Chapter 332: Contest in the Imperial Palace
Li Hao's suggestion was agreed upon by the Cang Hai Divine Dynasty.
Subsequently, a prince of the Divine Dynasty came to personally invite Li Hao to the Imperial Palace of the Cang Hai Divine Dynasty. He had to leave a blood mark on the Divine Stone Dragon Seal to become a venerated one of the Divine Dynasty.
When the Divine Dynasty is in distress, activating the Divine Stone Dragon Seal can summon the venerated ones within the Divine Dynasty. If the venerated ones refuse to act, they will suffer backlash from the seal, resulting in damage to their cultivation.
If a venerated one cannot be present due to certain issues, they can still project an avatar through the Divine Stone Dragon Seal to participate in the battle, thus contributing in some way.
In simple terms, this item is equivalent to a type of mandatory contract.
Li Hao understood that with gain comes loss; receiving payment to eliminate disasters is similar to incense offerings.
In the Sage realm, incense offerings are not only a source of power but also akin to currency among mortals. This is why competing for incense offerings from a Sage is extremely difficult.
It is akin to trying to seize wealth from the rich and powerful; it is a dangerous endeavor.
The Sacrificial Dao Mountain is not far from the imperial capital of the Cang Hai Divine Dynasty. Li Hao was accompanied by three people: two men and one woman. One of the men, tall and dignified, wore a red divine robe with a shimmering law garment, and wielded a long spear seemingly forged from lava. His gaze was disdainful, and he was accompanied by the Crown Prince of the Cang Hai Divine Dynasty.
The other man and woman both appeared very young. The woman had silver eyes, reminding Li Hao of the Holy Moon Prince's unique eyes.
Clearly, those invited by the Divine Dynasty were no ordinary individuals.
The imperial city of the Cang Hai Divine Dynasty was extraordinarily grand, covering thousands of miles. The Imperial Palace was majestic, with dragon pillars of Cang Hai totems winding around.
Under the guidance of Crown Prince Guihai Feng, they arrived at the Imperial Palace and met the Divine Dynasty's Emperor.
The Cang Hai Emperor sat on the Dragon Throne, with a long and narrow face that exuded authority. He appeared to be in his sixties with only a few white hairs at his temples.
It was said he was a Semi-Saint realm being, having one foot in the realm of Dao but not yet having condensed his own Saint Dao. He had an extremely long lifespan, numerous concubines, and many children, among whom there were several with exceptional talents and formidable cultivation.
In the court, officials and military officers all lined up, staring at the four newly appointed venerated ones of the Cang Hai Divine Dynasty.
They needed to remember their appearances and warn their own younger generations to avoid provoking them in the future.
Those who have served in the Divine Dynasty for a long time know that the younger members of their families must be vigilant, as any misstep can bring disaster to the family.
"The four of you are all outstanding talents among men and women. Now, becoming venerated ones of our Cang Hai, as long as Cang Hai remains, you will be honored with the title of venerated ones for generations to come, and your name will be praised far and wide!"
The Cang Hai Emperor smiled and spoke to Li Hao and the others.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Cang Hai Emperor took out the Divine Stone Dragon Seal and had the four of them drop their blood onto it.
Once the blood was deposited, the Cang Hai Emperor conferred titles upon the four in the great hall, granting them venerated badges. Within the Cang Hai Divine Dynasty, they held positions just below the Emperor, enjoyed divine privileges, and could even command troops of up to one hundred thousand. In addition, there was a stipend, though the monetary aspect was merely a formality.
They were then taken to the inner hall, where only the Cang Hai Emperor and the accompanying Crown Prince were present to discuss the incense offerings.
"I have agreed to all of your previous requests. Today, master artisans will come to measure your divine statues. From today onwards, temples will be built for you in various locations within the Divine Dynasty, and your divine statues will be sculpted. I will have the commander responsible for spreading your esteemed deeds and names throughout the city," the Cang Hai Emperor said with a smile.
