Chapter 519: The Grand Dream Clan
Thinking about meeting those familiar faces again, Li Hao felt a bit of anticipation.
But unlike the fondness he felt for reuniting with Huang Tian Sheng, when it came to Yuan Zu and the Divine King, the bitterness still lingered. Back then, they faked their deaths and left him to face the ancient demons alone—nearly costing him his life. That debt still needed to be settled.
However, now that they had joined the Heavenly Palace, their identities might have changed. He'd have to figure out how to handle it when the time came.
While Li Hao was mulling things over, two figures chatting outside the hall stepped in.
He looked up and saw a man and a woman standing together. They looked like a perfect pair, handsome and elegant, like they had walked out of a painting.
The young man was strikingly handsome, with deep blue eyes and a delicate, almost ethereal beauty.
The young woman seemed around eighteen or nineteen, her eyes shimmering faintly with a rainbow-like glow. Her clothing floated like mist, very similar in style to the Grand Dream Master's.
"Hmm?"
As Li Hao observed them, they also noticed him and stopped talking, both looking surprised.
They hadn't expected anyone else to be in their master's hall. While they knew their master had other disciples, those had already passed three thousand soul-years and weren't among the ones chosen for this journey.
After all, their master had said she'd personally escort them this time, and someone had to stay back to guard Da Meng Jiuyuan in case of any outside interference.
"It's you?"
The two quickly recognized Li Hao, and their expressions shifted. His face had been projected across the Nine Thousand Immortal Cities of Yan Chu when he ascended the Immortal City and defeated a royal heir during the Ancient Immortal Realm trials. He was hardly a stranger—especially since he was a rising star from their own sect.
"What are you doing here? Who let you in?" the young man asked coldly after his initial shock, staring intently at Li Hao.
Sensing the hostility, Li Hao remained unfazed. "And who might you be?"
"We're our master's disciples. You're not," the young man snapped, clearly annoyed by Li Hao's question.
Li Hao realized what was going on and calmly replied, "The Grand Dream Master invited me."
"Master?" The young man's face changed slightly, though he seemed to have expected it. After all, without their master's permission, no outsider could have just walked in.
Still, it stung that their master allowed this youth into her private quarters.
Jealousy flickered in his eyes. "Is that so? Well, this is our master's resting place. You can stay, but don't go wandering around."
Li Hao raised an eyebrow, gave the man a quick look, and said nothing.
Seeing that Li Hao didn't respond, the young man grew more irritated. But before he could say more, the girl beside him spoke with interest:
"You stayed in the Origin Secret Realm for seven years. Which Origin City did you go to?"
Li Hao's eyes narrowed slightly. "You've been there too?"
He hadn't seen these two in the Origin City or even during the battles with the Desolate Region during the Ancient Immortal Realm trials. And clearly, both of them were in the Immortal Lord stage—their aura was refined, possessing a depth no True Immortal could have.
Besides that one from the Spear Abyss, there were now two more Immortal Lords in Da Meng Jiuyuan. Hidden trump cards, perhaps?
"Yes, we went earlier. Our master arranged it through special channels, but we earned it ourselves, too. We earned great military merit guarding the border and also hold posts in the Demon Suppression Bureau. My senior brother and I are both Grade-One Suppression Guards and have been shortlisted as Spirit Officers. That's how we qualified," the young woman said.
The young man beside her immediately frowned. "Junior sister."
He tried to stop her but it was too late. He could only send her a voice transmission: "That's supposed to be confidential. No need to share it with him."
"It's fine. Unless he scores big in the Southern Domain battle, master won't go out of her way to send him again anyway," she replied indifferently through voice transmission.
The young man thought about it and let it go.
"Spirit Officer?"
Li Hao's thoughts stirred. These two were reserve Spirit Officers, while thanks to Elder Gu and his own accumulated military merit, he was already an official Spirit Officer in the Demon Suppression Bureau. Maybe he could use that connection to return to the Origin Secret Realm one day.
Even if all he did there was draw or fish, it would be better than training outside. He could break through at any time in that place.
"You're all here."
Just then, a gentle voice drifted in as the Grand Dream Master arrived, her figure floating gracefully into the hall.
"Master," the two quickly bowed.
"Senior," Li Hao also offered a respectful salute.
The Grand Dream Master gave a soft wave of her hand, signaling them not to be so formal. She then looked to her two disciples and said, "This is Hao Tian. You've probably already heard of him. Hao Tian, these two are my disciples. Get to know each other. If other sects target us during the battle, you'll be able to support one another."
