Chapter 892: Reshaping

“Two world hearts?”

The Dao Source Immortal Emperor gazed intently, his eyes piercing through nothingness, seeing deep within Li Hao’s celestial body—the two dormant world hearts.

Earlier, when Li Hao ascended, he had watched from afar in the hall, feeling only joy; when Li Hao condensed his second world heart, though surprised, it was not too extraordinary compared to Li Hao’s comprehension of sixty-nine stars in a single day.

But now, these two world hearts had somehow reached a balance within Li Hao’s body, refusing to merge—and this gave him serious pause.

When the Dao Source Immortal Emperor appeared, the incarnations of Di Wushe, Gu Mofan, and others also materialized, gathering outside the small courtyard.

Now that Li Hao had ascended to Immortal King, as his senior brothers and sisters, they naturally came to offer congratulations.

“We pay homage to our Master.”

All spoke in unison.

“Hao Tian, show me your world hearts.”

The Dao Source Immortal Emperor said to Li Hao.

Li Hao immediately understood his Master had seen the issue with his world hearts; he made no concealment, summoning both world hearts at once, along with their two domain realms, which surged forth and enveloped Li Hao.

Seeing this, Gu Mofan, Di Wushe, and the others—who had just bowed to their Master—froze, their pupils contracting in stunned disbelief as they stared at Li Hao.

Even Shi Miao could not hide her shock; she had not expected Li Hao to condense two world hearts at once, let alone that they remained separate and coexisting!

“How is this possible?!”

“Two world hearts existing simultaneously, with no sign of mutual consumption?”

Zhan Qinghuang gasped in horror; as a quasi-Immortal Emperor and prodigy of the Zhan Clan, who had fought across countless battlefields, she was momentarily uncomposed.

Di Wushe and Gu Mofan stood frozen, dazed and bewildered; countless thoughts exploded in their minds, fleeting ideas racing through, finally converging on two words: Emperor Path.

The Dao Source Immortal Emperor fixed his gaze, studying Li Hao’s two world hearts closely; soon, his frown eased, and a smile appeared on his face as he said to Li Hao:

“Excellent, very excellent. Though still flawed, if you can perfect them… this will be your Emperor Path!”

Hearing their Master’s words, the others snapped back to awareness, shaken from their awe—only to sink into even deeper astonishment.

Their young junior brother, who had just ascended to Immortal King, had already glimpsed the embryonic form of an Emperor Path?!

Di Lingshu’s mouth hung slightly open, speechless; suddenly, she understood why Li Hao had dared refuse the Heavenly Heart’s confirmation—perhaps this was the unshakable confidence of a peerless prodigy!

She had been a peerless prodigy since childhood, hearing countless praises—but now she felt herself reduced to mediocrity.

Compared to this young junior brother, no one could be called a prodigy.

“Emperor Path…”

Gu Mofan and Di Wushe exchanged glances, each seeing the shock and bitterness in the other’s eyes; they had spent tens of thousands of years merely stumbling upon the embryonic form of an Emperor Path, yet still had not found the way to open it—but this young junior brother, having just entered Immortal King, had already found his own Emperor Path.

Two world hearts coexisting—yes, how obvious an Emperor Path this was!

To do what is deemed impossible, to shatter constraints, to carve out new domains—this is what it means to be an Emperor!

“Others have conceived this path before, but none even reached its embryonic form; your junior brother has already maintained balance between two world hearts—if perfected, he could allow even more world hearts to coexist. This would be a tremendous boon to all Immortal Kings of the True Realm, doubling their combat power!”

Gu Mofan, regaining his composure, could not help but exclaim.

He knew the magnitude of impact this Emperor Path would have on Immortal Kings, who were the elite of every faction—even the ancestral elders of great clans—all would owe Li Hao eternal merit; at that time, Li Hao’s influence over the myriad races of the True Realm would be extraordinary.

The others also realized the terrifying potential of Li Hao’s Emperor Path, and fell silent in awe.

Previously, as direct disciples under their Master, they had all felt superior to their peers—yet since Li Hao’s arrival, they had witnessed true genius, and found themselves reduced to the ordinary.

Everyone offered Li Hao their congratulations, lavish praise pouring forth; Li Hao was flattered, even embarrassed—he had merely been lucky.

The Dao Source Immortal Emperor’s gaze was gentle, yet his voice remained calm: “Many have considered this path since ancient times. If multiple world hearts are opened, it becomes an Emperor Path—but no one has ever taken the first step. Even those who did eventually realized their method was flawed, unable to proceed further, and failed utterly.”

“Your embryonic form has flaws. Perhaps in correcting them, you will overturn all prior methods entirely—so proceed with caution.”

Li Hao understood his Master feared he might grow complacent; he nodded: “I will do my best.”

He also knew that when he condensed a third or fourth world heart, his current method might no longer work—this Emperor Path was no ordinary endeavor, or else it would not have stymied countless prodigies.

The others also grasped the Dao Source Immortal Emperor’s warning to Li Hao; they ceased their praise, offering only encouraging glances.

“You’ve just ascended. When you’ve adapted, come to the great hall and find me.”

The Dao Source Immortal Emperor said, then his figure vanished instantly.

Seeing this, the others bid Li Hao farewell and departed.

“Though the Dao Source Immortal Emperor speaks wisely, I believe you can carry this forward and open this Emperor Path!”

Shi Miao encouraged Li Hao.

Li Hao nodded. “I will.”

His earlier enlightenment had shown him the true meaning of cultivation: opening an Emperor Path was not merely for becoming a Great Emperor, but to carve a path never before trodden, forging a new great Dao—this was a miracle, and a thrilling endeavor.

To guide the myriad races for ten thousand generations!

Shi Miao nodded, no longer disturbing Li Hao.

Li Hao closed his eyes, withdrawing his two world hearts, then carefully sensing the transformation within his body; the heavenly dao forces he had absorbed in the Infinite Heavenly Realm now stirred, quietly seeping into his domain realms.

His spiritual sense swept through—the two domain realms were like primordial chaos, containing only the ten thousand laws and cosmic order.

“Domain… to carve out one’s own world…”

Li Hao’s eyes flickered; unconsciously, images of the mortal realm arose in his mind—the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, the city of Qingzhou, and that border fortress—Tianmen Pass!

Past people and events surfaced in his thoughts—laughter, tears; his thoughts guided the ten thousand laws, carving order from the chaos of the domain; as earth and wood laws flowed, mountains, rivers, and land emerged.

The Nine Sequences faded into the domain; rivers, mountains, sun, moon, and stars gradually took shape, forming a majestic, vast world.

The wild, primordial aura gradually dissipated; at the world’s center, a grand divine dynasty arose, empty cities rising from the earth—each one he had once fought through, each one he remembered clearly, each one where he had slain demons and monsters.

Now, they all reappeared within his domain.

As a mighty city stood firm, buildings within it rapidly took form: taverns selling delicacies, roadside stalls, towering hills, and scattered temples and sects upon them.

Nearby, a magnificent, glorious mansion slowly took shape.

Seeing the mansion, Li Hao’s eyes flickered slightly; though he had left it behind, severed all ties, never once returning—he could not deny it held his childhood memories, filled with many beauties, deeply etched in his soul.

Each courtyard, every blue stone tile, every eave and tiled roof, seemed carved from memory.

Mount Qing Courtyard, Evergreen Courtyard, Water Splendor Courtyard…

Now seeing these courtyards again, Li Hao’s gaze was calm; all past feelings had dissolved, all released.

Behind the courtyards stood the tower filled with secret manuals and cultivation arts—but the old man who once fished there was gone.

The entire mansion, the entire city, stood empty and silent, watched only by Li Hao’s spiritual sense—as if he had returned alone to his past.

Qingzhou City, Tianmen Pass… the Divine Dynasty’s Imperial Palace…

Li Hao gazed silently; the dynasty now held no life—but beyond it, in the wasteland, lay a great lake, the convergence point of the ten thousand laws, brimming with potent life energy and primordial qi.

The heavenly dao forces seeping into the domain now quietly gathered here, converging into the lake.

Within the lake, life slowly gestated; the heavenly dao forces wove into countless threads, entwining with the nascent life.

Li Hao knew it would not be long before this dynasty would be filled with people.

Moreover, due to the heavenly dao forces, the life gestating in his domain could cultivate; Li Hao could manipulate their fates, deducing countless cultivation arts—even unknown paths—far surpassing the speed of an Immortal King’s own enlightenment.

The life gestating in the lake had no human form, yet its aura grew steadily stronger; Li Hao left a thread of spiritual sense here, shaping the race of these beings.

Once this domain stabilized and developed, Li Hao’s spiritual awareness shifted to the Formless Domain.

The Formless Domain was also chaos, its gray mist seeming to devour all things.

Li Hao followed the same method as before, carving it open.

As the Nine Sequences evolved, images of the myriad worlds appeared in his mind—the Thirty-Three Heavenly Realms, including his original world, Canglan Realm, the Sword Ancestor Sacred Ground…

The myriad worlds were a hundred times larger than the Great Yu Divine Dynasty; Li Hao devoted far greater care and effort to their creation.

