Chapter 1921
He returned to the higher realm, leaving the eight regions.
The Desolate Region that made him feel grief and joy, made him feel worry, was where he was born. There were too many memories from that place, but now, he didn’t really want to go back.
Shi Hao returned to Imperial Court, starting to cultivate bitterly, wishing to increase his own strength, wishing to break through more and more urgently.
Several years later, in the depths of the stars, within a dusky land, on a ruined star no one paid attention to, someone opened their eyes. It was as if cold lightning cut through the void.
It was precisely Shi Hao. He came to the depths of the cosmos alone to comprehend the dao!
In front of him was a rock that flowed with brilliant colors, releasing waves of rumbling sounds. If a cultivator from the Celestial Clan was here, they would definitely recognize that this was their ancestral artifact -- Immortal Ascension Stone.
This stone was precisely what Shi Hao removed from the City of Heaven.
Back then, the karma he shared with this clan wasn’t small. In the end, he seized this stone, settling the grudge.
Hong!
Suddenly, Shi Hao’s figure disappeared, entering a metal stele. Immortal radiance erupted in the void, the fluctuations intense, erupting with astonishing aura.
One could see two creatures fighting a great battle on that stele. It was extremely intense, a struggle of life and death, the two sides clearly risking their lives.
The Void Immortal Gold Stele had an extraordinary background. Back then, when Shi Hao entered Immortal Domain with Sanzang and Shenming, this Void Immortal Gold Stele was something Sanzang discovered in Immortal Domain, in the end exchanging it with Shi Hao.
According to his suspicions, this was an object from the Age of Emperor Collapse. The Void Immortal Gold Stele had unrivaled scriptures recorded on it, but this piece didn’t have any scriptures carved on it yet.
Otherwise, it would be an unmatched supreme treasure!
Back then, when Shi Hao obtained the Immortal Ascension Stone, the stele had previously showed a reaction, releasing a mysterious dao sound.
However, after that experience, even though the Immortal Ascension Stone and the Void Immortal Gold Stele were placed together, there were no more resonation events.
Only several hundred years later did Shi Hao truly fully unearth the secrets of this Void Immortal Gold Stele.
It indeed didn’t record any scriptures, but what was recorded was even more terrifying than scriptures, many times more precious.
If Sanzang knew, he definitely wouldn’t have exchanged it!
Once, Shi Hao held the Immortal Ascension Stone, entering the deepest state of dao comprehension, seizing the dao sound released by the Void Immortal Gold Stele. This was a piece of ancient incantation that could be used to activate the stele.
When cultivators faced it, it would be like facing a mirror, able to see another self. The most terrifying thing was that this replicated self seemed real, having blood and flesh, so it could be fought against!
Fighting a life and death struggle against another copy of oneself, this could examine one’s true limit.
This was basically defying the heavens. One was fighting against themself, not ending until one side perished!
No one understood one better than themselves. This type of battle was too astonishing, the two both understanding the other side, able to seize the slightest openings in the other side’s movements, attack those areas ferociously.
In the recent hundreds of years, if not for his parents, Yun Xi and others entering their late years, Shi Hao would have long used this Void Immortal Gold Stele to go all out. He would have definitely frantically cultivated, fight against himself.
Only, when those people passed their prime, they might grow old and pass away at any time. He couldn’t enter seclusion, risk disappearing for hundreds of years, he wanted to remain with them a bit more.
Pu!
Divine blood splashed in all directions. Inside the Void Immortal Gold Stele, after experiencing several months of a great battle, a figure staggered backwards. It was precisely Shi Hao. After a life and death great battle ended, he withdrew in utter exhaustion.
It was because he fought against himself, not other creatures. This was the greatest opponent.
This battle continued for several months, just too long, that type of scene unimaginable. Many times, when he was about to display a killing blow, the other ‘self’ already knew.
The two individuals’ dao skills were the same, combat strength comparable, fighting spirits also similar, neither of them would be weaker than the other.
A hundred years hurriedly passed.
During this period of time, every few months or a few years, Shi Hao would enter the Void Immortal Gold Stele, experience the threat of death, bathe in his own true blood.
This was an incomparable type of great battle, a struggle against himself.
Shi Hao went crazy, cultivating like he was mad just like that.
These weren’t just words. Every time he went into the Void Immortal Gold Stele, he experienced the test of life and death. A single bit of carelessness and he would die.
According to his deductions, if he died in the Void Immortal Gold Stele, then his real body would completely disappear as well, as if killed by his other self.
It could actually threaten his real body!
Shi Hao wanted to break through the final bottleneck, achieve immortality in the world of mortals!
That was why he went all out, continuously fighting life and death battles, competing against himself, trying to understand his own weaknesses through this type of strange battle, perfecting his own techniques.
After a thousand years, Shi Hao, in the eyes of the people of this world, was already thirteen thousand years old.
In the past thousand years, no one saw him, all of them wondering where he was. They didn’t know where he was, just how strong he became.
“Master!”
That day, the Crimson Dragon suddenly appeared, transmitting sound from the distance.
With a hong sound, Shi Hao emerged from seclusion, his entire body covered in blood, withdrawing from the Void Immortal Gold Stele.
After fighting for a thousand years, he continued to remain standing without falling, not dying. This could be considered a miracle.
Shi Hao had previously ordered that unless there was a major event, they shouldn’t disturb him.
Now, he sensed how worried the Crimson Dragon was, so he immediately came out, seeing it.
“Master, that divine wolf has appeared again!” The Crimson Dragon said.
Shi Hao had previously left special instructions that once they noticed it, that they shouldn’t scare off that giant wolf, instead immediately contact him.
Hong!
Immediately afterwards, Shi Hao’s figure carried endless brilliance, wrapping around the Crimson Dragon, leaving the depths of the cosmos, heading straight for Desolate Border’s uninhabited region.
When he got close, he retracted all of his aura, silently approaching.
Sure enough, the other side’s creatures came, attacking that passage again. The ghost immortals and two heroic spirits were guarding that area, subduing the creatures who crossed over.
Among them was a giant black wolf, even more massive than a mountain. When it walked out from that passage, it was extremely cautious, hiding there, watching everyone break through the pass.
Chi!
Shi Hao couldn’t hold himself back anymore. This time, he suddenly descended, arriving outside that passage. Then, he quickly reached out a large hand, wishing to subdue that giant wolf.
Hou!
The giant black wolf suddenly raised its head. A black flame wrapped around it, burning the void, the temperature terrifyingly high, extremely horrifying.
Even Shi Hao was given a fright. After thousands of years passed, this demonic wolf’s cultivation erupted to this level?
“En? Something’s not right!” Shi Hao sensed that there was another creature in the passage, that this was the one who was activating the darkness flame, protecting the giant wolf. This was a darkness flame that left even true immortals in apprehension.
Shi Hao withdrew his hand, not touching it directly, instead taking a few steps back. His expression was rigid, breathing a bit rushed, heart rising and falling intensely.
Footsteps sounded, extremely light and graceful, carrying a sense of rhythm. The great dao trembled, the void also resonating in response.
This was a black-clothed woman, there were fine and detailed demonic patterns on her spotlessly white forehead. Her eyes were deep like stars, beautiful and stunning.
This was especially the case with the demonic patterns on her forehead, even more so adding a bit of bewitching beauty traits!
This woman was extremely beautiful, but what was most captivating was her temperament, as if she was high up above, looking down on all life. She carried an expression of indifference as she walked out of the passage, as if she was waiting for all life to bow down.
Many creatures from the other side backed off, opening up a path for her, extremely respectful.
That giant black wolf’s figure shrank, only stopping when it reached a zhang in size. Then, it bowed down, waiting for that woman to sit on it.
This vicious demonic wolf was now docile like a little cat, just too obedient. Only when the woman sat on it did it get up, carry her, looking down on all sides.
“How could it be like this?”
Shi Hao muttered to himself. He stared at that woman, and then cried out loudly, “It’s you, it really is you!”
He was too familiar with this woman, her past voice and smiles as if fresh in his memories. The past joys and sorrows were still reflected in his heart. The past promises were still echoing about.
However, in the end, the Fire Mulberry Flowers blossomed, yet he couldn’t go back, stuck in Desolate Border’s war.
Only when the Fire Mulberry Blossoms all fell did he return, but nothing was there anymore.
Shi Hao would never forget that day when a large hand reached over Desolate Border, smashing through Imperial Pass’ walls, crossing over who knew how many provinces before seizing Sin Province. That scene would forever be engraved in his mind.
That day, he vaguely saw a young lady stand at the Fire Mulberry Forest’s side, waiting alone, in despair, following the entire province to the other side of Desolate Border.
From then on, she never appeared, they were forever unable to meet again.
Shi Hao felt sentimental, unable to help but cry out, his voice carrying a bit of sorrow. They actually met again under this type of circumstances.
On the other side, in that woman’s surroundings, there was a raging flame aura that burned ferociously, black flames burning the heavens. Meanwhile, in its surroundings, there were True Phoenixes and Vermilion Birds that cried, formed from a black blaze.
A clear fragrance wafted over from the skies, flower petals fluttering about, sparkling like a rain of light. These were Fire Mulberry Blossoms!