Chapter 538: The Duel at the Summit
On Way-Seeking Mountain.
After leaving the Dao Pavilion, Li Hao began climbing swiftly. Along the way, he passed some of those who had left the previous pavilion earlier. These people looked surprised to see him but paid him little mind and continued climbing at their own pace. Scattered along the stairs, several individuals sat kneeling like pilgrims, palms pressed together, lost in a devotional trance.
Li Hao ascended with ease and soon arrived at the next Dao Pavilion.
As countless people speculated about what kind of Dao manifestation he would face this time, his new manifestation emerged outside the pavilion. It radiated a thick aura of the water Dao. The moment it appeared, it raised a hand and unleashed a water Dao immortal technique—torrential rain poured down, biting cold and fierce.
Seeing that it was a water Dao manifestation, Li Hao acted decisively. The manifestation only displayed a third-level water Dao origin, not yet at the fourth.
But after consuming the Divine Tree's origin fruit in the City of Five Dao Origins, Li Hao had raised all Nine Sequences to the fourth level.
"Condense."
With a flick of his wrist, he froze the driving storm in an instant. The suspended rain turned into a solid wall of ice, which he then swept forward toward the manifestation.
Just as the water Dao manifestation was about to counter, the ice wall exploded into shards, transforming into countless flying blades that pierced its body. It vanished on the spot.
The entire encounter happened and ended in the blink of an eye. Li Hao calmly withdrew his hand and resumed climbing the stairs without even glancing back.
This fleeting battle played out across the screens of all the Southern Domain's Immortal Dynasties, leaving countless spectators stunned.
They had already seen Li Hao defeat a fire Dao manifestation with ease near the lower part of the mountain. But now, in the upper regions closer to the summit, the Dao manifestations were far stronger.
"Unbelievable! He actually mastered both water and fire Dao?"
"And at such high levels!"
"That's not strange for a top genius qualified to attend the Southern Domain's great battle. Some even wield time or space."
"If all his Dao manifestations had been for combat, he'd probably already be at the summit by now."
Discussions buzzed across the crowd. Everyone saw just how terrifying this youth was.
Just the feat of reeling in an Immortal Lord-level Xuanming Dragon Immortal in the face of danger proved he was among the elite of the True Immortal group.
After all, while many geniuses were strong, only a rare few could truly thrive in adversity.
"That boy could rival the Ancient God Clan. The upcoming battle will be a real clash of titans!"
On a mountaintop within one Immortal Dynasty, an Immortal King-level elder stroked his beard and spoke to the disciples beside him.
"Excellent!"
Outside Way-Seeking Mountain, Li Tiemu clenched his fists in excitement and shouted in support of Li Hao.
The Great Dream Master smiled too. Judging by Li Hao's speed, his chances of reaching the summit were extremely high.
"So fast!"
Outside the Dao Pavilion, others who saw how quickly Li Hao dispatched the Dao manifestation were shocked.
This youth had once sat alone fishing below, and now that he was higher up, he finished the battle even faster. It was surreal.
Li Hao ignored the stunned stares around him and continued climbing.
By now, the number of people on the steps had thinned. Only scattered figures remained, some kneeling like statues, lost in a trance-like state.
Not long after Li Hao left, Yue Xi, Gu Yan, and others caught up. The green-dressed girl and her companions also arrived, looking around but finding no sign of him.
When they asked around, a nearby cultivator—who had barely defeated his own Dao manifestation and was panting heavily—told them that Li Hao had already climbed higher.
"So that's his real climbing speed?"
Gu Yan looked up at the summit. His gaze sharpened, and he resumed climbing quickly.
Soon, a Dao manifestation appeared before him, and he immediately launched into battle using his sword techniques.
The green-dressed girl and her companions heard about Li Hao's progress and grew serious. They, too, continued their attempts to climb and challenge further.
Meanwhile, Li Hao arrived at the next Dao Pavilion—the third one.
Beyond this pavilion was only a short distance to the summit.
At this point, a new Dao manifestation appeared outside.
Li Hao quietly observed. This manifestation exuded a fierce aura. A sword slowly formed in its hand.
A sword Dao manifestation!
"Please."
