The ancient path stretched endlessly, piercing through the void into a realm of profound mystery.
Shi Hao stepped onto this path, his feet pressing against its surface as though treading upon smooth river stones—utterly tangible. Yet he knew better than to assume it was merely a simple stone road.
The void split open, vast and boundless. This ancient path traversed eternity, its destination unknown.
Along its edges, radiant light mist swirled, and immortal fog billowed, exuding an indescribable aura of sanctity and enigma. Beyond lay only darkness and emptiness.
The Divine Striking Stone and the Imperial Butterfly had followed, keeping pace beside Shi Hao as they advanced together.
Silence reigned, broken only by the dance of iridescent light and petals, their fragrance carrying an intoxicating resonance of the Dao—as if they were pilgrims approaching the holiest of lands.
Outside this forbidden ground, several Heavenly Gods labored in unison, beating divine drums and sounding war horns. They could not discern what transpired within, nor could they confirm whether Shi Hao had been affected.
Why was there no reaction? In their view, anyone struck by the Heavenly Gods’ sonic assault while in meditation should have succumbed to qi deviation.
“This brat is no ordinary one. I suspect he remains unharmed!”
“Is he truly inside? Could we have miscalculated? Perhaps he hides within another ruin,” someone doubted.
“He is absolutely within!” declared the Heavenly God of the Immortal Palace, his expression icy. The earlier pursuit by the old marten had left him seething with fury and murderous intent.
“He won’t live. We’ll continue our assault!” the Heavenly God of the Fire Cloud Cave said coldly.
Outside the forbidden ground, a murderous aura thickened. Eight or nine Heavenly Gods encircled the area, ensuring not even a fly could escape. Their goal was clear: to trap and eliminate Shi Hao before he could grow further.
His rapid advancement had unsettled them. Given more time, he might ascend to their level—becoming a Heavenly God himself.
And once the three strands of immortal qi transformed into petals of the Great Dao, hovering above his head, who could stand against him?
The mere thought sent chills down their spines. They would not allow such a scenario to unfold. He had to be strangled in the cradle of his growth!
Otherwise, “Huang” might shatter records, becoming the fastest to achieve the rank of Heavenly God in history!
Within the great void rift, the ancient path stretched deeper into obscurity. Shi Hao had no idea how far he had traveled, only that faint light still emanated from the stone beneath his feet.
Around him, darkness reigned absolute. A single misstep might plunge him into its suffocating embrace.
The black expanse defied scrutiny—unfathomable, unseeable. The Divine Striking Stone and the Imperial Butterfly watched warily, their unease growing as they failed to perceive anything.
Faintly, they heard the roar of beasts, heart-stopping yet indistinct, vanishing when they strained to listen.
Shi Hao had long activated his Heavenly Eye, sweeping his gaze into the distance. To his shock, even with this vision, he could only glimpse hazy fragments—darkness enveloping all, occasionally broken by shattered celestial bodies.
Each of these stars was colossal, remnants of once-mighty monarchs of the cosmos!
What cataclysmic battle had occurred here? Fragments of stars drifted in the void, as though torn apart by monstrous hands or cleaved by divine blades.
Once, Shi Hao glimpsed crimson eyes flickering in the dark, as if some colossal beast lurked. Yet upon closer inspection, they dissolved into wisps of black mist.
“Strange!” Shi Hao remained vigilant, his caution unwavering. The sights along this path were unnerving.
Eventually, silence returned. Even the ancient path dimmed, its glow nearly extinguished.
The darkness deepened, the occasional ruined star vanishing entirely, leaving only emptiness and cold.
The road stretched endlessly, its silence broken only by the occasional muttering of the Divine Striking Stone.
“Hmm?!”
Shi Hao tensed. The path seemed to end abruptly, severed in the middle. Darkness yawned between the broken segments, the other side still visible but distant.
Who had cut this path?
He halted, peering across the gap, but the distance obscured all details.
Should he proceed? He stood in silent contemplation.
Swoosh!
Shi Hao summoned a bone artifact—one of his many spoils of war, a True God’s treasure—and hurled it across the chasm.
Crack!
Blood-red light erupted from the void, shattering the artifact into white powder.
“So sinister?” Shi Hao’s heart chilled. His Heavenly Eye flared with Dao patterns as he scanned ahead.
Carefully, he extended the Reverse Dragon Scale, holding it beyond the broken path. Again, blood-red light struck, sparks flying as it clashed against the scale.
Gauging the force, Shi Hao leaped across the gap, soaring toward the opposite side.
Boom!
The crossing was no less harrowing than a heavenly tribulation. Blood-red light surged, interwoven with black lightning, all lashing at him from the void.
The gap was not vast, yet Shi Hao faced relentless resistance. An entire hour passed before he reached the other side, his mind reeling.
His qi and blood churned, blood trickling from his lips. His body bore cracks from the impact—unimaginable force.
Had another attempted this, death would have been certain. Without the protection of three immortal qi and a body tempered by tribulation, who could endure?
Shi Hao suspected this trial was designed for those of his caliber—only the strongest could tread here.
Without such strength, only a supreme treasure could bridge the gap.
Thus, as he pressed forward, he encountered eight more broken paths, totaling nine.
“The Path of Nine Severings?!”
Shi Hao’s eyes widened. Blood-red characters were carved into the stone, stark and foreboding.
Further down, more words awaited: “The Road to Longevity.”
What accursed place was this, described in such terms?
After enduring nine assaults, even Shi Hao’s formidable body was battered, golden blood seeping from his wounds.
He sat cross-legged, recuperating. The end seemed near, and he needed to face it at his peak.
The techniques of the Willow God proved miraculous. His vitality surged, and in no time, he was fully restored, his combat prowess and life force brimming.
Finally, Shi Hao reached the terminus. A stone wall barred his way, and when he glanced back, the path had vanished entirely.
Then came a deafening rumble. Walls emerged from all directions—above, below, and around—sealing him within a confined stone chamber, cut off from the outside world. Inside, chaotic energy seethed.
“Disaster! We’ve walked into a trap!” the Divine Striking Stone cried. They were now imprisoned, with no escape.
Shi Hao unleashed a mighty strike with his treasure techniques. The chamber transformed—each wall expanding into an endless sky.
Upon closer inspection, they were murals, vast as the cosmos, capable of containing all things.
“Break the heavens and earth, behold longevity!”
These eight ancient characters materialized on the stone. At first, Shi Hao could not decipher them, their script too archaic. But as he pondered, an imprint surfaced in his mind, granting him understanding.
Such audacity—to shatter the cosmos and attain immortality!
Shi Hao’s gaze deepened. When he remained still, the chamber was tranquil, as though intending to imprison him eternally.
“Open!” the Divine Striking Stone screeched, hurling itself at the wall.
Clang! Sparks flew, but the wall stood unyielding.
“What kind of stone is this? I’ll bite through it!” It gnawed at the wall, treating it as immortal material, but to no avail. Lightning and sparks erupted from its jaws.
After some contemplation, Shi Hao acted. His fists, wreathed in three immortal qi, struck the wall with supreme techniques, unleashing his full might.
Boom!
The impact shook the chamber, powder cascading as though the wall might crumble.
“Heavens! There’s an extra person!” the Divine Striking Stone shrieked.
Ignoring it, Shi Hao continued his assault, cycling through techniques—Thunder Emperor’s Secret Art, Kun Peng’s Method, Reincarnation Fist—even combining them.
“Another one!”
“Ah! A third has appeared!”
Amid the dazzling brilliance of his strikes, figures emerged one after another, all seated cross-legged within the chamber—utterly abrupt.
When Shi Hao finally ceased, the chamber had expanded tenfold, now housing over a dozen figures, leaving them stunned.
Shi Hao studied them silently.
Among them were aged elders, majestic middle-aged men, breathtakingly beautiful maidens, and seemingly innocent children.
Yet their eyes betrayed their true age—each gaze brimmed with the weight of countless years.
All sat motionless, their skin lustrous, their vitality palpable, as though in deep meditation—save for their unblinking eyes, which lent an eerie quality.
Shi Hao sighed. These were corpses—shells devoid of souls.
Strangely, their flesh remained uncorrupted, brimming with life. Were a spirit to inhabit them, they might rise with terrifying power.
“Why such peculiarity?”
Shi Hao approached. These figures had emerged from the stone—why had they been entombed within?
“Break the heavens and earth, behold longevity—does this mean shattering the wall grants eternal life?”
Puzzled, he circled the bodies, inspecting them closely.
Suddenly, he froze.
The Divine Striking Stone gasped, “They ascended to immortality?!”
Behind each figure was a smooth, bloodless fissure, emitting holy light—utterly mystical.
Every one bore this mark, as though something had escaped their flesh, leaving this trace behind.
“This matches ancient records! Did they truly ascend?!” The Divine Striking Stone’s shock was warranted. The wounds, the light, the lifelike bodies—all aligned with legend.
Tales spoke of ascendants who shed their mortal shells, their spirits departing for another realm, there to enjoy eternal life.
“Don’t tell me these people all became immortals, leaving their bodies behind!” Shi Hao struggled to believe it.
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