Volume 3 - Chapter 399: Perfect Match for a True Dragon, Crowned in the Sword Pool
The Realm of Painted Time!
As the fabric of space and time shifted, the world around Li Hao transformed—turning into a dazzling cascade of swirling color, a boundless landscape that surged and receded like waves within a painting of time itself.
Clouds roiled and billowed across the distant sky, the vast lake beneath his feet rippled in mirrored folds, and amidst the void, countless silhouettes seemed to flicker into being—some darting through the skies, others pausing momentarily upon this ethereal canvas.
Wildflowers along the lakeshore bloomed, withered, and bloomed again—flourishing and falling in endless cycles. The tides rose and receded. Rebirth and decay. Over and over again.
This breathtaking scene, when placed beside the Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy’s painting of a thousand dragons soaring, felt infinitely more profound. Though no actual dragons coiled within, the sense of time passing and eras fading imbued it with a far deeper resonance than a thousand dragons in flight.
Compared to it, even those stampeding dragons felt monotonous—bereft of true brilliance.
In the face of time itself, what in the world could hope to resist?
“Time Origin… Time and Space… Such powerful painting skill… such mastery of the Painting Dao…”
Among the crowd, a young woman with hair like a waterfall stood silently. Her gaze was fixed on the scene surrounding the young man, a mixture of solemnity and astonishment on her face.
His painting skill actually surpassed that of the Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy.
Though both had created a painting realm, his was clearly superior.
She had been in another pavilion admiring flowers earlier and hadn't witnessed what had sparked this contest between the young man and the Paint Fairy. But now, comparing the two, the outcome was already clear.
“He actually comprehended the painting realm…”
“That’s something only those who’ve grasped the true essence of the Painting Dao can wield. He could take this painting realm straight into battle!”
“Incredible. Didn’t Su Muqing just say he only had a soul lifespan of a hundred years? That has to be a joke. What kind of prodigy reaches this level of painting in just a century? And he’s still only at the Immortal Lord realm…”
“She must’ve been mistaken. Or misunderstood. There’s no way that’s true.”
“Whatever his soul lifespan is, credit where it’s due—this painting realm is stunning. Constantly evolving. You could lose yourself in it forever.”
“No kidding. It’s unbelievable.”
“Did none of you feel the sorrow within it? Like something old dying away… I swear I saw the wheel of life and death turning, as if all things in existence were returning to dust. There’s more than just time and space here. There are other Daos interwoven too…”
Over the lake, the gathered women stared blankly at the painting realm blooming around Li Hao. They were utterly entranced, their hearts stirred by the passage of time captured in this masterpiece.
“His painting realm…”
Su Muqing stared in disbelief. She couldn’t accept it—but the scene was irrefutable.
How could he possess such exquisite, terrifying skill with the brush? To enter the realm with a painting—it seemed impossible.
She was a prodigious cultivator in her own right. Her insights into the Painting Dao were not shallow. Ever since she made a name for herself in battle a century ago on the Gusu Imperial Star, she’d dabbled in painting during her leisure hours, outside her main cultivation path.
She had practiced the Painting Dao for sixty years, and only barely reached the level of transcendent mastery. She knew better than anyone: though painting was a lesser Dao, to reach its upper echelons required unrelenting dedication.
Next to her, Su Wanqing’s eyes were distant. For some reason, the boy’s painting realm filled her with unspeakable melancholy—as if something precious had been lost.
What pain did this young man carry in his heart?
The thought took root and deepened.
Silence descended on the lake. Lan Qin and Jiang Huanhuan were also visibly shaken, absorbed in the painting.
Across from Li Hao, the Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy, once cold and aloof, had turned pale. Shock filled her eyes. That space origin divine tree painting earlier hadn’t even been his strongest work?
And now, he’d unveiled a painting realm. A true painting realm. One containing the Nine Sequences, rooted in time and space, steeped in a sorrow so profound it stirred even her soul. This was no ordinary work—it was a peerless masterpiece, one that resonated with the very core of the viewer.
The Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy took a deep breath, unwilling to concede. Her voice rang out:
“If it’s painting realms we’re speaking of—then let’s have a true contest.”
As she spoke, her painting realm burst forth, crashing toward Li Hao’s.
A thousand dragons surged with a thunderous roar, erupting from a painted ancient lake. The dragons soared into the sky, shaking the heavens.
The sudden spectacle jolted the crowd awake. Their hearts trembled, blood surging in their veins. The dragon cries ignited their very souls.
It was majestic. Awe-inspiring.
But then, those mighty dragons plunged into Li Hao’s painting realm… and what followed shocked everyone.
As if plunging into boiling oil, the dragons’ scales immediately peeled away, their flesh burst apart. Their colossal bodies shrank and shriveled. Their Immortal power was drawn from them, strand by strand—until they utterly collapsed.
From the swirling brilliance of Li Hao’s painting realm, a profound aura of ancient sorrow flowed out, engulfing the dragons.
One by one, they disintegrated… and vanished into the painting realm of time. Making it all the more desolate.
“All things in this world… must fade away.”
Li Hao gazed upon the shattering painting realm of the Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy. His eyes were calm, but within them hid a deep pain. A broken figure—once crushed beneath the foot of a Supreme—flickered through his heart.
“Your painting realm cannot outlast time. It cannot become eternal.”
The Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy trembled. Her realm shattered, her painting heart wavered. Her face turned red—then she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Hearing his words, she looked up in defiance, unwilling to accept it.
“Eternal? You say that so easily. Unless I create a domain from the Painting Dao itself, what painting realm could be called eternal? Are you saying any realm short of that is beneath you?”
Li Hao didn’t answer. But his quiet sorrow, and the indifference that followed, was answer enough.
Her face darkened. But even as she resisted, she had to admit—in her heart of hearts—that aside from creating a painting domain itself, she couldn’t imagine any painting realm more sublime than his.
This was already the pinnacle.
To surpass it… was beyond her.
“I lost.”
The Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy bowed her head in defeat, unwilling to fake strength where none remained.
As her voice fell, Li Hao also withdrew his painting realm.
That realm… always reminded him of her. The broken girl who had vanished.
But now, her reincarnated self still lived.
This time, he wouldn’t let her be harmed again.
His gaze turned toward the crowd—toward that familiar silhouette.
Su Muqing, who had been staring blankly, snapped back to her senses. Her face flushed, and she looked away immediately.
Her heart was in turmoil.
She couldn’t deny the admiration, even affection, she felt for his painting. But the way he shamelessly clung to her… infuriated her.
Why, with such heaven-defying talent, was his heart so lowly—obsessed with power and bloodlines?
She thought of her childhood sweetheart. The one who had grown alongside her since they were young.
Compared to him, no other man could shine.
What use was the Painting Dao, no matter how brilliant?
She loved painting—but she knew: cultivation was the true path.
And thus, with the Dragon Resonance Paint Fairy conceding defeat, the painting duel… came to a close.
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