Chapter 913: Initial Test Results

The terrifying control force surged like a colossal hand, suddenly tearing open and widening the rift in the entire world.

In an instant, the celestial starlight divine force pouring down transformed from a trickle into a waterfall, flooding into his body.

Under the influence of this terrifying control force, the celestial starlight power did not feel like borrowing—it actively drained itself.

As the divine force surged, Li Hao’s reverse-time domain suddenly radiated a terrifying aura, instantly spreading outward, enveloping everything like a cold proclamation guided by his will.

“Solidify!”

In an instant, the laws and spacetime within the domain locked tight, bound by countless threads of divine force.

The three ancient demons’ bodies froze instantly; their star-colliding domains were instantly surrounded, penetrated, and tightly entangled by Li Hao’s reverse-time domain, binding and solidifying their very bodies along with it!

“Slash.”

The Chaotic Ultimate Sword Dao erupted instantly, infused with the power of the reverse-time domain—the Reverse-Time Destiny Sword Slash.

A phantom-like blade flash swept past; the three ancient demons’ bodies tore apart, and as they did, a strange phenomenon occurred—their forms shrank continuously, their aura dwindled, dropping from the third layer of Immortal King realm to the second layer in mere moments!

The penetration of reverse-time force reversed their bodies, causing their cultivation base to plummet below their original realm.

Boom!

As their realms weakened, they could no longer withstand the Reverse-Time Destiny Sword Slash, instantly shattered into three clouds of blood mist, then annihilated.

Li Hao retracted his surging True God Blood control force, sensing it had not yet been fully unleashed.

Soon, the voice of the Celestial Tower echoed from the sky.

Li Hao did not hesitate—he chose to continue the trial.

Level 22.

This time, Li Hao did not burn all his True God Blood at once; he gradually increased the intensity.

When he burned a thousand drops of True God Blood, he passed this level.

Then came Level 23, Level 24… by Level 25, Li Hao needed to burn three thousand drops of True God Blood.

“With the strength of my True God Blood, reversing two realms is already this difficult.”

Li Hao’s gaze grew heavier; ordinary Immortal Kings could barely master True God realm, and even among the Heavenly Disciples personally trained by Immortal Emperors, those who could condense a thousand drops of True God Blood were exceedingly rare.

This meant that, excluding other powers, other Immortal Kings of the first layer could at most reach around Level 22 before struggling severely.

“Continue!”

Li Hao did not stop—he pressed upward relentlessly.

Fortunately, each time he passed a trial and entered the next level, all previously consumed resources restored completely.

This allowed him to maintain peak condition for every level’s challenge.

“Ultimate Dao Art!”

At Level 26, Li Hao unleashed the Emperor’s Ultimate Art, passed down by his Master.

Merely the first tier, with its triple amplification, caused his True God Blood reserves to surge to the equivalent of nine thousand drops.

With terrifying control force driving it, he shattered all the ancient demons of Level 26 almost instantly.

Li Hao ascended swiftly, and in moments, reached Level 30.

The three ancient demons here were at the peak of Immortal King realm’s third layer, each wielding near-top-tier domains and possessing the secret techniques of Ancient Demon Royal Bloodline.

As soon as he appeared, the three demons unleashed their full power, activating their royal bloodline, unleashing their racial core force—the Dark Poison Domain of the Poison Corrosion Clan pierced through Li Hao’s reverse-time domain, rotting it open; even with overwhelming control force, his domain felt like paper film, unable to withstand the assault, quickly riddled with holes.

Li Hao could only fold his domain using control force—a combat technique he learned in fierce battles.

As his domain constantly shifted and folded, wrapped in reverse-time destiny sword qi, he swiftly slew the three ancient demons.

“Level 30 feels close to my limit. Without the Ultimate Dao Art, the peak of any Immortal King of the first layer would likely stop here.”

Li Hao breathed lightly, thinking to himself.

He did not pause—he pressed forward again.

Level 31.

The demons he faced here were Immortal King realm’s fourth layer.

As soon as he arrived, he felt crushing pressure that made every hair on his body stand on end, his domain trembling as if on the verge of shattering.

His domain was only of Immortal King first-layer strength; even a top-tier domain core felt fragile before an Immortal King of the fourth layer.

Without hesitation, Li Hao immediately activated the Ultimate Dao Art, unleashing all his power.

But as the three Immortal King fourth-layer demons unfolded their domains, his own domain felt like autumn leaves caught in a gale—cracks spread across it, on the brink of collapse.

“Kill!”

Li Hao burned his True God Blood—nine thousand drops’ worth of power surged as overwhelming control force, yet his domain still trembled like a candle in the wind, on the verge of shattering.

Li Hao had no choice—he redirected the control force into offense, abandoning defense, condensing his domain into the sword qi and piercing through instantly.

In moments, the three demons fell.

And Li Hao’s own domain shattered.

“Almost a mutual annihilation…”

Li Hao’s expression changed; in reality, such a clash—even if he survived—would leave his domain shattered, and he himself would likely perish.

With the power of Eternal Imperishable Final Realm, he might preserve his life, but his realm would inevitably regress below Immortal King, his Dao heart cracked, making it nearly impossible to break through and reclaim the King realm in the short term.

An Immortal King first-layer domain facing an Immortal King fourth-layer was already at its absolute limit.

Even if he activated the Ultimate Dao Art’s triple amplification, boosting his reserves to twenty-one thousand drops of True God Blood, this terrifying control force might let him slay more Immortal King fourth-layer demons—but his own domain still could not endure it, ending in mutual annihilation.

“This is the limit of a single domain…”

Li Hao thought to himself.

…

At the summit of the Celestial Tower.

The Star Empress and the Imperishable Immortal Emperor’s eyes flickered slightly, revealing a trace of surprise.

“Ultimate Dao Art—is this one of Dao Yuan’s disciples?”

“Talented, but his realm is too low. This is not his era.”

The Imperishable Immortal Emperor spoke calmly.

The Star Empress nodded slightly, feeling a faint regret—but only a faint one. After all, Dao Yuan Immortal Emperor’s few disciples were all exceptionally gifted; she had seen them. If those three early disciples could take the final step during this cataclysm, they might significantly influence the battle’s outcome.

As for this disciple, clearly newly taken, he did not belong to Dao Yuan’s era.

Living in an era not his own meant the destiny of this age did not rest upon him.

“Ancestral Emperor Power…”

“What a pity.”

Soon, the two Immortal Emperors noticed that besides the boy, several other Immortal King first-layer figures were also rapidly ascending, forcing their way past Level 30.

“Fine talents—if they reach Immortal King’s peak, they might contend for True King status. But whether time will suffice…”

The Star Empress’s eyes gleamed.

The Imperishable Immortal Emperor shook his head slightly: “Too young. Like the boy—if they survive the cataclysm, they’ll be the next era’s Heavenly Prodigies and True Kings. But alas…”

The Star Empress said nothing, but in her perception, she suddenly noticed one figure blazingly brilliant—racing up to Level 70.

And that figure’s own realm was only Immortal King fourth layer.

The higher one climbed, the greater the difficulty; what most intrigued her was that the opponent’s Time Dao realm had reached the ninth tier, and was nearing the tenth!

If her power allowed, her Time Dao realm might truly unleash the full might of the tenth tier!

Remember—only a handful of Immortal King peak cultivators could possibly master such a realm!

“Such familiar Time Dao technique… so it’s her…”

The Star Empress’s eyes shifted; soon, she recognized the figure.

She never expected, after ten thousand years, the woman would reappear, returning once more to the time before the cataclysm.

…

Level 31 of the Celestial Tower.

Luo Ningshuang stared at the three Immortal King fourth-layer demons before her, her gaze sharp; without pause, she unleashed Ancestral Emperor Power.

At Level 25, she had already hit her limit, relying on Ancestral Emperor Power to breeze through.

Now, she wanted to test the limits of Ancestral Emperor Power—and her own combat limits. Boom!

As Ancestral Emperor Power erupted, a vast imperial aura surged through her entire body.

In moments, her domain unfolded, crushing down upon the three ancient demons.

The three demons likewise activated their royal bloodline, unleashing their domains to strike back.

Luo Ningshuang immediately felt her domain trembling as if about to shatter—upon contact with their domains, it was like paper meeting stone, ready to be crushed.

She swiftly coated her domain with Ancestral Emperor Power; instantly, her domain was sheathed in an iron shell, repelling the three demons’ domains back.

She raised her hand and cast divine arts, striking swiftly.

Under the crushing pressure of Ancestral Emperor Power, the three demons appeared clumsy before her—but even so, it took her considerable time to slowly kill them.

“With Ancestral Emperor Power, reaching this point is still this difficult!”

Luo Ningshuang’s face darkened; she felt she was nearing her limit.

“If I find it this hard, how far can others go? Sister Wanyi probably matches me—let’s see who’s higher, who’s lower!”

She thought of her fellow disciple, while the fleeting image of the boy in her mind was instantly discarded.

At the Immortal Lord realm, she admitted the boy was terrifying—but now, in Immortal King realm, with her Ancestral Emperor Power awakened, she was destined to soar beyond all other Heavenly Prodigies of this realm.

After all, this was the foundation of an ancient bloodline—no fleeting prodigy could reverse fate.

“Kill!”

She charged forward toward the next level.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in Layer 33.

Li Hao stepped out; in Layer 32, he had activated the second layer of the Ultimate Dao Art and eliminated six Ancient Demons just before the realm shattered completely.

Although he estimated he could still use the Ultimate Dao Art in Layer 33, there was no longer any meaning in continuing the trial.

He intended to test the power of overlapping dual realms.

“Formless, Reverse Time!”

In an instant, two realm forces appeared beside Li Hao.

The Formless force turned his body into nothingness, without form or path, while Reverse Time placed him in another timeline.

As the two powers intersected, Li Hao felt an overwhelming surge of energy coursing through him.

The consumption of Immortal Qi was immense—he activated the first layer of the Ultimate Dao Art, burning all his True God Blood into 9,300 drops of True God Blood’s commanding force.

The Celestial Star Meridians transformed into 108 pillars of light, connecting to him; the torrential Immortal Qi pushed the dual realm forces to their absolute limit.

“Reverse Time, Formless!”

The dual realms overlapped, merging into one—within Formlessness lay temporal power; within Time lay countless forms!

In an instant, countless figures appeared densely packed within his domain.

Past, present, future—three timelines, all filled with countless forms.

Each of the countless forms unleashed the Chaotic Ultimate Sword Art simultaneously; the sword dao unified into one, and in a single moment, twelve Ancient Demons were instantly obliterated.

“Dual realms… can actually block them…”

Li Hao froze, his eyes brightening with delight.

Dual realms could withstand the fourth-layer Immortal King realm of these twelve Ancient Demons—combined with the terrifying commanding force of True God Blood, he could push further!

As the voice of the Celestial Tower echoed from the sky, Li Hao did not hesitate—he chose to continue the challenge.

Meanwhile, at the peak of the Celestial Tower.

The Star Empress and the Immortal Emperor of Undying both froze.

They had watched every scene within the Celestial Tower, including many prodigies from great clans who had drawn their attention.

But in the unremarkable lower levels, one scene startled both of them.

“Dual realms?”

“They’re coexisting!”

Both were stunned—they understood what this meant.

The embryonic Emperor Path—the young man at Immortal King First Layer had forged another path; if he could complete it, it would become an Emperor Path!

Yet, since ancient times, no one had succeeded on this path. Countless had tried and failed, including themselves—they had attempted it too, and failed. Otherwise, they could have opened a second Emperor Path, like the Dao Source Immortal Emperor.

Yet this boy was now attempting it.

Was it guided by his master, or had he discovered it himself?

“The two realms haven’t fused—they truly coexist.”

