Chapter 1576: The Crippling

The Gu Clan has been mighty since ancient times, and remains formidable to this day!

Whether it was the discontent of the Fearless Lion or the suggestions from the Imperial Clan, he regarded them all with indifference.

For a moment, silence fell over the place, and no one dared to speak further.

Wu Kun, Yu Yu, Qing Kun, and others—each of them bore peculiar expressions. Though they were the so-called “young lords” of the Imperial Clan, they too remained quiet here, for the invisible dominance of the Gu Clan’s Supreme Being sent a chill down their spines.

As for the other students of the War God Academy, they were even more terrified, not daring to make a sound.

At this moment, only the furnace emitted strange noises as it burned with the flames of the Great Dao. At first, it gleamed brightly, then turned crimson, as if the metallic body was on the verge of melting.

At the same time, it became transparent, revealing everything inside.

Many felt a shiver run down their spines, sighing for Shi Hao—was he truly being refined like this?

Some spectators felt their scalps tingle just from watching, let alone Shi Hao, who was experiencing it firsthand. Though these people hated Shi Hao and wished for his death, they couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy now.

No matter what, Shi Hao was an extraordinary figure, a rare young genius in the world. Yet now, he met such a tragic end, perishing in such a manner—it was truly pitiful.

He was being disintegrated!

Anyone could see that if this continued, he would surely be ruined, with no good outcome.

Within the sealed alchemy furnace, his blood essence was being boiled out, rising in a mist of crimson—a truly desperate sight.

His flesh and skin had already dissolved, refined into a viscous fluid that shimmered with a crystalline glow—a fusion of divine power and laws.

“Harvesting the Great Medicine of the human body is indeed extraordinary. Even I am moved. Such a living elixir surpasses any medicinal herb!”

In the silence, someone finally spoke—it was the old lion of the Fearless Lion lineage.

Seated in meditation, though in lion form, it sat like a human, exuding both majesty and a murderous aura. Its golden fur appeared ancient and dull, wreathed in wisps of chaotic energy.

Everyone knew it had been in a foul temper lately. Though a Supreme Being, its killing intent was heavy, for one of its descendants had been captured by Shi Hao and turned into a mount.

This was seen as an unparalleled humiliation, the most disgraceful episode in the history of the Fearless Lion lineage.

No one dared to interject, not even the elder of the Gu Clan, who silently intensified the Dao flames to refine Shi Hao.

*Crack!*

Strange sounds came from within the furnace. Shi Hao’s bones, stripped from his body, had completely separated from his blood essence and flesh. Some had already fractured.

How terrifying was this refinement?

Everyone could see Shi Hao’s soul struggling and howling in agony. Clearly, the moment his physical form disintegrated, he had endured unimaginable suffering.

In truth, even imagining it was enough to understand how horrifying the experience must have been.

At the very least, the students witnessing this—including Mo Xian, He Ziming, and Yu Yu—felt their skin crawl, goosebumps rising on their backs.

“This is the legendary Yin-Yang Refinement—disassembling essence, energy, and spirit from every angle,” the old lion murmured, eyes gleaming.

“Hmm.” This time, the Gu Clan elder nodded faintly, his expression calm as he channeled rolling Dao flames between his fingers, incinerating the ancient furnace.

“Demonic Buddha’s mercy!” Ironically, the Fallen Ancient Monk chanted this Buddhist invocation.

“Let us hope for results,” the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic energy spoke. By now, it was clear that the last Supreme Being to arrive was from the Imperial Clan.

*Snap! Crack!*

Inside the furnace, Shi Hao’s bones shattered under the flames. Even though they had been separated from his flesh and soul, the pain still wracked him.

His soul writhed violently.

This torment was beyond the imagination of outsiders—worse than being slain a thousand times. He wished for nothing more than immediate death.

The people of Imperial Pass would never have guessed that Shi Hao was suffering such agony—a true hell on earth.

*Bang!*

The next moment, the furnace trembled as Shi Hao’s bones exploded into hundreds of fragments. Though still lustrous white, they were cracked, broken, and scattered within the vessel.

He was being utterly destroyed!

