Chapter 528: The Imperial Clan
"Hmm?"
Li Hao spotted a lone figure seated atop the mountain peak in the distance. When he saw the youth raise his jug in greeting, he was a little surprised and flew over without hesitation.
"So it's you—the one with the youngest soul lifespan."
The youth recognized Li Hao and smiled. It was clear he had paid attention to the earlier commotion outside the True Immortal Mystic Realm and had a strong impression of this boy.
"And you are?" Li Hao looked at him curiously.
The youth smiled. "Feel like it? Come have a drink."
"Sure."
Seeing it was a genuine offer, Li Hao didn't hesitate and landed on the peak.
The youth was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Li Hao to accept the invitation so readily—or that he had the mood to do so. Laughing, he said, "Aren't you worried I poisoned the wine?"
"How boring would it be to poison wine?" Li Hao replied. "I don't think someone that dull could've made it this far."
"Fair enough."
The youth chuckled and tossed the jug to him. "That line alone earns you this bottle."
"I'll give it a try."
Li Hao popped the stopper and took a swig. The small jug surprisingly contained its own miniature space.
He wiped the wine from his lips and let out a soft exclamation. "Great wine. You brewed this yourself?"
With his own skills in cooking, crafting something like this would've taken excellent ingredients and a long process.
"As long as you like it," the youth said with a smile. "Wine finds its flavor only with the right company. I'm Di Linchen. What should I call you?"
"Haotian."
Li Hao's heart stirred slightly at hearing the surname. He'd been in the True World for a while now. While most days were spent cultivating, painting, or fishing, he'd also picked up some background knowledge from chatting with Gu Lao and Da Mengzhu.
Among the myriad races of the True World, the Hundred Clans stood at the top, occupying the richest regions.
And among the Hundred Clans, the Imperial Clan was supreme. With the surname Di, they were the clan that had produced the most Immortal Emperors.
Rumor had it that ten thousand years ago, the Imperial Clan had three Immortal Emperors in their ranks, placing them at the peak of the entire True World. Even other Imperial bloodlines had to show them respect.
Seeing the change in Li Hao's expression, Di Linchen understood that he'd guessed his identity. His gaze remained warm as he waited for Li Hao's reaction.
Most who recognized his background either became reverent, wary, or curious, digging into everything they could.
But Li Hao quickly collected himself. After a few more sips of the wine, he asked with curiosity, "Aren't we not supposed to bring outside items in? How'd you get this treasure in here?"
Di Linchen paused, surprised by the question. He broke into a rare smile. "The jug wasn't brought in from outside. It's simple—made right here. As long as your Space Dao is deep enough, it's easy."
"And the wine?"
"The wine... you probably don't want to know. But it doesn't break any rules."
Di Linchen laughed lightly. With a wave, a vortex of void appeared at his palm, and out fell a jug identical to the one Li Hao held.
"Do you have any Dao fire? I've got some extra—I can give you one."
He took a sip of his own and casually offered the gift.
Li Hao froze. Dao fire was a rare token of qualification—precious beyond measure. Yet the other party was offering it freely.
"I do," Li Hao said, shaking his head and declining the offer. "If you have extras, you could trade them. I'm sure others would offer all kinds of rare materials in exchange."
"Rare materials?"
Di Linchen shook his head, clearly uninterested. "I have all of those already. I don't need them."
...
He turned his hand, and two azure Dao fires appeared in his palm. He sent them floating toward Li Hao. "These are my extras. You can use them for trading."
Li Hao stared at the Dao fires hovering just before him. Such valuable items—fought over by geniuses across the immortal realms—and this man he'd only just met was giving them away like candy.
He was stunned for a moment, but didn't stand on ceremony. He accepted the two Dao fires, thought for a moment, then said, "If I get the chance, I'll let you try some of my own brew someday."
"You brew too?"
Di Linchen looked surprised. "With a soul lifespan of just over a hundred years, you must be spending nearly all your time cultivating, right?"
Li Hao gave a small smile and didn't explain. "Once it's ready, you'll see for yourself."
"Alright, then I'll look forward to it."
Di Linchen smiled.
The two sat on the mountaintop, chatting casually and clinking their cups.
Seeing them sitting comfortably, many outside the mystic realm were stunned.
Within the reflective scene of the mystic realm, other young talents were in a life-and-death chase, either hunting ancient demons or fleeing for their lives. Some had already perished, but here, these two were drinking and chatting, as if they were on a leisurely outing.
If it weren't for the piles of ancient demon corpses stacked behind the mountain, they might have thought these two weren't even in the True Immortal Mystic Realm.
"An Imperial Clan member? That youth is actually an Imperial Clan genius!"
"I didn't expect the Imperial Clan to have a genius participating in the South Domain War. It seems like it's been a long time since we've seen one of their geniuses."
"I heard that there was an Imperial Clan genius participating in the South Domain War, is it this person here?"
"I wonder how this Imperial Clan genius compares to that Supreme's direct disciple?"
"Indeed, it's the Imperial Clan. They can just casually give away Dao Fire, something so precious, after meeting for less than a moment."
Countless eyes focused on Li Hao and Di Linchen, discussing amongst themselves.
"That kid, after just a few words, how did he become like friends with that Imperial Clan genius?"
Li Tie Mu, watching the two conversing on the projection, was somewhat startled.
Da Mengzhu's gaze was fixed on the young man. His carefree and indifferent smile reminded her of a figure from long ago, a person who once walked in front of her, shielding him from the wind and rain.
It was the same kind of open-mindedness, carefree spirit, yet still full of brilliant, indomitable fighting spirit and light.
"Maybe it's just that they hit it off, or perhaps it's fate. Making friends doesn't require too much. If the first conversation clicks, you're already friends."
Da Mengzhu said.
This was something that figure, long since gone, had once said to her, and now it was being repeated from her own mouth.
In the True Immortal Mystic Realm.
Li Hao had finished most of the wine in the jug, his cheeks flushed and his gaze slightly tipsy.
"You're drunk," Di Linchen observed, glancing at Li Hao. "Stay with me until the trial ends. No one dares to come near."
"I'm not drunk."
Li Hao shook his head with a light smile. "Just letting the effects of the wine spread through my body. It's not enough to affect my actions yet."
Di Linchen looked at him carefully, confirming Li Hao wasn't lying. "Even an Immortal Monarch would be three sheets to the wind with this wine. Looks like your physical strength is on par with the Immortal Monarchs."
As they spoke, a whistling sound came from the distance.
A young man with bright red hair was rapidly approaching, flames swirling around his fists.
He quickly spotted the two at the mountaintop and immediately accelerated towards them.
When he got closer, he let out a small exclamation. His eyes revealed surprise and unexpected joy. He hadn't expected to run into the youngest soul-lifespan person.
As for the other man, he didn't recognize him.
"Kid, are you the one with a 96-year soul lifespan?" the red-haired youth asked, looking down at Li Hao, raising an eyebrow.
"And you are?" Li Hao looked up, slightly furrowing his brow—not because he was worried about being attacked, but because his drinking was interrupted.
"Let me test if you have what it takes to stand here!" The red-haired youth laughed heartily. He knew that Li Hao had attracted the attention of many. If he could defeat or even kill him, it would greatly raise his fame, echoing throughout the South Domain.
From then on, whenever the youngest soul-lifespan person was mentioned, it would inevitably be noted that he was defeated in the first round by Ji Tianming!
Whoosh!
The red-haired youth's figure suddenly blurred, and he teleported, his fists flying towards Li Hao with a force meant to crush him.
The flames around his fists burned like two meteors colliding.
"Did I give you permission to interrupt our enjoyment?" Di Linchen's indifferent voice suddenly rang out.
He withdrew his smile, his expression turning cold, like an emperor overlooking a mountain from the clouds, his indifference mixed with calm detachment.
As the words sounded, the red-haired youth turned his head toward him. Suddenly, the space around him froze, breaking apart in pieces.
Along with the shattering space, the red-haired youth froze too, including the flames on his fists, which solidified, then shattered into fragments.
"No!" The red-haired youth's soul was trapped within his body, and in that moment, he let out a desperate scream and roar.
But no matter how much he struggled, his body could not move. It felt as if he was stuck to an invisible iron board, his limbs stiffening, and then slowly shattering.
"Please, don't kill me…"
From despair and anger to the final fearful scream, all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
The red-haired youth, feeling his inevitable demise, was horrified and immediately began to beg for mercy.
However, Di Linchen's expression remained unchanged. It was only when the youth's body slowly turned to dust and was completely devoured by the shattered space that he turned his head to look at Li Hao and said, "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
"No problem."
Li Hao shook his head but gave Di Linchen a deep look.
He didn't sense any fluctuation from the Time Dao, but there was a powerful aura of Space Dao emanating from Di Linchen.
If he wasn't mistaken, Di Linchen's Space Dao foundation seemed to have reached the fifth level!
This was a Dao realm, and the gap between each level was enormous.
In the True Immortal realm, those who can reach the third level of perfection are already considered top talents.
Mastering the fourth level would place one among the very best of the countless young prodigies.
And now, Li Hao could actually sense a Space Dao fluctuation that surpassed the fourth level on Di Linchen.
"So this is what top-tier prodigies are like. Even the fourth level of the Dao is not enough!" Li Hao marveled inwardly. This was unbelievable.
The fifth level of the Dao, especially in the Space Dao—ranked second in the Nine Sequences—was not even something that Immortal Monarchs could comprehend.
"Shall we continue?"
Di Linchen raised his wine jug to Li Hao.
Li Hao smiled and raised his own cup to toast, then stood up with a pat on his backside and said, "Are you planning to rest here until the trial ends?"
"Mm."
Di Linchen nodded, seemingly not intending to take any further action.
Li Hao had already expected this. The Imperial Clan genius didn't seem interested in showing off his brilliance in this first trial.
"Then I'll go for a walk and look for my friends."
Li Hao said, bidding him farewell.
Di Linchen's eyes revealed a hint of regret, but when he heard that Li Hao was going to find friends, he understood and didn't try to stop him.
"If you get into danger, just run back here."
Di Linchen advised.
Li Hao gave a slight nod, accepting the offer with gratitude.
"Those ancient demon corpses over there—did you hunt them? Can I take them with me?" Li Hao pointed to the pile of demon bodies behind the mountain and asked.
"What do you want them for?" Di Linchen asked, puzzled.
"As food." Li Hao laughed. "I'm quite the expert with this kind of ingredient. I'll let you try it sometime."
"You know how to cook?"
Di Linchen was slightly taken aback, showing a strange expression. Despite Li Hao's young soul age, he found that this youth seemed to possess many unusual skills.
"Mm."
Li Hao nodded.
"Take them if you want."
Di Linchen shook his head, not asking further questions.
"Alright."
Li Hao immediately didn't hesitate. He walked to the back of the mountain, collected all the ancient demon bodies into a space crack, and then said goodbye to Di Linchen before continuing his journey.
Outside the mystic realm, in a teahouse of a certain immortal dynasty.
Mi Xueyao watched as the projection of the young man continued collecting the ancient demon corpses, immediately understanding his intentions. She suddenly felt a dry mouth and couldn't help but swallow.
Thinking about the boy's cooking skills, she became even hungrier.
"This guy didn't start cooking there directly. Otherwise, all the other major clans hiding in the South Domain would probably go crazy!"
Mi Xueyao silently chuckled to herself.
Although the ancient demons were at a stalemate with the myriad races of the True Realm, the ancient demon race had always been the dominant force. If they wanted to end it, they only needed to unite.
At their core, the ancient demons looked down on the other races, seeing them as mere ants. If they saw ants eating ancient demons as food in public, it would surely drive them insane. In fact, it might even cause the large ancient demon clans to unite.
"That kid, what's he doing with all those ancient demon corpses?"
Li Tiemu and Da Mengzhu, watching Li Hao's actions, were equally puzzled. They had already felt that Li Hao's behavior was strange.
Da Mengzhu slightly shook her head, as she too had no answer.
"This child, is he treating the South Domain battlefield as a place to gather food ingredients?"
At the border of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, Gu Changming, stationed there, couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
His gaze shifted away from Li Hao, knowing that the boy didn't need his concern. His attention turned to his granddaughter, Gu Xingwan.
He saw that Gu Xingwan was surrounded by three ancient demons, struggling to break through their encirclement. Her situation was perilous.
A trace of worry appeared between Gu Changming's brows, but the distance of billions of miles made any concern futile.
"Mm?"
Suddenly, Gu Changming saw that Li Hao's direction was heading straight toward where his granddaughter was.
His worried features immediately relaxed, revealing a look of joy.