Chapter 766 - Different Paths
“I still want to continue.” Shi Hao said softly. This path was extremely difficult, and those that had treaded on it since the ancient past had practically all died, vanishing from this world following their defeat.
He was unwilling to stop here and wished to take that crucial step to step onto a path different from everyone else. He wished to experience the scenery of a different world!
"You have to think things through. The chances of dying are high, far greater than the gleam of hope, to the extent where it can be said to be a path to death.” Qi Daolin calmly reminded.
From his perspective, this type of hope was more like a type of temptation and not some true great dawn. If he insisted on continuing on, he would most likely end up like those before him, recording his defeat with blood.
“Without walking it, how can I know that it is a path I cannot take? If I slowly fumble around, I will find a different path.” Shi Hao said to himself. He then stared at Qi Daolin, earnestly inquiring about this about this type of path the ancient people took.
Qi Daolin didn’t say anything and just looked at him. When he saw that Shi Hao was calm and at peace, not doing this out of impetuousness, he ultimately nodded and said, “It seems like I have to start looking for another disciple.”
Shi Hao was a bit speechless. This person gave up on him so quickly. Did he really think that he would definitely fail and die?
Qi Daolin moved his spacious sleeves, and with a huala sound, a large pile of bone books fell down, burying Shi Hao within. These were all ancient books left behind by predecessors.
Shi Hao was extremely shocked. Bone books piled up to a small mountain, with piece after piece of bone everywhere. Some were golden, some silvery white, some carrying purple energy… none of them were ordinary objects. They created an auspicious image.
There were bone pieces that gave off a feeling of the true self, extremely old-fashioned without a bit of luster. They carried an extremely ancient aura, and recorded within were the experiences and paths of noteworthy individuals of the past.
Shi Hao picked up a random piece from the bone books and carefully read it. He was immediately drawn in.
“Beast sea calendar, year nine hundred and thirty-six thousand eight hundred fifty-two, Kun Yu was born bearing a heavenly diagram that illuminated all…”
When Shi Hao read up to this point, he was extremely shocked. This was an ancient being from the Beast sea region, and there was a great irregular phenomenon during its birth. He continued reading, and he learned that this individual was unordinary after all.
“When Kun Yu took to the air, stars would grow dim. At nineteen years of age, he rose out from the sea and suppressed the exceptional talents of all three thousand provinces, becoming number one under heaven. Afterwards, he abandoned ancient flames and chose to seek other paths of dao, passing away as a result.”
This individual’s life was extremely short, but it was glorious and rarely seen throughout the ancient times. Unfortunately, for the sake of treading on a different path, he ultimately passed away.
There were people who recorded Kun Yu’s path afterwards, leaving Shi Hao quite shocked. He carefully studied these records.
This was definitely a rare treasured book, and not even great dao inheritances had a copy of. Normally speaking, these were taboo books, because it would mislead geniuses of later generations.
Shi Hao immersed himself in this pile, reading every line of text several dozen times. He carefully thought and contemplated on what to do, analyzing the good and bad of Kun Yu’s path.
He put down this bone book, remembering all of it.
Then, Shi Hao picked up another old-fashioned bone that was covered in traces of a passed time and began to read it. He found it difficult to calm down. This was another formidable figure.
“Firegold calendar, year one million two hundred forty-three thousand two hundred ninety-one, five emperors illuminated the heavens, but when they were past their prime, Huo Jinmo emerged…”
When Shi Hao finished reading this bone, he was greatly shaken.
In the past, Firegold Race was one of the ten great clans, known as an Emperor Clan. It previously had five emperors that simultaneously controlled that era. When the five emperors were nearing the end of their lives, they wanted to advance their heaven warping genius Huo Jinmo’s unmatched legend to an even higher realm, but they ultimately failed.
“Five emperors invited an old friend to condense the dao as flames and forge a spirit tablet for Huo Jinmo. However, the dao seed ultimately resulted in failure, and the Emperor Clan became no more. With the rise and fall of the world, the Firegold precious vase imprint no longer resounded through the world.”
Shi Hao sighed. It truly was a pity.
He quickly looked around, discovering that the other bone books were similar, all of them paths that predecessors took and later recorded. These were the most precious experiences, able to be considered secret texts.