Within the furnace, medicinal flowers bloomed one after another, their faint fragrance seeping through the sealed vessel.

“This…” The young students gasped in shock. Was this truly alchemy?

“Is this the Great Medicine of the human body?” Yu Yu’s eyes gleamed as he stared at Shi Hao inside the furnace.

“This young man is extraordinary. His cultivation is peerless, containing such vast spiritual energy. Refining him into a furnace truly lives up to the name of ‘Great Medicine’!” Even the Gu Clan’s Supreme Being couldn’t help but praise.

Everyone knew Shi Hao was finished—no longer able to flaunt his arrogance, stripped of his proud cultivation. His divine essence had been extracted by this elder!

The so-called Great Medicine of the human body harvested the essence of a living being—divine power, cultivation, and all the most refined aspects—now extracted in this manner.

Some even swallowed hard—those of particularly brutal and bloodthirsty races—longing to devour the contents of the furnace in one gulp.

“Fellow Daoist, isn’t this excessive? The Ancient Ancestors have not yet returned. We may interrogate Shi Hao, but outright crippling him is too far,” the Imperial Clan’s Supreme Being spoke.

Six mats were placed in the hall, each occupied by a supreme expert. The Gu Clan elder, the old lion, and the Fallen Ancient Monk had once belonged to the Nine Heavens, while the other three were from the Foreign Realm—an Imperial Clan Supreme, and two terrifying experts exuding traces of immortal aura.

Now, the latter three were displeased, their expressions uneasy. If Shi Hao were truly crippled, provoking the wrath of the Immortal Kings, who could bear the consequences?

“Fear not. As long as his soul remains intact, there is no issue. The Immortal Kings surely seek knowledge from his mind,” the old lion said, naturally advocating for Shi Hao’s suppression without mercy.

The Gu Clan elder remained silent.

Yet everyone felt that the Gu Clan’s actions were indeed excessive—harsher than even those of the Foreign Realm. Did they truly hate Shi Hao so much?

Some speculated that the Gu Clan acted out of fear—intent on severing any promising seedlings from the Nine Heavens.

“Traitors are more detestable than true invaders!” This was Shi Hao’s lament, his heart roaring in fury, wishing he could slay them all immediately.

The agony was unbearable, an unending torment.

Now, Shi Hao felt his soul on the verge of collapse, for a mysterious force enveloped it, probing cautiously, attempting to siphon and break the seals.

Clearly, the Foreign Realm’s supreme experts knew his sea of consciousness was locked, sealed against external intrusion.

Now, they sought to dismantle it.

This was perilous—one misstep, and Shi Hao would perish, body and soul.

“It is the most formidable method of sealing the sea of consciousness. Even those far stronger cannot forcibly breach it, lest he explode instantly,” the Fallen Ancient Monk said, a dark radiance glowing behind his head.

The others frowned. Though they were attempting to dismantle the seal, progress was minimal, success unlikely.

*Crack!*

At that moment, another strange sound came from the furnace—not the fracturing of bones, but the snapping of some kind of divine chain of order, audible only to the strongest.

The figures seated on the mats paled, their composure breaking for the first time.

Wu Kun, Yu Yu, and the others also felt a chill—they realized what had happened.

Shi Hao had likely been truly destroyed. His cultivated Dao had been torn apart, all his rules and orders shattered, hence the sound of breaking.

“Ah, what a pity. I had hoped that, with enough luck, he might undergo a metamorphosis through this refinement,” the Gu Clan elder sighed.

He had indeed mentioned such a possibility—that under this refinement, there was a slim chance for the refined being to achieve a transformation.

But clearly, those were empty words.

Given his ruthless methods, fully intent on Shi Hao’s destruction, how could he allow any metamorphosis? He had directly torn apart Shi Hao’s Dao fruit.

Even though his flesh and soul were separated, Shi Hao could still sense it—he had likely been crippled!

The cultivation he had attained in Imperial Pass, the power tempered in that realm—all had been torn asunder, scattered.

He could even feel the snapping of divine chains of order, their essence from the Nine Heavens dissipating, utterly destroyed.

How cruel was this?

For a cultivator, there could be no darker experience.