At the same time, Shi Hao retreated amidst the colossal upheaval, retracing his steps along the original path!
“Hiss!”
But he sucked in a cold breath—the passage that could return him to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was near the ancestral lands of the Scarlet King’s lineage. Yet that area was now swarming with countless troops, densely packed like a forest.
The Time Beast Clan had encountered a major crisis, and for the past two days, they had been on high alert, as if on the brink of a great war.
For Shi Hao to attempt returning through there would be an immense challenge, nearly impossible.
This passage was impassable—what a disaster!
Shi Hao couldn’t understand. Hadn’t he just chopped up one arrogant Time Beast? Why had it driven the entire clan into madness?
Without hesitation, he turned and left, heading straight for another region. He hoped he wasn’t too late—that he could still take advantage of the chaos to return to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived before a massive city. Within it stood an altar leading to the desolate borderlands of another realm.
This place was undoubtedly guarded by powerful experts. Shi Hao narrowed his eyes—time was short. He had to cross realms amid the chaos and fight his way back!
“Roar!”
In the distance, an Immortal King roared, clashing with beings from the Realm Sea. The scene was terrifying—chaotic mists surged, and supreme divine might raged.
Legends spoke of an ancient existence slumbering within the Immortal Refining Pot, one that did not belong to this era. Now, it had awakened, gazing toward the Realm Sea, searching for the so-called Butcher.
Whoosh!
A divine arrow streaked across the sky. If it landed, it could obliterate an entire Imperial Clan—utterly horrifying.
Clang!
The Immortal Refining Pot moved, soaring into the heavens and colliding with the arrow, averting a great calamity.
“You all keep fighting—I’m heading back!” Shi Hao said coldly.
With that, he vanished into the massive city, no longer paying attention to the world-shaking battle at the horizon.
He knew time was running out. The battle wouldn’t last much longer—after all, the “Realm Annihilation” had already been destroyed.
As expected, a powerful expert guarded the altar—a middle-aged man, at least in appearance, with jet-black hair, seated cross-legged on a prayer mat. Clad in golden Daoist robes, he exuded an immortal aura.
His eyes flickered open and shut intermittently, both guarding the altar and observing the distant battle. Chaos swirled between his brows—this was no ordinary expert.
A Quasi-Immortal King!
Shi Hao’s expression turned grave. He knew a fierce battle lay ahead. A Quasi-Immortal King was no joke—they were immensely powerful, a realm only a select few, like An Lan’s son, had reached.
Beings of this level stood at the pinnacle of True Immortality, on the cusp of the Kingly Realm, yet not quite there.
In terms of cultivation realms, the gap might seem small, but at times, it was an insurmountable chasm—frustratingly unbridgeable.
Shi Hao’s gaze turned icy as the five great secret realms within his body blazed with light. He pushed his essence, energy, and spirit to their absolute peak. He had no time for a prolonged battle—victory or defeat would be decided in just a few moves. Any delay would risk drawing the attention of multiple Immortal Kings.
Fortunately, those supreme beings were preoccupied, unable to intervene.
“Ah, youngsters these days are truly fearless.”
Suddenly, a voice rang in Shi Hao’s ears—so abrupt that he whirled around to see a withered figure rapidly approaching from the distance.
The creature was unbelievably fast. One moment, it was far beyond the city walls; the next, it was already inside.
He was ancient and shriveled, with little flesh left on his bones, yet fragments of time swirled around him—terrifyingly so.
It was as if he had traveled against the flow of time, stepping through the ages to arrive here.
Shi Hao’s eyes turned frosty. Without hesitation, he struck, aiming for the altar ahead. He intended to end the battle in a single move and return to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Boom!
The heavens and earth split apart as the five great secret realms within Shi Hao erupted with blinding radiance, suffused with chaotic energy. He unleashed his ultimate power, staking everything on this single strike.
At this moment, all of Shi Hao’s treasured techniques merged into one—a unique secret art born of his own comprehension, terrifying beyond measure.
He formed a fist seal and blasted forward!
This single fist contained myriad mysteries—the Kun Peng’s art, the secrets of the undying True Phoenix, the indomitable might of the Thunder Emperor…
Drawing from countless schools, Shi Hao refined his own Great Dao. One fist could overturn the heavens and sunder the ages!
Boom!
The five great secret realms seemed to burn, their brilliance unbearable. Immortal Dao power erupted, striking toward the creature.
The man’s eyes snapped open as he formed hand seals, unleashing his supreme Daoist might to clash head-on with Shi Hao. At this level, death by ambush was nearly impossible.
The creature was extremely vigilant. His golden Daoist robes billowed, radiating immortal and chaotic energy. For an instant, the phantom of an Immortal King seemed to manifest behind him.
This was the bloodline descendant of an Immortal King—the sole living direct heir of a certain monarch.
Boom!
Their collision shook heaven and earth, violent beyond measure.
Shi Hao’s expression shifted—Quasi-Immortal Kings were indeed unfathomably powerful!
Whoosh!
At the same time, as he executed his secret art, his chest also glowed. He fused another innate divine ability—the runes of his third Supreme Bone—intertwining, transforming, and amplifying his attack power in layers.
Splat!
At this critical moment, such a transformation was absolutely fatal for the Quasi-Immortal King. Blood sprayed from his mouth as cracks spread across his body.
“Die!”
Shi Hao’s fist seal erupted, crushing down upon the man. Amid a burst of bloody light, the Quasi-Immortal King exploded, utterly annihilated.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been a drawn-out, intense battle. But now, it had been condensed into just one or two moves.
For Shi Hao, the toll was immense!
Yet he didn’t linger. With a swipe, he erased the last traces of the Quasi-Immortal King’s soul imprint and charged into the passage, ready to escape.
Behind him, the shriveled old man sighed, “Had I known you were this capable, I wouldn’t have bothered showing up.”
The words were strange, leaving Shi Hao both startled and puzzled.
But the real surprise came next. The old man followed and said, “No need to rush back. Let’s talk.”
At the same time, an overwhelming pressure descended—undoubtedly at the level of an Immortal King!
“Who are you?” Shi Hao halted, wary. For such a being to appear now—had he intervened earlier, the Quasi-Immortal King might not have died. Rescue would have been possible.
Shi Hao was baffled.
“You should sense it—I mean you no harm. Otherwise, I would have sealed this passage already. Fast as you are, you might not have escaped.”
The old man spoke calmly, yet his power was undeniable.
“Who are you, really?” Shi Hao pressed.
“A being burdened with eternal infamy. Some call me the Ancestral Gu.” The old man sighed.
“The Gu Clan—traitors?!” Shi Hao was genuinely shocked. Was this the very leader who had led the Gu Clan’s defection?!
He never expected the Ancestral Gu to appear before him, so close.
Shi Hao was certain—the Ancestral Gu had become an Immortal King, surpassing the Quasi-Immortal King realm!
In the past, the Ten Ferocious were all mighty, their potential boundless, hence their fearsome reputation.
The clans of the Ten Ferocious were the same—few in number, yet each member incomparably strong.
Back then, this old Gu hadn’t been an Immortal King. But after cultivating in the Foreign Realm for an epoch, he had broken through, becoming a supreme powerhouse.
“Ah…”
The Ancestral Gu sighed, reading Shi Hao’s thoughts. A trace of sorrow flickered across his face—this eternal infamy was his to bear.
“I wanted to help you escape. No ill intent,” the Ancestral Gu said.
Shi Hao was skeptical. Back then, members of this clan had nearly tortured him to death. Yet their ancestor now acted this way? It was too contradictory.
“To gain the Foreign Realm’s trust, one must first deceive oneself,” the Ancestral Gu lamented.
He confessed—back when the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were already doomed, the Gu Clan had been ordered to defect and infiltrate the Foreign Realm.
Of course, all Gu Clan members believed it was real. Only he knew the truth. Along the way, countless lives had been lost.
Even this old Gu had blood on his hands. To make the act convincing, he had used a great art to erase his true memories, leaving only the “defection.”
Half an epoch later, the Ancestral Gu’s sealed memories slowly returned.
By then, the Gu Clan’s name was already cursed for eternity.
“If that’s the case, why stop me? Why not let me leave quickly?” Shi Hao asked, still distrustful.
“An old man reminiscing, his heart aching. I just wanted to speak with someone from the other side,” the old Gu said.
Shi Hao was speechless. Was this guy really trying to help? At such a critical moment, he was wasting time!
“Rest easy. As a Gu, I have some control over time and space.”
The old Gu explained he would erase all traces of Shi Hao’s presence. Though it seemed like they were dawdling, within his temporal laws, little time had passed.
He had woven time’s threads here, calmly cleansing the battlefield—even incinerating the blood of the fallen Quasi-Immortal King.
Within the Ancestral Gu’s domain, time itself seemed frozen. No wonder he was confident—this wouldn’t delay Shi Hao.
“Was it you who caused havoc at the Scarlet King’s retreat?” the Ancestral Gu suddenly asked.
“I just chopped up one Time Beast, and the whole clan went mad. Baffling,” Shi Hao said.
Hearing this, the Ancestral Gu’s jaw dropped—a rare sight for an Immortal King.
“Baffling? Do you realize you might have chopped up the Scarlet King himself?!” the Ancestral Gu exclaimed, breath quickening.
“Impossible. It was too weak!” Shi Hao shook his head.
“Rumors are spreading—the Scarlet King was reborn, starting anew to break the limits of Immortal Kings. But two days ago, disaster struck!” The Ancestral Gu was certain now, and even he was at a loss for words, utterly stunned.
Shi Hao stood frozen, dumbfounded.
He had come so close to slaying the Scarlet King—only half the beast’s body had been cleaved off.
Shi Hao produced the severed half. “So it really was the Scarlet King. I regret not chasing him down to finish the job!”
He was furious, unwilling to let it go.
Finally, he glared at the remains. “Once I’m back, I’ll roast and eat you!”
Had others heard this, they would’ve been stunned. The Scarlet King—eaten?!
“If you dare eat it, beware. It likely contains traces of the Scarlet King’s essence, spirit, and Dao fruits. Don’t bring trouble upon yourself,” the Ancestral Gu warned.
“If there’s nothing else, farewell.” Shi Hao turned to leave.
“Had I known, I wouldn’t have shown up. To think he could slay a Quasi-Immortal King…” The Ancestral Gu sighed, beginning to erase all traces.
Though they had conversed, it had happened in an instant—time itself had stood still within his domain.
Boom!
Shi Hao burst through the passage, returning to his own world!
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