[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity":3,"chapter-the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-898":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Name That Echoes Through Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283447,4466,"Chapter 898: Gathering","the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-898",898,"\u003Cp>After a brief mutual introduction, Long Ying personally escorted Li Hao and Shi Miao to the first and second levels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This level resembled a secret realm—a vast, idyllic landscape unlike the tower it appeared to be from outside; mountains and rivers stretched endlessly, rare flowers and exotic herbs flourished, and an immortal array gathered spiritual power, making cultivation here far more efficient than in the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The scenery within this secret realm is yours to create.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Ying said: “Once you’re all settled, tomorrow we’ll hold a farewell gathering to deepen our understanding—and I’ll also tell you about the many legends of Longmen City, so you may better know it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Miao, seeing Li Hao had no objections, naturally had none either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Long Ying left, Shi Miao accompanied Li Hao on a tour of the level’s secret realm, then returned to her own level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not long after, she came back from her level and said to Li Hao: “Go to my level—the immortal array there gathers spiritual power more strongly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao was surprised, but then he understood: if there were no benefits, the ranking of these level challenges would be meaningless; if it were only about height and view, it would be pointless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you should go to the eighth level?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Miao shook her head: “I’d rather stay closer to you—I can appear promptly if anything happens. Though the array offers slight enhancement, the difference is negligible for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao knew she cherished the time spent beside him, and he smiled: “Then stay on the second level—this array’s effect on me is also average.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cultivation relied on insight into arts and techniques; coming to this border battlefield was merely for battlefield experience—it was time to reap the fruits of his labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even great clans like the Ancestral Dragon Clan send their prodigies out to do real work once they reach the Immortal King realm, rather than continue coddling them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prodigies are the future, but they cannot remain swaddled forever, endlessly fed rare resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Hao say this, Shi Miao no longer refused; both of them were straightforward, disliked formalities, and given their meeting across time and space, there was no need for ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Shi Miao returned to the second level, Li Hao moved into the immortal array, which sat atop a peak, surrounded by rare flowers and exotic herbs, with a spring pool at the summit. As he stepped into the pool, he felt an extraordinary force seep into his body, nourishing his immortal form; his domain also seemed nourished, the myriad laws flowing more smoothly and stably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they not shared the array’s spiritual power, Li Hao would have wanted Shi Miao to stay and cultivate with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had just broken through, Li Hao already felt cultivation in the Immortal King realm was exceedingly difficult; even a top genius like Shi Miao, after three hundred years at Jidao Mountain aiding him, had only reached Immortal King Realm Level Four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant roughly one hundred years per level!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the higher one went, the harder it became; reaching the peak of the Immortal King realm within two thousand years was already extremely rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The years stretch endlessly…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao soaked in the mountain spring, unable to help but sigh; even a brief glance ahead brought a sense of time’s weariness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously at Jidao Mountain, he had spent over a century fully devoted to cultivation, only reaching the thirteenth stage of a single mental insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, here on the border we can hunt ancient demons and gather True God blood; accumulate ten thousand drops, and we reach perfection—True God immortality means even a Pretender Emperor cannot kill us…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao’s eyes flickered; the True God realm, unless slain by an Emperor’s direct hand, was nearly indestructible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when inheriting the legacy of Tianyang Immortal Emperor, he had met that True God in the Zunshen Tower—once slain in battle, his physical body destroyed, yet his True God essence remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Without ancient demon corpses, relying solely on self-cultivation to condense True God blood, one drop takes ten years—too difficult.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao thought inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To condense ten thousand drops would take one hundred thousand years!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many Pretender Emperors, though entering the True God realm, had not even reached perfection!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only with special divine herbs could the condensation of True God blood be accelerated—but such herbs, when they appeared, were fiercely contested by all major factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, I must continue refining the Way of Music; I’ve already had a sudden insight, crossed the threshold—only one final step remains…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I can integrate it into Sword Dao, elevating Sword Dao to the thirteenth stage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But then I’ll have to figure out how to keep my three domains from interfering with each other…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao frowned; refining his mental insight to the thirteenth stage was already difficult—each new insight added another domain, and each time he had to rework how to prevent the domains from devouring one another. This Emperor’s Path was unbearably arduous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he could first focus on mental insight, and only integrate later when confident—this gave him breathing room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Music…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao thought of the boundless Heavenly Realm, of the Heavenly Dao’s whispers along the Ascension Path—those whispers were like mysterious sources of Dao essence; if he could comprehend them, he might instantly attain the tenth stage of Dao origin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his