"The better your achievements and the more legendary your deeds, the more incense offerings you will receive, and it may even spread to other cities."
Incense offerings involve not only building temples and sculpting divine statues but also spreading one's reputation. If one's deeds and reputation are extraordinarily famous, incense offerings will come spontaneously.
Therefore, acquiring incense offerings is difficult; mortals will worship the strongest Sages, and to convert that worship to oneself, many means must be employed.
Li Hao's reputation in the Dayu Divine Dynasty was prominent. Thus, once the Jiang family's incense offerings were collected and the formation of the Five Divine Generals' Prefecture was no longer reversed, the remaining scattered incense offerings quickly moved to him, with minimal effort.
Seeing that the emperor was ready, Li Hao nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty, when will Princess Yun Ji and I be married?"
The young man in the red robe, holding the molten divine spear, asked calmly.
"You may set the date yourself," the Cang Hai Emperor replied with a smile.
"Then let it be held immediately after I secure first place in this battle. I will be facing the three major Sacred Grounds next, and will not have time," the young man in red said.
His words made the man and woman beside him frown slightly. His calm demeanor carried a self-assuredness that was somewhat unsettling.
"Is it really that easy to win first place?" the young man in purple, standing nearby, said with a cold gaze. His goal was also to be first. If he couldn't even secure first place among the scattered cultivators, how could he compete with the top talents from the three major Sacred Grounds for a spot in the Cang Lan Realm?
"Hmm?"
The young man in red glanced at him, his eyes suddenly cold, and a murderous intent emanated from him.
"Do you have any objections?"
The young man in purple's eyes narrowed. "It's not about objections. I just fear that someone might have spoken too confidently!"
As he spoke, he looked towards the Cang Hai Emperor, slightly bowing, and said, "Your Majesty, if marrying Princess Yun Ji is also a condition for becoming a venerated one, then I have no princess I admire. Can we add two more cities of incense offerings?"
The Cang Hai Emperor was momentarily troubled. Given the other party's strength, offering five cities' worth of incense offerings was what he considered a reasonable price. Any more would be somewhat uneconomical.
Unless the other party had hidden means that had not been fully revealed, he could not definitively state his position.
As the Cang Hai Emperor pondered, the young man in red suddenly smiled lightly and then released a fierce red flame, as if to set the entire Imperial Palace ablaze.
"Your Majesty has promised me twelve cities' worth of incense offerings. As for Princess Yun Ji, I am worthy of that!"
He turned to face the young man in purple, his eyes blazing with golden flames. "What are you? Do you even deserve to haggle with me?"
The young man in purple's face darkened immediately, realizing the words were quite harsh. His expression became gloomy, and he was visibly shocked.
"Twelve cities of incense offerings?" He had expected to receive five cities, the same as himself!
"Your Majesty, is he indeed receiving twelve cities of incense offerings?" The beautiful woman in cloud attire beside him looked surprised and then frowned, asking the Cang Hai Emperor.
The Cang Hai Emperor knew such matters could not be concealed, as incense offerings were tangible and easily investigated. He nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, the Red Light Venerated One has opened the Five Extremes Realm and excels in fire-based divine abilities, hence the twelve cities of incense offerings."
"Five Extremes Realm?"
Upon hearing the Cang Hai Emperor's words, the young man in purple and the woman in cloud attire had their expressions tighten. Mastery of the Five Extremes Realm indicated a level comparable to the Saint Child of a Sacred Ground.
"Is twelve cities of incense offerings granted just for this? Then I suppose I have underpriced myself!" The young man in purple's eyes revealed dissatisfaction and a hint of anger.
He had only been offered five cities, while the other had received double.
"You're the type who deserves only five cities. To be honest, it would be better to give those five cities to me," the Red Light Venerated One said with a cold, disdainful gaze.
