Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1734 Chapter 440: Heart Aligned with Heaven (Part 2)

Li Hao stood in a brief, stunned silence before a faint, rueful smile touched his lips. While he admired the ingenuity of this method, he had no intention of imitating or adopting it. If he were to merely copy the established realms of others, how could he ever forge his own unique Emperor Road?

“One must determine which elements are worth extracting,” Li Hao remarked to Shi Miao.

After a moment of reflection, Shi Miao withdrew her finger and gave a slight nod. In her estimation, there were indeed a few merits to be found, but they were few and far between.

As Shi Miao retracted her energy, the jagged rift in the realm began its slow process of mending. Han Ku’s countenance shifted through a series of complex emotions. He realized now that the girl accompanying the direct disciple was far from ordinary; her power was overwhelmingly vast.

Having sparred with many at this dojo, his realm had never once been breached, yet this opponent had pierced it with nothing more than a finger. This indicated a disparity in strength that was undeniably immense.

“I apologize for my earlier offense,” Han Ku said, his voice laced with bitterness.

For such a powerful figure to dismiss his realm as a lower path—could it really be true? It was no wonder the master looked down upon them; were they all merely following inferior paths? His expression suddenly became earnest as he looked toward Shi Miao with a glimmer of hope. He clasped his hands and bowed with profound sincerity.

“May I ask, Fairy, what constitutes the superior path you spoke of?”

Li Hao also turned to Shi Miao, feeling a touch of curiosity himself.

Noticing Li Hao’s attention, Shi Miao’s face lit up with a radiant smile. In that instant, the entire realm seemed to brighten, as though ten thousand flowers had simultaneously bloomed.

“The superior path is to be unique and to challenge the heavens!”

These eight simple words thundered through the air, vibrating within Han Ku’s soul. Unique, challenging the heavens! Without a doubt, his supposedly unbreakable domain was neither unique nor did it challenge the heavens. The very foundation of his path was flawed; by seeking only to remain unbroken, how could he build anything further? How could he ever hope to challenge the heavens?

“I see...” Han Ku whispered, lost in a daze as waves of realization crashed through his mind.

Hearing Shi Miao’s declaration, Li Hao’s eyes flickered. Challenging the heavens? In truth, it meant possessing a heart that stood equal to the heavens themselves. Such words were easy to utter, but achieving such a state was an arduous task.

“A heart equal with the heavens... Yet the heavens are so supreme; the very act of looking up implies inequality. How then can the heart be equal?” Li Hao murmured to himself.

After a long silence, he cleared his mind. Having finished his observation of this realm, he moved on to seek the next disciple of the Immortal King Realm. Consequently, Li Hao spent time comprehending various realms within the first tier of the dojo.

Among these spaces were the Life Sea and the Desolate Domain. Some had given rise to vast tribes or legendary dynasties populated by strange races, while others were carefully crafted environments where only the Human Race flourished. Within these realms, the Immortal King lords exercised absolute control over time, space, and every event occurring within their borders.

“Within these realms, there exist Nine Order Laws and Ten Thousand Dao Laws...”

Through discussions with these Immortal Kings, Li Hao learned that reaching this stage required mastering the Nine Order Laws. However, despite their mastery, they lacked the Nine Order Immortal Seal. This discrepancy existed because the Nine Order Immortal Seal must be condensed during the True Immortal Realm stage.

If that window is missed, the immortal seal remains unchanged even if one realizes the Nine Order Laws later. These Immortal Kings had perfected their laws at the threshold of the Immortal Monarch Realm before breaking through. To reach their rank and be crowned as kings, they had to condense the Nine Order Laws to provide the power needed to build the realm’s foundation.

While the sequence seemed like a small detail, the immortal seal serves as the core soil of the realm once transformed. Thus, the strength of the seal dictates the strength of the realm's heart. If the outer realm is shattered, it can be reconstructed as long as the core remains intact. Surveying these different worlds, Li Hao felt truly enlightened. Had it not been for his prestigious status as a direct disciple, these Immortal Kings might not have allowed him to peer into their realms.

“It is no wonder the master said that a true realm resides in the realm itself, not the domain!”