"Support one another?"
The young man glanced sideways at Li Hao, a faint sneer tugging at his lips. A True Immortal supporting an Immortal Lord? What a joke.
He understood what his master meant—she wanted them to look after this youth more—but he didn't show any displeasure. After all, their master hated internal conflict among her disciples more than anything.
"Mm."
Li Hao just nodded, not giving it too much thought.
"You've been with me this long and still don't know my real name. From now on, you may address me as Lord Meng or Senior Meng. I am of the Da Meng clan," the Grand Dream Master said to Li Hao in a soft, gentle voice.
Li Hao had heard long ago that among the countless races of the True Realm, a hundred had risen to the top, becoming its pillars—the strongest of them all.
"Senior Meng." Li Hao nodded.
The Grand Dream Master smiled, then gestured to the young man and woman beside her. "This is from the Xuan Yin clan—Yin Jingcheng. And this is Meng Huaiyue, a genius from my Da Meng clan."
Li Hao glanced at the girl. No wonder her clothing resembled the Grand Dream Master's, and her eyes carried a hint of dreamy color.
Yin Jingcheng noticed Li Hao's complete lack of reaction to the mention of his race and raised an eyebrow. The Xuan Yin clan was one of the Six Yuan Clans among the top hundred races. Most people would at least show some respect upon hearing it.
"I wonder, Junior Brother Hao Tian, which clan are you from? I don't recall any clan with the surname Hao among the Hundred."
Yin Jingcheng smiled with seeming interest, but there was a hint of condescension in his eyes.
Li Hao remained calm. "There wasn't one before, but there will be."
"Oh?"
Yin Jingcheng raised a brow, clearly misunderstanding. He sneered inwardly, though his face wore a pleasant smile.
"Ambitious, huh? Trying to bring your race into the Hundred through your own strength? You know you'll have to pass the trials of the Hundred Races' Imperial War Mountain for that, right?"
Li Hao looked at him quietly, but there was a sharp glint in his eyes—a warning. The earlier misunderstanding about barging in he could let slide, but now this was clearly deliberate provocation.
Yin Jingcheng was stunned by the sharpness in Li Hao's gaze and found himself getting angry.
He couldn't lose his temper in front of their master, but now this brat was looking at him like that?
Forcing a smile, he said, "I heard our little junior joined our sect not long ago. I wonder where such a genius trained before. What kind of sect would let someone like you go? Or were you just hiding your talent and went unnoticed?"
Li Hao's expression chilled. "What business is it of yours?"
Yin Jingcheng froze, stunned that Li Hao actually snapped at him—right in front of their master.
The Grand Dream Master also noticed the tension. Her smile faded, and her expression darkened.
"Master, he… this junior—"
Yin Jingcheng quickly tried to play the innocent as he caught the shift in her mood.
Li Hao also saw her face change. He sighed inwardly. He had indeed snapped at her disciple in her presence. If she chose to blame him, he'd repay whatever kindness she'd shown and part ways with no regrets.
But the rebuke he was expecting didn't come.
Instead, the Grand Dream Master turned a cold gaze toward Yin Jingcheng and said sternly, "Jingcheng, what are you implying with your words? I already told you all to get along and support each other. And now you're questioning Hao Tian's background? Who gave you the right to interrogate him?"
Both Li Hao and Yin Jingcheng were momentarily stunned. Even Meng Huaiyue looked surprised—none of them expected the Grand Dream Master to value this youth so highly.
"Master, I… I was just making conversation. I didn't know he had such a temper," Yin Jingcheng said with a hint of grievance, though inwardly, he was seething with jealousy.
"You think I've lived all these years for nothing? If you can't understand the weight of your own words, how do you expect to lead a sect that has stood for a hundred thousand years?"
The Grand Dream Master's face was ice cold. "Your Dao heart has stalled at the Immortal Lord stage. I've told you many times—you must open your heart. If you want to become a king, you need a king's heart. How else will you align with the Dao or gain its insight?"
Yin Jingcheng's expression shifted. He bowed his head in silence.
"Master, Senior Brother didn't mean it," Meng Huaiyue quickly said, wanting to ease the tension. After all, she and Yin Jingcheng were close.
"Then that makes it worse," the Grand Dream Master snorted. Her anger eased slightly, but there was clear disappointment in her eyes. She sighed and said, "Go cultivate. This Southern Domain War concerns our sect's honor. You'll be facing strong opponents—especially Wan Shan Sword Tower. We have old rivalries. If you encounter Tian Hongyi, he won't show you mercy."
