The Blackwater Prison was eerily silent and bitterly cold, its deepest recesses devoid of any sound, filled only with an oppressive aura of death.
Shi Hao was still undergoing his transformation. His body was continuously corroded, dissolving into foul blood, even his bones rotting away. This was nothing short of a living hell.
The process was excruciating, impossible to rush.
Especially at this stage, being eroded by the blackwater, breaking free and reshaping his true form required an immense amount of divine energy.
If this continued, if he remained imprisoned, Shi Hao’s divine energy would eventually be completely drained.
A burst of light surged, marking the end of a day and night of tempering. Shi Hao opened his eyes, suspended within the prison, carefully sensing every aspect of his being.
Without a doubt, his flesh had become more resilient. Though this was not a true rebirth, his body was steadily improving, reforged through this ordeal.
Yet, this was a process that demanded time. He had only just arrived in this foreign realm—a mere day and night was far from enough for a complete transformation.
Time was needed, and great effort had to be expended to take the next major step.
No one could achieve success effortlessly. Even in this foreign realm, one could not instantly transform from a sparrow into a phoenix.
In fact, recklessly entering this realm and forcibly tempering oneself could lead to disastrous consequences!
The Great Dao here was complete, the laws of heaven and earth flawless. Suddenly entering such a world and forcibly channeling these laws into one’s body for tempering would usually result in violent backlash.
Such tempering could even cause one’s body to disintegrate, their soul to scatter.
Even when firing porcelain, large numbers of flawed or shattered pieces could emerge—let alone the tempering of a living being.
During this process, Shi Hao had encountered some dangers while forcibly reshaping his true form, but they were manageable, and he had endured.
His greatest challenge now was the terrifying black liquid. Though he used it to temper his body, he could not neutralize its horrifying effects.
During a brief respite, Shi Hao pondered how he could become immune to this liquid. What exactly was it?
If he could temper his true form to the point of disregarding the blackwater, his physical body would reach an unprecedented level of strength—a major breakthrough.
*”Grow stronger gradually, temper the true form. Perhaps as my body strengthens, I will eventually become immune to the blackwater, no longer fearing it.”*
After resting briefly, Shi Hao resumed his cultivation, drawing the black liquid to his skin to assault his flesh.
Sure enough, his flesh corroded, his bones rotted once more—a brutal and terrifying process.
**”Boom!”**
A long time later, radiant light erupted from Shi Hao’s body as he channeled divine energy again. His decayed form was restored, reforged, his physique now gleaming with crystalline purity.
Thus, Shi Hao repeated this cycle over and over, persisting for a full eight days!
By this point, his body had dimmed, his divine energy nearly exhausted. Without divine energy to protect himself, reshaping his body became nearly impossible.
During this time, the creatures overseeing the Blackwater Prison had come multiple times, their expressions dark with shock. A mere cultivator at the Severing Self realm had lasted this long?
For so many days, Shi Hao had actively drawn the blackwater, destroyed his body, and then expended divine energy to reshape it—such relentless tempering consumed an unimaginable amount of energy.
To the creatures of this foreign realm, a genius at this level enduring such torment for a day and night was already remarkable.
Yet, he had persisted far beyond expectations.
*”Kid, you’re something else!”*
Another visitor arrived, their expression shifting repeatedly at the sight of him.
They also glanced at the neighboring “mummified corpse”—the expert who had hanged himself for over an epoch, never moving. Unfortunately, he remained unresponsive, showing no signs of passing any great techniques to Shi Hao.
Hearing the commotion outside, Shi Hao ignored it, continuing to endure.
The observers did not disturb him, merely watching to see how much longer he could last.
*”A genius at the Severing Self realm tempering like this for a day or two is already extraordinary. But this Shi Hao… how far will he go?”*
Though they despised him, they were also astonished, even growing curious about his limits.
On the ninth day, Shi Hao swayed unsteadily, his body corroded. With the last remnants of his divine energy, he painstakingly reforged his true form once more.
By the tenth night, Shi Hao had fainted multiple times, his energy nearly depleted. In this place, there was no way to replenish it—only to consume. Such was the horror of this prison.
Yet, Shi Hao also realized his body had grown stronger, resisting the blackwater for longer periods.
*”This freak… is he really just a youth? How is he doing this?!”*
By now, even the prison guards were closely monitoring him, fearing that if Shi Hao perished, they would have no way to answer to their superiors.
Finally, after ten days, Shi Hao was on the verge of collapse, but his body had indeed grown stronger through this unforgettable ordeal.
However, after barely repairing his injuries, he had no energy left—he was on the brink of death!
*”No, this one can’t die here. Drag him out!”*
One of the creatures acted, opening the cell and hauling him out of that hellish prison.
When Shi Hao regained consciousness, he found himself outside the prison, his body naturally absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, growing stronger once more.
Yet, shackles still bound his limbs, though these were not the work of a Supreme Being—he could still circulate his divine energy.
**”Boom!”**
Without hesitation, Shi Hao resumed his cultivation journey outside.
This was the city proper, no longer the Blackwater Prison beneath the great fortress.
*”Shi Hao, you’re truly unshakable. Even as a prisoner, you still dare to cultivate in our realm. Should I call you fearless or foolish?”* someone sneered.
*”A mere captive, still dreaming of rising?”* another asked coldly.
They could no longer tolerate Shi Hao’s composure. Since arriving in this foreign realm, he had remained silent, wholly focused on cultivation, showing no awareness of his captive status.
Their hostility toward him was intense. Had they not been curious about his endurance and using him to probe the old monster, they would have acted against him long ago.
Now, their patience was wearing thin. While reporting to their superiors, they began making plans.
*”Lately, more and more have come asking about Shi Hao. The pressure is mounting. Perhaps we should parade him before the clans to vent their anger. As long as we ensure he isn’t killed, there should be no major issues.”*
With no results from testing the old monster and Shi Hao achieving remarkable progress in his tempering, they could no longer sit still.
In the end, Shi Hao was escorted to the city gates and hung up for display!
Over the past days, cultivators from various clans had arrived, seeking to vent their grievances—many of their elites had fallen to Shi Hao’s hands, and now that he was a prisoner, they all wanted revenge.
The news spread quickly, causing an uproar!
*”Shi Hao has been brought out—hanged on the city gates!”*
*”This butcher, let’s see if he truly has three thousand arms, if his horns pierce the heavens! What makes him so special?!”*
The gates were crowded with cultivators, all staring with undisguised killing intent.
*”Shi Hao, die!”*
Finally, someone could no longer hold back, launching an attack.
As expected, Shi Hao’s appearance ignited the fury of many noble clans, prompting immediate action.
**”Boom!”**
Fortunately, experts were stationed there, blocking the assaults.
More importantly, the city gate was protected by formations, ensuring Shi Hao could not be assassinated.
*”Shi Hao, you murderer! You killed my clansmen, slaughtered my grandmaster—now you’ve fallen into our hands. Don’t think you’ll live!”* Even young girls shouted curses.
**”Bang!”**
Various objects were hurled at Shi Hao—some even threw eggs of fierce birds, aiming for his face.
This time, the guards clearly turned a blind eye, allowing the crowd to vent their anger as some projectiles struck him.
Throughout this, Shi Hao’s expression remained cold, his gaze deep and even disdainful—utterly indifferent.
*”See that? This prisoner still looks down on us! Even as a captive, he acts so arrogant!”*
*”Honored guardians, cease protecting him! The crowd’s fury is justified. Even if we can’t kill him now, we can at least collect some interest!”*
*”A bunch of cowards. You dare bark now, but where were you on the battlefield? All of you—just vegetables waiting to be chopped!”*
This was the first time Shi Hao had spoken since arriving in this foreign realm—deliberately provoking them.
*”Shi Hao, don’t get cocky! This vast realm has no shortage of geniuses surpassing you. If we summoned the descendants of Ancestors Anlan and Yutu, you wouldn’t stand a chance!”*
Shi Hao replied calmly, *”Then go summon them. If given the chance, I’ll kill them one by one. As for you rabble—come all at once, and I’ll sweep you clean!”*
This was like poking a hornet’s nest, igniting a powder keg.
The gathered clans all bore grudges against Shi Hao, having lost kin to him. His words only fueled their rage.
*”Honored guardians, grant us the right to kill him!”*
*”Trash, the lot of you.”* Shi Hao sneered.
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