A charred tree stump, devoid of life, stood alone and withered in desolation.
This sight pierced Shi Hao’s heart like a blade. Overwhelmed with grief, he threw his head back and let out a roar to the heavens. His thick black hair surged wildly, splitting the sky as if he had been consumed by demonic fury.
Since his youth, he had been chasing after the footsteps of the Willow God, hoping that one day he could stand shoulder to shoulder with it in battle!
Because the Willow God had left an indelible mark on the heart of the young Shi Hao, shaping his entire life. It was the very reason he had embarked on this path.
How could he accept this ending? The Willow God had died right before his eyes!
“Willow God!” Shi Hao cried out in anguish, stretching out his hands as if to stop it all—but it was already too late. There was nothing he could change.
Since becoming a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, few things could shake his core. Though not as cold and detached as the Gray Emperor, the Red Emperor, or the Feather Emperor, ordinary joys and sorrows rarely drove him to lose control.
Yet now, his vision blurred as tears streamed down his face. How many years had it been since he had felt such profound sorrow?
Overcome with grief, Shi Hao could no longer hold back his sobs.
Perhaps no Quasi-Emperor had ever wept like this, but Shi Hao couldn’t suppress it. Like a lost and heartbroken child, his tears clouded his sight.
The Willow God was gone, reduced to a charred stump—its fate too tragic to bear.
“I finally caught up to you, ready to fight by your side, to stand in front of you and slay our enemies… but you’re no longer here!” Shi Hao’s heart ached.
Without the Willow God, there would be no Shi Hao as he was now.
After enduring countless life-and-death trials, Little Stone had finally risen to power.
Yet the Willow God had long since ventured forth alone. No one knew what lay on the other side of the Boundary Sea, but it was certain that unimaginable horrors awaited.
Still, the Willow God had pressed on—not for the sake of becoming an Emperor, but to quell the chaos. That had always been its purpose. As for its own life or death, it had long cast such concerns aside.
In truth, many Immortal Kings had done the same, charging one after another into the depths of the Boundary Sea, unafraid even in the face of certain death.
They sought to pave the way with their lives, leaving behind clues for those who would follow.
They were a group of admirable souls—and also a group of tragic warriors.
Most had perished!
And the Dark Land remained shrouded in mystery.
Shi Hao’s heart was heavy with sorrow. He had done his utmost, achieving the rank of Quasi-Immortal Emperor in the shortest time, shattering myths and accomplishing a miracle unprecedented in history.
He had not delayed, slaughtering his way here, driven by constant worry for the Willow God. He had feared it would meet with misfortune and had longed to see it again as soon as possible.
Yet in the end, he had been powerless to change anything.
For his sake, the Willow God had fought desperately to hold back the Feather Emperor, sacrificing its own life to buy him time and secure his survival—only to meet such a wretched fate.
“I wasn’t strong enough… I arrived too late!” Shi Hao blamed himself.
His driving force had always been the pursuit of the Willow God’s footsteps—a goal set in his youth. But now, after all his grief, it had all come to nothing.
In truth, he had striven with all his might. Who else could rise to the rank of Immortal King within a single era, then break through to the Quasi-Emperor realm? No one before him had ever done so!
He had reached this side of the Boundary Sea as swiftly as possible—yet it still hadn’t been enough.
“ROAR—!”
Shi Hao seemed to descend into madness, howling at the sky as his body swelled monstrously. The once-elegant youth now resembled a peerless demon lord, launching a frenzied assault that pinned the Feather Emperor beneath him.
The Feather Emperor was in dire straits. The flames that enveloped him were corroding his body and even piercing into his soul.
Quasi-Immortal Emperors were rare throughout history, each wielding power that shook the ages. Even the pioneer of the Fallen Emperor Era, though he had perished, left behind an eternal flame.
For countless years, the Feather Emperor and the Gray Emperor had avoided touching it, fearing its final strike. Now, that flame had erupted.
Though the will of its original master had long faded—meaning that Quasi-Immortal Emperor was truly dead—an instinct remained. Lingering obsession and soulfire drove it to oppose the Feather Emperor and his ilk.
The Feather Emperor roared, his wings flapping as the heavens split and chaos surged, reshaping the world around them.
But with two Shi Haos—his true selves—suppressing him simultaneously, he was pushed to the brink. Already weakened by the Quasi-Immortal Emperor’s flames and his damaged soul, he now faced an even greater calamity.
At the same time, Shi Hao cast a secret art, “banishing” the Willow God into a space beyond perception, tearing through shattered realms one after another.
Even he would struggle to find it without exerting his full strength.
“Willow God, your roots remain, and your dark form still exists. When I reach the pinnacle, I will bring you back—restore you to your true self!” Shi Hao murmured.
The hope was slim. A Quasi-Immortal Emperor had struck the killing blow, scattering and erasing the Willow God’s soul. All that remained was the dark incarnation. Shi Hao could only pray that when he grew strong enough, he might reverse fate and reunite with the true Willow God.
“KILL!”
Shi Hao bellowed, throwing everything into annihilating the Feather Emperor.
One of his true selves stood towering between heaven and earth, his right hand blazing with radiant immortal light that coalesced into a colossal, dazzling axe.
BOOM—!
With a mighty swing, he brought it down upon the Feather Emperor.
“CLANG—!”
Though in dire straits, the Feather Emperor’s combat prowess was undeniable. Desperately suppressing the Quasi-Immortal Emperor’s flames, he met Shi Hao’s strike head-on, blocking the axe with his Emperor-Slaying Spear. Sparks erupted as the space around them shattered, leaving nothing behind. Such a cataclysmic clash surpassed mortal comprehension.
The ripples of their battle alone could annihilate worlds.
In one instant, light blazed across millions of miles, birthing a new realm.
In the next, the heavens collapsed, dark clouds rolled, stars fell, and a world was extinguished, meeting its final end.
This was the battle of Quasi-Immortal Emperors—where creation and destruction intertwined in an endless cycle.
THUD—!
From another angle, Shi Hao’s transformed self roared, his palm glowing as he thrust a sword into the Feather Emperor’s back, twisting it viciously.
“AHHH—!”
The Feather Emperor screamed, his wings flapping violently as he expelled a portion of the Quasi-Immortal Emperor’s flames from his body and shot backward.
“You won’t escape!”
Shi Hao roared, launching another killing blow.
In truth, the Feather Emperor couldn’t flee. The flames bound him like a cage of fire, granting Shi Hao ample time to intercept.
“CLANG—!”
This time, the axe fell, and the sword slashed, forcing the Feather Emperor to cough blood as he staggered back, his body charred and bleeding profusely.
“Feather Emperor, your life ends here!”
Shi Hao’s eyes burned with killing intent, pouring all his strength into destroying his foe.
In this battle, he cared not for consequences—only for the Feather Emperor’s death.
Yet Quasi-Immortal Emperors were nigh impossible to kill. Even gravely wounded, wrapped in the Emperor’s flames, and constantly corroded, the Feather Emperor fought on, unyielding.
His spear, in particular, was terrifying. Every thrust unleashed boundless immortal light, carrying devastating force.
Now, both combatants were frenzied—one fighting for survival, the other for vengeance. Their eyes burned crimson, their killing intent boiling over.
Three figures clashed, their battle fiercer than ever before.
THUD—!
The axe descended, cleaving the Feather Emperor in two. A torrent of immortal blood spilled across millions of miles, erasing even chaos itself.
The Feather Emperor howled in agony. Split in half, his soul likewise divided, his colossal form swelled, threatening to rupture the heavens.
Yet even bisected, he continued to fight, defying all logic.
“KILL!” Shi Hao roared.
His other self brandished the sword, unleashing the Pacification Sword Art, the Grass-Sword Art, and the Heavenly Tribulation Sword Art—three supreme techniques fused into one, elevated to their absolute peak.
With the might of a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, he executed this peerless swordplay, its divine power unmatched.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH—!
Blood sprayed endlessly as Shi Hao’s three sword arts hacked the Feather Emperor to pieces, his body mutilated, flesh and bone sent flying.
“ROAR—!”
The Feather Emperor raged. Since ancient times, he had crushed all foes beneath him—never had he suffered such humiliation, his body dismembered, his blood staining the skies.
His soul burned as he forcibly reassembled his shattered form, fighting Shi Hao with desperate fury.
Yet even pieced back together, his body bore ghastly wounds that refused to heal—Shi Hao’s laws ravaged him, impossible to expel.
“Submit!”
Shi Hao bellowed, swinging his axe with enough force to repel the Emperor-Slaying Spear. Sparks flew as the blade cleaved through chaos, landing on the Feather Emperor’s massive neck.
THUD—!
A head went flying, trailing a bloody arc.
Shi Hao had wounded him grievously once more. He charged forward, pressing his advantage.
Thunder rumbled as Shi Hao employed a secret art to refine the Feather Emperor, draining his essence, erasing his flesh, and smelting his soul.
Yet in the end, he faced the same problem as before.
Just as with the Gray Emperor and the Red Emperor, he could defeat his foe—but not kill him!
Shi Hao exhausted every means at his disposal—stripping the Feather Emperor of his wings, crushing his body into bloody mist, refining his soul, eager to reduce him to ashes.
“You cannot kill me. In the end, it is you who will fall. The tide of fate favors me!” the Feather Emperor roared, his soul—now indistinguishable from his true form—disheveled and bloodied.
His eyes burned with bestial fury and icy killing intent.
“THUD—!”
In response, Shi Hao simply brought his axe down, splitting the Feather Emperor’s soul-head open before stoking the flames of the Great Dao to refine him.
“ROAR—!”
Then came the worst possible development—the Red Emperor reappeared, purple energy surging as his murderous aura split history itself. His hair wild, his body drenched in blood, he strode forward.
