Chapter 988 - Holy Sacrifice
Without a doubt, the Saint Wood here were quite old, far surpassing the ones he saw thus far. Auspicious multicolored light surged, as if thousands to tens of thousands of divine rainbows gathered here.
Normal Saint Wood were only a foot tall, but these were all the height of a person, the tree bark like dragon scales. Their branches wriggling about, every single stalk different, leaves like they were carved from jade, releasing holy splendor as they swayed gently.
Chi!
A golden thread flew over, fast like a electrical spark. It made the void blurry and distorted.
Dang!
Shi Hao raised his hand, slapping over. Sparks flew everywhere from his palm. This was a Golden Silkworm smaller than a thumb in length, but it was incomparably tough, normal true deities would have definitely been blasted through.
Shi Hao frowned. There were quite a few of these types of bugs on the Saint Wood.
However, with the Emperor Butterfly here, he didn't have to worry too much. Only, he still felt a bit uneasy. This place was too peaceful, as if there was some type of danger!
This was the feeling Shi Hao felt when he approached the forest. These ancient trees contained great danger. He wanted to cultivate here, but there was still some danger. He had to figure out what it was.
"Yi, can use magical force again."
As soon as he entered the depths of the forest, his magical force was recovered. He immediately supported his single heavenly passage to protect himself.
Sou!
A shrill sound rang through the air. A streak of purple light rushed over, eyes entirely red. This was a sable, but it had gone mad.
It carried terrifying aura, tearing through the void as it arrived. It was actually a heavenly deity!
Shi Hao's mind was shaken. There was actually a heavenly deity residing here! He turned around and left. This type of crazy heavenly deity was the most terrifying, unable to be reasoned with.
Wu wu...
Beast roars sounded. Purple light interweaved. In the end, several thousand sables rushed out at the same time, all of them already deities.
Of course, the most frightening thing was that there were three of them that were mad heavenly deities. This was just too shocking!
It was clear that this was a powerful tribe that resided within the Saint Wood. This was their nest. If one wanted to cultivate here, the difficulty was too great.
Shi Hao was in an incredibly sorry state, quickly running.
Pu!
Even with how powerful he was, three strands of immortal energy surrounding his body, he still had his shoulder scratched by a purple sharp claw. Several bloody holes immediately appeared, blood surging outwards.
If it was an ordinary person, after being struck by a heavenly deity, they would definitely be turned into a bloody paste, beyond dead.
Shi Hao frowned. He displayed the Earth to Inches divine ability, disappearing into the trees with a few flashes. In the outer region, his magical force had already disappeared. He relied on his powerful flesh to run.
He ran in this dangerous place, losing those three mad heavenly deities with great difficulty.
Fortunately, they had all gone mad, mentally confused, or else it would have definitely been extremely troublesome.
After a long time had passed, Shi Hao made his way back around. He discovered that this place became peaceful again. However, when he carefully observed his surroundings, he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air!
He saw the sable nest. The three mad heavenly deities weren't the most dangerous ones, there was actually an old sable whose purple fur carried streaks of white color. It was incredibly aged, sleeping there.
"Sect master!"
It was clear that this was an extraordinary tribe that was incomparably powerful, actually having a terrifying sect master level creature in this nest.
How was he even supposed to even deal with these creatures? Shi Hao felt a great headache, a bit helpless.
Previously, he could still display secret methods to guide the three heavenly deities away, wishing to find a way to bring them into a dangerous place and trap them. However now, he really felt a bit dejected. With this old sable overseeing this place, if he really did provoke them, it would likely be extremely dangerous, dying here.
Shi Hao was unwilling to give up here. He waited for a few more days, all the way until a strange fluctuation appeared here.
Those sables all disappeared, entering the holes in the ground, not willing to reveal themselves.
Shi Hao was also shaken up. This place was extremely strange. There was a swamp in the distance, and right now, it split open, brilliant radiance appearing from within. Strange fluctuations rushed out.
"What kind of thing is that?" Shi Hao's heart began to pound.
"Formation!" Shi Hao was shocked. It was a ruined formation from the last great era.
He revealed a look of shock. In the places where the fluctuations passed, the golden cocoons, poisonous bugs, and others all fell, entering a deep state of sleep. Many bugs with faster reactions quickly fled into their nests.
Shi Hao shivered inwardly. He definitely didn't want to fall asleep here. He produced the Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram, using it to protect himself as he fled towards the outside of this ancient forest.
However, the fluctuation arrived too quickly, almost in an instant, engulfing the entire ancient land. He was caught up in it.
Then, he watched as a few sleeping bugs and others completely stopped moving, as if they died, not displaying any vitality.
"What a strange formation, making one die in their sleep!" Shi Hao was shocked. Right now, the Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram shone, forming a sphere of light. Ten thousand spirits appeared, stopping that wave of fluctuation.
Otherwise, something unexpected would have likely happened to him.
The multicolored light in the swamp was unstable. When it swept through this ancient land, it wasn't that homogenous, a bit like a tide, sometimes surging and sometimes receding.
When these mysterious fluctuations withdrew, a few holes would have bugs rush out, capturing those creatures that died, treating them like food.
"This place really is strange. There are formation patterns underneath. The fluctuations don't affect rocks and other parts, so once the bugs and other creatures hide inside, it will be quite safe." Shi Hao said.
He didn't barge inside, instead quickly rushing towards the area where the Saint Wood was.
This place was a disaster area, none of the sables daring to come out, hiding inside their holes. It was exceptionally peaceful.
"I'll go into seclusion here!"
Shi Hao said to himself. Even though it was extremely dangerous, he didn't have a choice. Otherwise, as soon as the sable came out, he wouldn't have a chance anymore.
He had the Emperor Butterfly and Divine Striking Stone protect him. If anything unexpected happened, they would wake him.
There really was a large expanse of Saint Wood here, all of them shining brilliantly. They weren't the same, some of them entirely golden, some with green leaves, some entirely silver and brilliant, releasing holy energy.
Shi Hao needed them, using them to cultivate.
The Saint Wood was extremely special, a type of wondrous heavenly material.
One could use it to burn the body, but of course, it wouldn't be true ignition. It released a light that looked like fire, but it wasn't. It was a light formed from a type of heaven and earth natural law, a dao that could be used to refine the body.
Holy Sacrifice, this was what Shi Hao was going to use to break through this cultivation realm!
This cultivation realm was exceptionally strange. Many cultivators passed it, not cultivating it at all. It was because it was too dangerous.
Once one passed the true deity level, if one was stunning enough, they could immediately ascend to the Heavenly Deity Realm.
However, there were legends that only those who passed through the Holy Sacrifice Realm could be considered true kings among deities. That was why the most stunning individuals would choose to take this step.
It was rumored that for those who didn't experience Holy Sacrifice achieve the everlasting, in the future, it would be difficult to reach the peak of the divine dao. They couldn't break through the final step, thus unable to achieve long life.
For those of the present world, there was no need to think about long life, because there was no such qualification. If one searched this entire great era, how many undying people would they meet? All will eventually turn into dust.
That was why ninety-percent of cultivators wouldn't consider Holy Sacrifice at all. Only geniuses that were especially confident would do this.
Holy Sacrifice, this was a special cultivation realm, and it was quite the strange stage.
In this cultivation realm, the cultivation of any person would become unstable, sometimes being nearly no different from a heavenly deity, possessing endless magical force, but sometimes, it was extremely dangerous, the cultivation realm possibly tumbling to even less than the Divine Flame Realm, let alone being comparable to true deities.
In this cultivation realm, one's cultivation would fluctuate from high to low. If enemies attacked, it would become extremely frightening.
Even though it was special and also dangerous, Shi Hao still had no choice but to take this path, because he wanted to reach the highest peak of the divine dao. This cultivation realm couldn't be ignored.
Forget about him, ever since the ancient times, all those with ambition, wanting great achievements, would take this path!
It was because those who had experienced this domain would become clearly stronger!
Of course, there were others that didn't view this as a cultivation realm, because the Holy Sacrifice Realm's people could kill heavenly deities, almost belonging in another level.
Some believed that it was a type of tempering in the Heavenly Deity Realm.
Only, this type of tempering was just too dangerous, the price great. Otherwise, normal people would all take this path.
It was because in the Holy Sacrifice Realm, if one could smoothly break through, then that was one thing, able to become stronger and overlook all others. That was where the 'King of Deities' fame originated from.
Only, if they couldn't break through after a long time, extremely frightening things would happen. One would be eternally unable to break through, thus falling.
Among them, those who had it the worse directly fell from their original cultivation realm, becoming even more inferior to those at the True Self and Divine Flame Realms.
That was why it was said that Holy Sacrifice was the strangest realm. Normal people didn't dare attempt it!
There were many different ways other people referred to people in this realm, for example, Saints, Divine Kings, and others, all in acknowledgment and praise.
However, once one failed in this realm, then it wouldn't be praise, and instead mockery. That person would eternally fall.
In this cultivation realm, everyone would prepare all types of weapons, using them to replace the body in accepting the tribulations to prevent their bodies from truly falling in cultivation realm.
That was why many weapons that originally could be upgraded to the heavenly deity level became dim, becoming ruined artifacts, while there were some that turned into slightly better 'Holy Artifacts'.
"Cultivation will fluctuate between high and low, not fixed. Some people will immediately rise up like a dragon, some smashed down into an endless abyss."
This was Shi Hao's assessment and conclusion. He was reminding himself that he definitely couldn't be careless.
He entered seclusion in this forest rich with spiritual essence, first raising himself to the great circle of the True Deity Realm, and then attempting Holy Sacrifice to make himself stronger.
This process was quite short, not taking that long. He himself was already quite close to the great circle.
He cultivated the Willow Deity's method. The true self solidified, reaching the great circle in half a month. He could now start Holy Sacrifice.
"You all have to be careful and protect me!" Shi Hao said towards the Emperor Butterfly and others.
"Relax, we'll grab you and run before those sable come out." The Divine Striking Stone showed no shame as he spoke about running, as if it was just and right.
Hong!
Shi Hao's aura changed. He guided all of the Saint Wood, absorbing all of their essence. An expanse of fiery light matter appeared, submerging him, carrying out a refinement.
This wasn't fire, but rather the light of dao, as well as fragments of natural laws. It sharpened his magic and dao, tempering his flesh!
This was one of the world's most divine training!
"Ei? What is going on? Brat, are you going to ascend?" The Divine Striking Stone cried out strangely.
It discovered that the space around Shi Hao began to crack apart, a rain of light scattering about. It was as if the light of ascension erupted, too sacred. Immortal mists pervaded the air, auspicious multicolored light released in all directions.
Shi Hao himself was shocked as well, never expecting Holy Sacrifice to be so mysterious.
When sacrificing oneself in this cultivation realm, there would often be some incomprehensible events, for example, ascension light appearing, and there were mysterious palaces and other things that might appear.
Based on the bone books' recordings, there were many sinister and strange things that were difficult to see through, for example, mysterious ancient paths appearing in the void that would guide one away and then disappear.
There were exceptional individuals in the past who left just like that from this world. It was unknown if they lived or died, as they never appeared again!