“Some beings seek immortality.” The Void Heavenly Vine told him, its words striking like thunder!
“What… is happening?” Shi Hao’s heart surged like a tempest as he gazed at the fragmented imprints and then back at the Void Heavenly Vine, unable to calm himself.
The Void Heavenly Vine was a divine herb, having lived through countless ages. Naturally, it had witnessed many eerie events and seen the most dazzling figures of this world tread the path of immortality.
“Someone… can truly exist eternally, never perishing?” Shi Hao’s voice trembled slightly.
From what he knew, neither the War Emperor nor the six supreme beings of the primordial era had managed to walk such a path. Even the supreme Demon Sovereign of the Demon Island had ultimately failed.
“See for yourself.” The Void Heavenly Vine glowed, its method of communication unique—neither words nor divine thoughts, but a light that conveyed meaning.
Over the long ages, it had seen far too much. As a divine herb, those who possessed it were invariably peerless geniuses, leaving behind indelible marks.
Shi Hao placed his hand on the snow-white vine, silently sensing and capturing those fragmented imprints.
The scenes were broken, disjointed. He saw a figure whose gaze and demeanor were utterly captivating, beyond description.
This was a man in green robes, standing alone under the heavens, surrounded by countless bolts of lightning like raging rivers. Yet, he showed no fear. With a single breath, he drew the ocean of thunder into his mouth.
“Heavenly Tribulation!” Shi Hao was certain—this was no ordinary lightning technique but a genuine divine punishment from the heavens.
Boom!
Even fiercer lightning descended, transforming into an ocean that engulfed the land and filled the sky.
Shi Hao was shaken. What kind of calamity was this? It was as if the world itself was being annihilated!
The green-robed man’s hair fluttered wildly. He appeared to be around thirty, his eyes deep and ancient, exuding an aura of supremacy, as if he alone ruled the world.
Clearly, this was a peerless figure!
Facing the tribulation that blotted out heaven and earth, he pointed a single finger at the sky. The void collapsed, and billions of lightning bolts vanished, utterly erased!
Such power, such might—it was unimaginable.
Though these were only fragmented imprints, the oppressive aura and presence seemed to traverse eternity, imprinting themselves into Shi Hao’s heart, leaving him trembling.
This man was too powerful, even repelling heavenly tribulation with a single finger.
Then, chaos energy surged. The heavenly lightning transformed, now accompanied by chaotic light, descending like a mighty river.
The green-robed man, confident and composed, soared upward, charging into the cosmos and pushing all the tribulation beyond the heavens.
“Is he… transcending tribulation to become immortal?” Shi Hao asked.
“He stands at the pinnacle of the divine path. Surviving this tribulation would grant him immortality,” the Void Heavenly Vine replied.
Shi Hao focused, carefully sensing the fragmented imprints. The scenes grew even more breathtaking—in the depths of the cosmos, endless chaotic lightning drowned everything.
The green-robed man rapidly expanded, his body encircled by stars, vast beyond measure as he battled the tribulation.
Finally, the lightning emitted a radiant light, a sight rarely seen since ancient times. The green-robed man was wounded, bloodied, his bones shattered, his body charred.
Yet, he still lived. As the lightning faded, he seemed to have passed the final trial.
But at that moment, the cosmic sky split open, releasing wisps of gray mist that enveloped the area. The green-robed man roared at the heavens.
Then, something seemed to appear, engaging him in a fierce battle.
Faintly, Shi Hao saw a black claw descend, followed by a flash of blood. The scene erupted into chaos.
When all was calm, a corner of green robe remained, stained with blood. Neither the tribulation nor the gray mist had destroyed it—proof that a peerless being had once existed.
There was also a shattered cauldron, cracked and broken, carrying remnants drenched in crimson blood as it soared toward the upper realm, bearing tragic news for the Ye Clan.
“He… failed.” Shi Hao sighed softly. This was undoubtedly a peerless genius.
That starry domain dimmed as countless great stars withered, becoming a lifeless wasteland—a terrifying end, a desolate finale.
