This universe was silent and desolate, filled with shattered stellar remnants. There were no bright stars, only dim and frigid darkness, devoid of life for countless years.
“Master, are you still here?”
On this day, a voice echoed from afar—a crimson dragon, hundreds of zhang in length, circled the area with visible concern.
**Boom!**
From a shattered star, a metallic stele erupted, dripping blood before a figure emerged, covered in wounds, blood streaming endlessly.
This was none other than Shi Hao. Since his return, he had thrown himself into relentless cultivation, battling himself using the supreme treasure, the Void Immortal Gold Stele.
Over the years, the soul lamp Shi Hao left in the Heavenly Court had dimmed dozens of times, often teetering on the brink of extinguishing entirely, terrifying the mighty figures of the court.
This time, his lamp had truly burned to its end, nearly snuffed out. The crimson dragon rushed over immediately to investigate.
“You scared me to death! Even Tianjiao Ant and Mu Qing were alarmed enough to leave seclusion, sending me to check. We feared you had perished here,” the crimson dragon exhaled in relief.
“I’m fine,” Shi Hao shook his head, dragging his battered body to sit cross-legged in the cosmos, drawing in the essence of the universe. Starlight surged from the void, flooding into his form.
The crimson dragon yelped, “Fine? You’ve nearly died dozens of times! Master, you mustn’t push yourself like this!”
In just a few years, Shi Hao had faced death countless times. His training was brutal, teetering on the edge of annihilation.
Indeed, within the Void Immortal Gold Stele, Shi Hao had engaged in dozens of life-and-death battles against his own reflection, each ending in mutual devastation.
Several times, he had descended into true death, only to claw his way back through the True Phoenix Treasure Art and the Willow God’s techniques, barely surviving.
“Master, don’t push yourself so hard. If anything happens to you, the Heavenly Court—no matter how prosperous—will collapse instantly,” the crimson dragon pleaded.
He warned that without Shi Hao’s suppression, the three Ghost Immortals would become calamities, and the Seven-Colored Immortal Gold Man would surely depart.
Only the heroic spirits might remain, but without flesh, they were like rootless driftwood.
“I know. I won’t let myself fall into ruin,” Shi Hao replied.
Yet, for the next century, he continued his battles within the stele. The Void Immortal Gold Stele glowed crimson, often dripping with essence blood.
The worst came when Shi Hao’s soul lamp extinguished entirely, alarming even the master of the forbidden zone, who personally sought him out.
They found him adrift in the cosmos, body cold. Mu Qing fed him three vials of immortal blood elixir before he revived.
“A careless mistake,” Shi Hao apologized, seeing the worry in their eyes.
“Do you realize how grave this is?” the forbidden zone master scolded harshly.
This time had been perilous. Had they not found him, he might have slumbered eternally in the depths of space.
“You’ve spent one life, died once. Immortal blood elixirs won’t revive you again!” the master warned gravely.
Shi Hao had already consumed an undying immortal herb in the Era of Fallen Emperors, extending his life once. Now, even immortal blood elixirs were useless.
“I know. This time, I’ll ascend to immortality. I won’t need such considerations,” Shi Hao declared.
Reflecting, it was terrifying. Battling his mirror self in the stele meant identical strength—yet if he fell in combat, he would truly perish.
What a horrifying ordeal!
The Void Immortal Gold Stele was a peerless treasure, yet lethally dangerous. Training within it was walking a razor’s edge, where missteps meant eternal doom.
For years, Shi Hao had tread this path, each battle a life-or-death struggle with no compromise.
Through bloodshed and near-death epiphanies, he accumulated power, slowly transforming, striving to ascend in this crucible of suffering.
To break through, he had sacrificed a life—died once!
“This life was brief—thirteen thousand years,” Shi Hao murmured. Including the Era of Fallen Emperors, this was his ninth life.
Time was merciless. Eight more centuries passed.
Through endless battles, Shi Hao survived, each year a gauntlet of near-death clashes, each leaving him drained.
This was the cruelest path of cultivation—all to vault into the heavens, to transcend the insurmountable chasm and become immortal.
Ten thousand brushes with death—each tantamount to dying!
Who else had endured such torment, month after month, year after year, comprehending the Dao through the most brutal duels against oneself?
**Boom!**
A radiant light erupted from the cosmos, dimming entire starfields.
“What—what is that?!”
Countless beings trembled. Even slumbering creatures in forbidden zones awoke, gazing toward the cosmic horizon.
“Immortal light, illuminating past and present!”
“How? In this era of withered laws, how can one ascend?!”
Disbelief echoed even among the ancient powers, yet the truth was undeniable.
The radiance of immortality bathed the universe, scattering divine rain across the heavens.
In this withered era, achieving immortality defied reason, shaking every clan and sect to their core.
Now, heavenly dew descended, sacred springs bubbled forth, and golden lotuses bloomed in the void—countless miracles manifesting.
All races stood in awe.
For the first time in history, someone had shattered the natural order, ascending in an era where immortality was deemed impossible.
To become immortal in the mortal realm, in this withered age—this was a feat akin to scaling the heavens!
Even with eons of cultivation, such an achievement was beyond theoretical possibility.
Too difficult!
In this era, even reaching the pinnacle of mortal cultivation was a rarity—how could one transcend to immortality?
The world quaked in uproar.
**Boom!**
Cataclysmic thunderbolts silenced the clamor, their terror stifling all voices.
Chaotic lightning, immortal-grade bolts—countless and dense—engulfed the starfield.
**Crack!**
In moments, that sector of space was annihilated.
Amid the immortal radiance and chaos, Shi Hao streaked toward the Graveyard of Realms, a land of shattered worlds, seeking to complete his ascension there.
Otherwise, the thunder might rend the cosmos asunder.
From ancient texts, he knew his tribulation surpassed even the standard immortal trials—far more terrifying.
“Kill!”
Shi Hao roared, battling the tribulation with everything he had.
He remained vigilant, watching for the taint of darkness and corruption—the same that had felled the Grand Elder.
Billions of thunderbolts rained down, culminating in the reappearance of the Immortal-Slaying Guillotine.
The tribulation lasted days, its horrors indescribable.
Entire ruined realms within the Graveyard were obliterated, reduced to nothingness by the divine punishment.
Finally, Shi Hao’s body resonated—his dantian’s sea of energy blazed, his chest’s Dao Palaces chanted scriptures, his limbs’ Four Extremities surged with divine might, and his spine’s dragon soared, roaring into the heavens.
His skull shone with boundless radiance, his Immortal Platform thundering.
Shi Hao, who had forged his own path with his body as the seed, now saw his five great secret realms—Sea of Energy, Dao Palaces, Four Extremities, Dragon Transformation, and Immortal Platform—harmonize in dazzling immortal light.
He had succeeded.
He had transcended mortality, becoming an immortal in the mortal realm—surpassing even celestial beings of the same rank. Now, he could dominate all foes with unfathomable might.
“I’ve waited too long for this day,” Shi Hao declared, his body purified, wreathed in immortal mist, his power immeasurable.
Now, his flesh was flawless, his soul indestructible, his magic inexhaustible.
In this withered era, he had achieved the immortal Dao!
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