Shi Hao moved at an incredible speed, electric sparks slicing through the sky as he raced forward, eventually catching up to the dozen or so individuals who had departed earlier.
“Ah, Brother Devil King, you actually escaped! That was truly perilous back there,” someone exclaimed joyfully.
“Brother Dao, your might is indeed extraordinary. Even in such a dire situation, you managed to protect yourself and return safely,” another sighed in admiration, utterly awestruck.
In the end, only about a dozen The Mighty One managed to escape from that deadly place, while the rest had perished.
“Just sheer luck. It was a near-death experience, a narrow escape,” Shi Hao humbly replied, unwilling to elaborate. That golden page was undoubtedly extraordinary, and he wished to avoid drawing envy by revealing too much.
With the collapse of the Golden Mountain and the revival of the lightning-struck ancient tree, the formations within a hundred miles cracked and disintegrated entirely. The group soared forward, finally escaping the perilous zone.
“At last, we’re out!” everyone exhaled in relief. Simply surviving was their greatest victory.
Some lamented their terrible luck, having been teleported into an ancient sealed land where escape was impossible, forced into servitude by the Fire Demon Palace.
Thankfully, they had now seen the light of day and escaped calamity.
“I think we were the ones who suffered the most deaths. The cultivators from other regions surely weren’t as unfortunate as us,” one cultivator sighed.
As soon as he finished speaking, a mighty roar echoed from afar, shaking the heavens and earth, causing mountains to tremble and trees to sway violently. Countless leaves rained down.
“What is that…?” everyone was stunned.
Deep within the distant mountains stood a colossal humanoid figure, its entire body covered in thick, black, long fur, pounding its chest. Surrounding it flickered divine flames.
It was a giant ape, taller than a mountain. Each thunderous pound of its chest sent shockwaves rippling, and when it howled, the surrounding peaks cracked.
Suddenly, it leaped high, lunging at a “mountain ridge,” engaging in fierce combat.
It turned out to be a massive serpent, so large it resembled a mountain ridge at a glance. Its body now also radiated azure divine flames.
Two divine beings were locked in battle!
Everyone watched in stunned silence, gripped by fear and awe.
“Never mind what I just said…” the cultivator who had complained earlier stammered, his voice trembling.
They finally understood: Yuan Tian’s Secret Domain was filled with deathtraps and dangers at every turn. One misstep could lead to annihilation.
Indeed, great opportunities and blessings were never easily obtained. Whoever entered had to face the risk of death and destruction.
“I’ve decided—I’ll find a place to hide and wait until time runs out, then immediately leave this domain. It’s just too terrifying,” someone said, his face pale.
Others nodded in agreement, feeling that such grand blessings were far beyond their reach. To seek and compete for them would likely cost them their lives.
“Fellow Daoists, I shall take my leave now,” Shi Hao said.
“Thank you, Brother Devil King!” they all expressed their gratitude, watching him depart. They knew Shi Hao was immensely powerful—single-handedly defeating a group from the Fire Demon Palace. His background must be extraordinary.
In their hearts, they had already concluded: he must be one of the “Firstborn”!
“Brothers, do you think he might be… that ‘Huang’?” an elder said, recalling how Shi Hao had summoned a cauldron filled with a “Milky Way,” reminding him of the thunderous river of Demon Island.
“Huang? Why does that name sound familiar?” someone suddenly asked.
“Could it be… the same ‘Huang’ inscribed on the Divine Stele established by the Devil Sovereign?!” someone gasped in shock, his expression incredulous.
Others looked as if they had seen ghosts, speechless, mouths agape.
They sensed that the young devil king who had saved them would soon shine brilliantly within the Secret Domain, clashing with other Firstborn and shocking the outside world’s sects.
“If it’s really him, the Secret Domain is about to become very lively. A great storm is coming…”
They dared not linger and quickly vanished.
“What?! The Golden Mountain has cracked, the lightning has receded, and a great blessing has emerged—but we… allowed someone else to reap the reward?” At the exit of the Secret Domain, the Fire Demon Palace’s group clenched their teeth in frustration.
