Perfect: Many children, many blessings! Join the chat group!

The Stone Emperor was extremely efficient. The day after the turmoil at the Martial King's Mansion subsided, a golden edict personally signed by the Stone Emperor and stamped with the imperial seal was issued from the palace, transforming into countless streams of light that flew to various prefectures and states in the desolate region.

It even subtly spread to other domains.

The content of that decree was very simple.

The newly appointed Marquis of Desolate Heaven, Shi Hao, and the Marquis of Peerless, Shi Yi, will fight in the Shi Kingdom's palace in three days.

The winner will become the strongest person of the younger generation in the Stone Kingdom.

This news caused a global uproar!

"Shi Hao? That kid whose Supreme Bone was dug out back then? He's still alive? And he's even been granted a marquisate?"

"The battle between the Desolate Marquis and the Peerless Marquis! My god, the Stone Clan has two supreme beings! One is born with supreme bones, and the other has ancient double pupils. What a grand event this is!"

"I heard that Shi Hao killed the Rain King on the spot at the Martial King's Mansion. His strength is terrifying. Shi Yi is already famous throughout the Eight Regions and has received the true teachings of the Heaven-Mending Sect and the Demon Spirit Lake. This battle will definitely be a clash of titans!"

"How many years has it been since the Eight Realms of the Lower Realm witnessed a duel between young supreme beings of this caliber? It probably dates back to ancient times!"

"I must go and watch the battle; such a grand event is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence!"

The entire desolate region, and even neighboring regions, were in an uproar.

Countless cultivators, various sects, and ancient families were drawn to this news.

In an instant, the roads leading to the capital of the Stone Kingdom were bustling with carriages and horses, and divine rainbows filled the sky. Cultivators from all directions flocked to the capital of the Stone Kingdom like rivers flowing into the sea, eager to witness this earth-shattering duel that was destined to be recorded in history.

However, outsiders are unaware of this.

In fact, the Stone Emperor originally wanted Shi Hao and Shi Yi to fight each other in the same realm in the Void God Realm.

After all, Shi Hao's current cultivation level is only at the Spirit Transformation Realm, while Shi Yi is already a cultivator at the late stage of the Inscription Realm.

The gap between the two was too great, and Shi Hao was afraid that such a battle would be unfair to him.

But Shi Hao insisted on fighting in the Shi Kingdom's royal palace.

Because he wanted to defeat Shi Yi at his strongest state, not one where the opponent deliberately held back to show humility towards his cultivation level.

He disdained such a duel.

……

On the eve of the decisive battle.

Inside a courtyard in the capital of the Kingdom of Shi.

"Hao'er, I understand your ambition, and I'm proud of you, but... you're oversimplifying things."

Shi Zhongtian sat on a stone bench in the courtyard and said to Shi Hao in a serious tone, "Behind Shi Yi is not only the Martial King's Mansion, but also the entire Rain Clan, as well as the Demon Spirit Lake, the Heaven-Mending Sect, and many other forces!"

"The Rain King died at your hands, and the Rain Clan has long regarded you as a thorn in their side. The Demon Spirit Lake and the Heaven-Mending Sect regard Shi Yi as their future hope and are nurturing him with all their might. This battle between you and Shi Yi is not only about the victory or defeat of the two of you, but also involves the face and interests of several major forces behind you!"

At this point, Shi Zhongtian's voice suddenly became worried: "Grandpa is worried that they won't let you have a fair fight with Shi Yi. They are very likely to interfere with you in various ways before the battle. Moreover, given the way those major sects operate, as long as you are alive after the battle, regardless of the outcome, you will be a threat to them. Especially now that we have left the Martial King's Mansion, we are alone and isolated. In this capital, if the Venerables of those forces were to lower themselves and join forces to attack us, grandfather and grandson... I'm afraid even Emperor Shi might not be able to protect us!"

"After all, the Stone Emperor has to consider the balance of the Stone Kingdom. He can't possibly break ties with the Rain Clan, the Demon Spirit Lake, and the Heaven-Mending Sect all for our sake. If that happens, my grandfather and I might not be able to leave the capital of the Stone Kingdom!" Shi Zhongtian's worries were not without reason.

The duels in the real world are far more brutal than the battles on the arena in the virtual god realm.

Although Shi Hao is highly talented, he is still young and his cultivation has not yet reached its peak. He is no match for those established forces that have been operating for hundreds or thousands of years.

However, Shi Hao remained calm in the face of Shi Zhongtian's concerns.

He sat down next to Shi Zhongtian, a reassuring smile on his face: "Grandpa, I understand what you're saying, but have you forgotten what I told you before? I'm not alone now."

"Ok?"

Shi Zhongtian was taken aback, then remembered the "group of brothers" and the mysterious elder brother that Shi Hao had mentioned before.

"You mean... your brothers can come and help you in battle?"

"That's right!"

Shi Hao nodded vigorously, his eyes gleaming with certainty: "My brothers are all formidable. Although they come from different places, they have one thing in common: they're fiercely protective of their own. I'll contact them right now and have them come here. Then, not only will the capital of the Shi Kingdom be no match for us, but no one in the eight lower realms will be able to stop us..."

Seeing his grandson's confidence, Shi Zhongtian's worries quickly dissipated.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, then patted Shi Hao's shoulder heavily and laughed loudly, "Since my grandson has such a powerful backer, what do I have to be afraid of? I'll sit in the audience and watch you beat Shi Yi so badly that even his grandmother wouldn't recognize him. I'll also let everyone see that my grandson, Shi Zhongtian's grandson, is not someone to be trifled with!"

"Don't worry, Grandpa, I won't let you down."

The grandfather and grandson looked at each other and burst into laughter, instantly dispelling the worried atmosphere in the courtyard.

Then, Shi Hao opened the chat group and told the people in the group that he was going to have a decisive battle with Shi Yi in the capital of Shi Kingdom.

Before long, several messages popped up in the chat group:
[Xiao Yan: Holy crap, this is great! I love joining in the fun... Brother Shi Hao, don't worry, I'll definitely be there to cover for you. If any guy doesn't know what's good for him, I'll give him a full set of the Buddha's Wrath Lotus!]

[Lin Dong: My clan competition is about to start, but Brother Shi Hao is ahead of me, so I can come and watch!]

[Qian Renxue: If you just want someone to cover for you, I can come over...]

[Han Li: My puppet army is the most suitable to provide support...]

[Wang Lin: You all go first. I'm at a crucial stage in my breakthrough and attainment of the pinnacle, and my clone might not be able to be there in person...]

[Luo Feng: If my clone can't come, can the real body?]

[Wang Lin: I can.]

[Luo Feng: As long as I'm here, that's enough. I remember that Brother Shi Hao is in the lower realm of Big Brother's world. The cultivators there aren't very powerful. If a few of us go there, we can easily sweep the entire area...]

Just as everyone was discussing, Yang Qi, who hadn't spoken for a long time, sent a message:
Yang Qi: Everyone, I am currently in a dangerous place and cannot come here. However, I can pass on the "Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Technique" to you. After learning this technique, you should be able to greatly increase your strength!

...(End of chapter)