Huang intended to summon a group into the underground immortal abode—what grand audacity! Others watched with envy and jealousy, utterly stunned by the madness of it all!
Cao Yusheng, the Lunar Grace, Chang Gongyan, the Enchantress, Feng Wu, and the others weren’t surprised in the slightest. They soared over and descended into the mire.
The disciples of Celestial Deity Academy, however, were far from calm. Each was overjoyed, never expecting that Huang would bring them along—an unimaginable stroke of fortune!
They had little prior interaction with Huang, barely exchanging words before. Yet now, simply for standing up for him as fellow disciples, they reaped this opportunity.
The mire wasn’t vast, but neither was it small, easily accommodating them all. Mud splattered everywhere as a massive fissure yawned open at its center, exhaling immortal mist.
“Huang, you’re far too arrogant! Entering alone is one thing, but dragging a crowd with you?” A cold voice hissed from the shadows.
“I do as I please. Who are you to interfere?” Shi Hao retorted bluntly.
“Insolence!” Divine light surged from the underground realm, accompanied by thunderbolts and lightning—someone was attacking them.
“Whoosh!”
Shi Hao’s right hand shot out, fingers splayed and expanding until they seemed capable of blotting out the sky, sealing the fissure in an instant. With a single grasp, he seized all the thunderbolts.
At his fingertips, lightning churned, a terrifying sight!
At that moment, his palm loomed like a storm cloud, each finger a pillar propping up the heavens—a sight that shook all who beheld it.
“Palm Cosmos!” someone murmured in awe.
At a certain level of cultivation, one wasn’t confined to innate treasures. The body itself could arrange bone inscriptions to form supreme divine abilities—this was proof.
Shi Hao’s colossal hand descended, refining all the thunderbolts before flipping over. Like the collapse of heaven and earth, thousands of lightning waterfalls cascaded from his palm in a roaring deluge.
“This…” Everyone was dumbstruck. The spectacle was overwhelming, sending chills down many spines.
“Huang, how dare you!” someone roared.
“Are you attacking everyone now?” another sneered coldly.
“Enough nonsense! You hid below, striking at me, thinking I wouldn’t retaliate just because I couldn’t pinpoint the culprit? Dream on!” Shi Hao’s response was unyielding.
Boom!
With a single slap, Shi Hao brought true cataclysm. The mire was obliterated, the earth beneath trembling violently, ancient formations activating under the assault, unleashing immortal power.
It was like stirring a hornet’s nest—chaos erupted!
Those who had descended earlier suffered, scrambling to defend lest they lose their lives.
Above ground, spectators gaped. Huang was truly fearless, peerlessly dominant. Provoked, he plunged everyone into peril without hesitation.
“Huang, you’ve gone too far!” a voice hissed icily.
“Spare me your hypocrisy! The ones who endangered you weren’t me, but those who provoked me from the shadows. If you’re down there, you know who they are. Yet you blame me instead? Think me weak? If you’ve got grievances, come up and fight!” Shi Hao’s retort was frigid.
Silence fell. This was sheer, unadulterated audacity—reasoning with unmatched dominance. Cross him, and retaliation was swift and merciless.
The voices below had no rebuttal. This man was not to be trifled with, his arrogance boundless. Further provocation might see him leap down for a decisive battle.
Soon, the underground world quieted, tremors ceasing as misty light swirled.
“Let’s descend,” Shi Hao declared, leading the way. A radiant barrier unfurled around him, shielding their path from ambush.
Of course, he was confident few would dare act rashly now. His defeat of the Purple Sun Heavenly Monarch had left a lasting Deterrence.
The mire’s depths were vast and dim, an endless cavern of fantastical stalactites glowing brilliantly, like exquisite sculptures.
“Lord Huang, what’s inside the stone casket you seized?” a Celestial Deity Academy student asked curiously.
Shi Hao’s mind stirred. Earlier, a radiant streak had shot from the mire, bearing the casket he now held—the very reason he’d entered the fray.
Drawing it from his robes, the casket shimmered faintly, sealed tight, resisting all efforts to open it.
“Hmm?” Despite multiple attempts, it wouldn’t budge. He began deciphering the bone inscriptions, aiming to dismantle the seal.
“Force rules?” Frowning, upon closer inspection, he realized the inscriptions on the casket formed a tremendous pressure, preventing its opening.
