Chapter 609 - Reluctance

The sky had already darkened a long time ago. Stellar splendor scattered down onto this world.

“These people have truly done evil! For the sake of coming down into this world, just how many lives have they harmed! They truly deserve to be punished!” The old village chief said with his eyes widened. His body reeked of alcohol.

Everyone carried resentment. For the sake of coming down into this realm, they carried out a blood sacrifice, completly treating the people of this world like domesticated animals and not like living beings. It was a cruel and bloody event that made everyone furious.

When this was brought up, Dazhuang, Ermeng, and the other youngsters’ blood began to boil. They really wanted to take action themselves and kill those people, wiping them out.

Moonlight interweaved. The lake surface was bright and clear like sapphire. It was now late into the night and many people had passed out from intoxication, lying on the ground. Only a small group was still drinking around the bonfire. Their faces had long become red and their speech inarticulate.

“Child, when you enter the higher realms, you must be careful! Rumors have it that it is an unimaginably large place! Any province is larger than all of the lower realms. It is an incomparably vast place, a world without borders,” said Shi Linhu.

“Right! That place is too mysterious. There are taboo existences and gods. It is a place full of unknowns, and endless races exist above. Experts were as common as trees in a forest. You have to be careful!” Pihou was already drunk. He was also warning Shi Hao, feeling reluctant to part.

During this year, they had learned quite a bit about the higher realms from Qin Yining and the others. They were on guard against that vast and unknown world. It made them feel rather tense.

“I will pay attention,” Shi Hao said with a smile. Right now, this world was without a little Stone. Everyone thought that he had died, so there shouldn’t be any dangers once he went up. Once he arrived there, he could travel about and strengthen himself. Once he truly began to contend against others, he might grant them some ‘nice surprises’.

“I’ve had some time to think recently. A few years later when I get tired of this place, I will give the higher realms a look too.” Little Red said.

“After taking more than a year to recover, my injuries are pretty much healed now too. I don’t mind looking around there too.” Hairy Ball spoke. An alcoholic scent wafted around him.

Hairy Ball and Little Red had suffered grave injuries after fighting against that Western Sect expert. They had lost half their bodies before finally taking the other party down after risking their lives. After taking more than a year to recover, they were finally able to regrow their lost limbs and body.

“I heard that the two realms are no longer linked up now. The heavenly paths have been broken and that it is already impossible to make contact between realms.” Shi Feijiao mentioned this matter.

In addition, this was information from two months ago. They recently sealed up the altar, cutting off all connections with the outside world. They reckoned that it would be even harder to communicate with the higher realms now.

“En, that is how it is. It is rumored that those undying great sects, for example, Immortal Mountain, Western Sect, and the others cannot send information down from the higher realms anymore.” Qingfeng nodded and said.

Shi Hao frowned. If they truly did cut off the heavenly path, it would bring quite a bit of trouble to his plans of ascending. However, he believed that there was definitely a path he could still take.

It was now very late into the night. Stellar radiance scattered down. A group of people laid down on the grassy area. They were all drunk, and not even Shi Hao was an exception. It was because he was too happy, so he completely let his body and mind go.

Only in the early morning when the Octadic Treasure Chicken cried out a few times did the drunk group of people wake up one after another. They all laughed heartily.

“Little Uncle Hao, we cooked beast milk for you! Here!”

The women and children went to sleep relatively earlier. They didn’t drink until they passed out, so they naturally woke up earlier. Right now, a group of children ran over while giggling endlessly.

Shi Hao grabbed one of them and flicked him in the forehead, causing that little fellow to cry out in pain.

“Little Uncle Hao, look, we really did cook some! It smells good! Hurry and drink it! Afterwards, bring us into the mountains. It’s been so long since we went into the great wastelands!” A child shouted.

Sure enough, steam was rising from a pot containing white liquid. Its fragrance wafted through the air. The children raised it up, expressing their ‘filial piety’.

