A refreshing surge of energy washed over Shi Hao, leaving him invigorated as if he had consumed an elixir of immortality. His primordial spirit was nourished, showing faint signs of strengthening.
“Kill!” he shouted softly, continuing his assault. The silver warship was now swarming with battle spirits, each formidable, and he regarded them all as prey.
In truth, these battle spirits also saw him as their target, attacking him en masse—for he was the first to slay one of their kind here.
*Whoosh!*
A streak of purple radiance shot forth like a divine spear from the immortal realms, shattering the cosmos as it descended upon him!
It was a scorpion’s tail, tracing a deadly arc as it aimed straight for Shi Hao’s head—swift, precise, ruthless, and savage.
This was the Humanoid Scorpion, its body indistinguishable from a human’s, with thick purple hair and eyes gleaming like blades. From its lower back extended a scorpion tail, forged as if from violet gold.
The tail pierced through the void!
Before the strike even landed, Shi Hao’s brow throbbed with pain. Even with his sole Heavenly Passage defending him, his forehead felt as if needles were drilling into it—agonizing to the core.
This was a spiritual assault, and the Humanoid Scorpion, with its innate tail hook, was especially tyrannical in unleashing such attacks.
Nearby, cultivators from the Celestial Academy screamed as they too were affected by the spiritual erosion, despite not being the primary target. Some already had cracked brows, their primordial spirits grievously wounded!
If even those on the periphery suffered so, one could only imagine the torment Shi Hao endured at the center.
The most terrifying aspect of battle spirits was their soul attacks—annihilating consciousness, severing primordial spirits, leaving no room for defense!
*Boom!*
Shi Hao roared low, expanding his sole Heavenly Passage until it blazed with light. His brow glowed as well, revealing a radiant symbol—a shimmering, dazzling mark!
His spiritual power surged, boiling over as he resisted the battle spirits.
Simultaneously, his physical body moved, charging forward like a tempest, scattering other battle spirits as he lunged straight for the Humanoid Scorpion.
*Clang!*
He raised a hand and actually seized the gleaming purple tail. Sparks erupted between his fingers and the tail, the sound akin to clashing metal.
At this moment, though the scorpion tail twisted as if about to snap, Shi Hao’s brow also split open slightly, blood seeping out—the pain was excruciating!
The scorpion tail was a tangible manifestation of spiritual power. None of these battle spirits had true physical forms; they were merely shells condensed from overwhelming spiritual might.
*Crack!*
Yet, in the end, Shi Hao wrenched the tail free, snapping it off. With a flying kick, he sent the Humanoid Scorpion reeling.
One treasure technique after another erupted. The scorpion was no ordinary foe, countering with spiritual force, but Shi Hao’s kick still landed—*thud!*—sending it flying.
At first, the Humanoid Scorpion staggered back, then its chest cracked, and finally, its entire body exploded!
Shi Hao’s kick carried such force that even a range of ancient divine mountains would have been reduced to dust—unstoppable, indomitable.
As the powerful battle spirit perished, it dissolved into wisps of essence, dispersing in all directions. Some of its spiritual energy transformed into a rain of light, washing over Shi Hao like a spring breeze.
This luminous rain was a potent tonic for the primordial spirit, filling him with euphoria. His entire body gleamed as if on the verge of ascension.
His spiritual power had grown stronger!
Shi Hao’s spiritual might was already formidable, having long condensed into a miniature humanoid figure seated within him. Now, sensing further enhancement, he wasted no time.
*Ssshh!*
A strand of immortal qi coiled around his arm, forming into a pristine sword—entirely condensed from that single wisp of immortal energy.
“Kill!”
Shi Hao charged into the fray, engaging in fierce combat.
This was a chaotic battle. The battle spirits’ spiritual power was overwhelming, making them formidable foes. Were Shi Hao not among the strongest of the younger generation, he would have fallen long ago.
It was a testament to how terrifying these creatures were.
“Ah—!” Nearby, a youth clad in blue-gold armor had his skull crushed by a monstrous bird’s talons, dying instantly.
*Thud!*
Elsewhere, a woman fought desperately, but her forehead still cracked under the oppressive spiritual force. A bizarre serpent coiled around her neck, snapping it with ease.
The gray serpent was only a meter long, yet horrifyingly powerful. The woman, who had cultivated immortal qi, was no match—her treasure techniques useless as she was strangled to death.
“These things are too sinister! How do we fight them?” someone screamed. Panic spread, for aside from Shi Hao, Lü Tuo, Wang Xi, and a few others, most cultivators stood no chance.
Even if they couldn’t defeat the leading battle spirits, the ordinary ones still possessed overwhelming spiritual power, making them nearly invincible.
And this was only the beginning—students of the academy were already falling one after another.
These were prodigies, yet they died here meaninglessly, their worth unfulfilled. Fear gnawed at their hearts, and some began to falter.
“With skills this lacking, you can’t even kill a single battle spirit, yet you dream of facing the otherworld? A single royal member from those ancient clans could wipe out an entire ship of battle spirits!” Dugu Yun, descendant of the guardians, spoke coldly. He had remained on the sidelines, and his words stung with humiliation.
*Thud!*
Lü Tuo struck down a Three-Eyed Divine Ape, feeling his primordial spirit nourished and strengthened. He now understood why Shi Hao had begun hunting battle spirits.
Soon, Wang Xi, the Ten Crown King, Princess Yao Yue, and others also realized the truth. The battlefield erupted into frenzy as all those who had cultivated three strands of immortal qi joined the slaughter.
The battle spirits’ ferocious assault was finally countered!
“Kill! Slaying battle spirits nourishes the soul and strengthens the primordial spirit! They are made of spiritual energy—our consciousness can evolve through this!”
Others went mad with battle. Retreat was futile—the battle spirits were relentless. The only choice was to fight desperately, perhaps even turning calamity into fortune by growing stronger.
The tide of battle swiftly turned. Though the battle spirits were mighty, with Wang Xi, Xuan Kun, Shi Hao, the Ten Crown King, and even Dugu Yun joining the fray, the counterattack was devastating.
*Thud!*
Shi Hao seized the gray serpent. Though less than a meter long, its strength was monstrous. Were Shi Hao not peerless in power, it would have broken free.
Only those who had cultivated three strands of immortal qi could hope to match it!
Yet Shi Hao was furious. “Just a battle spirit, yet so absurdly strong!”
He strained to tear the serpent apart. It writhed, sprouting four clawed limbs—its body now resembling a true dragon, save for its head.
*Hiss!*
The serpent’s tongue flickered, instantly forming a spiritual domain that clashed violently with Shi Hao’s sole Heavenly Passage.
“Damn this thing!” A drop of blood trickled from Shi Hao’s brow. The serpent was terrifying—most would have died instantly upon contact. Even Shi Hao struggled, forced to exert his full strength.
“What kind of monstrosity is this?” He yanked at its body, trying to snap it in half.
In the distance, the battle grew fiercer. Before the crimson ancient ship, several ancestral battle spirits wielded world-shaking power, clashing with the elders. They could move stars and command shattered ancient realms.
*Boom!*
Their battle blotted out the sun and moon, the heavens and earth dimming. Howling winds of yin and slaughter filled the air.
“Do not underestimate battle spirits. Every one of them was once a peerless genius…” The Second Elder’s voice echoed even as he fought, guiding the students on the silver warship.
In ancient times, only supreme figures could leave behind remnants of their will—their primordial spirits strong enough to persist after death.
These remnants, through chance, evolved into spectral entities—battle spirits.
“Thus, though they seem invincible, do not despair—for they were all once unmatched in their era!” the Second Elder declared.
Hearing this, morale lifted. Many had felt inadequate, but now they understood.
“That serpent… it’s related to the True Dragon!” Suddenly, the Second Elder gasped, staring at the gray serpent locked in combat with Shi Hao.
“Impossible! It’s really that serpent! In ancient times, a strange snake emerged from the cliffs beside a True Dragon’s nest. It grew into a supreme powerhouse before perishing in the World Tomb!” the Fourth Elder exclaimed.
For no matter how these beings changed, their spectral forms still resembled their original bodies.
The elders recognized many legendary figures among the battle spirits—the Nine-Headed Divine Bird, the Platinum Lion—all once renowned across history.
But this serpent was particularly infamous, recorded in ancient bone texts as a terror that once roamed heaven and earth, unmatched in its time.
*Thud!*
Even as his brow split, Shi Hao slew the gray serpent, using his sole Heavenly Passage to dismantle its spiritual domain while overpowering it in raw combat.
The serpent, after all, was not physical—merely a construct of spiritual energy. It shattered, dispersing into motes of light.
Instantly, Shi Hao’s brow healed. The serpent’s essence was a potent tonic, causing his primordial spirit to blaze with newfound brilliance.
This serpent had been the leader of the battle spirits attacking the silver warship. Its death sowed panic among them.
Meanwhile, the battle at the crimson ship reached its climax. The ancestral battle spirits fell one by one to the elders’ might.
*Boom!*
The Second Elder struck, cleaving the ancient ship apart.
“Roar—!”
The battle spirits engaging the academy’s students howled, abandoning the fight to rush toward the shattered vessel.
“Ah! A perfect soul seed!” the Second Elder exclaimed.
Amid the wreckage, a glowing seed pulsed with astonishing spiritual energy—a priceless treasure.
“A seed of unparalleled value!” the Fifth Elder marveled.
They had come seeking such seeds, for these students of the ancient path needed them to advance. And now, an extraordinary one had appeared.
“Kill!”
The warriors on the silver warship pursued, slaughtering battle spirits while racing toward the seed.
In truth, the battle spirits retreated only to seize the soul seed for themselves.
Shi Hao carved a path through the chaos, slaying countless battle spirits. Even they trembled before him, their morale shattered.
With each kill, his spiritual power grew, his primordial spirit strengthening visibly.
*Thud!*
He exchanged blows with Wang Xi, clashed with Lü Tuo, and even traded a dragon fist with the Ten Crown King—the battle was ferocious.
The elders did not intervene, leaving the competition to the students. They only dealt with the ancestral battle spirits.
As Shi Hao fought, a sacred light enveloped him, forming a divine halo—radiant and pure.
“Seal!”
He roared, and his sole Heavenly Passage erupted with multicolored light, countless auspicious energies surging forth to ensnare the soul seed, pulling it into his domain.
“This battle is over. The contest has ended!” the Second Elder declared, preventing further bloodshed.
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