Chapter 571: Blood-Stained Imperial Platform
"Immortal King realm versus True Immortal realm—and you need numbers to win?"
A cold voice rang out.
On the imperial platform, Jianxin—previously defeated by Li Hao—had reappeared, his robes restored and expression frosty as he flew over.
He glanced at the white-haired youth and his companion and said coldly, "At the very least, you should fight him one-on-one."
The trio's expressions shifted slightly. They hadn't expected Jianxin to speak up for Li Hao.
Not far away, Mingyue's eyes flickered, though she remained silent. She disliked Li Hao, yes—but she held even more disdain for these three Immortal King challengers. To gang up on a True Immortal in his weakest moment was disgraceful, a coward's act. They had strength but no pride.
"Jin-ge should finish this quickly. We're just here to help carry off the body while it's warm."
The white-haired youth chuckled.
Jin Fengling had been planning to tell the other two to stand down and let him fight alone. But hearing that line, he nodded casually. "That's right. Don't waste time. Stand aside. There are others waiting to fight too."
Jianxin scoffed, "Don't be so sure. Just because you're in the Immortal King realm doesn't mean this will be easy."
He gave Li Hao a brief look, as if wanting to say more. But in the end, all that remained in his eyes was regret. He turned and left.
Li Hao had chosen this path. No one else was responsible for that choice. After all, making the right choice was its own kind of strength.
"Senior Brother."
Mingyue flew after him.
Jianxin shook his head slightly. "I'm fine."
He landed on the cloud banks above and looked toward the vast, enthroned figure. His eyes lowered with shame. "Master, I've failed you."
"No matter. You've won all your life. A single loss is necessary. Losing here may turn out to be your greatest fortune."
The Supreme's calm voice held a rare trace of softness.
Jianxin's eyes grew solemn. Fortune? His Dao heart had nearly collapsed, and even the ancient Sword Immortal bloodline hidden in his soul had nearly been discarded. That Emperor-tier sword technique haunted his thoughts.
But he had recovered.
His master once said: a first defeat is the first great tribulation. He had passed through it—barely.
"My sword Dao isn't extreme enough. I used Nine Sequences like a sharpened edge, but that's not true fusion. Just compressing them together isn't understanding them. And he… only used Five."
Jianxin stood atop the clouds, eyes flickering. Li Hao's sword had left a deep mark in his mind. It had revealed a new path forward. He believed, once he fully digested this loss, he would never be defeated by Li Hao again.
But… there may never be a next time.
That thought filled his gaze with faint sorrow.
On the imperial platform, the sealing formation had activated, locking Li Hao and Jin Fengling inside.
The white-haired youth and the green-robed girl's senior brother stood at the edge, excluded from the fight.
Though all three wanted Li Hao dead, now that they'd postured, they couldn't all jump him. In the eyes of all of South Domain, three Immortal Kings ganging up on one True Immortal would be remembered with scorn for ten thousand years.
"Jin-ge, just leave him breathing for me."
The white-haired youth said with a smile.
Jin Fengling, sword in hand, strode step by step toward Li Hao. He didn't turn around. "Doubt you'll get the chance."
He wasn't relying on the Immortal weapon alone. His own immortal Power began to surge, and the pressure of the Immortal King realm spread rapidly across the platform.
Immortal King, fourth level.
Though he hadn't pushed to the highest peak, in this South Domain battle of elites, he still ranked among the top.
After all, with a three-thousand-year soul lifespan limit, to reach Immortal King fourth level and command multiple Daos was already extremely rare.
His immortal Power formed a violent storm across the platform. The pressure was heavier than when Li Hao had clashed swords with Jianxin at full strength.
This was the Immortal King realm. Even just the Power was on another level—and Jin Fengling was a peerless elite at that. Behind him, the Heaven and Earth Meridian appeared, stretching and unfolding, with star-like points gathering across it. This was the sign of breaking the Meridian's peak and advancing toward the Starry Sky Meridian.
It meant he could channel even more immortal Power.
"That's the embryonic form of the Starry Sky Meridian!"
"What terrifying Power. So this is the Immortal King realm. It's not something a True Immortal can hope to match."
