“The follow-up moves of Your Majesty are truly terrifying. It is commonly said that there are no gods left in this world, and even the venerable ones are scarce and rarely seen. Yet Your Majesty has a fierce bird that has lit the divine flame beside you. I am impressed—it was truly unexpected,” said Hun Tian Hou.
Originally, if there had been no unexpected turn, Shi Hao would surely have been doomed. Once the flying python emerged, devouring the heavens and the earth, even Xiao Shi himself could not have survived.
Shi Hao turned his gaze, now fixed on the golden statue, a contemplative expression on his face. Was this truly a being from the Upper World? Had it descended with divine will? And what about the flying python? Did it also belong to the Upper World?
How was this possible? After the severing of the heavens from the earth, how could anyone from the Upper World still descend? His expression grew solemn; his mind could not calm.
“You possess a talent that, even in the Upper World, would be considered extraordinary—a peerless prodigy capable of rivaling the heavenly elites and standing among the young sovereigns. Alas, my mission is to kill you. You cannot escape death,” the golden statue declared, its hands clasped behind its back. It was not wooden but vividly animated, capable of speech and movement.
“I want to know—are you really from the Upper World? And how did you descend?” asked Shi Hao, his gaze steady ahead.
The golden statue smiled, radiating holiness. Its body emitted a glowing luminescence, petals swirling in the air. It bore the grace of a divine Buddha smiling gently while holding a flower—a transcendent presence.
It no longer resembled a wooden effigy but a being flesh and blood, exuding an air of majesty beyond the mortal realm. It spoke: “Indeed, I have come from the Upper World.”
Shi Hao was taken aback. This defied reason.
“The one who seeks your life is formidable. If a supreme elder becomes enraged, the heavens will weep and the earth will crack. Determined to descend, there is always a way, though the cost is beyond imagination,” the statue explained.
“Then tell me—how did you descend?” Shi Hao persisted.
“The Ruler of the Netherworld, the Overlord of the Demon Sage Grove, and my Master from the Kingdom of Heaven—all three factions joined hands, opening a rift in the void to send me down,” the statue replied without hesitation.
“You can descend like this?” Shi Hao asked in disbelief. Was this not a terrible danger?
“The price was immense, beyond your imagining. The King of the Netherworld sacrificed several spiritual bodies and consumed countless precious treasures. Before me, several others perished in the void. I alone succeeded.”
Shi Hao inhaled sharply. Was such a tremendous sacrifice truly made merely for him?
“You killed the favorite descendant of the King of the Netherworld, used a tower to overthrow the Immortal Mountain, humiliated a divine warrior who lit the sacred flame from the Demon Sage Grove, and slaughtered many venerables of the Sky-Healing Sect and the Western Sect…” the statue enumerated each act, revealing that any one of them was enough to shake the great sects of the Upper World.
Even more critically, he was somehow connected to the undying beings—this was the gravest offense of all.
“The ones who most wish to see your end are the Netherworld Race and the Demon Sage Grove. This time, they have enlisted the aid of the Kingdom of Heaven,” the statue declared.
“What grudge do I have with the Kingdom of Heaven?” Shi Hao asked.
“The Kingdom rises in accordance with destiny, offering to free beings from suffering, slaying warriors of all races and guiding their souls into the Celestial Realm,” the statue answered with solemnity.
“A mercenary cult?!” Shi Hao exclaimed.
“You may see it that way. Ordinarily, we target beings who have lit the divine flame. One such as yourself, whose cultivation is insufficient yet whose difficulty coefficient is the highest, is indeed rare,” the statue murmured.
The ultimate challenge, of course, referred to Shi Hao being confined to the Lower World, where they could not easily descend. It was nearly impossible to succeed.
This time, they succeeded only because the three supreme elders poured all their might into opening a rift, at an enormous cost.
“Have they gone mad?” Shi Hao muttered to himself. He had killed only a young warrior of the Netherworld race. Now that he thought about it, that fellow must have been someone of extraordinary status—no wonder he had a divine skeleton as a servant.
“And the Demon Sage Grove is too petty—wasn’t I just eating a few of their sunflower seeds?” Shi Hao smirked. At this moment, he lost the dignity of an emperor, looking more like a spirited young man, his youthful face brimming with defiance.
Not only others, even the flying python, filled with resentment, hesitated in astonishment: “He killed a Nether Prince and ate some sunflower seeds from the Demon Sage Grove?” It shivered involuntarily. Such a feat was unthinkable.
Shi Hao felt no regret. Whether it was the young noble of the Netherworld or the female warrior from the Demon Sage Grove, both had sought his life. He had no choice but to defend himself. In the cultivation world, filled with endless strife, one could not transcend such conflicts and must instead forge ahead, resisting every obstacle.
“Descending here costs too great a price—even the supreme elders cannot afford it. Only by successfully slaying you and fully executing our plans here can this mission be deemed a success,” the statue sighed.
This descent orchestrated by the Netherworld, the Demon Sage Grove, and the Kingdom of Heaven had come at an immeasurable cost.
Even the slaying of Shi Hao would not suffice to recover the treasures lost, such as the sacred artifacts and the several spiritual forms sacrificed by the Nether King.
Only by seizing the great fortune hidden in this realm might the balance shift in their favor!
“Now, when I strike, will you come willingly?” the statue challenged.
Shi Hao glanced at it, then at Hun Tian Hou. Indeed, this was a deadly trap—an enemy of immense power.
“Xiao Hong, do you have a plan?” he silently transmitted.
“No problem!” the red phoenix replied confidently, its body bursting with crimson flames that stretched into the heavens.
“And with the weapon you gave me, I believe we can manage,” replied Mao Qiu.
“It was only a matter of time. I knew the Upper World would not give up. Let us settle our affairs today!” Shi Hao declared.
The statue pointed a finger forward. A golden beam erupted, as thick as a man’s arm, accompanied by a thunderous roar. Woven from divine glyphs, it could effortlessly sever mortal flesh.
Shi Hao evaded, leaping hundreds of zhang away.
From his shoulder, Xiao Hong soared forth, radiant in red, his divine fire blazing so intensely that the heavens trembled. He attacked the statue head-on.
Boom!
A violent shockwave rippled outward, as the surging sea of Southern Fire was nearly extinguished by a single golden finger. Steady and calm, the statue advanced.
“When my master emerges, who among you wretched pests can stand against us?” cried the flying python perched on the statue’s shoulder.
Xiao Hong flared, his fire Out of Control, cascading down like rain, melting entire mountain ranges into molten rivers. The ground was ablaze with crimson.
Such was the might of a god!
Yet this overwhelming assault was halted by a single finger.
The situation was dire.
Shi Hao frowned. Would this truly be his end?
Xiao Hong screeched furiously, its red feathers bristling like a thousand divine swords, vibrating with metallic resonance. Endless crimson glyphs flared high into the sky.
“Clang! Clang!”
Sword cries roared like a storm, as countless crimson blades emerged, cleaving forward.
Xiao Hong unleashed his full power, sword qi tearing across the realm, enshrouded in endless flames.
The statue’s expression changed. Glyphs emerged along its body, interweaving and forming a protective lattice. In a flash, its hand expanded into a world, seeking to swallow Xiao Hong and his countless swords.
Golden and colossal, the palm of the hand bore shimmering stars circling within it, as though a universe had been opened, sealing the void.
A sight that shook the heavens!
Shi Hao exclaimed, “You’re from the Western Sect!”
“I once belonged to the Western Sect, but later betrayed them, joining the Kingdom of Heaven,” the statue replied.
This palm-world technique was legendary—capable of subduing even the ancient Fierce Beast.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a colossal black rod erupted from the void, towering like the sky itself, smashing down and shattering the palm-world, freeing Xiao Hong.
Mao Qiu appeared, rising like a golden giant, wielding the black rod, charging in fierce battle.
