What’s going on? Did he truly achieve the Dao?
Even now, Shi Hao still harbored doubts. At the final moment, why had the manifested tangible Great Dao withdrawn?
Moreover, he hadn’t received the blessings of Heaven’s Will, nor undergone any auspicious baptism. He had simply endured the tribulation in such an ordinary, uneventful manner—wasn’t that a bit unreal?
“Roar—!”
From the distance came the roar of a lion. The Golden Lion raced across the heavens, its speed terrifying, its momentum overwhelming.
Its massive body made the very sky tremble.
Tears streamed down the Golden Lion’s face as it howled, its expression leaving Shi Hao baffled. Since when had it grown so affectionate toward him?
“Thank the heavens, you didn’t die after all. I don’t have to be buried with you.”
Hearing these words, Shi Hao immediately understood—this bastard was only worried because of their contract. If Shi Hao died, it would perish alongside him.
“What’s your situation? Did you fail?” the Golden Lion questioned, then added, “Even if you failed, you still survived. You’re truly an undying freak!”
It sounded somewhat indignant.
“What do you mean?” Shi Hao glanced at it.
Then, he released a trace of his aura—just a normal, unintentional leak—but in that instant, the world changed. The entire realm trembled.
Mountains and rivers shook, the sun and moon dimmed as if about to fall.
The Golden Lion shuddered, its fur standing on end. Unable to withstand the pressure, it collapsed weakly, trembling uncontrollably.
This wasn’t by its own will. The pressure came from the soul, forcing it to bow its head and prostrate on the ground.
The aura of a Supreme Being—had this man truly become one? With just a thought, it, a powerhouse at the Dunyi Realm, was reduced to shivering and submitting in terror.
But something wasn’t right. Why had it taken so long? It remembered that when others achieved the Dao, it never lasted for days. That wasn’t normal!
Shi Hao withdrew his pressure, retracting all his energy and spirit. Only then did the Golden Lion return to normal.
Shi Hao’s expression turned solemn. He had to be cautious now. His mana fluctuations and all other auras had to be kept within his body. Otherwise, disaster could strike.
If he carelessly released his energy, other living beings might perish on the spot.
Once the Golden Lion recovered, it cautiously asked, “What have you been doing these past dozen or so days?”
“Achieving the Dao, resisting the interrogation of Heaven and Earth,” Shi Hao replied.
“What?!” The Golden Lion was utterly stunned, its expression one of sheer disbelief. How was this possible?
Wasn’t one or two days enough? How could someone resist Heaven and Earth’s interrogation for over ten days?
Success or failure—shouldn’t the outcome have been clear within a day or two?
“What’s your situation?” the Golden Lion questioned skeptically.
Shi Hao looked at it and decided not to hide the truth. He knew this lion came from the Foreign Realm, where experts were as numerous as clouds. It must be familiar with the secrets of a Supreme Being’s ascension.
After hearing the full story, the Golden Lion was completely dumbfounded.
“No blessings from Heaven and Earth, no baptism—you replenished your own energy? This…”
The more the Golden Lion thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Finally, it couldn’t help but blurt out, “Can this even be called achieving the Dao? You just stubbornly endured until the Great Dao itself got tired of dealing with you and left out of sheer annoyance!”
It was both mocking and shocked. This was utterly unbelievable. What kind of state was Shi Hao in? Not a perfect success, but a tenacious survival, like an unkillable cockroach?
Did this count as achieving the Dao? It couldn’t tell.
Hearing this, Shi Hao himself fell silent. Upon reflection, he really had just brute-forced his way through—neither victory nor defeat. Did it count as success? He wasn’t sure.
“The Great Dao’s blessings upon a Supreme Being are of immense significance. Without them, can you truly be considered a Supreme Being?” the Golden Lion wondered aloud.
Shi Hao pondered as well. His combat power had clearly skyrocketed to a terrifying level. He was certain that if he encountered Jin Taijun or the Wind Clan’s ancestor again, he wouldn’t need to flee.
If he was strong enough, he could even slap Jin Taijun dozens of times, just like the Great Elder had.
Stone Village was now within sight. To Shi Hao, the distance was but a step away.
Beneath his feet, a golden path materialized, spanning the entire Desolate Wasteland and extending straight to the village entrance. In an instant, he traversed countless miles and landed at the village gate.
The villagers erupted in cheers, the atmosphere instantly boiling over.
Seeing Shi Hao return alive and unharmed was the greatest news of all.
“Child, how are you?” Qin Yining and Shi Ziling’s anxiety turned to joy. Qin Yining wiped tears from the corners of her eyes, her face blooming with a smile.
Yun Xi arrived as well, standing gracefully like an orchid, her purple robes fluttering like an immortal descending from the moon—beautiful and transcendent. Even her eyes shone with happiness, her joy genuine.
“Uncle’s back! He must have achieved the Dao and become invincible!” A group of youths shouted as they rushed over.
“Child, it’s enough that you’ve returned safely!” Old Clan Chief Shi Yunfeng finally relaxed. These past days had been filled with worry, fearing Shi Hao might meet with misfortune. His aged eyes glistened with tears.
At this moment, Shi Hao understood—he could not afford to fall. The entire Stone Village saw him as their pillar. If he collapsed, the consequences would be unthinkable.
“Cheap master, you’ve got some serious luck. You actually survived this?” The Red Dragon spoke up, only to be kicked flying by Shi Hao, vanishing into the distance.
Of course, Shi Hao was careful to restrain all his energy and fluctuations. Otherwise, the Red Dragon would have been reduced to ashes—even a true dragon couldn’t withstand his power.
“Hahaha, this is fantastic! You really succeeded?” The Zhu Yan leaped about excitedly.
“Heh, never thought my bro would become a Supreme Being. From now on, anyone who dares challenge me will be scared to death! I’d better hurry up and master my King Tyrant Divine Fist!” San Hei peeked out with a sly grin.
“Get lost! Go practice your turtle fist somewhere else. Don’t go claiming kinship randomly!” The Big Red Bird swatted him away with a wing.
…
Stone Village was jubilant!
Only after several days did the village settle into relative calm.
“The world has changed. The spiritual energy seems thinner, and it’s still decreasing!” The Zhu Yan sought out Shi Hao to report.
In fact, Old Clan Chief, Shi Ziling, Yun Xi, and others had also noticed. They all turned to Shi Hao, gathering to hear his thoughts.
Shi Hao had sensed it even more keenly. Upon his return, he had immediately recognized the shift. Over the past few days, he had visited other regions of the Eight Domains—all were the same!
He had even entered the Void God Realm to consult Bird Grandpa and Essence Wall Grandpa. The two had been solemn, declaring that the world was changing and that something terrifying was about to unfold.
“The world is transforming. I suspect the Upper Realm is in grave trouble. I’ll go and see!” Shi Hao announced his decision to depart.
Before leaving, he turned to Yun Xi and transmitted a message: “In these chaotic times, we’ve spent more time apart than together. I’ll first make a trip to the Nine Heavens.”
He felt a pang of guilt toward Yun Xi. For the sake of cultivation and rapid ascension to Supreme Being, he had agreed to his parents’ request to become Dao companions with her.
Yet on their wedding night, he had entered seclusion to comprehend the Dao.
“I’ll wait for you,” Yun Xi replied simply.
Shi Hao departed. Passing through the Heavenly Domain, even the master of the forbidden zone was astonished, never expecting him to reach this stage.
“Strange. It’s not yet complete. I believe you’ll perfect it in time.”
Shi Hao nodded. He pursued the pinnacle of the Dao—perfection was non-negotiable. To have come this far in such a short time was already myth-defying.
Shi Hao arrived in the Upper Realm without incident. The ancient path posed no obstacle to him now; it couldn’t hinder his steps.
Emerging from the Cross Yin-Yang Land, he immediately frowned. The world felt drastically different—spiritual energy had sharply declined, becoming sparse.
Compared to the past, it was a stark drop!
“The world is changing!”
Shi Hao soared into the distance. Before long, he saw rolling black clouds and overwhelming malevolent energy.
It was the Dark Substance. What had happened to the Three Thousand Provinces? Had they all been conquered by Dark creatures?
He gazed into the distance. The Dark Army had already advanced into this province, sweeping across the land like a tide!
Soon, Shi Hao encountered some living beings. He inquired and was shocked by what he learned.
Half of the Three Thousand Provinces had fallen into the hands of Dark creatures.
Fifteen hundred provinces had changed hands!
Even the reinforcements from the Immortal Realm had failed to hold them back?
Moreover, another major event had recently erupted, filling people with dread—the Dark creatures and the Immortal Realm had ceased hostilities, temporarily halting their war.
“Heaven and Earth are rebelling. The Age of Decadence is coming!”
This was the trembling voice of an elder, who shared the news with Shi Hao.
In fact, many already knew. Visitors from the Immortal Realm had sensed the anomaly and soon confirmed the impending catastrophe.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—those ancient lands were shifting, preparing to merge back into a single realm.
The most terrifying change was that the Great Dao was growing distant, and spiritual energy would gradually dry up. The world was entering the Age of Decadence, an era unfit for cultivation—perhaps even the Age of No Law!
Even beings from the Immortal Realm were horrified, scrambling for solutions, fearing the decay would spread to their domain.
Even the Dark creatures had paused, hesitating and observing.
“This is bad!” Shi Hao frowned. This was hardly the ideal time for his rise.
The cruelest of eras was arriving, yet it was also the worst for cultivation. To be born in this age was a tragedy for all living beings.
Shi Hao wanted to understand the details—what had caused this terrifying event?
He sought out acquaintances and old friends, hoping to learn of their current state.
The first person he thought of was Cao Yusheng. This guy had a master who could calculate past and future. What had become of him? Alive or dead?
When they last parted, Cao Yusheng hadn’t hidden his master’s secluded location, telling Shi Hao to seek him out if needed.
Without delay, Shi Hao vanished in a streak of lightning.
Unfortunately, he arrived to an empty valley—no one was there.
At least the Dark Substance hadn’t yet corrupted this province.
“Has he not returned from the Nine Heavens? But where’s his master?” Shi Hao wondered. The valley had thatched huts and ancient caves, but all were deserted.
With his current divine sense, no one could hide from him.
Soon, he discovered a hidden imprint left by Cao Yusheng.
The imprint manifested, revealing Cao Yusheng in tears, utterly grief-stricken.
“Before the Dark Era arrived, my master went to confront it… and never returned. Waaah…”
Shi Hao was stunned, then sighed softly.
“The Age of Decadence is here. Perhaps it’s just as my master predicted—sooner or later, I’ll be buried deep underground. I’m off to choose a grave site.”
He had left these very words.
Shi Hao was dumbfounded. He scrutinized the imprint, deciphering it to learn where Cao Yusheng had gone. Was he really planning to bury himself?
The imprint cracked under his efforts, revealing hidden messages—codes Cao Yusheng had once shared with friends.
“I’m heading to the Land of Reincarnation. My master said it’s ideal for nurturing corpses—my burial ground. Farewell, everyone!”
Reading this, Shi Hao should have laughed, but he couldn’t. Instead, he felt a pang of sorrow. This damned era had arrived so abruptly. How tragic!
The Land of Reincarnation!
Following the clues, Shi Hao searched relentlessly.
According to Cao Yusheng’s master, it was the cave abode of the Reincarnation Immortal King. Some said the Peerless Immortal King had also meditated there.
There were even claims that it was the true Land of Reincarnation, unrelated to any Immortal King!
Such a mysterious place existed!
Distance was no obstacle for Shi Hao. The ancient land was within the Three Thousand Provinces, still part of the same continent, making it easier to find.
After a long search, he finally arrived!
Dense primordial forests, majestic mountain ranges—deep within, he could even glimpse golden bricks and jade tiles buried beneath the earth.
To Shi Hao, even mountains couldn’t obstruct his vision. He could now perceive far more.
“This is the place!”
He stopped before a stretch of mountainous terrain shrouded in mist, where spiritual energy was relatively dense. In a flash, he stepped into the fog.
Soon, he bypassed various formations and entered a semi-sealed paradise—a minor world of its own.
Shi Hao had imagined countless scenarios, but the sight before him still left him stunned, exceeding all expectations.
He saw Cao Yusheng—and a dog. They were in the midst of chaos!
This wasn’t the adult Cao Yusheng. Instead… he looked like a chubby, fair-skinned child of seven or eight, fleeing in panic.
What had happened? Shi Hao was baffled. Had Cao Yusheng regressed in age? Why was he so small and youthful?
Behind him, a palm-sized puppy was giving chase, barking furiously.
Shi Hao felt dizzy. This was downright embarrassing—a tiny dog was hot on Cao Yusheng’s heels, making him scream and flee like mad!
“Give me back my dragon-meat buns! Those were for my reincarnation!” the tiny dog howled.
Shi Hao was utterly flabbergasted. Dragon-meat buns?
Sure enough, he spotted the snow-white buns clutched in Cao Yusheng’s hand, refusing to let go. The boy desperately tried to shove them into his mouth, but the dog kept snapping at him.
“Damn mutt, who are you fooling? ‘Brother of the Peerless Emperor’? ‘Reincarnated Immortal King’? You think I’m stupid? Handing them over would be like feeding a dog—no returns!” Cao Yusheng yelled.
What in the world was going on? Shi Hao was at a loss.
“You grave-robbing brat! You dug me up and promised to be my human pet, then stole my dragon-meat buns! Today, I’ll cook you alive!”
The tiny dog, no longer than Cao Yusheng’s foot, was viciously barking and chasing him.
Shi Hao was truly dumbfounded. From what he could gather, Cao Yusheng had followed his master’s advice, chosen a burial site, and dug deep—only to unearth a puppy?
“Where’s the longevity medicine my master stored here? You must’ve eaten it, you little thief! Give it back, or you’ll never get these buns!”
“Human pet, you’ve angered me! Prepare for punishment!”
Watching from afar, Shi Hao felt secondhand embarrassment for Cao Yusheng. Being chased by a minuscule dog and screaming like a child—what a sight!
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