A Divine Flame Realm expert exploded, meeting an untimely demise. Shi Hao charged past, bathed in blood, standing atop the arena.
The scene was shocking—a deity had been slain just like that!
The arena was grand, shaped like a severed mountain, its flat and expansive surface suspended midair, allowing all cultivators to witness the battle. Everyone saw it happen.
With just a single strike, the Young Demon King—Huang—had successfully killed a deity?
Even though only elites had entered the secret realm, with no mediocrities among them, many still gasped in astonishment, their hearts shaken. Such a feat was too glorious!
“This is an extraordinary opponent. If this continues, who can stand against him?” murmured a First-Generation prodigy.
“This arena can extinguish Divine Flames, reducing deities to mere mortals, stripping them of their advantages,” another remarked with calm confidence.
Soon, someone noticed something amiss. After the Qin Clan’s Divine Flame Realm expert was slain, his bones and flesh did not reunite, nor was he wrapped in a Life Talisman to escape.
Even Shi Hao was surprised—this arena was strange, restricting all of this!
Blood dotted the ground, along with shattered bottles, weapons, and a pristine beast fang—the so-called Life Talisman.
“Hmm, was this prepared for me?” Shi Hao chuckled, bending down to pick it up and examining it in his palm. It was warm as jade, gleaming with a soft luster.
At this moment, the Qin Clan cultivators on the sixth sacred mountain paled, their hearts roiling like stormy seas. Did this mean one of their Divine Flame Realm experts had truly perished?
“Martial Uncle!” someone wailed in grief.
“How could this be? The Life Talisman forged by the Heavenly Venerable actually failed? Ah…” Some Qin Clan members connected to this expert could not accept it.
“Heh heh…” Shi Hao laughed, truly like a demon king, his black hair disheveled as he strode forward, facing all the Divine Flame Realm experts on the vast arena alone.
His gaze was razor-sharp, sweeping over each of them as if they were prey. He licked his lips, revealing a bewitching smile.
This infuriated Chi Lingkong and the Qin Clan’s experts. The youth’s gaze was detestable, as if he were staring at wild beasts, ready to hunt them down.
To them, this was an insult!
“Not long ago, you went out of your way to interfere with my enlightenment, preventing me from entering the highest hall. How arrogant and despicable you were! Why are you silent now?” Shi Hao taunted.
His direct exposure and scathing words left their faces ashen.
“The Qin Clan is truly remarkable, sending so many Divine Flame Realm experts here.” Currently, the arena held two experts from the Flame Demon Palace and five from the Qin Clan.
“Kill!”
At that moment, battle erupted as the experts on the stage charged forward.
Outside the secret realm’s exit, by the altar.
Countless cultivators waited, eager to learn what had transpired inside and the final outcome.
In the void, several ancient sect masters sat cross-legged, their figures indistinct and silent, motionless like fossils submerged in time.
Over the past few days, fierce battles had raged deep within the secret realm. The Netherworld Prince and the First-Generation prodigy of the Sacred Feather Clan had both fallen, slain by the Young Demon King—Huang!
Beyond them, other First-Generation prodigies had perished—some killed by deities within the secret realm, others slain by peerless young supremes like the inheritor of the Immortal Palace.
This triggered a massive upheaval, for they had truly died. The beast fang Life Talismans could only be used once; if slain again, they had no means of escape.
Additionally, many sect elites had fallen. While that was one thing, the deaths of First-Generation prodigies carried far-reaching consequences, affecting the fate of multiple regions!
First-Generation prodigies were so rare that an entire vast region might not produce even one. Their rarity and strength made their deaths unacceptable to their sects.
A First-Generation prodigy could dominate a region, elevate a sect to unprecedented glory, and ensure its prosperity for generations.
The loss of any First-Generation prodigy was a tremendous blow!
Unfortunately, the slain individuals had been too stubborn, ignoring warnings and re-entering the secret realm after their first deaths. The guardians at the exit could not be blamed.
However, this matter was far from over.
Qin Changsheng sat with a cold expression. Since he had issued the invitation, the deaths of First-Generation prodigies here would inevitably drag him into controversy.
Even if those ancient sects had no grounds to protest openly, their simmering rage would be hard to quell!
Those individuals had been too headstrong. After being killed once and resurrected at the altar, they ignored all dissuasion, even defying their elders’ commands to re-enter the secret realm.
Perhaps it was because, as First-Generation prodigies, they had always been revered like stars around the moon, never tasting defeat, and could not accept such an outcome.
Thus, they had even refused their elders’ orders, choosing to return to the secret realm.
“Brother Qin, this is not your fault. My descendant brought this upon himself—his lack of strength is no one’s blame,” said the elder of the Purple-Gold Direwolf Clan.
Withered and shriveled, he sat unmoved, showing no anger. He had previously berated his descendants, calling the current generation of Purple-Gold Direwolves disappointments.
Hearing this, Qin Changsheng’s expression softened slightly. At least this powerful clan did not hold him responsible.
Especially since this direwolf had lived since the ancient times, alongside the ancient ancestors of the Gluttony Clan, both known as “Ancient Great Evils”—the most terrifying beings.
