Chapter 879: Former Encounters, Confronting the Divine Sovereign

In an instant, all five Chaos Dao Seeds perished.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye; from Li Hao’s appearance to the resolution of the battle, it took no more than three breaths.

Luo Ningshuang and Su Wanyi both snapped back to awareness, watching as Li Hao reached out and collected the Heavenly Dao Force from the five Chaos Dao Seeds, their throats bobbing involuntarily.

These were Chaos Dao Seeds from the Ninth Heavenly Realm—five of them united, yet slaughtered by this youth with overwhelming dominance!

“I’ll take this Heavenly Dao Force.”

Li Hao collected the Heavenly Dao Force and spoke calmly to the two women.

If they refused and tried to seize it, they’d have to “debate” it properly.

“You…”

Luo Ningshuang stared at Li Hao in shock and asked, “How did you do that?”

“Hmm?”

Li Hao frowned.

Luo Ningshuang sensed a flicker of killing intent in his eyes and immediately realized he might misunderstand—she hurriedly added, “I mean, how did you kill them?”

“Did you go blind just now?” Li Hao countered.

Luo Ningshuang: “...”

For the first time, she’d heard someone phrase “Are you blind?” so politely.

She was irritated, but remembering his recent rescue, she suppressed her temper and said, “Thank you for the favor. I’m Luo Ningshuang, from the Ancient Imperial Clan—one of the Top Ten Clans of the True Realm!”

“Just mutual benefit.”

Li Hao waved dismissively, uninterested in her gratitude.

Seeing Li Hao turn to leave, Su Wanyi bit her lip and asked, “Have you been to the Su Clan in the Northern Region?”

“Hmm?” Li Hao looked at her in confusion.

“I’m Su Wanyi, sister to Su Muqing and the others,” Su Wanyi said at once.

Li Hao’s eyes lit with realization—he’d heard of the Four Little Phoenixes of the Su Clan, but in the Northern Region, he’d only met Su Muqing and Su Wanqing, never the mysterious eldest sister. He hadn’t expected to find her here, in the Original True Realm.

“Farewell.”

Li Hao nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Su Wanyi froze. She’d assumed that upon revealing her identity, the youth would say something to her. Her father had mentioned the marriage arrangement; she’d ignored it while cultivating in the Original True Realm, and the matter had eventually faded. None of her sisters had caught his eye, and she’d once planned to track him down and demand an explanation—after all, her sisters’ talent and beauty were far from lacking.

Watching Li Hao’s figure vanish, Su Wanyi came to her senses and felt a surge of anger—this man knew she was from the Su Clan, yet treated her like this?

“Too arrogant. Too audacious.”

She clenched her fists, furious inside. No wonder none of her sisters had impressed him—such arrogance, such utter disdain, truly infuriating.

Luo Ningshuang, seeing Su Wanyi’s anger, understood deeply—but she remained more rational, uninterested in petty quarrels, and fixed her gaze on him:

“That guy is truly formidable.”

Su Wanyi calmed down, recalling the scene of Li Hao slaughtering the five Chaos Dao Seeds, her eyes filled with solemnity—such skill truly granted him the right to look down upon the world.

“No wonder the Eighth Heavenly Realm was cleared out—if he can casually slay Chaos Dao Seeds of the Ninth Realm, then in the Eighth, he’d be untouchable.”

Su Wanyi said, her mind filled with astonishment—and doubt.

Both were at the peak of Immortal Lord Realm, their cultivation bases maximized, having fused twenty-three Chaos Laws. Logically, their power shouldn’t differ greatly—unless there were differences in bloodline or Dao comprehension. But this youth’s gap with them was far too vast!

“I heard he mastered sixty-nine stars in a single day. Such a person must hold secrets we know nothing of—he’s likely a major rival on this Ascension Path.”

Luo Ningshuang murmured.

Yet after witnessing Li Hao’s prowess, if she’d once considered challenging him on the Ascension Path, she now had no such desire.

Not only because she might not win, but because the debt of his rescue made it impossible for her to fight him with full force.

“With his strength, even the Ninth Heavenly Realm will soon be emptied of Chaos Dao Seeds—only its Beast Kings might possibly unite against him.”

Su Wanyi’s expression turned grave. She glanced at Luo Ningshuang, saying nothing—but her eyes conveyed her meaning: We must hurry, or the Chaos Dao Seeds of the Ninth Realm will be wiped out too!

Luo Ningshuang clearly grasped this. Without further delay, both quickly pulled out Divine Herbs to heal their wounds, then dashed off in the opposite direction from Li Hao.

…

As Su Wanyi and Luo Ningshuang had guessed, after appearing, Li Hao swiftly hunted down Chaos Dao Seeds across the land.

Over these three hundred years, he devoured Ancient Demon flesh, refining ten drops of True God Blood each year—totaling three thousand drops!

The pressure of the Ninth Heavenly Realm was extreme; one drop of True God Blood could extend his spiritual sense only one kilometer. Three thousand drops, however, allowed him to sense disturbances over three thousand li.

Compared to others stumbling blindly, Li Hao had a massive advantage—this greatly increased his efficiency in hunting Chaos Dao Seeds, since the perception range of those creatures here was only about a hundred li, relying on their unique Dao bodies, not spiritual sense.

“Hmm?”

Soon, Li Hao spotted six or seven Chaos Dao Seeds scattered across a hillside, with a massive primate Chaos Dao Seed crouched at its center.

Without doubt, this was the Beast King of the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

Li Hao didn’t hesitate—he rushed toward it.

His figure moved like a phantom, his perception surpassing the Chaos Dao Seeds; before he even appeared, they sensed neither his aura nor his movements.

As Li Hao suddenly struck, the Chaos Dao Seeds were startled and instantly clustered together.

Li Hao unleashed Fate Sword Qi, striking directly at the primate Chaos Dao Seed resting atop the peak.

The primate, caught off guard, lost an arm and roared in fury—but quickly retaliated, heaving the mountain beneath its feet like a giant club toward Li Hao.

Li Hao raised his hand, and the sword qi pierced through the mountain, guided by fate itself, directly piercing the creature’s chest.

Its roar cut off abruptly. Before the other Chaos Dao Seeds could arrive, their leader was already dead.

A thick mass of Heavenly Dao Force hovered above the corpse. Li Hao reached out, seized it, absorbed it into his body, then turned—and sent out several Fate Sword Qis, like inescapable spiraling daggers of destiny, striking straight into the skulls of the remaining Chaos Dao Seeds, killing them instantly.

“The power of fate is truly wondrous.”

Li Hao mused inwardly.

After swiftly exterminating this Chaos Dao Seed nest, Li Hao moved on to the next.

He conducted a Ditanshi search, relentlessly hunting Chaos Dao Seeds. The Heavenly Dao Force within each in the Ninth Realm was four to five times stronger than those in the Eighth. His own store of Heavenly Dao Force grew steadily, thickening with each kill.

“Hmm?”

While continuously clearing and slaughtering, Li Hao’s spiritual sense suddenly detected two figures atop a mountain peak, battling two Chaos Dao Seeds—and holding the upper hand.

“That’s… the Divine King?”

Seeing the dark-gold armored youth, Li Hao’s pupils contracted—could the Divine King really be here?!

That familiar face… Though he’d had little interaction with the Divine King in the Multiverse, they’d both originated from the Tianyang Pseudo-Realm—he could never forget these two who had betrayed him.

“Why is he here? Ah—right, the Divine King, Yuan Zu, and the others like Liang Tian Sheng had all arrived early in the Southern Region, summoned there. But they never appeared in the Southern Region Battle. Though their soul lifespans were too short to qualify, they vanished completely…”

Li Hao’s eyes flickered. He’d assumed they’d simply never crossed paths—but now he saw the Divine King here, in the Original True Realm. And his spiritual sense confirmed: the Divine King’s attacks were brutal and precise—clearly a cultivator who had fused twenty-three Chaos Laws.

Only those who had fused twenty-three Chaos Laws could even fight Chaos Dao Seeds in the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

“In just a few centuries, even if he entered the True Realm before me, the gap shouldn’t be this wide—yet he’s fused twenty-three Chaos Laws!”

“The resemblance… could he just be someone who looks alike?”

Li Hao was puzzled. The Divine King had been brilliant in the Multiverse, a genius—but in the True Realm, especially the Original True Realm, his talent was far from top-tier. He couldn’t possibly have fused twenty-three Chaos Laws so quickly!

With tangled thoughts, Li Hao did not reveal himself immediately. Instead, he subtly extended his spiritual sense to probe.

…

With a thunderous crash, the Divine King pierced the Chaos Dao Seed’s skull and retracted his spear.

He adjusted his breath, glanced at Xue Fei, who had simultaneously slain the other Chaos Dao Seed, and smiled. Their combat strength, among those who had fused twenty-three Chaos Laws, was among the highest—even the pinnacle. Together, slaying two Chaos Dao Seeds was not difficult.

Even three could be swiftly eliminated without drawing much attention.

Over the past half-month in the Ninth Heavenly Realm, their combined strength had yielded rich rewards—he was certain they’d harvested more than anyone else.

“Rest a moment, then continue.”

The Divine King said to Xue Fei.

Both collected the Heavenly Dao Force from their kills, exchanging no pleasantries.

“Our hunting pace in the Ninth Heavenly Realm is surely the fastest,” the Divine King said with a smile.

Xue Fei nodded slightly, saying nothing. The Divine King’s performance had satisfied her—at least he didn’t drag her down; his combat strength was formidable.

“On the Ascension Path, I hope we can continue to cooperate.”

The Divine King said.

Xue Fei’s gaze flickered. She said nothing, only gave a slight nod:

“As long as you don’t hinder me.”

“Naturally.”

The Divine King smiled, but inwardly sneered—if you hinder me, I won’t be polite!

“Let’s go.”

Soon, after resting, they prepared to rise.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly descended before them—soundless, without warning.

As they Kanqing ed his face, both froze. The Divine King’s pupils contracted, his expression darkened, and killing intent flared in his eyes.

Simultaneously, Li Hao noticed the Divine King’s reaction—the instant flash of killing intent in his eyes confirmed he hadn’t mistaken the man.

He hadn’t been certain whether it was the same person, so he’d decided to reveal himself to test—but he didn’t even need to test; the killing intent had already betrayed him.

“Divine King?”

Li Hao’s eyes turned icy. “I never expected to meet you here. It seems you, too, harbor great secrets.”

“Hao Tian!”

The Divine King’s gaze turned glacial, his killing intent fully exposed. “I didn’t come looking for you—you’ve dared to come to me? You’re asking for death!”

“Looking for me?”

Li Hao couldn’t help but laugh. “When the True Immortals and Ancient Demons slaughtered across the Ten Thousand Realms, you faked your death to hide. If not for me, the entire Ten Thousand Realms would have been destroyed—yet you come to me demanding answers?”

“Faking death was our tactic. Surviving by cunning—isn’t that also a form of ability?”

The Divine Sovereign coldly said, “But you—if I hadn’t given you that chance, how would you have gained such a great fortune and inherited the Immortal Emperor’s legacy?”

Li Hao froze, staring at him in surprise. He had inherited the legacy of the Heavenly Calamity Immortal Emperor—not a secret, but not common knowledge either. Had this man really been in the Southern Region during the Southern Region War?

“So you came to me because you resent me for obtaining this fortune?”

Li Hao narrowed his eyes.

“Exactly. That legacy wasn’t yours. Hand over the Emperor’s Palace. I am the Master’s direct disciple—the rightful heir!”

The Divine Sovereign no longer concealed his words; his voice turned icy.

“Master? Direct disciple?”

Li Hao froze again. After a moment, he suddenly understood.

When he had first encountered the Luo Emperor in the Emperor’s Palace, the man had said the Master once had three direct disciples—two of whom still had unextinguished soul cores, and he was to find them. If he recovered even one, he too would be named a direct disciple.

One of those two was Shi Miao, whom he already knew. He never expected the other to be this Divine King!

A reincarnated body?

“So this is it—you’re the Master’s former direct disciple…”

Li Hao was taken aback, his emotions strangely twisted. “No wonder you’ve fused twenty-three Chaotic Laws. In just a few centuries, you’ve changed so drastically—you’ve awakened your past-life power. So your hatred for me stems from believing I stole your inheritance?”

“Enough talk. Hand over the Master’s Emperor Palace legacy!”

The Divine Sovereign grew impatient, his eyes flickering with malice.

Seeing the killing intent in the other’s eyes, Li Hao’s strange feelings vanished. He knew: this Divine King could not be equated with Shi Miao. Though both were direct disciples of the same unseen Master, this man’s character was clearly flawed.

“So you feel no remorse for faking your death—and you believe I stole what was yours…”

Li Hao nodded. “Then you don’t need to be reborn again. Perish utterly!”

As he spoke, he raised his hand. The Destiny Sword Qi instantly coalesced in his palm, and he slashed forward with the blade.

He had hesitated for a moment, remembering the other was the Master’s direct disciple—but the man’s actions made him realize no such bond remained. He might as well clean house for the Master.

“You seek death!”

The Divine Sovereign suddenly unleashed a terrifying aura. Earlier, he had sent his disciples to duel Li Hao at the Dao Hall, merely hoping to teach him a lesson. Back then, Li Hao had hidden within the Ultimate Dao Mountain—he could never kill the Master’s direct disciple under the Immortal Emperor’s watchful gaze.

But here, in the Endless Heavenly Realm, even an Immortal Emperor had no authority!

Such a perfect opportunity—he would not let it slip.

In an instant, countless Ultimate Realm powers emerged behind him—the Celestial Star Meridians and other Final Realm forces followed suit.

“You cultivated one lifetime. I cultivated a hundred. Ten thousand years of cultivation, the battle experience of a Semi-Emperor—what do you think you can possibly match me with?!”

The Divine Sovereign’s eyes blazed like twin suns locking the sky, gazing down upon the void, his entire body radiating an oceanic, terrifying might.