Chapter 60: Who Dares to Challenge?

“Ziling, no one wishes for such a thing to happen. Name your compensation, but do not sever the limbs of our clan,” the elder said calmly.

“Fifth Elder, what are you saying?!” Shi Ziling’s eyes blazed as he stood with his golden war spear, glaring at the group of powerful figures before him. “You stole my son’s Supreme Bone, reducing him to the brink of death, yet the perpetrator is now considered the clan’s pillar? How dare you utter such words!”

“Old Fifth,” known as Shi Yuan in their generation, ranked fifth among his peers and was a generation senior to Shi Ziling’s father. As a revered elder of the clan, his cultivation was profound and unfathomable.

“Ziling, let us not dwell on the rights and wrongs now. Do not act in anger. Sit down and discuss this calmly. We will give you a satisfactory resolution,” Shi Yuan said, his eyes flickering with divine light, his aura oppressive.

“Enough!” Shi Ziling knew all too well that the clan had already made its decision. What recourse was left? He sneered coldly, “Set aside everything else—return Hao’er’s Supreme Bone!”

The faces of the opposing group darkened. They were all powerful figures under Shi Yuan’s faction, numbering in the dozens. This demand was unacceptable—they would never surrender the Supreme Bone.

“Ziling, the Supreme Bone has already been extracted and cannot be reattached. Let us compensate you otherwise,” Shi Yuan said evenly.

“Whether it can be reattached is not your concern. What belongs to Hao’er cannot be taken by anyone else!” Shi Ziling roared, his heart heavy with fury. His infant son’s precious bone had been seized in such a despicable manner.

“No!” Shi Yuan shook his head firmly. “For the prosperity of our clan, we cannot allow this. A born Supreme must not perish.”

“You say no?” Shi Ziling’s aura surged like a tempest, his eyes crackling with lightning. He strode forward, golden spear in hand, and glared ahead. “Then I shall take it myself!”

His gaze locked onto Shi Yi, the golden spear pointing directly at his chest, radiating divine light, runes thundering like a storm. He was ready to strike.

On either side of Shi Yuan, numerous warriors raised their weapons, eyes burning with anger. They would not allow the divine prodigy with dual pupils to fall—this battle was inevitable.

“Good, good, good!” Shi Ziling spat out three words, his fury boiling, the golden light in his pupils intensifying.

“Ziling, any other demand can be met, but you must not harm Yi’er,” Shi Yuan stepped forward, his steps steady, his body wreathed in crimson light, his presence overwhelming. He was a supreme powerhouse, renowned not just within the clan but throughout the imperial capital.

Shi Ziling raised his spear. What more was there to say? Only battle remained. Divine runes materialized around the golden spear, metallic and cold, exuding unparalleled might.

“Kill!” Shi Ziling charged forward, his spear trembling, shaking the heavens. The runes pulsed with life, radiating divine brilliance as they descended.

Boom!

The opposing warriors staggered back as if crushed by ten thousand mountains, their hearts quailing, knees nearly buckling. This was the gap between them—Shi Ziling, hailed as the capital’s prodigy, was beyond their reach. Only the clan’s elders could stand against him.

Only Shi Yuan remained standing. The others stumbled back, unable to withstand the pressure lest their bodies shatter.

A deafening roar erupted as Shi Yuan’s arms surged with power, resembling a blood phoenix soaring to the heavens. Crimson light erupted around him, his aura multiplying tenfold as he blocked the golden spear’s might.

Boom!

The spear shot forth like a rainbow, unstoppable, tearing through the sky with golden runes. Shi Yuan’s right hand, dense with runes, struck forward, transforming into a divine wing wreathed in phoenix feathers, radiant and resplendent, accompanied by a phoenix’s cry that shook the world.

The phoenix wing clashed with the golden spear like two erupting volcanoes, magma and flames filling the air, blinding all else.

The two clashed fiercely, exchanging dozens of blows in moments. One wreathed in golden light like a war god, the other bathed in crimson radiance like an ancient blood phoenix, their collisions unleashing torrents of brilliance.

The spectators were aghast. Shi Ziling was terrifyingly strong, forcing the clan’s mighty elder to such extremes. The disparity in their cultivation time was vast!

A piercing phoenix cry shattered stone, collapsing palaces. The onlookers hastily activated their runes to shield themselves.

Shi Yuan’s hair and beard bristled, his eyes flashing with lightning, his body glowing as an ancient blood phoenix erupted from within, its feathers vivid and deadly, diving toward Shi Ziling.

He had unleashed his ultimate technique, his killing intent overwhelming. The crowd trembled—the elder had been pushed to this!

A deep roar answered from Shi Ziling’s side. Golden light erupted from his body as a colossal beast materialized, filling the sky, its roar commanding the submission of all creatures. Though its form was indistinct, none doubted its supreme might.

With a thunderous crash, the beast’s massive claw descended, crushing palaces beneath its shadow, its aura shaking the world. All trembled, knees buckling.

The blood phoenix screeched, its wings slashing at the beast’s claw, the two locked in fierce combat.

This was a battle of supreme techniques, a life-and-death struggle. Divine light swept outward, awe-inspiring.

“Great-grandfather, strike his left flank!” Shi Yi suddenly called out, his dual pupils gleaming with divine light. Despite his youth, his presence was formidable. His eyes could pierce the essence of all things, spotting weaknesses.

Boom!

Shi Yuan’s eyes flashed with lightning as he directed the phoenix to dive at Shi Ziling’s left flank, exploiting the opening.

But the colossal beast roared, shaking mountains and rivers, blocking the phoenix’s strike with a swipe of its claw.

“Attack its left armpit!” Shi Yi shouted again, his pupils deepening, divine light flickering within.

The phoenix dove once more, its wings spread, its beak unleashing endless radiance—any strand of which could annihilate a group of warriors.

The beast raised its claw, slapping the phoenix’s beak aside, deflecting the attack.

“Strike its chest!” Shi Yi commanded, his eyes blazing like twin divine lamps, his aura chilling all who felt it.

The phoenix’s feathers lashed out, swift and vicious, aiming for the beast’s chest—but again, it missed, nearly crushed by the beast’s claw.

“It’s no use—he’s too fast!” Shi Yi’s forehead beaded with sweat. Despite his insights, Shi Ziling remained unfazed, his movements unpredictable, his techniques flawless.

“Fifth Elder, you are not enough!” Shi Ziling declared, his body erupting with even brighter light. The colossal beast swelled before exploding into ancient runes that merged with him.

Radiant, he advanced, each step shaking the earth. His spear thrust forward, golden light piercing the phoenix, skewering it.

The spear twisted, driving onward. Shi Yuan’s face paled with fear as he dodged—but too late. The rune-wrapped tip pierced his shoulder.

With a roar, Shi Yuan mustered all his strength, focusing his runes on the wound. Dazzling light flared as he was sent flying, his shoulder a bloody ruin.

Had it been anyone else, their body would have shattered. But Shi Yuan’s techniques were peerless—though half-crippled, his arm remained intact. Yet he was out of the fight, aged a decade in moments.

The elder’s defeat left Shi Yuan’s faction without a champion. The crowd was stunned—Shi Ziling was only in his twenties, yet he had overpowered the clan’s strongest!

Silence reigned as Shi Ziling advanced, his golden spear leveled at Shi Yi.

“My dear nephew, was it you who told your mother about Hao’er’s Supreme Bone? How cunning.”

Shi Yi remained silent, his eyes flickering.

“The clan wished to punish your mother, but you threatened suicide to spare her. Tell me—if I kill her now, will you truly slit your own throat?” Shi Ziling’s voice was icy.

“Elders, will you not act?!” someone cried.

Shi Ziling didn’t turn. He knew the elders had already mobilized, sealing the estate with ancient relic bones to contain the battle.

“Ziling, all fault lies with us. This vile woman is here—do as you will with her. But Yi’er must remain untouched,” several elders declared, emerging together.

They were true powerhouses, reclusive seniors generations above Shi Ziling, their eyes like miniature suns. Before them stood a bound woman, dragged forward.

“Sister-in-law, is your heart red or black?” Shi Ziling gritted his teeth before roaring, “Truly, you are heartless!”

Nearby, Shi Yi’s face was cold, his dual pupils gleaming with an aura so chilling it sent shivers through all.

“I said—for every bone you took from my son, I will break a hundred of yours. Not even the heavens can stop me today!”

The woman lifted her head, her expression icy but her heart filled with dread and regret. Her family’s strongest had been sent to intercept this couple—how had they returned alive?

“Watch closely!” Shi Ziling roared, spinning toward Shi Yi. The golden spear swung like a staff, smashing downward.

“Dare you?!” elders bellowed.

“Ziling, stop! Harm Yi’er not—all else can be discussed!” others pleaded.

“Shi Ziling, do you rebel?!” those aligned with Shi Yuan shouted.

They moved as one, their techniques illuminating the sky.

“Rebel? So be it! None shall stop me!” Shi Ziling roared, his spear unrelenting.

Yet the elders blocked his path, their runes sealing the space before him.

Shi Ziling’s arm trembled, intricate runes spiraling down the spear, emitting an eerie power.

“Beware!” the elders gasped.

A strange force bypassed their defenses, striking toward Shi Yi. Though weakened, it was still devastating.

“What technique is this?!” they marveled—it was unrecorded in the clan’s archives.

“Ah—!” Shi Yi screamed as he was sent flying, crashing into a rockery, blood gushing from his body. The sound of snapping bones echoed—over a hundred fractures in an instant!

“Yi’er!” the woman shrieked before glaring at Shi Ziling with venom. “My father’s faction will never forgive you!”

With a flash of gold, Shi Ziling hurled his spear, impaling her and pinning her to the ground dozens of feet away.