Then, he thought of the Netherworld, a mysterious lineage where their strongest beings were mutated corpses, not naturally born creatures.
For example, ancient geniuses who had fallen, peerless First-Generation prodigies buried in the earth, would reawaken after eons, found and nurtured into world-shaking powerhouses!
“That lineage’s foundations are unfathomable!” Qin Changsheng mused. His relationship with the Netherworld Lord was decent, so hostilities were unlikely.
All things considered, the crisis was not as severe as imagined. The ancient sects would not turn against him, and he exhaled in relief.
“Brother Qin, none of your Mount Never-Grow’s key disciples have used their Life Talismans yet, meaning they are all unharmed. Truly impressive,” someone broke the silence.
“It seems the Qin Clan will reap great rewards this time, perhaps even obtaining the supreme legacy of the Primordial Heaven’s Venerable,” another nodded.
Qin Changsheng smiled faintly. Though the deaths of several First-Generation prodigies had dampened his mood, this outcome still pleased him immensely.
In truth, he had been eagerly anticipating this, hoping to obtain the legacy of that ancient Venerable!
He said modestly, “Not necessarily. The deepest parts of the Venerable’s legacy grounds are strange, with terrifying restrictions and battlefields. Perhaps no one can enter.”
“Brother Qin jestes. I believe your clan will gain the most this time.”
“If my clan does obtain the forbidden legacy within the secret realm, I am willing to share it with all fellow Daoists for joint enlightenment,” Qin Changsheng declared.
Though reluctant, he had to make this gesture to mitigate the fallout from the First-Generation prodigies’ deaths and appease the ancient sects’ anger.
“Hahaha… Let us congratulate the Qin Clan in advance!” someone laughed.
Others echoed the sentiment. With the most Divine Flame Realm experts inside and not a single loss, the Qin Clan was destined for the greatest gains. Many coveted a glimpse of the forbidden legacy.
Qin Changsheng smiled and nodded. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Qin Clan would undoubtedly emerge victorious, securing the grandest fortune.
“I hope this concludes soon, and the geniuses return from the secret realm,” he thought to himself.
Deep within the secret realm, atop the nine sacred mountains.
Everyone watched the battle, unsettled—especially the Qin Clan members, whose faces were pale, fists clenched.
“Kill!”
On the arena, a Qin Clan expert’s eyes emitted silver beams. If they struck a person, their movements would slow—a secret art inherited from an ancient mighty one, though the runes were incomplete.
Shi Hao sneered. Having battled a true Dual-Pupil bearer, how could he fear such flawed pupil techniques? He expanded his sole heavenly passage, instantly erasing these runes.
Like lightning, he flashed past, raising his palm to unleash a torrent of thunder, drowning his foe in a deafening roar.
This was the might of his fourth-tier Thunder Dao comprehension—overwhelming and terrifying, capable of rivaling First-Generation prodigies. How could ordinary peers stand against it?
The man was struck, half his body charred, flesh sloughing off as he was sent flying.
Shi Hao moved like a human lightning bolt, catching up and stomping down, crushing him into a bloody mist.
“Ah!” The remaining four Qin Clan Divine Flame Realm experts roared in fury. Their Divine Flames extinguished, stripped of their greatest advantage, they charged forward in unison.
“Clang!”
Shi Hao stood firm, raising his hand as golden light coalesced into a spear, gleaming with metallic coldness and wreathed in lightning.
“Kill!”
His eyes were piercing, wild hair flying as he surged forward.
“Clang!”
The metallic clash was deafening. The lightning spear clashed with their weapons, erupting in a storm of thunder, its divine might awe-inspiring.
In an instant, Shi Hao sent three flying. Gripping the spear, he thrust forward, piercing one man’s forehead in a spray of blood, lifting him off the ground.
Boom!
The lightning exploded, the spear dissolving into thunder, blasting the man apart in death.
Simultaneously, with a sharp clang, a purple lightning-wreathed sword materialized in Shi Hao’s hand. He advanced, relentless.
“I’ll fight you to the death!” someone bellowed.
Now a blood-soaked demon king, Shi Hao brandished the purple sword, lightning crackling as he descended upon his foes.
Amidst the sword’s keening, he swung, beheading one man in a shower of blood.
“Heavens! Are our Qin Clan’s senior experts being slaughtered one by one?”
On the sixth sacred mountain, some Qin Clan members’ eyes reddened. This was horrifying—Divine Flame Realm experts falling in succession was an immeasurable loss for their clan.
“Whoosh!”
Another lightning strike, paired with a peerless sword slash. Shi Hao soared, splitting a man in two, bathing in blood as he fought with berserk fury.
“Demon king… he’s a demon king!” the Qin Clan howled, fists clenched, unable to remain calm, their eyes bloodshot.
“Does the Heavenly Venerable know of this? The Life Talismans are useless! Report this immediately!” someone screamed, filled with resentment and hatred.
At the secret realm’s exit, the ancient sect masters conversed amicably. Qin Changsheng sat like an unshakable boulder, personally guarding the exit, awaiting the final outcome.
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