Shi Zi returned, shaking the Desolate Domain (Huang Domain). He came back from the Immortal Mountains, unconscious and wounded, bleeding continuously, as he entered the imperial palace of the Stone Kingdom.
The world was in an uproar, and the land of the Desolate Domain (Huang Domain) shook, because this meant Shi Hao had completely lost hope of survival and would not live much longer.
Although there had long been rumors of his impending death, the outcome had yet to be confirmed. Perhaps a miracle could yet occur, and he might pull through and survive this calamity.
Yet now, it seemed the dust had settled. In the end, this young Sovereign, who had risen swiftly and amazed the world, had reached the end of his life’s path, and there was no longer any hope of saving him.
The world was shaken, everyone was talking about it, many people felt sorrow and deep regret.
“Emperor Shi, how extraordinary he was—how tragic, to die like this.”
“He fought against gods and resolved a great threat, yet ultimately met his end in such a manner, his body destroyed and his Dao extinguished. How unjust, how sorrowful!”
Everywhere, people discussed the matter fervently, and all sects across the land knew of it. Although many had long anticipated this ending, upon learning it was confirmed, they could only sigh.
“Little Shi was pitiful indeed. Since childhood, someone had stolen his Sovereign Bone, leaving him weak and feeble, nearly dying in infancy. Later, he was placed in a remote village, growing up without parents, surviving only by his own strength, and eventually leaving the wilderness alone, striving all the way forward, carving his path through his own efforts. What a shame that, in the end, he ended up like this.”
Many learned of Shi Hao’s background, and upon understanding his experiences, sighed with empathy. Indeed, he was a Sovereign youth plagued by misfortune, his life too full of trials.
All who learned of his background felt sympathy. The seemingly invincible Emperor Shi, the brilliant Little Shi, was in truth, quite pitiful.
He ultimately could not escape the shackles of fate. When he was young, he survived the near-fatal crisis through sheer willpower, yet as he grew, he still met with a sorrowful end.
“What a pity, what a lament, what grief!”
The whole world mourned. For how many years had such an event not occurred? Across the Eight Realms, all spoke of one individual, shaking their heads in shared sorrow for his fate.
At the same time this day, many elite cultivators from greater sects crossed domains to come here.
Many came to visit; in a way, it was to bid their farewells, hoping to see him one last time.
People knew that from now on, there would be no more Little Shi in this world.
Honoring his achievements and reminiscing his battles, many sects were deeply moved. Most came with goodwill and entered the Stone Kingdom.
For a time, the capital of the Stone Kingdom became filled with people, with most being cultivators who had come to send off Little Shi, silently awaiting the inevitable heart-wrenching ending to conclude.
In the imperial palace of the Stone Kingdom,
The Three Sovereigns, together with many noble lords of the Stone Kingdom and the people from Stone Village, had not given up. They continued seeking methods to save Shi Hao.
In order to save Shi Hao, Lord Zhanwang (War King), Pengwang (Penguin King), and others earnestly requested the people of Stone Village to leave Shi Hao in the palace for the time being, rather than taking him away immediately. They issued proclamations, declaring to the world that the Stone Kingdom would accept any price in exchange for any method or means capable of saving Shi Hao.
The news spread, and many sects, Dao lineages, and great sects across the land responded by sending medicinal herbs and ancient pill formulas.
The people of Stone Village also acted. They opened the ancestral altar, traversed the channels, and retrieved various ancestral treasures, bringing them to the Stone Kingdom to attempt all possible solutions.
One could see them bringing ancient cauldrons, dark old wood, and strange stones. Every ancient artifact was transported here.
No one laughed at them. Everyone understood that these simple village folk were making one final effort, hoping against hope for a miracle.
“This piece of wood… it might be Blood Dragonwood. It is a treasure tree by nature, soaked in dragon’s blood. It is priceless!”
Lord Zhanwang was surprised. He had long studied medicine, possessing deep knowledge of herbs and spiritual medicines. By chance, he noticed a piece of dark red wood, which turned out to be a rare divine tree.
