The ruins of the Butian Pavilion were desolate. Once a glorious and prestigious sect, now only broken walls and debris remained, the ground littered with rubble.
The golden spider remained vigilant, aware that chaos was brewing in the Desolate Domain. The "forbidden" was about to appear, and all parties were preparing—some to lie dormant, others to resist. It had high hopes for Shi Yi.
The spider's entire body shimmered as if made of pure gold. Even though it had shrunk its form, it was still several meters long, while its true body was as grand as a mountain.
"Could the Dual-Pupil Bearer truly be emerging? I sense movement there, and there are supreme experts lying in wait."
The news finally spread, stirring up more waves during these already unsettled times. People’s hearts grew restless, and some became agitated.
"If Shi Yi returns, will that ruthless child appear? Can he fight against him? After all, they are separated by three or four years."
People believed that Shi Yi was blessed with exceptional talent and progressed rapidly in his cultivation, while the "ruthless child," though extraordinary, was younger and naturally at a disadvantage.
"Just wait and see. It will undoubtedly be a fierce battle between dragons and tigers. I believe their confrontation will even involve the supreme sects from beyond the domain, leading to grand standoffs between major factions."
Vaguely, people could already sense that a violent storm was coming. If a battle were to erupt, it would undoubtedly shake the entire Desolate Domain, attracting attention from all sides.
Everyone eagerly awaited the start of the Supreme Youth Battle.
"Either one of them would be enough to be remembered in history. Both are incredibly gifted, looking down on the ancients. But alas, one of them is destined to fall."
There was no need to explain further. The Dual-Pupil Bearer had gained the Supreme Bone, an enhancement unprecedented in ancient times, creating a miracle. His achievements would be unfathomable.
On the other hand, Shi Hao, despite losing the Supreme Bone, had risen to prominence and was equally legendary. Such a youth was destined to shock the world.
The world was in turmoil, and the Kingdom of Stone became the center of attention. If a battle were to occur, it was likely to happen in that country.
Shi Hao had ventured deep into the desert, feeling the ground grow increasingly hot beneath his feet. Before long, he saw hot air rising in some areas, with underground gas erupting.
"It's so hot here. Could I have entered a volcanic zone?"
The land was barren. After traveling for dozens of miles, there was not a single blade of grass or any living creature. All that met his eyes were stones and desolation.
Wisps of white steam rose from the ground, carrying a strong smell of sulfur that was pungent and unpleasant. Shi Hao felt like he was approaching a fiery hell, the heat intensifying with each step.
After walking for over a hundred miles, he could see ahead, a misty expanse—it was actually thick white smoke. The sulfurous stench grew stronger, and the entire land seemed on the verge of igniting.
Suddenly, a massive ferocious bird appeared in the sky, its wingspan reaching dozens of meters. A gust of wind swept across Shi Hao as it flew over his head, causing his clothes to flutter violently.
After traveling so far, this was the first living creature he had seen.
On the bird's back were several figures, surprised to see him walking on foot. They exchanged curious glances.
"Someone is actually crossing this great desert on foot, without taking a detour or avoiding the dangers. Is he using himself as bait to seek great fortune?"
"What a fool. He's too bold. Let's use him to scout the path. If he finds anything, we'll take it." Someone whispered.
The giant bird circled in the air and disappeared into the clouds, monitoring Shi Hao’s every move.
Shi Hao looked up and saw the ferocious bird. He squinted but made no response, continuing his journey forward.
"Roar!" A loud roar echoed from afar as a giant red-furred wolf appeared, flames blazing around it. The wolf stood ten meters tall and was over twenty to thirty meters long, fierce and menacing.
Its snow-white fangs were like sharp swords, and its red fur glistened with a bloody sheen. This was an extremely powerful beast.
Shi Hao was amazed. He knew he was nearing his destination now that he had started seeing living creatures. They would grow more numerous, signaling the impending danger.
In this region, white steam occasionally erupted from the ground, and the heat was enough to cook a person alive. In some places, lava bubbles surfaced, emitting a faint, glowing red light.
