To this day, Shi Hao’s spiritual senses were sharp and extraordinary. The moment he sensed the divine disk manifesting behind his head, reflecting those mysterious figures, he knew—they were all embodiments of the Great Dao, supreme imprints resonating here, chanting scriptures before the ancient temple. For countless eons, such beings had sat here, comprehending the scriptures and the Dao!
Shi Hao felt it in his bones, understood it in his heart. Step by step, he pressed forward, enduring pressure like a celestial mountain pressing down on him. Over two hundred bones in his body trembled, cracking incessantly, as if on the verge of shattering.
Yet he did not stop. Slowly but resolutely, he walked until he stood before the ancient temple, where even the tiles and walls gleamed gold, and approached those figures.
Then, Shi Hao sat down, cross-legged behind them. Though still at a distance, this was his limit.
It horrified him—what kind of beings were these? Their mere imprints were so overwhelmingly powerful that even he, one of the strongest in the Heavenly Deity Realm, could not fully merge with them.
*Crack!*
The moment he sat, his right leg bone fractured. As he meditated, listening to the chants of the Primordial Divine Demons, his entire skeleton resonated as if struck by hammers, clanging violently.
Pain—excruciating, unbearable pain!
*Boom!*
A violent tremor wracked his body, convulsing in agony!
It was as if he had suffered the most brutal impact, his body twisting unnaturally. His bones could no longer support him; his flesh threatened to collapse into a grotesque, horrifying heap.
His joints were splitting apart!
Now, every bone in his body cracked, shattered, then fractured further, the very structure of his skeleton collapsing.
This was the most terrifying ordeal, one that could drive a man to despair.
Yet Shi Hao forced his body to endure, his flesh mending, his shattered bones forcibly held together as he withstood the pressure.
He was in pain, yet transcendent—for the moment he sat, he understood. He knew this outcome, and though the agony was unbearable, his soul was fulfilled.
Because he was being tempered!
The chants, the scriptures of the Primordial Divine Demons—he perceived them, heard the highest divine hymns. His bones were being shattered, reforged like steel under a thousand hammers.
Now he understood the deeper meaning behind the Great Elder sending him here—not just for the Divine Warding Bamboo or the Netherworld Fruit, but for this brutal, terrifying baptism.
Here, he saw those ancient figures, like war gods, comprehending the Dao, refining their flesh. And he—he had entered their ranks, his body pulsing in resonance!
An ordinary man would have been crushed to dust, body and soul annihilated.
But Shi Hao, with his three strands of immortal energy, could endure. Here, he could comprehend, merge naturally.
*Pop!*
The sound of bones shattering echoed, one after another. Had anyone been present, they would have trembled in terror.
Shi Hao’s body convulsed, the pain unbearable. His will held firm, but his flesh still reacted—sweat drenched him.
Meanwhile, the golden temple’s bricks and tiles glowed brighter, radiant and sacred.
The figures seated there—men and women, young and old—were solemn, dignified, divine. Though mere imprints from eons past, they seemed real now, suffused with the aura of the Great Dao.
Golden ripples surged toward Shi Hao, submerging him, making him part of the whole, no longer an outsider.
Yet the pain only intensified. Chains of the Great Dao intertwined like saws, grinding against his bones, severing them.
His skeleton shattered further!
Golden marrow spilled, shimmering with divine radiance.
But when the pain peaked, his body suddenly stilled. His twisted expression smoothed into serenity—he had become sacred, tranquil.
At last, he relaxed completely, his will transcending flesh, observing himself.
He and the figures, the golden temple—they were one now, indistinguishable, bathed in scripture and chant, glowing together.
Shatter the divine bones, then reshape them!
The “Bone-Tempering Art” he had learned from the Great Elder activated on its own. Like steel tempered a thousand times, his bones were reforged.
*Whoosh…*
A great ship rumbled as it ascended the hundred-thousand-zhang mountain, arriving at the peak.
“Ah, what fortune! The ancient imprints have reappeared, resonating here. Meditate quietly—great fortune awaits!”
