Perfect World

Chapter 934 - Defeat

“The last chance…” Shi Hao said quietly. He closed his eyes, holding the immortal seed in hand. His mind became clear-headed, his heart at peace. 

Immediately afterwards, an enormous sound rang through the air. Ten thousand dao symbols appeared, descending from the void.

It was as if divine chains appeared one after another, releasing brilliance and linking up together, as if they were knitting a web around Shi Hao, wrapping around him.

Raging flames ravaged the earth, great dao sounds rumbling!

The heaven and earth furnace appeared. Shi Hao sat within, experiencing the most miserable refinement. He only had one final opportunity.

He was incomparably serious. If he failed, would he still be able to continue? It was because once this opportunity was used up, he would truly be facing death the next time. 

When that time came, how many people in this world had the courage to continue? 

This was especially true with how rough this path was. People from past and present deduced that it was a swamp, an impossible path, a broken road.

Hong!

Tens of thousands of symbols appeared, forming waterfalls as they all smashed down onto the cauldron. They then burned furiously, the scene terrifying. 

Nothing could be seen in the ten zhang private room other than the resplendent fiery light. Only the great dao rumbling sound remained, raging about to destroy everything.

How many people would continue down a path with no fear of life or death? 

Intense flames burned the cauldron, refining the soul and bones. Shi Hao endured for quite some time, not moving like a statue, as if he had become an unmoving true immortal. 

He experienced this nine times, dying nine times, and also reviving nine times. He traveled extremely far along this path, and that was why he could endure it and continue forward.

Nine deaths and then nine rebirths, for him, this was the most precious wealth of his life. Even if he ultimately failed, not cultivating a second strand of immortal energy, his benefits were still tremendous. 

As long as he could live, then all of those benefits would display themselves.

Only by experiencing death would one feel the brilliance of life, better understand life and death. The dao heart fading away, darkness eternal, unknown where he was, the process like reincarnation, yet there were no traces left behind. 

All of these things were the most treasured experiences for a cultivator. 

Let alone other things, just the experience of life and death allowed his Reincarnation precious technique to take a qualitative leap, the power becoming more and more powerful! 

Following a rumbling sound, the ten zhang secret room unexpectedly evolved into a world!

This type of scene was the most terrifying, as if a mustard seed formed a world. 

Inside this ten zhang secret room, natural laws evolved and great dao symbols interweaved, forming a magnificent expanse of rivers and mountains. They burned fiercely, smashing into Shi Hao and the cauldron furnace. 

Dang!

The heaven and earth furnace swayed from this strike. Shi Hao inside was violently shaken, his body becoming unstable. 

Meanwhile, this… was only the beginning!

In the void, light emerged, starry radiance flickering about. One could see a large star smashing down from outer space, carrying a long tail light as it streaked across the sky, charging towards the great earth. 

Dong!

Following this sound, the heaven and earth cauldron caved in and distorted, producing many cracks. Shi Hao inside shook, blood flowing out from his mouth and nose. 

Then, in the heavens, great stars appeared one after another, all of them produced by different dao order symbols. They formed comets and smashed downwards. 

Immediately after, the scenery changed once again. There were vicious birds and beasts everywhere in the heavens above and earth below. Flames raged about them, carrying great dao fire as they rushed over, smashing the cauldron furnace until it cracked. 

Then, all living things between heaven and earth, one stalk of grass, one tree, appeared. They released zheng zheng sounds, some releasing sword energy, others the force of natural laws. Fiery light poured out in torrents.

The world’s ten thousand dao crushed downwards, completely unpredictable!

Peng!

In the end, the furnace split apart. Shi Hao resisted it with his flesh, burning his true self. His entire body shone, and then it gradually became scorched black, experiencing the most terrifying suffering.

Then, he stopped. He ate holy medicines to treat his injuries, because he almost died.

Just like that, he hovered at the brink of death again and again, using holy medicines to continue his life, wishing to take the crucial final step and cultivate the second strand of immortal energy. 

However, he was always just a bit off. He was powerful enough, but he just couldn’t succeed. 

He became silent. Great dao symbols covered his body, forcing their way into his soul to kill him!

Shi Hao’s entire body split apart, and even his primordial spirit was like this. This path was too difficult. He already reached the critical point, but he still didn’t see the second strand of immortal energy appear. 

He had a type of feeling that he wasn’t too far off, but he still couldn’t touch it. The ten thousand streaks of flames were applied to his body. If it was anyone else, they would have died a long time ago, burned to ashes by the flames.

However, right now, he was still firm and strong, enduring the burning, not willing to give up. 

This was the final opportunity. He sat in the ten zhang secret room, endless time passing, undergoing the terrifying roasting to complete the final spurt.

Kacha!

Following a clear cracking sound, the cauldron furnace shattered, completely disappearing. His physical body also began to split up into pieces.

Time flowed on. Shi Hao couldn’t hold on any longer. With a pu sound, the space between his brows split apart, his primordial spirit hacked apart by ten thousand dao!

The final chance, he still failed, unable to cultivate a second strand of immortal energy on this path. 

It was silent, darkness and void everywhere. Only after an unknown amount of time had passed did he revive, his body reconstructed, surviving. His body was incomparably silent as he sat there. 

Shi Hao reflected on what happened. Just how far away was he from seeing that second strand of immortal energy?”

The rough stone walls displayed the scenes from the past again. Little Immortal King was unwilling to accept this result. 

“My path, my dao, why can’t I see the light, only darkness?”

“Dying again and again, it’s already been ten times. How can I continue from here?” 

“Unable to transcend my predecessors, how can I follow in my father’s footsteps to fight in that battlefield, shed the final blood? I wish to enter that underworld and fight!”

That youth was unyielding. He raised his head towards the sky, his gaze deep, fists clenched. 

“Already failed. It has been proved that this road is impassable. Just stop here.” Someone advised. 

“I still haven’t failed. I am still alive, still able to walk, still able to continue!” The handsome young man wasn’t dispirited, still insisting on persevering and continuing. “If I don’t become the most powerful and step on the unmatched path, what is the use in heading towards that battlefield? Father’s blood has already flowed to its end, so I will rise up!”

The scene became blurry, completely becoming dim.

Shi Hao stared at the rough stone walls, and then he released a light sigh.

He withdrew his thoughts, reflecting on the scenes of Little Immortal King’s final breakthrough attempt. He closed his eyes, verifying it with his own path. In the end, he rose.

Ten deaths, no life!

He died ten times here, but still didn’t cultivate a second strand of immortal energy. However, he felt like it already wasn’t far, capturing that trajectory, about to seize it. 

Suddenly, his body felt cold, recalling Little Immortal King’s situation. The white tortoise had previously said that this stunning individual failed, dying on his path.

Back then, Little Immortal King was incomparably resolute, not willing to abandon this path, wishing to walk it to its end. 

Shi Hao thought to himself. Did Little Immortal King and himself have the same frame of mind, both of them believing that they weren’t far, about to succeed? If that was the case, if he continued, he might very well become the second Little Immortal King, ultimately dying.

“However… I really don’t have any way out…” Shi Hao sighed.

He left this private room, leaving this place. In the end, he saw a second dao gate. He walked through it. 

In that instant, medicinal fragrance wafted about, this place filled with flowing light and color. 

This was still a stone room, but it was not a place of seclusion, but rather a medicine refinement place. On the stone walls were mysterious patterns, as if there was long life liquid flowing.

“Medicinal Nature Essence!” 

Shi Hao was shocked. He knew that there were a few ancient cauldrons, furnaces, pots and other things that refined medicinal pills all year round, and as such would acquire a mysterious ‘Medicinal Nature’. As it accumulated over time, it would remain in the artifact’s walls. 

It was clear that this strange stone room had Medicinal Nature Essence, because there were special natural law seals in place to prevent them from scattering.

Shi Hao took a deep breath. He sat down, absorbing the Medicinal Nature Essence, wishing to bring some with him. These things, if refined with holy medicines and others, could greatly increase medicinal efficacy. 

However, he could only collect part of it, and then he couldn’t acquire any more. They were all sealed inside of a jade container. 

Right at this moment, the stone room trembled. The rough stone walls displayed scenes once again. He saw that tall and straight young man -- Little Immortal King. 

He knew that their paths were similar, and that was why he could sense the imprints left behind on the stone walls from the past. 

However, this time, what he saw wasn’t a living person, but rather an ice-cold body that was carried into the medicine refinement land. It wasn’t moving.

“Did he fall after failing to comprehend the dao?” 

Shi Hao stared at this scene. That body was full of life, as if it was still alive. However, from what the one who was carrying the corpse was saying, he was already dead. 

Shi Hao silently stood there for a long time. That scene had long disappeared, but he was still staring at the rough stone walls.

“My path, how am I supposed to continue?” He sighed.

All signs were pointing towards the fact that this was a dead end. If he continued, he would definitely die. 

The Little Immortal King from the path was dead set on continuing, completely immersing himself in the ten thousand fiery light, wishing to succeed on this path. In the end, he entered eternal sleep, never to revive again. 

“He preserved his body, not being burned to ashes. What exactly happened?” Shi Hao said softly. 

This place became quiet again, without any sound. 

Only after a long time had passed did Shi Hao open his mouth and say, “Am I scared? Frozen in fear because of his situation? That has to be it, after seeing inevitable defeat, impending death, I am now hesitating, wavering, doubtful, not daring to continue.” 

He began to reflect on his own path.

“He is Little Immortal King, I am Huang, I am not him.” 

Shi Hao’s voice became gentle, allowing himself to calm down again.

“He failed, but that doesn’t meant that I will also be defeated!” 

Someone had previously advised him against it, but Little Immortal King was still fearless, daring to continue down this path, his mind full of decisiveness! He was going to travel on his own unrivaled dao, emerge from an unmatched route, and then enter the battlefield to shed blood, to face Immortal Ancient’s great enemies. 

Shi Hao’s gaze became clear. “How can I be scared?!” 

He set his conviction, not willing to give up midway.

At this moment, his heart became as steady as iron and stone, unmovable. 

However, he didn’t wish to die tragically, nor would he give away his life for no reason. He was going to enter seclusion, reflect for a long time, truly comprehending everything this path consisted of. What he wanted was success, not death!

Then, he walked out from this palace. 

“Holy shit, you… are perfectly okay, coming out alive?” The white tortoise released a cry of alarm. 

It already thought that even if Shi Hao returned alive, he would still be covered in injuries. How difficult were those ten trials? There were dangers at every turn! It was hard to imagine if any experts could still emerge after the great era’s cultivation circumstances changed. 

“After continuously making my way through ten trials, I entered seclusion cultivation. Unfortunately, after dying ten times, I still wasn’t able to cultivate a second strand of immortal energy.” Shi Hao sighed.

“You… are a freak! You really reached that place!” The white tortoise was shocked. 

“You know my path. Did you hear any rumors before?” Shi Hao asked. 

“There are a few, but all of them were to advise descendents not to take that path, because that is a road of ten deaths no life,” said the white tortoise, and then it spoke about a few rumors.

Shi Hao nodded, and then he told it that he was going to pick some holy medicines. He wanted to enter seclusion cultivation again, to obtain a result in a few days. 

Success was success, failure was failure. He was going to attack at the limit again to see the results!