Everyone’s expressions froze upon hearing this, the atmosphere instantly tensing up. The Wilderness was too domineering—this was a direct confrontation, showing no regard for the Jin Clan at all.
“Young man, you’ve gone too far. Don’t you know how to respect your elders?” At this moment, followers of the Jin Clan spoke up one after another.
As for Jin Zhan, his face darkened in fury. Known as the Undefeated, hailed as the Jin Clan’s unparalleled genius of the recent era, his talent was unmatched, and few could rival him. Who would dare look down on him?
Yet now, the Wilderness clearly disdained him, not even deigning to acknowledge him, his words laced with threat. Jin Zhan’s expression turned icy as he rebuked, “How dare you!”
With those two words, the air thickened with tension, the atmosphere heavy like a brewing storm.
“You dare say those words to me?” Shi Hao spoke calmly, but his tone brooked no argument. He stood unmoving, coldly staring at Jin Zhan.
“You insult my elders, show no respect for your betters—how dare I not say it?!” Jin Zhan growled, a cold smirk playing at the corner of his lips.
He stepped forward, his heavy footfalls resonating with the earth, making the ground tremble. A suffocating pressure spread, startling many in the crowd.
Everyone could feel it—Jin Zhan’s power was unparalleled, at least among the younger generation, far exceeding expectations.
“Babbling in front of me—do you even have the right?” Shi Hao said coldly, his tone dripping with disdain, truly not placing Jin Zhan in his eyes.
“How dare you!” This time, Jin Zhan was furious. The same two words, but their meaning was entirely different. Now, they carried an overwhelming majesty, shaking hearts and minds. This time, he was rebuking Shi Hao for disrespecting *him*, not just standing up for his elders.
“What’s going on? Has Jin Zhan broken through?” someone stammered in shock.
This didn’t feel like the aura of a Void Path cultivator—it was far too powerful.
At the same time, many from the Jin Clan smiled faintly, including the two great cultivators Jin Yi and Jin Kun, their lips curling with calm confidence.
They knew Jin Zhan’s divine talent had indeed taken that crucial step. At his age, he stood unrivaled among the younger generation—who could contend with him?
Thus, they had no worries. If Jin Zhan used this chance to humble the Wilderness, it would surely cause a massive stir—something they’d be delighted to see.
In truth, ever since the Wilderness had returned alive, having accomplished great feats and basking in unparalleled glory, the Jin Clan had been planning this.
They had always wanted to establish Jin Zhan as the leader of the younger generation, but the Wilderness had always been too formidable, with few able to rival him.
Now was the opportunity. At the height of the Wilderness’s glory, if Jin Zhan could suppress him, proving himself superior, it would cement his invincible reputation among the younger generation.
In fact, they had long harbored such plans—to have Jin Zhan rise by stepping over the Wilderness.
However, they hadn’t intended to act so soon. But with tensions flaring, they felt it was time to let Jin Zhan loose, allowing him to strike.
“You dare tell *me* ‘how dare you’? You’re not qualified, not worthy!” At this moment, Shi Hao spoke, his expression turning even colder.
Then, he made a single motion—a flick of his sleeve.
*Boom!*
The heavens shattered, the earth split apart—the force was terrifying!
Dust and stones flew, the void cracked.
Jin Zhan, who had been advancing, caught off guard, staggered back, nearly falling to the ground.
He stumbled backward, nearly sent flying, leaving deep footprints in the earth as he was forced far away.
Wang Xi rushed forward to steady him, her beautiful eyes wide with shock as she glanced between Jin Zhan and the Wilderness, who stood unmoving like a demon god.
Everyone else was equally stunned. Jin Zhan, so powerful, had been repelled by a mere flick of the Wilderness’s sleeve? It was unbelievable.
The Jin Clan’s hearts pounded as they stared fixedly at Shi Hao.
As for the Wang Clan and other cultivators, they were even more astonished—this was beyond all expectations!
*Thud!*
Jin Zhan motioned for Wang Xi to release him, steadying himself as he glared at Shi Hao. Then, suddenly, he erupted with terrifying power, his battle armor blazing like a sun descending upon the earth.
“Indeed—this is the cultivation of the Severing Self Realm!” someone exclaimed in shock.
Earlier, Jin Zhan had been holding back, only revealing a glimpse of his might. Now, he unleashed it fully, displaying the true extent of his power.
The Severing Self Realm—at his age, while not unprecedented, was exceedingly rare. A prodigy of this caliber could shake the world.
“Wilderness, I’ve long wanted to fight you. Why wait for another day? Let it be now!” Jin Zhan roared.
At this moment, his hair billowed, each strand glowing, his entire body radiant, encircled by divine rings like an exalted deity demanding worship.
His aura was overwhelming, truly a pinnacle existence among the younger generation.
Now, Jin Zhan formally challenged the Wilderness!
He had always been confident. Even at the Void Path Realm, he had sought to contend with Shi Hao, only to be restrained by his clan.
Now, brimming with confidence, having entered the Severing Self Realm at such a young age, he feared nothing, eager to crush his rival.
Many in the crowd grew anxious for Shi Hao. Like Chang Gongyan and others, they had asked Shi Hao about his experiences beyond the borderlands, knowing he had slain many enemies. But they had only heard of him defeating the younger generation of the foreign realm—such as killing several experts of the Fearless Lion lineage and subduing a regressor. They hadn’t yet heard of his later breakthrough in the Heavenly Beast Forest, where he reached the Severing Self Realm and even slew a Half-Step Supreme cultivator.
Thus, Qing Yi and the others paled, wanting to intervene.
Yet Shi Hao raised a hand, stopping them. He remained relaxed, utterly at ease, showing no tension.
“You’re too weak to challenge me. You lack the qualifications,” he said.
Silence fell. Everyone stared at him in shock.
Wang Xi’s face was a picture of disbelief. Could the Wilderness truly look down upon Jin Zhan?
As the challenger, Jin Zhan’s expression turned icy, his pupils sharp as blades as he glared at Shi Hao. Then, he erupted with a light that pierced the heavens.
Divine rings expanded around him, his aura skyrocketing to its peak, reaching the utmost limits of his current realm.
“Wilderness, your arrogance knows no bounds. Today, I’ll teach you a lesson—I’ll suppress you before all!” Jin Zhan declared coldly.
He was indeed formidable. Though newly entered into the Severing Self Realm, still in its early stages, the power he unleashed was staggering, making even mid-to-late Severing Self cultivators wary, doubting they could match him.
“Be careful!”
Cao Yusheng and the others cried out in warning.
Because Shi Hao was too casual, showing no fluctuations in his aura, standing there as if this weren’t a life-and-death battle.
*Boom!*
Jin Zhan struck, his right hand forming a sword seal, unleashing a brilliant sword light that spanned the heavens, slashing toward Shi Hao. The radiance was blinding, as if it could pierce the firmament itself.
Yet, faced with such a terrifying strike—one that could awe the younger generation—Shi Hao remained calm. He simply raised his hand and pressed forward.
*Scattered Buddha’s Eight Forms—First Form!*
The move seemed ordinary at first, exuding only a simple, ancient Dao aura. But then, it erupted.
As the sword light descended, Shi Hao’s body gleamed, a dazzling divine ring appearing behind his head like a battle Buddha awakening, his presence terrifying.
*Boom!*
With the first form of the Scattered Buddha’s Eight Forms, Shi Hao directly suppressed the sword light, shattering it. This technique targeted weaknesses, its offensive power peerless and dreadful.
Then, the form unleashed a terrifying divine radiance, like Buddha’s light illuminating the heavens.
*Thud!*
Jin Zhan’s body was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth. His resplendent battle armor shattered completely as he collapsed into a pool of blood, grievously wounded.
A single move had subdued Jin Zhan!
The crowd was stunned into silence. No one could speak.
Even the Jin Clan members were petrified, unable to accept this outcome.
How was this possible? Just how strong was the Wilderness, to defeat Jin Zhan in a single move? Everyone was dumbfounded, unable to find words.
“How could this happen?!” the Jin Clan members wailed.
Only then did the others snap out of their daze.
“So strong! The Wilderness sent the prodigy Jin Zhan flying with one move—unbelievable!”
The crowd erupted in shock, while Cao Yusheng, Qing Yi, and the others were overjoyed, never expecting such an easy victory.
“Severing Self Realm… mid-stage!” Jin Zhan coughed blood, forcing out these words.
The cultivators present were shaken once more. The Wilderness, so young, was already at the mid-stage of the Severing Self Realm? It was hard to believe!
No wonder he could defeat Jin Zhan in one move. Not only were his techniques superior, but his cultivation realm was also overwhelmingly higher—this was sheer suppression!
How terrifying! The Wilderness was even younger than Jin Zhan by a few years. At this age, he might well be unprecedented, surpassing all predecessors of this era!
Wang Xi’s beautiful face was a mix of complex emotions as she stared at Shi Hao, her heart roiling with shock. She had never imagined he would be this powerful.
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