Chapter 539 - Unfulfilled Aspirations

The God Sealing Battle was about to start!

In the next few days, everything was going to end. Shi Hao felt extremely empty inside, because from that day forth, he would only be able to think about the Willow Deity from far away. It was unknown if they were going to be eternally separated from that day forward. 

Chi la!

Up in the heavens, lightning and thunder rumbled. Golden serpents danced about in the dark clouds. A few indistinct gods and devils emerged, their enormous bodies radiating a powerful aura. They were about to cross realms. 

The little pagoda was astonished. With a 

xiu

 sound, it flew high into the sky and stared into the ends of the horizon. 

“I had thought that there would be a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers that would descend and that several sects were going to work together to sweep this place clean. I never expected that it would be even worse than what I had previously thought.”

The little pagoda appeared above the imperial palace, releasing a wave of cold intent. It knew what that was. 

There were powerful creatures that were going to arrive, and none of them were ordinary. However, even more of them were heroic spirits that had been summoned from the underworld earth. They were going to cross realms to carry out a comprehensive search of the wasteland region. 

The so-called underworld earth were a few ancient, well-known battlefields. They were full of yin energy, which gathers all types of heroic spirits and prevents them from scattering, thus making it their home. 

The higher realms had underworld earth, and a few of them were even more full of yin energy and excessively sinister. It was rumored that these areas were close to becoming lands of reincarnation. 

At the ends of the horizon, lightning flashed and thunder rolled. It was clear that someone was opening underworld earth and calling endless heroic spirits to the wasteland region all for the sake of finding some natural forces in this world. 

For the creatures of the lower realm, this was a great disaster!

Once the underworld earth was brought out, for the next few days, it would be difficult to imagine just how many heroic spirits would rush into the wasteland region. At that time, it would definitely be a great catastrophe. Yin energy would surround this place, and tens of thousands of creatures would wither away.

“Who is it that did such a thing? Did more powers join? It can’t be that a chaotic corpse emerged from the underworld earth, right?” The little pagoda revealed a serious expression. 

Shi Hao was astonished. The name chaotic corpse alone was already enough to make one frown. This was definitely an expert that was powerful to the extreme!

“Are they trying to carry out a test?” The Willow Deity asked. The final battle was about to begin, and it would happen in five days at the latest. All sides were on the move and making preparations. 

Xiu!

A flowing streak of light flew out. A sparkling green willow branch rushed into the horizon, forming a dazzling rainbow bridge that pierced towards that area. 

The dark clouds were torn apart. A large amount of the lightning was put out. A sparkling willow branch pierced into that crack!

The sounds of roars continuously sounded. There were a few powerful existences that were trying to cross realms, yet in the end, they were all pierced by that soft green branch one after another and skewered together. 

Shi Hao was stupefied as he watched. He could clearly feel that these creatures were especially powerful, yet after just a single strike, they were nailed into the void by the Willow Deity.

Hou...

Furious roars sounded from within the crack. There was a golden giant who stirred on a war chariot while carrying a battle-ax in its hand. It was like a divine king that patrolled the heavens as it swooped downwards to chop off that branch. 

With a 

chi

 sound, the Willow Deity’s dark green branch became suffused with golden light, and all of the leaves and soft shoots behaved similarly. They immediately struck towards that golden giant and pierced through the great crack in the sky. 

In the heavens, great thunder resounded through the air. Blood red lightning erupted in the skies and dark clouds roiled. Yin energy descended and covered the world. 

“There really is a chaotic corpse?” The little pagoda revealed a grave expression.

This was an unrivalled expert from the underworld earth. Was it going to descend into the lower realm as well? The ones descending became increasingly terrifying and numerous. This wasn't some good thing. The great battle in a few days would be even more difficult. 

Willow Deity’s branch became completely golden, and its soft shoots erupted with golden lightning. Yang energy flourished intensely and exploded inside of those dark clouds. 

This was different from its normal appearance. It wasn’t like a sea of vitality, but instead heaven overflowing yang energy, perfectly countering the yin spirits. 

Hong!

The black clouds were scattered, and the great crack in the sky became even larger. The golden branch collided with a palm that was swirling with primal chaos, resulting in incomparably powerful energy fluctuations. 

In the end, many heroic spirits cried out and yin energy roiled. They all backed up in retreat. Those that were unable to retreat in time were struck by the golden lightning and blasted into light that disappeared into the sky. 

On the willow branch, every single golden bud was shining. Its great life force and yang energy were mixed together. There was also lightning that erupted with dazzling light and purifying power. 

That chaotic corpse’s palm continuously smacked downwards. It was full of unwillingness, but after more than ten drops of resplendent silver blood descended, it ultimately backed off. 

Shi Hao shivered inwardly. The short battle just now was over in a flash, so fast that it was hard to even react to. It was extremely intense, and this was just a probing test from those giants. 

If it hadn’t been pushed back by Willow Deity’s golden branch, it was hard to imagine what could have happened. Heroic spirits might have covered the sky and the cries of ghosts and gods would have filled this world. 

That battle looked simple and its conclusion was fast, but it was extremely dangerous. This was a battle of giants crossing realms. 

“Willow Deity, will it become extremely troublesome?” Shi Hao was worried. A new giant had entered the mix. When the final moment arrived, will the Willow Deity be able to deal with it all?

“No matter. There are grudges and grievances between these people too. They will be on guard against each other when searching for natural luck down here as well.” The Willow Deity wasn’t worried. 

“When the time comes, I will have to ask for your assistance in seizing back two layers of my pagoda body,” said the little pagoda. 

Sure enough, during this final battle, many things were going to be settled. Even the little pagoda was involved, so it wasn’t that surprising that they were going to work together with the undying existence. 

“I will help you.” The Willow Deity said. 

The little pagoda’s mood wasn’t bad. It began to release chaotic multicolored mist.

Soon after, Shi Hao learned a few things from their scattered conversation. This time, the Willow Deity might erupt with great divine might, because someone from the higher realms wiped out its divine country. 

Shi Hao knew that even though the Willow Deity was aloof and detached, once it made a decision, it would definitely slaughter decisively and display absolute power. 

“The primordial gate is extremely mysterious, and once one enters it, only blood would flow out. This time, I will satisfy it and toss one or two people in first to test things out.” The Willow Deity said. 

Its calm words didn’t carry the slightest ripple of emotion, but a terrifying streak of thunder and lightning erupted in the heavens. It was as if there was some type of reaction from the nine heavens down to the underworld!

Shi Hao was stupefied. The Willow Deity was trying to test karma, his actions were going to shake the heavens above and earth below. Was it trying to offer sacrifice to the primordial gate? Disaster was going to be brought upon some people!

“When are you going to the higher realms?” The little pagoda told him that it could send him up before leaving. 

Shi Hao hesitated. There were too many things he was unwilling to leave behind in the lower realm, and there were still many things he didn’t do yet. He didn’t want to leave immediately. 

“After this battle, heaven and earth will be separated. Does that mean that there will be no longer a chance to go up?” Shi Hao asked. 

“That isn’t necessarily true. There are still several ways one can ascend. I reckon that it won’t be too great of a problem for you. However, if those from the higher realms want to come down, it will be near impossible,” the little pagoda said. 

When Shi Hao heard this, he carefully asked it for guidance. 

He hadn’t completed all of his preparations yet and didn’t want to hurriedly ascend in the next few days. He wanted to straighten out all types of terrible messes, for example, he had to find an inheritor for Stone Country and give Stone Village an explanation. 

The dark clouds in the heavens scattered and the heavenly sun hung in the sky again. Clear clouds covered the skies. This world was once again rich with yang energy. It was as if nothing had happened just now. 

Before the two taboo existences were going to leave, Shi Hao earnestly asked them for guidance about all types of cultivation related matters, as well as other questions he didn’t fully understand. 

He brought out two pieces of bones that were spotlessly white and translucent. The two pieces could be joined up together. They were unexpectedly made of the same materials as the True Primordial Record, but it was unfortunately still missing one final piece. 

“One piece was inside stone capital, and another was in Immortal Mountain’s treasury. Could it be the transcendence piece?”

The Willow Deity looked at it and then shook its head. “You had asked me before why you were unable to sense the extraordinary power of ‘Divine Guidance’ even though you cultivated it. The reasoning lies here.”

Shi Hao had asked before that since the True Primordial Record was something even the giants in the higher realms were interested in with some of them even cultivating the first piece Divine Guidance, why was he only able to experience some ‘simple to miraculous’ type of power and not the extraordinary divine might he had imagined. Back then, the Willow Deity had said that there might be a day when he might be able to experience it. 

“For the True Primordial Record’s Divine Guidance, apart from the piece you obtained, there is another Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram, and it rests upon this broken heavenly bone.” Willow Deity explained. 

