A single individual, defeating them all—that grand strike just now was as majestic as the heavens and earth, dense, solid, and peerless!
Bitter as they were, everyone was also utterly shocked. Could there really be someone like this among their peers?
With just one ancient celestial technique, he shattered their convictions, leaving a group of heaven’s proud children with ashen faces, filled with unwillingness and helplessness, a sense of powerlessness.
What kind of person was this?
Though it might have been an ancient celestial technique, to execute it to this extent was already extraordinary. At the very least, few at his age could achieve such a feat.
These were no ordinary people—they were all geniuses selected for the Celestial Academy. If not all, most had nearly cultivated a strand of immortal energy.
What an immense and dazzling lineup! Yet they were collectively defeated. It was shocking, and if word got out, it would surely cause an uproar.
This person was truly remarkable. Across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, he could be called a peerless genius of his era!
“He might even rival Lü Tuo,” a young woman muttered bitterly. In her eyes, Lü Tuo was the strongest war god, invincible. To even mention someone alongside him was an insult, yet now she couldn’t help but entertain the thought.
“Lü Tuo possesses such strength because he also masters an ancient celestial technique. For his current age, it’s already a divine achievement,” a white-robed youth sighed, his heart heavy with loss and bitterness.
He, too, was considered a top expert in his ancient realm, if not the absolute strongest, then certainly among the elite. Yet now, he had been knocked flat by a single young man.
“He rivals the strongest of them all!” others murmured in agreement.
Who was he? Many wondered, their gazes fixed on Shi Hao. With such formidable cultivation, why hadn’t he entered the Celestial Academy?
“Ah, he’s Huang! The one exiled here, who entered the ancient mine and didn’t die!”
“It’s him! Captured by Yuan Qing, suppressed for ten years, and sent here!”
Some realized, having even heard whispers of the truth behind Shi Hao’s exile.
They were stunned. This was Huang, a youth from the Three Thousand Dao Provinces—wasn’t that place synonymous with barbarism and backwardness?
Back then, no one believed Shi Hao could survive. After all, he had vanished for so long, sent into the ancient mine. How could he live? Yet now, he had overturned all their expectations.
These individuals, whether men or women, were all prodigies, the strongest youths of their respective ancient realms. Yet now, they had been defeated by a single person.
Shi Hao observed them but refrained from killing. Exposure would bring endless trouble, for each of these beings belonged to a powerful clan.
Of course, the main reason was that he wasn’t bloodthirsty. With the borderlands soon to descend into chaos and great battles looming, there was no need to waste the most promising talents here.
Though he spared them, Shi Hao didn’t let them off lightly. One by one, he searched them, claiming all their rare treasures for himself.
“Hmm? What’s this—a small jar of divine blood?” Shi Hao exclaimed in surprise, pulling out a jade jar from a youth. Inside was bright crimson blood, flickering and burning like flames.
Phoenix blood!
He quickly realized the possibility, having heard of the Celestial Academy’s Phoenix Blood Pool, containing a pool of blood left behind by a phoenix’s rebirth.
Clearly, this youth wasn’t as heaven-defying as Lü Tuo and the others, lacking the chance to bathe in the pool, but he had managed to obtain a small jar.
“Excellent, thank you!” Shi Hao grinned, expressing his gratitude.
“No! You can’t take it!” The youth’s eyes reddened, his heart tearing apart.
“The moment you attacked me, this jar became mine. Even you belong to me now,” Shi Hao said casually, indifferent.
Half of the dozen or so were women, their faces paling at his words. Was this guy not even sparing people?
Shi Hao then shoved the youth aside, ignoring him, and boldly tucked the jade jar into his robes. The youth nearly fainted from anguish.
“Beauty, what do you have on you? Shall I search you myself?” Shi Hao lifted a red-haired girl, his eyes gleaming as he scrutinized her.
“I have nothing!” she snapped, glaring defiantly with her beautiful eyes.
“Then I’ll search you myself,” Shi Hao said, rummaging around and eliciting a shriek as he took several vials and jars.
“Not bad—dozens of semi-divine fruits!” Satisfied, he moved to the next target.
“Kid, I warn you—don’t touch me!” With so many people, personalities varied. One youth glared fiercely, refusing to yield and even threatening.
Shi Hao responded simply—with a flurry of punches, turning the youth’s face into a swollen mess before looting him.
Thus, Shi Hao spared no one, male or female, thoroughly plundering the group of young prodigies. Some escaped unscathed by cooperating, while others were left bruised and battered, utterly humiliated.
Among them were two fierce and beautiful women, beaten black and blue—a true case of crushing flowers with ruthless hands, leaving them gnashing their teeth in fury.
“Keep glaring, and I’ll spank your butt into eight pieces!” Shi Hao threatened.
“Disgusting!”
“Despicable!”
The two girls fumed, their faces flushed. This bastard had no sense of chivalry—uncooperative, regardless of gender, got a beating.
They itched to pounce and bite him to death!
Bear in mind, their backgrounds were extraordinary. Cultivating one strand of immortal energy was already rare, with only a handful per ancient realm. These two had cultivated two strands, placing them among the strongest prodigies. Wherever they went, they were adored like stars around the moon.
Yet today, they were robbed, and the man ignored their beauty, beating them first before thoroughly looting them.
“Are you even human?” one girl seethed.
Usually, geniuses fawned over them, yet today they’d been slapped around and threatened with spankings—it was dizzying.
*Smack!*
The threat became reality—their bottoms were struck.
Dissatisfied with their hiding, Shi Hao took action, seizing their rare treasures.
By the end, all dozen were thoroughly cleaned out!
“Huang, don’t you think this is excessive? You’ll enter the Celestial Academy soon, and we’ll meet again. Yet now… what are you doing?!”
Someone couldn’t help but protest, hoping to instill caution.
They believed Shi Hao wouldn’t dare kill them—that would be madness, inviting catastrophic consequences.
Those who cultivated immortal energy had powerful factions backing them. Who would be insane enough to slaughter so many?
“I should leave now,” Shi Hao said, having stayed too long in the ancient mine.
Though it held many secrets and great opportunities, he no longer wished to linger. The gains were scarce, and the dangers too unpredictable.
“Soon, I’ll head to the Celestial Academy. But since you all know me now, how can I go comfortably?” Shi Hao mused.
“What do you want?” a youth asked warily.
A girl paled, her face drained of color.
“Relax, I’m not cruel. I won’t take your lives,” Shi Hao said, putting on an innocent expression.
They all watched him, knowing better than to provoke him further.
“How about this—you erase your memories of the ancient mine yourselves?” Shi Hao suggested.
“No! Don’t push us too far!” someone roared.
*Thud!*
Shi Hao struck without hesitation, swinging a bone club at the protester’s head, knocking him out cold.
He then erased part of the unconscious man’s soul imprint.
The others paled—such actions were perilous, risking total annihilation.
“We’ll forget on our own!” someone cried.
Chaos ensued as Shi Hao stirred up trouble.
Whether through cooperation or force, the area soon quieted as all lay unconscious.
“Hopefully, by the time I enter the Celestial Academy, we’ll have all forgotten!” Shi Hao said.
Of course, that was unlikely. Today’s plundering was etched in his memory.
And these individuals were no ordinary folk. Though their memories were temporarily blurred, erased of their ordeal in the Primordial Ancient Mine, they might gradually recall in time.
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