Huang has escaped!
This news exploded like thunder across the foreign realm, leaving cultivators from all races dumbfounded. A mere youth, a prisoner, had managed to slip away effortlessly from a land teeming with experts.
It was utterly absurd, beyond belief.
And the most outrageous part? Many had heard rumors that Huang had escaped riding a fish, leaving countless jaws on the floor.
When the news first spread, everyone reacted the same way—impossible, too ridiculous!
What kind of place did they think the foreign realm was? Riding a fish, soaring into the sky, just like that?
It sounded like a cow being blown into the heavens.
“Lies! There must be a traitor who let Huang go and made up this nonsense. How laughable!”
“Hah! What did I just hear? Huang escaped on a fish? That joke isn’t even funny—just plain absurd.”
…
Most refused to believe it. It was too far-fetched.
But as more and more reports trickled in, confirming the truth, the various races were left stunned.
“Inconceivable! A youth at the Severing Self realm escaped our world alone?”
Everyone was dumbstruck, seething with curses and frustration. Many cultivators had loathed Huang, only for him to slip away.
If they had known, they should’ve just had a supreme being crush him with a finger!
The foreign realm was in turmoil, unable to calm down—especially the younger generation. That terrifying demon, drenched in blood, had finally been captured, only to vanish again?
Many simply couldn’t accept it!
“What the hell is this ‘Ancestral Fish Fry’? Never heard of it! There must be a traitor among us who let Huang escape. Investigate immediately!”
“I can’t take this! Our realm has undying beings who can crush the creatures beyond the Imperial Pass. How could this happen?”
From that day onward, a storm swept through the foreign realm, sparking fierce debates.
Clearly, Huang’s unexpected escape had shaken them to the core.
Indeed, not only were the younger generation in an uproar, their hatred unquenched, but even the older generation couldn’t stay calm. Even the higher-ups were worried.
The person demanded by an Undying King had slipped away—this was no small matter. The words of such supreme beings were law, not to be defied.
The Imperial Pass had been silent for days.
Ever since Huang had been handed over, the atmosphere in the city had grown uneasy, morale unstable.
But in the past two days, whispers began to spread, stirring subtle shifts in the air—rumors about Huang.
First came the news that Huang had been crippled in the foreign realm, reduced to a prisoner, suffering torment. The city fell silent at this.
Qing Yi, the little rabbit, and others were heartbroken, shedding silent tears.
Who was to blame for this?
They had handed Huang over—the same Huang who had contributed greatly to the Imperial Pass, slaying countless enemies and even retrieving the rotten wooden box that had stirred the Undying King’s interest.
Yet, this was his fate.
Many felt conflicted. Qing Yi, Chang Gong Yan, and others were especially bitter, filled with resentment and unwillingness.
But soon, another report arrived—Huang had recovered, his strength refined, defeating imperial clansmen in the foreign realm and forcing the younger generation to retreat. He was unstoppable.
“Is this true?” The Lunar Jade Rabbit jumped with excitement upon hearing it.
Without a doubt, this news brought joy. Those connected to Shi Hao were elated.
Yet some doubted—how could Huang, a prisoner, thrive so spectacularly in the foreign realm? It was hard to believe.
“Breaking news! Huang has escaped! He’s left the foreign realm and is on his way back. Prepare to receive him!”
That very day, an even more shocking report arrived, leaving all cultivators stunned, their ears ringing.
Huang… escaped back? How was that possible? How had he done it?!
The foreign realm was dominant, leaving the border undefended, unlike the Nine Heavens’ Imperial Pass blocking the path. Thus, news traveled more easily from there.
Reports of Shi Hao defeating the Time Beast and making a name for himself in the foreign realm flooded in, along with the bizarre detail—he had escaped riding a giant fish.
“Is… this for real?”
Even those in the Imperial Pass were speechless. Defeating imperial clansmen was one thing, but escaping on a fish? That was downright absurd.
At the very least, there was no sign of his return here!
“Disaster! Word is Huang has defected to the foreign realm!”
That same day, such rumors surfaced.
Naturally, chaos erupted. Many were shocked.
A hero handed over, imprisoned, his heart turned cold—if he defected, it was all too believable.
Some even thought privately—if they were treated like that, they’d revolt too!
“Spreaders of rumors will be executed!”
That same day, Meng Tianzheng issued an order: anyone spreading falsehoods to sow discord would be killed without mercy.
“I believe Huang is truly on his way back. The foreign realm is slandering him, trying to drive a wedge between us. Once he appears, they want us to distrust him.”
Indeed, Huang had escaped the foreign realm, and some were deliberately spreading rumors to the Imperial Pass.
For a time, the city was awash with conflicting reports—no one knew what to believe!
Some believed Huang had dominated the foreign realm, defeating imperial clansmen and feasting on the Time Beast, achieving unparalleled glory.
Others urged caution—such feats seemed unrealistic. Perhaps Huang had truly turned his back on the Nine Heavens in anger.
Was Huang a righteous hero, or had he become a demon king in his fury?
For now, no one dared speak openly, but whispers and arguments spread in private.
Where was Huang, really?
At this moment, he had indeed entered a bizarre place beyond imagination.
The Ancestral Fish Fry leaped with all its might, breaking free from the Sea Waterfall, its form blurring and dimming as it left that ancient realm.
In the foreign realm, many royal clans knew—the end of the Sea Waterfall was terrifying. Approaching recklessly meant annihilation, vanishing from existence.
Now, Shi Hao and the others experienced torment worse than death.
The fish fry glowed like a black sun, resisting some mysterious force, its body rapidly shrinking.
Shi Hao and the others endured immense pressure, their bones cracking incessantly—all of them shattered!
How could this be? Shen Ming’s face paled. As powerful as she was, a Golden Burial Knight at the Dunyi realm, she was on the verge of death.
San Zang fared no better, his body in tatters, his holy aura fading, his entire being on the brink of exploding.
As for Shi Hao, his situation was just as dire—he could die at any moment.
After all, he hadn’t even reached the Dunyi realm!
Yet this place was strange. The pressure seemed tailored to push them beyond their limits, like some kind of trial.
Soon, their expressions changed. The Ancestral Fish Fry was covered in blood, its flesh mangled—it, too, seemed on the verge of death. Had even their means of escape failed?
“Look! The ancestral runes on its body are fading, about to shatter. That means it’s losing its protection!” Shen Ming said.
Boom!
With a final violent tremor, they all lost consciousness. In those fleeting moments, they heard faint, indistinct chanting.
They even dreamed—though it was hazy.
The Ancestral Fish was using its own runes as fuel, offering its blood in sacrifice, burning itself to leap out of the River of Fate and enter a certain place.
No one knew how much time had passed when Shi Hao awoke, catching the last syllable of the chanting—as if some ritual had just concluded.
He was in terrible shape, but alive.
His bones were broken, his flesh mangled, but that was bearable. As he sat cross-legged, his body crackled—his shattered bones began to regenerate.
Nearby, Shen Ming and San Zang were in worse shape, their bodies dismembered, nearly destroyed.
It took a long time before they opened their eyes, but they were incredibly weak, their soul flames dim, nearly extinguished.
They laughed bitterly—this was too miserable. Their cultivation had been shattered, and recovery would take time and great effort.
“You… weren’t as affected?” When they pieced their broken bodies together and saw Shi Hao’s condition, they were stunned.
“As expected of Huang!” San Zang could only say this.
“I’m considering choosing you as my dao partner,” Shen Ming said bluntly, forcing a seductive smile despite her pain, her charm enough to ensnare souls.
“What happened to the fish?” Shi Hao looked into the distance.
The fish had shrunk drastically—now only a hundred zhang long, covered in blood, its body in ruins, its bones shattered, seemingly on the verge of death.
Yet one ancestral rune remained unbroken on its body, now shining brilliantly, drawing its essence to unleash power.
With a series of cracks, the strange fish transformed again, shrinking to ten zhang. Its shattered bones mended, its ruined body healed—life returned.
It had sacrificed its size and vitality to survive.
Clearly, it was weaker now.
Most startling was its change in form—the tyrannical dragon-like head and ox horns receded, shifting toward that of a bird.
Its head now resembled a Peng’s—golden and radiant!
Its body remained fish-like, but intricate, mysterious patterns emerged.
Shi Hao was stunned, his heart trembling. These patterns resembled Kun Peng runes—he knew that creature well.
Could it be? Was the Ancestral Fish Fry transforming into a Kun Peng?
Finally, the Peng head vanished, leaving a black fish. Yet within it pulsed the aura of a Peng—clearly no ordinary being now.
“Leaping from the River of Fate, the Ancestral Fish Fry has mutated. Its future is unpredictable,” San Zang said.
Shi Hao frowned. What exactly was this Ancestral Fish Fry? How many existed? Was this how Kun Pengs were born?
Soon, they focused on their own safety, surveying their surroundings.
Where were they? The place was vast, silent—like a ruined ancient cosmos, a desolate wasteland, empty and lifeless.
Clearly, they had left the foreign realm, entering a mysterious ancient starry sky.
“Look! There are more Ancestral Fish Fry over there!” Shen Ming pointed.
But those fish fry were unfortunate—already dead. Some were ten thousand zhang long, others just ten zhang, their transformations failed, having perished countless years ago.
Beyond that, the place was barren—was this a discarded ancient universe? A broken remnant of the past?
Suddenly, ripples came from afar, accompanied by grand prayers and chanting, as if ancient mourners were wailing in unison.
“People?!”
All three widened their eyes in shock. Peering into the distance, they saw hundreds of creatures crossing the silent void in perfect unison.
Shi Hao froze, his hair standing on end. Such beings appearing in the real world—even one or two—would cause a sensation. Yet here were hundreds!
Most importantly, they carried a straw mat, upon which lay a person!
The lamentations came from them—as if mourning an emperor who had died in antiquity!
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