At this moment, the Imperial Butterfly awakened, stirring a flicker of anticipation in Shi Hao’s heart, followed by delight. There was another butterfly in the ancient pool, and faintly, he began to hope for something.
“If there are any immortal relics here, how about we split them equally?” Xuan Kun’s voice was hoarse. He was the most severely injured and truly had no desire to continue fighting.
Princess Yaoyue turned to Shi Hao with a radiant smile. “What does the fellow Daoist think?”
Feng Xingtian’s heart sank. He feared the three would join forces to eliminate him first, as they had nearly done not long ago.
“Splitting it three ways is fine by me,” Shi Hao nodded.
“Good!” Princess Yaoyue laughed, her large eyes sparkling like spring sunlight, her beauty breathtaking. Holy radiance bathed her snow-white skin, and her lustrous hair shimmered.
**Boom!**
Feng Xingtian struck without hesitation, attacking first. The three had excluded him, and he knew they would move to kill him.
Striking preemptively was his only option. Dark energy surged, and fierce gales roared as if to tear the stars from the sky—utterly terrifying.
Yet, the three also acted instantly, unleashing ancient heavenly techniques with overwhelming force, piercing through his tempest and sending him flying.
No matter how formidable his divine abilities, he stood no chance against three experts, each wielding three strands of immortal qi, all acutely aware of each other’s lethality.
Heavenly techniques clashed, treasures and spells overlaying one another, with Shi Hao’s Six Paths Reincarnation proving the most astonishing—six black holes rotating, time flowing, eras shifting, the cycle of reincarnation repeating in a breathtaking display.
**Bang!**
This time, the goal was swift execution. Shi Hao and the others employed ruthless methods, intent on ending Feng Xingtian here and now. A second strike followed immediately.
Here, the roar of true dragons and the cry of phoenixes tore through the heavens in an instant!
Dark tempests howled as Feng Xingtian struggled, fighting desperately while retreating rapidly to evade their onslaught.
Yet, no matter how fast he fled, the impact still struck him. With a **cough**, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
**”Heh…”**
Suddenly, a chilling laugh echoed, sending shivers down their spines. Shi Hao, Yaoyue, and Xuan Kun stiffened as if plunged into an icy abyss, their bodies turning cold.
A powerful being had appeared nearby, locking onto them.
At this moment, every hair on their bodies stood on end. They felt frozen from head to toe, paralyzed as if pinned under the gaze of a prehistoric beast.
What kind of creature was this? How had it arrived? They had no idea.
Clearly, this entity far surpassed them in strength, approaching silently and only revealing itself at the last moment.
“Is it that ancient butterfly?” Yaoyue’s voice trembled slightly, uneasy. Aside from the decaying butterfly, what else could be here?
“Didn’t that ancient butterfly perish in battle in the previous era?” Xuan Kun stepped back, staring into the distance.
As the mist dissipated, a humanoid figure emerged, stepping into the underground palace.
For some reason, Yaoyue and Xuan Kun exhaled in relief. An outsider was far preferable to the decaying butterfly undergoing a corpse transformation.
But Shi Hao disagreed. The moment this figure entered, it fixed its gaze on him, exuding an icy, sinister aura.
“Interesting. The Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Technique has reappeared in this world. Truly, these are troubled times,” the figure murmured softly.
Closer now, the mist cleared, revealing his features.
A middle-aged man of average height, sturdy and compact, his skin gleamed with a faint yellow radiance, as if cast from bronze.
His eyes were sharp, blazing like twin suns!
Though not handsome—merely ordinary—he carried an air of supremacy, his gaze cold and disdainful as it swept over them.
Clearly, he held no regard for them. To him, Shi Hao, Yaoyue, and the others were mere juniors, insignificant before his power.
This was the mark of true strength. Given his vast cultivation and towering achievements, eliminating them would be effortless.
“Uncle Six!” Feng Xingtian exclaimed in joy.
He never expected to encounter his clan elder here—a legendary figure in the Feng Clan, renowned for his late but meteoric rise.
Feng Zhao had been unremarkable in his youth, never cultivating immortal qi. Yet, during his final breakthrough at the Heavenly Deity Realm, he underwent a great nirvana, transcending his peers.
A late bloomer, he spent five centuries in obscurity before his talents erupted, propelling him to unimaginable heights.
Now, he stood as an unfathomable existence, one foot already in an esoteric realm, a superpower of immense influence within the Feng Clan.
Today, he was revered as **Feng Hou**!
The Feng Clan was a longevity family, with ancestors who had achieved immortality. Their foundation was profound, their might terrifying.
To be honored as Feng Hou in such a clan spoke volumes of his status—a formidable and fearsome figure.
When the Feng Clan’s ancestral elder learned of a Shi-named youth from the Three Thousand Dao Provinces heading to Boundless Heaven, Feng Hou had taken charge of the matter.
It was he who had sought out Yuan Qing to act.
“Uncle Six, why are you here?” Feng Xingtian asked, bewildered. How had this esteemed elder arrived?
“Hmm, restlessness stirred me. I took the form of a minor cultivator and boarded your academy’s vessel to observe,” Feng Zhao replied.
Hearing this, Yaoyue and Xuan Kun paled. The situation had taken a dire turn. Feng Hou’s strength was such that he had evaded the academy elders entirely.
Had he not come, Feng Xingtian might have perished here. But his sudden appearance had rewritten the outcome.
This was utterly unforeseen.
“Xuan Kun, you show promise—bold and gifted. Given a few more centuries, you would soar like a dragon,” Feng Hou remarked.
Then, his gaze shifted to Princess Yaoyue, admiration in his eyes. “Yaoyue, years have only enhanced your beauty. You carry an immortal grace, a peerless beauty in this mortal realm.”
Yet, his praise unsettled her. In the depths of his eyes, she detected something unsettling. Forcing a smile, she said, “Greetings, Uncle Feng.”
Though both hailed from longevity families, their clans were rivals.
“Senior Feng, what are your intentions?” Xuan Kun asked.
“You are all geniuses who have cultivated three strands of immortal qi. Losing even one would be a tragedy, especially with the chaos to come. The world will need you to quell it,” Feng Zhao said.
Xuan Kun remained silent, a weight pressing upon him.
Yaoyue retreated a step, unease gnawing at her. In his gaze, she saw a predatory hunger, a heat that lingered on her form. Though a prodigy, she had yet to ascend to true dominance. Now, she feared.
“However, my presence here is best kept quiet. It would be… inconvenient if known,” Feng Zhao added.
Feng Xingtian understood. His uncle had come both to protect him and to probe the academy’s secrets, disguising himself among the students.
“What do you intend?” Both Xuan Kun and Princess Yaoyue tensed, dread creeping into their hearts.
“Killing you would be a waste. Why not come with me?” Feng Zhao suggested.
Their expressions darkened. The worst had come to pass—he coveted their three-strand immortal qi bodies, perhaps even their heavenly techniques and secrets.
“Rest assured, you won’t vanish from this world. I’ve no wish to be branded a villain across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths,” he said with a smile.
Shi Hao sighed inwardly. This man was sinister, his malice undeniable. There would be no peaceful resolution.
Resolved, he prepared to summon the Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram and the Thunder Emperor Armor for defense.
Abruptly, Feng Zhao turned to him. “I despise those who wield the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Technique.”
Shi Hao met his gaze coldly, silent.
“Then let us begin with you. Your physique is exceptional—worthy of extraction. With careful refinement, it might forge a peerless warrior.”
Feng Zhao circled Shi Hao, appraising him like merchandise. Life, death, choice—all lay in his hands.
Yaoyue and Xuan Kun paled further. Was this their fate as well? As scions of great clans, they had heard dark rumors. The mere thought chilled them.
Some whispered of three-strand immortal qi cultivators with mysterious origins, tied to ancient, malevolent legacies.
Now, they might witness it firsthand. Feng Zhao knew such methods—stripping their Dao fruits, repurposing their flesh to forge others.
“Well then, starting with you—will you comply, or must I act?” Feng Zhao’s gaze pinned Shi Hao in place.
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