Three thousand blue stone paths, banners fluttering, arrays stretching endlessly—dozens of them, all activated at once. Even deities wandering in by mistake would fall in droves.
This was a meticulously crafted composite killing array they had spent days constructing, consuming a mountain’s worth of rare treasures. Its power was unparalleled.
Had Shi Hao not plundered the Immortal Palace’s successor, Di Chong, and raided several vaults in Radiant City, they would never have gathered so many divine materials—their value beyond measure.
“These can still be used later. They’re made into ritual platforms and array banners, ready to be deployed elsewhere,” said the Divine Striking Stone, exhausted from the effort, as such things drained both energy and focus.
At the center of the dozens of grand arrays was a simplified version of the little fatty’s killing formation. The full supreme array was beyond his current ability to inscribe with all its runes.
He had carved them into the divine materials with his divine sense, preventing outsiders from spying.
Once activated, the arrays transformed the area instantly. Banners snapped in the wind, platforms glowed, forming dozens of radiant barriers to shield the place.
Shi Hao sat cross-legged at the center. “Are you two reliable? Don’t end up refining me by accident.”
“Relax, that area is safe, unaffected,” the Divine Striking Stone assured.
“When I ignite the ancient runic flames of the blue stone path to burn myself, will it interfere or damage the arrays?” Shi Hao asked.
“I’ll first remove the central platform, halting the array. If anything goes wrong, I’ll immediately restore and activate it,” the Divine Striking Stone replied.
They discussed meticulously, considering every possible issue, ensuring no surprises before preparing for seclusion.
Shi Hao handed over all his belongings for safekeeping. With thousands of Dao flames refining his flesh, his body would wither, half-destroyed, and anything inside him would hardly survive.
He only kept two half-divine ginseng fruits in his mouth for emergencies.
*Thud!*
The Enlightenment Stone landed on the blue stone path, shaking the ground but not collapsing it. The gray-brown stone seemed ordinary but held profound uses.
Shi Hao sat atop it, ready for seclusion.
“Such treasures!” Outside, whether it was the Divine Striking Stone, the little fatty, or Qing Yi, all were delighted. Before them lay stacks of bone scriptures—insights from ancient sages.
This time, Shi Hao had slain the Immortal Palace’s successor, seizing all his treasures, including many divine artifacts.
Unfortunately, the supreme divine abilities of the sect were missing, which disappointed him. But if word of these gains spread, others would surely be driven mad with envy.
“A whole basket of half-divine fruits?” The snow-white rabbit shrieked, rolling on the ground in joy. It was astonishing.
She didn’t plan to eat them all—one of each herb was enough. She only needed to discern their life essence. Seeing so many different fruits and ancient herbs naturally thrilled her.
Shi Hao had not only gathered a pile of half-divine ginseng fruits but also looted vaults, amassing sacred herbs and other fruits, much to her delight.
Generously, Shi Hao told them to consume whatever they needed.
“Alright, I’m starting!”
He sat motionless on the Enlightenment Stone, silent as time passed. Suddenly, the surrounding blue stone paths lit up, one after another.
Divine flames surged, engulfing the heavens, as if capable of burning through the nine skies. The entire firmament blazed brilliantly, dispersing the clouds.
“Absolutely insane,” Cao Yusheng sighed.
“Is this guy sick? Torturing himself, trying to roast himself alive?” The snow-white rabbit muttered, still holding a grudge for him tapping her forehead, slandering Shi Hao.
Time passed indeterminably. Around Shi Hao, over 1,500 flames ignited, surpassing previous attempts, slowly approaching 1,600.
“The revival of my Supreme Blood has strengthened my resistance to the flames,” Shi Hao marveled.
In the past, he would have been charred, withered by the burn. But now, he endured.
Yet, as time passed, the flames intensified. At 1,600, he suffered severe wounds—skin split, flesh torn, runes surging, assaulting his bones.
The cauldron forged from the void twisted and deformed. Inside, he was nearly reduced to charcoal.
“Burnt to a crisp, fully cooked, the aroma of meat is overwhelming. I feel like getting drunk!” the rabbit cried.
Fortunately, Shi Hao was isolated in seclusion, unable to hear, or he’d have beaten her in anger.
*Bang!*
As the runes baptized his flesh and chanting echoed from the blue stone path, Shi Hao shuddered, resonating with the Dao, immersed in enlightenment.
Finally, with a roar, he burst from the fiery cauldron, transcending the countless Dao runes, his comprehension profound. He hovered mid-air before landing back on the Enlightenment Stone.
The 1,600 flames receded, leaving silence. Charred and motionless, he meditated deeply.
“Terrifying. This is self-torture, gambling with life,” Cao Yusheng and the others sighed before turning to their own enlightenment.
This time, Shi Hao progressed faster than ever, suffering severe wounds but recovering swiftly as the half-divine fruit in his mouth melted, healing his injuries.
The Divine Striking Stone sent in more sacred herbs and half-divine fruits to hasten his recovery.
Oddly, no ominous signs appeared.
Thus began Shi Hao’s seclusion. Once healed, he again drew upon the Dao flames to temper himself, using heaven and earth as his furnace, the Dao as his fire, refining his true self to transcend.
1,800, 1,900, 2,000…
“It’s here!”
After enduring 2,100 flames, as Shi Hao recovered with a half-divine fruit, an eerie presence enveloped the area.
The Divine Striking Stone and the others entered the array, activating the central platform, casting vast barriers to shield the space.
An ancient lamp drifted in, glowing yet exuding a chilling, ominous aura. It floated directly into the array, hovering a hundred zhang above Shi Hao’s head!
The Divine Striking Stone shrieked—this was too bizarre. The arrays it had laid were utterly ineffective. The lamp ignored everything, entering like a specter.
“What’s happening?” Cao Yusheng paled.
Qing Yi summoned the Green Moon, ready to incinerate evil with its ancient flames if necessary.
“So creepy,” the rabbit muttered nervously.
The lamp flickered as gray mist seeped in from afar, flooding the array.
Shi Hao sighed. “Step back. This thing is here for me. Only I can resolve it.”
He realized—this was a fight to the death. No external force could help. Even the arrays were useless against this mysterious power.
At his insistence, the others retreated.
Silently, a figure emerged from the gray mist—lifeless, silent, standing like a demonic mountain.
Having experience, Shi Hao didn’t immediately unleash his divine abilities, fearing the enemy would mimic them.
But this time, he overthought. The being attacked ferociously from the start!
Wielding a halberd, it charged like an emperor, its momentum like a flood or a bursting ocean, cleaving toward Shi Hao.
Shrouded in gray mist, only its dead-gray eyes were visible, cold and piercing.
*Clang!*
Shi Hao drew his Void Halberd, blocking the strike. His arms numbed instantly from the impact.
Sparks flew like lightning!
From afar, Qing Yi and the others paled. This creature was overwhelmingly powerful, at the peak of Divine Flame Realm.
*Clang! Clang!*
Runes shattered, divine light surged, halberds clashed—deafening, spine-chilling.
“Why does it match Shi Hao’s strength?” Qing Yi noted, seeing similarities in their runes and techniques.
“Exactly. It’s like fighting himself!” Cao Yusheng said gravely.
“Dismantle the arrays!” Shi Hao shouted.
The Divine Striking Stone acted swiftly, retrieving all platforms and banners.
“Damn, another one!” the rabbit screamed.
Indeed, footsteps echoed coldly. Another pair of eyes appeared in the mist, wielding a halberd, advancing mercilessly.
*Boom!*
This creature fought just as fiercely, slashing toward Shi Hao’s torso with its gleaming blade.
The battle was grueling, hopeless.
Qing Yi and the Divine Striking Stone felt their hearts sink. Two beings, both mirroring Shi Hao—how could he fight back?
The Void Divine Vine peeked out, shivered, and hid back in its pouch, refusing to emerge.
For a moment, Shi Hao fell silent. Then, with a roar, he erupted with boundless runes, fighting desperately!
The battlefield boiled with Dao resonance and divine techniques, reaching a frenzied climax.
“They’re similar but not identical. Their techniques aren’t exact copies,” Qing Yi observed.
“What if we intervene?” Cao Yusheng asked.
The rabbit flicked a finger, sending a beam of lunar energy into the fray. Instantly, another rune manifested, attacking Shi Hao.
*Clang!*
One beam struck the enemy’s halberd, the other Shi Hao’s. Sparks flew.
“No, we can’t interfere recklessly. This seems governed by some rule, an eerie force at work here,” Qing Yi concluded.
Shi Hao pondered solutions. Repeating his previous tactic—chaining techniques for a combined strike—failed. The enemies countered.
Facing two versions of himself, he was soon gravely wounded, pushed to his limits.
“Challenging limits… must I surpass myself?” Bloodied, he nearly got bisected by a halberd.
“Ah—!”
Shi Hao roared, his body erupting with light. Divine runes blazed as he poured all his energy into the fight.
*Thud!*
Yet, he was sent flying, his body shattered, on the verge of death.
“My limit is theirs too. Unless I break through differently,” he thought rapidly.
Battling both, bleeding heavily, his Supreme Blood circulated, merging two runes, evolving them.
“Extreme… breakthrough!”
*Thud!*
He sent one enemy flying, but the other nearly severed his arm, the halberd biting into his bone.
“Evolve… resonate!”
The two innate techniques intertwined, merging into one, their power skyrocketing.
“Die!”
Shi Hao bellowed. His body shone, Supreme Blood boiling, the fused runes erupting in dazzling brilliance.
Faintly, a wisp of immortal qi materialized around him.
*Boom!*
Supreme Technique unleashed, he advanced, his strength, mana, and physique vastly enhanced.
*Thud! Thud!*
Two clean strikes. The merged runes obliterated the enemies, their broken forms collapsing onto the blue stone steps.
Alone on the battlefield, Shi Hao stood in serene clarity. The two runes within him continued merging, transforming!
Not only had he survived, but he’d also gained immense insight.
Moreover, a faint wisp of immortal qi hovered around him—a sign of imminent breakthrough on this path!
“I’ll press forward, refining my true self with three thousand Dao flames!” His resolve burned fiercely, eyes ablaze.
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