“All domains share this nature; only the world heart remains unharmed.”

“The Bitter Bridge’s Shore and the Nine Burning’s Life and Death realms both possess extraordinary world hearts. They are not lower paths, yet they do not reach the level of the superior path either,” Li Hao contemplated privately.

The Shore Realm held the noble ambition of rescuing those in the suffering sea, yet it chose a minor path to achieve it by building a bridge to the other side. If it were truly a great path, it should have aimed to fill the sea or boil it away. Why build a bridge when the Heavenly Dao itself serves that purpose?

“So that is what the master meant... Only by first possessing a world heart, one that reaches that supreme height, can one walk the supreme road. If the heart cannot reach it, how can the feet follow?”

Li Hao drifted into deep thought. After thanking the various Immortal King senior brothers, he returned to the small mountain courtyard with Shi Miao. For the following months, Li Hao stayed in the courtyard, lost in meditation and painting daily. Years passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, a figure arrived at the courtyard. Seeing Li Hao busy with his brushes, the visitor’s eyes twinkled. “Junior brother, you seem to be in high spirits.”

Li Hao looked up and smiled upon seeing his second senior brother, Di Wushè. “Second senior brother, please, come and sit.” He quickly welcomed him inside.

Di Wushè didn't stand on ceremony. Over the last century, he had visited this courtyard several times, at least in this incarnation. “Here, have some tea,” Li Hao said, opening his heaven and earth space to retrieve fine tea leaves.

The preparation was meticulous, though Li Hao viewed it through the lens of the Cooking Dao rather than a formal tea ceremony. “Junior brother’s tea is truly unparalleled,” Di Wushè remarked with a chuckle. After taking a sip, he pulled a domain artifact from his realm.

“The ancient demon corpses you requested are all here.” Over the century, Li Hao had used several batches of these remains, all provided by his second senior brother.

Li Hao took the artifact and swept his divine sense inside. He found a massive collection of ancient demon corpses, including several from the King Realm, enough to sustain his needs for years. “Second senior brother, what is the current state of the Emperor Clan’s border?” Li Hao asked while they chatted over tea.

Di Wushè’s brows knit together slightly as he let out a soft sigh. “These problems are old wounds that never quite heal. However, the Ancient Demon Clan has been restless lately. The ten royal bloodlines that were once scattered now seem to be moving toward unification. This is not a good sign.”

Li Hao was taken aback, his expression turning grave. The threat of the ancient demons affected the entire True Realm, including the Primordial True Realm. If the True Realm fell, it was only a matter of time before the Primordial True Realm was also consumed, as the two were intrinsically linked.

“Unification?” Li Hao frowned. If they united, the catastrophe from ten thousand years ago might once again ravage the True Realm. He felt a surge of concern; this could be an omen. His deep understanding of the world’s paths told him that all things follow a cycle of unity and division.

The Dao follows this cycle, as do the geography and life itself. Dynasties and Immortal Dynasties are all bound by this rhythm of the Heavenly Dao.

“There is no need for excessive worry, junior brother. It isn't quite as dire as you might think,” Di Wushè said, waving a hand to ease Li Hao’s concern. “The recent activity of these ancient demons is likely tied to the coming Hundred Clans Mountain struggle. It will be a period of chaos in the True Realm, giving the demons an opening to strike.”

“The Hundred Clans Struggle?” Li Hao was surprised as he recalled the name. He knew Meng Wan Ning of the Great Dream Clan was deeply invested in this, as her clan had been fading since the fall of the Heavenly Calamity Immortal Emperor and desperately wanted to reclaim their spot in the top hundred.

“Even with ancient demons at the gates, the myriad races cannot stop fighting amongst themselves. There are simply too many lives packed together,” Di Wushè said, shaking his head with a sigh.

It all came down to greed. Even with external threats looming, it was nearly impossible to quell internal strife. Li Hao nodded; if a small village or a single city could be plagued by infighting, it was only natural for the entire realm of myriad races to face the same issues on a grander scale.

The two spoke for a while longer before Di Wushè took his leave. Li Hao watched him go before once again submerging himself in his cultivation and the insights of the Painting Realm.