Chapter 552: Eradication

Shi Hao transformed into a Kun Peng, emitting surging waves akin to an ocean, radiating dazzling golden flames that compressed the heavens and earth. The entire space became a blaze of brilliance and unmatched splendor!

Using the heavens and earth as a crucible and his own essence as the fire, it was as though he were boiling dumplings. The figures in the skies rained down with crackling sounds, their pained screams echoing endlessly.

“Shi Hao, you oppress people too far!” roared an elder, his body emanating silver-white radiance, burning fiercely, making the sky blistering hot, filled with holy flames.

Another ancestor of the Tuo Ba Clan appeared, standing across the sky, holding a staff. With a gentle wave, lightning weaved through the air, countless silver serpents danced wildly, striking toward Shi Hao.

“Oppress people too far? Back then, your Tuo Ba Clan slaughtered everyone at the Bu Tian Pavilion, not even sparing children under ten years old. Why didn’t you say those words then?” Shi Hao shouted back.

A dragon-shaped aura erupted from his throat, inscribed with glyphs, unleashing his fury forward with a thunderous boom.

“Boom!”

Several figures ahead exploded into a mist of blood.

This was merely a breath of his refined essence, yet its power was tremendous. Ordinary experts could not withstand it; their bones would be shattered, their bodies torn, and their lives extinguished.

The silver lightning bolts surging toward him also were dispelled and could not approach his form.

“As the emperor of a nation, you act in this manner. If you annihilate my Tuo Ba Clan, won’t you fear the world condemning you as cruel and violent? Be careful that your Shi Kingdom’s foundation won’t hold!” The elder’s expression grew dark.

Even as he spoke, with a wave of his staff he activated the Sacred Mountain Formation. In ancient times, the Tuo Ba Clan had nearly established a kingdom, having produced mighty sacrificial spirits, thus possessing extraordinary depth of power.

This triggered rising landforms, as the green stones glowed, resonating with the stars across the skies. In an instant, all the stone mountains and giant boulders within the Tuo Ba domain seemed to become stars themselves.

This was the Celestial Stars Formation, where each massive stone corresponded to a celestial star, making this place appear like a sea of stars, drawing the radiance of the heavens and gathering it here.

“I execute those who deserve death. Who in the world could condemn me?!” Shi Hao roared. Beneath his feet emerged an ancient golden war chariot, like a bolt of lightning rushing forth, carrying him with thunderous momentum straight into the formation.

At the same time, he raised a divine enchanted sword, cleaving forward with astonishing ripples. The sword’s energy surged forth, crushing every obstacle.

Whether it was the chariot or the enchanted sword in his hand, both were treasures bequeathed by deities to the Shi Kingdom, perfect for breaking enemy formations of his peers.

Lightning danced, starlight interwove, and the battlefield became dazzling beyond description. Glyphs and energy beams surged wildly like a vast ocean.

“Crack!”

On the ground, some formation platforms made cracking noises, one massive stone after another splintering. The ancient formation, established long ago, had finally weakened after countless ages.

Over such a long span of time, even a god would age, let alone the formation laid down by a god. Without repairs or guardianship, it naturally could not remain as potent as before.

Finally, the formation unraveled, each giant stone exploding, severing their connection to the stars above. It could not compare to the palace of the Shi Kingdom—it was ultimately merely an ancient clan stronghold.

The golden war chariot rolled forward, Shi Hao wielding his enchanted sword straight at the Tuo Ba elder. A silver lamp emerged above the elder’s head, burning with ancient aura.

With a pointed finger, he released a stream of silver flame from the lamp wick, hurtling toward Shi Hao. It was the clan’s ultimate treasure, a divine artifact.

This silver blaze was terrifying, warping the very void as it approached swiftly.

Unshaken, Shi Hao was no less well-equipped. This time he summoned the Divine War Pick, black and ancient in appearance. Yet the moment it awoke, divine radiance surged forth like tidal waves.

The war pick flew out, dispersing the silver flame, then clashed with the ancient lamp.

“Shss!”

The lamp released boundless sword energies, yet none could cleave the war pick—it was mighty, but ultimately no match for the greatest weapon of the Shi Kingdom.

“Clang!”

The war pick struck down, spewing forth silver divine flames everywhere. Though Shi Hao remained unharmed, the other members of the Tuo Ba Clan were seized by fear, unable to resist.

The elder screamed, his face pale—this was a disaster beyond imagination.

With a thunderous roar, the fire spread, engulfing every structure of the ancient Tuo Ba family. Many within were struck by stray light beams, becoming blazing torches and turning to ash.

This was the power of gods, and ordinary cultivators could do nothing against it.

Shi Hao felt no sympathy; he had seen many of these attacking souls before. Back then at the Bu Tian Pavilion, they had been merciless, their hands soaked in blood. Today was the reckoning of karma.

“Shss!”

Shi Hao swung his sword, a colossal blade arc sweeping forward. The Tuo Ba elder in front of him disintegrated into light, much like a small clump of snow meeting a blazing furnace—vanishing instantly into vapor!

By now, the battle was decided without further doubt.

Behind him, Xiao Tian, Zhou Yu Hao, and others looked on in stunned silence. They had heard of Shi Hao’s legendary might, but witnessing it firsthand still left them incredulous.

The mighty Tuo Ba Clan had fallen today, and not a single member of their side had perished. Alone, Shi Hao had swept away the opposition, bending the world to his will.

The silver lamp was shattered, and its flames raged wildly, engulfing everything in fire.

Shi Hao retracted his enchanted sword, war pick, and war chariot—three divine treasures—as the radiance around him faded.

“Stone man! Give up your life!” A Tuo Ba Clan member, furious and reckless, surged from the flames toward Shi Hao, eyes bloodshot.

“Do you feel hatred too? Back then, when you slaughtered everyone at the Bu Tian Pavilion, did you ever foresee this day?” Shi Hao said coldly. His entire body radiated brilliant sword energy.

Around him, wave after wave of verdant grass sprouted from empty space, each strand like divine blades, exuding overwhelming sword intent.

“Spurt! Spurt!”

Every attacker was slashed to death as blood sprayed everywhere. None could withstand that sword force.

“It’s them! It’s them!” Yan Xin screamed loudly, recognizing many of the killers—those who had once been grinning demons, slaughtering her senior apprentices back then.

…

In this battle, the Tuo Ba Clan was crushed, engulfed in silver flames. Shi Hao was merciless, striking down every person who had once attacked the Bu Tian Pavilion.

But ultimately, he could not bring himself to destroy everyone else below—women, children, and those who had not taken part in the massacre. He turned and departed.

From afar, everyone watched the blazing inferno consuming the Tuo Ba family, their moods complex. While they had avenged a group of butchers, no one could smile.

After all, so many young disciples and elders had perished years ago, their once-vivid faces lost forever.

The Tuo Ba Clan still had a secret stronghold, their hidden reserves. Due to recent unrest in the world, they had prepared for a contingency.

But this secret was uncovered by Shi Hao and his companions. That very day, they arrived and eliminated a group of experts.

From then on, the Tuo Ba Clan lost their foundation and never recovered. Indeed, within several decades, they vanished from the cultivation world entirely.

“This is Lion Mountain?”

Shi Hao was surprised. After the battle, as they crossed through tens of thousands of miles of forest, they came upon a giant stone tablet carved with the words Lion Mountain.

This mountain range was vast, filled entirely with towering, majestic peaks.

“Let’s go in and take a look,” Shi Hao said with delight, for he had thought of the Nine-Headed Lion. This should be its home, and before heading to the Upper Realms, he wanted to visit old friends.

As they entered this region, vegetation thinned, the terrain became hard and arid, with few undergrowths—only some colossal trees remained, suitable territory for the golden lions.

“Who goes there! Halt!”

Hardly had they arrived when a shout rang out. Several golden lions charged forth, massive in size, their manes flowing, appearing mighty and majestic.

“I come to visit an old friend. Please inform Jin Hong. His sworn elder brother has come,” Shi Hao conveyed through divine thought.

The Nine-Headed Lion was known as Jin Hong, but due to his rare bloodline and unique heritage, he had long been known by his clan name outside. Only a few such as Shi Hao knew his true name.

To ordinary people, the sight of those huge lions would have caused them to collapse with fear; they resembled small mountains, radiating overwhelming pressure.

“Wait here,” one lion said, vanishing in a whirlwind.

Soon, a young man with golden hair arrived, radiant with vitality and golden eyes glowing brilliantly. He was indeed the Nine-Headed Lion, having long since gained the ability to shift into human form.

He and Shi Hao had once fought fiercely at Bai Duan Mountain, only later becoming close after mutual understanding.

“Shi Hao!”

At their reunion, both felt a wave of emotion. They had parted ways before the Great Calamity, with companions such as Huo Ling’er, Yun Xi, Huo Ya, and Er Tou. Some had ascended to the Upper Realms, while others remained behind.

“I’ve long intended to visit you, but it’s only now that I finally come,” Shi Hao smiled.

Jin Hong, the Nine-Headed Lion, welcomed them into the mountains, where along the way they encountered many giant lions as massive as golden mountains.

Upon arriving, Xiao Tian, Xia Youyu, Zhou Yuhao, and the others were filled with curiosity, for the Nine-Headed Lion lineage was renowned.

One popular legend told how they were among the Top Ten Mounts, highly favored in ancient times by sages and titans as steeds.

This was true whether in the Upper or Lower Realms.

When fully matured, the Nine-Headed Lions became terrifyingly powerful. Many legends told of golden lions overcoming their masters, devouring saints and sages, possessing limitless potential.

The Lion Mountains lacked lush vegetation, but instead bore rare medicinal herbs. Growing from cliffs and mountain crevices, these were carefully cultivated over long ages, becoming ancient and extremely precious medicinal roots.

The Nine-Spirit King emerged as well, the sovereign of this lion lineage, a position of great reverence. But now, Shi Hao himself was the emperor of the Shi Kingdom, so it was only right for the Nine-Spirit King to personally greet him.

Shi Hao had once met the Nine-Spirit King and Huo Ya King at a gathering hosted by Huo Ling’er in the Huo Kingdom’s capital, where he had gained much valuable insight from their teachings.

“Nine-Spirit King, you’ve ascended to the rank of Venerable One?” Shi Hao asked in surprise, then extended his congratulations.

“After the Great Calamity, I recently broke through,” the Nine-Spirit King nodded.

Soon, Shi Hao sensed something amiss. There was yet another Venerable One-level aura within the Lion Mountains. Could another have broken through? It was truly incredible, so he asked directly.

The Nine-Spirit King furrowed his brow, while Jin Hong’s expression became extremely unnatural, revealing clear anger.

In the distance, a cave erupted with golden mists, thick fog swirling, exuding powerful divine energy. A faint snore came from within, and a voice murmured in dreams.

“Bring me some wine…” A powerful figure was sleeping soundly but still let out a mumble, radiating Venerable One-level energy.

“Who is this?” Shi Hao asked.

“A warrior who descended from the Upper Realms,” Jin Hong, the Nine-Headed Lion, growled through clenched teeth, his face full of resentment.

“What?!” Not only Shi Hao was shocked, but even Xiao Tian, Xia Youyu, and others were taken aback.