Chapter 889

Hearing Li Hao’s words, everyone snapped back to reality; with the Immortal Path gone, this greatest opportunity of the Immortal Monarch realm had come to an end.

Those Immortal Monarchs who came here were nearly all at the Tenth Reaches’ peak, differing only in the depth of their Chaotic Laws they had mastered.

“Breaking through to become a King…”

Su Muqing looked at the young man before her; she knew he had far outpaced them all.

Though they too were at the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm, they were still far from breaking through to become Kings; without fusing twenty-three Chaotic Laws, she had never even considered attempting an early breakthrough.

To fuse twenty-three Chaotic Laws, with her talent, she would need at least two to three thousand years—that was already the fastest possible pace.

“Pity you didn’t attain the Heavenly Heart; your talent is no lesser than his.”

Su Wanyi spoke softly, echoing Chi Yuan’s words, but without mockery—only sincere regret for Li Hao.

Li Hao, however, remained expressionless; such an attainment of the Heavenly Heart was not what he sought, so he felt no regret.

“Breaking through to become a King… after becoming a King, I must leave the Original True Realm…”

Luo Ningshuang gazed intently at Li Hao; among these human cultivators, once they broke through to become Kings, they would all return to serve their own families.

After all, becoming a King meant possessing the full ability to stand alone.

The family had poured countless efforts and resources into their cultivation—it was time to repay that debt.

But the Chaotic Ancient Clans, born within the Original True Realm, remained here even after breaking through to become Kings, their lives unchanged.

“Of the hundred tribes of the True Realm, I’ve met most—tell me, which clan are you from?”

Luo Ningshuang stared at Li Hao, asking softly.

Hearing her question, others turned their gazes toward Li Hao, all curious: what bloodline could produce such a prodigy?

“Which clan?”

Li Hao paused slightly; he understood she meant bloodline. If speaking broadly, he was human—but in detail, since his blood had been replaced by the Three Immortal Extremes, he might as well say he was born of Heaven and Earth.

“When I sire offspring, perhaps you’ll know.”

Li Hao said.

Luo Ningshuang’s eyes flickered with confusion; she didn’t understand what he meant.

Li Hao offered no further explanation, turning instead to his close friends; his gaze settled on Di Linchen, and suddenly, he released his senior sister, Di Lingshu, from his Heavenly Space.

“Di Linchen, this is my senior sister—she’s also of your Di Clan.”

Li Hao said to Di Linchen.

Di Linchen looked at Di Lingshu and immediately sensed the same ancestral bloodline; her title… his eyes flickered. “Are you the Empress Daughter?”

Di Lingshu ignored him, hands on her hips, glaring angrily at Li Hao. “Why did you abandon attaining the Heavenly Heart?!”

Her voice, clear and sharp with fury, echoed through the air, leaving those who had just calmed down stunned and bewildered.

“Abandon?”

Su Wanyi stared at Li Hao in shock; Xue Fei’s gaze also snapped to him, sharp and sudden.

Su Wanqing, Di Linchen, and the others were frozen, expressions blank with disbelief.

Hearing his senior sister’s angry rebuke, Li Hao smiled faintly; she had been inside his Heavenly Space and had seen everything—but… she saw only the surface, unaware of the burden the Heavenly Heart carried.

“The Heavenly Heart… diverges from my Dao Heart.”

Li Hao could only explain it this way.

Di Lingshu stamped her foot in frustration, glaring at Li Hao as if he were a lost cause. “That was a chance to become an Emperor! An Emperor! How many would kill for such an opportunity—and you, you just…!”

Though she knew she had no right to scold Li Hao, seeing him forfeit such a rare chance pained her deeply.

As one of the Di Clan, she knew better than anyone how difficult it was to become an Immortal Emperor.

Li Hao shook his head slightly; the matter was too complex to explain. He turned to Di Linchen and the others. “I’ll go hunt more Chaotic Dao Seeds—who’s coming with me?”

Di Linchen, Shen Wujie, and the others snapped out of their daze; their confusion vanished, and they quickly agreed.

Though they didn’t understand why Li Hao willingly gave up such a precious chance, since he wouldn’t explain, they couldn’t press further.

Di Lingshu looked defeated; she knew further words were useless now, yet her heart still ached.

…

Time flew; soon after the Immortal Path vanished, the Infinite Heavenly Path sealed shut as well.

As the Heavenly Domain closed, Li Hao and the others all felt a vast, overwhelming force act upon them.

Then, the surrounding laws shifted, space and time twisted—and when they opened their eyes again, they stood outside Fanjie Mountain.

Around them, noise erupted; cries of shock rose from countless figures—disciples from various sects and Chaotic Immortal Cities.

All had been expelled from the Infinite Heavenly Domain and now stood on the open slope outside Fanjie Mountain.

“Brother! Where’s Brother?”

“Brother Zhuoyue is gone.”

“Sister Huixin?”

Many quickly extended their spiritual senses, searching for their fellow disciples; though the crowd was vast, the Infinite Heavenly Domain had been deadly—many had perished and never returned.

Li Hao scanned the area, his spiritual sense sweeping the entire scene—but the black-robed youth’s figure was absent.

He had vanished with the Immortal Path; his whereabouts unknown.

Li Hao glanced at Gu Yan and Yue Xi; seeing them unharmed, he relaxed.

“Senior Brother Haotian.”

Gu Yan and Yue Xi also used their spiritual senses to locate Li Hao; once they saw him, they sprinted over.

Li Hao waved, and when they drew near, he asked: “How did you get to the Original True Realm? Where’s the Sect Master?”

Hearing Li Hao mention the Dream Master, Gu Yan hurried to reply: “Senior Brother, after you left the Southern Region, the Sect Master used a Dream Clan quota to send me and Sister Yue Xi in—that was one of the hundred strongest clans’ guaranteed slots.”

Li Hao understood; no wonder Yue Xi and Gu Yan had entered too.

“The Sect Master said we’re the sect’s hope—if he knew you were here too, he’d be overjoyed,” Yue Xi said, eyes reddening.

Li Hao, the sect’s most gifted disciple, had nearly died in the Southern Region, crushed by a Supreme Sovereign, forced to flee north—it was an unspeakable wound in their hearts.

Li Hao nodded slightly, but inside, he sighed; now that he had broken through to become a King, he should return to repay the Dream Master’s kindness—but the Dream Master was in the Southern Region, and if Li Hao stepped foot there, the Supreme Sovereign would surely sense him, bringing trouble to the Dream Master.

Not becoming an Emperor, never returning to the Southern Region.

Shen Wujie, the Ghost Clan sisters, and others approached Li Hao, asking about his whereabouts after leaving the Southern Region, all deeply curious.

Li Hao didn’t hide it; he briefly recounted his journey to the Northern Region.

Su Muqing and the others listened as Li Hao spoke, watching him surrounded by so many top prodigies, their hearts tangled.

Though Di Linchen, Shen Wujie, and the others couldn’t yet match Chi Yuan or Luo Ningshuang, it was only because they’d spent too little time in the Original True Realm; given time, they would inevitably become the next generation of Luo Ningshuang-level figures, towering among Immortal Monarchs. Su Muqing recalled the rumors: the boy had defeated all True Immortals in the Southern Region, only fleeing north after being suppressed by a Supreme Sovereign—and yet, he had met her…

Thinking of it, she bit her lips harder, until they split and bled.

Reunited at last, Li Hao chatted with them, and at the invitation of the Ghost Clan sisters and Shen Wujie, accepted their offer to visit their clans.

As clear voices echoed through the sky, leaders from various sects arrived to retrieve their disciples; the group reluctantly parted, promising to reunite once all had broken through to become Kings.

They knew Li Hao, upon his return, would soon become a King—and then leave the Original True Realm.

They themselves still needed thousands of years of cultivation to fuse all twenty-three Chaotic Laws before they could take that step.

“Little Brother, Sixth Sister.”

A gentle voice came; Senior Brother Gu Mofan appeared above Li Hao and the others.

Gu Mofan saw the crowd surrounding Li Hao—Luo Ningshuang, Su Wanyi, Xue Fei—all top prodigies who had fused twenty-three Chaotic Laws—and his eyes flickered with surprise, though he understood: geniuses naturally drew to one another.

“Senior Brother.”

Li Hao looked up, smiling as he greeted him.

“Looks like your journey was fruitful. Any other business? If not, come with me—we must report back,” Gu Mofan said with a smile.

Li Hao nodded, waved farewell to Gu Yan, Di Linchen, and the others.

“Haotian…”

As Li Hao turned to leave, Su Muqing suddenly spoke.

Li Hao turned in surprise; Su Muqing opened her mouth to say something—when suddenly, a seven-colored divine light enveloped Li Hao, and beside him appeared a figure clad in green robes, breathtakingly beautiful, her face unmistakably identical to her own!

Her words died in her throat, as if sealed by some unseen force; not a syllable could escape.

“You’re back.”

Shi Miao’s eyes brimmed with tenderness as she gazed at Li Hao, a soft smile on her lips.

Seeing her, Li Hao couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve kept you waiting.”

“Let’s go home and talk,” Shi Miao said softly.

Li Hao nodded.

Hand in hand, before the gaze of all, they followed Gu Mofan’s figure away from Fanjie Mountain.

Su Muqing stood frozen, staring at the scene; long moments passed until the figures vanished completely, then her face turned deathly pale.

Su Muqing stared blankly at the scene; long after the figure had vanished completely, she finally reacted, her face turning utterly pale.

Di Linchen and the others suddenly noticed Shi Miao’s resemblance to Su Muqing; they stared at her in shock.

Su Muqing felt their gazes burning on her face, scalding; for the first time, she hated her own face.

Su Muqing felt their gazes land on her face, burning like fire, searing hot—suddenly, for the first time, she hated her own appearance.

Summit of Jida Mountain.

Li Hao returned with Gu Mofan and Shi Miao; Di Lingshu came with them.

“Senior Brother, you wouldn’t believe…”

On the way, Di Lingshu told them about Li Hao abandoning the Heavenly Heart; Gu Mofan and Shi Miao were stunned, staring at him in disbelief.

Seeing their strange, questioning looks, Li Hao suddenly regretted bringing his senior sister along; though he knew she meant well, still… no need to broadcast it to everyone.

Seeing the strange and puzzled looks of the two, Li Hao suddenly regretted bringing this senior sister along—he knew she felt pity for him, but... there was no need to announce it to everyone.

When they returned to the mountaintop, the group went straight to the Ji Dao Hall and found their master, Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor, seated within, his face as calm as ever, a faint smile playing at his lips—slightly restrained, he radiated solemn authority; slightly revealed, he exuded profound warmth and approachability.

“Master.”

All of them bowed their heads in reverence.

“Little brother, Sixth Sister, you’ve finally returned—how was it? Any gains?”

Beside the hall, Fifth Brother Long Qingge asked eagerly.

Nearby, Third Sister Zhan Qinghuang also looked at Li Hao and Di Lingshu with keen curiosity.

All the senior brothers and sisters were present.

But Li Hao could tell—they were all spiritual projections; their true bodies were not here.

“This…”

Gu Mofan recalled Di Lingshu’s words on the way and glanced at Li Hao.

Before Li Hao could speak, Di Lingshu’s mouth erupted like sparks, rapidly recounting everything about the Infinite Heavenly Realms.

Yet before speaking, she had already privately communicated with Li Hao, asking whether she should reveal to their master the matter of the two elders in the Ninth Heavenly Realm.

Li Hao naturally chose not to conceal it—aside from his panel, he felt he had no secrets left to hide from his master.

Moreover, the two Chaos Elders, the Seventh and Eighth, had ancient origins, and he wished to learn more about them from his master.

“Clearing the Eighth Heavenly Realm? The Ninth?”

Hearing Di Lingshu’s words, Zhan Qinghuang and the others stared in shock, eyes wide at Li Hao—clearing the Eighth Heavenly Realm was already terrifying; as for the Ninth, even they had dared only to sneak in, hunting Chaos Dao Seeds at the fringes, never daring to venture deep—yet Li Hao had cleared it entirely?!

Di Wushe fixed his gaze on Li Hao; he knew Di Lingshu would not lie, yet clearing the Ninth Heavenly Realm meant his little brother’s combat power was terrifying.

“Moreover, in the Ninth Heavenly Realm, we encountered two strange elders…”

Di Lingshu recounted the story of the Seventh and Eighth Elders in detail.

“Elders born at the dawn of Chaos?”

Gu Mofan and Di Wushe both froze, eyes filled with thought.

Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor’s eyes flickered slightly, a hint of nostalgia crossing his face: “I never expected you’d meet the Ten Elders—how are their bodies holding up?”

“The Ten Elders?”

Li Hao frowned in confusion.

“At the dawn of Chaos, ten supreme warriors were born—the ten strongest of that chaotic age, whom we called the Ten Elders.”

Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor spoke softly: “After the Great Emperor Era began, our current Emperor Dao cultivation method emerged, replacing their age—but they remain figures of profound respect from the previous era.”

“Master, why are they in the Infinite Heavenly Realms?”

Di Wushe asked curiously.

Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor replied slowly: “It relates to their cultivation system—they were born there, so they may enter freely. If any of you were to become their disciples, you too could enter the Infinite Heavenly Realms at will; the Heavenly Dao’s power would be inexhaustible to you. But as far as I know, the Ten Elders haven’t taken a disciple in ages.”

Di Wushe and the others exchanged glances. Gu Mofan asked: “Master, are you stronger than the Ten Elders?”

Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor smiled faintly: “Naturally, I am—after all, this is the Emperor Dao Era. Their age is long past. Even at their peak, their power merely rivals your pseudo-Emperor realm, bound by their chains, unable to break free—this is inevitable. Just as in this Emperor Dao Era, the ultimate limit is the Great Emperor. Perhaps, far in the future, a new era will arise, birthing beings who transcend the Great Emperor.”