Thus, he departed, uncertain when he would meet them again—perhaps never. Shi Hao left, filled with reluctance, but ultimately embarked on his journey.
“There are still several grand opportunities in this lower realm, though I do not know when they will see the light of day again,” he told all he knew to the Shi Kingdom, so that they might seek them in the future.
But he suspected it would take eons, for even the great sects of this lower realm had searched ceaselessly for ages without success.
His first stop was the Heaven God Mountain. Unfortunately, it was empty; the Tianren race had long departed. Once a sacred mountain of antiquity, it had become a forsaken land.
At this moment, he thought of many people.
The second baldy—it was he who had restored the formation here before ascending with the Tianren to the Upper Realm.
Yun Xi, a violet-haired maiden, clear-eyed and fair-toothed, of unparalleled grace. Back then, she had clashed fiercely with Shi Hao in the Bai Duan Mountains, wrestling with him fiercely, while the wild child viciously bit her shining ear.
Shi Hao retrieved a pendant from a bronze treasure chest. It was said to be a betrothal token used by the Tianren maidens.
“Fire Sovereign and the others have also departed from here. I hope they safely entered the Upper Realm,” Shi Hao murmured. Fire Sovereign had been kind to him, allowing him to cultivate in the ancestral lands of Fire Kingdom and offering teachings.
How was Huo Ling’er? As Shi Hao thought of her, he involuntarily lost himself in memories. This young girl had helped him on more than one occasion. But the Upper Realm was vast—each continent there was broader than all eight regions of the lower realm combined. Would they truly meet again?
After standing there for a long time, he left. This place could no longer lead to the Upper Realm.
The Heaven Path had been severed. He ventured into the wilderness, searching place after place, hoping to rediscover an ancient road.
After defeating sects such as the Western Church, Immortal Mountain, and the Sky-Mending Sect, Shi Hao learned many secrets. Now, he visited the secret locations recorded by those sects in hopes of finding a chance to ascend.
“Dang…”
The bell rang slowly through the deep mountains. An ancient temple stood there, entirely forged of copper—its roof tiles, pillars, and walls were all of bronze, etched with Mottled marks of time.
The entire temple was encrusted with green tarnish. Ancient trees loomed around it, while apes howled and tigers roared.
This was one of the secret spots recorded by the Western Church, once a sacred temple. But afterward, something ominous had occurred, leading them to abandon it, and no one had come here since.
However, legend claimed it was a heaven-defying transmission array that could ascend to the Upper Realm.
Following the records, Shi Hao arrived here and searched carefully. To his surprise, the copper Palace Hall covered in verdigris seemed strangely familiar!
“Could this be… the curse of the Immortal Hall?” He deduced.
In ancient times, someone from the Immortal Hall descended and unleashed a curse, turning a holy temple into a deathly land filled with ill omen.
“If I ascend, I will inevitably face a great battle!”
The Immortal Hall was terrifying—an organization never boasting more than five members, yet feared by the mighty and immortal sects of the Upper Realm.
Legend said the so-called Bronze Immortal Hall was itself an immortal artifact!
“This mysterious lineage has existed since eternity, coexistent with heaven and earth itself, and is an ancient enemy of the Supreme Ruler Sanctuary. Alas, though I discovered its existence in this lower realm, I could never locate the Supreme Ruler Sanctuary.”
Shi Hao was regretful. He had used all the strength of the Shi Kingdom in the search, yet still could not find it. Eventually, he left it to Qing Feng, to slowly seek over a long span of time.
The Immortal Hall’s current “Lord” was not very old, only a few years elder than Shi Hao. In the eyes of the younger generation of the Upper Realm, this was an insurmountable mountain, unbeatable.
“How powerful can he truly be?” Shi Hao murmured. Though confident, he was not arrogant—he knew that a clash would almost certainly end in a life-or-death duel.
He struck with one palm, causing the copper rust to peel away. The curse had mostly faded over time. However, the transmission array had also long since been destroyed.
His next stop was an ancient cave recorded by Immortal Mountain. Yet again, he found only ruins—it had collapsed.
“You have mastered two Supreme Ruler Bones. How formidable have you become?” Standing before the remains of the records, he murmured, thinking of his younger brother.
After Qin Hao ascended, he caused great commotion. Many believed he was destined for ascent, to become a Supreme Ruler.
Several immortal lineages reached out, offering their most talented daughters in marriage to Immortal Mountain, all in hopes of gaining the youth’s favor.
Shi Hao departed. This time, he headed for the “Zhou Domain,” the great land where the Sky-Mending Sect resided, and searched two ancient paths in vain.
Finally, he reached the last hidden site and uttered a cry of surprise. Within these ancient mountains, he found faint traces.
“Farewell, Lower Realm!”
These words were left by Yue Chan Fairy. The handwriting was identical to hers, and the four characters exuded Dao’s rhythm and emotion. When she left, her feelings had seemed complex.
“This isn’t from her main body,” Shi Hao could confirm. For the main body of Yue Chan had ascended through the path of the Sky-Mending Sect, which had long since collapsed.
It was her second body who had left these words. After Shi Hao’s “death,” the people of Shi Village had released her. Rather than returning to the Sky-Mending Sect, she chose a secret path and ascended quietly.
“We once exchanged marital vows…”
Thinking back, Shi Hao grew lost in memory. This fairy, famed for possessing mysterious divine soul sealed within her body, had crossed paths with him many times.
Soon, a faint smile reached Shi Hao’s lips. Yue Chan’s second body had refused to return to the Sky-Mending Sect, instead choosing secrecy to evade her primary self.
“If we meet again, in what manner shall we face each other?” Shi Hao murmured. Were he and Yue Chan’s second self husband and wife, friends, or foes? He had a feeling—they would meet once more.
“Alas,” he sighed. The formation here had been used once, and then destroyed.
At this point, Shi Hao couldn’t help but furrow his brows. The severance of Heaven and Earth was no idle word. Now it was extremely difficult to find a path to the Upper Realm. Especially after the Upper Realm’s mighty figures “opposed Heaven’s Will,” many formations would self-destruct the moment they were used.
The sea was vast and boundless, its waves crashing into the heavens. Now and then, enormous beasts surfaced, their lengths measuring miles, raising colossal waves.
Shi Hao set sail, following the advice given long ago by Xiao Ta and the immortal beings, and ventured beyond the oceans to see if any ancient paths remained.
Thus, he descended into the ocean depths, locating places such as the Dragon Palace of the Jiao and the Mermaid Palace, but was disappointed once more—no ancient path was found.
Ahead loomed a giant island radiating colorful light, upon which stood a great stone tablet: “Sea God Island.”
Shi Hao’s heart stirred. He climbed the island and was immediately met with great commotion—his name had spread to the outer seas; all the powerful sea clans knew of him.
“The one who, with but a soul fragment, slew the Gray Dragon Monarch?”
Whether recounting his past or his resurrection and the subsequent cleansing of several holy lands, all proved his peerless might, shaking the entire world.
Though the Sea God Clan was deeply rooted, it had long since lost its divine figure. Naturally, they were tense and fearful, dreading that he might eradicate their lineage.
Stepping onto the island, Shi Hao declared, “I merely wish to borrow the path.” He was honest about his intentions.
The living beings of the Sea God Clan exhaled in relief, then explained—this path had long been severed. Since Mo Sheng had left, it had become unusable.
“Mo Sheng?”
Shi Hao recalled who that was. Back during the battle at the Kun Peng Nest, that Sea Clan youth had made a deep impression. A formidable rival, their clash had been intense.
No wonder the Sea God Clan was afraid—he might come seeking vengeance.
Later, Shi Hao learned that Han Tian, the youth rival of Mo Sheng, the devilish prodigy of the Firefin Clan, had also ascended. After their departure, the Sea Clan held no more paths.
At this point, Shi Hao was silent. Had he truly no escape? Was the path between the two realms completely severed?
Returning to land, he re-entered the Barren Lands, pondering deeply. He reviewed all known paths, then made his way to a place.
“The Hundred Clans Battlefield. Legend says that if one passes the trial, one can ascend to the Upper Realm.”
The Hundred Clans Battlefield existed in every realm. Long ago, his grandfather had caused a great calamity merely for slaying a Pixiu there.
It was a battlefield where different races battled for dominance. Shi Hao had long known of it, yet never set foot within.
On this day, a youth entered the Hundred Clans Battlefield of the Barren Lands. Challenging endlessly, he won time and again, sparking great uproar.
In recent years, after the great cosmic tribulation, the ancient holy mountains had declined, and the Hundred Clans Battlefield had lost its former glory, with fewer peerless warriors.
Having changed his appearance with the Seventy-Two Transformations, Shi Hao fought without drawing much attention. After all, the entire world was abuzz with tales of Xiao Shi and the Shi Kingdom. Compared to Shi Hao’s sweeping conquest of heaven, the battles of the Hundred Clans Battlefield were trivial.
After winning in this battlefield, he ascended the altar and was transported to a desolate land where there were no living enemies—only puppets.
He fought fiercely all the way and won once more, then was teleported again to another ancient land.
Interest sparked in his heart. These hidden lands were connected by formations. Could they truly lead beyond this lower realm?
He charged through, being transferred six times, and along the way, he encountered skeletons—remains growing ever more ancient, proving that no one had made it this far in ages.
With Shi Hao’s current might, he could cut through like a hot knife through butter.
“Restraining cultivation level. The final few challenges require battle at equal power.”
At last, Shi Hao reached the tenth and final trial. His heart was shaken, for he saw a fully intact transmission array.
But here, he also saw an ominous warning.
“What?! The final trial of the Hundred Clans Battlefield leads to a cage? Most who ascended from here were captured and made into mounts…” Shi Hao was stunned.
This warning had been carved by someone who had escaped from above.
“The Hundred Clans Battlefield… this was its truth? The immortal sects of the Upper Realm have overstepped too far!” Shi Hao whispered.
The reality was pitiable.
He remained silent for a long time. In the end, he turned and left. Though the path remained, the danger was too great. He certainly had no desire to be captured and used as a guardian beast. And more importantly, he couldn’t reveal himself now. If certain figures in the Upper Realm learned of his identity, his survival would be in serious peril.
Shi Hao retraced his steps with a sigh. Was Heaven determined to close his path? Now, he had no road left.
He consulted many bone scriptures, thinking deeply. He considered every potential path, yet found only a vast, empty space between the two realms—truly severed.
Shi Hao gazed at the sky. How could he ascend to the Upper Realm? Was there truly no way?
Suddenly, he recalled something and declared, “There is still one path. It must surely lead to the Upper Realm!”
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