“Who was he?” Shi Hao asked.
“Ye Qianyu.” The Void Heavenly Vine sighed mournfully.
“Hmm? That name sounds familiar.” Shi Hao pondered, then suddenly looked up. “A member of the Ye Imperial Clan from the primordial era?”
“Indeed. The strongest of the Ye Clan, the peerless Ye Qianyu,” the Void Heavenly Vine confirmed.
It had witnessed it all, for it had been inside that cauldron. As a divine herb, it had been powerless to save that extraordinary figure—there had been no chance.
“You… weren’t born within the Immortal Ancient?” Shi Hao was surprised.
“I was brought here,” the Void Heavenly Vine admitted.
“And these fragmented imprints…” Shi Hao frowned. The vine held other imprints, equally astonishing.
A man in white, his sword-like brows striking, his every movement exuding boundless dominance as he surveyed heaven and earth, disdainful of all eternity.
Yet another tragedy unfolded. This peerless genius also ventured into the depths of the cosmos, encircled by stars, towering above the nine heavens and ten earths. With a single roar, the starry river trembled, and great stars shattered.
He was struck until his flesh was torn, but he endured to the end, succeeding. As the lightning faded, his primordial spirit emerged, seeking to cleanse itself with the remnants of the tribulation.
But then, a shadow passed over, enveloping the area.
Faintly, the unwilling roar of a peerless genius could be heard.
When calm returned, the man still stood, but his primordial spirit had turned from radiant to pitch-black before re-entering his skull. With immense difficulty, he took… a single step.
After that step, the tower he had forged with his life shattered, its fragments hurtling toward the three thousand provinces.
In the starry sky, the man’s eyes were as dark as his primordial spirit, blankly gazing toward the upper realm before vanishing forever.
“Who was this man?”
“Mo Wudao of the Ancient Imperial Clan,” the Void Heavenly Vine said.
Shi Hao’s heart trembled violently. Another legendary figure—he had heard of this man in the bone texts given to him by Qi Daolin, hailed as the strongest being of the ancient era.
What was happening? Such figures, standing at the pinnacle of the divine path, on the verge of immortality, suddenly faced eerie transformations.
Recalling the scenes, Shi Hao felt a chill down his spine. There was something deeply ominous, a sense of dread. Was this mere coincidence?
“This time, I didn’t witness it firsthand,” the Void Heavenly Vine admitted.
After regaining its freedom, it had stumbled upon fragments of Mo Wudao’s divine tower in a remote mountain range. Rooted there, it had captured some broken imprints from the tower.
Shi Hao had long pondered a question: in the Immortal Ancient era, some achieved immortality, existing eternally. Why had no one in this era succeeded?
He had received many answers, but none were complete.
According to bone texts, there were various theories.
Some said this era was flawed—without heavenly tribulation, one could not reach perfection or take the final step.
Others claimed the times had changed, and the necessary conditions no longer existed.
Still others believed the most dazzling figures had proven that taking that step would invite unimaginable horrors.
Now, the last theory seemed chillingly plausible. The fragmented imprints within the Void Heavenly Vine pointed to this—there truly were “eerie transformations.”
Soon, he thought of the Demon Sovereign of Demon Island—another case like this.
In this era, it wasn’t that no one could achieve immortality, but that eerie transformations prevented it.
“What exactly is it?!” Shi Hao frowned, a cold dread settling in his heart. The heavens and earth were strange, filled with too many mysteries that unsettled him.
He thought of the Willow Deity, recalling its words: taking that step would bring unimaginable, terrifying consequences.
“Did the Willow Deity experience this?” Shi Hao was shaken. He had overheard conversations between the Willow Deity and the little pagoda but hadn’t paid much attention at the time. Now, recalling them, his heart was anything but calm.
The little pagoda had vaguely mentioned that the Willow Deity might be the only being to have survived “those events.”
“If you honor your oath, I’ll share something even more useful,” the Void Heavenly Vine said nervously, clearly afraid Shi Hao might devour it entirely.
“I keep my word. Don’t be afraid,” Shi Hao assured.
“If you walk this path, you’re likely in danger too. An ‘eerie transformation’ may occur.” The vine’s words stunned Shi Hao.
“Explain in detail.”
Long ago, the Void Heavenly Vine had regained its freedom and ventured into the uninhabited regions. As a divine herb, its earth Escape Technique was extraordinary.
Unfortunately, fate intervened—the “Immortal Ancient” had just opened, the Immortal Dao Flower blooming. The area was swarming with Venerables, and it was captured and brought into Immortal Ancient.
“I changed hands several times, following the Five Crown King and a grandmaster of formations.”
Shi Hao was surprised.
“What I mean to say is, someone like you once took an unorthodox path to divinity, defying the heavens. And then… an eerie transformation occurred.”
The Void Heavenly Vine had once followed the Five Crown King, a genius unparalleled through the ages. He sought to achieve divinity through the five elemental sources, scouring the world and emerging five times.
Anything related to the five elements—chaos earth, primordial water, and the like—he collected in mountains. Each item was extraordinary.
Most astonishingly, he had obtained a primordial source from before the creation of heaven and earth. Fusing it to ignite himself would have shaken all history.
Hearing this, Shi Hao was amazed. Undergoing metamorphosis through the baptism of the five elemental sources was indeed remarkable.
The five elements encompassed all!
Clearly, the Five Crown King was extraordinary, a figure who had dazzled through the ages.
“During that attempt, he only fused two elements before disaster struck. It was meant to be a trial, with the full fusion reserved for his final life.”
Unexpectedly, during the attempt, something ominous occurred, leading to catastrophe.
“What happened?” Shi Hao asked.
“An eerie transformation.” The Void Heavenly Vine recounted what it had witnessed.
The first time, the Five Crown King faced a minor transformation and overcame it. Surprised, he continued down that path, succeeding again.
But after several attempts, his eyes lost their color, turning deathly gray. Then, he simply… left. Vanished.
The vine didn’t elaborate, as it had been terrified, hiding in a distant formation. It felt as if it were reliving the calamity of Ye Qianyu, trembling with fear.
“Are you saying that unorthodox divinity invites disaster, that something ominous may occur?” Shi Hao frowned.
“Peerless beings who seek to surpass the ancients are highly likely to face this,” the vine said, echoing the Five Crown King’s own deductions after surviving two or three transformations.
Shi Hao’s heart surged with turmoil.
“Throughout history, many dazzling beings who sought unique paths either died or were crippled. Could this be related to eerie transformations?” he mused.
“This place is called Immortal Ancient for a reason—it’s tied to the previous, destroyed era. And because of that, eerie transformations are more likely here,” the vine explained.
Clearly, it knew quite a bit.
The previous era, named Immortal Ancient, no longer existed, buried in the past.
This place was connected to that destroyed era, hence the name “Immortal Ancient.”
“Here, eerie transformations are more common. The path you’re taking is unusual. Though it may not seem shocking now, continuing further could lead to trouble,” the vine warned.
“Such a thing exists…” Shi Hao was stunned, lost in thought for a long time before finally looking up. “Then I’ll see for myself what it is.”
Once recovered, he resumed his breakthrough.
This time, over a thousand flames of light converged, burning his flesh and scorching his primordial spirit. The world around him turned terrifying, drowned in divine radiance.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, all those observing him from outside were shocked—Shi Hao had vanished from the Immortal Dao Petal, no longer visible on the stone monument.
“Truly extraordinary!”
People realized his path was unique. The Immortal Dao Petal obscured everything, preventing observation.
After the thousand flames burned out, Shi Hao was nearly dead. Only after consuming divine herbs did he recover, but nothing else occurred.
He gathered his strength to face the next trial—the 1,100th flame, burning his true self. But then, the Void Heavenly Vine, beside the God-Striking Stone, suddenly cried out in terror.
“They… they’ve come again! An eerie transformation is happening!”
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