Chapter 482: Three Years Have Passed (6K)

Within the Great Dream Nine Abyss War Camp.

Inside the building complex where the Sword Abyss lineage resided, Ji Qingxuan, Wei Hongye, and the others stared in astonishment at the three junior brothers and sisters who had just reported in.

"You're saying Haotian arrived long ago? We haven't even run into him."

Wei Hongye couldn't help but say.

When they first saw the three newcomers, they were quite surprised, not expecting them to come to this perilous border region.

However, when they saw the cultivation levels of the three, even Yuexi, the one with the lowest realm, had improved from the True Immortal Realm third layer to the sixth layer within a year.

Murong Qingwu had the highest realm, having already reached the tenth layer perfection of the True Immortal Realm, matching Wei Hongye and Lu Wuchen.

Gu Yan, the youngest junior brother who joined last, had actually improved the fastest in realm. He was now at the True Immortal Realm seventh layer, surpassing Yuexi in realm.

Perhaps it was the innate Sword Immortal Body of the Ancient Immortal lineage; the improvement in realm brought significant changes to Gu Yan. He was previously like a treasured sword still in its scabbard, his sharpness hidden. Now, he was partially unsheathed, and even though he was extremely restrained, there was a sense of piercing cold emanating from him.

"Didn't encounter him? How is that possible? Could he have gone to the wrong place, or..."

Murong Qingwu was surprised and looked puzzled. She had wanted to meet Haotian to see how this most mysterious junior brother had changed in the past year.

"Master asked Dream Master, and he did confirm that he came here, unless he was lying."

Yuexi frowned, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. The thing she looked forward to most about coming here was to see Li Hao and check if the gap between them had narrowed in the past year.

Ever since the blow to her ego from the Ancient Immortal Realm Immortal Stele rankings, she had been cultivating madly for a year, striving to improve, and had changed tremendously.

"You're saying he arrived a year ago?"

Ji Qingxuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He glanced at Lu Wuchen, who was silent beside him. They exchanged a look, and Lu Wuchen's expression shifted subtly. He said in a low voice, "A year ago, that Ancient Demon attack… seemingly a two-signal, but in reality, it harbored ulterior motives and nearly reached a heaven-level disaster!"

Ji Qingxuan said in a deep voice, "If he happened to arrive just when the war broke out, he might not have even had time to enter the sect before rushing to the battlefield. And now..."

Now that the war had ended, but he still hadn't reported to the sect, there was only one possibility: he had sacrificed himself in that battle.

Hearing their conversation, Wei Hongye's face also changed, showing shock and a hint of heartache.

Although she couldn't claim to have deep feelings for the young man, as he hadn't been a disciple for long, it was still regrettable for such a talented youth to fall silently in the Ancient Demon battlefield.

"War? Sacrifice?"

Gu Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly had a sharp glint in his eyes. He immediately asked, "What war are you talking about?"

Lu Wuchen glanced at him. He could somewhat understand the feelings of this junior brother who shared a similar taciturn personality with him. He explained, "Here on the border, when Ancient Demons attack, a war signal will sound, divided into four levels: Evil-grade, Disaster-grade, Heaven-grade, and the highest, Annihilation-grade!"

"Evil-grade invasions occur frequently within a century. Heaven-grade disasters are rare, happening once in a millennium. As for Annihilation-grade disasters, they often cause nationwide sensations, and even other surrounding Immortal Dynasties will send troops to reinforce, including the Heavenly Palace lending assistance."

Gu Yan and the other two were stunned, their expressions turning grim.

A Heaven-grade disaster, almost unheard of in a millennium, encountered by that person?

"If he hadn't joined the sect and was isolated and helpless on that battlefield, only surrounded by newly acquainted war camp members, then it's almost certain that..."

Ji Qingxuan shook his head slightly, a look of pity in his eyes. Then, he seemed to remember something and asked, "How did you perform in the trials at Yan Chu Immortal Capital? Did any of you advance?"

Yuexi and Gu Yan were still lost in thought, unable to pull themselves out of the news that the young man might have died.

Murong Qingwu, who had joined earlier and deeply admired this senior brother, immediately responded upon hearing his question, "This trial was in the Ancient Immortal Realm. We were all a bit lacking. Master said that among us, only Haotian passed."

"Ancient Immortal Realm?"

Ji Qingxuan's expression changed slightly, clearly knowing the difficulty of the Ancient Immortal Realm of Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty. Murong Qingwu's words also left him stunned.

"Only he passed?"

Wei Hongye was taken aback. The face of the young man involuntarily surfaced in her mind. Among the four, Gu Yan seemed to be the most naturally gifted, but even Gu Yan's performance on Emperor Sword Mountain was inferior to that young man.

In her view, that young man was extremely mysterious. She could somewhat see through Gu Yan, but she couldn't fathom that young man at all.

Unexpectedly, he had indeed been hiding his true abilities. Even Murong Qingwu hadn't passed the trial, but he actually did.

"If he passed the trial, how could Master let him come to this battlefield to fool around, without even anyone to accompany him?"

Ji Qingxuan frowned, regaining his senses.

Murong Qingwu gave a wry smile, unsure how to respond.

"Don't be too pessimistic. Maybe he changed his mind and went somewhere else. We will send people to search for him in the city. As for you, you are here to cultivate. We will find strong military experts to spar with you day and night. You must be prepared."

Lu Wuchen said to the three.

The three of them nodded slightly. Yuexi bit her lip and asked, "Senior brother, is there any other way to confirm his life or death? Ask that Dream Master?"

"Yes, I will pass this situation to Master and ask him to inquire with Dream Master." Lu Wuchen said.

Murong Qingwu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "He passed the trial, which concerns the honor of the sect. Dream Master will definitely not hesitate to help."

Hearing this, the others all nodded, well aware of the sect's emphasis on this Southern Domain War.

Ji Qingxuan said, "Don't overthink it for now. Focus your minds back on cultivation. Coming to this border region for training is a good thing. Life and death battles can better stimulate your potential. Realm improvement is important, but actual combat is even more crucial. I know some experts in the military. I will have them let you experience the military's combat style."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

The three thanked in unison, but except for Murong Qingwu, Yuexi and Gu Yan were not very enthusiastic.

Without confirmation of Li Hao's life or death, they felt a sense of emptiness in their hearts.

"Let's go, I'll take you to familiarize yourselves with the place first."

Wei Hongye saw the look Ji Qingxuan gave her and immediately understood. She called out to the three to leave.

"Heaven is jealous of talent, hopefully, that junior brother is alright."

After the three and Wei Hongye left, Lu Wuchen sighed as he watched their departing figures.

Ji Qingxuan shook his head slightly and said, "Talents who don't survive to the end cannot be considered talents. Otherwise, in the countless years of this True World, talents like him would be as numerous as the stars in the sky."

Lu Wuchen knew that he had only met that young man once, and they weren't familiar with each other, so he didn't feel it as deeply. He said, "I couldn't see through that young man, but I feel he might have even more potential than Gu Yan."

"Perhaps."

Ji Qingxuan nodded. On Emperor Sword Mountain, he had seen the realms of these new junior brothers and sisters. That young man being the only one among the four to pass the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty's trial, and defeating a naturally born Sword Immortal Body of the same realm, was enough to show that he had something truly special.

"Enough talk, now it depends on whether these three can make breakthroughs within two years. Don't wait until the Southern Domain War to find out they aren't even presentable."

He shook his head and sighed, "But even if they can barely make it, being so mediocre, they will just be ordinary roles in the Southern Domain War and won't be remembered. This time, we may have to pin our hopes on the other lineages. I heard the Spear Abyss lineage has a prodigy. I wonder if he can lead our Great Dream Nine Abyss to the position of the Heavenly One Sect."

Hearing his words, Lu Wuchen couldn't help but look towards the Spear Abyss area, lost in thought.

As the second senior brother, he didn't shoulder as much honor and disgrace of the sect as Ji Qingxuan. He only considered the Sword Abyss as his home.

But Ji Qingxuan had a broader mind, capable of encompassing the entire Great Dream Nine Abyss.

...

...

In the Water Moon Palace.

The entire courtyard was the Water Moon Secret Realm. Li Hao was in the pavilion by the arched bridge, munching on demon meat while watching the young girl practice swordplay outside the pavilion.

Gu Xingwan, dressed in a goose-yellow garment, was focused, her sword posture light and graceful, dancing like a butterfly flitting through flowers. It was just a pity that her sword strikes lacked the sharpness to sever heaven and earth, possessing more of a gentle and continuous power. This seemed to be an influence from her mastery of the Water element essence. Her attacks subtly employed the strength of the Water element.

Whoosh!

Gu Xingwan's immortal power suddenly erupted. The continuous sword momentum abruptly gathered and accumulated, like the power of endless waves converging to a single point, suddenly erupting and creating terrifying impact.

As the sword momentum swept out, clouds and mist dispersed, and even the fallen leaves on the surrounding trees seemed to sway.

Gu Xingwan looked at the power of this strike with great satisfaction. She turned her head to look at the pavilion, only to see the young man still eating with relish, causing her to frown and slightly pout. She said, "Grandpa asked you here today to accompany me in sword practice and guide me. Why are you just focused on eating?"

"Eating doesn't interfere with guiding you."

Li Hao retorted, but he had to swallow the meat in his mouth as he spoke and stopped reaching for the next bite.

"Hmph, then tell me, how was my sword strike just now? How much longer until I can catch up to you?"

Gu Xingwan huffed, but a hint of anticipation still showed in her eyes as she looked at Li Hao, as if waiting for praise.

"Catch up to me?" Li Hao was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That depends on your luck. As for your performance in that strike, it's barely passable."

"Hmm."

Gu Xingwan did not expect to receive such an evaluation. Her cheeks flushed red, and even her ears became crimson. She felt both angry and upset, with a touch of grievance, and asked, "Was it really that bad?"

Seeing her expression, Li Hao realized he might have been too blunt. He coughed lightly and said, "Actually, it's not that bad. It's just that you keep unconsciously applying the essence of the Water element into your sword techniques, causing self-interference."

"If you had comprehended the Metal element essence, then such interference might have been much smaller."

"What do you mean?"

Gu Xingwan asked in confusion.

Li Hao stood up and came to her side, taking the sword in her hand. "Watch carefully, I will only demonstrate once."

Gu Xingwan looked at the young man. He seemed casual, still holding grilled meat that sizzled with fragrance in one hand and her sword in the other. His expression was so nonchalant that it didn't look like he was about to instruct her.

But she was already used to it. Her expression still became serious.

"The so-called Azure Heavens Blade is meant to cleave through everything, including a pure sword intent capable of splitting the sky itself. Therefore, this Immortal Technique requires an extremely high level of sword Dao comprehension to master."

Li Hao raised his hand. The moment he swung the sword, his gaze shifted from relaxed to suddenly sharp, like a flash of lightning, instantly passing through. Immediately after, sword energy swept out, distorting space, as if nothing could stand in its way!

This time, Li Hao's movements were slower, essentially guiding Gu Xingwan step-by-step.

Gu Xingwan stared blankly, and it was a long time before she came back to her senses. She saw Li Hao had already returned to the pavilion, and her sword was stuck into the ground in front of her.

She was momentarily stunned before picking up the sword. Seeing the young man in the pavilion, continuing to eat as if nothing had happened, she didn't say anything more. She just lowered her head, gazed at the sword's edge for a moment, then closed her eyes. Immortal power gradually accumulated within her, boiling and surging, reaching its peak in an instant. She slashed out with her sword.

The sword momentum was like a rainbow, piercing through the sky, as if it would cleave open the secret realm itself.

Li Hao glanced up, nodded slightly. Her comprehension was not bad. She grasped quite a bit after just one demonstration.

"Not bad."

He praised her.

Gu Xingwan also saw the power of this strike, and joy immediately appeared in her eyes. It was indeed much more powerful than before.

"I understand now, I shouldn't use the sword to build momentum, but accumulate momentum within my body. The sword should only unleash its power at the moment of striking."

Gu Xingwan said. She still used the power of the Water element essence, but instead of continuous sword momentum, she accumulated power in her body using immortal power.

"That's also a kind of cleverness." Li Hao commented.

Gu Xingwan smiled and glanced at the young man. Seeing him looking at her with a smile, she couldn't help but blush and turned her head away.

Today's guidance was more fruitful than several years of her hard cultivation and pondering, a significant gain.

"Thank you."

She lowered her head and said softly, almost in a whisper.

"No problem." Li Hao responded casually, then stood up and said, "Then you continue to practice. I'll go find your grandpa."

Seeing Li Hao was about to leave, a sense of loss flashed in Gu Xingwan's eyes. "I'm still not proficient, can you teach me more?"

"I just taught you, you need to comprehend it yourself. You can't learn everything just by being taught." Li Hao said.

Then he left directly, heading towards the Water Moon Palace.

Gu Xingwan stomped her foot lightly. Seeing the young man's figure leaving without any hesitation, she bit her lip slightly.

In the Water Moon Palace.

Li Hao saw Gu Changming in meditation, but in the void before him, there were stars revolving, constantly moving, like a starfield.

"You're here."

Gu Changming seemed to have already sensed Li Hao, looking over with a smile. "That child has given you trouble."

Clearly, he had already noticed what happened in the courtyard.

"It's nothing."

Li Hao said casually.

"Regarding the Spirit Official matter, because you are a special case, it takes more channels to smooth things out. It's been filed now. This is your Demon-Subduing Spirit Official Seal, this is the Spirit Official Immortal Executioner Robe, and this is the Divine Ash Demon-Slaying Sword!"

Gu Changming raised his hand, and many items flew out and landed in front of Li Hao.

The Demon-Subduing Spirit Official Seal was entirely silver, like a military command token, containing Li Hao's Spirit Official identity information, impossible to forge.

The Immortal Executioner Robe looked magnificent, with wide sleeves and long gown, emitting a silver-white glow throughout. It was an Immortal Weapon, containing Immortal Dao laws, capable of withstanding attacks from Lower Immortal Lord Realm experts.

The Divine Ash Demon-Slaying Sword was also an Immortal Weapon, standard equipment for Spirit Officials. Li Hao was a Lower Spirit Official, so he was equipped with a Lower Immortal Weapon level Divine Ash Demon-Slaying Sword.

This Immortal Weapon was uniformly forged by the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty. The sword hilt was shaped like a ferocious Ancient Demon head with its jaws clamped shut.

"Wearing this set of attire within Yan Chu, when you enforce the law in any prefecture or city, the local authorities will actively cooperate with you."

Gu Changming said.

Li Hao nodded. He had Immortal Weapon inheritance, so he wasn't lacking in this area.

梼杌 (Taotie) was a top-tier Immortal Weapon, far superior to the Divine Ash Demon-Slaying Sword in his hand. However, because it had recognized him as its master, its immortal power was connected to his, requiring him to call upon his immortal power to unleash its full power. And his current True Immortal Realm third layer cultivation meant that even if he emptied his immortal power, he couldn't even unleash half of Taotie's power.

Although the Myriad Stars Veins continuously replenished his power, his own capacity was too low.

"It's time to cultivate properly, and luckily, I have spirit stones."

Li Hao thought to himself.

Cooking Ancient Demon meat mainly improved his primordial spirit, with little effect on realm cultivation. Here in the Water Moon Secret Realm, immortal power was abundant. If coupled with immortal stones for full-force cultivation, improving his realm wouldn't be difficult.

"Currently, you are in Qinghe Mortal City. I told the Bureau that you are following me to eliminate demons, and you don't need to report back to the Demon Subduing Bureau for now. You can cultivate in peace. When the Southern Domain War ends, or when you are tired of staying here, then you can consider going there, it won't be too late."

Gu Changming said with a smile, "According to your request, I found you a leisurely job, but you still need to show up briefly."

"Thank you, Elder Gu."

Li Hao said with a smile.

"Go on, tell me if you need anything."

"Alright."

Li Hao got up to bid farewell, then returned to the courtyard and began cultivating in his residence.

Now that he was residing in the Water Moon Secret Realm long-term, the immortal power here was rich. Even without deliberately cultivating, his realm would slowly improve. The conditions were much better than at the Wildfire Camp.

Because his name appeared on the Immortal Merit榜 List, news had spread, and while residing at the Wildfire Camp, people frequently came to visit, overwhelming him and causing him annoyance. Li Hao had hidden here mainly for peace and quiet.

Li Hao returned to his residence and sent his divine sense into the token. Inside, there was an Immortal Merit Exchange Treasury, where immortal merit could be used to exchange for treasures from the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty treasury.

Even if all the immortal merit was spent, the merit record would still exist.

Li Hao didn't intend to use up his merit. He wasn't interested in the many precious medicines and immortal pills within. As for immortal weapons, he had Taotie in hand, so he wasn't lacking either.

Without much thought, he directly exchanged 100,000 immortal merit points for 100,000 immortal stones.

One merit point for one immortal stone, this exchange was undoubtedly a bit extravagant. Many people were reluctant to exchange for immortal stones, preferring to accumulate merit to exchange for other rare immortal pills and spiritual medicines. But for Li Hao, convenience was paramount.

"When I have time, I'll go redeem those three promissory notes from the Emperor Palace."

Li Hao thought to himself.

Those three promissory notes were each worth a million immortal stones. He wondered if that former merchant guild had gone bankrupt yet.

Immortal stones were precious. Even with his current Spirit Official identity, his monthly俸禄 (fenglu – stipend/salary) was only a hundred immortal stones.

Ordinary True Immortals who worked as guards for Immortal clans could consider themselves well-treated if they received four or five immortal stones a month.

A hundred thousand immortal stones was enough for Li Hao to cultivate to the True Immortal Realm eighth or ninth layer.

He had just finished eating demon meat, and now, he casually unleashed his Dao Domain. Space was superimposed, time flow was altered. Even if Gu Changming wanted to探寻 (tanxun – probe/investigate) his movements within the Dao Domain, he would be able to sense it.

Li Hao began to melt immortal stones, turning them into surging immortal power that surrounded him, then began to absorb and refine it.

When he became hungry, he immediately stopped and started cooking Ancient Demon flesh and blood.

After eating, he would resume cultivation, and when he became hungry again, he would continue eating.

Repeatedly, time flowed by. Li Hao did not go out, burying himself in his courtyard every day.

Time flew swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, almost three years had passed since Li Hao arrived in Qinghe Mortal City.

Apart from the previous war, there had been no more Ancient Demon invasions in these three years. This was quite normal for the soldiers in Mortal City. After all, that disaster-grade Ancient Demon invasion was so large in scale that the Ancient Demons also needed some time to recuperate.

In the True World, a millennium was but a flick of the finger, time like song. A mere three years was nothing.

But for the geniuses from various sects participating in the Southern Domain War, these three years were like three seasons in a day, with every day spent in arduous training.

"There's only one month left, we should also set off for the Imperial City of the Immortal Capital."

In the courtyard of Water Moon Palace, Gu Xingwan sheathed her sword and said to Li Hao.

(End of Chapter)