Chapter 506: Nine Sequences Entering the Dao
After watching the other man leave, Li Hao finally withdrew his aura, retracted his Heaven and Earth Dharma Form, and descended from the Divine Tree.
"People say the human heart is hard to fathom and easily corrupted over time—how true that is." The elder watched Jin Fengling disappear into the distance and let out a quiet sigh, his gaze then falling on Li Hao.
Li Hao turned and cupped his hands toward the elder. "Thank you, Senior, for your help."
The elder glanced at Li Hao, his gaze seeming to pierce into the soul. In a soft voice, he said, "What that man said wasn't wrong. Do you harbor any resentment toward me for that?"
Li Hao instantly understood what he was referring to and shook his head. "No."
"In this Origin City, the rules state that when you damage my body, it's considered an attack. I then have the right to retaliate and strike back." The elder looked at Li Hao and sighed lightly. "But you should understand—everyone wants to hold the initiative in hurting others. Otherwise, they become lambs to the slaughter."
"I understand," Li Hao nodded. Although he had realized earlier that the elder letting him cut off a tree root had some calculated intent, no matter how one looked at it, it had been Li Hao who made the request. The elder merely hadn't refused and went along with it.
If he resented or hated the elder because of that, it would go against his own principles.
The elder looked at him. Whether Li Hao truly understood or not, he didn't bother probing further and only said, "Do you still plan to stay here?"
"Yes," Li Hao nodded. His carving wasn't finished. Since he had already cut off a piece of the elder's tree root and handed over the right to be attacked, there was no point in trying to avoid it now.
Even Jin Fengling didn't dare strike at the elder's true body, for fear the elder held the right to retaliate. That alone showed just how terrifyingly powerful the elder must be.
Then again, it made sense—the elder was the true form of this Divine Tree...
Thinking that, Li Hao's thoughts began to stir.
Seeing Li Hao nod, the elder couldn't help but show a hint of a smile. He hadn't expected Li Hao to be aware that he could be struck at any moment and still choose to stay. That showed some courage.
"Then do as you wish," the elder no longer said more.
Li Hao asked, "Senior, was that man correct? Are you the Origin Divine Tree?"
The elder glanced sideways at Li Hao and saw what he was thinking. "Yes, I was a long time ago—but now..." He looked at the city, a trace of timeworn sorrow flickering through his eyes, and a faint, indescribable smile rose on his lips.
"That's a long story. Would you like to hear it?"
"Yes," Li Hao nodded. He immediately stopped carving and walked over to the small stream, gathering a thread of immortal energy in his hand, casting it into the water to casually fish.
Seeing Li Hao's practiced movements, the elder's eyes revealed a hint of surprise. He looked at Li Hao a few more times and then couldn't help but laugh. "You really are a strange little fellow."
Li Hao scratched his head. "Strange?"
The elder shook his head without explaining, casting down the line he'd just reeled in. But his thoughts were not on fishing as he quietly reminisced, "There was once a war that broke out here. It was ten thousand years ago..."
It was as if flames surged through his eyes like flapping battle flags, replaying the ancient and tragic battle from ten millennia past.
"...The ancient demons invaded the Origin Lands of the True Realm, trying to destroy Origin City and cut off the ascension path for countless geniuses of the True Realm..."
"In order to protect Origin City, and my four younger siblings, I battled the ancient demon. He had already set half a foot into the Emperor Realm. I borrowed the power of the entire Origin City to fight him in a brutal struggle, and in the end, we nearly perished together..."
As the elder's voice—weathered and hoarse—recounted the story, Li Hao could almost hear the thundering roar of battle in his ears. He could imagine how grueling and terrifying that war must have been.
"And what happened afterward?" Li Hao asked.
"Later, my Origin Divine Flame was extinguished. I was dying, my tree seed withering. So, to avoid disrupting the balance of Origin City's operations, I chose to remove my Dao Seed and move outside the city."
The elder withdrew his gaze from distant memories and looked toward the direction of the city. A smile tugged at his lips—one that was both bitter and mocking.
"Have you seen the Gold Dao Origin Divine Tree in the city?"
"I have," Li Hao immediately thought of the golden tree that stood in the center of the city, shorter than the other four.
He hadn't paid it much mind before, but now, hearing the elder's words, a realization dawned on him.
"That tree is indeed much shorter than the other four. That's normal, because it was a later-born Gold Dao Origin Dao Seed—the youngest brother," the elder said softly.
Li Hao asked, "Then has the Origin City stabilized now? Why not return to the city?"
