Chapter 1922: Huo Ling’er

Huo Linger!

Over ten thousand years have passed, yet meeting her in such circumstances, time has left no trace on her delicate face. She remains as beautiful as ever, even more coldly enchanting.

Is this still the Huo Linger he knew? Her aura is entirely different now.

In the past, amidst the fire mulberry groves, she was elegant and serene, her gaze as gentle as water. Every day, she would return from gathering mulberries, accompanied by the evening glow, living a life secluded from the world, almost transcendent.

But now? A dark demonic mark adorns her fair forehead, exuding an eerie allure. Her piercing gaze is domineering, her demeanor icy and proud, carrying an air of arrogance that looks down upon the mortal realm.

Mounted atop a divine wolf, she resembles a celestial maiden descended to earth—yet tainted with demonic energy. She gazes upon the world with cold elegance and haughtiness, her overwhelming presence suffocating many.

“You… are you still you?” Shi Hao’s voice was hoarse.

Huo Linger’s eyes were profound, her entire being radiating an intimidating aura, the bearing of a powerful female warrior. Her cold, ghostly gaze swept over him, the space around her trembling with terrifying energy.

From her surroundings, the cries of birds echoed, accompanied by black flames. A true phoenix spread its wings, a vermilion bird circled—all manifestations of fire-based glyphs, their dark radiance pulsing, shaking the hearts of all who witnessed them.

“I am who I am!” Huo Linger responded, her slender figure standing tall, her phoenix eyes filled with authority. Her snow-white face shimmered with a crystalline glow, though tinged with a hint of killing intent.

Clad in a black gown that fluttered in the wind, she gazed forward with pride, like a mighty queen of a clan, disdainful of the world—utterly different from before.

That aura, that demeanor—how vastly changed from the past!

Around her, the creatures of the foreign realm, once unruly and defiant, now bowed their heads in reverence, their arrogance subdued in her presence.

Shi Hao’s heart ached. She was truly no longer the same. Over ten thousand years of separation—how many lifetimes had passed in the mortal world?

Even for cultivators, thirteen thousand years was an immensely long time.

At the very least, in this Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, few in this era could live beyond ten thousand years. With the arrival of the Age of Decay, scarcely any of Shi Hao’s contemporaries remained.

“I failed you!” Shi Hao’s voice was ragged as he struggled to control his emotions, to keep himself from erupting.

Back then, their parting in the Sin Province had been eternal!

The fire mulberry grove held his memories, a time of beautiful recollections. Yet now, looking back, it only stabbed at his heart with unbearable pain.

He had left, believing he would one day return in glory. How could he have known it would be a farewell in life and death, never to meet again?

Now, as petals danced in the sky, fragrant and radiant as the evening glow, the fire mulberry blossoms bloomed—and he saw her once more. But it was only her flesh. Whose soul resided within?

He had once promised to return for her in the fire mulberry grove, to reunite. Yet in the end, it had all come to nothing. He saw her form, but not her spirit.

“Ah—!”

Shi Hao threw his head back and roared, instantly stirring a tempest. Glyphs interwove densely, forming a terrifying domain.

*Puff! Puff! Puff!*

Ahead, in the passageway, many foreign realm creatures exploded, their bodies and spirits obliterated by the sorrowful cry, dissolving into clouds of blood mist.

Behind him, Mu Qing, Chi Long, and the others shuddered. In their memories, Shi Hao, after attaining supreme mastery, had rarely lost control like this. Yet now, he was consumed by fury.

With a wave of her hand, Huo Linger summoned black flames that filled the sky. The demonic mark on her brow shone brightly, freezing space and shielding some foreign creatures within the inferno.

“Do you truly not recognize me?” Shi Hao stepped forward, his voice low.

He had braced himself for this, yet faced with reality, it was still hard to accept. After ten thousand years, how could that beautiful woman be gone?

Where could he find her now? Could she still be recovered?

He didn’t need to think deeply. The moment he saw that colossal wolf, he had suspected—it had been corrupted by dark energy, completely blackened.

And the instant he laid eyes on Huo Linger, his heart had clenched in pain. He sensed it—the aura of darkness. She was a super-evolved being.

The foreign realm possessed undying substances, much like the Immortal Domain. If Huo Linger had lived, she wouldn’t have needed to fear the passage of time.

But what terrified Shi Hao most was that she was no longer herself.

Now, seeing her, her body remained—at least her flesh—but was she still the same person? No!

The worst had come to pass. Corrupted by dark energy, she had become someone else entirely.

Shi Hao had long known that the foreign realm was deeply connected to the Dark World. Even the supreme powerhouse Yu Tuo was a super-evolved being, a supreme entity risen through the darkness.

And now, Huo Linger had also embarked on this path!

Without a doubt, she was a super-evolved being. Otherwise, she could never have attained such astonishing power in such a short time, rivaling the undying.

Back in the Three Thousand Provinces, during the first eruption of the Dark Calamity, Shi Hao had witnessed how, in mere decades, beings had evolved into Dark Sovereigns.

What terrifying speed! It defied all logic.

Now, after ten thousand years, Huo Linger’s dark super-evolution granting her undying-level strength was hardly a miracle.

“Do you even know who you are?!” Shi Hao demanded.

“I am the Dark Fire Phoenix. Are you Huang?” Huo Linger’s voice was icy, as if meeting him for the first time, scrutinizing him carefully.

Shi Hao was certain—she had been completely corrupted by dark energy, no longer the woman she once was. Anger and sorrow warred within him. That kind-hearted princess of the Fire Clan had fallen to this state.

He couldn’t accept it. He had to change this.

“Do you remember anything? Do you remember me?” Shi Hao pressed.

“You’re absurd. What human prodigy? Pathetic. This is my first time setting foot in this world, our first meeting, and you spout such nonsense. Ridiculous!” Black flames danced around Huo Linger, enveloping her.

“Though… there is something strange. You seem familiar,” she murmured, as if pondering, a hint of confusion in her tone.

Her words, though soft, struck Shi Hao like thunder. Was there still hope?

He clenched his fists. He would never give up. No matter what, he would find a way to restore Huo Linger. He would reverse the darkness!

Though he had never heard of anyone succeeding, he was certain there had to be a way!

*Boom!*

The next moment, Shi Hao struck. To help Huo Linger, he first had to subdue her, keep her by his side, and then find a way to save her.

*Hmph!*

Huo Linger snorted coldly, retaliating without hesitation. Black flames blazed, thick dark energy surging forth to corrode Shi Hao.

“Become my subordinate. Follow me!” Huo Linger’s voice echoed from the darkness, her gaze chilling.

Once tainted by dark energy, one could truly transform into a dark being—her vassal, her follower.

*Boom!*

Yet, no matter how unique these flames were, no matter how powerful Huo Linger had become as an undying, she was still no match for Shi Hao.

Shi Hao formed a fist seal, shattering the flames. Like a divine rainbow, he closed the distance in an instant, reaching out to seize her.

*Awooo—!*

The black wolf howled, carrying Huo Linger backward into the passageway.

Unable to hold back, Shi Hao pursued at breakneck speed, charging into the passage.

“Master!” Chi Long cried out.

Mu Qing and Zhu Lin were equally frantic. This was far too dangerous—was Shi Hao planning to invade the foreign realm?

Shi Hao was indeed desperate. He wanted to intercept Huo Linger, keep her with him, and find a way to reverse her dark transformation, to restore her mind.

No matter how slim the hope, it was better than watching her like this.

“Die!”

The passage was filled with foreign cultivators, but none could withstand his fists. With each strike, flesh exploded, blood splattering.

Along the way, Shi Hao slaughtered experts of all races, unstoppable. He even annihilated an undying being.

Ahead, light seeped through—they were nearing the foreign realm’s exit.

*Boom!*

At that moment, a terrifying claw descended, aiming to crush Shi Hao where he stood, ruthless and merciless.

*Puff!*

Space collapsed, the passageway disintegrating inch by inch, unable to withstand the sheer force.

Without a doubt, this was a Quasi-Undying King, a being of horrifying power.

Shi Hao’s gaze turned icy, a trace of bitterness in his heart as he retreated at extreme speed. Behind him, Kun Peng wings, divine phoenix wings, and lightning propelled him beyond limits.

“This was a trap set for me,” he murmured.

Had his speed not been unimaginably swift, he might have perished just now!

A supreme powerhouse had lain in wait, ready to strike!

Though emotionally charged, Shi Hao hadn’t lost his calm. The more critical the moment, the more controlled he became.

After chasing into the passage, though the distance between him and Huo Linger had narrowed, he never caught up—unnaturally so.

With his supreme speed, even undying beings couldn’t escape him. This was clearly a setup, a trap.

Thus, Shi Hao had remained vigilant. His divine intuition, honed to an incredible degree, sensed impending doom. He reacted instantly, retreating at full speed.

As Shi Hao burst out, the passage behind him crumbled, collapsing into ruin. The earth sank, boulders soaring—utter devastation.

Reopening this passage would now require immense effort.

That massive claw couldn’t follow, blocked within the crumbling pathway.

Returning, Shi Hao remained silent for a long time, his heart torn between anxiety and fury.

Clearly, this had been the foreign realm’s ploy. They knew of Huo Linger’s connection to him and had lured him in, intending to kill him!

Shi Hao wondered—had Huo Linger’s super-evolution been part of their scheme? Had they deliberately chosen her, accelerating her transformation?

“Unforgivable!” he growled.

After this battle, even the Three Ghost Immortals regarded him with fear, sensing the overwhelming killing intent radiating from him, keeping their distance.

Shi Hao returned and secluded himself. He needed to break through, to grow stronger, to storm the foreign realm. Seeing Huo Linger like this was unbearable, a knife twisting in his heart.

Back then, she had waited for him in the fire mulberry grove, clinging to their promises, hoping for his return—only to meet tragedy.

Shi Hao descended into madness, striving for greater heights. He secluded himself in the depths of the cosmos, vowing not to emerge until he attained immortality in the mortal realm!