Chapter 345: The Sealed Dao Heart - Part 3
Chu Tianhuang explained to Li Hao, “The Hall of Inquiry atop this mountain can only be reached by one who possesses an Eternal Dao Heart. Within the hall stands the Statue of Inquiry. It is said that the Supreme once comprehended the Heavenly Emperor’s Heart of the Dao before this very statue.”
“Though the Eternal Dao Heart allows one to step into the King Realm, before the vastness of Heaven and Earth, even eternity is insignificant. It will decay along with Heaven and Earth, subject to the influence of surrounding realms.”
Bo Ya Xuejian let out a soft sigh and said, “If one could glimpse even a fragment of the Heavenly Emperor’s Heart of the Dao, even a Dao Heart alone would cause many immortal arts to undergo a qualitative leap.”
Li Hao understood that different Dao Hearts led to different results—even when using immortal arts of the same tier, the outcome could vary vastly.
“The Heavenly Emperor’s Heart of the Dao... is difficult to comprehend. Even the emperors of the Immortal Dynasties may not be able to grasp it.”
Chu Tianhuang murmured, glancing at the Statue of Inquiry within the hall. He shook his head, clearly having no intention to attempt comprehension.
Li Hao also looked at the statue. It appeared to be an unusual stone, with only a faint outline of a humanoid shape. Upon closer inspection, it was a graceful female form, with scattered stone fragments like fluttering skirts and stone bands swirling around her like flowing ribbons.
As he gazed at the statue, Li Hao suddenly felt it subtly shifting, slowly transforming from a stone figure into a human figure.
He thought he was seeing things. Looking again, it remained a statue—perhaps it was merely an illusion.
Yet now, the statue resembled an oval-shaped stone.
The stone stood quietly, yet Li Hao suddenly had a trance-like feeling—as if it wasn’t merely a stone, but a realm in itself!
“Haotian?”
Seeing Li Hao dazed, Chu Tianhuang called out in surprise.
Li Hao snapped back to reality and looked again. The stone had returned to its original form. Everything he’d just seen seemed like a hallucination.
But Li Hao knew it was no illusion. That stone truly possessed something extraordinary.
“I’d like to meditate here for a while.”
Li Hao said.
Chu Tianhuang was slightly taken aback, then nodded. “Alright.”
Inside the hall, several others also sat before the statue, trying to comprehend its mystery. However, more cultivators sat outside the hall, unable to feel anything at all from the statue.
Li Hao quietly sat before the statue. After a while, that earlier strange sensation did not return.
Perplexed, he remained seated until nightfall, yet still failed to reenter that wondrous state.
Li Hao understood that enlightenment often depended on fortune and could not be forced.
Still, he remembered that feeling well.
Li Hao stood and walked outside the hall. Overhead, the moonlight shone down, and the golden mist that cloaked the Mountain of Inquiry shimmered with a golden glow under its light.
Looking at the golden mist, Li Hao suddenly felt something within it calling to him.
He found Chu Tianhuang not far away, who was sitting in silent meditation. As Li Hao approached, Chu Tianhuang opened his eyes, revealing that he hadn’t truly been cultivating.
“Did you gain anything?”
Chu Tianhuang asked with a smile.
Li Hao shook his head, then asked, “What lies within that golden mist?”
“I don’t know.”
Chu Tianhuang glanced over, then shook his head. “We tried to climb up before, but before we even got close, we fell and were trapped in the Maze of Inquiry. Look over there—those are a few of them.”
He pointed casually, and Li Hao noticed several figures sprawled on the ground not far from the hall. Their postures were rigid, and their eyes were blank and lifeless.
“Perhaps only a higher Dao Heart can enter the golden mist—perhaps only a top-tier Eternal Dao Heart will suffice.”
Chu Tianhuang said.
Li Hao's heart stirred. He looked again at the golden mist. Back within the Pagoda of Inquiry, he had stirred the Ninefold Resonance of Heaven and Earth. That should be close to a top-tier Eternal Dao Heart.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Li Hao said.
Chu Tianhuang was surprised but said nothing more. He only nodded, “Don’t force it.”
Li Hao immediately leapt upward, drawing the attention of others.
“Another one trying to make a fool of himself,” someone sneered.
There were special laws restraining movement atop this mountain. Rather than flight, Li Hao’s movement was more akin to a powerful jump. Yet before he reached even several dozen meters, he felt a chilling sensation well up from his soul—just like when he’d climbed the steps earlier.
As he neared the golden mist, Li Hao faintly saw a figure seated within it.
But before he could see clearly, a faint whisper echoed in his ear:
“Your Dao Heart is bound. Do not act recklessly.”
The moment the voice ended, Li Hao’s body brushed against the golden mist—and he fell.
He landed back on the ground, but didn’t enter the Maze of Inquiry. He quickly got back up and looked up. The golden mist had grown thicker, and he could no longer see anything within.
“Hm? He touched the golden mist?!”
“And he didn’t fall into the Maze of Inquiry? Impossible!”
“Could his Dao Heart truly be a top-tier Eternal Dao Heart?”
Many who witnessed this scene had a change of expression. Some even stood up on the spot.
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