The group from the Immortal Realm was left speechless. Why did it feel like the tables had turned? Across from them, those creatures were eyeing them with sidelong glances, as if delighted to have found prey.
They were descendants of the Immortal King Ao Sheng, yet they were being treated with such disdain, as if they were nothing.
In their eyes, the opposing side was nothing more than a ragtag bunch—stones, butterflies, lions, even ants—what kind of combination was that? And yet, they had managed to intimidate them.
But there was no denying it. Every expert they sent forward was swiftly defeated, leaving them red-faced and humiliated.
“Hey, convinced yet? If not, come at me all at once! I, Shi Ba Tian, will take you all on!” The Divine Striking Stone taunted, rolling its eyes defiantly.
It was nothing short of a troublemaker, its nature simply incorrigible.
“You—!” The young creatures clenched their fists, their expressions darkening. Some couldn’t resist the urge to charge forward.
The middle-aged Supreme Being at the lead let out a cold snort, stopping them. If they all rushed in and were still beaten by that stone, the humiliation would be even worse.
“The four of us brothers will fight you! Send however many you want!” Four identical figures stepped forward—quadruplets.
*Bam!*
Cao Yusheng, who had been lingering at the back, unwilling to fight, was suddenly kicked forward by the Heavenly Horned Ant.
“Damn it! Who kicked me? I didn’t come out here on my own!” Cao Yusheng yelled.
The cultivators from the Immortal Realm burst into mocking laughter. Finally, they had encountered someone “normal.” If everyone else was so “freakish,” how could they possibly compete?
“You want to fight us?” The quadruplets sneered, swiftly surrounding Cao Yusheng as if they were a single entity.
“Wait, let’s talk this out!” Fatty Cao pleaded.
“Too late.” The brothers smirked coldly. They had stepped forward to reclaim their honor—they could only win, not retreat.
*Swoosh!*
Yet, before they could act, the seemingly harmless Fatty Cao struck first, faster than them. Runes intertwined within his body, unleashing countless sword beams.
**The Third Killing Array!**
This was the formation engraved in Cao Yusheng’s flesh and bones, his very path of cultivation.
It was too sudden. The formation spread from his body, its runes covering heaven and earth in an instant. Chaotic mist churned, and sword energy surged like a tide.
*Thud!*
All four brothers were struck, their bodies pierced by sword beams. Had they not reacted swiftly and retreated, the consequences would have been dire.
*Crash!*
They collapsed to the ground, bloodied and wounded. Any lesser cultivator would have been slain on the spot.
The crowd was speechless. This damn fatty was clearly powerful, with an astonishing formation carved into his body, yet he acted so shamelessly—playing the fool and ambushing his opponents.
Even Mu Qing and Zhu Lin stared at Cao Yusheng with strange expressions. This fatty was truly no good.
Shi Hao was also at a loss for words. The fatty could have won outright, yet he chose to deceive his opponents and win in such an underhanded manner.
“Despicable! Shameless! Scoundrel! Villain!” The four brothers cursed.
Then, the crowd noticed something odd—their long hair had loosened, revealing bloodstained faces. They were actually four young women, now exposed.
No wonder they were cursing so fiercely. A fatty had just ambushed a group of beauties.
“You should’ve said so earlier! I would’ve been gentler—I’m known as the Flower-Tender Noble!” Cao Yusheng struck a pose.
“Damn fatty!” The four girls wanted to spit in his face.
With a solemn expression, Cao Yusheng strode forward, intending to help them up one by one. “Better to resolve enmity than to prolong it.”
The girls were furious. This damn fatty was trying to take advantage of them.
The Immortal Realm cultivators were equally exasperated. This fatty was utterly shameless. If he had the skill, he should’ve fought fairly instead of resorting to such underhanded tactics.
Fatty Cao slunk back, realizing he had provoked the crowd’s wrath. Many young cultivators from the Immortal Realm glared at him, daring him to approach the girls again.
Ao Sheng’s descendants felt utterly humiliated. They had lost multiple battles in a row.
“Enough!” The middle-aged Supreme Being spoke, stopping the younger generation from further challenges. The disgrace had already been great.
If word spread back to the Immortal Realm, it would cause an uproar—these juniors had suffered such crushing defeats.
Of course, he wasn’t overly worried. The strongest heirs of their clan weren’t present—they were all in the Immortal Realm, ruling their own domains and towering above their peers.
Especially that young lord, who had inherited the Immortal King’s teachings, his power unmatched among his generation!
Among today’s group was a promising seedling—the younger brother of that young lord, still in his youth at the Heavenly Deity Realm, in need of a flawless Dao Bell for fusion.
That youth possessed peerless talent, reminiscent of his elder brother a thousand years ago. He was destined for greatness, though he had yet to fully mature, still far from the Dunyi Realm and unable to fight.
“Fellow Daoist, how about a spar between the two of us?” The middle-aged Supreme Being stepped forward.
“Very well.” Shi Hao’s reply was brief.
*Boom!*
The Supreme Being struck, forming an imperial seal and hurling it at Shi Hao with terrifying force.
