Volume 3 - Chapter 386: The Ultimate Sword That Illuminated the Southern Realm (Part 2)
Even with such supreme sword power, Li Hao's cultivation realm was what it was. No matter how dazzling, a butterfly—no matter how exquisite—was still fragile. It could not escape the palm of a hand.
Boom!!
The Celestial Guard Commander did not retract the domain that bound Ying Xiaoxiao. Instead, he took Li Hao’s sword head-on.
His expression showed a touch of regret, but he knew that no matter how furious the youth was, it could never hurt him—not when their cultivation realms were so vastly different. Anger could not bridge such a gap.
Yet when the sword aura struck, his domain—like a towering pillar—was sliced open!
A violent distortion tore through the void. The rupture in his domain created a twisted rift in space and time. Countless laws of the Immortal Dao shattered like snapped chains.
It was dazzling. And utterly shocking.
A mere True Immortal had just torn open the domain of a near-peak Immortal King!
All of the Southern Realm fell into stunned silence. Even the gathered Kings stared, dumbfounded by the sight before them.
The Celestial Guard Commander froze for a moment, then quickly recovered. Immortal power surged from his body as he swiftly repaired the ruptured rift.
His expression darkened.
The spot Li Hao had just struck—was precisely where Ying Xiaoxiao had pierced his domain earlier, to send Li Hao away. Her power had already weakened that part, and it had only just begun to mend. That was the only reason Li Hao had been able to slice it open again!
Even so—it was terrifying.
To an Immortal King, a True Immortal was less than a falling leaf, a strand of hair. But now… that strand had cut him!
Though he didn’t turn, the Celestial Guard Commander could feel the Supreme’s gaze. He could sense his intent. Taking a deep breath, he no longer hesitated.
He raised his hand.
Domain power condensed in his palm and crashed down toward Li Hao.
He would imprison Li Hao and deliver him to the Supreme personally.
As for Ying Xiaoxiao’s shattered reincarnation—it was too late to reverse. Not even the Supreme could do more than prolong the crumbling of her time.
Two monstrous wielders of the Dao-Origin Immortal Seal—if they could preserve even one and use them as a puppet, it would become a deadly weapon.
As that domain-laced palm descended, Li Hao felt the entire world vanish around him.
Time, space, everything—gone.
It was as if he stood in a vacuum, cut off from the True Realm, from all existence.
He couldn’t even sense immortal energy. The All-Heavens Star Vein behind him was severed—he could no longer draw strength from the stars.
A power vast and insurmountable crashed down.
Li Hao’s eyes bled tears. Even with his strength multiplied tenfold, he couldn’t fight back against it.
The gap was too great—so vast it induced despair.
This was reality. It didn’t always offer a chance to grow step by step or respond to rising threats. Sometimes, disaster simply descended without warning—and you couldn’t resist.
Li Hao looked at the Celestial Guard Commander—and saw only an emotionless face. He looked at the Supreme—and could only see a vague, indistinct figure veiled by Dao force, too powerful to behold.
He looked no more.
Instead, he turned to that rapidly fading, disintegrating figure.
Her broken, dissolving body scattered like fragments of porcelain.
It tore at his heart.
Sword intent surged again as Li Hao charged toward Ying Xiaoxiao, ignoring the domain-empowered palm bearing down.
Boom!
His body was engulfed. The Eternal Dao Domain shattered in an instant. The power of the Dao-Origin Immortal Seal—strong enough to suppress the Southern Realm’s most gifted True Immortals and even rival Immortal Lords—was obliterated before that domain force.
Don’t stop me…
That single thought echoed in Li Hao’s mind. His eyes were red, and the crushing domain made his body grow heavier, more immobile by the second. He struggled with everything he had—but brute strength meant nothing here.
Just a few dozen meters.
But it might as well have been the end of the world.
In that girl's eyes—those sorrowful, despairing eyes—Li Hao finally understood what she meant by “being with you.”
He understood why companionship… was so precious.
Even one more second was a luxury.
Only now, in losing her, did he realize the value of what he had.
A howl of anguish echoed through the Southern Realm, shaking the skies with the youth's cry.
No one watching could speak. All fell silent.
Only that boundless force continued to shrink, seconds from sealing Li Hao away completely.
And then—
Suddenly—
A piercing power tore through the void.
It came from across the river of time—a sharp beam of light like a colossal sword descending from deep space.
But on closer look—it wasn’t a sword.
It was a massive, jet-black tower!
Though its top was pockmarked with holes, its presence was blinding. It shattered the Celestial Guard Commander’s domain in an instant, enveloping both Li Hao and Ying Xiaoxiao inside.
The sudden reversal sent the Celestial Guard Commander into shock. He had been caught completely off guard—he hadn’t sensed a thing.
That meant… the one behind this was vastly stronger than him.
If they had meant to kill—he wouldn't have escaped.
He focused his gaze upward—only to see an old figure standing atop the black tower, hands clasped behind his back. His back slightly hunched, hair flying wildly in the wind. But his aged eyes burned with icy killing intent and a disdainful scorn that looked down on all beneath heaven.
"Han Lao..."
Inside the black tower, Li Hao could clearly see everything beyond. When he saw the figure atop the tower, he froze.
It was Han Lao.
The old man who had fished with him, who had spoken with calm detachment, who had taught him to comprehend the source of time through fishing… who had given him treasures to survive the Yanchu frontier.
Now—he had come for him.
In his daze, another wave of pain shot through Li Hao’s chest. It clenched and convulsed.
He had long suspected Han Lao’s true identity. He knew the old man was a hidden master.
But he wasn’t an Immortal Emperor.
Could it be… again?
In this moment, Li Hao was consumed by despair. A pawn, a lure—constantly drawing those dear to him, even those he never expected—to sacrifice themselves.
He didn’t want to live.
Not anymore.
He wanted to die.
He was trapped in the game—and couldn’t escape.
He was bait on a hook—and couldn’t break free!
“Go. Get out of here…”
Li Hao’s voice rasped, hoarse and broken. No fury, no roar.
It sounded like sobbing.
Since his birth, he had cried only once.
That time—he lost his name.
And this time—he knew he was losing something far more precious than his name.
True emotion.
“Kid, there’s no need for sorrow.”
Han Lao’s voice rang out, calm as ever. He looked at Li Hao—and a faint smile crept onto his face.
“This broken body has slept long enough. It’s time I woke up.”
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