Chapter 1653 One Pair of Unseeing Eyes
With direction and purpose.
Fearless and filled with soaring fighting spirit, Sun Hao threw himself into action with immense drive.
Like a war machine, tirelessly, he commenced a carpet-like search throughout the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard.
Unaware and completely ignorant of his own predicament, Sun Hao had no idea that he had inadvertently embarked on what was, in fact, the most correct path to explore the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard, advancing gradually.
Back then, during Sun Hao’s great battle with Jodan, in the final moment, he had broken free with just his head, escaping. His primary intent was merely to save his head; for his flesh body, he placed only a sliver of hope, forcibly attaching a fragment of his spiritual consciousness to it.
In truth, however, Sun Hao was deeply worried that his flesh body would be utterly destroyed by Jodan.
At that critical juncture, a cultivator of the Human Clan known as the White-Haired Cultivator used profound divination techniques to calculate Sun Hao’s thin lifeline. It was Sun Hao’s Purple Gold Divine Thunder Cone and the Thirty-Six Paths Cold Forging Hammer Technique he had been brewing for two years that inserted a sliver of survival into what should have been a death sentence.
In an instant, the White-Haired Cultivator also deduced that the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard was the only place capable of preserving Sun Hao’s flesh body. Therefore, seizing the moment when Jodan was smashed into the lakebed by Sun Hao and embedded like a gem, the White-Haired Cultivator delivered a powerful kick, launching Sun Hao’s head towards the periphery of the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard.
Sun Hao’s primary consciousness, after taking refuge within and being nourished by an Immortal Pear Tree, managed to evade Jodan’s pursuit, hiding within the Immortal Pear blossoms of Langeling Island. He also faintly sensed that his spirit separation, though dormant, had not been completely destroyed. Consequently, after regaining a little capability, he fiercely stirred this spirit separation fragment, causing his primary body to fall into prolonged dormancy while simultaneously awakening his flesh body.
In his dormant state, Sun Hao could only manage to cling to life. He had no idea where his flesh body currently was, what it might experience, or if his spirit separation would gradually mature and strengthen; this state of limbo was already strenuous enough.
Never in his wildest dreams did Sun Hao imagine that his flesh body would find itself within the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard.
Upon awakening, the flesh body, utterly oblivious, began acting on instinct. Initially, situated at the outer edges of the graveyard, it did not encounter anything overwhelmingly powerful. The stubbornly enduring Peerless Sword Bone, coupled with several powerful foreign entities within Sun Hao’s body desperately striving for self-preservation – particularly the Immortal Divine Blood of the Tiny Flame Sprout – repeatedly triggered the body’s automatic recovery. This allowed Sun Hao, over vast stretches of time, to gradually adapt to the environment of the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard, much like the Barbarian Tribe adapting to Desolate Qi, eventually enabling him to move freely.
This period, however, actually marked the beginning of Sun Hao’s peril. Had he accidentally encountered a being powerful enough to instantly shatter his Peerless Sword Bone, Sun Hao would have been utterly annihilated, leaving no trace.
Fortunately, this was only the periphery of the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard, devoid of such existences, and Sun Hao survived through sheer luck.
But as Sun Hao wandered aimlessly and unrestrainedly forward, delving deeper and deeper, there was no question that one day he would encounter something he couldn’t withstand, and then he would be in real trouble.
Now, however, Sun Hao directed the foreign entities within his body to sense the surrounding environment.
This led him to naturally collect resources beneficial to himself, prioritizing by distance. This instinctive gathering, in turn, quite naturally steered Sun Hao away from the danger of reckless advancement, causing him, from the periphery, to inch steadily deeper into the heart of the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard.
Moreover, throughout this progression, Sun Hao fought his way forward, habitually bathing in blood pools after each confrontation. This continuously strengthened the recovery and blood-producing capabilities of the Tiny Flame Sprout, boosting his combat prowess while simultaneously attuning him better and better to the malevolent Baleful Aura permeating the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard.
Truthfully, if Sun Hao’s primary consciousness were in charge, it might not have dared any of this.
Apart from anything else, this fearless immersion had caused Sun Hao’s flesh body to become increasingly bizarre – towering, with muscle groups in many areas becoming unnaturally pronounced, morphing him into a hulking figure vastly different from his usual appearance.
If Sun Hao’s primary consciousness were present, it would have been far more cautious, would have meticulously considered its absorption limits, and certainly wouldn’t have charged ahead with such reckless abandon and relentless drive.
Ironically, it was precisely this headless Sun Hao’s fearless spirit that most perfectly resonated with the Wilderness Body Immortal Technique he cultivated – a technique capable of autonomous operation.
The cultivation of the Wilderness Body Immortal Technique allowed Sun Hao’s flesh body to progress again and again amidst the hardships and dangerous environments it fearlessly endured. Furthermore, the nourishment of the Malignant Qi within the ancient graveyard also induced unexpected changes in the Wilderness Body Immortal Technique, transformations even Sun Hao’s primary consciousness would never have anticipated.
Naturally, the headless Sun Hao had zero thoughts about any of this. Acting purely on instinct, he forged ever onward: advance, advance, advance again. Pushing towards whatever his senses demanded, fearlessly, perpetually brimming with fighting spirit.
He knew not how many years had passed.
Knew not how many monsters he had slain, how many bloody baths he had taken.
Didn’t calculate how many treasures beneficial to the various foreign entities within him he had ultimately gathered.
Sun Hao’s headless form had grown robust to the point of rivaling the strongest of the Barbarian Tribe. Standing erect, headless, he towered forty feet tall, broad-shouldered, thick-bodied, imposing and formidable.
Even the Square Shield and Great Iron Hammer in his hands had slowly grown in size alongside his flesh body, seemingly fused onto his hands, becoming an integral part of him.
His spirit separation still hadn’t made significant progress.
In truth, the potent Baleful Aura saturating the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard was extremely hostile to the development of a Divine Soul / Spiritual Consciousness. An ordinary cultivator venturing in would risk having their Divine Soul overwhelmed and extinguished. For a spirit fragment to develop discernment or gain significant wisdom in such an environment was nearly impossible.
Simultaneously, however, this dim-witted state of Sun Hao’s spirit separation – only capable of acting upon instinct – likely prevented his spiritual state from worsening further; it was already simple to the extreme, so it couldn’t get any simpler! And during the long, drawn-out battles, amidst this instinctive growth, the simpleton did occasionally gain flickers of progress.
The conscious seeking of targets was one such significant advancement.
He had tracked countless targets. This time, drawn by instinct towards the nearest one, his entire frame involuntarily shuddered. A current of energy, causing his pervasive Malignant Qi and Blood Qi to tremble faintly, rippled through him.
A normal person would immediately recognize this as instinctive fear and alarm – an unmistakable danger signal, a warning not to approach.
But Sun Hao, at this moment, stood upright, his Peerless Great Spine ramrod straight. He brandished his Iron Hammer and Square Shield aloft. From within his abdomen, throbbing drumbeat-like sounds erupted. Planted firmly on the ground, he exuded silent elation.
The stronger the reaction from within, the more certain he was to seize whatever was provoking it.
He could not see. He could not hear. Yet what lay ahead elicited such an immense response within him. Not only were the foreign entities reacting, but his Sumero-Void Condensing Pagoda was also stirring.
His Malignant Blood Qi, suffusing his very being, also surged in response. Even the Wilderness Body Immortal Technique, his constant protector, resonated intensely.
This profound intensity of inner reactions instantly excited Sun Hao. Raising his Iron Hammer and Square Shield high, he charged fearlessly forward in this direction.
Within the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard, Sun Hao, now vastly grown and enhanced, collided with an overwhelmingly powerful existence.
A protracted battle ensued, an unending, relentless clash.
Headless and undying, he fought… and fought… and fought.
The unknown, formidable being slapped this brazen ant flying, not once, but numerous times.
Invariably, before long, the little ant would return.
More than once, it swallowed the little ant whole.
Yet, even in its belly, the little ant remained insufferably active, forcing the being to expel it violently like an unwanted sneeze – lest its internal peace remain shattered.
A little ant that couldn't be killed and couldn't be digested.
Thus it persisted for untold years, braving death to pester the unknown existence relentlessly.
Once, the great being managed to fall into a deep slumber but awoke to persistent itching and stinging. It discovered the little ant had drilled a hole into its snout and was diligently tunneling further in.
One mighty slap crushed the ant back into the ground.
Surely that would bring peace?
Yet, not long after, the earth bulged as Sun Haoh charged back out, utterly unconquered and ready to resume the fight.
The mighty creature had had enough. Recognizing an unwinnable nuisance, it resolved to simply leave. Taking what it could from its lair, it retreated to find a more distant refuge.
Frustratingly, within a short time (in the scale of ancient beings), the infuriating little ant located its new hiding place with uncanny precision and recommenced the endless harassment.
As the years, perhaps decades or centuries, rolled past unnoticed, the ant's combat strength only increased, while the great being's attacks grew progressively less effective. Finally, revelation dawned: the ant's ultimate target was the loose, sloughing unicorn horn upon its own forehead.
The thought occurred: 'You wanted that horn?! Why the blazes didn't you just ask? Was all this endless pestering strictly necessary?!'
In a final act of exasperated surrender, the great being wrenched the horn from its forehead and hurled it towards the persistent nuisance before once more beating a hasty and hopefully permanent retreat.
Finally, the infuriating little ant ceased its pursuit. The fearsome terror that normally knew no fear breathed a sigh of relief, profoundly grateful for the chance to simply rest.