An elderly man, white-haired, stood on the deck, delighted.
Many young men and women of extraordinary bearing accompanied him.
Yet only a few disembarked. The rest, upon trying, bled from their pores, unable to withstand the pressure.
“Alas, only those with three strands of immortal energy can stand here unaided,” sighed an elder.
With a wave of his sleeve, he distributed white bone talismans, easing the pressure. The others could now descend.
They gathered at a distance, observing the golden temple and the dozens of war god-like figures, meditating and comprehending.
None dared approach—the pressure was too great. None noticed Shi Hao, engulfed in golden light.
Half a day later, those with three immortal strands advanced, enduring agony to near the war gods’ domain. Only then did someone gasp—spotting Shi Hao in the golden mist.
“Isn’t that the one from Heavenly Deity Academy?!”
The cry drew attention, even from the ship’s elders. The golden mist parted slightly, revealing Shi Hao’s faint silhouette.
“That’s… the one who defeated the Nine Netherworld Hound—Huang?!”
They were from Immortal Academy, stunned to see Shi Hao here. Even the elders had missed him earlier—his aura had merged with the war gods’ imprints.
Some disciples refused to believe. “Impossible! How could he be near the temple? It’s a forbidden zone—intruders are crushed to dust!”
“These are war gods from eons past! Could Huang be the reincarnation of one? No wonder he’s so powerful!”
Opinions clashed, shock rippling through them.
The Immortal Academy elder sighed, recognizing Shi Hao, awed by his talent.
“Only someone like the Little Heavenly King from our academy could approach,” someone murmured.
Before half a day passed, another ship arrived—Sacred Academy’s contingent. Upon seeing this, they too were astounded.
“Him?” Wang Xi appeared, shaken.
“Haha, Shi Hao!” Cao Yusheng cheered.
Not all of Shi Hao’s acquaintances from the two academies were present—some were in seclusion, even fusing with supreme treasures.
“To think he came here without joining either academy,” someone muttered, eyes glinting.
To many in the Heavenly Deity Realm, Shi Hao was like an invincible demon king since defeating the Nine Netherworld Hound, suffocating his peers.
The two academies’ disciples, led by elders, mostly couldn’t ascend unaided, relying on the ships.
They sought fortune here, hoping for enlightenment.
Their gazes toward Shi Hao were complex—hostility, resentment, admiration, fear.
Days passed. Many rose, unable to endure, even with the bone talismans.
“Enough. Cross the Void Bridge to the Divine Mound. Whoever gains something there will have heaven-defying fortune,” an Immortal Academy elder declared.
Most left, unable to bear the war gods’ tempering.
Four days later, only a handful remained.
That day, Shi Hao opened his eyes. His bones, shattered by the Great Dao’s chains, had temporarily fused, glowing gold before turning pristine white.
Ten days—like cultivating in hell. Yet later, though his flesh suffered, his soul transcended, achieving completion.
Noticing familiar faces nearby, he saw Princess Yueya, drenched in sweat, struggling.
“You’re… tenacious, lasting this long!” she gritted, pale-faced.
“Long time no see,” Shi Hao smiled.
Rising, he left the temple, walking forward.
“Young man, truly remarkable,” the elders praised.
“Greetings, elders,” Shi Hao bowed.
“Even the Little Heavenly King tempered his flesh here. We thought none today could match that. We were wrong,” someone sighed.
“Go. Your Dao bones are open—seek the Divine Warding Bamboo’s sap before they close. Perhaps you’ll find the oldest one, refining your body further,” an elder advised.
Shi Hao departed.
Beyond the floating temple, a cobbled path stretched into the void—the Void Divine Bridge.
The pressure lessened, but many from the two academies stood frozen, laughing madly or weeping—affected by ancient soul fragments.
Unfazed, Shi Hao pressed on, seeking the Divine Warding Bamboo before his bones healed.
The winding path led to a mist-wreathed paradise—the Divine Mound.
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