The young man in purple's aura suddenly erupted, turning his hair golden as he released his divine power. At the same time, a murderous intent filled his eyes as he said, "Let's see about that. If I defeat you, your twelve cities of incense offerings will be mine. As for Princess Yun Ji, you can forget about marrying her—try marrying a stray dog instead!"
Li Hao was somewhat surprised. He had thought the offerings were all ten cities. He didn't expect such a disparity.
However, upon reflection, it seemed reasonable; it was unlikely they were all of the same level.
But calculating it this way, it seemed he only received ten cities' worth of incense offerings, which seemed a bit low. His bargaining skills were lacking.
As he saw these two about to clash, Li Hao glanced at the Cang Hai Emperor, but saw that the Emperor did not stop them. Clearly, if he intervened, the focus would shift to him, and it was more fitting to resolve such matters with martial prowess.
Li Hao said nothing, waiting to see how the dispute would be resolved.
The woman in the cloud dress noticed Li Hao's movements, raised her eyebrows slightly, glanced at him, and then silently stepped aside.
Whether it was five cities or twelve cities, she wanted to see if these two, who were higher or lower than herself, were truly worth it.
"Seeking death!"
Seeing the insult, the Red Light's eyes suddenly burst into divine flames. With a sudden flash, he disappeared using the Void Space Movement.
At the same time, the young man in purple also used the Void Space Movement. Mastering the Void Realm, he caused a loud boom, shaking the void and spreading a sea of flames, intending to ignite the entire imperial palace.
However, Emperor Cang Hai raised his hand slightly, and a formation quickly condensed around them, isolating the flames and preventing the temperature from affecting the surroundings.
"Purple Extreme Sky Micro!!"
The young man in purple roared, emitting a large amount of purple energy. An ancient emperor's figure vaguely appeared behind him.
The figure was blurred, but its outline revealed an imposing aura that seemed to lift the heavens, bringing a shocking sense of oppression.
Then, he suddenly struck out, with the blurred figure behind him reflecting his hand to suppress the Red Light with a palm strike.
The Red Light glanced up, revealing a trace of derision in his eyes. His entire body was suddenly engulfed in golden flames that seemed capable of burning everything. The young man in purple's clothes and even his hair were set alight.
A golden pattern appeared on the Red Light's forehead, and he softly said, "Flame Extreme Divine Art, Supreme Heart Flame!"
As his words fell, the surrounding laws condensed, and waves of surging flames erupted into the sky. At the same time, a great fire ignited on the young man in purple, who screamed in agony.
This scene made both Li Hao and the woman in cloud dress look serious. The woman in cloud dress's eyes revealed a trace of shock. Although Emperor Cang Hai had mentioned the opponent's divine art was formidable, she hadn't expected it to be this strong!
This was a top-tier divine art, perfected to an extremely high level. Just this divine art alone was hard to guard against.
Li Hao observed the young man in purple being scorched by the golden flames. This fire originated from the opponent's inner self, igniting the heart's flame, which was extremely difficult to guard against.
Divine arts are ultimate techniques mastered by the Daoist realm. The opponent's divine art had already touched upon the Dao's essence, not inferior to the Holy Moon Prince.
As the intense flames burned, the young man in purple hurriedly used the Void Space Movement, but the flames persisted and could not be extinguished.
He roared in pain, enveloped in purple light. The imposing figure behind him grasped him tightly, and the purple light erupted. After a long time, the fire was finally extinguished.
During this process, the Red Light did not make another move, only watching coldly.
When the flames were extinguished, the young man in purple was left with his entire body blackened and his battle body cracked, looking tragic.
His face turned extremely ugly. Considering there was a woman present, he quickly retrieved a set of robes from the space and put them on. His entire body was covered in burn wounds, but the humiliation in his heart was even more painful and infuriating than the physical pain.
"If it weren't for the respect due to our shared affiliation, I would have killed you like a chicken!"
The Red Light's gaze was icy, speaking without any semblance of politeness.
The young man in purple's face darkened, and he fell silent. Although the words were harsh and made him furious, he knew that saying more would only bring more humiliation.
