Chapter 1705: Too Ruthless

Several orthodoxies dispatched important figures who came one after another to visit the Five Elements Mountain.

They probed indirectly, trying to uncover news of the “Desolate One,” wanting to know if Shi Hao had been here—this was crucial.

“I haven’t seen him,” Qin Changsheng shook his head.

He had personally received some of the more distinguished guests, though those worthy of his attention were few—mostly leaders of major orthodoxies.

Over the course of several days, Mount Neveraging was flooded with visitors, all bearing precious gifts as gestures of goodwill.

The battle in the Spirit Realm had terrified many orthodoxies. The Desolate One had been too brutal, transforming into a Kun Peng and sweeping across hundreds of thousands of miles, slaughtering the forces sent by various sects.

That battle had been nearly a total annihilation!

Even though it took place in the spiritual realm and not reality, the result was still the permanent erasure of countless individuals from their respective sects.

It was a display of sheer power—the Desolate One had carved out a fearsome reputation!

In just a few short years, he had transformed from a small cultivator who could be crushed with a mere gesture by sect masters into someone who now surpassed many of them.

Even the Immortal Palace had fallen to him!

“Has the Desolate One truly not come here?” one cultivator ingratiated himself with the Qin Clan, secretly offering a rare medicinal herb.

“Brother, let’s speak privately.” Even the Qin Clan’s servants were being bribed, their tongues loosened for information.

For a time, Mount Neveraging became a bustling hub, drawing forces from various sects—all just to learn about or get closer to the Desolate One.

Yet the Qin Clan remained tight-lipped, revealing nothing. Ironically, their silence only convinced outsiders that Shi Hao had indeed been here.

Whether he was still present or not, he had definitely visited.

“Brother, please relay a message for us. There was some misunderstanding with that young friend, the Desolate One. We hope to reconcile.”

Soon, lavish gifts arrived at the Qin Clan—far more extravagant than before.

Over several days, the Qin Clan received a trove of priceless treasures, delivered personally by nervous elders from ancient sects.

All of this was to ease tensions with the Desolate One, out of fear of his retaliation.

After all, the Desolate One was too ruthless. If he went mad and rampaged through their sects, even if he didn’t annihilate them entirely, the damage would be catastrophic.

At Mount Neveraging, Shi Hao rubbed his chin, speechless. Was he really that terrifying?

Without even lifting a finger, some major sects had already panicked, offering goodwill in hopes of mending relations.

In recent days, one of the Qin Clan’s treasuries had become a mountain of rare materials—all gifts from those seeking favor.

This was entirely unexpected. After slaying an immortal, Shi Hao had assumed he’d stirred up disaster and prepared to flee back to the lower realm.

Yet, who could have predicted that the being within the Immortal Palace would suffer an accident, leaving it unable to retaliate—and inadvertently terrifying the world’s orthodoxies?

He didn’t refuse these “kind gestures.” He accepted everything, instructing the Qin Clan to collect it all for him.

“Young friend, do you truly need all these treasures?”

The Qin Clan was envious. Without even showing his face or speaking a word, the Desolate One had received mountains of gifts from major sects.

“Absolutely. Have you not seen the hundreds of children crying for nourishment? And the Stone Village in the lower realm, waiting for me to rebuild it?” Shi Hao declared righteously, gesturing to the children he’d brought back from the borderlands and mentioning the lower realm.

A few days later, the stream of visitors to the Qin Clan slowed.

Shi Hao, shamelessly, approached Qin Changsheng and asked him to discreetly pass a message: those sects that had opposed him in the Spirit Realm could reconcile—if they sent enough treasures to satisfy him.

Qin Changsheng was speechless. Hadn’t he just received a mountain of treasures? Now he wanted more? This was outright extortion!

“That was just their initial goodwill. Now, we’ll see their true sincerity,” Shi Hao said.

When some sects heard this, they cursed under their breath. Some even raged openly—the Desolate One was too despicable!

Yet, some compromised, sending envoys to ask what exactly the Desolate One wanted.

Shi Hao made outrageous demands, bluntly stating he wanted each sect’s most famous treasures—not everything, but their unique specialties.

For example, sects skilled in herb cultivation should send rare medicines. Those adept at forging artifacts should provide secret manuals.

