Chapter 451: Sword Dao Eleven, Drawing Sword to the Azure Heavens

In the void, Moonrise, adorned in a magnificent gold-gilded gown, coupled with her taller-than-average stature, descended upon the world like a banished celestial from myths.

Her expression was serene, her gaze tranquil. Since arriving in Sword Abyss, she had diligently cultivated, never slacking off in the courtyard. In just a year, she had made immense progress and advancements.

Wei Red Leaf accompanied her side.

Having learned that this junior sister had emerged from seclusion and was about to challenge Emperor Sword Cliff again, Wei Red Leaf made a special trip to accompany her.

Moonrise glanced across the void towards the opposite side of Emperor Sword Cliff. There, densely packed figures of Sword Abyss disciples could be seen. Although Sword Abyss wasn't as flourishing in disciples as Spear Abyss, it still boasted tens of thousands.

However, in a single sweep of her eyes, she did not see the figure she was hoping to find.

Moonrise frowned slightly, but quickly regained her composure. If the other party possessed such a temperament, even with a Dao Heart resonating nine times, she would eventually surpass him. Perhaps, she might have already surpassed him.

She reined in her thoughts, ceasing to dwell on it, and arrived at the foot of Emperor Sword Cliff.

On the opposite bank, many Heaven Court disciples were also watching, discussing this newly accepted junior disciple of Li Tiemu.

"I heard Elder Li brought back two disciples a year ago. I inquired about it; they were both recruited from Asking Heart Floating City. One with an eight-resonance Dao Heart, and another with nine, both Eternal Dao Hearts. This Moonrise is the eight-resonance one. The nine-resonance one is reclusive and seldom seen."

"Dao Heart with nine resonances? Is that person already an Immortal Lord?"

"Are you silly? Would an Immortal Lord still be a disciple? They'd be a Deacon directly, maybe even nominated as an Elder."

"True Immortal Realm, Dao Heart resonating nine times? What kind of mental state is that? Does he even know what Qi Deviation is?"

Many Heaven Court disciples conversed in hushed tones, their expressions turning serious.

At this moment, Moonrise had arrived directly in front of Emperor Sword Cliff. She heard Wei Red Leaf's encouraging voice transmission in her ear, took a deep breath, and then raised her hand to draw her sword.

With a clang, the longsword vibrated and unsheathed, landing in her grasp.

She gazed intently at the majestic, sheer Emperor Sword Cliff, seeing the densely packed names inscribed upon it, all of them Sword Abyss's prodigies.

Her name was ranked last.

A silver glow suddenly erupted in her eyes, and then the magnificent gold gown on her body radiated dazzling golden light. A sharp and vast sword intent instantly burst forth from her body.

From a distance, her figure seemed to be shrouded in a phantom of sword intent, upright and reaching for the heavens.

As a member of the Calamity Clan, her sword dao talent was extremely high, possessing a congenital sword fetus.

"True Immortal Realm Third Layer!"

"Such intense sword intent! The sword in my hand is trembling!"

"Is this what Heaven Court disciples are like? True Immortal Realm Third Layer already possesses such power. I feel that even as a Fifth Layer True Immortal Realm, I might not be her match."

"You're overthinking it. Even if you were Sixth Layer True Immortal Realm, you might not be able to win against her."

In the distance, many Earth Court and Profound Court disciples were murmuring in shock.

Even those Heaven Court disciples wore solemn expressions, feeling pressure from this woman.

At this moment, Moonrise, holding her longsword, flew towards Emperor Sword Cliff.

As she approached the base of the cliff face, she immediately felt a majestic and awe-inspiring aura, like an emperor sitting regally on a mountain, eyes blazing, aura encompassing heaven and earth.

She was like an ant, moving forward under the other's gaze. The sword intent and sword dao within her felt like a reflection in a mirror, suddenly giving her a sense of inferiority.

She bit her lip slightly, a stubborn look appearing in her eyes. Relying on a surge of fierce determination in her chest, she unleashed her extreme realm power, charging towards the space above her original name.

Behind her, a hazy Heaven and Earth Dharma Image, condensed like silver threads, emerged, resembling a celestial maiden from beyond the sky, accompanying her sword-wielding figure as she flew forward.

Emperor Sword Cliff emanated boundless power. In Moonrise's eyes, it was no longer a cliff, but a sword. That sword stood between heaven and earth, causing everything in the world to pale in comparison.

She had never seen such a sword, nor had she felt such terrifying sword qi. Yet, this close proximity brought about earth-shattering changes in her understanding and perception of the sword. But equally, this transformation also brought a sense of despair: could she ever reach such a pinnacle of sword dao?

