Chapter 513: Fishing for Fifty Thousand Years
Seeing Li Hao surpass her, Chu Yue Li's eyes revealed a trace of anger. She was already at the Immortal Lord realm, yet when it came to the Dao of Time, she had lost to this young man.
However, she had already noticed Li Hao's Dao of Time cultivation was not low when they were on the Heavenly Dao Bridge earlier. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to avoid the Dao lock from the bridge.
Moreover, she didn't specialize in the Dao of Time herself. In order to quickly establish herself within the royal family, coupled with her mother's inheritance, she had been mastering the Dao of Fire within the Nine Sequences since she was young.
But this time, she wasn't heading to the Five Dao Primordial City. Although the Fire Dao Divine Tree there would be of great help to her cultivation, she knew that with her current level in the Fire Dao, it would be hard to gain the Divine Tree's recognition and obtain its Dao Fruit.
There were also figures like Chu Tianhuang from other Immortal Courts, competing with her for it. Thus, she chose to broaden her foundation and deepen her understanding of the Dao of Time here to lay the foundation for her future.
Five years had passed, and her expectations hadn't been in vain. She, who had once had no connection to the Dao of Time, had now reached the First Realm of the Dao of Time and was already pushing toward its peak!
This was thanks to her cultivation in front of the Time Primordial Divine Tree, where she received the blessing of the Dao of Time's rhythms, allowing for rapid enlightenment.
'I have only studied the Dao of Time for five years. What's so impressive about surpassing me now?'
Chu Yue Li ground her teeth, feeling frustrated as she watched Li Hao's figure rise higher and higher.
Swish!
At this moment, Li Hao continued to accelerate along the Dao of Time, swiftly overtaking one figure after another.
Soon, several powerful auras appeared before him, ascending against the flow of time in the long river.
"Hm?"
One of the figures, wearing an imperial robe, turned and saw Li Hao. Surprise flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of understanding. After all, he had already realized that Li Hao's Dao of Time cultivation wasn't low on the Heavenly Dao Bridge earlier.
"You came too? What took you so long?"
Chu Tianhuang chuckled as he spoke.
"I was visiting other places and came late." Li Hao replied.
Chu Tianhuang was slightly stunned before he smiled. It seemed reasonable; after all, Li Hao had not been seen in the Time Primordial City earlier, so this possibility existed.
"Did you go to the Five Dao Primordial City, or the Shaped Dao Primordial City?" Chu Tianhuang asked.
"The Five Dao." Li Hao answered.
"Was that guy also there? Did he get the Divine Tree Dao Fruit?" Chu Tianhuang asked politely.
Li Hao understood that he was talking about that person, referring to Bo Ya Xue Jian. In the Yan Chu Immortal Court, Chu Tianhuang probably saw Bo Ya Xue Jian as a worthy opponent, while the others were far beneath him.
Even the third-place royal family member most likely didn't garner his full attention.
"I'm not sure. You can ask him later." Li Hao said. He wasn't the type to casually reveal information about others, and besides, he had only a shallow acquaintance with Chu Tianhuang.
Chu Tianhuang nodded slightly, then changed the subject, smiling. "Good luck. This is the last spiritual explosion. Let's see who can gain the recognition of the Time Primordial Divine Tree."
"Alright." Li Hao responded, and then he stepped forward, following the shattered fragments of time and ascending against the chaotic flow of the long river.
"Hmph."
There were four others beside him, all at the Immortal Lord realm, exuding an overwhelming aura.
When they heard the conversation between Chu Tianhuang and Li Hao, they glanced over at Li Hao. Upon realizing he was only at the True Immortal realm, their eyes showed a subtle, unreadable expression. However, there was no scorn, only dissatisfaction.
As a True Immortal, being able to catch up with them was a talent that deserved attention, and among young geniuses, they would understand and appreciate each other.
But Li Hao actually dared to compete for the Dao Fruit with them. That was a bit beyond his capability.
Being able to catch up didn't mean he could be considered a rival. Those were two different things.
Swish!
One of the young men, who had been sneering, suddenly shot upward. Breaking through the fragments of time in the chaotic river, he raced toward the tree crown.
The other three also quickly moved, distancing themselves from Li Hao.
Chu Tianhuang saw this and told Li Hao, "I'll go ahead," before unleashing a deeper control over the Dao of Time. Like a wisp of light, he quickly moved through the river of time.
Li Hao's gaze narrowed. These few people's Dao of Time cultivation was not low at all. He sensed that at least three of them were at the peak of the Third Realm.
He withdrew his gaze and didn't let their growing distance affect his state of mind. From the moment he had left the Time Primordial Secret Realm, the Time Divine Tree had made it very clear that he wasn't trying to compete for the Dao Fruit.
