“You little brat, wrecking the Void God Realm the moment you return—are you trying to rebel? You deserve punishment! None of the record-breaking rewards will be granted!” Fine Jade gave him a stern warning.
“What punishment? I’m here to collect a debt. The treasure spell you owed me back then was never fulfilled,” Shi Hao retorted as he stepped forward.
The two old men, though thick-skinned, couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. After all, they had indeed been dishonest, failing to keep their promise all these years.
“You should know—last time, I fought my way down from the Spirit Realm,” Shi Hao pressed further.
“Let’s leave this place first. We’ll talk elsewhere,” Bird Lord suggested.
With a few swift movements, they vanished from the spot, speeding away just as many began converging on their location—someone had spotted Shi Hao.
“Don’t brush me off. I’ve already gathered all the bronze fragments. The only thing missing is the Celestial Scripture you promised,” Shi Hao said, eyeing them skeptically.
The place was desolate yet extraordinary, with wisps of chaotic energy rising from the wilderness.
“Ah, it’s not that we don’t want to give it to you, but there’s a bit of trouble,” Bird Lord muttered, his gaze unfocused. Even the bird perched on his shoulder seemed dazed, lost in thought.
Shi Hao studied them closely. Their condition wasn’t great—even the bird seemed off.
“Between enlightenment and corruption—you’re not really on the verge of losing control, are you?” Shi Hao asked with concern.
The last time he returned, he had noticed something amiss. These two, whose spirits were anchored in the Void God Realm, were showing signs of demonic influence.
“We’re holding up. No major issues for now,” Fine Jade replied, stroking his white beard.
“You tamed this dragon?” Bird Lord asked.
The Crimson Dragon immediately bristled, rolling its eyes and glaring at them. Though aware they might be the Void God Realm’s overseers, it was far from pleased.
“This is my disciple, destined to inherit part of my legacy,” Shi Hao answered.
“You’re so young and already taking disciples?” Fine Jade chuckled, amused. He thought the Crimson Dragon suited Shi Hao well as a student.
“Alas, I’ve been afflicted with the Immortal-Severing Curse. My days may be numbered, so I must leave behind a successor,” Shi Hao sighed dramatically.
“What?!” The two jolted awake, their scattered gazes sharpening in shock.
The Immortal-Severing Curse—what was that? Even a True Immortal struck by it would be crippled without exception. It was utterly ruthless!
“Do you two have any way to dispel it?” Shi Hao asked humbly.
Back in the Forbidden Land, he had consulted the man in white, who told him the curse was incurable—at least, the Forbidden Lord had never heard of a remedy. The only option was to endure.
But rumors said that aside from Immortal Kings, anyone afflicted would inevitably fall, differing only in how long they lasted.
Shi Hao had been stunned. No cure at all?!
The Forbidden Lord had been frank: precisely because it was unsolvable, it served as the ultimate test for Shi Hao. Only by surviving and defying the curse could he become the most powerful Empyrean cultivator in history.
At the time, Shi Hao had laughed bitterly. What use was being the strongest Empyrean if even True Immortals were crippled by it?
Still, he understood the Forbidden Lord’s perspective. Having witnessed countless calamities, the man needed someone who could surpass all predecessors—someone even greater than himself.
Otherwise, nurturing another would be meaningless, like the eight True Immortals before him, all long dead.
The enemies or circumstances the Forbidden Lord faced must have been terrifying—otherwise, he wouldn’t have fallen.
Shi Hao knew the man in white had sought to cross the embankment, pressing forward, only to return bloodied and perish soon after.
For such a figure, the successor had to surpass the ancients, reaching the pinnacle of strength!
The Immortal-Severing Curse, capable of stripping immortals of their power, was deemed a touchstone by the man in white—a way to gauge whether Shi Hao truly possessed the power to defy heaven.
Shi Hao could only sigh. Such a trial was unbearably heavy.
So, upon meeting Bird Lord and Fine Jade, he asked in desperation, treating it as a last resort.
“In our era, we likely… encountered the Immortal-Severing Curse, but our memories are hazy. It seems incurable,” Fine Jade admitted.
Shi Hao had heard before that the two were afflicted, their pasts slipping away.
“Isn’t the Void God Realm a realm of spirits? How could you end up like this? I fear you’ll succumb to demonhood,” Shi Hao said.
“No point hiding it now. We’ve been wounded and are suppressing something, which exacerbates our demonic tendencies,” Fine Jade confessed.
He admitted that their frequent memory lapses were tied to this.
“You’re suppressing something?” Shi Hao was stunned.
“Come. We’ll take you to retrieve the treasure spell—if you can obtain it. At the same time, we’ll show you what we’re suppressing,” Bird Lord said.
Shi Hao’s heart raced. He knew he was about to uncover the Void God Realm’s deepest secrets—perhaps its greatest enigma.
The Crimson Dragon grew impatient, as parts of their conversation were held in secret, beyond its hearing. Only trivial matters reached its ears.
They followed a path upward, piercing through clouds and traversing ancient roads until they reached an endless expanse of chaos.
A stone path stretched across the void, leading them to a colossal ancient hall—and cages.
What was this place? He was deeply suspicious.
Undoubtedly, this was a part of the Void God Realm never before revealed, hiding monumental secrets!
“Be careful. Don’t get too close,” Bird Lord warned.
As they neared the massive black hall, they stopped Shi Hao.
Inside, the darkness was thick, yet discernible. Stone statues, ancient and mysterious, stood cracked and covered in dust.
But chains bound them tightly, forged from supreme laws.
Just approaching, Shi Hao sensed power beyond the extreme—terrifying, even threatening to him.
And this was in the Void God Realm, where he had already surpassed limits. Yet here, he felt like prey under the gaze of primordial beasts, signaling grave danger. This place was extraordinary.
From the ancient stone statues, faint black mist seeped, carrying a demonic aura.
“Are you being corrupted because of them?” Shi Hao asked Bird Lord in shock.
“And other things,” Bird Lord replied.
This was beyond unusual. Were these statues truly so dreadful?
Looking past the hall, Shi Hao saw a prison—a series of eerie altars, each holding a sealed jar stained with blood.
Were the altars sealing the jars, or was the blood seeping from within?
Dozens of altars, dozens of jars!
Black mist oozed from the jars too, reeking of corruption.
Shi Hao frowned. This mist felt familiar—a symbol of the eerie and ominous, much like the sinister fog that had surrounded Grand Elder Meng Tianzheng during his final moments of ascension.
“There. The treasure spell you seek is suppressed there. I doubt you can retrieve it,” Bird Lord said.
Two bone scriptures awaited—one in the black hall, the other among the cages.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage