Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1781 Chapter 459: The Struggle Between Dragon and Serpent, How Could I Not Be Involved (Part 3)
Previously on Follow the path of Dao from infancy...
"Hmm."
Elder Qi gave a nod.
The bamboo grove whispered in the breeze while the pair cleared the chessboard and started a fresh game.
In the meantime, once he departed from the Ninth-layer Heavenly Domain, Li Hao dashed directly toward the outer edges of the First Heaven.
During his journey, he shut his eyes, called up the panel inside his Sea of Consciousness, selected to distribute points, and advanced the Chaos Dao to the Seventh Stage!
With Artistic Skill Points dropping by 3, the Heavenly Dao Power inside him shrank by roughly one percent right away. Simultaneously, his Chaos Dao climbed to the Seventh Stage, and powerful Dao Thoughts flooded into his thoughts.
In the earlier clash against the Divine Venerable, Li Hao had nearly pushed himself to his limits. For this kind of showdown on the heavenly path, Li Hao intended to tackle it in peak condition. The three Domain Artifacts remaining with him might prove inadequate.
As those Dao Thoughts merged, Li Hao's whole presence shifted dramatically.
Moving from the Sixth Stage to the Seventh Stage of Chaos Dao marks a key milestone, bringing a profound shift in his grasp of Chaos Dao.
Even though he merges Chaos Dao at 24 Dao within the Chaos Infinite realm, which stands as the Immortal Lord's ultimate level without further advancement possible, his handling of Chaos Infinite power has leaped forward greatly. Before, it resembled a kid swinging a blade against a true sword expert—utterly outmatched.
After quite a while, having fully taken in the Seventh Stage of Chaos Dao, Li Hao parted his eyelids, his gaze seeming to hold the sun, moon, stars, and tangled threads of chaotic causality.
He blinked once, and the tiny sparkling effects faded from his eyes, settling back to ordinary.
Li Hao's form blurred as he sped across the emptiness, covering ten thousand miles in a flash, and shortly reached the First Heaven.
Right upon landing, Li Hao spotted the immense and grand Heavenly Ascension Road, flanked by 72 massive ancient figures at the Quasi-Emperor Realm.
This stunning display caught Li Hao off guard for a moment, yet when he noticed the throngs of people crowding in with excitement, he pushed the surprise aside and hurried ahead.
"Haotian?!"
The instant Li Hao showed up, several thrilled shouts rang out.
Glancing below, he found the Su Family sisters standing on the Heavenly Ascension Road, joined by Di Lincen.
Nearby stood Lin Zhexuan and the Ghost Tribe sisters, every one of them a follower of the Chaos Immortal Emperor.
"Hmm?"
Li Hao spotted folks clashing with them, hindering their climb, so he lifted his hand in a wave; the force of Chaos Infinite rippled out, hurling everyone nearby into the air.
"Why are you arriving so late?"
Spotting Li Hao once more, Su Wanqing's gaze brimmed with delight. Hundreds of years had flown by since Li Hao entered the Primordial True Realm. She kept hearing updates about him but rarely got to see him, so now she beamed with happiness, her eyes misting over a bit.
"Everyone else headed up, saying you ran out of Domain Artifacts and were too scared to show."
Su Wanqing dashed to Li Hao's side, then swiftly drew three Domain Artifacts from her storage with a flip of her palm, offering them over as she spoke: "I've been holding out for you, waiting right here for your arrival. These three Domain Artifacts are mine; you should have them."
Li Hao paused in surprise at the girl's thrilled look, a twinge of remorse hitting him suddenly; he shook his head and replied: "Hold onto these for your own use—I've got plenty."
"You do?"
Su Wanqing froze in shock.
Su Muqing and the rest hurried over too. Watching her sister try to pass Domain Artifacts to Li Hao, Su Muqing's expression flickered just a touch before his earlier words drew her in, prompting her to blurt out: "Some fellow named Divine Venerable spread word that you'd burned through all your Domain Artifacts."
Li Hao glanced at Su Muqing, whose features mirrored Shi Miao's exactly, leaving him briefly lost in thought, though he quickly remembered she wasn't Shi Miao anymore.
He inclined his head, staying composed as he said: "That's just the enemy spreading false tales."
"Rumor or not, you need to take these—the more Domain Artifacts, the stronger you'll be," Su Wanqing insisted, clenching her jaw as she stared at Li Hao.
"That's right, take mine too; when you hit the peak, let me know what the view's like from up there," Di Lincen chimed in abruptly, tossing two Domain Artifacts Li Hao's way.
But Li Hao refused to take them, gently shoving the items back instead.
"Keep these for yourselves; I've got sufficient Domain Artifacts already."
He offered no details, having now grasped the Seventh Stage of Chaos Dao, which meant he required no more Domain Artifacts.
"I've got a few as well..."
Su Muqing quickly pulled out her Domain Artifacts, yet before she could offer them, Li Hao had already shot skyward, calling back only: "I'm heading up first—keep pushing hard, all of you!"
The group stared as Li Hao's shape vanished in a blink; the crushing weight of the Heavenly Ascension Road felt like an unstoppable peak to them, yet to that youth, it seemed utterly trivial.
Along this Heavenly Ascension Road, even if they couldn't claim the top, spending Domain Artifacts let them rise farther, earning certain prizes that would hugely aid their later cultivation.
"He actually showed up—those earlier rumors were bogus; I always believed he'd make it here."
Su Wanqing whispered to herself, eyes locked on where Li Hao had faded away, sparkling with anticipation.