Chapter 553: Li Hao's Fist
"What terrifying sword intent!"
"Wasn't he a fist cultivator? Why is his sword Dao just as strong as his fists?!"
"Is he using fists or swords? Back in the True Immortal Secret Realm, his sword techniques were insane too."
As Li Hao raised his hand and slashed out with that sword, everyone outside the imperial platform gasped and began to murmur in shock. The overwhelming sword intent reflected across the Southern Domain, and even just watching from afar with the naked eye gave a stinging sensation, as if their hearts and minds were being cleaved in two.
If it felt like that just from watching, they could barely imagine what it must be like to face it directly.
Boom!
"A sword? I wanted to trade fists with you—this was your real trump card?!" Zhan Yuchen's eyes flared with fierce fighting spirit. Dark silver light gathered around his fists. After drawing his match and seeing that his opponent was Haotian, his master had shown him a projection of Li Hao's performance during the platform battles.
He'd been impressed by this youngest monstrous genius. He hadn't taken him seriously at first—youth only proved talent, not current threat—but after watching Li Hao's unmatched fist intent on the imperial platform, he was shocked and excited.
Among all the geniuses on the platform, there were very few who cultivated the fist path. He never thought he'd find one like himself here. He'd been eagerly looking forward to this match—only for Li Hao to pull out a sword technique that was just as strong as his fist technique!
"Break!"
A silver glow shone from Zhan Yuchen's forehead as the unique secret art of the Zhan Tian Clan activated. His immortal Power surged explosively. A colossal fist shadow slammed downward, while Li Hao's triple-layered time-space Qing Tian sword qi slashed upward to meet it.
BOOM! A deafening roar exploded from the imperial platform. It was like two stars crashing into each other. The resulting shockwave twisted the void, warping space itself.
Li Hao's sword technique was shattered, punched open by that mighty strike. Even the power of time and space was dispersed. But Zhan Yuchen's fist image was also broken, its force neutralized as it crashed into Li Hao's Eternal Dao Domain, where time-space forces erased the remaining impact.
Their first exchange had ended in a draw—neither gaining the upper hand.
"Good! Excellent! This is exhilarating!" Zhan Yuchen's eyes gleamed. His immortal Power surged again, and a faint trace of a Nine-Petal Immortal Seal emerged on his forehead.
"A Nine-Petal Immortal Seal! Another one!"
"My god, how many Nine-Petal Seal holders are there now?"
"So what? Didn't Haotian already defeat one in the platform battles? He probably has one too!"
"But this is the Zhan Tian Clan! Their Nine-Petal Immortal Seals represent the cream of the crop!"
The crowd was in an uproar, watching Zhan Yuchen's aura climb beyond what a True Immortal should be capable of. Even early-stage Immortal Lords might not be able to suppress it.
"Again!"
With a low roar, Zhan Yuchen's fists rippled with terrifying power. The surrounding void trembled violently. The energy he gathered was hair-raising.
Li Hao's eyes grew serious. Zhan Yuchen had activated the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal, but was still holding back. No one could yet tell which nine Daos his seal contained.
Still, in their earlier exchange, Li Hao had sensed the other's control over the space Dao—clearly well-developed.
He released his own immortal Power. Thick and fog-like, it surged out. His extreme-level force manifested, and a giant Dharma Image rose behind him. Then the trace of a Nine-Petal Immortal Seal slowly emerged on his forehead.
Like Zhan Yuchen, he didn't use it in full, only partially activating its strength.
Even so, the energy released by the Nine-Sequenced Nine-Petal Immortal Seal was vast and astonishing. In a flash, Li Hao's aura surpassed Zhan Yuchen's.
"As expected, Haotian also has the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal!"
"Monstrous talents all around! If the top hundred fights are already this intense, how insane will the top ten or the final battle be?!"
The audience outside the imperial platform was thrilled. No one was surprised that Li Hao had the Nine-Petal Seal—if he hadn't, now that would've been shocking.
"Hmm?" Zhan Yuchen noticed that Li Hao's aura had surpassed his and his face darkened slightly. Even though neither of them had gone all out, this pressure... was real.
