Chapter 1796: Eternal Darkness

One after another, the true phoenix feathers intertwined like crimson chains, forming a cage that imprisoned the dark knight within.

A single feather could annihilate entire mountain ranges, turning peaks into molten lava and rivers into mist—such was their boundless might. Combined, they held the power to refine entire stars!

Now, Shi Hao unleashed his fury, constructing a crimson cage with the True Phoenix Treasure Spell to lock this foe in place.

The dark knight remained silent, his gaze icy and pupils narrowed as he stared at Shi Hao, inwardly shocked. *How could there be such a powerful youth in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?*

After all, he himself had cultivated for countless ages to reach this level!

“Speak, or don’t—your choice!” Shi Hao demanded.

“We shall one day reign over this land. Darkness is eternal—the final destiny of all living things, the fate of the heavens themselves,” the dark knight replied coldly, devoid of emotion, unafraid of life or death.

His words were calm, yet to Shi Hao, they struck like thunder, shaking his very soul.

The more composed the dark knight was, the more it revealed the gravity of the situation—as if this belief was ingrained in his bones, his very essence.

*What kind of beings are these?*

“If you won’t speak, I’ll take what I need myself!” Shi Hao growled.

With a low roar, his body resonated like tempered steel as even more vibrant feathers shot forth, transforming into divine rainbows. He resembled a true phoenix spreading its wings, surrounded by dazzling plumage.

Every feather trembled, amplifying Shi Hao’s aura to an overwhelming degree. He channeled immense power, using the True Phoenix Treasure Spell to suppress this creature.

All the feathers blazed with searing flames, reinforcing the cage as they refined wisps of black mist, evaporating them into eerie, shadowy vapors.

“Ah—!” The dark creature snarled.

But it was futile. He could not resist—he was no match for Shi Hao.

It wasn’t that he was weak. On the contrary, he was immensely powerful—few in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths at the Dunyi Realm could suppress him!

But Shi Hao was simply stronger, especially after his recent gains in the lower realm—the Grass-Sword Art, the legacy of the Chaos Ape, and the True Phoenix inheritance had all elevated his strength.

Compared to his time at the borderlands, he was now even mightier!

Strand after strand of black mist was refined and incinerated, leaving behind strange black ashes upon the ground.

“One day, you too shall fall into eternal darkness!” the knight howled, sensing imminent peril, his calm shattered.

The black mist was the source of their power, capable of corroding all existence, turning entire realms into domains of darkness—their sacred lands. Yet now, Shi Hao was refining and dismantling that very power.

“Eternal darkness? I’ll be waiting,” Shi Hao scoffed, utterly unfazed.

“You will regret this. Darkness will bury you in the end!” the knight intoned, his voice low as if chanting a curse.

Shi Hao ignored him but frowned—refining a dark knight was far more laborious than expected. A lesser creature would have been subdued long ago.

Now, he had to meticulously purify the black mist strand by strand, expending tremendous effort.

**BOOM!**

Then, he summoned thunder, striking with lightning—a force of supreme yang, no less potent than the True Phoenix’s flames.

These were the most effective means against malevolent forces.

Yet, the dark substance did not seem entirely evil. Though Shi Hao could suppress it, he could not swiftly dismantle or destroy it.

A long time later, the dark knight’s spirit withered, his body swaying weakly. No more black mist rose from him—he seemed like a man struck by grave illness, drained of strength.

“Come here!” Shi Hao barked.

Once the dark substance was fully refined, he reached out with a massive hand, seizing the knight’s skull to extract his soul imprint.

**ROAR!**

The dark knight bellowed, his sacred black armor clanging as it emitted a sinister glow, resisting fiercely.

But his vitality was spent. A foul, rotting stench emanated from him—his combat power had waned.

With a **thud**, Shi Hao seized him effortlessly. Light surged from his palm as he bound the knight with divine laws, intent on extracting his soul imprint to uncover the truth.

“Ah—!”

Yet at that moment, the dark knight went berserk, breaking free from his restraints with a piercing shriek. His body erupted with a sinister black radiance.

