"What a useless scripture," Shi Hao said frankly. He didn’t really care about it because he already had the Original Truth. Such things were collected by the Liu Shen, and most people in the Wild Realm had probably never even heard of them.
"Who is this guy? His tone is so arrogant," a big-eyed beauty murmured beside a few men.
After entering this area, the crowd grew larger as everyone was eager to seize that page of scripture, gathering many strong figures due to the impending battle ahead.
"Nowadays, there are more people who like to brag. Just ignore them," said a young man with a strong physique and an extraordinary presence.
Relatively speaking, these people were quite powerful for their age, being descendants of the Fire Nation's royal family and notable figures among their peers.
Shi Hao naturally did not intend to clash with them. The two sides passed each other, but after hearing a few words, his interest was piqued.
"Princess Huo Ling'er didn’t come in but sent a few subordinates instead, and they haven't made any significant gains," said a young man.
The big-eyed girl murmured, "It's such a pity that Sister Ling'er missed this opportunity. Given how much the Fire Emperor favors her, he might grant her divine artifacts and give her that incredible chance."
"Forget it. It's a critical time. Whether the Ancient Saint Emperor's palace will appear is still unknown. We should be cautious. The princess might have stayed out to avoid the chaos and trouble here. Look, those outsiders, though few in number, are all powerful and ruthless," another said.
"Do they dare to make trouble?" the big-eyed beauty glared.
"Several princes and princesses are very close to them. I wonder what they've arranged. We should stay out of it," said a young man.
Shi Hao listened quietly, stroking his chin. Where there are people, there are always conflicts and grudges, even among siblings.
These people had connections with Huo Ling'er, especially the big-eyed girl, who seemed to have a good relationship with her. Shi Hao looked at them and thought that if the opportunity arose, he might offer some help.
"Hey, are you eavesdropping on us?" One of the young men noticed Shi Hao hadn’t walked far and showed a displeased expression.
"Since it’s for Princess Huo Ling'er, if any danger arises, shout loudly and I will assist," Shi Hao said before walking away.
Although he didn’t have high expectations for the page of scripture, he still wanted to check it out and understand the situation, just in case something needed to be done.
The few people rolled their eyes upon hearing him. Who was this person, so audacious as if he could act as he pleased in the ancestral land?
"Who is this person? Does he really think he’s a peerless young master from the Ancient Divine Mountain?" a young man sneered.
"Definitely not, but I’ve encountered such beings before," Shi Hao turned around and quickly retreated, leaving the group astonished.
"Really boastful. This guy’s arrogance is off the charts."
On the horizon, a black dot was speeding away. Shi Hao followed the trail, seeing many bloodstains along the way, discovering the chaotic battle and some corpses.
Not only of humans but also of strange beings, all monsters from the ancestral land, though their divine essence had been removed.
"Kill!"
Ahead, the sounds of battle were deafening, and people were in a frenzied fight. Shi Hao arrived at the site, and the page of scripture was still being fought over; this was the ninth time it had changed hands.
Many people were competing, totaling no fewer than a thousand. Shi Hao stayed aside, watching the commotion without intervening.
Besides the royal descendants, there were also nobles and many young experts they had selected, all gathered here for a single page of scripture.
Along the way, Shi Hao had also heard some rumors. This page of scripture seemed to be related to the opening of the Saint Emperor's Palace.
It was said that in this Fire Domain, there was an ancient palace of the Saint Emperor, recording all his teachings. He was the founder of the Fire Nation.
"The Emperors of that era were far more powerful than now, truly invincible," someone whispered.
"The Ancient Saint Emperor悟道 here and gained much insight into divine principles and orders," another added.
In summary, the Fire Nation's founder's teachings were also derived from this ancestral land.
The battlefield was close to a large lake, though it was actually a lake of magma, a vast expanse of red. It was immense, its size unknown.
"Why aren’t you fighting for it?" As the crowd moved forward to engage in battle, a young man approached Shi Hao.
Shi Hao immediately sensed something was wrong. This wasn’t a human, although it was human-shaped, it had a terrifying aura contained within it.
A pure-blooded being, likely from outside the domain.
Shi Hao focused and remained cautious, as he sensed not just one but several auras, stronger than this young man.
"I don’t want to participate," Shi Hao replied.
"You should go for it. It’s a great opportunity," the young man with red hair, his eyes like fireballs, exuded fiery light.
Shi Hao ignored him, continuing to observe.
"Go on," the young man pushed him forward aggressively, with a hint of coldness at the corner of his mouth.
"Mm." Shi Hao glared at him, dodged the push, and felt something was off about the situation.
Suddenly, he sensed a terrifying fluctuation. Several others were secretly activating divine energy to awaken a major formation here.
"Stop fighting. This is a dangerous place," Shi Hao shouted.
He saw lines resembling magma appearing on the ground, and people were secretly constructing a dreadful rune formation, about to awaken.
"You talk too much," the red-haired young man coldly said, unleashing a violent attack. His palm sprayed fire, displaying an astonishing divine power.
Shi Hao was taken aback. This pure-blooded being, looking around seventeen or eighteen, was already a master of the Engraving Realm, seemingly more powerful and unmatched.
At the same time, the formation here revived, with radiant light soaring into the sky, threatening to crush everyone present. In an instant, an enormous pressure enveloped the area.
"Yanmang Clan, you’ve gone too far. We’ve reached an agreement with the Fire Nation, allowing us to come to this crucial location. Why suddenly use such lethal methods?"
Six or seven elders appeared, none of them human, with some having horns, others wings, and some with four eyes. They all shared one trait: immense strength.
"I want to open the Saint Emperor’s Palace and uncover its true secrets. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to everyone here?" said the person setting up the formation.
"You’re too reckless. The Fire Emperor is a formidable figure. Even if you and I try to act recklessly in the Wild Realm, it won’t be feasible. If something goes wrong, he can easily wipe us out with a single slap, unless the major leaders come in person."
The people disassembling the formation scolded, their expressions grim, unwilling to let the Yanmang Clan take such extreme actions.
"If we gain anything, we’ll leave immediately without danger," said one of the formation elders.
"No, break the formation quickly!"
"Boom!"
The area erupted in chaos with screams. Dozens were crushed into bloody mud in the formation, their blood scattering towards the magma lake.
"Blood Sacrifice Formation, you’re truly ruthless. To open the Ancient Saint Emperor’s Palace, you would even resort to such underhanded methods."
"These people are doomed. Join us, the Yanmang Clan," the few urged.
Given the scale of the massacre, if nothing unexpected happened, all these thousands would die. This would be an unimaginable loss for the Fire Nation, and the consequences would be extremely severe, undoubtedly incurring the royal family’s wrath.
"May disaster be kept away," someone was even praying, holding a black stone and reciting a spell, then transmitting a message: "Fire Emperor, someone is violating the agreement and harming the foundation of the Fire Nation."
Suddenly, a large flag descended from the sky and, with a thud, was planted in the formation, causing all the runes to collapse and shatter completely.
"Fire Emperor!" the people setting up the formation exclaimed in shock, transforming into several red giant pythons and quickly fleeing.
The flag on the ground fluttered, creating a golden wind, and as soon as the pythons took off, they were shattered in mid-air, turning into blood mist.
The scene was shocking. Thousands of people quickly retreated from the lake, realizing that they had been deceived. The so-called scripture was merely a trap.
At this point, Shi Hao was deeply shaken. These people were incredibly ruthless, setting up a formation for a blood sacrifice. How many lives would be lost?
The so-called scripture was just bait, intended to attract so many sacrifices. There might be an entrance to the Saint Emperor's Palace beneath the lake.
With a flash, the golden flag rose from the ground and quickly disappeared into the blue sky.
The young man who had been confronting Shi Hao turned pale, quickly turning to leave. Having avoided the massacre, he had no intention of staying longer once the flag vanished.
Shi Hao was determined not to let him escape. He pursued him because the elders who had died earlier were not pure-blooded, but this young man was different—he was a treasure of flesh and blood.
The red-haired young man glanced back with a cold smile. He was somewhat fearful here, but once he left, he would have nothing to fear and would naturally deal with this daring human.
Meanwhile, thousands of people were in chaos, shocked and angry after understanding the situation, and dispersed.
The other few elders from outside the domain who had come to break the formation also left without delay.
"Good, no one is here now. Do you dare to compete with me?" The red-haired young man stopped.
"What are you?" Shi Hao said. He had faced the Qingluan, suppressed the Chiling, and cut the flesh of the Zhuqian. He was not afraid of pure-blooded beings.
A fierce battle ensued. Shi Hao used his Engraving Realm power to gain the upper hand, shocking the Yanmang youth. Earlier, the opponent had concealed his strength, deceiving him.
This Yanmang was strong, with a higher realm than Shi Hao and unique attributes. He fought fiercely with Shi Hao for over a hundred rounds.
"Poof."
Eventually, Shi Hao defeated him, revealing his true form—a red python over ten yards long, its entire body a vivid red, like carved from agate.
His mouth watered. Having killed another ancient fierce beast, he was satisfied. After eating, he planned to take the remains back to Stone Village and share them with his clan.
While sorting through the Yanmang’s remains, he discovered a page of copper paper, very flexible, producing a metallic resonance when struck, impervious to water and fire.
"Is there really a page of scripture?" Shi Hao was astonished. Initially, he thought it was a deadly trap or a terrible lie, but it turned out the young man indeed had a page of scripture.
He studied it carefully, his expression first serious, then filled with delight, and finally, he couldn't help but laugh. This scripture was extremely important.
According to what was recorded, it might help him rapidly increase his strength here. It was truly invaluable, worth more than obtaining divine powers.
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