Chapter 490: Intent of Rage

These Celestial Avatars joined forces, celestial energy seething around them, as if a silver-white wave of celestial energy undulated from thin air, surging outwards in all directions.

Within that seething celestial energy, ancient and intricate celestial runes emerged. Immediately following, it was as if some kind of mysterious formation in the void was being activated.

Beyond the borders of the Yan Chu Celestial Dynasty, within the nine thousand Celestial Cities, city barriers abruptly flared to life, one by one. Subsequently, latent power buried within each city surged into the barriers. Starlight shone from the heavens, falling upon a majestic monument in each city center.

These monuments drew in starlight, and then as if guided by an invisible force, streaks of lightning enveloped them as they shot skyward, shattering the clouds and mist, connecting with the Ancient Immortal Realm within the Celestial Capital, stretching across a vast territory of billions of miles.

In the clouds above these nine thousand Celestial Cities, the outline of the Ancient Immortal Realm was projected.

Gathered from the nine thousand Celestial Cities, the figures of talented disciples from various sects of the Yan Chu Celestial Dynasty gradually emerged within the projected clouds and mist.

At this moment, the prodigies who could stand within this Ancient Immortal Realm were already in the sight of countless people.

Twenty thousand carefully selected prodigies from various sects all raised their heads and gazed upwards. Above the thirty-six elders of the State Overseeing Academy, in the seething celestial clouds, outlines of Celestial Cities faintly materialized.

Finally, the projected image there settled upon a majestic imperial palace.

That was the Ancient Imperial Palace of the Yan Chu Celestial Dynasty, the residence of the Yan Chu Emperor who presided over the nine thousand Celestial Cities and their boundless territory.

This imperial palace was also projected across the nine thousand Celestial Cities. Everyone looked up in awe. Many generals in various cities knelt down in worship. Countless common people also showed expressions of piety and reverence. Many noble families lowered their heads that usually looked down upon the masses. Before the projection of the majestic imperial palace, they were like cowering quail ants.

"That is the Imperial Palace where the Yan Chu Emperor resides, only those in the King Realm are allowed to attend court..."

In the Ancient Immortal Realm, elders and disciples from various sects revealed reverence and longing in their eyes. They all wished to personally ascend to that imperial palace, but they also knew that if they did not reach the King Realm, they would never have the qualification to step foot inside.

And how difficult was it to cultivate to the King Realm? Each level in the Immortal Lord Realm was a world apart, and the gap between the ten levels was enormous. Every step was a bottleneck.

"At this moment, my Great Yan Chu world, all know of you!"

Chu Xiangtian glanced at the phantom image of the imperial palace, knowing that the formation behind the palace had already projected the scene of this Ancient Immortal Realm to every corner of the nine thousand Celestial Cities.

He lowered his gaze, glanced at Li Hao and the other ten, then raised his hand again, manipulating the laws of the Immortal Dao, acting upon the black celestial monument.

The celestial monument trembled, golden light rippling on its surface. Zhang Xuanyu, ranked eleventh, was bathed in golden light. However, his expression was extremely cold. He withdrew his gaze from the imperial palace, turning it back to the youth on the Celestial Dais. Suddenly, he leaped and flew over.

Soon, he landed quietly beside Li Hao.

"You broke through the thirteenth desolate domain?"

As soon as he landed on the Celestial Dais, Zhang Xuanyu asked, his eyes cold as he stared at Li Hao.

If his opponent were a second-level Immortal Lord, matching his own realm, he would admit defeat, though begrudgingly.

But the youth before him was actually only in the True Immortal Realm, which he found unacceptable.

"No."

Li Hao glanced at the other person, immediately recognizing him as the "former tenth" that Old Li had mentioned. From the undisguised hostility in the other's eyes, Li Hao had no interest in further conversation.

"No? Then how long did you stay in the twelfth desolate domain?"

Zhang Xuanyu couldn't help but raise his voice sharply.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Is it necessary for me to tell you?"

"You!"

Zhang Xuanyu's expression changed. As an Immortal Lord, no True Immortal had ever dared to speak to him like this.

The gap between the True Immortal and Immortal Lord Realms was immense. If the True Immortal Realm was simply about transforming power into pure celestial energy, then the Immortal Lord Realm was about mastering the laws of the Immortal Dao. The laws of the Immortal Dao could invalidate the Sacred Dao laws that True Immortals controlled.

This was equivalent to someone without law power confronting someone who controlled law power, and the opponent's celestial energy was even denser than yours. It was almost impossible to contend!

However, there were always exceptions. Li Hao's mastery of the Origin of Space Dao, at the fourth level, was already something that Immortal Lords could only touch. Moreover, as a top-tier ninth-order origin, most Immortal Lord prodigies might not even have mastered it. Even if they had some understanding, they wouldn't have reached the deep fourth-level realm.

Furthermore, the other ninth-order origins that Li Hao mastered were also at the second or third level realms. This was practically unheard of among True Immortals.

Seeing that the youth was ignoring him, Zhang Xuanyu's expression became ugly, as if something of his had been snatched away, and when he demanded an explanation, he had been slapped in the face.

If not for the consideration of Chu Xiangtian beside them, as well as the various Yan Chu sects below, and the countless Yan Chu citizens in the nine thousand Celestial Cities watching through the projection, he would never have let it go.

"I hope you can still be so brazen when the Southern Domain War begins!"

Zhang Xuanyu gritted his teeth and said to Li Hao in a very low voice.

Li Hao's eyes turned slightly cold. Although he was usually calm and collected, taking everything in stride, it did not mean that others could take an inch and demand a mile.

They were not master and servant. Was failing to answer every question considered "brazen"?

"Don't provoke me," Li Hao said coldly, staring directly at the other man, without hesitation.

Zhang Xuanyu's expression changed. He was concerned about his reputation and dared not make a scene, but this youth was even bolder than him, and spoke even more directly.

He glared fiercely at Li Hao, clenched his fists, but in the end, he restrained himself and remained silent, lest he damage his sect's reputation.

Seeing that the other man was silent, Li Hao didn't bother to pay him any more attention.

However, although their conversation was subtle, the other nine people on the Celestial Dais heard it. Some glanced over, corners of their mouths curving into mocking arcs, clearly holding a "watching the show" attitude.

"Using sect's celestial weapon heritage to climb up here is not a glorious thing; it comes with a price."

The princess from earlier spoke with disdain at the corner of her mouth.

She spoke slowly and deliberately, her gaze not even looking at Li Hao, but calmly staring ahead, as if talking to the air. But this posture was even more insulting.

Li Hao narrowed his eyes slightly, treating it like a breeze past his ears, ignoring it.

Xing Lan, however, frowned slightly. She had accompanied this youth for a while at the border, and his methods and posture in killing ancient demons were definitely genuine skill. Even if he borrowed the power of celestial weapons here, it wouldn't be too much. Based on his own ability, she felt he could at least rank in the top thirty.

Among True Immortals, she had never seen anyone more formidable than this youth.

Whoosh!

At this moment, light reappeared on the celestial monument. A golden ray shot out, enveloping a young man of the imperial family.

This young man had a gloomy look in his eyes. He stared directly at the young figure on the Celestial Dais. He rose from the ground with a whoosh, whistling as he flew towards the dais, carrying immense power.

After landing on the dais, without waiting for the thirteenth person to ascend, he turned to look at Li Hao and said:

"Kid, a mere True Immortal Realm, running above a group of us Immortal Lords. I don't care if you are following your sect's orders, wanting to use this to promote your sect's name, or your own. Just obediently get down from there, and get to where you should be!"

His eyes were cold and stern, filled with imperious command. His tone allowed no room for doubt, and his eyes revealed a cold aversion.

His voice was not like Zhang Xuanyu's, who tried to conceal his words. In an instant, not only the people on the dais heard him, but also the sect elders and stronger disciples below the dais.

For True Immortals, they could perceive the sound of mosquitoes crawling within a thousand miles, let alone normal conversational sounds.

Hearing the words of this imperial prince, Zhang Xuanyu was stunned for a moment. His eyes immediately lit up slightly, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth as he looked mockingly at Li Hao.

He dared not speak out loud, too many considerations, but this imperial prince did not have as many worries as he did.

Someone would always teach a lesson to those who broke the rules!

"Tian Zheng, don't cause trouble!"

Chu Xiangtian frowned slightly upon hearing this and rebuked in a low voice.

Hearing the words of his third brother, Chu Tianzheng's expression remained unchanged. Instead, he bowed slightly and cupped his hands, saying, "Third Brother, our imperial family treats people with kindness and generosity, but we shouldn't allow some people to break the rules. When the Southern Domain War begins, they are not allowed to bring out celestial weapons or celestial pills as aids. The competition is based on true ability. How can his actions convince other geniuses!"

Chu Xiangtian's expression changed slightly. He stared intently at him, his eyes flickering, seemingly considering how to handle this sudden situation.

As Chu Tianzheng's words spread, the disciples of various sects below were stunned, looking at each other. Immediately, some people showed realization.

"Did that guy use a celestial weapon to rush to tenth place? No wonder, I was wondering how a True Immortal Realm could possibly reach tenth place."

"Exactly, the Immortal Lords behind him are ranked in the twenties. How could he surpass an Immortal Lord?"

"Are you joking? A True Immortal Realm surpassing an Immortal Lord Realm, is this the latest joke of the past sixty years?"

"That youth is from the Great Dream Nine Abyss Sect. I've long heard that the Great Dream Nine Abyss Sect covets the position of the Heavenly One Sect. This time, they're really going all out. It's just that this method is a bit dishonorable. They gain temporary fame, but when the Southern Domain War begins, wearing the title of tenth place, being instantly killed by someone will be extremely embarrassing."

"The Great Dream Nine Abyss's wishful thinking is to reach this step, right? As for the Southern Domain War, they probably haven't even thought about it. The foundation of the Heavenly Four Sects, how could they be presentable in the Southern Domain War?"

"That's right, but this time they have indeed gained fame."

Various sects were discussing, including those Earth Sect disciples. Their gazes swept towards the people of the Great Dream Nine Abyss Sect below, with undisguised contemptuous smirks and scorn in their eyes.

Hearing these discussions around them, Li Tiemu and Zhou Qingyun's expressions changed. Li Tiemu's face flushed red, his eyes almost popping out, his whole body seemed to be burning with blood. He wanted to roar and scold, but knew that doing so would only attract more ridicule. At this moment, he just clenched his fists tightly, his teeth almost grinding to dust.

"These bastards, they don't understand the real situation at all, yet they speak so carelessly!"

"When the mob mocks, they follow along to trample, and still think they're righteous!"

"Hao Tian's strength, in the True Immortal Realm, I admire him! These people... a bunch of trash!"

Among the crowd, Gu Yan's eyes turned cold. He swept his icy gaze across the other sects, especially those mocking gazes, and glared back fiercely with his cold eyes.

Zhou Qingyun and the old woman also had unsightly expressions. Their disciples were also filled with憋屈 biē qū (repressed and aggrieved feelings), angrily looking around.

The other Abyss Elders, however, had shifting expressions. A Spear Abyss Elder transmitted a message to Li Tiemu, saying:

"Old Li, did your disciple climb up there using a celestial weapon?"

Hearing the message, Li Tiemu's expression slightly changed. His clenched fists paused slightly. He wanted to retort angrily, but suddenly, the words reached his lips but then became stuck, wanting to speak but unable to.

Was it?

Even he himself didn't know.

On Emperor Sword Mountain, this youth's performance was beyond expectations, but Celestial Monument tenth... suddenly, he also had a feeling like cold water being poured over his head.

No matter how strong a True Immortal was, it was impossible to compare with an Immortal Lord. This was almost an iron rule.

But occasionally there were miracles, breaking this iron rule. But, was it truly without borrowing any other power?

He couldn't guarantee it either.

However, he quickly transmitted back, "Elder Sun, even if Hao Tian used a celestial weapon, the Ancient Immortal Realm has no rules prohibiting it, what kind of rule-breaking is that!"

The elder who sent the message changed his expression slightly, his eyes flickering for a moment. He nodded and transmitted back, "At this moment, we must unite against outsiders. That imperial family member really has no such rule to demand."

Li Tiemu gritted his teeth and said, "That's right, wouldn't other sect disciples also use some small tricks? I don't believe it!"

While they were talking, Murong Qingwu and Yuexi, however, were looking worriedly towards the Celestial Dais.

At this moment on the dais, Chu Tianzheng stared coldly at Li Hao, his face carrying an aggressive aura, saying:

"Are you going to step down yourself, or do I have to ask you to?!"

Li Hao had not expected that in an instant, he would become the target of everyone's criticism, all gazes converging on him. For him, who disliked publicity, this felt extremely uncomfortable.

Before he could speak, Xing Lan, standing in fifth place, suddenly said:

"Prince Tian Zheng, the imperial family has not prohibited the use of celestial weapons, you don't need to make things so unpleasant in such a public setting, do you?"

Chu Tianzheng raised his head, glanced at Xing Lan. When his gaze fell upon that flawless and exquisite face, the coldness in his eyes dissipated a lot. He said indifferently:

"He is bringing disgrace upon himself. If he had only reached thirtieth or so, no one would care. Sneaking in is just sneaking in, but he shouldn't have sneaked in too ostentatiously, too excessively!"

Xing Lan frowned and said, "As a prince, this is not the magnanimity you should possess."

"Is it my imperial family's turn to be pointed fingers at by a sect disciple?"

At this moment, a young man of the imperial family standing beside Xing Lan, ranked fourth, spoke calmly. His gaze towards Xing Lan was filled with arrogance and condescension, showing no emotion even for her peerless beauty. In his eyes, there was only the coldness of power and authority.

Hearing this, Xing Lan's expression changed slightly, and a hint of anger surfaced in her eyes.

The princess ranked seventh also glanced at Xing Lan indifferently and said:

"That's right, my imperial family's magnanimity is already generous enough, otherwise, it wouldn't be just words, but direct action!"

Xing Lan's expression was not very good. Just as she was about to speak again, Li Hao spoke first, saying:

"There's no need to say more."

Hearing Li Hao's words, Xing Lan stopped her words at her lips. She looked at the youth, a hint of complexity in her eyes, carrying regret and pity.

She felt that this youth had accepted his fate, bowed his head under the majesty of the imperial family. This instead diminished her admiration and goodwill towards him somewhat.

But she also knew that this was a rational choice, a correct choice.

As she looked over with pity, she found that the youth also turned his head to look at her, and then showed her a smile.

On the handsome and heroic young man's face, that smile was radiant, teeth white and lips red, like the sunlight of the third month of spring shining down, making people feel a little dazed, as brilliant as dappled gold light between broken leaves.

While Xing Lan was slightly stunned, Li Hao had already retracted his gaze. At the same time, he took a step forward, turned around to look at Chu Tianzheng, and said:

"I don't like arguing with people. Aren't you an Immortal Lord? Show me your ability. If you can make me move a step, I will willingly step down."

His voice came, neither arrogant nor humble, just clear and cold, calmly resounding on the Celestial Dais, and likewise, resonating in the ears of the sect elders and disciples below the dais.

Chu Tianzheng was stunned. Zhang Xuanyu, standing beside him, was also stunned, looking at Li Hao in astonishment.

Xing Lan felt as if a stone had suddenly been dropped into the lake of her heart, her heart slightly trembled. She opened her eyes wide, staring intently at the youth.

That tranquil face, those deep and calm eyes, showed no pretense of bravado, nor anger.

The Celestial Dais fell into a brief silence, but soon, Chu Tianzheng recovered, and couldn't help but laugh in anger.

"You really have some skills, huh? It seems your sect has prepared quite a bit of backing for you. Are you challenging me?"

Li Hao's eyes gradually turned cold, saying: "You are the one who came looking for trouble. Challenging you? You are not qualified as an opponent!"