Perfect World

Chapter 558: Chapter 458: Unwilling to Part
 

Atop the ruins of the Heaven Mending Pavilion, Shi Hao and the others lingered for a long time. They had finally avenged the great wrongs done to them, but amid their joy, they also felt boundless sorrow.

Once a thriving sect, the grounds were now overgrown with weeds, wild rabbits scurried about, dead trees stood tall, and crows cawed mournfully. It was desolate and barren.

“People must always look forward,” someone said. “The Heaven Mending Pavilion of yesterday is gone, but now we’ll rebuild from the ruins. Everything will get better, and I think the spirits of the elders would be consoled by that.”

The group looked toward the distance, where many people were clearing away giant boulders, weeds, and rubble. The reconstruction had already begun to restore the mountain gate and rebuild the Heaven Mending Pavilion.

After a time of remembrance and communal tribute, burning paper and pouring out several jars of wine, everyone left the place.

Shi Hao hosted his fellow disciples in the capital, offering the hospitality due from a local, and he invited them to stay for a while.

Two days later, the nine-headed lion, Flame Crow, Purple Mink, Five-colored Phoenix Bird, and others came to bid farewell in advance because they did not know when he would ascend to the heavens.

Shi Hao got thoroughly drunk, his mind flooding with past memories of laughter and tartness. Was it the thought of parting that made him so reluctant to leave?

“That guy Shi Hao, when he went to the Heaven Mending Pavilion to take part in the selection, was quite a handful, giving the elders a fit, nearly making them pull out their beards in frustration,” Xia Youyu said with a laugh.

“Stop talking about it,” Xiao Tian hastily interrupted, because he was mentioned too. Just thinking about the power of those few hammer blows sent him into a frenzy even now!

“Haha… the innocence of youth, what fond memories those are, worth savoring,” the Female War God laughed heartily, her golden armor shining. Her beautiful face, slightly flushed with drink, looked dreamy.

“Some things are better off not remembered,” the nine-headed lion grumbled, recalling its first encounter with Shi Hao in the Hundred Shattered Mountains.

It had a much worse time than Xiao Tian, chased around by a nine-year-old brat shouting about wanting to eat braised lion’s head and wanting to take it as a mount. The thought alone brought tears to its eyes.

“You all say big brother caused trouble, but I always thought he was very simple-hearted,” light wind interjected.

Pfft!

Some people spat out the wine from their mouths, coughing non-stop, finding it hard to agree with that statement.

“Light wind gets me,” Shi Hao laughed.

His skin must be quite thick to say such things, the crowd thought with disdain.

Shi Dazhuang, Er Meng, the monkeys, and others had all come too—some learning to lead troops, others experiencing the mortal world, some cultivating. They were all invited for this one night’s gathering.

“These are the companions I grew up with,” Shi Hao introduced, having been with them since childhood, their friendship blended with kinship.

Everyone understood that by introducing them in this way, Shi Hao hoped they would get to know each other and support one another in the future.

“Little Hao, is the higher realms really that wonderful that you are so eager to leave?” Shi Dazhuang asked with a touch of sadness.

As soon as he brought up the topic, everyone sighed softly. This gathering might be the last time they would see each other in their lives. Celestials and mortals, forever separated, with no easy passage between the two realms.

“Once on the path of cultivation, my heart is like Zhuyan, eager to climb higher, to jump out of this well and see the world outside,” Shi Hao whispered.

In truth, there was more. Having witnessed the power of higher realm beings coming down to the lower realm, treating the Eight Regions as their garden and pasture, a flame blazed within him, yearning to burst forth. He wanted to break free and someday change it all!

And there was his desire to follow in the footsteps of the Willow Deity, to see it again.

“It’s good to go out. This place is a cage, a place where the higher realms imprison criminals and great evils. The higher realms are the real Heaven and Earth, unrestrained, where true freedom lies,” Xia Youyu said.

“Freedom is in the heart; there is strife everywhere,” the old imperial bodyguard Peng Jiu sighed from a distance.

“I will return. One day, I will come back to see you all,” Shi Hao said.

“Don’t take too long. Time is merciless. If you wait until one day you stand at the pinnacle, when you look back, there may be nothing left on the road you’ve traveled,” the Female War God said, her fair face unusually sentimental.

Shi Hao took heed and nodded seriously.

This departure might be for many years. He had much he did not want to leave behind, but he had no choice. He also did not want to come back one day to find that all his old friends were gone, with nothing left but the mournful wind and cawing crows.

Time is heartless. Immersed in cultivation, many ties could be severed and forgotten. By the time one wanted to pick up those old memories again, all the people and events of the past might no longer exist.

“Little Hao, we really don’t want you to go. You’re heading to the higher realms; that’s an eternal separation from us mortals. By the time we grow old, you might still be a young immortal,” Er Meng said, his eyes reddening slightly.

The people from Stone Village were down-to-earth. They had grown up together, raided the nests of fierce birds, hunted the wild beasts of the mountains. Their feelings for each other were sincere, with so much reluctance to part.

“Don’t be sad; I will definitely come back,” Shi Hao swore.

“Once you’re in the higher realms, it’s hard to come back down,” Xia Youyu sighed softly, her beautiful eyes blinking as she clinked her cup with Shi Hao’s, whispering, “We don’t want you to go either. We hope you can reunite with your fellow disciples and create a glorious future.”

“Let’s be happy at this gathering, let’s raise this cup together. There will definitely be a day when we will meet again!” Shi Hao declared.

With a gentle clink, wine spilled as everyone raised their glasses together, drinking deeply.

“Could we see you once more before you leave?” someone asked.

“Yes!” Shi Hao nodded earnestly, solemnly promising.

Because he too felt a heavy reluctance and worry, afraid that after this meeting, it might be the last. Who could tell what the future held?

In the higher realms, countless races and geniuses stood side by side, with the Primordial beings rising amongst a multitude of strong existences. Even if he ascended, he might get lost in the crowd.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes; where there are rivers and lakes, there are grudges and emotional entanglements.

He felt that the higher realms sounded wonderful, like a fairyland of incomparable beauty, but the struggles might be even more terrifying. It would be a grand stage where the prodigies of the heavens collide, immense and boundless.

Shi Hao promised that, when he really had to leave, he would definitely meet with them one by one for a final farewell.

Everyone was profoundly drunk, and amidst the joy and sorrow of parting, their emotions were complex. They dispersed and left the Stone Kingdom’s Imperial Capital.

The next morning at dawn, the sky was splendid with gold, bathing the world in its glow.

Shi Hao opened his eyes, his gaze bright and clear. He gathered up all of his feelings of loss and reluctance, and his entire being once again became spirited. His dao heart was unwavering, firm beyond doubt.

Since he had embarked on the path of cultivation, he must make both gains and sacrifices. He could not allow momentary emotions to obstruct his path ahead. He intended to climb upward continuously, tread on his own grand road, and move bravely forward.

“One day, when I look back, will it have been worth it?” he whispered to himself.

“At the very least, I have no regrets now!” he said with a resolute tone.

He summoned Peng Jiu to inquire about how the teachings for light wind were progressing recently and what his impressions were.

“He’s a promising youth, intelligent and kind-hearted, with good qualities,” Peng Jiu replied.

Light wind possessed great talent, whether in learning precious symbols or dealing with some affairs of Stone Country, he showed a very astute side.

Yet, hearing this evaluation, Shi Hao fell into contemplation, shaking his head slightly: “It’s precisely because he is too kind that I worry. Light wind has a tendency toward gentleness, and I’m afraid that in the future he might be too indecisive and lack the resolve to make hard decisions, potentially harming himself.”

Peng Jiu nodded, then added, “That can be nurtured. Character determines destiny, and destiny can be changed. He is still young, and his personality has great plasticity.”

Shi Hao wanted to pass the throne to light wind because it had been light wind who suffered for him in the past, imprisoned in the second ancestral land. Out of those considerations, he hoped light wind would become the Stone Emperor.

However, he also didn’t want Qin Feng to feel burdened. He only wished for him to be happy and safe, to do what he wanted to do. This left him conflicted, uncertain of what to choose.

In the end, he didn’t make a decision but asked Peng Jiu, “How is his cultivation going?”

“He’s learning the Stone Country’s clan-protecting Divine Skills—the Suan Ni Divine Technique, and he is making good progress,” Peng Jiu said.

“Let’s not discuss anything else; I’ll give him a hand with his cultivation first,” said Shi Hao.

He called light wind over and took out a Lightning Fruit. It was an excellent medicinal oddity complementary to cultivating the laws of thunder, containing naturally formed Lightning Runes within the fruit.

However, this fruit was not ripe, and its power was far from being compared to those true Lightning Fruits from the higher realms. Moreover, it contained deathly energy from various deities, which ordinary people could not refine. Swallowing it forcibly would undoubtedly lead to death.

In fact, even those who had ignited divine flames found it challenging to refine, risking their lives.

Fortunately, Shi Hao’s Supreme Bone was extraordinary. That innate divine power could purify the deathly energy, and so he intended to help light wind.

“Crackle!”

Lightning intertwined, and just a piece of the energy-rich fruit flesh the size of a fingernail nearly put light wind in danger; the Thunderous Force in the fruit was too fierce.

Shi Hao, acting as a protector by his side, used the Suan Ni Divine Technique, dedicating all his effort to neutralizing it, allowing this divine force and its essence to nourish his flesh and blood and imprinting the runes into his bones.

It was an extremely lengthy process; after all, light wind was not him, his cultivation a great deal lower. Even with his support, they proceeded slowly.

Days later, light wind let out a long roar. As he moved his hands and feet, lightning danced furiously about him.

This was not a deliberate display of precious symbols, but it could be considered an instinct; a wave of his hand would bring forth sweeping thunder that could blast an opponent.

“Very good. With this as a foundation and then practicing the Suan Ni Divine Technique, his progress will be twice as effective. Perhaps one day he might break through the limits of the dao of lightning,” Shi Hao nodded in approval.

Afterwards, he walked towards a palace garden.

Qin Hao was residing there, seldom seen lately. Ever since he followed him to Stone Country, he had been very quiet, heavy with thought.

Shi Hao wanted to ask him if he had ever cultivated divine thunder, and if so, he would also gift him a Lightning Fruit.

But Qin Hao had already left, leaving behind a letter explaining his return to the Profound Domain’s Immortal Mountain.

Shi Hao frowned; he was very worried. After all, he had brought him away from there—how would the Qin Clan view this?

He took the Xuan Turtle, opened the Ancestral Sacrificial Altar, and broke through space to leave, naturally not capable of crossing realms directly but needed to break through forcefully at the borders.

After a journey, Shi Hao finally arrived at Immortal Mountain. Using the Divine Skill of the seventy two transformations to turn into a mosquito, thanks to the guidance of the Divine Striking Stone’s secret to arrays, he sneaked his way in.

“Eh, that sacrificial altar is glowing!” the Divine Striking Stone exclaimed in surprise.

Deep within Immortal Mountain, there was an ancient sacrificial altar, which had been rearranged to reconnect with the higher realms, nurturing the supreme treasure bone within Qin Hao’s body.

That day when Shi Hao and Little Pagoda wreaked havoc there, he had become aware of it.

“Brother, you’ve come,” Qin Hao sensed his presence, opening his eyes, his instincts and perception extremely sharp.

Mainly because when Shi Hao reached there and took his human form again, he didn’t hide his presence. He said, “I’ve come to see you.”

“You have your divine dao, and I have my Path of Humanity. You should go. I will not return to Stone Country,” Qin Hao said.

Shi Hao looked at the array and the sacrificial altar, feeling unsettled in his heart. It could still connect to the higher realms?

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Thanks to Pantheon Alliance, Perfect Eight Treasures Baby, Supreme Blue Lotus Emperor Honor, the Fallen Qin, Pangu770, and the Lonely Attendant Student in red. Thank you! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)