The eyeball split open, blood dripping.
The pupil was crimson and piercing, radiating scarlet light.
A broken spear writhed within, churning violently, intent on destroying the eyeball.
Shi Hao unleashed all his treasure techniques, bombarding forward. He felt this eyeball was far too dangerous—it was best to eliminate it as soon as possible.
“Shh!”
Filthy blood splattered in waves. By the end, the eyeball seemed like a bottomless pit, endlessly spewing blood that turned from crimson to pitch-black, exuding a chilling aura.
“Hmm?”
Shi Hao was startled. A black hole had appeared in the void, devouring everything around it—it was the transformed eyeball, now drastically altered.
Naturally, Shi Hao resisted with all his might. The Willow God’s treasure technique manifested, dozens of golden branches lashing out, splitting the void to dismantle the black hole.
“You even know its treasure technique?!” The eyeball was clearly shocked.
Its expression turned icy, its pupils dark and eerie. Though cracked, they emitted a strange glow as it stared at Shi Hao, its voice cold. “That willow tree isn’t dead yet, is it?!”
“Boom!”
At that moment, within the eyeball, as if from the depths of hell, a portal opened, connecting to a blood-red passageway that sought to pull Shi Hao inside.
It had unleashed its killing intent, disregarding consequences, determined to suppress and capture him.
“Slash!”
Shi Hao swung the Great Luo Immortal Sword. The sword embryo blazed with light, dazzlingly radiant. The marks on its surface all appeared—a figure soaring into immortality amidst swirling white mist and sparkling rain of light.
“Eh? What’s happening?!” The eyeball was shocked. The broken spear embedded within it trembled violently, igniting and glowing.
“Is it related to that sword embryo?” It was inwardly shaken.
Even Shi Hao noticed the anomaly. As he swung the sword, the bronze broken spear seemed to awaken, ancient characters inscribed on it glowing brighter.
“No!” The eyeball screamed in terror.
“Boom!”
The remnants of immortal dao imprints within the spear exploded. The broken weapon burned itself out, disintegrating and dragging the eyeball into destruction.
Filthy blood sprayed as the eyeball shattered in an instant—too fast. The portal it had opened crumbled, dissolving into bloody light and mist.
It was all too sudden, even catching Shi Hao off guard. He thrust the sword embryo forward, meeting the residual shockwaves.
“Ah—”
A wretched scream echoed before silence reclaimed the area, leaving behind a lifeless zone.
A wisp of the eyeball’s remnant soul flew out, colliding with the sword embryo—only to turn to ashes in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
The light faded, and the mountain forest returned to tranquility.
Were it not for the filthy blood and bronze dust, it would be hard to believe a fierce battle had just taken place here, that a terrifying entity had once appeared.
Shi Hao stared blankly at the sword embryo in his hand. This thing was strange, eerie—far more than it appeared on the surface.
It had been brought from the Immortal Ancient era, lost by the Five Crown King. Legend said it was excavated from an ancient underground mine, a sword embryo born of heaven and earth.
“This thing…” Shi Hao didn’t elaborate, pondering for a long time before finally storing it away.
Then, his thoughts returned to the eyeball. The borderlands were unstable—chaos was indeed coming. The days of widespread war and rivers of blood were not far off.
“The path must still be walked.”
Shi Hao sighed. Worrying now was futile. All he could do was grow stronger, rise swiftly. Otherwise, when the true calamity arrived, even his unparalleled talent would be useless. Without growth, even a true dragon’s offspring would become mere prey.
He began to sprint, racing forward at full speed.
This forbidden zone was bizarre. Some areas allowed flight, while others inexplicably imposed strange laws that would slash intruders from the sky.
It was as if a warning—demanding reverence from trespassers, forbidding arrogance and reckless flight.
Along the way, he overtook many cultivators. It wasn’t that they were faster; the three supreme beings had sent them in directly, placing them hundreds of thousands of miles ahead.
Yet, he also saw countless corpses along the path—lifeless without wounds, their faces frozen in smiles.
He had no desire to investigate. There was no time to waste. In such a perilous place, digging too deep would likely entrap him as well.
Suddenly, ahead, waves of bloody mist rose. The ground was littered with countless corpses—a complete massacre.
Shi Hao halted upon arriving. He hadn’t even traveled a million miles from the three thousand provinces, yet he’d already encountered multiple dangers, filling him with dread.
His steps slowed as he advanced cautiously. This path couldn’t be avoided—he saw blue stars suspended in mid-air, less than a hundred zhang above the ground, with fallen stars lining the sides.
Each was as large as a mountain, glowing softly like jade.
It was a surreal sight, every star radiating runes.
“Stars refined by supreme experts, shrunk to mountain size—so many arranged here. Is this a grand formation?”
Anyone arriving here would be awestruck. The sight of so many massive stars was breathtaking.
Shi Hao moved forward, the corpses growing denser. His expression grave, he finally reached a critical section—where he saw a woman also trapped.
Streams of light descended from the stars above, pouring down like sand, distorting the void and unleashing invisible sword energy.
“Hmm?”
Shi Hao was puzzled. This sword energy didn’t harm the flesh—it severed the soul. No wonder the corpses showed no wounds, only death.
This was an ancient remnant formation. Even severely damaged, it was astonishing—after all, it was crafted by a supreme being who’d refined countless stars.
“It’s her!”
Shi Hao recognized her—clad in green, her figure elegant like a divine lotus shimmering with radiance.
Qing Xian, a renowned young genius of the three thousand provinces. When Shi Hao first ascended from the Void God Realm to the Spirit World, he’d encountered her brother and even fought once.
Qing Xian, the first-generation prodigy of the Lotus Clan, was famed even beyond Thunderclap and Nether Prince, ranking among the top female cultivators.
Yet now, she stood motionless, blood seeping from her brow, her peerless beauty marred by sorrow, her gaze dimming.
Shi Hao wanted to help, but it was too late.
Qing Xian glanced at him, her eyes flaring briefly before she perished.
“Truly ruthless.” Shi Hao’s expression remained cold. Even a celebrity of the three thousand provinces had fallen here.
But this path had to be taken. He pressed forward, activating all his treasure techniques to resist.
“Pfft!”
Blood trickled from Shi Hao’s brow. At the critical juncture, the invisible sword energy bore down, erasing souls.
He recited the Primordial True Scripture, channeling all his techniques to resist. His soul suffered minor injuries, but he finally crossed the threshold.
“Crack!”
A blue star in the sky shattered.
The invisible sword energy weakened, no longer as intense.
At the same time, Qing Xian collapsed, rapidly shrinking into a single seed.
“Nirvana?!” Shi Hao was stunned. This woman was extraordinary—not truly dead, but transformed into a jade-green seed.
“Bury me nearby,” a faint voice whispered.
“Wouldn’t it be better to take you away?” Shi Hao asked.
“No. This is my tribulation—and my opportunity. I sense the aura of the Chaos Green Lotus, traces left behind by him. Grant me this,” Qing Xian implored.
Shi Hao looked up at the countless blue stars overhead—tens of thousands, refined by a supreme expert.
“Chaos Green Lotus?” Shi Hao was puzzled.
“He does not belong to this era, yet he once stood at the pinnacle of glory—the Eternal Green Sky’s single lotus. Aid me, and I shall repay you in the future,” Qing Xian said.
“Very well.” Shi Hao nodded without hesitation. It was a simple task. He buried the crystalline green seed in the soil nearby.
Then, he continued onward.
Five days later, a grove of purple bamboo blocked his path, white mist swirling like an immortal realm.
Along the way, he’d seen no one—only upon arriving here did he witness this sight, sensing traces of immortal dao.
“This forbidden zone is truly uncanny. Why does this path show signs of an immortal abode?”
Wary, Shi Hao pressed forward.
Upon entering the bamboo forest, the world shifted dramatically. Radiant lights surged, and chaos churned.
This was another world!
White mist drifted over lush mountains, immortal birds danced, auspicious beasts roamed.
Everything had changed—a different realm entirely.
Shi Hao saw creatures that should have been extinct in this era, now mere legends.
A young qilin!
He saw a girl cradling a white qilin, doting on it with laughter.
He saw a phoenix, transformed into a maiden in five-colored robes, alighting gracefully upon a glowing mountain.
Then, a young man wreathed in immortal energy, a radiant immortal-metal sword on his back, strolled leisurely, singing a dao hymn.
“Where have I come to?” Shi Hao was bewildered, wondering if he’d stumbled into an illusion. Yet his instincts told him these were real, formidable beings.
What was happening?
Had he discovered an intact pocket realm from the Immortal Ancient era, its inhabitants still alive?
White immortal mist filled the air. Spirit mountains glowed, ancient herbs tens of thousands of years old exuded fragrant aromas.
Shi Hao was utterly perplexed.
As he walked forward, someone greeted him.
The phoenix maiden, her lips parting in a bright smile, asked, “Brother, where do you hail from?”
“The Three Thousand Dao Provinces,” Shi Hao replied.
“I’ve not heard of it. Likely a true immortal’s abode,” she said warmly.
“May I ask where this is?” Shi Hao inquired.
“Naturally, an immortal abode—vast and boundless. Are you here for the gathering? Many young elites have gathered, all prodigies of their clans. This exchange will surely benefit us all,” the phoenix maiden said.
Shi Hao was speechless. Where had he arrived?
More young cultivators approached, greeting each other with harmony, devoid of hostility—as if detached from worldly strife.
Shi Hao couldn’t believe it. He reached out to pinch the qilin in the girl’s arms—only to confirm it was real!
The little white qilin rolled its eyes at him, clearly displeased.
“Am I dreaming of Immortal Ancient, or has it truly returned?” Shi Hao murmured, dazed.
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