Chapter 862: A Century, the Peak of the Immortal Lord

The news of Li Hao’s defeat in his Daoist arena challenge reached the various chaotic star systems.

Since Li Hao emerged twenty years ago, he had won one arena challenge after another, and people had long grown accustomed to it; now that he had suddenly lost, all sides took renewed notice of this prodigy who had dominated for two decades.

“His foundational reserves have been completely exhausted.”

“This defeat must have struck him hard!”

“Of course it did. Such a prodigy has an arrogant spirit; now that he’s been crushed, he must be suffering terribly—even if his Dao heart is eternal, it will still be affected, unless he reaches the eternal pinnacle.”

All sides were discussing it; many chaotic ancient clans rejoiced, especially those who had previously lost to Li Hao, now feeling vindicated.

Among humans, however, many felt regret—was this rare human prodigy merely a fleeting bloom?

“He lost…”

Upon hearing the news, the ghost sisters exchanged glances, sighing softly, their eyes filled with concern—wondering how Li Hao was faring, whether he had been affected.

“Hah, he finally lost. I really thought he’d be invincible!”

Mingyue let out a faint cold smile, then immediately steadied her mind; her Dao heart had long since reached the peak of eternity and was no longer influenced by Li Hao. Hearing this news brought only a trace of mockery, and she quickly turned her thoughts inward, immersing herself once more in her cultivation.

“So what if he lost? In just twenty years, he fused nine chaotic laws—he’s already surpassed everyone, shattered all records. What are these fools even mocking?”

In another chaotic star system, Shen Wujie, hearing the many chaotic ancient clans’ talk and mockery, grew angry and snapped at the ancient god clan’s Immortal King behind him.

The ancient god clan’s Immortal King nodded slightly, speaking calmly: “It’s mere jealousy. Words are a mirror—they only reflect their own inferior Dao hearts.”

Shen Wujie nodded, yet his eyes held worry; though their words angered him, he also feared for the boy—if this defeat inflicted a great blow, he might stagnate.

“His heart shouldn’t be this fragile…” he murmured to himself.

Though he too had lost to the boy, he felt no hatred—only admiration remained.

He respected only the strong, and besides, though the boy was powerful, he carried no arrogance, making him unobjectionable.

“He lost?”

Su Muqing heard the news, her gaze shifting slightly, her heart trembling faintly with an inexplicable ache.

In the Northern Region, the boy had never lost while fighting at the peak of Immortal Lord third realm—yet here, he had fallen.

“They say he spent this past year challenging nonstop—too many chaotic ancient clans challenged him, and he accepted them all!”

Beside her, Su Wanxue whispered, her eyes filled with worry—the boy was too extraordinary, his brilliance too sharp; having never known defeat, could he bear this loss?

“These chaotic ancient clans can’t stand humanity’s rise—what’s the difference between them and the demons of the Northern Region? In the end, they’re the ancestors of those demons—truly, same bloodline, equally vile scum!”

Su Muqing clenched her teeth, tightening her fist, then stood up. “I’m going to find him.”

Su Wanxue gasped in alarm, grabbing her arm. “Are you mad? He’s on Jidao Mountain, studying under Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor—how can you possibly see him?”

“I’ll just visit Jidao Mountain.”

Su Muqing replied without hesitation.

Su Wanxue sighed bitterly. “What good will it do? If his Dao heart is truly damaged, only he can heal it—and besides, he won’t lack companions by his side.”

Hearing this, Su Muqing’s mind involuntarily conjured the figure identical to her own—her face paled instantly.

Earlier, Lin Zhe had asked—anyone he saw must have been that woman accompanying him.

She fell silent, rooted to the spot.

Su Wanxue, seeing her state, sighed. “Missed is missed. Cultivation is eternal. Our goal should be to become as strong as Father—even surpass him—and utterly exterminate the demons of the Northern Region, including those ancient demons…”

Hearing her words, Su Muqing’s gaze shifted slightly. In silence, she nodded and sat back down.

“Let’s work harder too—Wenqing’s progress in comprehending chaotic star systems has already surpassed ours.”

Seeing her listen, Su Wanxue exhaled in relief and added.

Since Li Hao left the Su family, Su Wanqing and Su Muqing had barely spoken.

The three sisters had come together to the Original True Realm, but Su Wanqing had parted from them to study other chaotic star systems—and now her progress had overtaken theirs.

Among the three, Su Muqing had always been the most gifted—but now Su Wanqing had surpassed her.

Hearing her sister’s words, Su Muqing frowned, then said nothing more, returning her focus to the chaotic stone wall.

…

“Defeated?”

“Foundational reserves mean fusing nine chaotic laws? Now it’s my turn to catch up to you!”

On another chaotic star, Lin Zhexuan, clad in green robes, his gaze sharp, quickly calmed his emotions and resumed his cultivation.

…

“It seems I’ll have to wait at least another one or two centuries before you accept my challenge. I hope you catch up before the Infinite Heaven Realm opens.”

In the Original Realm, the youth in dark-gold armor narrowed his eyes—he actually hoped the boy grew stronger, only to be cut down.

“I should continue cultivating too. One more law left to reach twenty-three chaotic laws. My master once said this isn’t perfection—the true perfection is twenty-four chaotic laws and seventy-two chaotic stars… Those three fate stars, where are they now? My sister and I never reached perfection in that life—can I break through this time?”

He frowned, murmuring to himself.

…

On Jidao Mountain.

In the wicker-fenced courtyard, a cheerful, light melody floated, drawing in the surrounding immortal energy.

The ten levels of the Music Dao had already transcended mortal limits—capable of using mist, clouds, and thunder as instruments, emitting great Dao thunder-sounds that purified malevolence; prolonged listening could elevate the Dao heart.

“Wuji is indeed difficult, but the threshold of its first level isn’t high for me…”

After receiving the true transmission from his master, Li Hao returned to the courtyard and had already comprehended and achieved the first level of Wuji.

The first level of Wuji triples one’s foundational reserves!

The second level increases them sixfold!

But the threshold for the second level was extremely high—requiring fusion of twenty chaotic laws to even qualify for comprehension; with his current chaotic Dao realm, it was like reading a celestial scripture he could not understand at all.

Li Hao wasn’t in a rush—he first focused on improving his artistic skills.

Once he accumulated enough artistic skill, breaking through realms would be as easy as eating and drinking—just a single breath away.

Time passed swiftly. In the courtyard, the scent of roasted meat drifted intermittently, music echoed, and someone recited poetry.

Every five years, a chaotic rain fell upon Jidao Mountain, elevating Li Hao’s realm.

In the past twenty years, four chaotic rains had lifted him from Immortal Lord third realm to sixth realm—a full three realms advanced.

Now, another thirty years had passed.

Six chaotic rains had descended, and Li Hao’s realm rose another three levels—to Immortal Lord ninth realm!

The higher one ascends, the harder the advancement—but Li Hao absorbed chaotic rain with exceptional efficiency; his divine body, infused with true god-blood, converted every drop of chaotic rain into power, yielding far greater results than others.

Li Hao felt that with three more absorptions, he would likely reach Immortal Lord peak.

Now at Immortal Lord ninth realm, his realm disadvantage compared to other Immortal Lord prodigies in the Original True Realm was no longer obvious—this meant that even without advancing his chaotic Dao, his combat power had risen dramatically.

And over these thirty years, what delighted Li Hao most was that both his music and poetry had reached the eleventh level, gaining two more artistic skill points.

As for the chaotic arena, since that defeat, his shadow avatar’s subsequent challenges had seen wins and losses alike, but no longer the previous aura of invincibility. Many onlookers, though they saw Li Hao’s progress, were deeply disappointed and no longer paid attention.

Li Hao didn’t care—he merely had his shadow avatar gather defeat experiences to reflect on his combat habits and flaws.

Such weaknesses couldn’t be compensated for merely by overwhelming chaotic laws—if he met an equal opponent, they’d become fatal.

But thanks to the constant battles, his lack of experience in this area had rapidly improved—he grew fiercer with each fight, and even against opponents with equal burst power, he could win through combat experience.

Over thirty years, Li Hao’s aura grew even more stable. He no longer ventured into chaotic star systems, remaining steadfastly on Jidao Mountain.

Time flowed on.

“To establish the heart of heaven and earth, to secure the destiny of the people, to carry forward the lost teachings of the sages, to open peace for ten thousand generations!”

In the courtyard, Li Hao softly chanted.

Reciting these verses again, he suddenly recalled the Four Establishments beyond the Three Immortal Realms: Dao Heart Establishment, Counter-Fate Establishment, Lost Teachings Establishment, Peace Establishment!

Each realm differed greatly; the Dao Heart Establishment, in fact, was first formed within the Peace Establishment.

Now, looking back, Li Hao realized these four realms directly corresponded to these four lines.

Establish Heart, Establish Destiny, Establish Lost Teachings, Establish Peace!

“The one who forged the Peace Establishment must have been a great emperor filled with compassion for all beings!”

Li Hao thought to himself.

He felt a new, profound insight into this realm, and for the first time, truly grasped the depth of these verses.

In the Realm of Hearing the Dao, words become law; in the Sage Realm, great Dao thunder-sounds ring out!

But in the True Immortal Realm—it is Immortal Law Words!

“Poetry… poetry isn’t merely ornate diction—it must pierce through the truths of the world!”

Li Hao raised his hand, unveiling the Realm of Passing Time. Before him, countless immortal energies gathered, like ink splashed across the sky, forming a painting.

In the painting, the setting sun’s glow merged with the sea, and far off, a flock of birds crossed the horizon.

“The rosy clouds and lone heron fly together; autumn waters blend with the endless sky.”

This verse was not exaggeration—it was realism; the scenery in the painting was true.

As the birds flew farther, mountains rose on either side of the sea, transforming the water into a river, a small boat cutting against the light.

“Dark mountains float in still shadows; a light boat draws golden scales.”

The mountains and rivers twisted, soaring upward, becoming a golden-brown furious river cascading down.

“Have you not seen the Yellow River’s waters come from heaven?”

Rolling waves surged with immense, overwhelming force, flowing into the distance.

As time shifted, snowflakes drifted through the heavens; on a bamboo raft by the river, white snow settled upon an old fisherman.

“A lone boat, a straw cloak, an old man—fishing alone in the cold river snow.”

Snowflakes danced, transforming as the painting changed, becoming countless tiny figures scattered across the vast, desolate land.

“Heaven and earth have no mercy—they treat all things as straw dogs!”

Li Hao softly chanted, and in that moment, the painting realm resonated with the poetry, while heaven and the Dao trembled together!

In the painting realm, countless tiny figures seemed to lift their heads, gazing upward toward the heavens, toward the outside of the painting realm, toward Li Hao, its master—and then each dissolved into streaks of immortal energy and spiritual light, suddenly piercing through the painting realm and surging toward Li Hao’s body.

Around Li Hao, floating shadows of poems curled like Buddhist sutras, swirling and dancing about him.

“Poetry has achieved immortality!”

At that moment, Li Hao’s poetic realm broke from the tenth stage to the eleventh.

He comprehended the true essence of poetry, and also awakened to the true words of the Dao.

Along with this spiritual gain, a vast tide of poetic insight flooded into Li Hao’s heart; countless masterpieces appeared in his mind, as if he had traversed each poem, witnessing the scenes they depicted.

For a long, long time.

Only then did Li Hao return to himself from those countless masterpieces; his thoughts swirled endlessly, and suddenly he felt an impulse—could he, in the future, forge a realm similar to the Peaceful Realm?

The eight realms of martial cultivation: Power Penetration, Zhou Tian, Soul Continuation, Spirit Travel, Fifteen Li, Heaven-Man Realm, Three Imperishables, Four Standing Realms!

Beyond these eight realms, to forge a new realm, akin to the Four Standing Realms.

Li Hao felt that if he could accomplish this, he too would carve out an Emperor’s Path!

Yet although this was a fleeting surge of thought, when Li Hao truly pondered it deeply, he immediately sensed countless hardships and obstacles.

To forge a new realm beyond the eight is extraordinarily difficult—even his master had merely extended the existing realms to their ultimate stage.

“Who were the beings that originally forged these realms? They must have been extraordinary figures of unparalleled brilliance…”

Li Hao thought to himself, and could not help but feel reverence.

As the poetic realm broke through, apart from the anomaly appearing in the fenced courtyard, the outside world remained as before.

In the Primitive True Realm, countless prodigies continued cultivating on the various chaotic stars.

Unconsciously, Li Hao had been in the Primitive True Realm for a hundred years.

“A hundred years already…”

In the courtyard, Li Hao gazed up at the chaotic rain above—now he held an umbrella over himself, no longer letting the rain soak him.

Decades ago, his realm had already reached the peak of Immortal Lord, with nowhere left to advance.