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The Stone Emperor sat upright on the Nine Dragon Throne, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire arena.

He did not deliberately release his pressure, but the aura of imperial power that ruled over mountains and rivers and dominated all people naturally spread out, instantly making the noisy martial arts arena silent.

"Marquis Huangtian, Marquis Wushuang, I am very glad that you can both come here today. Now, please come up on stage."

Shi Huang lowered his head to look at Shi Hao and Shi Yi, and slowly spoke, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears.

And just as he finished speaking...

Two figures immediately flew down from below the stage and landed steadily on the martial arts arena.

It was Shi Hao and Shi Yi.

The two stood ten feet apart, their gazes meeting in the air as if invisible sparks were flying.

Shi Hao slowly clenched his fists, his knuckles making a slight popping sound.

He looked at Shi Yi and said, "Shi Yi, today I will collect what you owe me, along with the interest!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yi's face remained expressionless, only his double pupils shifted slightly.

He did not use the power of his double pupils at this moment, but the pressure of his double pupils that he unintentionally revealed had already caused a slight distortion in the surrounding space.

Shi Hao felt a slight chill, and then an even stronger fighting spirit suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart, completely crushing that trace of fear!

His spine was ramrod straight, and his blood and qi were surging faintly. He actually withstood the pressure of the double pupils and did not give an inch!
The Stone Emperor took in the performance of the two men, a barely perceptible hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

He was about to speak and set the rules for the competition.

But at that moment, on the opposite viewing platform, the Golden Spider Venerable of Demon Spirit Lake spoke first, his voice ominous:

"Your Majesty the Stone Emperor, today's duel between the two Stone Emperors is a grand event for our Desolate Region and even the Eight Regions. Since it is a battle of geniuses and a destiny battle, fists and feet are indiscriminate and injuries are inevitable. I propose that this battle be unrestricted, and life and death be left to fate. Only in this way can the true strength of the two be fully displayed, and it will also prevent anyone from having any illusions, holding back, and ruining the excitement of this duel!"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Xuanhe immediately echoed, "Fellow Daoist Jinzhu is absolutely right. Since we are settling our scores, we should go all out. If we use 'sparring' as an excuse to stop at the last minute, it will not be satisfying and will be unfair. We urge Your Majesty to grant permission for this battle to be fought without regard to life or death!"

The two of them sang in unison, their words sounding righteous on the surface, but in reality they harbored malicious intentions.

Everyone knows that Shi Yi's cultivation is a whole realm higher than Shi Hao's, and he also possesses the Double Pupil Technique and the inheritance of two immortal lineages. If they were to fight to the death, Shi Hao would definitely be in grave danger!

They intend to use Shi Yi to openly and legitimately eliminate Shi Hao, a potential threat, and may even want to add fuel to the fire when Shi Hao is defeated!

Shi Huang frowned slightly.

His original intention was to have the two compete fairly and determine who was superior, and he did not want to see the Stone Clan lose any of its future supreme beings.

"Your Excellencies are mistaken. Shi Hao and Shi Yi are both pillars of our Shi Kingdom. Today's duel is intended as a friendly exchange, a test of their knowledge. It should end when they have reached a point of mutual understanding. Any injury would be something I truly do not wish to see..."

On the surface, Shi Huang remained calm, but in his heart he had already cursed those two old guys, Venerable Golden Spider and Venerable Black Crane.

"His Majesty!"

Before the Stone Emperor could finish speaking, Venerable Golden Spider suddenly raised his voice, turned to the surrounding viewing platforms, and said loudly, "Fellow Daoists, tell me, should this fateful duel be played with like a game, or should we go all out and fight to the death?"

His words were highly inflammatory.

On the viewing platform, many cultivators from various forces, who were already looking forward to a good show, especially the young and ambitious prodigies who loved bloody battles, were immediately stirred up.

"The Golden Spider Venerable is right. Since it is a battle of destiny, we should fight to the death!"

"That's right! What's the point of holding back? If you're going to fight, then fight to your heart's content!"

"Your Majesty, please grant permission for a life-or-death battle!"

"A fight to the death is permitted!"

Shouts rose from all directions, gradually merging into one.

The disciples of Demon Spirit Lake and the Patching Heaven Sect shouted the loudest.

For a moment, the situation seemed to be being manipulated by Venerable Golden Spider and the others. The Stone Emperor's expression darkened slightly, and he released a bit of his imperial aura, causing the commotion to momentarily subside.

Just as he was about to forcefully suppress it, Shi Hao's voice suddenly rang out from the center of the arena:

"Your Majesty need not be troubled!"

Shi Hao stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Venerable Golden Spider and Venerable Xuanhe before finally settling on Shi Yi: "I, Shi Hao, am willing to fight Shi Yi to the death. Life and death are left to fate, without any restrictions!"

His words were spoken with such conviction, as if they were filled with absolute confidence!

Only now did a slight ripple appear in Shi Yi's eyes, as if Shi Hao's acceptance of the challenge had finally piqued his interest.

He spoke slowly, his voice indifferent: "That's exactly what I was thinking too."

……

"Hao'er!"

Shi Zhongtian stood below the stage, his eyes blazing with anxiety.

He knew how terrifying double pupils were, and he was even more worried that the forces behind the other side would sabotage the battle.

"Shi Hao..."

Huo Ling'er couldn't help but stand up, her pretty face full of worry.

In her heart, Shi Hao was Zhu Chen's acknowledged younger brother, and he absolutely could not be harmed!
She had secretly decided that if things really got to a critical point, she would protect Shi Hao even if it meant breaking the rules of the duel!
Knowing that the matter was beyond redemption, the Stone Emperor could only sigh inwardly and nod, saying, "Since that's the case... then I grant your permission. Marquis of Desolate Heaven, Shi Hao; Marquis of Peerless, Shi Yi, in this battle... life and death are irrelevant. Let it begin!"

As soon as Shi Huang finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire training ground instantly became extremely tense!
Countless gazes instantly locked onto the two people standing in the center of the arena.

Shi Hao and Shi Yi stood facing each other, their auras rising simultaneously!
Runes appeared and disappeared around Shi Yi, and the aura of the Great Dao permeated the air. At this moment, he released his cultivation of the late stage of the Inscription Realm without reservation.

Shi Hao did not possess the vast spiritual energy fluctuations of Shi Yi, but his highly refined blood and fighting spirit surged like the hottest magma, carrying a wild and primal power.

Although his cultivation level was a notch lower.

However, the aura emanating from him was in no way weaker than Shi Yi's, and was even stronger!
Shi Huang's eyes gleamed, and his evaluation of Shi Hao rose even higher.

This child is indeed extraordinary!
"--boom!"

However, just as the two stones reached their peak of power and were about to clash,

Suddenly, a strange noise came from the sky above the training ground.

“——Buzz!”

“——Buzz!”

“——Buzz!”

Suddenly, without warning, spatial vortexes, barely perceptible to the naked eye, appeared above the training ground.

"what happened?"

Is this a spatial rift?

"What a terrifying aura..."

The whole place was in an uproar!

Even the Stone Emperor suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with surprise and uncertainty.

Venerable Golden Spider and Venerable Black Crane's expressions changed drastically.

Because they sensed that those auras contained a level of power that they couldn't comprehend!
The next second, under the watchful eyes of countless people, several heroic figures stepped out from the spatial vortexes and arrived above the training ground like gods!
...(End of chapter)