Chapter 1772: Stirring Up All Parties

*Crack!*

The chest bone of Yi Hai, which had previously been healed by a secret technique, split open once more. That foot was heavier than a mountain, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

Humiliation—never before had he suffered such utter disgrace!

Huang simply stepped on him, pressing his foot against Yi Hai’s chest, looking down at him with cold indifference. The shame burned Yi Hai’s face, turning it first red, then deathly pale.

“Still not convinced?” Shi Hao chuckled before his expression turned icy. “You dare insult my kin and harm my brother?”

The moment Shi Hao had heard that Yi Hai had severely injured Qin Hao, killing intent had stirred in his heart. And when he learned that Yi Hai had done so merely to provoke him, that intent only grew stronger.

Yi Hai’s expression darkened further. Being trampled underfoot and mocked like this made his chest feel like it was about to explode. His eyes blazed with fury, and he nearly let out a furious roar.

*Pfft!*

With just a slight increase in pressure from Shi Hao, Yi Hai coughed up a mouthful of blood, his chest caving in. Yet not a single drop touched Shi Hao, repelled by an invisible force field.

“I heard you wanted to challenge me?” Shi Hao asked.

What could Yi Hai say? This was humiliation of his own making. His earlier arrogance and impressive battle record were nothing but a joke in front of Huang—utterly insignificant.

He was strong, yes. He had even fought Shi Hao for over a hundred exchanges. But in the end, defeat was defeat. He was no match.

“Someone like you can only bully those weaker than you. If my brother were at your level, I doubt he’d lose,” Shi Hao mused aloud.

Yi Hai’s face burned hotter. It was true—he had taken advantage of Qin Hao’s lower cultivation, beating him half to death.

But to say he was talentless or weak would be a lie. In the Immortal Realm, his name carried weight.

“A warrior can be killed, but not humiliated!” Yi Hai roared.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Without another word, Shi Hao stomped on him repeatedly, leaving Yi Hai’s body mangled beyond recognition. Only then did he let up.

“If you had any real backbone, you wouldn’t have targeted my brother. You wanted to fight me? Here I am. Come at me.”

“Raaagh—!” Yi Hai howled, leaping up to attack.

But this was a one-sided slaughter. His Demon Ape divine abilities, his partial Phoenix power—none of it mattered. Shi Hao swatted him back down in moments.

By the end, Yi Hai was broken, barely able to move.

“Speak. What exactly are you all searching for?” Now that Yi Hai was thoroughly beaten, Shi Hao began his interrogation.

“You—how do you know? Yi Luo and Xu Hui… they fell into your hands? I knew something was wrong with them!”

Only now did Yi Hai realize the truth. Not that he was slow—he had just been too busy being pummeled into a daze.

In the end, Yi Hai cracked. When Shi Hao pressed a Soul-Severing Needle to his brow, threatening to annihilate his soul, his defiance crumbled.

Hard as his bones were, he wasn’t willing to die.

Yet his knowledge was limited, barely more than what Xu Hui and Yi Luo had revealed. Dissatisfied, Shi Hao gave him another brutal beating.

Yi Hai gnashed his teeth. This guy had a temper! It wasn’t his fault he didn’t know more—yet here he was, nearly beaten to death.

“Waiting for prey, only to catch a useless little rabbit. How boring,” Shi Hao scoffed.

Yi Hai nearly exploded with rage. A harmless little rabbit? He had never been so insulted in his life!

But what came next was even worse. Shi Hao grabbed him by the leg and dragged him along the stone path toward the Void God Realm.

Like a hunter carrying his catch.

“I can walk on my own!” Yi Hai bellowed in humiliation. He’d rather follow obediently than be dragged like this.

“I know. But I prefer it this way,” Shi Hao replied.

Yi Hai’s hair stood on end, his eyes bulging—before he deflated like a punctured balloon. Against someone like Huang, who trampled all dignity without care, he was powerless.

And so, Shi Hao hauled him all the way to the gates of the Void God Realm.

“So this is that little bastard from the Immortal Realm?” Bird Grandpa remarked. He and Fine Jade Grandpa had been waiting.

Yi Hai felt numb. The lower realm was full of scoundrels—even these kindly-looking old men spoke with such venom.

“If he’s not edible and can’t bite, what’s the point of keeping him? Just kill him,” Fine Jade Grandpa said.

Yi Hai shuddered. This place was no different from hell.

“He’s useful. I’ll have him spar with my disciple,” Shi Hao said, planning to use this strong Immortal Realm expert as a whetstone for the True Dragon.

The Red Dragon, Ge Gu, was summoned.

Bird Grandpa and Fine Jade Grandpa opened a new arena—a grand, indestructible coliseum that also served as a prison. Once inside, escape was impossible without their help.

Thus began the life-and-death battle for the Red Dragon.

Shi Hao had warned him: if he couldn’t defeat his opponent at the same cultivation level, he would die. His master wouldn’t intervene.

Harsh as it was, the Red Dragon didn’t complain. He stood ready, solemn as never before.

Bird Grandpa and Fine Jade Grandpa watched closely, setting rules to ensure the young dragon adapted gradually.

Shi Hao left them to it and returned to Stone Village, where he finally reunited with the long-absent Golden Furred Ape—Zhu Yan.

“You’ve been living free, wandering from the East Sea to the Western Peaks. Haven’t seen you in ages,” Shi Hao said.

Zhu Yan’s greeting was… unique. Transforming into a colossal golden ape, towering between heaven and earth, it swung a mountain-sized spear down at Shi Hao.

A test of strength right off the bat.

Shi Hao caught it with a single finger, leaving Zhu Yan deflated. Shrinking back to normal, it landed in the village.

“You think I’ve been sightseeing? I’ve been scouring the wilderness for the Mountain Treasure,” Zhu Yan retorted.

Shi Hao’s interest was piqued. Even now, he hadn’t forgotten about that treasure.

“You’ve got a lead? Count me in—let’s find it together!”

As Shi Hao and Zhu Yan set off, the upper realm was in turmoil. The leaders of the three thousand provinces were stunned.

Yi Hai—defeated in the Void God Realm? Impossible!

Yet the reports were clear. Disciples had witnessed it firsthand: Yi Hai, beaten until his teeth flew and fingers shattered, now lay broken near the Spirit World’s gate.

When the leaders arrived to see for themselves, they were speechless.

Who could have done this? Had some ancient terror broken free?

But creatures like the Kun Peng and True Dragon were long extinct. Who else could rival Yi Hai in the same realm?

“It must be Huang. Who else in the lower realm is strong enough to slay a young lord from the foreign realm?” someone reasoned.

“But he was crippled. By now, he should be a mortal,” another frowned.

“With Huang, anything is possible. He’s always been an anomaly,” the Heavenly Country’s ruler mused. If he could, he’d send someone to wipe out Stone Village and confirm Shi Hao’s condition.

But the Immortal Palace’s representative shook his head. The crippled immortal had assured them—even a true immortal would fall to that curse, let alone a mere Dao-Fleeing cultivator.

“Huang is finished. It can’t be him. The lower realm must have birthed something new—perhaps a True Dragon’s egg hatched, or the Kun Peng left an heir.”

For a time, the three thousand provinces buzzed with speculation. Even in his supposed ruin, Huang’s name still dominated conversations.

Soon, word reached the Nine Heavens, stirring the great immortal clans. Even Yue Chan, Princess Yao Yue, the Banished Immortal, and Wang Shi heard of it.

Even the envoys from the Immortal Realm took notice.

“We must visit the Void God Realm. See if that old friend of ours still stands unharmed.”

In the days that followed, many set out for the three thousand provinces, ready to uncover the truth.