outside the Dao Pavilion.
As soon as it materialized, the Dao Realm Avatar emitted a strong aura of Water Origin Dao. It raised its hand and unleashed a Water Dao Immortal Technique, causing a sudden downpour that brought a bone-chilling cold and a sense of icy dread.
Seeing that it was a Water Dao Incarnation, Li Hao acted decisively. The technique the Incarnation used was only at the Third Level of Water Dao, not yet reaching the Fourth Level.
In the Five Dao Origin City, Li Hao had consumed the Divine Tree Origin Fruit, and all nine sequences of his Dao had reached the Fourth Level realm.
With a gesture, Li Hao condensed the raging storm and rain into a solid form. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the frozen rain transformed into an ice wall, which he pushed toward the Water Dao Incarnation.
The Water Dao Incarnation tried to retaliate, but the ice wall suddenly exploded, turning into countless sharp ice shards that flew like swords, piercing through its body and causing it to dissipate on the spot.
All of this happened and ended in an instant. Li Hao retracted his hand and continued up the steps without a second glance.
This fleeting battle was witnessed by countless people in the Southern Domain’s Immortal Dynasties, leaving them speechless.
When the Fire Dao Incarnation appeared earlier, they had seen Li Hao easily defeat it, but that was still at the lower part of the mountain. Now, they were at the upper part of the mountain, where the Dao Realm Avatars were much stronger.
"Amazing, he actually masters both Water and Fire Dao!"
"And both are at high realms."
"That’s not surprising. He’s one of the top geniuses qualified to participate in the Southern Domain Battle. Some even master time and space."
"Is this his speed when facing combat Incarnations? If everyone else also had combat Incarnations, he would have reached the summit by now, I bet."
People chatted excitedly, all marveling at the young man’s terrifying abilities.
Earlier, when Li Hao fished up an Immortal Lord Realm Xuanming Dragon Immortal during the Adversity Fishing, it was clear that he had the potential to stand among the top True Immortal Prodigies.
After all, while other Prodigies were strong, only a select few could reach the Adversity level.
"That young man can match the Ancient God Clan. There will likely be a fierce battle ahead!"
In one of the Immortal Dynasties, an Immortal King Realm expert sat at the mountain’s peak, stroking his beard as he spoke to a disciple beside him.
"Good!"
Outside the Mountain of Inquiry, Li Tiemu clenched his fists in excitement, cheering for Li Hao.
The Great Dream Master also smiled, thinking that if Li Hao continued at this pace, he had a good chance of reaching the summit.
"So fast!"
Outside the Dao Pavilion, others were shocked to see Li Hao quickly dispatch the Dao Realm Avatar.
This young man had been sitting alone in the Dao Pavilion below, but now, at a higher position, he had swiftly defeated the Dao Realm Avatar, which was incredible.
Li Hao ignored the astonished looks around him, dealt with the Water Dao Incarnation, and quickly continued his ascent up the steps.
This time, the number of people on the steps had sharply decreased, with only a few scattered individuals kneeling like statues, lost in a state of reverence.
Shortly after Li Hao left, Yue Xi, Gu Yan, and others followed. The Green Dress Maiden and the rest also hurried over. They looked around but didn’t see Li Hao, which left them puzzled.
When they inquired, someone who had barely managed to defeat a Dao Realm Avatar, panting heavily, informed them that Li Hao had already climbed higher.
"Is this his true climbing speed?"
Gu Yan looked up at the mountain top, his eyes sharpening, and he began to climb the steps.
Soon, a Dao Realm Avatar appeared, and he immediately unleashed his Sword Art, engaging in a fierce battle.
The Green Dress Maiden and others, upon hearing about Li Hao, looked serious and tried to continue their climb and challenge.
On the other side, Li Hao soon arrived at the next Dao Pavilion.
This was the third Dao Pavilion.
Beyond this pavilion, only one more step was needed to reach the summit.
At this point, a Dao Realm Avatar appeared outside the pavilion.
Li Hao quietly observed and saw that the Dao Realm Avatar radiated a fierce aura, slowly forming a sword in its hand.
A Sword Dao Incarnation!
"Please."
The Dao Realm Avatar raised its hand, emitting a terrifying Sword Intent.
Li Hao’s eyes narrowed. This Sword Intent was likely close to the fourth tier of the Origin Realm.
He was at the eleventh level of the Sword Art, and the panel had only granted him insights into the third tier of the Sword Dao essence. Li Hao estimated that once he reached the twelfth level, the Sword Dao essence would be enhanced to the sixth tier.
The first rank corresponded to the third tier.
Now, although his Sword Dao essence was at the third tier, his mastery of the Nine Sequences, along with the unique nature of his Self Sword Technique, which encompassed the power of the Nine Sequences, made his Sword Dao, though only at the third tier of the Origin Realm, far more potent than it appeared.
"Please."
Li Hao raised his hand, and a silver-white Sword Qi condensed from Immortal Power in his palm.
He gripped the Sword Qi and stared directly at the Incarnation.
Whoosh!
The Sword Dao Incarnation suddenly raised a beam of Sword Light, countless sword shadows appearing like a downpour, then rapidly converging into one!
With that stroke, the entire void seemed to be compressed, leaving only the piercing Sword Intent that penetrated heaven and earth.
But at that moment, Li Hao also raised his sword. An ancient Sword Dao Immortal Technique blossomed from his hand, radiating a brilliant light.
Qing Tian!
With a whoosh, the Sword Light instantly reached its peak, like stars exploding, illuminating countless eyes.
One stroke, with the Nine Sequences at its core, contained terrifying power, cutting through the Sword Qi of the Sword Dao Incarnation without any resistance, and then slicing through its body!
"Excellent sword..."
The body of the Sword Dao Incarnation slowly dissipated, leaving only those two words.
The Sword Qi in Li Hao’s hand dissipated, and his overwhelming aura, which had been fierce, quickly subsided, returning to normal.
Like a hunter who had just bared his crimson fangs, only to retract them in the next moment, appearing harmless.
He looked at the five figures in the nearby pavilion, their eyes closed, one of whom had a familiar face—Chu Yueli, the Imperial Princess who had previously entangled him.
At that moment, her eyes were tightly closed, and she was in a state of pilgrimage and Dao cultivation, seemingly oblivious to the outside world.
The other four were also in the same state.
They were all at the Immortal Lord Realm, but defeating a Dao Realm Avatar was not enough here; their Dao Hearts had to withstand the trial of the Mountain of Inquiry.
Clearly, their Dao Hearts were not strong enough to continue advancing to higher positions.
Li Hao withdrew his gaze, ignored them, and turned to continue up the steps. The summit was within reach, only a hundred Dao Platforms away.
"Such strength, he’s almost at the top!"
"This is the last pavilion Incarnation before the summit, and he defeated it with one move!"
"That sword seemed to be some ancient Immortal Technique, too terrifying!"
"Just one more challenge, and he will truly reach the summit!"
Countless people watching Li Hao’s ascent held their breath. At this point, no one doubted that this young man would not reach the summit.
After all, these three pavilions had given them a great shock.
Whether it was the Fishing Immortal Lord Realm Dragon Race, or the two consecutive instantaneous defeats of the Dao Realm Avatars, he had displayed extraordinary power.
"Wasn’t that sword just now ‘Qing Tian’?"
Outside the Mountain of Inquiry, high in the sky, Emperor Jiang said with a slight surprise.
The other emperors’ expressions changed slightly, looking up at the Supreme Sage in the sky.
"The ancient Immortal Technique has not been lost, which is a good thing."
The Supreme Sage said calmly, "Such a top-tier True Immortal Technique will always be privately treasured and passed down."
The seven emperors, rarely silent, did not respond to this.
On the Mountain of Inquiry, Li Hao continued up the steps, step by step.
The closer he got to the summit, the more he felt a chill. This chill was not the cold of ice and snow but an internal cold, as if emanating from the depths of his soul.
However, this chill grew stronger with each step he took. Li Hao estimated that over this short distance, he could fully endure it.
When he was only five steps away from the summit, Li Hao saw the faintest snowflakes falling, a sense of ancient desolation suddenly washing over him, as if someone was softly asking in his heart, what is the Dao, what is life?
Li Hao did not know. He only knew that what he felt and experienced at that moment was life, and the path he took forward was his own Dao.
With a focused mind, the Dao Heart is eternal.
Li Hao knew that this was the Mountain of Inquiry’s influence on him. Near the summit, he felt for the first time the trial of the Dao Heart, apart from the Dao Realm Avatar.
The remaining steps were few, and Li Hao did not pause, walking directly up them.
At the top of the Mountain of Inquiry, outside a majestic and ancient hall, dozens of figures sat.
"Someone is coming up."
Someone whispered, their voice low.
The others turned to look, feeling quite surprised. They were among the first to reach the summit, which meant they had climbed at a very fast pace, far ahead of the others.