Yet Shi Hao didn’t dodge. With a sweeping motion, he extended a massive hand, covering the sky as it pressed down upon the Supreme Being.
To many, this seemed arrogant—such a casual suppression was usually the choice of someone far stronger.
Indeed, the Supreme Being’s eyes turned icy. He activated his Dharma Body, expanding to the heavens, intent on crushing Shi Hao.
But he met resistance. The colossal hand in the sky forced his Dharma Body to shrink, pressing him firmly into the ground.
He couldn’t move. Even his imperial seal dimmed, losing its Supreme might.
Silence fell. Everyone stared in shock as Shi Hao pinned the Supreme Being with a single hand, like a dragon subduing a beast.
*Swoosh!*
A dazzling divine light erupted as another Supreme Being intervened, fearing Shi Hao would kill his comrade. He unleashed his strongest treasure art.
Yet Shi Hao’s response was simple—another massive hand descended, crushing the second Supreme Being just as easily.
The crowd was horrified. What kind of power was this? A single man effortlessly suppressing two Supreme Beings!
Luo Lin, Qing Yi’s disciple, gaped in disbelief. For the first time, she understood just how terrifying the man her master had spoken of truly was. Despite hailing from a barren ancient world, he wielded such divine might, intimidating even the Immortal Realm’s elites.
It was all too effortless. Luo Lin’s heart pounded. No one could resist him. The two Supreme Beings strained but couldn’t break free.
Fear gripped the crowd. If Shi Hao decided to slaughter them, none would survive. The atmosphere grew tense.
But to their surprise, Shi Hao withdrew, releasing the two Supreme Beings.
Ao Sheng’s two Supreme Beings felt complex emotions. Aside from True Immortals, who in the Human Dao Realm could suppress them so easily?
This young man was terrifying. A single hand was enough to crush a Supreme Being—he was truly invincible in the Human Dao Realm!
“Thank you for your mercy, Fellow Daoist.” They clasped their hands in gratitude. Had Shi Hao exerted even slightly more force, they would have been annihilated.
“In the battle for the Dao Seed, I will show no mercy,” Shi Hao stated.
Their expressions darkened. They had come for the Ten Thousand Dao Tree—how could they abandon it?
“Fellow Daoist, this Dao Seed was nurtured by our Immortal King Ao Sheng. It was long predestined,” one Supreme Being argued.
“The Ten Thousand Dao Tree is born of nature. Who can claim to nurture it? We compete by strength alone!” Shi Hao’s tone was cold.
Tension thickened as the two sides faced off.
“Let us consult that senior—who truly planted this tree?” Shi Hao suggested.
At the center of the floating island, a radiant tree stood, its bark cracked like a coiling dragon, bearing ten thousand fruits. Beneath it sat a figure, his hair disheveled, bound by rusted chains of immortal metal piercing his shoulders.
The man was emaciated, his eyes closed, motionless as if petrified.
But Shi Hao knew he lived. A thousand years ago, when they had tried to take the tree, this man had awakened, declaring it belonged to another.
“Senior, awaken. We are descendants of Immortal King Ao Sheng, here to claim the supreme Dao Seed,” the middle-aged Supreme Being called out.
To their surprise, the man’s eyes opened. His gaze was dull, lifeless after countless years of imprisonment.
“It seems the other lineage has fallen. Ao Sheng prevailed, else this tree would belong to them,” the man rasped.
He had waited eternally, guarding the tree until maturity, for its rightful owner to claim it.
“Immortal King Ao Sheng is peerless, unmatched since ancient times,” the Supreme Being declared.
“Yet this was never Ao Sheng’s possession. It belonged to another Immortal King, meant for his descendants. It seems that lineage has perished,” the man sighed.
Suddenly, he locked eyes with Shi Hao, his rusted chains clanking. “To think… at such a young age, you’ve reached invincibility in the Human Dao Realm. We met once before—fate, it seems. Take it!”
With a *snap*, his chains shattered. He stood, and the Ten Thousand Dao Tree uprooted itself, flying toward Shi Hao.
The crowd was stunned. Without any struggle, the tree had been gifted to Shi Hao.
“My duty is done. The tree has matured. It is time for me to depart.” The disheveled man stiffened, sitting back down as his body began to petrify.
Soon, he became a stone statue, his life force extinguished.
“I gift you the tree. Bury me, and our karma is settled.” The statue’s head glowed weakly.
“Senior, you—?” Shi Hao was shocked.
“My time was long overdue. I lingered only for this. Perhaps in ages to come, this stone shell will awaken anew, birthing life once more.” His voice faded.
Was such a thing possible?
“But that new being will not be me—merely a heaven-born Sacred Spirit. I can only hope… that reincarnation is real, that one day, it may remember.”
Shi Hao fell silent. If there had been another choice, this man would never have placed his hopes in the uncertain cycle of rebirth.
“In ancient times, stone-born spirits occasionally emerged, some even ascending directly to immortality. Could they all have been like this?” Cao Yusheng muttered.
“True heaven-born stone spirits are rare. Most are ancient experts who petrified, only to awaken eons later with new souls and life.”
With those final words, the statue’s glow vanished. His life had truly ended.
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