The Star Empress waved her hand, replaying Li Hao’s battle in slow motion before her eyes, scrutinizing every detail: how he released his Immortal Qi, every expression during combat.

“Dual top-tier realms, coexisting—this is truly an exceptional talent. I heard this boy stirred up great turmoil in the Primitive True Realm. He clearly has substance.”

The Immortal Emperor of Undying murmured.

Though he had secluded himself for many years, upon reemerging, he had gathered news of major events over the past ten thousand years—he had not fallen out of touch.

“Pity his realm is too low. Hopefully he grows quickly—he may yet qualify as a True King’s deputy, becoming a vice-commander!”

The Star Empress murmured, her attention fixed on the boy—he was a promising candidate in this True King preliminary selection.

“He just broke through to Kinghood and already stumbled upon the Emperor Path. But it’s only the first step. To truly forge it, he must master six or seven realm cores that coexist—only then might it be possible.”

The Immortal Emperor of Undying said.

Though the boy’s grasp of the Emperor Path was astonishing, it was merely the beginning—the further he went, the harder it became. The top prodigies of great clans ascended swiftly to the Pretender Emperor realm without hindrance, yet before the final Emperor Path, many halted for tens of thousands of years. Even with guidance from countless Immortal Emperors and teachings from their clan’s Emperor Ancestors, they gained no advantage.

Repairing the Emperor Path relies solely on oneself.

“Look—those from the Emperor Clan have already reached Layer 100. No wonder they’re the greatest clan in the True Realm.”

The Star Empress suddenly said.

Quickly, both Immortal Emperors shifted their attention to the middle and lower sections of the Celestial Tower.

Meanwhile, two figures emerged from the Celestial Tower, one right after the other.

Luo Ningshuang turned back and immediately saw her name and projection flash within Layer 36, the layer she had cleared.

This was her Celestial Tower score.

On her first attempt, having burned her True God Blood at all costs and exhausted her Ancestral Emperor power, her limit was Layer 36.

She felt both disappointment and a measure of satisfaction—she believed that for an Immortal King First Layer cultivator, clearing Layer 30 was already beyond heaven’s will.

Sensing the aura beside her, Luo Ningshuang turned and saw her junior sister, Su Wanyi.

Su Wanyi also withdrew her gaze from the Celestial Tower. She not only saw her own score but noticed a projection of her senior sister hovering at Layer 36—meaning they had both reached the same layer.

“Junior sister, that’s no small feat. Your Su Clan truly lives up to its reputation as a great clan of the Northern Region.”

Luo Ningshuang lightly arched her brow, speaking calmly.

Though Su Wanyi had anticipated it, seeing her senior sister match her score, she couldn’t help sighing inwardly. She quickly stilled her emotions and said calmly: “You’re no less impressive.”

As she spoke, her gaze swept across the crowd, searching for other familiar faces.

For this True King selection, she had already spotted many acquaintances she’d met during her Immortal Lord days—besides that boy, many disciples of the Primitive Immortal Emperor’s Chaotic Clan had also come.

Soon, she spotted several familiar faces standing outside the Tower. Scanning their floating positions, she saw their projections displayed on the corresponding lower layers of the Celestial Tower.

When she saw most of them hovering around Layer 20-something, Su Wanyi exhaled in relief—the overwhelming strength of Ancestral Emperor Power was, as her master had said, a crushing advantage among Immortal Kings. Even the most gifted prodigies could not rival the power embedded in their bloodline.

This was the depth of ancient heritage.

“Hmm?”

She glanced around but saw no sign of Li Hao. Her brow furrowed slightly.

Could his battle have been more intense, slowing his progress so he hadn’t emerged yet?

She had climbed up layer by layer—she knew the difficulty of each level. She did not believe Li Hao could push beyond Layer 30, let alone surpass her.

Even if he wielded a top-tier realm, when facing an Immortal King Fourth Layer, his realm would shatter like paper.

“That guy hasn’t come out yet—could he be dawdling inside?”

Luo Ningshuang glanced over too, noticing that the boy who had once dominated the many direct disciples of the Primitive True Realm still had not emerged.