Emperor Cang Hai raised his hand and released a divine art, turning into a hazy azure light that enveloped the young man in purple, quickly accelerating his healing and diminishing his injuries.
"You two will represent my Cang Hai Divine Dynasty in battle. Do not let this affect the harmony. The incense offerings promised to the four of you are only temporary and not permanent. The more impressive your performance in the Supreme Celestial Battle, the more incense offerings you will receive."
Emperor Cang Hai smiled and said:
"If you can represent my Cang Lan Realm, your names will be known across the Thirty-Three Realms, and the incense offerings will naturally be more. I will also add ten more cities of incense offerings."
Upon hearing his words, the Red Light's gaze remained indifferent, saying, "Defeating the Saint Children of the three major Sacred Grounds to compete for one of the ten spots, for some, it may be as difficult as ascending to the heavens. For me, the concern is more about them."
Hearing his confident words, the young man in purple would have sneered before, but now he remained silent. Though the clash was brief, he had already sensed the disparity between them.
He possessed a trace of ancient imperial blood, originally a young prodigy, standing out among his sect and family, but in this battle of prodigies from dozens of dynasties, he was only among the outstanding ones, not the top-tier.
The woman in cloud dress next to him glanced at the Red Light and chose not to speak further. She felt unsure about handling the opponent's fire-based divine art.
Li Hao looked at Emperor Cang Hai, thought for a moment, and remained silent.
The offerings were based on performance, and when he demonstrated enough strength, he believed the Emperor would increase his share without needing him to ask.
In the world of warriors, strength is the only authority.
This was even more vividly illustrated in the land of saints.
"What about him? Is he also worth five cities?"
The young man in purple suddenly looked at Li Hao, feeling that he might have the least incense offerings.
Does this mean he is the weakest here?
"He is worth ten cities of incense offerings."
Emperor Cang Hai smiled and said, "Qingfeng's swordsmanship has touched the Dao. Although the extreme realm has not yet manifested, perhaps this incense offering is slightly underestimated. However, if Qingfeng performs well and represents my Cang Lan Realm, I will consider increasing it."
"Ten cities?"
Hearing Emperor Cang Hai's words, the young man in purple's expression changed abruptly. It was actually double what he received.
The woman in cloud dress also narrowed her eyes and looked at Li Hao. Swordsmanship touching the Dao? This was swordsmanship at the Semi-Saint level. The fact that he had mastered it meant that even if there were some slack in the extreme realm, it was still extremely formidable.
Just this swordsmanship alone was enough to be wary of.
The Red Light raised his eyebrows slightly and also looked at Li Hao. A technique at the Dao level was something even he did not possess. His fire-based divine art could only be considered as touching a trace of Dao rhythm, not yet entering the Dao.
The Celestial Battle was limited to those under one hundred years old. Being able to touch the Dao within less than a century was already extremely top-notch talent.
With the recent clash with Red Light, the young man in purple no longer doubted Li Hao. After all, Dao-level swordsmanship alone was enough to command respect.
Once the disagreements were resolved, master artisans soon arrived to measure the participants and draw their outlines.
During the drawing, Li Hao became interested. He took the brush and ink from the dynasty's chief artist's assistant and began to sketch alongside them.
In addition to drawing the other three, Li Hao focused on depicting Emperor Cang Hai.
As a Semi-Saint, the experience he brought to the art of painting was considerable.
As the paintings were completed, Li Hao noticed that the art experience brought by the woman in cloud dress was more than that of the young man in purple. It seemed that the woman received more incense cities.
The woman in cloud dress's painting experience approached twenty thousand.
While the young man in purple had around fifteen thousand.
The Red Light's painting experience reached thirty-five thousand, nearly double that of the woman in cloud dress, indicating hidden strength.
With the improvement of the art of painting, Li Hao found that the experience seemed compressed. Originally, painting at the Fourfold Realm yielded over ten thousand experience points, but now painting at the same realm gave only a few thousand points.