Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1861 Chapter 496: Boundless Fishing (Part 2)
Previously on Follow the path of Dao from infancy...
Li Hao gradually opened his eyes, gazing upon the Immortal Immortal Emperor standing right before him. He gave a nod, realizing this approach was truly far more effective.
The realm stands as the eternal foundation.
Furthermore, he sensed his comprehensions turning a tad stagnant. Pushing toward greater profundities appeared immensely taxing, shrouded in a veil of haze and resistance.
"Thank you, senior."
Li Hao rose to his feet and offered a deep bow.
The Immortal Immortal Emperor responded calmly, "Born merely a few millennia later; had it been otherwise, your prodigious talent could have pitted you against Di Mingyuan of the Emperor Clan."
Li Hao hadn't anticipated such lavish commendation and hastily replied, "Senior flatters me too much."
"Concentrate on your cultivation and insights. Should you prefer not to depart, remain here as you like. For any concerns, consult me freely. Beyond the Tao Treasury, I possess knowledge on various other subjects."
The Immortal Immortal Emperor offered no further details, rose abruptly, and addressed him.
Having concluded his words and noting Li Hao lost in contemplation, he vanished into nothingness without delay.
Over these two centuries, Li Hao devoted himself wholly to grasping the Tao. His cultivation passively drew in immortal power, now stalled at the bottleneck of the Third Level of the Immortal King Realm.
"It's time to advance my cultivation... yet upon doing so, bridging the gap with powerhouses like Di Mingyuan, who reached Immortal King Realm Perfection ages ago, will prove challenging."
"Among the arts, cooking, poetry and books, and fishing await further mastery. The Thirteenth Stage State of Mind eludes me still; I must first gather more proficiency in these three domains."
Li Hao pondered inwardly.
He chose not to venture out, instead retrieving the Ancient Demon Corpse from his storage space to prepare it right there.
Regarding the risk of his culinary secret being uncovered, he cast aside such worries, knowing that even beyond these confines, the gaze of the two Immortal Emperors would inevitably find him.
As he built up his cooking expertise, Li Hao perused the Tao Treasury time and again; every session granted him substantial gains in Poetry and Book Experience.
Thus, in a secluded nook of the Eternal Realm, the youth dangled his fishing line into the emptiness, absorbed in the Tao Treasury, fishing with serene focus, and whipping up a dish whenever hunger struck.
Poetry and Book Experience surged ahead swiftly, alongside Cooking Experience, yet Fishing Experience lagged behind. Within this Eternal Realm, perils were absent, and even as Li Hao extended his line across time-space into bygone eras, no suitable catches appeared.
All his endeavors registered with the Immortal Immortal Emperor, who felt a twinge of astonishment. Why did this young one maintain such relaxed poise amid these circumstances?
Yet shortly after, he perceived that these apparently idle pursuits harbored a profound entanglement with the Tao Realm.
"Enlightening the Tao through trivial pursuits?"
The Immortal Immortal Emperor showed mild surprise, mulled it over, but refrained from intervening. After all, this was the protégé of the Dao Origin Immortal Emperor, and such an unconventional path must align with Dao Origin's wisdom; his silence implied deeper intent.
Nevertheless, Li Hao grew increasingly vexed by the daily barren hauls.
For one, no viable fish lurked anywhere, not even upon retreating from the Pseudo Realm to the Abyss.
He couldn't possibly regard fellow Immortal Kings as prey.
The other issue was sheer frustration.
The emptiness of fruitless casts bred discomfort.
"Previously, neither time-space nor the entire Fake Realm yielded anything... If my line could pierce through time-space, bypass the Fake Realm, and arrive wherever intent guides, wouldn't endless fishing become possible?"
Li Hao mused to himself.
This notion hit him like a bolt, causing him to pause abruptly.
A spark ignited in his thoughts, and his gaze sharpened with sudden clarity.
"Crossing time-space, reaching any locale..."
"Only upon Shi Miao shattering the Tenth Layer of Time Dao and surpassing it can he navigate freely across temporal points."
"Should it truly work, the entire All Heavens would lie open for angling!"
Excitement swelled within Li Hao, viewing this as the ultimate dream for any angler.
Yet harsh truths prevailed; the immortal power-forged fishing line bore inherent range limits, unable even to breach the Fake Realm despite traversing time-space.
"Shi Miao navigates myriad time-spaces personally; for a mere fishing line like mine, the feat ought to demand less..."
