Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1735 Chapter 441: Artistic Path Thirteen, Heart of Reverse Time

Wisps of faint smoke drifted lazily above the secluded courtyard.

Within the small garden, Li Hao was busy preparing Ancient Demon Flesh, sharing the delicacy with Shi Miao as they both savored the feast.

"The aroma is incredible."

Shi Miao remarked, wiping her lips between bites. She had completely discarded her noble lady's poise, indulging in the meal with great appetite, though her gestures remained inherently graceful and striking. With a smile, she continued,

"I owe this to you. My reincarnated Primordial Spirit has successfully refined a significant amount of True God Blood. If I manage to survive until the end of time and fuse with my original self as a True God, I wonder what height I will attain?"

Li Hao recalled Shi Miao mentioning that her true form had reached the Primordial Spirit Final Realm. By refining ten thousand drops of True God Blood, she could reach Final Realm Perfection. This would transform her Primordial Spirit into a True God, allowing her to cast off her mortal shell, remain untouched by the decay of the sun and moon, and stand undefeated by the flow of time!

"Should you cultivate this current body to the Primordial Spirit Final Realm as well, the merging of two Final Realms might result in something even more extraordinary,"

Li Hao mused.

Shi Miao nodded, a flicker of hope rising in her heart. Although no one—not even the legendary Immortal Emperors—had ever surpassed the Final Realm, many former sovereigns had exhausted every method trying to find a way. It remained a mystery whether anyone had ever attempted to merge two True Gods.

She suspected that an Immortal Emperor might have tested this theory before, but she couldn't be certain. Naturally, this unknown factor filled her with a sense of anticipation.

As a cultivator climbs higher, fewer joys remain. When so many routes are obstructed, even the smallest possibility of forging a new path is enough to stir the soul.

"It is a shame the rate of absorption is still quite slow. Even if we feasted like this every single day, it would take millennia to gather ten thousand drops!"

Li Hao remarked.

Back on the Huangquan Houtu battlefield, he could only refine ten drops of True God Blood annually using Ancient Demon Blood.

Now that they were in the Primordial True Realm, they lacked Ancient Demon Blood. Fortunately, his second senior brother, Di Wushè, frequently delivered premium Ancient Demon Corpses. Many of these were at the Perfect Immortal Monarch Realm, and there were even numerous Immortal King Realm remains. Because of this, they were just barely able to refine approximately ten drops of True God Blood each year.

From the state of these Ancient Demon Corpses, Li Hao could sense the extreme danger of the Emperor Clan's border battlefield. It was no surprise that his second senior brother always carried a heavy aura of evil qi during his visits, even in his incarnations, appearing as though he had just fought his way out of a bloodbath.

"Actually, that is already exceptionally fast."

Shi Miao said with a light laugh.

In her era, refining ten drops of True God Blood in a single year was beyond imagination. Even refining one drop annually was considered the pinnacle of speed.

"I only regret that I have yet to grasp the Artistic Path."

Li Hao lamented. The thirteen stages of the Artistic Path were far more difficult than he had anticipated. Despite spending years accumulating experience points and dedicating himself to deep meditation, he still lacked a breakthrough.

"Do not be impatient. The Immortal King Realm is the final step toward the heavens; it is only natural for it to be grueling."

Shi Miao offered Li Hao words of comfort.

Having lived together for a century, she could see through his intentions even if he remained silent. Her sharp intellect told her that his devotion to the Artistic Path and the Path of Music wasn't for leisure, but a method of cultivation. If he could master the Artistic Path, Li Hao might finally break through and ascend as a King.

However, becoming a King is a monumental task. Even with the guidance of an Immortal Emperor, a stroke of fate is often required.

While the Primordial True Realm is filled with Divine Medicines and treasures—including the supreme lotus elixirs that can substitute for a World Heart, allowing one to plant a lotus realm inside the body to reach the Immortal King Realm—such rare, chaotic medicines are scarce. True geniuses find them unnecessary, and those without talent are not worthy of them.

"I understand."

Li Hao nodded, showing neither haste nor frustration, merely a reflective mood.

With Shi Miao's companionship, Li Hao spent his days painting in the courtyard. One by one, familiar figures began to manifest within his painting realm.

These were the old friends and loved ones he yearned for: Emperor Yu, Feng, Ren Qianqian, Lin Qingyue, and Li Tianzong, who had perished long ago in the Mo River...

Currently, most of them resided in the True Realm's South Domain. Li Hao did not dare to visit them, fearing that his presence might bring them harm.

The painting realm expanded to cover the entire courtyard. Though Feng, Emperor Yu, and Ren Qianqian appeared as mere shadows within the art, they felt remarkably real, as if their souls had been woven into the fabric of the painting. Their laughter and conversations were perfect echoes of the past.

The quiet courtyard suddenly felt full of life.

Emperor Yu sat across from Li Hao for a game of chess, his finger tapping the table as a ghostly chessboard materialized from the painting.

Feng joined Li Hao for a session of fishing, and the painting realm shifted, manifesting a spectral Demon Lake that hovered in the air.

Nearby, Ren Qianqian practiced her sword forms, her techniques sharpening under Li Hao's casual pointers.

Although they kept him company through chess, fishing, and training, these events were confined to the painting realm. They refined Li Hao's mastery over the art itself but did not grant him experience in other skills.

"Now that they are scattered across the world, you must miss them dearly,"

Shi Miao observed.

Li Hao gave a nod. Having met them amidst the drifting dust of the world, how could he not hold them in his heart?

"If you could one day transfer the growth they gain in the painting realm back to them—as soul insights or inheritances—that would be truly miraculous."

Shi Miao suggested.

Li Hao's eyes flickered with interest at her words; it was a fascinating concept.

If he could elevate the cultivation of Emperor Yu and the others within the painting and then transmit that progress to their physical bodies, it would be an incredible boon for them.

However, as brilliant as the idea was, it bordered on the impossible.

Within the painting realm, Li Hao was the absolute ruler, capable of boosting their power at will. If such power could be transferred to their real selves, raising their cultivation would be as effortless as breathing. Even an Immortal Emperor would struggle to achieve such a feat.

...

"Where is Junior Brother Han Ku?"

Li Hao arrived at the first floor of the Extreme Dao Mountain dojo for his usual cultivation discussions with the Immortal King Realm disciples, only to find several people missing.

Among the absentees was Han Ku, whose Unbreakable Domain had left a lasting impression on Li Hao. Over a decade ago, during Li Hao's first visit, Shi Miao had shattered Han Ku's Unbreakable Domain with a single strike. Within five years of that defeat, Han Ku's domain had evolved significantly, and his cultivation had climbed by a full level.