Chapter 345: The Sealed Dao Heart - Part 2
Li Hao silently thought to himself, and the piece in his hand began to fall with sharper, more cunning intent.
He regarded the manifestation of the Chess Dao before him as a reflection of himself, taking Heaven and Earth as his masters—able to comprehend the past and present!
As a ray of morning light descended, casting itself upon the chessboard, Li Hao’s next move landed precisely where that beam of light fell.
“It is over.”
At that moment, high in the clouds, the Supreme of the Celestial Palace spoke softly.
Beside him, Emperor Chu nodded slightly. He had watched this exquisite match with great interest, perceiving the subtle changes in the youth’s play. Now, with this final ruthless move, the duel had reached its conclusion.
“Never thought I’d enjoy such a fine game here—it’s enough to make my hands itch.”
Emperor Tianzhao sighed gently.
“Has the match been decided?”
Empress Chi looked surprised. She did not care for the Chess Dao and couldn’t discern the outcome.
At this moment, before the chessboard, the incarnation of the Dao Realm gazed at the piece Li Hao had placed. The taut expression on his face seemed to ease slightly.
He lifted the chess piece in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then let it fall back into the container. After a brief silence, he spoke in a low voice: “I’ve lost.”
Li Hao’s gaze left the board and landed on the dark outline of his opponent’s face. Though the figure resembled himself, he knew that it contained a different soul.
Or perhaps, a different will.
“Thank you for the match,” Li Hao said.
“Thank you for your painting.”
The incarnation of the Chess Dao dissipated. Just before vanishing, it smiled and whispered those words.
Li Hao was slightly taken aback, then understood. As he had guessed, this Dao Realm incarnation was formed from the will of Inquiry Mountain, under its control. Thus, it could be said that Li Hao had been dueling against himself—or against Inquiry Mountain.
But there was no doubt that Inquiry Mountain had not taken advantage of him. It had met his skill with equal measure.
As the incarnation faded, the chessboard before him also vanished.
Li Hao rose slowly and cupped his hands toward the empty space ahead, bowing deeply.
From this ascent alone, he had gained much. This match, in particular, had deepened his insight into the Chess Dao.
The commotion drew the attention of other disciples in the main hall.
When they saw the incarnation dissolve, someone whispered, “It’s finally over. Did he win?”
“I don’t really understand, but it looked exhausting.”
“So young, and yet he made it to the summit. Never mind how hard that match was—just reaching the mountaintop without getting lost in the Inquiry Illusion proves his Dao Heart is strong.”
As Li Hao walked toward the hall, many gazes grew solemn.
They asked themselves: in the brief span of a hundred years of soul life, could they have faced such trials with his composure?
But the world has no place for ‘what ifs.’
Here and now, in the duel of the Southern Domain Assembly, what mattered was present strength!
“Congratulations.”
Chu Tianhuang stepped forward with a smile, displaying warm courtesy.
He knew this scene would be broadcast back to the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, where his imperial brothers would also see it. This, too, served as a subtle declaration of his connection with Li Hao.
Although he had not truly won Li Hao over yet, there was no harm in letting others assume so.
“Well done.”
Bo Ya Xuejian also approached to greet Li Hao, his expression filled with appreciation.
“Thank you.”
Li Hao smiled and returned the greeting, then waved to Di Linchen.
“You know that one from the imperial clan?”
Chu Tianhuang asked curiously, seeing Li Hao’s gesture.
“Yes.”
Li Hao gave no further explanation, knowing that when dealing with royals, fewer words were better.
“In terms of talent, you surpass us. If this Southern Domain Assembly were held three hundred years later, perhaps we’d have the chance to face each other.”
Beside him, Bo Ya Xuejian spoke to Li Hao with a trace of regret in his eyes.
In his view, given another three hundred years, Li Hao would certainly have reached the Immortal Lord Realm and gained the qualifications to compete with them.
After all, to have reached such a level in less than a century of soul life—his cultivation speed was already astounding.
Chu Tianhuang was slightly stunned, then also smiled in agreement. He soon invited Li Hao to sit with them.
“The Hall of Reflection?”
Li Hao followed the two into the hall. Upon seeing the words inscribed above, he felt a certain resonance and pondered their meaning.
“Halfway up the mountain lies the Hall of Forgetting the Heart. Only those with a Chaos Dao Heart can ascend. Though such a heart transcends the mundane and reaches the Heaven Level, like chaos itself, it still has not found its path. Only by forgetting heart and forgetting Dao, can one know heart and understand Dao.”
Comments
Post a Comment