Chapter 556: Once in a Hundred Thousand Years
In this battle, Li Hao showcased the Wan Ying movement technique and immortal art, combined with the time origin of his Eternal Dao Domain, letting countless people witness the full extent of his power.
Especially when he defeated Gui Lingyue's Yuan Spirit, his strength was enough to suppress a Gui Clan genius of the same realm. It was terrifying. This meant that anyone fighting Li Hao could only contest him through physical body and immortal techniques—in the realm of Yuan Spirit, there was almost no chance of victory.
"Miss actually lost!"
"That Yuan Spirit was so strong… that kid broke through the Yuan Spirit extreme limit and cultivated so many Yuan Spirit gold bones. If he reaches the Immortal Lord realm, he might even condense Yuan Spirit true blood."
"His bloodline power hasn't even been revealed yet. Since when did the Chaos Clan have such a monstrous talent?"
Among the Gui Clan, the five old elders all looked shocked. They were Immortal Lords, sent to protect the two Gui Clan geniuses in this tournament, but even they were stunned by the power of Li Hao's Yuan Spirit.
This level of strength… might even rival Gui Lingshuang!
Beside them, the icy, aloof Gui Lingshuang's cold gaze sharpened when her sister was crumpled like a ball. In that moment, a glint of killing intent and sharp light flashed through her eyes.
She fixed her gaze on the youth standing on the platform. That boy had only revealed half his Yuan Spirit power, yet completely overpowered her sister. Even the Yuan Spirit amplification from their clan's secret techniques couldn't bridge the gap.
And because it was only half revealed, she couldn't even determine how powerful his full Yuan Spirit was.
At that moment, the Immortal Guard Commander on the platform announced the victor of the match.
When the crowd heard Li Hao had won, they all snapped out of their stupor and an uproar broke out.
No one expected a battle against the famed Gui Clan would end so quickly—what's more, it had turned into one-sided domination!
Li Hao hadn't used his fist techniques at all. With just movement technique and time origin, he unleashed something more terrifying than his earlier display—this move was, as of now, nearly unbeatable!
"Did I see that right? Someone actually suppressed the Gui Clan in the realm of Yuan Spirit… terrifying!"
"What even is Hao Tian's bloodline? I'd believe it if you told me he was from the Di Clan!"
"This is insane! The Gui Clan came across domains to make a name for themselves, and they got crushed?"
"First the Zhan Tian Clan, now the Gui Clan—both lost. Hao Tian is a guaranteed top ten. Maybe even top five!"
"Wan Ying combined with time stacking—ten thousand-fold time-stop—who can counter that?"
Countless voices rose in shocked discussion.
Even many Immortal Lords, who had the sharpest judgment, believed that in the True Immortal realm, Li Hao was already close to being undefeated.
And if he were to fully combine this with his Yuan Spirit? Even fewer would stand a chance.
"Truly an astonishing talent."
Far off in the distance, Ming Yue stood among the disciples of the Heavenly Palace. Her pure, elegant figure drew every eye. Unlike the others who were shocked or solemn, her face was filled with surprise and then deep interest. When calculating lifespan, she realized that even she and the others hadn't reached Li Hao's level within a hundred years of soul age.
Sadly, this time the contest was limited to those under three thousand years in soul age and judged purely by strength.
"Indeed, quite exceptional," Jian Xin said with a nod, recognizing the youth's monstrous potential.
"The Gui Clan relies too much on Yuan Spirit. Aside from that, their techniques are a bit ordinary," Ming Yue commented.
Jian Xin didn't argue. Only that ghost-step technique, Gui Ying Yue, stood out. But even that had counters in their eyes.
"The Gui Clan couldn't stop him?"
Among the crowd, a green-dressed girl looked pale.
She'd deceived Li Hao earlier at Wen Dao Mountain, tricking him out of a qualification spot. Though it hadn't affected him in the end, she couldn't believe he had forgotten it.
"It's fine. Making top fifty is already impressive. You won't face him," a young man from her sect said quietly.
He was Immortal Lord realm. Even he could feel how dangerous Li Hao was. If they were at the same realm, Li Hao would be a nightmare.
Fortunately, due to the soul-age limit of three thousand years, and with the Supreme Beings having split the realms between Immortal Lords and True Immortals, he could rely on sheer cultivation level to suppress him.
While geniuses could defy the odds against common cultivators, when genius fought genius, it was rarely possible to reverse the difference in realms.
At her senior brother's reassurance, the green-robed girl relaxed a little. Then her eyes drifted toward her opponent, and she smirked.
"That girl from the Calamity Clan is strong, but she only made the top hundred by luck. Lucky for me, she's an easy pick for me to break into the top twenty-five."
Her opponent was none other than Da Meng Jiu Yuan's Yue Xi.
Back on the platform, Gui Lingyue slowly recovered. Her eyes were complicated, and the arrogance from earlier was gone. She hadn't expected to lose this fight—and the most humiliating part was that she hadn't even managed to force out Li Hao's bloodline power.
"Hao Tian… is that your real name?"
