Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Mysterious Black Cloud
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Evil Doppelganger Amid the Night of Rolling Black Clouds in the Realm Within the Realm
Li Hao's desire doppelganger displayed a peculiar wickedness, its actions shaped by the influence of the belief in desire, amplifying his innermost longings. Its nature, however, remained tethered to Li Hao's true self—not evil per se, but eccentric, treating life as a game and showing little reverence for the seriousness of the world.
This was why it stopped Kui Hu and his companions from being too ruthless toward the six youths who had beaten him.
Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen all noticed something different about Li Hao today. In their eyes, Li Hao was unquestionably the strongest among them, yet he seemed utterly powerless before six inexperienced youths—an impossibility. The three exchanged puzzled glances, unable to make sense of it.
Qin Zhen asked, “Young Master, why aren’t you fighting back today?”
The desire doppelganger, unsure how to explain, could only awkwardly smile and say, “My power has been sealed.”
“Ah!”
All three wore expressions of disbelief, their hearts fraught with confusion. They could not grasp the meaning behind Li Hao’s words.
The evil doppelganger had no intention of clarifying matters for Kui Hu and his friends. Instead, he simply said, “Let’s go join them.”
“Alright.”
Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen did not sense the deeper meaning behind the doppelganger’s words. They nodded and followed Li Hao’s desire doppelganger toward the group of four.
Li Hao turned to those beside him and said, “I’ve found Kui Hu and his companions’ location. Let’s go and meet up with them!”
With that, Li Hao led Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, and Zhen Ba toward the desire doppelganger. Lu Yao was still just shy of breaking through to the Wandering Realm and could not yet fly, so she had to travel on foot. Kui Hu and his companions followed the desire doppelganger toward Li Hao’s true self, wishing they could fly, but the doppelganger’s power was sealed, forcing them to climb over mountains on foot.
As night fell, neither Li Hao’s group nor Kui Hu’s had managed to rendezvous. Aside from Li Hao and the doppelganger, no one knew how far apart they were.
It was now deep into the night. Each person found a spot to sit cross-legged, some cultivating, others restoring their strength.
At midnight, the sky above the realm within the realm was suddenly engulfed by rolling black clouds. Li Hao, seeing the swirling darkness overhead, sensed something amiss and woke those nearby.
Lu Yao asked curiously, “What’s wrong, Brother Li Hao?”
Li Hao pointed up at the sky, prompting Lu Yao, Lin Xueyou, and Zhen Ba to look up. When Li Hao noticed the clouds, the eight doppelgangers outside also became aware of the strange black clouds at the same moment.
The desire doppelganger quickly roused Kui Hu and his companions, who also sensed unease.
Qin Zhen asked, “Young Master, what should we do?”
The desire doppelganger was about to consult his true self, but Li Hao sent him a message through the Primordial Chaos Yin-Yang Array, issuing orders to all doppelgangers: find shelter and wait.
Following this, the desire doppelganger told Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen, “Let’s quickly find a place to hide.”
Though they found the young master strange today, Kui Hu and his friends obeyed without question.
At that moment, Li Hao, sensing the abnormality of the black clouds, released the desire doppelganger’s power. The doppelganger and Kui Hu’s group sat cross-legged and used their divine senses to search for shelter.
Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, and Zhen Ba, watching the eerie clouds, also felt uneasy. They exchanged anxious glances. Finally, Li Hao said,
“Let’s find shelter from this storm.”
Tonight was destined to be an unusual night.
At the stroke of midnight, the sky suddenly boomed with thunder, shaking everyone awake. All cultivators in the realm within the realm looked up, sharing the same expression—watching the rolling black clouds as if a violent storm was about to descend.
Cultivators above the Wandering Realm would normally not fear ordinary rain; they could manipulate the laws of the world to keep the rain at bay. But this realm was strange, and no one dared to let their guard down. They all sought shelter.
A minute passed, then ten, then a quarter of an hour, then half, then a full hour, then two…
Time ticked by, and only at dawn did the black clouds slowly dissipate.
“Huh, what’s going on? A whole night of thunder and lightning, yet not a drop of rain.”
“Ah! I spent the night on edge and nothing happened—a pointless worry.”
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“Those black clouds last night were so strange, and the thunder was terrifying.”
“Isn’t that the truth? I thought there’d be a heavy rain, but we hid for nothing.”
...
At dawn, the young people in the realm within the realm voiced their grievances—some were indignant, some angry, and some were cursing outright. But none of it changed anything; it only added to the noise of the realm.
“Brother Li Hao, last night’s black clouds and thunder were so strange,” Lu Yao said, still uneasy.
Li Hao replied, “It’s alright, Yao’er. A little caution never hurts. Grandpa Hundred Herbs always said: ‘It’s the careful sailor who sails a thousand years.’”
Lin Xueyou thought for a moment and said, “I feel it can’t be as simple as thunder without rain last night.”
Zhen Ba nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
Li Hao considered and said, “Last night is behind us. Let’s get through today first.”
And so the four continued toward Kui Hu and his companions.
Li Hao’s desire doppelganger and Kui Hu’s group emerged from a cave. The sky was clear and the sun shone bright.
