Shi Hao stayed behind, feeling at ease and no longer wandering aimlessly. He was wholly focused on elevating his cultivation, yearning to truly transform from a fish into a dragon!
The circumstances were pressing. The world was no longer peaceful as it once had been. If he were an ordinary mortal, it wouldn’t matter—he’d have no choice. But his talent was extraordinary, and he held the hope of rising above the chaos.
The Dark Evolution had begun, and behind it loomed the most terrifying upheaval in history—the Bloody Reckoning. It was a call of death, suffocating in its oppression.
In such times, every cultivator sought self-preservation and strength, striving to alter their fate.
Shi Hao immersed himself in bitter cultivation, contemplating his path to the Great Dao, determined to rise amidst the turmoil and carve out his own destiny.
He wanted to survive the Dark Upheaval, to protect those around him, to safeguard the peace of Stone Village. He refused to witness his loved ones perish or see the world wither into nothing but scorched earth and bleached bones.
Yet, he didn’t know if he would truly succeed. The future was too cruel. Even if he had glimpsed a fragment of it, he couldn’t trust it.
After all, no prophecy could be taken as absolute truth. Who could say for certain what had yet to come?
Moreover, the future he had seen was far from ideal. Though he survived, it was a desolate, helpless, and sorrowful existence.
No matter how many years passed, he could never forget the first time he witnessed that brutal fragment of the future.
A world in silence, all life extinguished. Everyone had fallen in battle, leaving only him standing alone. Behind him lay the charred remnants of a withered willow tree—nothing else remained.
Every time he recalled it, his heart ached unbearably, a suffocating weight pressing upon him. It was the sole source of his fear in this life.
He refused to believe it, dared not believe it, clinging to the hope that the outcome could be reversed.
Later, Shi Hao sought counsel from formidable figures, such as the Great Elder Meng Tianzheng. They were less concerned, telling him that what had not yet occurred could not be considered the final outcome.
Furthermore, by their analysis, even if such a future did unfold, what Shi Hao had seen was not the final scene.
Because, in the end, he had stepped upon the heavens, standing atop the pinnacle of divinity, setting forth once more—proof that the story was not yet over.
Yet this only deepened Shi Hao’s unease. If even a fragment without an ending was so harrowing, what horrors awaited him in the future? Like a shadow, it loomed over his heart, denying him peace.
He yearned for true strength, the power to overturn everything. Especially now, after ascending to the Upper Realm and witnessing the Dark Creatures, seeing the Immortal Domain dispatch its forces, he felt his inadequacy more keenly than ever.
**”I must grow stronger!”**
In the vast wilderness, Shi Hao roared, his voice splitting the heavens. Fortunately, this place was far enough from Stone Village, or else the ripples of his Great Dao resonance might have caused calamity.
Yet he swiftly restrained himself, directing the divine sound toward the void beyond, letting it echo across the firmament.
Shi Hao sighed. The Lower Realm’s land was too fragile for him now. The slightest misstep could invite disaster.
This was hardly a suitable place for cultivation—not only was the Great Dao incomplete, but even the earth beneath his feet was prone to collapse and rupture.
**”An incomplete Great Dao is my trial. I must rely on myself, using my body as the seed, breaking through and growing stronger!”**
But where could he find a stable training ground?
His gaze turned to the edges of the Eight Domains—he could breach the barriers and plunge into the Chaos. There, violent storms raged, the void unstable, capable of unleashing spatial cleaves that could annihilate cultivators in an instant.
Perhaps such a place was where he truly belonged!
Shi Hao acted without hesitation, shattering the domain walls and charging into the Chaos, using the most violent energy storms to temper his body and aid his cultivation.
He possessed ancient scriptures, secret techniques, and many peerless methods. Walking the path of using his body as the seed, what he lacked was the baptism of time and the clarity of enlightenment.
He threw himself into cultivation wholeheartedly, though not blindly. He frequently returned to Stone Village, seeking sparring partners.
Every so often, he would test his progress in the Dark Prison of the Void God Realm, battling the sealed entities within the jars and clashing with the stone statues bound in chains.
At times, he even ventured into the desolate Forbidden Zones of Life, enduring the torment of the Forbidden Zone’s masters—such as deliberately reigniting the Crippling Immortal Curse.
Recently, he had even begun experimenting with Dark Blood, risking annihilation to temper his path to the Great Dao!
**”What is eternal, what is everlasting? It is forged through battle! I will sever the ages with my sword, suppress past and future with my fists!”**
Shi Hao swore, his voice a low growl, solidifying his resolve.
**”Sever the ages? Suppress past and future? Brat, get back here! You’re not a child anymore—it’s time to marry!”**
Just as Shi Hao was rousing himself with fervor, a sharp shout from behind froze him in place, as if struck by a paralysis spell.
One moment, his fighting spirit was ablaze—the next, ruthlessly extinguished.
**”Heaven and Earth may be vast, but Mother is greatest!”**
Behind him stood his mother, Qin Yining, who had summoned him back with that single shout.
Though called “Mother,” Qin Yining was still youthful, radiant, and far from old. Moreover, as a cultivator with considerable strength, she retained her vitality.
Lately, she had grown anxious, fearing Shi Hao would meet misfortune. She wanted him to settle down, start a family, and leave behind descendants.
This eldest son of hers was far too reckless. In the past, it was one thing—charging into the Nine Heavens, traversing the Borderlands, storming the Immortal Academy, slaughtering foes.
But now, even after being ambushed by a crippled immortal, with his cultivation at risk of vanishing, he remained restless, constantly darting off to the Upper Realm.
Worse still, she had heard he was still battling Dark Creatures, refusing to give up.
**”I don’t care how lofty your ambitions are—you’re my son, and you must marry!”**
Qin Yining was usually gentle, the epitome of a virtuous wife and mother. But now, she was adamant, wielding the authority of “Mother is greatest” with rare assertiveness.
She was afraid, worried. She hoped marriage would anchor Shi Hao, keep him from recklessly facing the Dark Creatures alone.
There were things Shi Hao hadn’t fully explained to them, not wanting to cause undue concern. Thus, Qin Yining didn’t fully grasp the situation, only perceiving their current life as peaceful while her son remained restless.
**”Mother, you know my heart lies with the Great Dao. I wish to stand above the river of time, watching the rise and fall of countless epochs,”** Shi Hao said.
**”I know that. But you bear the name Shi, and it’s time to marry and leave behind an heir!”** His mother was unyielding.
**”Child, you should consider this. As a son, you must understand your parents’ hearts,”** the kindly old village chief, Shi Yunfeng, chimed in unexpectedly.
**”Chief Grandpa!”** Shi Hao opened his mouth but hesitated.
In truth, it wasn’t just them—the entire village wished for him to marry and have children.
Even his disciple, the Crimson Dragon, mocked him, teasing that he was long overdue for marriage and should stay put in Stone Village instead of stirring up trouble.
In response, Shi Hao kicked the dragon, sending him spinning through the sky with a wail until he vanished over the horizon.
**”Mother, you know I’ve met princesses of immortal dynasties and noble daughters of eternal families in the Upper Realm, yet none moved my heart. Asking me to choose a partner now—there’s simply no suitable candidate,”** Shi Hao excused.
**”Isn’t there one right there?!”** Qin Yining whispered sharply but firmly, pointing at Yun Xi, who had just returned from gathering herbs in the wilderness.
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