Shi Hao sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands beginning to glow with a golden radiance that spread inch by inch up his arms, overflowing with vitality.
He had been completely withered before, as if extinguished, motionless and devoid of any life force. Many had believed he had passed away in meditation. Yet now, they witnessed this miraculous sight.
People were dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.
As time passed, the withered body grew increasingly vibrant. The golden luster flowed from his arms, soon enveloping his upper body.
Shi Hao appeared solemn and dignified, like a golden body undergoing nirvana. His form contained unfathomable mysteries, with astonishing power radiating from within.
It was clear—he had succeeded. He was reviving, his life force gradually manifesting.
People couldn’t help but marvel. The Desolate One was truly extraordinary. Everyone had thought he was on the verge of death, yet he had proven them wrong, using his adversaries as mere “whetstones” to temper himself.
Some glanced at Gu Jian Yun. Clearly, this peerless genius had misjudged the situation.
Gu Jian Yun remained composed, saying nothing. He merely stared at Shi Hao in silence.
“He killed the direct descendant of my Silverblood Demon Tree Clan and made an enemy of our sacred land. This man cannot be allowed to live!” someone muttered in the shadows—a powerful figure from the Silverblood Demon Tree Clan.
It was a male Heavenly Deity, accompanied by a female Heavenly Deity. Both had appeared with Yin Kun on Soul Island and had clashed with the Eight-Armed Soul Clan.
*Clang!*
A divine awl shot forth, black and gleaming with dark light—a Heavenly Deity artifact.
*Boom!*
The void shattered instantly. The might of a Heavenly Deity was unfathomable. The weapon tore through space, arriving before Shi Hao in an instant, icy and piercing, aiming straight for his brow.
“You dare?!”
The elderly Heavenly Deity of the Eight-Armed Soul Clan waved his sleeve, unleashing Heavenly Deity laws that solidified the space. He intercepted the black artifact and stood protectively before Shi Hao.
The conflict escalated—even Heavenly Deities had joined the fray!
The crowd tensed. Battles at this level could easily spill blood across entire realms, potentially destroying small worlds.
“Eight-Armed Soul Clan, you shelter the chief culprit! Know this—you are also descendants of the Immortal Ancient. Yet you stand by as he slaughters our kin! You deserve death!” roared the Heavenly Deity of the Silverblood Demon Tree Clan, revealing his true form—a towering silver ancient tree, its branches reaching the heavens, its voice like thunder.
*Boom!*
The silver tree moved, its massive branches lashing out, splitting the void. Each branch transformed into a Heavenly Deity law, terrifying beyond measure.
The elderly Heavenly Deity of the Eight-Armed Soul Clan had cultivated for countless years. His brow shone with formidable soul power. As a supreme Heavenly Deity, he showed no fear, weaving a net of laws to suppress his opponent.
“If that’s the case, why did you come to my Soul Island seeking Shi Hao, offering him all manner of benefits? Just because he refused, you turned hostile?” The old man exposed their hypocrisy, leaving no face for the Silverblood Demon Tree Clan.
The truth was clear to all—they had sought Shi Hao to break their curses. But some, bound by irreconcilable enmity, had sought only to kill him.
*Crack!*
Heavenly Deity laws clashed, twisting the void.
“Brothers, calm yourselves. Word has it that outsiders are attacking the barriers of the Immortal Ancient, trying to break in. We cannot afford internal strife now,” someone mediated.
As if to confirm this, the heavens trembled violently.
*Rumble!*
The massive spatial rift spanning the small worlds shook violently, emitting mysterious rays as laws intertwined. It was unstable—on the verge of collapse.
Clearly, countless powerful beings from the outside were assaulting it, trying to tear through the barrier!
This was alarming. The native inhabitants grew restless. For countless ages, no sect masters had breached their realm. Was this peace about to be shattered?
Unease spread. This was the final opening of the Immortal Ancient. No one knew how it would end or what would transpire.
*Boom!*
The great rift convulsed again, struck by an even fiercer impact, causing the descendants of Immortal Ancient to pale.
Meanwhile, the geniuses from the three thousand provinces rejoiced. Were their sects about to break through? Many were elated—this arena had been too challenging for them. But if their Heavenly Deities and sect masters arrived, they could crush all opposition.
The Desolate One? Gu Jian Yun? None would matter. No matter their talent, none could withstand a sect master now.
“Look! Gu Jian Yun has taken the stage!” someone suddenly exclaimed.
Clearly, Gu Jian Yun also sensed the urgency. If outsiders entered, the battles would escalate to clashes between sect masters. No matter how brilliant he was, his advantage would vanish.
“Who dares face me?” he asked calmly, his divine sword strapped to his back as he scanned the crowd.
Silence. No one dared respond.
He was unharmed, at his peak. Who would challenge him? Aside from the Desolate One, he was the only ancient freak to survive the heavenly tribulation.
An aura of invincibility surrounded him.
Time passed. Gu Jian Yun stood there, intimidating all. Without a single fight, the arena awarded him fifty consecutive victories.
The crowd was stunned.
Was this even possible? Many were speechless. No battles needed—just standing there was enough to accumulate wins!
Some frowned in frustration but lacked the courage to step forward.
“This is the aftermath of the Desolate One’s dominance!” someone sighed.