In reality, the first piece was already enough. For characters like those sect masters, they could  comprehend the rest by inferring the rest and fully understand the true profoundness. Meanwhile, Shi Hao’s talent was extraordinary, but in the end, his cultivation realm was still too low, and as such, he could not clearly understand everything. This was also part of the reason why he was able to comprehend so much each time he studied something. 

“Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram?” Shi Hao became extremely hopeful. 

“If would be great if you could obtain it, but if you cannot, you will still be able to understand the true record’s profound mysteries once your cultivation realm reaches the corresponding level,” said the Willow Deity. 

The next day, there were news that the spatial cracks emerged in the other regions as well and experts descended from them. This was true especially for the mysterious region where heavenly soldiers descended in the tens of thousands. 

They didn’t dare come through the path of the wasteland region, and as such they chose to descend in the other regions. 

There wasn’t a sea of heroic spirits that appeared, nor did the Willow Deity feel a need to take action. 

A blue bird flew over into the imperial city while bringing powerful symbols with it. There were formations in place in the imperial city, so normally, it wasn’t allowed to enter like this. There was immediately someone who sent a warning. 

A servant fell down, unexpectedly asking for an audience with Stone Emperor to deliver a message. 

When Shi Hao read the letter, he was shocked. Bi Gu, Lan Yu, Hong Huang and the others invited him to have a gathering. The message even stated that apart from them, there were going to be other elites from the eight regions. 

“A chance to enter the higher realms?” Shi Hao shook his head. The letter mentioned these things, but he didn’t need this type of opportunity at all. 

Even though this was a great gathering of talents from both the eight regions and higher realms, these next few days were too crucial. He didn’t want to run all over the place. 

The letter mentioned that Lan Yu, Shui Yue and the others were about to leave and want to have a gathering. Shi Hao’s expression was a bit strange. Fairy Yue Chan was even included in the people present. If he met her, would she make a move against him? The witch was surprisingly going to be there as well. 

“Among them are people from White Deer Academy, a party that should be neutral. Who knows, they might have felt pity and wanted to bring a talent like you into the higher realms,” said the little pagoda. It had seen those people before and understood a bit about their background. 

“If you want to go, just go. Are there any places you cannot go?” The Willow Deity said. 

Shi Hao shook his head and said, “I’m not going to go.”

He thought of another matter and said, “Willow Deity, I have to ask for your help.”

There was a matter that he was always thinking about, something that always stirred within the bottom of his heart. He had cultivated in Heaven Mending Pavilion in the past, but he watched helplessly as it was destroyed. It was something that he found hard to forget to this day. 

He still remembered the old ancestor Mu Yan that taught him lightning techniques, Zhuo Yun, Xiong Fei and the other elders that were always angry at him, as well as many other senior brothers and sisters who had lively faces. During the final battle, for the sake of protecting their younger junior brothers and sisters, blood flowed continuously. They were unwilling to back down, and as a result died in the ruins of the Heaven Mending Pavilion. 

“You want to find the seed of that gourd?” The Willow Deity understood his intentions.

“Yes!”

Soon after, symbols swirled about and a passage opened up in the void. Willow Deity brought him into a mountain range, among thistles and thorns, a green and lush gourd vine that was full of vitality was currently growing. 

The Willow Deity was also a plant type existence and possessed world-shattering magical force. When it travelled past the ruins of Heaven Mending Pavilion, it naturally discovered its final place of rest. 

Back then, the life force of Heaven Mending Sect’s guardian spirit had withered up. Before death, it carried out a final battle to protect its inheritance. A rain of light scattered down, and its life was completely exhausted. 

The gourd seed that had been produced by the divine vine ultimately shot through the sky. 

When he saw this extremely small divine vine, Shi Hao felt his nose becoming a bit sore and aching. The scenes of the past surfaced one after another. For the sake of a promise, the old vine that had protected Heaven Mending Pavilion since the ancient era exhausted all of its life force. 

“No matter where you take root, that is where Heaven Mending Pavilion will thrive! The buildings can be destroyed, but the inheritance will be eternal!”

During the final battle, someone roared loudly, shaking heaven and earth with his voice. Those words rang in Shi Hao’s ears again, making his nose ache greatly. 

A formation was arranged here. A strand of chaotic energy curled about the swaying gourd vine, as if its movements were expressing its gratitude to Shi Hao. 

In the end, Willow Deity brought Shi Hao away through the air. 

Three days later, heaven and earth turned a blood red color. The end of the world seemed to be arriving, and even ordinary mortals could see these strange scenes. The God Sealing Battle had arrived!

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