Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1863 Chapter 497: Crisis in the Eastern Domain, Multiple States of Mind (Part 2)

As the Body Path surged through its breakthrough, a vast Tao Realm poured into his consciousness.

Li Hao positioned himself amid the emptiness, slipping into a profound state of enlightenment.

It took quite some time before the myriad Dao Thoughts converged, forging the fourth Realm Heart deep within his domain.

The emergence of this fourth Realm Heart shattered the equilibrium among the existing three Realm Hearts in his domain right away, drawing them toward one another with hints of rapid merging.

Li Hao's face grew grave as he summoned the might of the True God Blood, following his earlier strategy, employing the fourth Realm Heart like a thread to pull the three Realm Hearts along, akin to flying a kite across his domain.

Should this kite keep circling without halt, stability could be upheld.

After all, achieving genuine everlasting balance remained beyond him for now; he aimed merely for a fleeting equilibrium.

It might demand hundreds of years, or even a millennium, until another "reinforcement" proved necessary.

Nevertheless, such an outcome still marked a tremendous triumph and an uncommon feat.

While Li Hao delved into his insights, down in the Abyss, members of various clans took turns challenging the Heaven Tower.

Those who pushed beyond the hundredth level drew the scrutiny of other powerful clans whenever they progressed further, since crossing that threshold turned them into direct rivals!

At the same time, beyond the Abyss.

True Realm, Eastern Domain, inside Ancestral Dragon City.

A massive horde of Ancient Demons encircled the skies around Ancestral Dragon City, spanning millions of miles like an ominous, shadowy barrier of death.

Ancestral Dragon City served as the foremost bastion of the Hundred Cities Defense Line, its structure towering and imposing, boasting no fewer than eighty-one supreme teleportation arrays.

Every one of these teleportation arrays held immeasurable worth, treasures beyond price; even mighty clans typically possessed just one or two, reflecting their profound heritage.

Each Royal-grade teleportation array enabled the transport of enormous groups, capable of shifting a million True Immortal Realm warriors in a single go!

For Immortal King Realm powerhouses, it could convey a hundred simultaneously!

Ancestral Dragon City had endured unbreached for centuries, owing much to these eighty-one teleportation arrays that endlessly funneled troops from Eastern Domain clans and distant allies straight into the city.

On this brutal, grinding battlefield, legions of True Immortals perished every instant, only for fresh waves to teleport in ceaselessly and fill the gaps.

Corpses stacked like towering hills outside, with battles raging over oceans of blood and remains; myriad fallen warriors went unrecovered amid the endless conflict, ultimately crushed into gore and powder, vanishing without intact forms.

This harrowing suffering only fueled the blazing defiance of Eastern Domain's clans even more.

"Two Immortal Emperors clashed for a century, splintering the glow of time just to claim a narrow win—yet these Five Clans' Ancient Demons, with their ten millennia of buildup, birthed so many; how many from my Eastern Domain clans can still rush into the fight?"

Within the grand Council Hall of Ancestral Dragon City, a host of peak Immortal King Realm and Quasi-Emperor Realm experts occupied the seats.

At the head loomed three imposing silhouettes, the central one the Immortal Emperor guarding Jianlong City's line, who also reigned as the Emperor of the Ancestor Dragon Clan.

To the side, a form draped in flowing white robes, speckled with dark bloodstains like plum blossoms, his hair a cascade of snow-white strands, radiating a subtle scent of decay, was Su Jiuzhe from the Northern Domain's Su Family.

His eyes held a chill, empty of warmth, one hand idly upon the Spring Slash Emperor Sword, perched on the steps as if a drifting soul without ties.

"Reports from spies embedded in the Yan God Clan indicate they're gearing up for a full assault; on the outer domain frontiers, multiple concealed signs have surfaced, carrying the presence of Ancient Demon Clan Emperors. Great Emperors from other domains' Ancient Demon Clans have probably arrived in the Eastern Domain, observing this conflict."

"These concealed signs likely serve as a warning. The Ancient Demon Clan... after ages of division, appears poised to unite once more."

Two Quasi-Emperor Realm figures murmured softly, relaying vital intelligence.

"Word is, this chance stems from the possible revival of the Reincarnation Gate, so they intend to reconstruct it jointly; if they capture a Reincarnation Fragment, talks might commence."

Yet another Quasi-Emperor added, himself a senior from a prominent Eastern Domain clan.

"Talks? You mean surrender? At most, we'll wage a brutal war!" Another Quasi-Emperor's gaze blazed with sacred fire, his passion erupting like a thundering beast.

"Does the Dragon Emperor realize? We must stand firm in this fight!"

"They're already on their way; to block other Ancient Demon Great Emperors from striking the Ancestor Dragon Nest, they'll show up at the final hour."

"The scheme to snatch the Reincarnation Fragment fell through, leaving only a direct confrontation."

The leaders of the assorted clans all bore grim looks.

Grand designs of the mighty clans, woven over tens of thousands of years—or perhaps far longer—now teetered on the brink of crumbling to ruin in this clash.

This confrontation decided the Eastern Domain's very fate.

"Has the Ten Kings Plan we launched earlier yielded any fruit yet?"

"Merely three centuries have passed, but if all-out war erupts, we'll swiftly choose candidates," responded another Quasi-Emperor.

"The disaster from ten thousand years past descends anew... This round, we in the Eastern Domain will forge the vanguard spear against the shadows!"

Hold the line for three hundred years; the pent-up blood vendettas offered no way back.

Begging the Ancient Demons would merely postpone doom—it was far better to battle with one's back to the waters.

Su Jiuzhe stayed mute, clutching the Spring Slash Emperor Sword like carved stone; three centuries of warfare had fractured his form once again, and he sensed he might never revisit the Northern Domain.

So what of it—perishing in combat here or elsewhere changed nothing; he trusted those two ancient comrades would safeguard the Su Family.

"Sigh, still so many lingering sorrows..."

"The Su Family's lineage runs sparse, failing to birth another Great Emperor..."

"That young one roasts fine meat... Mature quickly, and by this calamity's close, ascend to the Emperor Realm, gaining the strength to shield yourself..."

"Master... Teacher..."

Su Jiuzhe's gaze pierced the nothingness, a flurry of recollections dancing in his thoughts like petals on turbulent waves, some fragments faded into oblivion long ago.

...

Deep in the Abyss, inside the Heaven Tower.

On the 60th floor.

"Condense!"

Abruptly, an intense wave of pressure burst forth; in the heavens hovered a young man's silhouette, encircled by a mighty domain resembling ocean swells, wrapping him in four tiers as delicate as cicada-wing silk, drifting lightly on the wind.

"Four Realms!"

Ten years of deep comprehension finally bore fruit, with potent energy saturating the domain.

Li Hao sensed that fusing his mind with the four realms could unleash a horrifying force in an instant, overwhelming everything in its path.

"My cultivation... has advanced to the Fourth Layer as well."

Even lost in his practice, Li Hao tracked time's flow via faint shifts in his body.

Having attained the Time Origin Eighth Layer, he could gauge eras even after eons of slumber upon waking.

The Heaven Tower's immortal energy brimmed with richness too, propelling his cultivation to the Fourth Layer while multiplying his immortal power four- or fivefold, eclipsing his prior state.

Countless immortal arts could now be executed on a sturdier basis.

"Still insufficient—I must grow stronger... Five Realm Hearts... how to place this fifth Realm Heart?"

"Fist Skill? Paired with Sword Dao, Fist Skill can hold off."

"Skill Points left are scarce; boosting Chaos Dao demands a heap of them."

"Unclear... could this State of Mind embed once more..."

A thrill stirred in Li Hao's chest as he summoned the panel, his eyes sweeping over the four Tao Realms raised to the Thirteenth Stage.

Physical Body Dao, Control Dao, Sword Dao, Body Path.

Inwardly, he intoned the command, inscribing the Creation State of Mind upon the Physical Body Dao!

As his will took hold, a notification flashed on the panel without warning.

"Embedding complete—the Creation Carving State of Mind has integrated into the Physical Body Dao!"

The moment it embedded, an expansive Tao Realm flooded his mind, and at the same instant, Li Hao realized, utterly unprepared, that a new Realm Heart had sprung forth in his domain!

The fifth Realm Heart!

This Realm Heart's arrival instantly upset the prior harmony of the four Realm Hearts.

Li Hao's features twisted in alarm; he drew a sharp breath, mulling over ways to incorporate this fifth Realm Heart.

"Who knew it could embed repeatedly, yet this fifth Realm Heart... I've got no idea right now!"

Li Hao's pulse raced with unease as he scrambled to rein in the five Realm Hearts, trying to space them out.

Yet disrupting the original setup with five Realm Hearts sparked utter turmoil.

Failing to stabilize it, Li Hao had no recourse but to self-detonate and depart the Heaven Tower.

Teleported from the Heaven Tower, the five Realm Hearts within him rioted afresh.

Left with little option, Li Hao plunged back into the Heaven Tower for yet another try.