When Meng Huaiyue heard the name Tian Hongyi, the strongest disciple of Wan Shan Sword Tower, her expression shifted slightly, a trace of worry flickering in her eyes.
She and her senior brother had only just entered the Immortal Lord stage, and they clearly weren't a match for someone like Tian Hongyi. But since their sect aimed to be promoted to a Tianyi Sect, they were likely to clash with him.
Yin Jingcheng also felt a chill after hearing the Grand Dream Master's words, but his heart quickly soured again as he recalled what had just happened. He was fighting for the sect, facing powerful enemies, yet their master still favored someone else so openly.
Feeling dejected, he gave a quiet response, then turned and left without looking at Li Hao, afraid his anger might slip and be noticed by their master.
Meng Huaiyue glanced at Li Hao and sighed softly. She had a vague feeling their master had placed her hopes on the True Immortal group's matches. This young man might bring more glory to the sect than they ever could.
Once the two had left, the Grand Dream Master withdrew her gaze, though the disappointment in her eyes remained. She said to Li Hao, "I'm sorry you had to see that. Those two are talented, but their Dao hearts are still lacking."
She shook her head and smiled bitterly, a hint of regret in her voice.
Li Hao remained quiet. He hadn't expected her to stand up for him so firmly, though it didn't feel like favoritism—he hadn't done anything wrong. The other party had been the one to provoke.
Still, those two were her disciples. He was just a temporary guest of Da Meng Jiu Yuan.
Sensing his silence, the Grand Dream Master softened her tone. "Are you still upset with Jingcheng?"
"No," Li Hao shook his head. Meeting her dreamy gaze, he said softly, "It's a trivial matter. It won't leave a mark on me."
She nodded. After spending two months with him, she had already seen how unshakable his Dao heart was. She had even sent an avatar to inquire with Li Tiemu of Jian Yuan and learned that Li Hao had struck nine chimes in the Heart-Testing Tower—proving he had an Eternal Dao Heart. So she knew his words weren't empty.
If someone with an eternal heart couldn't overlook something so small, how could they claim eternity?
"Rest well. We'll head to the Imperial Capital first," she said.
"I'm not tired." Li Hao shook his head, then looked around the main hall. "Did you paint that screen yourself?"
"Mm."
She smiled faintly when she saw him looking at the painting on the screen.
Li Hao had already noticed several things in the hall that seemed to be formed from paintings.
"May I take a look?"
"As you wish," the Grand Dream Master said with a smile.
Before long, their flying ship arrived above the Imperial Capital of the Yanchu Immortal Dynasty.
Dozens of other ships hovered in the sky, all of various sizes, each carrying disciples from different sects. Among them, a giant sword floated like a ship—it was Wan Shan Sword Tower's vessel.
Atop the flying sword sat a massive palace that looked like a layered tree hollow. Many figures stood atop it.
Above the capital, the image of Emperor Chu appeared in the sky, bidding farewell to the sect disciples departing for war.
Compared to the other sects' ships and domain artifacts, the royal entourage was the most extravagant. A Chaos Ancestral Dragon at the Immortal King stage carried Chu Tianhuang and other royals on its back.
Their figures were small, like specks on the dragon's massive scales.
This moment of departure for the Supreme Heavenly Palace was projected across all nine thousand cities of the Immortal Dynasty. The citizens cheered and sent their blessings to all those headed to battle.
Among the crowd, a group of people burst from one city, shouting desperately toward the sky. Their expressions were anxious, as if they hoped their voices could pierce the projection and reach the capital above.
But within the vastness of the nine thousand cities, they were insignificant. Though they stirred small ripples locally, their voices couldn't reach the distant imperial skies.
Emperor Chu's image raised a hand, enlarging a single immortal city until it towered above all.
The various sect ships descended onto this city.
The Chaos Ancestral Dragon carrying the royal clan coiled outside its perimeter.
Then, Emperor Chu's image closed his palm, shrinking the city until it vanished in his hand.
"Guard the Immortal Dynasty well. During the Southern Region War, the ancient demons may attempt a surprise attack," he commanded two figures standing in the void.
They were his most trusted lieutenants—Yuan Xinggang and Shangguan Hong.
Previously, with the addition of the Commander of the Demon Subjugation Division, they had been the three strongest powers under Emperor Chu.
But the Commander had fallen, leaving only these two.
With the farewells complete, Emperor Chu's image carried the immortal city into the starry skies above the imperial realm, vanishing into the heavens.