Chapter 349: The Battle for the Imperial Throne - Part 1
"Fishing yesterday, fishing today, naturally it must come."
The old man smiled lightly and, carrying his fish basket, returned to his previous spot. There, a depression remained where he had sat on the small stool yesterday.
"How was it? Did you catch anything last night?"
The old man casually asked, though his words carried a deeper meaning.
Li Hao had not caught anything last night. He shook his head and replied, "No, but I did feel something stirring."
"Oh?"
The old man chuckled, understanding the implication in Li Hao's words. "That’s already quite impressive. To notice movement in my fishing ground, you must have some talent."
"Senior is too kind."
Li Hao scratched his head. If he truly had talent, he should have already reached the twelfth stage of the heart realm by now.
However, he had already grasped the threshold of the Domain, and within the Domain, there were unique laws of his own. To fish for the "fish" that belonged to him by finding a flaw in someone else’s laws still required some distance.
"Fishing is a very profound art, young one. Take your time to contemplate it."
The old man smiled briskly, then took out his golden fishing rod and began fishing in the lake.
Li Hao didn’t say much. He lowered his head and pondered.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, a day had passed. Today, the old man caught two fish, different from the two yesterday. However, in Li Hao’s perception, the lake was still empty. He knew that he had not yet found the true world hidden beneath the laws in the other’s Domain.
When the moon rose, the old man got up to leave. Li Hao also reeled in his line and bid farewell.
"Not continuing?"
The old man noticed Li Hao was leaving and, with some amusement, remarked, "If you leave now, you’ll be empty-handed."
Li Hao twitched the corner of his mouth. To a fisherman, those words were a huge sting.
But he wasn’t angry. Instead, he cupped his hands respectfully and bowed. "Thank you for the wine, Senior. I’ll come again next time when I have the chance."
"It’s a trade. The food you brought was also quite good."
The old man smiled and didn’t ask further. He waved his hand and said, "Then, we’ll meet again if fate permits."
Neither of them asked the other’s name. They waved to each other. One walked slowly down the mountain, while the other leapt from the mountaintop, soaring with the wind.
Only the lake beneath them remained, still and silent, reflecting the brilliance of the moonlight.
When Li Hao returned to the courtyard arranged by the Heavenly Palace, he saw the Great Dream Master waiting for him.
"Tomorrow is the battle. Are you prepared?"
The Great Dream Master sighed in relief when she saw Li Hao return and asked.
Li Hao nodded and took out some food he had gathered from the various cities. He handed several portions to her, saying, "These taste quite good. Sect Leader, you can try them."
"You’ve been out gathering food these last few days?"
The Great Dream Master was startled, but upon smelling the enticing fragrance, she instinctively reached out to take it.
"You really are carefree. With the battle coming up, while others are in seclusion or calming their minds, you’ve been off playing. Should I say that your Dao heart really surpasses everyone else’s?"
The Great Dream Master said.
Li Hao smiled and replied, "Victory or defeat is a common matter in battle. Just do your best."
Seeing that Li Hao didn’t take victory or defeat to heart, the Great Dream Master couldn’t help but smile wryly. But she also understood that, with Li Hao’s Dao heart, it was only natural for him to remain unconcerned.
"Rest up. Tomorrow won’t be easy."
The Great Dream Master took the food and left, not disturbing Li Hao further.
Li Hao sat in the courtyard, gazing at the bright moon. His thoughts wandered back to the fishing lake. Suddenly, he felt a sense of inspiration. Using his immortal power as ink, he picked up a brush and began drawing a picture of the old man fishing.
As he immersed himself in the painting, he seemed to vaguely merge into the old man’s fishing realm, gaining a deeper understanding of the fishing ground the old man spoke of.
Time quickly passed, and when Li Hao opened his eyes again, it was already the next day.
Outside the courtyard, the Great Dream Master’s Dharma body appeared, gathering the sect disciples.
Li Hao put away his painting and stood up, heading outside to assemble.
Yuexi, Gu Yan, and others arrived one after another, as did Yin Jingcheng, Meng Huaiyue, and the others from Shadow City.
"Let’s go."
The Great Dream Master glanced over the group. Her gaze lingered on Li Hao for a moment. Seeing that he seemed to be in good condition, she felt reassured and immediately led the group onward.
As the various sects gathered, the figure of the Chu Emperor appeared, leading everyone toward the battlefield.
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