“I don’t fight the dead!” Gu Jian Yun’s response was concise and resolute, refusing to make a move.
In this era, few dared to call Shi Hao a dead man. His stance sent shockwaves through the crowd.
“Brother Daoist, are you overestimating yourself? Or is this an exaggeration?” someone cautiously asked, not daring to speak too loudly. At present, Gu Jian Yun’s aura was overwhelming. Aside from Shi Hao, he was the only one who had successfully weathered the heavenly tribulation, undoubtedly one of the strongest kings.
“He practiced a forbidden technique, damaging his Dao foundation. He’s beyond saving and won’t live much longer,” Gu Jian Yun explained.
“What?!” Everyone was stunned. The legendary Shi Hao, on the brink of death?
This was utterly unexpected. Who could have imagined that the most dazzling figure of the moment, Shi Hao, had crippled his own Dao foundation and might soon perish?
At that moment, all eyes turned to the arena, scrutinizing Shi Hao. Some ancient kings, who had cultivated Heavenly Eyes, observed his body with piercing divine light.
“Indeed, Brother Gu Jian Yun speaks the truth. Shi Hao is in grave danger—his life force is withering, and his essence is burning uncontrollably. He’s steadily weakening!”
Among the remaining ancient freaks, each a peerless genius who had once reigned supreme in their era, one now spoke up, confirming Gu Jian Yun’s words.
The crowd’s gaze toward Shi Hao shifted—less reverence, more pity, and even some schadenfreude.
What kind of technique could damage one’s Dao foundation and ignite their essence? It was terrifying.
“What a pity. Shi Hao, so defiant of the heavens, may still perish. Just like those ancient prodigies—too monstrous for the world to tolerate, doomed to fall prematurely.”
Many agreed. Heaven envied the gifted—it was the best explanation.
“Hahaha…” In the distance, someone burst into laughter, unable to contain their joy. Undoubtedly, these were Shi Hao’s enemies, reveling in his downfall.
Currently, Shi Hao was nearly unstoppable. Aside from the Ten Crown King, the Banished Immortal, and Ning Chuan, who could rival him? Yet those three were rumored to have been struck down by heavenly lightning.
Now, all his foes were terrified, with no one capable of opposing him. This sudden twist of fate was nothing short of a miracle to them!
Had it been anyone else making such claims, few would have believed it. But Gu Jian Yun? A peerless king second only to Shi Hao, having survived the heavenly tribulation!
Moreover, other ancient freaks corroborated his words, lending them credibility. And the evidence was undeniable—Shi Hao, who should have been invincible, was now passively defending on the arena, unable to dominate as before. It spoke volumes.
The crowd erupted. The idea that this heaven-defying prodigy was dying felt surreal to many.
Shi Hao remained calm. “I won’t live much longer? Even if all of you perish, I’ll still be standing strong across the ages.”
His words left everyone dumbfounded. Such arrogance!
“You made a wise choice not to come up here. At least you won’t die today,” Shi Hao said, glancing at Gu Jian Yun.
The crowd buzzed. Anyone could see his condition was dire—he had spent most of the battle seated, his life force and essence burning away. Yet he still dared to act so domineering.
Even at his peak, Shi Hao would have had to take Gu Jian Yun seriously.
Gu Jian Yun absolutely had the right to challenge Shi Hao at his strongest!
With Shi Hao’s current state, wouldn’t he fear Gu Jian Yun stepping up and fighting him to the death? In his weakened condition, he might be slain.
Gu Jian Yun sneered, unfazed. He stood with his divine sword strapped to his back, staring at Shi Hao’s sword embryo, offering no further response.
The anticipated clash of titans in the hundredth battle never came. Shi Hao sat alone on the arena, with no challengers daring to step forward.
No one dared to face him, fearing his final, desperate outburst before death.
“What a shame. Is there truly no one willing to fight me?” Shi Hao asked.
Some enemies scoffed in secret, but none dared to step up. Why risk their lives against a man who would soon perish anyway?
“Who dares to challenge me?” Shi Hao pressed.
His enemies seethed in silence. His brazen arrogance, flaunted before the entire world, was humiliating.
“A dying man isn’t worth our effort!”
“What’s there to boast about? You’ll still die in the end. We’ll watch your downfall!”
“Who’s afraid of you? We just don’t bother with the doomed!”
Some couldn’t resist retorting from the shadows.
The hundredth battle ended with no challengers—just a lone youth seated on the arena, suspended in the void alongside the golden Dao palace.
Time passed, and soon runes appeared. With no challengers, the time limit was reached. Shi Hao had triumphed.
A hundred consecutive victories—Shi Hao had done it!
Everyone anticipated his departure. In their eyes, Shi Hao, clinging to life, was making his final stand to cement his legacy.
Now, he had proven himself—an undefeated king, a hundred wins with no one daring to oppose him. He could leave, his battles done.
Yet Shi Hao did not leave.
Nor did he choose to rest. Instead, he remained seated on the arena, declaring he would accept all challengers.
The crowd erupted in chaos. Wasn’t his life flame supposed to be flickering out? Why would he stay?
“This is too much. We respected you, offering you a dignified exit. Yet you spurn it, seeking death on the arena?”
An enemy in the crowd shouted mercilessly, mocking Shi Hao.
“Clearly weakened, yet still refusing to yield. Do you wait for someone to kill you here? Others give you face, yet you don’t know when to quit!”
