Seated before the celestial palace were several elders of exalted status, their profound cultivation marking them as supreme powerhouses of their respective factions. When one of them rose and spoke, the azure-haired youth immediately halted, not daring to act. Shi Hao stood there calmly, watching him, and said, “I didn’t start this. They pushed me too far.” The blood on the ground had yet to dry—the young warrior lay in pieces, his lifeblood staining the sacred mountain, casting Shi Hao in the image of a demonic child. How many dared to fight upon this sacred mountain in all these years? Many stared at him, shocked by his earlier dominance. The power of ten heavenly passages was indeed terrifying—just stepping into the Transformation Spirit Realm, yet already wielding such might. Even the violet-robed maiden and others gazed at him with shimmering eyes, studying him intently.
The sacred mountain fell into silence as everyone waited to see how the elders would respond.
“Who among us wasn’t reckless in our youth? We too were once unruly,” one elder chuckled warmly, his body radiating light, harboring no grudge.
“A mere trifle. Look back in a decade or a century, and this quarrel won’t even register as a ripple. Let it pass,” another elder added with a genial smile, glowing like a miniature sun.
What could have been a fierce battle was thus defused, and tranquility returned to the mountaintop.
“Everything is prepared. It’s time to set forth. Other alliances have already moved—if we delay, we’ll fall behind,” an elder declared.
“We have agreements with other clans and cannot intervene. This time, it’s all up to you,” the elders explained.
The emergence of the ancient divine nest and the impending revelation of the Kunpeng’s treasure technique had stirred the heavens. If these supreme powerhouses acted, who knew what devastation would follow? They had a pact—no direct confrontations, lest the entire Barren Domain be thrown into chaos. The younger generation would settle this, minimizing destruction. Whoever had the greatest fortune would claim the Kunpeng’s treasure technique.
In truth, these elders, having surpassed the Transformation Spirit Realm, were restricted from entering the Kunpeng’s nest. This was the main reason they refrained from fighting and left the task to their juniors. Had they been free to traverse those waters, they would have already fought tooth and nail, overturning heaven and earth.
“Act wisely. We will intervene if necessary to ensure no one breaks the rules,” an elder warned.
During the initial struggle, elders of this caliber wouldn’t participate—they couldn’t enter. But once the time came to leave the divine nest, things might change. A supreme elder might even slaughter all the juniors to claim the treasure technique.
Finally, they set off, a grand procession stepping into a five-colored channel—the sacred mountain’s path to the heavens.
“That sea is perilous, having claimed countless lives since antiquity. Only recently did we learn it was due to the Kunpeng. Be cautious,” the elders advised before departure.
At the last moment, the violet-robed maiden’s grandfather appeared—the primary elder who had opened the five-colored channel, exuding solemn majesty. When Shi Hao greeted him upon entering, the elder stiffened, his face darkening. His hand trembled, causing the channel to quake, terrifying many.
“Heh…” Another elder snickered.
This was the guardian of a clan, a supreme powerhouse who had once been beaten by the “holy terror” in the Void God Realm. His old acquaintances still found it amusing.
The elder of the Heavenly Deity Mountain—grandfather to the violet-robed maiden—clenched his teeth, tempted to smack the brat for his insolence. But he restrained himself.
“Holy terror!” he finally spat, exhaling a gale that sent Shi Hao tumbling deep into the channel.
“Hey! We haven’t caught up yet! I wanted to ask for your guidance!” the childish voice echoed, making the elder’s hand tremble again, violently shaking the channel.
At last, the army departed—divine servants, guards, and youths of the Transformation Spirit Realm, numbering nearly six or seven hundred.
It felt like traversing the starry river, racing along the channel as time seemed to warp. After what felt like an eternity, a glimmer of light appeared ahead, accompanied by the briny scent of the sea. They had traveled millions of miles, far from the sacred mountain.
“Ah! This is… magnificent!” The holy terror’s eyes widened as he stepped onto the soft sand, utterly awed.
Having grown up in the wilderness, surrounded by mountains and the roars of beasts, the sight of the boundless ocean was a profound shock.
“The sea is truly vast,” Shi Hao murmured. He had seen many great lakes, but compared to this, they were mere puddles.
The golden beach soon filled with people emerging from the five-colored channel. Most remained composed before the grandeur of the ocean.
“This is the North Sea, the northernmost edge of the Barren Domain,” a divine servant announced.
The sea surged, waves roaring like thunder, the horizon a seamless blend of sky and water, humbling all who beheld it.
“Could the legends be true? Are there dragon palaces and sea gods beneath these waters?” Shi Hao mused.
“Silence! Do not speak of taboos by the sea, lest you invite calamity,” warned an elderly golden beast, now Shi Hao’s minder, tasked with keeping him in check.
Several elders unrolled ancient scrolls on the sand, studying them to pinpoint their destination.
“We must cross the sea. That region is perilous—if we take the five-colored channel, we might all perish in the void.”
“This sea has never been peaceful. Its denizens are terrifyingly powerful. Be vigilant,” cautioned an elder shrouded in silver light.
Finally, a youth produced a small boat carved from a fruit pit. It expanded instantly into a resplendent vessel, glowing with auspicious light.
“Let us cross to that sea,” the violet-robed maiden declared. She, the silver-haired maiden, the crimson-haired youth, and the azure-haired youth—along with Shi Hao—were the expedition’s core, destined to battle within the Kunpeng’s nest.
They boarded the ship, which surged forward like a moving mountain, cutting through the waves.
But after a thousand miles, disaster struck.
A colossal silver fin emerged, colliding with the ship. Lightning erupted, shattering the vessel and killing many.
“Damn beast!” an elder roared, unfurling a beast hide to shield them.
Another elder spread a second hide, rescuing the survivors.
Hundreds had perished in an instant.
“You vile creature! Why attack us?” a divine servant demanded, battling the silver fish.
“You land-dwellers killed my children!” the fish bellowed, unleashing another lightning storm.
The elders barely repelled it, but the fish escaped, wounded.
“This journey will not be peaceful,” they sighed.
Ascending into the sky on the beast hide, they pressed on.
Two hours later, they encountered blue-skinned sea demons—thousands of them, attacking en masse.
“Break through!” an elder blew a horn, its sound shattering the demons’ formations.
They fled, but the sea remained treacherous.
Then came the sound of galloping hooves.
A headless warrior in black armor rode a black horse across the waves, wielding a golden halberd.
“This is an ancient warrior’s remnant spirit! We cannot face this!”
The halberd slashed, splitting their hide and killing many.
Shi Hao watched, stunned. The sea was even more perilous than the wilderness.
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