This was clearly a bribe for Shi Hao to bring them into the mountains so they could run everywhere and do whatever they wanted.

Hehe… Huzi, Snot Baby, Pihou and the others were all smiling as they looked at Shi Hao, waiting for him to act embarrassed.

Shi Hao also laughed, calmly accepting the pot from the children’s hands before drinking it with gudong gudong sounds. Finally, he wiped away the milkstains from the corners of his lips and said in praise, “Tasty, flavor isn’t bad!”

This made Dazhuang, Pihou, Qingfeng, and the others who watched stupefied and completely speechless. They didn’t know what to say.

“You little brat!” Shi Linhu and the others all laughed as well. They couldn’t help but shake their heads.

The group of children were dumbstruck. They originally wanted to express some kindness, and even though they did want to bribe Shi Hao, they definitely didn’t think he would drink it. However, now, he completely emptied that bowl.

Right at that moment, a little fella that just learned how to walk pouted and mumbled, “That was our breakfast… Little Uncle Hao drank it all…”

On the side, there were two precious little girls who weren’t two years old yet. They were also pouting, looking like they were going to cry. “Little Uncle Hao, you stole our beast milk…”

At this moment, Shi Hao couldn’t maintain his confident and thick-skinned expression anymore. He immediately ran away, returning to the village chief’s courtyard.

Haha… The villagers roared with laughter.

The following days were filled with happiness and laughter. Shi Hao satisfied all of the children’s wishes, bringing them into the great wastelands, allowing them to explore as they wished.

During this period of time, the big red bird, divine striking stone, and the others returned as well. They all began to cry out noisily. Being able to meet again alive was truly a happy thing.

Everyone would drink by the lake every day, talking deep into the night. They all felt cheerful and joyful.

During this period of time, Shi Hao roamed through the great wastelands, entering countless deep and profound primitive areas. All signs of human habitation in these places had been wiped out, and it had been many tens of thousands of years since anyone has set foot here. Apart from bringing back a dozen or so spiritual medicines and planting them in Stone Village, he also brought back a few auspicious beasts and propitious birds. Even though they weren’t comparable to the Octadic Treasure Chicken, they were still rare.

“These are Silver Spirit Loaches?” The old village chief was astonished. He had seen records of this type of creature before. It was entirely silver-white and carried a fragrance with it. It would grow up to a foot at the largest. This was an extremely rare creature.

The medicinal value of the Silver Spirit Loach was incredibly great. It could strengthen muscles, bones, and nourish the flesh. This was an extremely precious spiritual creature.

This time, Shi Hao caught several hundred of them from a great lake within the depths of the great wastelands. They were all released into Stone Village’s lake. This lake was similarly protected by the village’s great formation, so it had long become a spiritual lake.

The lake originally had Dragon Tasseled Fish, which wasn’t an ordinary creature either.

“Ya, golden striped old turtles! They don’t need to be killed. If someone becomes gravely injured, just a bit of its blood of cure the body!” Shi Linhu sighed in admiration.

Shi Hao caught eight in one go. He placed them into the lake as well. These were all spiritual creatures without much offensive power. If they were bred, then they would all become treasures. They could improve the villagers’ constitutions.

In the following half month, Shi Hao continuously entered uninhabited regions. He searched throughout the great wastelands, bringing the children, big red bird, and the others with him. They brought back quite a few precious objects.

From Golden Feathered Goose to Wood Spirit Cows, everything that should be there was there. They were all of the gentle type just like a group of domestic animals. They were raised near Stone Village.

It was because Shi Hao was going to leave soon. He felt extremely reluctant and wanted to do a few final things for Stone Village.

Shi Hao also used this period of time to recover. Those broken bones recombined, and the scars in his flesh all disappeared. His entire body was brilliant and pure white like jade. His blood energy was roiling like a great river.

Today, Shi Hao was sitting on top of a mountain peak where mists curled about. White energy entered and left his mouth and nose as if he was a true dragon. It curled about his body.

Hu!

Finally, he released a streak of essence energy, making the entire mountain tremble. All of his body’s pores relaxed and expanded, releasing resplendent light.

At the same time, his body crackled with pi pa sounds. His body was sparkling snow-white. He stood up, divine light erupting from his pupils as if suns were hidden within them.

His injuries had completely healed. Back then, he was broken and in pieces. His flesh had disintegrated, and his injuries were severe. He had remained dormant for an entire year with his body preserved in the same state.

“Good, my strength has become greater than before.” He said to himself. His injuries had all healed, so it was time to make a trip.

“Little Uncle Hao, Hairy Ball killed a vicious flood dragon today! It is several dozen zhang long and shining all over. It was so fierce!” Below, a group of children came over to talk to him.

“Little Uncle Hao, let’s hurry and go back! Grandpa Chief and the others already began to roast that vicious flood dragon on the fire. You can smell the fragrance from a li away! I never tasted flood dragon meat before.”

When Shi Hao heard this, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, let’s go back. We can drink happily tonight too! There’s even flood dragon meat to eat.”

He had pretty much become the king of these children. He brought this group of little fellows back to the village.

Stone Country, capital city.

Several old kings were currently discussing official business inside a palace hall. They were all frowning. The atmosphere was a bit tense.

“What exactly happened? The ancestral land has cut off connection with the outside world, so we cannot exchange any messages. I truly hope nothing bad happened…” The War King sighed.

“More than two months have already passed. None of the messages are going through either. Nothing bad has happened, right?” The Ming King said.

Shi Hao had already been dead for more than a year. These old kings would always think of him, but they could only sigh. His natural talents were astonishing, powerful to the extent where he could fight against deities. However, he died prematurely. It was just too much of a pity.

“What a pity for His Majesty… He possessed heaven warping natural talents, but he died so early!” Peng Nine shook his head, and then he thought of something. “Right, regarding that matter, what do you all think?”

“What else could it be? That type of firmness and selfishness, it’s obviously those great sects. Don’t think that we don’t know who it is!” The War King sneered.

Recently, some people came to Stone Country and contacted them. They wanted the void furnace as well as the ruined artifacts left behind by the seven deities. They were willing to exchange for them with other materials.

“These people truly deserve to be killed! Back then, it was them who built the altar, using countless lives as living sacrifices to guide the seven deities down. They actually have the nerve to ask for their remains?!” The Ming King said coldly.

“What they want the most is still the void furnace’s fragments,” said the War King.

A year ago, it was because of this furnace that seven deities survived, allowing them to successfully descend into this realm. Even though the symbols inside of it had already been destroyed and it had been crushed to pieces in Western Tomb World, the value of those broken pieces was still astonishing.

It was because the material it was made out of was extremely special. There was a bit of ‘void gold’ mixed inside. This was one of the most precious and rare divine materials.

Back then, Shi Hao didn’t know too much about it value, but he brought it back as well, placing it into Stone Country’s inner treasury.

“Reporting!”

Outside the palace hall, an imperial guard came to deliver a sealed letter.

This paper radiated bits of light and contained powerful symbol power. It was still about the void furnace, wishing to exchange for them.

“They are using soft and hard methods, suggesting that they wish to exchange, but also threatening us! What are they talking about, this void furnace being some ominous matter that might easily trigger a bloody disaster if it is kept for a long time. Dammit, are they trying to intimidate us?!” The War King erupted with fury. He thought of Shi Hao, and of how he fell.

It was precisely because of a few great sects carrying out ‘Heavenly Country blood sacrifice’ that all of the later events happened.

“We didn’t give them any trouble, not carrying out revenge, but some people can’t sit still any longer. This time, we definitely need an explanation. Do you think my Stone Country is easy to humiliate?!” After reading the letter, Peng Nine stood up. His body was seething with killing intent.