Chat group: Fusion of the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, Healer Willow Goddess

Shi Qingfeng appeared somewhat reserved and uneasy. He leaned close to his great-grandfather, looking with curiosity and awe at the magnificent roc beneath him, as well as the "little brother" who was about his age but as powerful as a god or demon.

Having just experienced the ups and downs of life, from near exhaustion to renewed vitality, Shi Ting's feelings at this moment are the most complex.

Looking at the small figure in front of him, yet seemingly brimming with boundless potential, and feeling the whistling wind, he was filled with excitement, satisfaction, and boundless anticipation for the future.

He knew that the fate and future of his lineage might be completely changed because of this grandson who had been lost and found!

Just then, Shi Ting's gaze inadvertently fell on the golden fur ball that was fast asleep on Shi Hao's shoulder.

At first, he didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just some strange little beast that Shi Hao had tamed in the wilderness.

But after taking a few more glances, an expression of disbelief and shock gradually appeared in his eyes, which were filled with the wisdom of a seasoned man and a scholar well-versed in ancient texts.

“This…this fur…this body shape, and the faint mark between the eyebrows…” Shi Ting’s voice trembled slightly as he leaned closer to examine it carefully. “Could it be the legendary, extremely rare ancient ferocious beast, Zhu Yan?”

Zhu Yan!

It resembles an ape, with a white head and red feet. Its name is Zhu Yan, and seeing it will cause great illness.

This is a terrifying being that exists only in the oldest records, and is on par with the Zhenhou and Suanni!

Although the creature in front of me looks harmless and only knows how to eat and sleep, its unique shape and aura are strikingly similar to those described in ancient books.

Hearing his great-grandfather's exclamation, Shi Hao turned around and glanced at the sleeping Maoqiu, then smiled and said, "Grandpa has a good eye. It is indeed a Zhu Yan, but it seems to be injured and its brain is damaged. Now it's called Maoqiu."

It really is Zhu Yan!

Shi Ting gasped, his gaze towards Shi Hao filled with even greater shock.

Tame the ancient ferocious beast Zhu Yan as a pet? Ride the giant bird Qingtianpeng for transportation?

Such skill, such good fortune!

He suddenly realized that Shi Hao's earlier statement that Shi Village was protected by the Willow God was probably not just empty talk.

What earth-shattering secret is hidden in that true ancestral land of the Stone Clan, located deep in the Great Wilderness?

Perhaps, there is a true deity as its foundation?

For a moment, Shi Ting was filled with unprecedented anticipation for the Stone Village he was about to visit!

The Azure Roc is extremely fast, traveling more than ten thousand miles a day.

Several days later, they gradually left the territory of the Stone Kingdom and entered a more vast and primitive area.

On this day, as they were traveling through the clouds, a very conspicuous river appeared on the ground below!

It was a wide, ever-flowing river.

But strangely, its river water is not the usual clear or murky, but rather a deep black, like ink!

An aura that seemed to freeze the soul permeated the river, sending chills down one's spine!

The banks of the river are barren, with only some strange, pitch-black plants growing tenaciously.

"Wow... Grandpa, what river is that? It's so dark... It feels so cold..."

Looking down at the black river, Shi Qingfeng's small face showed a hint of fear, and he subconsciously shrank closer to Shi Ting.

Shi Ting also stared intently at the black river, his brows furrowed slightly, as if recalling something. He stroked his beard and slowly said:

"If I remember correctly... according to ancient records, this river... should be the legendary Taiyin River!"

"The Taiyin River?" Shi Qingfeng became even more curious.

"Hmm." Shi Ting nodded, his eyes filled with solemnity and awe. "Legend has it that the Taiyin River originates from the most mysterious and powerful 'Heavenly Domain' among the Eight Domains. It is formed by the convergence of the most Yin and cold waters, containing the power of the Taiyin Origin. It is extremely dangerous, and ordinary living beings will die and their souls will be scattered if they come into contact with it."

"Of course, what we see here is just a tiny tributary of the Taiyin River in the desolate region; otherwise, its power would be a hundred or a thousand times more terrifying."

"Ancient texts also record that, opposite the Taiyin River, there is another divine river called the 'Sun River,' which also originates from the celestial realm and contains the supremely yang and powerful primordial energy of the sun. These two rivers, one yin and one yang, traverse several realms and contain endless mysteries..."

Shi Ting slowly recounted the information he had learned from ancient books. Shi Qingfeng seemed to understand but not quite, his eyes filled with longing for the mysterious "Heavenly Realm" and the legendary Divine River.

Shi Hao, standing to the side, listened silently.

The Yin River, the Sun River, the Celestial Realm...

This information largely matches the plot he remembers.

However, he knew more than Shi Ting. The true source of these two rivers was not some celestial realm, but a forbidden place that was even more ancient, mysterious, and dangerous than the celestial realm—the Cross-Shadow Yin-Yang Land!

The Lord of the Forbidden Zone resides there, and countless powerful figures have been buried there.

Looking down at the surging, chilling black river, a thought suddenly struck him.

The water of the Taiyin River is extremely yin and cold, containing the essence of yin... This seems to be of great benefit to tempering the physical body, balancing the ever-increasing yang qi and blood in the body, and even opening up new grottoes.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the long-lost system notification sound rang out in his mind at just the right moment!

[Ding! Special energy source detected: Taiyin True Water (tributary diluted version)!]