It was like a glutton’s feast—he seemed intent on devouring every sect whole.

Many couldn’t stomach it, but some, out of fear, sent portions of their “specialties.”

“That brat, the Desolate One, doesn’t know his place! Just because he survived the Spirit Realm, does he think he’s a supreme being now?”

“He’s gone too far! A mere whelp, still wet behind the ears, dares to bully our great sects!”

Some refused to yield, secretly spreading word, hoping to unite forces to eliminate the Desolate One.

Shi Hao set out, heading toward a secluded region where several ancient, reclusive clans resided.

Rumor had it they might know the path to the lower realm.

For days, Shi Ziling and Qin Yining had mobilized the Qin Clan’s resources to investigate, confirming the information likely lay with those clans.

The Qin Clan had been negotiating for days, but to no avail.

Those clans remained tight-lipped, revealing nothing.

Thus, Shi Hao decided to go himself. Once he confirmed the ancient path, he would immediately take his family to the lower realm.

“That brat, the Desolate One—when we were dominating the world, his ancestors were still suckling! And now he dares to act so arrogantly!”

Shi Hao had heard such words. He sneered—there were no secrets. These private curses had been leaked, reported to the Qin Clan.

This disunity among his enemies was telling. Some sects were even betraying each other, deliberately exposing others to harm.

As Shi Hao traveled, he learned of a sect named Scarlet Radiance, hostile toward him and allied with the Netherworld. Its leader had openly mocked him as an upstart begging for death.

**Boom!**

That day, Shi Hao blasted open the sect’s gates with his sword, then swept through like a Kun Peng, unstoppable.

He didn’t slaughter indiscriminately, but the sect’s leader was beheaded, his divine sparrow body roasted and eaten on the spot.

Then, without hesitation, Shi Hao emptied the sect’s vaults, looting everything of value.

The event sent shockwaves across hundreds of provinces, then the entire three thousand realms.

**Demon King!**

That was the consensus. The Desolate One was too savage—wiping out a sect, roasting its leader, and feasting on him. Many were terrified.

The three thousand realms buzzed with discussion.

This confirmed that the Desolate One had no fear—the ancient being in the Immortal Palace must be in dire straits. Otherwise, how could he act so boldly?

And was this a challenge to the Netherworld? Scarlet Radiance was its vassal, after all.

“This is killing the chicken to scare the monkeys!” Some sighed, their faces grim with worry.

Many sects had secretly cursed the Desolate One, forming alliances against him.

Now, Scarlet Radiance’s fall had shaken them all into panic.

In truth, Shi Hao had merely passed through, dealing with Scarlet Radiance along the way. He had no intention of fighting the world alone.

He had more pressing matters—confirming the path to the lower realm.

**”Hmm? Heaven Province!”**

He realized his rapid travel had brought him into Heaven Province, home of the Heaven Mankind Clan.

The Heaven Mankind Clan—a name that brought back many unpleasant memories.

Here, grudges had tangled, and he had nearly died. It was a place he once despised.

Back then, he had protected Yun Xi, escorting her safely across hundreds of thousands of miles, only for the clan to betray him, imprisoning him in their celestial dungeon.

There, he had been stabbed, slashed, and nearly killed—all because they coveted his Kun Peng technique.

Their treachery still chilled him. He had saved their precious jewel, Yun Xi, only to be repaid with cruelty.

**”Time to visit old friends.”**

Shi Hao decided to head straight for the Celestial City, the Heaven Mankind Clan’s sacred stronghold.

Clad in divine armor, lightning crackling around him, he surged forward like a tempest, covering hundreds of thousands of miles in an instant.

The Celestial City—a massive fortress suspended in the sky, the ancestral heart of the Heaven Mankind Clan.

Before even arriving, memories surfaced: Yun Xi, their shared past, their perilous journey, and the betrayal that followed.

Manjusaka, Fu Qu—the clan’s other two jewels.

Yu Yu, the clan’s top genius—had he risen again?

And the most enigmatic of all—Three-Stone Heavenly Lord. Too low-key, yet undoubtedly terrifying.

Had the Old Heaven-Man returned?

With a cold smile, Shi Hao shot straight toward the heart of the Heaven Mankind Clan’s domain!