Chapter 1381: Departure

Only a few days remain until the one-year deadline arrives!

By then, all young cultivators who wish to temper themselves in the Borderlands must set out.

In these final days, the atmosphere is heavy with tension. Many are questioning their hearts—should they go? The stakes are far too great.

Once they step into that war-torn land, everyone knows it will be a life-and-death struggle. No matter how peerless one’s talent or how dazzling one’s brilliance, they could wither away in an instant, reduced to mere dust beneath the earth.

Of course, those who survive countless battles may rise to greatness, obtaining heaven-defying opportunities that have endured since ancient times!

Many hesitate, lost in uncertainty—how should they choose?

Shi Hao does not dwell on such thoughts. His path is set—he *will* go to the Borderlands. His only focus now is cultivation, pushing his strength to even greater heights.

Atop the great mountain, shrouded in misty radiance, he has sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion for an entire month, unmoving, immersed in deciphering an immortal scripture.

Within his body, strands of dawn-like light flicker—remnants of immortal energy, taking root throughout his flesh and bones like sprouting tendrils, gradually growing.

This is a most auspicious transformation. Seeds sprout, roots spread—only then can they flourish and grow mighty.

A faint golden sheen flows across Shi Hao’s skin, like liquid gold or the gilded body of a temple deity—a direct manifestation of his strengthening physique.

*Hum!*

His bones resonate with the hum of the Dao, a vibration perceptible even to outsiders. Dazzling beams of light erupt from his flesh.

Then, his essence-blood surges like rolling smoke, his vitality overwhelmingly potent. His blood glows brilliantly, flowing like molten metal, almost blinding to behold.

“Blood like golden liquid—another blood transformation! A profound evolution of life!” Many are startled, gazing at him with envy.

None expected that, at the final hour before departure, Shi Hao would achieve such a breakthrough—a significant harvest, a true metamorphosis.

Shi Hao opens his eyes, two beams of light shooting forth like swords cleaving the void, ringing with metallic clarity.

As he calms, his blood returns to a vivid crimson, crystalline as red diamonds, radiant and translucent, coiling within him like dormant dragons. Still as hidden serpents, swift as golden rainbows—this is the true reflection of his current state of being.

“Laying the strongest foundation—may it propel me to the heavens, breaking through this great realm sooner!” Shi Hao murmurs, causing many to pale at his terrifying cultivation speed.

The day of departure arrives at last—the moment for final decisions.

Perhaps staying would be the wiser choice. After all, survival is paramount.

But this so-called “survival” has an expiration. If the Borderlands fall, and one has not tempered themselves enough to reach sufficient heights before the chaos, death will still come—meaningless.

Some young supremes are destined for the Borderlands, where they will rise and attain the Dao! This leaves others wavering—would retreating make them seem utterly unworthy?

Their choices will shape their futures, perhaps even determining their ultimate standing in the grand scheme of things.

“Time to decide!”

On the cliff, several elders sit in meditation, observing the gathered young geniuses below. Today, all have emerged from seclusion.

“I will go to the Borderlands! A man born beneath heaven and earth—how could I miss the most glorious battle of this era? The fiercest, most dazzling contest cannot lack my presence!” The golden ant is the first to declare, its voice fervent and impassioned.

It yearns to follow in its ancestors’ footsteps, to clash and grow in the cataclysmic battles of the Borderlands.

“Green hills may bury loyal bones—why must they return wrapped in horsehide?” Cao Yusheng sighs faintly. “My master once said I would be buried. Perhaps it will be in the Borderlands?”

The crowd falls silent. To already foresee one’s death before even setting out—why go, then?

Cao Yusheng raises his voice. “Remember—I will not die. I will slumber, enduring through the ages. Even after a hundred reincarnations, as eras pass, I *will* return! Whoever remains alive then—come drink with me!”

“I too will go to the Borderlands!” The Lunar Jade Rabbit is stubborn, determined to seek fortune beyond the Borderlands, even at the risk of death.

“Though monks are merciful, they also subdue demons!” Great Xu Tuo steps forward, resolute.

The Ten Crown King strides forth, a great dragon coiled around him, wreathed in chaos like an emperor surveying his domain. His aura swallows the horizon—an invincible presence bound for the Borderlands.

“On the path to immortality—I shall walk!” Shi Yi advances.

One after another, they step forward, fearless of death, their wills unshaken.

Jin Zhan of the Sacred Academy moves, followed by others, including Wang Xi—a formidable group drawing all eyes.

Then, the Little Heavenly King and many from the Immortal Academy join the march.

Shi Hao strides forward, standing alongside Cao Yusheng and the Lunar Jade Rabbit. Nearby, Qing Yi, Chang Gongyan, and others follow—all bound for the Borderlands.

In the end, over a hundred and fifty make their choice—a considerable number, representing the finest young talents of the Nine Heavens.

“The rest may delay their decision until the next opportunity!” an elder on the cliff declares. With over a hundred chosen, no more can be taken.

This is a gamble. Should all of the Nine Heavens’ prodigies venture forth and meet catastrophe, the loss would be unimaginable.

“Return in one year!” The elders compromise, selecting only a hundred for this first wave.

The rest may follow in a year’s time.

*Boom!*

The ancient land brightens as a black altar awakens. The chosen ascend with the elders, its surface etched with glowing Dao patterns.

“Destination—the Borderlands!”

Beams of light pierce the sky as space collapses, forming a vast channel to the unknown.

“Go!”

In an instant, they vanish, leaving Boundless Heaven behind.

An endless primeval forest stretches before them, vast and silent—save for the occasional, fleeting wail of ghosts.

*Whoosh!*

Over a hundred figures descend abruptly into this desolate wilderness.

The Borderlands—they have arrived.

This is the forbidden land beyond the three thousand provinces, where none dare tread lightly.

*”Aoooo—”*

A shrill cry echoes in their ears. In the distance, a bloodstained human skin drifts eerily, feet never touching the ground.

“What is that?!”

Some recoil in shock.

“Begone!” A leading elder barks, raising a bronze mirror that erupts with solar essence, blazing with yang energy.

The human skin trembles, swaying unsteadily before vanishing into the distant mountains.

“A remnant of an ancient supreme being, its obsession not yet extinguished,” an elder explains.

Shi Hao knows this untamed expanse holds countless horrors. A single misstep could mean annihilation.

“Halt!”

Another elder shouts as a crimson swamp looms ahead, its mist exuding a heart-stopping aura.

“A half-step True Immortal fell here, their blood staining the marsh for eternity. Step inside, and you’ll melt into sludge.”

The group shudders. Had they blundered in blindly, death would have been instant.

Shi Hao sighs. Back then, their journey from the three thousand provinces to the Imperial Pass had followed a safe ancient path—yet many still perished.

As the elder confirms, “We must take the ancient road. Otherwise, the dangers would be unimaginable.”

Even figures of his stature speak so gravely—such is the peril of the Borderlands.

Some question why they weren’t sent directly to the Imperial Pass. Did the teleportation array fail?

“We wanted you to witness the horrors of this forsaken land firsthand. A single misstep, and even a Supreme Being could fall,” the elder replies. Words alone cannot convey what the eyes must see.

This was deliberate—a lesson in the true nature of the Borderlands.

“And this is still the *safer* side—our territory, guarded by the Imperial City. Beyond its gates lies the true nightmare,” he adds.

The message is clear: if even their own lands are so deadly, the wastes outside the city defy imagination.

On the ancient path, dangers persist—but with caution, they press forward.

“We’re here.”

Even from afar, an overwhelming aura of grandeur and desolation crashes over them.

At the horizon, an endless gray expanse merges with the heavens, filling every inch of space.

Stunned, they focus—only to realize the “gray” is a *city*, vast beyond comprehension.

Many freeze in disbelief. How could a structure of such scale exist?

It towers into the cosmos, boundless as the sky—less a city than a pocket universe.

“Farewell, three thousand provinces… and Stone Village below.” Shi Hao, having been here before, is not as awed as the others. He turns, gazing back the way they came.

Once they leave, return may be impossible. His parents, grandfather, the villagers, and Huo Ling’er waiting beneath the fire mulberry trees—will he ever see them again?

“How I wish to see you all one last time,” he whispers, voice thick with emotion—uncharacteristically vulnerable.

Will this parting span half a lifetime? When he looks back, will they still be there?

“Are you all well?” Shi Hao stares into the distance, stranded in the depths of the untamed wilds beyond the three thousand provinces—with no way home.