A piece of forehead bone, jade-green in color, still shimmered with a lustrous sheen even after countless ages, exuding an ethereal glow.
A golden leaf, not overly large but radiant and translucent, pierced through the forehead bone, pinning it at the brow. The sight was eerily enchanting.
The bone bore several small holes, narrow and precise, also left by the leaf—evidence of a past strike. Amidst the ashes lay a few more leaves, their golden brilliance undimmed by time.
This spectacle sent tremors through everyone’s hearts, for it was undeniably divine!
As for Shi Hao, he stood petrified, while the Divine Striking Stone howled in disbelief. They sensed the aura of the Willow God here—those golden leaves belonged to a willow tree.
“Incredible! What kind of immortal tree is this, to slay a supreme being with just its leaves?” Cao Yusheng gasped in awe.
The black blood belonged to the sealed creature, now dissolved, leaving only the forehead bone, which revealed fragments of an ancient secret.
Shi Hao’s mind was in turmoil as he stared fixedly at the scene.
This relic from the previous era—golden willow leaves! His heart surged with waves of emotion.
“Willow God, just who are you?” His instincts couldn’t be wrong. The aura was identical—it undoubtedly originated from the Willow God.
He recalled what Kong Qiu Ji had told him, along with the legends he had gathered from others.
The Willow God’s origins were enigmatic, shrouded in mystery. It was said to have undergone nirvana, reborn from a seed, and later suffered semi-destruction before taking root in an unknown place to recuperate.
The Willow God had never spoken of its past, as though it had long forgotten everything.
Shi Hao was lost in thought. What had happened during the Immortal Ancient Era? Had the Willow God existed even then? What kind of brutal battles had it endured before the world’s end?
A gentle breeze scattered the ashes, revealing a few golden leaves and the jade-green forehead bone, both still shimmering with light.
The group was awestruck, piecing together fragments of the past—a willow tree had once defeated a supreme being, sealing it within a clay jar.
“That creature must have been terrifyingly powerful. Even after its forehead was pierced, it didn’t die and had to be sealed. Could its divine soul have remained intact?” Qing Yi mused.
They wondered—had a true immortal once meditated in this stone chamber? Was he merely in seclusion here, or was he tasked with guarding the jar? The truth remained elusive.
“There’s also a charred willow branch, though it’s mostly destroyed,” Cao Yusheng added.
Among the ashes lay a fragment of willow branch, which had also pierced the skull, much like the golden leaves. But the branch had exhausted its divine power, leaving only remnants behind.
“Terrifying and awe-inspiring—such divine might!” the Divine Striking Stone sighed.
They envisioned the Immortal Ancient Era, where a willow tree had struck down foes with golden branches, piercing the skulls of supreme beings and sealing them away.
“Who were these enemies? Who was it fighting?” Shi Hao murmured, yearning for answers. But the era was too distant, and his strength too limited to uncover the truth.
A fierce determination surged within him—he must grow stronger, reach the pinnacle of divinity!
Shi Hao knew that though the previous era had ended, the war might not have. It could very well have spilled into this epoch.
One day, a cataclysmic battle would erupt. His only choice was to grow stronger, faster.
When that day came, there would be no refuge. War would engulf heaven and earth, leaving no sanctuary in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—ushering in the most chaotic of eras.
“Hum!”
Suddenly, the jade-green forehead bone trembled, distorting the void around it.
The group was stunned. After endless ages, it could still move? Did it retain imprints of life? Could it revive?!
This defied reason—it was beyond comprehension!
The owner of that forehead bone must have been unimaginably powerful. No wonder it had been sealed. Even without a divine soul, it remained impervious to destruction—was it truly indestructible?
Shi Hao immediately drew his sword, ready to strike.
An enemy of the Willow God was his enemy. He couldn’t allow any anomalies from that bone—it had to be shattered before it could cause trouble.
“Use the immortal corpse!” Qing Yi urged.
Ordinary power might be useless against such a being. Even in death, its remnants were beyond mortal comprehension.
Whoosh!
The golden leaves among the ashes began to glow, and the charred willow branch flickered with light, resonating with the bone.
Strangely, a peculiar rune flew out from Shi Hao’s body, merging with the golden leaves and intensifying their radiance.
It wasn’t a law or fluctuation—it was merely the aura of the Willow God, which Shi Hao had absorbed over years of companionship. The golden leaves sensed it.
As if awakened, the leaves hummed with power, manifesting divine rules!
“Pfft!”
The charred branch and golden leaves intertwined with the forehead bone, cracking it apart before bursting into a dazzling, eerie light.
Shi Hao and Cao Yusheng retreated swiftly, fleeing the crater.
When the dust settled, the golden leaves and forehead bone had vanished, reduced to ashes.
“No wonder it had to be sealed. Even after all these years, it could still trigger anomalies,” the little rabbit marveled.
