Chapter 1049: A Dream of That Previous Life

The people before him seemed close, yet they were far away. After spending several months together, parting was unbearably painful.

Shi Hao felt a deep ache in his heart, a sorrow he couldn’t shake.

An intuition gnawed at him—they were about to separate, to bid farewell, and it would be eternal. These people, he would never see again in this lifetime.

How could this be? He didn’t understand. Was this some mystical immortal abode? Were these real people before him, or was he dreaming of an ancient era, merely stumbling upon an accidental encounter?

“Goodbye. Perhaps one day, one of us might reunite with you amidst the ever-churning mortal world. Though it sounds absurd, in the vastness of eternity, there’s always a sliver of chance,” said the youth carrying the Radiant Immortal Gold Sword, his gaze solemn as he looked at Shi Hao before turning away, his figure fading into the depths of the island.

“We, too, are young supremes, second to none. What a pity we cannot truly meet again. We scatter with the wind, watching your glory from the dust of this world—fight on!” Another stepped forward, bidding Shi Hao farewell.

“Live well. Strive. Don’t let yourself fall too soon in battle!” The Phoenix Maiden approached, smiling yet unwilling, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I’m so sad. We really have to go now, never to meet again,” whispered the young girl cradling the white qilin, her voice thick with sorrow.

Shi Hao stood numb. These were living, breathing people. Months of companionship had forged bonds, emotions—how could they vanish forever?

Why? His mind reeled, unable to grasp the truth.

“Tell me, why is this happening?” Shi Hao seized the Phoenix Maiden’s arm, then chased after the youth with the Radiant Immortal Gold Sword, his gaze shifting to the young girl.

“Look, they’ve come,” the sword-bearing youth pointed to the distant sky, where monstrous eyes, larger than mountains, opened in the void. Gigantic bone spikes pierced down from the heavens, and gray mist surged from the cosmos.

In an instant, this peaceful sanctuary was tainted, turning deathly gray. The next moment, the air shook with battle cries.

A blood-red scale descended, piercing the earth. With a sickening thud, several young supremes were impaled. No matter their roars or surging power, they couldn’t withstand the blow.

*Crack!*

A black vine fell from the cosmos, crushing mountains. The Violet Bamboo Forest of the South Sea splintered, the azure waters boiling. Several young supremes fought with all their might, only to shatter into nothingness.

Some of them had grown close to Shi Hao over the months, sparring and exchanging insights. Now, they were gone.

“Ah—!”

Shi Hao roared, lashing out at the sky, desperate to stop this, to change something.

“Act now! Block them!” he bellowed, turning to the mighty figures within the immortal abode.

But his heart turned cold. The Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King was already locked in battle with an unknown foe, wielding the Reincarnation Disk, scenes of life and death cycling endlessly.

And the Lord of No End was also engaged, his great bell tolling, severing the river of time, distorting its flow into a hazy blur.

Where the bell’s resonance spread, all life perished.

Yet, terrifying adversaries still broke through—not just one or two—clashing with him, striking the bell, sending violent tremors and unending echoes.

What was happening? Why had this battle erupted so suddenly?

Shi Hao was lost. Worse, his attacks were futile, changing nothing. He was an outsider, drifting through fragmented scenes.

The scenes were horrifyingly real. The roars deafened him, the tragic clashes igniting his blood, driving him to scream in fury.

But he couldn’t join. He was detached, as if peeled away from that world.

*Thud!*

Nearby, the girl with the white qilin was engulfed by gray mist. Within it, crimson eyes gleamed, lunging at her. Blood sprayed.

Shi Hao’s vision turned red. This girl, though mischievous, was kind-hearted. Was this her fate?

He struck out in rage, but it was useless. He remained an outsider.

“You… see? This is my end. Saying goodbye… means never meeting again,” the girl murmured as the mist dissipated, her eyes lifeless, her arms slack. The white qilin in her arms whimpered, tumbling to the ground.

“Why? Tell me!” Shi Hao’s eyes burned with tears as he stared at her, at all the familiar faces.

“Just so you witness our fate, the cruelty of the Immortal Ancient Era. Prepare yourself—one day, you too must face them,” the girl gasped, blood frothing at her lips.

“You… all of you…” Shi Hao’s fists clenched, his battle intent surging as he watched the gruesome battlefield. In moments, the once-sacred abode was drenched in blood.

“We are unwilling,” sighed one young supreme, among the few who had cultivated three strands of immortal energy. Yet even he fell, slain in battle.

“Hahaha…” The youth with the Radiant Immortal Gold Sword laughed bitterly, tears in his eyes as he fought fiercely. “The Immortal Ancient Era ends. We are unwilling—we never grew strong enough to stand beside our elders in the final battle.”

“Do you see now? Still confused?” The Phoenix Maiden’s voice was desolate. Her five-colored battle armor gleamed, three strands of immortal energy swirling as she resisted the invaders.

“I see. Did those elders use their supreme power to create this vision, letting me witness this across the ages?” Shi Hao gazed at the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King and the Lord of No End, understanding dawning.

“Yes,” the Phoenix Maiden nodded.

“One touched reincarnation, the other severed the river of time. To end like this… they couldn’t accept it without leaving some legacy for future generations,” the young girl whispered weakly, releasing the white qilin before collapsing, lifeless.

This was a famed battlefield of the Immortal Ancient Era.

Back then, the Lord of No End and the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King had pierced through the heavens, glimpsing the future, reflecting the events of their time.

“Reflecting the past… yet I can speak with you…” Shi Hao’s grief mingled with confusion as he watched familiar faces fall one by one.

“The elders, with their unparalleled power, carved out a sliver of space, reaching from the past to pull you in, letting you witness this firsthand.”

“What?!” Shi Hao was stunned.

Such methods were unimaginable—reaching from the past to drag someone into the Immortal Ancient Era?

“Real or illusion, you cannot change anything. You are merely a witness, stepping into these ruins, perhaps seeing echoes, perhaps truly crossing time to our era, perhaps conversing across the ages. This is the elders’ doing,” the Phoenix Maiden said, her voice breaking as those around her dwindled.

Shi Hao stood frozen. What kind of power was this? Had he entered a realm of spirits, speaking to remnants of souls? Or had he been pulled into the final days of the Immortal Ancient Era as an observer?

He could no longer distinguish reality from illusion. Earlier, sparring with them, they had felt undeniably real—even his Heavenly Eye had detected no anomalies.

Could power truly influence the future?

Shi Hao didn’t know. His heart trembled.

And with it came boundless grief. Watching those he’d known for months fall one by one, his heart shattered.

Though he knew they had perished long ago in the Immortal Ancient Era’s twilight, the pain was real. He had met them, spoken with them, known them.

Many had become friends. This place had been peaceful, joyful—now it ended in bloodshed.

Seeing them collapse, one after another, Shi Hao wanted to howl, to rage. His fists clenched, his eyes bloodshot, tears streaming.

He could change nothing. Only watch.

Was this a preview of the world’s impending chaos? Would his own friends in the present era meet the same fate?

Though they were not of his time, their loss felt like losing true companions.

Yes, they had spent months together—forged by the elders’ transcendent power, bending the rules of heaven and earth—but it had felt real.

“Farewell, Immortal Ancient. Goodbye, my friends.” Shi Hao watched them fall, the battlefield drenched in blood, hot tears rolling down his face.

Though separated by eons, he felt as if part of his soul remained there, buried with them.

“I was brought here, to stand with you, to share your fate. A fragment of my heart lingers, dreaming of the Immortal Ancient, anchored to that era,” Shi Hao murmured, tears staining his cheeks.

“The elders are faltering,” someone whispered mournfully. In the distance, the great bell dimmed, the reassembled Reincarnation Disk cracking anew.

“Was I the only one brought here?” Shi Hao asked.

The Phoenix Maiden, pierced by a bloodied feather, collapsed weakly. “There are others. The elders sought hope… who knows how many dreamed back to this era…”

“But the elders, too, will fade. We’ll never meet again,” the youth with the Radiant Immortal Gold Sword sighed, his body disintegrating. With one last glance at Shi Hao, he vanished, blood spraying high.

“Can power truly shape the future? If I grow strong enough, can I forge a cycle of reincarnation? Can I alter the past?” Shi Hao howled at the heavens.

He watched the Phoenix Maiden fall, the sword-bearing youth turn to blood and bone, the world drown in crimson, the great bell shatter. His newly familiar comrades perished. Despair fueled his rage.

“Not of this time, not of the past—dreaming back to the Immortal Ancient, dreaming of that era. My friends, I pray one day we meet again!” he cried out in anguish.