At first, everyone was a bit dazed as the central Celestial Palace of the Imperial City and the entire square lifted from the ground with a thunderous roar, traversing the void and arriving at the military training ground outside the city.
What kind of power is this? Is it the work of the Stone Emperor, or is this Celestial Palace truly a super artifact?
The great flag fluttered, and a massive black-clad army stood in a dense formation, each soldier brimming with bloodthirstiness, like a pack of tigers and wolves. Some held battle spears, others wielded sharp swords, all exuding a murderous aura as they glared at everyone.
“His Majesty the Human Emperor has arrived!” someone shouted.
Soon, the killing intent dissipated as war generals stepped forward to pay their respects and led the soldiers to methodically organize the area.
The military training ground was immense, many times larger than the palace's training arena, stretching out as far as the eye could see, resembling a vast desolate wasteland.
Some whispered that this had once been an ancient battlefield, stained with the blood of gods and demons, leaving the land barren and lifeless. Yet, it was an excellent place for training soldiers, honing their will and killing intent.
In the sky, a demonic spider loomed large. It was as colossal as a mountain, its entire body a deep green, with many of its spider hairs gleaming coldly like spears, sparkling with a chilling light.
It was restless; the Celestial Palace and square had just appeared in mid-air, and it had been swept along, directly arriving at the military training ground, which truly shook it.
“You human boy, you can choose a method of death,” said the demonic spider, its voice not loud but filled with a formidable authority that resonated through the sky, causing the military training ground to reverberate with a rumble.
People searched for Stone Hao. The revered one had appeared and was about to act. Where was he?
In a certain area, everyone stared in anticipation, drawing the attention of others. Finally, they saw the main figure and couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
He was still eating.
“Why is he still eating?” someone cried out in surprise and frustration. This guy was unbelievably calm.
He was seated at a jade table, with a golden spider leg laid out before him. He peeled off the golden skin to reveal tender, crystal-clear meat, eating heartily with his mouth watering. Occasionally, he would sip some fragrant wine.
“I’m treating, don’t stand on ceremony,” he said while eating, also inviting those around him, such as the Rain Clan, Stone Zitong, the Tuoba family, and some young people from the Ancient Divine Mountain.
Everyone was stunned. Who would dare to eat? Wasn’t this courting death? If the demonic spider saw this, would it let them off? Stone Zitong, the Rain Clan, and others had ashen faces, finding this behavior incredibly arrogant.
“It’s hard for you to die now; I’ve decided to let you live,” said the Ancient Demonic Spider, its voice like rolling thunder, shaking the void and clearly showing its anger.
Sometimes, living is worse than dying. It wanted to use the most cruel means to suppress Stone Hao, tormenting him and putting him through hell every day.
“The big spider, you speak so uninteresting. I never intended to die. What’s the use of your nonsense?” Stone Hao replied, already standing up.
People were somewhat numb. Was this really a youth in the Spirit Transformation realm? He showed no reverence for the revered one. Even kings and nobles would tremble and kneel in submission upon meeting such a figure.
And what was he doing? Scolding a revered one from the Ancient Divine Mountain, as casually as if reprimanding a stray dog.
The Ancient Demonic Spider’s eyes were icy. Over the years, few had dared to be disrespectful to it, and those who did, did so repeatedly. It remained silent, but a chilling killing intent had already enveloped the entire military training ground.
Many people turned pale, almost fainting from the pressure.
Fortunately, a golden flame rose from the central Celestial Palace, dispelling the chill and warming the area again, making people feel better.
This is what a revered one is like; their joy or anger can affect all beings, causing them either great joy or profound sorrow, with intense emotional fluctuations.
“Is there anyone else? Has the Blue Sky Divine Mountain’s bird arrived? One demonic spider is not my opponent. It’s best if you all join forces,” Stone Hao challenged publicly.
He was intentionally provoking, not afraid of more enemies, only afraid of too few. He wanted to use the small tower once, hoping to maximize its value.
The Blue Phoenix Revered One had been drinking in the palace. Hearing this, his eyes turned cold. He pushed away the jade table, stepped into the void, and looked down without saying a word.
It was evident that the killing intent had already been revealed, and he was determined to kill that youth.
“Is there anyone else? Who else dares to fight me?” The rebellious boy roared with an air of arrogance, as if he were the ruler of the world.
He knew that he had killed more than one revered figure in the Northern Sea. If these people came, they surely wouldn’t let him off. He hoped they would all appear.
Unfortunately, despite his shouting, no one appeared.
“At the Kunpeng Nest battle, I remember killing several old men. Why didn’t they come?” he muttered.
To the people, this was like another thunderclap. It had been a long time, and some news from the Northern Sea battle had reached the mainland. Many had heard some rumors, but they were vague. Now it was confirmed.
This rebellious boy was truly formidable.
“Enough with the pretense. You can die now,” the Blue Phoenix Revered One said.
“Let me do it. There’s no need to kill him. Heaven has mercy,” the Ancient Demonic Spider said coldly.
Sometimes living is more painful than dying. Killing someone is simple, but humiliating them might be more tormenting. The Ancient Demonic Spider naturally wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.
Stone Hao took a big step forward and entered the military training ground, saying, “Before we start, I want to ask you something. Can you answer?”
“Speak,” the demonic spider replied coldly.
“Where is my grandfather? Did you send your true self to hunt him down?” Stone Hao asked.
“He is dead; you won’t see him again,” the Ancient Demonic Spider responded coldly.
Stone Hao did not believe it. “For a small cultivator like me in the Spirit Transformation realm, is it necessary for you to be so evasive? You can’t even speak the truth.”
“A mere human cultivator. What if he is killed or lives? He’s just an ant. Why should I care about him? Why should I remember him?” the demonic spider said.
“You disdain him so, yet he killed your spiritual body. Don’t be so arrogant,” Stone Hao sneered.
Near the Celestial Palace, many people were discussing. Everyone wanted to know the whereabouts of the Great Demon God, having heard that he was forced to leave the imperial capital.
“The Great Demon Snake encountered the Demonic Spider Revered One and was seriously injured but did not die. He went to the outer realms to seek Stone Ziling,” the Chief Guard said.
Stone Hao was surprised. He finally learned his grandfather’s whereabouts. Indeed, he had been forced to flee far away by the demonic spider but had managed to survive.
“It was you that day,” the demonic spider said, looking at the gray-robed elder with icy eyes.
Stone Hao was startled, recalling when he entered the imperial capital. The Liu God had opened a passage for him, and he had seen a battle along the way, where a mountain-like giant spider was fighting a person, reflected in the void passage.
Could it be that his grandfather was being chased, and the Chief Guard had gone to rescue him? From the demonic spider’s words, it seemed he had recognized the Chief Guard.
“A golden-winged Roc willingly hid in the palace as a guard. Quite absurd,” the Ancient Demonic Spider said.
Hearing this, everyone gasped in shock, looking incredulously at the Chief Guard. This elder had such a significant background?
The Chief Guard remained silent, standing aside to guard the Celestial Palace.
“Your grandfather was very lucky, but the lesson I gave him is enough for him to remember for a lifetime. Surviving is his luck. A human cultivator daring to contend with me is simply ignorant of the heavens and earth,” the demonic spider sneered.
Stone Hao was filled with rage. His grandfather was certainly injured, which made his eyes blaze with fury. This was the first time he had shown such intense emotional fluctuations before the Celestial Palace.
“You’ve cultivated for hundreds of years, and you still dare to show off? My grandfather has only practiced for a few decades, and you still couldn’t handle him, even having his spiritual body killed. How dare you be so arrogant? If I were you, I would just slam myself into the ground and be done with it.”
The demonic spider was enraged. Its spiritual body had been intercepted and severely injured, which had led to the accident in the imperial capital. The mention of old grievances infuriated it.
“Alright, let’s deal with him. He’s just an insignificant ant. No need to waste words. In my opinion, we should just kill him,” the Blue Phoenix Revered One said.
“Then let’s have a battle,” Stone Hao said as he stepped into the military training ground. He began chanting a spell: “Spirits of the Void, heed my call. Cross the boundless world and come here for a battle.”
Everyone was petrified. What was he doing?
“He’s casting a curse?”
“It doesn’t seem like it. It feels like an ancient spell that can summon falling stars from beyond the heavens, or even call forth gods and demons.”
“Is there really such a powerful spell?”
The crowd was stunned, including the ancient demonic spider in the sky, which dared not act recklessly and watched quietly.
It had a feeling that something was off. This kid wasn’t insane, so what gave him the audacity to challenge them like this? It wanted to see what the other party was relying on.
In reality, while chanting the spell, Stone Hao was communicating with the small tower, asking it to be more discreet. He worried that exposing this artifact might cause unforeseen trouble.
“Heroes of the Supreme Hall, awaken and cross the starry gate. Descend upon the wasteland to aid me in slaying demons and subduing the venomous spider.”
He continued chanting, but nothing appeared.
This made people look at him strangely, thinking he seemed like a charlatan. There was no sign of any divine power, and no runes appeared.
“What’s going on? This guy is spouting nonsense. Does he think he can scare me with this?” the ancient demonic spider sneered repeatedly, descending with overwhelming pressure. It intended to make the rebellious boy kneel, pressing down on his legs.
However, Stone Hao’s spell suddenly took effect. The air turned cold with a howling wind, and a divine platform faintly appeared. Ancient ferocious beasts roared, shaking the heavens and earth.
The atmosphere of the entire world changed. It seemed like there was a gigantic azure dragon soaring through the sky, roaring loudly. Then, the Vermilion Bird released divine flames, soaring into the heavens.
A black whirlwind engulfed the entire military training ground, with a terrifying aura spreading. Within the whirlwind, there were shadows of giant beasts and demonic birds, their phantoms appearing, intimidating everyone.
“What’s happening?” Everyone was on edge.
“Heavens, why are blood-colored hairs floating in the air?” The crowd was horrified.
The black whirlwind transformed into a red-haired whirlwind. These were the actual hairs of ancient ferocious beasts, blowing around in the wind, with an overwhelming murderous aura.
“Ah, no!”
The ancient demonic spider screamed, its voice thunderous and filled with terror. The next moment, it disappeared from sight, swallowed by the red whirlwind.
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