A celestial being of his stature being mocked like this—Ma Yuan was both shocked and furious, his heart filled with dread, fearing he might perish here.
Gripping his bronze short spear, he longed to impale Shi Hao with a single thrust, but his strength fell short of his desire.
“Hum!”
Even so, when he struck, gales howled, mountains split, vegetation shattered, and sand and stones flew as the bronze spear transformed into a bolt of lightning, piercing toward Shi Hao.
Shi Hao did not engage. Instead, his body streaked away like a beam of light, for the nearby blockade had been broken. There was no need for him to fight desperately here, especially with ancient freaks lurking nearby, watching like tigers eyeing their prey.
“Shh!”
A divine rainbow shot forth, dazzling beyond measure, unexpectedly targeting Ma Yuan with overwhelming force.
This was a divine arrow loosed by Chang Gong Yan from his mysterious ancient bow. As it flew, the void shattered in its wake, accompanied by terrifying visions—countless corpses of gods and demons floating around it.
It was as though this single arrow could annihilate all deities and fiends between heaven and earth—utterly shocking!
“Pfft!”
Ma Yuan’s body blazed like a great fireball, crushing the dreadful arrow, yet he himself swayed violently, startling everyone.
Many turned their gazes to Chang Gong Yan. His bow was undoubtedly fearsome, faintly exuding a chaotic force, radiating threads of an enigmatic aura.
At the same time, people fixed their eyes on Ma Yuan. Had a mighty celestial weakened to this extent? A single shot from an ancient freak had made his body tremble.
Shi Hao halted and expressed his gratitude to Chang Gong Yan, but he had no intention of continuing the fight. His flesh was torn asunder, his condition utterly dire.
“Swish!”
At that moment, defying all expectations, Ma Yuan acted first—vanishing in a flash, retreating from the battlefield.
Everyone was stunned. A celestial being had fled? Escaping before Shi Hao!
The crowd erupted in uproar. That was a supreme powerhouse of a lofty clan, and yet… he had run away!
“Hey, Old Ma, don’t run! Let’s catch up, have a good chat about life and ideals,” Shi Hao shouted after him, throwing back the very words Ma Yuan had earlier used with lofty pretense.
Ma Yuan nearly choked with rage. Even Shi Hao’s ancestors could have been his juniors, yet this detestable brat dared mock him so—he deserved death!
“Spread my celestial decree—hunt down Huang across all minor realms of the Immortal Ancient!” Ma Yuan roared.
His eyes burned with venomous hatred. This humiliation was unbearable—a single misstep had nearly cost him his life, leaving him seething with resentment.
Before departing, he bellowed his fury, venting his indignation and wrath!
When a celestial being chose to leave, none present could stop him.
“Shh!”
At the same time, Shi Hao activated a Void-Shattering Talisman, vanishing into a silver passageway. He had to leave swiftly and find a place to heal.
As he departed, several surges of murderous intent struck the passage, but none affected him—he escaped unscathed.
Yet, the storm did not end there!
The events of this minor realm shook half of the Immortal Ancient, startling countless powerhouses. All who heard of it were left awestruck, their attention riveted.
“Someone has cultivated two strands of immortal energy? Has time reversed, returning us to the previous epoch?”
“Impossible! In this era, how could such a person exist? Even in the ancient age when immortals walked the earth, such individuals were rare—true prodigies!”
The news spread, shocking all directions.
In the current era, the laws of heaven and earth no longer permitted the cultivation of immortal energy. For someone to achieve this was nothing short of miraculous!
This stirred the hearts of countless beings, triggering an uproar. Even the powerful among the indigenous inhabitants were alarmed.
Simultaneously, word spread of Ma Yuan developing corpse spots, corroded by a curse. Many were stunned—a celestial being had been humiliated?
Was someone with two strands of immortal energy truly so formidable? The fear only deepened.
The deaths of Jun Dao, the ancient king of the Celestial Nation, and Gu Shengzi sent shockwaves through the three thousand provinces, leaving all who entered the Immortal Ancient in awe.
Which of these three kings hadn’t been renowned through the ages? Yet, ambushing Huang had led to their demise, sending chills down the spines of the young elites of every clan.
All realized that Huang’s rise was unstoppable. If he survived, the future of the upper realm might hinge upon him!
“Who would dare challenge Huang now? With his divine talent, he is truly invincible. Only the likes of the Ten Crown King, the Banished Immortal of the Sinister Nest, or Ning Chuan could rival him!”
“Incredible! His ascent has been too swift, his momentum unstoppable—he has already forged an undefeatable aura!”
The Immortal Ancient quaked, its lands anything but calm.
“Who says no one dares move against Huang? Many are searching for him, seeking to seize his peerless flesh!”
“What happened?!”
“Ma Yuan issued a celestial decree, calling upon allies to capture and kill Huang.”
“What?! How could this be?!”
Chaos erupted in the Immortal Ancient. Celestial Ma Yuan had suffered a crushing defeat—a stain on his life. Narrowly escaping death, he now lurked within his clan, resisting his doom, yet he had enlisted old allies to act in his stead.
Clearly, he had revealed everything about Huang—his two strands of immortal energy and the supreme treasure he carried: the Heaven-Earth Placenta.
