“Who are you?” Yun Xi stepped back, her delicate face flushing as her earlobe was accidentally brushed, a mix of irritation and shyness flickering across her expression.
At that moment, too many thoughts flooded her mind. She recalled the youth from the lower realm, her heart stirring with waves of emotion. That person had died far too tragically.
“I am Mo Xi,” Shi Hao responded, his voice cautious. He had many concerns—if he revealed his true identity, the Celestial Clan would surely find out, and complications might arise.
For some reason, Yun Xi felt an inexplicable familiarity with the person before her—the same snow-white teeth, the same radiant smile, and that carefree demeanor. It was uncanny.
Yet she knew that person could never return. He had fallen a year or two ago, buried in the desolate lands of the lower realm.
“You remind me of someone I once knew,” Yun Xi murmured. Her violet hair, porcelain-like oval face, arched brows, luminous eyes brimming with spirit, and cherry-red lips made her breathtakingly beautiful.
“Oh? Someone like me? Which clan was he from?” Shi Hao asked, feigning curiosity.
“Once my enemy, then my savior after our grudges were resolved. He was extraordinary… but alas.” Yun Xi shook her head, her thoughts drifting into the past, her mind momentarily lost in reverie.
“Roar—!”
A terrifying howl echoed from the depths of the ancient battlefield, snapping her back to reality and jolting Shi Hao into alertness. This was no place to linger.
“We can’t stay here,” Shi Hao said. Whether considering the dangers of this demonic land or the pursuers behind them, they had to leave.
“You go ahead. I don’t want to drag you into this,” Yun Xi said gratefully. Shi Hao had saved her, but continuing together would only invite disaster upon him.
Shi Hao shook his head. “It’s too late now. Those hunters have already seen us together. They won’t let either of us go. Our priority is to escape this Bloody Plains and evade them.”
He didn’t reveal his identity, but he couldn’t bear to see Yun Xi hunted down and robbed of her Celestial Stone, meeting a tragic end.
After gathering the remaining twenty Blood Soul Grasses, Shi Hao set off with Yun Xi, traversing the ancient battlefield southward.
“You’re still consuming those herbs?” Yun Xi gasped in shock as she noticed Shi Hao activating his divine apertures, his body shimmering with runes as he refined the deadly plants.
“Delicious—sweet and sour, quite refreshing,” Shi Hao remarked casually, as if snacking on ordinary fruit. Anyone witnessing this would be dumbstruck.
These were lethal “Death Grasses.” How could anyone dare ingest them? Ordinary cultivators would have their souls incinerated and bodies torn apart, dying without a grave!
Yun Xi grew frantic. This reckless behavior would surely lead to his demise. He was her savior—she couldn’t just watch him self-destruct.
“If you need strength, wait until we reach the Celestial Clan. Our Heavenly Deities can assist you. Don’t gamble with your life like this!” she pleaded.
“Do I look like a fool to you? With my talent, unrivaled across the Three Thousand Realms, why would I commit suicide?” Shi Hao retorted shamelessly, popping another herb into his mouth.
Yun Xi was speechless. Wasn’t this the epitome of recklessness? And the more she observed him, the more he resembled that youth from the lower realm—even his infuriatingly self-assured demeanor was identical.
In total, they had found over fifty Blood Soul Grasses beneath the stone cliff, each glowing like crimson jade. By now, Shi Hao had devoured them all.
But soon, discomfort set in—his flesh ached, his blood felt like it was boiling, and his soul burned as if about to ignite.
“Such potent toxicity!” Shi Hao muttered, inwardly wary. He knew an ordinary Venerable would have already perished, their body and soul consumed by flames.
Yet he suppressed it. His earlier confidence wasn’t baseless—he had the strength to endure. Sealing himself within his divine apertures and wielding power beyond limits, he anchored his spirit.
Some had died after consuming a hundred Blood Soul Grasses. Fifty? He could handle that.
Throughout the journey, Shi Hao channeled the bone scriptures from the *Primordial True Record*, his body glowing as surging blood energy fortified his physique.
“Is this the secret power?” he mused, sensing an enigmatic force permeating his flesh and bones. Was this the root of his immunity to magic?
Yun Xi was astounded. This youth was terrifyingly gifted—consuming over fifty Blood Soul Grasses without harm, refining their lethal essence.
“Capturing a live Demon Ape would help us understand their constitution better,” Shi Hao mused regretfully. Though he had slain six, their secrets remained elusive.
“ROAR—!”
A deafening bellow shook the battlefield, a wave of slaughterous aura rolling toward them.
“Trouble! Those three Demon Apes have summoned the ruler of this ancient battlefield. We must flee!” Yun Xi paled, recognizing the approaching figures through the mist.
Shi Hao activated his dual-pupils, spotting not just the three apes but also a distant skeletal figure wreathed in divine flames, wielding a bone sword as it charged toward them.
The roar had come from it—a soul-shaking cry, not a physical sound.
“A True God!” Shi Hao gasped. This was a being beyond the Divine Flame Realm—a True One cultivator.
Divine Flame cultivators were often called “False Gods,” merely touching the threshold of divinity. But True One cultivators, with their immense power, were deemed “True Gods.”
