Chapter Eighty-Two: The Ominous Land, Calamity Approaches

When everyone saw the young man's grave expression, their bodies tensed and they instinctively grew alert.

"What is it, Little One?" asked a gentle voice from the crowd—a woman dressed in fiery red.

This group was none other than the people of Stone Village from the Perfect World plane. The young man with the solemn face was Shi Hao, the cherished disciple of Morning Star, and the woman in red was Huo Ling'er.

Ever since Morning Star had imparted the first eight cycles of the Ninefold Profound Art to the people of Stone Village, after countless years of cultivation, most had reached the seventh cycle, a level comparable to the pinnacle of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm in the Primordial Era. They were not far from breaking through to the eighth cycle. This spoke volumes about the extraordinary talents of those from the Perfect World plane. In the Primordial Era, even the physically powerful Wu Clan would need hundreds of thousands of years just to reach the seventh cycle.

At this moment, Shi Hao had already cultivated the Chaos Genesis Art to the tenth layer, a level comparable to the Immortal Emperor of Corpses who was once slain by Pan Gu.

After Pan Gu killed the Corpse Emperor and departed, Shi Hao, bereft of the protection of his master and elder brother, led the children of Stone Village to rise amidst adversity, annihilating the remaining dark forces across the nine heavens and ten earths. His many feats under the moniker "Desolate" became legend throughout the world.

Ultimately, in a bloody battle at the Sea of Realms, with the desperate aid of the people of Stone Village, he slew the quasi-Immortal Emperors—Emperor Cang, Emperor Hong, and Emperor Yu—erasing their souls with the power of primordial chaos. Finally, at the pinnacle of the ninth layer of the Chaos Genesis Art, he fought the Doomsday Elder, shattering the Immortal Domain itself in their clash, and slew him. In that moment, his cultivation broke through to the tenth layer, surpassing the limits of this world.

That battle claimed the lives of many in Stone Village, leaving those who survived in deep mourning.

After the war, Shi Hao brought the survivors back to Stone Village. Tens of thousands of years had passed; those who remained in the village—elders, women, and children—had long since passed away, unable to follow him in his campaigns. By the time he returned, their lives had already ended.

Seeing so many loved ones lost to time, Shi Hao, in his grief, led the remaining villagers to ascend to the world above the Heavens, vowing to revive his lost kin and friends.

To prevent another calamity of darkness from descending upon his world during the impending battle above the Heavens, Shi Hao, with supreme power, cleaved through the ages with a single sword, severing the heavens below and isolating the endless years.

At last, they crossed the Sea of Realms, tore through the fabric of space, and arrived at the fabled world above the Heavens.

Gazing upon this strange world, Shi Hao's expression was extremely grim as he spoke: "There is no sign of life in this place, and I sense a deep foreboding."

Though the two had long since been married, Huo Ling'er still addressed Shi Hao as "Little One." In her words, no matter how powerful he became, whether as the peerless Shi Hao of today or as the Desolate Heavenly Emperor celebrated throughout eternity, he would always be that boy who once promised her beneath the setting sun in the wilds that they would never part.

"Foreboding? Why don't I feel anything?" Huo Ling'er asked curiously, trying to sense it herself.

Shi Hao rolled his eyes at her and said irritably, "The Phoenix-Breaking Heavens Art that Master taught you is unparalleled, yet you've only reached the ninth layer even now. When Master arrives, I wonder how you’ll explain yourself."

Huo Ling'er blushed and retorted, "I... I’ve already worked so hard! It's just that the art Master gave me is incredibly difficult to cultivate!"

Shi Hao twitched at her words. Three days of diligence followed by two days of rest—she called that hard work? If not for her desire to be with him forever, to escape the river of fate and transcend the limits of lifespan, she might not have even reached the ninth layer by now. Difficult to cultivate? Could it possibly be harder than his own Chaos Genesis Art?

But then he thought, perhaps Huo Ling’er’s reluctance to immerse herself in bitter cultivation stemmed from her worry for him, seeing his endless struggles and wishing only to care for him, silently standing by his side for countless years, sacrificing her own cultivation time.

With a soft sigh, Shi Hao drew Huo Ling’er into his embrace and said gently, “You’ve suffered much all these years.”

Huo Ling’er shook her head. “As long as I’m with you, it’s not suffering. I just wish Master would return soon. I don’t want you to endure so much hardship anymore. You… you’ve suffered too much!” Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke.

Over the years, Huo Ling’er had witnessed every one of Shi Hao’s battles. Each time, blood and bone flew, rivers of blood flowed without end. If not for the otherworldly arts Master had passed to him, he might have long since fallen on the path of war.

“Little one, prepare your defenses! There is great terror here!” came a voice, cloaked in shimmering green light.

It was the Willow Deity. She had not participated in the final war, for she had entered closed-door cultivation in order to merge the Willow Deity’s Arts with the Ninefold Profound Art and the Phoenix-Breaking Heavens Art. Had she fought alongside Shi Hao then, they would have been invincible, and the Immortal Domain would never have been shattered.

Now that her cultivation was complete, she was Shi Hao’s equal in power and could sense the same deep crisis.

Shi Hao nodded, then turned and said, “Shi Hao, Qin Hao, go and assist Pi Hou and Er Meng in stabilizing the defenses of the Lotus of Creation. Be ready for any misfortune.”

“Yes, big brother!” the two answered in unison, hurrying forward to help, relieving the two who had been straining under the Lotus's enormous consumption.

Qin Hao was Shi Hao’s own younger brother, who had accompanied him through years of war across the world and the Sea of Realms. After their parents and grandfather passed away, unable to break through in cultivation and succumbing to age, they became each other's only family.

The other Shi Hao was the little one who had once taken suffering on behalf of Shi Hao. Through the years, he too had fought by Shi Hao’s side in countless battles.

The reason Shi Hao came to be known as the Desolate Heavenly Emperor was largely because, in his youth, he had given this other Shi Hao a name that sounded the same but was written differently, which brought the latter much confusion. To spare him further trouble, Shi Hao adopted the name "Desolate."

As the one with the highest cultivation among them, Desolate (from here on, Shi Hao will be referred to as Desolate for distinction) and the Willow Deity carefully surveyed the blood-red world, their divine senses spreading—ten thousand miles, a hundred thousand, a million, a hundred million...

Suddenly, Desolate's expression changed. He shouted, “Not good! Everyone, gather together and activate the Lotus of Creation at full power!”

At the same time, the Willow Deity saw a terrifying scene a hundred million miles away—an overwhelming tide of black matter sweeping toward them at great speed, exuding a boundless aura of misfortune that seemed capable of corroding the world itself. She could tell that, even with her and Desolate’s full power, the Lotus could only protect themselves; the others would not survive.

“It’s useless. The Lotus of Creation was never meant for defense, and in this world, it consumes several times the usual energy. It’s impossible to shield so many people. Relying on defense alone is a dead end,” the Willow Deity said, shaking her head.

“Even if the two of us activate the Lotus together, it won’t work?” Desolate asked gravely.

“No,” the Willow Deity replied crisply. She knew Desolate would never abandon his companions, so she didn’t bother to explain further.

“Then what should we do? Should we retreat?” Huo Ling’er asked anxiously. She was unafraid of death, but worried for Little One’s safety. Through all their tribulations, never had she seen Desolate and the Willow Deity at a loss when together.

“We can’t go back,” Desolate replied with a bitter smile.

Everyone was stunned and turned to look at the spatial rift they had torn open on arrival, only to find it had vanished, leaving just a fist-sized hole connecting to the Sea of Realms.

Qin Hao, unwilling to believe it, stepped forward and tried to tear open the hole, but his expression changed drastically. When they arrived, they could easily tear through space, but now the other direction was unimaginably solid.

With his seventh cycle of the Ninefold Profound Art, he could easily overpower a quasi-Immortal Emperor with sheer physical strength, yet now, he was unable to rend the space here.

“Sigh, there’s no need to try. This world is filled with profound strangeness. It was easy to enter, but leaving is another matter,” the Willow Deity said softly.

“Are we just supposed to wait for death again?” Er Meng bellowed in anger. “I refuse to believe it! After all our battles, nearly wiping out the dark foreigners, we’ll be defeated by this mere misfortune?”

Desolate shook his head with a wry smile. “We won’t be defeated, perhaps, but we will all be corrupted by the darkness—just like the Corpse Emperor my senior brother once slew, or even worse.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, turning to Desolate with questioning gazes.

Seeing this, Huo Ling’er snapped, “Can’t you see? Maybe it was the same black tide of misfortune that once swept through here, and a single drop leaked through this very hole, dooming the Immortal Emperor of Corpses to his tragic fate. Do you really think you’re stronger than he was?”

With that, she shot a glare at the sheepish Er Meng.