Chapter 443 – Heaven Change
A strange fluctuation rippled outwards and that heavenly gate was suddenly blasted apart!
It was as beautiful as fireworks, as stunning as morning clouds. The scenery it produced was gorgeous. All colors danced about as it loudly erupted. A rain of light scattered down like falling stars across the sky.
The gate was blasted apart. Following a rain of blood and scale fragments, it was destroyed in midair.
Shi Hao watched with worry, a coldness creeping into his heart. Was the lower realm this dangerous? It was clear that someone had fallen, triggering this shockwave of divine might.
The only fortunate thing was that there was quite a bit of distance between them. Moreover, it was in the sky. If not, the towering mountains would all be turned into dust and cease to exist.
"Why did he explode? Was his strength not great enough?" Shi Hao asked.
After remaining silent for a bit, the little pagoda laughed coldly and said, "Do you think it's that easy to come down? How could they do so without paying the price? However, this individual had been schemed against by another."
"Was it a powerful figure that fell?" Shi Hao asked.
"How could a powerful figure die that easily? It most likely wasted all of its efforts and died under another's competent hands." From what the little pagoda said, the methods of the powerful figures from the higher realms were heaven defying, making them not easy to kill.
The higher realms' disputes were involved. The struggles were extremely vicious as they fought both openly and covertly. All types of methods were revealed, and a single mistake would leave them consigned to eternal damnation.
In the following days, divine light continuously appeared from time to time in the distance. This was a sign of the space cracking apart. Extremely bizarre phenomenon were produced that startled all of the wasteland regions' cultivators.
This was an omen of the great calamity. Everyone knew that a tremendous storm was going to start!
All the supreme experts cried out involuntarily. They either fled from this region or hid themselves. They all used their secret techniques for self-preservation.
"Exactly which existences are descending?" Shi Hao asked.
"I do not know!" The little pagoda shook its head.
Shi Hao frowned. The creatures of the higher realms were all so terrifying. If they all wanted to come down here and play, then this vast and boundless land will be overturned and most likely cease to exist.
The little pagoda sighed softly and gave a simple explanation, saying that only select individuals were attempting to come down. If they were detected by the higher realms' dao or found out by an ancient creed, they would be strictly suppressed and killed.
"The great dao is boundless like the great abyss and the universe. Its greatness cannot be measured, and it is always at work," said the Willow Deity. Normally, it is extremely hard for anyone to come down from the higher realms due to the restrictions of this world's dao. Only at certain times could unique secret methods allow one to do so.
Those that could descend were naturally not ordinary individuals. They all had strong power backing them.
"What is there in this realm that makes those individuals feel like it is worth risking danger for?" Shi Hao asked.
"There are good things here. Ever since forbidden existences perished in this world, more and more individuals want to investigate this place," said the little pagoda.
An energy that was difficult to describe appeared in this world. It made people's hearts beat faster and faster. Everyone knew what was supposed to come was about to come. Every cultivator was anxious and frightened.
During these few days, Shi Hao continuously meditated within the village and cultivated. From time to time, he would ask for guidance from the great one beside him.
"Willow Deity, since the great calamity is about to arrive, is it time for me to receive another baptism?" Shi Hao asked.
Normally, one would receive a baptism at the age of five, ten, and fifteen to unleash one's potential and enable them to cultivate better. This was an essential foundation.
"There is no need. You have constantly been breaking through cultivation realms and breaking through crucial points on your own. You have done well and don't need these." The Willow Deity said.
According to what it said, Shi Hao was continuously unleashing his potential, and as such, he didn't need to seal and refine himself within a cauldron or for the Willow Deity to lend a hand again.
If one continued to carry out the baptism, it might even overload the body. He had crazily released his potential during these past few years and had already reached the forefront of this path.
The Willow Deity gave him this warning, telling him to let nature take its course. His current path was extremely good and was following the proper path. It was enough to persistently advance, and the natural laws of the dao would naturally follow.
Shi Hao continued to polish himself and try to improve himself even further. He cultivated bitterly within Stone Village, and half a month passed just like that. From time to time, he would observe the world, allowing him to see many mysterious sights.
He did not become fearful of what he saw. He calmed down his heart, studying the great dao and cultivating the truth. He retrieved the beast skin he obtained from the Void God Realm and studied the ancient formation.
The two words 'six dao' had created an itch in his heart. He wished to make this his own divine ability soon in order to give him ground to stand on in this changing world.
"Yi, why do I feel like the there is an area far from Stone Village that is calling out to me?" Shi Hao seemed a bit confused.
Originally, he wanted to seclude himself within the village and calmly wait for the great calamity to pass. However, this strange feeling he had made him rather puzzled. He felt extremely restless, as if he had missed something.
"Your feeling is not wrong. This means that you have a dao root, that you have grabbed onto a deep dao path," said the little pagoda. The great calamity was extremely dangerous, but it held tremendous opportunities.
The world was unstable, so profound mysteries would reveal themselves. There was even a high possibility of a powerful individual falling and dissolving in the world. If one could sense this, then it would be a heavenly opportunity.
Shi Hao was at a loss. Was he supposed to leave?
He wasn't a supreme expert, so he ought to not be discovered. However, that didn't mean that he was safe. There might be all types of unpredictable dangers.
"You have to decide for yourself." The Willow Deity said softly.
"I wish to leave and see this great calamity for myself. I want to see exactly what is going on." In the end, Shi Hao made this decision.
"You have to consider carefully. Once you leave, you might not be able to ever enter again. I might even bring Stone Village away from this world and leave this place." The Willow Deity's voice was calm.
It was evident that it had plans to recuperate elsewhere. The Willow Deity was not going to join in on any conflicts. It was going to completely seal up this village and vanish from the world.
Shi Hao relaxed, thinking that Stone Village would definitely be peaceful. Much of his worry disappeared. He now only had to be careful outside and didn't need to be worried about the villagers.
"I have considered carefully." He said.
"You might have to leave for several years at a time, or even ten to a hundred years. The amount of time it will take for you to return will be difficult to say. I will pass onto you a technique here," said the Willow Deity.
When Shi Hao heard this, he became stirred up. There was no need to describe the Willow Deity's greatness, so its precious technique was definitely world shocking. This will become his life-protecting great divine ability.
A sparkling branch reached out, the green and shining branch touching him between his brows. It released a holy light and slowly surrounded him.
Soon after, this willow branch became extraordinary. It turned into a faint golden color, as if it was a willow branch cast from gold. It was extremely mysterious, and it continuously sent ripples into his head.
These were golden symbols that continuously diffused out one after another, and they were full of the aura of the great dao. The specks of gold were bright and dazzling. They were extremely magnificent and extraordinary.
Shi Hao's body felt light and pure. His mind concentrated on receiving the natural dao. The symbols converged one after another before ultimately forming the most primitive symbol.
This was precisely the Willow Deity's precious technique. Tens of thousands evolved and ultimately emerged into one great dao. However, in order to thoroughly comprehend it, one needed to carefully break it down and progressively deduce its meaning. It was going to be a tremendous task.
The willow branch withdrew, and Shi Hao suddenly opened his eyes. He knew that at the moment, he most likely couldn't comprehend it all. The Willow Deity had also said that he should try to study it after his cultivation realm is a bit higher.
With a different natural dao, the requirements were different as well. The Willow Deity specialized in a type of natural power that required the harmony of one's mental state. Currently, Shi Hao was clearly still not suitable.
Shi Hao went on his way, leaving Stone Village. The men, women, young and old all came out to send him off.
"Goodbye." He disappeared into the boundless great wastelands.
The little pagoda followed along, continuing to hang from his hair. From what it said, it also wanted to witness the great calamity, seeing how exactly this instance was different.
Wind blew over. Within the primitive mountains, apes howled and tigers roared. All types of vicious birds spread their wings towards the sky. They were all stirring restlessly, becoming more and more worried.
It was because all types of strange events happened during these past few days, especially the cracks that appeared in the space from time to time. It was as if some colossus was descending.
Within the chaos, people everywhere were moving, all of them trying to set out first to seek out the hint of opportunity. Shi Hao gazed deeply into the sky; he was going to go against the wind to carve out his own path.
Half a month later, Shi Hao entered Stone Country's western border. He wanted to find a few old friends. At the same time, he wanted to find out the truth of this great calamity.
This world became more and more stifling to move about in. From time to time, the sky would clearly be clear for tens of thousands of li and then it would suddenly tremble violently, emitting deafening noises. An enormous crack would then streak across the sky.
Finally, the day arrived. With a muffled sound, it was as if the world trembled. It was incomparably intense, as if the world was once again being established. All living things trembled.
A strange sound loudly sounded, produced as a result of the great dao's displacement. Then, there was a short pause. It was as if the entire world became motionless.
Then, all cultivators raised their heads towards the skies. Their expressions all paled, because it was cracking apart with no intention of stopping.
With a hong sound, the heavens were split open, sending down endless divine light and the boundless aura of divinity. It was sensed by all creatures, and they all gained some type of comprehension inwardly.
The great calamity was starting, but many cultivators unexpectedly began to stare blankly. After obtaining the fragments of the natural laws, they no longer belonged to this world. It was as if their bodies had been blessed with holiness and they themselves gained a flash of enlightenment.
This wasn't a simple gate, but rather an inverted volcano. It surged with auspicious and boundless multicolored light. It was just too dazzling and resplendent.
Dang!
Finally, a drawn out bell sounded, resounding into the horizon and transmitting to every corner of the wasteland region. No matter how great this region was, it still couldn't escape the bell's soundwaves.
Shi Hao's mind trembled as he watched the horizon with a look of disbelief.
An enormous bell slowly descended from the inverted volcano. It was simple and natural. As it gently shook, the soundwaves that could be seen by the naked eye engulfed the boundless great wastelands.
"Why is that here?!" The little pagoda immediately released a strange cry. It immediately hid its aura and became like a rock without any fluctuations. It no longer seemed like a magical artifact.
This bell was too astonishing. A mist curled up about it. Immortal light flew out in tens of thousands of auspicious and brightly colored streaks. They continuously diffused, surrounding the boundless great earth. Nothing could compare to it.
On the bell's wall, symbols lit up one after another, as if it was a passage of sacrificial text. They sounded like the bell's fluctuations in a long and drawn out manner. They were transmitted to everything under the heavens, entering the ears of all living things, and passed on into their hearts.
This difficult to understand, deep, and profound sound was like an incredibly ancient and forbidden existence's soft voice. Even though it was without form, it was as if a pair of eyes was gazing down on this entire world, and these eyes pierced through the river of time.
The sacrificial text was great and contained a type of ancient meaning and also a dismal feeling. This wasn't like what Shi Hao and the little pagoda expected at all. No person came down, only a bell.
It was clear that it hadn't finished, and instead just started.
Following another muffled sound, the great dao path seemed to change once again. Something else emerged from the inverted volcano, and colorful multicolored light gushed out.
"Ah, why is it here?!" Shi Hao became astonished and revealed a look of disbelief.