Kui Hu wondered aloud, “What was that about last night? A whole night without rain—a strange occurrence. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Li Zhan and Qin Zhen nodded in agreement.
The desire doppelganger said, “Whatever the case, caution is never wrong. Let’s continue to meet up with them.”
The three agreed and continued toward Li Hao’s direction.
Ahead of Li Hao’s desire doppelganger, two well-dressed youths were chatting.
The youth on the left said, “We’ve been scattered in this realm for so long and still haven’t found Young Master Qingfeng and the others.”
The youth on the right replied, “Yes, this realm is far too vast.”
“You know, the young master spent a lot to hire us to deal with that kid. If Lu Zhengtian isn’t with him and we run into him, that’d be perfect.”
“You’re right. Since we’ve just met up, it’s likely they’ve been separated too. Too bad we don’t know where.”
They walked and chatted for some time. The youth on the left suddenly pulled his companion behind a nearby tree.
“What’re you doing?” the right youth asked.
The left youth pointed ahead, “Look, doesn’t that red-clad youth look like the one Young Master Qingfeng wants us to deal with?”
The right youth looked closely, excitement lighting up his face. “Yes, when we first entered the realm, I saw him clearly—it's definitely him.”
“Not easy to handle. The three with him are also targets, and their identities are special.”
“Why worry? Isn’t Young Master Qingfeng backing us?”
“You have a point, but with just the two of us, it might be tough. There are four of them.”
“What’s there to worry about? Even if they’ve broken through a small realm, they’re at most Wandering Realm beginners. We’re both mid-stage Wandering Realm—why should we fear them?”
“That’s true. Now that you mention it, this is a good opportunity. Let’s take two each.”
“Agreed.”
Hidden behind the tree, the two plotted to deal with Li Hao’s desire doppelganger and Kui Hu’s group. When the doppelganger and his companions were a hundred yards away, Qin Zhen’s keen senses made him halt the group, leaving everyone mystified.
Kui Hu asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qin Zhen replied, “I sense killing intent ahead.”
Li Zhan, puzzled, asked, “Is it aimed at us?”
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Qin Zhen answered, “It’s very likely.”
The desire doppelganger said, “Be careful. Let’s spread out and surround them, then assess the situation.”
After a brief discussion, the four spread out with the doppelganger at the center, moving to encircle the scheming youths.
When they were just a few yards away, the desire doppelganger called out, “Friends ahead, come out. No need to hide.”
The two plotting youths, realizing their attempt at stealth was useless, abandoned their plan for a surprise attack, which had been thwarted by Qin Zhen’s perceptiveness.
Reluctantly, they stepped out.
The youth on the left said bluntly, “Don’t resist. Just let us break your legs so we can report back. It’ll save you more suffering.”
Li Hao’s desire doppelganger thought for a moment and said, “What you say makes sense, but I have a question—who is targeting us?”
The arrogant youth on the right replied, “Since you’re self-aware, I’ll tell you. You’ve offended someone you shouldn’t have—Young Master Qingfeng.”
Kui Hu, hearing this, lost his composure, “So it’s that bastard Du Qingfeng! When I get my chance, I’ll make him pay dearly for today.”
The desire doppelganger asked, “Who is Du Qingfeng?”
Qin Zhen, closest to the doppelganger, answered, “He’s the dog whose legs you broke on the first day when we signed up.”
The doppelganger nodded, feigning enlightenment, though inwardly cursing his true self: “You damned troublemaker—your mess has dragged me into this. My luck is bitter indeed.”
At this point, Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen still didn’t suspect the Li Hao beside them was a fake. Even if someone told them so, they wouldn’t believe it.
The two scheming youths lost patience. The arrogant one asked, “Who wants to go first?”
The desire doppelganger considered and replied, “It seems today fate has caught up with me. Resist and my legs get broken; submit and my legs still get broken. If I resist, I’ll suffer more; if I submit, it’s just two broken legs. After careful calculation, submitting seems best. I’ll go first.”
“Young Master, you mustn’t!”
Kui Hu and his companions cried out in alarm. The doppelganger glanced at them and said, “Didn’t you hear the two gentlemen? I think this is the most cost-effective way.”
As he spoke, he gave the three a wicked smile. The three guessed, “Young Master’s surrender is a ruse; he’s planning a surprise attack.”
They exchanged glances, instantly ready to strike.
The two scheming youths believed the group was surrendering to avoid further suffering, given their higher cultivation.
The arrogant youth impatiently said, “Stop whining and lie down. Save us the trouble.”
Li Hao’s desire doppelganger replied earnestly, “Alright, but I must correct you on one thing—mine isn’t crooked.”
For a moment, no one understood what the fake Li Hao meant. After a stunned silence, they realized he’d misunderstood the opponent’s words.
Kui Hu and his companions burst out laughing, and soon even the two scheming youths joined in, amused by the doppelganger’s apparent foolishness.
They thought, “This guy is truly simple-minded—even such basic words he can misunderstand.”
But their laughter sealed their fate.
When the doppelganger heard, “Stop whining,”
He replied, “I must correct you—mine isn’t crooked.”
As they realized and laughed, the desire doppelganger closed the distance.
At that moment, he gathered the laws of heaven and earth into his left hand and struck one of the scheming youths full force on the head.
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