Chapter 573: Descent
"Quick, stop him!"
The young man from the same sect as the green-dressed girl shouted angrily, unleashing the aura of a second-stage Xianjun. All around him, emerald-green chains appeared—his immortal Dao Laws, the Wood Dao Evergreen Laws! But this kind of law was good for defense, not so much for attacking.
Under the restriction of the green chains, all the immortal Power around Li Hao was absorbed away. This law, besides strengthening the user, had another use—cutting off others from their immortal Power, seizing it for oneself.
Li Hao was still just a True Immortal. Even though he had the myriad star meridians and endless immortal Power, right now, all the immortal Power gathering around him was swept up by those green chains, constantly being absorbed, causing the immortal Power in his body to drain rapidly.
With no immortal Dao Laws to counter it, Li Hao could only endure.
At the same time, the white-haired youth instantly rushed up to Li Hao. His domain was filled with rolling crimson aura, breaking directly into Li Hao's own domain, stabbing forward with his spear at close range.
But the Taowu Immortal Weapon let out a howl, raising its sword into the night, blocking the spear.
All this happened in a split second. By now, Li Hao's golden arrows were already formed—two of them!
Bang!
He released the string, golden light tearing through the sky. A pure force meant to destroy primordial spirits surged out.
The white-haired youth's pupils shrank as he hurriedly released a small, snow-white lotus-root-like figure. The lotus-root figure stood in the way and was pierced by the golden arrow, quickly withering away.
Taking this chance, the white-haired youth surged forward with his spear, unleashing all his bloodline and avatar power, not daring to let Li Hao draw another arrow.
The second arrow, in that same instant, shot through Zuo Zhangdao's head. It didn't do much damage to his body, but instead nailed his primordial spirit out from his skull!
The surrounding Wood Dao Evergreen Laws suddenly trembled violently, immortal Qi surging.
But Zuo Zhangdao's primordial spirit was nowhere near as tough as Li Hao's. His skull was pierced, and his primordial spirit was nailed to the sealing formation barrier.
A burning power spread from the arrow, making Zuo Zhangdao's primordial spirit scream in agony. On the barrier, he howled and writhed, but like a fish nailed to a chopping board, his body jerked, but his head couldn't move at all!
This scene left countless people utterly shocked.
"Senior Brother!"
Outside the Imperial Platform, the green-dressed girl and the other disciples of the same sect all cried out in shock, rushing toward the Imperial Platform, but were blocked by the barrier.
The sect's experts also arrived, their faces filled with anxiety and anger, but none dared to forcefully break the formation. Instead, they clasped hands toward the Immortal Guard commander above the Imperial Platform, requesting that he open the barrier.
The Immortal Guard commander looked down on everything, deeply shaken by Li Hao's performance. He clearly hadn't expected that in this desperate caged battle, the true fierce beast in the cage would be Li Hao.
But to the Heavenly Sect's request, he fell silent, giving no reply.
"No!"
At that moment, Jian Xin stepped forward, his face cold as he said, "Three Xianjun ganged up to trap him. If you lose, you have to accept it!"
The Heavenly Sect's sect master and several elders all looked furious, faces black as the bottom of a pot.
Their disciples only stepped up because Li Hao defeated Jian Xin earlier, hurting the Supreme's prestige, so they intervened.
And now, Jian Xin actually stood on Li Hao's side, making them feel like they'd swallowed a fly.
If you could win yourself, there wouldn't be all this trouble… They were angry but didn't dare say it out loud, since he was the Supreme's personal disciple. They could only mutter, "It's all a misunderstanding…"
As they anxiously tried to persuade, the situation on the Imperial Platform changed in a flash.
Facing the white-haired youth's frenzied attacks, Li Hao saw that he didn't want to give him the chance to draw again. This immortal treasure divine bow really was incredible—its arrow's power depended on the user's primordial spirit strength. The stronger the primordial spirit, the stronger the bow's power.
With a weaker primordial spirit than his, no one could survive his second arrow!
Bang!
Li Hao spun, and without the Wood Dao Evergreen Law draining his immortal Power, his strength came back. The water-fire threefold movement technique let him dodge like a ghost, but he was still locked onto by the opponent's spear intent.
With a squelch, his body was pierced, divine blood spraying.
But Li Hao was calm, already drawing and forming his second arrow.
Trading injury for the kill!
The white-haired youth's eyes contracted in terror. He had just blocked a shot with his immortal treasure, the Mixed Dao Lotus Heart, but such a treasure was expendable and he only had one. He'd have to face this arrow with his own strength.
But could he withstand it?
He swept his spear in a flurry, shattering the void, his avatar trembling behind him, crimson mist surging in his domain.
Every method he had burst forth, the Imperial Platform filled with dazzling divine light, immortal Dao Laws tearing out like thunderclouds, covering him completely.
But before all these strange visions, a streak of golden light shot straight through, piercing into them.
In the next instant, all those visions—like a thousand layers of mist—suddenly froze and went still.
A golden primordial spirit was nailed out too, struggling desperately but powerless to resist, shot onto the sealing formation barrier.