hand, stirring the water; a melodious sound echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind howled past, carrying a sense of solitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao gazed at the surrounding heavens and earth, his eyes filled with sudden understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All things in heaven and earth seemed to be making sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this world, sound was profoundly important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Hao’s body circulated, absorbing heavenly spiritual power to strengthen his internal meridians, he sank into deep contemplation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Longmen City, the Governor’s Mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan had just returned to the mansion when his personal guard delivered a message: the Governor wished to see him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, he quickly made his way to the Governor’s council hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon entering, Qing Xuan saw four Grand Commanders inside, all with grim expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Governor, Long Potian, was of the Ancestral Dragon Clan; like all border city governors, he was appointed and controlled by the Ancestral Dragon Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Long Potian, in his golden-robed middle-aged form, stared intently at the golden light hovering in the hall—a three-dimensional image of Longmen City and its surrounding void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re back. Did Qing Ge just leave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Potian looked up, his furrowed brows fixed on Qing Xuan; his voice, however, held a calmness, as if the heavens themselves had collapsed before him without stirring his composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, he said he had a junior brother coming to train here—I just settled him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan nodded, then asked: “What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Junior brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Potian seemed to recall; anyone who was Qing Ge’s junior brother was naturally a direct disciple of the Dao Source Immortal Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he did not press further; instead, he nodded and said sharply: “Look closely here—do you see anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed toward a section of the void beyond Longmen City in the golden image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan stared intently but saw nothing unusual; he immediately activated a secret technique, his eyes turning deep blue-purple—and instantly, he spotted an extremely faint gray thread, slightly darker than its surroundings, yet so subtle it was nearly invisible without careful observation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It could be a void fissure!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Potian said gravely: “For the past few centuries, Jianlong Pass has seen constant warfare, with extremely high frequency; but in the last hundred years, the fighting at Jianlong Pass has weakened, while ancient demon armies have begun launching surprise attacks from Beiyan Pass. We initially assumed the demons had shifted strategy to target Beiyan Pass—but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Void fissure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan’s pupils contracted; hearing Long Potian’s words, he instantly understood his suspicion, and his face darkened in alarm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re feigning an attack on Jianlong Pass, but their real target is to breach through it and strike at our Longmen City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s one possibility,” Long Potian said. “It could also be a probe, meant to make us believe this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan frowned, then understood the Governor’s meaning: “So you haven’t informed the Pass Commander yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already reported it and laid out my suspicions. How the Pass Commander decides is beyond me. This fissure was noticed by Ling Xu during his patrol—he stumbled upon it by accident—but I’ve had an uneasy feeling in my spirit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Potian said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For beings of his caliber, spiritual unease meant some disaster was approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So if we move troops from elsewhere to stand guard, it might be a ruse by the ancient demons, designed to draw our forces away? But if we ignore it, and it’s real, our Longmen City alone cannot withstand their assault—especially since any attack would be massive, not minor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan frowned tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eastern Region had many powerful clans, but border warfare was constant; a thousand years ago, the clans forcibly conscripted soldiers—simply put, they were short on manpower!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And desperately so!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The war’s consumption, soldier replenishment, and growth rates barely kept pace; moving troops would be a risky decision!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, discovering such intelligence should be good—but after ten thousand years of conflict with the ancient demons, they had witnessed countless deceptions, suffering heavy losses, and could not afford to be careless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what about the teleportation immortal array? If war breaks out, reinforcements can be teleported in quickly—they’d have to destroy the array to launch a surprise attack, so it should be heavily guarded!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though teleportation reinforcements were limited in speed, holding the line long enough could ensure survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I plan to station the Long Dun Tower there—specifically, the Tianjia Division.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Potian said firmly: “The ancient demons may launch attacks as usual, but they might also try to destroy the teleportation array—this will help us discern their intent. For now, we’ll pretend not to notice the void fissure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the Tianjia Division of Long Dun Tower is moved, the battlefield will become dangerous—we’ll lose many soldiers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no choice—it’s a matter of sacrifice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long Potian said gravely. “We must shift more pressure onto the other Long Dun Towers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Xuan understood: this was the only option now. As long as the teleportation array held, no matter the demons’ trickery, they could buy time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eastern Region Border, Jianlong Pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a barrier stretching for hundreds of millions of miles; in the void, nine great cities were linked, each serving as an array node, forming a defense line soaked in the blood of countless True World races and ancient demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the void was gray and hazy, countless dust particles drifting through it, permeated by a bloodstain that had not faded in ten thousand years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stench was thick, accumulated over countless years, the mingled odors of countless races’ blood, emitting a strange, overpowering reek; standing on this battlefield, every breath felt like drowning in a pool of blood, thoughts disturbed, as if hearing the wails and screams of countless vengeful spirits and the snarls of monstrous beasts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those with weak spiritual resolve who entered this battlefield would be affected, growing irritable and bloodthirsty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This battlefield was like a meat grinder, crushing everything—including prodigies, Pretender Emperors, and even Immortal Emperors who had once fallen here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the Ancient Demon Cataclysm ten thousand years ago, an Emperor of the Eastern Region guarded this place alone, holding back billions of ancient demons—until he was slain by a coalition of Ancient Demon Emperors, his imperial body torn apart; the Eastern Region’s myriad races recovered only one of his arms and his damaged immortal imperial weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On either side of the gates of the nine great cities stood carved statues of that Emperor, like towering guardians defending the gates—a memorial from the Eastern Region’s clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such a heavy scent...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, in one of the cities, two figures were summoned and brought into the governor’s mansion of that city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One wore a green dress, exuding immortal aura, her beauty peerless; the other wore a silver robe, silk ribbons winding around her, golden ornamental chains hanging from her, her demeanor ethereal, her gaze distant and untainted by worldly dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Luo, this place is like this—Dragon Pass has accumulated too much blood, even been rebuilt; beneath our very city lie countless bones and heroic spirits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The summoning Immortal King smiled and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl in green was Luo Ningshuang; beside her was Xue Fei. Both descended the mountain together and discovered they were headed to the same place, so they traveled together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard that among the Four Realms, the Eastern Realm faces the most frequent battles against the Ancient Demons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Fei said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a member of the Chaotic Ancient Immortal Clan, she had come to the True Realm to train. Though she, like other Chaotic Ancient Clans, looked down upon the myriad races of the True Realm, she shared a common enmity toward the Ancient Demon race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Ancient Demon race sought not only to exterminate the myriad races of the True Realm, but also the Chaotic Ancient Clans—and all life in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. So when you come here for training, you’ll often be sent into battle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The summoning Immortal King nodded, his expression grave. “This border battlefield is also called the Graveyard of Heavenly Talents. Most who reach the Immortal King realm are dragons among men; the elite here are all called Heavenly Talents, and among them, the exceptional ones—like you two—are peerless geniuses. Yet even here, you’re but fireflies. When war breaks out, you’ll feel it—even a Pretender Emperor cannot sweep the entire battlefield.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Ningshuang and Xue Fei had already heard many tales; their expressions turned solemn. In one-on-one combat, they both believed they could match anyone—especially now that they had broken through to Immortal King and awakened their respective powers, they were already among the top in their realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But on the battlefield, there are no rules, no one-on-one duels—the more brilliant you are, the more you draw concentrated fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With your talent and status, coming to the front line is truly admirable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Immortal King sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Ningshuang’s expression remained calm. “It’s nothing. The direct disciples of other Immortal Emperors, after becoming Immortal Kings, all train in dangerous places. I heard one disciple under Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor has been fighting here for over a thousand years—he’s a Heavenly Talent from the Ancestral Dragon Court.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean Lord Long Zhen, Long Qingge?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Immortal King’s eyes lit with respect. “He is indeed the pride of our Eastern Realm. He hasn’t just fought here for over a thousand years—he’s been here for nearly three thousand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is he here in this pass?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Fei slightly raised her eyebrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. He is the commander here,” said the Immortal King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two exchanged glances. From the Immortal King’s explanations, they now understood the commander’s status and power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, they knew the man had cultivated thousands of years before them; his rise to commander was unsurprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is he the only direct disciple of Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Ningshuang suddenly felt a spark of curiosity and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Immortal King paused, then shook his head. “We don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Ningshuang felt a pang of disappointment, but then asked: “Have any prodigies named Hao Tian arrived recently?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hao Tian?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Immortal King thought for a moment, then shook his head. “There are a few with that name, but none stand out particularly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it’s certainly not him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Luo Ningshuang felt regret. She knew that if the boy had come here, he would have been treated with the same importance as them. She wanted to see his strength after becoming Immortal King, and how far he lagged behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that she had awakened her Ancestral Emperor Power, she was unmatched in her realm—but she had a gut feeling that the boy would gradually catch up to her in the near future.\u003C\u002Fp>",2690,"2026-06-20T02:15:44.384Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","32925ba234089051c9b9e6390ce5f44cc03f80a737fd9766292f4ca21c2d29e1","the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-899","the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-897",929,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-cover.jpg"]