“It’s done, it really worked, this is fantastic! This is the true meaning of ‘Dao begets One’—the aura of immortality!”
The little rabbit squealed with joy, her ruby-like eyes wide with excitement as she bounced around like an innocent child, pure and unrestrained.
“This is… unbelievable. I actually witnessed a miracle with my own eyes!” Cao Yusheng gasped, equally stunned.
Throughout history, countless prodigies had risen, dazzling the world, only to fall one after another, their paths extinguished, their bodies turned to dust—none succeeding.
Yet now, right before their eyes, a youth stood wreathed in immortal qi. How could this not be earth-shattering?
“Good, the death calamity has finally been overcome. May it be smooth and complete,” Qing Yi murmured with delight, her beautiful eyes shimmering with wonder. This was an event of monumental significance.
For the Immortal Ancient, anyone who took that step would have far-reaching consequences, affecting the lives and deaths of many.
Once successful, they would fear no siege—no number of peers could slay one who bore immortal qi. A true king among their generation, unmatched!
And such a being’s future achievements would be beyond measure!
“Hahaha…” The Divine Striking Stone roared with laughter, howling, “Let’s go back and deal with those sects, plundering them one by one, snatching divine materials to feast on!”
It thrived on chaos, craving all kinds of sacred stones to fuel its evolution.
Only the Void Heavenly Vine trembled and whispered, “Be careful. The closer you are to success, the greater the danger. That thing will return.”
It had lived through this before, the memories still haunting it.
Shi Hao had succeeded, but his body was ravaged, nearly dead—charred inside and out, his organs emitting wisps of smoke, his bones cracked.
This was the sign of being burned out. His injuries were too severe; anyone else would have perished long ago.
His withered body resembled a skeleton, cracked skin clinging to bone, his essence utterly drained. If not for the pure white immortal qi encircling him, no one would believe this was a prodigy who could stand above the Immortal Ancient.
His condition was dire, teetering on the brink. The slightest external force could snuff him out.
An ancient lamp appeared, drifting forward eerily.
Gray mist surged like an ocean from beyond the three thousand stone paths, denser and vaster than ever, suffocating in its oppression.
In an instant, Qing Yi, Cao Yusheng, and the little rabbit felt their hair stand on end, a chill running from head to toe—a brush with death, as if facing the reaper, trapped in hell.
They were terrified, the sensation unbearable, as if they had already been dragged into the abyss of death, with no hope of survival.
“Get back, now!”
Shi Hao spoke with difficulty, swallowing half a ginseng fruit. The liquid turned into radiant light, enveloping his body to heal his wounds.
He knew—this was a disaster beyond measure.
His body was in the worst possible state. Was there still time? Even with divine medicine, full recovery was impossible.
In the distance, footsteps sounded—not heavy, yet each step seemed to land on their hearts, pounding like war drums, threatening to shatter their bodies.
“Thud… thud… thud…”
A towering demonic figure approached, its steps resonating like divine drums, shaking their very souls.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. In other areas, more figures emerged, wreathed in blazing light and crackling lightning, like divine kings descending.
“What’s happening? Why so many at once?!” The Divine Striking Stone shuddered.
The others paled—this was an absolute death trap. Shadowy figures lined up ahead—five, six… or even more?
The gray mist thickened, the footsteps merging into a terrifying rhythm.
Some figures blazed like rainbows, others were pitch-black, some barely visible—all different from before.
Any one of them could match Shi Hao at his peak. With so many appearing at once, death was certain—no hope remained.
“So this is how difficult it is…” Shi Hao laughed bitterly. Though the ginseng fruit rapidly healed him, even at his peak, how could he fight so many equals?
The path… was too hard. Hope seemed lost.
Yet soon, he calmed. He had come this far—no matter what, he would fight, never retreat.
“What wonders does this immortal qi hold? Let’s see.” He murmured, ready to unleash his full power in his strongest state.
But the next moment, Shi Hao staggered, nearly collapsing.
The immortal qi… had shattered. Once coiled around him, it now split into strands, drifting away, no longer responding to him. Though still mystical, it had detached.
What was happening?
“Heavens, how could this be?” The others were stunned. A sudden twist—the immortal qi had scattered, unusable.
“Damn it!” The Divine Striking Stone cursed.
The crisis deepened. Shi Hao’s situation grew even more hopeless.
“Hum!”
Then, an inexplicable light emerged within him. His blood surged, pulling the scattered qi back—whoosh—all of it vanished into his body.
In the next instant, the white mist fused with his radiant Supreme Blood, merging completely before disappearing from sight.
Shi Hao was stunned. What had just happened? Inspecting himself, he found only a hazy fog inside, which soon cleared.
His Supreme Blood now gleamed brighter, no longer like blood but molten crimson metal, shrouded in mystery.
“How do you feel?” The others pressed urgently.
“Nothing. No change at all,” Shi Hao admitted. He had seen the qi scatter and vanish into him, yet felt no difference.
“Careful, they’re getting closer,” Cao Yusheng warned.
“Wait—they’ve stopped,” the little rabbit noted. The mist stilled, the figures hesitating, as if puzzled.
Even the ancient lamp in the void flickered, fading.
Then, silently, the gray mist dispersed. The figures retreated, stepping into spatial rifts, vanishing entirely.
The lamp disappeared. The stone paths fell silent once more.
This was baffling—how could this happen?
“They think you failed. Not worth their effort,” the little rabbit guessed.
The others agreed. There was no other explanation. But the most shocking part was the fate of Shi Hao’s immortal qi.
Was this fortune or misfortune? The qi had shattered, marking failure—yet it had also spared him from death.
Still, they wondered: with the qi absorbed into his body, would there be any hidden changes?
Shi Hao sat cross-legged, inspecting himself. His Supreme Blood was brighter but otherwise normal—the mysterious aura gone, as if nothing had happened.
“What a waste! You succeeded, yet this happened?” The Divine Striking Stone fumed on his behalf.
“Maybe… it’s a good thing?” Cao Yusheng suddenly mused, as if recalling something.
“You know about this? Explain!” Qing Yi urged.
“I think I’ve read a record.” Cao Yusheng recounted:
On an ancient cauldron from the Immortal Ruins, inscriptions told of a genius whose path was too arduous. After cultivating immortal qi, his body and spirit were nearly destroyed.
Yet something strange occurred—the qi shattered, absorbed by his body, nourishing him back to life.
In short, the qi saved his doomed body but vanished in the process.
“Can you call that bad luck?” The Divine Striking Stone grumbled. After all that effort, it was spent just to survive.
Shi Hao’s case was similar. His injuries were too severe; without the Supreme Liquid from the Spirit Realm, he would have died. Thus, the qi scattered to mend him.
“Theoretically, he failed. But having absorbed it, who knows what changes may come?” Cao Yusheng said.
“Did the inscription say what became of that genius?” Qing Yi asked.
“He died. After surviving, a supreme being took interest, captured him for study, and eventually killed him,” the little fatty admitted.
Silence fell. How tragic—a peerless talent, his immortal qi gone, himself seized and executed.
“Did he try to cultivate the qi again?” Shi Hao asked.
“His path was over. No further progress. Then he was taken,” Cao Yusheng said.
“I see.” Shi Hao nodded, healing himself, hope rekindled.
He had only ignited 2,900 Dao flames—his path wasn’t finished. He could still advance!
Calm settled over him as he focused on recovery, replenishing his withered flesh and nourishing his spirit to return to peak condition.
All in all, things weren’t so bad. There was still hope—perhaps he could cultivate another strand of immortal qi.
At his level, the worst fear was a severed path, an abyss with no way forward. But his road still stretched ahead—anything was possible.
This time, Shi Hao’s recovery took much longer. Even after healing, he didn’t act immediately, instead meditating on the Dao Stone, deep in thought.
The ominous and eerie forces were beyond his expectations. Without their inexplicable retreat, he would have surely perished last time.
Now, he had to prepare thoroughly. Even if he succeeded in cultivating true immortal qi, he couldn’t afford to be slain—that would be even more tragic.
“One more thing—immortal qi can’t be wielded immediately after cultivation. Don’t rely on it entirely,” Cao Yusheng warned.
They discussed his predicament, sharing all they knew to guide him.
Shi Hao sighed. The outlook was grim—how to survive the tribulation?
No wonder so few had succeeded since the world changed!
“Transcendence. Surpass oneself,” Shi Hao murmured. He activated his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, gazing inward at his own body.
“Eh?!”
Suddenly, he noticed something astonishing—an anomaly within him, visible only through the Heavenly Eye.
“There it is! This is the key to transcendence!” Shi Hao declared.
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