Alas, just a little short! That colossal black wolf turned and darted into the passage, vanishing back into the other realm.
Shi Hao watched helplessly as it escaped. He roared, truly wishing he could chase after it and uncover the truth!
But in the end, he restrained himself, suppressing that impulse. He stood silently before the passage, his entire body radiating a chilling killing intent!
“Kill!”
Shi Hao turned, his brows sharpening as overwhelming murderous aura surged from him. He charged toward the Immortal being locked in battle with the Ghost Immortal.
“All of you, die!” Shi Hao went on a rampage. In this battle, nine out of ten invaders fell by his hands alone. The leading Immortal was torn apart barehanded.
“Tell me, what is the origin of that giant wolf?” His voice was low, menacing, as he pressed the Immortal, gripping his primordial spirit so tightly it nearly shattered.
“I don’t know!” the Immortal responded.
*Pfft!*
With a flip of his hand, Shi Hao executed him. The primordial spirit exploded, dissolving into a rain of light.
One by one, the others fell into his grasp, meeting the same fate.
Within a hundred years, the Imperial Butterfly, the Divine Striking Stone, the Thunder Spirit, the Stone Bell, and Zhu Lin all achieved the Dao, shaking the world. It was terrifying—these individuals, after cultivating for over five thousand years, had finally reached perfection and stepped into that realm.
Of course, this was related to the guidance of living Immortal-level experts like the Heroic Spirits and the Seven-Colored Immortal Gold Man. Their advice made the path smoother.
Most crucially, they had guarded the passage between the two realms, enduring years of war. They had witnessed the methods of the Immortals countless times, gaining profound insights between life and death.
Thus, they ascended one after another.
This was the cruelest era, yet also the one most likely to produce supreme experts.
Cruel because the environment was harsh. Prone to producing experts because the endless blood and fire, the ceaseless battles, tested one to the limit. Those who survived a hundred battles would inevitably reap rewards, soaring even in this Age of Decay.
For a century, joyous events never ceased, and the Heavenly Court grew ever stronger.
Only Cao Yusheng wore a mournful face, lamenting, “When will I become a Supreme? Must I really bury myself and wait for the next era to achieve immortality?”
Shi Hao was speechless. Fatty Cao’s talent was indeed good, but compared to Mu Qing and the others, he still fell short.
“My master said I need lifetime after lifetime of refinement, slumbering in burial sites, undergoing self-transformation to evolve an invincible Immortal body,” Cao Yusheng sighed, his solemn expression leaving no room for argument.
He knew that, though his talent in this life was excellent, it still paled against the top-tier bloodlines.
Time flowed on. In the eyes of the world, Shi Hao was now over five thousand six hundred years old.
That same year, Shi Hao took action, refining his own true blood to extend the lives of his loved ones.
His parents could no longer hold on, their hair white with age. Secretly, Shi Hao bathed them in his true blood, reigniting their vitality.
The Golden Furred Ape, Mao Qiu, also showed signs of aging. In this life, he would never reach the Supreme realm.
The Azure-Scaled Eagles, despite practicing the Kun Peng’s great techniques, were likewise succumbing to time.
The Crimson Bird had mastered the True Phoenix Treasure Art, yet failed to achieve nirvana, unable to begin a second life. Now, like Er Meng, its feathers were nearly all shed.
The Great Black Turtle could barely crawl, entering its twilight years. Weakly, it cursed, “Who was the bastard that said turtles live for eight thousand years? Bah! I’ll spit dog blood in your face! Cultivation drains lifespan—I only went berserk twice, damn it, and it nearly killed me!”
As Shi Hao refined his true blood, the old turtle’s eyes bulged, staring pitifully, afraid Shi Hao might withhold it.
In the end, it got its wish. The flames of life within it reignited, and it revived!
“Are you truly unharmed? Aren’t you afraid of depleting your own vitality?” the Great Black Turtle asked skeptically after recovering.
“It’s fine,” Shi Hao replied.
“Then give me another bowl! It’s delicious!” The wretched black turtle waved its flippers, shamelessly begging for more—only to be kicked away by Shi Hao.
Even Shi Hao, as strong as he was, couldn’t squander his essence recklessly. He could only save a few. Any more, and he would risk severe consequences.
He spared no cost to save the Azure-Scaled Eagle, the Crimson Bird, the Unicorn Little White, and even the Great Black Turtle. All because a soft spot in his heart cherished the past, unwilling to forget old bonds.
…
At this stage, no matter how profound one’s cultivation, none would lightly expend their true blood essence, fearing it might hinder their future path.
Over a thousand years passed. The Heavenly Court endured countless battles, and those who survived a hundred wars grew ever stronger.
Under the guidance of the Seven-Colored Immortal Gold Man, the Ghost Immortal, and the Heroic Spirits, the younger generation flourished, producing talents aplenty, shining brighter than ever.
Though battles inevitably claimed lives, with some prodigies falling too soon, generation after generation of elites survived, growing stronger through war!
By now, the world saw Shi Hao as seven thousand years old, yet he remained at his peak, his vitality undiminished, still appearing as a youthful boy.