He took a deep breath. A crack opened on his forehead, revealing the Zhan Tian Clan's War Heaven Imperial Mark—a legacy from their ancestor, the War Heaven Immortal Emperor. Only those with the purest bloodline could awaken it, and even as True Immortals, they'd receive the War Heaven battle intent's blessing.
In an instant, Zhan Yuchen's aura became terrifying. The Dharma Image behind him seemed capable of holding up the sky. Though still a True Immortal, he looked as if he could tower over the heavens and crush all beneath.
"Let's get serious now!"
He charged forward, War Heaven Imperial Mark glowing, using the War Heaven body technique at lightning speed. He zipped through the Gui Xu extreme realm, appearing right in Li Hao's Eternal Dao Domain in the blink of an eye.
His movement was like a charging kunpeng, full of unstoppable force. Once inside the domain, he immediately felt the sticky power of time and space slowing him down. The space element, he could maneuver through. But the chaotic time streams—speeding up, reversing, repeating—made him feel sick, almost like vomiting.
"So this is time essence?"
Eyes blazing, he channeled all his immortal Power into his body. As a War Heaven Immortal Body, he was no weaker than Li Hao's Ancestral Immortal Body.
He plowed forward with raw might, tearing through the reverse-flowing time, and slammed a fist toward Li Hao's head.
It all happened in an instant—but it was already a brutal battle of extremes.
Li Hao raised his gaze and swung both hands. Triple-layered Qing Tian sword qi burst out again.
BOOM!
The seemingly invincible Qing Tian sword energy slashed open Zhan Yuchen's fist, cutting a deep gash to the bone.
But that punch didn't dissipate. It smashed down on Li Hao's head—
BANG! His head exploded instantly.
Yet in the blink of an eye, it regenerated.
For someone who had mastered the Undying and Indestructible extreme realm, a blown-up head wasn't even a scratch. Especially with the Celestial Star Meridian in his body, his immortal Power regenerated endlessly and restored him almost instantly.
Still, for those watching, the visual impact was tremendous.
Zhan Yuchen had broken into Li Hao's Dao domain and punched his head off. The force of that blow seemed like it could shatter the entire imperial platform!
"So strong!"
"As expected of the Zhan Tian Clan. This is what it means to be one of the True Realm's top ten clans!"
"The War Heaven Imperial Mark… I never thought I'd see it again in my lifetime!"
As the crowd whispered in shock, Zhan Yuchen pulled back from Li Hao's Dao Domain. His eyes were cold. "Your sword Dao is strong—but not strong enough!"
Li Hao actually nodded. "That sword indeed wasn't strong enough."
Zhan Yuchen was briefly startled by the response, then sneered. "Stop hiding your strength. Use all your immortal Seal's power!"
Li Hao gave a slight shake of the head. Not yet necessary. But—it was time to get serious.
"Again," he said calmly.
He gathered immortal Power in his palm, activating the Zhan Tian Yufa from the Shuntian Ancestral Canon.
Back then, Elder Wang had passed the Shuntian Ancestral Canon to him. With the Ancestral Immortal Body and this technique of the War Heaven line, it stood among the peak methods at the True Immortal level.
Li Hao had cultivated the Zhan Tian Yufa to perfection using his Dao mastery. It allowed him to refine nine streams of immortal Power, each doubling his strength.
As five streams gathered, his aura surged severalfold—instantly eclipsing Zhan Yuchen's.
"Hmm? That's Zhan Tian Yufa?"
Zhan Yuchen's pupils narrowed. He recognized the technique—though their clan's version was incomplete.
This immortal technique involved two Immortal Emperors. Outsiders didn't know the details, but the Zhan Tian Clan did: in ancient times, the War Heaven Immortal Emperor and the Heaven Calamity Immortal Emperor were close friends. Together, they created two great techniques.
One was Zhan Tian Bahuang, left by the War Heaven Immortal Emperor for his clan. The other was Zhan Tian Yufa, which he only passed half of to his friend.
Similarly, the Heaven Calamity Immortal Emperor received half of Zhan Tian Bahuang. Li Hao, having inherited Zhan Tian Yufa, didn't need the other—it shared the same roots, and couldn't be stacked for greater effect.
"You actually have Zhan Tian Yufa—who are you?!"
Zhan Yuchen looked at Li Hao in shock, but quickly focused. Now wasn't the time to question that.
Fighting spirit lit his gaze. He unleashed the full Zhan Tian Bahuang technique.
Immortal Power condensed into spectral beasts around him—each one doubling his strength. Four appeared in a flash, boosting his power fourfold.
But even then, he still couldn't catch up to Li Hao. His expression tightened as he forced out a fifth beast—barely reaching parity.
"Space-Rending Fist!"
He raised his hand. Spatial essence gathered at his fist—it was wild, sharp, devastating.
"Slash."
Li Hao swung his sword once more—timing it just as he refined a sixth stream of immortal Power. His strength rose further, instantly surpassing Zhan Yuchen.
Zhan Yuchen noticed it—but too late. With a roar, he activated his bloodline and charged into Li Hao's Dao Domain. Their Domains clashed violently. Fist met sword. The impact sent both flying.
Li Hao only retreated several dozen meters before stabilizing. The power of the Celestial Star Meridian helped him recover instantly.
Zhan Yuchen, however, flew back hundreds of meters. His breath was chaotic but soon steadied.
"Break!!"
His eyes shone with battle lust. Another secret art exploded from his body.
This time, he activated his full bloodline. The War Heaven Imperial Mark on his forehead lit with silver light, and his strength doubled again.
Where he'd once had fivefold power, now it was tenfold.
A massive punch dropped down—crushing all Dao essence within Li Hao's domain, shattering every defense.
BOOM! Li Hao's sword qi shattered on contact. He was slammed into the boundary of the sealing array.
Zhan Yuchen's silver hair flared as he walked forward, eyes cold.
"Your sword Dao still falls short—not even close to your earlier fist Dao. Bring out your true strength. Or you won't get another chance!"
He advanced step by step, building momentum.
If he had the Celestial Star Meridian like Li Hao, his next attack would've already launched without pause.
Li Hao's gaze flickered. His sword and fist Daos were both at the eleventh tier, but earlier he'd infused more of the Nine-Sequenced essence into the fists.
"You want fists? I'll oblige."
He put away the sword and activated Zhan Tian Yufa to the limit.
Nine streams of immortal Power emerged like chains, wrapping around his body. His aura surged again—equaling Zhan Yuchen's.
He clenched his fist and stared at his opponent. A crushing, invincible fist intent gathered around him.
Zhan Yuchen's eyes gleamed with excitement. Finally, the real battle.
"Come!"
He, too, clenched his fist. This time, he didn't hold back—the full Nine-Petal Immortal Seal bloomed on his forehead, dazzling and radiant. Five of the petals held Nine-Sequenced essences: space, metal, wood, form, and command.
His regeneration came from the wood Dao. His overwhelming punches stemmed from the metal and space Daos. Form and command made his immortal body and techniques near perfect.
His Dharma Image's fists burned with golden flame—immortal Power compressed to its peak, blazing like fire.
Li Hao's eyes were solemn. In this moment, he saw his opponent not as an enemy, but as an equal on the chessboard of the Dao—a rival worthy of respect.
Invisible ripples gathered around his fist—but not both fists. Just one.
The half-step Invincible Fist emphasized imperfection as perfection. Like a grand sound that leaves no echo.
Zhan Yuchen saw the look in Li Hao's eyes and felt his blood boil. His War Heaven bloodline surged—he could tell Li Hao was serious now.
This would be the decisive blow!
Both of their auras peaked, like twin furnaces across the imperial platform.
The crowd fell completely silent. No one even blinked, all eyes locked on the scene.
"AAAHHHHHH!!"
Zhan Yuchen roared. He shot forward like a silver comet. His Dharma Image merged with his body, and two golden fists descended from the sky like meteors, ready to smash through the entire platform.
Li Hao stood firm. One foot slid half a step back.
That half-step contained direction and form—it embodied heaven and earth, space and control, time and precision.
Four Daos fused into this half-step and one punch.
BOOM!!
Li Hao threw his punch upward—like a rising moon over the sea—lifting the heavens and splitting the firmament.
A cascade of divine light burst out like a million golden sparks. In the core of the clash, a black crack split open.
The real realm's void was a hundred times tougher than the false realm—but even that now tore apart, revealing a gaping void of annihilation.