Soon, they saw the face of the young man ascending the steps.
"It's him."
In the crowd, Chu Tianhuang and Boya Xuejian both froze, then their faces relaxed into relieved smiles.
They weren't surprised that Li Hao had made it to the summit; rather, they had felt a bit disappointed and regretful not seeing him earlier.
"Late but not too late, you haven't let me down."
Chu Tianhuang chuckled, a smile appearing on his aged face, though his eyes sparkled with a divine light.
"It's the True Immortal Realm, another True Immortal Realm youth. I wonder if he can pass the final trial."
The others, upon seeing Li Hao's cultivation, looked slightly cold.
"That guy, I thought he wouldn't make it. Hmph, he's really slow."
Shen Wujin, sitting under the eaves, glanced at Li Hao, his brow slightly raised, and let out a cold snort. Clearly, he was disappointed by Li Hao's slow ascent, having initially thought he might be a worthy opponent. He hadn't expected Li Hao's Dao Heart to be so weak.
"It's him."
Some in the crowd recognized Li Hao, recalling the young man who had bought Primordial Dao from him on the Heavenly Dao Bridge.
Their eyes grew serious, remembering the young man from the soul age measurement. They hadn't expected to see him again at the summit of the Mountain of Inquiry.
There was no doubt that this young man was a top genius, worth keeping an eye on.
As the others appraised Li Hao, he stepped over the final step, his gaze sweeping the area. He saw several distinctive figures at the end of the steps, in front of a grand palace.
There were about twenty to thirty of them, which surprised Li Hao. He hadn't expected so many people to be on the summit.
But he quickly realized that while the Mountain of Inquiry trial selected a thousand geniuses, only about fifty could make it to the summit. This ratio was already quite small.
After all, those gathered here were the top talents selected from the Southern Domain's Immortal Dynasties.
Li Hao recognized some familiar faces; some nodded at him with goodwill, while others looked at him with cold eyes.
At a railing under an eave, he saw Di Lincen, dressed in white, who gave him a smile.
Li Hao nodded in greeting. At that moment, a Dao Realm Avatar appeared before him, as black as ink.
Li Hao looked at the Dao Realm Avatar, quickly recognizing the familiar feeling.
"Meeting again."
The Dao Realm Avatar said to Li Hao, then waved a hand, and a chessboard materialized in front of him.
"Would you like to play another game?"
Li Hao recalled his earlier words at the foot of the mountain, where he had said that if he could reach the summit, he wanted to play another game of chess.
He hadn't expected to encounter the Chess Dao Incarnation again at the summit. This was clearly no coincidence.
"Sure."
Li Hao nodded and sat down on the spot.
The Chess Dao Incarnation smiled and conjured a chess box. On the summit of the Mountain of Inquiry, he and Li Hao began their second game.
"What kind of Incarnation is that?"
"Playing chess?"
"What is he doing?"
The people in the palace were surprised, clearly not expecting the final trial to be so unusual.
They hadn't seen Li Hao's earlier encounter with the Dao Realm Avatar and found this scene intriguing and puzzling.
But those outside the Mountain of Inquiry, who had watched Li Hao's ascent, were now in an uproar upon seeing the Chess Dao Incarnation appear again.
This time, no one laughed. The three Dao Pavilions he had passed earlier had already shown his extraordinary strength. Now, this game of chess seemed like a refreshing change, giving them a familiar yet interesting feeling.
"Another Chess Dao? The Dao Realm Avatar lost at the foot of the mountain, and now it appears again at the summit."
"Who would have thought that we'd see a Chess Dao match at the summit of the Mountain of Inquiry? This must be the first time in ten thousand years."
"I wonder who will win this time. By the way, how do you determine the winner in Chess Dao?"
"I don't understand it either. We should find someone who knows about chess to ask."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, many feeling intrigued as they watched the young man's focused expression.
"Who would have thought that the final trial would be decided by Chess Dao? Ha, this is the first time I've seen such a thing."
Emperor Tianzhao laughed.
"If it were a battle, it would probably be over quickly. This final trial, compared to the last Dao Pavilion, is at most twice as difficult. With the power of his earlier sword strike, he could have reached the summit without using Immortal Seal Power."
The Red Empress remarked.
Her crimson imperial robe draped over her, revealing arms and legs as white as snow, radiating a holy aura.
"The others are fighting with real weapons, but he's taking it easy."
Empress Yuanzun also laughed, shaking her head in amazement.
Such a scene was something they had never seen in all the Southern Domain Battles they had witnessed.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
