Volume 3 - Chapter 398: The Painting Realm of Time (Part 3)
“Was this painting yours?”
The Painting Immortal Long Yun fixed her eyes on the scroll suspended in midair. Slowly, her gaze settled on Li Hao.
Li Hao glanced at the two maids beside her and finally understood—he hadn’t been mistaken. He nodded and replied, “It is.”
“Your technique is exceptional. You’ve reached the mortal extreme—perfection at the peak.”
The Painting Immortal gave a slight nod, offering her critique and recognition.
Li Hao showed no particular joy at the compliment—it was merely an honest assessment.
After all, his painting had reached the eleventh level, already transcending the mundane and stepping into the Immortal Dao.
Hearing the Painting Immortal’s words, the others were even more amazed by Li Hao’s work. For it to earn such praise from Long Yun, it was unquestionably a masterpiece.
Lanqin stepped forward. “Painting Immortal Long Yun, were you the one who brought Haotian here?”
Long Yun nodded lightly. “He was outside the sealed array and remarked that my paintings were mediocre. So I brought him in—to see what his work was like.”
At those words, a wave of understanding passed through the crowd, followed by disbelief. He had called the Painting Immortal’s work “mediocre”?
He likely didn’t even know those were her early pieces displayed outside!
A flush of secondhand embarrassment spread among the onlookers.
“As expected—arrogant and wild. Those paintings were meant for beginners,”
Su Muqing sneered.
“He thinks a bit of talent lets him look down on others? Clearly, his Dao Heart is weak and unworthy of success!”
The Painting Immortal gave Su Muqing a curious glance but, seeing the girl was speaking in her defense, returned a gentle nod. Then she turned to Li Hao.
“Your painting technique is indeed superb. But since you’re here, why not let us each present a piece and have the crowd judge them—for everyone’s enjoyment. What do you say?”
Li Hao had never truly competed in painting before. Even with the Great Dream Master, they had only shared insights—not battled brush to brush.
Naturally, he had no reason to refuse.
Like a swordsman answering the call of another sword, he simply said, “Very well.”
The crowd's eyes lit up. A live painting match? What a rare spectacle.
Lanqin was delighted. She immediately waved her hand and cleared a space.
“This pavilion is too cramped. Why don’t we hold the exhibition over the lake?”
Long Yun nodded faintly in agreement.
Soon, everyone rose into the air and gathered above the lake.
“Big Sister, why is he so insistent on following you?”
Su Wanqing floated beside Su Muqing, whispering curiously.
She could sense that the boy didn’t carry a haughty air. It seemed he was simply using this as an excuse to be near Su Muqing.
“How would I know? Maybe he thinks this foolish method will win me over. Pathetic.”
Su Muqing sneered.
Su Wanqing recalled the century-long engagement and sighed inwardly with regret.
At that moment, the Painting Immortal and Li Hao stood across from one another in the sky above the lake, occupying the cleared space.
Their match—and the presence of the Painting Immortal—immediately drew attention from nearby pavilions. In no time, the skies were filled with onlookers.
“Who’s that? What’s going on?”
“Challenging the Painting Immortal in a painting match?”
Most of those present were women, chattering excitedly.
Lanqin raised a hand and declared, “Silence.”
A burst of pressure from her peak Immortal Lord cultivation swept through the crowd, quieting everyone at once.
The Painting Immortal gazed calmly at Li Hao. While the scroll of the Space Origin Divine Tree had surprised even her, his earlier remarks had insulted her art. To her, it felt like an affront to her childhood—an insult to a daughter she’d raised. It couldn’t be tolerated. She would see to it that he was properly humbled.
“Allow me to show you… the realm beyond mere form.”
Her voice was serene. She lifted her hand, and the luminous pearls adorning her flowing gown flared with immortal light. Celestial energy surged from within her, and the scenery around them changed in an instant.
With one gesture, the heavens and earth transformed!
A painted world spread out from her, centered on her form, radiating outward like a Dao Domain.
But it wasn’t a Dao Domain—it was a painting realm forged entirely of celestial power!
Li Hao had once entered the Langya Painting Realm with the Great Dream Master, so he was no stranger to such constructs.
Even so, gasps erupted from the crowd. Not even Lanqin’s suppressive aura could contain them.
A Painting Realm!
The women’s eyes shone. A few of the men stared in awe, their hearts overcome with reverence. Some looked ready to kneel before her and her celestial gown.
“A Painting Realm... This is the level beyond physical form—the true meaning of the Painting Dao!”
Su Muqing’s gaze softened. Her anger vanished, replaced with wonder and reverence, as if beholding a sacred treasure.
Beside her, Jiang Huanhuan and Su Wanqing were equally entranced. Their hearts brimmed with admiration. To reach such a level of artistry—how many more years would they need to practice?
But with cultivation also consuming their time, they might not touch that realm for a thousand years.
“This is… the Immortal Realm of Dragon Lake.”
Long Yun spoke softly.
As her words fell, deep, thunderous roars echoed from the Painting Realm. Like echoes from ancient mountains, dragon spirits began to materialize within the scene. The transformed realm, now awash in new colors, teemed with dragon shadows soaring and circling.
Beneath everyone’s feet, the lake had also changed. Shaped by the realm’s influence, it became a vast, primeval lake from an age long past. Waves surged, and true dragons rose and plunged, sending up cascades of spray.
“Incredible! Where did those dragon souls come from? I can’t even see them clearly!”
“She’s painting with immortal energy. With a wave of her hand, a thousand dragons rise—this Painting Realm is no ordinary illusion!”
“Exactly. The Painting Dao is itself a Dao. At her level, the Painting Realm becomes a true battlefield—greater even than a Dao Domain. It can slay monsters and foes alike!”
The crowd was breathless. This was not just an art display—the dragon souls in that realm were no illusion. They had shed their forms and taken on real power.
With the resonant cries of dragons rising together, the Painting Realm’s might surged outward. Everyone watching felt their blood stir, their skin prickle with goosebumps. It was as if their very souls were shaking.
Standing opposite the Painting Immortal, Li Hao remained calm. The Dragon Lake Painting Realm was formidable—but in his eyes, it lacked the mystical elegance of the Langya Realm created by the Great Dream Master. That realm had been full of hidden wonders waiting to be revealed.
“Your painting may have reached perfection—but you’re still shackled by form.”
The Painting Immortal spoke with a cool detachment, her eyes carrying a hint of condescension.
Had they not clashed earlier, she might have engaged him in discussion, perhaps even shared her insights. But he had insulted her work. An apology was due.
Li Hao said nothing. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes.
A Painting Realm...
As his eyes shut, immortal energy surged from within him. The space around him warped and twisted. Time and space surged and collided. The power of the Nine Sequences Dao began to stir in subtle, shifting flows.
Then, a vast, ancient aura spread from the young man’s body. It was a sigh from the farthest reaches of time—a desolate, sorrowful breath. Like a painting come to life, it rippled outward, stripping the world of color.
And from that gray, misty stillness…
The power of time began to flow.
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