“Attack, capture them all,” the young man commanded.
At the first clash, Shi Hao underestimated his opponent, believing his immunity to magic would allow him to swiftly defeat the old servant and capture the noble descendant.
Unexpectedly, the young man struck in secret with a peculiar artifact—a pristine white jade vase—that sought to draw Shi Hao inside, rendering his magic immunity useless!
Shi Hao’s body rapidly shrank from his normal height to a mere two inches, hurtling toward the vase’s mouth. The old servant assisted, jointly activating the vessel.
The vase, smooth as jade and radiantly white, bore intricate glyphs capable of swallowing mountains and rivers—a truly terrifying and transcendent artifact.
“Seize the woman. I’ll suppress him,” the young man gloated. This was his first time wielding the vase, and it had already proven effective.
“Break!” Shi Hao roared, no longer holding back. Runes erupted from his body as he hurled a clump of yellow mud from his alchemy furnace toward the vase.
“What is this?!” the young man shrieked.
The mud smeared across the vase’s mouth, corroding its engravings and dimming its glow. Shi Hao, mere inches from being sucked inside, narrowly escaped.
“Impossible! This treasure is a rare divine artifact, nearly an Empyrean weapon! How could it fail?!” the young man raged.
A revered elder of the War Clan had gifted him this artifact for his trial in the Bloody Plains, claiming it could subdue all things—yet now it was tarnished.
Shi Hao swiftly returned to his normal size and landed on the ground, launching a fierce assault on the old servant, who was at the Divine Flame Realm. In Shi Hao’s eyes, eliminating this threat would secure victory.
Boom!
With his magic immunity still lingering, the two clashed. Blood sprayed as the old servant’s arms shattered, sending him flying.
“You—!” he gasped in shock.
“Capture him!” the young man bellowed, still trying to activate the jade vase. But it was futile—any artifact that touched the yellow mud was instantly destroyed.
The mud, sourced from the vast Forbidden Lands, was no ordinary earth—it was soil soaked by the legendary yellow mud itself. Even this diluted version had nullified a divine treasure.
Thud!
The old servant fell, slain by Shi Hao.
The group besieging Yun Xi panicked, attempting to flee, but Shi Hao struck them down one by one.
“Now it’s your turn,” Shi Hao advanced, his gaze locked on the young man.
The battle was one-sided. Though the young War Clan prodigy was formidable, he lasted only a few dozen exchanges before falling.
In truth, few of Shi Hao’s peers could withstand even that many strikes. The young man had been exceptional, but it wasn’t enough.
Shi Hao retrieved the yellow mud and examined the mutilated jade vase with regret. “What a waste,” he muttered.
“You actually countered a divine artifact?” Yun Xi gasped.
The battle served as a warning—magic immunity wasn’t invincible. Against a True God, Shi Hao could only retreat, and even high-tier artifacts could bypass it.
The two quickly departed, resuming their journey.
“Are we being tracked? Even when I hide in your cauldron, they still find us,” Yun Xi fretted.
Over the next stretch, Shi Hao faced repeated ambushes. Yun Xi, sensing the intensity of his battles from within the cauldron, grew increasingly anxious.
After several close calls, she emerged to find Shi Hao pale and bloodied.
“We’re not being tracked. The War Clan has issued a kill-on-sight order for all non-members,” Shi Hao explained grimly. His condition was dire after relentless battles.
Leaning against a rock, his face drained of color, he recounted narrowly escaping the War King—the clan’s peerless genius—and a pursuing True God.
After a desperate flight spanning tens of thousands of miles, he reached the heart of the ancient battlefield.
By midnight, he was grievously wounded again, his body drenched in blood, bones shattered, and even his brow split. Only his mastery of the Earth Shrinking technique saved him.
His injuries were catastrophic, damaging his very essence.
Yun Xi emerged from the bone cauldron, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry… I’ve burdened you,” she whispered, urging him to abandon her.
“Don’t blame yourself. Even alone, the War Clan wouldn’t let me go,” Shi Hao replied.
Yun Xi sighed. His sacrifice—escorting her across hundreds of thousands of miles—was beyond repayment.
“Thank you,” she murmured, lost for words.
“You won’t escape,” a cold voice interrupted. A group approached, led by a striking young man with sword-like brows, phoenix eyes, and jade-like skin—radiating an extraordinary aura.
The War King had arrived.
“Dare to face me alone?” Shi Hao rose, bloodied but unyielding, his presence like a caged beast unleashed.
“I had considered it, but you’re unworthy in this state. Even a mere Noble could kill you now,” the War King sneered.
His confidence was absolute. The War Clan, once rulers of the world, bred kings only once in generations. This era’s three kings were an anomaly.
“Enough talk. Prepare to die,” Shi Hao growled.
“I’d dirty my hands,” the War King scoffed, his disdain palpable. He turned away. “Kill him.”
A group of Nobles charged, while the hidden True God closed in.
With a sigh, Shi Hao vanished underground, the True God in pursuit.
When he resurfaced, the three blood moons cast an eerie glow over the battlefield, failing to mask his pallor.
His injuries were dire—broken bones, shattered limbs, and a ravaged essence. Without immediate aid, he would perish.
“How… are you?” Yun Xi asked anxiously, offering him spiritual spring water.
“Let me rest,” Shi Hao breathed, barely clinging to consciousness after another brush with death.
“You’ll recover,” Yun Xi said, producing a glowing purple pill—its surface alive with swirling runes.
“What is this?” Shi Hao asked, stunned.
“The Celestial Pill—a peerless treasure that heals any wound instantly,” Yun Xi explained.
Shi Hao recognized its value—akin to the Heaven Mending Pill he’d once taken, which might have aided his resurrection.
Without hesitation, he swallowed it. The pill dissolved, its energy flooding his body, mending bones and spirit alike.
In half an hour, he stood reborn—vitality restored, wounds vanished.
“So potent?!” he marveled.
“You’re safe now,” Yun Xi smiled, her beauty radiant with relief.
“They’re coming!” Shi Hao grabbed her hand and fled.
Deep in the wilderness, he finally halted, his voice icy. “Do they want me to kill their War King?”
Enraged by the relentless pursuit, he resolved to take the ultimate risk.
“Don’t be reckless,” Yun Xi pleaded.
“The True God leaves the War King’s side during chases. I can strike then,” Shi Hao declared, his eyes blazing.
Yun Xi saw an indescribable majesty in him—an invincible aura, confidence and resolve cloaked in divine light.
To challenge the War King—a prodigy of the once-dominant War Emperor Clan—was audacious beyond measure.
She stared, momentarily entranced, before shaking her head. “It’s too dangerous!”
“Fear not. Watch me slay him,” Shi Hao said, his spirit unshaken.
He created a doppelgänger to lead Yun Xi away and distract the True God.
“He’ll see through it and return to kill you!” Yun Xi protested.
“I only need a moment. And if he hesitates upon seeing the Golden Bodhi Fruit, that’ll buy more time,” Shi Hao said, handing the fruit to the clone.
With that, he turned back—marching toward the War King.
Under the three blood moons, the ancient battlefield lay silent, its iron-hard earth echoing with his footsteps.
Shi Hao had returned.
“You dare face me again?” the War King sneered, his jade-like skin gleaming, his presence overwhelming.
“You’re nothing. I came back to kill you,” Shi Hao replied calmly, his every step shaking the earth, his aura imperial.
“Who am I? The peerless War King of the War Emperor Clan! And you?” the War King spat.
“I may be nothing now, but one day, I alone will be an emperor’s clan. I won’t rely on ancestors—I will be the emperor,” Shi Hao stated, his voice quiet but unshakable.
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