A group of creatures all fixed their gazes on Shi Hao, including the Fearless Lion. It sensed something amiss—after all this time, the Desolate One hadn’t dissolved!
“Don’t tell me this human can endure it!” an elder muttered gravely.
At the foot of the mountain, more creatures ascended, and the lakeshore was now surrounded by sixty to seventy individuals, each wearing strange expressions. No matter how much they despised the young man in the lake, they had to admit he was a terrifying opponent, gifted beyond measure.
“Impossible! The Immortal Monk King was one of a kind, unique. No one can walk his path!” The Golden Lion’s expression was one of shock.
Everyone stared at the lake, where the young man’s lips were stained with blood, his body covered in cracks—yet he refused to die, still holding on.
“His body is splitting apart. He can’t last much longer!” someone said, a smile slowly forming. The crowd saw that the Desolate One’s injuries were worsening. If this continued, death was inevitable.
Shi Hao’s wounds multiplied, the fissures widening until his bones were visible!
The Golden Lion exhaled in relief at the sight, completely reassured.
“Retrieve that chest!” someone proposed.
At this point, victory was assured. The mission was nearly complete—the Desolate One was cornered here, doomed to die, and the rotten wooden chest would soon be theirs.
Yet, an awkward truth remained: the Reincarnation Pool was too peculiar. Its waters corroded everything. A powerful cultivator had already suffered for acting rashly. How could they retrieve the chest?
It seemed only the Golden Lion could do it.
“Honored elders, please wait a moment longer. I am forging my Golden Body within the Reincarnation Pool, and the crucial moment is near. Just a little more time,” the Golden Lion said with a faint smile.
These words sent a ripple of astonishment through the crowd. The Golden Body of the Ancient Monk lineage was a fearsome achievement, renowned as an indestructible form!
Once perfected, external forces could hardly harm the practitioner’s physique, making them peerless. At the very least, no creature of the same rank could injure them.
Now, this lion was on the verge of achieving it—a flawless Golden Body!
They believed the Golden Lion was forging a perfect, flawless form—a staggering accomplishment.
Among the Ancient Monks, many cultivated the Golden Body, but how many reached perfection? Most had flaws. Yet the Fearless Lion remained composed, smiling with confidence, clearly aiming for the supreme realm.
This pool seemed tailor-made for it, destined to forge an undefeatable master!
An indestructible Golden Body meant innate invincibility within the same rank!
The Immortal Monk King of legend had stood firm with his six-foot Golden Body, impervious to all attacks—an absurdly formidable existence.
“Cough!” Shi Hao spat blood, this time more severely. Blood trickled from his nose, mouth, and even his eyes and ears.
The situation was dire. His body endured immense damage as the pool’s liquid crushed him mercilessly.
The liquid’s extreme shifts from cold to heat were minor concerns. Now, its crystalline essence carried a demonic force, grinding his flesh like a millstone.
Crack!
The sound of his bones snapping was audible. His flesh deformed, fissures spreading—he was on the verge of disintegration.
Blood seeped from his wounds, staining the lake red.
“I refuse to believe there’s no way to retrieve that chest,” some young cultivators muttered defiantly. Even some elders felt it wasn’t an unsolvable problem.
A few youths competed, channeling ancestral techniques, manifesting rules—some forming giant hands, others nets—reaching into the lake.
Yet, the moment they neared the surface, everything disintegrated.
The lake boiled, erupting with thousands of radiant beams, dissolving the energy and absorbing it entirely.
The youths paled, frustration evident. While the Golden Lion forged its Golden Body within the lake, they couldn’t even enter—a stark contrast.
“Interesting. Is it truly that miraculous? Let me try,” another powerful cultivator stepped forward, a peak-level expert in the Dunyi Realm.
He was among the strongest present. Channeling his divine abilities, he unleashed his full cultivation, fingers splayed as ripples surged toward the lake.
Boom!
Yet, towering waves shattered the ripples, devouring his vast divine power.
The elder stood dumbfounded. The Golden Lion’s words were true—this lake was bizarre, untouchable.
The creatures realized that falling into it would be fatal.
Even the mightiest elders hesitated, unwilling to risk their lives.
“Hmm? He’s still alive?” Some wore strange expressions.
Shi Hao had been vomiting blood, his face drenched in crimson, yet he clung to life.
“His resilience is absurd. I thought he’d dissolve into mist, yet he still struggles.”
Whispers spread, filled with disbelief.
“Let’s not wait for him to perish naturally. That’s too merciful after all the elites he’s slain!” a young warrior from the Other Side declared.
“Agreed. Let’s execute him properly!” another agreed coldly.
Boom!
A fist shot toward Shi Hao’s brow, fierce and unyielding.
Yet, divine light surged, the lake absorbing the attack before it could land.
The attacker’s face darkened. Had it been a physical strike, his fist might have dissolved too.
Clang!
Another hurled a treasure seal, carved from divine bone, glowing with misty essence. It soared like a small mountain, descending upon the lake.
But waves rose, engulfing the seal, dragging it into the depths.
“Dissolved!” The youth’s expression soured.
The humiliation was palpable—even killing Shi Hao directly was impossible. Any force nearing the lake was dismantled into pure energy.
“I’m almost ready. Let me finish him!” the Golden Lion declared.
Its gains were immense, inciting envy. Golden radiance enveloped it like a blazing furnace, refining its body with torrents of essence.
It shed blood and fur, its physique growing stronger, nearing the flawless Golden Body.
In contrast, Shi Hao’s limbs were nearly severed, dissolving into the pool’s essence.
The Fearless Lion gazed at Shi Hao, its golden pupils blazing. “Foolish to contest my fortune. This is the Reincarnation Pool—it dissolves all, transcending all beings. Unless you’re of the Ancient Monk lineage, entering is suicide!”
Shi Hao ignored it. Though his body and soul were near rupture, he refused to yield, struggling relentlessly.
He doubted the lion’s words. He’d seen the Sky Rat fall into the pool—it hadn’t dissolved.
Still gripping the rotten wooden chest, Shi Hao opened his eyes, blood trailing down. His vision was blurred, his body wrecked.
He saw the Golden Lion perfecting its Golden Body, nearing completion.
“You talk too much!”
Shi Hao’s voice was resolute. Straining with all his might, he fought the lake’s grip, aiming to strike the Fearless Lion.
Boom!
The lake erupted, waves surging as countless streams of essence shot skyward like smoke.
Shi Hao moved—slowly, painfully—raising a hand to strike the lion.
“Trapped this long, your essence should’ve dissolved. Yet you still move? Impressive,” the Fearless Lion remarked, startled.
“Roar!”
It attacked despite being mid-refinement, unwilling to tolerate Shi Hao’s defiance.
Splash!
Shi Hao submerged entirely, evading the lion’s sonic assault.
Others’ attacks were nullified by the lake, but the lion’s innate advantage here made it a true threat.
“Why isn’t the Desolate One dead yet? He’s moving underwater!”
The crowd watched as Shi Hao, trailing blood, swam toward the Golden Lion like a fish.
“Hah! Struggle all you want. In the end, you’ll still die.” The lion smirked, narrowing its golden eyes. “Killing you now would be like putting down a drowning mutt.”
It was a deliberate insult. The lion raised a massive golden paw, pressing down toward the lake.
“Don’t underestimate him! Finish this quickly. If he becomes a second Immortal Monk King, we’re doomed!” an elder onshore warned gravely.
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