Two supreme experts clashed fiercely here, sending sand and stones flying, shaking mountains and earth, with massive boulders hurtling through the air.
It must be known that the region where the Celestial Academy stood was once a battlefield where peerless masters had fought, their immortal swords crisscrossing the heavens, severing countless stars that fell like rain, piling up into a sea of meteors.
In this land, the ancient mountain ranges were terrifyingly tall, and enormous boulders were scattered everywhere!
Later, someone used immense divine power to refine and temper the area, melting down all the fallen stars and shrinking the stone mountains, making the terrain appear normal.
Yet, many of the stone mountains and ancient lands remained extraordinary—exceptionally vast and imposing. Some stone mountains were frighteningly heavy because they were remnants of fallen stars. Even after refinement, though they appeared ordinary, they were still many times heavier than typical boulders.
Now, with sand and stones flying and the earth trembling, it was naturally astonishing—because, in a sense, these were meteors soaring through the sky!
Ordinary duels would never reach this level—it was simply too incredible!
This area was particularly striking, with boulders bearing a metallic sheen, clearly remnants of great stars cleaved from the heavens in ancient times.
In the past, sword immortals had roared in fury, their blades splitting the firmament, sending stars tumbling down like dumplings in a pot, shaking both heaven and earth, making the cosmos tremble.
**Boom!**
Dugu Yun’s body surged with golden blood energy, rolling outward like a tide, his golden radiance dazzling like an ancient battle immortal descending from the primordial era, invincible and mighty.
Faintly, one could see the massive boulders around him transforming back into stars, one after another, emitting starlight as he propelled them forward, crushing toward Shi Hao.
The onlookers were stunned. Such grandeur, such phenomena—it was truly terrifying! To wield the sun, moon, and stars with one’s hands—what an awe-inspiring sight!
**Thud!**
Yet, Shi Hao—the “Desolate One”—did not retreat a single step. His aura was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, meeting Dugu Yun head-on with unstoppable divine might.
He formed a fist seal, exuding an indomitable, peerless grandeur!
**Crack!**
Shi Hao swung his fist, unleashing a storm of runes, as if billions of lightning bolts intertwined, shrouding the heavens and covering the earth in boundless terror. Around him, the incoming stars shattered, meteors splitting apart!
**Clang!**
A massive bluish-gold boulder—the largest of them all—was blasted apart by his punch. One of the fragments, as large as a house, crashed into the ground nearby.
The envoy from the Sacred Academy, still unconscious, was struck by this boulder. His body convulsed uncontrollably while he remained unconscious.
For what appeared to be a bluish-gold stone was, in truth, akin to a meteor falling from the heavens—smashing his flesh into a pulp and breaking his bones.
“Ah—!” Finally, the pain jolted him awake. Witnessing this scene, his eyes nearly burst with fury, his heart trembling in unbearable agony.
Never had he suffered such humiliation. Today’s disgrace and calamity left him seething, unable to regain his composure.
“Get me out of here now!” he roared at Yuan Hong.
Yuan Hong, suppressing his anger, swiftly approached. Though his status was far from ordinary, compared to the Sacred Academy’s disciple, he was utterly humiliated—berated yet unable to retaliate.
After all, he had only come here to ride on the Sacred Academy’s coattails.
**Boom!**
A pale golden boulder, flung by Dugu Yun, came crashing toward them.
Yuan Hong flicked his sleeve, shattering it effortlessly. He yearned to strike down the two youths who had disregarded him and the Sacred Envoy, but he dared not—for this was the Celestial Academy, under the watchful eyes of its elders.
Despite possessing the strength of a sect master, Yuan Hong was utterly restrained here, left fuming in helplessness.
**Boom!**
Meanwhile, Shi Hao and Dugu Yun’s battle reached its climax, stunning everyone with their terrifying power, far beyond expectations.
“Is that the power of the invincible golden bloodline? It’s overwhelmingly strong!” someone marveled.
Golden blood energy swirled around Dugu Yun, its oppressive aura suffocating, crushing the surrounding meteoric stones to dust. The onlookers trembled in fear.
Yet, the other youth remained unaffected, fighting with unrestrained ferocity, pressing forward relentlessly against the golden-blooded warrior.
“The Desolate One is truly formidable! To face an inheritor of the invincible bloodline with such ease!”
At that moment, Dugu Yun withdrew, ceasing his assault and putting distance between himself and Shi Hao. “You are strong. And unusual,” he said.
“Surrendering already?” Shi Hao smirked shamelessly, already acting as if he had won despite not yet subduing his opponent.
Dugu Yun showed no anger. “You are worthy of battling the royal descendants of the Otherworld.”
