Chapter 534: A Game at the Foot of the Mountain
"That is Dao Seeking Mountain!"
"The Supreme once attained the Emperor's Heart on top of that mountain. Such a sacred place is being used for these young geniuses' trials."
Across the Southern Domain, countless people gazed up at the Dao Seeking Mountain that was reflected in the sky, their discussions filling the air.
"This Dao Seeking Mountain will reflect your Dao realm incarnation. The more profound the Dao you comprehend, the more incarnations you will have, and the stronger they will be!"
"You must either surpass your own Dao realm incarnation or bypass them and rush to the mountain peak with all your might."
As Li Hao and the others were surrounded by the disciples, Da Meng Zhu spoke in a low voice to them.
In the distance, Yin Jing Cheng and Meng Huai Yue nodded, but their gazes were fixed on Li Hao.
Li Hao had just ranked ninth in the True Immortal Dao Fire Ranking, bringing honor to his sect again. In contrast, they had only managed to obtain one or two Dao Fire in the Immortal Monarch realm, performing quite averagely.
Although they had the ability to hunt for more Dao Fire, doing so would increase the risk. They might encounter Ancient Devils in the Immortal Monarch realm at levels seven or eight, and if they were killed, they would face reincarnation, which would be disastrous.
"Mm."
Li Hao and the others nodded.
"I wonder what level of Dao heart one must reach to pass."
Su Ye Chen, a disciple from the Gun Yuan sect, asked.
He was also one of the top three Immortal Monarch disciples in his sect. His performance had been similar to Yin Jing Cheng and the other sect master's direct disciples. He didn't reveal too much of his strength, as the real competition would be in the upcoming disciple battles. Revealing too many moves too early would not be beneficial.
"At least a Chaotic Dao Heart is needed."
Da Meng Zhu whispered.
While the average True Immortal realm cultivator who reached a Heavenly Dao Heart was considered qualified,
A Chaotic Dao Heart typically corresponded to the tenth level of Immortal Monarch.
However, the geniuses of the Southern Domain were looking at the future. A Dao heart that could reflect the future path was required. Without a Chaotic Dao Heart, one would struggle greatly even to break through to the tenth level of Immortal Monarch.
Though the Dao Heart would continue to grow, and one could experience enlightenment and breakthroughs, the True Immortal realm laid the foundation for the Immortal Gods. By the time one reached the True Immortal realm, the potential of the Dao Heart should already be reflected.
Upon hearing Da Meng Zhu's words, Yin Jing Cheng's eyes flickered. His Dao Heart was a Chaotic Dao Heart, but it wasn't at the peak.
However, since he was in the Immortal Monarch realm, if he couldn't pass, it was likely that many others would be blocked from advancing.
Thinking this, he felt a bit relieved, but his gaze shifted to Li Hao. His master had mentioned that Li Hao's Dao Heart wasn't weak, and he was curious just how strong it was.
"Haotian, this trial isn't difficult for you, but be careful of the Dao realm incarnation. Don't be careless."
Li Tie Mu also spoke, offering advice to Li Hao.
At the same time, he was careful to offer similar words of caution to Gu Yan and Yue Xi.
The others nodded.
Other elders from various sects also reminded their disciples.
Yue Xi looked at Li Hao, remembering when she and Li Hao entered the sect together. At that time, in the Floating Pagoda of Mind, Li Hao caused nine bell sounds when entering. His Dao Heart was even higher than hers.
"This second trial has only a thousand spots."
The leader of the Immortal Guards looked around at the disciples of each Immortal Dynasty, his gaze calm as he said, "At the very least, you must reach the Forgetful Heart Hall halfway up the mountain to be considered passed!"
"What if more than a thousand people reach the top?" someone asked.
After the previous Dao Fire Ranking, many felt cheated and now opted to ask more questions in advance.
The leader of the Immortal Guards responded, "If more than a thousand people make it, those who reach the peak will be directly granted advancement qualification. The ranking order no longer matters."
Everyone exchanged glances and looked toward the mountain peak.
"I heard you need an Eternal Dao Heart to reach the peak!"
"Eternal Dao Heart is on par with the Dao Heart of the Immortal King realm. Even the words of an Immortal King cannot shake it!"
"We must rush to the peak!"
Many were adjusting themselves, preparing to get back into their previous states from the secret realm.
When they stepped out of the secret realm, they had already begun to recover. After all, they were all geniuses, and with the abundant immortal power here, the consumption from the secret realm quickly recovered, including any injuries they had sustained.
"Now, climb the mountain!"
The leader of the Immortal Guards waved his hand and said, "The second trial will last for three days. Make sure to make the most of your time!"
As his hand fell, the barrier surrounding Dao Seeking Mountain suddenly vanished.
In an instant, countless figures shot forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures soared like arrows released from bows, heading straight for Dao Seeking Mountain.
