Tenth Grotto-Heaven?

Shi Hao's entire body was glowing. Beneath his skin, every cell and pore transformed into a miniature divine furnace, vibrating frantically as they strained to inhale as much vital essence as possible.

In a trance, he felt as if he had transformed into a supreme Primordial Demonic Bird, soaring through a chaotic universe. With a single gulp, he could devour billions of living beings, or even an entire galaxy.

"BOOM!"

The void shuddered. A brand-new Heaven-Earth Cave appeared with a rumble outside the original nine, and surging vital essence erupted like molten lava before flowing back into his body.

The tenth Heaven-Earth Cave, complete!

"Has the tenth Heaven-Earth Cave, which only appears in the Mythical Age, finally emerged?"

Shi Hao opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face. Just as he was about to retract the ten caves into his body, the ten caves, standing in a ring, gently broke free from his command and began to shine upon one another.

As countless rays of light intertwined, a phantom of an entirely new cave slowly formed in the center of the ten. Though its form was not yet stable—even bordering on collapse—it was exceptionally dazzling.

"Uh, the... the eleventh Heaven-Earth Cave!!"

The smile on Little Shi's face froze instantly as he stared blankly at that central cave.

By the Willow Deity, what was he supposed to do if he suddenly grew an extra cave while cultivating? What happened to ten being the ultimate limit? What happened to it being an unattainable, world-shaking feat!

I think I might be sick! And it's serious!

After retracting all the caves, Shi Hao couldn't help but fall into deep contemplation.

Time ticked by second by second. Little Shi, still posing as a thinker, seemed to sense something; he raised his head and frowned toward the depths of the mountain forest.

Within his perception, a group of powerful lifeforms was rapidly approaching. Their path was clear; they were definitely coming for him.

It should be that group from the Heaven Mending Pavilion. The leader is Xia Youyu, the senior sister of this generation and a prodigy as famous as the Golden Valkyrie of the Deer Chasing Academy. But why are they here?

Shi Hao thought thoughtfully.

He had noticed this group earlier while battling the Five-Colored Peacock.

He hadn't had the time to spare them a glance then, so he had ignored them. He hadn't expected them to actively track him down. What a nuisance.

He had no intention of joining the Heaven Mending Pavilion.

Strictly speaking, the only thing of value in the Heaven Mending Pavilion was that fragment of bone from a Kunpeng descendant. But since the Kunpeng Nest in the North Sea contained the complete Kunpeng technique, why would he bother trying to comprehend a knockoff?

Besides, the Sacrificial Spirit of the Heaven Mending Pavilion, the Ancient Divine Vine, had its divine fire extinguished and was on the verge of perishing. That place was a hotbed of trouble, with the eyes of many top sects fixed upon it.

However, if the opportunity arose in the future, he might pay a visit to that dying deity.

"Ugh, women are such a hassle!"

Shi Hao patted his backside and stood up. With a shake of his body, he transformed into a Golden Winged Roc and tore through the void, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"

A moment later, the sound of wind being torn apart erupted as a dozen figures in sturdy attire surrounded the spot where Little Shi had been standing.

"He sensed something and left early."

"This is the divine egg laid by a descendant of a Primordial God King. No wonder that Five-Colored Peacock chased him so madly, intent on killing him."

"Heavens, the jade-like egg fluid inside the five-colored divine egg has been completely devoured. Is he not afraid of being burned to ashes by the sea of life essence?"

Several capable attendants stepped forward, simulating the situation within a few breaths.

"Hmph, that little brat is not cute at all!"

Xia Youyu, her clothes as white as snow, stamped her jade foot. Her bright, watery eyes were filled with resentment. She wasn't some flood dragon or wild beast; why did he have to shut her out?

"Keep searching! This lady will definitely bring him back to the Heaven Mending Pavilion!"

After a long while, the senior sister of the Heaven Mending Pavilion bit her red lip and issued the order in a huff.

Unfortunately, this group was destined to return empty-handed.

Having shaken off the Heaven Mending Pavilion's party, Little Shi did not rush into the territory of the ancient kingdoms ahead. Instead, he chose to dive back into the perilous Great Wilderness to continue his training.

After the lesson from the Five-Colored Peacock, he didn't provoke any terrifying Spirit Inscription Realm great demons. Instead, he specifically chose to hunt and kill wild, primordial exotic beasts of the Spirit Transformation Realm, extracting their divine energy to stabilize his newly opened cave.

It wasn't until he had traversed the vast Great Wilderness once more that Little Shi, still feeling unfulfilled, turned back toward the border of the ancient kingdom. It was time to go and see the other him.

The sky over the dilapidated manor was dim and gloomy, as lonely as the manor's owner, who was nearing the end of his life. Everything felt listless.

"Grandpa Hai, you must come visit often when you have time!"

A thin, lame boy sat on the steps, waving loudly to the old man driving the beast-drawn cart—the kind-hearted old man who delivered fruits and vegetables on a schedule.

"I certainly will!"

The old man driving the cart replied first, then muttered with a complex look in his eyes, "Sigh, of the four old ancestors in the manor, only one is left now. Once the last one passes, how will this child survive..."

"Seeing as the last old fossil in the manor is about to go, we can finally be free of this place."

"Who's to say otherwise? We've served this old man and the young one for so long; we've had enough."

Not far from the lame boy, two sturdy servants spoke back and forth, intentionally raising their voices loud enough to be heard, showing not a shred of respect for their station.

"So, have all the servants in this manor been bought off?"

On a distant hillside, Shi Hao watched everything with cold eyes before leaping forward, heading straight for the deepest part of the manor.

Deep within the desolate estate, the dilapidated house leaked wind from every direction.

A white-haired old man lay on the bed, his breath as thin as gossamer, his chest rising and falling faintly; he had long since lost the imposing spirit that had once commanded the winds and clouds in his youth.

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

Among the imperial kinsmen of the Stone Kingdom, Shi Jian'an held a very high seniority. He was the full brother of Shi Hao's great-grandfather. Even the Great Demonic God Shi Zhongtian, Shi Hao's grandfather, had to address him as Eighth Uncle, and his father, Shi Ziling, called him Eighth Grandfather.

This old man was very close to Shi Hao's lineage. Back when Shi Ziling's family of three had briefly stayed at the Second Ancestral Land, it was he and a few old companions who had stepped forward to host them warmly.

After Little Shi left, it was this same old man who, to divert attention, had offered up his own great-grandson to impersonate the former, enduring humiliation ever since.

In his youth, he had been righteous and intolerant of evil, but his harsh methods led to repeated impeachments. Eventually, he committed a grave error, resulting in the Human Emperor ordering him to be stripped of his titles and exiled to the Second Ancestral Land for imprisonment.

Due to a flare-up of old injuries and the malicious cutting off of his supply of medicinal treasures, he now hung by a thread.

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

In his dying moments, the old man, riddled with illness, thought of many things while clinging to his attachment to the world.

He thought of the Stone Kingdom, the Human Emperor, the Martial King Manor, and that Imperial Capital filled with both love and hate.

(Shi Jian'an was the eighth among his peers, while Shi Hao's great-grandfather was the third.)

"Great-grandfather, you are ill. Come, take this medicine."

In a daze, a figure walked up to the bedside and helped the old man swallow a medicinal treasure.