Without a primordial spirit, the body instantly lost all strength, but the immortal Dao power inside kept it from falling, leaving it silently suspended mid-air, like a corpse in deep sleep.
Without a primordial spirit, it truly was just a corpse.
Bang! Bang!
Li Hao raised his hand and swung his sword. In an instant, two Qingtian immortal techniques slashed out, splitting the void with huge cracks. But from within those two's bodies, light suddenly burst out as their immortal treasures soared forth, automatically protecting them.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. Breaking through those immortal treasures would still take quite a bit of effort.
He quickly changed his tactics, setting his fingers to the bowstring, drawing out two golden arrows at once.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
While anxious and angry shouts rang out outside the Imperial Platform, golden light shot forth in an instant.
"No!"
The white-haired youth and Zuo Zhangdao, still unable to break free from the golden arrows, showed terror and fury in their eyes, roaring furiously, but were immediately pierced through by the golden arrows.
That Xuan Ying Soul-Breaking Arrow unleashed the screech of a primeval vicious bird, cutting off their resistance. Their bodies were struck and exploded instantly, turning into countless fragments of divine soul, then disintegrating completely under the Soul-Breaking Laws.
From the moment those two struck, only three breaths had passed before life and death were decided.
Li Hao turned, channeling immortal Power into the Taowu, and a slash of sword light shattered the void, instantly destroying the two's remains. The immortal treasures were split apart, turning to blood mist, then consumed by divine fire until not even a trace of blood mist remained—utterly wiped out.
Body and soul, completely destroyed!
Seeing this, the entire Southern Region seemed to fall silent, countless people watching in stunned disbelief.
Three Xianjun Realm prodigies had joined forces, only to be utterly killed by that True Immortal youth with a single counterattack!
On the Imperial Platform, only the edge of Li Hao's robe fluttered. He stood there, spotless, his face ice-cold, sweeping his gaze toward those outside the platform—especially pausing on the many Xianjun Realm competitors.
That glance made people like Chu Tianhuang and Boya Xuejian all change expressions.
Even if they had no thought of fighting Li Hao, his presence was overwhelming. In the blink of an eye, he'd slain three Xianjun Realms, both sides using their best immortal treasures and hidden trump cards, yet Li Hao killed them all.
Just the sight of Li Hao's time ferry technique alone put immense pressure on them. No one here felt confident they could easily kill this youth.
"He…"
Shen Wuji looked up at Li Hao's figure, forgetting that he never liked to look up at others. His face showed shock, but it quickly turned to excitement and determination as he clenched his fists.
He now understood even more clearly the gap between them had grown, but because Li Hao survived, it meant he still had a chance to catch up, to surpass him!
"With that Xuan Ying Soul-Breaking Bow in his hands, he's unstoppable!"
"Now, probably no one can kill him. If you don't have top immortal treasures, he could easily kill you!"
On the Ghost Clan's side, Gui Lingshuang looked extremely grim. Even though she possessed rare treasures and wasn't afraid of that bow, she didn't have any intention of fighting him. If they did, they'd both be left wounded for nothing.
"He actually won—three Xianjun Realms couldn't kill him!"
"A True Immortal defeating three Xianjun Realms, all top prodigies, and he still won? If he faced ordinary Xianjun Realms, could he take on seventh or eighth stage ones?"
"My heavens, is he about to cross an entire great realm? Even the Immortal Emperor wasn't this monstrous at his age, right?"
"Shh, keep quiet, under King Realm you can't say the name 'Emperor'!"
"If he goes to train in the Primordial True World, who knows what kind of war god might rise in our Southern Region!"
Countless people were shocked and thrilled. Many elders from various hidden lands showed both excitement and concern—hoping the youth could leave safely, or that the Supreme would have a change of heart and give him another chance.
"He actually…"
Outside the Imperial Platform, Ming Yue was stunned, watching the youth step by step toward the sealing barrier, feeling as if nothing could stop his advance.
As the Supreme's personal disciple, for the first time she realized just how great the gap could be between peers.
Jian Xin's eyes were deep as he stared at Li Hao, saying nothing, his feelings unreadable.
Looking at the now silent sealing formation, Li Hao looked up at the Immortal Guard commander high above.
The Immortal Guard commander fell silent for a moment. At this point, forcing the youth to stay any longer seemed unreasonable, especially since he was a man of the Heavenly Palace, representing the Supreme, and could not act so openly.
With a wave of his hand, the sealing formation vanished.
He said nothing, just quietly watched the youth.
In countless years, this was the first time he had ever seen such a monster.
Even more terrifying than those other two disciples of the Supreme.
Meanwhile, on a lonely cliff somewhere on the Tiangong continent, an old man holding a long fishing rod looked at the youth with deep emotion.
He hadn't expected the youth to actually pull this off by his own strength—it was simply unbelievable.
And in tens of thousands of years, it was the first time anyone had managed to make the Supreme suffer a loss.
He looked upward, his gaze meeting the towering figure in the clouds, unafraid of being noticed.
When he met that gaze, he knew the other could see him too, but he didn't look away.
'What should I do…'
He curled his lips into a faint smile, and softly murmured, "Shizun…"
On the Imperial Platform, Li Hao stepped out of the sealing formation.
The Fengling Clan members saw Li Hao emerge, their eyes filled with shock and anger. Jin Fengling, the clan's proud genius, had actually been killed by Li Hao right before their eyes—there wasn't even a trace left.
"Kid, you're ruthless enough!"
A Fengling Clan Xianwang spoke coldly, his eyes as sharp as arrows stabbing at Li Hao.
Li Hao looked back at him, unmoved, the indifference in his eyes unchanged. His lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Such stupid words shouldn't come from someone at your level."
The Fengling Clan Xianwang's face instantly darkened. A True Immortal actually dared to mock him.
No matter how monstrous Li Hao was, before a Xianwang, he was still an ant.
Even a perfected Xianjun could easily crush Li Hao, let alone a Xianwang.
"He's right."
The Da Meng Lord flickered in, standing in front of Li Hao, her voice cold. "If the one who lost was him, what would you have done? Now that victory is decided, your Fengling Clan should know when to back down!"
"That's right. If you want a fight, our clan will stand with him to the end!"
The old man beside her stepped forward, and all the other Da Meng Clan Xianwang followed, releasing their pressure and giving sharp looks.
The Fengling Clan all looked gloomy. It wasn't that they feared fighting the Da Meng Clan, but now that Jin Fengling had lost, they didn't have a good reason to continue.
If they acted again, even if they won, their reputation in the Southern Region would be ruined.
"Return our clan's immortal weapon!"
A Fengling Clan Xianwang demanded coldly, his face stern as he spoke to Li Hao.
Li Hao glanced at the bow in his hand, then chuckled and stowed it into his heaven-and-earth space.
Seeing this, the Fengling Clan Xianwang's face twisted with rage. "Do you have a death wish?"
"No."
Li Hao replied.
That Xianwang was stunned, then heard Li Hao say coldly, "But I know people like you always find reasons. If you want to frame someone, there's never a shortage of excuses. If you want to take my life, once you sit at the game board, every move counts. If you can't afford to lose, don't play!"
Many in the crowd started discussing.
"That's right. Since it was a fight to the death, the spoils belong to the winner!"
"That's the Xuan Ying Soul-Breaking Bow, one of the Southern Region's top immortal weapons. It's no wonder the Fengling Clan is reluctant."
"As one of the Hundred Clans, if they can't bear to lose a top immortal weapon, what if it was a domain weapon—wouldn't they be even more unreasonable?"
While everyone talked, the Da Meng Lord secretly sent Li Hao a voice transmission: "Hao Tian, you go first. We'll cover your retreat."
Li Hao glanced at her. He knew that without the Da Meng Clan's protection today, the Fengling Clan might really throw away their dignity, detain him by force, or even try to kill him.
After all, if a Xianwang made a move, it would be like squashing an ant.
"This favor…"
Li Hao was about to respond when, suddenly, he saw more than ten Xianwang auras racing over from the other side.
"Killed someone from the Yin Hai Clan and think you can leave so easily?"
All these Xianwang had snow-white hair, with several black marks on their cheeks, looking much like the previous white-haired youth.
Li Hao's expression turned grave as he focused on them.
"The Yin Hai Clan? So many Xianwang showed up?"
"They must have come through the teleportation array. I didn't see any clan blood summons."
"The Yin Hai Clan isn't in the top Hundred Clans anymore, but at their peak they ranked in the forties and once produced a peak Xianwang."
Seeing this, many people began to discuss quietly.
The leading Xianwang from the Yin Hai Clan looked at the Fengling Clan chief and sent a voice transmission: "You hold back the Da Meng Clan, we'll kill the youth. He's already our enemy—if he gets away, he'll become a major threat!"
The Fengling Clan chief's expression changed. At this point, it wasn't about pleasing the Supreme anymore, just not wanting that youth to live.
Reputation be damned. Which great clan hasn't done some dirty things? For thousands of years, people only remember those who stand at the top in glory—no one remembers the good or brave who fall in the dust.
"Fine."
The Fengling Clan chief replied by voice transmission.
As soon as the Yin Hai Clan appeared, the Da Meng Clan members' faces changed. They realized things might get out of control.
"Run!"
The Da Meng Lord quickly sent Li Hao a voice transmission, at the same time sending a wave of immortal Power to wrap Li Hao in her domain, trying to send him away.
Li Hao knew he needed to escape, but with Xianwang on his tail, how could he? The difference between domain mastery and the Xianjun Realm was massive, to say nothing of him.
Bang!
The immortal domain surrounding Li Hao was suddenly shattered, and over a dozen Yin Hai Clan Xianwang surged in, all attacking him with murderous intent.
Seeing such a scene, countless people were stunned by the sudden turn.
Bang!
Suddenly, a vast surge of immortal Power erupted from Li Hao, and then a snow-white figure appeared, grabbed Li Hao by the arm, and teleported a hundred miles away.