She felt as though she would never be able to cultivate such an ultimate sword dao in her entire life.

This trance affected her sword heart, and her movements uncontrollably slowed down. By the time she realized it, she had already arrived in front of Emperor Sword Cliff.

Clang.

Sword light flashed rapidly, inscribing her name.

This time, her name was three feet higher than before.

Just three feet, yet it leaped over hundreds of names, surpassing countless prodigies.

As her name was inscribed, the strength within her seemed to be completely exhausted. Her body flew backward, no longer able to withstand the imposing aura, her face pale as she retreated to the outside of Emperor Sword Cliff.

Her chest rose and fell slightly, her breathing a little heavy, and the hand holding the sword trembled. But behind her, countless shocked gazes were fixed upon her.

Leaving a name on Emperor Sword Cliff after only a year, and leaping up three feet in one go, this was too astonishing.

"True Immortal Realm Third Layer, if her realm were higher, she might reach even higher."

"With such sword intent, it's enough to compensate for a tenfold difference in immortal power. Challenging a Sixth Layer True Immortal Realm from the Third Layer isn't a problem for her."

In the distance, the crowd gradually came back to their senses and began whispering.

True Immortal Realm Tenth Layer was considered perfection. With each increase in realm, immortal power would double!

Second Layer True Immortal Realm is double, Third Layer is four times, Fourth Layer is eight times!

By the time one reached Tenth Layer True Immortal Realm perfection, their immortal power was 512 times that of a First Layer True Immortal Realm!

Under hundreds of times the immortal power, most extreme realm strengths were difficult to compensate for. For example, the Divine Strength Realm, even if one enhanced their physical body tenfold, it was almost insignificant in the face of five hundred times the immortal power!

The same was true for Heaven and Earth Dharma Images. Although they could greatly enhance combat power, most people at Tenth Layer True Immortal Realm had them. The higher the realm, the more terrifying the amplification power of the Heaven and Earth Dharma Image!

These ten layers of realm were like ten layers of heavens, difficult to easily overcome. Being able to challenge opponents across realms was a sign of top-tier geniuses, like Moonrise before their eyes.

"Not bad, a great improvement."

Wei Red Leaf's figure flew to Moonrise's side, and she spoke softly.

She was dressed in simple white, appearing dignified and elegant, more like a celestial maiden transcending the mortal world compared to Moonrise's splendor.

Hearing her praise, Moonrise raised her head and glanced at Emperor Sword Cliff. Her eyes swept upwards from her name for a long distance before she finally saw the three characters for Wei Red Leaf.

She pursed her lips slightly, her trembling hand steadied, and she said to Wei Red Leaf, "Thank you for accompanying me, Senior Sister."

"You have great talent, go back and continue to work hard."

Wei Red Leaf smiled gently.

Moonrise nodded, glancing again at the crowd on the opposite bank. Still not seeing that figure, she felt a slight regret in her eyes. She then stopped thinking about it and turned to return with Wei Red Leaf.

Back in her courtyard, Moonrise summoned her steward, instructing him to deliver a message to that other courtyard.

Before long, her steward returned, his expression a little strange, and respectfully reported:

"Fairy, the steward of Idler's Courtyard said that Young Master Hao went down the mountain some days ago."

"Down the mountain?"

Moonrise, who was stroking her sword blade in the pavilion on the lake in her courtyard, narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "Where did he go?"

"That wasn't mentioned. After all, Young Master Hao is a Heaven Court disciple; his whereabouts are not easily disclosed."

Moonrise's eyes flickered, and she said nothing more, simply closing her eyes.

The steward, seeing her expression, knew it was time for him to withdraw and quietly retreated.

...

In Asking Heart Floating City.

The vast plaza, compared to a year ago, now seemed much more deserted.

This ancient city had long since declined, and the number of travelers passing through was not many, far less lively than when various forces came here to recruit disciples.

Now, the majestic Asking Heart Tower stood tall in the plaza. Occasionally, figures would enter to test their Dao Hearts.

On the edge of the plaza, there was a small earthen mound.

Two figures leaned against the backs of trees on the hilltop. Before them was an abyss-like cliff, shrouded in clouds and mist. At this time, even more smoke drifted into the mist.

Smoke from cooking drifted lazily upwards. Li Hao was grilling meat.

Beside him, a crippled old man was smoking a large pipe.

Both of them seemed to be idle, but unseen lines extended into the clouds and mist in front of them.

Soon, a fragrant aroma filled the air. Li Hao handed a piece of grilled dragon liver to the old man and asked, "Old Han, still no movement?"

Since half a year ago, Li Hao would come here in his free time to compete with him in fishing.

It was rare to encounter a fishing expert better than himself, and coupled with the dragon-phoenix bird the old man spoke of, Li Hao hadn't managed to catch one yet. He couldn't just leave empty-handed and never come back, it would be a constant bother.

Over half a year of interaction, although the crippled old man wasn't easy to get along with and spoke little, Li Hao occasionally grilled and cooked, slightly opening up the old man's conversational nature. He learned his surname was Han, but his full name remained unknown.

"Hmph, aren't you the same?"

Old Han grunted lightly, accepting the dragon liver but enjoying it without any politeness.

He flicked open his wine gourd, eating grilled meat with wine, the more he ate, the more he enjoyed it.

"Excellent."

Half a dragon liver down, paired with his self-brewed fine wine, his eyes were already squinting, and a hint of pleasure appeared on his face.

Li Hao ate his own share on the side. This dragon demon was in the True Immortal Realm, hunted in the wilderness outside Floating City, and its meat was quite delicious.

"Want a sip of wine?"

Li Hao casually offered.

Old Han was already used to it and didn't mind, casually handing the wine gourd to Li Hao.

He ate Li Hao's grilled meat, and Li Hao drank his wine, a kind of give-and-take relationship had formed between them.

Li Hao wiped the mouth of the gourd, then tilted his head back, pouring the fragrant liquid down.

Old Han glanced at him, huffed lightly, took the gourd back and drank directly from the spout.

"Your fishing skill is too raw, still stuck at the very entry level, not yet truly grasping the essence of fishing."

Old Han said blandly.

"Oh?"

Li Hao was intrigued and asked, "Then what is the true essence of fishing?"

"Everything can be fished, immortals, gods, demons, devils, the myriad races… including time and years!"

Old Han squinted as he spoke.

Li Hao had asked casually, but hearing these words, he felt as if a great bell tolled in his mind, a feeling of enlightenment and shock washing over him.

Including time and years?

Li Hao's mind kept replaying the words, years and time… how could time be fished?

What could possibly hold onto time?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the end, he suddenly seemed to grasp that perhaps, only his fishing hook could grasp time.

This time encompassed the time of heaven and earth, and also the time of all living beings.

All things were like fish, flowing in their respective rivers of time. When hooked, they would be pulled out of their river of time, entering another trajectory, or ending…

The dragon meat in Li Hao's mouth seemed to lose its flavor. His mind was completely immersed in the collision of countless thoughts, his eyes unconsciously closing.

Letting those thoughts spread and echo in his mind.

The Chaos Divine Flame burning in the campfire before him swayed and dissipated, only the aroma of grilled meat lingering in the air.

And the unseen lines Li Hao had buried in the clouds and mist had also disappeared, completely vanished.

The clouds and mist drifted quietly, a gentle breeze softly blowing, caressing the young man's temples under the shade of the trees.

Beside him, Old Han, who was drinking to aid his chewing, suddenly shifted one eye to Li Hao, his drinking motion halting.

He slowly lowered the wine gourd, a faint glimmer of light flickering in his usually calm eyes.

At this moment, the clouds and mist continued to dissipate, the sea of clouds serene.

And Li Hao's body became even more tranquil, as if merging with heaven and earth.

This was not the integration of extreme transformation, but a fusion of another state of mind.

Everything could be fished, and everything could become a fishing line…

Suddenly, the clouds and mist surged! Immediately after, from within, it seemed like a giant object was shaking and rolling!

Suddenly, the clouds and mist dispersed in an instant, and the shaking object leaped out, but it was not a dragon-phoenix bird, nor any other demon, but a majestic pagoda.

The pagoda emerged from the clouds and mist, as if dragged out by something.

If anyone else were here, they would be shocked to discover that this pagoda was exactly the same as the Asking Heart Tower standing in the plaza!

Except, this pagoda was complete, its spire as sharp as a sword!

Suddenly, the pagoda violently trembled, as if being destroyed by something. Divine light scattered everywhere like flowing colors and iron sparks, splattering all over the ground.

The Emperor's might on the pagoda also dimmed in the shaking.

Beside him, Old Han, who was smoking his pipe, stared blankly at this scene.

His eyes reflected the dazzling pagoda, as if countless rays of light, representing lost time, flowed within them.

He hadn't expected that the wisp of time Li Hao had fished out from the clouds and mist before his eyes would be that era.

At this moment, Li Hao also opened his eyes, gazing at the pagoda that was shattered and dimming, seeing it transition from reality to blurriness, until it dissipated like dust and smoke. He felt a sense of bewilderment.

This pagoda wasn't real, but a projection of a period of time he had fished out.

But he recognized the pagoda, it was the Asking Heart Tower.

He had fished out the time when the Asking Heart Tower was destroyed.

At this moment, a notification from the panel echoed in his mind.

[You have comprehended the Origin Heart Realm of Fishing]

[Fishing Dao has been elevated to Eleventh Stage]

[You have gained 38282 Fishing experience…]

Successive notifications rang out, but Li Hao was still savoring the comprehension he had just gained.

Time, years, he had actually felt them.

Among the Nine Paths, time was the most elusive. Ying Xiaoxiao, whom Elder Hope had gone to find, was most likely the reincarnation of the Time Celestial Maiden, and she innately grasped the great dao of time origin.

Now, he was also fortunate enough to touch it.

"Fishing, can actually allow me to comprehend the great dao of time…"

Li Hao was inwardly shocked, increasingly realizing that the skills he had mastered seemed to possess some profound meaning.

At this moment, numerous pieces of information poured into his mind, including fishing, including the great dao of time origin.

Li Hao was slowly feeling, digesting, and absorbing.

Old Han sensed the change in Li Hao's temperament. He sat quietly to the side, silently smoking his pipe, the smoke clouding his face, making his expression unclear.

A long time, a very long time passed.

When Li Hao had fully absorbed all the information, he opened his eyes, slightly fatigued. He then looked at Old Han beside him.

Seeing that the other seemed to be lost in thought, he slowly stood up, and solemnly bowed deeply, paying his respects:

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

Li Hao faintly sensed that his comprehension seemed to have some connection to the old Han before him, far more than just a simple point of instruction.

Old Han snapped out of his thoughts, seeing Li Hao's solemn appearance, a rare hint of gentleness appeared in his eyes – a look Li Hao had only occasionally seen when handing him grilled meat over the past half year.

"You are very intelligent. With just a slight hint from me, you could comprehend it, that's quite rare."

Old Han rarely praised anyone.

Hearing this, Li Hao felt his bow was well deserved. He sat down and asked,

"Old Han, you must be a very powerful expert, right?"

Old Han remained noncommittal, saying indifferently, "Very powerful is hardly the word, otherwise I wouldn't be stuck here, not even daring to seek revenge."

As he spoke, a self-deprecating smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Li Hao naturally didn't believe these words. Even if what he said was true, the feeling Old Han gave him was in no way inferior to Elder Hope.

"You have enemies."

"Living in this world, who doesn't have enemies?"

Old Han found Li Hao's words innocently endearing and couldn't help but chuckle slightly, before reverting to his usual cold and indifferent demeanor, only a hint of vicissitude showing in his eyes as he looked at the sea of clouds, saying:

"What did you feel when you saw what you just fished out?"

"Are you talking about the Asking Heart Tower?"

Li Hao thought of the time projection he had just fished out, and then of the giant palm descending from the sky he had seen in the Asking Heart Tower. He sighed and said, "The existence that could destroy that Asking Heart Tower must be at the Immortal Emperor level, right?"

Old Han did not deny it, slowly saying, "Floating City has guarded the Abyss Sea for many years. A long, long time ago, the Asking Heart Tower was already an Emperor artifact. But in the cataclysm ten thousand years ago, it was at the forefront of the charge, and was suppressed, the Emperor artifact dimmed, and the Emperor Soul was the same…"

He chuckled softly to himself, as if in a daze, saying, "Asking Heart, Asking Heart, the Asking Heart Tower asks about the true heart of the world, yet it lost its own Emperor Heart, leaving only half…"

Li Hao had heard from Elder Hope that Emperor artifacts had Emperor Souls, and Emperor Souls had Emperor Hearts. If the Emperor Heart fell or was incomplete, cultivation would also decline and become incomplete.

"If there's still half left, there's still hope for the future."

Li Hao said.

Old Han looked at Li Hao: "Hope?"

"Even if the Emperor Heart is completely shattered, it can be re-凝聚 (jùníng - re-condensed), perhaps even surpassing its former self. Destruction isn't necessarily a bad thing, eternal immortality isn't necessarily a good thing either. Permanence also means stagnation…"

Li Hao said with a smile.

Old Han's pupils seemed to contract slightly. He murmured to himself, "Re-凝聚 (jùníng - re-condensed)… surpassing its former self…"

After a long while, he suddenly chuckled, and then burst into laughter.

"Wonderful, wonderful, 'eternal immortality isn't necessarily a good thing either'. To be able to comprehend this level of mindset, no wonder your Dao Heart has reached eternal perfection…"

Old Han looked at Li Hao, only he knew that the young man before him didn't have a Dao Heart of nine resonances, but ten!

He clearly knew what kind of attention, and what kind of threats, a True Immortal Realm with a Dao Heart of ten resonances would attract.

Because it already signified that the other party had the qualifications to step into the Quasi-Emperor Realm.

Taking another step forward would be Heavenly Dao Emperor Heart!

"Today's barbecue was a delightful meal!"

Old Han said with a laugh, then took out another wine gourd from his spatial storage and tossed it to Li Hao, "Not enough to drink, right? Here, it's a gift for you."

Li Hao caught it, his eyes widened, "Didn't you say this wine is hard to brew, and you only have one gourd?"

"It is indeed hard to brew, requiring a very long time…" Old Han chuckled, with a hint of sigh, but no longer with regret, saying, "But what I lack the least is time…"

He had waited ten thousand years already, what was more time?

He smiled cheerfully, his gaze towards Li Hao also softening.

He had thought he was just a lucky and opportunistic kid, but it turned out, he had underestimated him.

"Good fellow."

Hearing these words, Li Hao was speechless, this old man was truly good at hiding things. He had eaten so much of his barbecue, yet he was stingy and unkind!

After finishing the remaining barbecue, Li Hao stood up, dusting off the withered grass from his backside, and said, "Time's almost up, it's time to return to the sect."

"Go, go, oh right, take this with you."

Old Han waved, but remembering something, he flipped his hand and took out a small, black pagoda and handed it to Li Hao.

Calling it small, it was truly thumb-sized, with rough outlines, like something hastily molded from black mud.

Li Hao took it, playing with it on his thumb like a thimble, and asked, "What is this, an immortal weapon?"

"Immortal weapon?"

Old Han chuckled and said, "Just think of it as one, keep it safe and don't lose it, it might save your life at a critical moment."

So it was a life-saving item… Seeing this, Li Hao didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it, saying, "Then I'll take it. When my cultivation is higher, I'll repay you in the future."

"Hope I can live to see that day."

Old Han smiled.

Li Hao waved goodbye to him, promising to come again for fishing next time.

He got up and returned, coming to the teleportation array near the Floating City gate, and set off back to the Great Dream Nine Abyss.

On the way back, Li Hao pulled out his panel, looking at the newly acquired Fishing Dao Origin Heart Realm.

Now, both his Body Dao and Command Dao had been raised to the eleventh stage.

Now it was time to enhance Sword Dao.

Li Hao didn't think much of it. Apart from Body Dao and Command Dao, Sword Dao gave him the greatest power boost, especially in terms of offense.

Along with the addition of points, numerous pieces of information quickly flooded into his mind.

[Sword Dao has been elevated to Eleventh Stage.]

Numerous Sword Dao insights flooded his mind.

At the same time, the many sword techniques Li Hao had previously grasped also underwent earth-shattering changes and understandings as these insights were digested.

Immortal Guiding Path, Li Hao had already touched its origin level.

And Immortal Drawing Sword, which was previously only barely mastered, had now reached the pinnacle level!

This also showed that Immortal Drawing Sword was still a sword technique at the True Immortal Realm level, just one of the top-tier sword techniques.

And Azure Heaven Sword Technique, one of the Ten Supreme Immortal Techniques he inherited in the Heavenly Calamity Emperor Palace, was also only at the entry level, but now, it had reached perfection!

To advance to perfection, Sword Dao Origin Realm Threefold was needed.

Now that Li Hao's Sword Dao was at Eleventh Stage, his Sword Dao Origin Realm had already reached Threefold.

With the improvement of these two sword techniques, Li Hao's temperament also changed, becoming more otherworldly and sharp, but as he digested them, they were all reined in.

Now, even without relying on the Chaos Mythical Beast Immortal Weapon, Li Hao felt that his own destructive power would reach an extremely astonishing level.

Just the two sword techniques, Drawing Sword and Azure Heaven, if they were used in coordination, their power would be unimaginable.

By the time he returned to Sword Abyss, Li Hao had completely absorbed everything.

He flew to the mountaintop, passing over the straight and steep Emperor Sword Cliff, and glanced at it.

(End of chapter)