“Look, our Lightning Hounds are running so fast!” Under the sunset, a group of children returned home laden with spoils, heading toward Stone Village. Four Lightning Hounds dashed about, their golden bodies intertwining like bolts of lightning.
“When my sable grows up, it’ll definitely be even stronger,” a little girl chimed in, her large eyes sparkling as she cradled a young sable.
“Yours are nothing! Look at this—this is an egg of the Crimson-Feathered Crane. It’ll hatch into a mighty ancient descendant!” Another boy grinned proudly, hugging an egg the size of a washbasin, its crimson shell gleaming with translucence.
“My little tiger cub is the best. One day, it might evolve into the noblest White Tiger bloodline!” Yet another child boasted, holding a still-blind tiger cub.
As the red sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows behind them, the group returned to Stone Village, none empty-handed. The evening clouds painted the sky in fiery hues, and the village buzzed with excitement.
Shi Hao had just set down his herb basket when four toddlers scampered toward the village, shouting, “Mom, I’m hungry! I want milk!” The villagers burst into laughter, though their eyes widened in both amazement and concern at the rare young beasts and eggs the children had brought back.
“Don’t worry,” Shi Hao reassured them. “None of these are vicious breeds. Besides, with Aunt Azure-Scaled Eagle and Big Red Bird watching over them, we might just train an entire squad of ancient descendants!”
Shi Hao wasn’t overly concerned—after all, the Willow God stood guard here.
He had returned, knowing that in just two more days, he would enter the Void God Realm for the ultimate battle. No words were needed—this foe surpassed all he had faced before. It wasn’t just a grudge match; it was a fight that would shape his destiny.
Instead of training, Shi Hao chose to relax, shedding all burdens to reconnect with his primal instincts. He reverted to his mischievous self, leading a pack of children around a bonfire at night, roasting meat and unwittingly molding them into little troublemakers.
“Uncle Hao, is it true you were still stealing beast milk at ten?” a toddler asked, wiping milk from his lips after running from his mother.
Laughter erupted, even drawing chuckles from Da Zhuang and Qing Feng nearby. The village’s pride, the strongest among the youths, had an embarrassing secret—one that made Shi Hao flush under the children’s teasing gazes.
Especially when another toddler whispered conspiratorially, “Uncle Hao, I’ll steal some milk for you, but you have to take me out to play tomorrow!”
Amidst the uproar, Shi Hao flicked the brat’s forehead. “Little rascal, scram!”
But as the night wound down, Shi Hao made a bold decision. He slipped into the mountains, returning with a massive clay pot.
At dawn, the scent of warm milk wafted from his courtyard as he simmered it over a fire. “Ah, the aroma!” He savored it alone, lost in childhood memories, embracing carefree joy.
While Shi Hao indulged in nostalgia, another figure honed his peak condition in the wilderness—Shi Yi.
The distance between them was mere thousands of miles. Shi Yi, wandering the western borders, had unknowingly passed by the ancestral land he sought. As a direct descendant of the Shi Clan, he had scoured ancient texts for clues, wielding his unparalleled Pupil of Destruction to pierce through illusions.
Yet, he missed it by a margin.
Now, he turned back, seeking a secure place to enter the Void God Realm and slay his long-lost “brother.”
Elsewhere, a group of humanoid creatures trembled. “Such power! Could this be the one who slew Lord Gray Flood Dragon?”
Moments later, flames engulfed the area, reducing mountains to molten rivers as a dozen exotic beasts were obliterated.
“My subordinates fell without resistance—even their Flame Array, capable of slaying pure-blooded creatures, shattered instantly. This man is terrifying!” a pure-blooded being murmured in shock, gripping a fractured bone talisman.
On a higher peak, a figure wreathed in divine flames sat atop a boulder, exuding the aura of a celestial sovereign.
“My lord…” the pure-blooded being called up.
“I saw their final moments. It wasn’t him—it was a Pupil of Destruction wielder,” the figure intoned, his eyes flickering with visions of burning stars.
“What?! The legendary Pupil of Destruction has reappeared after ages?!”
“A formidable one. I witnessed eyes capable of annihilating all creation.”
The figure—a youth concealed in flames—remained an enigma even to his subordinates.
“Good. He, too, shall be mine—a follower under my banner.”
The pure-blooded being shuddered. His lord’s ambition knew no bounds, yet his power justified it.
“Shall we pursue him now?”
“Too late. He’s already vanished through a spatial rift, aided by an ancient treasure.” The figure gazed into the distance. “But I know who they are.”
Though newly arrived in the Desolate Wastelands, the impending duel between two young supremes was common knowledge.
“When the time comes, I’ll descend upon the Void God Realm and claim them both at the climax of their battle!”
Arrogance dripped from his voice as he rose, surveying the land.
“Moon Fairy will likely appear as well,” the subordinate reminded.
“She is my primary target!”
Flames roared, incinerating the heavens in a crimson blaze that pressed upon the nine firmaments.
The Sky Battlefield would not witness just one grand clash.
—
In the Stone Nation’s capital, within the Martial King’s Manor, Shi Yi returned. Bearing relics from the age of gods, his Pupil of Destruction had unlocked countless hidden treasures over the years.
“Yi’er’s victory is assured! None can stand in his way!”
“This battle will etch his name into legend, heralding his rise as a deity!”
His uncles’ declarations thundered through the capital, marking the countdown to the world-shaking duel.
Yet, such fervor from kin drew scrutiny.
That day, unrest rippled from the capital across the wastelands.
Shi Hao versus the Pupil of Destruction—who would prevail?
Simultaneously, an imperial decree arrived at the manor, bestowing upon Shi Yi the title of “Peerless Marquis.”
The nation trembled.
“Before this, Shi Hao was named ‘Heavenly Marquis,’ prefixed with ‘Desolate.’ Now, only ‘Peerless’ can rival it!”
“Is the emperor balancing favor, unwilling to show bias?”
“If the Pupil of Destruction triumphs, this title foretells dominion beyond the Stone Nation!”
The decree ignited storms of speculation.
“Peerless Marquis—Yi’er stands above all!” The manor’s elders exulted.
“The Pupil of Destruction is a born deity. His glory shall illuminate history!”
Alone by the window, Shi Yi held the decree. On its reverse, a single character: “Benevolence.”
A warning?
A faint smile curled his lips as his gaze sharpened—twin divine blades reducing the decree to dust.
“Yi’er, will you meditate here before entering the Void God Realm?” his father inquired.
“No. I depart for Demon Spirit Lake. Here, I cannot guarantee undisturbed focus.”
His eyes blazed, manifesting twin halberds that merged midair into a sacred artifact.
A radiant portal yawned open—a relic forged from the primordial bone of a Void Beast.
In an instant, he vanished.
“A godly artifact indeed!” the elders marveled.
The stage was set.
The Sky Battlefield awaited—not one, but multiple earth-shattering duels.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage