Chapter 544: Chaos
Besides his flesh visibly deteriorating, Li Hao also noticed terrifying undercurrents surging around the Imperial Platform, as if some powerful immortal technique was being prepared.
"What's going on?"
Someone nearby shouted in alarm, their face changing.
Li Hao looked around. Others on the platform were experiencing the same—flesh sloughing off, even hair turning gray and falling out.
"The Imperial Platform has rules. If more than ten people are on it, the Law of Immortal Death will be triggered. It will grow stronger and stronger until only ten remain. Once that number is reached, the effect will end."
The voice of the Immortal Guard Commander rang out.
Li Hao looked toward the other platforms and saw the same thing happening.
Two nearby platforms showed different scenes. One had already erupted into full-on battle—immortal techniques flying everywhere in a violent clash. The other was filled with people visibly weakening, terrified and decaying.
"Damn it, you get off!"
The young man who had landed first on Li Hao's platform shouted angrily at the newcomers.
"Hmph, what does first come, first served mean here? I want this spot. You're the one who should leave!"
"Enough talk. The strong stay. The weak get thrown out."
The withering of their bodies and weakening of their power forced everyone into action. One by one, they released their immortal Power and radiated killing intent.
"Nine-Petal Immortal Seal?!"
As a young man's power flared, a brilliant seal of nine flower-like petals appeared on his forehead. The immense force of his immortal Power stunned those who were preparing to attack him.
Li Hao glanced over, slightly surprised—but he quickly saw that the Dao resonance from that nine-petal seal wasn't from a Nine-Sequence path.
"Get out!"
Two young men, apparently from the same sect, charged a lone cultivator.
That young man's face changed instantly. He was a prince from a minor immortal dynasty. All his fellow disciples had been eliminated in earlier trials—he alone had made it to the final battle.
He hadn't expected to be targeted the moment he arrived.
"Two against one?"
The prince's eyes flared with anger. He exploded with immortal Power. A majestic dharmic figure appeared behind him—a massive, upright crocodile with a fierce and ancient head. It was the bloodline power of the Desolate Crocodile Clan, one of the True Realm's ancient hundred tribes.
According to legend, their ancestors had the true blood of chaotic giant crocodiles and once worshipped them as their totem.
Boom!
The moment that crocodile dharma appeared, the two attackers summoned their own figures, each with six-petal Immortal Seals. Giant phantoms wielding iron chains appeared and lashed out, tangling with the crocodile and dragging it into fierce combat.
"Half the spots on this platform are ours!"
Suddenly, a commanding voice rang out. Five figures—noble men and women—shot into the air. Together, they formed a domain of black and white energy.
"The Yun Jin royal clan!"
At the sight of the five, many faces changed. They recognized the famed Yin-Yang Destruction Dao Field of the Yun Jin royal family.
It wasn't a true domain, but a royal bloodline technique that mimicked the power of a domain belonging to the Immortal King Realm.
It contained Yin-Yang Destruction Laws. The more people who cast it, the stronger the immortal Dao Laws became.
As the five activated the formation, two battling cultivators were drawn into the Dao Field. Their immortal techniques crumbled instantly, their power drained.
Boom!
One of the Yun Jin royals raised a hand and unleashed a massive palm, slapping both opponents straight off the platform.
"So strong!"
The others all turned serious. Besides Li Hao—already infamous from the Dao Flame List—now they had the Yun Jin royal clan to deal with too.
"Everyone! Work together and take them out! If we don't, we'll be picked off one by one!"
Someone shouted, rallying the others.
Many of the combatants turned grim. If those five weren't handled, they'd take five spots for sure.
In an instant, a number of people turned and rushed the Yun Jin royals.
Only two or three held back, silently enduring the pain of their flesh decaying, waiting for something.
"Should we act?"
Yue Xi asked quietly.
Her previously flawless skin was now covered in cracks, her face blistered with boils like molten lava—horrifying to look at.
The others were deteriorating too. Some had deep wrinkles all over. Only Li Hao looked relatively fine—his hair had turned whiter, his body's glow dimmed, but that was it.
He had cultivated his immortal Power to its perfected state, and his divine blood circulated throughout his body. He also possessed the ancestral immortal body, one of the strongest True Immortal physiques. His decline was slower than anyone else's.
"You all stay here. I'll go."
Li Hao said.
He knew: if he wanted to keep Lin Qingying, Yue Xi, Gu Yan, and the others all on this platform and occupy seven spots, he'd have to show power strong enough to guard an entire Imperial Platform. Otherwise, challengers would keep coming.
Swish!
As he spoke, Li Hao flickered and moved like a shadow, appearing before a young man standing silently at the platform's edge.
"Sorry. Please leave."
Li Hao said.
The youth's expression shifted slightly. He stared into Li Hao's eyes. "You're ninth on the Dao Flame List. But in the True Immortal Secret Realm, I didn't even bother hunting ancient demons. You think you can handle me?"
"Sorry."
Li Hao repeated, not explaining, not wasting words—he simply unleashed his immortal Power.
The celestial veins of the stars activated. In an instant, endless immortal Power surged into his body. The decay covering his body vanished immediately.
The death and destruction Laws constantly gnawed at everyone, but they could be resisted with immortal Power. The cost was high—but not for the Celestial Star Vein. It thrived on consumption. Even if Li Hao did nothing, he could stay here indefinitely and outlast everyone.
But that wasn't realistic. No one could endure that long.
"Qingtian!"
Divine light erupted from Li Hao's body. He raised a finger and pinched the air, as if plucking invisible grains of sand.
At once, countless sword shadows shimmered into being at his fingertip. Then they merged into one, forming a sword aura that radiated overwhelming might.
Slash!
As he unleashed the Qingtian Sword Art, space trembled and a thin black fissure appeared in the air.
The young man before him had already summoned his full strength. With a roar, a seven-petal Immortal Seal appeared on his forehead.
A dharmic figure rose behind him—an enormous red phoenix with four wings. The temperature around them soared.
"Fiery Sun Annihilation!"
He shouted, forming a blazing spear in his palm and thrusting it at Li Hao.
The flaming spear collided with the sword aura. In a flash, the spear was cleaved in two. The spatial Laws embedded within Li Hao's sword were sharper than blades, infused into the Qingtian Sword Art and pushing it beyond perfection—into the realm of true Origin.
The sword shadow swept past, splitting the young man's chest cleanly in two. His body split open, eyes filled with disbelief.
The lingering force of the sword qi twisted the air into a vacuum, radiating terrifying destructive death energy.
"You…"
The youth was stunned, angry, and filled with unwillingness.
Li Hao didn't give him a chance to finish. He raised his palm and pushed the still-living, bisected body off the Imperial Platform.
The young man's injuries quickly healed once he landed below, thanks to the protective measures in place. But his expression was complicated. He didn't rejoin the fight. After all, he had been defeated by a single strike—returning would just mean another loss.
Li Hao didn't even look back. He turned toward a woman nearby who had been observing the battle.
The woman's face was covered in a sheer veil. Her body was deteriorating—red splotches bloomed across her neck, the glow of her white arms had dulled, and fine wrinkles appeared.
Seeing Li Hao approach, her expression shifted slightly. She spoke in a low tone, "I am a princess of the Tianzhao royal clan. You—"
"Talking about status here—don't you think that's a bit ridiculous?"
Li Hao cut her off coldly. Immortal Power gathered in his palm, forming a sword shadow. He looked down at her. "You walking out, or should I help?"
"You!"
The woman's expression darkened. She was deeply insulted and shouted, "Don't think you can actually beat me!"
Her long black hair lifted as power surged through her. Her aura rose to its peak. Her fingers moved in a blur, performing an ancient immortal technique.
As a top-tier genius at the True Immortal level, any immortal technique that required her to go through full incantation motions was bound to be formidable.
Li Hao didn't interrupt—he was curious to see the full power of a perfected True Immortal.
Within less than a breath, her hand movements stopped, and her pupils turned silver.
"That's the Void God Eye! She actually mastered one of the ancestral clan's forbidden arts!"
Outside the platform, many members of the Tianzhao royal clan—who had already been eliminated—were shocked.
Even others in the Tianzhao royal clan were stunned. They hadn't expected her to bring out this hidden card.
In the Tianzhao clan, mastering the Void God Eye meant access to the Royal Spirit Pavilion's ancestral techniques—extremely powerful battle arts only usable with the Eye.
"Stellar Annihilation!"
Xu Qinyao's silver eyes locked onto Li Hao. Behind her, a dharma figure silently formed, and her palms came together. Her fingertips touched as she formed a circular void between them.
That void aimed straight at Li Hao. A terrifying Law surged forth.
This went beyond what a True Immortal could normally wield—it was Law-level force that only those in the Immortal Lord Realm could truly control.
Li Hao immediately felt his muscles contract slightly, a tingle of pressure—not fear, but excitement.
The five origin powers within him surged. Water and earth origins merged into an almost impenetrable defense.
The five elements generated and overcame one another in endless cycles. The terrifying Law stretched through the void and reached him—but even as it attempted to obliterate him, new vitality instantly replaced what was lost. The infinite immortal Power from the Celestial Star Vein made it look as if he were completely unharmed.
"How is this possible?!"
Xu Qinyao's smirk froze. Her silver eyes widened in disbelief.
"Not bad at all."
Li Hao could feel the Law tearing into him. He nodded inwardly—no wonder the chosen here were called elites. Even a random opponent could wield power on par with an Immortal Lord.
This woman could fight upward into the Immortal Lord Realm.
But unfortunately, there weren't enough spots.
"Sorry."
As Li Hao spoke, sword qi gathered at his fingertips. But this time, Qingtian Sword Art alone wasn't enough. Golden divine light formed as well—it was the Sword God Technique.
Two sword arts fused at his fingertip. The sword qi they released rippled the very air around them.
Swish!
The sword light burst forth. In an instant, Xu Qinyao's dharma figure shattered and her head was cleaved from her shoulders.
"Find another place."
Li Hao struck out with a palm, knocking her severed head and body off the platform. Without a glance back, he moved toward the next spectator.
He had shown mercy both times. In his eyes, they had no enmity—it was all just competition.
This kind of mercy was a privilege only the strong could afford.
"She lost?!"
The Tianzhao clan was stunned. No one thought Xu Qinyao—who had mastered the Void God Eye—would be defeated.
People in the celestial cities of the Tianzhao Divine Dynasty sighed in disbelief.
"I can join you. Let's take down the Yun Jin royal clan together."
Before Li Hao could reach the third person watching, that young man spoke first.
He had witnessed the strike that defeated the Tianzhao princess. That terrifying sword qi was like a chilling flash of light on the battlefield—impossible to ignore.
"No need."
Li Hao shook his head. "You can leave for now. Once only ten remain, you can come back and challenge someone. If you win, you stay."
The youth froze. His expression changed slightly—was Li Hao…setting the rules of the platform?
Only someone who controlled the entire platform had the right to make rules.
He looked at the boy before him, remembering that Li Hao had the shortest soul-age of all the competitors.
His gaze grew complex. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "Alright."
With that, he turned and flew off the platform.
Seeing Li Hao talk someone down without fighting, many people on the sidelines were stunned.
Meanwhile, over on the other side, the Yun Jin royal clan's Yin-Yang Destruction Dao Field continued to spread, covering a huge portion of the platform and clashing with others.
Their group had grown—two more had joined, fighting alongside the royal clan.
One of them was the youth who had earlier displayed a nine-petal Immortal Seal. He revealed it just to intimidate others, conserving his strength. Now, he casually supported the Dao Field, helping suppress the rest.
As fighting continued, the Yun Jin group grew again—two more joined, their immortal Power just as fierce.
After sending two more people off the platform, Li Hao turned and glanced at the Yun Jin royals. They now had five royal members and four others allied with them.
In the midst of this chaotic battle, they'd used sound transmissions to recruit allies. The goal was obvious.
Li Hao stopped moving, coldly watching the scene unfold.
Soon, all others on the platform had been eliminated—only the Yun Jin royal clan and their four allies remained.