Instantly, a storm of lightning crashed down, piercing through the heavens and earth, engulfing the vast battlefield in destruction. Everything seemed destined for annihilation.
Shi Hao sensed the sheer terror of these bolts—any single one could obliterate an entire continent. Had this occurred in the Three Thousand Provinces, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
As expected, the ancient cauldron surged forward once more, as if severing karma, dismantling order, and erasing something profound.
In the end, what Shi Hao deemed the most terrifying immortal-level thunderstorm in history vanished, dissolving into a rain of light that scattered into nothingness.
Yet, the cauldron dimmed slightly. The blood droplets clinging to its surface rolled and shimmered with an eerie radiance before fading into dullness.
The cauldron was formidable—it had shattered the thunderstorm—but at a great cost.
Shi Hao understood that the cataclysmic force had been triggered by his dialogue with the cauldron. Their exchange had disrupted the balance and stability of this world.
A sense of unease settled in his heart. What did the future hold? That this cauldron had sought him, a “man of antiquity,” spoke volumes about the gravity of the situation—beyond comprehension.
They had merely exchanged a few words, barely scratching the surface of the truth, yet the consequences were already dire.
Shi Hao realized that true communication was impossible. Even this indirect, cautious exchange had caused such upheaval.
To speak openly would invite disaster.
It would rewrite history, with consequences too vast to fathom.
For this cauldron hailed from the next era, returning to what was deemed the past—its karmic weight was unimaginable.
To those of future ages, these events had already transpired, immutable. The cauldron could observe but not alter anything.
To interfere would make it an enemy of all realms.
What had happened could not be undone. Time had already passed judgment.
Even the mightiest of future beings could do nothing. If the cauldron forced its will, despite being the greatest artifact across time, it would be erased.
“Carrying hope, yet unable to reveal the full truth—leaving me to piece it together slowly,” Shi Hao murmured, gazing at the cauldron with a sigh.
Though the cauldron had spoken of hoping to see him in that final battle, the message offered no real answers.
He believed the cauldron could divulge no more—only guide him thus.
“I’ve glimpsed a fragment of the future—an eternity of solitude, a desolate era, standing alone with divinity. That is my fate. Everything is gone, even the Willow God, reduced to charred remains behind me as I sit with my back to it,” Shi Hao whispered, recalling the vision.
“Is this the end? If you hail from the next era, those of that time must know this already, don’t they?” he asked, expressionless.
This time, the ancient cauldron remained silent—neither confirming nor denying.
It seemed to hesitate, analyzing something.
The emperor’s blood on its surface pulsed rhythmically, flickering with light.
Shi Hao narrowed his eyes. Though frustrated, he refused despair. He was probing, testing the future.
Yet, through the cauldron, he felt a growing unrest.
About himself, about this era’s end—could even those of the future not clarify?
Where would he be when this era concluded?
Dead? Or lost to some unknown fate?
“It seems many things hinge on me. Otherwise, why would you come here?” Shi Hao muttered.
But the future he had glimpsed—was that truly the final outcome? He clenched his fists, unwilling to accept it.
If all was silence and ruin, if friends, family, even enemies perished, what meaning was there in survival? A world so bleak was too horrifying to bear.
“I can change it all. That is not the future, not the end!” Shi Hao declared.
The cauldron trembled—as if nodding, or resisting immense karmic backlash.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, it moved, tearing through the void and vanishing from Shi Hao’s sight.
He stood stunned. The cauldron had brought him here, only to depart without hesitation.
With a sigh, he acknowledged his own weakness. Had he been peerless, he might have forced the cauldron to stay.
“Indeed, it said it came too early. It seeks not the present me, but the strongest version of myself,” Shi Hao understood.
But how could he return? This was no longer the place he had been before.
His instincts sharp, Shi Hao knew he had traversed a strange spatial battlefield, likely within the Imperial City, far from the three supreme beings.
“The cauldron is gone, but the rift remains.”
Ahead, the residual glow of the cauldron’s departure shimmered—a five-colored rift in the void, still trembling.
Without hesitation, Shi Hao shot forward like a streak of light.
He trusted the cauldron meant him no harm. Had there been danger, it would not have left a path. Was this its guidance?
Perhaps this was all it could do. Further interference might summon karmic forces even the cauldron could not withstand.
The land was bleak—charred earth, withered bones, remnants of countless fallen heroes from ages past.
Amid the darkness, only the rift’s glow illuminated the deathly realm.
With a flash, Shi Hao crossed through.
In an instant, the scene transformed—lush greenery, fragrant blossoms, clear waters, and vibrant spiritual energy.
Shi Hao was stunned. This was nothing like the desolation he had expected. No corpses, no ruin—only vitality.
The cauldron was gone. Before him lay verdant lands, radiant and serene.
“Where have I come to?” he murmured, disoriented by the abrupt shift from ancient battlefield to paradise.
Behind him, the rift sealed shut, vanishing without a trace.
A spatial node? Shi Hao memorized the spot, suspecting he might need it to return.
He surveyed his surroundings cautiously, refraining from flight lest unknown rules suppress him. This world felt vast and profound.
An overwhelming pressure weighed on him, as if a great dao descended amidst the tranquility.
Whoosh!
A small bird, still chirping, shot toward him like an emerald streak—impossibly fast.
Clang!
Shi Hao blocked with his hand, sparks flying as if metal struck metal.
He was shocked. A mere sparrow-sized bird, yet its strength and resilience defied reason.
The bird retreated like a phantom, landing on a distant peak, its crimson eyes locked onto him.
Shi Hao focused, his divine sight piercing through.
Now he saw it clearly—and gasped. This creature did not exist in the Three Thousand Provinces!
Small yet bizarre, its beak curved like a true dragon’s, its green feathers adorned with faint, natural skull patterns.
“Death’s Dragon-Beak Bird?!”
He recognized it—a creature long extinct, recorded only in ancient texts.
It belonged to an era so distant, even the dawn of this age had seen but a few before their extinction.
Yet in the previous epoch, they had been a formidable race—small but terrifyingly powerful.
“Where have I come to? How does this creature exist here?” Shi Hao wondered.
The rules of this era had changed. Many species of the Immortal Ancient Era had perished, unable to adapt.
Even in the remnants of that age, this bird had vanished.
Yet here it was—defying logic.
And it was unnaturally strong.
But its eyes—crimson, not the recorded emerald—glowed with a sinister, bloodthirsty light.
A chilling realization struck Shi Hao.
This matched descriptions of the invaders from the Immortal Ancient War—those with blood-red, demonic eyes.
A horrifying thought took root.
“Have I come to… their world?”
If true, it was earth-shattering.
Yet he shook his head. The border was near-impenetrable. But the cauldron… perhaps it had the power.
Whoosh!
The bird attacked again, unleashing dragon-shaped blades from its beak—deadly enough to slay ordinary Heavenly Gods.
Shi Hao countered with the Kun Peng technique, subduing it to interrogate.
But the moment it was captured, its crimson eyes dimmed. Its body rotted, feathers crumbling to ash—as if aged millennia in moments.
Soon, it was dust.
Exploring further, Shi Hao found all creatures here were ruled by the same crimson-eyed ferocity. Wounded, they too turned to dust.
“The enemy’s territory… Have I truly crossed over?”
His heart pounded. This unexpected journey might finally reveal the truth of the enemy’s nature.
Now, he would uncover it all.
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