The manifestation raised a hand. A terrifying sword intent radiated from its body.
Li Hao's eyes narrowed. This sword intent was likely close to a fourth-level origin.
His swordsmanship was at the eleventh segment. His system panel had granted him three levels of sword Dao origin, and he estimated that upon reaching the twelfth segment, it would rise to the sixth level.
Each segment corresponded to three levels.
Right now, though his sword Dao origin was only at the third level, his mastery of the Nine Sequences and his unique "Sole Sword Dao"—which incorporated the Nine Sequences into it—meant that his actual power far exceeded this.
"Please."
Li Hao raised his hand, and a silver-white sword aura condensed from immortal Power in his palm.
He held the sword aura and locked eyes with the manifestation.
Swish!
The sword Dao manifestation suddenly raised its blade. Countless sword images burst into view like a rainstorm, then condensed into one.
With a single slash, it seemed to drain the air from the entire void. Nothing remained but piercing sword intent tearing through the sky.
Li Hao raised his sword too. At that moment, an ancient sword Dao immortal technique burst forth from his hand in brilliant light.
Qingtian!
With a sharp sound, the sword light blazed like a star exploding, dazzling countless onlookers.
One slash—powered by the Nine Sequences, containing terrifying force—cut straight through the manifestation's sword aura, then through its body in one clean sweep.
"A good sword…"
The sword Dao manifestation slowly faded, leaving only two words behind.
The sword aura in Li Hao's hand dispersed. His aura, once fierce and blazing, now calmly retracted, returning to a serene state.
Like a hunter baring bloodied fangs before drawing them back to show an innocent face.
He glanced toward the nearby Dao Pavilion, where five figures sat with eyes closed. One of them was a familiar face—the imperial princess, Chu Yueli, who had once entangled herself with him.
She too sat with eyes closed, immersed in the trance-like devotional state. She seemed unaware of anything around her.
The other four were the same.
All were in the Immortal Lord Realm, but here, defeating a Dao manifestation wasn't enough—they also had to endure Way-Seeking Mountain's test of Dao heart.
Clearly, their Dao hearts were lacking. They couldn't climb any higher.
Li Hao looked away, not sparing them another thought. He turned and stepped up the stairs.
The summit was now within reach—just a hundred steps away.
"So strong, he's about to reach the summit!"
"That was the final Dao Pavilion manifestation before the top, and he beat it in a single move!"
"That sword strike—wasn't it some kind of ancient immortal technique? Too terrifying!"
"Just one more trial, and he'll really reach the summit!"
As countless people watched Li Hao ascend, all held their breath. At this point, no one doubted he could make it. Across the three Dao Pavilions, he had shocked everyone—whether it was reeling in an Immortal Lord-level dragon from afar, or defeating manifestation after manifestation in an instant, his strength was undeniable.
"Wasn't that sword technique just now 'Qingtian'?"
Outside Way-Seeking Mountain, in the skies above, Emperor Jiang murmured in surprise.
The other emperors' expressions shifted slightly, glancing toward Sky Sovereign.
"It's a good thing that ancient immortal techniques from the past haven't all been buried."
Sky Sovereign spoke calmly. "For supreme True Immortal techniques like this, it's inevitable that a few would be secretly passed down."
For once, the seven emperors fell silent. None replied.
On Way-Seeking Mountain, Li Hao stepped up the stairs, one foot after another.
The closer he drew to the summit, the more he felt a deep, penetrating chill—not the cold of snow or wind, but one that seemed to seep from the depths of his soul.
This chill intensified with every step upward, yet Li Hao judged the remaining distance to be well within his limits.
When he reached the last five steps, he saw faint snowflakes drifting down before his eyes. A sense of ancient desolation suddenly welled up in his heart, as if someone whispered deep inside: What is the Dao? What is life?
Li Hao didn't know the answer. He only knew that what he felt right now was life—and the road he walked forward was his own Dao.
With a focused heart, his Dao heart remained eternal.
He understood this was Way-Seeking Mountain's influence. Near the summit, for the first time, he felt its test of his Dao heart beyond just facing Dao manifestations.
There were only a few steps left, so he didn't stop—he climbed them directly.
At the summit of Way-Seeking Mountain, outside an ancient and majestic hall, several dozen figures sat.
