Chapter 1742: A Promise

The lively Stone Village was filled with laughter and joy.

A group of uncles carried over large wine jars, breaking the clay seals to release an intoxicating aroma that made mouths water.

The aunties were busy preparing food—delicacies of wild game, the fine cuts of beast meat tempting the appetite, while the fragrance of crimson and golden fruits refreshed the spirit.

Children ran and jumped about like a troop of monkeys, playing ceaselessly with the cubs of fierce beasts, dashing around in excitement.

The elders of the village had rosy cheeks, their faces beaming with smiles as they watched the bustling scene, unable to contain their joy. The atmosphere was as festive as a grand celebration.

“The village has quite a few fierce beast cubs,” Shi Hao remarked.

He spotted Lightning Hounds, Twin-Headed White Lions, and Fire-Offspring Calves—each one sturdy and lively, darting around as playmates for the children.

This was a testament to the village’s recent prosperity—able to capture and raise fierce beasts, a sign of strength and abundance.

Some of the beasts had already grown up, stationed outside the village to guard it and assist in hunting. Shi Hao recognized a few as the ones he had helped capture years ago with a group of children.

Some of those cubs had perished, but others had matured into loyal war beasts, now commanded by the likes of the Crimson Bird, Purple Cloud, Great Roc, and Little Azure.

“Uncle, do you remember me? Back then, you were in your teens, and I was five. You led a bunch of us kids deep into the mountains and brought back many rare breeds. Look, some of these cubs in the village are their descendants,” a teenager said, stepping forward.

“Of course I remember you, haha!” Shi Hao clapped him on the shoulder.

The village was brimming with joy.

Shi Hao glanced at the distant sky, spotting the warship slowly approaching.

“Grandfather, my parents have also returned from the Upper Realm,” Shi Hao announced.

The adults and elders were astonished.

“Where are they?” Er Meng and others looked up eagerly.

“Quick, bring Uncle and Aunt here!” Da Zhuang urged.

“Over there!” Shi Hao pointed to the distant sky, where a massive ship loomed like a dark cloud.

“Such a huge ship!”

“Even bigger than Uncle Qingfeng’s!” some children exclaimed in awe.

A few of the children had ventured beyond the wilderness, taken to the Stone Nation by Qingfeng for training—it was deemed unwise to remain confined to the mountains forever.

“Besides them, there are many more children—hundreds. I want to settle them in Stone Village, building stone houses for them outside the village,” Shi Hao added.

“Ah, so many more?” The villagers were stunned, never expecting Shi Hao to bring such a large group.

In the past, he had vehemently opposed bringing outsiders here, fearing they might covet the village’s secrets.

Yet now, he had brought hundreds of children himself.

“To put it simply, they share our bloodline. Many are from the Stone Clan, and some are descendants of the Seven Kings of the Borderlands.”

Shi Hao briefly explained, unable to delve into details yet. He needed to fetch the children first.

“Our own Stone Clan kin?” The villagers were surprised but quickly warmed to the idea, their faces lighting up with joy.

“This is a relief! We were just worrying about the younger generation growing up and the challenges of marriage. Now that so many of our own have arrived, we can rest easy!”

The elders laughed heartily, as if a great burden had been lifted.

Stone Village was small, and intermarriage within the clan could lead to complications.

In the past, neighboring villages provided options, but after the Willow God relocated Stone Village, it became isolated.

Now, finding spouses meant looking beyond the village.

But who would willingly enter the wilderness? And the villagers were wary of outsiders. It had been a persistent concern—some children could marry within the clan based on blood ties, while others relied on Qingfeng to bring in orphans from the outside.

The great ship landed outside the village, and a swarm of children rushed toward it, climbing like monkeys.

They were exuberant and uninhibited—until they saw the hundreds of silent, solemn children aboard. Then, they grew a little shy.

The children from the Borderlands, however, stared wide-eyed. Raised in a harsh environment, they were accustomed to silence and restraint.

“Alright, lead your new friends off the ship and treat them well,” Shi Hao instructed.

The lively children cheered in response, eagerly taking the lead.

“Hey, you’re shorter than me, but how are you stronger?” one of Stone Village’s more boisterous kids yelped in surprise.

Born in the wilderness, these children craved strength. Even as kids, they were competitive. One had tried to test the silent newcomers and was humbled.

Shi Hao smiled. The Borderlands were the harshest of places. These children, born in the Primordial Imperial City, had witnessed the fiercest battles. They were tougher than any nurtured by the great immortal clans—true descendants of the Seven Kings of the Borderlands.

“When you grow up, I’ll establish the greatest sect the heavens and earth have ever seen—that’s my promise!” Shi Hao declared with a laugh. “No weaklings allowed.”

This was also a challenge to Stone Village’s children, urging them to strive.

“Will it rule the Nine Heavens?” a Borderlands child asked.

“Of course—and beyond. The Immortal Domain, the Foreign Lands, even the hidden forces spanning epochs!” Shi Hao replied with a grin.

Some of this was beyond the children’s understanding, but Shi Hao spoke his mind freely here, unlike in the Upper Realm, where such words would stir chaos.

Yun Xi stood nearby, stunned. Was this the ambition of the Wasteland?

But hadn’t the Wasteland been crippled, his cultivation set to vanish within a month? How could he achieve such grand plans? She was baffled.

“Uncle, what are you talking about? Are there enemies?” a village child asked.

“Big Brother, will we fight the Foreign Lands in the future?” a Borderlands youth inquired.

…

“In the future, we’ll wage war across realms. The drums of battle will echo through the Foreign Lands and the Immortal Domain. And when the time comes, no matter which epoch’s legacy dares to rise in chaos, we’ll crush them all!” Shi Hao laughed.

But Yun Xi’s heart was anything but calm.

“Then, from among you—the strongest of your generation, or perhaps over several generations—I’ll select only eight hundred. They will be my army, waging war across the ages, to see who truly settles the score!”

Some words couldn’t be spoken in the Upper Realm without causing an uproar. But here in Stone Village, he could shout them freely, laughing all the while.

The children cheered like little wolves, howling and vowing loudly.

“We’ll follow Uncle to conquer heaven and earth!”

“Whatever Liquidation, whatever demons dare show themselves—we’ll stew them all and feast!”

They clenched their fists, swearing to train hard and never shame Shi Hao.

They didn’t yet grasp the weight of their words. Only years later, when they had grown mighty, would they look back and realize the magnitude of the path they had chosen.

“Child, you…”

Shi Ziling and Qin Yining approached, their faces etched with worry. They knew too much now—and feared losing Shi Hao.

They understood all too well the road their eldest son had just described.

It was harder than defying the heavens!

The buried grudges of epochs past—who knew what terrifying karma lay hidden? What ancient horrors might emerge? The faintest ripple could unleash the most catastrophic storm in history, drenching all realms in blood!

At that level, battles were beyond imagination.

The darkest age hadn’t even truly begun, yet the immortals of old had already perished or been crippled. What then, when the true cataclysm arrived?

“Father, Mother, don’t worry. I’m just talking,” Shi Hao reassured them.

After much contemplation, Shi Hao had realized long ago—the iron hooves of the Foreign Lands would return, bringing blood and chaos.

And that would only be the beginning. Worse horrors lay beyond.

If true monsters from epochs past were drawn out, the consequences would be unimaginable!

So from now on, he would cultivate relentlessly, strengthening himself. Nothing else mattered. Only by breaking through his limits could he stand firm when the heavens and earth trembled.