Volume 3 - Chapter 407: Breakthrough, Arrival! (Part 2)
The divine wood in Li Hao’s hands gradually took the form of Ying Xiaoxiao—elegantly poised, standing upright in his palm. Her graceful figure and expressive eyes brimmed with the vitality of youth and the gentle warmth of someone long familiar.
Li Hao continued carving in silence. With every stroke and chisel, he etched memories of her into the wood.
Time flowed quietly by.
The Celestial Courtyard was saturated with immortal power. Even without consciously absorbing it, vast amounts of energy naturally surged into Li Hao’s body.
After a year, the immortal power in his body had steadily accumulated to a breaking point. Then, during a moment of deep immersion in his carving, his realm advanced in complete silence. He broke through from the first to the second level of the Immortal Lord Realm!
With the rise in realm, his immortal power didn’t just double—it tripled!
In the True Immortal Realm, each stage doubled one’s immortal power. But in the Immortal Lord Realm, every breakthrough tripled it.
At lower levels, this increase wasn’t too noticeable. But as realms rose higher, that threefold growth became exponentially more overwhelming.
That was why, the higher one climbed, the harder it became to overcome realm differences. Even top-tier prodigies like Su Muqing could only defy opponents three or four stages above. If they faced other monstrous prodigies and their techniques canceled each other out, being able to resist even one or two levels higher was already a rare feat.
But Li Hao remained unaware of his breakthrough, still lost in the act of sculpting.
At the same time, his Heaven and Earth Immortal Physique was also steadily advancing toward perfection.
Another year passed.
A faint hum began to echo from within Li Hao’s body. His immortal physique and primordial spirit waged an inner duel—two selves locked in combat. In the end, it concluded in a perfect draw!
With that draw, the two halves merged seamlessly. They were no longer separate. His Heaven and Earth Immortal Physique was now fully formed—he had reached the minor completion stage!
Even though it was only minor completion, Li Hao felt a surge of power flood through him, far exceeding what a realm breakthrough could offer.
The strength of his primordial spirit’s golden bones was now fully integrated into his immortal body. Just lifting a hand, he felt as though it carried devastating destructive force.
Over these two years, Li Hao had devoured ancient fiends every day. His primordial spirit’s golden bones had increased by more than two hundred, now totaling over eleven hundred!
He sensed that his soul power was nearing full saturation—approaching a legendary, mysterious realm.
He knew exactly what it was: the Final Stage of the Primordial Spirit.
In the past, the Honored Deity sealed within the Tower of True Sovereigns had been a being at the Final Stage of the Primordial Spirit. Even in that ancient catastrophe, he had not perished. True gods were undying.
If Li Hao could attain that same stage, he believed that even an Immortal King would struggle to kill him—and before an Immortal Emperor, he might still have a slim chance of escape.
That said, he was still some distance away. But with every passing day, he drew closer to its threshold.
Time continued to pass. The news of the demons arriving on Gusu Emperor Star to challenge the human prodigies had now spread throughout the great clans.
All across Gusu Emperor Star, the topic was the talk of the realm.
Beyond the noble clans, even many ordinary immortals and gods were inflamed upon hearing the news. All wished they could personally enter the fray and slay demons on the spot.
Within each major family, their top prodigies had gone into seclusion, throwing themselves into bitter cultivation for one final breakthrough.
In these two years, neither Jiang Huanhuan nor Lin Jinrou had appeared again in the Su residence. Su Wanqing and Su Wanxue had not been seen in the Celestial Courtyard either. As for that tightly shut palace gate, it hadn’t budged an inch—sealed as though forgotten by time.
Only Nanny Wu and a few servant girls occasionally passed through the courtyard.
Li Hao continued his silent cultivation, devouring ancient fiends daily.
The corpses of the ancient fiends he had slain during the Southern Domain trial were now nearly gone. By his estimation, what remained would only last him another two years at most.
Once they were completely used up, he planned to ask the Su family for more. He had no desire to go hunting himself.
…
Beyond Gusu Emperor Star, in the vast expanse of space…
A pitch-black warship raced through the stars, arriving in an instant via teleportation from the depths of space. The vessel was cloaked in imperial majesty, and the moment it reached the outer orbit of the star, its presence alarmed certain powerful beings within.
“So this is the Emperor Star of the human race in the Northern Domain?”
“I’ve heard that the rising Su and Lin families are based here.”
“Hmph. The Su family, is it? Smells delightful.”
On the deck of the dark warship stood twenty towering figures. Some had tall, slender builds with cold, sharp faces. Others were burly, exuding pressure like deep mountains or abysses. Still others were graceful and radiant—like cold, luminous moons—each possessing a unique, commanding presence.
Wherever they stood, they would become the center of attention.
And yet, there were twenty such individuals gathered on this deck.
Among them, five figures stood out even more. Phantom visions of grand Daos shimmered faintly around them. Above their heads, traces of an obscure, elusive fate connected them to distant stars far across the sky.
Gale-force winds whipped around the warship, causing their immortal robes to flap wildly. Yet each one stood like a nail driven into stone—undaunted, brimming with power, their eyes cold as blades.
Around them stood three other deep, inscrutable figures, gazing intently at the massive star before them.
On the edge of the Emperor Star, an illusory golden phoenix circled silently—unseen by ordinary eyes.
They recognized it as the soul of this star.
Just as grasses could become spirits and beasts could become demons, even mountains and rivers had their own soul essence. An Emperor Star was no different.
From the coiled ancient phoenix shadow, they could tell—this star was blessed with mighty fortune. Countless prodigies must surely be gathered here.
“They’ve already sensed our arrival,” one figure murmured softly.
“I wonder whether they’ll send some cannon fodder to die… or if they’ll risk it all for a decisive clash. I’ve heard the Su and Lin families have birthed demon-level talents. Let’s hope we get the chance to meet them.”
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