“It’s that again!” Shi Hao murmured, already guessing it was the indistinct ancient cauldron he had seen beneath the Black Abyss of the Burial Realm. He knew that what he had witnessed that day was merely an imprint.
A bloodstained great cauldron, three-legged and two-eared, wreathed in primordial energy, its maw filled with endless chaos—what exactly was its origin?
Every time Shi Hao recalled it, his heart trembled with unease, stirring waves of emotion. Who was that person? There were far too many mysteries surrounding them.
Yet, what excited Shi Hao most at the moment was seeing the Willow Deity again. Even though he knew this wasn’t its true form, his emotions still surged uncontrollably.
He wanted to know so much, to understand the epochs of the immortals.
“You’re late. I am but a branch, soon to vanish. There is little I can do to help you now,” said the pale golden willow tree.
At that moment, one of its branches connected with Shi Hao’s arm, allowing him to see another Willow Deity. This was Shi Hao’s deliberate act, meant to convey everything about the outside world.
“Why?” Shi Hao was puzzled.
“I am merely a branch, my memories inherently fragmented, not the true form. Moreover, I have exerted power beyond my limits. It is time to scatter with the wind,” the willow tree shook its head.
It was not the true body, just a single branch. That it had survived this long before the ancient temple was already a miracle.
“Exerted power beyond your limits?” Shi Hao was both shocked and doubtful.
“It was because of that person from before,” the willow tree replied.
“Who was that person? What is their origin? What secrets do they hold?” Shi Hao pressed urgently, eager to know.
“They bear the surname Ye and have departed the remnants of the Immortal Ancient Land,” the willow tree said, adding that it only remembered this surname and urged Shi Hao to remember it as well.
“What significance does it hold? Why don’t you know more, yet still emphasize this so gravely?” Shi Hao grew even more perplexed.
“That person does not belong to the past, nor to the present. Acting for them exceeded my limits, interfering and influencing far too much,” the Willow Deity explained.
Precisely because of this, it had surpassed the limits of this branch, blurring both its past and future, leaving no clear memories behind.
Shi Hao was stunned. That a single act could have such immense consequences was… unimaginable!
“Can you not even remember why that person came?” Shi Hao asked.
“Forgotten. No impression remains,” the willow tree replied.
Was this the backlash of heaven and earth?
Shi Hao sighed. If only the Willow Deity’s true form were here, things wouldn’t have come to this.
Behind them, the Eight-Armed Soul Clan, the Centaur Clan, the Ancient Devil Clan, and other Heavenly Gods were dumbstruck, utterly shaken. The slumber of their ancestral guardian spirit’s branch had been caused by a single person.
“A bloodstained great cauldron, carrying a person with the surname Ye!” Shi Hao’s eyes gleamed as he committed this to memory.
“You are now a cultivator in the True God Realm. Have you decided how to proceed on this path?” the willow tree asked, its emerald leaves edged in gold, its branches towering into the heavens, sacred and majestic.
The True God Realm, also known as the True One Realm, required a clear goal—a singular path to focus on.
“The strongest, transcendence!” Shi Hao declared firmly and directly.
“Too broad,” the willow tree remarked.
The True One Realm demanded a defining ambition, a grand goal to strive toward—a declaration of purpose, a test of conviction, a focus on a single path.
“Yes, perhaps too broad. To be the strongest, to transcend, one must first attain immortality, starting from this stage,” Shi Hao conceded.
“Still too broad,” the willow tree said.
Yet Shi Hao knew that even true immortality did not guarantee invincibility. Otherwise, why had the immortals of the previous epoch perished?
Thus, to be the strongest and transcend, one had to build upon this foundation.
“It is merely a declaration of intent, a test of conviction,” Shi Hao said. In the True One Realm, he did not truly expect to achieve these things.
To be the strongest, to transcend—even true immortality might not suffice, let alone now.
“Transcendence is unattainable, the strongest is beyond reach, immortality is still distant. Only the comprehension of life and death remains,” Shi Hao added.
“How will you proceed?” the willow tree asked.
“Enlightenment through the Dao of life,” Shi Hao replied, narrowing his focus step by step, concentrating only on the present and the steps needed to break through the True One Realm.
“You’ve long had a plan,” the willow tree nodded.
“Indeed. In the True One Realm, I shall comprehend the Willow Deity’s techniques,” Shi Hao affirmed.
The Willow Deity had already imparted its techniques to him long ago in the Lower Realm, etched into his memory. But back then, his cultivation was insufficient, and he could not yet grasp them.
The Willow Deity had told him that he needed at least the Divine Flame Realm to begin, lest he risk his life. For it was a willow tree, and its techniques were intertwined with the essence of natural life.
Yet, upon entering the Immortal Ancient and reaching the Divine Flame Realm, Shi Hao’s most pressing need had been to cultivate immortal energy, leaving no time or energy for anything else.
Only now did he finally have the opportunity.
To understand the path of life, one had to walk the edge of death. Only through life could death be known, and only through death could life be understood—requiring the expenditure of immense life potential.
Thus, from the strongest and transcendence, to immortality, to the enlightenment of life, Shi Hao had long planned to cultivate the Willow Deity’s techniques in the True One Realm.
“This is an ancient art. Compare it with the techniques of the ‘me’ you see now and discern if there are any changes,” the willow tree said, extending a branch to touch Shi Hao’s brow.
Without a doubt, this was the Willow Deity’s precious technique from the Immortal Ancient Epoch, now passed down to Shi Hao.
Shi Hao shuddered as an image of a golden willow tree emerged in his mind, radiant with countless runes. Closing his eyes, he compared the two, gaining immense insight.
The evolution and transformation of a technique—this was a process.
For a precious technique, understanding its entirety was paramount. The journey from ancient times to the present was of exceptional importance.
In the True One Realm, he would cultivate the Willow Deity’s precious technique. And he believed he would not linger in this realm for long—his preparations were too thorough!
—
**Outside, the Three Thousand Provinces.**
The great sects were in upheaval, unable to remain calm.
Even the edges of the vast uninhabited regions had suddenly emptied, as many no longer focused on the scenes reflected in the immortal petals but rushed instead to the heart of the Upper Realm.
**Central Province, beside the ancient altar.**
Beams of light pierced the heavens, silver arcs of electricity thick beyond imagination, connecting sky and earth, illuminating the area with boundless radiance, as if a divine kingdom had descended.
In truth, this was merely a force activating the ancient altar, reviving the remnants of an immortal formation.
Not just Heavenly Gods, but even sect masters trembled. Many important figures from various sects gathered here, watching intently, their hearts roiling with emotion.
This was a grand immortal formation left behind from the previous epoch, preserved to this day and jointly guarded by the sects. Silent for endless ages, it had now stirred with such commotion.
All major sects were alarmed, forced to take notice.
“That being is about to arrive!” the sect master of the Heaven Mending Sect said, his expression grave and solemn.
It was unbelievable. After eons of silence, who could still activate this formation to come here?
The arcs of electricity had clearly descended from the void, forcibly channeling the remnants of the formation to make it operate. It was eerie and terrifying—that being was certainly no ordinary existence.
**”Boom!”**
With a final deafening roar, the silver electricity condensed, forming a radiant gate, gleaming with holy light and exuding dense spiritual energy, as if connected to a divine realm.
“They’re here!” The crowd trembled.
A figure stepped forward, emanating an overwhelming aura that made many present feel suffocated. Numerous Heavenly Gods shuddered, unable to endure.
**”Boom!”**
From the silver passage emerged three figures first—all middle-aged, yet the depth of time in their eyes revealed they had lived through untold ages.
The moment they appeared, an immense pressure surged forth.
But swiftly, they restrained it, their gazes sweeping over the crowd.
Behind them followed five or six more figures—all young, male and female, each exuding astonishing vitality.
Who were these people?
Outside the remnants of the formation, the cultivators of the Upper Realm were stunned. The three middle-aged figures were unfathomable, their depths impossible to gauge.
But the younger ones were even more shocking. Their youth was undeniable—their age was absurdly young—yet they were already Heavenly Gods!
One of the middle-aged figures spoke, his voice archaic and cryptic, incomprehensible at first.
“Finally, we’ve arrived.”
After careful consideration, an ancient sect master deciphered the meaning.
“This is ancient language, differing slightly from modern speech. Their tongue once shared roots with ours,” a sect master of the Upper Realm said solemnly.
This only deepened the shock. Where had these people come from?
The three middle-aged figures stood composed, their depths immeasurable.
The younger ones brimmed with vitality, far from lifeless. One stepped forward and spoke, still in that cryptic ancient tongue.
“I feel as though I alone could sweep through all the young elites of this realm. They’re all so… lacking. Pathetic.”
Once the Upper Realm cultivators grasped his meaning, their expressions darkened. This youth was far too arrogant, uttering such words the moment he arrived.
Yet soon, they fell silent. His body shimmered with immortal energy—a sight that shook their souls!
A Heavenly God with immortal energy? What kind of monster was this?
At the very least, no such figure existed in the Upper Realm. Even the most exceptional talents in the Immortal Ancient had yet to reach this level.
The appearance of this youth left all Heavenly Gods of the Upper Realm dumbfounded.
Upon closer inspection, the young men and women all bore extraordinary auras. Any one of them standing alone would be a peerless genius, their temperaments rare and unmatched.
The four who remained silent did not display immortal energy, but their presence was no less shocking. Their bearing alone spoke volumes.
“How disappointing. So weak. Has the younger generation here been ruined?” The outspoken youth shook his head, surveying the crowd.
Indeed, the young cultivators of the Upper Realm present paled in comparison to those on the altar. The gap was insurmountable.
Flushing with humiliation, some retorted, “We may be mediocre, but there are others who might rival you—they’ve merely gone to the Immortal Ancient remnants.”
“I’ve heard of that place. Only those below the Divine Flame Realm can enter—mere minor cultivators. To compare with Heavenly Gods? Far too lacking,” the youth scoffed.
As a Heavenly God with immortal energy, he stood with his hands behind his back, looking down on them all. There was no room for argument.
“So weak!” He shook his head again, then turned to the Heavenly Gods of the Upper Realm. “Since your young ones are so lacking, I’d like to spar with you all.”
“You—!” Some frowned in displeasure.
“Still too weak. Fine then, all Heavenly Gods, come at me together. I’ll spar with you all at once,” he said flatly.
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