In truth, the True One Realm was just a deeper step into divinity.
The skeletal figure, bathed in white flames, resembled a blazing sun, radiating not death but scorching heat capable of igniting the heavens.
A True One expert was unbeatable. Even someone as prodigious as Shi Hao had to retreat. Activating his Earth-Contraction Art, he whisked Yun Xi away at lightning speed.
Simultaneously, he summoned his Thunder Dao abilities, manifesting wings of light and shadow crackling with lightning to accelerate their escape.
“The person I knew also mastered lightning techniques,” Yun Xi remarked, suspicion flickering before she dismissed it as impossible.
“I specialize in the Thunder Sky Sparrow’s divine arts,” Shi Hao replied.
Their great escape spanned thousands of miles, crossing the battlefield before the True God halted at the ruins’ edge, its hollow eyes flickering with soulfire as it watched them depart.
“Going straight to Celestial Province is too risky. We must traverse another ancient battlefield to avoid detection,” Shi Hao said.
Yun Xi agreed, explaining they needed to buy time until their clan’s ancient ancestor awakened. Once the Elder Celestial revived, everything would change.
“From mortal to celestial—is it truly that terrifying?” Shi Hao mused, studying the beautiful maiden.
He now knew the Elder Celestial had once forged their clan’s glory alongside five other powerhouses, elevating them to the ranks of the Ten Great Clans—a true imperial lineage of the upper realm.
How fearsome was a being who had lived from antiquity till now? No one could say.
“Fusing with the Celestial Stone can trigger an essential evolution for our clan, pushing us to the pinnacle—equivalent to becoming the strongest First-Generation!” Yun Xi confided, trusting Shi Hao. If he had ill intentions, he’d had ample opportunity to act.
Soon, they entered another ancient battlefield—vast, spanning fifty thousand miles. Deep within, they even stumbled upon a Heavenly God’s bone!
Both gasped. The battles here must have been cataclysmic if even Heavenly Gods had fallen helplessly.
The area was thick with yin energy, shrouded in mist, littered with skeletal remains and broken weapons, rusted or decayed.
“Blood Soul Grass!” Shi Hao exclaimed in delight. Finding these herbs was the greatest reward in such places—this time, six more.
These spiritual plants never appeared alone—always in clusters of three or more.
“You must be careful. Don’t recklessly refine them,” Yun Xi warned.
“Let’s go. This is my fortune—perhaps I’ll truly gain magic immunity!” Shi Hao’s heart burned with anticipation.
Two days later, both were stunned. Beneath a barren stone mountain, a dazzling crimson glow pulsed like flames.
A field of Blood Soul Grasses—luminous, dense, radiant, and surrounded by scarlet mist.
“Over two hundred!” Yun Xi’s voice trembled. This was an immense treasure, enough to cause an uproar if revealed outside.
“Want some? We can split them,” Shi Hao offered.
Yun Xi shook her head. “No, and you shouldn’t risk it either.”
“Then I won’t hold back. Believe me, I’ll survive and gain that incredible ability. This is my destiny!” Shi Hao declared.
But fate had other plans. Silently, two Demon Apes emerged—taller, their black scales tinged with silver.
“These two are far stronger than the previous nine combined,” Yun Xi warned, urging Shi Hao to flee.
“Too late. They’ve locked onto us,” Shi Hao said grimly, motioning for Yun Xi to hide.
The apes roared, their bodies glowing like jade, thunder rumbling as they moved.
This was a brutal fight. Either ape alone could threaten Shi Hao—two together were a nightmare, their scales shifting toward silver.
Even Shi Hao’s formidable physique struggled to damage them. Their scales were too tough.
“Boom!”
Shi Hao erupted into a frenzied battle, no retreat possible.
“Escape now!” he urged Yun Xi mentally, uncertain of victory.
“No!” Yun Xi refused, ready to assist.
“You can’t harm them. Go!” Shi Hao barked.
The earth quaked as the apes unleashed their blood energy, shattering the ground with mere steps. A single punch reduced a mountain to dust—pure physical might!
Shi Hao fought desperately, soon bloodied and disheveled, nearly slain multiple times.
“Crash!”
Yet the apes suffered too—one took a brutal punch, scales flying, black blood gushing, its chest nearly pierced.
The battle raged for over a thousand exchanges—one of Shi Hao’s fiercest since his debut.
Finally, Shi Hao’s fist pierced an ape’s chest, crushing its heart before his arm tore its diamond-hard body apart.
Blood rained as the beast fell.
But the remaining ape retaliated savagely, nearly gutting Shi Hao, leaving his chest and abdomen grievously wounded.
“End this!” Shi Hao roared, mustering his last strength to swing a leg at the ape.
The beast, now fearful, scrambled away—only for Yun Xi, hidden nearby, to strike it with a mirror artifact, staggering it.
“Die!” Shi Hao lunged, severing its head with a final slash.
Then he collapsed. These apes had nearly killed him.
“Good they’re dead. If one escaped, it might’ve brought reinforcements,” Yun Xi said.
Shi Hao laughed weakly, sitting up to gaze at the two hundred Blood Soul Grasses. “Worth it. If I consume them all, I might just gain that legendary power.”
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