Chapter 743: The Final Spirit Burst

Since reaching the peak of the fourth level of the Water Dao's origin, Li Hao's understanding of the Painting Dao had deepened, and his control over ink and water became more refined.

Ink and water are not merely ink; immortal energy can also transform into ink and water, and time itself can become ink and water—it all depends on how you understand it.

Li Hao looked up at the Time Divine Tree, his thoughts stirring; he used space as his canvas and time as his brushstroke, drawing in the immortal energy of countless stars to sketch the tree's form in the void.

Painting wondrous scenes is a trial and refinement for the Painting Dao.

But as soon as he made his first stroke, Li Hao felt he had kicked a wall of iron.

The exquisite spectacle of this Time Origin Divine Tree was the most difficult he had ever encountered in his life.

Merely the divine leaves atop the tree's crown made sweat bead on Li Hao's forehead.

Each divine leaf swirled and shifted with a sealed fragment of time—one leaf, one era—rising and falling, never in fixed order.

Li Hao's forehead gradually bulged with veins; his eyes showed strain and exertion, for the time carried by each leaf changed differently, and rendering them all was beyond imagination.

Li Hao applied his time power to the painted divine leaves, producing a flowing river of changing time—but as soon as he finished depicting one segment, the time fragment on the leaf shifted, while the brushstroke he had already laid down had already solidified.

The fragments already drawn could not follow the change; they were fixed.

"This cannot be painted at all!"

Li Hao was stunned—this was the first time since mastering the Painting Dao that he had been unable to continue painting.

In the past, his Painting Dao was shallow; he had painted complex demonic bodies as subjects. Though crude and unrefined, lacking divine resemblance, they were still sufficient as wanted posters—clearly identifiable in features and spirit.

With repeated painting, his Painting Dao improved, and even complex demons became lifelike.

But now, before this, he could not even complete the first divine leaf.

"All things under heaven can become paintings. In the False Realm of Lord Tianyang, the countless stars across the heavens were painted—this Time Origin Divine Tree should be paintable too."

Li Hao's gaze was complex, yet he did not waver in his faith in the Painting Dao; at his current level, no matter how hard he thought, he could not conceive how to render this Time Origin Divine Tree.

But Li Hao felt he would eventually paint it—and imbue it with the vitality of carving.

"If I reach the twelfth level of the Painting Dao, perhaps I could try."

Li Hao thought to himself.

He stared at the divine leaf and tried again—but the time on the leaf shifted, the years flowed; after several attempts, he ultimately failed.

Yet these failures, through exhaustive thought, deepened his mastery of his own Painting Dao and yielded minor insights.

He rose and left, heading toward the Space Origin Divine Tree.

The Space Origin Divine Tree was entirely silver-white, standing as if in the city, yet also as if in another realm of time.

Its leaves drifted gently, effortlessly slicing and tearing the surrounding space.

These torn spaces healed instantly, only to be torn again—around it, the void rippled like water.

Li Hao's gaze grew grave; this Space Origin Divine Tree was also difficult to paint, but compared to the monstrous complexity of the Time Origin Divine Tree, it was clearly much simpler.

Drawing on his experience studying the Time Origin Divine Tree, Li Hao sat cross-legged, unfolded his Dao domain, and began meticulously sketching again.

After half a month of careful observation, Li Hao realized that the repeated tearing of the void, like rippling water, was not chaotic like time—it revealed a constant order.

After experiencing one thousand and eight distinct void cracks, it returned to its original state, endlessly cycling.

"I cannot rely only on horizontal thinking—I must also use vertical thinking. Like space itself, these one thousand and eight variations can be seen as one whole!"

"Could the Time Origin Divine Tree be the same—only with far more variations…?"

Li Hao's eyes flickered with thought, and two other characters surfaced in his mind: Rebirth.

His spirit trembled slightly—he felt he had grasped some fundamental truth of the Dao, yet it remained hazy.

Soon, that fleeting sensation of awakening vanished; his spirit returned to the Space Origin Divine Tree before him.

Li Hao perceived the ceaseless tearing as a single entity, using time as his brushstroke, gradually rendering it into paint.

Soon, as the first divine leaf was completed, the second followed, then the third…

Time passed, and Li Hao's immortal energy surged as he painted with full concentration.

The celestial star meridians across his body spontaneously appeared, supplying him with endless immortal energy.

Without the continuous flow from the celestial star meridians, Li Hao would have exhausted all his immortal energy just painting one Space Divine Leaf.

He focused entirely, painting one divine leaf after another; before him, the crown of a brilliant silver Space Origin Divine Tree gradually emerged, radiating terrifying spatial Dao resonance.

In the blink of an eye, four months passed.

In the Twin City, two beams of blinding light suddenly erupted into the sky, shaking the spirits of all within.

Immortal energy gathered like a storm within the city; with each breath, one could feel their cultivation base advancing.

"Spirit Burst."

Before the Space Origin Divine Tree, three figures awoke from their contemplation, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the Space Origin Divine Tree.

But soon, they sensed something and turned—behind them stood another colossal Space Divine Tree, also standing in the void!

Before the Spatial Origin Divine Tree, three figures awoke from their contemplation, their eyes gleaming as they fixed on the Spatial Origin Divine Tree.

All three pupils contracted in shock.

Their thoughts briefly Hunluan, but they quickly realized this second Space Divine Tree had no roots—only its upper body existed, its trunk ending abruptly.

Then they saw beneath it: a young boy seated cross-legged, waving his hands continuously, pouring immortal energy into the Space Divine Tree, slowly extending its trunk.

Their thoughts slipped into brief confusion, but soon they realized this Spatial Divine Tree seemed rootless—only its upper trunk existed, with no lower half.

All three stared in disbelief; even seasoned as they were, they had never witnessed such a sight.

"Him?"

One of the figures, clad in imperial robes, recognized Li Hao's face and froze—unexpectedly, it was this strange True Immortal youth.

He had come to the Time-Space Origin City too—and what was he doing?

His eyes narrowed in confusion as he rose and stepped toward Li Hao—only to feel his Dao domain block him, infused with time and space power.

Though he could forcibly enter, he saw the youth was fully absorbed in something—if disturbed, he might become an enemy.

But at the Southern Region Battle, they would be opponents anyway.

His gaze flickered—he recalled how this youth had sold him the Space Origin earlier—and his steps halted.

"A True Immortal youth—he seems to be using immortal energy to mirror the Space Divine Tree's form."

The other two approached the edge of Li Hao's Dao domain, their eyes filled with shock—they all sensed the boy's terrifying potential.

They dared not attempt such a thing; yet he had done it—and mirrored the Space Divine Tree with uncanny accuracy.

"Which dynasty's prodigy is this? He doesn't seem from our Emperor Tianzhao Qin Xianchao."

"True Immortal—looks like he'll be a fierce rival in the True Immortal tier next year. If so, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

One purple-robed youth's eyes flashed coldly—he stepped forward to enter Li Hao's Dao domain and disrupt him.

He could see the boy was using some method to comprehend the Space Divine Tree; if he broke it, the boy would suffer grievously.

One purple-robed youth, his eyes flashing cold light, stepped forward to enter Li Hao's Dao Domain and disturb him.

At that moment, the imperial-robed middle-aged man let out a cold snort, unleashing a vast pressure that blocked the purple-robed youth:

"You're both True Immortals. If you fear him, don't even bother entering the battle—you'll only embarrass yourself!"

The purple-robed youth's face darkened—he hadn't expected interference. "He's not from your Empress Yuan Zun Qin Xianchao, is he?"

"So what if he isn't? I despise your petty, cowardly behavior!"

The imperial-robed man sneered dismissively.

The purple-robed youth's face turned grim. "When he becomes an Immortal Lord, he'll be your Empress Yuan Zun Dynasty's enemy too. Even if he doesn't ascend before the Southern Region Battle and can't face you now, he'll still become your obstacle later!"

"I, Brother Chi Man, fear no challenge within my realm—the stronger, the more thrilling!"

The purple-robed youth scowled darkly: "When he becomes an Immortal Lord, he'll be your Yuan Zun Immortal Empire's rival. Even if he doesn't ascend in time for this Southern Region War, even if he never faces you now, he'll still become your obstacle!"

"I Brother Chi Man fears no challenge within the same realm—the stronger, the more excited I am!"

The purple-robed youth clenched his fists, furious—but the other was an Immortal Lord, while he was only a True Immortal. To provoke him would mean ruin, not victory.

He gritted his teeth, swallowed his rage, and retreated to stand before the Space Origin Divine Tree.

"Since the Spirit Burst has begun, I'll proceed first."

The third figure also considered disrupting Li Hao—but seeing Brother Chi Man guarding him, he abandoned the idea and turned to charge toward the Space Origin Divine Tree.

Brother Chi Man glanced at him but ignored him, instead shooting the purple-robed youth a warning look.

The purple-robed youth seethed inwardly but turned away.

Brother Chi Man looked at Li Hao briefly, then wasted no more time—he ascended the Space Origin Divine Tree amid the Spirit Burst.

Within the Dao domain, Li Hao still painted with full focus.

Brother Chi Man glanced at Li Hao, then wasted no more time, climbing toward the Spatial Origin Divine Tree amid the spiritual explosion.

As the final stroke of immortal energy flowed in, Li Hao emerged from his trance.

He gazed at the half-real, half-illusory Space Divine Tree before him—overwhelmed with joy—he had actually done it! He had painted the Space Divine Tree!

Though it still felt illusory compared to the true tree, and its Dao resonance was far weaker, at least it was now a complete work.

He gazed at the seemingly real, yet illusory Spatial Divine Tree, overwhelmed with immense joy—he had truly succeeded, having drawn this Spatial Divine Tree!

Li Hao stared at his painting, returning from elation to scrutiny—he sensed it was still lacking much, yet he could not yet grasp how to perfect it.

At that moment, Li Hao noticed the Space Origin Divine Tree ahead—

radiating divine light, while elsewhere in the city, seven-colored misty light enveloped the area: the Time Origin Divine Tree's aura surged skyward.

"Spirit Burst?"

Li Hao saw the three figures climbing the Space Origin Divine Tree and realized—this Spirit Burst was likely the final chance to ascend the Divine Tree.

The origin's secret realm would end next time.

If he obtained the Divine Tree's fruit, his Time Origin could rise to the fourth level; his Space Origin was already at the fourth level—but with the fruit, perhaps he could even strive for the fifth!

The next time this Source Realm's duration will end.

If he could obtain the Divine Tree's Dao Fruit, Li Hao's Time Source could also rise to the fourth level, while his Space Source is already at the fourth level—but with the Divine Tree's Dao Fruit, he might even have a chance to break into the fifth level!

Thinking of this, Li Hao's eyes burned with intensity; he rolled up the painting and prepared to act.

At that moment, Xi Yan within the Heavenly Space suddenly spoke to Li Hao:

"Hao Tian, someone just tried to kill you."

"Kill me?"

Li Hao paused. Xi Yan had remained within his Heavenly Space all along, able to observe the outside world—he had promised her he would show her the world beyond.

"Yes, that purple-robed one just tried to breach your Dao domain and disrupt your painting."

Xi Yan immediately added: "But the middle-aged man stopped him. You once sold him Space Dao—he probably remembers your favor."

Li Hao turned to look at the imperial-robed middle-aged man and suddenly remembered:

He was a powerful figure from the Yuan Zun Qin Xianchao, on par with Chu Chu Tianhuang, who had purchased Space Primordial Essence from him and received one of the dynasty's top sword techniques in return.

"I have no grudge against him. Why interfere with me?"

Li Hao asked, puzzled.

Xi Yan replied: "From their argument, I heard the purple-robed one is a True Immortal—he sees you as a threat and wanted to disrupt you."

Li Hao raised an eyebrow, glancing at the purple-robed youth, who was climbing the vine-covered trunk, ascending steadily through the chaotic space currents.

Though also a True Immortal, his understanding of Space Dao appeared profound.

But—

Since the man sought to ruin his progress, Li Hao would not let him off easily.

He had no doubt about Xi Yan's words.

Whoosh!

Li Hao's figure blurred as he shot forward, diving into the divine tree's spiritual explosion zone.

Here, space churned like turbulent currents—only those with deep comprehension of Space Dao could ride the chaos upward.

Li Hao moved through the chaos like a fish swimming swiftly, catching up to the purple-robed youth in an instant.

"Hm?"

The purple-robed youth's expression changed; he turned to face Li Hao. When he met Li Hao's icy gaze, his heart chilled, and he growled:

"What do you want?"

"What were you trying to do?"

Li Hao shot back.

Even as he spoke, he unleashed immortal energy, slashing out a single sword strike.

"You!"

The purple-robed youth cried out in fury: "There's plenty of space here! Are you trying to steal my spot?!"

"There are plenty of Qiangzhe on the Southern Region Tournament. Why must you sabotage me? If I'm harmed, do you think only you'll benefit?" Li Hao sneered, hurling his own words back at him.

The Azure Heaven Sword Qi slashed through the chaotic space currents, striking straight at the purple-robed youth's body.

The youth hastily raised his hand; a long spear materialized in his palm, unleashing dark-black immortal weapon energy that blocked Li Hao's sword strike.

Li Hao's eyes narrowed—the immortal weapon in the youth's hand was also a top-tier artifact.

Those who came to this Space Primordial City almost all had powerful backgrounds; even if they hadn't before, their talent displayed in the Qin Xianchao earned them its support.

"Don't waste your energy. I'll wait for you at the Southern Region Tournament!"

The purple-robed youth's gaze turned cold; knowing he had already made an enemy, he refused to say more.

Li Hao glanced at the immortal weapon in his hand—he knew it would be difficult to seriously wound him here, and the Southern Region Tournament forbade the use of immortal weapons, meaning they'd have to fight bare-handed.

"We'll settle this then!"

Li Hao snorted, his figure flickering past the youth as he surged upward through the space currents.

Seeing Li Hao overtake him so swiftly, the purple-robed youth's face darkened—it meant Li Hao's comprehension of Space Dao surpassed his own.