Chapter 545: Take Action
On Li Hao's side, Lin Qingying, Yuexi, Gu Yan, and the others gathered, all wearing serious expressions. It was obvious they'd also seen through the Yun Jin Immortal Dynasty's plan—now that everyone else had been forced off the Imperial Platform, only the two factions remained.
"You're called Haotian?"
Among the Yun Jin Immortal Dynasty royal clan, a youth with antlers on his head looked down at Li Hao. His face was strikingly handsome, almost otherworldly, and the green light radiating from his antlers carried a vibrant, lifelike energy.
The other Yun Jin royals were equally unique—one had crimson fish scales on his cheeks and a strangely demonic face, another had dual pupils and a condescending gaze. Clearly, none of them were ordinary.
Li Hao had noticed that not all imperial clans were alike. Though all were called royal bloodlines, their temperaments and constitutions varied. After asking the Da Meng zhu, he learned that many had chaotic spirit lineages or rare bloodlines that had joined with Immortal Dynasties. They borrowed their imperial heritage through reincarnation, and such figures—often from powerful maternal clans—held high status within the royal family.
"So, what's your offer?"
Li Hao looked at him calmly.
"I am Jin Ziyin of the Yun Jin royal clan, of the Tianlu clan—ranked twenty-third among the hundred great races of the true realm!"
Jin Ziyin, the youth with antlers, stood aloof as he continued, "I reserved one spot for you. Considering your rank as ninth on the Dao Fire Ranking and your soul-age being the youngest, would you be willing to join us and share this platform?"
Gu Yan and the others all thought, 'Just as expected.'
When they'd seen the opposing side had exactly nine members, they figured they'd probably try to recruit Li Hao. Given his previous performance, going head-to-head with him was not smart—unless there was some personal grudge.
But if Li Hao accepted, the six of them would all have to give up their spots.
"Haotian-shidi, don't worry about us. As long as someone from our sect makes it into the top hundred, that's enough."
A disciple from Qinyuan spoke up.
Yuexi and Gu Yan stayed silent. Even if Li Hao accepted, they wanted to test themselves against the Yun Jin clan—see if they truly had the strength to stay.
After all, these were top hundred spots. They wanted to earn their way in.
"Sorry."
Li Hao shook his head, and the apology was directed at Jin Ziyin. Calmly, he said, "We have three spots. You can choose three of your people to stay."
Gu Yan and the others were visibly shaken. They glanced at Li Hao, surprised at his refusal—but also not. Still, their gazes carried a mix of emotions.
Lin Qingying said nothing, simply gripped her sword tighter. She'd known how Li Hao would choose. That boy who once faced countless saints alone in the Celestial Lands would never bow to anyone.
"Such a cheap attempt to sow division."
One of the royal clan with crimson scales scoffed coldly.
Li Hao shook his head. "It's not division. It's clarity."
"Arrogant!"
A Jin Dynasty princess, holding a golden halberd, sneered. "With your strength, maybe you could protect one or two. But seven spots? You think these scraps deserve the top hundred?"
Gu Yan and the others' faces darkened at her words.
"Then how about this—we duel one-on-one. Loser leaves, winner stays. Only the strong deserve to stand at the top!"
Gu Yan stepped forward, his tone icy. As someone with the Ancient Sword Immortal Body—the most powerful physique for sword cultivators—he had his pride.
"Hmph, you're not even worth fighting. But fine, I'll show you your place."
The princess's eyes flashed with killing intent. She looked at the other royals. "Cover me. I'll take care of him myself."
As she spoke, her halberd lit up with golden divine light. Her entire aura turned tyrannical as she shot forward. Behind her, a golden dharma figure appeared, radiating an ancient divine presence.
"Blood of the Ancient God Clan!"
Some spectators narrowed their eyes.
Among this generation, the most obvious Ancient God bloodline belonged to Shen Wuji—but no one expected this Jin Dynasty princess to also carry it, though it seemed less pure.
"Haotian-shixiong, I'll fight for my own spot!"
Gu Yan charged forward. His challenge wasn't just about pride—it was about not letting Li Hao face all nine opponents alone.
And for the first time, he called Li Hao "shixiong."
When he'd first joined Da Meng Jiuyuan, it was just a temporary stop. He hadn't cared about the sect, or Li Hao, or Yuexi. He thought they'd all be left in his dust.
But now, for the first time, he felt like he belonged.
Li Hao saw him charge and didn't stop him. Even if Gu Yan lost, Li Hao would still make sure he got into the top hundred. He said seven, and it would be seven.
Boom!
A flash of sword light burst out, forming a massive sword that collided with the golden halberd midair, sending out a thunderous shockwave.
"Hmm? That's the Ancient Sword Immortal Physique?"
Some of the Jin royals were surprised.
Gu Yan's silver hair flew behind him. His aura was otherworldly, a silver sword mark glowing on his forehead like a third eye radiating killing intent.
"Gu Yan-shidi?"
Yuexi and the others were stunned—this was the first time they saw his true form.
Gu Yan now radiated the terrifying aura of a swordmaster. It felt like there was a divine sword buried in his body, and his spine was made of blades.
"This kid's revealing himself already?"
At the mountain peak, Old Li's face changed slightly, a trace of worry in his eyes. He still remembered the day he'd brought this child back—knew the boy was born for revenge.
Now that he revealed his identity here, his enemies would surely take notice.
"Ancient Sword Immortal Physique? I thought that bloodline had gone extinct."
"That sword intent is terrifying—is this really the strongest sword physique in the world?"
"I heard the Ancient Sword clan disappeared ages ago. Can't believe someone survived!"
"This South Region battle is insane—so many monsters, and this is just for the top hundred!"
There was a wave of murmuring across the mountains from those watching.
Back on the platform—
From the impact, Gu Yan was thrown back—but within a breath, he shot up again. Behind him, a massive sword-shaped dharma figure rose.
This was his true form.
Sword as body. Sword as heart. Sword as god.
The Ancient Sword Immortal Physique—born solely for the path of the sword.
"Indestructible Sword Dao!"
Gu Yan's eyes lit up with divine power. He stared down the Jin princess. In his hand, a long silver-white sword slowly grew—extending from his own bones. It radiated raw, cutting sword Dao energy.
"Hmm?"
The Jin Dynasty princess's expression grew serious—after all, the Ancient Sword Immortal Clan had once ranked among the top ten of the Hundred Clans.
While the Ancient God Clan still held a top-ten spot, the princess's own bloodline wasn't pure. Though her mother was a noble of the Ancient God Clan, her current lifetime's bloodline was mixed with the blood of the Jin Emperor.
Fortunately, the Jin Emperor's bloodline was also extremely terrifying.
"You actually forced me to go all out. I'll admit, you've got some skill!"
Her eyes went cold, and the halberd in her hand burst forth with golden radiance. A golden array appeared in front of her, brimming with surging immortal Power and traces of Ancient God force.
She charged forward with her halberd, her figure streaking through the air like a shooting star crossing the galaxy—it was clearly a top-tier immortal movement technique.
Boom!
As the halberd slashed down, the void split open, and the aura of spatial origin emerged from the weapon.
At the same time, Gu Yan's sword light surged upward. The sword energy, compressed to its limit, collided with the golden halberd, and cracks even appeared in the space on the Imperial Platform.
The shockwaves blew Li Hao and the others' hair back.
"Spatial origin?"
Li Hao narrowed his eyes. What caught his attention wasn't the Jin Dynasty princess—but his junior brother, who had also mastered spatial origin to the extreme of the third realm!
Combined with his sword Dao, which had reached the fourth realm peak, Gu Yan's strength was already formidable—comparable to many of the top geniuses Li Hao had defeated before.
"Hmm?"
Elsewhere on another Imperial Platform, things were eerily calm.
A figure in white robes sat quietly, undisturbed. The platform had exactly ten occupants—all disciples of Tiangong. Anyone who had tried to step onto the platform had been forced back by casual sword shadows from this white-robed youth. No one dared to bite into this toughest bone.
Suddenly, the youth opened his eyes. When he saw the towering sword Dao dharma figure rising from a nearby Imperial Platform, his gaze narrowed slightly.
Another of his kind.
He was clearly surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter a fellow clansman here.
But that sword intent, while fierce, still felt immature.
"Looks like one of your kin."
Beside him, a girl in green robes also opened her eyes and glanced calmly toward the distant platform.
