Chapter 436: Nine Blossoms True Immortal
In front of the humble straw hut.
Wang Lao sat in his old chair, gently rocking back and forth, his gaze fixed on Li Hao as if attempting to see through every inch of the young man's being.
With Wang Lao's cultivation level, Li Hao should have been as exposed as a naked figure in the snow, with nowhere to hide. Yet now, Wang Lao felt as though he couldn't completely discern the boy before him.
"Your chess and painting skills have both entered the realm of Dao, reaching levels rarely seen. To cultivate these two arts to such a degree is no simple feat. You also balance them alongside your cultivation... Are you using chess and painting to comprehend the laws of the Dao?"
His voice was calm, yet his eyes seemed to pierce through Li Hao, scrutinizing the depths of his soul.
Li Hao, somewhat surprised, understood the elder's insight. After all, Wang Lao had discerned traces of the primordial Dao from his paintings. This line of reasoning wasn't far-fetched.
"Yes."
Li Hao nodded with a light smile. "In the world, everything can lead to the Dao. Ordinary people divide the arts into civil and martial paths, but the path of saints encompasses all. There are those who wield the Dao of literature, using poetry and prose to vanquish foes; those who master the spear, connecting heaven and earth; even those who practice the Dao of lies, crafting world-shattering deceptions to obscure heavenly truths. With determination, all paths can lead to the Dao."
Wang Lao's eyes revealed a trace of understanding. That explanation made sense.
However, possessing such enlightenment usually required the mindset of a saint.
But for someone who had already reached the level of a saint, returning to cultivate chess or painting would be less efficient than following their original path—unless they had glimpsed the heart of a saint early in life and carried a deep reverence for the Dao.
Contemplating this, Wang Lao sighed lightly and said, "Since that's the case, whether you play chess or paint in the future, I won't dissuade you. If you ever need a partner, I'll be here."
"Alright."
Li Hao smiled brightly at his understanding. "In that case, shall we continue?"
Wang Lao chuckled, caught between amusement and exasperation. Seeing Li Hao eagerly preparing the chessboard, he couldn't help but laugh.
The moonlight was bright, spilling across the ground like scattered grains of salt.
Three rounds of chess—two wins, one loss. That was Wang Lao's record.
Gazing at the chessboard, Wang Lao furrowed his brows. Li Hao's skill had undergone a meteoric rise since the afternoon, to the point where he could no longer suppress him without considerable effort. Wang Lao now had to approach each game with utmost seriousness, without a moment's lapse.
At this point, he could sense that the young man had reached the same realm of chess as himself, grasping the intricate world within the game.
Although Li Hao's experience was still somewhat lacking, his progress was astonishing. Given time, their matches would undoubtedly become intensely challenging.
Reflecting on the fact that the chess skills he had honed over tens of thousands of years had been caught up to in mere days, Wang Lao felt a complex mix of emotions—somewhere between frustration and pride.
"Three and a half points—a narrow victory."
Wang Lao glanced at the board and chuckled.
"Impressive."
Li Hao sincerely admired Wang Lao's mastery of the game.
Not continuing further, Li Hao bid Wang Lao farewell and returned to the meditation platform.
At this late hour, most of the others were already deep in meditation, and the area was eerily quiet.
Sitting cross-legged on an empty mat, Li Hao summoned his interface, focusing on the two Primordial True Hearts he had obtained.
He didn't hesitate, embedding them into Body Dao and Control Dao respectively.
Two of the Nine Sequences: Form and Control!
As the True Hearts merged, Li Hao simultaneously chose to enhance them.
In an instant, a rumble reverberated within his mind, shaking the depths of his consciousness.
His Sea of Consciousness, akin to chaos, was expanded and reshaped, becoming vaster and more profound with each tremor.
At the same time, a thunderous boom erupted in the skies above.
The previously serene, moonlit night was abruptly consumed by dense storm clouds. Low, angry rumbles of thunder rolled from the depths of the gathering storm, spreading across the heavens.
The saints, who had been meditating peacefully, all opened their eyes in shock, startled from their trance.
Looking up, they were stunned. Their gazes shifted toward a specific spot, and their expressions turned to disbelief.
There, a young man sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, his eyes closed and his hair fluttering as if caught in a storm.
At the heart of the roiling storm clouds, he was the focal point. Yet, the vast expanse of the storm seemed to encompass all of them.
"Is this... the Tribulation of Three Calamities?"
The saints felt the oppressive energy emanating from the clouds, their expressions turning serious. Only now did it strike them that this boy was still at the level of the Second Calamity Saint.
"It's almost ready!"
"It's about to strike!"
The saints watched intently as the lightning in the clouds coalesced into serpentine streaks of purple, writhing and crackling.
Moments later, a pillar of lightning shot down.
Though all present had surpassed the realm of saints and were unbothered by the tribulation's power, they were curious to see how Li Hao would handle it.
Yet Li Hao remained motionless, eyes closed and legs crossed, as if oblivious to the impending danger. He hadn't even activated his Domain of Dao for protection.
The saints narrowed their eyes. You Sheng furrowed her brows, preparing to shout a warning, but the lightning had already struck.
Engulfed in the electric light, the boy's silhouette remained unshaken. His fluttering hair and clothes danced with the currents of the storm, as if caressed by the winds of the heavens.
When the light faded, Li Hao sat unscathed, his form untouched by even a single burn.
The saints exchanged glances, their expressions subtly shifting.
"Such a powerful body—he endured the tribulation purely through physical strength?"
"Could he be cultivating a physical body path?"
"But didn't we hear that he came here as a soul projection, and this body was forged by Wang Lao from ninth-grade Mixed Origin Divine Blood? Similar to Lin Sheng's, it should only be as strong as a Third Tribulation Dao Calamity Emperor Weapon, with no room for improvement."
"A body of that strength might endure the tribulation, but not so effortlessly."
"It's his Dao Domain. Look closely—the lightning didn't touch his body; his domain neutralized it."
This was the first time the saints had witnessed Li Hao's true strength. Previously, the Nine Resounding Heavens had demonstrated only his Dao Heart, unrelated to his combat prowess. Now, the mere natural spread of his domain had rendered the tribulation harmless, a feat they couldn't overlook.
For those harboring traces of jealousy or dissatisfaction, this sight put an end to such thoughts.
As the first bolt dissipated, a second descended, then a third…
Li Hao's posture remained unchanged. Immersed in his insights into Body Dao and Control Dao, he was oblivious to the world outside.
Or rather, the external tribulation posed no threat, so he felt no need to react.
Breaking through the tenth level of Body Dao had revolutionized Li Hao's understanding of the physical form. The body wasn't merely confined to flesh; anything capable of bearing consciousness and soul could be considered a body.
The Ninth-Grade Mixed Origin Divine Blood Body he currently occupied was one such form. Beyond that, even the world around him, under his control, was an extension of his body.
It was as if he had reached the Ultimate Transcendence Realm, merging his body into the heavens and earth, wearing the world as his cloak.
As Li Hao delved deeper into his comprehension, the secrets of the Shun Tian Ancestral Scripture emerged vividly in his mind.
The scripture's most formidable aspects lay in its ability to forge the Ancestral Immortal Body and master the Heaven-Warding Technique.
Mastering even one of these techniques was a terrifying feat. At this moment, as his Body Dao and Control Dao advanced, Li Hao began to comprehend both simultaneously.
Drawing the surrounding celestial energy toward himself, he wrapped it around his Ninth-Tier Mixed-Origin Divine Blood Body, causing a nascent Immortal Body to take shape on its surface.
As the prototype of the Immortal Body emerged, surging celestial energy continuously refined and solidified it.
"Look at his aura—it's terrifying!"
"Is this just from undergoing the third calamity? Impossible, right?"
"Why does it feel like the energy resembles divine power? It's similar to Wang Lao's aura, but much weaker…"
The gathered saints watched in awe as Li Hao, bathed in lightning, emanated a transcendent and ethereal aura—light and graceful, yet seemingly capable of crushing worlds under its weight.
Quickly, nine bolts of heavenly lightning descended, and the tribulation should have ended there.
Yet, the dark clouds lingered, and then a tenth and eleventh bolt followed.
The onlookers were stunned by the scene before them.
"Why does his heavenly tribulation have so many strikes?"
"Could we be interfering with his tribulation by being too close?"
"Impossible. We're shielded by our Domains of Dao. Even though we're nearby, the tribulation cannot sense us."
"This situation… I've only seen it once before, and it only happens under one condition."
"What is it?"
"He's walking a second path to sainthood!"
The revelation left everyone dumbfounded. Then, it all began to make sense.
Li Hao's body continued to transform.
Boundless celestial energy swirled around him, unaffected by the thunderous strikes. Amidst the crackling lightning, the Ancestral Immortal Body began to take a more complete form, exuding an overwhelming and majestic aura.
Simultaneously, the insights of the Heaven-Warding Technique flooded his mind. His mastery of celestial energy soared, reaching a level unmatched even among True Immortals.
When the 18th bolt of lightning struck, it was followed by a 19th and 20th.
The saints, believing the ordeal should have ended, were left speechless.
"Could he be mastering three paths to sainthood?"
Their shock was palpable as they stared at the young man in disbelief.
The concept of mastering three paths was unheard of—even some among them hadn't encountered the concept of the Extreme Path before.
As the tribulation continued, Li Hao remained serene, seemingly at peace amidst the tempest.
Finally, after the 27th bolt, the oppressive storm clouds began to dissipate, the rumbling fading into a quiet hum.
Relief washed over the saints as they watched the tribulation end. Their collective breaths, held in suspense, were finally released, and some noticed cold sweat trickling down their backs.
Now free of the tribulation's oppressive shroud, Li Hao's form became fully visible. His entire body radiated brilliance, enshrouded by celestial energy.
This energy was only perceptible to True Immortals or those at the Sixth Extreme of Transcendence, as saints lacked the ability to sense celestial energy.
To the gathered saints, Li Hao appeared resplendent, his entire being glowing like pure silver light.
Li Hao, however, was still immersed in absorbing the revelations of the Shun Tian Ancestral Scripture. He could feel the Ancestral Immortal Body, formed entirely from celestial energy, gradually taking shape. Even without actively entering the Celestial Transformation, he felt as though he existed perpetually within it.
The connection he felt with the heavens and earth was profound, as if he were a fish swimming in water, effortlessly manipulating everything around him—wind, temperature, celestial energy, and more.
The celestial energy around him was as malleable as flowing water. A slight gesture would set off chain reactions, producing phenomena such as windstorms, lightning, and other elemental displays.
Meanwhile, his saintly path condensed further, refining itself into a flawless core, stripping away every imperfection. Ultimately, the saintly path compressed into a singular mark.
It was an Immortal Mark!
Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed from above, shaking the heavens themselves as if the sky was enraged, unleashing its divine wrath.
The sound reverberated for thousands of miles, startling the saints, who had just begun to relax. They glanced up, startled by the source of the noise.
The gathered storm clouds had been forcefully pushed aside, ripped open by a ferocious power.
From the void beyond, inky clouds poured forth, crackling with destructive lightning. The energy emanating from them was suffocating—a power bent on crushing everything within its reach.
The devastating aura, exponentially stronger than the previous tribulation, left the saints momentarily paralyzed with fear.
Then, even the most composed among them scrambled to retreat. Their instincts screamed at them to flee the ominous thunderclouds, knowing that remaining within its grasp would spell certain doom.
"What kind of tribulation is this?!"
"Wasn't the heavenly tribulation over? What's going on?"
The saints fled in all directions, only pausing when they reached hundreds of miles away, far from the range of the cataclysmic storm.
When they turned back, they saw that the center of this apocalyptic display was none other than the young man.
From their vantage point, the sight was unmistakable.
"It looks like… he's undergoing the True Immortal Tribulation!" Lin Sheng murmured.
Having learned earlier that Li Hao had passed the second level of the Zhen Zun Tower and received True Immortal-level techniques from Wang Lao, this scene confirmed his suspicions. Li Hao had mastered those techniques and ascended to become a True Immortal.
The only question that remained was how many Blossoms of the Immortal Mark he could condense for his Three-Blossom Immortal Mark.