Shi Hao’s brow furrowed. Without hesitation, he unleashed the Grass-Sword Art, slashing through the knight’s protective glow to dismantle his combat power.

**CLANG!**

The black light was terrifying, carrying a demonic aura—less like the knight’s own power and more like a resonance from the surrounding darkness, reinforcing him with a defensive barrier.

Shi Hao was startled. *This dark substance is truly unending.* He felt its eerie, formidable, and tenacious nature.

Yet, the Grass-Sword Art—one of the three supreme ancient sword techniques—proved its might. The first strike alone dimmed the black radiance.

“One of the Three Ancient Sword Arts!” The dark knight’s pupils contracted—he knew he was in grave danger.

**BOOM!**

Symbols of the Dark Scripture—sinister black patterns—engulfed his body, some cast by him, others manifested by the dark substance itself.

Behind him stretched an endless black ocean, churning with mist that fed him with dark energy.

**SHING!**

The Grass-Sword Art was devastatingly sharp. The second slash tore through the black light like a hot knife through butter, unstoppable.

With a **thud**, the dark knight was bisected at the waist, his combat power obliterated.

Shi Hao hauled him up, only to recoil at the stench of decay.

“I will not yield. You will gain nothing!” the knight spat.

In an instant, Shi Hao saw his soul ignite into black flames, burning through his skull.

With a flick of his wrist, Shi Hao tossed the corpse aside—it was now meaningless.

He hadn’t expected the dark knight to be so unyielding, so fearless of death.

The stench of rot thickened. The knight’s skull was charred, his corpse motionless.

Shi Hao was baffled. Beneath the armor lay a rotting corpse—yet the knight had only just perished. Why had his body decayed so swiftly?

A mere touch caused the armor to crumble, as if eroded by endless time. The once-indomitable steel turned to dust like paper.

“Darkness is eternal—the fate of all realms.” The demonic words echoed in the air.

The dark knight’s soul-light dispersed, vanishing without a trace.

Shi Hao tried to grasp it, but the fading light turned to black ash in his palm, exuding a sinister energy. He quickly shook it off.

Soon, the corpse decayed further.

It was as though it had endured eons in an instant—rotting, withering, weathering, until it too crumbled into dust.

“What *is* this? Is it even a living being?” Shi Hao muttered in shock.

Then, the black dust swirled into a whirlwind, vanishing into the dark abyss ahead.

Just as the dark knight had foretold—darkness was eternal, the final destination of all life. In death, he had returned to it.

A heavy weight settled in Shi Hao’s heart. *What is happening? Where do these beings come from?*

He stood there for a long time, but no other creatures emerged from the black mist. Silence reigned.

Shi Hao vanished, concealing himself to observe this blackened land.

Strangely, the darkness had not expanded in recent days, still confined to fifteen provinces—as if temporarily stabilized.

From a distance, he studied the abyss, seeking answers.

“Hmm?”

Only two days later, another powerful clan from the Nine Heavens arrived—not the Feng Clan, but another.

They erected an eerie altar, performing rites that summoned a being from the darkness, seeking to bargain.

Shi Hao’s heart turned cold. *Has another great clan abandoned this world?*

His fury grew when, days later, yet another clan appeared elsewhere, calling forth creatures from the black abyss to trade.

With a sigh, Shi Hao felt a chill in his soul. He no longer wished to stay.

“If even the Eternal Clans are surrendering, what can a mere Dunyi cultivator like me do? Let the floodwaters rage—I will not stand in their way.”

Disheartened, he departed.

If the Eternal Clans were compromising, betraying this realm to deal with the dark beings, why should he fight alone?

With a **thud**, Shi Hao hoisted the nine dragon bones and the bronze coffin, vanishing swiftly along his original path back to the Crossroads of Yin and Yang.

At last, he returned to the lower realm.

“You actually brought *this* back?”

As he descended the celestial path into the ruins of the ancient forbidden zone, the half-skull of bleached bone glowed, transforming into the white-robed figure.

Staring at Shi Hao and the coffin, the specter’s expression shifted to one of astonishment.