It felt like a dream—across an entire epoch, the Willow God had existed, and with such might. Shi Hao remained silent for a long time.
“Let’s go. We shouldn’t linger. The commotion might attract the natives,” the little fatty said.
The group departed, vanishing into the horizon as streaks of divine light.
Nearby, onlookers also dispersed, leaving the perilous site behind.
“Such fortune!”
In a deserted area, the Divine Striking Stone yowled, claiming it could devour the immortal bone as a snack—only to be swatted aside.
“You want to die, but we don’t.”
The small fragment of immortal flesh exuded misty radiance, suffused with immortal energy. Cultivating near it would yield immense benefits—its value was incalculable.
Yet, even with its aid, one couldn’t condense their own immortal qi. That step was as difficult as ascending to heaven—it had to be achieved alone.
Otherwise, why had countless peerless geniuses throughout history fallen without success?
The broken path could only be crossed by one’s own leap.
Success or failure—there was no in-between.
“What a pity. The immortal runes it once contained have been shattered and erased. Otherwise, it would have been an unparalleled immortal legacy,” the little fatty sighed.
Still, they had to be grateful—this was still a fragment of an immortal body.
“An immortal body holds boundless fortune. Be content,” Shi Hao said.
He then retrieved the crystal obtained from the Immortal Palace’s heir, which contained a drop of immortal blood. It still bore some runes, though he hadn’t studied them yet.
This path wasn’t his own. He refused to implant blood, bones, or “immortal seeds” into his body. He would cultivate his own immortal qi—pure and untainted.
Even for his second strand of immortal qi, he would follow the same principle—nurturing it entirely through himself. That was the path of invincibility!
“Shall we explore further?” the little rabbit asked, blinking her large eyes. They had already reaped great rewards—leaving now wouldn’t be a loss.
“Yes,” Shi Hao replied. He believed the Willow God had left more traces in the Burial Realm. He wanted to search for them.
After all, when he first entered the Burial Realm, he had sensed the Willow God’s presence—its aura and divine runes had resonated intensely.
Cao Yusheng nodded. “Good idea. Seclusion alone isn’t ideal. Some ancient freaks cultivate for a time before venturing out to experience different realms, landscapes, and even risk visiting native tribes—all to deepen their insights.”
The Burial Realm had four famed ancient sites, each yielding rare treasures. The soil here was soaked in the blood of ancient beings, making it extraordinarily resilient.
“The Stone Forest holds little else for us. Let’s head to the next ancient site—Burial City,” the little fatty suggested.
“Hopefully, we’ll find something new. Unearthing an immortal scripture would be divine,” the Divine Striking Stone drooled.
“Stop daydreaming,” Shi Hao scoffed.
“It’s not impossible,” Cao Yusheng countered. In the past, someone had indeed excavated half a scripture, gaining heaven-defying fortune.
“I want immortal herbs! If we could pluck one, I’d be overjoyed,” the little rabbit licked her lips greedily.
“Those do exist,” Qing Yi said, mentioning the Temple’s Ancient Holy Son, who had once discovered a Chaos Pool with mysterious liquid.
Some claimed it was a heaven-nurtured elixir, while others speculated it contained the essence of a deceased immortal herb.
It was unclear whether the Chaos Pool had been found in the Burial Realm.
Burial City—one of the four ancient sites of the Burial Realm.
Their journey was smooth, free of mishaps, and they arrived swiftly before the ancient city.
Though called a city, it lacked walls, resembling instead a massive, bustling marketplace.
Streets and grand structures sprawled chaotically, interspersed with rocky hills and lush vegetation.
It was a haphazard fusion of many marketplaces, forming an immense, ancient metropolis.
“Did you hear? The second assassin of the Heavenly Nation, Blood Halberd, was slain—shocking everyone.”
“That’s old news. Even the first assassin fled from Huang, not daring to fight. And the Temple’s Holy Beast was captured and killed too.”
Upon arrival, Shi Hao’s group overheard such discussions—the crowd was abuzz with astonishment.
“Is that a Centaur Clan member… and a Demon Ancient Clan?” The little rabbit’s eyes darted around, spotting races recorded in ancient bone texts—beings from the Immortal Ancient Era.
This area teemed not only with outsiders but also native vendors trading divine treasures and secrets.
“Be cautious. This is one of the few cities with a large native population,” Cao Yusheng warned.
The natives were peculiar, rarely leaving their tribes. Only a handful of great cities across the minor realms saw them in numbers.
The reason remained a mystery to outsiders.
“The Temple’s people are here!” Qing Yi whispered, spotting figures in the distance who quickly vanished.
“Could the Ancient Holy Son have already taken that step and emerged from seclusion?” Cao Yusheng’s heart raced.
Had they arrived only to face another storm?
Shi Hao closed his eyes, sensing deeply. “I feel it—this city holds terrifyingly powerful experts.”
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