Volume 3 - Chapter 387: Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor (Part 2)
The Emperor cannot be looked upon. His realm, imperceptible.
Even the gathered Immortal Kings could only just make out a blurred silhouette, the outline of flying silver hair, but never his face.
Yet the name spoken by the Supreme One was one that echoed across the entire Southern Domain—
Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor!
One of the three great Emperors who resided in the Primordial True Realm, the one who ruled it under the name of Dao-Origin!
Primal, Chaos, and Dao-Origin.
These three Emperors were the reason countless prodigies yearned for the Primordial True Realm. For they not only governed it—they welcomed disciples.
To be accepted as one of their followers meant embarking on a path of cultivation at terrifying speed.
“So it’s really the Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor…”
Within the Ghost Clan, the sisters Gui Lingyue and Gui Lingshuang were shaken to the core. Ghostly energy trembled across their bodies as they looked upward—yet saw nothing.
In the distance, Shen Wuji of the Ancient God Clan also raised his gaze. Staring directly at that blazing sun-like figure, golden blood streamed from his eyes—but still, he could not see clearly.
Nearby, Di Linchen's heart trembled. He too tried to behold the figure, and he too… failed.
Regardless of one’s brilliance or gifts, one’s cultivation was the line between mortal and divine.
While all others lifted their gaze in awe, one single figure kept his head bowed, trembling.
Step by step, Li Hao approached the girl who lay not far ahead.
Bathed in the divine light of the black tower, Li Hao was untouched by the powers of the imperial realm. He had no more interest in anything beyond this moment. As an ant beneath the sky, he knew—just watching changed nothing.
Besides, the figure before him… was nearly gone.
“You’re going to interfere?”
The Supreme One now stared at the youthful figure—silver-haired and devastatingly handsome—who bore the aura of an Emperor.
“You’ve already achieved your purpose. That child has no value to you now. With the Ancient Fiends invading and our True Realm in peril, are you truly willing to destroy a future Emperor?”
The Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor returned the gaze with serene calm. But when he spoke again, there was a faint sharpness in his eyes.
The Supreme One fell silent before answering.
“I’ll help him become Emperor,” he said finally. “But it must be as our Emperor—from the Celestial Palace.”
There was no point in hiding or justifying anything now. Emperor to Emperor—words had no masks. The nature of his methods was plain to see, to all who stood at their level.
“Have you ever seen an Emperor made into a slave?” Dao-Origin asked coldly. “If your Celestial Palace could restrain him, he would never have been Emperor in the first place.”
The Supreme One didn’t respond.
But he stared straight into Dao-Origin’s eyes. No words were needed—each understood the other.
Dao-Origin paused briefly, then said, “I can make him agree: when he becomes Emperor, he will not become your enemy. He’ll accept one challenge of your choosing. If he loses, all grudges are erased. If he wins—you deal with it.”
The Supreme One was silent.
He knew that asking Dao-Origin to ensure the boy would never seek vengeance against the Celestial Palace was impossible. No Emperor could make such a guarantee for another.
But a challenge of his own choosing? That gave him control.
If even under those conditions—on his terms—the boy still won… then no restriction could have bound him anyway. This was already the greatest compromise Dao-Origin could offer.
“One imperial artifact. You may take the boy.”
Dao-Origin met his gaze, then raised his hand.
From his palm flowed an imperial force—a black arrow, forged like tarnished bronze, stained with a foul green patina and splattered with black blood.
The blood reeked of terror. Twisted and malevolent.
“This broken arrow is all I have,” Dao-Origin said flatly.
The Supreme One narrowed his eyes. The arrow was once infamous. After the battle with the Ancient Fiends, it had clearly suffered damage. Now, it looked pitiful.
Still… if the black blood could be cleansed, the arrow’s power might yet be restored.
After all, this was once a weapon that chilled the hearts of Emperors across the realms.
The name of the arrow:
Slay-Emperor Arrow.
“One isn’t enough,” the Supreme One said.
Dao-Origin's eyes narrowed. Coldness flashed across his face.
“You’d best know when to stop,” he said quietly. “If not for the years you’ve spent defending the Southern Domain… this child would already be gone. Who dares stop me now?”
The Supreme One’s face darkened. He said nothing.
Their conversation, sealed within the imperial domain, was utterly inaudible to any other.
After a brief silence, the Supreme One withdrew his aura.
It was a concession.
Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor… to bear such a title was to embody the origin of Dao itself.
All Emperors marked a new age, a new path to immortality.
Some pioneered ultimate celestial meridians. Some unlocked the path of supreme immortalization. Others forged eternal Dao domains.
But Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor—he was the one who had created the Dao-Origin Immortal Seal.
By fusing the Nine Seals and unifying the Great Dao, he had gifted the True Realm this precious legacy. It was he who had carved a new path forward for all humanity.
As the Supreme One’s pressure receded, Han Lao’s tensed features began to relax. He glanced at Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor and gave a subtle nod.
The Emperor did not speak. He simply turned toward the boy within the black tower’s divine light.
At that moment, Li Hao sensed nothing of the world outside.
The imperial domain had sealed him off. Whether friend or foe, whether he was a pawn or not—he had no say in it.
The only choice left to him… was to stay by Ying Xiaoxiao’s side.
To accompany her.
Two simple words. But the most precious thing in all existence.
By the time a child wishes to care for their parents, they may already be gone. The living weep for the dead. Life and death divide all.
Only companionship endures.
“You’re too foolish…”
Li Hao’s voice trembled. He stood beside Ying Xiaoxiao’s fading face. Her body was almost gone, leaving only a final glimmer of light.
At his words, the despair in her eyes softened.
Though sorrow still lingered beneath.
As the Supreme One withdrew and Dao-Origin’s presence took form, Li Hao remained unaware.
But she was not.
She sensed it. And in her eyes bloomed the smile of release. Of peace.
Now she understood.
Why she had seen this boy glowing with such brilliance in the far-off future.
This… this was the turning point.
It wasn’t her. It wasn’t the Heart-Questioning Tower.
It was Dao-Origin Immortal Emperor’s intervention.
It meant the boy before her would soon enter the Primordial True Realm. From there, he would soar into the heavens.
She was happy for him.
Even as she faded.
“Don’t be sad. I won’t die…”
Ying Xiaoxiao’s voice was a whisper of thought. Like pale fingers brushing Li Hao’s cheek.
“Remember what I told you? In the distant future, I’ll always be watching over you. I’ll be with you.”
“Unless time itself runs dry… I will not die.”
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