Chapter 1053: Demonic Transformation

So sudden, some things always exceed expectations.

Shi Hao never expected to see that snow-white little qilin again. Though it felt like they had only parted briefly, for that qilin cub, endless years had already passed.

Listening to the little qilin’s sobs, its mournful cries, Shi Hao’s heart trembled. Over the past few months, he had been pondering whether his past experiences were real.

He had once watched as the Phoenix Maiden, the youth carrying the Radiant Immortal Gold Sword, and the girl holding the little qilin fell one by one into pools of blood, dying in battle in the Violet Bamboo Forest of the Southern Sea. A deep sorrow had filled him—helplessly witnessing those tragic scenes, unable to change anything, his heart heavy with grief and regret.

Now, seeing the little qilin again, everything was confirmed. That experience had not been an illusion—it was real.

Shi Hao’s eyes stung, and a profound sorrow welled up in his heart. He had truly wandered the final years of the Immortal Ancient Era, befriending companions, only to watch them fall one after another in such a cruel manner.

“I’m still waiting, hoping she’ll return… I miss her…” The little qilin wept, its cries pulling Shi Hao’s thoughts back to the Immortal Ancient Era.

Though his time with them had been brief, it was unforgettable.

“Stop crying. Come with me. The borderlands are about to descend into chaos. I’ll take you to slay enemies and avenge them!” Shi Hao said, gazing at the snow-white qilin reflected in the void.

A battle intent burned within him like flames. He was determined to charge into that battlefield. In his dream of the Immortal Ancient Era, he had been powerless to act, but in this life, he would fight with honor—slaying his way to the borderlands!

“No, I must wait for her… for her to return!” The little qilin was resolute, refusing to reveal its true form, communicating only through its projected image.

“I wish for her return too, but she can never appear again,” Shi Hao said, his voice calm, though his heart was anything but.

That era had been filled with sorrow and tragedy. All the young supreme beings had perished—geniuses like the Phoenix Maiden, who had cultivated three strands of immortal energy. Had they lived to this era, even Shi Hao or the Ten Crown King would not have overshadowed them.

It had been a glorious age of prodigies, yet also a devastating end. Countless talents had fallen before they could fully mature.

A sorrowful era, a time of grief.

“No, I believe she will return… she will come back to these mountains to find me!” the little qilin cried, tears streaming down its face, its voice choked with emotion.

If even a young beast could feel such loyalty and sorrow, how much more so for Shi Hao, now grown? He sighed deeply, gazing at the heavens and the distant horizon.

He was moved by the little qilin’s devotion, yet powerless against the regrets of the past. The lamentable Immortal Ancient Era had long faded away.

“You will grow up. Accept reality sooner,” Shi Hao said, though it was cruel, he needed the little qilin to awaken from its dream.

For this was a pure-blooded qilin—once matured, its combat prowess would shake the heavens, unrivaled in the world. It was a future pillar of strength and could not remain lost in delusion.

“I may be young, but I am clear-minded. I believe she will return,” the little qilin declared firmly.

Shi Hao was surprised. Though skeptical, he asked, “Why?”

“If even you could dream back to the Immortal Ancient Era, why can’t she reappear in this world?” the little qilin murmured.

Shi Hao fell silent. His return had been facilitated by Wu Zhong, who had reversed the river of time, using the Bell of Time to summon him back, allowing him to wander that era.

Even the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King had intervened. With his methods, the impossible had become possible.

In an instant, Shi Hao understood.

He had been fixated on time, forgetting the Six Paths Reincarnation King. His techniques, his dao—if pushed to the extreme, perhaps they truly could achieve miracles.

“How did you survive?” Shi Hao asked the little qilin, first wondering why it had not perished.

“I was torn through space, sent away, buried in a mass of immortal substances. I slumbered for ages, only awakening recently. Time could not claim my life,” the snow-white qilin explained.

Shi Hao was stunned. Immortal substances—many great figures sought them. Even if one could not achieve immortality, such materials could preserve life, granting a form of pseudo-immortality.

No matter what Shi Hao said afterward, the little qilin refused to appear, only telling him that others could not find it, for it possessed a secret treasure from the Immortal Ancient Era.

It vanished, leaving only a final message:

“I will wait for her… for her return.”

Shi Hao was left in melancholy and confusion. Could the little qilin truly wait for that girl? He found it unrealistic—this world had no reincarnation. Was it lost in its own dream?

