Chapter 361: Primordial Spirit Revealed, Lifted With a Flick - Part 2
The fusion of the Nine Sequences of the Immortal Seal was tied to one’s comprehension of the Heavenly Dao. At the moment of fusion, one might catch a glimpse of the Emperor Realm. Only then could one truly set foot on the path of becoming an Immortal Emperor.
While Li Hao was deep in thought, the voice of the Great Dream Master suddenly reached his ears.
"Haotian, your match is about to begin."
The voice was soft and gentle, enough to pull Li Hao from his thoughts without feeling disruptive.
Still, the words stunned him. He opened his eyes and looked up, only to see fifty golden phantoms already standing in pairs above the Imperial Platform—the match draws had already been completed.
Li Hao was momentarily dazed. He turned to the Great Dream Master and asked, "Has half a day already passed?"
"It passed long ago. You had your eyes closed in rest, and I didn’t want to disturb you."
The Great Dream Master replied, her voice filled with concern. Had it not been for the fact that Li Hao’s turn was imminent, she wouldn’t have called out to him.
Li Hao was briefly taken aback. What had seemed like only a fleeting moment of reflection had in fact allowed time to pass so quickly—it left him disoriented.
His gaze swept over the golden phantoms above the platform. Soon, he found his own—paired with another figure.
It was a tall, ethereal woman with stunning beauty and eyes that seemed to shimmer with clarity.
Based on her phantom, Li Hao looked around but couldn’t find where she was among the crowd.
"Your opponent is strong—one of the ghost clan’s prodigies," the Great Dream Master said as she noticed him scanning the area. She raised her hand and pointed.
Atop the western peak stood a group dressed in black robes. Seven figures in total. Five were elders whose auras were deep and restrained. Li Hao couldn’t discern their cultivation, but based on what he felt, they were clearly at the Immortal King Realm—likely on par with the Great Dream Master herself.
Between those five elders stood two young women in black skirts. They appeared to be in their early twenties and looked remarkably alike—twins.
But their temperaments were different. Upon closer inspection, Li Hao noted that one was at the True Immortal Realm, and the other had reached the Immortal Lord Realm.
As he continued observing, perhaps sensing his intent gaze, both women turned to look in his direction. One of the elders also followed their gaze and looked at Li Hao.
"You’re not particularly lucky. She’s one of the favorites to make the top ten," the Great Dream Master said in a solemn tone. "The ghost clan, like the Battle Heaven Clan, is one of the ten great clans of the True Realm. They even have an Immortal Emperor presiding over them! But the ghost clan isn’t from the Southern Region. No one knows why they’ve come to participate this time. Perhaps they wanted to witness the prowess of our Southern Region’s prodigies—or maybe test their strength against ours."
Li Hao narrowed his eyes as he met their gazes. Rather than look away, he gave a slight nod.
"Miss, that youth is your opponent. He did quite well earlier. Though he didn’t reveal his bloodline power, it’s unlikely he’s just an ordinary human. Most likely, the Battle Heaven Clan failed to provoke his full strength."
Among the ghost clan’s group, one of the elders spoke in a low, respectful tone.
Though he was an Immortal King, he was extremely deferential to the young women beside him. Their grandfather, after all, was one of the ghost clan’s supreme powerhouses.
"Uncle Yan, based on his fighting style earlier, which clan do you think he belongs to?" asked the young woman at the True Immortal Realm. She didn’t return Li Hao’s nod and had already withdrawn her gaze.
"Hmm..." The elder furrowed his brows in thought. "He used the long-lost immortal art Azure Sky multiple times. That technique was created by Emperor Tianyang, who once passed it on to many major clans to strengthen the True Realm. But those clans have since moved on to newer arts. It’s hard to say where he comes from. Still, his methods resemble those of the Chaos Clan."
"The Chaos Clan?" the young woman echoed, eyes flickering.
In the True Realm’s top ten clans, the ghost clan ranked seventh. The Chaos Clan, however, held fourth.
"Then the Battle Heaven Clan didn’t lose unjustly. But failing to force out his bloodline was a real embarrassment. I want to see if he can still keep it hidden in this match," she said with confidence in her eyes.
