Shi Hao had entered the late stage of the Engravement Realm, and everything was different now. With the opening and closing of his pores, he could perceive the undulations and fluctuations of the world’s rules and order. Without a doubt, after breaking through this barrier, his strength had surged significantly, and his experiences and insights were vastly different.
At this moment, with every breath, runes sprayed from his mouth and nose, and his essence energy coiled around his body like a true dragon, appearing divine and exuding an overwhelmingly powerful aura. This feeling was exhilarating—his heart brimmed with joy, a sense of accomplishment after his breakthrough, his spirit refreshed, his mind serene and clear.
“Tell me about the world beyond this domain,” Shi Hao said as he released the Unicorn Youth, the Four-Eyed Clan youth, and the ethereal maiden from the Misty Palace, interrogating them.
The Unicorn Youth’s heart trembled. As strong as he was, hailed as a genius, he had now become a prisoner, effortlessly defeated by a human youth several years younger than him. The blow was immense. As for the Four-Eyed Clan youth, now in his twenties, he had only reached the late stage of the Engravement Realm. Compared to Shi Hao, he felt utterly ashamed. The exceptionally beautiful maiden was also deeply melancholic. She was an outstanding disciple of the Misty Palace, yet after arriving in the Desolate Domain, she had been effortlessly subdued by a mere “native.” Her so-called genius title now seemed like a joke.
“How old are you, really?” they asked unwillingly, desperate for clarity.
“I’ll be fourteen in a few months,” Shi Hao replied, looking down at them expressionlessly before coldly adding, “Am I the one questioning you, or are you trying to interrogate me?”
The three sighed. Just over thirteen years old? Damn it… Was there no justice in the world? They had never encountered such a monstrous youth—so terrifyingly strong that even the most outstanding inheritors of several ancient sects might not necessarily defeat him.
In fact, they suspected he might be a secret disciple of the Western Heaven Sect or the Severing Heaven Sect, “left to roam” in the Desolate Domain. Otherwise, how could he be so heaven-defying?
The three deeply regretted provoking such a youth—it was entirely their own fault. If not for their greed for the Sunfish, they wouldn’t be in this predicament.
Shi Hao interrogated them, eager to learn about the world beyond. Initially, the three resisted fiercely, but in the end, they relented and revealed what they knew.
Shi Hao even obtained several minor divine abilities from them. However, when it came to their sects’ treasured techniques, the three screamed as cracks appeared on their foreheads, blood streaming down—they had been bound by restrictive seals.
Every sect placed immense importance on their heritage, taking extreme measures to prevent leaks, even engraving destructive runes into their disciples’ souls.
In the end, Shi Hao granted them a swift death, without humiliation—a single sword stroke sent their heads flying over a dozen meters away, trailing arcs of blood.
He stood there, slowly digesting the information he had obtained, remaining for a long time before finally leaving.
Shi Hao sought out the Big-Eyed Maiden and the others. They were unharmed, and after regrouping, they resumed their activities—hunting fierce beasts, refining bait, and capturing Sunfish.
It was still the same great lake, home to thousands of Sunfish. But after the last hunt, these creatures had grown cautious and wary, no longer falling for the bait.
Shi Hao spent two days there before finally tracking them down—partly due to the bait, but mostly thanks to his dual-pupil eyes, which allowed him to pinpoint their activity zone.
This time, he resorted to force, diving into the magma and engaging in a fierce battle, having provoked the Sunfish King. The fight was brutal.
Undeniably, the Sunfish King, leading thousands of powerful creatures, was terrifying. The entire vast magma lake boiled with their clash.
In the end, Shi Hao wounded it and captured over a thousand Sunfish. The fish king fled into the depths of the earth with its remaining followers, vanishing without a trace.
Shi Hao did not overstep—he took only what he needed, seeing no reason for extermination. When he returned, the other youths were ecstatic, gazing at him eagerly.
Shi Hao refined the Sunfish, this time sharing a significant portion with them. Their assistance had been crucial to his smooth cultivation progress.
After only half a day in seclusion, Shi Hao emerged again with a sigh. As expected, the divine essence within the Sunfish was now useless to him—or rather, its effects had diminished greatly.
Recently, he had been breaking through barriers with unstoppable momentum, reaching the late stage of the Engravement Realm in the shortest time possible. His body had developed a sort of “resistance” from consuming too many Sunfish.
“Ah, this is as far as it goes,” Shi Hao murmured regretfully.
The Heaven-Transforming Bowl still contained plenty of golden liquid. He distributed some more to the Big-Eyed Maiden and the others before setting off to find Huo Ling’er, guided by the black-clad men.
Huo Ling’er was also seeking her own opportunities, aiming to enter the Ancient Sacred Emperor’s Palace. She had been devising plans recently.
“So much divine liquid?” Huo Ling’er was stunned when Shi Hao handed her the Sunfish essence. The radiant glow illuminated her jade-like face brilliantly. This guy was truly incredible.
“Over a thousand Sunfish refined into divine liquid. I gave some away, but the rest is here. Thank you,” Shi Hao said sincerely.
This time, Huo Ling’er deserved the most gratitude—she had brought him into the Fire Nation’s ancestral land, granting him this tremendous opportunity.
“Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony,” Huo Ling’er said with a sweet smile, her eyes shimmering, her figure enchantingly alluring.
She then mentioned another matter. “By the way, while you were cultivating, some things happened in the outside world. The people from the Demon Spirit Lake went to the imperial capital and nearly tore down your Heavenly Marquis Residence. The Stone Emperor had to intervene and drive them away.”
Shi Hao’s eyes flickered upon hearing this. “Are they retaliating against me? I should pay a visit to the Void God Realm.”
He had long harbored the idea of hunting pure-blooded creatures in the Void God Realm, storming the ancient divine mountains, and sweeping through hostile forbidden lands.
But he also knew it would be perilous. The beings in those forbidden lands were terrifying—if they couldn’t deal with him in the Void God Realm, they might go berserk in the real world.
Thus, he had always been cautious, refraining from action.
Now, he felt it necessary to make a round—even if he didn’t go on a killing spree, he needed to intimidate them, lest they grow too arrogant.
“The savage child is back!”
As soon as this news spread, the Void God Realm trembled!
Now, Shi Hao was a figure of immense prestige in the Void God Realm—he had crushed the Rain Clan, the Tuoba Clan, and other ancient sects, even suppressing the Demon Spirit Lake. Who could rival him?
In this world constructed by the gods’ spiritual power, only Shi Yi could potentially halt his advance. Anyone else who tried would suffer greatly.
The great lake shimmered blue as Shi Hao arrived—the same place as before. With another slap, he shattered the Demon Spirit Lake’s grand gates, reducing the majestic entrance to dust.
The clan was furious but powerless.
“I warn you—behave from now on. Don’t go strutting around the Stone Nation, or I’ll wipe you all out.”
The onlookers were dumbfounded. Only he would dare say such things—no one else would be so brazen.
“Shi-named youth, don’t push too far. Even your nation’s Guardian Spirit will fall one day, let alone you,” a massive spider hissed ominously.
“The future is uncertain, but for now, you’d all better behave,” Shi Hao retorted before striding away, indifferent to the seething rage of the powerful creatures.
Shi Hao strolled around, drawing a crowd of followers eager to see what he would do next. Eventually, he arrived near the regions of the ancient divine mountains, causing widespread tension.
In the distance, the mountains loomed majestically, exuding an imposing aura. As Shi Hao approached the Heavenly Deity Mountain, an elder personally descended into the Void God Realm to speak with him, accompanied by a purple-clad maiden.
Yun Xi was speechless. This guy was truly lawless, growing ever more formidable. A mere action of his had alarmed her grandfather, forcing him to intervene.