He had no idea where exactly he had arrived, but Shi Hao knew he needed to figure it out. He considered approaching someone for information, but everyone seemed wary of each other.
Finally, after traveling a few more miles, the smell of blood filled the air. This indicated they had entered a dangerous area. Despite the strong scent of sulfur masking most of it, he could still detect the faint odor.
"That’s a Golden-Eyed Dragon-Horned Lion."
The massive creature resembled a lion, with golden eyes and a pair of dragon horns. Its body was covered in azure scales. This was a powerful ancient descendant, but it had been killed here.
Additionally, there were fragments of valuable artifacts and human remains scattered around. These people had been massacred in this place.
There was only a small lava pool nearby, glowing red and transparent. It was only about four or five meters wide, but all the corpses had fallen around it, half-devoured by something.
The terrain was peculiar. It was a vast desert with no visible volcanoes, yet the ground had lava pools and geothermal vents, sending thin wisps of smoke into the air, making the entire space appear blurry.
"You, go take a look." Someone riding on the red-furred wolf behind Shi Hao pointed at him, ordering him forward.
Shi Hao glanced at them but didn’t respond. He observed them closely and could tell from the emblems on their sleeves that they were nobles from the Fire Nation.
"Didn't you hear me? I said go check that lava pool!"
They believed Shi Hao to be just a young boy, traveling alone and seemingly weak. It was likely his group had been wiped out, leaving him as the sole survivor, making him an easy target.
"Are you deaf? We're talking to you! If you don’t want to die, go check it out now!" The group on the red-furred wolf shouted at him.
"There's something strange about that lava. It’s different from the outside world." Shi Hao muttered to himself.
"Shing!"
The people behind him sneered and sent a slash of sword energy toward Shi Hao, forcing him forward, using him as bait to lure out the creatures hidden beneath the lava.
"You don’t know what’s good for you. Go, draw out the divine creature!" They wanted to force Shi Hao into the lava pool to bring out the creature within.
"Fools! Even your elders wouldn't dare speak to me this way." Shi Hao turned and glanced at them coldly. Just that one glance sent chills down their spines.
At the same time, two purple lightning bolts shot from Shi Hao's eyes, cutting through the sword energy. He glared at them, then extended his hand, creating a whirlwind that swept toward them.
The whirlwind was formed from lightning, transforming into a giant purple-gold hand. In an instant, it grasped the red-furred wolf, its overwhelming power leaving them no chance to resist.
These youths were strong and talented. If they were weak, they wouldn’t have made it this far. But unfortunately, they had encountered Shi Hao, and they were no match for him—not even close.
Even creatures from the Primordial Divine Mountains couldn’t contend with Shi Hao, so how could they stand a chance? Although they were older than Shi Hao by several years, they were still no match.
"Who are you?" They were shocked. This youth seemed to be no more than thirteen or fourteen, yet he possessed such immense strength, almost at the brink of the Engraving Realm—it was unbelievable.
In the next moment, they were rendered speechless. The lightning-infused whirlwind crackled, striking them with electric arcs. Even the giant wolf collapsed, paralyzed.
This sight stunned the people riding on the ferocious bird, who had been tracking Shi Hao from the sky. They quickly retreated into the clouds.
For people like these, Shi Hao had no sympathy. Since they wanted to throw him into the magma pool to kill him, they should not be surprised by his retaliation.
Of course, Shi Hao didn’t act as ruthlessly as they had. He simply kicked one of them forward, not too far from the magma pool.
“No! Pull me back!” The man was covered in electric arcs, his body charred, and he was unable to move.
“Tell me, what is this place, what’s special about it, and what are you searching for?” Shi Hao asked simply and directly, wanting to understand the situation.
The few people looked at him in shock, their mouths forming “o” shapes. Who was this person? How could he not even know where he was? Wasn’t he from the Fire Clan? How did he sneak in here? They were stunned.
“Who are you?” one of them shouted.
“I’m the one asking the questions,” Shi Hao said calmly.
“Ah!” Suddenly, the person thrown near the magma pool screamed. The ground beneath him began to sink, and he was falling toward the magma, filled with terror.
Shi Hao frowned, extending his hand to form a golden wave, attempting to pull him back, as he did not wish for the man to die immediately.
However, it was too late. A creature leaped out of the magma, flapping its wings and slicing the man in half, dragging him down.
“Huh, it looks like a chicken, how strange,” Shi Hao said with a curious expression. How could such a creature be so powerful? It seemed illogical.
“Will you speak now?” He turned to the remaining group.
“Roar!” At that moment, the giant wolf let out a loud howl. Its entire red fur stood on end as it struggled, also about to fall into the magma.
Simultaneously, a fiery red vicious bird swooped down. It was several meters long, with feathers as red as blood, truly resembling a giant chicken.
“Boom!”
Shi Hao struck with a palm, colliding with the creature, sending it flying back into the magma. At the same time, he threw the giant wolf far away, saving its life.
“We’ll talk! Just get us away from this magma pool!” The remaining few shouted in terror, their faces pale and drenched in sweat.
“Speak,” Shi Hao said, looking at them.
“This is the ancestral land of our clan, the place where the Fire Nation rose to power,” one of them said trembling, quickly explaining, pleading for Shi Hao to take them away from the fire pool.
“What?” Shi Hao was shocked. He had unknowingly arrived at the ancestral land of the Fire Clan. This was a forbidden area where outsiders were rarely allowed.
Soon, he learned more information, gaining a basic understanding of the situation.
In ancient times, the Fire Nation rose to prominence because of this ancestral land. It was said that many divine entities resided here, capable of rapidly enhancing one’s cultivation.
“It's said that there are divine substances here, allowing even ordinary creatures to grow stronger.”
Shi Hao’s eyes gleamed at these words. The more he heard, the more he realized that this place was an ideal location for cultivation. He wanted to break through the Spirit Transformation realm and even step into the Engraving realm, refining his body further.
“Some geniuses from beyond the regions have also come here.”
“Why?” Shi Hao asked.
“The great powers from beyond sought cooperation with the Fire Emperor. They wanted to support our nation, but they made some demands, including letting their disciples enter our ancestral land.”
These people didn’t know much more, but it seemed there was a great secret here. Shi Hao speculated that there was something extraordinary in this place; otherwise, the great sects from outside the region wouldn’t be so interested.
Then, Shi Hao learned something even more surprising. Every generation of Fire Emperors had risen to power here, rapidly increasing their strength before claiming the throne and becoming rulers.
This made him even more intrigued. He had a feeling that Shi Yi would soon emerge from the Ancient Holy Academy with a much higher cultivation level. If Shi Hao wanted to catch up, he would need time.
After all, he was three or four years younger than Shi Yi. This was a significant gap, and Shi Hao wanted to defeat him with his true strength. To do so, he couldn’t afford to be weaker in terms of cultivation level.
Otherwise, the battle might end up being one-sided.
Unless he used the small pagoda, but Shi Hao didn’t want to rely on external power. He wanted to face Shi Yi head-on with his own strength and see who was truly stronger.
“This is a great place to cultivate. I can spar with the geniuses from outside the region, temper my body, and capture the divine entities here to extract their essence, speeding up my cultivation.”
Shi Hao calmed down, thinking that this unexpected arrival might have been a gift from Huo Ling’er. He remained silent for a moment, deciding not to waste this opportunity.
Shi Yi would eventually emerge, and when he did, the world would surely be shocked.
Shi Hao could sense that the battle was not far off.
“What else do you know? Are there any other peculiarities here?” he asked, wanting to learn more.
“There are many strange things here. In ancient times, even gods came to this place, seemingly searching for something.” Their words left Shi Hao astonished.
Furthermore, another piece of information shocked him even more. The Fire Nation’s sacrificial spirit was born here and had protected this ancient kingdom since ancient times.
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