Chapter 1442: A Journey to the Far Horizon

In the vast desert, the distant battles still raged, the war unending, for the battlefield stretched endlessly.

Only this particular area seemed eerie and unusual, where both sides stood in tense confrontation!

“The Imperial Clan cannot be summoned at will. They will emerge when the time is right!” an ancient noble powerhouse declared gravely.

He was reprimanding the younger generation, for the Imperial Clan was beyond imagination—secluded for ages in ancient lands, where even a single emergence after tens of thousands of years was rare.

Shi Hao no longer sought to hunt down the other top ten experts of the foreign realm. He doubted all ten would come, and even if they did, he had no intention of striking again. Once or twice was enough; a third time would likely invite ambush and slaughter.

“Even without the Imperial Clan, we can suppress the youths of the Imperial Pass. I refuse to believe the first and second of the top ten experts would be defeated!” someone from the foreign realm declared.

“Indeed, Brother He Ziming has recently emerged from seclusion after comprehending the Dao, surviving an unimaginable heavenly tribulation. He carries the bearing of his ancestor, He Wushuang. As the foremost among the top ten young experts, he is invincible!” another added.

In the distance, Shi Hao’s heart stirred. He had long harbored doubts about the He Clan—just how powerful were they? Now he understood—they still belonged to the noble clans.

He Ziming, descendant of He Wushuang, was actually the first among the top ten noble experts. This was no small feat—it was astonishing.

“Remember, in his later years, Lord He Wushuang defeated the Imperial Clan and ascended to supreme heights,” someone whispered.

“In a sense, the He Clan is already formidable. If Lord He Wushuang takes half a step further, he could elevate his clan to become the new Imperial Clan of this era,” another remarked.

Hearing their discussions, Shi Hao was shaken. He had underestimated the He Clan—they were already on the verge of becoming an Imperial Clan.

Of course, whether they achieved this depended not on their current descendants but on He Wushuang himself. He needed to break through, ascending to the level of beings like An Lan and Yu Tuo.

Now, he was only half a step away!

“If He Ziming continues on this path, he may truly inherit his ancestor’s legacy, transcending to supreme heights, rivaling even the Imperial Clan!”

Mention of the He Clan gradually reinvigorated the youths, who believed He Ziming should be summoned to crush the younger generation of the Imperial Pass.

Yet some were wary, suggesting that aside from Shi Hao, the Imperial Pass might have received mysterious reinforcements.

In their view, the beings of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were not that strong. It was more likely that the same group who once intervened in the war between realms had reappeared.

Some speculated that descendants of those beings had entered the Imperial Pass, hence their overwhelming strength.

Some even believed Shi Hao might be one of them, hailing from that enigmatic place!

“If those beings have truly returned, the Imperial Clan will naturally emerge!” an ancient noble powerhouse said coldly, his eyes glinting.

“Are those beings real? Weren’t they always dismissed as rumors, unconfirmed?” a youth asked.

But no one answered him. The elders’ gazes were as deep and intimidating as abysses.

“Woo…” At that moment, the sound of a conch horn echoed, signaling the foreign realm’s retreat. The day’s battle had ended.

Tension had been high, with both sides on the brink of bloodshed. Now, with the foreign realm withdrawing, the defenders of the Imperial Pass sighed in relief.

“Who was it that slew five noble kings of the foreign realm? Truly remarkable!” someone from the Nine Heavens side marveled.

“Who else could it be but Shi Hao?”

“Not necessarily. I’ve mastered the Heavenly Ear Technique and overheard them mention mysterious cultivators from ancient lands entering our pass. Could they be beings from the Forbidden Zones?”

…

This day would not pass quietly. Even after retreating, both sides continued their discussions on the march back.

For the foreign realm, this day was disastrous—utter darkness, a crushing defeat.

Indeed, the news soon stirred a storm in the foreign realm. He Ziming, upon learning of it, immediately emerged from seclusion, ready for battle.

The deaths of five young elites enraged their clans, who dispatched experts to hunt down the killer in the next battle.

“Shi Hao, I await you in the desert. I will cut you down beneath my mount!” someone roared.

In the foreign realm, some suspected Shi Hao was the culprit.

Others disagreed, believing it was someone else.

Regardless, the foreign realm was in turmoil. The younger generation, especially, seethed with frustration, yearning for someone to rise and crush the scourge within the Imperial Pass.

For now, this had nothing to do with Shi Hao.

On the journey back, he quietly slipped away, not returning to the Imperial City. Instead, he veered toward the edge of the desert, vanishing like a wisp of smoke.

After the battle, the area was littered with corpses—some being collected, others buried on the spot. Amid the chaos, Shi Hao’s passage went largely unnoticed.

With his unparalleled speed—enhanced by the three supreme movement techniques of lightning control, Kun Peng wings, and the Earth-Shortening Step—he traversed vast distances in moments.

Yet the desert was boundless. Even at his speed, Shi Hao flew for countless miles without leaving its expanse.

“Hmm?” Suddenly, his instincts flared—someone was following him. Though he saw no one, his intuition warned of pursuit.

This was dire. In this desolate land, without guardians, friend or foe was indistinguishable. Danger loomed.

Whoever dared follow him was no ordinary foe.

Their reluctance to reveal themselves suggested ill intent.

Were they from the foreign realm or the Imperial Pass?

Shi Hao guessed the latter, as he had departed from his own ranks. Any pursuer would have come from the Imperial Pass’s forces.

“This unease… they mean me harm!” Shi Hao accelerated, streaking like lightning toward the desert’s edge.

Finally, the horizon turned green—lush vegetation, roaring beasts, the desert’s end in sight.

“Boom!”

A massive hand shot from behind, crushing the sky as it descended.

A terrifying figure at the Dunyi Realm had been tailing him, waiting to see if Shi Hao sought some great opportunity. Now, fearing his escape, the pursuer struck.

“Break!” Shi Hao roared, summoning the Great Luo Sword Embryo. Under pressure, the blade blazed with radiant light, as if a celestial being were ascending amidst swirling petals.

The colossal hand hesitated, not striking directly but attempting to seize the sword.

Then—a sudden upheaval.

From the distant mountain range, an enormous ancient tree branch stretched skyward, colliding with the hand in a thunderous clash.

Seizing the moment, Shi Hao sheathed the sword, wary of further complications.

He had studied this region beforehand—some taboos were best left undisturbed.

“Damn it, the Ironblood Ancient Tree!” the pursuer cursed.

This was the Divine Medicine Mountain Range, a place of countless mysteries. At its entrance stood ancient trees, towering like the heavens, guarding the land.

Ironblood Ancient Trees—intelligent, ancient, nearly a full epoch old.

Yet for unknown reasons, their consciousness was dulled, leaving only instinct. Unlike other awakened Ironblood Trees, these were primal but no less formidable.

Even Dunyi Realm experts dared not provoke them lightly!

“Boom!”

The sky trembled as the Ironblood branch tore through the void, its dark-red hue stark against the verdant foliage.

The pursuer hovered at the horizon, face darkening as Shi Hao vanished into the mountains.

He dared not follow.

This place was too sinister—even Supreme beings had perished here. Risking it was folly.