A sudden punch, domineering and overwhelming, pierced through Chi Meng Hong’s chest, leaving a gaping hole from front to back. Blood splattered, revealing ghastly white bone fragments as he collapsed into a pool of his own blood.
Chi Meng Hong jerked his head up, his face a mask of shock and disbelief. At this moment, he was utterly stunned.
In truth, everyone was stunned. What just happened? It was so abrupt!
Chi Meng Hong had just gathered his strength, assuming his most formidable combat stance, only for Shi Hao to strike with an unstoppable punch, sending him flying backward.
Everyone knew that once the incense candles were lit, Chi Meng Hong would possess earth-shattering combat power, channeling the invincible glory of his ancestor, the Red King.
Yet, at this very pinnacle moment, as he gathered his strength to unleash devastation, Shi Hao abruptly struck, disrupting his momentum!
It was like kicking him from the heavens into an abyss, nearly plunging him into hell itself!
This was a shocking turn of events, defying all expectations. Who didn’t know that the strongest ancestral technique of the Time Beast required ultimate sublimation—a supreme divine ability?
“Defeated… Chi Meng Hong was defeated just like that!”
Many murmured in disbelief, unable to accept this outcome. Even a member of the Imperial Clan had fallen—who among their generation could still stand against Shi Hao?
The noble clans had hoped for a righteous, public victory, to see Shi Hao humbled in defeat. They longed for someone to defeat him fairly.
Yet, in the end, even the Imperial Clan’s dream was shattered by Shi Hao’s fist, their myth of invincibility broken without reason.
Chi Meng Hong seethed with resentment. It was too humiliating. He had been on the verge of unleashing his ultimate technique, only to be blasted away by Shi Hao, nearly dying from that single punch.
“Shi Hao!” He spat out a mouthful of blood, his heart filled with bitter unwillingness. He was confident that had he been able to unleash his sublimated ancestral technique, he could have annihilated his opponent.
So close to victory, only to suffer a crushing defeat!
Shi Hao savored the sensation—it was truly exhilarating. At that moment, his blood boiled, the strange crimson threads within his body spreading, granting him boundless strength.
Amplification!
His divine power had multiplied several times over, his speed as well—every aspect of his being had been elevated. In an instant, it was as if he had become a different person.
Thus, with just a single punch, he shattered all of Chi Meng Hong’s defensive techniques, pierced through his protective barrier, and left him grievously wounded.
He felt that as his bone inscriptions matured, their power grew ever greater, even manifesting additional abilities. Though not yet perfected, their potential was already staggering.
A casual strike had unleashed such divine might—it even sent a shiver down his own spine.
Just now, his Supreme Blood had clearly sensed an external threat, stimulated by immense pressure, causing it to awaken prematurely.
Shi Hao wasn’t sure if this was good or bad. He didn’t want any issues during the gestation of his third treasured technique—he had placed great hopes upon it.
Now, he felt his blood heating up, his bone inscriptions intertwining and resonating. Many runes surged from his blood, imprinting themselves onto his sternum, evolving into true bone inscriptions.
In the past, his Supreme Bones had been severed—one taken by Shi Yi, another gifted to his younger brother. He had intended for the third to gestate within his blood, not manifest prematurely.
Yet today, his blood acted beyond his control, once again nourishing his sternum, as if preparing to regrow a unique Supreme Bone.
This left Shi Hao hesitant, uncertain whether to suppress it or let it proceed.
He frowned, feeling he had unleashed the secret power of his third treasured technique too soon. Would this lead to unforeseen changes?
“Shi Hao, I refuse to accept this! Dare you face me at my peak?” Chi Meng Hong struggled to his feet, his chest caved in, blood drenching his body.
He couldn’t accept such a defeat. How could it end like this?
He had finally grasped the edge of the power of burning years, on the verge of unleashing it, only to be forcibly suppressed, his candlelight extinguished. It was beyond frustrating.
“Oh?” Shi Hao glanced at him but didn’t immediately attack.
Chi Meng Hong’s body radiated light as he burned his life force. He wanted to fight again, to ignite the incense candles and unleash the supreme laws of time against Shi Hao.
Shi Hao remained still, observing the candles.
Indeed, burning years, using the power of time as a medium—it resembled a ritual, a prayer, as if communing with some unseen existence.
“Die, die, die!” Chi Meng Hong suddenly roared, now frenzied. Fearing Shi Hao might strike first again, he took the initiative, igniting the candles and unleashing terrifying power.
This secret technique held a strange force, as if capable of annihilating all life, sweeping across the ancient realm.
The flickering candlelight represented time, the order of the heavens. The incense smoke danced and coiled, tearing through the sky with unparalleled might.
Since his opponent had already attacked, Shi Hao saw no reason to hold back. No matter how curious he was about the technique’s full power, he wasn’t foolish enough to wait.
This time, he couldn’t resist using his third Supreme Technique again. His blood was boiling, his bone inscriptions blazing—he couldn’t help but unleash his full strength.
Boom!
The impact was even more devastating. Blood sprayed high as Chi Meng Hong’s upper body was blasted apart. Had his Blood Beast spirit not surged forth at the critical moment, he would have perished.
Even so, a bloody hole pierced his forehead—a final finger strike from Shi Hao as he withdrew his fist, sharp and merciless.
As for the candles, they were obliterated by the punch’s force, their light extinguished, their smoke scattered beyond recognition.
“Ah—!” The Blood Beast spirit, carrying a few drops of essence blood, soared into the sky with a furious roar, fleeing toward the horizon in humiliation and rage.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Shi Hao reached out, his hand blotting out the sky as he made to seize it.
However, a group intervened—especially the elders guarding the Enlightenment Tea Tree. They all acted, preventing him from succeeding.
If a young Imperial Clan powerhouse died under their watch, they would bear grave responsibility!
Shi Hao laughed and ceased his attack. This battle had concluded fittingly—an Imperial Clan member fleeing, aided by the nobles. A satisfying end.
“Hahaha—!” Shi Hao’s laughter rang out, grating on everyone’s ears.
They had lost again, even with the Imperial Clan’s intervention. Chi Meng Hong had barely escaped death, saved only by others’ aid.
Could anything be more humiliating? A single youth had challenged all the geniuses of their generation—and Shi Hao had still triumphed!
Yu Yu, Wu Kun, and others considered stepping forward, but they hesitated. They didn’t wish to follow immediately after Chi Meng Hong’s defeat, and they still needed to compete for the Enlightenment Tea Leaves.
Shi Hao’s laughter was a blatant mockery, a scornful taunt that left the noble clans’ faces dark with fury.
On the ground, Chi Meng Hong’s body transformed into a ferocious beast—not particularly large, only about ten feet long, crimson with a metallic sheen, covered in bone spikes.
Its form matched its spirit—this was the true body of the Time Beast.
Shi Hao walked over, his fingers like blades. With a swift motion, he severed one of its legs. Half its body was shattered, but the other half remained intact.
He selected the intact leg and lifted it.
“You—what are you doing?!” a noble clan expert shouted, mustering his courage to challenge him.
“Collecting spoils of war. None of your business. Scram if you value your life.” Shi Hao’s gaze was icy, his killing intent rising like smoke, undisguised.
The noble clansman stiffened, chilled to the bone as if plunged into an icy abyss. He dared not speak another word.
“Shi Hao, don’t go too far,” others called out, huddling together as if seeking safety in numbers, fearing his retaliation.
Shi Hao ignored them. Sitting cross-legged, he washed the beast leg with spring water, then ignited a divine flame and began roasting it publicly.
Silence fell. Some jaws nearly hit the ground.
At first, they thought he was desecrating Chi Meng Hong’s body to humiliate him. But no one expected he intended to eat it!
“Ah! Shi Hao, what are you doing? This is an outrage!” Chi Meng Hong’s servants nearby screamed, utterly horrified.
Especially the human servant whose body Shi Hao had shattered earlier, leaving only a head. He trembled in terror, his backer’s body now butchered before him.
Yet, he still cried out, “Shi Hao, you can’t do this! It’s barbaric! He’s of the Imperial Clan—how can you eat him?!”
“Pathetic slave. Beyond saving.” Shi Hao shot him a cold glance.
As he roasted the leg, he declared, “The creatures of the foreign realm feast on my people. I won’t debate morality—this is the law of the jungle. As a human, all I can do is retaliate in kind. For every human devoured, I will hunt, kill, and in turn, feast on them. I will reclaim the lost glory of my people, shatter the humiliation. Right now, I’m eating a beast leg.”
Damn it—eating an Imperial Clan member? Was this some twisted form of glory? The onlookers were horrified.
“Ah, you—you’ve obtained another Enlightenment Tea Leaf. Hand it over.” Shi Hao pointed at a noble clan’s group.
“You—this is robbery!”
“Correct. I am robbing you.” Shi Hao replied nonchalantly.
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