He had come here to climb, to find a good spot to fish and gain enlightenment from the Dao of Time. Even without the Time Divine Tree's Dao Fruit, if he could catch something big from fishing, he could still achieve great progress.
"Those who do not compete cannot be competed with."
Li Hao followed his Dao heart. His gaze scanned the fragments of time around him, and without any distracting thoughts about reaching the peak or fighting for the Dao Fruit, his focus turned to the countless chaotic and fragmented pieces of time.
Every fragment's rotation represented a piece of the past.
Some were buried years, while others were moments from his own past, playing out in front of him.
The child sitting alone in the Divine General's mansion, gazing at the starry sky in the deep night.
The young man born into wealth and prestige, spending his days playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, fishing and wandering in the countryside.
Li Hao looked at that fragment of his younger sister, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Inside it, he saw many warm moments he had even overlooked.
Eating pastries with his elder aunt, swallowing too fast and choking, startling the usually calm elder aunt who managed the affairs of the Divine General's mansion, leaving her utterly shocked.
In the black night of the northern border, under the cold and bright moon, the young man slept in the camp, while outside the camp was an old figure, sitting in the shadow of the void, silently watching over him.
"Elder aunt... Old Wind..."
Li Hao's gaze shifted, and his heart filled with longing.
Old Wind had followed him to the True Realm and became his master, while his elder aunt and others stayed in the False Sky Realm.
Li Hao thought to himself that once the Southern Region war was over, he would find time to return to the False Sky Realm and visit them.
It had been a long time since he had tasted the fragrant crispy pastries from the alleyway vendor in Qingzhou City.
In these fragments of time, beyond these heartwarming moments, there were scenes of Li Hao fighting demons and monsters, defending cities with his sword, as well as his back as he stepped out of the Divine General's mansion into the endless snowstorm.
But now, as he viewed these past hardships, his eyes had become calm, without a ripple of emotion.
He moved forward, onward, rising from the mundane human world, now competing with the top royal geniuses of this vast True Realm.
In the end, the backs of those royal geniuses remained in front of him. His Dao of Time had reached the Third Realm but had not yet reached its peak. Meanwhile, figures like Chu Tianhuang had already reached the peak of the Third Realm.
The Dao of Time was harder to master than other Daos, and reaching the Third Realm's peak was not easy, even for Immortal Lords of lower levels.
Finally, Li Hao's steps seemed to be obstructed, and he could go no further.
He knew his limit had arrived. Nearby, there was a horizontal branch, and a smile of relief appeared at the corner of his mouth. He leaped over and landed on the branch.
He didn't look at Chu Tianhuang and the others still struggling to climb, instead sitting calmly on the branch, with countless figures below him.
In the Time Primordial Divine Tree, though Li Hao was inferior to figures like Chu Tianhuang and others from the top royal families, his Third Realm of the Dao of Time surpassed more than ninety percent of the people present.
Seeing Li Hao sitting on the branch, unreachable to them, many who had already reached their limit showed complex expressions.
Most of those who had come here were Immortal Lords, while True Immortals were few.
At this height, Li Hao was the only True Immortal sitting here.
"Bastard!"
Chu Yue Li had already stopped, unable to make any more progress. She stood on the vine, looking at the figure on the high branch beneath the tree crown. A flicker of shock crossed her eyes, followed by an inexplicable anger.
"He actually..."
Yue Xi also saw Li Hao's height, and couldn't help but be momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected that Li Hao, who had only just arrived, would be able to ascend so high on the Time Primordial Divine Tree!
She felt somewhat dazed, but soon, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Compared to when she had just started, now, after seeing Li Hao's many feats, she had long since lost the desire to compete with her junior brother.
But she couldn't understand.
Clearly, he was extremely ordinary in every aspect. Why then could he repeatedly accomplish such shocking feats?
If it were Gu Yan, she could barely understand, as he was from the ancient sword immortal lineage, possessing a naturally gifted sword spirit body, the strongest talent in the sword path. But Li Hao didn't seem to have any such advantages.
Soon, the chaotic flow of time engulfed Li Hao's figure, obscuring it from view.
Others were also engulfed by the time turbulence, lost in the river of time, unable to see anyone else.
They could only cultivate within their own streams of time.
Li Hao felt the rhythm of the Dao of Time around him, a smile tugging at his lips. Using time as a thread, he extended into the surrounding turbulent flow, the countless time fragments swirling as his thread reached deeper.
Then, he closed his eyes, quietly meditating, immersed in the act of fishing.
Fishing was an art, one that required quiet, patience, and composure, which also honed the Dao heart.
Time, as his line, touched fragment after fragment of time within the chaotic flow. The once chaotic river of time now seemed like rippling water under Li Hao's delicate perception.
The fisherman feels the changes in the water, the extension and tension of the fishing line, the movements and states of the catch.
But this time, he wasn't fishing for living things. Instead, he sought to fish for more distant times and secrets.
A hundred thousand years ago, the ancient demons battled the True Realm. This was a well-known event in the True Realm.
Li Hao had heard of it countless times, but had never seen it with his own eyes. If he could fish for that tragic and heroic period of time, he would witness it firsthand.
His thoughts drifted, feeling the changes in the surrounding time fragments, his mind completely immersed in fishing.
Time passed quietly.
The spiritual explosion had unknowingly ended, and everyone had returned to their respective positions around the Time Primordial Divine Tree, absorbed in their cultivation and insights.
The entire Primordial City became quiet, silent in its stillness.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but Li Hao's time line continued to extend. He touched fragments of time from ten thousand years ago, but it wasn't what he was looking for.
He continued to extend, reaching twenty thousand years ago, thirty thousand years ago... Li Hao felt his consciousness transform into a fishing line, flowing upstream in the river of time, continuously exploring the past.
During this process, his consciousness seemed to separate from his body, giving him the sensation of floating outside the universe.
It was a profound loneliness and fear, like his soul could freeze at any moment.
But Li Hao's primordial spirit was extraordinarily powerful. Having devoured many ancient demons on the Yan Chu border, his divine bone had formed over five hundred fragments, no less than the souls of many Immortal Lords.
His consciousness became increasingly subtle, but the time he traveled through extended further and further. When he reached fifty thousand years ago, Li Hao felt that he had reached his limit.
He could no longer continue to explore the past, fishing for the past. Fifty thousand years was the farthest back he could reach.
Li Hao could only stop here, feeling the surrounding time fragments. After a long while, he finally touched one, immediately pulling it in.
The time line reeled in, and everything seemed to shift in an instant. His consciousness returned to his body, and the time line also snapped into place, revealing a fragment of time.
Li Hao saw that the fragment depicted a scene of a grand battle.
The battlefield was in some Immortal Court, where enormous demons and monsters, covering the sky, fought against the Immortal Court's experts in a fierce clash, turning the sky dark.
"Where is this?"
Li Hao was surprised. Looking at the scene in the time fragment, the war was incredibly vast, affecting a large area. However, he didn't recognize the Immortal Court, and the battle didn't involve ancient demons, but various terrifying demons and immortals.
Eventually, as the time fragment dimmed, one of the experts fighting in the battle, near the end, suddenly transformed into a shooting star, soaring toward the distant sky.
The light gradually dissipated as the expert tore through the void before falling into a fog-filled valley.
Li Hao froze for a moment, his heart stirring. Fifty thousand years ago, a war occurred somewhere. That expert was at least an Immortal King.
"Could there be treasures left by him in that valley, where he fell before his death?"
Li Hao thought to himself.
Then he shook his head. After fifty thousand years, such a long time had passed. It was likely that someone had already found it.
Moreover, he didn't lack inheritance, as he had the Dao of the Immortal Emperor. A mere Immortal King wouldn't be much help to him.
However, while he might not need it, others could benefit from it.
If such a treasure truly existed... Li Hao silently marked the fragment of time in his mind, thinking that if he ever got the chance to obtain the Grand Thousand Geomancy Map of the True Realm in the Southern Region, he might be able to find that location.
His thoughts returned to the present, and he continued casting his line, intending to fish further. But suddenly, the surrounding time flow stirred.
Then, a detached voice rang out:
"You've waited long enough. It's about to end. This is a portion of my source nectar. I'll give it to you."
As the voice spoke, a glowing orb of treasure light appeared in the rainbow-colored time flow before Li Hao.
Li Hao was stunned. He recognized the detached voice. It was the Time Primordial Divine Tree.
"Nectar?"
Li Hao was confused and couldn't help but ask, "Senior, what is this?"
"Don't ask. Just absorb it. I believe that in the future, your name will be remembered in the Grand Thousand True Realm," the Time Primordial Divine Tree replied, its voice detached.
But Li Hao could tell that, compared to before, the voice now seemed to have softened a bit.
He was somewhat puzzled. Earlier, the other party had seemed so aloof, and he didn't dare approach. But now, the Time Primordial Divine Tree was suddenly offering him nectar.
Still, Li Hao cupped his hands in gratitude and said, "Thank you, Senior. I will remember this kindness, even though you may not need it."
No further response came from around him.
Li Hao reached out and took the nectar.
Meanwhile, in the Time Primordial Divine Tree's secret realm, the silver-haired Space Divine Tree incarnation stood nearby. Her face was very similar to that of the Time Divine Tree's incarnation, but her expression was gentle and soft.
"Sister, have you softened up?" the Space Divine Tree incarnation asked, covering her mouth with a soft laugh.