"Even an ordinary Immortal King would crush a top True Immortal. There's barely any chance to cross realms like that unless you're inhuman."
"Exactly. Realm suppression is no joke."
"The scary thing isn't even the realm—it's that sword. With that top-grade Immortal weapon, he might be able to fight or even kill sixth- or seventh-level Immortal Kings."
"Could be. These freaks who came to the South Domain competition are already monsters who dominate their peers."
Throughout the South Domain—among the cities, courts, and sacred lands—countless people trembled. Some of the ancient elders in hidden sects slammed the table and sighed. Even among them, murmurs of resentment toward the Supreme began to surface.
A monster like this, how can he be allowed to die? The ancient demon threat could erupt at any time. If the Ten Demon Clans unite, the entire real world will face annihilation.
"Damn it! Using realm advantage to bully others—what scum!"
On the mountaintop, Shen Wuji clenched his fists, fury in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to rush in and help Li Hao.
But just as he moved, the green-robed old man who had raised him stopped him, quietly saying that the Shen Clan could not interfere. It would bring massive trouble.
Shen Wuji, though defeated by Li Hao, held no hatred. On the contrary, seeing someone who had beaten him now forced into this humiliation burned him with injustice.
But more than that, he felt the bitter truth—how weak the True Immortal realm was. If only I were an Immortal King right now, he thought. I'd crush those scum and stand by his side.
He believed that in the same realm, he wouldn't lose to these shameless dogs.
"What a pity."
Elsewhere, Gui Ling Shuang of the Ghost Clan whispered, her pitch-black eyes filled with regret.
Beside her, Gui Ling Yue gritted her teeth. Though she didn't like Li Hao much, this fight was unjust.
Boom!
On the platform, Jin Fengling erupted in golden divine light. Beyond his immortal Power, he unleashed the might of his Metal Dao origin. The eternal domain expanded—becoming a brilliant golden realm of eternity.
His Metal Dao origin had reached fifth level, peak.
He didn't want others to think he was winning by relying on his weapon. He wanted South Domain to see—he had power of his own.
As Jin Fengling unleashed the power of the Metal Dao origin, the other Immortal King realm participants atop the mountain narrowed their eyes slightly.
Metal Dao origin at the fifth level—this was no small feat.
After all, even reaching sixth-level origin like the Supreme's personal disciples while still at the True Immortal realm was a heaven-defying accomplishment.
Moreover, even fifth-level origin was only as powerful as it was wielded. Li Hao, for instance, had defeated Jianxin's sixth-level sword Dao using only a fourth-level sword Dao origin—by fusing it with his Emperor Path sword technique.
"Come into my Demon-Slaying Sword, and rot alongside the remnant souls of ancient demons!"
Jin Fengling sneered, killing intent flaring as he took a step forward. His movement technique tore through the space, forming nine phantom trails.
This was a top-tier Jin Dynasty movement art, requiring at least fourth-level spatial origin to cultivate. Jin Fengling had already mastered it completely. Space around him twisted and blurred, as if all nine directions led directly to Li Hao, making it impossible to detect where the real attack would come from.
Those nine attack angles needed extraordinary perception to even sense dimly.
Bang!
In an instant, he appeared before Li Hao, fast beyond imagination, causing countless pupils to contract in shock. Even several Immortal Kings gasped aloud.
At that moment, Li Hao's own Nine Sequence Eternal Domain unfolded. But before it could fully stabilize, it was pierced. The sharp power of the Metal Dao—superior to Li Hao's current level—extended directly through his domain, homing in on his own Metal Dao origin.
Then came a freezing sword aura, slicing through everything as if suspended for a hundred thousand years above his head.
Within that sword aura was terrifying demonic power—countless ancient demons wailed, sending shivers down to the soul.
Even a perfected divine soul would momentarily falter in front of this Demon-Slaying Sword, which had devoured the essence of countless ancient demons.
But Li Hao's gaze rose from a deep sea of darkness, full of murder too dense to see through.
Draw sword!!
Suddenly, a deafening roar exploded across space. The Taowu Immortal Weapon, silent for one hundred thousand years in the imperial palace, erupted with savage, primal killing intent!
