The complete laws of the Great Dao, the vast will of heaven, slashed into Shi Hao’s body like a blade, causing his bones to crack and his blood to surge.
This was a sudden upheaval. Shi Hao felt as if a mountain had crashed down upon him, or as if a blade had cleaved deep into the core of his being.
But it lasted only an instant, and soon he recovered.
By now, he had long known that the Nine Heavens were incomplete—that realm had been shattered in the past, leaving the Great Dao imperfect. For cultivators, this meant flaws, ensuring that the final path would never be truly whole.
Now, after entering the foreign realm, he had come to understand this deeply, realizing more than ever how extraordinary this world was. In terms of environment alone, it far surpassed the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
If not for being a prisoner, perhaps he could have seized great opportunities here!
Because, if unrestrained, he could have reforged his true body, tempered his soul, and consolidated his original Dao fruits.
There was a saying that in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, unless one surpassed the limits of every cultivation realm, there would always be flaws—never true perfection.
Shi Hao had walked this path, surpassing the original boundaries, leaping over the highest peaks at every step. That was why he maintained his terrifying, peerless combat strength within the same realm.
Of course, this was also related to his path of “using the body as a seed,” which prevented him from relying too heavily on the greater cosmos.
The journey was silent. The foreign army marched in utter stillness, with few speaking, for even the Supreme beings frowned. The Immortal Kings had entered the Burial Ground—who knew what would happen?
“Advance faster!” someone shouted.
The next moment, the vast army surged forward, crossing the plains.
Suddenly, Shi Hao sensed a familiar aura. His expression shifted—had he truly been here before?
Years ago, when he had traveled from the Three Thousand Provinces to the Nine Heavens to join the Heavenly Deity Academy, he had taken the path through Imperial Pass. But along the way, he had fallen behind and gotten lost.
At that time, a cauldron exuding primordial qi had torn open the void, drawing him into a strange ancient land. There, he had encountered races identical to those of the Nine Heavens.
“This is the place. I’ve returned,” Shi Hao thought, his heart surging with shock.
This was indeed beyond the borderlands—part of the foreign realm’s territory!
On the plains stood a massive teleportation array. Everyone stepped onto it as the foreign experts worked together to activate the formation.
**Boom!**
Chaotic light surged into the heavens, and vast immortal mist spread. The fluctuations from the array were overwhelming.
Several Supreme beings were chanting mysterious incantations to activate this ancient formation. Clearly, it connected to a place of immense importance.
**Crack!**
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and fierce winds howled. Blood rain poured from the sky, and countless divine and demonic figures roared amidst the lightning. This teleportation array was anything but ordinary.
Normally, activating a spatial gate would only unleash spatial power. But here, terrifying phenomena of all kinds manifested.
Finally, with a deafening explosion, immortal energy filled the air as a massive passage was torn open. The vast army marched forward, stepping into it.
Pulled by fierce beasts and escorted by numerous experts, the bronze prison cart entered the passage. Soon, Shi Hao sensed something extraordinary—something that shocked him deeply.
When they finally emerged from the passage, Shi Hao confirmed it—this was indeed another world!
It was as if they had crossed realms!
The earlier ancient land had merely been the borderlands, the periphery of the foreign realm. But this was the true ancient domain—the great world where the noble clans and others lived.
The moment he stepped out, Shi Hao’s body trembled violently once more. Countless Dao laws descended, as if to reshape his body and temper his soul anew. The laws here were even grander.
Passing through that passage, they seemed to have crossed into a land governed by the most ancient cosmic laws.
In the sky, strands of Great Dao rules materialized, condensing into tangible forms that floated and surged, vast and unfathomable.
In the distance, a colossal ancient tree stretched across the heavens, its canopy seemingly capable of enveloping the firmament—it was a flourishing World Tree!
And this was only the beginning of their entry into this ancient realm.
This world was extraordinary beyond measure. The spiritual energy was so dense it was almost tangible. Every river on the ground was composed of spiritual liquid, not ordinary water.
Among the mountains, rare medicinal herbs grew everywhere, all of them ancient and precious.
Of course, there were also forbidden lands exuding terrifying auras—such as a blood-red swamp, clearly filled with countless corpses, or a fiery cavern where flames roared and tormented souls wailed as if trapped in hell.
This ancient realm was vast beyond measure, seemingly without end.
Shi Hao had a feeling that this place was many times larger than the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!
The so-called World Tree could be seen here precisely because it was so mystical—it could manifest in the sky of this realm, visible to all.
In truth, its roots, branches, and leaves were large enough to cradle stars, stretching across the land and emanating the purest essence of heaven and earth.
As they traveled deeper, they passed through the territories of one clan after another. Many detachments split off, returning to their respective homelands.
Along the way, Shi Hao saw enormous cities, their scale nearly rivaling Imperial Pass—and not just one, but many, all grand beyond compare.
“How should we deal with him?” someone finally asked, referring to Shi Hao.
By now, many legions had already dispersed, returning to their clans.
This time, the Immortal Kings’ journey to the Burial Ground had caused a tremendous stir, overshadowing even the deaths of Supreme beings and the capture of Imperial Clan members. The leaders of each race were eager to report back to their patriarchs.
As for Shi Hao, many wished to kill him on the spot!
During the journey, some had tried to strike, eager to behead him and avenge their fallen comrades.
But considering that he was a prisoner of the Imperial Clan—a being brought back for the higher-ups—ordinary cultivators dared not actually kill him.
They sensed that this young man was no ordinary figure. If they destroyed him body and soul, they might face dire consequences.
Even the Supreme beings hesitated—how should he be dealt with?
“We should hang him on the city gates, announcing to all clans that we’ve captured a vicious criminal, fit to be sacrificed to the ancient spirits,” someone suggested.
In recent days, “Huang” had committed too many atrocities. Alone, he had slaughtered thousands of foreign cultivators, including over a hundred in the Dunyi realm.
“If we hang him on the walls, I fear someone might lose control and kill him!” another whispered.
Yet the experts of each clan wished to torment Shi Hao. He had slain too many—letting him off lightly would be too merciful.
“Until the higher-ups decide, we should not act recklessly!” a high-ranking figure declared.
Their recent attempt to test Imperial Pass had ended in disaster—Supreme beings slain, an Imperial Clan member captured. The only “achievement” was bringing back “Huang.”
“Throw him into the Blackwater Prison. As long as he lives, nothing else matters!” a high-ranking figure finally decreed.
They believed that as long as Shi Hao remained alive, they had fulfilled their duty. Even the gravest injuries could be healed by an Immortal-level expert.
This was one of the foreign realm’s ten great cities.
Beneath it lay an ancient, indestructible prison—one that had endured for epochs.
The bronze prison cart was opened, but Shi Hao remained shackled, thick chains coiled around his body. He was shoved forward, forced into the prison.
The place was dark, damp, and devoid of sunlight. The moment he entered, deafening roars echoed around him.
In the cells, countless unknown races were imprisoned, all incredibly powerful.
Compared to them, Shi Hao—at the Severing Realm—was among the weakest here.
Yet he was treated with extreme severity. For someone of his level, any ordinary cell would have sufficed. Locking him in such a prison was almost wasteful.
But Shi Hao was taken deeper, eventually reaching the innermost depths of the Blackwater Prison—where ancient overlords were held in the most secure cells.
As they descended, the area grew eerily silent.
Here, it seemed as if no one was imprisoned at all.
**Clang!**
A cell door swung open, and Shi Hao was hurled inside, crashing against the stone wall before collapsing to the ground.
“Reflect on your crimes, brat. Savor the taste of death!” someone sneered.
Shi Hao remained silent. Since entering the foreign realm, he had spoken not a word.
He surveyed his surroundings. The cell was vast, adjacent to another. Though separated by strange stone pillars and blood-colored divine iron, he could still see through.
Beyond that, the cell was encased in a faint black light—a translucent barrier that was the true seal. It was said to be unbreakable for eternity. Anyone who touched it would slowly be refined away.
Shi Hao’s expression shifted. In the deepest cell beside him, a corpse hung from an iron pillar, motionless, desiccated and cold.
“Do you think he’s dead?” one of the foreign cultivators muttered, eyeing the corpse with unease.
“He hasn’t moved in over an epoch. I’d say he’s long gone,” another replied.
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