Finally, the time had come to graduate. Shi Hao let out a long sigh of relief. When he looked back, all he saw was desolation—the cosmic lake had dried up, and the thatched hut had vanished.
On the ground lay half a snow-white skull, motionless and silent.
Though it wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed such a scene, Shi Hao still found it eerie. Just moments ago, this place had been bathed in a gentle spring breeze, fragrant with the scent of immortality herbs. Towering metal palaces had stood majestically atop divine mountains.
Yet in the blink of an eye, everything had turned to nothingness. Only ruins remained, with fragments of metal tiles and broken rafters faintly visible amidst the ashes—proof that they had once been indestructible.
What had once shone brilliantly, illuminating the mortal world like the blazing sun, had now returned to dust and earth.
Shi Hao sighed softly. There were no eternal powerhouses, no undying legacies. In the end, everything would decline—dust to dust, earth to earth.
Prosperity inevitably gives way to decay.
The moon waxes and wanes, cycles repeating endlessly.
The glory of the Immortal Ancient Era had reached its end.
The Emperor Fall Era, dazzling and peerless, had also faded into legend.
“I hope to never fall,” Shi Hao murmured to himself. He didn’t want to end up like the Immortal Kings or the Forbidden Lords—shining brightly for most of their lives, only to fade like cold fireworks in the end.
But who in this world could truly achieve that? To exist alongside the ages, to share the same lifespan as heaven and earth?
Perhaps Anlan, Yutu, and Chi King could be considered victors? But was their triumph fleeting or everlasting?
The Immortal Domain had always been shrouded in mystery, unfathomable. It was said that within it lay ancient lineages dating back countless epochs. Were those ancestral beings truly immortal?
Were there creatures from the Emperor Fall Era still alive in the Immortal Domain? It was impossible to say.
Shi Hao departed, enduring the agony of the Soul-Severing Curse once more. He survived and even mastered the legacy of the Chaos Ape, his combat prowess growing stronger!
Upon returning to Stone Village, Shi Hao spotted the Golden Furred Ape, Little Rascal, scratching its head in frustration as it pondered the Six Paths Reincarnation Art.
“Want to learn a supreme legacy? There’s nothing more suited to you,” Shi Hao said with a smile. He believed the Eight-Nine Heavenly Art was perfect for the Golden Furred Ape.
This legacy had been created by the shared ancestor of the Golden Furred Ape and the Chaos Ape—a technique hailed as peerless!
“I want to learn! What art suits me best?” the Golden Furred Ape cried out.
“Is there a divine and sacred Great Black Tortoise Fist? I want to learn that too!” The big black turtle, San Hei, stretched its long neck over from nearby.
“Go away, scram!” Little Rascal shoved its head aside.
Indeed, this technique was tailor-made for the Golden Furred Ape. It learned with astonishing speed. Soon, a towering golden ape could be seen standing in the wilderness, roaring at the heavens.
Normally, Little Rascal wasn’t particularly large, but now, without even activating its Heaven-Earth Manifestation, it instinctively towered over the land.
Once the Eight-Nine Heavenly Art was unleashed, its battle intent soared. Golden fur bristled, and its piercing eyes shot forth beams of light like heavenly swords, tearing through the sky, its aura shaking the stars.
Over the next few days, Shi Hao taught the Golden Furred Ape without reservation.
At the same time, he demonstrated the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, urging the Crimson Dragon to master it thoroughly, hoping it would one day unleash the invincible fusion of dragon and phoenix strikes!
The Crimson Dragon trained fervently, like a phoenix reborn in flames. Dragon roars and phoenix shadows filled the air, igniting the heavens with blazing light, a sight both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Shi Hao stayed for several days, carefully guiding the children in their training. Watching them move with the agility of dragons and tigers, far surpassing their parents, filled him with joy.
The group of “seedlings” he’d brought back from the borderlands were even more exceptional—stronger than the elites nurtured by the long-lived clans!
Hardship and life-and-death trials had taught them early that only strength could change their fate. Moreover, as descendants of the Seven Kings, their bloodlines were unparalleled.
Shi Hao believed that one day, they would become his most powerful followers.
“Be careful,” Yun Xi said as she bid him farewell, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. She feared something might happen to him in the Upper Realm.
Lately, Shi Hao had been consumed by training, neglecting the pearl of the Heavenly Clan. But there was no helping it—time was pressing.
“You take care too,” Shi Hao replied earnestly.
Yet his actions weren’t exactly solemn. He pulled Yun Xi into a tight embrace, refusing to let go for a long while. Yun Xi froze, then pushed him away with force.
“Just expressing my true feelings,” Shi Hao laughed.
Finally, he set off.
Shi Hao was heading to the Upper Realm. Recent signs suggested unrest and uncertainty there.
He didn’t yet know about the arrival of darkness, only that mysterious ancient paths were emerging, and ancient powerhouses from unknown eras were returning.
He was worried—his grandfather and A’Man were at the Immortal Tomb, where a path connected to an unknown time and space. What beings would emerge from there?
The world was in flux. That path had existed for more than an epoch!
Shi Hao arrived at the Heavenly Domain, crossing the desolate forbidden zone to reach the Upper Realm.
The stairway was bleak, floating cobblestones marking the ancient path. Shi Hao stepped onto this mysterious trail, heading into the unknown.
Two months ago, he had descended from here, returning to the Lower Realm from the Cross of Yin and Yang.
This path was perilous, requiring immense endurance. Ordinary beings would be crushed to dust. Even Shi Hao, as strong as he was, felt his bones creak under the pressure.
This was a path beyond limits. Any creature here would face pressure far exceeding their own realm.
An invisible force field, vast as an ocean, sought to grind all who walked it into nothingness.
**Boom!**
Finally, Shi Hao succeeded. After a long journey, he reached the Cross of Yin and Yang once more.
A door stood before him. When he pushed it open, visions appeared—two rivers intersecting, shrouded in chaotic mist, as if time itself had frozen.
The sun and moon coexisted, their crossing point hiding that very door!
**Whoosh!**
Shi Hao burst through, blood dripping from his lips. He was injured. Few could traverse this path unscathed.
His gaze was profound. He believed this path was secure enough to block armies.
“I’m back,” Shi Hao sighed.
Though his absence had been brief, much had happened. He had been crippled by the remnants of the Immortal Palace and forced to retreat to the Lower Realm. Many in the Upper Realm now thought him ordinary.
“Sooner or later, I’ll storm the Immortal Palace!”
“Right now, I am the Chaos Ape!”
Shi Hao decided not to reveal his true identity this time. The remnants of the Immortal Palace still lurked, and he hadn’t yet reached their level.
Lying low in the Lower Realm wasn’t bad—it kept him off their radar.
**Crack!**
Like popping beans, Shi Hao’s body transformed into a towering, muscular figure, standing ten feet tall.
Having mastered the Eight-Nine Heavenly Art, his control over the Seventy-Two Transformations was flawless. He had become someone else entirely.
Shi Hao swiftly left the ruins, a barren place where no one would notice him.
With a faint pair of phoenix wings fluttering behind him, he moved at an unnatural speed, heading straight for Five Elements Province.
He ascended Demon Island, following the river suspended in the void. As he progressed, Shi Hao frowned—the curse here was stronger than before.
At the end stood a massive tomb, now towering higher than ever, piercing the clouds, surpassing even the demonic mountains of the ancient past.
The curse here had thickened into tangible ripples, slashing like heavenly swords.
**Clang! Clang!**
Sparks flew as the curse struck Shi Hao’s body, shaking his very soul. The corrosive power had intensified manifold.
He saw his grandfather and A’Man atop the tomb, unchanged and safe, still deep in their transformations.
Both sat motionless, eyes closed, immersed in profound enlightenment.
Shi Hao didn’t disturb them. Instead, he ventured into the tomb, calling out to the eerie old man—a being born of cursed flesh.
“You… came back,” the old man croaked, skeletal and lifeless, startled by Shi Hao’s presence.
Shi Hao followed him inside, staring at the path with deep concern. The curse emanated from there.
“Soon, beings from the other side may descend upon this land,” the old ghost muttered.
Shi Hao questioned him about the situation.
“Don’t worry. Your grandfather and that girl are fine—stronger than ever. Especially the girl. I suspect A’Man has been chosen by an unparalleled powerhouse from that path,” the old man said, his expression complicated.
The path was blocked by a door, but terrifying auras seeped through, as if prehistoric beasts lurked just beyond, ready to emerge, unstoppable.
“Who exactly is it?” Shi Hao wondered.
An unparalleled being, split into six parts and sealed within immortality herbs, had drifted through the ages.
Would that being appear?
Or would the one who raised True Phoenixes like chickens make its move?
…
Shi Hao left—and was immediately stunned.
News of the “Darkness’s Descent” had spread. The world seemed draped in shadows.
The Spirit Realm had been corrupted, turning dark, and the corruption had breached into reality. Within days, fifteen provinces had become lifeless wastelands!
The news was horrifying. Shi Hao was speechless—how many lives had been lost?
A calamity unlike any in this epoch.
Shi Hao rushed toward the darkness, but as he neared, the land grew barren. Those who could flee had already escaped. Staying meant death.
Barren lands stretched for millions of miles, shrouded in darkness.
Shi Hao shuddered. What kind of tragedy was this?
“Hmm?”
He froze. What was that? Something familiar!
Nine dragons pulled a bronze coffin into view. Shi Hao’s heart pounded—he had encountered them here!
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