Yun Xi stood atop the city walls, watching as Shi Hao stormed their gates. A whirlwind of emotions surged within her—she had never imagined this day would come so swiftly!
She had once ventured into the ruins of the Immortal Ancient and witnessed firsthand the extraordinary might of the “Wasteland.” With three strands of immortal qi cultivated, he had crushed countless experts, his name resounding across the land.
Especially when Shi Hao had broken free from the Immortal Ancient, his actions had stirred the Willow God and the Undying Beings into a grand battle against the elite, sending shockwaves through the world.
“Is that girl the princess of the Fire Clan?” Yun Xi recognized Huo Ling’er, recalling their past encounters in the lower realm and her striking appearance.
She stared blankly at the pair, never expecting them to journey together all the way to the ancestral lands of the Celestial Clan. A complex expression flickered across Yun Xi’s face.
“Quick, sound the alarm! The Wasteland has come!” Outside the city, a group of True Gods, their faces pale with shock, scrambled to send word and warn the Celestial City.
But Shi Hao had already struck. His right hand shot toward the sky, summoning a tempest of wind, swirling starlight, and crackling lightning—a cascade of divine phenomena descended upon them.
His colossal palm blotted out half the sky, cutting off their retreat before crashing down upon them.
*Crack!*
The treasures they hastily summoned shattered mid-air.
Like swatting flies, Shi Hao’s single palm obliterated their artifacts, sending them plummeting from the heavens like dumplings into a boiling pot.
Soon, the sky fell silent—the entire group had been blasted down, grievously wounded, teetering on the brink of death.
“What’s happening? Why the commotion?” someone within the city sensed the disturbance.
“Enemies are attacking our sacred grounds! Find out what’s going on!” another voice shouted in alarm.
Below, Shi Hao seized a bone mirror and handed it to Huo Ling’er. “This might be useful—it can substitute for the Heavenly Eye. An ancient treasure.”
The group of True Gods had used this very artifact to track their foes, but now it had been wrested from them.
The Celestial City could no longer remain tranquil!
A Heavenly God emerged, unaware that Shi Hao had arrived. He ascended the city gates, scanning the horizon for the intruder.
Regardless of who dared approach the Celestial Clan’s ancestral lands, it was an unforgivable affront—let alone launching an assault here.
“Who dares hide in the shadows? Show yourself!” the Heavenly God bellowed.
With a retinue in tow, he descended from the city along a golden path of light emanating from the gates, his divine aura magnified.
“Mo Luo!”
Shi Hao’s gaze turned icy as he recognized the Heavenly God—the same one who had pursued him across the Fire Plains and appeared outside the Supreme Dao Field, intent on his execution.
Back then, Qi Dao Lin had intervened, slapping Mo Luo into near-oblivion, leaving only his fleeing soul intact.
Qi Dao Lin could have killed him but chose to spare him, declaring that he would leave Mo Luo for his disciple—Shi Hao—to slay when the time came.
Shi Hao remembered him vividly. Back then, Mo Luo, as a Heavenly God, had seemed untouchable, his mere presence shaking mountains to rubble.
Now, looking back, those memories felt as fresh as yesterday.
Shi Hao harbored no goodwill for this man, whose murderous intent toward him had been palpable. Today, he would settle the score.
“This Celestial City is no ordinary place. See how the golden path from the gates shields Mo Luo? Ordinary attacks can’t breach it,” the Divine Striking Stone observed.
“Stay back. I’ll handle him,” Shi Hao declared.
He drew out a dragon scale over a foot long, radiating potent draconic energy—the Reverse Dragon Scale.
*Whoosh!*
In a flash, Shi Hao appeared before the Celestial City.
“What—it’s you!” Mo Luo finally saw the intruder, his face twisting in shock. He hadn’t expected the Wasteland—the same youth from years ago.
Deep down, Mo Luo had always looked down on Shi Hao. Back then, the boy had been at his mercy, easy to crush with a single finger.
If not for Qi Dao Lin’s intervention, he could have ended Shi Hao effortlessly years ago.
But now, rumors from the Immortal Ancient spoke of this youth’s meteoric rise—slaughtering Heavenly Gods with ease.
The contradiction gnawed at Mo Luo, making it hard to accept reality.
“You wretched brat! Daring to return to our Celestial Clan—did you not learn your lesson last time?” Mo Luo sneered.
Shi Hao’s face darkened. He had been dragged here against his will, humiliated beyond measure. Now, Mo Luo’s mockery only stoked his fury.
“Celestial Clan, your disgrace knows no bounds! Once, I was brought here in chains. Today, I come of my own will—to demand justice and spill blood, starting with you!” Shi Hao roared.
Regardless of the rumors, Mo Luo wouldn’t back down now. “Back then, if not for Qi Dao Lin, I could have crushed a hundred like you with one hand!”
“You were a Heavenly God, and I was merely a Venerable One. How shameless to boast of that!” Shi Hao retorted.
*Boom!*
He struck out, his palm unleashing a torrent of runes—a phantom of the Kun Peng surged forth, aimed at Mo Luo.
The golden path flared brilliantly, wrapping around Mo Luo in a protective cocoon—the power of the Celestial City!
A surge of auspicious light poured from the gates, reinforcing Mo Luo’s defenses.
“Sever!”
Shi Hao roared, hurling the Reverse Dragon Scale like a blade to cut through the golden path.
Draconic energy billowed as the scale embedded itself into the golden light. Under the assault of the auspicious glow, it ignited, cleaving the path apart.
*Boom!*
The void shattered!
“No!” Mo Luo screamed as his connection to the golden path snapped, stripping him of the city’s protection.
This wasn’t a feint—he was fully exposed.
*Swish!*
Shi Hao moved like lightning, reclaiming the Reverse Dragon Scale and charging toward Mo Luo.
Though not a Heavenly God, he fought with unrelenting ferocity, aiming to slay a veteran of Mo Luo’s stature.
“You insolent whelp!” Mo Luo seethed with rage and fear. The boy he once could have crushed now sought his life.
His pride couldn’t reconcile with this reality.
*Whoosh!*
A net woven from celestial sand unfurled, glittering like stars—Mo Luo’s newly forged treasure, capable of ensnaring mountains and rivers.
Yet, against Shi Hao, it was useless.
Shi Hao’s body crackled with lightning as he invoked the Thunder Emperor’s technique, blasting the net apart.
The celestial sand scattered, the net reduced to tattered, charred remnants.
Cloaked in thunder, Shi Hao descended like a reincarnated thunder god, his fist blazing with the power of countless stars.
*Boom!*
Mo Luo countered with his own techniques, but it was futile.
The first strike sent him flying.
Shi Hao’s fist, wreathed in celestial bodies, bore down with unstoppable force.
“No!” Mo Luo howled in disbelief. A mere youth, yet in just a few years, he had grown beyond Mo Luo’s ability to resist.
Desperately, Mo Luo unleashed every secret art, every technique—but to no avail.
The stars around Shi Hao’s fist erupted into thunder, engulfing Mo Luo.
*Thud!*
Mo Luo’s body was ravaged, his flesh charred, bones exposed.
“Stop!” he begged, scrambling to flee.
But Shi Hao’s gaze was merciless. With a swift slash of his palm, Mo Luo’s head tumbled from his shoulders.
His fleeing soul was obliterated by a single finger.
Silence gripped the Celestial City’s walls.
An Heavenly God—slain so effortlessly.
Fear spread like wildfire.
“It’s the Wasteland! The boy from years ago—he’s come for vengeance!”
“How is this possible? In just a few years, he’s grown this powerful after leaving the Immortal Ancient?”
Now, the entire city knew—the boy they had once imprisoned and tortured had returned.
The streets buzzed as crowds rushed to the walls, peering down in shock.
There was no doubt—this was the same youth, but his power was now beyond measure.
“Celestial Clan! I’ve returned to fulfill my promise! Your Heavenly Gods, your guardians—send them all out to die!” Shi Hao’s challenge echoed across the city.
Beside him, Huo Ling’er rose into the sky, her fiery red robes fluttering, her presence ethereal.
On the walls, Yun Xi watched the pair—like immortals standing side by side—her heart aching with unspoken words.
The past grievances between the Celestial Clan and Shi Hao ran too deep for words to mend.
A sour pang twisted within her. Once, Shi Hao had fought alongside her across tens of thousands of miles to save her—only to be betrayed and humiliated.
Now, another girl stood by his side, one who had also come from the lower realm—yet their fates had diverged so drastically.
Even the Celestial Clan’s elders seethed with regret. Had they not oppressed the boy, coveted his secrets, things might have been different.
Now, the world knew—the Wasteland, with his three strands of immortal qi, was peerless among his generation, destined to become one of the Three Thousand Provinces’ supreme rulers.
And they had driven such a prodigy into enmity.
Some elders clenched their fists, gnashing their teeth in frustration.
What could be done now? The past was unchangeable.
“Celestial Clan! Where are your Heavenly Gods? Your guardians? Send them out to die!” Shi Hao stood alone before the city, challenging an entire clan.
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