The path stretched like a bridge, winding its way into the rolling hills and leading into the sacred region of the Immortal Mounds.
White mist curled in ribbons, and golden waterfalls cascaded down the mountainsides. Every inch of this place was breathtakingly beautiful, suffused with an aura of the divine.
The land was vast—so vast that one couldn’t see its end at a glance. Most astonishingly, it floated high in the sky, detached from the earth below, making this pristine hill region all the more mysterious.
Yet, from the ground, it remained invisible.
“Ah—!” Along the path, people clutched their heads, wailing in agony, some even rolling on the ground in unbearable pain. Students from both academies had lost themselves here.
“Hahaha… I’ve obtained the supreme scripture of the Immortal Ancient Era, the peerless divine technique! I am destined to reign supreme!” someone cackled madly, tears streaming down their face.
Streaks of light occasionally flashed through the void—these were imprints left behind by ancient spirits, deeply affecting everyone, invading their souls.
However, as time passed, these spectral imprints would fade away without truly destroying those they possessed. This was why the elders of both academies dared to send their disciples here.
Some would awaken midway, regaining their senses—but if another imprint latched onto them and they failed to resist, they would fall into madness once more.
A rare few might even gain something from this ordeal. The fragments of these spirits were remnants of consciousness, mental imprints left behind by supreme beings of antiquity. Some might even contain world-shaking techniques. If one was fortunate enough to earn the recognition of a lingering spirit, they might inherit an earth-shattering legacy.
Of course, such luck was rare. The spirit fragments were too broken, long devoid of independent will, and seldom took the initiative to bestow blessings.
“You… are *Huang*!” someone gasped upon awakening, seeing Shi Hao walk unhindered through the chaos. Their hearts trembled—what kind of monstrous willpower did this man possess?
Shi Hao pressed forward. Though spirits lunged at him repeatedly, they were all repelled by his overwhelming blood energy. He moved like a true dragon striding through the mortal world.
His bones cracked, golden marrow flowing within, exuding a terrifying aura that could not be concealed. Many spirits recoiled in fear.
Yet, some still charged at him—powerful, nearly corporeal, capable of swallowing the sun, moon, and mountains whole.
It was Shi Hao’s golden marrow that drew them, as if awakening long-lost memories. These spirits had once been supreme beings, possessing such blood energy themselves.
*Clang!*
Shi Hao unsheathed the Great Luo Immortal Sword. It gleamed ominously, flickering with ethereal radiance. With each swing, he sent the spirits flying—none dared approach.
He had long suspected this sword was unusual, but even he was stunned by its power here, repelling spirits of this caliber.
*Clang!*
At that moment, one spirit suddenly transformed into a divine sword, dazzling with multicolored light, slashing straight for Shi Hao’s brow.
Blood trickled from his forehead—his skull felt as if it would split. Without intervention, he would surely be possessed, forced into a battle of wills.
A single misstep, and he would be lost like the others.
But as the Great Luo Immortal Sword moved, a hazy radiance unfurled, and the spirit shrieked, “This sword… how can it still exist in this world?!”
It had spoken—a clear, conscious thought that Shi Hao could perceive. His blood ran cold, then surged with fervor as he reached for the spirit.
Alas, it fled. In the final instant, the sword-form dissolved into a lifeless, dull-eyed figure.
It was a humanoid spirit, though severely mutilated—less than a third of its body remained, shattered long ago.
Gradually, more and more people regained their senses along the path—undoubtedly, these were the elites, the most exceptional geniuses.
“It’s… Shi Hao!”
At the sight of him, faces paled. This was the *awake* Shi Hao, not the one meditating before the ancient temple. If he chose to clash with them now, who wouldn’t fear him?
These were cultivators from both academies, and none had forgotten how Shi Hao had dominated the battlefield at the Celestial Deity Academy.
“He’s completely unaffected, cutting down spirits with a single swing!” someone gasped.
Along the way, Shi Hao spotted familiar faces but did not disturb them. They were locked in their own struggles, sitting in meditation, lost in confusion.
This ordeal wouldn’t kill them—it might even be a blessing in disguise.
As for those who had once been his enemies, he spared them not a glance, striding forward without pause.
Finally, he arrived before a mountain gate—the entrance to the deepest reaches of the Immortal Mounds, a mysterious threshold.
Two stone peaks stood like towering doors, guarding the passage.
Around them, clusters of emerald bamboo shimmered with crystalline brilliance, as if carved from the most exquisite divine stone.
Alas, none were the legendary *Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo*.
In this world, Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo was exceedingly rare, priceless beyond measure. It could repel curses, poisons, and malevolent forces while nourishing the body, making one impervious to all afflictions.
A crowd had gathered before the gate, drenched in sweat, straining to enter but unable to advance.
Among them were young supremes who had cultivated three strands of immortal energy—the strongest of both academies.
When they saw Shi Hao, their hearts clenched. Some had recently provoked him, even attacked him.
“Make way,” Shi Hao said calmly as he approached.
He could feel the overwhelming pressure of the gate’s domain, trapping everyone like flies in amber, making progress nearly impossible.
His words stunned the crowd, then flushed their faces with humiliation. He wasn’t even acknowledging them—just treating them as obstacles in his path.
Yet, moving here was agonizing. Every step was like wading through mud, and reckless motion could send one flying from the domain’s backlash.
Shi Hao frowned. He, too, bore the crushing weight of the domain, the distorted space threatening to tear him apart. His already fractured bones groaned under the strain.
But he endured. His blood energy surged, shielding his body as he expanded his sole divine aperture, forcing his way forward.
“Make way!” he repeated. The passage between the mountains was narrow—barely more than a slit—and these people were blocking it.
*Pfft!*
Someone coughed blood, nearly torn apart by the domain’s force.
Shi Hao sidestepped him, moving past. The onlookers could only watch in shock and shame as he advanced steadily, seemingly unaffected.
Further ahead, he spotted a familiar figure—Wang Xi, clad in snow-white robes, trembling under the domain’s pressure, on the verge of collapse.
She sensed his presence and stiffened, recognizing him instantly.
At this moment, she tensed, fearing an attack, a battle. By now, Wang Xi understood—Shi Hao was unstoppable. Unless the very strongest of the Immortal Academy or Sacred Academy intervened—supremes like the Little Heavenly King, who had already reached the level of sect masters—no one in their generation could suppress him.
The path was narrow, and even Shi Hao wasn’t entirely unaffected. His breath came in ragged bursts, hot as dragon’s fire.
Wang Xi’s neck prickled as she felt the heat against her skin, an unbearable discomfort. How mortifying—to encounter Shi Hao in such a state.
Shi Hao paused, gazing at the graceful figure less than three feet ahead. He remained silent, simply watching.
He didn’t strike. The elders outside would intervene if things escalated, and he had no desire to fight now. His only goal was the Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo—to cultivate, to ascend.
Wang Xi braced herself, body tensed, ready to explode into action.
“Are you moving or not?” Shi Hao’s light question sent a tremor through her.
Humiliation burned within her. He hadn’t even considered her a threat—hadn’t spared her a thought.
She bit her lip, forcing herself to shuffle aside, pressing her curvaceous form against the stone wall to let him pass. The effort nearly made her collapse, blood trickling from her lips.
The domain here was too oppressive.
Shi Hao strode past without hesitation, his steps unwavering.
Wang Xi was shaken. He truly was monstrous, unyielding even here.
“Sister-in-law, that man is terrifying. He may become Big Brother’s rival in the future. We should avoid provoking him for now,” someone from the Sacred Academy murmured only after Shi Hao had gone.
*Boom!*
At that moment, the path quaked violently. Everyone watched as Shi Hao swung his fist, shattering a golden barrier. He had breached the gate.
At the path’s end stood a radiant golden door, formed from condensed light.
Much later, when the others finally reached it, their attempts to break through failed miserably. Some even vomited blood from the backlash.
“How is he so strong? He shattered it with one punch!”
“Unbelievable!”
“No doubt about it—his three strands of immortal energy were cultivated through his own efforts, not gifted by elders.”
Shi Hao had walked through the gate as if it were nothing, leaving the crowd in awe. Even those with three immortal energy strands were dumbfounded.
Everyone now knew—*Huang* might truly obtain the Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo.
Beyond the golden barrier, Shi Hao halted, bathed in sacred energy. Divine light surged into his body, filling him with warmth and comfort.
Treasures awaited here.
His heart leaped with joy before he pressed onward, deeper into the Immortal Mounds, searching for the bamboo.
*Screech—!*
Suddenly, a monstrous bird descended from a stone peak, its shriek piercing the soul as it lunged for Shi Hao’s consciousness.
“A nearly intact spirit?”
Shi Hao was startled. Something this complete might still retain memories of its past life!
He raised the Great Luo Immortal Sword.
*Whoosh!*
A gale erupted as the bird halted mid-air, fixated on the blade.
*Swoosh!*
Shi Hao flicked the sword, and the creature immediately spread its wings, fleeing.
“How bizarre,” he muttered.
Then, an old farmer emerged, holding a herb shovel. “Another has come this far. All opportunities here must be seized by your own hand.”
“Who are you?” Shi Hao’s hair stood on end.
An old farmer, speaking in this place? It was beyond unnatural.
“I was once a painting on a stone wall, given a sliver of sentience to guard and guide those who come after,” the farmer explained.
Shi Hao was stunned, then awed. What kind of power could breathe life into a mere painting?
“Senior, please guide me,” he said respectfully.
“Ahead, all will be judged equally. The pressure will match your cultivation level—it will be perilous. Do you still wish to proceed?”
“Absolutely.” Shi Hao didn’t hesitate. He asked about the Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo.
“There are a few. The oldest has yet to be seen by any.”
Shi Hao pressed for more details before forging ahead.
After an indeterminable time, he spotted a distant peak crowned by a snow-white stalk as thick as a water vat, radiating pure, holy light.
*Boom!*
Chaotic lightning erupted around it, the scene shifting from serenity to violent upheaval.
Shi Hao’s eyes widened. What kind of plant attracted *chaotic lightning*?
“Ah, it has appeared—the most ancient Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo,” the old farmer murmured in surprise.
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