Yet, Shi Hao also held a sliver of hope. If the little qilin truly did reunite with that girl or others from the past era, the implications would be monumental. Even if the borderlands fell, there would still be hope.

The city was vast, and Shi Hao had returned.

In truth, everyone else had too—another fruitless search. None had found the little qilin’s whereabouts, despite some even moving mountains and diverting underground rivers with great power, all in vain.

Thus, people believed the so-called qilin egg was not nearby but far away, protected by a miraculous treasure.

The city had grown busier, for not only Shi Hao and the Witch had arrived, but also other powerful outsiders, all drawn by rumors of the qilin’s emergence.

“Rumor has it a young qilin, reborn through nirvana, has returned to its egg. Obtaining it means gaining a divine beast companion of immense power.”

This was the news that had drawn the crowds.

Deep in the forbidden zone, the ancient cities were few but massive, housing legions of experts. Their movements had caused an uproar.

Each city had a glorious past, founded by supreme beings of their eras, figures who had once dominated the upper realm.

Alas, they had all fallen, leaving only their cities and descendants behind.

“You don’t seem too concerned about that little qilin?” the Witch asked Shi Hao.

“Listen to me. Let’s go—straight to the Imperial City in the borderlands. Don’t forget why we came here,” Shi Hao replied, telling her there was no hope of obtaining the qilin.

Of course, he did not mention his secret exchange with the little qilin—it was too shocking. Claiming friendship with beings from the Immortal Ancient Era would sound absurd, and others would think him mad.

“You’re certain we can’t get the qilin here?” the Witch pressed.

“I’m certain,” Shi Hao said calmly.

The Witch studied him, then, to his surprise, agreed decisively. “Then let’s set off—to the borderlands, to find that city.”

Few could remain indifferent to news of a qilin, especially someone like the Witch, who possessed a mysterious stone bead and formidable backing. Yet she had given up so easily.

Shi Hao glanced at her, surprised by her decisiveness.

“What’s that look for? Did you expect me to stay?” she retorted.

“No, I just didn’t expect you to be so resolute.”

This time, the two set off together, leaving the great city and venturing deeper into the forbidden zone.

“Someone’s following us!”

After traveling tens of thousands of miles, the thunder of hooves echoed behind them. A group of over a dozen fierce warriors, eyes blood-red like savage beasts, charged forth with overwhelming killing intent.

“These kinds again!” Shi Hao had once slain a squad of Heavenly Gods in the same state—red-eyed and lost to madness.

“Something’s seriously wrong deep in the forbidden zone. So many experts have been corrupted, bold enough to chase us openly. They must be formidable,” the Witch remarked.

Clearly, these pursuers had shortcuts. While Shi Hao and the Witch navigated dangers, they had raced ahead unimpeded.

Otherwise, they could never have matched Shi Hao’s speed.

“You killed the Nineteenth Squad?” their leader coldly demanded.

“Do you all share some connection? You sensed their deaths?” Shi Hao countered, implicitly confirming the kill.

Staying deep in the forbidden zone was perilous. Mist seeping from the borderlands could corrupt minds, driving men to ruin.

“Oppose us, and you won’t take a single step further in this forbidden land!” the leader roared. Behind him, his men brandished their weapons.

“How impressive—a squad of Heavenly Gods. This forbidden zone is truly unimaginable. Not vast in numbers, but so many experts!” the Witch marveled.

“I’ve already traveled tens of thousands of miles. How is that ‘not a single step’?”

“Instinct tells me you’re strong, but you’re no supreme expert yet. You’ll die here!” the leader declared, his mount roaring, its eyes also blood-red.

“Is that so? Try me,” Shi Hao challenged.

“Given you killed the Nineteenth Squad, we may not be your match. But you won’t live long,” the leader said before chanting an ancient incantation, as if performing a ritual.

“We summon the great one!” someone intoned.

At that moment, a nearby stone mountain cracked open, revealing a blood-soaked altar, crimson and glaring.

“No way!” Even the Witch paled. Though rumors spoke of instability in the borderlands, she hadn’t expected it to be this dire.

“What are they doing?” Shi Hao asked.

“These people were once of the Three Thousand Provinces, now demonized. But that blood altar might summon true beings from beyond the borderlands!” the Witch said gravely.

Shi Hao’s head spun—this was a disaster.

The squad chanted, each slitting their wrists, offering Heavenly God blood to baptize the altar as sacrifice.

“Who calls me? Is the path for my true form open?” A lazy yet authoritative voice echoed from the altar—young, yet imposing.