“Not just battling—I’ll crush them all!” Shi Hao laughed heartily.
Just then, elders emerged from the bronze structures atop the divine mountain, signaling an end to the fight.
“Yuan Hong, you were expelled. How dare you return?” the Fifth Elder demanded.
Yuan Hong paled, his lips trembling in fear. No one knew better than he how terrifying these old monsters were.
“Elder, please forgive him. He was merely guiding me—I am the Sacred Academy’s envoy,” the injured youth pleaded, half his body mangled by the meteoric impact.
“Come up the mountain and speak,” the Fifth Elder commanded, flicking a finger and sending a silvery ribbon to whisk him away.
Then, with a sweep of his sleeve, the Fifth Elder struck like a collapsing sky, smashing Yuan Hong into the ground, bones shattered and blood gushing from his orifices.
The crowd gasped. Yuan Hong was a formidable expert, yet before the elder, he was nothing.
“Throw him out. If he dares return, he dies,” the Fifth Elder declared.
Shi Hao stepped forward, grinning as he hauled Yuan Hong away.
Yuan Hong’s face twisted in horror. To be humiliated once more by this brat—his heart quaked, but he was powerless, nearly crippled by the elder’s strike.
“Ah—!”
Soon after, agonized screams echoed from the academy’s entrance. Everyone exchanged glances before rushing to see.
From afar, they saw Shi Hao nearly skinning the severely wounded Yuan Hong alive, breaking every bone and looting all his treasures—magical artifacts, elixirs, everything of value.
Left with only a breath of life, Yuan Hong lay there for three days before finally dragging himself away.
Had the elders not forbidden it, Shi Hao would have ended him with a single slash.
The Sacred Envoy slunk away in disgrace, leaving behind only a letter.
Days later, Dugu Yun departed under the escort of two elders, heading for the Primordial Ancient Mine—sparking widespread speculation about his purpose.
Weeks later, news returned—an anomaly had occurred in the mine.
“By the heavens! The descendant of the Guardian entered that ancient mine and stayed for days—only to be expelled by a flood of black blood!”
The revelation sent shockwaves through the Celestial Academy.
After days inside, black blood had surged from the mine like a subterranean spring, horrifying the world.
Dugu Yun emerged unharmed but grim-faced, silent about what he had witnessed.
Once he left, the mine returned to normal, the black blood receding, its stench lingering for days.
What secrets lay within? What was the black blood? Did Dugu Yun uncover its mysteries? All wondered, recalling the Three-Headed King’s words—for he had once spoken of black blood being unearthed in the mine during the last epoch.
**Ooo—!**
The Fire Rhinoceros Horn bellowed, its deep, ancient tone resonating as if from another world. A silver warship, tens of thousands of feet long, soared into the sky toward a floating altar above the academy.
“Destination—the World Tomb!” declared the Second Elder, leading a group of prodigies to seek immortal seeds and forge their supreme paths.
Not only Shi Hao, Wang Xi, Lü Tuo, the Ten Crown King, and Inviting Moon were present—even Dugu Yun joined the expedition.
“Hey, what did you see in the Primordial Mine? Why did black blood gush out?” Shi Hao asked aboard the ship, unfazed by their past clash.
Dugu Yun, his handsome face expressionless, remained silent.
The altar glowed, and the silver ship blurred into the void, vanishing from sight—bound for the so-called “World Tomb.”
“Come on, don’t be so tight-lipped. What did you see?” Shi Hao pressed relentlessly.
Though others remained silent, they too listened intently.
Finally, Dugu Yun spoke. “If you’re so idle, conserve your strength. The World Tomb holds dangers beyond imagination. Perhaps there, you’ll get your wish—to face ancient royal descendants.”
“What? Beings from the Otherworld can appear there?” Shi Hao was stunned.
“If you dare venture deep, you may encounter royal descendants trapped there since the last epoch,” Dugu Yun replied.
At this, even the elders were shocked.
“You’re certain?” Shi Hao asked.
“My ancestors lured them there. I am certain. That army still lives—perhaps even bred descendants,” Dugu Yun said bitterly, his anger palpable. His ancestors had sacrificed much as Guardians, only to be betrayed by their own.
“This changes everything. We must proceed with caution!” the elders murmured, alarmed. They had visited the World Tomb before but never heard of this.
Now, they knew—this journey would reveal extraordinary truths.
The World Tomb—a graveyard of shattered universes, chaotic and enigmatic, holding secrets beyond comprehension.
Some had once found a World Tree there and brought it back.
Others had discovered cosmic seeds, planting them within themselves to achieve supreme, flawless enlightenment.
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