A warship halted a hundred thousand miles away, with only a single figure stepping out, arriving at the Celestial Clan’s sacred grounds before entering the Celestial City.
This was a Heavenly Deity, clad in black robes, enveloped in dark radiance, his face as pale as snow, devoid of any healthy flush, resembling a corpse.
He was from the Netherworld Clan, hailing from the Nether Earth, having ascended to the Heavenly Deity realm many years prior. Yet, an aura of deathly gloom still clung to him.
“Forgive my uninvited arrival, fellow Daoists,” he said with a smile, though his pallid face and unnatural demeanor exuded a chilling presence.
“A distinguished guest arrives—our apologies for not welcoming you sooner,” replied a high-ranking member of the Celestial Clan, clasping his fists. Despite his displeasure, he maintained decorum, knowing the Nether Earth’s formidable might.
The Nether Earth was one of the few vast, unified deathly domains in the upper realm, and none wished to provoke them lightly.
“Fellow Daoists, I bear no ill intent,” the Nether Earth’s Heavenly Deity declared, dispelling the Celestial Clan’s suspicions. “I’ve come for a youth rumored to have entered the Celestial City.”
Silence fell among the Celestial Clan’s Heavenly Deities. It was clear—this was about Shi Hao, coveted for his treasures.
“Let us speak plainly. That youth is Shi Hao, correct?” the Nether Earth’s envoy pressed, sensing their reluctance. “He slew one of our Nether Sons in the Yuan Heaven Secret Realm.”
A Celestial Clan elder countered, “The Qin Clan invited young elites to spar. Casualties in the secret realm are unavoidable. If blame must be placed, seek the Immortal Mountain.”
“Indeed, our junior’s weakness is no fault of others,” the Nether Earth’s Heavenly Deity conceded.
This unexpected response puzzled the Celestial Clan’s elders, awaiting his next move.
The envoy continued bluntly, “I seek no grand vengeance. Today, I merely wish to borrow the Thunder Emperor’s scripture for study.”
The Celestial Clan’s Heavenly Deities were stunned by his directness.
“Perhaps you are unaware—many factions have gathered here. The Celestial Clan cannot monopolize those golden pages,” the envoy added, revealing the broader scheme.
“Clever tactics, War Clan!” Qi Tuo sneered, realizing they had been outmaneuvered.
With the envoy’s departure, tension gripped the Celestial City. The Celestial Clan’s elders convened, debating their next steps.
“Laughable! Do they think our grand formation is mere decoration? The six Celestial Deities’ array shields this city—none shall breach it!” an elder roared.
The Celestial City had stood impregnable since antiquity.
“Stay composed. Our Chaos Formation ensures safety. Yet, we must prepare,” Qi Tuo advised, though unease lingered.
“Has the ancestral bone mirror been retrieved? Reveal Shi Hao’s true form,” another elder demanded.
Without divine sight, they suspected Shi Hao’s disguise and sought to unveil his secrets—even his soul.
“Let us see his origins,” an elder declared, producing a luminous white mirror.
By the azure lake, Shi Hao strolled, sensing the impending storm.
Suddenly, a sacred glow enveloped him, freezing his form.
“So, this is his true face,” the elders murmured, observing the mirror’s revelation.
The mirror, capable of unveiling any being’s essence, now exposed Shi Hao’s soul.
“He seems familiar,” one elder mused before noticing Shi Hao’s brow bleeding, his skull nearly fracturing.
“Stop!” they cried, fearing his body would shatter.
“Powerful defenses. He’s warded his mind, ready to self-destruct,” Qi Tuo deduced.
Freed, Shi Hao wiped his brow, shaken. Someone had probed his soul.
Had he not fortified his mind with Kun Peng runes, Cycle Mark, and thunder laws, his secrets would have been laid bare.
His safeguards ensured that forced intrusion would destroy both his mind and treasures.
“Are you unwell?” True Deity Qi Xia appeared.
“Nothing,” Shi Hao replied, knowing the Heavenly Deities had acted without her knowledge.
“Focus on your training. Our clan will protect you, despite external pressures,” she assured.
Shi Hao understood—the elders sought the Thunder Emperor’s scripture preemptively.
“I’m cornered,” he whispered, facing his gravest crisis since ascending.
His kindness in saving Yun Xi had led to his peril.
Reflecting, he lamented the irony—his goodwill had brought him ruin.
In the following days, more factions arrived—Immortal Mountain, Demon Sunflower Garden, Heavenly Nation—intensifying the pressure.
Then, a bell tolled.
A lone bell, wreathed in chaos, materialized in the Celestial City.
“It’s him!” the elders gasped.
Shi Hao recognized it—a supreme treasure from the lower realm, once impervious even to the Willow Deity.
“Lend me the Thunder Emperor’s scripture,” the bell intoned, its master absent.
The Celestial Clan tensed. This bell could breach their Chaos Formation.
On its surface, one character was clear: “None.” The other, obscured by time, remained illegible.
As the bell vanished, the elders’ expressions darkened.
With factions converging, retaining Shi Hao risked catastrophe.
“Perhaps the Nether Earth was right—we cannot keep the golden pages,” an elder sighed.
“Yet the mirror revealed no golden pages on him,” Qi Tuo noted. Were they only in his soul?
In truth, Shi Hao had left the golden pages and Primordial True Explanation with his grandfather, carrying only the Immortal Tomb’s soil and a rusted armor.
Suddenly, an elder gasped. “I remember now—could it be him?”
His shock broke the solemnity of the gathering.
“A miracle! It’s him!” the elder exclaimed, recalling tales from the lower realm.
“Who?” Qi Tuo demanded.
“He’s from the lower realm—infamous! He thwarted the Nether Earth, Heavenly Nation, and Immortal Mountain, slaying seven deities!”
“From the lower realm?” Qi Tuo echoed, stunned.
The elder revealed Shi Hao’s identity, sending waves through the assembly.
“Kun Peng’s art… is his?”
“And his innate Cycle Treasure Art!”
Even Heavenly Deities trembled. Beyond the Thunder Emperor’s art, he possessed the Kun Peng’s legacy—unthinkable!
“Conceal his identity. If we must surrender him, let it be as ‘Shi Hao,’ not the lower realm’s Shi Hao!” an elder hissed.
Tension mounted as the Celestial Clan’s patriarch remained secluded.
That day, Shi Hao coughed blood, the Flying Immortal Stone clattering to the ground.
“Are you injured?” Qi Xia gasped.
Man Sha Zhu Hua and Fu Qu paled. Dao injuries from the stone could take centuries to heal.
Shi Hao remained silent, assessing himself.
His residual immortal aura had depleted, ending his communion with the Immortal Spirit Jade. Yet, the Heaven’s Hand runes had imprinted faintly in his flesh—recoverable with time.
To the Celestial Clan, however, this was dire.
“He’s injured!”
The elders convened.
“Whether light or severe, his communion is over. Fate demands our decision.”
Dao injuries, even minor, required years of recovery.
With external pressures mounting, they saw no need to verify—his injury justified their choice.
Wiping his blood, Shi Hao walked the streets, sensing the shift.
Suddenly, Heavenly Deities descended.
Yun Xi and You Yu arrived, witnessing Shi Hao’s capture.
“Elders, what are you doing?” Yun Xi cried.
You Yu watched silently beside her.
“Appearances deceive,” an elder replied.
“I don’t understand,” Yun Xi said.
“He deceived us all. He is not just Shi Hao—he has another identity,” Qi Tuo declared.
With a flick of his chains, Shi Hao’s disguise shattered, revealing his true face.
“It’s you!” Yun Xi gasped. “You’re alive? Why hide the truth?”
“You concealed your identity to exploit us!” You Yu accused.
“Had I revealed myself, would I have fared better?” Shi Hao retorted.
“He schemed to infiltrate our clan,” an elder stated coldly.
Shi Hao scoffed. “Is this the Celestial Clan’s gratitude?”
Though he knew his treasures made him a target, bitterness lingered.
“Why didn’t you tell me… you’re Shi Hao?” Yun Xi whispered.
“You used Yun Xi to infiltrate us,” Qi Tuo accused.
“I fought bloody battles to escort her hundreds of miles. Is this my reward?” Shi Hao’s clear gaze challenged them all.
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