The medicinal liquid brewed from this wood contained dragon blood essence, which might have extraordinary effects.
“This iron lump… no, this isn’t iron at all! This is the body of a divine insect!” Doctor Zhang Zhong also joined them. As they examined the “old relics,” he picked up a black object that resembled an iron block, producing a metallic clang when struck.
He was greatly astonished. After careful identification, he realized it was a divine insect known as the Black Gold Worm, a rare medicinal ingredient that was hard to come by.
Clearly, this insect was fully matured, though only a foot long, it was highly potent, curled up like a piece of iron.
Everyone could not help but be amazed. The ancestral lands of the Stone Kingdom must have been truly mighty in ancient times to have defeated such a divine insect, which possessed godly combat power, and simply discarded it into the village.
“Amazing! Incomparable!” everyone exclaimed.
“If we were to refine a Nine-turn Divine Pill, this Black Gold Worm would be an indispensable key ingredient. Unfortunately, the materials are far from sufficient. Otherwise, we might have a chance to attempt its creation,” Lord Zhanwang lamented.
It was said that once refined, the Nine-turn Divine Pill could elevate the consumer to godhood instantly. It was the rarest and most precious holy medicine in this world, and throughout history, only a few people had ever succeeded in creating it.
Unfortunately, refining such a pill required many divine-grade medicinal herbs. Without them, it was simply impossible to contemplate, a goal that seemed far too distant. If such a pill had existed, perhaps even Shi Hao might have had a glimmer of hope.
“This pill is beyond reach. it’s said that even in hundreds of thousands of years, one cannot witness the creation of a single furnace,” Zhang Zhong shook his head.
Everyone sighed once again, realizing it was truly too fantastical.
Everyone rummaged through these ancient relics, but aside from the two surprises they had already discovered, nothing else of particular value was found.
They did find an ancestral artifact, quite powerful, but it was merely a weapon and could not save lives.
The people of Stone Village felt heavy-hearted and helpless, unable to do anything else.
The ancestral altar emitted a glow. Mao Qiu and Xiao Hong appeared. One had lost half its body, the other had lost both wings. Both were severely injured and moved with difficulty.
Yet, they still came. The two divine beings shook the spirits of everyone present!
“We… can’t think of anything either.” The two mighty figures looked troubled, having exhausted every possible thought, yet still unable to offer help.
“This item might be of some use.” Mao Qiu said, presenting a meditation mat.
It was something Shi Hao had left behind in Stone Village on the eve of his great battle. This mat had belonged to the Azure-Scaled Eagle’s nest, woven from Kun wood, the branches of the World Tree.
“What a pity. After such a long time, almost all of its essence has dissipated. Otherwise, it would have been of great value,” Doctor Zhang sighed.
“These are the fruits of the Silver Peach Tree. We have harvested them,” said Shi Fei Jiao, carefully handing over a jade box, from which silver-glowing peaches gleamed.
This was a semi-sacred medicinal plant Shi Hao had unearthed from Bai Duan Mountain and planted in Stone Village. It had now fully matured, but had remained unharvested until this day.
“There’s also a drop of divine wine, also obtained from the Azure-Scaled Eagle’s nest,” said Mao Qiu. Having accompanied Shi Hao to the Northern Sea back then, he naturally knew about it.
“No more, no more. Do not waste anything else.” Shi Hao shook his head; he deeply understood his condition.
At this moment, he was still engraving the Azure-Scaled Eagle’s Dao Law, and no one could stop him. Occasionally, people could hear a faint crack from his chest—clearly, his Sovereign Bone was beginning to fracture.
It was an act of consuming his very life force, making everyone present visibly uneasy, yet they were powerless to stop him, because this was one of Shi Hao’s final wishes.
He had left all the treasures from the World Treasure Chest behind to Stone Village, and wished to pass down this Dao.
“Child, I beg you, please stop!” Qin Yi Ning held his arm, her voice filled with grief. There was loss, confusion, pain, and regret.