In truth, counting his experiences in the Emperor Fall Era, he had lived for five hundred millennia. Time seemed unable to leave its mark on him.
“Have I achieved immortality in the mortal world?” Shi Hao pondered. He felt he was just a step away!
Yet, he could slay Immortals in defiance of the natural order!
Such was the fruit of cultivation in this cruelest of eras, the Age of Decay—unimaginable, supremely glorious!
Once achieved, it would far surpass beings from other environments.
Moreover, over these millennia, the heavens and earth had been changing. Though spiritual energy withered and the Dao seemed distant, the laws were actually mending, evolving, repairing themselves.
Yet, unlike the Immortal Domains, even as the Dao mended, cultivation remained arduous, even suppressing all practitioners further.
Now, it was easy to dissolve into the Dao, merging with the laws!
In the past, the world had been shattered, its laws incomplete, the cosmos half-destroyed. Now, it retaliated, absorbing all stray energies—even the essence of cultivators.
Those with unstable foundations would easily be cast down from the clouds.
A slightly unsteady Dao heart would result in “Dao dissipation,” scattering one’s essence into the world, plunging them into eternal damnation.
The world was healing, the Dao was mending, but it no longer nurtured life. Instead, it suppressed it further—this was the horror of the Age of Decay.
The so-called Age of Decay was the world, after reaching its zenith and declining, now seizing the essence of all living beings, suppressing all creatures to repair itself!
During this time, the Heavenly Horned Ant, Mu Qing, and others discovered a grave problem. After becoming Supremes, they found it nearly impossible to advance to the pinnacle of the Extreme Dao.
Worse, over a thousand years passed with no progress at all!
Only Shi Hao was different. His path was smooth, as if the fortune of the entire world gathered upon him.
He even felt an illusion—that he might merge with the heavens and earth, becoming its central imprint, able to wield the world itself to crush all beings.
Later, after joint deductions by the Lord of the Forbidden Zone, Shi Hao, and others, they concluded that the Age of Decay might bring a great upheaval.
At this time, whoever stood at the pinnacle of the Extreme Dao would have their Dao imprint merge with the world, their Dao fusing with the Heavenly Will, suppressing all others’ laws and Daos.
The Heavenly Horned Ant, Mu Qing, and the others were stunned. Did this mean Shi Hao alone would dominate the peak, suppressing them, barring their ascent to the highest realm?!
“Will the beings of the Forbidden Zones come to seize this Dao fruit?” Shi Hao asked.
“The Lords of the Forbidden Zones won’t interfere. They have no need. If true Immortals emerge, could they even contend with you?” The crystal skull’s eye sockets were deep, its voice eerie.
By now, all sensed the gravity of the situation.
According to their deductions, only one could stand supreme in an era, suppressing all races, the sole one to merge with the Heavenly Will imprint.
In the past, with the heavens incomplete, it mattered little. But now, as the Dao mended, this was inevitable.
The Heavenly Horned Ant, Mu Qing, the Stone Bell, and the others wore bitter expressions. Did this mean they would never reach the pinnacle? In an era dominated by Shi Hao, how could others achieve the ultimate ascension?
“Fear not. I don’t need the Heavenly Will imprint. Once I experience it, I’ll relinquish it, giving you the chance to ascend,” Shi Hao declared.
He even felt it unnecessary, willing to discard it outright—for his path was that of the Self-Seed, requiring no such externalities.
But the Lord of the Forbidden Zone urged him to walk this path, stating that the process of the world’s Dao laws mending was invaluable, an experience too rare to miss.
Especially since this was the first time the Heavenly Will imprint would form after the world’s repair, making it uniquely significant.
“Only one can suppress all Daos in an era, unrivaled, supreme—is this the cruel path of the future?” the Lord of the Forbidden Zone sighed.
Only in the Age of Decay could such a terrifying phenomenon occur!
—
**Immortal Domain, a royal city.**
This was the domain of an Immortal King—a colossal royal city spanning the cosmos, dwarfing even the stars.
It was as if the center of the universe, bearing the glory of countless epochs. It was encircled by the myriad Daos of the world, laws boundless like cascading rivers of stars, embracing the great city.
This was **Ao Sheng’s Royal City!**
The Immortal King, Ao Sheng, resided here.
The city was incomparably prosperous, vast beyond measure, surpassing even Pan King’s city.
At its heart lay the forbidden grounds—Ao Sheng’s grotto, where none but his bloodline could tread.
Now, within the ancient cave shrouded in chaos, atop a meditation cushion sat a blurred figure. He was indistinct, yet his presence alone suppressed the Great Dao, all rules beneath him, elevating him above all!
*Whoosh!*
His eyes opened, two beams of cold light slicing through as if from an era billions of years past, chilling the soul.
Any other powerhouse here would have exploded on the spot.
“Where are the attendants?” he spoke, his voice ancient, resonating as if from distant epochs.
“Ancestor!”
A pair of attendants, one male, one female, entered and bowed deeply. Though they appeared young, the depth in their eyes betrayed their true age.
These were attendants who had lived through unknown eras, long since achieving True Immortality.
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