Chapter 333: Imperial Palace Showdown (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Li Hao's suggestion was accepted by the Canghai Divine Dynasty.
Soon after, a royal prince of the Divine Dynasty came to invite Li Hao to the imperial palace of the Canghai Divine Dynasty. He needed to leave a blood imprint on the Divine Dynasty's Imperial Stone Dragon Seal to become a Divine Dynasty Supplicant.
When the Divine Dynasty faced peril, activating the Imperial Stone Dragon Seal would summon the Supplicants within the dynasty. If a Supplicant was unwilling to assist, they would suffer the backlash of the Imperial Stone Dragon Seal, resulting in damage to their cultivation.
If a Supplicant was unable to be present in person due to circumstances, when the call was transmitted, they could also use the Imperial Stone Dragon Seal to project a transformed avatar to participate in battle, thereby contributing.
Simply put, this object was equivalent to a form of mandatory contract.
Li Hao knew that there must be gains and losses. Taking money from others meant taking on their responsibilities; this also applied to the incense offerings.
In the Saint realm, incense wasn't just power; it was also similar to the currency used by mortals. This was why it was extremely difficult to compete for incense from Saints.
This was akin to robbing a wealthy person of their money; it was a life-or-death gamble.
This Offering Dao Mountain wasn't far from the imperial capital of the Canghai Divine Dynasty. Li Hao was accompanied by three others, two men and a woman. One of the men was tall and slender, dressed in crimson divine robes with flowing luster. He held a spear that seemed to be forged from molten lava, his eyes filled with disdain, and he was accompanied by the Crown Prince of the Canghai Divine Dynasty.
The other man and woman were also very young in appearance, with the woman having silver eyes, which reminded Li Hao of the Holy Son of the Crescent Moon's different pupils.
Evidently, those who could receive an invitation from the Divine Dynasty were all extraordinary.
The imperial city of the Canghai Divine Dynasty was exceedingly magnificent, spanning tens of thousands of miles. The imperial palace was majestic, with dragon pillars adorned with Canghai totems.
Under the leadership of Crown Prince Guihai Feng, the group arrived at the imperial palace and met the Divine Dynasty's Emperor.
The Great Emperor Canghai sat on the dragon throne. He appeared to have a long face, exuding an innate authority, and looked to be in his sixties, with only a few strands of white hair at his temples.
It was said that he was a Half-Saint, having already stepped past the Dao realm but had yet to condense his own Saint Dao. His lifespan was exceptionally long. He had thousands of consorts and concubines, and numerous children numbering in the hundreds. Among them, many inherited his bloodline and possessed exceptional talent, being Dao realm experts.
Inside the imperial court, the atmosphere was imposing, with civil and military officials in attendance, all gazing at the four newly appointed Supplicants of the Canghai Divine Dynasty.
They had to memorize the appearances of these individuals to warn the younger generation of their families to avoid causing trouble in the future.
Those who had served in the Divine Dynasty for a long time knew that they needed to make their family's offspring aware to prevent future disasters for their families.
"Four esteemed geniuses, each a dragon among men and a phoenix among women. Now that you have become Supplicants of my Canghai, as long as Canghai endures, you will be granted hereditary Supplicant status and your reputations will be praised for generations!"
Great Emperor Canghai said to Li Hao and the other three with a smile.
After a simple exchange of pleasantries, Great Emperor Canghai took out the Imperial Stone Dragon Seal and had Li Hao and the other three each offer a drop of their blood.
After they had given their blood, Great Emperor Canghai conferred titles upon the four in the palace, granting them Supplicant tokens. Within the Canghai Divine Dynasty, their status would be second only to the Emperor, and they would enjoy the special privileges of divine marquises, even being able to command up to ten thousand troops. Additionally, they would receive salaries, but monetary salaries were merely ornamental.
Subsequently, he led the four to the inner palace, where only Great Emperor Canghai and the accompanying Crown Prince were present, to discuss the matter of incense.
"I have agreed to all your requests. Today, master craftsmen will come to measure your golden bodies, and from today onwards, temples will be built for you in various places within the Divine Dynasty to sculpt your golden statues. I will have the Commander-in-Chief in charge of spreading your glorious deeds throughout the cities."
Great Emperor Canghai smiled, "The better the achievements you attain, the more legendary your deeds, the more incense you will receive, and your influence can even extend beyond your own cities, spreading to other places."
Incense offerings, in addition to building temples, sculpting golden bodies, and spreading glorious reputations through human guidance, would also arise spontaneously if one's own fame and deeds were exceptionally renowned and widely circulated.
Therefore, it was difficult to obtain incense. Those mortals would all believe in the strongest Saints, and gaining their faith required the use of numerous means.
Li Hao had a great reputation in the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, so after the incense of the Jiang family had been collected, and the arrays of the five Great Divine Generals' mansions in the state capitals were no longer reversed, the remaining scattered incense would quickly be transferred to him, a process that was effortless.
Seeing that the Emperor had made all the preparations, Li Hao nodded, having no objections.
"Your Majesty, when will Princess Yun Ji marry me?"
The crimson-robed young man holding the molten divine spear asked calmly.
"You may set the wedding date yourself," Great Emperor Canghai smiled.
"Then, let it be held immediately after I win first place in this battle, as I'll need the time for the upcoming confrontations with the Three Great Holy Lands."
The crimson-robed young man said.
His words caused the man and woman beside him to frown slightly. The confidence in his tone, as if it was only natural, made them feel somewhat uneasy.
"First place isn't that easy to obtain, is it?"
The purple-robed young man beside him had cold eyes, and he said calmly. What he sought in this battle was also first place. If he couldn't even take the first place among the loose cultivators, how could he compete with the geniuses and Holy Sons of the Three Great Holy Lands to win a spot for the Canglan Realm to participate in the battle?
"Hmm?"
The crimson-robed young man turned his gaze towards him, his eyes immediately turning cold, and a murderous aura emanated from his body:
"Do you have any objections?"
The purple-robed young man narrowed his eyes and said, "Objections, I wouldn't say. But I am afraid that someone is talking big and will get burned!"
As he spoke, he looked towards Great Emperor Canghai and bowed slightly, saying, "Your Majesty, is it also a condition of becoming a Supplicant to marry Princess Yun Ji? If that is the case, since I have no princess I admire, may I be granted two more cities of incense?"
Great Emperor Canghai was immediately put in a difficult position. Considering the other party's strength, granting him five cities of incense was, in his opinion, a reasonable price. If it were more, it would be somewhat disadvantageous.
Unless the other party had hidden means that they had not fully displayed previously, he couldn't completely seal the deal just yet.
As Great Emperor Canghai's thoughts swirled, the crimson-robed young man next to him revealed a slight smile on his face, and his body suddenly emitted a rich crimson flame, as if he wanted to ignite the imperial palace.
"Your Majesty has granted me twelve cities of incense, along with Princess Yun Ji, which shows that I am qualified, I am worthy!"
He turned around directly, facing the purple-robed young man, and his eyes seemed to burst with golden flames: "What are you, that you dare to use me to bargain?"
The purple-robed young man's face immediately changed. Those words were already quite harsh, and his expression became completely gloomy, while a hint of shock appeared in his eyes.
Twelve cities of incense?
He had thought that they would all be like him, offered five cities of incense!
"Your Majesty, he has twelve cities of incense?"
Beside them, the exquisitely beautiful woman in the cloud robes revealed a look of surprise in her eyes, and then she frowned, asking Great Emperor Canghai.
Great Emperor Canghai knew that this matter could not be concealed. After all, the incense offering was real, and it would be discovered with a little investigation. He slightly nodded his head:
"That's right, Supplicant Red Light opened up the Five Extremes Realm and possesses exceptional fire-based divine abilities, hence the twelve cities of incense."
"Five Extremes Realm?"
Hearing Great Emperor Canghai's words, the purple-robed young man and the cloud-robed woman's eyes narrowed. Those who could master the Five Extremes Realm were at least at the level of Holy Land Holy Sons.
"Just on this merit alone can he obtain twelve cities of incense? Then I have asked for too little!"
The purple-robed young man's eyes revealed dissatisfaction and a hint of annoyance.
He only got five cities, less than half of the other person's.
"A person like you, five cities is more than enough. If I were to say, those five cities would be better off given to me."
Red Light's eyes were cold and disdainful, he didn't take the other person seriously.
The purple-robed young man's body immediately erupted with a towering aura. In an instant, his hair turned golden, and his Divine Power extreme realm released. At the same time, his eyes contained murderous intent, and he said:
"Then let's give it a try. If I defeat you, your twelve cities of incense will be mine. As for Princess Yun Ji, you won't get to marry her, just go and marry a wild dog!"
Li Hao was also somewhat surprised. He thought that they would all have ten cities of incense; he didn't expect there to be such a difference.
But, thinking about it, it seemed reasonable. After all, they couldn't all be at the same level.
However, if it was calculated this way, he only received ten cities of incense, and it seemed like he had been taken advantage of. His bargaining skills weren't good enough.
At this moment, seeing that these two were about to take action, Li Hao looked towards Great Emperor Canghai, but he didn't stop them. Evidently, if such an issue were to be stopped, the spear of criticism would turn towards him, the matters of martial artists were better to resolve in the way of martial artists.
Li Hao didn't say much; he only slowly retreated to the side.
The cloud-robed woman noticed Li Hao's movement, raised her eyebrows slightly, and glanced at him. Then, she also quietly retreated to the side.
Whether it was five cities or twelve cities, she also wanted to see whether these two people, who were respectively above and below her, were worthy.
"Seeking death!"
Seeing the other person insult him, the divine flames in Red Light's eyes suddenly erupted. His figure flickered and vanished through Spatial Transference.
The purple-robed young man also performed Spatial Transference at the same time, he also mastered the extreme realm of Spatial Transference. With a loud "boom", the void shook suddenly, and a sea of fire spread out, attempting to ignite this imperial palace.
But Great Emperor Canghai raised his hand slightly, and a formation materialized, enveloping the scene, isolating the flames, and not even allowing the temperature to permeate.
"Purple Extreme Heavenly Micro!!"
The purple-robed young man roared suddenly, emitting a large amount of purple Qi from his body, and the figure of an ancient Great Emperor faintly emerged behind him.
The figure was blurry, but just the outline vaguely revealed the bearing of supporting the heavens and the earth, carrying a shocking sense of pressure.
Then, he suddenly attacked, projecting the blurry outline behind him along with his palm, attempting to suppress Red Light with a single palm.
Red Light, however, looked up and glanced at the figure. His eyes revealed mockery. He then suddenly transformed all of the divine flames from his body to golden fire, seemingly capable of incinerating all things. The purple-robed young man's robes and treasures were set ablaze, and even his hair was burnt.
Golden markings emerged on Red Light's forehead. He said softly, "Flame Extreme Divine Ability, Supreme Heart Flame!"
As he spoke, the surrounding laws coalesced, and a surge of scorching fire surged into the sky. At the same time, the purple-robed young man's body was also set ablaze, and he let out a scream.
This scene caused Li Hao and the cloud-robed woman's eyes to become solemn. The cloud-robed woman's eyes flashed with a trace of shock. Great Emperor Canghai had said that the other party's divine ability was exceptional, and she hadn't taken it seriously. But she didn't expect it to be so strong!
This was a top-tier divine ability, and it had been cultivated to an extremely top-tier level. Just this one divine ability was difficult to defend against.
Li Hao watched the purple-robed young man burning in golden flames. This flame originated from the other party's heart, igniting the heart fire, making it extremely difficult to defend against.
Divine abilities were killing moves that were mastered by Dao realm experts, and this divine ability of the other party had already touched on a trace of the Dao's essence. It was not inferior to the Holy Son of the Crescent Moon.
As the flames burned his body, the purple-robed young man hurriedly performed Spatial Transference, but the flames followed and couldn't be extinguished.
He let out a painful roar, and his body was shrouded in purple light. The towering figure behind him held onto him, erupting with purple light. After a long while, only then did the light extinguish the fire.
During this process, Red Light didn't make another move, he only watched coldly.
And when the flames were extinguished, the purple-robed young man's entire body was scorched black, and his battle armor had cracks everywhere, it was quite miserable.
His face turned incredibly unsightly. Thinking that the woman was beside him, he hurriedly took out a set of robes from the spatial realm and wore them. His entire body was covered in burns, but compared to the pain in his body, the humiliation in his heart was more difficult to bear and filled with rage.
"If it wasn't for the fact that we are all Supplicants of the same dynasty, killing you would be as easy as killing a chicken!"
Red Light's eyes were cold and disdainful, his words showed no consideration at all.
The purple-robed young man, however, had a gloomy face and didn't say anything more. Although his words were difficult to listen to and filled him with hatred, he knew that to say more would only bring more humiliation.
Great Emperor Canghai raised his hand and released a divine ability that transformed into a hazy green light, enveloping the purple-robed young man. Soon after, it caused his body to rapidly heal, and his injuries dissipated.
"Both of you will represent my Canghai Divine Dynasty in battle, so don't harm your harmony. The incense promised to the four of you is only temporary, and not forever fixed. The stronger you perform in the Supreme Genius Battle, the more incense you will receive."
Great Emperor Canghai smiled and said:
"If you can represent my Canglan Realm in the battle, your names will spread throughout the thirty-three realms, and naturally, you will receive more incense. I will also give you an additional ten cities of incense."
Hearing his words, Red Light's eyes were calm, he said, "To defeat the Holy Sons of the Three Great Holy Lands and compete for one of the ten spots, would be as difficult as reaching the heavens for some people, but it is a worry for them."
Hearing his words of such confidence, if it were earlier, the purple-robed young man would have sneered, but at this moment, he was silent. Although the exchange had been short, he had already felt the gap between them.
He possessed a trace of ancient imperial blood. He was originally a young genius, and he had risen from his own sect and family, ultimately emerging in the Genius Battle that brought together geniuses from dozens of dynasties. However, he was only an outstanding individual, he couldn't be considered top tier.
The cloud-robed woman next to him looked at Red Light and didn't speak. She wasn't confident that she could withstand the other party's fire-based divine ability.
Li Hao glanced at this Great Emperor Canghai, thought for a moment, and didn't say anything.
The other party would give incense based on performance. When he displayed enough strength, he believed that the other party would take the initiative to increase his incense without him having to ask.
In the world of martial artists, strength was the only right to speak.
This was reflected more vividly in this Land of the Holy.
"And him, does he also get five cities?"
The purple-robed young man suddenly looked at Li Hao. He had a feeling that he seemed to have the least amount of incense.
Didn't that mean that he was the weakest one here?
"He gets ten cities of incense."
Great Emperor Canghai smiled and said: "Supplicant Qingfeng's swordplay has entered the Dao, his extreme realm has yet to be reflected, so perhaps the incense given is too little. But after the performance of Supplicant Qingfeng, if he can represent my Canglan Realm in battle, I will increase it appropriately."
"Ten cities?"
Hearing Great Emperor Canghai's words, the purple-robed young man's face changed drastically, it was actually double that of his.
The cloud-robed woman also narrowed her eyes, glanced at Li Hao, Swordplay entering the Dao? This was swordplay at the Half-Saint level, and the other party had mastered it. Even if there were laxities in the extreme realm, it was still extremely terrifying.
Just with this swordplay alone, he was intimidating.
Red Light raised his eyebrows slightly and also glanced at Li Hao. Techniques that had entered the Dao, he didn't possess it. His fire-based divine ability could only be considered to have touched on a trace of Dao essence, it hadn't entered the Dao yet.
The Genius Battle was limited to those under a hundred years old. To enter the Dao within a hundred years was an extremely top-tier monstrous talent, even if he focused on the study of techniques.
With the previous exchange of blows with Red Light, the purple-robed young man didn't doubt Li Hao at the moment. After all, swordplay that had entered the Dao was sufficient to make him believe.
When everyone had no objections, soon after, master craftsmen came to measure the figures of the individuals and draw the outlines.
During the drawing, Li Hao became interested and took the brush and ink from the dynasty's chief painter's assistant and also drew for the group.
Besides drawing the other three, Li Hao mainly drew this Great Emperor Canghai.
After all, he was a Half-Saint, the experience he brought to the art of painting was not negligible.
As one scroll after another was drawn, based on the experience gained, Li Hao discovered that the painting experience brought by the cloud-robed woman was even more than that of the purple-robed young man. It seemed that the number of cities of incense obtained by the other party was also more.
The cloud-robed woman's painting experience was close to twenty thousand.
And the purple-robed young man had around fifteen thousand.
The painting experience brought by Red Light actually had thirty-five thousand, almost twice that of the cloud-robed woman. This showed that there were still hidden depths of strength.
With the improvement of his painting skills, Li Hao found that the painting experience seemed to have been compressed. Originally, drawing a Four-Establishment Realm figure, would have brought tens of thousands of experience points, but now drawing a Four-Establishment Realm figure would only bring in a pathetic number of experience points, perhaps just over a thousand points.
(End of Chapter)