Chapter 1438  Chapter 345: The Sealed Dao Heart (Part 2)

He picked up the chess piece, lifted it slightly, then dropped it back into the Chess Box. After a brief silence, he whispered, “I lost.”

Li Hao’s gaze moved from the chessboard to the face of the dark outline opposite him. Although the outline was just like his own, he understood that it carried another soul within.

Or rather, another intent.

“Thank you for letting me win.”

Li Hao said.

“Thank you for your artistry.”

The Chess Tao avatar dissipated, but before it vanished completely, it whispered with a smile.

Li Hao was slightly startled, then suddenly realized—indeed, as he had suspected, this Tao Realm avatar was formed by the intent of Wenda Mountain, controlled by it. Therefore, the one he faced in battle was, in a sense, himself, or one could say, Wenda Mountain.

But there’s no doubt, Wenda Mountain didn’t overpower him; it used a corresponding level of chess skill to compete.

As the Chess Tao avatar dissipated, the chessboard before him also disappeared.

Li Hao slowly rose, cupped his hands in salute to the air in front of him, and bowed deeply.

In this climb, his gains were immense. Just this match alone gave him a deeper understanding of his own Chess Tao.

At that moment, the commotion here caught the attention of other disciples at the grand hall.

Seeing the disappearance of the Chess Tao avatar, someone whispered, “It’s finally over. Did he win?”

“I couldn’t see clearly, but it seemed quite challenging.”

“So young yet able to reach the peak; even without talking about the difficulty of the match, being able to reach the summit without falling into the Wenda Mysterious Realm shows his Dao Heart is not lacking.”

As they watched Li Hao approach the hall, many had solemn eyes.

Themselves, they doubted they could be as composed as this young man within a mere Hundred-year Soul Life.

However, there are no ‘ifs’ in this world.

At this moment, in this Southern Domain battle, it’s all about current power!

“Congratulations.”

Chu Tianhuang proactively greeted Li Hao with a smile, appearing exceptionally friendly.

He knew this scene would reflect in the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, and his Imperial Brothers would see it as well. This was akin to announcing his relationship with Li Hao to them.

Although he hadn’t actually tried to win over Li Hao, it didn’t hinder others from forming certain misunderstandings.

“Not bad.”

Boya Xuejian also came over to greet Li Hao with appreciation on his face.

“Thank you.”

Li Hao smiled and, after greeting them both, signaled towards Di Lincen.

“Do you know that Emperor Clan?”

Chu Tianhuang, seeing Li Hao’s gesture, curiously asked.

“Mm.”

Li Hao didn’t elaborate, knowing that when dealing with people from the Imperial Family, the less said, the better.

“In terms of talent, you surpass us. If this Southern Domain battle were three hundred years later, we might have the opportunity to compete against you.”

Beside them, Boya Xuejian remarked to Li Hao with a sense of regret in his eyes.

In his view, with an additional three hundred years, Li Hao would likely reach the Immortal Monarch Realm and have the qualifications to compete with them.

After all, to reach such levels within a mere Hundred-year Soul Life, his cultivation speed is enough to catch up.

Chu Tianhuang was briefly stunned, then smiled in agreement, subsequently inviting Li Hao to sit.

“Heart Inquiry Hall?”

Following the two into the hall, Li Hao noticed the words on the structure and savored them with interest.

“At the mountainside is the Forget Heart Hall. One must have a Chaotic Dao Heart to ascend, but the Chaotic Dao Heart, though transcending earthly things, like the chaos of heaven and earth, has yet to find its own path. Only by forgetting the heart and the Tao can one know the heart and understand the Tao,”

Chu Tianhuang explained to Li Hao, “The Heart Inquiry Hall at the summit requires an Eternal Dao Heart to enter. Inside is the Divine Statue of Inquiry. It’s said the Supreme once realized the Heavenly Dao Emperor Heart before this statue.”

“While an Eternal Dao Heart can reach the King Realm, compared to heaven and earth, even eternity is insignificant and would decay alongside heaven and earth, affected by the surrounding realms.”

Boya Xuejian sighed softly, “If one could glimpse the Heavenly Dao Emperor Heart, even if just the Dao Heart, it would allow various Immortal Techniques to soar with a qualitative leap.”

Li Hao understood that different Dao Hearts could result in variations even when deploying Immortal Techniques of the same level.

“The Heavenly Dao Emperor Heart… is difficult to comprehend. Even the Emperors of the Immortal Dynasties may not grasp it,”

Chu Tianhuang whispered. He glanced at the Divine Statue of Inquiry in the hall but shook his head, having no inclination to comprehend it.

Li Hao looked at the Divine Statue of Inquiry inside the hall, surprised to see it resembled a peculiar stone. It only had a vague humanoid outline—upon closer inspection, it was a graceful female figure with flying stones like fluttering skirts and encircling stone bands resembling ribbons.

He stared at the Divine Statue, suddenly feeling it undergoing a subtle transformation, gradually shifting from stone to human form. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝙣𝙚𝙩

It felt like an illusion to him. Looking again, it remained a stone statue, as if the earlier scene was a mere illusion.

Yet, the current stone statue appeared like an elliptical stone.

The stone stood there, but Li Hao suddenly had a vague sensation that it wasn’t just a stone, but a domain!

“Haotian?”

Chu Tianhuang saw Li Hao absorbed and called out in surprise.

Li Hao snapped back to reality, looked again, and the stone reverted to its original state, as if everything earlier was just an illusion.

But Li Hao knew that what he just experienced was no mirage; the object truly held a mysterious quality.

“I want to understand it here.”

Li Hao said.

Chu Tianhuang, noticing, hesitated briefly and nodded, “Alright.”

There were others in the hall also in contemplation before the statue, but many sat outside with no sensation toward the statue.

Li Hao sat silently in front of the statue, but after a while, that strange sensation did not reappear.

He felt puzzled, sitting before the statue until late at night, yet he couldn’t enter that peculiar feeling.

Li Hao understood that sometimes enlightenment depends entirely on serendipity and cannot be replicated.

However, he remembered that previous sensation.

Li Hao stood up and went outside the hall, only to see the moonlight shining overhead. The golden mist enveloping Wenda Mountain reflected a golden radiance through the moonlight.

As Li Hao gazed at the golden mist, he suddenly felt something within it drawing him closer.

He found Chu Tianhuang not far away. The latter was sitting in meditation with closed eyes; when Li Hao approached, Chu Tianhuang opened his eyes, never having truly entered deep cultivation.

“Did you gain anything?”

Chu Tianhuang smilingly inquired.

Li Hao shook his head, immediately asking, “What’s inside this golden mist?”

“I don’t know.”

Chu Tianhuang glanced and shook his head, “We thought of climbing up before, but just before getting close, we fell down into the Wenda Mysterious Realm. You see those over there are the ones.”

He pointed casually, and only then did Li Hao notice several figures lying on the ground not far outside the hall, all maintaining rigid postures, their eyes blank and vacant.

“It might require a higher Dao Heart to enter the golden mist, probably a top-tier Eternal Dao Heart.”

Chu Tianhuang said.

Li Hao’s heart was stirred, as he looked toward the golden mist. In the Heart Inquiry Tower, he had evoked the nine resonances of heaven and earth, which should count as nearing an Eternal Dao Heart.

“I want to give it a try.”

Li Hao said.

Chu Tianhuang was a bit surprised but didn’t overthink it, nodding, “Don’t push yourself too hard.”

There were several others attempting to comprehend the stone statue inside the hall, but even more were sitting outside, indifferent to the statue.

Li Hao quietly sat before the statue, but late into the night, he still couldn’t enter that marvelous sensation.

Nonetheless, he remembered that strange feeling from earlier.

Li Hao stood and headed outside the hall, noticing the moonlight illuminating from above, the golden mist on Wenda Mountain enveloped by the penetrating moonlight.

Looking at the golden mist, Li Hao felt something within it calling to him.

He approached Chu Tianhuang nearby, the latter sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. As Li Hao got closer, Chu Tianhuang opened his eyes without appearing to have entered a state of deep cultivation.

“Any insights?”

Chu Tianhuang inquired with a smile.

Li Hao shook his head, then asked directly, “Is there something within this golden mist?”

“We once thought about climbing up, but before getting closer, we fell and got trapped in the Wenda Mysterious Realm. Look over there—those are the ones,”

Chu Tianhuang casually pointed, and Li Hao saw several bodies lying rigid on the ground not far off, their eyes void and vacant.

“It might require a higher level of an Eternal Dao Heart,”

Chu Tianhuang mused.

Li Hao was slightly moved, gazing at the golden mist. Having generated the nine resonances in the Heart Inquiry Tower, his Dao Heart should be close to an Eternal Dao Heart.

“I’ll give it a shot.”

Li Hao said.

Chu Tianhuang was a bit surprised but didn’t say much, nodding, “Don’t push yourself.”

On the mountain top, bound by special laws, Li Hao’s soul felt prickly cold from the very ascension, similar to the sensation he experienced climbing the steps earlier on.

As he got close to the golden mist, he seemed to hear a low whisper in his ear:

“Your Dao Heart is constrained, don’t overreach yourself.”

He returned to the ground without falling into the Wenda Mysterious Realm, immediately standing up. Looking up, he saw the golden mist become dense again, everything earlier seeming like an illusion.

“Heavenly Dao?”

Someone else saw Li Hao’s actions, surprise echoed in their voice.

To a general disbelief, he didn’t fall into the Wenda Mysterious Realm and quickly got up, gazing at the thickening golden mist.

“Could it be his Dao Heart is a top-tier Eternal Dao Heart?”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.