As his memories surged, the familiar worlds gradually took shape.

Gazing at the towering peaks of the Sword Ancestor Sacred Ground, Li Hao felt dazed; once, when he first entered the myriad worlds, he had been hunted by the Void Sage’s incarnation, rose to fame within the Sword Ancestor Sacred Ground—now, it seemed centuries had passed.

Li Hao had not traveled every world in the myriad realms; he shaped only what he remembered; places he had never visited remained gray, misty voids.

Near the Sword Ancestor Sacred Ground, a life lake appeared; Li Hao built the Life Sea here, nurturing life.

“Immortal King… is not merely about oneself, but also bearing the lives of an entire domain.”

Li Hao’s eyes flickered; suddenly, he felt the weight of it—if he perished, the lives within his domain would vanish too—and these lives… though created by him, were sentient beings!

Like children born from him.

“The domain of a King must not be violated.”

Li Hao murmured to himself.

When both domains stabilized, Li Hao withdrew his spiritual awareness, seeing Shi Miao near the zither platform; his gaze softened as he asked: “How long have I been in cultivation?”

“Half a month.”

Seeing Li Hao awake, Shi Miao knew he had completed shaping his domains; she smiled and asked: “Now that you’ve ascended, where do you plan to go?”

Li Hao shook his head; he thought of the Southern Region—but with his current strength, facing that Supreme Being would mean certain death; the gap was too vast.

The Southern Region was too dangerous. The Northern Region… Li Hao thought of the Su Clan; their ancestor, Su Jiuzhe, had shown him great kindness; his grudge with Su Muqing had dissolved with Shi Miao’s awakening; if the Su Clan needed aid, he could go to the Northern Region to help suppress demons.

Thinking this, Li Hao rose and said: “I’ll go find my Master first.”

“Mm, I’ll come too.”

Shi Miao followed, inseparable from Li Hao.

Li Hao nodded, taking her hand, and they walked together toward the great hall.

Inside the hall, the Dao Source Immortal Emperor sat before a chessboard on the side; seeing Li Hao enter, he showed no surprise—he had known the moment Li Hao stepped out of the courtyard.

“This ascension has made you a sovereign of your own domain. The Primordial True Realm’s enhancement for you has been minimal. The Immortal King disciples below remain here to cultivate because they have not yet fully fused their primordial dao. Though they are Immortal Kings, further cultivation yields no benefit—but they may contemplate and reincarnate.”

The Dao Source Immortal Emperor spoke slowly: “For you, reaching the peak of Immortal King is not your goal; seeking the Emperor Path is your cultivation. But the Emperor Path cannot be found through mere hard work. By tradition, upon ascending to Immortal King, you must undergo trials in the True Realm.”

Li Hao nodded; as an Immortal King, he now possessed the capability to stand alone.

“Immortal King is already the peak combat strength of the True Realm’s myriad races. Since you’ve just ascended, I plan to send you to your fifth senior brother’s domain—the Eastern Region’s Ancestral Dragon Court!”

The Dao Source Immortal Emperor said.

"The Eastern Realm? The Ancestral Dragon Court?"

Li Hao’s eyes flickered slightly.

"That’s right. In the Four Realms of the True World, the Southern Realm is Tiangong, the Northern Realm is Emperor Star, and the Eastern Realm is the Ancestral Dragon Court, ruled by the Ancestral Dragon Clan. Your fifth senior brother is a prodigy of that clan. After cultivating to mastery under me, he returned to the Eastern Realm and, per the Ancestral Dragon Clan’s rules, guards a territory. You may go assist him."

Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor said.

Li Hao knew his master was asking his fifth senior brother to look after him; after all, he had just broken through to the Throne King realm, and though he was now a Throne King, the ten layers of the Throne King realm held vast differences.

"Alright."

Li Hao nodded, accepting without refusal—he also wanted to first become proficient in his Throne King realm combat power, and the Eastern Realm offered just as much opportunity for cultivation.

"Besides you, among the disciples of Chaos Gate who returned from the Infinite Heavenly Realm, several others have broken through to Throne King. Two young girls awakened their Imperial Bloodline true blood, inheriting the primordial imperial power within their lineage, astonishing everyone—they’ve surpassed other Throne King prodigies who just broke through. Though newly arrived in the Throne King realm, they can already challenge the Ninth Layer of the Primordial Demon Cave!"

Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor said slowly: "By regulation, any Throne King descending the mountain must first conquer the Seventh Layer of the Primordial Demon Cave to qualify for departure."