“Don’t cause trouble, move aside quickly! I’m not done yet—the most important thing is about to escape!”
Shi Hao unceremoniously shoved aside a disheveled old man, leaving everyone stunned by his audacity.
But at this moment, Shi Hao was genuinely frantic, his expression grave as he focused on chasing the radiant streak left behind by the Immortal-Execution Guillotine.
He didn’t dare recklessly intercept the beam with his body, fearing severe consequences—after all, his head had just been severed by that dark-red blade. To play it safe, he decided to deploy the Lightning Pool. Both it and the guillotine were born from heavenly tribulation, so they shouldn’t conflict. Moreover, he had tested the pool’s durability—it was unnaturally sturdy, impervious to even the guillotine’s edge.
“Kid, what’s with that attitude?” The old man glared but didn’t seem truly angry, his lips curling into an easygoing smile despite his exaggerated eye-rolling.
“Whoosh!”
The beam was unbelievably fast—streaking like lightning, darting like a rainbow, nearly impossible to catch. Nothing could match its speed.
Wherever it passed, time itself seemed to freeze, as if piercing through eternity!
“Shhht!”
An old man intervened, forcing the beam toward Shi Hao.
Yet, the radiant streak seemed sentient, twisting and fleeing in another direction.
“Hmm, intriguing. Has this thing gained sentience? Does it possess will?” Another elder acted as the light veered toward him.
“This is a treasure! It must have fallen from the heavenly tribulation. Unless I’m mistaken, it’s a fragment from the Immortal-Execution Guillotine’s blade,” someone remarked, eyes blazing with greed.
“This thing is likely beyond extraordinary—perhaps even more valuable than the Lightning Pool. Block it! Don’t let it escape!”
A group of elders joined forces, sealing off all escape routes.
Shi Hao, who had earlier grumbled about them obstructing his path, now sighed in relief. Their combined might made it impossible for the beam to flee.
“Watch out!”
Someone shouted in alarm as the beam tore through the void, threatening to vanish. Once gone, recapturing it would be near impossible.
“Come out!” A silver-haired crone bellowed, her fingers glowing before expanding into a massive palm that shattered the sky, forcing the beam back into the open.
“This slippery thing—be mine!” Another elder produced a golden gourd, its mouth swirling with a vortex capable of swallowing the heavens.
The beam was sucked inside.
“Hah! Captured and suppressed!” the elder crowed triumphantly.
But the moment he sealed the gourd, it trembled violently before—*crack!*—the beam burst through its base.
“My treasure!” The elder’s face turned ashen.
The beam escaped, unstoppable.
“This thing is unnatural. Let me try!” Others brandished weapons, but the beam pierced shields, split spears, and shredded nets.
Worse, it impaled an elder’s palm, blood gushing.
No one could contain it.
“What *is* this? Just a beam of light?”
Then—*BOOM!*
A colossal black hand blotted out the sky, its oppressive aura making even the elders pale.
“From the Ancestral Altar!” someone whispered fearfully.
The Ancestral Altar housed the fallen war gods and reclusive guardians of Imperial Pass. For one of them to intervene meant the beam’s value was incalculable.
“Hmm. Such a tiny wisp isn’t worth dividing. Let the young ones have it.”
Elder Meng Tianzheng appeared.
“*Restrain!*”
With a single command and a pointed finger, crimson energy surged forth, immobilizing the beam.
Effortlessly, he sealed it within the Lightning Pool.
The black hand hesitated before retreating into the void.
Silence. Then—
“Is this the essence of the Immortal-Execution Guillotine?”
“That blade executes gods and immortals. Its remnant light must be priceless—on par with the Lightning Pool!”
The elders mobbed Shi Hao.
“Little brother, that pool’s sizable. Break off a piece for me?”
“Sizeable? It’s barely a foot wide! I wish it were bigger!” Shi Hao retorted, eyes gleaming like a miser’s.
“I’ll trade you rare divine materials—even a Void-Shattering artifact!”
Before Shi Hao could respond, others jeered.
“Old Wei, your Wei Clan is one of Imperial Pass’s three eternal lineages! Such a paltry offer?”
“Fine. I’ll offer Dark Immortal Gold!”
Gasps erupted.
Immortal Gold—a material for crafting transcendent weapons—was near-mythical.
“Just a thumb-sized piece, mind you. Enough for research,” the elder clarified.
Recognizing him as from the Tuoba Clan, the crowd sighed. Only an eternal lineage could produce such treasure.
“I apologize! I’ll offer a larger piece!” Old Wei backpedaled, still coveting the pool.
This was the first tangible Lightning Pool ever seized from tribulation. Its origins—natural or artificial—held profound secrets.
“I bid a Supreme Artifact!”
Supreme Artifacts, forged by beings like Meng Tianzheng, were near-peerless, some even capable of evolving into immortal weapons.
“Elders, I can’t part with it,” Shi Hao demurred, though tempted.
“Just a fragment, then!”
The youths gaped. What fortune had Shi Hao reaped?
“Fine. Lend it to my clan for six months, and the Immortal Gold is yours.”
Shi Hao hesitated.
“Here’s my counteroffer: Help me with one thing, and I’ll surrender it publicly.”
Silence.
This crafty brat, suddenly compliant?
“What do you want?”
“I love eating. It’s my greatest joy—irresistible.”
Confused stares.
“The Wang Clan’s Nine Dragons—five are in Imperial Pass. Bring me dragon meat, and the pool is yours.”
Dead silence.
“They’re fierce, but with all of us attacking, surely we can taste dragon! Join me, and I’ll hand over the pool.”
The crowd turned to stone.
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