Lin Sheng's gaze flickered with a trace of complexity. He had long anticipated that Li Hao would surpass them and claim the inheritance of the Celestial Emperor's teachings, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
In the five short years since Li Hao's arrival, he had accomplished what others had spent countless millennia striving for—a mere blink of an eye in the grand scheme of their endless meditations.
Yet, the brilliance Li Hao left behind seemed destined to endure, a dazzling light forever etched in their memories.
Mu Sheng and Ming Sheng stood pale-faced. Their tens of thousands of years of effort had been rendered meaningless.
In just five years, the boy had surpassed lifetimes of effort, leaving them with a sense of helplessness and despair so overwhelming it felt insurmountable.
In front of the thatched cottage, Wang Lao slowly stood up from his reclining chair.
He had long expected the earlier 27 lightning tribulations. After all, he had already seen the three heavenly tribulation locks within Li Hao's body. If all three were broken, it would indeed result in 27 tribulations.
But now... this was the True Immortal Tribulation, triggered upon condensing the Immortal Seal!
The power of this tribulation far surpassed any Saint Tribulation. If the three calamities were merely a minor test of perfection for the Saint Dao, then the True Immortal Tribulation was a defiant challenge against the Heavenly Dao itself—a trial to prove one's Dao and etch it into the heavens.
If one succeeded, the Dao would persist eternally. If one failed, both body and Dao would perish.
The deafening thunder and roaring skies made Li Hao acutely aware of the imminent storm. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The earlier tribulations were barely a nuisance. Their power was so insignificant that even the swirling vortexes of Dao energy he summoned during meditation remained unscathed.
But now, the destructive tribulation swirling above his head radiated a force so immense that it made his hair stand on end and his body tingle with alarm.
It was as if the Heavenly Dao itself had descended, radiating an overwhelming authority, a test of unyielding judgment.
Li Hao took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
The oppressive force seemed to push him down, urging retreat. But he neither flinched nor had any path to retreat.
When defending Tianmen Pass, he had not stepped back, because there had been no one behind him.
When Da Yu faced its downfall, he could not retreat, for behind him stood countless lives.
And now, under the suffocating might of this heavenly oppression, Li Hao saw Wang Lao, Hua Sheng, You Sheng, and the others in the distance. In their eyes, he caught glimpses of shock and concern.
Li Hao lifted his head and stared directly at the churning, ink-like clouds.
Within, countless dark dragons coiled and rolled, casting bolts of lightning and emitting rumbling vibrations that resonated through the air.
He sensed the call and summoned his Immortal Seal.
The flawless seal emerged above his head, radiating a silvery glow of perfection.
When the crowd saw the Immortal Seal, their hearts filled with awe. The young man had truly condensed the Immortal Seal and was now preparing to ascend as a True Immortal before their very eyes!
Wang Lao's gaze locked onto Li Hao's Immortal Seal, his expression grave.
Boom!
The dark clouds continued to gather, the storm's might intensifying.
But Li Hao's eyes shone with confidence as he infused his Immortal Seal with his insights into the Space Origin, Water Origin, and Earth Origin.
These Dao Origin comprehensions converged onto the Immortal Seal, creating intricate patterns that naturally expanded, resembling frost-covered blossoms.
Upon seeing the patterns bloom on the Immortal Seal, Li Hao finally understood why they were called "flowers." The patterns truly resembled exquisitely detailed petals.
As three flower patterns emerged, the brewing tribulation cloud suddenly descended.
Boom!
A colossal lightning pillar fell, seemingly piercing the heavens and earth.
Underneath the black lightning column, the Dao-seeking platform and Li Hao appeared incomparably small, instantly enveloped in the strike.
The onlookers held their breath, their palms sweating. The sheer magnitude of the attack left them feeling utterly powerless.
In front of the cottage, Wang Lao's grave expression flickered with a glimmer of light. His aged hand clenched into a fist.
Within the abyss-like black lightning, a dazzling silver radiance suddenly erupted. The massive lightning column split apart from the center, like a torrential waterfall striking a jagged cliff, diverging around an immovable stone.
And at the center of this radiance was the Immortal Seal!
The Immortal Seal glowed with iridescent light, forming a lotus-like shield that held the lightning at bay.
Three Blossoms Gathering Above!
The crowd was stunned by the sight.
Beneath the Immortal Seal, Li Hao stood with three blossoms glowing above his head. It was as if a lotus pedestal of the Great Dao had risen to shield him from the heavens' wrath.
"Is that... a Three-Blossom Immortal Seal?"
"Impossible! He just became a True Immortal, yet he condensed the Three Blossoms already?"
"Wang Lao said that even among True Immortals, condensing three blossoms is as difficult as cultivating three times over!"
The murmurs of disbelief rippled through the crowd, each voice tinged with shock.
Ming Sheng and Mu Sheng clenched their fists so tightly that their nails pierced their palms. The last thread of hope they clung to snapped, leaving them in a state of utter despair.
It was over.
Passing the Zhen Zun Tower and condensing the Three-Blossom Immortal Seal meant that the young man standing before them had successfully passed the trial and would become the Celestial Emperor's designated disciple, inheriting the Celestial Emperor's Dao!
As the lightning column dispersed and the dark clouds churned, Li Hao raised his gaze, his eyes burning brighter.
Drawing on his newfound insights into the Body Dao and Control Dao, he condensed them into the Immortal Seal.
Soon, the Immortal Seal expanded, forming two more intricate patterns—one for the Form Dao and one for the Control Dao.
With the earlier three blossoms, this made Five Blossoms in total.
And these five were all among the Nine Sequence Dao Origins!
The crowd, still reeling from the sight of the three blossoms, now stared in dumbfounded silence, questioning their own perception.
But there it was—an undeniable Five-Blossom Immortal Seal.
"He..."
Words failed them as they struggled to process what they were witnessing.
Three blossoms were already sufficient to pass the trial, but Li Hao had reached five!
In front of the cottage, Wang Lao's eyes widened slightly, his shock plain to see.
He recognized the origins of the five blossoms—each tied to the Nine Sequence Daos, the most challenging paths to comprehend. And among them was the Space Origin, radiating the unmistakable aura of the Fourth Layer, a level reserved for Immortal Lords.
Wang Lao felt his blood, dormant for tens of thousands of years, surge with excitement, coursing through his ancient body like molten fire.
Five short years...
Wang Lao knew he had given no guidance to Li Hao. Yet in just five short years, the young man had achieved such heights. It reminded Wang Lao of those peerless personal disciples of the past.
However, those disciples were true prodigies, their talents far beyond the comprehension of geniuses from the True Realm. Compared to them, Li Hao still had a discernible gap.
At that moment, amidst the churning storm clouds, a second thunderbolt struck.
Descending alongside it was a shadowy dragon, roaring with bared fangs and claws as it dove toward Li Hao.
But the Immortal Seal radiated brilliance, and the divine Dao light emitted by the Five Blossoms directly repelled the thunderbolt. The shadowy thunder dragon crashed into the light and was instantly obliterated.
Li Hao fixed his gaze on the heavens. Through the dark clouds, he could sense an ethereal will gazing back at him.
He wasted no time. In addition to the five foundational Daos, he drew upon his mastery of Sword Dao.
Universal Sword Art: Sword Dao, a core truth of the origin!
As he infused this essence into the Immortal Seal, the sixth flower began to bloom.
Next, Li Hao channeled the essence of the Yan Luo Battle Technique into the Immortal Seal.
The seventh flower emerged!
Compared to the intricate patterns of the Nine-Sequence Origins, the patterns of these two flowers were relatively simple.
By the standards of the Great Dao, mastery at the Sacrificial Dao level was merely the entry point into the origins. Refining it led to the first layer of true comprehension.
Among the seven flowers, the most intricate was undoubtedly the Space Origin flower, while the others seemed far more rudimentary in comparison.
As the dark clouds unleashed continuous thunderbolts, their immense power still failed to breach the radiance of the Seven-Blossom Immortal Seal.
Instead, the Immortal Seal surged upward, ascending ever higher. It seemed to aim for the very heart of the storm, seeking to repel the crushing might of the heavens.