She bit her lip and stared hard at him.
Li Hao blinked. 'Didn't I come here to make a name for myself? Of course it's real.'
"What, was yours fake?"
Gui Lingyue saw the misunderstanding and shook her head. "Of course not."
After speaking, she gave Li Hao a long, quiet look, said nothing more, and turned to fly down from the platform. She simply etched his name into memory.
When she returned to the Gui Clan's gathering point, she met her sister's cold gaze. But she knew her elder sister's heart well—beneath the icy exterior, their bond was deep.
She lowered her head and spoke bitterly, "Sister… that guy's Yuan Spirit might be as strong as yours."
Gui Lingshuang fell silent. After a while, she said, "Once he enters the top ten, I'll have him challenge me."
Gui Lingyue froze, instantly understanding her sister's intent—to stand up for her.
She shook her head. Though she had lost, the boy had shown mercy. If he had been from any other top-ten clan, they would've taken this chance to cripple a Gui Clan genius without hesitation.
This restraint showed his goodwill, and she quietly accepted it.
"If you fight him, it won't be a fair victory. It's better this way. Losing taught me there's always someone stronger out there."
She took a deep breath, swallowed the bitterness in her heart, and spoke calmly.
Gui Lingshuang hadn't expected her sister to take the loss so well—not to suffer a blow to her Dao Heart, but instead gain perspective. Her cold gaze softened briefly, then returned to its usual stillness. She nodded. "Good."
"Other than the Di Clan youth and the two Heavenly Palace successors, he's probably the strongest."
Gui Lingyue swept her eyes across the other top clan prodigies. Their expressions now all held a trace of gravity.
But having fought Li Hao personally, she knew—he hadn't even gone all out. If he did, he'd be even scarier.
Back at Da Meng Jiu Yuan, Li Hao had just returned when the disciples burst into celebration.
Elder Li Tiemu finally let out the breath he'd been holding, grinning from ear to ear. "Good, good, good! You've beaten two of the ten great clans, and even suppressed the Gui Clan's Yuan Spirit! I don't even know how you trained this way—where did you learn such skills?"
He didn't ask to pry, just marveled aloud, unable to imagine what kind of figure could have nurtured someone like Li Hao.
Da Meng Zhu's expression was also full of pleasant surprise. She smiled warmly. "With what you just showed, getting into the top ten should be a breeze."
Li Hao nodded. 'That would save a lot of trouble.'
"That guy's really something."
In the Yanchu Immortal Dynasty, many disciples and royal heirs turned to look at Da Meng Jiu Yuan's side, their gazes gathering on Li Hao.
He was representing Yanchu now—bringing honor to their name.
Bo Ya Xuejian sighed with admiration. He cultivated the Dao of Water—pure, focused, and extreme. Unlike Li Hao's complex arsenal, but equally proud.
Beside him, Chu Tianhuang gave a small nod and murmured, "This kind of talent… is once in a hundred thousand years."
Behind them, Chu Yueli's heart fluttered hearing her brother give such praise. He had never rated anyone so highly before.
Among all the current prodigies, only a few had ever been called 'once in ten thousand years'—the highest possible acclaim.
"And he just beat the Gui Clan… No wonder Father…"
Her gaze shifted toward the boy surrounded by cheering disciples. Her mind wandered, and suddenly her cheeks flushed red.
With Li Hao and the Gui Clan's match concluded, the Immortal Guard Commander summoned the next pair to the platform.
But following such a spectacle, even though the next fight was fierce, it felt underwhelming by comparison, and the crowd's reaction was much more subdued.
Li Hao glanced toward the remaining matches and noticed that Yue Xi's opponent was the green-robed girl from Wen Dao Mountain. He couldn't help but wonder if this was fate playing tricks—such a narrow road for old enemies. A shame it wasn't him facing her.
Before long, it was Yue Xi's turn.
Gu Yan's match was scheduled much later.
Yue Xi soared up to the platform, her gaze cold as her opponent descended opposite her.
Before stepping up, she had said nothing to Li Hao, but once the names were drawn and she saw who she'd face, her mind was made up.
"Looks like you remember me," the green-robed girl said with a smirk, catching the frost in Yue Xi's eyes.
Yue Xi's voice was chilly. "You tricked my shixiong back then and acted like you were right. No wonder your Dao Heart is so weak. I'll settle this on his behalf."
"Oh? Such deep sect loyalty."
The green-robed girl raised an eyebrow, but there was a trace of anger in her eyes—Yue Xi had hit a sore spot.
Her Dao Heart was indeed a weakness. But for now, the platform only judged combat strength.
"If anything, I should thank him for dragging you into the top hundred. Now I get to use you as a stepping stone."
She sneered.
Yue Xi's eyes were like ice. She didn't waste more breath. Behind her, her law manifestation rose—an image of a black-veiled woman from the Calamity Witch Clan.
A disturbing aura radiated from her, as if something ominous was about to happen on the platform.
The green-robed girl felt the oppressive aura and instinctively grew uneasy. Still, she quickly released her immortal Power, and her Eight-Petal Immortal Seal shone brightly on her forehead.
Though the Nine-Petal Immortal Seal was rare, achieving eight petals was already extraordinary—especially for someone still in the True Immortal stage. She still had room to ascend and potentially form the ninth petal.
"If I faced him and lost, I'd accept it. But you? You're still lacking. A calamity-born star of the Huoluan Clan—ha!"
Her eyes were filled with disdain. Her aura surged, and golden veins appeared across the Yuan Spirit behind her, radiating powerful pressure.
Hearing that, Yuexi's killing intent surged. Her voice turned icy. "You're not even qualified to fight my shixiong. Your dirty hands don't deserve it."
With that, she turned into a streak of black light and shot forward.
The green-robed girl also summoned her bloodline power and clashed with Yuexi head-on.
She too hailed from a clan ranked among the Hundred Clans of the True Realm—albeit lower, somewhere in the seventies. Even so, it was still a tier above the long-expelled Huoluan Clan.
As they fought, immortal techniques erupted across the platform, their battle fierce and unrelenting.
Yuexi unleashed her clan's Calamity Power, which steadily devoured her opponent's techniques. In the middle of the fight, her grasp of the clan's secret arts deepened. With the image of the Huoluan Ancestor Witch behind her, she felt a guiding presence—an almost divine hand helping her understand and master the clan's powers mid-battle.
Soon, Yuexi grew stronger as the battle raged, forcing the green-robed girl into a corner.
"You—!" the girl shouted, shocked and enraged that her opponent's power had grown since her last match.
Yuexi didn't respond. Her relentless attacks and corrosive Calamity Power began peeling away the girl's flesh. In moments, her body appeared plague-ridden, rapidly rotting away.
The ghastly scene reminded many watching of how terrifying the Huoluan Clan once was.
Yuexi knew that this fear was inevitable. If people feared her because of appearances, that wasn't her problem—that was the world's fault.
Power and rule both reek of blood, yet people worship them. They don't scorn rulers or fearsome cultivators—they revere them.
So she would do the same—not hide her fangs or her edge, but instead make the world acknowledge the Huoluan Clan's might. Once they were strong enough to be feared, the slander would vanish.
Under her merciless assault, the green-robed girl soon fell. But this time, Yuexi showed no mercy. After corroding her body, she turned the same power on her opponent's Yuan Spirit.
Sensing Yuexi's intent to kill, the girl screamed, begging for mercy and crying out her surrender.
The Immortal Guard Commander intervened just in time, stopping Yuexi's killing blow.
As her defeat was officially announced, the green-robed girl retreated from the platform, her face pale with hate. She glared at Yuexi and gritted her teeth.
Yuexi paid her no mind. After all, the Huoluan Clan had been despised for generations. She'd seen countless hostile stares—what was one more?
When she returned to her sect, Li Hao watched her closely. In his eyes, she was still like a little sister—though her soul age was ten times his. Maybe because she'd focused so much on cultivation, she gave off a kind of innocent air.
But in this battle, she had clearly stood up for him like a protective older sister.
"Thanks for the hard work, shijie," Li Hao said with a warm smile.
Yuexi paused, momentarily dazed by the brightness in his eyes. She murmured, "It's nothing. I just can't stand that kind of person."
Li Hao only smiled and didn't press further.
In the following matches, Li Hao watched as Jianxin and Mingyue, the most anticipated combatants, took the stage one after the other. Unlike the others, they each ended their fights in a single strike.
That one strike, though, left everyone shaken. It was simple—but terrifying.
Like them, Di Linchen also won in one move, equally effortless.
As for Shen Wuyi of the God Clan, his opponent was from the Tai Kun Clan—someone Li Hao had shared the top-100 platform with earlier. That Tai Kun cultivator had once said he wanted to face Li Hao in the top ten. But after a fierce battle, he fell to Shen Wuyi and barely escaped with his life.
Gu Yan's match came second-to-last. His opponent was a reincarnated royal from a chaotic lifeform lineage—not of the Chaos Snow Spirit Clan, but another of similar ancestry.
Despite Gu Yan having awakened his Sword Immortal True Intent, he had only just begun to integrate it with his sword techniques. Although his strength had surged, he still lost.
Gu Yan hadn't expected to be the first of the three to be eliminated. But he didn't take it hard—he had already acknowledged Yuexi's strength long ago.
Soon, the twenty-five-strong group was finalized.
Among Da Meng Jiu Yuan, both Li Hao and Yuexi advanced—drawing widespread attention.
Across the various Tianzong sects and royal factions of the Yanchu Immortal Dynasty, only three other participants had advanced. Altogether, just five.
Of the three others, two were royals, one a disciple of the Hall of Stars.
The remaining four great sects—Wanshan Jianlou, Chaoxi Sect, and others—were completely wiped out.
This left those sects deeply unsettled. Though they'd only hoped for someone to make it into the top hundred, seeing Da Meng Jiu Yuan produce two in the top twenty-five made the contrast all the more uncomfortable.