The Golden Lion was indeed terrified. A mere skull, its origins lost to time, had refined the cosmos into a lake and woven past and present into dreams—utterly horrifying.
It sprinted like lightning, covering hundreds of thousands of miles in an instant, far faster than usual.
Shi Hao, meanwhile, was deep in thought, caressing the ancient jade fragment in his hand. It was old, a relic he treasured.
Just a skull, not even a true body, had once mentored multiple immortal-level experts, all prodigies of their eras. Truly extraordinary.
What intrigued Shi Hao most, however, was that this Forbidden Lord had once ventured beyond the embankment, delved deep, and returned alive—an astonishing feat.
From what he knew, no one who had gone there before had ever survived.
“Yet, his injuries were too severe. In the end, he still perished,” Shi Hao sighed softly. In the visions he had seen earlier, a bloodied man in white had staggered across the embankment.
For a Forbidden Lord to meet such a fate—that place was truly terrifying, ultimately claiming his life and leaving his bones buried in this desolate land.
Even when a supreme expert’s body was destroyed, a single drop of blood could reform it. Yet this mighty Forbidden Lord had died outright—proof of the sheer horror of that place.
When they finally stopped far away and looked back, the rear was shrouded in silence and thick mist, swallowed by chaos, no longer visible.
“Strange!”
The Golden Lion hesitated, taking a few steps back, only to find itself lost. Dizziness overwhelmed it, and soon, it could no longer find the way.
“Which direction should we take?” It grew uneasy, finding the surroundings dim and disorienting, its sense of direction gone.
Shi Hao was surprised—he wasn’t lost. He could clearly see the distant light and the mist behind them.
Was it the jade fragment? He tossed it to the ground and, to his shock, immediately felt dizzy, the world spinning around him.
He quickly retrieved the fragment, understanding dawning on him.
“Keep moving forward. Don’t stop,” Shi Hao instructed.
“But that seems like the way back,” the Golden Lion said uncertainly.
Shi Hao realized it was completely disoriented.
“Just keep going.”
Sure enough, after another five hundred thousand miles, normality returned. The sun shone, birds and beasts appeared, and they finally left that eerie region.
When the Golden Lion cautiously looked back, it saw a raging river cutting off their path, alongside fields of lava—landscapes it had never encountered before.
It was stunned. No matter how hard it tried, it knew it could never find that forbidden land again. It existed in a realm of chaotic time and space.
**Boom!**
In the distance, mountains collapsed, boulders soaring into the sky as dust billowed—a sudden catastrophe.
“Father! Mother!”
Shi Hao’s heart lurched. A warship was crashing through the mountains, causing the destruction.
What was happening?
With a whoosh, the Golden Lion took to the air, carrying Shi Hao toward the chaos.
Leaping onto the warship, Shi Hao found his parents.
“Child, you’re back!” Qin Yining exhaled in relief. Earlier, they had been frantic with worry.
Shi Hao soon learned that after leaving the children in a safe place under Yun Xi’s protection, Shi Ziling and Qin Yining had turned back to search for him.
Despite knowing they were weaker, as parents, they couldn’t bear to leave him behind. Yet, like the Golden Lion, they had lost their way, their ship tossed and battered.
“Let’s leave. This place is a forbidden zone, shrouded in a mysterious force. We must never return,” Shi Hao explained.
Ten thousand miles away, they reunited with Yun Xi and the children, all safe and sound.
At the sight of the warship, the Golden Lion, and Shi Hao, the children cheered, their fears melting away.
“Come aboard!”
Like a troop of little monkeys, they scrambled onto the ship. The youngest, barely able to walk, were lifted effortlessly by Shi Hao.
As the warship sailed toward inhabited lands, they finally learned their location.
“The Celestial Domain!”
The Lower Realm was divided into eight domains: Celestial, Earth, Mystic, Yellow, Cosmic, Temporal, Vast, and Barren—also known as the Eight Prisons.
