Volume 3 - Chapter 398: The Painting Realm of Time (Part 2)
“Such powerful spatial origin fluctuations are embedded in this painting... To portray this, one would need at least a fourth-layer comprehension of the Space Origin Realm—and to integrate it so perfectly into the work?”
“This is undoubtedly a peerless treasure. It could rival even high-grade celestial artifacts!”
All the women present hailed from great clans and possessed discerning eyes. Each of them quickly realized the extraordinary nature of this painting.
Su Muqing and Su Wanqing, both passionate and well-versed in the Painting Dao, were especially shaken. Their eyes widened with disbelief.
Clearly, neither had expected Li Hao to unveil such a breathtaking masterpiece.
“He’s almost touched the true essence of the Painting Dao…”
Lanqin, who had the sharpest artistic judgment of them all, was even more stunned. Her gaze was filled with awe.
“Where did you get this painting?”
The girl in the pale green dress finally regained her senses and blinked her bright, watery eyes at Li Hao, full of curiosity.
Li Hao met her gaze calmly. “I painted it myself.”
“You painted it?”
The girl froze. Not just her—Lanqin, Su Muqing, and the others all paused, then stared at Li Hao in disbelief.
“Impossible!”
Su Muqing snapped, her voice sharp with fury.
“Liar! You’ve lived less than a hundred years! You don’t even have enough time to cultivate properly—how could you possibly master painting to this level? Just reaching this standard would require at least a century of tireless effort!”
Her outburst left the crowd reeling.
Less than a hundred years of soul age?
Most of the women here were True Immortals and could sense the aura of an Immortal Lord emanating from Li Hao. Among them were seven or eight Immortal Lords who could instantly gauge his level. Ever since Li Hao took Wang Lao’s advice, he had stopped concealing his realm.
Had he continued to use his attribute-hiding technique, those far above him—perhaps even Immortal Kings—would’ve failed to discern his level. But that would’ve raised suspicions that he harbored rare treasures, potentially making him a target.
“Did Su Muqing just say he’s only a hundred years old? Did I hear that right?”
“There’s no way… A hundred years of soul age?”
Their astonishment now surpassed what they felt from the painting.
To them, the Painting Dao was merely a hobby. Their true focus remained cultivation—especially in the Northern Region, where every celestial clan, from clan leaders to retainers, understood that power was everything. Without strength, one’s fate in the wild was often gruesome.
Lanqin and the green-dressed girl were both struck speechless, their hearts racing as they looked at Li Hao—then to Su Muqing.
Seeing the fury on her face, they realized she might not be lying.
A hundred years of soul age. Immortal Lord cultivation.
There was no doubt—this young man was a peerless prodigy. Perhaps even one the world had never seen.
Only someone like that could push the proud True Phoenix of the Su Clan to such visible rage—yet leave her helpless.
“Muqing, is he really only a hundred years old?”
Though she had her own guesses, Lanqin couldn’t help but confirm with Su Muqing in a low voice.
Hearing the question, and the murmuring around her, Su Muqing’s expression grew dark. For reasons she couldn’t explain, watching Li Hao stand out made her feel more humiliated than if she herself had been disgraced.
Lanqin, seeing she wouldn’t answer, turned to the more approachable Su Wanqing. When the girl gave a subtle nod, Lanqin felt as if a hammer had struck her chest. Her gaze snapped back to Li Hao, now filled with deep astonishment.
From what she knew, even the Lin Clan’s Imperial Son had only just entered the True Immortal Realm at the age of one hundred—and even then, his name had spread across Gusu Star!
When he later awakened his bloodline and broke through rapidly, he had dominated his peers, unbeaten in his realm and able to challenge higher ones with ease.
Lanqin gathered her thoughts and softened her tone.
“Lord Haotian, may I ask again—was that painting truly created by your hand?”
“Of course,” Li Hao said with a nod.
The girl in pale green took a quick, graceful step, suddenly appearing in front of Li Hao. She studied him closely, then broke into a sincere smile.
“I’m Jiang Huanhuan. You can call me Huanhuan!”
Li Hao blinked. “Just call me Haotian.”
“Huanhuan!”
Su Muqing’s face turned red with fury. She nearly exploded.
“He’s a fraud! You don’t know how shameless he is!”
Jiang Huanhuan, a friend of Su Muqing’s, looked at her in puzzlement.
“Shameless?”
Su Muqing clenched her teeth. She wanted to spill the story of Li Hao using a marriage contract to pester her and cling to her shamelessly—but the words stuck in her throat. Just thinking about it made her feel utterly humiliated. In the end, she ground her teeth and said:
“He’s utterly shameless. A despicable little man. No matter how talented he is, he’ll never achieve greatness. His Dao Heart is shallow. All he cares about is luxury and power. He doesn’t deserve his bloodline or his talent!”
Everyone exchanged glances and looked at Li Hao again, doubt flickering in their eyes.
“And what makes you say that?”
Jiang Huanhuan asked, clearly intrigued.
Su Muqing’s expression tightened. There was no way she could admit she was being chased around by Li Hao for a hundred years. She simply couldn’t say it.
Seeing she wouldn’t answer, Jiang Huanhuan turned back and gave Li Hao a long, curious look. Then she smiled radiantly.
“Did you and Sister Muqing have some kind of misunderstanding? Want me to help clear it up?”
Li Hao was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected this cheerful girl to remain kind to him even after Su Muqing’s accusations. He shook his head.
“There’s nothing that needs explaining.”
Jiang Huanhuan raised an eyebrow, realizing there must be some unspoken history between the two. But she didn’t push. Instead, she returned to the earlier topic.
“So this painting of the Space Origin Divine Tree… you really painted it yourself?”
“Yes,” Li Hao replied.
Jiang Huanhuan studied him one last time, then smiled and nodded.
“I believe you.”
With that, she skipped happily back to stand beside Lanqin and Su Muqing like a cheerful little sparrow.
Su Muqing’s face darkened again. She was about to explode with anger.
But Jiang Huanhuan was a scion of the Jiang Clan. Though not quite as prestigious as the Su Clan, the gap wasn’t huge. Their ancestor had also been an Immortal Emperor, and the previous generation of the Jiang Clan had produced many prodigies. Though Su Muqing and the other Three Phoenixes were more dazzling now, the Jiang Clan’s foundation remained strong. In short, their clans were fairly evenly matched.
“Is this truly your painting?”
A soft and elegant voice echoed through the hall.
Everyone in the pavilion stiffened and turned. A familiar figure was approaching.
“The Painting Immortal Long Yun!”
Lanqin’s eyes lit up, and she stepped forward in welcome.
Su Muqing, Su Wanqing, and the others also looked over. A graceful and coolly aloof woman walked slowly toward them. Her exquisite gown fluttered like flowing light, her entire presence as if stepped out of a painting.
Li Hao’s eyes widened slightly.
It’s… her?
“Space Origin Divine Tree…”
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