Not long ago, everyone had witnessed how Shi Hao, even on the brink of death, had won eight hundred matches uncontested. Gu Jian Yun, having also survived the tribulation, was now at full strength—naturally fearsome.
In their eyes, he might be even more terrifying than Shi Hao had been moments ago.
And so, he stood there, accumulating ninety-nine consecutive victories without lifting a finger.
When the hundredth match arrived, a challenger finally emerged, shouting from afar, “Gu Jian Yun, I’ll face you!”
A leaden cloud surged forth, carrying an oppressive aura. A gray-haired youth descended onto the stage with a thunderous impact.
“You—still alive?!” Gu Jian Yun was shocked.
“Indeed. Last time, you barely won by a single move. My remnant endured. This lifetime, we settle it!” The pale-faced youth, draped in shadowy mist, declared.
No explanation was needed. This man was clearly a terror—an ancient freak who had once fought Gu Jian Yun to a near standstill.
“If I defeated you once, I can slay you now,” Gu Jian Yun replied calmly.
“Enough talk. Let’s decide this!”
A life-and-death battle erupted. The challenger burned with battle intent, his aura monstrous as he lunged like an enraged lion.
*Swoosh!*
Within a dozen exchanges, Gu Jian Yun pierced him with a single finger. Blood sprayed as the body split apart.
“Dead so easily?”
“Think about it—Gu Jian Yun has cultivated immortal energy. How could an old rival stand against him now?”
The crowd sighed, pitying the fallen.
But Gu Jian Yun remained vigilant. He summoned divine flames, incinerating the corpse and blood.
“You can’t kill me!” To everyone’s horror, droplets of blood scattered, evading the flames before reforming into a human figure.
“You survived last time with this trick—the Infinite Blood Scripture!” Gu Jian Yun drew his sword, pointing it at the bloody figure.
“Exactly. As long as a single drop remains, I am eternal. Now, die!” The blood figure attacked, abandoning flesh for pure sanguine assault.
The spectators were aghast.
“The Infinite Blood Scripture! This demonic art is infamous for its cruelty. It was lost to time—how is it here?!”
An ancient secret art, though not on par with the Great Incineration or the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Sutras, it excelled in sheer unpredictability. Killing its practitioner was near impossible.
Gu Jian Yun’s sword strikes scattered the blood figure repeatedly, but it always reformed. Though some blood pearls were burned, eradicating them all proved futile.
“This is bad. How can he win against an unkillable foe?”
The Sword Valley disciples worried. Such an enemy was terrifying—a true immortal body?
“Fear not. Senior Brother Gu Jian Yun will find his weakness. No true immortality exists. Likely, a few drops of essence blood allow limited revivals. Destroy those, and he dies,” someone reasoned.
“I’ll refine your entire body into nothing!” Gu Jian Yun roared, his sword unleashing a domain that enveloped the foe.
*Boom!*
The blood figure was pierced and ignited.
Yet from a crack in the stage, a single blood pearl rolled out, reforming once more.
“One drop can manifest a new body?!”
“This demonic art grants five to nine extra lives, but it’s not true immortality. It doesn’t touch the immortal realm.”
The battle raged fiercely, but Gu Jian Yun eventually overwhelmed his opponent, slaying him nine times in succession until the bloodlight faded entirely.
“With immortal energy and heavenly tribulation behind me, even a hundred lives wouldn’t save you,” he stated flatly.
Silence followed.
He continued defending the stage, racking up dozens more unchallenged victories.
At the two hundredth match, an anomaly occurred. A challenger mounted the stage, wielding an artifact that initially seemed unremarkable—until it erupted with terrifying might, its divine light blasting Gu Jian Yun and making him cough blood.
“A Heavenly Deity artifact?!”
Outsiders couldn’t have brought such treasures inside! And native weapons weren’t permitted on the arena.
Wounded, Gu Jian Yun’s eyes blazed. “No matter how you obtained it, if you’re not a Heavenly Deity yourself, you die!”
With a roar, his sword gleamed as he merged with it, engaging the foe while dodging the artifact’s radiance.
Finally, he beheaded the challenger—but the artifact shot skyward, escaping capture.
Gu Jian Yun intended to continue, but then he spotted someone. His pupils contracted. A supreme figure had arrived, and he was injured.
He had to retreat and heal—or perish.
Gu Jian Yun leaped off the stage, vanishing instantly.
Soon after, a figure approached from the distance—ethereal, clad in white, so flawlessly handsome that even women might envy him.
Ning Chuan.
His silver hair cascaded to his waist, his robes and even his shoes immaculate as he trod upon divine runes.
*Boom!*
The crowd erupted. Ning Chuan lived!
This was monumental. He had survived the heavenly tribulation.
With a single step, he ascended the stage, his gaze sweeping the crowd. None dared challenge him.
Meanwhile, Shi Hao’s golden radiance had spread to his legs, his entire form now resembling gilded divinity.
Sensing something, his eyes snapped open—locking onto Ning Chuan on the stage.
His sharp perception detected another presence in the distance: the Banished Immortal of the Sinister Nest—also alive!
And then—the Ten Crowned King!
“This will be interesting. The final showdown approaches. Who is the strongest? The answer nears,” Shi Hao murmured.
The pinnacle figures had gathered. A cataclysmic clash was inevitable.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage