During these past few days, numerous powerful factions had been entering the Celestial Academy, all with the clear intention of recruiting Shi Hao—hoping to make him their sect’s guardian.
Everyone knew that in the future, he would undoubtedly possess the capability to become an undefeated war god!
Yet, all attempts failed. None could persuade him to stay, as it was already clear that his mind was made up.
Throughout this time, Shi Hao had been gathering valuable information from various sources, preparing meticulously for his return to the lower realm.
“Are you really leaving? The Nine Heavens is a great place for cultivation. It pains me to see you go,” said the golden Little Heavenly Horned Ant.
It had made its home in the Celestial Academy, as beneath the grounds lay an immortal abode—its true dwelling. The ant suggested that Shi Hao could cultivate alongside it, unafraid of any Supreme Being’s assault.
But Shi Hao shook his head and declined.
“What’s so great about the lower realm? Everyone says it’s barren and unsuitable for cultivation. Returning there is like shackling yourself—your progress will slow,” the Lunar Grace Goddess tried to dissuade him.
Years had passed, yet her appearance remained unchanged—still resembling the delicate, porcelain-like girl of thirteen or fourteen from their first meeting, with silver hair cascading to her waist, mirror-like in its sheen, and ruby-red eyes that sparkled with clarity.
“Will you ever come back? Or are you truly retiring from the world?” Cao Yusheng asked.
Old friends like Chang Gongyan, Feng Wu, and even the Witch herself had gathered to speak with Shi Hao.
“I need your help,” Shi Hao said.
Before leaving, he intended to pay a steep price to acquire certain treasures—Divine Medicines, for instance.
“Divine Medicines?”
The group was stunned. Even in the Nine Heavens, such treasures were exceedingly rare and precious.
“You already have the Void Vine, the Celestial Tree, and others. Why do you need more?” they questioned in confusion.
Before departing for the foreign realm at Imperial Pass, Shi Hao had gifted away treasures like the Sword Embryo, only for his friends to return them later, knowing full well what he possessed.
Of course, some items he had given away permanently.
“You said it yourselves—the lower realm is barren, a desolate land. I want to bring a few Divine Medicines back to Stone Village, to extend my clansmen’s lifespans,” Shi Hao explained.
For ordinary people, even without consuming the medicines, merely breathing in their fragrance while living near them could slow aging.
“Fine. What do you plan to trade for them?”
“I have fragments of Immortal Gold and a powerful mount,” Shi Hao said.
At this, the group turned to see a golden lion glaring furiously in the distance, its mane radiant and imposing.
This was the Fearless Lion, a pure-blooded descendant of an ancient lineage from the foreign realm.
Once, it had pursued Shi Hao alongside the young Imperial Clan prodigy Su Gu, only to be subdued deep within the Heavenly Beast Forest and brought back to Imperial Pass as a mount.
Everyone knew this mount was extraordinary—immensely powerful and harboring many secrets from the foreign realm.
Many factions would covet it, and with their long-standing heritage, some might even force it to yield its ancestral inheritance—unless it chose death.
Yet, it had followed Shi Hao precisely because it feared death, secretly hoping to one day overthrow him.
“This lion is formidable. It once fought Jin Zhan at Imperial Pass—truly astonishing. It could fetch a high price,” Cao Yusheng nodded.
“Roar—!” The Fearless Lion’s fury intensified.
Soon, word spread—Shi Hao sought Divine Medicines and secret scriptures, offering Immortal Gold and the pure-blooded Fearless Lion in exchange.
The Fearless Lion had once belonged to the Nine Heavens, part of the ancient Monk lineage, before defecting to the foreign realm.
Even after all these years, many still remembered them.
“It seems Shi Hao is truly determined to leave. He’s preparing to take Divine Medicines back to the lower realm.”
Indeed, someone delivered a Divine Medicine—without accepting Shi Hao’s Immortal Gold or the lion.
This was a representative of the Interception Heavenly Dao, the Witch’s sect.
In the three thousand provinces, there was the Interception Sect; in the Nine Heavens, the Interception Heavenly Dao—similar to Qing Yi’s faction, yet the two were rivals.
