Chapter 1656 Shield and Axe, Xingtian
After a mouth formed at his navel, Sun Hao’s bare upper body underwent a wondrous transformation in the Wilderness Body Immortal Technique he cultivated.
The most obvious change was in the cultivation chant; it shifted from "The Formless Immortal, Timeless Ages" to "Xingtian Dancing with Shield and Axe." Had Sun Hao's conscious mind been intact, he would have surely been shocked.
Xingtian was a figure from ancient legend.
Also one of the most renowned Gods of War of antiquity.
In terms of fighting spirit and indomitable will, Xingtian was peerless in ancient times. Furthermore, his formidable combat prowess ranked among the very highest.
"Xingtian Dancing with Shield and Axe" was the epitome of the battle that made Xingtian famous.
Legend told of that battle, where Xingtian waved a great shield and battle-axe against the paramount Great Power Cultivator of their time. Initially disadvantaged, he had his head severed, yet his will unbroken, Xingtian continued to wield his Ganqi—the shield and axe—in relentless combat.
Eventually, even that paramount cultivator chose to retreat rather than continue the vicious fight.
Fighting headless, his spirit shocked heaven and earth.
This was Xingtian.
In that legend, what sustained Xingtian to fight on after decapitation was his utterly fearless spirit—the will to Battle Heaven and Earth.
After that earth-shaking fight, ancient records spoke little of Xingtian. What his final fate was, whether he ever found his head, remained unknown.
What cultivation art Xingtian practiced, what Heaven-defying, potent effects it possessed, was also lost to time.
The dim-witted Sun Hao had no idea that his Wilderness Body Immortal Technique was undergoing this wholly unexpected alteration within the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard. Yet the change had already occurred, beginning to influence his actions and mold his form.
Nurtured by the new Barbaric Xing Tian Art, Sun Hao's frame grew increasingly powerful. The shield and hammer in his hands became mightier, his physique larger and taller.
Border Collie didn't grasp the intricacies but was simply awestruck by Sun Hao's metamorphosis.
Uncounted years slipped by. Sun Hao’s form reached a towering height of seventy to eighty feet. Headless, he stood upon the ground, imposing and mighty.
Guided by the Barbaric Xing Tian Art's cultivation, Sun Hao's physical form sensed valuable resources beneficial to body tempering. Over these years, instinctively led by Sun Hao, they gathered these treasures, absorbing them into his being, endlessly propelling the Barbaric Xing Tian Art forward—with some credit due to Border Collie.
The stronger his cultivation became, the faster Sun Hao plunged deeper into the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard—and the more obstacles and dangers he faced. Many areas reeked of lethal peril to Border Collie's keen nose; some spots were outright vetoed for exploration. Yet, feeling his own body's urgent craving, Sun Hao fearlessly charged ahead regardless.
In one particularly sinister, ghost-infested ancient tomb, Sun Hao and Border Collie explored for over a decade. They slew countless obstructing specters until finally engaging in a brutal clash with an immensely powerful two-headed black centipede.
After successfully slaying the colossal centipede, another change stirred within Sun Hao's body—small fleshy lumps sprouted beneath his armpits.
Studying them, Sun Hao realized he could hear the outside world again. Not just Border Collie's voice, but more.
Another astonishing discovery.
One that delighted the dimly aware Sun Hao. Hearing was restored—a powerful function regained. Meaning, he was on the path to recovery.
During this phase, Border Collie grew weary of Sun Hao constantly holding the shield and hammer. He informed Sun Hao he could retract the weapons, freeing his hands for more actions.
Following Border Collie’s advice yielded surprisingly good results. A thought to withdraw—the Square Shield vanished. An effort to release—the shield appeared solidly in his grasp. The Iron Hammer responded similarly.
Sun Hao’s retraction and projection became alarmingly swift. Border Collie stared dumbfounded; even a Life-Bound Treasure Artifact couldn’t be manipulated that quickly by ordinary cultivators.
After much study, Border Collie grasped the reason.
The freakish Sun Hao hadn’t stored the Iron Hammer and Square Shield within his Dantian. Instead, they’d formed imprints—small symbols of a shield and hammer—right on his palms. They’d become extensions of his own flesh body. No wonder his maneuvers were so swift.
