Two experts at the Slaying Self realm were swiftly slain, sending chills down the spines of everyone on Bihuo Island. Just how strong had Huang truly become?
“You…” In the distance, Wang Xi pointed at Shi Hao, speechless. Her granduncle was undeniably powerful, yet Huang had executed him without hesitation—clean and decisive.
“I will slay you!” Jin Zhan roared, his hair wild, brows furrowed, and eyes bloodshot. With a single breath, he unleashed a river of stars woven from bone inscriptions, slashing toward Shi Hao.
A strand of innate true energy merged with chaos, said to be capable of felling the sun and moon. At its peak, it could cleave starfields and rend the cosmos!
“Return!” Suddenly, a voice echoed from behind, and a spatial gate opened. A massive, azure-glowing hand reached out, seizing Jin Zhan with a *bang* and whisking him away.
The onlookers were stunned. They had expected Jin Zhan to go berserk and engage Huang in a life-or-death battle, but instead, he was forcibly taken away. It was obvious—this was the Jin Clan’s doing.
People understood. With major figures now watching, the situation had grown complicated. The Jin Clan sought to temporarily withdraw from the storm’s eye.
Whether they would pursue Shi Hao for killing their clansmen would have to wait. Now was not the time to become the center of attention.
At the very least, the Wang Clan was in deeper trouble, about to lose three Thunder Spirits—an unimaginable loss.
These creatures were beyond rare, scarcely seen since ancient times. Even supreme beings of this era barely believed in their existence. Now, living proof had appeared—how could it not shock the world?
This was an earth-shattering event!
And as one of the central figures, Shi Hao had actually subdued the Thunder Spirits, further terrifying the crowd.
“Huang is too strong! I thought I had already overestimated him, but now I realize he surpasses even my imagination!”
Thunder Spirits—creatures hailed as invincible—had been defeated, and not just one, but three! These were beings that dared to defy heavenly tribulation, even devouring it!
Huang’s feats spoke for themselves. Everyone’s hearts trembled as they finally understood how he had single-handedly slain ten kings at the Great Scarlet Sky’s border.
“Two experts from the Wang and Jin Clans were killed so easily—Huang’s speed is terrifying!”
“Jin Zhan, weren’t you hailed as the foremost in the modern path? Why run away? If you have the skill, face Huang in battle!” someone jeered, stirring the crowd.
Once the initial shock faded, many young cultivators sided with Shi Hao, disgusted by the Wang Clan’s methods and equally disdainful of Jin Zhan’s family.
Especially the Wang Clan—they had tried to sabotage Shi Hao during his tribulation, unleashing those horrifying creatures to ruin his body and steal his Dao fruits.
Now, word had spread. Many knew what Thunder Spirits were, and the revelation left them both awed and fearful.
Just three worm-like creatures, no longer than chopsticks, could devour heavenly tribulation and ruin a cultivator’s Dao fruits. Their evolution relied on tribulation as an opportunity, feeding on tribulation liquid.
“Fairy Wang Xi, hasn’t your Wang Clan gone too far?” someone challenged her.
Her face pale, Wang Xi was shaken by Shi Hao’s power and her granduncle’s death. Hearing the accusation, her eyes briefly regained focus.
“Fairy Wang Xi, why not invite your betrothed, Jin Zhan, for a fair duel? That would be better than releasing Thunder Spirits to ruin someone’s Dao fruits. Let’s see who’s truly stronger!” another voice chimed in.
“This matter will be judged fairly,” came a response. Another spatial gate materialized, shimmering with faint radiance and dense bone inscriptions, pulling Wang Xi inside.
No Wang Clan elders appeared. In such a situation, their intervention would provoke retaliation from supreme figures in Imperial Pass—like Elder Meng Tianzheng, who had likely emerged from seclusion and might even target the Wang Clan’s Five Dragons.
One thing was clear: the Thunder Spirits had changed hands, and they weren’t coming back.
“This is agony!” someone from the Wang Clan groaned, voice suppressed, unwilling to let others hear. It was a stifled roar of frustration.
They had lost an invincible creature, one that could have become a cornerstone of their clan’s future. And now, it was gone.
Who could have imagined that Thunder Spirits, with their innate advantage in tribulation, would be defeated by Huang? Even their ambush had failed!
Meanwhile, a fierce battle raged in the distance. The Golden Butterfly clashed with two creatures—one gold, one silver—in a spectacle that left all onlookers breathless.
With a single flap of its wings, spatial rifts stretched for miles, making the sky appear shattered. Even the most seasoned experts felt their hearts quake.
“This little guy… Back in the Immortal Ancient battlefield ruins, it absorbed the essence of an ancient Emperor Butterfly. After years of metamorphosis, the benefits are truly unimaginable!” Cao Yusheng sighed.
He had known about this, but witnessing it firsthand still left him awestruck.
In the ancient cave where the Emperor Butterfly once dwelled, a key had been unearthed—claimed by Shi Hao, leading him to the Undying Scripture in the North Sea’s Undying Mountain.
In hindsight, it made sense. A creature like the Emperor Butterfly guarding such a treasure was no coincidence. These beings were terrifying!
Now, the Golden Butterfly was furious. Earlier, its golden wings had suppressed the two Thunder Spirits, but the creatures refused to yield, fighting back with desperate ferocity.
*Clang!*
Though elegant in flight, the butterfly’s attacks were devastating. Its golden wings left deep gashes on the silver Thunder Spirit, drawing blood—something only Shi Hao had managed before.
*Boom!*
The golden Thunder Spirit intervened, spewing a bolt of lightning infused with chaos and faint immortal mist. The sight sent chills through the crowd.
“That mist is fused with its blood! These creatures… are they wielding immortal power?!” someone gasped, stunned and fearful.
Indeed, the lightning, empowered by Thunder Spirit blood, repelled the butterfly, freeing the silver one.
The two Thunder Spirits shrieked in rage, channeling their lightning into golden and silver streaks, clashing fiercely with the butterfly.
The battle was intense, captivating all who watched.
Many wondered—what kind of butterfly was this? How could it be so formidable?
A few recognized it as an Emperor Butterfly, but knowledge of its past exploits was scarce.
“Perhaps, like the Guardian lineage, it doesn’t belong to this world. It might hail from an ancient, distant land,” someone murmured.
The Guardian lineage of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—like Dugu Yun’s ancestors—were suspected to have origins beyond this realm.
*Clang!*
The golden butterfly wings shone brilliantly, overwhelming the two Thunder Spirits in the end, subduing them despite the odds.
The crowd was speechless. This butterfly was monstrous, capable of suppressing even the legendary Thunder Spirits.
And this was just Shi Hao’s companion! If he could suppress Thunder Spirits, so could his golden butterfly!
“This…” Many were too stunned to articulate their thoughts.
If these two grew stronger, how terrifying would they become? Shi Hao’s entourage would undoubtedly become an unrivaled force.
“The Thunder Spirits are restrained!” someone cried out.
After hundreds of exchanges, the butterfly pinned down both creatures, immobilizing them beneath its wings.
Shi Hao smiled, stepping out of the tribulation to personally seal the two Thunder Spirits, adding them to the one he had captured earlier.
He didn’t kill them. If tamed, they would make formidable battle servants!
The crowd buzzed with excitement, but Shi Hao ignored them, sitting cross-legged in the lightning pool to fully absorb the remaining tribulation liquid.
Then, he ascended to the tenth heaven, aiming for the true lightning pool!
“There’s another pool?!” The younger generation felt dizzy.
A tenth heaven existed, bathed in serene divine light, where lightning was gentle—until Shi Hao barged in.
The tranquility shattered into fury, but Shi Hao pressed on, reaching the pool in an instant.
This pool was small—less than a foot wide—but its liquid was infinitely more potent than the previous one.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a bone cauldron and began collecting the liquid, fearing any delay might bring unforeseen consequences.
The liquid glowed crimson like jade marrow or the essence of heaven and earth, brimming with immeasurable power—priceless beyond measure!
The pool itself felt ancient, carved from stone rather than formed by lightning.
“If the liquid is real… could the pool be real too? Can I take the entire thing?” Shi Hao muttered.
This pool was unlike any he’d seen before—too tangible, too ancient, exuding an immortal aura.
“Come with me!”
He exerted his full strength, attempting to lift the entire pool into his spatial artifact for later study.
Watching from afar, the crowd was speechless.
Huang… just how greedy was he? Stealing tribulation liquid was one thing, but now he wanted to take the whole pool?
Normally, no one could obtain an entire pool’s worth of liquid—Shi Hao’s past tribulations had proven that.
The ninth heaven’s pool had been an exception, as it wasn’t the ultimate reward of this tribulation.
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