"Someone's coming."
A quiet voice broke the stillness.
The others turned to look, surprised. They were among the first to reach the summit, their speed far ahead of the rest. So anyone else making it up was unexpected.
Soon, they saw the youth stepping onto the final stair.
"It's him."
Within the group, Chu Tianhuang and Boya Xuejian were both stunned for a moment, then smiled in understanding.
They weren't surprised that Li Hao had made it. What disappointed them earlier was not seeing him appear sooner.
"Late, but not absent—he didn't let me down."
Chu Tianhuang chuckled. Though aged, his face lit up, and divine light flickered in his eyes.
"A True Immortal Realm? Another one? Let's see if he can pass the final trial."
Others glanced at Li Hao's cultivation with cold expressions.
"Hmph, so he made it up after all. Took him long enough."
Shen Wuji, sitting under the eaves, raised an eyebrow and snorted. He'd hoped Li Hao would be a worthy opponent, but his slow climb made him think otherwise—that perhaps Li Hao's Dao heart wasn't strong.
"It's that guy."
In the crowd, a few others recognized him—people who had once purchased Dao origins from Li Hao on the Heavenly Dao Bridge.
Their gazes turned serious. They had remembered his soul longevity reading and now saw him again, atop Way-Seeking Mountain.
There was no question now: this youth was a top-tier genius worth watching closely.
As the others studied him, Li Hao stepped onto the final stair. His gaze swept ahead and fell upon the figures seated beneath the great hall.
There were around thirty in all. He was a bit surprised to see so many.
But he quickly realized: out of a thousand chosen geniuses, fewer than fifty had made it to the summit. That ratio was already very small.
After all, these were the cream of the crop from every Immortal Dynasty in the Southern Domain.
He spotted a few familiar faces. Some nodded to him with goodwill; others stared coldly.
Near the edge of the eaves, he saw Di Linchen in white robes, otherworldly and serene. The latter smiled at him, and Li Hao nodded in return.
Just then, a Dao manifestation appeared before him—pitch-black and inky.
Li Hao looked at the final manifestation and immediately sensed a familiar presence from it.
"We meet again."
The manifestation spoke softly, then waved a hand and summoned a chessboard. "Shall we have another match?"
Li Hao recalled saying at the mountain's base that if he reached the summit, he'd play another game.
He hadn't expected the summit manifestation to be the chess Dao again. Clearly… this wasn't coincidence.
"Of course."
Li Hao nodded and sat down right away.
The chess Dao manifestation smiled faintly and conjured a case of chess pieces. At the summit of Way-Seeking Mountain, they began their second match.
"What kind of manifestation is that?"
"Are they… playing chess?"
"What's going on?"
The others near the great hall were all puzzled, clearly not expecting such an odd trial at the summit.
They hadn't seen Li Hao's earlier manifestations, so this looked strange and confusing.
But outside the mountain, where everyone had witnessed Li Hao's journey, people immediately recognized the chess Dao. And this time, no one mocked him.
After the three Dao Pavilions he passed, his strength was already beyond doubt. Now, this game felt like a refreshing breeze—familiar and even nostalgic.
"It's the chess Dao again! That manifestation lost at the foot of the mountain, and now it reappears at the summit."
"Didn't expect to see a chess match at the top of Way-Seeking Mountain. This must be a first in ten thousand years!"
"Who's going to win this time? And how do you even judge victory in chess?"
"I don't know. We need someone who understands chess to explain it."
Everyone was talking, eyes fixed on the focused youth, fascinated by the scene.
"To think the final trial is a chess match. Haha, never seen anything like it."
Emperor Tianzhao laughed.
"If it were a battle, it would probably be over already. This final trial is only about twice as difficult as the last Dao Pavilion. With that sword strike of his, even without using his immortal seal, he could've reached the summit easily."
Empress Chi spoke, her red imperial robes flowing around her. Her exposed arms and legs were pale as jade, radiating a sacred glow.
"Everyone else fought tooth and nail, and he's just… enjoying himself."
Empress Yuanzun shook her head, laughing helplessly.
Even after witnessing so many Southern Domain war meets, this was the first time any of them had seen a scene like this.