Jianxin nodded slightly, then retracted his gaze. "His sword aura's good, but his foundation's too shallow."
"Naturally, he can't compare to you."
The girl gave a rare faint smile. Like melting ice, it dazzled the eyes.
There wasn't only one Ancient Sword Immortal Body in existence, but even among them, her senior brother was a rare prodigy. Their master had confirmed it personally.
Meanwhile, on the Imperial Platform, Gu Yan and the Jin Dynasty princess were fully engaged.
Gu Yan's sword Dao was fierce and sharp, his power overwhelming. But the Jin princess's strength wasn't lacking—her halberd contained Ancient God power, and her arsenal of immortal techniques was vast. Her movement technique far outpaced Gu Yan's, allowing her to maneuver and hold her ground. They became locked in a stalemate.
The other Jin royals were visibly surprised. They hadn't expected someone beside Li Hao to be this strong. Based on his performance alone, Gu Yan was clearly qualified for the top hundred.
Unfortunately for him, this was the wrong crowd to face. With limited spots, elimination would only be more brutal.
"Divine Dao—Eternal Fall!"
Suddenly, the Jin princess raised her hand, and a third Ancient God eye opened on her forehead. The golden dharma figure behind her lifted its arms and condensed a massive golden halberd from the surrounding immortal Power and natural laws.
With a shout, she struck down toward Gu Yan.
Gu Yan's pupils shrank. He felt the force inside her dharma figure and his expression shifted, but he grit his teeth and his gaze burned with determination.
"Nothing can destroy my sword Dao! Nothing!!"
He roared, charging forward like a lion. The silver-white sword in his hand—almost tangible—unleashed terrifying sword intent. He transformed into a streak of silver light, merging man and sword, and charged straight for the golden halberd.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the golden halberd in the dharma figure's hands shattered. A streak of silver sword light shot through the air—frail compared to the golden divine light, yet it pierced through the dharma figure.
"You…!"
Blood wept from the third eye on the Jin princess's forehead. Her expression turned to shock and fury as she glared at Gu Yan. The death rule of the Imperial Platform, which she had been holding back, now surged uncontrollably. Her face began to rot, beautiful features decaying like flesh peeling from a corpse.
Gu Yan, still in the form of sword light, twisted and turned, charging straight back toward her.
The Jin princess darted away, suppressing the platform's rules while using her movement technique to escape. Her steps were incredibly fast, combining spatial origin and Return-to-Void perfection realm, easily slipping beyond Gu Yan's reach.
In a head-on clash, she wasn't his match—but her movement technique left him unable to land a hit.
Gu Yan's own body was also starting to deteriorate, his flesh peeling and his appearance becoming ferocious. He pushed himself to the limit, but still couldn't catch her.
His sword Dao was unparalleled, but he hadn't yet had time to master a refined movement technique.
Watching the two chase each other around the platform—one fleeing, the other pursuing—Li Hao knew the fight was at a stalemate.
"No point wasting time. Let's call this one a draw."
The antlered Jin Ziyin finally spoke.
The death rule still affected all of them. He didn't want to waste energy on the two.
"And how do you plan to settle a draw?"
Li Hao asked flatly.
"Hmph. In a real fight, he'd lose eventually. His footwork's not enough."
Jin Ziyin snorted coldly.
Li Hao raised a brow and understood—they still intended to force them off. They wouldn't give up a second spot. If they did, one of their own temporary alliance would be eliminated, and the whole group would collapse.
"If this kind of match has no meaning, then there's no need to continue."
Li Hao said calmly.
Seeing that Li Hao had caught on, Jin Ziyin's expression turned colder. "You really plan to stand against us for their sake? With his strength, he might have a shot at another platform. But here? We don't have that many spots to spare."
"Then you're free to try your luck elsewhere. I'm only keeping three of you here."
Li Hao looked toward the four standing beside Jin Ziyin. "There are three spots. Anyone among you want to stay?"
The four looked surprised at the invitation, but quickly understood his intent. Some stayed calm, while others sneered.
"That kind of talk is pointless. We joined forces—we won't split just because you asked. You don't have what it takes to protect six spots."
"In that case, you can all leave together!"
As Li Hao spoke, his eyes flashed with an icy gleam. A wave of terrifying, overwhelming immortal Power surged out from his body.