“Young man, we’ve crossed paths before, and I don’t believe I’ve wronged you,” the old man said, uneasy, fearing the youth might go berserk and tear the place apart.
“You’ve wronged me plenty—tricking me into going to the North Sea, where I nearly died,” Shi Hao grumbled.
“That wasn’t my doing,” the old man replied, also attempting to reclaim the divine treasure—the armguard.
“I think you should give me the other one too, to make a pair. Do a good deed thoroughly,” Shi Hao said.
The old man was exasperated—there was no way he’d hand it over. But given the Heavenly Deity Mountain’s previous misdeeds, he had no grounds to reclaim the armguard.
The purple-clad Yun Xi, radiant and ethereal, stood to the side, gritting her teeth.
“What, still want to wrestle? You’re no match for me,” Shi Hao taunted, his gaze sweeping over her curvaceous, alluring figure.
Yun Xi bristled, feeling as if a caterpillar had crawled over her. Recalling past humiliations, she struggled to remain composed, itching to stomp him into the ground.
“By the way, I’ve always been curious—what race are you? I made a bet with her—if she lost, she’d guard my village. But she keeps breaking her word,” Shi Hao asked the elder, pointing at Yun Xi.
“We are a minor branch of the Celestial Race,” the elder declared proudly.
“Celestial Race? Is that famous? So, her guarding my village wouldn’t be a problem, right?” Shi Hao said, pointing at Yun Xi again.
The elder was speechless. Yun Xi seethed, her fair skin prickling with rage, resembling a furious little leopard ready to pounce.
“If one day you step beyond this domain and reach sufficient strength, you’ll understand what the Celestial Race represents—and you’ll be filled with awe,” the elder said.
He then advised Shi Hao against visiting other ancient divine mountains, as it would be futile. Even if he intimidated them in the Void God Realm, those mountains remained inviolable forbidden lands in reality.
—
**Fire Nation, Ancestral Land**
Shi Hao returned, opening his eyes. The one-month deadline was approaching—he had little time left.
He decided against further cultivation, opting instead to wander and adjust himself to peak condition.
“That’s the forbidden central zone of the ancestral land. It’s not entirely off-limits, but it’s extremely dangerous. Be careful—we wouldn’t dare enter,” the Big-Eyed Maiden and the others warned.
The forbidden land was unique—while the rest of the area was barren, this place boasted ancient trees rooted in magma, their foliage lush.
Shi Hao was astonished. Legend held that this was the birthplace of the Fire Nation’s Guardian Spirit, revered as divine soil.
Here, volcanoes abounded, and magma lakes were plentiful. Ancient trees wreathed in flames towered into the sky.
Upon entering, Shi Hao keenly sensed numerous powerful creatures lurking here—some even at the Marquis level!
“Firebirds!”
They were crimson raptors—some as large as hills, others only a few meters long, their bodies blazing with fiery light.
“Same clan as the Big Red Bird… Are these descendants of the Vermilion Bird?” Shi Hao murmured.
The Fire Nation bore its name for a reason, and their supreme treasure technique was a world-shaking fire-based divine ability. Rumors claimed their Guardian Spirit might be a Vermilion Bird.
Huo Ling’er had warned him not to kill here or provoke the creatures. Heeding her words, he proceeded cautiously.
He avoided the firebirds, not wanting to attract their attention. If conflict erupted, even the Fire Nation’s people might turn against him.
At the mouth of a volcano grew an enormous ancient tree, its bark cracked, its trunk gnarled like an old dragon coiled upon the earth, its roots drinking from the crimson magma, absorbing divine energy.
This tree was extraordinary—even from afar, its radiant glow was visible, its leaves crystalline, exuding dense spiritual energy.
Shi Hao approached, gazing up to spot a nest—not large, but shining like a miniature sun, pulsing with immense power.
The nest was barely over a foot in diameter, yet it emanated dazzling golden light.
Glancing around and finding the area deserted, Shi Hao scaled the tree with monkey-like agility, heading straight for the nest the size of a human face.
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