“All of you, step back. Do not approach,” Shi Hao said, his expression grave and solemn.
He was deeply concerned. What if living creatures emerged here? It wasn’t impossible for an immortal being to crawl over from beyond the embankment.
“Over there—is it the Immortal Realm or another world? Could it be connected to an unfathomably powerful and mysterious realm?” the Crimson Dragon whispered, his heart filled with trepidation.
They had only just arrived, yet they had already encountered the remains of a true immortal. The corpse was shattered, covered in countless wounds—claw marks, fist holes, and more.
There were also traces of charring from lightning strikes and an ominous aura lingering around it.
What had this being endured?
“Why do I feel like he only died a few decades ago? It doesn’t seem like a corpse from countless millennia past,” the Heavenly Horned Ant voiced his doubts.
Shi Hao nodded. Precisely because of this, he was being cautious, urging everyone to retreat.
All of them were solemn, stepping back while surveying their surroundings. The embankment was astonishing—like a torrent of steel, blocking the way with an overwhelming presence.
Scattered across this area were the remnants of massive stars.
Shi Hao walked forward alone, carefully observing the surroundings for any anomalies.
Fortunately, he saw no living beings.
Here, he could sense the power of the Great Dao—terrifying rules that surpassed the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Some were so astonishing he had never encountered them before.
There were layers upon layers of mysterious ripples in this place, imperceptible to ordinary beings. Only those of Shi Hao’s level could detect them.
Invisible to most, they appeared to him as beams of light emanating from beyond the embankment, transforming into ripples.
“Countless rules, endless Great Dao—this is indeed a fearsome place. Perfect for enlightenment and tempering oneself!” Shi Hao remarked.
However, he knew those ripples, those lights, were unsuitable for the others. They couldn’t see them—their realms were still too low.
“What of the formation from back then?” Shi Hao searched.
In the past, he, San Zang, and Shen Ming had managed to leave this place by discovering a crude, seemingly hastily drawn pattern.
“It’s still here, but we can no longer use it to leave. It’s grown fainter, and the endpoint is now unreachable.”
Gray mist rose from the embankment, growing ever more profound. Shi Hao sensed danger in the air.
“Elder Brother, what lies beyond the embankment? Can we take a look?” Zhu Lin asked.
The others were equally eager, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Shi Hao shook his head, making it clear—not just them, but even he couldn’t cross to the other side now.
Of course, he would attempt to probe it later, given how much stronger he had become. But he couldn’t bring them along.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to cultivate and temper yourselves. The path begins beneath your feet,” Shi Hao said.
He pointed toward a stretch of sandy ground behind them, urging them to turn and head in that direction.
The sandy expanse was eerily quiet.
After all these years, only a faint set of footprints remained imprinted in the fine sand—no others.
A single line of footprints, flickering in and out of clarity, barely discernible but unmistakably left by a humanoid being.
**Boom!**
When the Heavenly Horned Ant stepped onto the sand, blood-red light erupted, and thunder surged, striking down violently.
**Thud!**
The Heavenly Horned Ant shuddered, his body charred black as he staggered back.
This was terrifying—mysterious power lurked here.
At the same time, bloody mist churned, and an inexplicable aura erupted.
“Take this willow branch!” Shi Hao said.
A crystalline willow branch appeared in his hand—a relic from Liu Shen, left behind in this very region. He, too, had once been protected by it.
“A path of tempering, yet requiring the protection of a divine tree’s branch?” The group was puzzled.
“This path was never meant for ordinary beings. Only true immortals and undying ones can tread it. Yet, across countless epochs, only one has left footprints behind,” Shi Hao said, pointing to the faint line of prints.
Shi Hao took out Liu Shen’s branch and personally escorted them toward the Abyss of Lightning.
Sure enough, along the way, they were stunned—no matter how they tried, they couldn’t leave footprints in the sand.
“Don’t bother trying. Throughout history, countless invincible beings have come here—even the masters of forbidden zones and immortal kings couldn’t leave a trace,” Shi Hao said.
This left everyone speechless, their minds reeling.
“See these faint footprints? Since ancient times, all who came here followed them, chasing this very clue.”
It was because of these footprints that the embankment was discovered, that true immortals and undying beings had come here—and died here.
The Heavenly Horned Ant, Cao Yusheng, Shi Zhong, and the others were horrified, utterly stunned.
“I started my journey from the Abyss of Lightning back then. You’ll begin there as well,” Shi Hao said.
The path was perilous, filled with ominous auras and bloody mist that drew down thunderous strikes. But with the willow branch’s protection, they arrived safely before the Abyss of Lightning.
“Hold onto this branch. Don’t stray too far apart. In critical moments, it will protect you,” Shi Hao cautioned.
Standing before the Abyss of Lightning, the group was awestruck. It was a sea of thunder, with countless lightning pools floating within.
Some of these pools even exuded immortal energy, swirling with divine radiance—utterly breathtaking.
Shi Hao did not leave. He sat cross-legged, guarding them, ensuring their safety for the time being.
For three full years, he remained, occasionally venturing into the abyss himself to undergo tribulation and temper his body.
Of course, whenever he entered, the others would retreat far away—otherwise, they would be caught in the calamity, unable to survive.
Everyone was astonished. The thunder here contained countless Great Dao laws, as if it were the source of heavenly tribulation, hiding profound mysteries of the Dao.
Shi Hao watched silently, standing guard.
The Thunder Spirits revived, thriving like fish in water or dragons returning to the sea. This place suited them perfectly. Three Thunder Spirits shrieked and plunged in, greedily absorbing the lightning.
Over three years, they evolved continuously!
—
By the fourth year, Shi Hao departed, heading alone toward the embankment world.
Without Liu Shen’s willow branch, he nearly died multiple times on this journey, leaving behind trails of blood as his body almost shattered under the tribulations.
Shi Hao’s heart trembled. This path was truly meant for beings at the level of true immortals and above. Even with his strength, he had suffered grievous injuries.
Yet, he persevered, returning to the embankment’s vicinity.
Along the way, he adjusted continuously. By the time he ascended the embankment, his wounds had already healed.
“I want to see—what lies beyond this embankment!”
Shi Hao climbed the embankment, standing atop it as he gazed forward.
Endless mist stretched before him, obscuring everything. He could see no end, no boundaries—nothing at all.
Moreover, there were ripples—light only visible at his level—emanating outward, disrupting his vision.
These were ripples of the Great Dao, light of the rules. Ordinary beings couldn’t perceive them—they were natural emanations from this side of the embankment.
“I must see clearly! Heavenly Eye of the Supreme, pierce through illusions!” Shi Hao roared.
Sitting cross-legged on the embankment, he channeled all his Dao power. His eyes deepened, shrouded in immortal mist before blazing with radiant immortal light.
This was the limit of his strength—infused with the aura of the immortal Dao!
What he saw left him stunned.
Rolling waves—an endless divine sea!
Beyond the embankment lay an ocean, an inconceivable expanse.
Amid the undulating waves, shattered ancient worlds rose and fell, appearing and vanishing within the foam. Some were destroyed, others withered, some mere illusions.
“How is this possible?!” Shi Hao found it hard to believe.
The sea was boundless, now calm and serene, with only faint ripples. Yet with each wave, countless broken ancient worlds flickered in and out of existence.
Were these waves, this foam, composed of them? A sea of laws.
**Boom!**
Suddenly, a colossal wave surged. Shi Hao glimpsed even vaster worlds emerging within the spray, hidden within the towering swells.
“The Sea of Realms?!” He was utterly shaken.
Now, he sensed different ancient worlds, different auras, rushing toward him across the river of time.
Each wave, each shattered world, contained unique breaths of the Dao, different manifestations of the Great Dao.
“Save me!”
Not far away, amidst the waves, a bloodied figure struggled weakly, trying desperately to reach the shore.
She bore immortal energy, undying power—yet as a wave crashed down, despair filled her eyes. Blood spilled from her mouth and nose as she slowly sank beneath the sea, vanishing.
She had been so close to the embankment, yet it remained beyond her grasp.
Shi Hao’s soul trembled. This place was too mysterious, too terrifying. He had just witnessed a living being—from which epoch did she hail?
For the next ten years, Shi Hao remained motionless, quietly observing.
At times, his eyes bled, forcing him to pause.
But each time he resumed, he endured longer, seeing further.
After a decade, his vision expanded.
“Islands in the sea!”
He saw them—deeper within the ocean, islands stood firm. Beings stood upon them, burning their own bodies to dispel the dreadful mist.
Farther out, he spotted figures crossing the sea, battered and near death.
And then—he saw beings of terrifying strength, completely unharmed!
A man holding a lantern advanced slowly through the dim, misty sea, making his way back.
On some islands, motionless figures stood like statues.
“Black… ancient ships?”
Beyond that, Shi Hao spotted ancient vessels—pitch-black, carrying passengers across the sea!
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