"Go!"
Li Hao didn't hesitate, signaling Yue Xi, Gu Yan, and the others, and they quickly dashed forward.
"Follow me!"
Yin Jing Cheng shouted loudly, taking the lead as the leader of Da Meng Jiu Yuan, calling out to the other disciples to follow him.
His figure moved, condensing an immortal road in the void beneath his feet, speeding up with continuous teleportation.
However, when they reached the base of Dao Seeking Mountain, an overwhelming force pressed down, and all the flying and teleporting disciples were suddenly restricted by this force. They fell from the sky like birds with broken wings, landing on the ground.
Some of the quicker ones landed gracefully, while others were caught off guard, tumbling clumsily. Fortunately, their physiques were strong, and no one was injured.
"Dao Seeking Mountain, it seems you must climb step by step, there are no shortcuts!"
The voice of the leader of the Immortal Guards rang out. The disciples who had fallen silently cursed inwardly, 'Why wasn't this mentioned earlier?'
When they looked up again, they saw the disciples from the Heavenly Palace, who had seemingly anticipated this. They had already descended gracefully and were calmly climbing the steps up the mountain.
Li Hao and the others hadn't moved quickly. When they saw those ahead falling, they had time to react and descended as well.
"Hmm? What's that?"
"Dao realm incarnation!"
Suddenly, Li Hao and the others saw the disciples ahead, who had already climbed up the Dao Seeking Mountain. Standing on the steps, their figures suddenly revealed a phantom reflection that attacked them.
In an instant, chaos ensued ahead. All the disciples climbing the mountain were confronted by their own Dao realm incarnations, who attacked them.
Among them, some were caught off guard and injured by their Dao realm incarnations. Others quickly struck out and shattered their own Dao realm incarnations, then swiftly resumed climbing, leaving the others far behind.
"So, this is the Dao realm incarnation?"
Li Hao observed the chaotic battlefield ahead, filled with curiosity.
"Let's go, don't mind them. The Dao realm incarnations at the foot of the mountain are the weakest, deal with them quickly!"
At this point, Yin Jing Cheng shouted, rushing out as he spoke.
The disciples from other sects turned to Li Hao, seemingly waiting for his instructions.
Yin Jing Cheng, who had already rushed dozens of meters ahead, noticed this scene from behind and his face changed. His anger and embarrassment rose. He, an Immortal Monarch, the sect master's direct disciple, couldn't believe that these people were not following him and instead were waiting for that young man's lead?!
Nearby, Meng Huai Yue also noticed this and was surprised. Things didn't seem the same as before, from the moment the secret realm trial ended, something seemed to have changed that they weren't aware of.
But now, with the Dao Seeking Mountain trial beginning, there was no time for her to ask her master.
"Let's go."
Li Hao wasn't hurried. Seeing that the others wanted to follow him, he spoke up.
He led the group to the foot of the mountain. This mountain was extremely towering. Despite the numerous disciples gathered here, there were still enough vacant spots for them to begin their climb.
Ahead, disciples from other sects were engaged in battles with their Dao realm incarnations. Li Hao directly activated the Eternal Dao Domain, enveloping his sect's disciples within it, blocking the residual attacks from the battles of others, creating a safety barrier.
"Mm?"
At this moment, Li Hao noticed that the Dao realm incarnations of the other disciples were able to pass through his Dao Domain without being blocked. They penetrated effortlessly.
"Let's go, don't worry about them!"
Up ahead, Yin Jing Cheng, seeing this, wore a dark expression. Without turning his head, he directly rushed forward at full speed.
Meng Huai Yue glanced at the people in Li Hao's Dao Domain, her eyes flashing for a moment. Ultimately, she did not linger and followed her senior brother, Yin Jing Cheng, quickly climbing the steps.
Soon, they too encountered their respective Dao realm incarnations.
But as Yin Jing Cheng had said, the Dao realm incarnations at the foot of the mountain were not strong. The two of them acted decisively, quickly suppressing their incarnations, and then continued rushing up the mountain.
"Is it possible, if one's strength is enough, to defeat the Dao incarnations of others and escort them to the top?"
At this moment, Lin Qingying, who was following Li Hao, curiously asked.
Li Hao glanced at the other areas. Upon seeing that the disciples were fighting their Dao realm incarnations, some even trying to assist, but their attacks were ineffective, he immediately understood.
"This Dao Domain incarnation can only be influenced by oneself. Any attacks from others will be ineffective and ignored!"
"No wonder."
Yue Xi nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. "Looks like we can only rely on ourselves."
"Haotian, you go ahead first. Don't worry about us. You are the hope of our sect."
At this time, Gu Yan spoke to Li Hao.
The others, upon hearing this, all looked at Li Hao and immediately echoed:
"That's right, Haotian, you go ahead. Don't miss your spot."
"We must rely on ourselves here. This is the Southern Domain's genius battle. We won't be dead weight."
"Haotian, we can never repay the favor from the secret realm, so let's rely on ourselves this time!"
The others spoke one after another.
Li Hao wasn't bothered by it. "It's fine. No need to rush. I'll block their attacks for you. You go ahead."
"Haotian..."
Some still wanted to persuade him.
Li Hao raised his hand to interrupt them, "Hurry up, no more delays."
Seeing Li Hao's determination, they stopped being polite. After all, they had spent enough time talking, and now was the time to take action and climb.
As they started to climb, the Dao realm incarnations began to appear within Li Hao's Dao Domain. Each person began to fight their respective Dao realm incarnation.
Li Hao was both surprised and intrigued as he felt the Dao realm incarnations manifested within his Dao Domain. Everything in this Eternal Dao Domain was under his control, yet these Dao incarnations had appeared without any forewarning or sign, as if they just appeared out of thin air.
"What is this power?"
Li Hao thought curiously. He had mastered the Nine Sequences, which contained the foundation of the world's myriad paths, yet the power before him seemed to transcend the Nine Sequences.
Or perhaps, his Nine Sequences Dao realm was still too shallow for him to sense this power?
While Li Hao was deep in thought, Yue Xi and Gu Yan, among others, had already begun to strike with their swords.
They acted decisively and quickly unleashed their full power, swiftly dealing with their Dao realm incarnations.
"Haotian, we…"
After Yue Xi dealt with her Dao realm incarnation, she turned to look at Li Hao, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Li Hao flashed a carefree smile. "Don't overthink it. Go ahead."
Upon hearing this, Yue Xi no longer hesitated. She lowered her head and quickly resumed climbing.
The others who had dealt with their Dao realm incarnations all bid farewell to Li Hao before rushing ahead.
Once the disciples within the Dao Domain had mostly left, the foot of the mountain grew much quieter. Disciples from other sects quickly began to ascend. After all, the Dao realm incarnations at the foot of the mountain were the weakest. If they couldn't pass here, it would be difficult to earn a place in the Southern Domain competition.
No one was left behind at the foot of the mountain. It was just a matter of time before they moved up.
Once Li Hao and the others finished their tasks within the Dao Domain, they too began to ascend the steps.
Li Hao felt curious. What kind of Dao realm incarnation would his be?
Just now, the Dao realm incarnations that had manifested for others were holding swords, spears, or other weapons, each representing the great Dao of their sects.
But Li Hao believed that their Dao comprehension was not singular. The Dao incarnations, however, seemed to display a single and pure Dao realm.
What would his Nine Sequences Dao manifestation look like?
As Li Hao pondered, a phantom appeared beside him, forming a Dao realm incarnation with the same facial features as his.
However, the figure appeared like a shadow, and the body was ethereal.
His Dao realm incarnation didn't seem extraordinary, lacking any overwhelming aura of immortal power.
Suddenly, the figure raised its hand, and a shadow-like force condensed in its ethereal palm, transforming into a chessboard.
Li Hao froze for a moment, immediately sensing the Dao aura emanating from his Dao realm incarnation—it was the Dao of Chess!
"Would you like to play a game with me?"
Li Hao couldn't help but laugh. Playing against himself—he used to do that as a child, but now it seemed like a true competition against himself.
He raised his hand, signaling the incarnation to choose a spot.
The Dao realm incarnation directly sat down next to the steps.
Li Hao didn't bother with formalities, sitting beside him on the steps.
The Dao realm incarnation raised its hand, and two chess boxes appeared in the air, filled with chess pieces. However, the pieces seemed to be made of shadows—one side deep black and the other side a light grey.
Li Hao smiled and began sorting the pieces, distinguishing between the black and white pieces.
The game quickly began.
Li Hao immediately realized that his opponent's playing style resembled his own.
"So, this is how my moves look in the eyes of my opponent…"
Li Hao had the strange feeling of observing himself from another perspective, and he could now see his own moves more clearly. This gave him a deeper understanding of himself.
To step outside oneself and see the true self.
At that moment, Li Hao suddenly understood the true significance of Dao Seeking Mountain.
The scene here was also reflected across the Southern Domain, drawing the attention of countless people.
Earlier, when the True Immortal and Immortal Monarch realms were separated into two groups, most of the attention had been on the Immortal Monarch secret realm. However, now that both groups were at Dao Seeking Mountain, all eyes in the Southern Domain were on this mountain.
"What is that young man doing?"
"Playing chess? His Dao realm incarnation is actually the Dao of Chess. What kind of joke is this?"
"If I remember correctly, his soul lifespan was just 96 years, right? In such a short time, he reached the True Immortal realm, and he's actually skilled in the Dao of Chess?!"
Countless people were stunned, whispering in shock.