“This is the Celestial Domain. Once, it housed a forbidden land, though even the Upper Realm was unaware!” Shi Hao mused.
“Could it be the forbidden land from the Cross of Yin and Yang, relocated here?” Yun Xi suggested.
It was possible. The stone path from the Cross had led to a forbidden zone in the Lower Realm—perhaps they were connected.
“Perhaps,” Shi Hao nodded, though it no longer mattered.
The colossal warship, a gift from the Celestial Academy, tore through the “domain barrier,” crossing into other ancient lands.
The Mystic Domain, one of the Eight Prisons, was a powerful region in the Lower Realm, home to the Western Sect and the descendants of Mount Immortal.
But Shi Hao had no intention of lingering. His heart yearned for Stone Village.
Only if they passed landmarks like the Kun Peng’s Nest or the River of Drifting Paper Boats would he pause. Now, they pressed onward.
**Hum!**
The void trembled as another grand vessel appeared, nearly colliding with theirs.
This ship was ornate, surrounded by spectral beasts and birds—manifestations of bone inscriptions for protection.
Though impressive, it paled in comparison to Shi Hao’s warship, which was deliberately restrained to avoid devastating the fragile Lower Realm.
“Who goes there?”
A voice boomed from the other ship.
Shi Hao stood at the prow, silent, lost in thought. He was home.
Here, the incomplete laws of the world barely constrained him. His power would be magnified manyfold.
The mountains and rivers seemed fragile beneath his might.
The opposing group, clearly influential in the Mystic Domain, grew impatient at his silence.
“Boy, why block our path? Do you mean to rob us?”
An old man, fiery-tempered, barked the question.
“My apologies. A mishap during our crossing,” Shi Hao replied, snapping back to reality.
The Golden Lion rolled its eyes. Left to its devices, it would have swatted the ship aside.
But Shi Hao had warned it against unnecessary violence in the Lower Realm.
“Elder Feng, what’s wrong?”
A gentle voice spoke as a young woman stepped onto the deck.
She was stunning, clad in soft yellow robes, with a diamond mark on her brow and jade horns peeking through her hair—like a dragon maiden.
Her eyes widened in shock upon seeing Shi Hao.
“You… you are…”
Years had passed, but the boy she remembered was still there—taller, more poised, but with the same bright eyes.
“Shi Hao!” she finally exclaimed.
“Shi Hao? The legendary Little Stone?”
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
“Yes, it’s him! I saw him in the Void God Realm!”
“Heavens, Little Stone has returned to the Lower Realm?”
“Back when I accompanied the young miss, I saw him—it’s him!”
The women chattered excitedly.
Even Elder Feng gaped in disbelief.
“Princess Qianqian, long time no see,” Shi Hao greeted, surprised to encounter an old acquaintance.
The Mystic Domain, home to the Western Sect and Mount Immortal, was a land of talents.
Princess Qianqian, one of the domain’s ten great beauties, had once been pursued by a scion of the Qin Clan, leading to a clash with Shi Hao.
Years later, she remained as lovely as ever, now staring at him in shock.
“You went to the Upper Realm. How can you be back?” she asked, dumbfounded.
“Who am I? The legendary prodigy of the ages. I go where I please. I missed home, so I returned,” Shi Hao boasted.
The crowd chuckled. This was the Little Stone they knew—brash, shameless, and fond of “plump ladies.”
Princess Qianqian took a moment to process this. The legendary Little Stone had returned from the Upper Realm!
“Little Stone, come visit my clan,” she invited, eyes sparkling.
“Not today. I must return to Stone Village first. But you’re welcome to visit me in the Stone Country,” he replied.
“Then I’ll see you soon!” she agreed, delighted.
Soon, their ships parted ways.
By day’s end, news spread across the Mystic Domain—Little Stone had returned.
It was an explosive revelation, stunning every clan and sect.
At first, no one believed it.
But the legend had indeed come home.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage