Chapter 727

Inside the dark tower, after Li Hao briefly adapted, it suddenly seemed to light up. This tower was not a sealed, narrow space, but rather seemed like a vast and boundless chaotic world.

Li Hao could feel the auras of many Great Dao origins floating and drifting around him, seemingly reachable with a casual grasp.

While Li Hao was sensing this, suddenly, a glowing figure appeared before his eyes.

"We meet again. Three years have passed, and you've made quite a lot of progress, kid."

A gentle laugh rang out. Standing before Li Hao was Yuan Xinggang, his figure like a projection, carrying an illusory and ethereal feeling.

Li Hao was stunned, looking at him in astonishment, and hurriedly bowed, saying: "Greetings, State Preceptor."

"No need for formalities. Come with me; His Majesty wishes to see you."

A flash of complexity crossed Yuan Xinggang's eyes, and he beckoned to Li Hao with a light laugh.

Li Hao was stunned. At a time like this, His Majesty wants to see him?

Yuan Xinggang turned and raised his hand, and an illusory ripple appeared beside him, signaling Li Hao to follow.

Li Hao immediately flew toward him. After passing through the ripple, his vision suddenly brightened; he was in a towering and luxurious palace. Around him, the spirits of dragons and phoenixes circled, emitting terrifying auras—they were actually King-level remnant souls, coiling around the pillars and dragons in the surroundings.

Throughout the palace, brilliant pearls were embedded, and the treasures and jade emitted chaotic Great Dao auras; even the decorative items seemed to be extremely rare materials for refining weapons.

And although this palace was towering, it was not as grand as the Imperial Palace Li Hao had seen before. At this moment, under the eaves of the palace, three figures sat in a triangle, with a chessboard placed in the middle.

Two were playing against each other: Shangguan Hong, wearing golden armor, and on the other side, a middle-aged man with a majestic posture and extraordinary appearance. His eyes seemed to contain the sun, moon, and stars; they were deep and restrained, possessing the power of ten thousand mountains sinking into an abyss.

Li Hao recognized at a glance that the other person was the Chu Emperor.

But at this moment, the other party was sitting on the ground in the appearance of an ordinary person, wearing comfortable black imperial robes, the buttons unfastened, his long hair naturally flowing over his shoulders, looking casual and indifferent.

"Feixing!"

With a crisp *snap*, a chess piece fell. The Chu Emperor looked up, a light smile hanging on his face as he looked at the Grand Marshal opposite him:

"Haven't practiced in a hundred years, your chess skills have regressed."

Shangguan Hong stared at the chessboard with furrowed brows. After a long while, he sighed bitterly and dropped his chess piece. Although at first glance there were still many moves to be made in the game, in their eyes, the outcome was already decided.

"It is Your Majesty whose chess skills have deepened."

Shangguan Hong shook his head.

The Chu Emperor laughed and scolded: "In this regard, you are still not as good as Old Yuan."

Losing to the Chu Emperor, Shangguan Hong was willing, but when it came to comparing with his old rival Yuan Xinggang, he immediately felt unconvinced and said:

"As long as he doesn't play dirty, I can't lose to him."

Yuan Xinggang listened from the side and shook his head secretly, while on the surface he stroked his beard and smiled. *Little Hong, oh Little Hong, His Majesty isn't talking about chess, it's that you lost too obviously! *

The Chu Emperor smiled, as if he had just noticed Li Hao not far away, and turned his face to look over.

Yuan Xinggang, who was watching the game from the side, reacted quickly. He wasn't necessarily watching the game, but the person. At this moment, he very naturally took the opportunity to call Li Hao and said to the Chu Emperor:

"Your Majesty, the child has been brought."

The Chu Emperor nodded slightly, looked Li Hao up and down, and said: "A soul lifespan of a mere hundred years, yet you've reached such a level. I heard that the Lord Tianyang Pseudo-Realm was recently found by the Tiangong, and several heaven-gifted disciples were brought out from within. It seems that place really is a treasure trove."

Li Hao's gaze stirred; he knew he was talking about the Origin Sage, the God King, and the others who had walked out of the pseudo-realm.

But the second half of the sentence was difficult to fathom.

The Chu Emperor said: "Haotian, right? There were too many people outside just now, so there were some things I couldn't say much about. You said you aren't a personal disciple, so I wonder if the personal disciples of the Lord Tianyang Immortal Emperor are still alive?"

Li Hao knew his path had already been seen through. In front of these old monsters who had lived for countless years, it was too difficult for him to hide secrets, so he had to say:

"The status of a personal disciple is noble; I am not qualified to know their whereabouts. However, after that great battle ended, I'm afraid they all perished."

He didn't mention that the soul heart hadn't withered and that Old Man Wang was searching for them. After all, his contact with the Chu Emperor was not yet deep, and he couldn't measure how great the temptation of the Immortal Emperor's inheritance was in the other's eyes.

The Chu Emperor nodded slightly and sighed softly: "During that great battle, the territory of our Yan Chu Qin Xianchao was also swallowed, and we were invaded by ancient demons right up to the Imperial Palace. Your soul lifespan is no more than a hundred years; you must have just stepped out of that pseudo-realm. Do you know of the Demon Abyss Mountain outside my Imperial Palace?"