“Young friend, since you’re leaving, who knows when we’ll next witness your invincible prowess? A mere Divine Medicine is nothing—consider it a parting gift,” the middle-aged woman said generously before departing.
Soon, emissaries from the Sacred Academy and Immortal Academy arrived, each gifting a Divine Medicine.
“Sigh,” sighed the elders of the Celestial Academy. With Meng Tianzheng gone, they lacked even a single Divine Medicine to offer.
“Back when I forged my own path, Elder Meng expended countless treasures, securing more than one Divine Medicine for me,” Shi Hao said.
Moved, he considered leaving the medicines behind, but the academy refused.
“Then perhaps this lion could guard the academy’s gates,” Shi Hao suggested.
“No need. The world is at peace now, and unlike the other academies, ours won’t endure much longer. Take it with you. Besides, this beast is a calamity—once it grows, few could suppress it. Leaving it here for millennia might invite disaster,” an elder replied.
In their view, such a monstrous mount was perfect for Shi Hao.
Others agreed—a man who could slay Imperial Clan members deserved a mighty steed.
The Fearless Lion seethed. Why was it a mount while Mo Dao, also from the foreign realm, had regained freedom?
Mo Dao, Mo Xian’s younger brother, had once been subdued by Shi Hao but was now free.
Not long after, a woman in white arrived at the academy—Wang Xi!
She bore a message from the recovering Wang Changsheng: he was willing to teach Shi Hao the *Pacification Chaos Art*!
This was staggering news. The *Pacification Chaos Art*, one of the deadliest techniques, could forge an indestructible primordial spirit sword, vastly enhancing one’s power.
With the *Indestructible Scripture* for his body and this art for his spirit, Shi Hao would possess an unrivaled combination.
Yet, with a sigh, Shi Hao politely declined.
Wang Xi’s presence signaled the Wang Clan’s desire to recruit him, but Shi Hao had no intention of joining them.
The Jin Clan, upon hearing this, was furious. With Jin Zhan still alive, why was Wang Xi sent to Shi Hao?
Days later, the final gathering of the younger generation commenced.
Many arrived at the academy—some urging Shi Hao to stay, others simply to share one last drink.
After the Border War, most clans had returned home, and the young elites, hailing from across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, would soon disperse.
Without the power of a Supreme Being or a major faction, traversing these distant lands was nearly impossible.
For some, this farewell might be eternal.
The gathering was peaceful, attended by figures like the Banished Immortal, the Ten Crown King, and Qi Gu Daoist.
Even Tuogu Yulong and Qi Hong from Imperial Pass, who had never ventured far before, had come.
“So many are missing,” someone lamented.
Many brilliant talents had perished—like Sheng Yuan’s Yi Ant, slain before Imperial Pass, his body obliterated.
Or Lan Xian, whose fate remained unknown after her body was destroyed in the war, her flawless seed carrying away fragments of her soul.
And Jin Zhan, though rescued by his clan’s treasure, now faced an uncertain recovery.
“Ah!” Tuogu Yulong sighed heavily.
Too many had died. Even he, severely wounded in battle, had nearly been crippled.
Worst of all, his fiancée—one of the Wei Clan’s Four Phoenixes—had died before his eyes, her blood still vivid in his memory.
Of the four, only two survived.
In that single clash, half of the Nine Heavens’ young elites had fallen—a staggering toll.
At first, the mood was somber, but as drinks flowed, inhibitions faded.
This was their last reunion. Who knew if they’d ever meet again?
Laughter and tears intertwined as raw emotions surfaced.
“My elder brother died saving me at Imperial Pass—how tragic!” one youth wept.
“Wei Min, you rushed to save me when I was pinned by that spear… and died because of it. I can’t bear this guilt!” Tuogu Yulong blamed himself.
Such was the war’s aftermath—many still haunted by its horrors.
Amidst the sorrow, some sought to spar with Shi Hao—like the Ten Crown King and Dugu Yun, the Guardian’s descendant.
But he declined them all.
“Take care, everyone. Farewell!”
With that, Shi Hao rose and strode away.
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