Guided by Border Collie into mastering the hammer and shield, Sun Hao behaved like a child with new toys, playing joyously—left hand out, right hand out, both hands out simultaneously... lifting an arm to project, bending an elbow to project, projecting out from under his buttocks... Thuds boomed around his massive body, projecting one moment, retracting the next, the noise constant.
Perched on Sun Hao’s back, Border Collie clamped his ears flat and covered his eyes.
"Out of sight, out of mind," he thought clearly. He mused, “Can’t be a bad influence on impressionable little pups. Truly mustn’t ruin them...”
Time slipped quickly past as Border Collie and Sun Hao supported and aided each other, punctuated by Border Collie’s occasionally dubious, morally questionable ideas.
Gradually, as time went on, Sun Hao began to slowly change. Often, he’d heed Border Collie's counsel, refraining from action. Even if he felt drawn to something, should Border Collie firmly oppose it, he’d sometimes relent. Step by step, he was learning to weigh gains and losses.
Conversely, Border Collie deduced a pattern. If Sun Hao reacted with intense fixation, disregarding all warnings to seize something, that object held immense value or was vitally important to Sun Hao.
Such instances were rare, but each signified a moment of life-or-death struggle—a prolonged, inevitable battle.
With ears sprouting beneath his armpits, Sun Hao learned to listen. Under Border Collie’s tutelage, he learned to discern various sounds, especially distinguishing male from female beast calls—Border Collie emphasized this crucial skill.
Led by the Border Collie, the pair—one ignorant and unafraid—journeyed and cultivated through the Ten Thousand Extinctions region. Sun Hao’s body eventually seemed to reach its limit, ceasing its upward growth. His once dark-crimson hue gradually smoothed out, becoming his natural skin color.
After an unfathomable span wandering the Ten Thousand Extinctions Ancient Graveyard, Sun Hao’s accumulated physical development reached a threshold. The Barbaric Xing Tian Art surged within him. His muscles pulsed with intermittent drumming sounds, as if an immense, bound force struggled to break free. Were Sun Hao's conscious mind present, he would recognize this as the precursor to the second layer, Formed Earth. But in his current state, Sun Hao remained confused, passively unaware and unrestrained.
Border Collie noted slight unusualness but, utterly unfamiliar with cultivation itself, the man-dog pair pressed on as always, advancing blindly through perpetual shroudings of black, baleful mist.
Until one day, Sun Hao instinctually sensed another location offering immense benefit. Simultaneously, Border Collie instinctively perceived immense danger lurking there. After lengthy argument, Border Collie finally conceded he couldn't out-stubborn the single-minded Sun Hao. They forged ahead.
Within the depths this time lay a formidable, unforeseen adversary. From the depths of the shadowy cold pool surged an immense Dark Flood Dragon. Its head bore twin horns, its belly sprouted four claws. Eyes blazing ignited flames skyward; horns thrust sundered mountains and cracked oceans; tail sweeping leveled the surrounding terrain.
Sun Hao battled tenaciously.
Yet the Dark Flood Dragon's existence pushed against the very limits of what he could withstand.
Dashed down time and again, he struggled back up relentlessly, only to fail to harm the serpent. Eventually, Sun Hao ceased fearing its fiery blasts, no longer flinched from the pool's biting chill, and even the dragon’s horns failed to easily impale him.
But the Dark Flood Dragon possessed unparalleled regenerative power.
It grew weary of fighting Sun Hao and simply ignored him, for Sun Hao had no means to overcome it. Its supremely tough flesh body defenses and potent self-healing rendered the serpent impervious to Sun Hao’s ceaseless efforts.
Border Collie suggested Sun Hao leave, insisting there was no meaning in staying.
Yet Sun Hao refused to relent, launching continuous, fervent assaults.
Occasionally, the dragon, provoked, would swat him hard back into the frigid pool. Months would pass before Sun Hao could clamber back out.
Perversely fixated, Sun Hao locked into an irredeemable stalemate with the Dark Flood Dragon—utterly pointless, utterly futile—his savage attacks persisting day and night.
Until one day, the surrounding space seemed to freeze an instant.
Border Collie and the Dark Flood Dragon appeared to lose all trace of vitality. Still confused, Sun Hao heard a soft voice echo above the icy pool: "Every cause has its effect, all ties are formed by fate. I thought I’d gotten a bargain... but this is how it turns out? It... it’s actually a Four-Clawed Dark Flood Dragon..."
Sun Hao, dully, shouted, "Who are you?"