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Shi Zhongtian noticed the change in his grandson's gaze and, following his gaze, immediately saw Shi Yi in the crowd.

Almost instantly, the long-suppressed violent aura emanating from Shi Zhongtian surged uncontrollably, and his cloudy old eyes suddenly erupted with terrifying killing intent.

"Hao'er...that young man is Shi Yi?"

Shi Zhongtian's voice sounded as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a rusty, metallic smell.

"Yes, that's him."

Shi Hao nodded, his expression remarkably calm.

He was not blinded by hatred; on the contrary, the moment he saw his destined enemy, his mind immediately entered a strange state of clarity.

The stronger the opponent, the more intense his fighting spirit.

However, Shi Zhongtian made no attempt to conceal his murderous intent.

This immediately alerted Shi Yi and the others standing opposite.

Several elderly men dressed in different styles stood beside Shi Yi.

Two of them were particularly eye-catching.

A man dressed in a black robe with ferocious spider patterns embroidered on the sleeves, exuding a cold and sinister aura, was a Venerable Elder of Demon Spirit Lake.

The other was dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, with white hair and a youthful face, exuding an air of otherworldly grace, but with a deep-seated indifference in his eyes; he was a venerable figure of the Patching Heaven Sect.

Sensing Shi Zhongtian's killing intent, the Venerable of Demon Spirit Lake immediately snorted coldly and said, "How dare a stray dog ​​bar its teeth here? Two mere people dare to come to the capital of Shi Kingdom to keep their appointment, they really don't know what's good for them!"

His words were full of disdain and contempt, as if Shi Hao and his grandson were nothing more than ants that could be crushed at any moment.

The Venerable One of the Heaven-Mending Sect stroked his long beard and continued, "Why is Fellow Daoist Demon Spider so angry? Perhaps they think that with the Stone Emperor's protection in the capital of the Stone Kingdom, they can rest easy. But they don't know that although the capital is large, it cannot protect them forever. The Stone Emperor can protect them for a while, but how can he protect them forever?"

The two sang in unison, their voices carrying clearly throughout most of the training ground, showing no regard for the Stone Emperor's majesty.

Or rather... they were confident that the power behind them was enough to make the Stone Emperor compromise on certain aspects.

This undisguised threat and disdain immediately made the atmosphere in the entire training ground even more delicate.

On the viewing platform, countless gazes swept back and forth between Shi Hao and his grandson, and Shi Yi's group, while whispers rose like a tide:

"Did you see that? The big shots from Demon Spirit Lake and the Heaven Mending Sect have both spoken up. They're clearly not taking that Desolate Marquis seriously!"

"Sigh~, who can argue with that? Huang Tianhou is indeed talented, but he is ultimately alone and isolated. No matter how powerful the Great Demon God is, he is still just one person. But Shi Yi has two major lineages standing behind him. How can they compare?"

"Wait a minute, wasn't the Heaven-Mending Sect destroyed by the Fire Kingdom's Emperor last time? How come people from the Heaven-Mending Sect have appeared in the Desolate Region again now?"

"Didn't you know? The Fire Kingdom's Human Emperor seems to have ascended to the Upper Realm some time ago. The Heaven-Mending Sect has a lineage in the Lower Realm. After the Fire Kingdom's Human Emperor left, they seem to have sent down several Venerables..."

"By the way, I heard that Shi Hao's father killed Shi Yi's mother to avenge his father. The Martial King's Mansion and the Rain Clan both hate them to the bone. Now, all the old and new grudges have come together!"

"That's right. Before, Shi Hao disappeared without a trace, and they couldn't find him. Now, he's delivered himself to their doorstep, and he's even making such a big show of challenging them to a duel... How is this any different from a lamb being led to the slaughter?"

"I think that regardless of the outcome of today's duel, Marquis Huangtian and his grandfather will likely find it difficult to leave this capital alive..."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion. The vast majority of people were not optimistic about Shi Hao, believing that his challenge to Shi Yi was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock and courting death.

Faced with an absolute disparity in strength and power, individual bravery seems so pale and powerless.

As Shi Zhongtian listened to the surrounding discussions and the undisguised threats from the other side, his anger intensified, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

If Shi Hao hadn't gently held his arm down, he almost would have rushed over and killed those two old bastards first!
Just as this undercurrent of tension reached a critical point.

"The Fire Kingdom delegation has arrived!"

Suddenly, a loud greeting came from the palace entrance.

The sound instantly shattered the solemn atmosphere in the training ground.

Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward the entrance.

In sight, a squad of guards clad in crimson armor, exuding a powerful aura, led the way, escorting a magnificent and imposing carriage as it slowly entered the square.

The chariot was pulled by four mythical beasts riding on fiery clouds, looking quite imposing.

After the carriage stopped in the square, the curtains on it were lifted by the guards on both sides, and a beautiful figure stepped out gracefully.

She was a young girl who looked to be under twenty years old. She wore a magnificent and solemn fiery red phoenix robe and a dazzling flame crown, which made her already stunningly beautiful face even more radiant and breathtaking.

When the figure's appearance and attire were clearly seen, the entire training ground fell silent for a moment, then immediately erupted into an uncontrollable uproar:
"The new emperor of the Fire Kingdom is such a young woman?!"

"So beautiful... but the aura emanating from her... doesn't seem very strong? How could the Fire Kingdom allow a young girl to succeed to the throne of the Human Emperor?"

"I heard that the former Fire Emperor has mysteriously disappeared, and the Fire Kingdom is in turmoil. Has it fallen from grace?"

"However, the people with her... seem a bit strange."

The new emperor of the Fire Kingdom is none other than Huo Ling'er!
It is extremely rare in the history of the eight realms of the lower world for such a young and beautiful girl to become the emperor of a country.

This inevitably leads to various speculations about the current situation in the Fire Kingdom.

Huo Ling'er arrived at the square with a group of Huo Kingdom guards. Her gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on Shi Hao and his grandson.

"Little one... today is your duel with Shi Yi. My Fire Kingdom is here to support you. If anyone dares to do anything to you, my Fire Kingdom will absolutely not let them get away with it..."

As Huo Ling'er spoke, she deliberately glanced at the people from Demon Spirit Lake and the Heaven-Mending Sect, her brows furrowed with a threatening look.

The Venerable One from Demon Spirit Lake frowned, wanting to step forward and rebuke Huo Ling'er, but was quickly pulled back by the Venerable One from the Heaven-Mending Sect.

Venerable Demon Spirit Lake looked puzzled: "Brother Dao, what are you doing? That little girl's words just now were clearly meant to target us. Are we just going to stay silent like this?"

The Venerable of the Heaven-Mending Sect lowered his voice and said, "The Fire Kingdom has a great relationship with Zhu Chen, and we cannot easily offend them."

Venerable Demon Spirit Lake sneered: "Brother Dao, rest assured. Zhu Chen has been missing for a long time. The position of the Emperor of the Fire Kingdom has already changed hands. I estimate that he has already perished. He has angered my Demon Spirit Lake. Today, neither the Fire Kingdom nor Shi Hao will have an easy time."

...(End of chapter)