Chapter 576: The Imperial Dao Nine-Sequences Immortal Seal
When the Emperor Clan's Progeny of the Emperor spoke, the other top clan Xianjun competitors all nodded slightly, their gazes toward Li Hao turning cold.
Even though Li Hao was a monster talent, dazzling all of the Southern Region within a hundred years of soul lifespan, every single person here was a genius too. Now, because of Li Hao, the entire Southern Region War was interrupted, letting a mere True Immortal steal all the attention.
Both the Yin Hai Clan and the Fengling Clan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, Di Linchen had put them in an impossible situation, but now that the Progeny of the Emperor had spoken, they were certain he would not let Li Hao live, whether for his own honor or for the reputation of the Emperor Clan.
It might only be a single palm strike, but everyone at their level could see—the Progeny of the Emperor's aura was terrifying. Even with his powerful concealment, he couldn't hide it from the Xianwang watching. His cultivation was the peak of the Xianjun Realm—seventh stage!
A seventh-stage Xianjun was already considered a top-level powerhouse in the Xianjun Realm. Their immortal Dao Laws were close to completion, and among these prodigies, could even defeat Xianjun-Perfected elders from top sects!
That's a whole major realm and seven full stages apart. Even if that youth was a peerless monster, there was almost no way he'd survive—unless the Progeny of the Emperor held back.
"Emperor Clan…"
Nearby, Meng Wanning and the other Da Meng Clan Xianwang's faces turned ugly.
It was already a near-certain-death scenario, with the Supreme watching from above and not stepping in. Now this Progeny of the Emperor was making things even harder. Was this really Li Hao's day to die? Was this boy really going to become just another flash in the river of time, gone in a blink?
"You…"
Di Linchen's face changed when he heard those words, his usual calm gaze now filled with killing intent and anger.
But all he got back was the Progeny of the Emperor's cold, superior stare, looking down from above.
As Progeny of the Emperor, his status was higher than Di Linchen's. If Di Linchen failed to become Progeny himself before the Xianwang Realm, he'd only be a pillar of the clan, someone meant to serve under this man.
Looking into those eyes, Di Linchen understood too well. All his anger and killing intent suddenly faded. He stared hard at the other, clenched his fist, then slowly let go. He turned to Li Hao, his expression apologetic.
"Sorry. I wanted to help you."
Li Hao knew it wasn't his fault and shook his head. "It's nothing."
Seeing Li Hao's calm, Di Linchen seemed to understand his state of mind. When despair was this deep, anger or madness didn't matter anymore—only the calm before the storm remained.
He managed a small smile, staring at Li Hao and said quietly, "No matter what happens today, I'll always remember you as my friend."
Li Hao had no hope of fighting his way out now. But he still wondered—if he gave it his all, could he at least wound that Emperor Clan prodigy a little?
"Shame we won't get to drink together again," Li Hao said, shaking his head, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the Progeny of the Emperor. All his killing intent and immortal Power quietly gathered.
Di Linchen saw Li Hao's determination for a life-and-death fight and said nothing more. He'd come to the Southern Region to gain a slot in the Primordial True World and improve his chances of becoming Progeny of the Emperor.
He wanted to tell Li Hao he'd avenge him, but those words were meaningless now, so he never said them.
"What's your name?" Li Hao asked, staring at the Emperor Clan prodigy.
"You're not worthy to know my name."
The Progeny of the Emperor replied coldly, eyes filled with natural arrogance and disdain.
"His name is Di Jiming!" Di Linchen said for Li Hao.
Hearing this, Di Jiming's eyes went cold as he glanced at Di Linchen.
It wasn't that he cared about his name being revealed—he simply didn't think these people deserved to hear it. Others came to the Southern Region to make their names known, but he never cared. As Emperor Clan, he even looked down on fame, didn't want the world to know his name, because to him, it was like a heavenly emperor being sullied by worms crawling in the dirt—their mouths weren't worthy to say it.
"Such arrogance from the Emperor Clan!"
"What do you expect? He's a Progeny of the Emperor—the top prodigy of the Emperor Clan!"
"Anyone who gets Emperor Clan resources and becomes Progeny of the Emperor is bound to be a top Xianwang in the future, maybe even reach half-step Emperor!"
"If a Progeny of the Emperor is this terrifying, what about an actual Emperor's Son?"
"Obviously, every Emperor's Son is a future Great Emperor seed. With the clan's support, unless they seek death themselves, have you ever heard of an Emperor's Son dying in the last hundred thousand years?"
All across the Southern Region, people were talking about it.
The Emperor Clan wasn't even based in the Southern Region, but its name shook all four domains, even in the Primordial True World. For a hundred thousand years, it was the number one clan!
"Still, isn't this a bit much—even for a Progeny of the Emperor?"
"I thought all Emperor Clan were like that True Immortal, with kindness in their hearts."
"Yeah! A Xianjun fighting a True Immortal—how old is he anyway? Didn't they say his soul age was just nine hundred? Probably only third-stage Xianjun?"
Everyone talked about it, but suddenly, all the chatter stopped. Emperor Jiming stopped holding back, and immortal Power surged around him, flowing like a translucent great river.
Behind him, radiant starry light appeared, projected from the distant sky—this was also the Star Meridian!
And because he was at the Xianjun Realm, with a supreme immortal body, the light from his Star Meridian was even more dazzling and vast than Li Hao's!
As that aura spread, everyone saw Di Jiming's cultivation—seventh-stage Xianjun!
Instantly, the whole Southern Region—even the other Xianjun competitors—went silent, faces full of shock.
"Seventh-stage Xianjun…"
Chu Tianhuang, Boya Xuejian, and the others all shrank their pupils in shock.
They were top geniuses, but even in their realm, they didn't dare challenge the Emperor Clan, let alone a Progeny of the Emperor.
Not to mention, his stage was even higher!
They had hidden strength and trump cards—their revealed cultivation was just fourth stage, but their true strength was actually fifth. Still, compared to him, they were two stages behind!
Every stage in the Xianjun Realm was as vast as four stages in the True Immortal Realm. In other words, two stages was like an eight-stage difference for a True Immortal!
If they fought, there would be no contest—they'd be crushed!
Now that Di Jiming had revealed his cultivation, it meant he would definitely kill Li Hao with a single strike. Otherwise, for the Emperor Clan and for Di Jiming himself, it would be a huge humiliation!
"Seventh-stage Xianjun? My god, isn't he only nine hundred years soul age?"
"In just nine hundred years, he cultivated to seventh-stage Xianjun? What kind of monster is this? Is this what the Progeny of the Emperor from the Emperor Clan is like?"
"Heavens, is he going to go all out? Seventh-stage Xianjun—just a breath from him could kill a peak True Immortal, right?"
"Hao Tian is only ninety-something years soul age, but Di Jiming is over nine hundred, that's ten times the difference! And their cultivation is seven whole stages apart!"
"Cultivation only gets harder as you go. Does that mean Di Jiming is even more talented than Hao Tian?"
"No, you can't see it like that. Di Jiming was born into the Emperor Clan, with endless resources since birth. Hao Tian only inherited an Immortal Emperor's legacy—and that was from an Emperor already dead. Those three promissory notes he mentioned didn't seem fake. If he'd had the same resources, he might be even stronger!"
"Either way, this Progeny of the Emperor is just insane. With this kind of strength, who else could compete for the top spot in the Xianjun realm?"
Everyone was in shock, feeling like they'd just glimpsed a corner of the Emperor Clan's true might.
The other top clan Xianjun competitors all changed expressions. They too had hidden cultivation and cards to play, but—just seeing the stage he revealed already put him above everyone!
And at only nine hundred years soul age, he dominated the Southern Region. Many of them were already two thousand years or older—more than twice his age!
"Di Jiming!"
Meng Wanning and the other Da Meng Clan Xianwang had already realized Di Jiming's cultivation, but hadn't expected him to reveal it outright. Now, even their last bit of hope was gone—he never intended to show mercy.
"So Hao Tian is going to die? A once-in-ten-thousand-years genius of my Southern Region, about to be killed by the Emperor Clan?"
All the factions atop the mountain looked up at the scene, their eyes complicated.
"Emperor Clan…"
Far away in one of the celestial dynasties, Mi Xueyao narrowed her eyes. The Progeny of the Emperor of the number one clan in the True World—his talent was terrifying, not inferior to hers at all.
If only she could have taken that youth and his miraculous cooking, she'd have grown even faster in the future. But now... such a genius was about to fall.
With the Supreme watching, right in the heart of the Southern Region, even her father wouldn't dare interfere. She could only watch as the human who'd spent months with her was killed before her eyes.
Other than mourning the loss of his cooking, there was real regret—he felt different from the other humans, and with his death, it was as if the world lost a little more color.
At that moment, as seventh-stage Xianjun cultivation was displayed, the wild immortal Power gathered by the Star Meridian made Li Hao's hair whip wildly, his whole body forced backward by the pressure, unable to stand as if he were facing a tsunami about to swallow him.
Just the aura was enough to drag his body—this gap was unimaginable.
Li Hao's gaze grew deeper. He didn't know if, by destroying his bloodline, burning the Star Meridian, and pushing every limit to the extreme, he could at least break one of the enemy's wings.
While he gathered his strength, a grand, majestic dharma image appeared behind Di Jiming, like an ancient emperor rising from the earth, radiating a world-shaking might. That image actually contained a hint of imperial might—the true majesty that only an Immortal Emperor could have!
That single trace of imperial might was the same as the hint of emperor's intent in Li Hao's previous Five Absolutes Emperor Sword!
Seeing this, even those who still held a shred of hope for Li Hao felt their hearts sink into despair.
Then, light pulsed on Di Jiming's forehead—a golden crack appeared, like an ancient third eye. From that imperial mark poured a heavy pressure—a force deeply sealed away, the unique secret power of the Emperor Clan.
This was a force that let him easily defeat those of the same realm and even kill across realms!
All around, the world was shrouded in immortal Power, the sun and moon lost their light, and Di Jiming's figure became the center of everything—the only source of radiance!
Feeling that pressure, all the Xianjun competitors atop the mountain, and Xianjun all over the Southern Region, changed expressions.
As fellow Xianjun, only they could truly sense how terrifying that pressure was!
Even many perfected Xianjun powerhouses everywhere grew solemn and complex in expression.
Some of them had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, even seventy or eighty thousand, yet they might not be able to defeat this nine-hundred-year-old prodigy!
"He's going to die…"
Beside Chu Tianhuang, Chu Yueli stared blankly at the scene, her face shifting through emotions before settling on regret and dissatisfaction with that youth.
As for grief—there was none. To her, he was just someone who could help her raise the royal clan's status.
"Di… Jiming…"
Far from the crowd, on the outer edge of Wan Shan Jian Lou, Lin Qingying's eyes reflected the sky, the web of Star Meridians flickering in her gaze. Her fingers were clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms, but her face was calm as an ancient well. She just whispered those three words in her heart.
She didn't throw herself at Li Hao's side or try to die for love. When despair and grief got strong enough, only cold stillness and a hatred too deep for words remained.
She would live, cultivate bitterly, pay any price, do whatever it took for power, until she killed that man.
Even if he was Emperor Clan, even if he was Progeny of the Emperor, or someday, even an Emperor's Son.
In this moment, she knew her only purpose for the rest of her life was revenge.
At that time, atop the sky, endless immortal Power gathered. By Di Jiming's palm, all sorts of immortal Dao Laws wrapped like chains—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, time, space, and other fundamental forces. He possessed the power of all nine sequences—as a son of the Emperor, he had mastered them all.
Within the golden imperial mark on his forehead, an immortal seal appeared: the Nine-Sequences Immortal Seal!
But this Nine-Sequences Immortal Seal was wound with a thread of gold—the imperial mark!
This was the unique immortal seal only cultivated by Emperor Clan prodigies. They called it the Imperial Dao Nine-Sequences Immortal Seal!
Stronger than any regular Nine-Sequences Immortal Seal, and that golden imperial thread was the bloodline symbol and inheritance of the Emperor Clan, a blessing from the three living Great Emperors of the clan!
Seeing all this, everyone was stunned into silence. Even though everything had been predicted, seeing it in person was something else entirely.
In all the powers displayed, he already crushed Hao Tian completely.
And their realms were so far apart.
Forget a palm—even a finger would be more than Li Hao could withstand.