“Open!” Understanding the mechanism, he roared, crushing the casket with brute strength.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked heaven and earth, stunning all present.
The underground realm trembled, fissures spreading. Even the young supremos below paled, while Lan Xian, peerless beauty though she was, gritted her teeth in frustration.
“Huang, this is too much! Yes, someone attacked you, but must you retaliate against everyone?” someone snapped.
“Ah, this time was accidental. But I refuse to apologize. Blame those who provoked me earlier,” Shi Hao replied.
The crowd below was speechless. This man was truly a force unto himself—unapologetically domineering, though some among them were indeed at fault.
A blinding radiance erupted skyward, shaking even those above ground.
Below, amidst glittering stalactites, Cao Yusheng, the Dragon Maiden, and others fixed their gazes on Shi Hao’s hands. What could warrant such a commotion?
The casket, forced open, revealed its contents—not an artifact, but a living being, peeking out comically.
Everyone rubbed their eyes, certain they were mistaken.
From an immortal abode’s casket emerged… a creature? After all these years?
“A turtle!” chubby Cao Yusheng exclaimed.
Upon closer look, it was indeed a snow-white turtle, palm-sized, its shell crystalline like mutton-fat jade, limbs equally pristine. Unlike ordinary turtles, its eyes gleamed with cunning intelligence.
“What kind of turtle is this? Could it be a longevity herb turned spirit, like the legendary White Turtle Bearing Immortal from the Three Thousand Provinces?” The little rabbit’s mouth watered, ruby eyes blazing.
Others started. It wasn’t impossible!
After all, this casket hailed from an immortal abode—its contents surely divine.
“You’re overthinking,” Shi Hao shook his head. He recognized this turtle from two or three years prior.
Back then, the Great Elder had fished here, hoping to lure out a slippery denizen of the abode, only to hook this gluttonous turtle instead.
This was an Eight Treasures Turtle!
Though no match for longevity herbs, its fame spanned the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—renowned not just as supreme delicacy but also a potent tonic.
Titled the foremost blood-replenisher, even waning Supreme could rejuvenate their vitality with it.
“An Eight Treasures Turtle! Rarer than divine herbs, priceless beyond measure!” some gasped.
“This belongs to the Great Elder, reserved for replenishing his vitality,” Shi Hao said, resealing the turtle within.
Through mental inquiry, the turtle confessed it had been wandering the mire when an immense force dragged it underground, sealing it inexplicably.
“That creature!” Shi Hao’s eyes narrowed, recalling the being the Great Elder had long sought but failed to capture.
Thud!
A section of the cavern collapsed, stalactites crashing down as the earth sank.
Boom!
Debris flew, dust swirling.
Deeper below, eerie dao runes flickered, revealing a grand, ancient palace—a metallic, immortal city.
Gazing closer, it was colossal, forged entirely of metal, majestic beyond words.
“What a massive city!” Feng Wu marveled.
“More accurately, a minor world—a grand immortal abode,” Chang Gongyan corrected.
Hovering midair, the group agreed. Within the city stood stone mountains, their caves exhaling immortal mist—true celestial treasures!
Entering promised boundless fortune!
Simultaneously, Shi Hao sensed several terrifying energy clusters nearby, concealed yet detectable to his keen perception.
Undoubtedly, the young supremos had arrived first, lurking in wait.
The city, cast in cyan-gold, gleamed untarnished by time, a masterpiece of immortal craftsmanship.
Yet the true treasures likely lay within the nine stone mountains’ caves—each a separate immortal abode!
This was no ordinary site. Typically, a single immortal cave was rare enough. Here, nine coexisted—a celestial stronghold!
All wore solemn expressions, hesitant to act rashly. Even the Great Elder, who’d discovered this place, had refrained from entering.
Creak!
The city’s massive cyan-metal gates groaned open, spewing chaotic mist, an air of profound mystery thickening.
Then, with a thunderous rumble, an inner stone gate also parted, laying the city bare before all.
Eerie. After epochs of stillness, the city had opened of its own accord!
The runes once guarding its walls vanished—did this mean direct entry was now possible?
In the past, scaling those walls meant death, even for Supreme!
Had the immortal city truly emerged into the world?
Simultaneously, clanking echoed from within as several armored, humanoid figures approached, wreathed in immortal qi.
Hearts pounded. Living beings—were these true immortals?!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage