“Master, I’m back again.” In the sky, the crimson dragon transformed into a streak of scarlet light, tumbling and frolicking as if deliberately mocking him. Like a bolt of lightning, it returned, and upon spotting Yun Xi at the village entrance, it grinned mischievously and called out, “Mistress!”
*Boom!*
Once again, it was sent flying—this time by a kick from Shi Hao. His foot rapidly enlarged, resembling a mountain, and sent the dragon crashing away. No one knew where it landed, but it was knocked unconscious on the spot and vanished for several days.
Yun Xi’s skin was as fair as mutton-fat jade, and she remained utterly composed. Ever since descending to the lower realm and vowing to care for Shi Hao, she had exuded an otherworldly tranquility, like an exiled immortal gracing the mortal world.
Shi Hao couldn’t refuse in front of Yun Xi. Though she had just returned from gathering herbs in the wilderness and hadn’t overheard the earlier conversation, she was sharp-witted. Even the slightest hint would clue her in.
In truth, Yun Xi had already sensed something from Qin Yining’s gentle gaze and recent solicitous inquiries.
“Tell me, who will you choose?!” Qin Yining pressed in secret.
Shi Hao froze. It wasn’t a matter of choosing someone—there was simply a barrier in his heart he couldn’t overcome.
The battle at the borderlands had ended not long ago, barely half a year. Elder Meng Tianzheng had fallen in combat, and Huo Ling’er, along with the entire Sin Province, had been seized by An Lan and dragged into the foreign realm. Whether she was alive or dead remained unknown.
“I know you’re burdened by unresolved feelings, but the dead cannot return. You must look forward,” Qin Yining urged.
To her, Huo Ling’er was lost forever—or already dead. Was An Lan the type to spare lives after capturing Sin Province? Even if by some miracle Huo Ling’er still lived, what good would it do?
Now, the two realms were severed, separated by an insurmountable chasm. The border war was over, and the foreign realm had completely lost contact with this world.
How long would it take to reunite? An entire epoch?
Alive or dead, they were fated never to meet again. Qin Yining grieved too, but she feared Shi Hao would remain shackled by the past. She wanted him to marry soon, to cut away the bitterness and move on.
“Let’s wait a little longer,” Shi Hao said before leaving without a backward glance, retreating into the chaos to cultivate.
“Huo Ling’er was a good girl, but your paths were never meant to cross,” Qin Yining sighed as she was led away by Shi Ziling.
A father knows his son best. Shi Ziling understood that Shi Hao would never choose to forget—perhaps he was even using that regret to drive himself forward.
For the next several years, Shi Hao immersed himself in relentless training. His cultivation advanced at a terrifying pace, shocking all who knew of it.
At his age, no one in history had come close to reaching the peak of the Dunyi Realm, just one step away from the Sovereign Domain. Dark creatures didn’t count—their unnatural evolution wasn’t true cultivation.
Shi Hao’s growth was genuine, his combat prowess staggering. Year after year, he broke through barriers, growing ever stronger.
Then came the day when a deafening explosion echoed through the chaos—he had fully consolidated his Dunyi Realm cultivation, reaching its absolute pinnacle!
If word of this spread, the Upper Realm would tremble. None would believe a lower realm inhabitant could approach the Sovereign threshold at such a young age.
This was unprecedented across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—a feat that would shine through the ages.
In the following year, he attempted to break into the pinnacle of human cultivation.
“Why can’t I cross this final step?” Shi Hao frowned. Despite his efforts, he remained stuck at the Dunyi Realm’s peak, unable to breach the Sovereign Domain.
He returned to Stone Village, honing himself further by battling the sealed creatures in the Dark Prison of the Void God Realm. Yet, progress eluded him.
Qin Yining revisited the topic, urging him to leave behind descendants and avoid future regrets.
The villagers shared her hopes. Shi Hao’s talent was undeniable, and they longed for him to marry and secure the village’s bloodline.
With a smile, Shi Hao brushed it off again. His path in the lower realm seemed to have reached its end. Years had passed, and he yearned to revisit the Three Thousand Provinces, to see how the dark calamity had unfolded.
More than that, he sought a breakthrough—perhaps the Upper Realm held the key.
Upon his return to the Three Thousand Provinces, he was stunned. The war had grown brutal. Though the Immortal Domain had deployed troops, losses were heavy, and the dark territories had expanded manyfold.
Dark matter now ravaged over twelve hundred provinces. Worse, the “Black Calamity” had spread to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, plaguing every ancient continent.
The Immortal Domain had no choice but to dispatch even more forces.
The years of relentless slaughter had left countless corpses in their wake. Even True Immortals had fallen.
The conflict was deadlocked, fierce and unrelenting. Ruthless primordial dark beings emerged, their killing intent overwhelming.
Shi Hao refrained from joining the fray, only occasionally testing the dark creatures he encountered. Now wasn’t the time for all-out battle.
This was his period of Dormant. At his current level, he couldn’t change the tide. Only when he grew strong enough to cleave the dark battlefield with a single strike would his intervention matter.
Throughout his journey, he continued seeking a breakthrough, striving for the Sovereign Domain—yet success remained elusive.
Frustration gnawed at him. Why couldn’t he cross that threshold?
Had others known his thoughts, they’d have been dumbstruck—then enraged. His ambition was staggering. Since ancient times, no one under five hundred had ever become a Sovereign.
How old was he now?
His cultivation time was laughably short!
Even the most prodigious figures of antiquity, those who shattered records, had taken centuries to achieve what he sought. That alone was considered miraculous.
By historical standards, Shi Hao was absurdly young, his achievements already unparalleled.
“No. I *will* break through!”
Determined, he returned to the lower realm, plunging back into cultivation. Years slipped by unnoticed.
A full decade had passed since he began his lower realm training. At the Dunyi Realm’s peak, he could progress no further. Repeatedly, he summoned heavenly tribulations, hoping to force a breakthrough—but to no avail.
The Sovereign Domain stood unshaken.
Twice, his reckless attempts nearly cost him his life. Once, his body shattered amidst a chaotic collapse; another time, his flesh was torn apart among the stars, extinguishing countless celestial bodies.
Shi Hao had hit a wall. The path ahead seemed impassable. Achieving the Sovereign Domain in his youth now felt impossible.
Yet he refused to accept it. He wouldn’t wait centuries to advance.
He was determined to shatter records—to forge a miracle.
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