"If only I could probe the outer realms..."
Li Hao shut his eyes, centering his mind, tapping into the Eighth Layer Origin Realm of Space-time Dao to infuse it into the fishing line. It delved into the void, probing ever deeper, subtly brushing against the interlaced rules of this domain.
After navigating successive layers of those rules, he encountered a realm barrier.
"Hmm?"
The Immortal Immortal Emperor's gaze lifted faintly; what antics was the youth up to? Brushing the boundary of his Fake Realm?
As the fishing line probed and tested repeatedly, the Immortal Immortal Emperor detected the youth hunting for a vulnerability along the Fake Realm's perimeter, intent on... breaching it?
Should escape be his goal, a simple request would suffice; he'd permit it without question... Perhaps this was part of his training?
A flicker crossed the Immortal Immortal Emperor's eyes, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
"What is it?"
The Star Empress inquired keenly from nearby.
The Immortal Immortal Emperor chuckled, "Nothing much, merely an amusing development."
With a subtle shift of will, he discreetly manipulated his Fake Realm, exposing a faint vulnerability.
He yearned to witness the uniqueness of this training; should it bear fruit, intriguing shifts might unfold.
Meanwhile, inside the Fake Realm, Li Hao persisted in guiding the fishing line's explorations.
At last, he located a fragile point.
A minuscule fissure emerged, perhaps the seam where laws converged.
Li Hao blinked in brief shock, then brimmed with joy, channeling every ounce of power into the fishing line for a forceful thrust.
Yet even this flaw proved resilient beyond measure; this was an Immortal Emperor's Fake Realm, after all, impervious to assault from peers, let alone one at the Immortal King Realm.
Particularly since Li Hao lingered merely at the Third Stage of the Immortal King Realm.
Though the Immortal Immortal Emperor had granted him an opening, to Li Hao it loomed like an insurmountable mountain, a trial fit for ants challenging the heavens.
"Time, space... gold, water..."
Countless Tao Laws coiled around the fishing line.
Li Hao's eyes flared with blazing Divine Flame; True God Blood roared through him, unleashing the Infinite Emperor Skill to amplify his base nine times over.
"Fishing without bounds..."
"Where the mind wanders, the catch follows..."
"Realm knows no limits!"
As intent linked, myriad laws fused along the fishing line, blending seamlessly in a flash.
The keen edge born of that fusion wielded penetration mightier than conceivable, slicing through the vulnerability in an instant.
With unrelenting advance, the fishing line at last burst free, emerging from the Eternal Realm.
"Hmm?"
The Star Empress abruptly sensed faint auras seeping nearby.
A knowing smile curved the Immortal Immortal Emperor's mouth; he'd facilitated it, yet hadn't foreseen the youth's triumph.
Moreover, he detected that in that pivotal moment, the other had grasped a formidable Tao Realm and forged a terrifying supreme Realm Heart!
"Ah, so this constitutes his cultivation path..."
The Immortal Immortal Emperor grasped the truth.
At the same time, inside the Eternal Pseudo Realm, Li Hao's fishing line pierced outward, instantly grazing the external abyss.
Notifications flickered on the panel before his vision, yet Li Hao paid them no heed, overwhelmed by a torrent of Dao Thoughts.
[You have comprehended Fishing State of Mind, Boundless!]
Bolstered by the influx of Dao Thoughts, Li Hao in that instant achieved unparalleled mastery over the fishing line.
As it stretched from the Eternal Pseudo Realm into the abyss, it swiftly plunged into profound voids, burrowing onward until it brushed a concealed, robust realm barrier.
That barrier pulsed with the essence of a Great Emperor.
Li Hao sought to stab and shatter it, but a voice echoed suddenly in his consciousness:
"Cease at once; that Emperor Array defies breach, and forcing it risks grave peril, unveiling this abyss's whereabouts."
Li Hao jolted, snapping alert; it was the Immortal Immortal Emperor's voice.
Only then did realization dawn, prompting him to swiftly withdraw the fishing line into himself.
"Senior..."
Li Hao sprang up in haste, recalling his recent intrusion upon the other's Fake Realm, a chill sweat breaking out.
An act like that couldn't possibly evade the other's notice.
"The potency of the Tao Realm you've attained is formidable, though not yet a match for Emperor Dao, but among the Immortal King Realm... it ranks supreme."
The Immortal Immortal Emperor's form materialized before Li Hao, coalescing from phantom to solid, delivering the words with a grin.