“You cannot escape doom!” The Gray Emperor arrived as well, his ashen hair whipping in the wind, his gaze frigid. Though battered and bloodied, he stood firm.
Both had suffered terribly earlier—their souls severed, their forms shattered—yet as Quasi-Immortal Emperors, they endured.
Now, though grievously weakened, they had returned. Had they delayed any longer, the Feather Emperor might have met true disaster.
“To think it’s come to this…”
For once, Shi Hao fell silent, his fury momentarily stilled.
Yet when he struck again, even his enemies paled.
BOOM—!
He summoned a Quasi-Immortal Emperor’s bone crown, forcibly embedding it into the Feather Emperor’s suppressed soul before detonating it in a cataclysmic explosion.
Chaos erupted!
Not only the Feather Emperor—even Shi Hao himself coughed blood, his body mangled.
“AHHH—!”
The Feather Emperor’s soul fractured inch by inch, shattered beyond recognition, dispersing into clusters of Quasi-Immortal Emperor flames.
“Still not dead?!” Shi Hao sighed. Though he had expected as much, disappointment weighed heavily on him.
The Feather Emperor reappeared!
His twisted visage and icy glare spoke volumes of his wrath.
WHOOSH—!
Shi Hao and his transformed self moved as one, charging toward the Gray Emperor and the Red Emperor.
“What are you doing?!”
The two bellowed, for this time, Shi Hao’s attack was bizarre—mid-battle, he suddenly embraced them, his body igniting as a terrifying aura erupted.
They sensed impending doom—was this mutual destruction?!
In the end, the Shi Hao holding the Red Emperor suddenly exploded, dragging his foe into oblivion.
Meanwhile, Shi Hao’s true self hurled the entangled Gray Emperor into the erupting brilliance.
The Red Emperor shrieked in agony!
“AHHH—!” The Gray Emperor, too, roared in torment.
Yet comparatively, the Gray Emperor’s injuries were less severe—he broke free from the devastating light-sea at once.
Shi Hao sighed inwardly. It wasn’t that he wished to sacrifice his own body, but his transformed self had a time limit. He had sensed it was about to vanish.
Thus, he fought without regard for cost.
The “Self-Transformation Supreme Art” was gradually becoming clear to him—it could manifest peerless battle forms, but they were bound by time and could not endure.
Moreover, once used, the art could not be employed again for a while.
Both the Feather Emperor and the Red Emperor had suffered soul-deep wounds. Had they not been of this level, they would have perished utterly!
Even destroying Quasi-Immortal Emperor artifacts and mutual annihilation tactics couldn’t claim their lives—a terrifying realization.
“What else can you do? It’s time for your end!” the Feather Emperor hissed.
The Gray Emperor and the Red Emperor advanced as well, their killing intent piercing to the bone.
“You’re all broken now—unstable souls, scattered essence. Who kills whom remains to be seen!” Shi Hao retorted coldly.
In the ensuing battle, the Gray Emperor became the main force opposing Shi Hao.
The other two Emperors sought to recover while fighting, but against a frenzied Shi Hao, their plans crumbled. Like a demon, he fought without restraint.
He cared not for consequences, battling the three Emperors in a brutal war of attrition.
The conflict raged for years—from the chaos into the Dark Land, then into the Ultimate Ancient Ground.
All restraints were cast aside as they fought with desperate fury.
Time flowed on.
This was a war of Quasi-Immortal Emperors!
None could have predicted that Shi Hao’s battle against the Gray Emperor, the Red Emperor, and the Feather Emperor would last so long—ten thousand years passed, yet still they fought.
Their bodies were broken, their souls fractured.
Earlier, the Feather Emperor had been engulfed by flames and his soul blasted apart by a Quasi-Immortal Emperor artifact. Though he endured, the damage to his soul’s foundation was severe.
The Red Emperor seemed even worse off—after Shi Hao’s transformed self dragged him into mutual destruction, though he survived, his condition had deteriorated drastically over the years.
Otherwise, Shi Hao could never have lasted this long.
After all, he was fighting three Quasi-Immortal Emperors—a war spanning millennia.
At this stage, they were locked in a deadly stalemate, each seeking to outlast the other. To retreat now would invite fatal consequences.
The outside world could scarcely imagine a battle of such duration!
In truth, the conflict that followed shattered all previous records.
They fought for thirty thousand years!
By now, all were emaciated, their essence blood exhausted. Even Quasi-Immortal Emperors could endure no further.
BOOM—!
Titanic waves surged as black waters crashed against the heavens.
Unbeknownst to them, they had battled their way into the Boundary Sea.
“Ah, everything you care for lies on the other side of this sea. Shall we make it our battlefield?” the Feather Emperor sneered.
“I’d hate to destroy it—it’s the cradle of our dark kin. A pity to abandon it,” the Red Emperor mused, his lips curling coldly.
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