The enmity between Shi Hao and the Celestial Clan ran deep. He had suffered humiliation here, repaid kindness with cruelty, and nearly lost his life in the dark prison—a memory he could never forget.
Back then, he had vowed to the clan that one day he would return to settle the score.
“So this is the Celestial Clan’s dwelling place—quite magnificent,” Huo Ling’er remarked.
Ahead, mountain ranges stretched like coiled true dragons, vast and majestic, shrouded in swirling purple mist and ethereal clouds—all manifestations of spiritual energy.
No words were needed; this was one of the rarest spiritual lands in the world.
Yet, this was not even the Celestial Clan’s core territory. Beyond the mountains lay a plain dotted with massive cities, teeming with Celestial Clan members.
Clearly, this was their domain.
But the Celestial Clan had another ancestral land, inaccessible to most. Only through ancient teleportation arrays could one reach it.
Shi Hao had come prepared. With a Boundary-Breaking Talisman and a golden divine talisman personally forged for him by the Nine Immortal Sect Leaders of the Ancient Immortal Era, he could penetrate even the most formidable formations.
Bypassing the ordinary dwellings of the Celestial Clan, they headed straight for their ancestral land.
“The mountains are sealed by formations—be careful!” Huo Ling’er fretted, worried that Shi Hao’s thirst for vengeance might lead him into danger.
After all, the Celestial Clan was once a royal lineage, with unfathomable heritage. Even without their supreme experts, their defenses were not to be trifled with.
“Wake up, stop sleeping!” Shi Hao roused the Divine Striking Stone.
Over the years, the Divine Striking Stone had reaped immense benefits—devouring Primordial Chaos Stones, Fate Stones, and even the rare stones from the Ancient Phoenix Nest in the Immortal Ancient Medicinal Garden.
As it boasted, it was on the verge of cultivating immortal qi. Spiritual mist swirled around it, exuding an aura of sanctity.
For the past six months, it had been refining the treasures it had consumed, integrating them into its being and undergoing astonishing transformations.
Yet, it often lapsed into slumber, remaining dormant unless awakened.
The reason? It had swallowed too many heavenly treasures in the past, especially those supreme artifacts, gulping them down without proper digestion. Only recently had it truly begun absorbing their essence.
Thus, it existed in a peculiar state.
“Revisiting old haunts!” The Divine Striking Stone chuckled upon waking, sharing Shi Hao’s sentiment.
Back then, Shi Hao had been captured. After escorting Yun Xi for hundreds of thousands of miles and battling the War Clan relentlessly, he had been repaid not with gratitude but with humiliation—interrogated for his techniques and reduced to a prisoner.
“This time is different,” Shi Hao said, his heart stirred.
Now, he had come of his own volition. Even he hadn’t expected that, in just a few years, he would reach this level.
“Hey, little beauty, you’ve grown even lovelier. Missed me after all these years?” The Divine Striking Stone grinned at Huo Ling’er.
*Thud!*
No sooner had it spoken than Shi Hao smacked it, sending sparks flying as its body clanged like metal.
“Brat, is this how you treat your brother? Abandoning me for a girl—no loyalty!” the stone wailed.
*Clang!*
Huo Ling’er also delivered a slap. Now at the Heavenly Deity level, her strike made the stone yelp in pain. “You two are quite the pair! Have you forgotten your old friend? We met in the Hundred Broken Mountains in the lower realm—that counts as history!”
“Speak less, and no one will mistake you for mute,” Shi Hao retorted, wary of its loose tongue.
“Awooo—!” The Divine Striking Stone howled like a wolfhound. “The world’s number one stone has returned! Tremble, Celestial Clan scum! Clean your necks and prepare for the blade!”
Shi Hao and Huo Ling’er facepalmed at its nonsense.
Still, they needed its expertise in formations. Though they had the Boundary-Breaking Talisman, having a master of runes guide them was safer.
This was the Celestial Clan’s forbidden land, spanning a hundred thousand miles, enveloped in ancient formations—impenetrable to most.
But with the Divine Striking Stone leading the way and the golden talisman from the Nine Sect Leaders, they passed through unscathed.
The region was lush with towering ancient trees, golden elephants, and multicolored luan birds—not just a hunting ground but also a medicinal garden for the Celestial Clan.
Spanning a hundred thousand miles, it was their richest territory, teeming with precious resources.
Naturally, Shi Hao didn’t hold back. Releasing the Imperial Butterfly and the Divine Striking Stone, he and Huo Ling’er plundered the rare herbs.
Within half a day, vast stretches were stripped bare.
Huo Ling’er felt a mix of guilt and exhilaration. As a royal princess, she had never done anything like this—it was a thrillingly new experience.
“Are we thieves now?”
“We’re redistributing wealth—righting wrongs,” Shi Hao declared righteously.
“Wait—something’s wrong! The herbs are disappearing! Thieves!” The guardians soon noticed and raised the alarm.
Chaos erupted. Who dared trespass the Celestial Clan’s sacred grounds? This was no ordinary theft—it was an outrage.
Shi Hao gazed skyward. Above the clouds loomed an ancient city, protected by formations—a celestial abode.
This was the Celestial City, the clan’s most vital stronghold, where their highest echelons resided, overlooking the land below.
“Shall we storm it?” The Divine Striking Stone itched for action. Though Shi Hao rarely spoke of the past, the stone still seethed at the injustice.
After saving them, fighting across thousands of miles, Shi Hao had been betrayed. The stone longed to tear the city down.
“We’ll wait here. Pick them off one by one,” Shi Hao decided.
He wouldn’t recklessly charge in. The city was the work of the six ancient Celestial Sovereigns. Even with his treasures and current strength—capable of slaying Heavenly Deities—he risked being trapped and killed by their formations.
“Who dares trespass the Celestial Clan’s forbidden land and steal our herbs? Seeking death?” A group of True Gods descended, scanning the area.
Their leader wielded a bone mirror, a treasure rivaling the Heavenly Eye, capable of revealing hidden intruders.
“Foolish thief! You must have a death wish to sneak into our ancestral land!” A young True God sneered, having spotted the culprits with the mirror.
He hurled a bolt of lightning, attacking without hesitation.
“This bastard dares call us fools? *He’s* the one courting death!” the Divine Striking Stone fumed.
Having followed Shi Hao through countless battles, it had bathed in the blood of Heavenly Deities—a mere True God was nothing.
Shi Hao stood firm, absorbing the lightning like spiritual energy.
“You—!” The attacker gasped, halting mid-air.
Upon recognizing Shi Hao, his face drained of color.
“What’s wrong?” his companions asked, only to freeze in terror upon seeing Shi Hao.
They staggered, nearly falling from the sky. In the Celestial Clan’s heartland, who didn’t know Shi Hao?
Their six greatest prodigies had fallen to him, including You Yu—the so-called top genius of their generation—who had fused with a Fate Stone, only to be crippled at the Supreme Dao Field.
“How dare you come here?” one stammered, voice trembling.
“I’m here to settle accounts. You betrayed me—now I demand justice!” Shi Hao replied.
He raised a hand, fingers glowing as divine beams pierced the void.
“Ah—!” The attackers screamed, struck simultaneously, crashing to the ground, grievously wounded but not dead.
“Killing them all would paint me as ruthless. But not killing them? No—let the Heavenly Deities come and die!” Shi Hao murmured.
Huo Ling’er squeezed his hand, urging calm.
“Who are you?” other deities cried from above.
“Heavens! It’s Huang—Shi Hao, the conqueror of the Immortal Ancient Ruins! He’s here for revenge!”
Panic spread.
Huang’s name had shaken the three thousand provinces. Tales of his exploits in the ruins had spread like wildfire.
The Celestial Clan had been uneasy since their protector returned, mortally wounded, while the boy they’d wronged rose to fame.
They’d known he would come—but not this soon.
On the city walls, a violet-robed maiden gazed at the sunset, startled by the commotion below.
“It’s him!” Yun Xi’s heart churned with complex emotions. Then she noticed the tall, fiery-robed girl beside Shi Hao.
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