Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1835 Chapter 484: Heaven Tower
Previously on Follow the path of Dao from infancy...
As the Dao Origin Immortal Emperor made his entrance, numerous cultivators swiftly directed their attention toward him. That boundless and majestic presence filled them with awe, igniting a wave of intense chatter among the crowd.
"Is that truly an Immortal Emperor?"
"Heavens above, I've heard rumors of two Immortal Emperors supervising the True King selection. Never thought I'd spot one right upon arrival!"
"No surprise this event draws the True Realm's finest geniuses and powerhouses. I've never laid eyes on an Immortal Emperor until now, and suddenly one appears."
A murmur of whispers and admiration spread through the assembly, their gazes brimming with thrill and anticipation.
"Standing next to the Immortal Emperor, could that be his personal disciple? Word is, even serving as a direct disciple to an Immortal Emperor won't help in the True King selection; true power and climbing through battles are what count."
"Precisely, backgrounds mean nothing—only raw fighting prowess decides!"
"This setup is ideal; it's genuine equality!"
"The top favorites here are those who've honed their skills for seventy to eighty thousand years at the pinnacle of the Immortal King Realm."
As the buzz continued among the onlookers, Li Hao and Shi Miao scanned the surroundings too, taken aback by the sheer multitude of participants crammed together.
Keep in mind, their Dao Origin lineage had selected just over twenty entrants, yet thousands upon thousands filled the area!
"Such a massive gathering!"
"What's that massive peak over there?"
"That's no peak—it's a tower!"
The attention of Li Hao and his companions shifted toward the enormous silhouette looming in the distant chasm, where swarms of airborne forms clustered around this colossal structure like tiny insects.
"Behold, the Immortal Forbidden Emperor Artifact known as the Heaven Tower!"
The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor spoke steadily, "This artifact belongs to the Star Sovereign Emperor. Perhaps the Star Sovereign Emperor's fame hasn't reached your ears, but surely you've heard of the Second Ultimate Realm, the All Heavens Star Vein. Indeed, it was the Star Sovereign Emperor who unlocked that realm!"
Li Hao stood frozen in surprise; he knew the All Heavens Star Vein well, yet to learn this Ultimate Realm stemmed from the Star Sovereign Emperor's efforts?
And right now, witnessing the very Emperor's artifact in their possession!
It was as if a myth had materialized right before him, stirring both astonishment and exhilaration.
"The Star Sovereign Emperor serves as one of the two overseers for this event, and the Heaven Tower shall serve as your testing arena!"
The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor lifted his gaze gradually, his eyes piercing toward the summit of the immense tower, as he explained, "Within the Heaven Tower lie the True Realm's countless Secret Techniques, amassing the battle arts of the Ten Thousand Clans across All Heavens. It boasts three hundred floors! The initial hundred floors restrict the Immortal King Realm, while the central hundred floors constrain the Quasi-Emperor Realm!"
"The final hundred floors are designed solely for clashes with the Great Emperor."
"In the past, it once held notorious criminals from the Immortal King Realm. These days, such offenders have been dispatched to diverse Ancient Demon Battlegrounds to redeem themselves, leaving the tower empty once more."
The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor's eyes settled on Li Hao and Shi Miao, declaring, "To vie for the True King throne, one needs to conquer at least ninety floors, or better yet, surpass a hundred!"
"That's your path to claiming the True King title!"
His words were directed chiefly at Shi Miao.
After all, with Shi Miao at the Fourth Level of the Immortal King Realm, she held some real chance at the True King seat, unlike Li Hao.
Li Hao had barely entered the Immortal King Realm; his prodigious gifts aside, the remaining time simply wasn't enough.
"It's been a hundred thousand years since I last saw this tower; its glow has faded so much that I almost didn't identify it at first."
Shi Miao tilted her head upward, fixing her sight on the structure ahead, a trace of reminiscence flickering in her eyes.
The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor gave a faint shake of his head, "The light hasn't dimmed—it's merely caked in layers of Demon Blood that hasn't been wiped away."
Shi Miao paused for a beat, then focused her vision sharply, her expression turning grave and heavy.
A hundred thousand years prior, during that apocalyptic clash, the Star Sovereign Emperor had wielded this very Heaven Tower; she dimly recalled it crushing the Ancient Demon horde on the battlefield, annihilating hordes of Ancient Demons.
The tower's once radiant, crystal-clear form now appeared utterly dark, soaked through with the bloodstains from that ancient war, their hue unyielding even after eons.
"Does that mean every ten floors align with one stage of the Immortal King Realm?"
Li Hao inquired.
The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor inclined his head subtly, "Yet these floors match the utmost extremes of each stage. Put another way, even Ancient Demons—typically mightier than the True Realm's Ten Thousand Races—would face brutal odds surviving their matching levels! And prodigious talents from the Human Race often can't even breach their own stage's entry."
"This Emperor artifact demands absolute perfection."
At these words, the trio of Perfect Immortal Monarch Realm experts felt a surge of hidden wonder.
The Ninth Level Immortal King Realm cultivators and the pair of Perfect Immortal King Realm disciples wore increasingly serious looks.
"As the trials commence, consider aiming straight for the ninety-first floor—it'll prove a formidable test for all of you."
The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor advised them.
This revelation only deepened the tension on the disciples' faces. They represented the elite Immortal Kings trained at the Extreme Dao Mountain, the cream of their generation, but even they would struggle immensely against the Heaven Tower?
In the midst of their exchange, ripples abruptly stirred across the void.
Li Hao and Shi Miao whipped around to see a procession of grand silhouettes speeding along the route they'd just traversed.
At the forefront strode a figure radiating dominance, with a gaze of haughty indifference, features so exquisitely stunning yet icy that gender blurred, none other than the Chaos Immortal Emperor.
Spotting the Dao Origin Immortal Emperor, the Chaos Immortal Emperor offered a brief nod, then let his eyes roam, pausing on Li Hao and Shi Miao. With brows arched faintly and a smile that teased without fully forming, he remarked:
"Dao Origin, for this supreme trial opportunity, you've gone and brought along direct disciples from other lineages—does that not chafe at you?"
The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor shot back tersely, "Haotian counts as my disciple too."
The Chaos Immortal Emperor let out a light laugh, adding, "Fine saplings they are, but you're the only one who seems unbothered."
Li Hao and Shi Miao both creased their brows in mild irritation, feeling a touch of offense, but then the Dao Origin Immortal Emperor's voice echoed straight into Li Hao's thoughts: