The ancient divine ape lunged forward once more, its claws clenched into fists, erupting with golden light that pierced the heavens like a towering pillar, crashing down with an indomitable, domineering aura! Shi Hao met the attack head-on, refusing to retreat even half a step. He too swung his fist, unleashing a tempestuous gale that shook the entire black colosseum with terrifying ferocity. Despite the vast difference in their sizes, their collision was cataclysmic, a clash of equals, with neither gaining an overwhelming advantage.
With a deafening **boom**, divine radiance erupted between their fists, like the violent lightning within storm clouds, seemingly tearing through the void and shrouding the black colosseum. This was a battle of sheer brutality, both combatants embodying the pinnacle of yang force, their destructive power staggering. Were it not for the unique nature of this battlefield, mountains would crumble and rivers would shatter.
Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and explosions echoed endlessly as the two clashed like warring deities, their movements unrestrained, dark clouds churning, divine light flooding the arena. The confrontation between these two powerhouses was like needle meeting thread—each strike and counterstrike shook the soul.
Overall, Shi Hao held the upper hand, each exchange forcing the ape back several steps, its body trembling. This was astonishing—the legendary ape, famed for its peerless physique in ancient times, was actually slightly inferior in raw physical might!
Then, with a **whoosh**, the scene shifted. The ancient divine ape vanished, replaced by another Shi Hao—identical in speech, mannerisms, and techniques. The two tangled together, becoming streaks of light locked in combat.
The Divine Striking Stone gaped in shock. “Oh no! Which one is real? Is it trying to replace him?”
Shi Hao’s eyes widened. The resemblance was uncanny—not just in form, but in essence. “Dare to mimic me, monkey? Some things you can’t copy!” he roared, spitting out a ribbon of lightning—countless runes materializing in the air. At the same time, he formed a seal with his hands, pressing forward to suppress the ape.
Lion-Dragons roared, their deafening cries shaking the heavens. Not one, but dozens appeared—purple bodies adorned with golden spots, each as massive as a small mountain, surrounding the ape. Between them, Shi Hao’s runes surged, lightning connecting into a sea of thunder, descending to suppress the enraged beast.
“Roar—!” The ape, now resembling Shi Hao, bellowed and transformed—not into a Lion-Dragon, but directly into a thunderstorm, its body taking the form of a Thunder God, beating a massive drum to unleash lightning.
“This thing is really troublesome,” the Divine Striking Stone muttered.
Shi Hao hadn’t expected the ape to be this formidable. He sidestepped, snatched the Divine Striking Stone, and hurled it straight through the thunderstorm—**clang!**—right into the ape’s forehead, sparks flying like metal striking metal.
A scream and a furious roar erupted simultaneously as the Divine Striking Stone tumbled back and the ape howled in rage. The stone, having slept until now, had evolved to an astonishing degree—its hardness and power unmatched after consuming treasures like Chaos Soil. Though the ape’s skull remained intact, its body swayed dizzily from the impact.
Seizing the moment, Shi Hao lunged, slamming his palm down and forcing the ape to retaliate wildly. Then—**whoosh!**—he vanished, reappearing mid-air, his right leg blazing with the power of the Kun Peng, radiating blinding light.
The ape’s eyes flickered, recognizing the danger. It didn’t meet the attack head-on this time—instead, a golden cloud materialized beneath its feet, lifting it swiftly into the air.
Shi Hao pursued, punching skyward with a gale-force fist. The golden cloud, however, proved resilient, unshaken. The ape retaliated fiercely, swinging its leg overhead in a straight axe-kick aimed at Shi Hao’s skull.
“Brutal!” Shi Hao’s eyes flared. His palm glowed with ancient runes as a black fish, wreathed in dark light, surged forth—the power of the Yin Force manifesting.
**Bam!** He intercepted the ape’s leg—a limb capable of shattering mountains—and with a fluid motion, swung it downward, smashing it into the colosseum.
**Boom!** The black earth trembled as the ape cratered the ground, debris flying. The colosseum, unbroken until now, finally cracked—proof of the battle’s ferocity.
The ape, now wounded, charged out in a frenzy, grappling Shi Hao with mountain-snapping, lake-flattening strength. Shi Hao’s palm blazed once more—a golden roc emerged, merging with his strike as he slammed downward.
**Boom!** The collision was apocalyptic, like the Kun Peng’s wings splitting the heavens. The ape roared, its fingers spasming, body drenched in blood—severely wounded.
**Swoosh!** It transformed into golden light, its form fading—then reshaped into a Kun Peng, diving toward Shi Hao. This was the legendary **Seventy-Two Transformations**, a supreme art now displaying its terrifying aspect—mimicking the opponent’s techniques for a single, devastating strike.
**Crash!** The impact shattered the colosseum, sending rubble and dark clouds billowing. Shi Hao snorted, pressing forward relentlessly. The ape, unable to sustain the Kun Peng form, was blasted away, forced to rely on other abilities.
“Damn! No wonder legends say these apes devour gods and demons—this one’s insane!” the Divine Striking Stone exclaimed, awed by the ape’s resilience against Shi Hao’s might.
In the end, the ape fell, slain within the black colosseum. Its body dissolved into a golden Dao Talisman, radiant and blazing, far superior to previous ones—before igniting into ashes.
“Truly a Jue Yuan—one of the mightiest beings of antiquity. And this was just a talisman, not even its full power,” Shi Hao murmured.
“Right. If it were the golden one that ravaged the Western Sect, the outcome might’ve been different,” the stone remarked.
Shi Hao’s thoughts turned to Mao Qiu—golden, horned, clearly extraordinary. The ape’s **Seventy-Two Transformations** and body-refining arts, renowned across the realms, filled him with longing, though they remained out of reach for now.
“The ape’s physique has flaws, but legend says if perfected, it rivals the Ten Evils’ techniques,” the stone added, noting the Western Sect’s invader had nearly achieved it.
“Slaughtering gods and demons as prey—such might is indeed terrifying,” Shi Hao mused, then turned to the stone. “Now, tell me about this place.”
“Let’s search first. I’ve only heard rumors,” the stone replied.
The colosseum was vast, like a miniature world. At its end, a wall blocked their path, carved with images of the creatures Shi Hao had slain.
“Chilling,” Shi Hao sighed. Someone had arranged this place, crafting talismans that replicated such beings—an act bordering on the divine! The thought was staggering.
“Likely left by an ancestor of the ape lineage. No one else could’ve recreated such power with mere talismans,” the stone reasoned.
Finding nothing else, they exited.
“The Divine Demon Wall… I’ve heard it’s a path—strict, nearly impossible to traverse,” the stone murmured, unsure of its true purpose.
“Two walls exist in the Desolate Wasteland, appearing fleetingly. Other domains may have them too,” it added.
Shi Hao was intrigued. “Only the supremely gifted can even see it, let alone walk its path.”
He guessed the wall had been moved here by Little Red’s ancestors or the Fire Clan’s ancient emperor, hidden from the world.
“Secrets of monumental scale must lie behind this wall,” Shi Hao mused.
As they left, the stone noticed something. “Look—some doors are mere carvings, never fully carved. Like the legends.”
The gates depicting True Dragons and Vermilion Birds were incomplete. The stone explained: the first Divine Demon Wall had been flawed, leading to a second, perfected one.
“Want to try? Conquer all trials, and you might walk that path,” it challenged.
“But this wall’s incomplete. Even if I fought 108 colosseums, it’d be futile,” Shi Hao declined, scanning the area.
Then—”Huh? This door’s different.”
A half-carved figure adorned it—a humanoid form, partially sculpted, its hand eerily lifelike.
Guessing the pattern, Shi Hao pushed the door open. A wave of ancient desolation greeted them—a silent, blackened colosseum awaited.
Then—something drifted down.
A tiny black paper boat.
The same one from the North Sea.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage