Yue Chan’s expression darkened, the more she thought about it, the more alarmed she became. If Qing Yi, Shi Hao, and she were to enter the Heavenly Deity Academy together, it would be an absolute disaster.
“Qing Yi, last time you left without saying goodbye… could it be… you’re with child?” Shi Hao asked, his face as thick as the walls of the Imperial City—how dare he ask such a thing?
Before Qing Yi could even respond, Yue Chan was already trembling with rage. If such a day truly came, she couldn’t even imagine it.
In an instant, Yue Chan seemed to envision a horrifying scene—the three of them entering the Heavenly Deity Academy together, and the shameless man’s words actually coming true. At that time, since their main and secondary bodies were indistinguishable, wouldn’t she feel it too?
For a moment, Yue Chan nearly collapsed. It was simply too terrifying!
No matter what, she had to prevent this. She absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen—it would be worse than death.
“Don’t speak nonsense!” Qing Yi finally snapped, unable to hold back any longer.
“Fine, we’ll talk in private,” Shi Hao laughed heartily.
Sure enough, they began communicating through divine sense. Qing Yi was afraid this guy would spew more outrageous nonsense, making it impossible for her to save face.
Because of this, Yue Chan, not far away, let out a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she felt that if she let him continue, she would surely tremble with fury.
“Qing Yi, why aren’t you coming over? Yue Chan, why are you walking with Shi Hao?” Cao Yusheng grinned mischievously, deliberately reversing their names—calling Yue Chan “Qing Yi” and Qing Yi “Yue Chan.”
Long Gongyan and the Dragon Maiden smiled, watching the spectacle unfold.
“Hey, are you two really twin sisters? Yue Chan, you should save your sister from that guy—being with him is like living in hell,” a young woman from beyond the heavens remarked, her opinion of Shi Hao extremely poor because he had once crushed the forces of the Boundless Heaven.
At this moment, others also turned their gazes—people like Zhen Gu, Teng Yi, Feng Wu, and more.
Shi Hao, however, was warm and enthusiastic. “If we all make it into the Heavenly Deity Academy and leave this realm, we must look out for each other. After all, we come from the same place.”
“Of course,” they all nodded in agreement.
“Qing Yi,” Feng Wu, who was very close to Qing Yi, greeted her warmly upon their reunion.
Clearly, the group had split into several smaller factions—such as the side of the Banished Immortal, the Ten Crown King, Shi Yi and the Three Stones Heavenly Monarch, and Shi Hao’s group.
“Brother!” Suddenly, a voice called out. A young man clad in silver armor appeared, walking toward them.
Qin Hao—he had arrived too!
“You’re here! What about Father and Mother? Did they agree?!” Shi Hao was shocked. He hadn’t expected his younger brother to venture deep into the forbidden zone and come here.
Deep down, he didn’t want this. He hoped at least one child would stay to care for their parents, not have them all leave.
Yet he sighed. He himself had recklessly charged in—how could he demand anything of Qin Hao? But thinking of their parents, he felt guilty.
Because once they parted, who knew when they would return? How long would it take?
Qin Hao’s arrival stirred murmurs among the cultivators from beyond the heavens. When they learned they were brothers, some cast strange glances their way.
Shi Hao swept his gaze over them. “If anyone wants trouble after entering the Heavenly Deity Academy, I’ll be happy to oblige!”
Whoosh!
Figures materialized in the void—the three supreme experts had returned, and beside them, the Lunar Jade Rabbit was holding the little Qilin.
Clearly, they had left earlier to discuss matters concerning the young beast.
“The time is almost up. We should finalize the candidates and prepare to depart,” a middle-aged man said.
The three supreme experts pondered, seated in the void, shrouded in chaos, their forms indistinct.
“All of them should be taken. You’ve already shown favoritism by bringing outsiders here just to give them a chance. Those from the Three Thousand Provinces who made it this far should all pass,” the little rabbit muttered.
Because she had obtained the White Qilin cub, she was highly valued and stood close to the three supreme experts.
“Fair enough. There aren’t many from the Three Thousand Provinces who made it here. Let them all pass. Let’s depart!” The middle-aged man nodded, actually agreeing.
Everyone was surprised and overjoyed. After surviving countless dangers to get here, their efforts hadn’t been in vain. They were fortunate—out of over a hundred thousand who set out, only a handful had succeeded.
“Take one last look at this world. We are leaving the Three Thousand Dao Provinces!” a supreme elder declared.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent. They were truly leaving this vast world, entering another realm.
This journey would take an unknown amount of time. Who knew how many years would pass before they returned? The thought was melancholic.
After all, this was the land that had raised them. Now, they were leaving it behind.
“How do we leave?” Not everyone was reluctant—some couldn’t wait, eager to meet the beings of immortality.
“We’ll take a path, first to learn of the Ancient Oath. Then we depart immediately,” a supreme expert said.
Under the guidance of the three supreme experts, they marched toward the Imperial City, as if preparing to enter.
The young geniuses were electrified. They had long admired this ancient city built from stars but had never been able to enter.
Even approaching the city was difficult, as it was guarded by countless ancient formations.
But this time, led by the three supreme experts, they arrived at the city gates—though they were impossibly tall, piercing the heavens, adorned with stars.
“Elder, are we entering the city?” someone asked, voice trembling.
“Yes,” came the terse reply.
The gates were massive, embedded with countless shining stars. Who could push them open?
One of the middle-aged men solemnly took out a fragment of bone, holding it in his palm. The other two did the same, each producing a similar fragment.
The fragments were identical—pure white like jade.
When combined, the three fragments formed a miniature altar, small and ancient, emitting a faint glow.
The crowd was astonished. An altar requiring all three to safeguard—this was clearly of immense importance!
Hum!
The small altar trembled, releasing a mysterious aura as it hovered in the void. Though only the size of a fist, it now carried everyone atop it.
Everyone shrank in size, standing upon the altar.
Whoosh!
A beam of light shot into the sky, and the group vanished, transported into the city.
When they reappeared, the world was dim, the surroundings barely visible.
They stood on an endless plain, where darkness and silence reigned. Aside from their group, there was no sign of life.
The ground was littered with bones, long since dull and decayed.
Where was this?
The land was scorched, as if struck by lightning or set ablaze.
An ancient battlefield?
No one knew. Only the three supreme experts could explain, but they remained silent.
Walking over the bones, they crunched underfoot. Where did this plain lead? What lay beyond?
“Elder, is this the inside of the Imperial City?” someone asked. It was too desolate—no guardians, only desolation. How many had died here, left unburied?
No one had expected such a sight. Was this truly the Imperial City?
“It is, and it isn’t,” the middle-aged man replied.
He summoned a bone mirror, reflecting a distant scene. Everyone strained to see the image within.
“Another city wall?”
“Correct.”
Far ahead, another wall stretched endlessly, barring the outside world.
“There are stone tablets here. Find them and read of the Ancient Oath,” the middle-aged man said, sighing.
But the place was vast beyond measure. Where would they find the tablets? How would they uncover the secrets of the Ancient Oath?
Shi Hao’s heart surged with shock.
Had the people of the past been bound by the Ancient Oath, unable to leave?
Where were the last of the Six Ancient Heaven Men? The ancestors of the War Clan—were they all dead?
The group scattered, searching for the tablets.
But the land was too expansive—finding a tablet was like searching for a needle in a sea.
The crowd quickly dispersed, like ants vanishing into a desert, insignificant against the endless expanse.
“Be careful not to wander into the strange fissures of this battlefield, lest you stumble beyond the border and into the enemy’s world,” a supreme expert warned.
They already had an idea of what the Ancient Oath entailed. This search was merely to confirm its secrets.
Yet, they found nothing. The further they walked, the fewer remained, the land growing ever more desolate.
“Ah! Someone’s gone missing!”
The three supreme experts paled. Their divine senses were vast, yet even they had lost track of someone.
Under normal circumstances, with them present, nothing should go wrong. Yet now, a grave issue had arisen.
“Who? Who’s missing?!”
They rose swiftly, charging into the darkness.
Shi Hao felt something strange. As he walked, time seemed to freeze, trapping him in a peculiar state.
Then, he found himself stepping onto a black path, vanishing from the battlefield. By the time he tried to retreat, it was too late.
Stars shifted, as if eons had passed.
He realized he had left the battlefield, the land of bones, and entered an unknown realm.
“Where is this?” he wondered.
It was still dark, visibility even lower. Black mist coiled between lifeless mountains, strewn with endless bones.
Shi Hao surveyed his surroundings—then froze in shock.
Because he saw it—a three-legged, two-eared cauldron.
This was no illusion. It was real.
The cauldron was stained with blood, swirling with primal energy, radiating an overwhelming aura as it hung motionless.
“The borderlands… Why does this cauldron fixate on the borderlands?” Shi Hao murmured.
His heart pounded wildly. Now that he faced the real thing, what message did it hold?
And what lay inside the cauldron?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage