Chapter 483 - Searching for Parents
Separated at childhood with no memories, Shi Hao's heart felt slightly grieved. He had never enjoyed the familial love and joy between parent and child. He was abandoned by his clan and forced to roam about in the outside world since he was young.
Raised within Stone Village, he never had the chance to receive the warmth of staying at his mother and father's side. He would at times be lonely, other times naughty or smiling brilliantly. He grew up within Stone Village in a simple-minded manner.
If the Willow Deity did not open his sea of consciousness to help him see his past, he wouldn't even know what his parents looked like. After all, he was quite young at that time, only a year or so in age. He was raised as a foster child in the village.
Stone Village was his refuge and where he grew up. Later on, he never met his parents again, and at times, he almost forgot about them. There was no news whatsoever about them, nor was there a day when they could be reunited.
"Father, mother, are you both well?" Shi Hao said softly. Right now, he was different from his normally resolute and daring self, his mood somewhat distracted. The softest part within him had been touched, giving him a bitter and somewhat aching feeling.
Fortunately, Stone Village's people were all down-to-earth, taking him in as one of their own. This allowed him to grow up happily and without worries.
Only, inside, he always felt as if he was missing something. Others always had mothers and fathers, and only he could never experience that special familial feeling.
"I've already grown up." Shi Hao said to himself, his gaze gradually becoming resolute.
He relied on himself and travelled through the great wastelands alone. Even though he was still a youth, he used his power to shake the wasteland region and overlook his peers.
This type of accomplishment was unfathomable. He was originally an abandoned child that lost his supreme being bone and was fated to die. However, in the end, he relied on himself to persevere through. No one sent him any divine medicines to help him survive. However, he persistently fought on for survival, and he grew up healthily, sweeping through all enemies to become the human emperor he was today.
"When are we departing?" Qin Ming asked.
He saw that Shi Hao was a bit emotional and noticed the changes to his expressions, which made him feel a bit happy inside. It seems like the little Stone was a person who felt great emotions. As such, there was no need to be worried that he wouldn't give in.
He knew that the couple had not entered the higher realms yet. They were inside the Immortal Mountain, and they should possess enough influence over this youth.
Shi Hao recovered his composure, his eyes deep as he sat on the throne. As he looked downwards, it was incredibly imposing, the calmness and steadiness not matching his age. This type of gaze made the pressure Qin Ming faced increase several times. He was inwardly shocked. He was also a king level figure, but when faced against the little Stone, he felt like he was facing an unmatched supreme individual that could not be defied. He couldn't help but shiver in fear.
"You may leave first. I'm awaiting news." Shi Hao spoke.
"That decree…" Qin Ming's eyes fluttered towards the golden decree the little Stone casually tossed onto the table. He truly wished to obtain it.
This decree was not an ordinary object. There was the Immortal Mountain's mark formed from their divine imprint that possessed profound laws. In addition, the old ancestor had written the words. They shone with brilliance, possessing mysterious force and divine might.
This decree lightly rested on the table, and when it was spread out, golden light flowed outwards like a divine flame. Every single character would be engraved in space.
"Do you have any complaints?" Shi Hao coldly asked.
Qin Ming's expression dropped, not daring to request for the decree any longer. Even though it could be refined into a magical artifact with a deity's aura, he didn't dare ask for it again. After all, this was a decree issued to the little Stone.
He hurriedly withdrew. Before leaving, he saw the little Stone casually tear apart the golden paper before crumpling it into a lump, making the corners of his mouth twitch.
With the great calamity having just passed, the eight regions were in chaos. Every sect wished to stabilize their situation, as they were all powerless to wage war. They were all trying to deal with the disaster that had been brought upon them and wanted to stabilize their inheritances.
This wasn't true for only the wasteland region. Even the foreign sects that had ties with the higher realms encountered disaster. They were all attacked to varying degrees, making the overall atmosphere rather tense. What they needed the most right now was a peaceful period.
As such, Shi Hao didn't have to worry about much. Right now, the imperial capital was quite stable. His rise to power temporarily intimidated everyone inside the country.
Shi Hao summoned the War King, Peng Nine and the others. After making some arrangements, he waited another two days. He carefully prepared a few things and then prepared to set off.
Fairy Yue Chan definitely couldn't be left in the palace, for who knew what type of accidents could happen. There were definitely secrets on this woman's body, so Shi Hao would not be at ease unless she was suppressed at his side.
If others were to find that he had imprisoned the holy fairy that countless people admired within that bronze piece's world, they would definitely go mad. This… was inconceivable!
"This is a space piercing boat." Outside Stone Capital, Qin Ming introduced. His voice carried a type of confidence, as this was a precious boat created by the Immortal Mountain. It possessed great speed, allowing it to travel a hundred thousand li in a day.
The boat was was a greenish black in color and flowed with a special radiance. It was unknown what type of material it was made out of. It wasn't large, only several zhang in length. It was a magical artifact that could travel quickly.
At the very center, the primordial symbolled bones of various birds were placed. These allowed the boat to maintain a fast speed, making it an essential tool for crossing the boundless earth.
Shi Hao curled his lips and said, "So small. If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have brought one from the imperial palace."
His voice was indifferent as if he didn't seem to care that much about it.
This immediately made Qin Ming stop talking. He was originally quite proud of it, and with the Immortal Mountain's level of magical artifacts, it was truly enough to overlook the world, yet right now, he could only keep his mouth shut.
In the end, the little Stone was a human emperor. Even though Stone Country wasn't as great as the Immortal Mountain, there were still some wondrous treasures that could be found within the treasury of a country. After all, they had been accumulated since the ancient times.
"A hundred thousand li a day is too slow. How long will it take for us to reach the destination?" Shi Hao appeared rather unsatisfied.
"We will head for Fire Nation first." Qin Ming said. He was inwardly scared, but he also carried his own resentment and cold laughter.
"Let me control the boat." Shi Hao said. He recklessly used it.
In the next moment, the Immortal Mountain's king figure was horrified. He noticed that the entire boat seemed to have ignited. Divine force surged madly as it shot outwards like a divine arrow.
At the end of the boat, the little Stone stood firm and unshakable. His entire body shone, and the unending divine force poured out like a sea and filled this place, wrapping itself around the entire flying boat.
This type of divine force was too terrifying, simply vast and boundless. It made Qin Ming's face become pale. They were both king level figures, yet why was the difference between them so big?
"No wonder he could fight against supreme experts. Even if one uses the imperial palace's draconic energy, they still needed to be powerful enough themself…" He trembled inwardly.
Then, Qin Ming cried out again. The speed of this boat was just too quick, long exceeding its limit. It turned into a streak of light and sped through the skies.
"This is…" He cried out in terror. It had long broken through the limit of a hundred thousand li a day. At this speed, they could travel several hundred thousand li, or even greater.
"You cannot go that quickly, the boat will not be able to handle it and collapse!" Qin Ming was going crazy. It was going to explode, and even a king level figure would be injured!
In addition, this boat was extremely precious. It was something bestowed upon him by the clan. If it was lost, then it would truly leave him aching inwardly. It would be a tremendous loss.
For the sake of saving time, Shi Hao used all of his divine force. His entire being seemed like a great furnace, the light he radiated dimming even the sun as it blazed furiously.
"I believe the Immortal Mountain also wishes for me to appear earlier. If you wish to walk slowly, I do not mind."
When Qin Ming heard these words, his face became incomparably downcast, and he no longer said anything. He originally should have sent the decree to the little Stone a long time ago, and he had even berated Shi Hao after he was ignored. As a result, it was dragged on again and again, delaying the visit for a long time.
They crossed several million li and landed inside one of Fire Nation's cities that was closest to Stone Country. However, right now, it was actually controlled by the Immortal Mountain. When they came to a stop, cracks appeared everywhere on the boat and electricity flickered about. It was about to explode. Not exploding along the way was already something to be glad about.
When Qin Ming opened the core of the boat, he found that the bird bones had long dimmed and were on the verge of being destroyed. He wanted to cry, but no tears came out. This boat was completely ruined.
What they had to do next was quite simple. There was a powerful formation in this enormous city that could join together the walls between regions, connecting them to one of the border regions of the mysterious region.
In simpler terms, one could cross regions here and enter another boundless region.
The eight regions were vast. If one wanted to travel across on their own, they might not see the end of one after traveling their entire lives. Furthermore, it was quite difficult to cross regions right now due to walls being unnaturally firm. Normal people could never make it past.
This formation was extremely vast, and it was unknown how many materials were used on it. Of course, the main reason it was possible was due to the Immortal Mountain's symbols being exceptionally excellent and incomparable.
Multicolored light flickered and dense energy rose. The entire altar was like a mountain. Shi Hao and Qin Ming stood on top, waiting for the formation to fully activate.
With a weng sound, heaven and earth trembled lightly. Then, a silver passage appeared that bore through the void. A path emerged beneath their feet.
Just like that, the two advanced into the silver corridor at the same time, disappearing from the wasteland region.
"Father, mother, I've come to search for you."
Shi Hao said this softly as he stood in an unfamiliar land. He found it difficult to calm down. After being separated for more than ten years, could they still smoothly meet each other?
His missed his father and mother and longed to see them. Regardless of what happened, despite the reasoning as to why his parents didn't bring back a holy medicine to save him, he wouldn't blame them. He just wanted to see them again.
"Grandfather, are you in this region as well? Are you in the Immortal Mountain? I want to see you as well." All types of emotions were welling up within Shi Hao's mind.
The great demonic god Grandpa Fifteen had thrown Stone Country Imperial Capital into chaos for his sake. He swept through his opponent, punishing a large number of clansmen with the family law and beating down Rain King Manor to a sorry state.
A grandfather like this that showed such love and protection gave him a deep impression. He wanted to meet him as soon as possible and truly be reunited.
This was the place where glorious heroes emerged from. It was much more beautiful than the wasteland region. As soon as he entered, Shi Hao felt the thicker spiritual essence in this place, as well as the greater vitality of the vegetation here.
No wonder those outside this region always called the wasteland region a barbaric place. If one were to look at it from the density of spiritual essence as well as the mountains and rivers, then they truly had something to be arrogant about.
This was the edge of the mysterious region, yet there was still an enormous daoist platform made to receive those from outside this region. The number of people here wasn't that few, as there were experts here that were stationed here.
This extraordinary daoist platform was shared by various sects. It was like a beacon that guided cultivators from outside the region back. The various sects all needed to use it.
As soon as Shi Hao appeared, he immediately drew many eyes. Some of their expressions suddenly changed, revealing looks of shock. They clearly recognized his identity.
"Am I seeing things?"
"Lower your voice!"
Qin Ming got in touch with someone, and soon after, more than ten experts hurried over, surrounding Shi Hao and bringing out magical artifacts to form a protective barrier. This was done to block the view of outsiders.
In the distance, mists surged violently and multicolored light covered the sun. An enormous boat that was over ten thousand zhang in length emerged. It radiated an immortal aura.
Even Shi Hao was moved. This was definitely a terrifying magical artifact that carried divine energy.
"Once we get on this boat, we can travel a million li in a day and quickly reach the Immortal Mountain. Since we have some time now, I'll explain the Immortal Mountain's rules and customs," Qin Ming said. After entering the mysterious region, he became much more confident!
Right at this moment, a disturbance broke out in the distance. All types of auspicious lights danced about, and bright colors scattered about. Many powerful magical artifacts opened the way to protect a few people.
"What is going on?" Qin Ming asked.
"Those from the higher realms arrived!" An elder spoke, clearly shaken by this turn of events.
"What?!" Qin Ming was also shocked.