Originally, Chi Lingkong wanted to return, but others from the Fire Demon Palace disagreed, as the sealed land was too dangerous. Without the Beast Tooth Life Talisman, going back might mean death.
But upon hearing his account of the great blessing, they could no longer stay put.
“Quickly, activate the altar! I’m going back—I’ll capture that little brat and make him wish he were dead!” Chi Lingkong was seething with rage. To be so humiliated, crushed under someone’s foot, had driven him to the brink of madness.
Finally, four mighty experts from the Fire Demon Palace set off, while the rest remained behind.
No sooner had Shi Hao and the others vanished than Chi Lingkong and his group arrived, almost on their heels. Gazing at the massive golden skeleton before them, their eyes gleamed with greed.
“This grand palace is actually transformed from the bones of a Dragon Hound. Regardless of anything else, this divine bone alone is a priceless treasure for forging divine artifacts.”
“What about that lightning-struck tree?” they asked in confusion, for the ancient tree was a true heavenly treasure, its lightning capable of killing them all, even more valuable than the bones.
“And where did that little brat go?” Chi Lingkong gritted his teeth, filled with hatred.
“Let’s search around,” they didn’t rush to collect the massive skeleton, fearing danger. The four proceeded cautiously, scattering in different directions to search for Shi Hao and the others.
Soon after, a deafening roar erupted from the west, with lightning surging into the sky.
“What’s happening?” the others in the other directions were startled. Chi Lingkong and the rest immediately soared into the air, rushing toward the source.
“Help!” came a terrified cry from within the lightning.
The The Mighty One who had ignited the divine flame discovered the lightning tree, his eyes burning with desire. But before he could approach, the tree attacked him.
He was shocked. This was no artifact—it was a sentient being.
Lightning bolts struck him, leaving him charred and blackened. What truly terrified him was that the tree began coughing, its hollow trunk resembling a gaping maw, spitting black blood onto him. Half his body rotted instantly.
“Ahh! Could this be… the Demon-Blooded Ghost God Tree?!” His scream expressed his terror—and it was his last sound.
Soon, he was dead, his body rotting away into a puddle of foul blood.
From afar, Chi Lingkong and the other three watched in horror, too afraid to intervene. Especially upon hearing the tree’s name, their fear deepened.
“The Demon-Blooded Ghost God Tree… does such a being truly exist?” they whispered, chilled to the bone.
Legends spoke of this tree containing demon blood, capable of transforming into a tree or even a ghostly humanoid form—extremely terrifying.
Since ancient times, such beings were said to be extremely rare, originating from the vast, uninhabited regions of the Upper Realms, just like the Pu Demon Tree—nearly impossible to deal with.
In truth, any living being within those uninhabited regions was strange and immensely powerful.
For example, it was said that an ancient powerhouse once entered the uninhabited zone. The moment he stepped on a patch of yellow mud, he perished instantly.
Another powerful sect leader discovered a radiant dewdrop. Upon slight contact, his soul was shattered.
Others had even discovered a True Dragon’s egg, surrounded by chaotic mist—but failed to bring it out.
“Let’s go!” Chi Lingkong and the others turned pale, unwilling to stay any longer or seek revenge.
“Damn it, it’s enraged and chasing us now!”
“Cursed brat! That little pest must have caused trouble, and now we’re paying the price!” They fled in panic, eager to seek blessings, only to be hunted by the Demon-Blooded Ghost God Tree!
“We should take this information back. Even the Upper Realm’s Sect Leaders wish to learn more about the uninhabited zone. And here, we’ve encountered an ancient Demon-Blooded Ghost God Tree,” Chi Lingkong said.
Could it be that this Secret Domain is connected to the uninhabited zone? They believed the ancient powers would be extremely interested. But for now, survival was the priority.
Nine thousand miles away, Shi Hao finally stopped. He was cautious and vigilant—the Secret Domain was truly terrifying. Along the way, he had encountered several dangers, narrowly avoiding divine beings.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, from an ancient cave on the mountainside ahead, a black-gold insect emerged, about the length of an arm. It spewed forth waves of metallic light, like sword beams, reducing mountains and trees to dust.
“The Black-Scaled Worm?”
Shi Hao was surprised. This was a rare insect species, its body marked with Qilin patterns, fierce and aggressive, and it preferred to live in colonies.
What made him remember it wasn’t just its ferocity, but its immense medicinal value, mentioned in ancient Stone Clan alchemical formulas.
He had already gathered enough spirit herbs, needing only a few minerals, centipedes, and snake insects to complete his collection—though he could substitute with holy herbs. Yet now, encountering such a rare and precious worm, he naturally wouldn’t let it slip away.
“Buzz!”
The cave roared, and then, like a swarm, tens of thousands of Black-Scaled Worms poured out, spewing metallic qi, forming sword beams of impenetrable sharpness.
Even Shi Hao had to retreat, greatly startled.
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a silver light flashed from within the cave. A silver worm king emerged, about the same size as the others, but radiating a silver glow. Around it formed a phantom Qilin made of glyphs.
It was composed entirely of Runes, manifesting a silver Qilin suspended in the air—mysterious and mighty.
“A rare Silver Worm King!” Shi Hao was both surprised and delighted. Such beings were extremely rare, seldom seen even in the medicinal treasure vaults of the great immortal sects.
This silver worm king could be called a Divine Worm!
Such a title emphasized its rarity and immense value. Many divine pills required it for their formulation, possessing miraculous effects, capable of brewing rare divine elixirs.
“Capture it, and I can immediately retreat for cultivation and restoration,” Shi Hao smiled.
According to the Stone Clan’s alchemical formulas, by refining all the spirit herbs and divine worms together in a cauldron, he could greatly enhance his cultivation and restoration, achieving a higher level of perfection.
In fact, the Black Qilin Worms first regarded him as prey, buzzing furiously as they all rushed to attack. Especially the silver worm king, glowing brightly, forming a Qilin in the air and releasing sharp sword qi, aiming to cut him down.
Shi Hao dodged the swarm of worms, focusing on the silver glow, avoiding confrontation with the tens of thousands of black worms. Their metallic qi surged, thousands of sword beams sweeping through, shattering mountains and trees without resistance.
“Chi!”
Shi Hao transformed into a bolt of lightning, soaring upward with his utmost speed. He extended a lightning-covered hand, aiming to seize the silver worm king.
Suddenly, a purple light streaked across—it was a brilliant arrow, accompanied by a demonic sound and terrifying glyphs, piercing through the air, targeting Shi Hao’s lightning hand.
Shi Hao’s eyes narrowed. He withdrew his hand, turning coldly toward the nearby figure.
“You may leave now. I’ve already marked this worm king—I’ve been waiting for it for a long time,” a man descended, carrying a massive purple bow, tall and with eyes like bright stars.
He was calm and confident, standing there, staring down Shi Hao.
Shi Hao looked at him and finally recognized him as one of the two young disciples brought into the Secret Domain by the young master of the Immortal Hall. He was a servant.
Yet, rumors outside claimed that these two servants were far more formidable than many sects’ divine sons and sacred daughters, possessing extraordinary talent and terrifying power.
“You, a mere servant, dare speak to me like this?” Shi Hao sneered. He could sense the man’s strength, but he held no affection for the Immortal Hall. Coupled with the man’s arrogant manner, he naturally felt displeased, his words sharp and unyielding.
“Chi!”
A flash of holy light, and a white-robed woman descended from the sky, exuding an aura of celestial cultivation. Her grace was ethereal, otherworldly—none other than Yue Chan, the primary body.
“Chi!”
Five-colored divine radiance erupted, and a dashing youth appeared, clad in the Garment of Eternal Life, his stride like a dragon and tiger, his gaze confident and commanding—none other than Qin Hao, appearing here as well!
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