But as the seal rose, the thunderbolts grew fiercer. A dark silhouette began to form within the lightning—a massive finger pressing down from the heavens.
This awe-inspiring scene left the distant onlookers frozen in place, their bodies rigid with shock, barely daring to breathe.
The rising force of the Seven-Blossom Immortal Seal was abruptly halted by the colossal, finger-like thunderbolt pressing down on it.
Li Hao's eyes gleamed with determination as he infused the essence of Body Movement Dao into the Immortal Seal.
This was the Heavenly No-Trace Technique, a supreme body technique passed down by Feng Lao. At the pinnacle of the Body Movement Dao, this technique was unparalleled among Saint-level arts. Refined into its essence, the technique became a unique form of origin truth, rendering its user undetectable by the heavens themselves.
This origin truth formed another flower on the Immortal Seal.
The eighth flower now bloomed.
Seeing the Immortal Seal radiate with the glow of eight flowers, the onlookers were beyond astonished. Their expressions turned numb, as if nothing Li Hao did next could surprise them anymore.
In front of the thatched cottage, Wang Lao's eyes were fixed on the scene, his hands trembling slightly. For the first time in tens of thousands of years, an uncontrollable surge of emotion swept through him.
Just one more. One more flower, and the Nine-Blossom Immortal Seal would be complete—a feat so rare in the True Realm that it commanded reverence across the ages.
Just one step away, and the boy would pass the final threshold, becoming a personal disciple of the Celestial Emperor!
Li Hao had spent only five years here. With nearly ten thousand years of life remaining, his future as a personal disciple seemed assured.
For Wang Lao, this meant something much more personal: the promise of freedom.
He could finally leave this place, see old friends, visit their resting places, and pay respects to their remains. His eyes welled up with emotion as he gazed at the radiant youth, etching this moment deep into his memory.
At that moment, under the crushing thunderbolt, the Eight-Blossom Immortal Seal erupted with dazzling brilliance. It surged upward, nearing the storm's heart.
But the thunderclouds intensified their turbulence, releasing a torrent of even more ferocious lightning. These strikes made the Eight-Blossom Immortal Seal tremble slightly but could not force it back.
Li Hao lifted his gaze. Feeling the overwhelming power amplified by the eight flowers, his eyes shone with clarity.
Just one more flower.
He recalled another sword technique he had mastered: Nine Abyss Dreaming: The Path of the Immortal's Sword.
Unlike the Universal Sword Art, this technique followed an entirely different branch of the Sword Dao.
Sword Dao, like other Daos, branched endlessly. In contrast, the Nine Sequences had no branches; they were the primordial structures of the True Realm, embodying the nine fundamental chaotic orders.
As the essence of this technique condensed into the Immortal Seal, a ninth flower emerged.
At that moment, the nine flowers of the Immortal Seal connected, forming a symphony of power that multiplied the seal's strength several times over.
The seal surged skyward, tearing through the storm clouds and scattering the oppressive majesty of the heavens.
The thunder roared one last time before fading into silence. The dark clouds dissipated, revealing the serene sky beyond.
The crowd stared in stunned silence, their gazes fixed on the godlike figure standing amidst the fading storm.
In a single night, the young man had shattered their understanding of cultivation, accomplishing in five years what they had pursued for tens of thousands.
"Nine-Blossom Immortal Seal..."
"Wang Lao said this was the benchmark for personal disciples..."
"We couldn't even become registered disciples, and yet he's already passed the test for personal disciples."
A collective sense of emptiness washed over the crowd. Their relentless pursuit of the Celestial Emperor's Dao had ended, leaving only a void in its place.
Yet there was no resentment—only awe, melancholy, and a begrudging sense of admiration.
As the True Immortal Tribulation dissipated, the Nine-Blossom Immortal Seal descended gracefully, merging back into Li Hao's body.
A vast and imposing aura radiated from the seal, embodying the recognition of the heavens. Part of the tribulation's celestial authority now resided within the Immortal Seal.
At that moment, as the seal settled within his soul, Li Hao stood motionless. His Ancestor Immortal Body gleamed like silver, his presence exuding the dignity of a True Immortal standing equal to the heavens.