Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1775 Chapter 457: Beyond the Heavens

With the Heavenly Dao Power drawn from that Chaos Dao Seed, Li Hao's silhouette blurred in motion, heading straight for yet another on the western flank.

In short order, he had taken care of both Chaos Dao Seeds, showing no inclination to delay as he pushed onward to fresh territories.

Spanning a full three thousand miles, his Divine Sense offered an expansive sweep, sharpening his pursuit and making the hunt far more effective.

Li Hao combed through the area with precision, shifting from east to west in repeated passes, and during this, his Divine Sense picked up on Luo Ningshuang and Su Wanyi once more, though he chose to steer clear intentionally, skipping any encounter or exchange.

Regarding their own pursuits in this space, he left them undisturbed; after all, venturing into the Ninth-layer Heavenly Domain proved grueling for everyone who made it, and unless they harbored ill will against him or sought to suppress the Human Race, he saw no reason to meddle— in the looming clashes with Ancient Demons ahead, these very prodigies could turn into valuable comrades.

Through relentless tracking, the reserves of Heavenly Dao Power building up inside Li Hao grew immensely plentiful, and with each full traverse from one edge to the other, he managed to claim no fewer than a hundred Chaos Dao Seeds.

By now, he sensed that the Heavenly Dao Power required to forge his Realm had more than met its mark, leaving the surplus to bolster his Chaos Tao Realm further.

Having wrapped up the hunt, right before stepping onto the Heavenly Ascension Road, Li Hao intended to push his Chaos Dao to yet another level.

The clash with that Divine King earlier had driven home the point that his present battle prowess fell short of being unbeatable among Immortal Monarchs.

Up against a Divine King wielding several Ultimate Realm Powers, he'd been forced nearly to his utmost limits just to prevail; should another foe of equal caliber appear, he had no desire to fight so desperately once more.

"Senior Sister, this is your share."

Two shares of Heavenly Dao Power were transmitted by Li Hao into the Heaven and Earth Space, passed along to Senior Sister Di Lingshu.

Earlier, upon entering the Ninth-layer Heavenly Domain and gauging its perils, Li Hao had fretted over possible mishaps befalling her, so he'd tucked her away safely in the Heaven and Earth Space— she wouldn't get a chance to act here regardless.

"Junior Brother, you mustn't!"

Di Lingshu jolted in surprise, hastening to turn it down.

Even though she'd contributed nothing in this place, Li Hao stuck to their earlier pact, dividing the gathered Heavenly Dao Power with her— this stood as the supreme boon in the Immortal Monarch Realm tied to the Emperor Road, drawing hordes of elite prodigies to scramble and seize it, yet Li Hao handed it over freely like it was nothing.

Hailing from the Emperor Clan, she'd been showered with rare marvels without end, but back in her clan, even snagging those ultra-scarce gems demanded strings attached.

Innate gifts, bloodline purity, the promise in her parents' heritage... her folks, when picking which child to lavish the prime cultivation aids upon, had chosen her for her standout talent, betting on bigger payoffs if she thrived.

Prior to crossing paths with Li Hao, only Master had nurtured her growth without seeking anything back.

Master held off on expecting returns since true repayment meant ascending to the pinnacle realm as an Immortal Emperor, the bare minimum to even broach the topic.

Aside from Master, it was this very youth standing before her.

This very dynamic made her certain she couldn't keep accepting more.

"As we settled before, just take it," Li Hao stated.

Di Lingshu gave a helpless smile; back then, Li Hao had mentioned sharing a tenth of his yields, making it sound modest, but after clearing the Eighth Layer Heavenly Domain, that slice alone amounted to something staggering.

She resolved firmly against taking any further Heavenly Dao Power from the Ninth-layer Heavenly Domain.

"Junior Brother, you've already given me plenty, truly more than enough."

Di Lingshu repeated insistently.

"It was agreed upon before."

"...Little Junior Brother, please, as your Senior Sister, I'm begging you."

Di Lingshu's expression twisted in wry distress as she pleaded, though inwardly she found the situation ridiculous.

From the exchange alone, it appeared she was enduring some hardship; no soul could guess that the giver was dead set on bestowing Heavenly Dao Power upon her.

"..."

Li Hao found himself at a loss for words but refrained from pressing Di Lingshu, adding, "If you're concerned about settling the debt later, don't be— since we've reached this point, the chance has to be seized fully."

Grasping Li Hao's aim, Di Lingshu responded, "It's already plenty complete; the Heavenly Dao Power inside me suffices."

Beyond her hesitation to accept extra, she truly believed her inner Heavenly Dao Power had reached adequacy; if this much fell short for her, then what others managed to gather would pale into utter irrelevance.

Witnessing her steadfast rejection, Li Hao mulled it over and relented without pushing, noting, "If it turns out you need more, just say the word."

"Mm."

Di Lingshu dipped her head in agreement, a wave of relief washing through her inwardly.

She had indeed fretted over accruing too steep a debt, dreading the challenge of ever balancing it.

Li Hao withdrew the two shares of Heavenly Dao Power and resumed his forward sweep, claiming more Chaos Dao Seeds.

Along the way, he crossed paths with Chaos Dao Seeds at the Beast King Level, their fighting might akin to the quartet he'd surprised near the Chaos River before, yet they fell swiftly under Li Hao's hand.

"Hmm?"

All at once, as Li Hao advanced, his attention snagged on a silhouette gliding across a lake's surface.

That form wore a dark robe, features shrouded, build sleek and balanced, radiating an icy, unapproachable chill.

Through his Divine Sense, Li Hao had spotted the individual, and it seemed they had sensed him too, their gaze swiveling toward where he stood.

Li Hao experienced a faint shock; the instant their stares met, he realized they had clocked him right back.

Typically, within his Divine Sense's reach exceeding three thousand miles, it was he who spotted targets first, leaving them oblivious.

For the first time, mutual detection struck at the exact same beat!

A thrill of caution gripped Li Hao, his senses prickling; he'd figured the Divine King from before, even if not the absolute cream of this prodigy crop, ranked among the fiercest, but the black-robed figure confronting him now clearly loomed as a much deadlier threat!