Such a meeting was destined to be anything but peaceful. For Shi Hao, it might very well become a life-and-death battle!
The young lord of the Immortal Palace held the Void Battle Halberd aloft with one hand, its tip slanting toward the southern sky. His pupils blazed with radiant glyphs, his black hair cascading freely. He exuded an aura of invincibility.
In this Upper Realm, among the younger generation, he was hailed as an insurmountable mountain. Only a few hidden prodigies from ancient orthodoxies could rival him!
*Shiing!*
The halberd sliced through the void, trailing misty spatial energy as it unleashed the most dazzling killing intent, cleaving straight toward Shi Hao.
No words were exchanged—the battle erupted just like that!
The Great Demonic God took a step forward, shielding Shi Hao. His body surged with black and white qi, forming a protective divine barrier as he prepared to fight in Shi Hao’s stead. He sensed that this opponent was far too terrifying.
“I’ll handle this myself!” Shi Hao declared, summoning his alchemy furnace, his battle spirit soaring.
“You’ve only just entered the Noble King Realm, while he’s already at the peak of it. You’re no match for him now,” the Great Demonic God frowned, deeply concerned.
Shi Hao shook his head, adamant about fighting. He was well aware of the gap in their cultivation realms—facing this man was perilous. But he couldn’t let his grandfather take the risk either. The old man had only one arm left, and the lingering yin qi in his body made combat even more unsuitable.
*Clang!*
In that instant, the halberd arrived, its divine resonance deafening.
Though the two were far apart, the young lord of the Immortal Palace was transcendent, unrivaled among his peers. The Void Battle Halberd gleamed, crystalline and resplendent, slashing down before Shi Hao’s eyes!
Shi Hao stood firm, meeting the strike head-on with his alchemy furnace.
The Great Demonic God sighed and retreated, though his gaze remained vigilant. No matter what, he couldn’t let his grandson come to harm.
*Dang!*
The heavens trembled faintly as the sound of the Dao shook the world. A mournfully beautiful divine radiance bloomed, like scattered petals of blood, hazy and surreal.
The Void Battle Halberd was terrifying beyond measure. As it descended and struck the fist-sized furnace, dazzling auspicious light burst forth, resembling flowing blood.
This first clash alone made the sky seem as though it would collapse. Glyphs erupted, one mysterious symbol after another imprinting upon the void, unleashing a deafening roar like mountains and seas shattering!
Shi Hao shuddered violently. He had met the halberd with the furnace in hand, and now his arm ached fiercely, the pain startling him. This man was truly formidable!
This was the most formidable enemy he had encountered since emerging into the world. Setting aside everything else, this man’s physical body alone was monstrous—like a humanoid True Dragon, indestructible.
The young lord of the Immortal Palace was surprised. A single strike had failed to wound his opponent. In his eyes, someone of a lower realm should have been cleaved apart instantly!
Such was the confidence of an inheritor of the Immortal Palace—peerless within the same realm. This was his pride, the foundation of his superiority over his peers. Anyone beneath his realm should be swiftly slain!
Without pause, the Void Halberd shifted trajectory, misty energy surging like an immortal descending from the heavens. It erupted with blinding radiance and slashed down once more.
This was a strike of breathtaking brilliance, illuminating the entire sky.
Most wouldn’t even have time to react before their heads were severed. The halberd was forged from priceless Void Beast bone, capable of slicing through space in an instant, appearing right before its target!
A distance of hundreds of zhang was but inches to this weapon!
A sorrowful immortal light bloomed as the halberd fell, seemingly slicing through Shi Hao’s neck. Crimson mist scattered, shocking all who witnessed it.
Was that blood? Was his head about to fall?
The onlookers held their breaths, each wondering what it would be like to stand in Shi Hao’s place—perhaps already dead!
Scarlet light surged, like a mist of blood spreading, hazy and brutal.
“Ah! It’s over! The young lord of the Immortal Palace has slain the Young Devil King!”
Someone couldn’t help but cry out at the sight. It had been too swift—the inheritor of the Immortal Palace, majestic and domineering, had felled his opponent in just two strikes!
This was the bearing of invincibility, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Who could stand against him? It seemed utterly hopeless!
There, the mournful scarlet light bloomed, vivid mist swirling, a sight that shook the soul. Was that the Young Devil King’s blood? It made hearts pound in terror.
“This is too fast. The young lord of the Immortal Palace is truly fearsome, unrivaled in truth.” The crowd shuddered. Who could possibly face him? Even the mighty Young Devil King had fallen?
After all, Shi Hao had previously defeated two or three “First Generation” prodigies. Yet now, he met such an end.
However, some had remained silent observers all along—like the Fifteenth Master, the Lunar Grace Goddess, and other First Generation talents.
“Wait, you’re mistaken,” an elder spoke up.
The scarlet light flowed like blood, yet it wasn’t blood. A figure still stood there, his head intact.
Some gasped, staring in astonishment.
“What kind of treasure is this? It looks as though blood is flowing from it,” a First Generation prodigy murmured, eyes blazing as they fixed on the fist-sized furnace.
Shi Hao held the furnace body in his left hand and its lid in his right, using the latter to block the halberd at his neck.
The lid bore the image of a crouching True Phoenix, lifelike and vivid. Its earthen-yellow surface was streaked with scarlet, as though blood flowed within, uncannily realistic.
The halberd’s strike had been too sudden. Anyone else would have been slain instantly—such was the terror of the young lord of the Immortal Palace, capable of deciding life and death in a flash, unrivaled in divine might!
Yet Shi Hao had blocked it! Swift as lightning, he struck the halberd’s edge with the lid. The phoenix upon it seemed to stir, its feathers rustling as scarlet mist billowed, like spilled blood.
The alchemy furnace was ancient in craftsmanship. A True Dragon coiled around its three legs, while the lid bore the crouching True Phoenix, both exquisitely lifelike.
*Boom!*
At that moment, Shi Hao erupted into action, launching a counterattack. He swung the furnace lid like a shield, its surface expanding and glowing faintly before erupting with scarlet radiance—like a True Phoenix reborn in flames.
This strike resonated with the Dao, accompanied by the faint cry of a phoenix, a sound that threatened to split souls. Many gasped in shock.
This Young Devil King was truly extraordinary—not only unharmed, but now launching his own assault against the young lord of the Immortal Palace. Such boldness defied the heavens!
The furnace lid expanded into a crystalline phoenix-bone shield as Shi Hao wielded it like a crushing mountain.
*Shiing!*
The young lord of the Immortal Palace crossed his halberd to block, his movements faster than mortal comprehension.
*Clang!*
The crowd’s ears rang as space twisted around the clash. Lightning descended from the heavens, thunder roaring—yet this was merely the aftermath of their weapons colliding, sparks and metallic resonance erupting.
Incredible! Heaven-defying!
This was the thought in everyone’s mind. They were stunned that someone dared to clash head-on with the inheritor of the Immortal Palace.
*Boom!*
Shi Hao swung the lid again. The True Phoenix cried softly, scarlet mist surging as he became enveloped in a phoenix phantom, divine light blazing as he charged forth.
This shook all witnesses. The two fought with such ferocity, their battle wild and earth-shaking.
Neither spoke a word from the moment they met, launching straight into combat. Yet this display of sheer dominance was enough to awe every spectator.
*Dang!*
Divine resonance deafened, threatening to rupture eardrums. Divine radiance erupted continuously, accompanied by terrifying mist akin to primordial chaos.
This was the most intense clash yet—eight or nine exchanges in rapid succession, like divine punishment from the heavens!
In truth, Shi Hao was inwardly shocked. He knew he faced an unimaginable foe. This man’s arms alone wielded godlike strength, unmatched among the younger generation.
Even someone as strong as Shi Hao felt his arms go numb, pain lancing through them. The rumors were true—the young lord of the Immortal Palace could look down upon his peers.
Unless the Golden Lamp Youth emerged, or the hidden inheritors of the ancient orthodoxies appeared, who could rival him?!
Yet Shi Hao believed his opponent’s arms couldn’t be faring much better. He glimpsed flickering glyphs in those deep eyes—signs of surprise.
In summary, both their physical bodies had reached the pinnacle!
“You’re clever, playing to your strengths,” the young lord of the Immortal Palace murmured, his black hair flowing, his body wreathed in sacred glyphs like an immortal king descended, invincible.
Though surprised by Shi Hao’s ferocity, he remained composed, as though everything was under control.
Shi Hao understood his meaning. From the first exchange, he had closed the distance, opting for physical combat rather than a battle of glyphs and magic.
He knew full well his opponent’s cultivation surpassed his own, his magic power vast as the sea. Engaging in a contest of arcane arts would put him at a disadvantage.
Though the other’s strength was godly, Shi Hao’s physique was no weaker. This was the domain where they were most evenly matched, so he pressed the melee.
*Clang!*
Another earth-shaking impact. Shi Hao’s arm went numb, his tiger’s mouth splitting as blood sprayed. He was startled—this man was indeed formidable.
He scrutinized his opponent’s hands, seeking signs of injury, but they were shrouded in golden glyphs, impossible to discern.
Still, he believed the other’s tiger’s mouth must have split as well.
The young lord of the Immortal Palace showed neither joy nor sorrow, his expression unreadable. Though he had pointed out Shi Hao’s tactics, he didn’t retreat, continuing the physical duel.
Of course, both were also channeling glyphs, mysterious symbols blooming around them.
Yet these forces were absorbed by their weapons, erupting between the furnace and the Void Halberd in dazzling light before dissipating.
“Incredible! He’s exchanged over a dozen blows with the young lord of the Immortal Palace!”
Someone marveled. This praise alone revealed how terrifying the “insurmountable mountain” of the younger generation was. Merely holding one’s ground against him was a feat of brilliance!
Lunar Grace stood afar, her white robes fluttering with an ethereal grace, her beauty unmatched. She watched Shi Hao with astonishment, her luminous eyes shimmering with divine light.
There was something familiar about him, though she couldn’t place it. His lightning and thunder aura was unfamiliar.
She was truly shocked. This man had only just entered the Noble King Realm, yet dared to challenge the inheritor of the Immortal Palace. His physical might alone could dominate the Upper Realm.
Her gaze intensified, five-colored divine light gleaming as she scrutinized him.
Meanwhile, the Great Demonic God frowned in worry. His grandson’s cultivation was slightly inferior—what if he met disaster?
This battle shook the entire secret realm. Countless beings rushed to witness it, and even the proudest First Generation talents who received word arrived.
Soon, news of the clash spread beyond the secret realm.
At the realm’s exit, when messengers brought word, all were stunned—the Young Devil King dared to vie with the inheritor of the Immortal Palace?!
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