Volume 3 - Chapter 366: The Chosen of Calamity - Part 3
She had already reported the matter to her master at the time. Strangely enough, her master had asked for the details, and she explained them all, one by one. What left the deepest impression on her was Li Hao. She had seen it even back then—he was an exceptionally rare prodigy. What she hadn’t expected was that, in just a few short years, he would rise to the battlefield of the Southern Domain Assembly and shine so brilliantly, defeating even the strongest clans in succession.
And now, the Nine Sequences Immortal Seal—something even she had yet to attain—was in his grasp.
After hearing Chiying's report, the Supreme of the Celestial Palace fixed his gaze on Li Hao and said calmly:
"You’ve mastered forbidden Techniques like Azure Sky, Return Light, and Myriad Shadows, and you hail from the False Realm of Calamity. If I’m not mistaken, you must be the disciple of that Sinful Immortal, Emperor Tianyang?”
The earlier words were still digestible, but the second half left Li Hao utterly stunned.
He looked up at the Supreme before him. Despite the overwhelming pressure in that imperial gaze, he asked, perplexed, “Sinful Immortal?”
Nearby, the Emperors of the Immortal Dynasties—such as the Chu Emperor—also showed subtle changes in expression. They instantly sensed something was wrong and quickly understood why the Supreme of the Celestial Palace had summoned Li Hao.
“The moment he used those Techniques, I had my suspicions…”
The Empress of the Yuanzun Immortal Dynasty narrowed her eyes at the boy’s figure. She didn’t appear shocked—only a faint trace of sorrow flickered in her gaze. It was well-hidden. No one noticed.
Emperor Tianzhao suddenly turned to the Chu Emperor with a meaningful look.
“You mean you didn’t know?”
The Supreme of the Celestial Palace observed Li Hao’s confusion. His eyes remained calm as he slowly spoke:
“Ten thousand years ago, when the Ancient Fiends swept across the True Realm, a heaven-shaking battle erupted. The Immortal Emperors joined forces to push back the tide. But in that moment of greatest peril, someone faltered—retreated from the front lines. The defense collapsed. The Fiends rampaged. The Southern Domain suffered grievously. Over the years, I’ve drawn on the power of the Heavenly Dao to slowly nourish the land, keeping the region afloat.”
His voice was neither fast nor slow, but every word struck like a jewel of truth, echoing atop the mountain—and resonating throughout every immortal city of the Southern Domain.
Everyone across the cities had grown up hearing tales of the Supreme’s heroism. This was why the Celestial Palace stood at the heart of the Southern Domain, revered and beloved.
It was this Supreme who had paid a tremendous price to preserve the Southern Domain during that war.
Other domains had been left in ruins. It was also the Supreme who aided the great clans in rebuilding, restoring the inner circle of peace that existed today.
Though the current territory was one-tenth the size of the flourishing age ten thousand years ago, the population had likewise diminished. The Ancient Fiends still occupied vast swathes of star territory. Compared to that, the present stability was already the best possible outcome for the clans of the Southern Domain.
“What is the Supreme trying to imply? Retreating in the heat of battle? Could he mean…”
“Yes. Do you remember that pursuit eight thousand years ago?”
“Indeed. That forbidden history—after the reckoning, the ten legendary Immortal Techniques were all declared taboo. They faded from use, never to be shown again.”
“Come to think of it, what Haotian used earlier looks just like those lost Techniques. He really might be that Immortal Emperor’s disciple!”
“A descendant of a Sinful Emperor, daring to show his face at the Southern Domain Assembly? Is he courting death?”
“Let’s not be hasty. The one who sinned was that Immortal Emperor—not him. He’s only lived a hundred years. The karma of the past shouldn’t be laid at his feet.”
In the cities, many of the older generation sighed, eyes filled with complex emotion. Who could have imagined that this dazzling genius would be the disciple of that infamous Immortal Emperor?
And in cities like Yan and Chu, certain shadowy figures watched the sky with a mix of shock and rage, their fists clenched, their silence heavy.
Some were beggars on street corners, some old brothel madams in alleys, and some elderly washerwomen by the river. Yet, if one traced their lives back across the river of time, they had remained unchanged for millennia. Their neighbors had come and gone, but they stayed the same.
Long ago, they had worn golden armor and commanded terrifying might—completely different from their current state of obscurity.
Now, hearing the Supreme’s words, they clenched their fists. Veins bulged across their weathered hands. Blood rage—dormant for tens of thousands of years—boiled within them again, ready to burst from their chests. Their eyes were ravenous as they stared at the heavens—though they avoided the Supreme’s gaze and focused only on the clouds beside him.
Even in their fury, they dared not meet his eyes directly. It wasn’t out of submission—but because, even across ten million li, that Supreme could pierce through hatred and see the truth in their hearts.
“Hm?”
At that moment, Jianxin and Mingyue arrived by the clouds, coming to their master’s side. Hearing these words, they both froze momentarily, then looked at the youth.
They were too clever not to understand what their master meant. He had told them this story not long after they became his disciples. It had made them furious. They never imagined the one who had once angered them—his disciple now stood before them.
“Retreated from battle?”
Li Hao stared blankly at the Supreme of the Celestial Palace. He had never heard Wang Lao mention anything like this.
And when he received the inheritance, only the Emperor’s soul, Luoli, remained in the hall. Few treasures had been left behind.
Not even a single Immortal Stone—only three promissory notes!
How impoverished must that have been? It clearly meant his master, whom he had never met, had burned everything in that war.
And now this Supreme was claiming that his master had retreated?
“Supreme, could this be… a misunderstanding?” Li Hao asked.
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