Such secrets could not be hidden. Rather than conceal them, Ma Yuan had chosen to disclose them first, urging others to hunt Huang down, erase his consciousness, and claim his body.
This was a cataclysmic event. Indigenous powerhouses joined the hunt, with major tribes mobilizing to scour every minor realm for Huang.
For those who reached the celestial realm, the curses of this ancient land grew stronger, often driving them to madness or death. Rumors suggested that a body tempered by two strands of immortal energy might resist these curses—though baseless, this speculation still tempted some celestials.
At their level, progress was nearly impossible. A perfect vessel might allow them to advance further, perhaps even tread the path of immortality!
Thus, across half the Immortal Ancient, countless experts emerged, searching relentlessly.
“Pfft!”
A streak of blood flashed as a golden elephant collapsed, its lifeblood spilling across the ground.
In these mountains, Shi Hao sat covered in blood, silently kindling a fire to roast the golden elephant—a powerful creature that had pursued him.
The area was silent save for the sound of his ravenous eating. Under normal circumstances, he would savor such a meal, but now he could only devour it whole.
Days of flight had taught him that cultivating a second strand of immortal energy had stirred a tempest. Now, countless hunted him.
The indigenous experts were terrifying. In just these few days, he had encountered several celestials, narrowly escaping death each time.
Battling his way through wilderness and across minor realms, he had no respite.
“My wounds refuse to heal!” Shi Hao frowned. Constant combat left him no time for recovery.
These were “Dao wounds” inflicted during his seclusion—the hardest to treat. For most, such injuries from the Great Dao would be fatal.
Even Shi Hao, mighty as he was, could only stabilize them. Without proper seclusion, they would not mend.
“Ooo—roar!”
Suddenly, an elephant’s cry split the mountains. Ancient trees exploded by the thousands, boulders tumbled, and peaks crumbled.
The sound tore black fissures through the void—a horrifying sight!
A golden elephant, taller than mountains, strode through the land. Each step cracked the earth, flattening peaks beneath its feet.
This was a celestial—the supreme powerhouse of the Golden Elephant Clan.
One of Shi Hao’s pursuers, its golden hide was impervious, its trunk capable of shattering the heavens with a flick.
“Again!” Shi Hao sighed, slicing through the void with his sword fetus to escape.
This golden elephant was unbeatable—flight was his only option.
“Tuolan, you were killed?” The golden elephant roared upon seeing the bones of its kin, shaking the minor realm with its fury.
A day later, Shi Hao, drenched in blood, slaughtered a dozen True God-level flood dragons, skinning and deboning them before stewing them in a cauldron.
Soon, an intoxicating aroma filled the air—a pot of dragon meat.
Though not true dragons, these creatures possessed extraordinary bloodlines, their flesh a potent medicinal feast.
Shi Hao wolfed it down, showing no mercy for his pursuers. With his stock of sacred and divine medicines exhausted, this was his only means of recovery.
Soon, he departed. Half an hour later, a thunderous roar shattered the mountains—a flood dragon, thick as a mountain range, its eyes like lakes, seethed with killing intent.
Its descendants had been eaten, leaving only bones behind.
Another celestial pursuer!
——
In these days, the Immortal Ancient quaked.
Huang fled, yet he also struck back. Whether indigenous or outsiders, all who hunted him suffered heavy losses.
Yet rumors spread—Huang was grievously wounded, pursued by celestials, his body riddled with injuries, teetering on death’s edge.
“The Golden Elephant Clan’s genius has fallen. The Flood Dragon Clan has lost many True Gods. The Dragon Sparrow Clan’s finest talents have been slain…”
Such were Huang’s feats, circulating among the people.
Now, not only were outsiders stunned, but even the indigenous inhabitants marveled at this youth’s might, his unstoppable slaughter.
“Huang, you cannot escape! You will die!” the golden elephant bellowed.
“The Immortal Ancient has no place for you! None can save you!” the flood dragon celestial roared, cracking the sky.
A bird’s cry announced the arrival of the Dragon Sparrow celestial. Together, they entered a minor realm in pursuit.
“I, too, have come!” An ancient silver lion appeared, its roar sundering mountains—a peak celestial.
Cornered by celestials, Shi Hao’s plight was dire.
“Once I break through, I’ll settle accounts with each of you!” Shi Hao clenched his fists. These beings coveted his flesh, his two strands of immortal energy, and his immortal seed.
“All heed this—report any sighting of Huang immediately!”
The celestials united, commanding all clans to disclose his whereabouts—failure meant death, even for entire lineages.
“I must grow stronger. It’s time to break through!” Shi Hao murmured.
“Huang, you cannot flee!” a celestial thundered, shaking the world as the hunt continued.
“Hmph! You issue celestial decrees, thinking to command our clans?” Suddenly, the Centaur Clan, the Eight-Armed Soul Clan, and the Ancient Devil Clan spoke out, challenging the celestials.
Indigenous powerhouses had stepped forward to protect Huang, even sending celestials to his aid.
The little rabbit, Xue Lin, and the Stone had rallied allies. Shi Hao had once gifted them a willow branch from the Willow Deity, forging goodwill.
Recently, the trio had trained with the Centaur Clan. Learning of Shi Hao’s plight, they had persuaded several clans to intervene.
“Who dares move against Huang?!” An elder’s roar shattered mountains, startling the celestials.
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