Chapter 1809: Blessings Bestowed

Hazy and indistinct, rising and falling, neither born nor extinguished, Shi Hao was in a strange state.

His aura continuously withdrew inward, while his own primordial spirit seemed to sink into stillness, as if he were about to enter nirvana. Yet, in truth, he was still alive, undergoing some bizarre transformation.

Outside his body, order manifested like rainbows, and rules coiled like chains, wrapping around him, forming a cocoon that bound his form.

The path of the Supreme was arduous and fraught with peril. A single misstep could bring not only his own demise but also calamity upon boundless lands.

If things went awry, it would be no surprise for the stars and moon to wither, for the heavens to collapse and the earth to split.

The fact that Shi Hao’s essence, energy, and spirit were withdrawing inward was a good sign—a rare and safe path. Of course, this was only relative to the outside world and other living beings.

Because if Shi Hao failed, he might petrify, wither, and eventually turn into a handful of dust. Even if his abundant essence and spirit burned, they would spill into the world, forming a source of spiritual energy rather than exploding violently.

It might still devastate the wasteland, but the resulting leakage and turbulence of energy would be far less catastrophic than a direct explosion.

Because if the latter occurred, failure would mean the heavens and earth overturning, with an explosion spanning countless miles, reaching even the stars beyond the domain.

Everyone in Stone Village was tense, pacing restlessly. Among them, the golden lion’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. Hailing from a foreign realm, how could it not know of the Supreme’s path of transformation?

It had witnessed it firsthand—a spectacle both grand and vast!

It had seen failures, where cultivators sat cross-legged in the void beyond the domain, only for the surrounding stars to explode one after another, their dharma forms swallowing entire constellations.

It had also heard of those who self-immolated, their inner essence erupting outward, birthing a pure land that nourished plants, trees, and all living things.

Of course, this so-called nourishment only came after stabilization. In the initial stages, the surging spiritual energy could burst spiritual herbs and powerful beings alike.

It had even heard of those who failed on the Supreme’s path, their blood staining the heavens and earth, boiling away oceans, incinerating mountains and rivers, and invoking heavenly tribulations that annihilated all life in their wake.

The golden lion’s eyes held worry, agitation, and fear.

It had a certain contract with Shi Hao. If Shi Hao died, it too would perish. Even if it fled now, it would be futile—it would still die here.

“In my realm, when someone ascends to the Supreme, they are usually guarded by an immortal, watching over them. Otherwise, great disasters can occur!”

The golden lion muttered to itself. But where could it find an immortal to protect Shi Hao now? If he truly failed and perished here, catastrophe was inevitable.

After its agitation and fear, it cursed inwardly, railing against the injustice of the heavens. How many years had Shi Hao cultivated? He was even younger than it was!

A Supreme in his mere decades? Who would believe such a thing? Even in the foreign realm, such news would be dismissed as a joke.

Five hundred years was a threshold, a curse unbroken, nearly insurmountable.

At the very least, in the era the golden lion was born, there had been no Supreme under five hundred years old. Further back in history, perhaps—but that was during the foreign realm’s golden age, when they had crushed all enemies.

Even this realm—the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—had been flattened by them in that war, swept aside.

“What do we do? How can we help him?” The Zhu Yan scratched its head, restless but utterly helpless.

Who in this lower realm had ever walked the Supreme’s path?

If not for Shi Hao’s return and his many explanations, the villagers wouldn’t even understand the essence of this realm or what it represented.

The Crimson Dragon, however, understood. It was in its bloodline. Though it hadn’t inherited its clan’s forbidden legacy, auxiliary knowledge was deeply imprinted in its veins.

“We can only wait. No one can help him now,” the Crimson Dragon said.

“Should we send in a few divine herbs to replenish him?” San Hei suggested.

“Are you suggesting we stew him a pot of turtle soup too, so he can sip and munch his way to ascension?” The Great Red Bird shot it a sidelong glance.

In contrast, the Great Red Bird and the younger generation of Stone Village weren’t overly worried. They had lived through the “Little Stone Myth” era, witnessing his journey since youth.

Over the years, he had shattered myths time and again, forging his own steady and brilliant path. They had immense faith in him.

**Boom!**

Suddenly, the heavens and earth trembled, and Stone Village shook.

The golden lion’s golden fur stood on end as if electrified, its spine chilling. Its heart pounded violently.

It wasn’t undergoing transformation, nor was it stepping onto the Supreme’s path. Yet, at this moment, it was even more anxious than Shi Hao himself.

If Shi Hao died, it would perish too. Naturally, it was terrified.

But if Shi Hao succeeded, it would mean breaking the curse, ushering in the myth of the Desolate One, surpassing all Supreme beings of the foreign realm in this era.

At that point, as a proud and fearless lion, it would likely never escape Shi Hao’s side again. The shackles binding it would only grow stronger.

Was it truly destined to follow the Desolate One forever? It was, after all, a descendant of the Fearless Lion lineage from the foreign realm.

Stone Village shook nine times in succession. Spiritual energy surged like an ocean, drawn from beyond the domain. Countless starlight gathered, forming rivers and waterfalls cascading down.

It was a wondrous sight—the essence of sun and moon concentrated from across the heavens, surging toward Shi Hao.

Though it was daytime, the stars now blazed brilliantly, the vast cosmos unveiled. The radiance of countless celestial bodies was unmistakable, undimmed by the sun.

The scene was breathtaking, magnificent beyond words.

Everyone was stunned. Waterfalls from beyond the domain poured down one after another, converging at the heart of Stone Village, shaking their very souls.

“Quick! Meditate and comprehend your own techniques!”

“Enter seclusion and cultivate!”

Some urged the children to seize this opportunity.

This was a rare chance. The spiritual energy was so dense it was nearly tangible—the essence of heaven and earth, the most primordial qi gathered by a Supreme before achieving the Dao, refined into supreme purity.

Now, with so many starlight waterfalls descending from beyond the domain, even the slightest overflow would benefit the villagers.

Especially the youths, whose growing bodies would gain the most. The infusion of heaven and earth’s essence was akin to tempering their bones and sinews.

Stone Village was enveloped in a gentle, holy light. Even beyond the village, ripples of this energy spread like water, permeating the surroundings.

It was peaceful, not violent.

The Supreme’s path, the essence drawn from heaven and earth, was a profound blessing, nurturing all nearby life.

“Heaven blesses Stone Village!” The old patriarch, Shi Yunfeng, exclaimed in excitement.

Even he, at his advanced age, felt the inexplicable nourishment. His skin tightened, wrinkles faded, and parts of his white hair turned black again—a true miracle.

“This is to be expected,” the golden lion said woodenly.

It alone truly understood, having witnessed the birth of a Supreme.

To become a Supreme, one naturally needed myriad methods to extract the essence of the cosmos, absorbing the most primordial energies of heaven and earth to achieve the Dao.

Even the slightest overflow of this primordial essence was of immense benefit to other living beings!