Hun Tian Hou’s expression darkened. Matters had turned ill—an unthinkable situation in this age without gods. Who could have guessed Shi Hao had another being who had lit the divine flame by his side?
“Heh!”
The statue cried out, radiating light as though reborn into flesh, his crystalline body glowing. He had grown a thousand arms!
This was one of the Western Sect’s most sacred techniques—the Golden Body combined with the Thousand Hands Mastery. The power he exuded was monstrous.
“Clang!” rang out as both Mao Qiu and Xiao Hong radiated light, donning armor—a crimson set for Xiao Hong and a dazzling golden one for Mao Qiu. A timeless aura poured from them.
Even Xiao Hong took human form, holding a divine blade. Mao Qiu, now wielding the sacred halberd of the Stone Kingdom—a weapon exuding boundless majesty.
These were treasures from the Stone Kingdom’s divine arsenal, sacred relics!
“Divine weapons!” the statue gasped in shock, wary of their power.
Though mighty, he was but a fragment of will, imbued into the golden statue. While formidable, even this had its limits.
Xiao Hong and Mao Qiu surged forth, exuding an immortal aura—the power of divine weapons pushing beyond boundaries. In the hands of those who had lit the divine flame, they stirred the winds of heaven itself, threatening to tear the void asunder.
The statue’s thousand hands moved in unison, but now his two foes wielded divine arms, their strength greatly heightened.
“Pfah!”
Xiao Hong slashed, severing dozens of arms at once.
“Boom!”
Mao Qiu swung his halberd like a cudgel, cleaving through the statue’s golden body and carving a deep wound.
Shaking, the statue’s body radiated light, severed limbs regrowing, wounds sealing. But clearly, he was at a disadvantage and might soon be crushed. The battle raged into the distance.
“Pfah!”
“Ahh—!”
The flying python shrieked in agony. Already half-cut by Xiao Hong earlier, it was now struck by the collateral force, tumbling from the statue’s shoulder. Mao Qiu swung his halberd, cleaving its skull in two, then crushed it underfoot.
At that moment, Shi Hao strode toward the palace in the sky, eyes locked on Hun Tian Hou.
“Do you have anything to say?” Shi Hao challenged.
“Nothing to say!” Hun Tian Hou replied. With a clang, he drew a blood-red measuring rod, radiating a sinister glow.
Suddenly, his aura transformed. His eyes glowed a blood-red, and his hair appeared as if dripping blood—dark and eerie.
“I see now. Alas, you were undone by this cursed ruler. This is the Blood Demon Measuring Rod, an ancient artifact once incomplete. You purchased it at a discount, but now it has been restored,” Shi Hao sighed.
The Blood Demon Rod glowed like a crimson sun, empowering Hun Tian Hou with a demonic aura that surged. With a single strike, the heavens and earth trembled.
Shi Hao’s eyes narrowed. He evaded the crimson light, donning the Indestructible Golden Armor, sensing the rod’s terrifying might.
“Boom!”
Shi Hao transformed into a Kun Peng, moving at an unimaginable speed, charging forward.
“Roar—!”
A colossal demonic shadow emerged around Hun Tian Hou, enveloping him as he roared, clashing violently with Shi Hao.
“Chi!”
From the distance echoed a violent sound, mountains collapsing as dust and debris surged. The golden statue lay shattered, crushed by Xiao Hong and Mao Qiu, collapsing several peaks.
“Pfah!”
With a single stroke, Xiao Hong beheaded the statue. The being cried out in pain and regret, dissipating into a rain of light.
“I never imagined I would fail in the Lower World…” the light condensed into a human form, breaking free from the golden statue at last.
Before the temple, Shi Hao transformed into a Kun Peng, golden wings slashing through the air. The entire structure exploded into ruins. The old servant perished within.
Hun Tian Hou’s eyes burned red, wrapped in a massive demon shadow, wielding the Blood Demon Rod to block the strike.
“It’s the Blood Demon Rod! Form an array to seal it—don’t let it escape. It is a demon god!” Xiao Hong shouted.
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