The elder's lips curved slightly. "Thirty thousand years ago, I had already recovered and wanted to return to the city, to guard Origin City together with that younger brother. But they believed that my return would break the existing rules. They feared I would bully him, devour him, and grow stronger alone..."
As he spoke, the smile on his lips widened a bit.
Li Hao was stunned. Seeing the elder's smile, he fell silent.
He hadn't said "he"—he said "they."
"So... you've stayed here ever since?" Li Hao asked.
The elder exhaled lightly, his smile fading considerably, and calmly replied, "Yes. Though life outside the city lacks the nourishment of Origin City, and my Dao Seed will eventually wither, they didn't know that in that great battle back then, that ancient demon carried a fragment of the Fate Origin City..."
At this point, he stopped speaking and instead looked at Li Hao. "Boy, that young man just now came to find the Divine Tree Dao Fruit—do you know what that is?"
Li Hao saw the sudden shift in topic and shook his head. "No idea."
"That is a Dao Fruit condensed by the Origin Divine Tree. During the recent Origin City Spirit Burst, if one could exhibit their Dao comprehension and gain the recognition of the Origin Divine Tree, they would be allowed to cultivate atop the tree—and even have a chance to be granted the Origin Dao Fruit!"
"Each Origin Divine Tree can only condense one Dao Fruit every ten thousand years!"
"It contains the essence of the Origin Divine Tree and crystallized Dao power."
"Once consumed, even if you aren't proficient in that particular Dao, you can quickly enter the Dao and elevate your realm, reaching the third stage!"
"If you already have a deep foundation, then it can push your Dao realm to break through once more—it is truly a supreme treasure!"
Li Hao suddenly understood. So it was a treasure that could directly enhance one's Dao realm.
No wonder Jin Fengling had been so agitated and had attacked him outright. This thing was a hundred times more valuable than a Flying Immortal Pill that raised one small cultivation stage!
Raising one small stage may improve strength, but it was nowhere near as difficult—or valuable—as improving one's Dao realm.
"So, are you tempted now?" The elder looked at Li Hao with a half-smile, teasing him slightly.
Li Hao nodded. "Tempted!"
The elder couldn't help laughing. "At least you're honest."
"Do you have one, Senior?" Li Hao's eyes sparkled brightly. Who wouldn't want such a precious treasure?
Seeing Li Hao's eager expression, the elder wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he found it a little amusing. "That brat asked me, so I said no. But if you want one, I really do have one!"
"Really?"
Li Hao froze. He had only asked casually, but he hadn't expected the elder to actually admit it.
"If you want it, you must agree to one condition," the elder said, his smile fading slightly.
"What is it?"
Li Hao was confused but had a guess. "Earlier you said I could repay you only after becoming an Immortal Emperor. Could it be that you want me to help relocate you back into the city after my strength grows enough? Or perhaps to help you suppress the other Origin Divine Trees?"
The elder chuckled but shook his head. "That's only half correct."
"Half?"
"I can dream of the future."
The elder's gaze flickered. He didn't tell the boy in front of him that it was because he held a fragment of the Fate Origin City, which allowed him to glimpse some threads of fate.
"In the near future, this Origin City—and the other Origin Cities in the secret realm—will all face catastrophe. The ancient demons will rise again and invade once more!"
He stared at Li Hao and said solemnly, "If, by that time, you have become an Immortal Emperor, I hope you will protect this Origin World. Use your Dao of Heaven and Emperor Realm power to guard the four existing Origin Cities, so that the geniuses of the True Realm may still walk the path of cultivation. Even if another Era of Fallen Emperors comes, the True Realm may yet produce a Great Emperor!"
Li Hao froze, staring at him in shock.
Though it seemed laughable to discuss the matters of Great Emperors with a lowly True Immortal like himself, the elder's vision and conviction made goosebumps rise all over Li Hao's skin.
He had assumed the elder just wanted to reclaim his place. He hadn't expected such benevolence in return for resentment…
He remained silent for a long time, then said, "If that day comes, I swear I will!"
"Earlier I made others swear by their Dao hearts, but even a Dao heart can collapse. If one's true heart changes, an oath becomes meaningless. So you, I won't make you swear," the elder said softly, his eyes filled with emotion.
He reached into his robe and slowly withdrew his hand—golden radiance blossomed in ten thousand threads.
At that moment, Li Hao suddenly felt a tug on his fishing line. His eyes lit up as he looked toward the stream and reeled it in quickly.
"A bite!"
As he spoke, the fishing line reeled back quickly, and a divine water-element fish was pulled out.
It was a spiritual creature condensed from the fortune of the Great Dao, extremely precious, a top-tier ingredient capable of enhancing Dao realm comprehension.
Li Hao was pleasantly surprised and stored it into his Heaven and Earth space.
If he cooked it himself and made it into a dish, it would definitely be no less effective than a supreme-grade Dao Comprehension Immortal Pill.
The elder saw Li Hao's excited expression, and his eyes flickered slightly. Once Li Hao put the Dao fish away, the elder slowly handed him the item from his robe.
"This is the Dao Fruit of the Gold Dao Divine Tree."
Li Hao looked at the golden Dao Fruit that radiated divine light and a rich fragrance. It had strange patterns on its surface, resembling natural wood grain, yet also exuding a blade-like sharpness, like a naturally formed top-grade divine pill.
"Thank you, Senior."
Li Hao didn't refuse. He knew this item was extremely precious. Condensed once every ten thousand years, it was the crystallization of an Origin Divine Tree, and couldn't even be bought with immortal stones. Likely, not even the great powers or imperial treasuries of Immortal Dynasties had such a thing in stock.
"Taking this Dao Fruit—how much you comprehend depends on your own perception. From what I see, your Gold Dao origin is only at the first stage, just an entry level."
The elder said, "Even if your talent in the Gold Dao is average, you'll reach the third level. If your aptitude is excellent, you may reach the fourth."
Li Hao nodded. Since the elder was willing to give it to him, it showed he was placing his bet on Li Hao's future.
He received the fruit and felt like he was holding a cluster of mist. It had no weight, yet he could feel its firm roundness in his palm, as if it were filled with rich juice.
He looked at the elder, then, right in front of him, opened his mouth and swallowed it.
The Dao Fruit was the size of a head, but his real body could reach ten thousand zhang tall. He simply enlarged his upper body slightly and swallowed it in one bite, then shrank back to normal size.
As the Dao Fruit entered his body, it dissolved like mist, spreading through the forty-eight thousand acupoints within him.
His mind buzzed as if a powerful intent was about to burst forth.
Li Hao didn't delay. He quickly returned to the clearing from before, picked up the divine wood, and began carving again.
At this moment, his thoughts surged. Numerous insights flashed through his mind. He felt that the carving now contained the Gold Dao essence, and the resonance with the Gold Dao origin was strong. Perhaps this was the chance to break through the bottleneck and comprehend the mindset of carving.
As Li Hao carved, the divine wood began to change. He used time as a driving force, shaping it into a blade. But under the influence of the Gold Dao origin, he gradually realized that using time alone as a blade was not sharp or fast enough.
He began to condense time, changing it from slow ripening into an extremely sharp edge.
Carving… Gold Dao origin…
Even time had a sharp edge—and that was the essence of the Gold Dao.
Heavy, solid, sharp, indestructible.
Li Hao gradually attained insight. His eyes turned golden, like a youthful deity seated beneath the Divine Tree.
His hair floated without wind. His sword-shaped brows extended to his temples, and his golden eyes shone like stars, immersed in carving and enlightenment.
Around him, not only the time Dao origin flowed but also the space Dao origin, transformed into another blade compressed to the extreme, sketching rapidly on the carving in his hand.
Stroke by stroke, the carved divine wood gradually took form, blooming with flowers and leaves—it was a miniature Origin Divine Tree.
That tree seemed to emit the aura of the Gold Dao origin, just like when he previously carved Ying Xiaoxiao and Lin Qingying, which had radiated the Dao realms of time and void sword respectively.
"This kid…"
The elder sat beside the creek, his eyes filled with astonishment.
He felt that what the boy was carving was not something crafted postnatally, but a seedling of an innate Origin Divine Tree!
The rich aura of the Gold Dao origin made him momentarily dazed, as if seeing the sprout that emerged when he left the Origin City ninety thousand years ago.
This scene pulled his thoughts back to ninety thousand years ago.
At the same time, a prompt appeared in Li Hao's mind.
[Carving Dao has advanced to level 11]
[You have comprehended the carving mindset: Carving Origin]
As his carving progressed, Li Hao, immersed in the process, experienced a torrent of memories in his mind—an endless transmission of the Great Dao.
Carving Origin wasn't just the Gold Dao—it also contained the Wood Dao.
Previously, Li Hao had gained insight into the Carving Origin through the Gold Dao. Now, with the breakthrough in his panel, the Wood Dao origin within the carving flowed into his consciousness.
In an instant, the aura around him changed dramatically.
Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—the five elemental Dao origins—were now all under his control.
Time and Space.
Form and Command.
The Nine Sequences had all entered the Dao!