She wanted to save her eldest son, yet also feared for the life of her second-born. A brief hesitation had caused her to miss the best time for bone implantation.
As a mother, she could not bear to lose any of her children. Yet this kind of choice was too painful, too difficult to decide. Such emotions were only natural. No one, regardless of who, could have made such a decision easily.
If only she could, she would give her life to save her eldest son’s.
Shi Zi Ling, on the other hand, had his eyes bloodshot, with tears flowing. He deeply blamed himself, clenching his fists in painful regret, his knuckles nearly crushed under the pressure.
“Father, mother, please do not blame yourselves. It makes me feel terrible inside. Everyone must die eventually, but I feel fulfilled now.” Shi Hao spoke, unwilling for them to suffer any further.
All this day, continuous visitors arrived at the capital city of the Stone Kingdom, wishing to bid farewell to Shi Hao, knowing fully well that he was about to perish.
There were many more people than those who had gone to the Immortal Mountains. The city was crowded, filled with people discussing.
However, more than 90 percent of them were stopped outside the palace gates. Shi Hao needed peace to spend his final moments, and too many people would make things too noisy. Although their intentions were good, it was impossible to allow everyone in.
Inside the palace, only Xiao Tian, the Nine-headed Lion, Lord Zhanwang, and those from Stone Village were present. All others were kept away.
At last, a palace guard came to report: “The noble ladies Lan Yu, Hong Feng, Shui Yue, and other extraordinary geniuses from the Upper World have arrived and request an audience.”
Qin Yi Ning was slightly startled, then said, “Please them in.” She thought of the Red Phoenix Clan’s sacred techniques, particularly the Nirvana Law associated with the phoenix, which was extremely powerful, and she was determined to obtain it at any cost in a final attempt.
Xuan Ming, Bi Gu, Lan Yu, Shui Yue, and others were full of Sighing with emotion (sentiments). Seeing Shi Hao, they could hardly believe that the once dazzling and mighty young prodigy named Little Shi had become this frail.
“What a pity, what a pity,” they all silently shook their heads. They had once hoped to win him over, but now such a tragedy had occurred.
Seeing Little Shi fall from the Ninth Heaven to this state, some of these geniuses immediately changed their minds. Little Shi was destined to fade into obscurity. Even if by some miracle he survived, his future would be dimmed, for his Sovereign Bone had been destroyed!
“Sigh, this is an unresolvable matter. Once the curse of the Bronze Rust from the Holy Hall touches one, there has never been a case where a soul survived,” Xuan Ming shook his head.
Qin Yi Ning took Hong Feng aside, discussing with her earnestly and offering any price to obtain their clan’s Nirvana Law.
Peng Jiu was moved and said, “The Vermilion Bird Kingdom possesses the Vermilion Bird’s Rebirth Nirvana Law, a technique renowned for rebirth from flames. If we could obtain it, we might still have a chance.”
An elder prince from the Vermilion Bird Kingdom arrived, intending to bid a final farewell to Little Shi, and was immediately invited into the palace.
In this final moment, regardless of whether it would work or not, they wanted to make a last attempt, combining the Five Elements Nirvana Law, the Vermilion Bird’s Nirvana Law, and the True Phoenix-related Nirvana Law in a final gamble.
The elder prince from the Vermilion Bird Kingdom was agreeable and, in the end, agreed to pass on the Nirvana Law to Shi Hao.
Though Hong Feng hesitated, as it was their clan’s most guarded secret not to be revealed, after repeated pleas from Qin Yi Ning, offering to exchange the Five Elements Nirvana Law, she eventually agreed.
Shi Hao remained calm; he did not wish to dampen everyone’s spirits. He silently memorized the law, hoping it could aid in his recovery.
Unfortunately, everything failed again, marking the end of Shi Hao’s life, with no further remedies offering any hope.
In a hall clouded with sorrow and grief, Shi Zi Ling stood up and walked outside. Qin Yi Ning sensed something and turned, calling after him, “Where are you going?”
“The Divine Furnace Valley.” Shi Zi Ling replied simply.
Upon hearing this, everyone pondered, trying to recall what this place was. Only Zhang Zhong’s expression changed—he knew of a strange and eerie locale.
The valley resembled a divine furnace in shape and was eerily unusual, filled with many mysteries.
Ordinary people often entered and encountered supernatural occurrences, losing their lives. Yet, ancient great sages once explored the Divine Furnace Valley thoroughly, but found nothing unusual.
The most bizarre reason behind its fame was the tale of a powerful cultivator once sacrificing their blood and praying wholeheartedly, gaining a Nine-turn Divine Pill for their companion.
However, this had never been verified and was merely a legend.
Because later generations, when pushed to desperation, also visited the place with sincere devotion, yet all they received was their own deaths, and nothing more.
Not too long before, Shi Zi Ling had heard others speak of the Nine-turn Divine Pill, which stirred his thoughts. Now, he decided to take a desperate gamble and venture there himself.
Zhang Zhong shook his head, advising him not to go. He publicly revealed these hidden details, making everyone present pale.
“I shall go with you!” Qin Yi Ning declared without hesitation.
The two rushed out without delay and immediately employed a precious technique, leaving the Stone Kingdom capital.
“Please make sure to intercept them, I don’t want any regrets left behind!” Shi Hao requested Lord Zhanwang to act.
“Alright!” he nodded and gave chase.
Shi Hao believed that Lord Zhanwang, being a Sovereign, would certainly catch up quickly.
Everyone considered that there truly was no solution left. Every possible method had been tried already, with no sign of salvation.
“If nothing can be changed, prepare for Emperor Shi’s final farewell,” sighed an elder prince.
This day, the Stone Kingdom began preparations, knowing that Shi Hao’s life was drawing to an end. They allowed elites from all sects to enter and come bid farewell to him in his last moments.
When this proclamation was issued, the world was shaken—this signaled that Little Shi was about to pass away at any moment, reaching the end of his mortal life, never to exist again.
The Eight Realms trembled, and even the sea clans knew. Many strong experts arrived, entering the capital city of the Stone Kingdom, indicating that nothing could alter the inevitable.
Lord Zhanwang intercepted Shi Zi Ling and his wife, who stood in sorrow. If not forced to this point by utter desperation, how could they ever believe in such fantastical legends?
“Father, mother, the happiest moment for me is to be with you at this final moment,” Shi Hao said.
That night, Zhang Zhong, furrowing his brow, predicted that Shi Hao would live no more than a day longer, stating there was no hope left.
The village chief, Shi Yun Feng, voice trembling, wished to immediately take Shi Hao back to the village, fulfilling his final wish to be peacefully laid to rest there.
“Wait a little longer. Let me bid farewell to them first, and then I’ll return to the village and never leave again,” Shi Hao softly murmured.
Shi Hao met many people, including the leaders of every sect, nodding to each in gratitude for their final visit.
Undoubtedly, this night was a grand event, yet everything unfolded in silence.
Remarkably, Shi Hao remained lucid throughout, and according to Zhang Zhong, this was the phenomenon of a person returning to life briefly before death, meaning he likely would not lose consciousness for the remainder of his time.
Late into the night, Shi Hao met with Qin Hao. The vast palace was spacious and quiet, with no one else present but the two brothers.
All that needed to be said had already been spoken. Shi Hao had only one request for his younger brother: to care for their parents well. At this moment, the silence between the two was heavy.
“Brother, do you hate me?” Qin Hao asked.
“Why should I hate you? We are brothers,” Shi Hao replied calmly.
“I want to become the strongest cultivator in the heavens and earth. I will protect our parents, but this time I failed to save you…” Qin Hao said softly.
“I was the one whose life was doomed to end soon anyway. How can it be your fault?” Shi Hao shook his head.
“If there hadn’t been any delay, if time had allowed, I would’ve given you my immortal bone. I wouldn’t have let things come to this. With two bones, you would’ve surely become the strongest, and no one could have stopped you,” Qin Hao whispered.
Upon hearing this, Shi Hao appeared contemplative but did not continue the topic, saying only, “I did my best, but I only managed to carve out half of the Azure-Scaled Eagle’s Dao. I will leave the rest to the Stone Clan.”
Qin Hao remained silent, merely nodding.
For a long time, the vast hall offered no sound, remaining extremely silent, the two brothers lapsing into silence again.
After a very long while, Shi Hao finally spoke, asking, “What do you think, if a person possesses two Sovereign bones, can they become the strongest in the world?”
“Is there anyone who could rival them?” Qin Hao countered.
“You mention this makes me think of the Upper World. Since there’s more than one ‘First-Generation,’ perhaps someone has already obtained a second Sovereign bone,” Shi Hao mused.
Qin Hao was momentarily stunned; he had never heard of this, and it was indeed shocking.
Shi Hao spoke solemnly, “I believe the number of bones one has isn’t what defines the path of the strongest. If, one day, you are confident enough to discard all the Sovereign bones within you, even if it means giving up every last one, only then will you truly begin walking the path of invincibility.”
Qin Hao disagreed, saying, “If you are given a high starting point, why would you abandon it? I believe that someone with two Sovereign bones will be stronger and become the ultimate Sovereign.”
“There may already be such people in the Upper World,” Shi Hao murmured, then stared into his younger brother’s eyes and said, “If you truly believe this is the way to become the strongest, then I will give you the chance to rise even higher—but be sure to think this through!”
He didn’t know whether his brother had said this intentionally or inadvertently, but it no longer mattered. He no longer cared about the Sovereign bone.
He was about to die—what use did he have for it? If his younger brother believed that with two Sovereign bones, he could become the strongest in the Upper World, then so be it—let him have it.
Shi Hao believed that no matter what his brother’s thoughts were, they shared the same parents. His younger brother would remain the one to care for them in the future.
“Lord Zhanwang, Lord Pengwang, Doctor Zhang Zhong…” Shi Hao summoned these people.
“Your Majesty!” the elder kings all looked at him.
“I will give my Sovereign Bone to my younger brother. Please all bear witness,” Shi Hao declared, fearing that they might misunderstand, explaining clearly.
“What! Your Majesty, you mustn’t!” the elders exclaimed in shock.
“Brother…” Qin Hao opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
“Don’t argue!” Shi Hao had always been decisive, and even in his weakened state, it was no different. His eyes flashed with a sharp light, making it impossible for anyone to speak further.
His body was already filled with cracks; as he strained, his chest split open. Calmly and Decisively (decisively), Shi Hao removed the bone that was no longer more than two-thirds intact.
This bone remained white and luminous, though marred with scars—it had been pieced together by force, radiating auspicious light, and even after leaving his body, still seemed as if lit by a divine glow.
“Your Majesty!”
Lord Zhanwang and Lord Pengwang’s hearts quivered. How mighty and unyielding was Little Shi, making such a bold gesture at the very end of his life, making them weep deeply.
“Doctor Zhang Zhong, please assist my younger brother with the bone implantation!” Shi Hao said, calmly seated, forcefully closing his chest wound. Though blood flowed, he remained unmoved.
“Emperor Shi!” Zhang Zhong was shocked beyond expectation. He had never imagined such a final outcome—that Shi Hao would give his Sovereign Bone to his own younger brother.
Lord Mingwang, Peng Jiu, and Lord Zhanwang rushed forward together, helping Shi Hao stop the bleeding and treating his wounds, their hearts aching.
Soon, the people of Stone Village learned, and Shi Zi Ling and Qin Yi Ning were also informed. They rushed into the hall, trembling with emotion.
“Do not overly rely on these two bones. One day, if you can dissolve them, nourish your entire body with Sovereign blood, allowing all your bones to evolve, that might be an entirely different path of invincibility,” Shi Hao said.
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