Of course, some sided with Shi Hao. “This is a king’s choice—to die in battle rather than fade away.”
“True. A man like Shi Hao, rare across the ages, destined for invincibility, struck by such misfortune—how could he accept it? Choosing to bleed out on the arena is worthy of respect.”
The place was in uproar, opinions clashing.
For a time, no one stepped onto the arena.
As time passed, Shi Hao won without fighting, securing over twenty victories. His enemies fumed—how could it be so effortless?
Shi Hao had no intention of leaving. Time was short. He aimed to dominate, claim the ultimate throne, and seize the great fortune. If outside experts intervened, it would spell disaster.
“Truly no challengers? Fine. I’ll guard this arena alone,” he said.
“Don’t flatter yourself!” someone snapped, ordering their subordinates to challenge him.
Shi Hao’s gaze turned icy. With a single finger, he unleashed cycles of reincarnation runes, reducing the challenger to a pile of bones.
How was he still so strong? The crowd shuddered, even doubting Gu Jian Yun’s words. Shi Hao was terrifying!
“His life force is barely a tenth left, his essence dried up. He is truly dying,” Gu Jian Yun stated, observing Shi Hao’s fractured Dao foundation.
Shi Hao himself was startled. The Willow God’s technique was too domineering. Had he not understood its full profundity, even he would have believed he was doomed.
But he knew—this was the Willow God’s art at its most heaven-defying. To achieve eternal life, one must first face destruction. No breakthrough without breaking first!
To gain boundless vitality, he had to experience withering, to teeter on death’s edge. There were no shortcuts—only the profound balance of the Dao.
Yet this move was perilous. One misstep, and he might truly perish, reduced to bones.
Grim-faced, he sat on the arena, not daring to be careless.
Time flowed. Without fighting, he secured fifty-eight victories.
The crowd was speechless. Never in history had someone won so effortlessly, clearly dying yet unchallenged.
“This won’t do! Force him to fight, hasten his death!”
Powerhouses gathered, plotting to send subordinates to battle Shi Hao.
The result? Shi Hao slaughtered them all. Though his eyes dimmed, his body withered like a skeleton, his essence burning away, his lethality remained terrifying.
By the end, dozens lay dead. He had won another ninety-nine straight battles.
In total, he had now won a hundred and ninety-nine.
“Still not coming up?” Shi Hao glanced at Gu Jian Yun.
Gu Jian Yun ignored him, his sword still sheathed, refusing to fight the dead.
Soon, Shi Hao reached two hundred victories!
The crowd was in an uproar. In the past, even the strongest freaks would rest after a hundred wins, not daring to push further.
Yet Shi Hao, at two hundred, still refused to leave, guarding the arena!
“This can’t go on! If he keeps winning, the ancient arena might declare him the ultimate victor, granting him the fortune!” someone cried.
Even the ancient freaks grew restless. Gu Jian Yun’s expression darkened. If this continued, it would be a farce—a dying man claiming supremacy.
From the two hundred and first battle onward, the fights grew fiercer. No more free wins—Shi Hao fought relentlessly.
Many were forced onto the arena, while others, sensing his growing weakness, sought to seize his immortal seed and flee.
The result was brutal—eighty experts fell, dead on the arena.
Finally, Shi Hao reached three hundred victories!
The crowd was stunned.
But his condition worsened. Seated on the arena, he swayed unsteadily.
Hope surged—perhaps now was the time to strike him down!
Yet from the three hundred and first to the four hundredth battle, Shi Hao slew over sixty more experts, leaving everyone horrified.
Was this man a monster?!
All could see—Shi Hao was at death’s door, his essence nearly spent. Yet he refused to die, cutting down foe after foe.
The crowd was speechless. How was this possible?
Even Gu Jian Yun was baffled.
“Any more challengers?” Shi Hao asked weakly.
From the four hundred and first battle, dozens passed without opposition. He won effortlessly, soon reaching four hundred and thirty-nine.
“He’s done for! Look, he can’t even sit steadily. Kill him now! We can’t delay further. If he keeps winning, the arena will declare him the ultimate victor!” someone panicked.
Shi Hao indeed struggled. His battles grew longer—no more instant kills.
Yet he still triumphed. Fifty-six more corpses littered the arena.
He had now won five hundred straight battles!
The arena glowed, showering him with light—a reward, an acknowledgment of his dominance.
“We must stop this! The arena is awakening. If this continues, it’ll be disastrous!” someone declared gravely.
—
**Outside, in Central Heaven.**
In recent days, a storm had swept through the heart of the three thousand provinces, its repercussions vast.
Even the events in the ancient lands of the three thousand provinces had temporarily overshadowed the Immortal Ancient.
Half the sect masters were attacking the great rift in the Immortal Ancient ruins, while the other half remained at the immortal Dao formation, for the events here were too significant.
“Could it be… you’re from beyond the Upper Realm? From one of those places?!”
“Wrong. Not ‘places’—’heavens’!” A young man sneered, his disdain evident. “Your so-called heavenly deities? Pathetic. I’ve won eighty-one straight battles. Even your best heavenly deities combined are no match!”
The heavenly deities present paled. Even ancient sect masters darkened. But the young man spoke truth—he was too strong.
“Fine. Have all your heavenly deities come at me together!” The young man’s immortal aura swirled, manifesting as a Dao flower above his head. His arrogance knew no bounds.
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