Shi Hao could no longer hold back. Earlier, he had been forced to watch as senior experts like Xiang Feng and the Crimson-Haired Deity fell in battle, unable to intervene. But now, facing peers of his own generation, how could he stand idly by? He burned with the urge to act immediately!
“Without rules, there can be no order!” A thunderous shout erupted from the opposing side, like the beating of a celestial drum, nearly shattering Shi Hao’s very soul.
At the critical moment, Grand Elder Meng Tianzheng swept his sleeve, dispersing the ripples in the void and averting disaster.
“Do you seek to assassinate my disciple? Do you wish to provoke me into slaughtering all the young generation of your world?” the Grand Elder said coldly.
“You cannot. I was merely warning him—the rules are set, and none may change them!” The central figure among the three fossil-like beings spoke indifferently.
Shi Hao remained unharmed, his spirit exceptionally resilient. Though momentarily shaken, he quickly steadied himself under the Grand Elder’s protection. His eyes blazed with lightning-like intensity as he declared, “This is my challenge—dare you accept?”
His gaze locked onto the Serpent Yaksha and the group of young beings behind it.
“Who do you think you are? You lack the seed I seek—why should I grant you the chance? Begone!” the Serpent Yaksha sneered.
“Do you fancy yourself the Peerless Immortal King of old, daring to challenge all the kings of my race alone?”
“Ridiculous! What do you have to contend with us? Without a treasure seed, step aside!”
The reactions from the opposing side varied—some laughed mockingly, others spat cold rebukes, while a few didn’t even bother to look up, dismissing him outright.
“Rules are rules. Unless you possess the power to defy them, retreat now, or face death!” an elder from the foreign realm warned.
Grand Elder Meng Tianzheng sighed, silently urging Shi Hao to withdraw. The rules were immutable now.
“Xuan Kun!”
On the side of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, many cried out in sorrow, especially those who had trained at the Celestial Deity Academy. The loss of such a genius weighed heavily on their hearts.
“Damn it!” Many gnashed their teeth in fury. Xuan Kun had fallen in battle, only to be mocked and humiliated by the enemy. They yearned to strike back, but even Shi Hao’s challenge had been rejected—none could act without the decree of the Immortal Tortoise Shell.
Shi Hao’s blood boiled with battle-lust, his desire to fight never fiercer than today. He prayed fervently to be chosen next.
Yet, fate disappointed him. The Immortal Tortoise Shell shimmered, its divine light swirling amidst chaotic mist, before a final fragment flew out—landing before Lü Hong.
A hush fell. Lü Hong stepped forward, all eyes upon her.
“Lü Hong, be careful!”
“You can defeat it! Slay that Serpent Yaksha!”
Cheers erupted from behind her. Many hoped she would triumph and avenge Xuan Kun. Regardless of past rivalries, today they stood united against a common foe.
Lü Hong hailed from the Lü Clan, a lineage of eternal life. Her vitality surpassed all others—wherever she walked, withered lands sprouted anew, and deserts turned verdant. Some whispered that, if she matured unhindered, she might ascend as a Goddess of Life or even achieve immortality.
“Child, be cautious!” elders of the Lü Clan called out, their hearts clenched in worry.
This was no mere sparring match—it was a battle to the death. Nearly every clash thus far had ended in tragedy.
Lü Hong was beautiful, her figure graceful, skin pale, and emerald hair flowing as she advanced.
“I sense it—she bears a treasure seed within her!” The Serpent Yaksha’s silver eyes blazed, its tail thrashing in excitement.
“Return.” Yet, at that moment, an ancient voice from the foreign realm commanded the Serpent Yaksha to withdraw.
“Why? She is my prey!” the Serpent Yaksha protested.
“Do you question me?” the ancient being replied coldly.
“I dare not!” Trembling, the Serpent Yaksha obeyed, for the hierarchy of the foreign realm was absolute.
“You are a victor—you will fight again. Let others test their mettle,” the elder said.
This was a training exercise, ensuring all their young kings gained experience—a blatant display of arrogance.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths side seethed, but their losses left them powerless to protest.
As the Serpent Yaksha retreated, the Immortal Tortoise Shell glowed once more, a radiant fragment flying into the ranks of the foreign realm’s young kings.
“It’s me! Hah, what luck!” A golden-haired woman laughed, her form swaying, golden tail feathers fanning out like a peacock’s display.
The Golden Demon Bird!
The Immortal Tortoise Shell had chosen her.
“Such misfortune! Why not me?”
“A pity—the legendary Life Immortal Seed eludes me!”
Other kings grumbled in frustration, their disdain for the Nine Heavens evident.
Lü Hong stepped onto the battlefield, the Lü Clan’s hearts in their throats. None had expected her opponent to be the Golden Demon Bird—a race once feared even by the Peerless Immortal King.
“Surrender the Life Seed, and I may spare you,” the Golden Demon Bird said bluntly, her golden hair cascading, her voice laced with killing intent.
“The Peerless Immortal King exterminated your kind—yet some still slither free,” Lü Hong retorted.
“Bold words! You dare speak of that past?” Enraged, the Golden Demon Bird lunged forward.
Her clan had been annihilated by the Peerless Immortal King, who deemed them too dangerous. He had stormed their ancestral land alone, reducing it to ruins.
Boom!
The battle erupted, fierce and desperate. Lü Hong’s life energy surged, vines and flora erupting from the void, entangling the Golden Demon Bird. A verdant ocean of vitality sought to imprison her.
“Caw!”
A sudden, grating cry shattered the life energy. Lü Hong staggered, coughing blood, her spirit dimming.
The Golden Demon Bird’s innate ability—a single shriek could disrupt techniques, wound souls, and nearly shatter minds. In large-scale warfare, its devastation was unmatched.
“Lü Hong!”
Her allies cried out in alarm, the Lü Clan frantic. Yet none dared intervene, for the foreign realm’s ancient beings stood ready to slaughter any who trespassed.
Struck by such a sound, one’s soul could scatter instantly—a terrifying fate.
Lü Hong endured, her resilience keeping her alive. She counterattacked fiercely.
“Alas, Lü Hong’s strength lies in vitality, not combat,” someone murmured.
Though powerful, her prowess did not match her boundless life force. The Life Seed was more suited to healing, a boon in teamwork.
Lü Hong was invaluable—her future role could be monumental.
The battle raged on. The Golden Demon Bird could not unleash her cry endlessly, its toll too great.
“Caw!”
After three hundred exchanges, the cry came again, piercing Lü Hong’s skull, cracks spiderwebbing across her forehead.
She endured, but her injuries mounted.
Six hundred rounds later, as she began to recover, another shriek struck. Despite her defenses, the sound shattered her forehead, nearly claiming her life.
“I refuse to believe I cannot kill you!” The Golden Demon Bird, now strained, had never faced such tenacity.
Yet Lü Hong lacked the means to turn the tide.
“Caw!”
At the nine hundredth exchange, the Golden Demon Bird erupted in radiant light, revealing her true form—a foot-long golden bird. Her final cry was the deadliest yet.
“Gah!”
No miracle came. The cry pierced Lü Hong’s brow, and golden feathers impaled her body. She collapsed, blood pooling on the ancient battlefield.
“No!” The Lü Clan howled in grief, desperate to rush forward.
The battle was over.
Ssssh!
The Golden Demon Bird, though exhausted, swiftly extracted the Life Seed from Lü Hong’s body. The seed resisted, but a chant subdued it.
The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths watched grimly. The foreign realm had prepared well, countering their ancient seeds with precision.
Suddenly, the Immortal Tortoise Shell glowed anew.
The Golden Demon Bird paled, her corresponding fragment now stained crimson, as if dripping blood. Words appeared upon it.
“Who… who bears the name Shi?” she stammered.
“Death mark! A fatal draw!” Even the three ancient beings were startled. “Return! Avoid it!”
“I am Shi!” In the distance, Shi Hao growled like a beast, his hair wild with rage. At last—was it his turn to fight?
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