The Tenth Grotto-Heaven?

Shi Hao's entire body glowed. Every cell and pore beneath his skin turned into a tiny furnace, rumbling wildly as they struggled to absorb as much primordial essence as possible.

In a daze, he seemed to transform into a supreme Ancient Demonic Bird, soaring through the chaotic cosmos. With a single gulp, he could devour billions of living beings—even an entire galaxy.

Boom!

The Void trembled as a brand-new Grotto-Heaven rumbled into being beyond the other nine. Rolling primordial essence poured out like scorching lava, then flowed back into his body.

The tenth Grotto-Heaven was complete!

"Has the tenth Grotto-Heaven, something seen only in the Mythological Era, finally appeared?"

Shi Hao opened his eyes, delight showing on his face. He was about to draw the ten Grotto-Heavens back into his body when they gently slipped free of his summons. Arranged in a ring, they shone upon one another.

Amid a weave of countless rays of light, a brand-new Grotto-Heaven slowly took shape in the center of the ten. Its form was still unstable, almost on the verge of collapse, yet it dazzled with an extraordinary brilliance.

"Uh, the... the eleventh Grotto-Heaven?!"

The smile on Little Shi's face abruptly froze. He stared blankly at the Grotto-Heaven in the center.

Willow Deity above, how was he supposed to deal with suddenly gaining another Grotto-Heaven while cultivating? Wasn't ten supposed to be the limit? Wasn't it supposed to be an unprecedented achievement?

"I think I might be sick! Seriously sick!"

After drawing all his Grotto-Heavens back in, Shi Hao sank into deep thought.

As the seconds ticked by, Little Shi struck a thoughtful pose. Then, as though sensing something, he raised his head and frowned toward the depths of the forest.

He sensed a group of beings with no weak auras rapidly approaching. They were heading straight for him, their purpose unmistakable.

"It should be that group from the Heaven Mending Pavilion. Their leader is Xia Youyu, the Pavilion's senior sister this generation—a prodigy as renowned as the Golden Valkyrie of Deer Chasing Academy. But what are they here for?"

Shi Hao pondered.

He had already noticed this group while fighting the Five-Colored Peacock.

But he had been too busy to pay them any attention at the time. He hadn't expected them to come looking for him. What a nuisance.

He had no intention of going to the Heaven Mending Pavilion.

Strictly speaking, the only thing of value there was a bone from a Kunpeng descendant. But the North Sea Kunpeng Nest held the complete Kunpeng Technique, so why bother seeking out that counterfeit to study?

Besides, the Heaven Mending Pavilion's Sacrificial Spirit, the Ancient Divine Vine, had extinguished its divine flame and was on the verge of death. It was a place rife with trouble, watched by numerous top-tier sects.

Still, if the opportunity arose in the future, he could pay a visit to that god who was about to die.

"Ugh, women are such a hassle!"

Shi Hao brushed off his backside and rose. With a flash, he transformed into a Golden Winged Roc, tore through the Void, and vanished in an instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A moment later, the wind whistled as more than a dozen figures in fitted clothes converged from all directions, arriving at the spot where Little Shi had stood.

"He sensed something and left ahead of time."

"This is the divine egg laid by a descendant of an Ancient God King. No wonder that Five-Colored Peacock chased him so furiously and attacked with such murderous intent."

"Good heavens, he devoured all the emerald liquid inside the Five-Colored divine egg. Wasn't he afraid the vast sea of life essence would burn him to ashes?"

Several capable attendants stepped forward. In just a few breaths, they pieced together what had happened.

"Hmph, that little fellow really isn't cute at all!"

Xia Youyu, dressed in white as pure as snow, stamped her jade foot. Her limpid eyes were full of grievance. It wasn't as though she were some man-eating monster. Why had he been so determined to avoid her?

"Keep searching! I swear I'll bring him back to the Heaven Mending Pavilion!"

A moment later, the Pavilion's senior sister bit her lip and issued the order in a huff.

Unfortunately, her group was destined to find nothing.

After shaking off the Heaven Mending Pavilion's group, Little Shi didn't hurry into the Ancient Kingdom's territory ahead. Instead, he turned around and plunged once more into the perilous Great Wilderness to continue his training.

Having learned his lesson from the Five-Colored Peacock, he no longer picked fights with terrifying Inscription Realm great demons. Instead, he specifically sought out primordial beasts in the Spirit Transformation Realm to battle and kill, drawing out their divine energy to stabilize his newly opened Grotto-Heaven.

Only after he had once again crossed a hundred thousand miles of the Great Wilderness did Little Shi finally turn around, still reluctant to leave, and head toward the border of the Ancient Kingdom. It was time to meet his other self.

The sky above the dilapidated manor was dim and gloomy, as lonely as the manor's master, who was nearing the end of his life. Everything seemed listless.

"Grandpa Hai, be sure to come by whenever you can!"

A thin, lame boy sat on the steps, loudly waving goodbye to the old man driving away in a beast-drawn cart. The kind old man regularly brought him fruits and vegetables.

"I certainly will!"

The old man driving the beast cart answered, then murmured with a complicated look, "Sigh, of the four old ancestors in the manor, only one is still alive. What will happen to this child when the last ancestor passes away..."

"The last Old Immortal in the manor is about to go, too. Then we can finally be free."

"You can say that again. We've served that old man and the boy for so long; we're sick of it."

Not far from the lame child, two sturdy servants traded remarks, deliberately raising their voices. They didn't act like servants in the slightest.

"So the manor's servants have all been bought off?"

From a distant hillside, Shi Hao watched coldly. Then he leaped into the air and headed straight for the deepest part of the manor.

The depths of the deserted estate were utterly silent. The dilapidated houses let the wind blow through them from every direction.

An old man with white hair lay on a bed, his breath faint and his chest rising and falling slightly. The commanding presence that had once shaken the world in his prime was long gone.

Shi Jian'an, an Inscription Realm expert and a Heavenly Marquis of the Stone Kingdom's imperial clan.

Among the Stone Kingdom's imperial relatives, Shi Jian'an was of an exceptionally senior generation. He and Shi Hao's great-grandfather were full brothers, born of the same mother. When Little Shi's grandfather, the Great Demon God Shi Zhongtian, saw him, he had to call him Eighth Uncle; his father, Shi Ziling, called him Eighth Granduncle.

The old man was closely connected to Shi Hao's branch of the family. Back when Shi Ziling's family of three briefly stayed at the Second Ancestral Land, he and several old friends had warmly welcomed them.

After Little Shi left, the old man had offered up his own great-grandson to draw people's attention, having the child impersonate him ever since and endure endless humiliation.

In his youth, he had hated evil and acted ruthlessly. As a result, he was repeatedly impeached. In the end, he made a grave mistake, and the Human Emperor ordered his title stripped away before sending him to the Second Ancestral Land under guard.

His old ailment had flared up, and his supply of precious medicines had been maliciously cut off. Now his life hung by a thread.

"My great-grandson, and the child left behind by Third Brother's branch back then... The Stone Kingdom has treated our branch unjustly..."

At death's door, the ailing old man thought of all he still cherished in this world.

The Stone Kingdom, the Human Emperor, the Martial King Manor, and the Imperial Capital, which he both loved and hated.

(Shi Jian'an ranked eighth among his generation, while Shi Hao's great-grandfather ranked third.)

"Great-grandfather, you're sick. Here, take your medicine."

In a daze, a figure came up beside him and helped him swallow a precious pill.