Chapter 799

"Your master has already agreed—do you dare defy him?"

Li Hao paused, his gaze cold as he stared at Mingyue and said lowly, "The Southern Region Battle isn't over, but I can withdraw—can't I even do that?!"

He fixed his eyes on her and added, "If I wanted to hide my identity, why would I need those immortal arts? Why even come to this battle?"

Hearing Li Hao's question, Mingyue froze, her expression shifting before she sneered:

You didn't know about your master before—now you say you want to withdraw? You have the qualification to compete for the top spot and enter the Original True Realm—do you really plan to give it up?

Li Hao certainly didn't wish to forsake such an opportunity; even the Master of Great Dreams called it a rare chance. The Original True Realm was rich with cultivation prospects. Though he could elevate his Dao realm through painting and chess, the Southern Region Battle had already shown him that other resources also aided his progress.

Moreover, if the Original True Realm was indeed a sacred place for Dao comprehension, wouldn't chess and painting there accelerate his growth even faster?

Yet now, with this situation unfolding, whether she would allow him to enter the Original True Realm and grow further remained uncertain.

"There must be other ways to enter the Original True Realm. If fate decrees it, I'll enter eventually. Right now, I only wish to leave."

Li Hao said.

Compared to opportunity, he preferred to preserve his life first.

Hearing Li Hao's words, Mingyue was stunned and furious—she had every right to claim the top spot, yet he now wanted to withdraw at the last moment; his behavior was utterly incomprehensible to her.

Her master had offered to take him as a disciple, and he refused.

The chance of the Original True Realm lay before him, yet he wished to withdraw.

Though she could guess some of the reasons behind it, had it been her—

she would have fought and died for the opportunity before her!

Cultivators are as countless as fish crossing a river—if you don't strive to cross, how will you ascend?

"You—you're far too arrogant! This opportunity isn't something you can get so easily!" Mingyue gritted her teeth.

Though she spoke these words, she felt deeply humiliated inside, for this boy seemed to truly have the qualification to tell her: "I have the power to be arrogant—can you?"

He had already defeated Jianxin, surpassing countless prodigies of the Southern Region. Even if he was arrogant, no one could dare condemn him!

"Then don't trouble yourself with me!"

Li Hao said, stepping forward to leave.

Mingyue felt the aura radiating from Li Hao and was filled with shock and fury, yet found no way to stop him.

She felt a surge of anger clogging her chest, unable to vent it, yet unsure how to release it.

"Dare you challenge me to a duel?!"

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she fixed her gaze on Li Hao.

"A duel?"

Li Hao raised an eyebrow, coldly studying her. "You want to fight? Fine."

Seeing his misunderstanding but his direct attitude, Mingyue felt shame and fury, and said: "It's not to fight now! You defeated my senior brother—your combat power is truly unmatched among True Immortals. I challenge you to a duel at the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm. With your talent, you'll reach that realm quickly, won't you? I only want to tell you—you've chosen the wrong path!"

If Li Hao left, she wanted to prove that with her master's cultivation, even if her talent fell short of this century-long soul-life monster, she would still surpass him!

With the chance of the Original True Realm before her, she believed she could catch up no matter what. If Li Hao left now, the gap between them would widen irreversibly—no matter how great his talent!

"Hm?"

Hearing her words, Li Hao understood her thoughts at once. His eyes grew cold, and he felt a flicker of amusement mixed with indifference.

He wielded fame as his sword, seeking only to sever worldly desires—but he never imagined that even as the Supreme's direct disciple, even as a top-tier True Immortal prodigy, he could not escape the burden of face.

What is fame?

Its essence lies in the name.

And face—honor—is something everyone defends, everyone fights for!

Yet only the name truly belonging to oneself is real. What use is the hollow honor of forced pride?

"Fine."

Li Hao replied coldly, accepting.

First, he was unafraid—he wished to use this chance to sever her desires and elevate his sword Dao further.

Second, he knew that if he refused, she would harass him endlessly, making things worse.

"Good!"

Seeing him agree, Mingyue exhaled in relief. Seeing his decisive manner, she felt both shame and a cold sneer—she would make him regret this!

Once, her cultivation aspirations had been as faint as frost. Now, she felt an unprecedented urgency.

She wanted to become stronger—to surpass herself!

For the first time, she felt this intense pressure to chase someone else. Even Jianxin had never given her this feeling.

Hearing their exchange, countless onlookers were stunned—this direct disciple was challenging Li Hao to a duel at the Immortal Monarch peak!

Undoubtedly, if Li Hao left now and missed the chance to enter the Original True Realm, their future clash would be an entirely different matter.

"That Hao Tian has too much pride!"

"He refuses the Original True Realm and withdraws mid-battle—even the Supreme promised him safe passage, yet he still isn't satisfied."

"The Original True Realm—such a precious opportunity! Even the Supreme's direct disciples must compete fairly for it. Does he truly believe he'll get another chance later?!"

"Once the Supreme's direct disciple enters the Original True Realm to cultivate, by the time they reach the Immortal Monarch realm, the gap between them will be like heaven and earth."

"Prodigies fall often. Training under a master versus going it alone creates vast future differences. He's being foolish!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—soon the roles may reverse!"

"True. If they fought now, the Supreme's direct disciple might not be his match—otherwise she wouldn't have challenged him. But in the future? That's another story."

Countless people sighed in regret; some even stamped their feet and groaned, wishing they could make Li Hao's decision for him, cursing the boy for wasting his peerless talent.

"That child has remarkable caution."

Among the mist, the seven Emperor Sovereigns of the Ancient Immortal Court each wore different expressions, all seeing through the boy's mind.

His refusal was wise self-preservation. Yet it also evoked sighs—only a cultivator with extraordinary Dao heart could suppress such impulse and desire.

No wonder he had glimpsed the clouds atop the Questioning Mountain—his Dao heart led them all.

"Dao heart first, combat power first, century-long soul-life—combined, he is truly the most monstrous existence our Southern Region has seen in one hundred thousand years!"

"Correct. If he had three or five hundred soul-years, he might still be contestable. But a mere century? It's absurd!"

The seven Emperors exchanged glances, understanding the boy's monstrous nature—and pondering other matters.

"That guy…"

On the mountain peak, the Master of Great Dreams and the elders of the Nine Abysses were stunned.

They never expected that after defeating Jianxin, Li Hao would withdraw mid-battle and abandon the Original True Realm.

"That child… did he come to the Southern Region battle only for our sect's honor?"

Li Tiemu murmured, dazed.

Hearing this, the Master of Great Dreams was shaken to her core—her heart clenched, then spasmed with a sharp pain, or rather, a deep sense of sorrow.

This boy could resist the lure of the Original True Realm—what in this world could possibly move him to risk everything?

Yet he came to the Southern Region battle. Our sect had long proclaimed this contest would bring great glory—but ultimately, fame from this battle would benefit the disciple too.

It was mutual gain!

Yet now it was clear—in this boy's eyes, there had never been mutual gain.

"What did you tell him?" the Master of Great Dreams turned to Li Tiemu.

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Li Tiemu snapped back to himself, his expression complex. "I told him our Great Dream Nine Abysses once shone brilliantly one hundred thousand years ago, renowned throughout the Southern Region. With his talent, he could restore our sect's former glory. I truly placed great hope in him…"

Hearing this, all the Abyss elders fell silent.

Now, with this battle over, there was no doubt—the name Great Dream Nine Abysses would echo across the Southern Region, across all Immortal Courts, as it had one hundred thousand years ago!

After all, producing such a monstrous prodigy meant the sect's name would be remembered—even if Li Hao withdrew, as long as Jianxin didn't lose afterward, in the hearts of countless Southern Region cultivators, Li Hao would remain the True Immortal champion!

Even if Jianxin lost to others, whether Li Hao was champion would remain debated, prolonging his fame.

And with his fame would come the name of Great Dream Nine Abysses.

The Master of Great Dreams listened, fell silent, and silently gazed at the boy upon the Emperor Platform. Suddenly, she sensed a thread of loneliness in his slender figure.

He stood alone against Tiangong, against the Supreme's direct disciple!

She clenched her fingers, her heart pierced as if by a needle. She felt she should do something—but behind her lay the sect, the Great Dream Clan…

She clenched her fingers involuntarily, a needlelike pain piercing her heart—she felt she ought to do something, but behind her lay her sect, the Great Dream Clan…

At that moment, on the Emperor Platform, Mingyue took a deep breath and said to Li Hao:

"Then it's settled! We agree: when we both reach the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm, we meet. I swear as my master's direct disciple—I will ensure no one harms you. Whether you win or lose, you will leave safely!"

Li Hao regarded her coolly. "Why not set a specific time? Cultivation speeds vary. You can't expect the other to wait endlessly at the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm."

Hearing this, Mingyue raised her brow and sneered. "That's perfect. I was going to wait for you. Since you're so thoughtful, let's set it at a hundred years!"

"A hundred years…"

Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. With his recent cultivation and insights, he sensed that Immortal and Divine cultivation often required months—or even years—of sudden enlightenment, time slipping away unnoticed.

Though his earlier progress had been swift, reaching the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm might truly take a hundred years.

Seeing Li Hao's contemplative expression, Mingyue guessed his thoughts and sneered:

"You think it's too long? You reached True Immortal realm in a century—don't think reaching Immortal Monarch peak will be easy! A hundred years is already blazing speed!"

"Even other prodigies and monsters struggle to reach the peak within a thousand years. Of course, if you purely gorge on pills and ignore your foundation, a hundred years would be more than enough!"

Hearing her words, countless onlookers gasped—no one expected their duel to be this intense.

A hundred years to challenge the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm.

Hearing her words, countless people gasped, surprised that the two had wagered so fiercely.

To aspire to the peak of the Immortal Lord realm in just a century.

Moreover, Mingyue's words were envied and resented—even if they gobbled pills and ruined their foundations, reaching the peak of Immortal Lord realm in a thousand years would be considered a stroke of luck.

But he thinks a hundred years is effortless… what kind of pills would he need? Probably rare divine substances they've never even heard of.

"Fine."

Li Hao heard the other's words and said no more.

A hundred years? Fine.

If by then he had cultivated to the Immortal King realm, this fight wouldn't even be necessary—he believed the other wouldn't dare to fight.

Of course, whether he could reach the Immortal King realm by then was uncertain, given that the cultivation time for immortals and gods was far longer than before.

Seeing Li Hao agree so readily, Mingyue sneered and made no further move to stop him.

Li Hao, seeing the other finally step back, felt the annoying matter and the annoying person were both gone, and a sigh of relief rose in his chest.

He said nothing more, gave no expression, and walked straight out of the Emperor's Platform.

Yet, as he prepared to return to the Great Dream Nine Abyss to bid farewell to the Great Dream Master and others, suddenly a figure shot past and landed before him.

"Oh dear, sorry, we haven't settled our account yet—how can you leave?"

The figure was a young man, his expression cold, eyes sharp, now tinged with mockery and a sneer, and beneath it all, a deep, intense killing intent!

This man was Jin Fengling, whom Li Hao had met previously in the Origin City.

Seeing this man, Li Hao's eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of coldness passing through them.

Jin Fengling, seeing Li Hao's chilling expression, actually curled his lips into a smile, his voice calm yet echoing outward:

"Since you chose to withdraw, you're no longer a True Immortal sect disciple, nor a contestant—so my duel with you doesn't violate the rules or count as bullying the weak. We're simply settling old scores. I'm afraid you'll run off and I'll never find you again…"

Upon hearing his words, countless people froze, unfamiliar with this prodigy.

After all, the Immortal Lord contestants had yet to display their abilities, merely going through the motions; few remembered them. All attention remained on the True Immortal group.

Still, they all knew this man was also a contestant in this battle.

"Who is he? Immortal Lord? What old score does he want to settle?"

"Did he have a grudge with that Hao Tian before?"

"An Immortal Lord challenging a True Immortal? Isn't that clearly bullying the weak? Even if he withdrew, this is still blatant oppression!"

"Don't say that—since it's about settling a grudge, according to the True World's rules, who cares about cultivation levels? A grudge is a grudge, a kill is a kill—do you expect equal-rank fairness? That's ridiculous!"

"Clearly, given Hao Tian's demonstrated talent, if this man had a prior grudge with him, he certainly wouldn't miss this chance. Once Hao Tian leaves, who knows what he'll become later?"

"Exactly. Letting a tiger return to the mountains—if I'd offended Hao Tian, I wouldn't dare let him go!"

"True, but this behavior is truly despicable."

Countless people were discussing, despising Jin Fengling and worrying for Li Hao's safety.

They didn't care about your old grudges—they didn't want a top prodigy like Li Hao to perish here.

Even if Li Hao had taken the wrong path and abandoned the opportunity of the Original True World, even if he had declined a rank, he was still a top prodigy—just not as extraordinary as before.

Even if Li Hao took a wrong path and gave up the chance to enter the Original True Realm, a drop of one tier still qualifies him as a top prodigy, just not as extraordinary.