[Analysis in progress...Analysis complete!]

[The Taiyin True Water contains the pure essence of Taiyin and the power of cold evil, which has an excellent effect on tempering the host's physical body and balancing Yin and Yang!]

[System recommends entering the Taiyin River for body tempering cultivation!]

[WARNING: The Yin True Water is extremely cold and domineering. This process carries certain risks. Please assess the risks carefully!]

Fortune favors the bold; if you want to become stronger quickly, there's no way you can avoid taking risks!

A hint of excitement and determination flashed in Shi Hao's eyes!

"Daqing, go down! To the river!" he immediately ordered.

Although Qing Tianpeng instinctively felt fear towards the black river below, he still obeyed the order and slowly landed on a relatively flat black reef on the riverbank.

"Hao'er, what are you doing?"

When Shi Ting saw that Shi Hao had actually made the Azure Roc land, a bad premonition immediately rose in his heart.

Shi Hao jumped off Peng's back, looking at the river water churning like ink in front of him, feeling the bone-chilling cold, but his little face was full of eagerness: "Grandpa, I want to go down and try to cultivate with this river water!"

"What?!" Shi Ting was shocked and quickly stopped him. "No! Hao'er! The Taiyin River is extremely yin and cold, and incredibly dangerous. Even the powerful remnants recorded in ancient books dare not approach it easily! How can you go down there to cultivate? It's too dangerous!"

"Grandpa, don't worry." Shi Hao turned around and gave the old man a reassuring smile. "My cultivation technique is very special; I'm not afraid of this cold air. Besides, I feel that this river water is very beneficial to me! It would be a shame not to try it!"

Although his tone was calm, the determination in his eyes was undeniable.

Looking at his grandson's confident demeanor and recalling his previous unbelievable behavior, Shi Ting swallowed the words of advice that were on the tip of his tongue.

He knew that once his grandson made a decision, probably no one could stop him.

"Then you...you absolutely must be careful! If you sense anything is wrong, come up immediately!" Shi Ting could only give this advice, his heart instantly leaping into his throat.

Shi Qingfeng, standing next to him, also clenched his small fists nervously.

"Ok!"

Shi Hao responded without further hesitation!

He took a deep breath, and the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Art was activated within his body!

At the same time, the thunderous power of the Suanni Treasure Technique and the flame power of the Vermilion Bird Treasure Technique intertwined on the body surface, forming a weak yet tough protective layer!

Pfft!

His small figure, like a pebble thrown into an inkwell, resolutely leaped into the surging, endlessly chilling Taiyin River!

Bone-chilling! Icy cold!

The moment he entered the water, a terrifying chill, as if capable of freezing the soul and extinguishing life, instantly enveloped Shi Hao's entire body!

The black river water didn't resemble water at all; it was more like some kind of highly corrosive, chilling energy liquid! It frantically seeped into and eroded his body!

Even with his strong physique and the protection of two powerful techniques, Shi Hao felt excruciating pain all over his body, as if he were being pricked by needles! His blood felt like it was about to freeze!

"Practice for me!"

Shi Hao gritted his teeth, his eyes fierce.

He endured the excruciating pain and frantically circulated the "Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Art," actively guiding the incomparably domineering Taiyin power to cleanse and purify his physical body!

This is an extremely painful process! It's as if you've been thrown into an eternal ice age and have to actively absorb the frigid air that's cold enough to crack even the finest steel!

A thin layer of black ice crystals quickly formed on the surface of his skin! But they were immediately melted and shattered by the qi and blood circulating within his body and the power of thunder and fire!

Flesh and blood become stronger through tearing and rebuilding!

Under the tempering of extreme cold, the bones became denser and faintly emitted a dark light!

Through repeated impacts and repairs, the meridians become wider and more flexible!

His seven grotto-heavens were like madmen, frantically devouring the Yin energy contained in the river! The Thunder Grotto-heaven and the grotto-heaven containing the aura of fire were resisting the cold air, while the other grotto-heavens were trying to absorb and transform this Yin energy!

Yin and Yang are in harmony, and water and fire are in balance!

Shi Hao felt that his understanding of the "Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Technique" was deepening rapidly under such extreme conditions!

He didn't know how much time had passed, but when Shi Hao felt his body was almost frozen stiff and he was about to give up...

boom! ! !

A deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were splitting apart, resounded once again from his body!

Beside the seventh grotto-heaven, a brand new grotto-heaven, radiating a faint dark light, with a crescent moon seemingly floating inside and filled with an aura of extreme yin and cold, was forcefully opened up!

The eighth grotto-heaven! The Taiyin Grotto-heaven is complete!

With the opening of the eighth cave, Shi Hao felt a more perfect balance forming within his body!

The Yin and Yang energies circulate endlessly, creating a continuous cycle! His resistance to the Taiyin River water instantly increased dramatically!

The biting cold now felt somewhat...cool and comfortable.

"Haha! It's a success!" Shi Hao was overjoyed!

Instead of leaving immediately, he had a sudden thought, and the newly opened Taiyin Cave Heaven suddenly burst out with a powerful suction force!

"receive!"

Like a whale sucking in water, he forcibly absorbed a large amount of the purest Taiyin River water into the Taiyin Cave and stored it there!

This is a great item! It will be very useful for future body training, combat, and weapon crafting!

Only when he felt that the Taiyin Cave was almost full did Shi Hao stop absorbing the energy, satisfied.

Wow!