The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Hm?"

As Fang Hao's vision cleared, he immediately furrowed his brow.

The scene before him was exactly the same as the one he'd faced atop the ninety-ninth floor of the Trial Tower in Zhentian City of the Mingyue Immortal Dynasty.

Nine black-clad cultivators stood before him—their cultivations just as before, a full nine realms above his own.

Back then, Fang Hao had been at the Ninth Layer of the Dharma Phase Realm, facing opponents at the Ninth Layer of the Fusion Realm. Even using secret arts and exhausting his full strength, he only barely passed the ninety-eighth floor. On the ninety-ninth, he had no hope of victory.

Now, though he had reached Fusion Realm Ninth Layer, the enemies had likewise scaled—now at the Ninth Layer of the True Saint Realm.

In other words, the gap was even wider than before.

Even if it were Fang Mu Ge or Fang Ying, born with celestial bodies, they would face the same outcome.

"Is this… an illusion?"

There was no time to confirm.

The nine black-clad True Saints were already upon him—merciless and overwhelming.

Fang Hao dared not hesitate. He quickly took out a half-Sacred weapon to defend.

As a Fusion Realm cultivator, he could not yet wield full Sacred weapons—only partial pieces, either failed attempts at forging or broken relics.

His weapon belonged to the latter category—but even so, it was far superior to any Heaven-grade armament.

"Boom!"

"Crack..."

All nine enemies struck in unison. The half-Sacred weapon in Fang Hao's hands shattered instantly.

"Pfft..."

The combined might of nine peak True Saints was horrifying.

Not only did Fang Hao's weapon break apart, his own body was sent flying—blood spraying mid-air from the violent blow.

Their strength far exceeded Fang Hao's estimates.

Throughout history, no matter how brilliant the genius, no one at the Ninth Layer of Fusion Realm could possibly defeat one, let alone nine, True Saints.

And even if this was an illusion, it was real enough to mimic the physical world entirely.

Wounded and reeling, Fang Hao gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet. With steely resolve, he pulled out another weapon and charged forward again.

"Crash!"

The result was the same—weapon shattered, body bloodied.

"Cough… cough…"

Lying on the ground, Fang Hao spat blood, bones broken, meridians torn, and internal organs seriously damaged.

The nine black-robed cultivators, emotionless like puppets, continued to strike relentlessly.

Fang Hao could neither dodge nor block.

But there was no despair in his eyes—only unwillingness to yield.

"Boom! Boom!"

A series of dazzling attacks landed.

Fang Hao's body completely disintegrated—vanished into nothing.

Time passed…

"Ah!"

With a gasp, Fang Hao opened his eyes, jolting upright—staring in terror at his surroundings… and at his body.

"What's going on? I'm still alive?!"

At that moment, an ancient storage ring floated toward him.

He took it and opened it—eyes instantly going wide.

"This…!!"

Though he had seen many treasures in his life, even Fang Hao was stunned beyond measure.

Inside the ring were:

One Immortal Pill

One Immortal Technique Manual

One Immortal Artifact

One Immortal Beast Egg

Any one of these items would be priceless.

If they were auctioned in Zhentian City, it wouldn't just draw the Mingyue Immortal Dynasty's elites—all of Qingyun Dao Domain's powers would rush to obtain them.

These were exactly the kinds of ultimate treasures for which countless sects risked sending their geniuses into the deadly Ancient Battlefield.

Yet now, they lay calmly before him.

It seemed even more unbelievable than the illusion he'd just experienced.

"Am I… still inside an illusion?"

Fang Hao pinched himself—it hurt.

But he couldn't believe it. The contents of the ring were just too valuable.

He tried multiple methods to test whether he was still trapped in a dream, but none worked.

Gradually, Fang Hao let go of the doubt.

Everything began to feel… real.

He exited the golden palace smoothly. Then, as he continued wandering the battlefield, he acquired several more inheritances and treasures—including multiple Emperor-grade weapons.

His cultivation surged dramatically.

In due time, all participants were expelled from the Ancient Battlefield.

Fang Hao returned to Zhentian City aboard the flying ship of Prince Huai, where he rested for a while before using the Twin Portal Gate to go back to the Fang Family.

There, he presented the Immortal Pill, Immortal Technique, Immortal Artifact, and Immortal Beast Egg to Fang Ting.

Fang Ting consumed the pill, and his cultivation reached the Great Perfection of the Heavenly Emperor Realm. Yet the medicine's full power had not even been absorbed.

If he cultivated the Immortal Technique, he could ascend to Immortality within a short time.

But for the sake of the family, he chose to hold back.

Fang Hao remained in the Immortal Realm, cultivating diligently and periodically sending valuable treasures back home.

Fang Ting, meanwhile, crushed all opposition in the Heaven Origin Realm, allowing the Fang family to grow into an unstoppable force.

Whether it was Fang Hao's path of cultivation or the Fang family's path of dominance—both were smooth and triumphant.

With no one able to match Fang Ting at the peak of the Heavenly Emperor Realm, the Fang family ultimately became the sole ruler of the Heaven Origin Realm.

One day, Fang Ting looked at Fang Hao.

"All that we've achieved today is thanks to you. With our current strength, you don't need to push yourself so hard anymore."

But Fang Hao shook his head with unwavering resolve:

"There is always someone stronger. We must keep improving—sooner or later, I will ascend!"

Fang Ting was left speechless.

Just as Fang Hao said, he never slacked off—his efforts only grew more intense.

Years later, Fang Hao ascended to Immortality.

Fang Ting followed, bringing the family's prodigies with him to the Immortal Realm.

"We've ascended. Now it's time to enjoy life," Fang Ting said.

But Fang Hao shook his head again:

"The Immortal Realm is vast and filled with hidden powers. We are far from the strongest. We must continue to train."

Even after reaching Immortality, Fang Hao trained harder than ever before.

No one knew how many more years passed.

Eventually, the Fang family stood at the pinnacle of the Immortal Realm, overlooking billions of souls.

Fang Ting said:

"Now that we're peerless in the Immortal Realm—undefeated and unmatched—can you finally rest?"

Fang Hao still shook his head:

"We don't know how many trillions of years the Immortal Realm has existed. I believe there are even higher realms above. We must press on—never slacken."

His eyes held no doubt, no distraction—only unyielding desire for strength and cultivation.

The moment his words fell…

Heaven and earth distorted.

In the blink of an eye—Everyone from the Fang family disappeared.

And Fang Hao—once supreme in the Immortal Realm—was back again at Fusion Realm Ninth Layer, standing in the center of the golden palace.