Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1739 Chapter 443: Arriving One After Another

A magnificent and opulent estate stood perched atop the summit of Extreme Dao Mountain.

"Only three years remain..."

"The opening of the Endless Heavenly Domain is imminent. Throughout these three centuries, my progress in the Chaos Law has moved from three refined paths to eleven. This level is merely equivalent to what Junior Brother Haotian achieved when he first arrived..."

Adorned in a regal dark-gold gown, Di Lingshu knit her brows in thought. She had never anticipated that for this upcoming journey to the Endless Heavenly Domain, she would actually have to rely on a junior brother who had joined the Sect far later than herself.

"It has been over seven hundred years since I began my Cultivation in the Primordial True Realm. Currently, refining each path of the Chaos Law takes an average of forty years. The further I progress, the more the pace slows. Once I reach twenty paths, a single step forward might require over a century of effort."

She felt a sense of defeat wash over her as she contemplated the absurd Cultivation speed of Junior Brother Haotian.

Once, her confidence within the Sect was unshakable, but these past three hundred years had forced her to realize she was not at the pinnacle of talent. Above her, in addition to the Eldest Senior Brother and the monstrous Second Senior Brother, there now existed a freak of nature like Junior Brother Haotian.

"Reflecting on my history, it took two hundred years to grasp sixty-nine chaotic stars and another century to condense them into twenty-three paths of Chaos Law—a total of only three hundred years. But now..."

Di Lingshu let out a soft sigh and shook her head slightly.

"In this same span of three hundred years, Junior Brother Haotian surely must have refined twenty-three paths of Chaos Law long ago. While it took me three centuries of Cultivation just to condense twenty-three paths, he has already refined them and leaped across an entire major realm..."

"I wonder, what kind of preparations is Junior Brother Haotian making at this moment?"

She shifted her gaze, looking past the courtyard wall in an attempt to glimpse the activity within that modest, fenced-in garden.

...

"Dong~"

The soft, resonant notes of a zither drifted through the air, mingling with the savory scent of roasting meat and the sound of lighthearted laughter.

"Your cooking skills are truly improving."

Holding a piece of Ancient Demon Flesh, Shi Miao sat beside Li Hao's zither table. She ate with a smile, her lips glistening with grease from the meal.

Li Hao offered a faint smile as the zither's melody danced around his fingers. The surrounding immortal power began to coalesce into elegant fairy silhouettes, performing a dance before the instrument's strings.

"A single note compels the heavens and earth to dance."

Li Hao whispered to himself.

Upon reaching the thirteenth stage of the Painting Realm, Li Hao had turned his focus toward the cultivation of musical rhythm.

The small scale of the courtyard left no room for fishing, and he found carving to be too solitary; he would become so lost in the work that he would ignore Shi Miao’s presence. Only through the zither could he balance his internal comprehension with an awareness of his environment.

After a century of playing, his experience in musical rhythm had reached its limit. He had entered a deep state of epiphany during this time. When Li Hao finally emerged from his trance, Shi Miao informed him that sixty years had slipped by, causing Li Hao to click his tongue in private astonishment.

He had always heard that at higher realms, the passage of a millennium could feel like a mere heartbeat during meditation. He hadn't expected it to be so literal.

A single moment of focus had cost him sixty years without him even realizing it.

Furthermore, that specific epiphany hadn't triggered a breakthrough or allowed him to fully master the Music Rhythm Realm, though it had brought him to the very threshold.

As his fingers came to a rest, the graceful fairy figures before him bowed in respect to Li Hao. They then dissolved into a faint immortal mist, vanishing like drifting sand from the zither strings.

"The thirteenth stage of the mind is exceptionally difficult to grasp."

Li Hao mused. A century of meditation hadn't been enough to break through a single stage. In contrast, it had took only a few decades for him to raise various other artistic skills from the first to the twelfth stage!

The distance between the twelfth and thirteenth stages felt like a massive canyon; Li Hao could sense a profound watershed separating the two.

"Your zither play is already capable of affecting space-time," Shi Miao remarked.

While he played, she had noticed that beyond the manifestations of immortal power, the very fabric of the courtyard's space-time had been rippling. It shifted from calm to turbulent, sometimes stirring like a sudden storm and other times slowing to a crawl like a peaceful brook. Given her deep mastery over time, her sensitivity to Li Hao's music was acute.

In a real fight, Li Hao's music would be a terrifying immortal technique, capable of slaying enemies where they stood.

"The Painting Realm can reverse time... but for music rhythm, what kind of heart should the Dao possess?"

Li Hao's eyes shimmered; he had yet to discover the 'world heart' of musical rhythm.

Even though he was standing right at the door, that final step remained elusive and vital.

Inside the small garden, time continued its relentless march.

In what seemed like a flash, another three years passed by quietly.

To those in the Immortal Monarch Realm, three years is nothing more than a fleeting breath.

Within the central hall at the peak of Extreme Dao Mountain...

Li Hao and Senior Sister Di Lingshu arrived to meet their master. Alongside them, the incarnations of Gu Mofan, Di Wushè, and their other senior siblings had gathered.

"Junior Brother, three centuries have passed. Surely you have completed the refinement of twenty-three paths of Chaos Law by now?"

They greeted Li Hao with warm smiles as they appeared.

Three hundred years ago, Li Hao’s arrival had stunned the entire Primordial True Realm. Now that so much time had passed, they assumed he must have reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Monarch Realm.

"Hmm..."

Li Hao rubbed the back of his head. He had purposely avoided adding the Chaos Dao of the Sixth Stage, fearing that the Chaos Immortal Emperor or the Original Immortal Emperor might be monitoring him. He intended to make his move once he was inside the Endless Heavenly Domain.

Consequently, his Chaos Law remained at the level of twenty-one refined paths.

Observing Li Hao’s vague answer, the others simply smiled, choosing not to press him. They assumed he was merely being humble. After all, he had already refined twenty-one paths two centuries ago. Even with the increased difficulty of later stages, Li Hao's genius should have easily allowed for two more paths in that time.

The Dao Origin Immortal Emperor cast a look toward Li Hao. Under that gaze, Li Hao felt as if his soul was being bared, and a cold sweat broke out. It was clear his master saw through him and likely knew his exact progress in the Chaos Refining Law.

However, the Dao Origin Immortal Emperor did not expose him. He simply spoke in a calm, steady voice:

"The Endless Heavenly Domain is opening. You two, accompanied by disciples from the outer sect, shall journey there. It is a realm of great fortune, but also a graveyard for many. Once inside, you will be beyond help—not even your master can interfere!"