Crossing the Great Wilderness

Time flies like a passing white horse, and the years slip away like flowing water.

Two years have passed, and Stone Village, this ancient ancestral land, has finally begun to shed its raw, unpolished exterior. It has reclaimed a trace of the grandeur from the primordial era, becoming increasingly profound and substantial.

"You wish to travel far?"

Beside the ancient courtyard, the scorched Willow Deity has shed most of its charred bark, and more willow branches have begun to sprout, vibrant with life.

"Yes, Willow Deity."

"I have remained at the Cave Heaven Realm for two years, yet I am unable to open the tenth cave heaven. Since stillness is not as effective as movement, and my cultivation has hit a bottleneck, I have decided to set it aside and go out for a walk."

"Perhaps I will have unexpected gains once I have seen the vast Great Wilderness. The tenth cave heaven must be opened; if I were to advance to the Spirit Transformation Realm with only nine, my path of cultivation would surely be incomplete."

The delicate youth, looking only seven or eight years old, possessed a remarkably steady temperament.

"In the primordial era, heaven-tier ferocious beasts like the True Hou and Pixiu would cast their young into the perilous Great Wilderness to temper them, forcing them to travel one hundred thousand miles alone."

"It is good for you to go out and see the world, to witness the laws of the outside and consolidate your own Dao fruit."

The Willow Deity expressed approval and asked, "Do you have a destination in mind?"

"I do. Shi Hao intends to visit the second ancestral land."

"I heard that a child who shares my name is suffering in my stead there. I wish to bring him back to the village and, while I am at it, see exactly what kind of people the other branch of our clan beyond the mountains are."

Because the Stone Clan Holy Emperor had intentionally severed the connection between the ancient kingdom and the ancestral land, later generations of clansmen, in their search for their roots, designated the first land their ancestors set foot upon—the western frontier of the ancient kingdom—as the second ancestral land, where they performed regular sacrifices.

However, the frontier was cold and desolate, with few inhabitants. The second ancestral land had gradually become a place of exile for the disgraced descendants of the Stone Kingdom's imperial family, consisting only of the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

Years ago, after Shi Ziling and his wife caused an uproar at the Martial King Manor over Shi Hao, powerful clan elders had them exiled to the second ancestral land to atone for their sins, and they had stayed there briefly.

"Very well. Remember to bid farewell to the clan elders."

The Willow Deity's words were concise, and it said no more.

Shi Hao nodded gently and turned to enter the village.

In the deepest part of the ancient courtyard, an old man with golden light flowing over his body suddenly opened his eyes. Within his pupils, countless Bone Texts intertwined, faintly forming an inverted cross that radiated monstrous battle intent.

Inscription Realm—he was actually a powerful human prince.

"Little Stone, why have you come?"

The old village chief, Shi Yunfeng, stood up abruptly, his body emitting occasional "crackling" sounds. In these two years, it was not only Little Stone who had made progress.

As Shi Hao grew older, out of consideration for his self-esteem, the villagers gradually stopped using his childhood nickname, "Little One," and instead affectionately called him "Little Stone."

"Grandpa Chief, I wish to travel far to the western frontier of the ancient kingdom to bring back the other me."

Shi Hao walked inside slowly and stated his purpose directly.

Ever since the old village chief learned from the Willow Deity that Little Stone's memories had "awakened," he had taken an opportunity to tell him the truth about everything that had happened back then.

"Go to the second ancestral land?"

The old village chief's movements paused before returning to normal, his gaze becoming increasingly complex. "When your Supreme Bone was dug out, Ziling and his wife took you to the second ancestral land seeking help, but there was nothing there but a group of the old, weak, sick, and disabled. They had no choice but to venture deeper into the Great Wilderness."

"They found this village according to a fragmented ancient map and entrusted you to us. But the village was already in decline at the time and could do nothing. They had no choice but to head to the primordial divine mountains where pure-blooded Golden Winged Rocs and True Hou reside to seek holy medicine, hoping for a glimmer of survival."

Little Stone listened calmly, neither impatient nor restless.

At this moment, Shi Ziling and his wife were far away at Mount Immortal in the Mystic Domain, the ancestral home of his mother, Qin Yining. They were accompanied by another child and provided with ample cultivation resources; although their personal freedom was restricted and they could not leave at will, they were at least safe.

The pure-blooded creatures residing on the primordial divine mountains would not dare to lay a hand on them.

"When your family of three arrived at the second ancestral land, there were still four or five grand-uncles who shared a deep connection with your lineage. Now that six or seven years have passed, I do not know how many of them are still alive."

"The frontier is bitter and cold, and those exiled there are all people who committed grave mistakes. With their resources cut off, their situation is not good. If there are still grand-uncles of our clan alive when you arrive, remember to bring them back to the village together."

Speaking of this, the old village chief patted Little Stone's shoulder heavily, his tone solemn. "We will take the clansmen that that branch does not want; we will provide for the clansmen that that branch does not feed."

"Yes, I will definitely bring them all back to the village."

At this moment, Shi Hao felt as if he had been struck by an inexplicable electric current, his entire body tingling and his blood boiling. He stood tall, filled with righteous fervor, and shouted his agreement.

Shi Hao left, departing the village all alone.

The adult Azure Heaven Roc was at a critical period of transformation from the Inscription Realm to the Array Formation King Realm and had fallen into a long slumber, with no telling when it would wake.

The three young Azure Heaven Rocs had grown up and were already exotic beasts of the Cave Heaven Realm.

However, since Shi Hao intended to traverse the Great Wilderness to temper himself, he naturally would not simply sit on an Azure Heaven Roc to fly over the three hundred thousand miles of wilderness. He chose to set off on foot.

In the Great Wilderness, primordial exotic beasts roamed, and danger lurked everywhere.

Shi Hao ventured three hundred thousand miles into the Great Wilderness alone, risking his life and experiencing hundreds of bloody battles. He slaughtered one ferocious bird and exotic beast after another, finally approaching the frontier of the ancient kingdom in the third month after leaving the village.

At dawn, mist permeated the air; it was the moment when all things were still asleep.

"Whoosh!"

A sudden, sharp whistling sound of wind being torn apart erupted. A delicate youth of seven or eight years old, wearing a pair of Vermilion Bird wings as red as blood, skimmed close to the ground, cutting through the wind and waves as he sped through the dense forest of towering ancient trees.

The youth clutched a five-colored treasure egg that emitted a rich, fluorescent glow, glancing back from time to time as if some terrifying creature were chasing him from behind.

The millstone-sized Five-Colored Peacock egg was incredibly brilliant and vivid, covered in dense, mysterious patterns and radiating soaring rays of light; it was clearly no ordinary object.

"BOOM!"

At the same time, from deep within the mountain ranges, a five-colored divine light suddenly shot into the sky. A massive Five-Colored Peacock let out an enraged shriek, leaped from its nest atop the peak, and dove straight toward the delicate-looking youth.

Heh, only just noticed? This descendant of the ancient divine bird, the Peacock King, doesn't seem very bright. If I swallow this five-colored divine egg, I should be able to successfully open my tenth Heavenly Passage, right? Not bad, not bad at all.

Feeling the vast, sea-like life force behind him, Shi Hao clutched the five-colored egg tightly to his chest, licking his lips with a wicked grin.

He then violently flapped his Vermilion Bird wings, accelerating as he streaked toward the horizon.

Half an hour later.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

A torrential five-colored divine light washed down. Wherever the rays passed, forests and jagged rocks were leveled, causing the mountains to tremble and the earth to groan.

"Damn, you're still chasing me? It's just one egg! Just lay another one."

Amidst the sky-filling barrage, the fiery red figure was in a precarious state, narrowly dodging the sweeping five-colored divine light time and time again.

"ROAR!"

The next moment, a roar of pure, unadulterated rage erupted. A monstrous killing intent surged like a tidal wave, shaking the mountain range as the Five-Colored Peacock accelerated in pursuit.