Chapter 1567: One Man Challenges the Foreign Land

“Boom!”

Some of the youths were enraged, thrusting out a palm to strike forward. Their ancestral techniques surged, their hands expanding like winnowing baskets, piercing through the void to land a blow on Shi Hao.

“Step back!”

The creatures guarding Shi Hao dared not gamble. They couldn’t allow anyone to approach. Under normal circumstances, they would have delighted in seeing him humiliated—but they feared some might take the chance to kill him outright.

“Elder, why protect him? In this situation, I believe he should be crippled!” one young man shouted.

“Is that so?” one of the guards replied, retrieving an immensely powerful artifact. With a resounding *dong*, it struck Shi Hao’s chest.

In an instant, blood gushed from Shi Hao’s mouth.

That weapon was no ordinary treasure. Had it struck any other cultivator at the Self-Severing Realm, their body and soul would have been obliterated.

“Now, I grant everyone the opportunity to step forward. Under my supervision, you may strike the Desolate One once,” another guard declared.

Shi Hao let the blood trickle from his lips, his gaze filled with disdain as he sighed. “A tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs.”

“What did you just say?!” someone immediately roared, unable to stomach such words.

The otherworld was home to warlike races who prized true combat prowess above all else. Competition was fierce, and they despised being looked down upon—especially by Shi Hao, who was a sworn enemy in their eyes. Hailing from the Imperial Pass, his contempt stung deeply, leaving many seething with discomfort.

“I said, none of you dare face me in truth. Only when I’m shackled do you dare strut about. Otherwise, would any of you step forward?” Shi Hao spoke calmly, his words slow and deliberate.

It was like lighting a powder keg. The crowd erupted in fury, with many young men clamoring for a decisive battle against Shi Hao.

“A decisive battle? Don’t delude yourselves. Coming here is just suicide. The old-timers will coddle you, never letting you fight,” Shi Hao mocked.

“Silence!” a guard barked.

He hadn’t expected Shi Hao to be so brazen, openly provoking cultivators from every clan and leaving many with no way to save face.

In a sense, Shi Hao spoke the truth. Without the intervention of Supreme beings, few could stand against him.

“What’s wrong? Afraid? Aren’t you the so-called battle race?” Shi Hao asked flatly.

Then, raising his voice, he added, “I know you’ve never accepted defeat. You’ve been searching for someone of the same realm to defeat me—but can you?”

“You arrogant—!” The words incensed the onlookers, their eyes gleaming with murderous light as they glared at Shi Hao, still hanging from the city gate tower.

“I challenge you to a duel!” Some hot-blooded youths shouted recklessly.

The situation spiraled into chaos, giving the guards a headache. They had intended to let the clans vent their anger by humiliating the captive Shi Hao—never expecting him to provoke them instead.

Shi Hao was more domineering than any of them, disregarding life and death as he hurled his taunts.

With a cold laugh, Shi Hao said, “Let me speak plainly. If the so-called Noble Clans truly wish to fight me, I suggest they come at me together. As for the Imperial Clans, I don’t want to fight them one by one. Bring more—I’ll take them all at once.”

His words were calm, but they sent shockwaves through the crowd.

*Boom!*

The guards struck again, unleashing a mighty artifact upon Shi Hao’s body. The impact sent tremors through him, blood seeping from his lips.

They wanted to silence him, to stop him from further inciting the crowd.

“Isn’t this proof enough?” Shi Hao laughed. Had that weapon struck anyone else, their body would have been obliterated—yet he merely coughed up blood.

“Lock him in the Blackwater Prison! Do not release him!” an elder among the guards, one of higher authority, roared.

The gathered crowd clamored, demanding the guards hand Shi Hao over instead of sealing him away—they wanted to fight him themselves.

The incident escalated. Shi Hao’s provocations couldn’t be contained, spreading like wildfire and inciting fury across the land.

Not just this great city, but other territories—vast stretches of land—heard of his words. Many were enraged.

Despite the efforts of elders to restrain them, countless young warriors set out for the great city where the Blackwater Prison stood.

“Have you heard? The Desolate One, even as a prisoner, dares to boast—challenging all the heroes of our world! Damn it, I can’t take this! Who among our generation can slay him, openly and honorably, in a fair fight?”

Many flocked to Blackwater City.

Everyone knew Shi Hao was deliberately provoking them—yet they couldn’t resist. Young warriors surged toward the city, eager to witness his defeat.

“Is there truly no one in our great world who can humble him? What are the Imperial Clans waiting for? Send one or two to crush him!” someone bellowed.

But soon, word spread from Blackwater City that Shi Hao had made another declaration from his cell: he would accept challengers of any age, even elders, and would permit opponents a full realm above his own.

“Madman!”

“Who will kill him?!”

Many understood—Shi Hao, foreseeing his fate, was deliberately provoking them in his final moments.

“Young people are too easily provoked. Return at once! What are you all doing in Blackwater City?” an elder scolded.

“Shi Hao will die in our world. He’s just baiting everyone—ignore him!” another senior cultivator advised.

“Elders, by stopping us, aren’t you indirectly admitting that Shi Hao is invincible?” someone lamented. “If just one of us could behead him, would you still bar our way?”

“This is a disgrace! A prisoner dares to challenge the world, yet none can subdue him!” another roared.

The younger generation, unable to endure the humiliation, demanded Shi Hao be brought out for battle.

The prison guards were at their wits’ end. Faced with a madman like Shi Hao, who cared nothing for his life, they were helpless—never expecting the uproar to grow so fierce.

The outside world was in an uproar, emotions running high. The wardens of Blackwater Prison were at a loss—the situation had spiraled out of control.

Even some elder nobles grew furious, refusing to believe no one could defeat Shi Hao. They, too, demanded the madman be released.

That very day, eighteen venerable kings arrived, eager to take action themselves.

As for the middle-aged and younger generations? Their numbers were vast, their killing intent palpable.

Under mounting pressure, the prison wardens reluctantly relented, granting the clans’ demands and releasing Shi Hao.

“He’s fighting! Someone’s really facing Shi Hao!”

Amid the crowd’s roars, a battle erupted—only to end just as swiftly.

*Splat!*

Shi Hao struck with ease, obliterating his opponent.

“Too weak,” he remarked, shaking his head.

The faces of the otherworldly cultivators darkened, many unable to hold back their curses.

“Wait—is that the Yellow Dragon Daoist? That old master’s skills are legendary! Has he come to fight Shi Hao?”

Someone recognized the elderly Daoist, stunned. This was a senior expert, a prodigy of his era who had lived for countless years.

Alas, he had never reached the Supreme Realm, remaining at the Dunyi stage all this time.

“Roar!” With a draconic bellow, the Yellow Dragon Daoist attacked, unleashing ancestral techniques to annihilate Shi Hao.

Yet despite his might and the fierce battle that ensued, the old man was ultimately struck down—his body shattered, his spirit barely escaping.

“You dare commit murder?!” someone thundered.

“If you can’t handle losing, don’t challenge me,” Shi Hao replied nonchalantly, laughing without care.

Knowing death loomed, he had thrown caution to the wind. To his surprise, his provocations had drawn a horde of challengers—exactly what he wanted.

Every enemy slain was a victory.

But for the denizens of Blackwater City and its surrounding lands, this day was one of darkness. Shi Hao crushed eighteen kings in succession, beheading leaders of the middle and younger generations, his ferocity unmatched.

It was as if they were handing him glory. Even if he died in the end, his feats would be remembered—a thought that only deepened the clans’ humiliation.

Some couldn’t bear it, considering asking a Supreme being to intervene—yet they hesitated. Suppressing Shi Hao that way would only prove their world had no equal to him.

The situation worsened. Kings took the field, only to fall. Rumors spread, leaving many dumbfounded.

It truly seemed like one man was challenging the entire otherworld!

The news couldn’t be contained, spreading to ancestral lands far and wide. Countless cultivators watched, powerless, as Blackwater City’s turmoil ignited fury across the realms.