Yun Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found it difficult to speak.
“You should go back,” Shi Hao said. He knew why Yun Xi had come, but there was no way he would agree.
“Shi Hao, the elders asked me to inquire—what will it take for you to withdraw and let this matter rest?” Yun Xi finally voiced the question. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to face her clan.
“Have those so-called elders come out, and I’ll settle things with them all at once. After that, the grievances between me and the Celestial Clan will be over,” Shi Hao said calmly.
Yun Xi’s eyes widened in shock. Though his words were measured, the killing intent behind them was overwhelming, pressing down on her spirit. He was preparing for a massacre!
For the Celestial Clan, these terms were far too harsh—an unbearable weight.
How many Heavenly Gods could a clan truly have? Those elders were the highest echelons of the Celestial Clan, their most powerful Heavenly Gods. If they were slaughtered, the clan would plummet into decline.
Was he planning to wipe out the Celestial Clan’s leadership in one fell swoop?!
In the distance, those atop the city walls couldn’t hear his words, but they could read his lips, deciphering his meaning. Fury surged among them.
This was sheer arrogance! A single person, daring to demand the slaughter of an entire clan’s leadership!
Even if they didn’t doubt his strength, even if he truly had the means, would the Celestial Clan’s leaders simply sit and wait for death?
The Celestial City erupted into chaos. Many were indignant, and the clamor rose instantly.
Outside the city, Yun Xi stared blankly at Shi Hao, making one final plea. “I know the elders wronged you in the past, but… can’t you relent?”
She wanted to ask what compensation Shi Hao desired—whether it was rare treasures, divine medicines, or other priceless resources.
But Shi Hao’s response was unyielding. “Yun Xi, go back. Out of respect for our shared origins from the lower realm, I won’t make things difficult for you. But if any other Celestial Clan experts come to persuade me, I’ll cut them down with my sword!”
Yun Xi fell silent, her eyes reddening. She turned away wordlessly, the negotiations ending in failure. Caught between both sides, she was truly at a loss.
“You brat! Who do you think you are? A deity of longevity? To casually demand the heads of our clan’s leaders—you’re not invincible yet!” someone roared from the city walls.
The Celestial Clan had once been a royal lineage, their pride ingrained in their bones. How could they tolerate such humiliation from a junior? Many were incensed.
The Celestial City glowed, bearing down on Shi Hao!
Yet, Shi Hao held the Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram, its defensive power formidable enough to protect him.
In truth, breaching the city was unrealistic. The Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram was a “passive divine artifact,” only activating its defenses when attacked.
Thus, the two sides reached an impasse.
Shi Hao remained composed, but the Celestial Clan was anything but. To be blockaded at their ancestral gates by a junior was an unbearable disgrace.
Their greatest fear was that news of this would spread, inviting ridicule from other sects and marking the Celestial Clan as utterly fallen.
Shi Hao wanted to break in, while the Celestial Clan wanted to suppress him.
“The Celestial City is a renowned treasure of the upper realm. We can’t breach it. Is this stalemate wise? They might have hidden trump cards,” Huo Ling’er cautioned.
“No matter. I only need to blockade their divine city for a day or two to tarnish their reputation beyond repair,” Shi Hao replied.
Though he could now rival Heavenly Gods, he knew overthrowing a major sect was beyond him. Storming the Celestial City was impossible, but he could still humiliate them.
Sure enough, within half a day, the Celestial Clan grew restless. The shame was unbearable—a mere brat had pushed them to this point.
“Disaster! Heavenly God Qi Tuo is outside and due to return soon. If that little thief intercepts him, it’ll be catastrophic,” someone in the Celestial City muttered.
They feared Qi Tuo would be ambushed.
“Wait—where did that brat go?” The crowd was stunned as Shi Hao vanished.
“Down there!”
Someone spotted him still within the hundred-thousand-mile ancestral territory—not hunting or gathering herbs, but interrogating the True Gods he had earlier defeated.
Soon, his eyes gleamed. A Heavenly God was outside, about to return. This was a golden opportunity.
Especially when Shi Hao heard the name—his grip tightened, his gaze blazing.
“Qi Tuo… it’s you!”
Years ago, Qi Tuo had been the one to abduct him from the Bloody Plains to the Celestial City.
“Who knows Qi Tuo’s whereabouts? Send word to him immediately!” The Celestial City was in a panic.
Though Qi Tuo was a mighty Heavenly God, everyone feared his demise—proof of how terrifying Shi Hao had become, a veritable Heavenly God slayer.
Yet, no one knew Qi Tuo’s current location. The path and position of a Heavenly God were hard to pin down.
Shi Hao scrutinized the ancient land, watching the Celestial City, lying in wait for the Heavenly God’s return.
He even had the Divine Striking Stone set up formations to monitor and intercept Qi Tuo more effectively.
“The audacity! To set up formations on our land—what does he take us for?” someone bellowed, driving the Celestial City forward again.
“Ah, he’s here!” Shi Hao’s eyes burned.
He wasn’t looking at the Celestial City but at the lower realm’s territory—someone had entered the hundred-thousand-mile hunting grounds.
Shi Hao recognized him instantly: Qi Tuo!
“Escape!” The Celestial City spotted him too, shouting warnings.
Qi Tuo, in his prime with vigorous blood energy, reacted swiftly, soaring upward.
But Shi Hao was already upon him, riding lightning with the Kun Peng’s wings on his back, closing the distance in an instant.
Both tore through the void, pushing their speed to the limit.
Yet Qi Tuo was slightly slower—no match for the Kun Peng’s velocity.
“It’s you!” He recognized Shi Hao, his heart chilling. Though he had once captured Shi Hao like a chick, he couldn’t underestimate him now.
Rumors of Shi Hao’s exploits in the Immortal Ancient Ruins—slaying Heavenly Gods—had spread across the three thousand provinces.
“Boom!”
Qi Tuo mustered all his divine power, unleashing his full might against Shi Hao.
Simultaneously, the Celestial City descended, attempting to rescue him.
Shi Hao’s eyes blazed like golden lamps, his gaze razor-sharp. With a metallic ring, he drew the Great Luo Sword and slashed forward.
He rarely unsheathed this blade—doing so signaled his overwhelming killing intent.
Sword light pierced the heavens, divine techniques shook the skies, and runes like tidal waves engulfed the battlefield.
“Thud!”
A head flew. Qi Tuo was slain, his soul unable to escape. Shi Hao followed up with a stab through the forehead, ending him on the spot.
“Ah—!” Screams erupted from the Celestial City.
In a single day, the Celestial Clan had lost two Heavenly Gods—Mo Luo and Qi Tuo. An unbearable blow.
“How could this happen? How?!” Elders roared within the city, seething with humiliation. Blockaded, they couldn’t even retaliate.
“Damn it!” Many in the Celestial Clan howled, especially the radicals, their eyes bloodshot.
Yet none dared leave the city for vengeance. A mighty clan, pinned down like this—it was too shameful.
Shi Hao blockaded them for a full day and night, driving the clan to madness.
Many in the city clamored for battle, eager to unite and crush Shi Hao.
The clamor grew deafening.
“What’s happening? Why the uproar?” A hoarse voice echoed from an ice palace—the Celestial Clan’s Guardian.
“Elder, Shi Hao has come. He blockades the Celestial City and has slain two of our Heavenly Gods,” a disciple reported nervously.
“What? That junior dares to act so boldly? Is the Willow Deity with him?” the Guardian asked, tense. If that willow tree had come, who could oppose it?
“No, just Shi Hao alone.”
The Guardian immediately emerged from seclusion.
The Celestial Clan’s leaders rushed to meet him.
“Elder, your injuries aren’t healed. Please rest!” someone urged.
“Rest? That whelp is at our gates! I’ll end him!” The Guardian’s face was ashen.
His recent near-fatal injuries from a prior battle had forced him into seclusion. Now, he emerged, livid.
“The Guardian has emerged to slay Shi Hao!”
“Surely he’ll capture him alive!”
The Celestial City buzzed with anticipation.
“That old fiend has appeared!” Shi Hao’s pupils contracted. His Heavenly Eye had been fixed on the Celestial City.
The moment the Guardian emerged, Shi Hao spotted him.
“Let’s leave, now!” Huo Ling’er urged.
“Not yet.” Shi Hao shook his head.
“Little bastard! You dare show your face before the Celestial Clan?!” The Guardian’s withered hand shot forward.
“Old fool, last time outside the Immortal Ancient Ruins, you were half-dead and fled. Now you’re posturing again?” Shi Hao taunted, darting back.
The Guardian’s face was pale, devoid of blood. He leaped from the Celestial City, pursuing Shi Hao.
“Old man, I heard you were on death’s door. Why come out to die?” Shi Hao jeered.
But he didn’t linger. With the Great Luo Sword, he sliced through the void, fleeing with a golden escape talisman.
He couldn’t face the Guardian head-on.
“Boom!”
The heavens trembled, the void shattered. But the Guardian’s strike missed, and Shi Hao escaped.
The Guardian gave chase but failed.
Shi Hao had treasures like the golden Boundary-Breaking Talisman from the Immortal Ancient Ruins, granting him extreme speed.
“We’re safe. Let’s not go back,” Huo Ling’er exhaled.
“Don’t worry. If he were truly strong, how could we escape?” Shi Hao’s eyes gleamed. He wanted to kill the Guardian.
“That man is too powerful. We can’t provoke him,” Huo Ling’er pleaded.
“He’s already nearing the end of his lifespan, and his injuries are grave. We can provoke him, grind him down!” Shi Hao said.
The Guardian returned, frustrated.
Soon, Shi Hao reappeared, taunting the Celestial Clan and the Guardian atop the city.
The Guardian’s face darkened further. He gave chase again, but Shi Hao escaped once more.
“We’re going back?” Huo Ling’er was shocked. Shi Hao kept returning, provoking relentlessly.
“Exactly. Force that old man to exert himself. We’ll wear him down!” Shi Hao said.
After the fifth time, the Guardian sat down, attempting to divine Shi Hao’s location.
“Elder, no!” The Celestial Clan protested.
“My lifespan was already short, and my injuries are fatal. Before I die, I’ll uncover his secrets!” the Guardian declared.
If Shi Hao were far, he wouldn’t bother. But this close, it should be easy.
“Pfft!”
But the Guardian spat blood, his face filled with horror. His divine foundation was damaged.
“Why? He’s nearby—the backlash shouldn’t be this severe. Have I incurred heaven’s wrath?!” the Guardian muttered.
Unwilling, he tried again, seeking to suppress Shi Hao before death.
This time, it was worse. Blood gushed from his mouth, his injuries critical.
“How?!” He had divined Shi Hao before, knowing he was extraordinary.
But back then, the distance was vast, making it difficult.
Now, with Shi Hao so close, he still failed—and was grievously wounded.
“Before I die, I’ll capture him!” The Guardian was obsessed.
He tried once more. Blood seeped from his seven orifices. “What… what is this? I saw a glimpse of the future… this person…”
The Celestial Clan watched as the Guardian trembled, horrified.
“Elder, what’s wrong?”
“Shi Hao…” The Guardian uttered only this before his forehead split. With a final roar, he collapsed, dead.
“Heavens! The Guardian is dead!”
The cry shook the Celestial City.
“That brat… he killed the Guardian!” someone wailed in grief.
“Let’s go.” Shi Hao left with Huo Ling’er.
News spread swiftly, shocking many.
Shi Hao had slain two Heavenly Gods and exhausted the Guardian to death. The revelation sent tremors through the upper realm.
This was no mere ripple—it was an earthquake.
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