Li Hao's eyes became increasingly calm. The other party could even calculate that he had just left the Lord Tianyang Pseudo-Realm; it seemed there were no secrets he could hide.

He shook his head and said: "I do not."

"In the great battle ten thousand years ago, the corpses of ancient demons were piled up like mountains there. Our Yan Chu was almost swept away and submerged by ancient demons, just like the other Immortal Dynasties."

The Chu Emperor's eyes were peaceful, slowly and methodically recounting the earth-shattering past. He said slowly: "Now, after ten thousand years, we have finally recovered and have the power to block the ancient demons. As the successor of the Lord Tianyang Immortal Emperor, and being so young, there will surely be a place for you to make a name for yourself in the True World ten thousand years from now."

Li Hao remained silent. All the big figures he came into contact with thought highly of him and believed he would make a name for himself.

But he had long used fame as a sword and had no desire to chase after it.

Making a name for oneself through the ages was just leaving behind a debate of high and low for vulgar descendants; it was meaningless.

"You said you aren't a personal disciple, so I wonder what conditions are required to become one?"

The Chu Emperor asked with interest.

Li Hao felt the sharpness of this emperor. Although the conversation was extremely friendly, it revealed a sense of controlling everything, and the questions asked were extremely tricky, revealing a lot of information.

"It requires even stronger aptitude. Perhaps if one can defeat a powerhouse in the Fourth or Fifth Level of the Immortal Monarch Realm while in the True Immortal Realm, one could achieve it," Li Hao said.

"That's truly monstrous."

Shangguan Hong couldn't help but say.

Yuan Xinggang also nodded slightly, his eyes filled with nostalgia, but he didn't doubt Li Hao's words, only saying:

"In the past, those few disciples of the Emperor traversed all directions and indeed had such an exaggerated degree of strength. I remember the Lord Tianyang Immortal Emperor had a personal disciple named Shi Miao, whose control over the Time Origin Great Dao was unmatched by anyone in the same realm. I heard that when in the Immortal Monarch Realm, he could escape from the hands of a King-level powerhouse; it was simply incredible."

The gap between the True Immortal Realm and the Immortal Monarch Realm was already a chasm, and the gap between the Immortal Monarch Realm and the Immortal King Realm was even more incomparable.

The Chu Emperor nodded, believing Li Hao's words. His eyes flickered as he said: "If I let you cultivate in the Origin Secret Realm for a thousand years, do you have the confidence to become a personal disciple?"

Li Hao's mind turned, and he asked: "Does Your Majesty want to help me?"

"That's right, I think highly of you."

The Chu Emperor said frankly and generously: "When you rise, I believe you won't forget this favor."

Li Hao couldn't tell if what he said was true or false, so he said conservatively: "If it's a thousand years, it's possible to do it."

The Chu Emperor laughed and said: "Then after your Southern Region Assembly Battle ends, come to the Origin Secret Realm. I will reserve the secret realm for you and open the Origin Secret Realm for you alone for a thousand years."

Hearing this, Shangguan Hong and Yuan Xinggang exchanged glances, their expressions changing slightly as they both looked at Li Hao.

"This..."

Li Hao hesitated. He hadn't entered this Origin Secret Realm yet, and he didn't know if cultivating inside for a thousand years would be like being in prison.

Seeing Li Hao's hesitation, the Chu Emperor waved his hand and said: "No need to decline. A thousand years of time passes in the blink of an eye. However, after your Southern Region Assembly Battle ends, this assembly battle can earn you a spot in the Primordial True World. Entering that Primordial True World to cultivate is also a major opportunity. If you can master it, plus a thousand years of hard cultivation in the Origin Secret Realm, I believe that in the not-too-distant future, the True World will surely know your name!" Li Hao smiled bitterly and said: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I would like to consider this matter further."

"Fine."

The Chu Emperor agreed extremely crisply, then thought of something and said to Li Hao:

"You are still young; you aren't married, right? I have a daughter with good aptitude. Her mother is a Star Origin Spirit, and she possesses Imperial Blood and Star Origin power within her body. You should have seen her; she ranked seventh on the Immortal Stele this time. Her name is Chu Yueli."

Li Hao was stunned. The image of the royal princess from earlier immediately appeared in his mind, along with her high-and-mighty, disdainful expression.

"I will betroth her to you as your wife. How about that?"

The Chu Emperor smiled: "She now has a soul lifespan of two thousand years. Although she is quite a bit older than you, in the tens of thousands of years of cultivation, this age can be ignored. Moreover, you are already immortal gods; your appearances are eternal. As long as you don't experience a great tribulation and don't encounter the collapse of heaven and earth, you have almost endless life."

Li Hao felt his scalp tingle and cupped his hands: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I have no plans for marriage for the time being."

"With your soul lifespan and potential, I know your heart is set on cultivation. But there are many ways to cultivate. If you combine with my little daughter, the Star Origin power within her body can also nourish you. The offspring you give birth to will certainly not be inferior and might even be born with immortal bones!" The Chu Emperor laughed lightly.

Li Hao was somewhat speechless and looked at the Chu Emperor. If it weren't for the fact that the other party was an old monster who had lived for countless years and had more children than he could count, it would be hard for him to imagine this was said by a father. Sure enough, imperial families only had interests, not family affection.

!

"Your Majesty, this really won't do," Li Hao said with a bitter smile.

The Chu Emperor said: "Could it be that you look down on her?"

Li Hao hurriedly said: "How would this junior dare? It's just that I really have no plans in this regard."

"Love in the mortal world is nothing but a waste of time in a short hundred-year lifespan. You don't need to care too much about it. Marriage doesn't necessarily have to be about mutual love; it's just about being of the same mind."

The Chu Emperor said: "My little daughter is also single-mindedly pursuing cultivation; you two are a perfect match."

"Your Majesty..."

Li Hao was full of difficulty, suddenly feeling that the gap in cognitive views between him and this old emperor was very large.

Seeing Li Hao's constipated expression, the Chu Emperor couldn't help but laugh or cry: "With Yueli's conditions, it's not a mismatch for you. Moreover, if you marry, you will be considered one of my Yan Chu people, and I will do my best to help you. If you are truly unwilling, if you can take first place in the True Immortal Realm assembly battle group in this Southern Region Assembly Battle, I can consider letting that child suffer a bit and become your concubine, without constraining you."

"..."

Li Hao was speechless. This emperor was suddenly so keen on this kind of thing, which caught him off guard.

Judging by the situation, it was clearly intended to bind him to Yan Chu through this matter.

But for immortal gods, did this kind of thing really have any binding force?

Li Hao put aside his thoughts for now and was about to decline again, but the Chu Emperor seemed to see his intention and made the final decision: "It's settled. If you really don't want to marry her as your wife, then work hard!"

*Is this old emperor using this to reverse-motivate me? * Li Hao couldn't help but complain in his heart. Seeing Old Man Yuan shaking his head slightly at him, he had no choice but to flatter him:

"If I can take first place in the True Immortal Realm, I only hope Your Majesty will withdraw the imperial decree."

"You really are..."

The Chu Emperor also showed a hint of helplessness on his face. This kid was truly impervious to reason. He said: "Fine, I'll consider it."

Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said: "If there's nothing else, I'll go cultivate first."

"Don't worry, the flow of time here is a hundred times slower than the outside world; it won't delay anything."

The Chu Emperor flipped his palm, and a seven-colored mysterious light appeared. He handed it to Li Hao and said: "This is a Phantom Light Stone. If you encounter danger in the Origin Secret Realm, it can block a tribulation for you!"

Li Hao was not one to refuse such a life-saving item, so he accepted it and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Go."

The Chu Emperor waved his hand.

Light and shadow appeared before Yuan Xinggang, opening a ripple channel for Li Hao and sending him out of the palace.

After Li Hao left, the three people at the chessboard became briefly silent. The Chu Emperor smiled at Yuan Xinggang and said: "Come, it's been a long time since I practiced with you. You come and play a game with me, too."

Yuan Xinggang's eyes were somewhat complex, and he whispered: "Your Majesty, there are still some matters in the State Supervision Academy; please excuse me for now."

The Chu Emperor laughed: "You guy, you think too much!"

Yuan Xinggang smiled bitterly, stood up, bowed, and took his leave.

Shangguan Hong beside him also stood up to say goodbye.

As their figures faded, only one chessboard and one emperor remained in the palace.

"Only the autumn wind knows my intent..."

The Chu Emperor looked at the phoenix tree outside the palace, golden fallen leaves drifting over, revealing a hint of loneliness and desolation in his eyes.

The two figures who left the palace walked in a gray, chaotic void.

"Old Yuan, what is His Majesty planning?"

Shangguan Hong, wearing golden armor, asked in a low voice, his eyes filled with confusion.

Yuan Xinggang sighed in a low voice: "Ten thousand years have passed; it took countless years for such a disciple to walk out. It seems this time, he intends to break through the Tiangong!"

Shangguan Hong was stunned, his expression changing for a while before he finally said: "It's very difficult, right?"

"What if that youth becomes a personal disciple?"

Yuan Xinggang looked up and asked back, a hint of mockery appearing in the depths of his eyes. "The Immortal Emperor's personal disciple—this gold content is not something just anyone can compare to."

"But that's at least a thousand years from now. Can that child do it?"

"Didn't you see how calm that child was? Even when His Majesty promised a thousand years in the Origin Secret Realm, he didn't show any excitement and still gave a conservative response. This actually shows he has a foundation in his heart. Some people want to say 'no,' but in the eyes of others, that is a nod."

Yuan Xinggang said.

Hearing this, Shangguan Hong recalled the conversation in the palace just now and fell silent for a moment.

On the other side, Li Hao left the palace and returned to the dark tower.

After he put away the Phantom Light Stone, he saw the time before his eyes suddenly flow backward, his body pushed forward by some force. Suddenly, his vision became bright, and he arrived in an incomparably strange world.

(End of chapter)