Chapter 549: Heaven's Dao Is Without Favor
With the Immortal Guard Commander's announcement, the final Top Hundred of the South Domain War was confirmed. Immediately after, a golden list stretched across the sky, ten thousand zhang long. Names in golden light floated into view—it was the Top Hundred Ranking of the South Domain War.
"This is the Top Hundred List. The rankings are in no particular order. What comes next is the Top Hundred Battle—participants will be randomly paired by the laws of Heaven's Dao!"
The Immortal Guard Commander stood in front of the list, revealing his Dharma Image. His hundred-zhang-tall figure was immensely imposing.
"Though some among the hundred only made it through under the protection of others, fate and fortune are a part of one's own strength. That they reached the Top Hundred is destiny at work."
The Yuanzun Empress looked toward the ten imperial platforms. Many disciples who had failed to qualify looked frustrated. Based on strength alone, some of them definitely had the ability to make it in—but their luck fell short.
And at their level, fate itself was critical. It was something even they couldn't fully grasp or control.
The Origin of Fate City had shattered, its Dao disappeared. Only Immortal Emperors could now touch that realm.
"This time's fight for the Top Ten should be pretty interesting," the Tianzhao Emperor said with a smile. He had already spotted several contenders beyond the Imperial Clan and the two Supreme disciples who might fiercely battle for a Top Ten place.
While they conversed, anticipation filled the faces of countless people across the Immortal Dynasties.
"Our Wanshan Sword Tower only got three in—aside from Junior Sister Qingying, the other two barely squeezed in through teamwork."
Elsewhere, disciples of the Wanshan Sword Tower looked uneasy. The Top Hundred competition had been more intense than expected. Though they had some powerful True Immortal disciples, the royal heirs from other dynasties were simply too strong.
"Hmph."
Tian Hongyi stared at the girl standing on Li Hao's platform, his eyes dark with resentment.
"Damn it. Ziyin and the others only managed to grab three slots."
Over in the Yun Jin royal clan, many royals looked grim. Though they'd fought among themselves, all five had originally stood a good chance. But after being driven off the platform by Li Hao, they had to fight elsewhere—and only three managed to secure spots.
"Today, we begin the first round of duels."
The Immortal Guard Commander's gaze swept over the crowd as he called out, "Supreme One, please summon the Heaven's Dao Laws to make the pairings!"
As he finished, all eyes turned to the towering Dharma Image of the Supreme of the Heavenly Palace.
The Supreme appeared calm, yet his presence felt as if he held dominion over the world. Auspicious energy radiated ten thousand zhang from his form, inspiring reverence.
He casually raised a hand and pointed toward the sky.
In that instant, divine light burst forth in all directions. Clouds rolled back from the heavens as if a heavenly gate opened, revealing a deep vortex.
When that vortex emerged, a vast and sacred pressure descended upon the entire mountain range. It even radiated through the boundary stones, spreading across the entire South Domain.
In countless immortal cities, people trembled in fear. It was like facing imperial majesty—or rather, something millions of times more awe-inspiring. Humans, demons, beasts in the wild—all of them instinctively lowered themselves, prostrating.
In the clouds, even the emperors of the Seven Dynasties—like the Chu Emperor—retracted their relaxed expressions. Their eyes grew solemn.
The ability to wield the Heaven's Dao Laws at will—only Immortal Emperors could do this. It was the ultimate realm they all dreamed of reaching!
On the imperial platforms, disciples like Li Hao who had been proud and aloof now had stunned expressions. Many couldn't help but sit or crouch on the ground.
Only a handful remained standing—barely—with eyes that trembled with awe and fanaticism.
Li Hao's gaze was serious. He stared into that swirling vortex. The aura it emitted reminded him of the Supreme Will he'd touched upon after achieving Extreme Transformation Immortalization.
Inside his body, the embryonic Heaven's Dao stirred restlessly, as if trying to escape.
In the supreme realm of Dao Heart lay the Heaven's Dao Imperial Heart. Suddenly, a phrase surfaced in Li Hao's mind:
Heaven's Dao is without favor; it treats all things as straw dogs.
As he felt that calm, majestic, boundless presence, he gained a deeper understanding of the phrase.
That without favor wasn't cruelty—it was impartiality.
Heaven's Dao sees all beings as equal. All creation stands on the same level—no favoritism, no bias.
True kindness through impartiality… is what appears as heartless.
"To embrace all rivers, to contain heaven and earth, only by being without favor can one include all things, accept all paths…"
Li Hao felt a revelation, like clarity pouring into him. His Dao Heart seemed to undergo a subtle refinement.
Wind and rain, flowers and grass, the diverse things of the world—if one is kind only to flowers and grasses, yet indifferent to birds and beasts, that kindness is partial, and thus selfish.
"Heaven's Dao embraces all—it is precisely by being without favor…"
Li Hao's gaze remained fixed on the vortex, lost in thought.
He controlled the Nine Sequence Origins, but only five of them had fused enough to form a path to the Imperial Road and merge into the sword path of the Five Absolute Immortal Emperor.
However, he had never been able to merge all nine.
The earlier Nine-Petal Immortal Mark infused all nine Daos into the sword, but it still showed favoritism: eight supporting, sword as the lead.
That was not being without favor.
"All beings are the lead; all beings are not the lead…"
Thoughts surged in Li Hao's mind. Within his body, changes were happening—his Nine Sequence powers subtly began to merge.
As the people across the South Domain knelt in awe of Heaven's Dao, as the emperors above the clouds stood solemn and still, no one noticed the young man on the platform had entered a state of enlightenment.
At that moment, beams of golden light descended from the vortex. They gathered and transformed into the silhouettes of Li Hao and the other Top Hundred contestants.
Then, like moths drawn to a flame, the silhouettes flew through the sky, pairing off along mysterious, chaotic paths. In the blink of an eye, they were divided into dueling pairs.
Seeing this, the Chu Emperor, the Tianzhao Emperor, and the others seemed to realize something. Their eyes turned contemplative.
For those with one foot in the Immortal Emperor realm, watching the operations of the Heaven's Dao Laws was an extremely rare opportunity.
Still, catching only a few glimpses of its flow was far from enough to comprehend it fully or to step into the emperor realm.
That final step was harder than advancing from the Unified Power Realm to the peak of the Immortal King Realm—ten times harder.
But once crossed, it meant standing at the pinnacle of the True Realm—the ultimate form of immortals and gods.
"The pairings for the Top Fifty battles are complete. Please take a good look at your opponent!"
The Immortal Guard Commander's voice rang out. His eyes, always cold, now looked skyward with awe.
"The imperial platforms will now merge. All contestants, please step down for now."
He addressed the disciples on the ten imperial platforms.
Li Hao and the others immediately felt a power rising from beneath their feet, gently lifting them away.
No one resisted. They all flew off the platforms.
Once they were gone, the ten platforms drew together in the void. As they merged, their shapes locked into place—forming a single, massive imperial platform.
The new structure was enormous, as vast as an immortal city.
"Now, you all have the time of three incense sticks to recover. You may take elixirs. Once time is up, battles will begin from left to right, in order!"
The Immortal Guard Commander spoke. Hearing this, the first group on the far left quickly returned to their sects and took out immortal and divine-grade medicinal pills to recover. Other injured contestants also hurried to use their own healing treasures.
Most others, though, recovered just by relying on their own strength. While few possessed the All-Heaven Star Vein, many had control over various extreme-tier powers, including Undying-level regenerative abilities. Given a moment to catch their breath, they could swiftly recover.
So, there was no delay—the Top Hundred duels would proceed immediately.
Only a few had wounds severe enough that even powerful medicine couldn't help and needed their sect's experts to personally intervene.
"When you step on the stage, your body will be checked for any traces of medicinal residue. Do not take any pills that boost immortal Power or primordial spirit temporarily."
The Immortal Guard Commander's voice rang out again. Many contestants had already anticipated this. No one dared to break the rules.
At this time, as the others returned to their sects, Li Hao also led Lin Qingying, Gu Yan, and the others back to Da Meng Jiuyuan.
"Qingying!"
From the Wanshan Sword Tower, an elder rushed forward, intent on taking Lin Qingying back. Although she only secured her Top Hundred spot under Li Hao's protection, she was still their sect's disciple. On the Top Hundred List, not only were the participants' names displayed, but also their immortal dynasty or sect.
If a participant had no sect affiliation, their royal clan status would be shown instead.
Such recognition across the various immortal cities was great publicity.
"You're not thinking of leaving the sect that raised you, are you?" the elder—clad in gauze robes and appearing like a beautiful woman in her thirties—said coldly to Lin Qingying.
Lin Qingying's expression shifted slightly upon seeing her master, then she glanced toward Li Hao. Remembering what Lin Qingying had said in the secret realm earlier, Li Hao didn't want to make things hard for her and said, "You should go with her for now."
Lin Qingying hesitated, but seeing the warm smile in Li Hao's eyes, she understood what he meant and nodded.
Seeing this, the elder's expression softened somewhat. She lowered her voice and said to Li Hao, "Thank you… for helping Qingying get into the Top Hundred."
"No need to thank me."
Li Hao shook his head and said goodbye to Lin Qingying before returning to Da Meng Jiuyuan.
The elder looked at the youth's back, eyes flashing with mixed feelings. Given Lin Qingying's combat power and talent, she had only recently joined the sect. That she passed the first two trials had already impressed her. Entering the Top Hundred had seemed impossible—yet she did it.
Meanwhile, several other disciples they had placed high hopes on had failed. Only two had made it through.
"Qingying, what's your relationship with that boy?" she asked in a low voice, seeing the emotion in Lin Qingying's gaze. The answer was already forming in her heart.
"Master, once this South Domain War ends, I'll be leaving the sect. I'll repay the sect's support in the future."
Lin Qingying shook her head and spoke calmly.
The elder's expression changed in shock. "You're leaving the sect?"
Lin Qingying nodded slightly and didn't explain.
The elder quickly realized it was related to Li Hao and sighed internally. "Wanshan Sword Tower is backed by Tianyi Sect. Tian Hongyi has always admired you—I've seen that clearly. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"
"Master."
Lin Qingying frowned slightly. "These past years of guidance and care—I won't forget it. Please don't make this harder on me."
Hearing this, the elder's expression shifted again, but in the end, she fell silent.
"Good kid, you really pulled it off!"
Back at Da Meng Jiuyuan, as soon as Li Hao returned, Lei Tiemu grabbed his shoulder with excitement. He was overjoyed.
"For one hundred thousand years, Da Meng Jiuyuan has been holding back—but today, we finally got to shine!"
Ever since the South Domain War began, Da Meng Jiuyuan sent disciples each time. But even making it past the Yanchu Immortal Dynasty's regional trials was rare, let alone breaking into the Top Hundred.
This time, they had originally pinned everything on Li Hao. With his potential to reach the Top Ten, he alone could bring honor to the sect.
But now, before that even happened, Li Hao had already surprised them—he helped five more disciples enter the Top Hundred!
Though Lei Tiemu was currently in the Heavenly Palace, he could already imagine that the name "Da Meng Jiuyuan" was echoing across the nine thousand immortal cities of the Yanchu Immortal Dynasty!
Out of the Top Hundred, Da Meng Jiuyuan alone held six places.
The entire Yanchu region, including its imperial clan, only had 18 spots!
Outside of Da Meng Jiuyuan, the rest—including all other sects and the imperial clan—held just 12 spots combined.
Some sects among the Five Great Tianyi Sects didn't even manage to get a single disciple into the Top Hundred.
Though their top disciples—those at the Immortal Lord Realm—would appear later in the Immortal Lord battles, right now, Da Meng Jiuyuan stood unrivaled in glory.
"Hao Tian, the sect truly owes you big time this round."
The Sect Master of Da Meng smiled gently as she looked at Li Hao.
Hearing her words, Li Hao quickly replied, "Sect Master, there's no need to say that. I only did what I could."
"Don't be so modest. The sect did help you, yes, but it's nothing compared to what you've done in return."
She knew clearly that Li Hao had only been in the sect for a few short years. While she had been eager to invest the best resources into him, time had been too short. Even in the Langya Painted Realm, when she tried to give him treasures, he refused and only talked with her about the Dao of Painting.
Li Hao smiled. "A kindness is a kindness, no matter the size."
Hearing that, the Da Meng Sect Master went silent for a moment. Just that single sentence revealed the sincerity and loyalty in this youth's heart.
"I said before—once the South Domain War ends, if you can draw that sword from the Sword Abyss, it's yours."
After a pause, she added softly.
Seeing that Li Hao looked like he was about to refuse, she immediately continued, "Don't reject it. That sword… you might not even be able to draw it. And even if you do, it's one of the nine Imperial Swords of the True Realm from ancient times. Though its soul is damaged and it's covered in dust, it's one of Da Meng Jiuyuan's three supreme treasures."
Hearing this, Li Hao opened his mouth slightly, but when he saw the determination in her eyes, he knew he couldn't turn her down.
Now that he was famous across the South Domain, as she'd said before, even traitorous spies of the Ancient Demons would be watching. He might face assassination attempts in the future. Having a stronger weapon was not something to turn away.
"Alright," Li Hao nodded and accepted.
The Da Meng Sect Master let out a breath of relief. Then she looked toward Gu Yan and the others beside him and said, "Hao Tian helped you reach the Top Hundred. Now it's your turn to fight hard. Even if you can't win, you must give it your all and show your brilliance to the South Domain!"
"Yes!" they answered.
Hearing the Sect Master's words, Yue Xi, Gu Yan, and the others felt a fire light up in their eyes.
Indeed, they didn't need to win. They only hoped—no regrets in this battle!