What lies there? He gazed intently, as if some mysterious force from the Ultimate Ancient Land was calling to him, beckoning him forward.
Shi Hao’s expression grew increasingly solemn, yet he remained motionless, standing like a fossil, utterly silent.
He would go, but not before resolving certain hidden dangers—such as the primordial spirits of the four supreme beings within the Law Pool. They had to be refined. If they escaped due to unforeseen circumstances, disaster would follow.
What truly lay within the Ultimate Ancient Land? He did not know. Perhaps clues could be found from the likes of the Feather Emperor.
This place was desolate, the ruins of the Heavenly Court, uninhabited for countless millennia. Only graves remained—some erected hundreds of thousands of years ago, others freshly dug.
Withered grass, dried vines, and the ever-loyal old soldiers. Shi Hao sighed, his white hair cascading down, his heart heavy with the weight of time.
Looking back, so many people and events from his life had vanished forever, never to be seen again.
Back then, he was still a youth, roasting fierce beasts with old friends—like Fatty Cao, Chang Gong Yan, and the ever-youthful Lunar Grace.
Those moments of laughter and sorrow lingered in his memory, filling him with unbearable grief. Now, all those faces had been replaced by one yellow-earth grave after another.
Some he had sealed within divine sources, forbidding them from emerging. Yet, in the end, they had broken free, cultivated to this day, and joined the war.
Like Chang Gong Yan, like his own child, Little Stone, and the eight hundred old soldiers.
The bonfire flickered as Shi Hao sat cross-legged before the graves, lost in sorrow. Though he was a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, some emotions could never be erased.
He could not be as heartless as the World-Ending Elder, nor as cold as the Feather Emperor, the Hong Emperor, or the Cang Emperor.
The old soldiers did not disturb him, silently clearing the distant ruins. Broken walls and scattered rubble—once the glorious Heavenly Court—had stood abandoned for millennia.
Yet, the name of the Heavenly Court still resounded across the world.
During these years, Shi Hao had fought alone—this was his Heavenly Court, his solitary war into the Boundary Sea. Now, he had returned victorious.
All of this had been forced upon him. Back then, he feared his followers would suffer the same fate as the immortal courts of history, doomed to destruction.
So, he chose to bear all the karma alone.
Before him lay a dull, lifeless stone—the God-Slaying Stone, nearly obliterated in body and spirit, its last remnant gathered here.
Within it flickered a wisp of its primordial spirit.
Now, Shi Hao nurtured it personally. As a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, even such grievous wounds could be mended, allowing the God-Slaying Stone to return.
Beside him, a golden butterfly with broken wings perched lifelessly on his shoulder—the Imperial Butterfly.
It, too, was shattered, its spirit incomplete. Shi Hao also tended to its wounded soul.
Of all his old companions, how many remained? Even these two by his side were in such a state!
Before him, the Law Pool burned with his Quasi-Immortal Emperor flames, mercilessly refining the four supreme beings within.
“Clang!”
A radiant immortal sword plunged into the pool, aiding in the annihilation of their primordial spirits.
“Latercomer, today you slay four Quasi-Immortal Emperors, but one day, you too shall perish!” the Hong Emperor declared.
Skilled in divination, he had glimpsed a fragment of the future.
At this level, even a Quasi-Immortal Emperor could not pierce the veil of fate—past, present, or future.
Like the White-Robed Empress, who had traversed the river of time countless times, wielding the true blood of the Heavenly Emperor, yet only catching glimpses of him on rare occasions.
This time, the future had been revealed only because Shi Hao’s battle with the World-Ending Elder and the Feather Emperor had shaken the river of time itself.
A Quasi-Immortal Emperor shrouded themselves in mystery—whether in life or death, their existence remained obscured.
“Ah—!”
The Hong Emperor and the Cang Emperor howled in agony as their spirits were cleaved by the sword and melted in the Law Pool.
They could feel themselves decaying. One or two years might not kill them, but Shi Hao had all the time in the world.
Year after year, he refined them, until their spirits shattered, their dao extinguished.
“What lies in the Ultimate Ancient Land?” Shi Hao demanded.
The Feather Emperor and the Hong Emperor remained silent, refusing to answer.
Seated before a fresh grave—his child’s—Shi Hao’s eyes flashed with fury as he intensified the flames and the sword’s torment upon their souls.
He burned with rage, hatred, and sorrow as he refined the four within the ruins of the Heavenly Court.
“We are Quasi-Immortal Emperors. Even in death, we will not be humiliated,” the World-Ending Elder said coldly.
“Very well. Then disperse your marks willingly, and I shall grant you a swift end,” Shi Hao replied indifferently.
“The Ultimate Ancient Land holds the key to becoming an Immortal Emperor,” the World-Ending Elder revealed.
The Feather Emperor, the Hong Emperor, and the Cang Emperor exchanged glances—filled with longing and regret—but ultimately fell silent.
They would never willingly erase their marks. At this level, their wills were unbreakable, harder than immortal gold.
So long as a sliver of hope remained, they would not choose death.
Shi Hao showed no mercy, refining them day after day with his flames.
Nearby, three figures shrouded in hazy light watched silently before vanishing, heading toward the Boundary Sea’s dam.
They were the White-Robed Empress, Wu Shi, and the being with the great cauldron above his head. They had wished to speak with Shi Hao, but the karmic consequences were too great.
In the end, they did not attempt the impossible.
Meaningless words were unnecessary, and deeper discussions would disrupt the river of time itself.
Centuries passed in the blink of an eye as Shi Hao refined the four Quasi-Immortal Emperors, never leaving the graves, keeping vigil over the fallen.
Dozens of loyal old soldiers remained, restoring the ruins.
The Heavenly Horned Ant survived, and the Crimson Dragon, though crippled, still visited from time to time.
Over the years, Shi Hao revisited the past, gazing into the river of time. Some of his companions had fallen without his witness.
Now, he recreated those scenes with his immense power, filled with regret, sorrow, and heartache.
He saw the Thunder Spirit, majestic as a dragon, torn apart by the Fallen King, its blood staining the heavens.
He saw Mu Qing, shattered and annihilated, his remains sealed here by Shi Hao.
“Mu Qing, you followed me for so long. When I become an Immortal Emperor, I shall shatter time itself to bring you back,” Shi Hao murmured.
He saw the Banished Immortal, his ethereal form obliterated by a tide of kings, reduced to blood and light.
He saw the Lunar Grace and the Enchantress, their spirits scattered, their remnants preserved in jade coffins within two graves.
Princess Yao Yue, the Second Under Heaven, the Immortal Gold Daoist, the Golden-Haired Hou, the Forbidden Zone Master—one by one, they had fallen.
Shi Hao could bear no more.
With a sigh that split the void, he traveled to a hidden place—the sealed Stone Village, where some kin and old friends still remained.
Otherwise, in this vast world, even as the invincible, he would find no joy.
Many still slumbered, unchanged by time.
Shi Hao did not disturb them, silently passing by. He saw Qing Yi, his grandfather, the village chief, his parents, and the villagers.
He dared not wake Yun Xi—for Little Stone was gone.
“Xiao Hao.”
A woman stirred, her gaze meeting his.
“A Man!”
Shi Hao stared at her, stunned.
Who in this world still dared to call him that? Only the closest few remained.
“What happened?” A Man asked, noticing the absence of many.
Where had they gone? She was puzzled.
In the end, she left with him.
Facing the graves and the tombstones, A Man was devastated, her tears falling as she touched Little Stone’s grave, unable to accept it.
Through her tears, she looked at Shi Hao. “If you need to cry, do so. Don’t hold it in.” Her concern for him was boundless.
“Quasi-Immortal Emperors do not weep,” Shi Hao said, his expression more pained than any tears.
From that day on, A Man stayed to tend the graves, never returning to Stone Village.
“I must depart soon. You should return to the village,” Shi Hao said. Over a thousand years, he had nearly finished refining the four.
At the same time, he had pondered endlessly—how to become an Immortal Emperor!
The methods, divine abilities, and systems of the World-Ending Elder and the others had given him great insight.
“I will wait here, hoping to see you return safely,” A Man refused.
“Become the Supreme Immortal Emperor before you leave,” she urged softly, fearing he might never return.
“I cannot,” Shi Hao admitted. He had tried countless times but could not breach that realm.
Yet, he stayed, continuing his attempts to break through.
During this time, countless sect masters and clan elders sought an audience, but Shi Hao refused them all. The old soldiers barred the ruins of the Heavenly Court.
Only the Heavenly Horned Ant, the Crimson Dragon, the Butcher, and the Burial Master could visit.
The latter two sought to become Quasi-Immortal Emperors, discussing the Dao with Shi Hao.
They already bore traces of Quasi-Immortal Emperor light but could not cross the final threshold.
Shi Hao shared his experiences unreservedly, hoping they might succeed.
Yet, in the end, they remained stuck, unable to advance.
Millennia passed, and Shi Hao still lingered among the graves.
The Butcher and the Burial Master visited countless times, debating the Dao with him, but ultimately sighed—this lifetime, they would likely never become true Quasi-Immortal Emperors.
At this level, mere accumulation of time was not enough.
Otherwise, they would have ascended long ago. Their lifespans were ancient beyond measure, yet it availed them nothing.
Within the Law Pool, the four were reduced to ashes, fully refined by Shi Hao. The World-Ending Elder, the Feather Emperor, the Hong Emperor, and the Cang Emperor were no more.
Shi Hao knew it was time to depart. Beyond the Boundary Sea, Huo Ling’er, the Grand Elder, and the charred stump of the Willow God awaited his retrieval from the unknown void.
Yet before he could set out, a force emerged—from the other side of the sea!
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