Shi Hao was unaware that three formidable figures connected to him had already entered this ancient land, all targeting the lair of one of the Ten Fiends. A confrontation was imminent.
Qin Hao’s chest glowed with flickering runes as he darted through the outer regions, speeding toward the depths. Along his path, boulders and ancient trees shattered upon contact with the radiant runic light emanating from his chest—nothing could withstand its force.
The possessor of dual pupils—Shi Yi—gazed forward, his vision piercing through the mist and the laws of heaven and earth. He strode forward with unshakable confidence, stepping into the sacred soil. Within his pupils, scenes of celestial bodies rotating and starry skies collapsing played out, terrifying those who dared to meet his gaze. Many who tried coughed up blood and retreated in fear.
Ning Chuan, the Six Crown King, clad in pristine white robes, took a single step that shifted the stars and altered the void. Like an immortal king reborn, he entered the mysterious ancient land. This was not his first visit, but past attempts had yielded nothing. This time, he was determined to succeed.
“The descendants of the Sinful Bloodline are here as well. I might as well erase them while I’m at it,” he murmured serenely, twirling a bracelet adorned with six sacred artifacts—a crimson bird’s beak, shimmering violet scales, a mirage pearl, beast fangs, and more.
This was no ordinary treasure. The bracelet, strung with six primordial runic artifacts, could unleash terrifying power. Each piece—whether beak, fang, or pearl—originated from the bones of the mightiest progenitors, capable of unleashing their ultimate divine abilities.
With this bracelet alone, he could suppress an entire generation of foes.
He had once sent men bearing this bracelet into the Sin Province’s Spirit Realm to execute Shi Hao, but they proved too weak to wield its power and were instead slain.
Now, a faint smile curled his lips as the bracelet glowed, pointing toward the depths of the sacred land. He had sensed traces of the Sinful Bloodline.
Shi Hao and his group finally left that eerie place behind, where tens of thousands of corpses had vanished along with the stench of decay.
“Finally out! I never want to go back there again!” Louis shuddered, despite having obtained divine fruits.
Luo Dao and Lan Yichen shared his sentiment. The swarm of grotesque insects had been too numerous and ferocious to confront.
“At least we gained something—divine fruits!” Once calm, they all felt satisfied.
The mountainous terrain was dense with ancient trees, their shadows swaying under a blood-red sun that cast a crimson glow.
**BOOM!**
Suddenly, a massive seal, radiant as a mountain, crashed down upon them, weighing tens of thousands of pounds! Other divine artifacts followed, streaking through the air with dazzling brilliance—they were under attack!
Shi Hao snorted, having sensed the ambush. He whisked Louis away thousands of feet in an instant, while Luo Dao and Lan Yichen also evaded the assault.
**CRASH!**
The ground where they had stood exploded, rocks flying in all directions.
“Quite alert,” came a voice from across the mountain.
A group of over a dozen humanoid figures emerged, though most were not human—some had wings, others four ears. Their auras were formidable.
“You harvested divine fruits?” asked one with a crocodile tail.
“Yes,” Luo Dao replied.
Their eyes gleamed with greed, though they masked it quickly. Their blood energy surged, marking them as no weaklings.
“We saw a grove of divine trees earlier, likely in this direction. Did you take them?” the crocodile-tailed being pressed.
“There are plenty left,” Louis said, seething inwardly. He hoped their greed would lead them into that cursed land, where the black insects would tear them apart.
“Then we need not go there. We’ll simply purchase the fruits from you,” a golden-winged humanoid declared.
“What do you mean?” Lan Yichen asked coldly.
“We wish to buy them!”
Smirks spread across their faces, their eyes gleaming ominously.
“Not for sale!” Shi Hao stepped forward. These men sought to rob them under the guise of trade. But even ancient freaks would have to fight for what was his.
“You refuse without even hearing our offer? How discourteous,” one sneered.
“Who do you think you are? Your ‘courtesy’ is worthless. Scram!” Shi Hao retorted icily.
“Ignorant fool!” the crocodile-tailed being spat. The group’s expressions darkened.
**BOOM!**
They advanced, led by several supreme experts from a single province, unleashing overwhelming combat prowess.
“Country bumpkins, regret your defiance now?” one taunted.
“Only three or four provincial champions? Too few. We’ve devoured seven or eight progenitors already,” Lan Yichen laughed.
The battle erupted, and the attackers quickly paled.
Their alliance was formidable—three or four provincial overlords leading a dozen elite warriors. Yet they had kicked an iron plate.
Shi Hao struck down two leaders before stepping back.
“Misunderstanding!” someone cried.
“No misunderstanding,” Luo Dao and Lan Yichen replied, slaughtering them all.
Among the spoils, they found an ancient stone carving—a depiction of the Fiend’s Lair under a blood moon, with ten suns hanging in the sky.
Luo Dao probed it with his divine sense, and the carving transformed, emitting mist and revealing fragmented imprints.
“Is this… a map of the Fiend’s Lair?” Luo Dao gasped.
Lan Yichen joined him, delighted. The lines on the carving resembled paths through the lair.
“Rumors spoke of such maps scattered across Immortal Ancient. They guide bearers past dangers to treasures.”
No one knew how many existed, but each discovery sparked bloodshed.
“What fortune!” Louis cheered.
“True, but possessing one is perilous. Others will kill for it,” Lan Yichen warned.
Some invincible progenitors even lurked outside the lair, intercepting travelers to seize their maps.
Shi Hao studied the carving, frowning in thought.
“What’s wrong?” Lan Yichen asked.
“Nothing. Let’s move,” Shi Hao said, recalling the remnants of divine medicine that repelled the black insects.
Over the next few days, they scoured the outer regions but found no further treasures.
Shi Hao lamented. Before entering, he had glimpsed an ancient palace drifting along the River of Life, resonating with scripture and Dao symbols. Yet despite searching tirelessly, he found no trace of it.
Along the way, they encountered many rare herbs.
“The lower realm is barren compared to this,” Shi Hao sighed. Though exotic plants grew there, few evolved into sacred medicines.
“This is Immortal Ancient. Abundant spirit herbs are no surprise.”
After numerous battles, they left the outer regions and advanced toward the Fiend’s Lair.
**The Fallen Immortal Ridge**—the gateway to the lair. Beyond it lay the mist-shrouded ancient land.
The ridge’s soil and stones were dark red, said to be stained by the blood of an immortal who fell here in the previous era, slain before the Fiend’s Lair.
“Is this place truly dyed with immortal blood?” Shi Hao asked.
“So the legends claim. The lair supposedly absorbed the immortal’s essence, preserving it as a supreme treasure.”
The ridge teemed with figures, all heading toward the center.
Shi Hao’s group moved deliberately, absorbing the land’s aura.
Suddenly, a streak of blazing runes tore through the sky!
A youth landed, sending out silver ripples that warped space itself.
“The Qin Clan’s Dual-Bone Supreme!” someone gasped.
It was Qin Hao. After days in the outer regions, he had come to inspect the lair.
“Rumor says one of his bones belonged to his elder brother, who made him what he is today,” whispered onlookers.
Qin Hao’s gaze snapped toward them.
**BOOM!**
Silver runes erupted, annihilating over twenty figures in an instant.
“Speak to my face if you dare,” he said coldly, clad in radiant battle armor.
The crowd trembled at his might.
Then Qin Hao stiffened, sensing an overwhelming blood energy deeper in the mountains.
“A powerful king? Let’s see who it is.” He vanished into the forest.
“Unstoppable… A true monster, forged by his brother’s sacrifice,” murmured the survivors.
By a clear stream beneath ancient pines, Shi Hao’s group walked leisurely.
Qin Hao burst into the clearing, his eyes locking onto a familiar silhouette.
That aura—it couldn’t be!
Shi Hao turned, revealing his true face.
“You—! How?!” Qin Hao staggered back, shock contorting his features.
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