These bone books’ value were difficult to assess. If they ended up in the hands of creatures of the present world, they would definitely be considered secret historical texts. However, when someone like him saw them, these were heavenly precious books!
“These things…” Shi Hao raised his head to look towards Qi Daolin. It was difficult for a single person to have so many, because they touched upon the secrets of a few great sects.
“All things I stole.” Qi Daolin was extremely calm, to the point where there was a bit of pride.
Shi Hao was speechless. He had no choice but to feel admiration. No wonder this person was surrounded and attacked by many sects, just these bone books alone he collected formed a huge pile. One could only imagine regarding the other precious techniques.
One could only say that this dao master was an ‘eccentric’. He felt no qualms about his notorious reputation; this really was quite formidable.
Of course, Shi Hao wouldn't show him disdain, instead only having admiration. Perhaps in the eyes of those of the outside world, the two were birds of a feather.
“You are not the only genius in this world. Too many have wished to step on different paths. This old one was one of them.” Qi Daolin said.
It was clear to see that he had failed. Fortunately, he didn’t die like a few young supreme beings and managed to live.
He bluntly spoke about how he walked quite far along that route. After deducing the clear result, he decisively gave up, not foolishly struggling with his life on the line.
“Outstanding talents, this term has some meaning, but there are also things that it does not mean. If one knows that they will inevitably die but still heads for destruction, that is stupidity.” Qi Daolin said, not feeling ashamed of his own retreat at all, instead believing it to be honorable.
Shi Hao knew that he had good intentions. This was to warn him not to walk down a black road, to stop before going too far.
After all, this path was too difficult, one that no one had succeeded in before. It was a place where heavenly talents often ended their journeys.
“I know!” Shi Hao nodded. In the end, he wholeheartedly immersed himself in these bone books to understand the paths and methods of those before him, amassing experience.
This was the cornerstone, as well as the soil for success. Only with the experiences accumulated through those of the past, seizing the fiery light of wisdom. would there be a chance of success.
No one could baselessly break through. Building a cart behind closed doors would never work.
The outside world was definitely not calm, especially Fire Province’s divine mine region. However, it was completely unrelated to Shi Hao. He immersed himself in a brilliant world to seek his dao path.
He completely turned into a martial addict, from time to time disturbing Qi Daolin to ask the old man for guidance. He neglected sleep and food as he wholeheartedly immersed himself in his studies.
Even though Qi Daolin said that he was going to look for another disciple after seeing his chances of success, he still gave guidance, moreover seriously.
In the end, Shi Hao emerged from the path of his predecessors, temporarily calming his mind to transcend all emotional states. He began to silently contemplate and think things through.
“Truly is a road of death…” He said softly. He began to discuss with Qi Daolin, but even with divine objects, heaven and earth placenta, the probability of failure was still great to the point of making one sigh.
“I’m not going to worry about everything else, just going to walk forward first!” Shi Hao’s eyes became resolute. If he cowered already now, then there really would be no need to think any more.
On the ground, that spherical ‘heavenly material’ had long stabilized. It was wrapped within source energy, continuously being nurtured by heaven and earth as it absorbed all types of natural laws.
After discussing with Qi Daolin, he always felt like the heaven and earth placenta that was nurturing the immortal gold was connected with all types of great dao. The best place to connect it to was precisely the space between the brows.
During this process, Shi Hao’s primordial spirit could observe and emulate, preparing for the day when he would use heaven and earth as a furnace and ignite the self with all types of natural dao laws. He needed to interact with it first.
Once the great battle of three thousand provinces’ geniuses started, he would have to substitute himself in the immortal gold’s place, hiding away his body like the ‘egg’ and then ignite his true self.
“En?” Even under Qi Daolin’s protection, when Shi Hao guided over the source energy that surrounded the divine object, there was still something unexpected that almost happened. It was because the source energy’s weight would change from time to time. The sudden changes almost made his forehead bone split apart, because it became heavy, with a single strand able to crush a mountain peak.
Fortunately, Qi Daolin really was formidable, passing down onto him the rough method for the Eight ninth heavens art. The Kun Peng technique, Lightning Emperor’s technique, and others appeared together, operating together to surround this object, making it calm down and isolating it.
“This is precisely the Eight ninth heavens art, a technique that supports precious techniques. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to pass it down to you before, instead fearing that you would be injured from it as a result. It is because at this cultivation realm, there is simply no way for you to display it.”
Qi Daolin seriously told him the reason. If he wanted to learn this technique, he had to reach an extremely high cultivation realm. The flesh, bone texts, spirit, and others must harmonize to an indistinguishable degree.
Shi Hao was a bit of an exception. His flesh and other areas were ridiculously powerful, so he was able to simply display the ‘rough method’.
Normally speaking, Supreme experts and Divine Flame cultivators’ bodies would collapse when displaying this method. They needed an extremely powerful physical body as the foundation; this was the most fundamental requirement.
If not for the need to suppress this divine object, Qi Daolin would not have immediately passed it down to him out of fear that something unexpected would happen.
Shi Hao felt bone symbols flicker within his skull, as well as an alarming sensation. He could feel a huge pressure.
“This is fine as well, using heaven’s method as a cage to imprison the Immortal gold. It can sharpen your precious techniques and other things.” Qi Daolin said with a smile.
Shi Hao seriously comprehended, and as expected, there were benefits. The pressure this formed forced him to operate the Eight ninth heavens art’s rough method from time to time, spurring on several precious techniques and releasing bone texts. This was a type of cultivation as well.
Apart from this, Shi Hao observed the ‘placenta’, seizing all types of natural laws. It was immensely beneficial towards his foundational spirit. Even though he didn’t substitute himself in the Immortal gold’s place and immerse himself in the placenta, he could still observe the dao and study it.
The outside world was not calm. The disciples of all sects were waiting expectantly. Rumor had it that You Yu and Yun Xi might arrive, and they might come to Supreme Being Dao Rite.
Moreover, Fire Province was in an uproar. Celestial Clan’s divine mine suffered a disaster, stirring on huge waves.
Hong!
Within the small shoddy mountain gate, terrifying flames surged from Shi Hao’s skull. His divine senses were fluctuating violently, causing Qi Daolin to widen his eyes and look over.
“This brat, always complaining noisily about going to the pool where the Tribulation crossing divine lotus is planted, but it seems like it was to digest a type of wondrous medicine that could nurture the divine senses. The medicinal effects seem to have now been completely refined.”
What kind of individual was Qi Daolin? With a single look, he could get a rough idea of what was going on. His eyebrows immediately jumped, revealing a look of shock. “Could it be the Golden Bodhi fruit? It has that type of aura, he… was actually able to succeed!”
Even he was a bit shocked. One has to understand that many people had tried in this cultivation realm, but in the end, they all exploded. There were only defeats recorded.
However, Qi Daolin knew that there were still people who succeeded, or else this type of ancient method wouldn’t be left behind, one that told later generations to explore. It was just that it had never been written down in bone books.
Shi Hao sat there without moving like an enormous boulder. His skull was shining, lighting up his entire head. Even his hair began to release divine multicolored radiance.
He always knew that the Golden Bodhi fruit could strengthen the divine senses and nurture the primordial spirit, but it had never displayed its effects after he successfully refined it. Today, there was an additional substance in his skull that, once the divine senses were affected, would produce strange changes.
His primordial spirit was strengthening, and the medicinal effects displayed all of its effects. His mental strength was quickly growing.
One could see Shi Hao’s divine senses changing within his skull. The final transformation formed a small figure that radiated holy light. It was splendid and dazzling as it sat there; it was extremely powerful.
“Quite a bit stronger than before.” Shi Hao could clearly feel this transformation, the transformation of his primordial spirit. It had changed into a human figure.
Meanwhile, his flesh shone. Bone texts shone layer after layer, surrounding his entire body. All of his pores released terrifying blood energy that rushed into the heavens. From the distance, it was as if a terrifying fog of blood covered the heavens.
In the end, a hong sounded. Blood essence returned, collected back in his body.
He made a breakthrough!
Shi Hao’s pupils erupted with radiance, as if hundreds of zhang long sharp swords were released into the distance. He reached the later stages of the Supreme Expert Realm.
He had accumulated too much, and now, together with the strengthening of his primordial spirit, his own cultivation realm also made a breakthrough, advancing a level, making him exceptionally powerful!
Shi Hao stood up and looked towards the mountain gate.