"Perhaps Mister Jin never hated you," Li Hao said.
The Water Dao Origin God Tree paused slightly, asking, "What did you say?"
Li Hao shook his head. "Mister Jin made me promise that, if I have the ability, I must protect the Origin World, not help him reclaim the position that belongs to him."
The Water Dao Origin God Tree's body trembled slightly, frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
After a moment, she stared intently at Li Hao and asked, "Is what you said true?"
"I have no need to lie," Li Hao stated frankly.
The Water Dao Origin God Tree fell silent.
Within this God Tree Secret Realm, silence also descended, until several voices sounded out.
"Third Sister, I heard there was someone with the Nine Sequences Immortal Seal. Is it this young man?"
"Indeed, there's the aura of the Fire Dao Origin."
Several powerful consciousnesses extended into this God Tree Secret Realm, subsequently materializing into four figures—three male, one female—who stood around Li Hao, observing him.
Li Hao glanced around and knew these were the Dao Will Incarnations of the other Origin God Trees.
"Correct, it's him." The Water Dao Origin God Tree had recovered by now and said to them, "I have already completed the contract with him, and he has agreed."
Hearing the Water Dao Origin God Tree's words, the eyes of the several figures slightly narrowed. They glanced at Li Hao without suspicion. Among them, the figure of a young man in golden robes, whose aura seemed relatively weaker, fixed his gaze on Li Hao and asked:
"You carry the aura of a Gold Dao God Tree's Dao Fruit. Have you been outside the city?"
Li Hao glanced at him. This latter one should be the second Gold Dao Origin God Tree, grown from Mister Jin's seed.
"Correct."
"You've seen him?" Another woman, with fiery red hair and a graceful figure, couldn't help but ask.
Li Hao nodded again.
The Water Dao Origin God Tree beside him, however, spoke for Li Hao, relaying what he had just said to the others.
"Eldest Brother..." Hearing the Water Dao Origin God Tree's words, the expressions of the several figures changed, their eyes becoming complex. Tears welled up in the eyes of the red-haired Fire Dao Origin.
"Eldest Brother is still the same, he hasn't changed. Always the first to rush out when there's danger," a hunched, elderly man sighed. He emanated a vibrant, verdant life aura, yet his face was extremely aged. He was the Wood Dao Origin.
"The more Eldest Brother is like this, the more we must make him hate us. It's right for him to hate us," another burly middle-aged man spoke; he was the Earth Dao Origin God Tree.
"The great calamity could descend at any moment. If the Ancient Demon race hadn't fallen into internal strife, fighting over those Samsara fragments, they would likely have already united their armies to invade. But with the current changes in the True Realm, I fear the Ancient Demon race will soon join forces to annihilate the myriad races first," the Water Dao Origin God Tree said in a low voice.
"This young man possesses the Nine Sequences Immortal Seal and has the potential for the Emperor Realm. He is indeed worth supporting. I still have a reserve of God Tree Dao Fruits precisely for such situations," the red-haired woman said.
The others also looked at Li Hao, nodding slightly, though their eyes held complex, unspoken emotions.
However, with an outsider like Li Hao present, they didn't elaborate. But at this moment, their minds were entirely focused on their Eldest Brother outside the city.
"Young man, are you willing to enter a contract with us, to protect the Origin Secret Realm in the future, to guard this passage for the geniuses of the myriad races of the True Realm!" the hunched Wood Dao Origin asked in a deep voice.
Li Hao looked directly at him and nodded, "Naturally. When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact?"
As he spoke, Poetry and Literature Experience points appeared before his eyes.
Li Hao was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected a casually spoken ancient saying to count as Poetry and Literature Experience.
It seemed that only words containing profound truths, or poetry, could grant Poetry and Literature Experience.
His Poetry and Literature and Music skills were both only at Level Six, the slowest progressing among his many skills. However, Li Hao felt that after other skills like Fishing reached Level Ten, they brought significant changes to his cultivation and comprehension of the Dao, including the Nine Sequences. If Poetry and Literature and Music could break through to Level Eleven, they would likely also undergo incredibly wondrous changes.
It was just that the difficulty of practicing and comprehending them was greater than other skills.
"Well said. That you understand this principle indeed makes you worthy of a God Tree Dao Fruit," the burly middle-aged man said, praise showing in his eyes.
"Our Dao Will Incarnations came here. When you've comprehended enough here, come visit our places. Not only will there be God Tree Dao Fruits, but also gifts of our Essence Dew," the red-haired woman said to Li Hao, a friendly look in her eyes. She could sense the pure Fire Dao Origin within the young man before her, and his comprehension was not low.
Li Hao looked at her, fondness also appearing in his eyes. The path of Cooking had allowed him to comprehend the Chaos Divine Fire, giving him deep insights into the Fire Dao, and he naturally felt an affinity for the Fire Dao Origin.
"Alright." Li Hao agreed and cupped his hands, saying, "Many thanks, Seniors. If this junior has the strength in the future, I will definitely repay you."
"We'll talk about that later," the Wood Dao Origin said calmly. They appreciated Li Hao, but having lived for countless ages, they had seen monstrous talents like Li Hao with the Nine Sequences Immortal Seal before. However, quite a few had met unexpected ends, causing their expectations to come to nothing.
Despite this, they were still willing to bestow their lifeblood upon such talents, as besides this, they had no other choice.
As the Dao Will Incarnations dissipated, the Water Dao Origin God Tree said to Li Hao, "Comprehend here first. If I'm not mistaken, you only got the chance to come here because of the Southern Region Martial Gathering, right? You don't have much time left."
Li Hao nodded, then immediately condensed the surrounding immortal power into ink wash, splashing it out before him.
The Water Dao Origin God Tree saw Li Hao's actions and was somewhat puzzled but did not disturb him.
Li Hao also immersed himself in cultivation and comprehension.
Time flew quickly.
The God Tree Dao Fruit gifted by the Water Dao Origin God Tree was absorbed and digested by Li Hao. He continuously painted here, creating wondrous scenes of the Origin Secret Realm. His Painting Dao experience had long reached the bottleneck of Level Eleven.
Through painting, he continuously gained insights into the levels of Space, Water Dao, and Earth Dao Origins. However, due to the Water Dao Origin God Tree's Dao Fruit, his comprehension of the Water Dao was the deepest. His understanding deepened, making his paintings more perfect, reaching the peak limit of Level Eleven.
But Li Hao still couldn't comprehend the Painting Dao's state of mind. Perhaps it was the influence of the Water Dao Origin, causing his mind to be filled entirely with insights into the Water Dao Origin.
In the blink of an eye, Li Hao's Water Dao Origin unknowingly rose from the Second Layer to the Third Layer, then broke through the bottleneck, entering the Fourth-Layer Origin!
But when the Water Dao Origin reached the Fourth Layer, Li Hao's understanding of it underwent earth-shattering changes. This level was already close to that of the two Immortal Lord Realm cultivators he had encountered during the climb.
However, Li Hao felt his Water Dao Origin level was still far inferior to Boya Xuejian's.
After the God Tree Dao Fruit was completely digested, the Water Dao Origin God Tree sent Li Hao a handful of God Tree Essence Dew. It was a pool of emerald, condensed juice, crystal clear like morning dew, emitting a fragrant aroma.
After consuming it, Li Hao felt as if every pore in his body opened up, experiencing a sensation of merging with the Water Dao Origin God Tree's soul essence.
Under that marvelous sensation, he seemed to touch upon deeper levels of the Water Dao Origin. His Water Dao Origin advanced further, reaching the limit of the Fourth-Layer Origin, faintly touching the threshold of the Fifth Layer.
"I have nothing more to give you here. Come back in ten thousand years, and I will give you another portion of Essence Dew," the graceful woman, the incarnation of the Water Dao Origin God Tree, gazed at Li Hao and said.
Li Hao nodded and asked, "How long have I been here?"
"Nearly a year."
"That long..." Li Hao was somewhat astonished. No wonder it was said in the True Realm that a thousand years pass in the blink of an eye. He felt he had merely been immersed in cultivation and absorption, yet a year had actually passed.
In the past, he could accomplish many things in a year, play many games of Go.
But he also knew that the Great Dao Origins were extremely profound. Just one session of absorption and comprehension allowed his consciousness to travel vast distances.
"Thank you, Senior." Li Hao cupped his hands and bowed, bidding farewell to the Water Dao Origin God Tree.
Seven years in total. Two years had already passed since he arrived here. He had spent over half a year on the Heavenly Dao Bridge, leaving him not much time.
"I will send you directly to Second Brother's God Tree Secret Realm," the Water Dao Origin God Tree said.
Immediately, she raised her hand and waved. Li Hao only felt the azure secret realm before him disappear, replaced by a surrounding verdant secret realm. The space remained vast and boundless.
The Water Dao Origin God Tree vanished, replaced by the hunched old man he had seen earlier.
"You've arrived." The Wood Dao Origin God Tree looked at Li Hao with a kind expression, then took out a God Tree Dao Fruit and handed it to him. "Begin."
Li Hao cupped his hands in thanks, then completed the contract with it and accepted the God Tree Dao Fruit.
He consumed the Dao Fruit and began to comprehend with his eyes closed.
Time flowed on.
In the Five Dao Origin City, Spirit Bursts appeared once a year, contested by many.
As time passed, more and more people arrived at the Five Dao Origin City.
Three years passed in a flash.
At this moment, Li Hao stood within the Fire Dao Origin God Tree's secret realm.
He was currently cooking the remaining Ancient Demon corpses from his storage space, feasting heartily in front of the red-haired woman.
"Your cooking skills are truly excellent." The red-haired woman smelled the aroma from Li Hao's cooking and couldn't help but exclaim, simultaneously believing more strongly in what Li Hao had said earlier.
Eating Ancient Demons as food—this young man before her was more trustworthy than she had imagined. Even without a contract, she felt she could trust him.
Li Hao smiled, finished eating, and continued cooking. As he controlled the heat, the God Tree Dao Fruit he had consumed was gradually digested, and his Fire Dao Origin realm also broke through from the Third Layer to the Fourth-Layer Origin!
"Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth..."
Following the breakthrough of his Fire Dao Origin, Li Hao suddenly felt an ethereal sensation in his mind, as if struck by something, leaving him in a trance.
When the five Dao Origins reached the same realm, he suddenly sensed that, besides mutual generation and restriction, there seemed to be a terrifying cyclical power among them.
That power intertwined among the five Daos, endlessly cycling like Samsara, capable of erupting with an incredible, special force.
"Hm?" The red-haired woman watched Li Hao, suddenly noticing something amiss. A terrifying fluctuation appeared in Li Hao's aura.
She paused slightly, then her eyes widened slightly. That terrifying fluctuation gave her a familiar feeling, as if a sealed memory had been unlocked.
It was from the very beginning, when the Five Absolutes Immortal Emperor established the Five Dao Origin City and created them.
At this moment, that terrifying fluctuation actually overlapped slightly with the aura released by the Five Absolutes Immortal Emperor who had created them!
"He..." The red-haired woman was stunned, her heart suddenly racing. She hastily called the others.
Soon, within the secret realm, the hunched old man and the Water Dao Origin God Tree appeared one after another, looking in astonishment at the young man in the center.
The young man's eyes were closed, his body seemingly undergoing some terrifying transformation, caught in a state of metamorphosis.
"This aura..." The hunched old man's eyes opened fully, flashing with a terrifying light, revealing his shock. "This is the feeling of Lord Five Absolutes!"
"Correct! Could it be that, like Lord Five Absolutes, he has comprehended Lord Five Absolutes' Emperor Dao?!"
"If my senses aren't wrong, all five of his Dao realms have reached the Fourth Layer. Perhaps he has truly touched upon the opportunity and achieved sudden enlightenment regarding Lord Five Absolutes' Emperor Path!"
Surprise showed on their faces. They hadn't expected this young man to be such a monstrous talent, actually touching upon the Emperor Path while still in the True Immortal Realm! This was simply terrifying!
"However, Lord Five Absolutes has already walked his Emperor Path. Even if he retraces the Emperor Path and reaches the absolute peak, he can only become a Half-Step Emperor, unable to truly become an Emperor!"
"Every Great Emperor's path is unique and can only be walked once. Even if he completely replicates it, he cannot become an Immortal Emperor."
"We don't know if this is a good thing or if it will harm him. Hopefully, he can personally experience the Emperor Path but then break free from Lord Five Absolutes' path and forge his own Emperor Dao!"
"Regardless, now that he has stepped onto the Emperor Path, at least among peers below the Emperor Realm, he will be an existence difficult to surpass!"
The group whispered among themselves, their eyes flashing with both excitement and worry.
The excitement was because Li Hao had comprehended the Emperor Path; aside from being unable to become an Immortal Emperor, his strength throughout the realms on this path would be incredibly terrifying.
But the worry was that if he was too deeply influenced and unable to break free, this Emperor Path would also become Li Hao's cage.
Making him powerful, yet also potentially causing his demise.
Unless, at the absolute peak, he could ascend once more and pioneer his own Emperor Dao!
At this moment, the terrifying fluctuation from Li Hao grew increasingly intense. The onlookers watched with trepidation, understanding more clearly that this young man had truly touched upon Lord Five Absolutes' Emperor Dao.
Given the young man's current state, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had received Lord Five Absolutes' inheritance.
However, although Immortal Emperors accept personal disciples, they wouldn't have them walk their own path. After all, walking one's own path only creates one's shadow. When an Immortal Emperor nurtures a personal disciple, they usually hope to cultivate another Immortal Emperor.
If their disciple showed no hope of surpassing them, there would be no point in nurturing them.
"All things in the world are inseparable from the Five Daos... Without the Five Daos, the world would perish. The Five Daos are creation and destruction, life and despair!"
Li Hao's thoughts shifted. The five Dao Origins revolved around him, slowly merging, giving birth to a terrifying power.
Five-colored radiant light emerged around his body, like a lotus flower closing around him.
This five-colored lotus platform rose from beneath his feet, gathered above his head, and then slowly transformed into a single, ethereal five-colored lotus platform.
The lotus platform contracted, turning into a five-colored light.
This five-colored light gradually elongated, transforming into a streak of sword qi.
This sword contained the Five Daos, and also Li Hao's own Only Self Sword Dao.
Or rather, at this very moment, Li Hao integrated the power of these Five Daos into his own Only Self Sword Dao.
Only by comprehending all things can one sever all things.
Five Absolutes Sword Slash!
Zzzt!
As Li Hao's eyes opened, that streak of sword qi suddenly slashed out.
In an instant, the five-colored light erupted into myriad divine radiances, streaking through the secret realm. It didn't strike any object, yet it emitted a terrifying aura that made one's skin crawl.
The eyes of the figures surrounding Li Hao widened slightly, revealing shock. They were shocked that Li Hao had actually taken that step, touching upon the Five Absolutes Immortal Emperor's Emperor Path, and also shocked that besides comprehending the Nine Sequences, Li Hao possessed such terrifying attainments in the Sword Dao!
Li Hao's Sword Dao was Level Three, but at this very moment, his Sword Dao realm had advanced.
This was the first time Li Hao's Sword Dao had advanced naturally from Level Three to Level Four, without relying on the panel, reaching the peak of Level Four in one go!
Within his Sword Dao, it contained the power of the Five Daos, as well as the numerous Sword Daos from various dynasties he had previously exchanged for.
Li Hao felt that if he continued to consolidate his cultivation, his Sword Dao could soon break through to the Fifth-Layer Sword Dao Origin!
"The soul age aura he just revealed... seems to be only around a hundred years!"
"This... this is too outrageous!"
When Li Hao just drew his sword, his aura was completely unconcealed. They all instantly perceived the soul age Li Hao revealed, and horror appeared on their faces.
They had initially thought Li Hao, like other geniuses, was a monstrous talent participating in the Southern Region Martial Gathering, with a soul age around one or two thousand years. They never expected it was merely a hundred years!
A hundred years old, possessing the Nine Sequences, and mastering such a terrifying Sword Dao... this was simply the most monstrous prodigy they had seen in a hundred thousand years!
"It seems we underestimated him!"
"Even an Immortal Emperor might not have been like this at his age!"
"He truly has hope of becoming an Immortal Emperor! If he can fuse the Nine Sequences Immortal Seal, advancing further to become a Dao Source Immortal Seal, he might even become the youngest Immortal Emperor ever!"
They all looked at Li Hao in shock, suddenly feeling that their decision this time was extremely correct – they had aided a monstrous talent most likely to become an Immortal Emperor!
At this time, Li Hao also regained his senses. He retracted his aura, looked at the five Origin God Tree incarnations that had appeared before him, couldn't help but be stunned, and then quickly cupped his hands.
"Greetings, Seniors."
"Good, good, good! Our investment in you was not in vain." The aged face of the Wood Dao Origin now seemed to radiate a degree of youthful vigor, his eyes shining.
"Hao Tian, we will remember you!"
"We hope that in ten thousand years, we will see your name renowned among the myriad races of the True Realm!"
They all looked at Li Hao with excited eyes, holding extremely high expectations for him.
"You must be careful to conceal your edge, don't get ambushed by spies from the Ancient Demon race," the red-haired woman reminded Li Hao.
Li Hao paused slightly, then nodded seriously.
Through his interactions with the God Trees, he also sensed the fated struggle between the myriad races of the True Realm and the Ancient Demons. That great war would inevitably arrive in the not-too-distant future.
And his ability to receive help from the five God Trees this time was also because of that future great war; otherwise, they wouldn't have invested their God Tree Dao Fruits in him.
"Come to my place. You've eaten Eldest Brother's Dao Fruit, so eating mine won't have much effect, but I can give you my Essence Dew," the golden-robed young man said.
Li Hao nodded.
The others didn't try to keep Li Hao either, knowing his time in the Origin Secret Realm was limited.
Following the red-haired woman's action, Li Hao entered the golden-robed young man's God Tree Secret Realm.
Time flowed on.
Several months later, Li Hao emerged from the Gold Dao God Tree Secret Realm.
(End of Chapter)