"The Chaos Clan isn’t from the Southern Region either—they’re from the Eastern Region. They work with the Ancestral Dragon Court to suppress the East. Their presence here could mean the same as ours: assessing the Southern Region’s prodigies," the elder speculated.
"All the better. I’ve been meaning to experience what a Chaos prodigy is capable of. I wonder if he’s their strongest, but judging by his soul longevity and potential, he likely is," she said. Then she laughed lightly. "But talent is one thing. The road of cultivation is long. Some people breeze past obstacles, while others—no matter how gifted—spend their lives stuck at a bottleneck. In the end, only the one left standing at the end of the Imperial Platform Battle deserves to be called a true prodigy."
The elder nodded. She was right.
The youth’s potential was monstrous. To reach this level within a century was terrifying. If his pace continued, in a thousand years he could become invincible at the Immortal Lord Realm.
But that was just projection. Bottlenecks varied for everyone. Some had great combat power but weak Dao hearts. Others were the opposite.
"This Southern Region crowd may have already figured out who I am. Since I’ve come, I must at least reach the top five. If I lose, it’ll only be to an Imperial Clan youth or a direct disciple of one of the Supreme Beings."
Her gaze swept across the platform. Those were the only opponents she deemed worthy of acknowledging—ones she had at most a ten percent chance of defeating.
Everyone else? She didn’t plan on losing to them.
"If he truly is from the Chaos Clan, you’ll likely have to go all out, miss," the elder warned.
The Chaos Clan was the fourth-ranked powerhouse for good reason—their foundation was unimaginably deep.
She nodded faintly, then turned to quietly watch the matches unfold.
Soon, the second round of the top-fifty match concluded.
From the Great Dream Master, Li Hao learned this was the second bout of the day. His own match with the ghost clan girl was third.
Yuexi and Gu Yan had been drawn for the ninth and twenty-fourth matches, respectively.
Their opponents were somewhat less remarkable. But anyone who reached the top fifty was no ordinary figure. Yuexi’s opponent was that green-dressed girl, while Gu Yan’s was a prodigy from the Yuanzun Immortal Dynasty—a clan ranked in the thirties.
Even so, Gu Yan’s match would be tough. Comparing their prior performances, the Great Dream Master believed Yuexi had the best chance of advancing.
Li Hao came next. The ghost clan girl hadn’t shown her full strength before, so it was hard to predict the outcome.
The current match ended in a fierce and spectacular display—far more intense than the previous top-hundred battles. One contender had even burned their Immortal Seal, yet still lost.
"Do your best. That’s enough," the Great Dream Master said to Li Hao.
Although she believed Li Hao had a shot at the top ten, the ghost clan girl was just as qualified. It would be a clash of titans—too close to call.
Li Hao nodded, bid farewell to Yuexi and the others, and stepped onto the Imperial Platform.
"Big sister, I’m going," said the ghost clan girl as she, too, rose and flew onto the stage.
The woman beside her—her sister—looked identical in face, but her aura was colder and her gaze devoid of emotion. She gave no reply, merely watching silently.
The ghost clan girl simply smiled and waved, already used to her sister’s demeanor.
Once the two stood on the platform, a formation barrier activated. The Celestial Guard Commander began to announce their identities.
"From the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, disciple of the Great Dream Nine Abysses Sect, human—Haotian. Versus, from the Red Border Immortal Dynasty, disciple of the Waning Moon Sect, ghost clan—Gui Lingyue!"
His voice echoed loudly across the mountains. In the Red Border Immortal Dynasty, the ghost clan was famous. But the Waning Moon Sect? No one had ever heard of it. Yet Gui Lingyue had stormed through the rankings carrying that sect’s name, making it renowned overnight.
Still, many investigations revealed the Waning Moon Sect was just a fourth-tier local sect—utterly unremarkable.
Given that the ghost clan hailed from the Northern Region, it was clear they were simply using the sect’s name to make a statement in the South.
"So it’s the ghost clan… They’re said to be ruthless killers who specialize in soul cultivation."
"That’s right. During the Ancient Fiend Calamity, their Emperor personally led the charge and slew many fiendish kings. Among the Immortal Emperors, he’s one of the few capable of suppressing an Ancient Fiend Emperor!"
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