On the blade, a primordial Taowu beast appeared. Though still in its juvenile form, it bore a terrifying presence.
Li Hao had chosen this sword precisely because it was vicious—vicious enough to kill its own wielder!
"Take all my immortal Power. I only want to kill!"
Li Hao muttered in his heart, voice cold and emotionless.
Behind him, his Starry Sky Meridian unfolded like a massive web, stretching across the entire imperial platform, illuminating it like a night sky.
Surging immortal Power flooded from all directions into his hand and into the Taowu sword.
In the next instant, a sky-splitting blast echoed out, deafening and relentless. With a murderous aura towering sky-high, the blade met the Demon-Slaying Sword as it fell.
"Awooo! Master, with me here, no one can hurt you!!"
The Taowu sword let out an excited, bloodthirsty cry. As it struck, space tore apart, leaving behind a black sword scar.
If one was a demon sword, then this was a savage sword—the sword of a great calamity!
Two blades clashed—one forged ten thousand years ago, one forged for today. Their collision echoed across the South Domain with an ear-splitting boom.
Ancient tones resonated. The void ripped open with howling screeches, piercing through countless ears and souls alike, leaving everyone trembling deep within.
Terrifying shockwaves burst from the center of the imperial platform. Both Eternal Domains were ripped apart, massive gashes forming, even as both sides struggled to stabilize them again.
Jin Fengling's body was blasted backward. His face turned ashen with shock as he stared at the youth.
A top-tier Immortal weapon—Li Hao had one too. And it wasn't weaker than the Demon-Slaying Sword. In fact, it seemed even stronger!
Quickly, he remembered the youth had inherited the legacy of an Immortal Emperor. Possessing such a weapon wasn't that surprising after all.
"Damn it!"
His face darkened, eyes icy. He'd hoped to make quick work of this—but it had turned into a dangerous fight.
He raised his hand and summoned all the starry light from his budding Starry Sky Meridian, pouring it into his sword to tie up Li Hao's weapon.
The Demon-Slaying Sword fed on the power, shrieking as it wrestled with the Taowu. The two blades clashed again and again, releasing shockwaves across the imperial platform. Even the sealing array, crafted by an Immortal King, trembled violently.
Earlier, even top-tier True Immortals like Shen Wuji had only managed to leave faint ripples on the array. That showed just how fearsome this clash was.
"Let me show you what true Immortal King power is!"
Jin Fengling shouted as he activated his exclusive Immortal Dao Law—Golden Sea Starfield, refined from his fifth-level Metal Dao origin.
As he raised his hand, the sky turned gold. From it drifted countless golden particles, like divine dust.
These sparkled and reflected off each other, intensifying in brilliance. After hundreds of thousands of amplifications, they converged into a dazzling golden beam that poured into Jin Fengling's body. He became like a golden star.
The beam gathered in his palm—and he hurled it at Li Hao like he was throwing thunder from heaven.
"Master!"
Taowu, still locked with the Demon-Slaying Sword, howled in panic and tried to break free to shield Li Hao.
But the demon sword exploded with power, locking Taowu in place with everything it had.
All of this happened in a blink. And just then, Li Hao stepped forward.
His movement technique merged the Daos of Water, Fire, and Form. Though not perfect, it reached the peak of what body arts could do—making him almost formless.
But he didn't dodge. He never planned to.
They say a half-step back is invincible—but that's only when standing still.
To truly be invincible, one must walk forward through the world.
Li Hao abandoned defense. He took one step. Then another.
As the golden beam shot toward him, he extended his Eternal Domain forward.
Boom!
His body was pierced and shattered instantly. Blood sprayed into the air as he exploded into a mist of gore!
The scene shocked the entire mountain. Countless gasped in horror.
But a split second later, in the drifting blood mist at the domain's edge, a terrifying sword strike burst forth—the ultimate Fivefold Emperor Sword!
The strike cut through the void, pressed directly against Jin Fengling's chest, and—
Boom!!
Jin Fengling's body exploded.
His eyes were full of disbelief as his torso shattered. At the exact moment of impact, Li Hao reformed from the blood mist—his figure emerging like a ghost.
It was so fast, so fluid—it was as if he had never died at all.