Chapter 1025: The World Within Willow God’s Heart

“Willow God, what kind of world is that?” Shi Hao wanted to know. He had been searching for answers—where Willow God was going and what it intended to do.

“The world I once knew no longer exists. The homeland I lived in has long turned to scorched earth. All those I once knew have perished.” Willow God gazed at the distant horizon, its eyes fixed on the vast, untamed mountains, exuding an air of melancholy.

This was the first time it had revealed such a temperament—different from before, carrying a sense of finality, nostalgia, and sorrow. It was as if it saw one by one its old companions struggle and fade away.

“Willow God!” Shi Hao called out. Through the hazy mist, he saw those eyes—once clear as water, now deep as an abyss—immersed in a world of grief.

In the distance, the Undying Being and Qi Daolin waited, unaware of what was happening here.

Standing atop the mountain, Willow God let out a faint sigh.

“The place I must go… I do not know how far it is. The journey is long. Perhaps crossing the Primordial Gate will lead me there. Or perhaps my true form has already turned into a pool of tainted blood.” Willow God spoke, revealing the immense hardship ahead.

Hearing this, Shi Hao’s heart trembled. If even someone as mighty as Willow God faced such trials, how could others possibly succeed?

Yet, he wanted to go there—to explore alongside Willow God. It was Willow God who had shaped him, and so it was only natural that he would walk the same path, fighting side by side.

“In the Immortal Ancient Era, there were immortals in this world, yet they still failed. In this era, not a single true immortal has emerged. What hope is there?” Willow God murmured softly.

“Give me time, and I will prove myself worthy to join the battle!” Shi Hao declared, determined to follow.

“In the past, there were immortals, yet they all perished in battle. Even if you reach that height, do you truly believe you can change anything?” Willow God countered.

Shi Hao fell silent, recalling everything he had witnessed in the ruins of Immortal Ancient. He had triumphed in the arena, been transported to the ultimate land of fortune, and encountered a “Wall of Despair.”

That wall bore the despair of supreme beings from ages past—utterly pessimistic, believing that even if one obtained the legacy of the previous era, it would still be futile. Nothing could be changed.

Now, Willow God’s mood was similarly somber. Clearly, it too believed that even if a powerful figure rose, reversing fate would be near impossible.

“I will grow stronger—strong enough to fear nothing, to sweep through all enemies across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!” Shi Hao vowed.

“Even that… would not be enough. To reign supreme in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths is merely to dominate this shattered and broken world,” Willow God shook its head.

“Then I will grow even stronger—strong enough to single-handedly turn the tide of any battle, to crush all foes across time!” Shi Hao declared.

Would such a day ever come? Willow God stood silently, gazing into the distance before turning back to Shi Hao with a soft sigh.

This path was too arduous. Perhaps too much would be lost.

“After countless ages, there may come one who stands alone upon the river of time, looking back upon eternity, solitary in divinity,” Willow God said.

Then it turned to Shi Hao and added, “But I do not wish for you to walk such a path. For you would lose too much… far too much.”

“Willow God, can you tell me? What kind of world is it that you seek?” Shi Hao pressed.

“The war of Immortal Ancient was too brutal. Some have ventured there, but none have reached the final destination. I, too, am merely searching—to see it for myself, to fulfill a wish.”

Shi Hao understood. The place Willow God spoke of must be the domain of their enemies, unlike the Three Thousand Provinces or any other known land.

As it spoke, Willow God’s eyes held remembrance, sorrow, and a strange, flickering light.

“I will become strong enough. I will reach that place and fight alongside you!” Shi Hao shouted.

“Do you even know what kind of place it is? How long it will take to approach? How profound one’s cultivation must be just to qualify for battle?” Willow God shook its head. “You understand none of it.”

“No matter what, I will strive for it.”

Willow God still shook its head. “If one day, the stars shatter, the heavens collapse, and you alone remain—invincible in the world, yet left with nothing but memories… Watching loved ones turn to white-haired elders, buried in yellow earth, seeing old friends wither and sleep in graves… Would you still think it worth it?”

Shi Hao clenched his fists. He did not understand why Willow God, once so peerless and transcendent, now seemed so uncertain, speaking such words.

Willow God should have been invincible, untouchable. Yet now, it warned him against treading a path of no return.

“My heart is as unyielding as iron. I will stride forward, unshaken!” Shi Hao declared.

“Then wait until you truly stand in the highest realms. Without my words, you will encounter and witness all, understanding everything in time,” Willow God said.

“How do I reach that world?” Shi Hao pressed.

“First, cross the Borderlands,” Willow God replied.

Shi Hao’s heart quaked. Countless experts guarded the Borderlands, holding back the enemy, preventing them from crossing. But now, to reach that world, one had to go beyond—to take the fight to them.

The difficulty was immense!

Was there anyone in the Upper Realm capable of such a feat? At the very least, none now could achieve it.

“I will create miracles, rewrite history, surpass all before me. One day, I will reach that place!” Shi Hao swore, his gaze resolute.

Afterward, Willow God spoke at length with Shi Hao, touching on many things—memories of Stone Village, old friends from the Lower Realm. It no longer wished to dwell on the weightier topics.

This imprint was left behind by Willow God before entering the Primordial Gate. Time was short; soon, it would fade.

Shi Hao felt sorrow. He feared that once Willow God’s true form stepped through the white bone gate, it might never return.

And so, even as Willow God avoided serious topics, he continued to press for answers, hoping to learn more—so that one day, he could embark on that vast journey.

“Very well. Before I fade, I shall perform one final art—to glimpse what may come,” Willow God nodded.

What kind of art could reveal the future? Shi Hao’s heart trembled.

Through the ages, Willow God had used this art only sparingly. Now, with its imprint about to vanish, it would perform it once more—just for him.

In the distance, the Undying Being was moved, and Qi Daolin watched eagerly, wondering what spectacle they would witness.

“Are you certain you wish to see?” Willow God asked.

“I…” Shi Hao hesitated. Would he truly see the future? What consequences would there be? For him, for Willow God—would it be good or ill?

“I am certain. I want to see!” In the end, he made his choice. Only this way could he understand more—to glimpse the world within Willow God’s heart.

“Very well. Let me prepare.”

Before long, Willow God sat atop the mountain, drawing in the essence of sun and moon, resonating with the cosmos, pulsing in harmony with the stars.

Its figure blurred, its white robes dissolving into mist—like immortal qi, rising and spreading until the heavens themselves dimmed, leaving only a hazy glow.

In that moment, an inexplicable power surged outward, centered on Willow God, as if returning to the time before creation—primordial, desolate.

Chaos light scattered, immortal qi swirled. Vaguely, in that pre-creation era, there had been life, battles—distant, yet not near.

“Hmm?” Shi Hao was stunned. Were these blurred visions real?

**Boom!**

Suddenly, thunder cracked across the heavens, shattering his thoughts.

Willow God moved, weaving hand seals, chanting incantations. A tempest arose, clouds churned, radiant light surged, and fragments of time swirled like petals.

Everything changed. No longer was this the same as before. Willow God was performing a grand art—to show Shi Hao the future he sought.

**Rumble!**

Ghosts wailed, demons roared—phantoms, imprints, perhaps remnants of fallen heroes from ages past, their shattered marks given form once more.

All manner of omens manifested in the heavens.

“Look upon what you wish to see. Focus your heart!” Willow God commanded.

It was channeling its final strength to perform this divine art, disrupting the laws and order of the world.

**Boom!**

A mighty river surged before them, its currents roaring skyward—a torrent of time itself.

Was this the River of Time? Shi Hao did not know, but along its banks, he glimpsed scenes that shook him to his core.

Were these old friends? They flashed by—youthful, then aged, withering into decrepitude.

Of course, “decrepitude” was but a metaphor. This was likely thousands, even tens of thousands of years in the future.

“Time is short. Hurry!” Willow God urged.

Shi Hao steeled himself, ignoring these peripheral visions. He sought the final destination—the ultimate outcome, the world within Willow God’s heart.

**Boom!**

All images shifted. The River of Time churned, carrying him forward, toward the end.

There, he saw what he most desired—and most feared—to know.

In an instant, Shi Hao saw… himself.

A version identical to him, yet infinitely more profound.

That man was young, yet his eyes held endless vicissitudes, as if he could see through all of time.

Shi Hao’s heart quaked, for that other self turned and looked back—as if seeing him in this moment. Their gazes met, and in those eyes was only solitude.

Alone, in that era.

He stood above all laws, tasting isolation, enduring the sorrow of eternity. And when he looked back… there was nothing.

This was the vision Shi Hao beheld. His soul trembled.

“No! There must be more. How can it be only me? I need to see Willow God—where is it in the future?” Shi Hao shouted, forcing himself to focus.

Then, he saw it.

A charred willow tree, long broken, forever silent.

In that era, he stood alone, gazing at the heavens, roaring with a voice that shook the distant shores—ready to march into battle.

“I refuse to believe this!” Shi Hao of the present roared. How could this be the future?

In that era, he stood at the pinnacle of divinity—utterly alone. The world was empty. Nothing remained.

Behind him lay only a scorched willow stump, blackened and dead, a companion to his solitude and sorrow.

The scene was too desolate.

No old friends, no living beings—only himself. Even Willow God had turned to charred ruin, a broken relic of his grief.

“This will not happen! Everything can be changed. The future will be rewritten by my hands!” Shi Hao bellowed. He could not accept this ending. He refused to believe it. He would change it all.