Chapter 1877: Realm Sea

The black ancient ship was enormous, bobbing on the vast ocean, sometimes lifted high by towering waves, yet it remained unscathed.

Bear in mind, this was the Boundary Sea—a place even True Immortals struggled to cross. Shi Hao had already witnessed several immortal beings perish in its depths, unable to make it through.

Each wave seemed to contain a shattered ancient realm!

The fact that this black ship could traverse the sea unharmed was proof of its extraordinary nature.

But most importantly, Shi Hao found it eerily familiar.

The menacing vessel exuded an oppressive aura, its dark form unsettling. Suddenly, it struck him—this ship bore an uncanny resemblance to the bloodstained black ship he had once glimpsed in the void.

“Could they share the same origin?” Shi Hao wondered.

In the void, the most dreaded sights were bloodstained black ships and chaotic halls. Could there be more than one of these ancient vessels? Shi Hao was stunned, his mind in turmoil.

That one had been unique—there should only be a single bloodstained black ship, drifting aimlessly through the void.

Yet here, in the Boundary Sea, there were others of similar form.

“There really is more than one!” Shi Hao gasped, his Supreme Heavenly Eye catching sight of another wrecked ship, floating in the distant waters.

That one was massive, as large as a star, but ruined. Faintly visible were the remains of supreme beings hanging from its deck.

How could this be? Shi Hao frowned.

Soon, a realization struck him.

“Some beings have survived and emerged from the sea!”

He understood now—aside from the masters of the forbidden zones, other living beings had escaped. The bloodstained black ship in the void was likely their “vessel.”

From which era? What kind of beings? It remained a mystery.

Over the years, Shi Hao had personally witnessed many creatures perish in the sea.

Counting carefully, few living beings remained. Most were corpses—some humanoid, others of races he had never seen or heard of.

For instance, he once spotted a creature with the head of a golden lion, regal as an emperor, yet with the body of a dragon and spider-like legs.

“Hmm?” Half a year later, Shi Hao made another discovery—a massive tomb, bobbing in the sea, flickering in and out of sight.

How could this be? Shi Hao was shocked. The ancient tomb looked familiar, drifting closer, making its way toward this shore.

Was it riding the tomb to cross the Boundary Sea and land here?

Clearly, the tomb moved faster than other beings—perhaps it would be the first to reach the shore.

“It looks just like the Immortal Tomb from Demon Island in the Three Thousand Provinces!” Shi Hao muttered in disbelief.

He stared intently, confirming his vision. Apart from the absence of his grandfather and A Man atop it, everything else was identical.

He had visited that place multiple times, and the image of the tomb was deeply etched in his mind. Yet now, here it was in the Boundary Sea.

“Could the Immortal Tomb’s form represent a certain being—or an entire race—as its symbol?”

Shi Hao frowned. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Then, he turned his gaze to a towering humanoid figure standing motionless on an island in the sea. What did that represent?

Shifting his focus, he spotted another supreme being in a different part of the ocean, carrying a blood-red lantern as it advanced. Which mighty figure did that signify?

Over a decade of observation, Shi Hao had also been tempered by the Boundary Sea’s power.

Invisible ripples emanated from the sea—ordinary eyes couldn’t perceive them, but someone of his level could sense them, like divine light sweeping over him.

Though he remained seated, merely gazing at the ocean, he had been resisting immense pressure all this time.

Simply surviving here for so long was a trial in itself!

The sight of the Boundary Sea shook Shi Hao’s mind. Were some of the “reckoners” crossing the sea to come here?

Yes—it dawned on him. This was the Boundary Sea. Its very name held the truth!

Across countless epochs, beings from different eras, those who overlooked the river of time, would all appear. A battle was inevitable!

But who could actually make it across?

And why had they entered the sea in the first place, knowing the near-certain death that awaited them? What had they gained in the end?

Since ancient times, immortal-level beings had sought to enter, and now others were trying to cross over!

Shi Hao remained seated, motionless, watching the sea and its waves. Thirty years passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, he witnessed the already sparse number of crossing beings dwindle further as some perished in the waters.

He saw immortal-level beings fall into the sea, no different from mortals, unable to fly.

Shi Hao noticed that the Immortal Tomb hadn’t sunk—it was still approaching.

He grew uneasy. Just how vast was this Boundary Sea? After all these years, the surviving beings were still so far from the shore.

“Some are separated by shattered ancient realms, while others are likely divided by entire epochs…” Shi Hao murmured.

The boundless sea surged, but the dam held it back—the waters could not breach it.

Over those thirty years, Shi Hao had grown stronger, absorbing the sea’s “mist” to envelop himself, undergoing a baptism of cultivation.

It was effective, but brutal.

Now he understood why immortals and True Immortals could perish at any moment while crossing the sea.

What he endured was merely the “vapor,” yet it nearly killed him multiple times. It dissolved flesh, refined souls, and sought to merge form and spirit into the laws of heaven and earth.

This Boundary Sea was anything but ordinary!

It dismantled beings, turning them into rules and essence, leaving no trace behind.

Shi Hao exhaled deeply. He had nearly destroyed himself several times but endured. He realized just how terrifying the Boundary Sea was—yet it was also the perfect place to forge an invincible body.

Provided, of course, one survived and didn’t bury themselves here.

Shi Hao stood. Thirty years had passed—it was time to check on Mu Qing, the Heavenly Horned Ant, and the others.

His gains over the decades were substantial. At the very least, his flesh was now as sturdy as immortal metal, and his soul had grown more crystalline, as if immortal—all thanks to the baptism.

Yet his Dao remained unchanged. He had not broken through to immortality!

This brought a sigh of regret, but he quickly dismissed it. How old was he? How long had he cultivated? Time was still too short.

In the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, no being had ever become a Supreme before five hundred years of age—let alone a True Immortal younger than that.

The Abyss of Lightning crackled with thunder, roaring like dragons and tigers—an extraordinary sight.

Standing there, Shi Hao was startled to see several true dragons battling fiercely within the storm.

He chuckled—it was the three Thunder Spirits fighting the Red Dragon.

Their evolution was astonishing. They now resembled dragons, appearing massive and formidable.

“Wait, that’s just an illusion—not their true forms,” Shi Hao muttered. If the Thunder Spirits were truly that large, how terrifying would they be?

Normally, if one reached the length of an arm, it would already be incredibly powerful!

Sure enough, with three soft whooshes, the Thunder Spirits shrank back to their true forms—each just over a foot long, their bodies gleaming coldly as they hovered near Shi Hao.

“You three have truly benefited,” Shi Hao remarked. In just thirty years, they had grown significantly—proof of their fortune.

“In a life-or-death fight, I could crush them with one hand!” the Red Dragon boasted.

“You’re at a higher realm—of course you could,” Shi Hao said, rapping him on the head.

“They’ll grow even stronger. Two years ago, they devoured a Lightning Pool,” Mu Qing added, envy in his voice. Among them, the Thunder Spirits had gained the most here.

That pool had been found nearby—a relic of unknown age, not one of those floating in the lightning.

Occasionally, at the bottom of the Abyss, one could even find Lightning Tribulation Fluid in low-lying areas.

They feasted on lightning—even daring to consume Lightning Pools!

After tasting success, they had attacked others. Some pools were extraordinary, exuding immortal energy and radiant light. A reckless assault had nearly wiped them out!

Nearby, a butterfly flapped its golden wings, unleashing a terrifying storm of lightning!

Though delicate in appearance, its power was devastating. Tempered by the Abyss, it had grown even more fearsome.

Elsewhere, the Heavenly Horned Ant sat motionless, absorbing Lightning Tribulation Fluid, bathing in the storm as he contemplated the Dao, allowing the bolts to strike him.

Electricity surged into his body, merging with the fluid.

“What’s going on here?” Shi Hao asked, puzzled.

“Like me, he was born deficient—now he’s making up for it,” the Red Dragon explained.

Descendants of the Ten Fiends, such as the Heavenly Horned Ant and the Red Dragon, had nearly died in their eggs due to sabotage.

Though they survived thanks to their ancestors’ power, traces of their innate deficiencies remained.

Now, in this place, they had found a way to replenish their primordial essence.

The lightning here was unique—brutal and destructive, yet it also contained the breath of primal life, healing their congenital flaws.

Nearby, Cao Yusheng alternated between vacant stares and frenzied excitement as he studied a broken shard of a Lightning Pool.

“The pool’s base is naturally inscribed with formations. If I decipher them, I might unravel the secrets of life, death, and immortality!” he exclaimed.

Shi Hao was intrigued. It was a remnant the Thunder Spirits had left behind. Examining it closely, he confirmed it bore natural Dao patterns—a matrix of innate runes.

“Gathering vitality amidst destruction, tempering the mysteries of life and death within tribulation lightning, condensing essence to forge Tribulation Fluid,” Cao Yusheng murmured.

Shi Hao ventured into the Abyss, enduring the lightning’s punishment, bathing in its fury, and seizing a Lightning Pool for himself.

It was a grueling cultivation method, but the rewards were immense—he was refining his body!

In the end, after drinking some Tribulation Fluid, he gifted the pool to the three Thunder Spirits and departed to continue his solitary training.