Chapter 651 - 444: Ganging Up

In the vast Grand Palace Hall, the atmosphere grew tense. Fang Qingyuan, along with Qiqi, the Confusion Insect, and his other demon beasts—a total of five Golden Core combatants—stood behind everyone, exerting immense psychological pressure.

Commander Xu’s guards, meanwhile, kept their senses locked firmly on Hao Shi, not daring to relax for an instant.

At the head of the hall, Chunyu Hua concealed his emotions behind a grim expression, making his true thoughts impossible to discern.

"Fang Qingyuan, was this all your setup?"

Hao Shi had also calmed down by now. His earlier triumphant air had been an impulsive outburst, the result of so many years of forbearance suddenly erupting.

Fang Qingyuan carefully sized up the Cultivator who had cost him so much effort. He hadn’t been this reactive since his Core Formation.

Because of Hao Shi, Fang Qingyuan’s original plans were in ruins. The most critical consequence was that Lechuan, left with no other choice, had instinctively pushed for the resolution most favorable to himself. This single action had created a domino effect, leading the situation to its current state.

’So, Hao Shi... you deserve to die!!!’

A great wave of resentment erupted from Fang Qingyuan. He had no intention of answering Hao Shi’s question and directly ordered Qiqi and the other Golden Core Demon Beasts to attack.

As for Fang Qingyuan himself, he raised a hand and fired a Godslaying Needle.

Ever since Fang Qingyuan advanced to the Fifth-Layer Golden Core, the vital energy consumed by Innate Divine Techniques like the Godslaying Needle had decreased.

Well, it wasn’t that the Godslaying Needle consumed less vital energy than before. Rather, the vital energy within his Immortal Mansion had greatly increased, as had the vital energy in his own body. The same was true for his Magical Power.

It was like a pond from the Foundation Establishment Stage expanding into a great lake at the Golden Core stage. Previously, a single use would have taken Fang Qingyuan half a day to recover from. Now, the vital energy consumed by one Godslaying Needle was no longer a debilitating drain for him.

That was why he had been able to start with a ten-shot volley when fighting Chunyu Hua. If not for the fact that drawing so much vital energy so quickly was more than the Immortal Mansion could handle, he would have even been tempted to see what a twenty or thirty-shot barrage felt like.

For now, Fang Qingyuan only used a single shot; he first wanted to test this Hao Shi. Although Fang Qingyuan was acting incredibly arrogant, he could sense that this Hao Shi was far more formidable than Chunyu Hua, who sat at the head of the hall.

Seeing Fang Qingyuan raise his hand, Hao Shi immediately recognized it as Fang Qingyuan’s signature technique. He had personally witnessed Fang Qingyuan use this move to make Chunyu Hua vomit blood.

Hao Shi’s pupils contracted. With a slight shift of his feet, he flickered to the side, actually managing to dodge Fang Qingyuan’s Godslaying Needle.

The movement was utterly traceless. No one present could discern exactly how Hao Shi had managed to evade it.

Hao Shi dodging the Godslaying Needle was of little consequence. What mattered was that Commander Xu, who had his spiritual sense locked onto Hao Shi’s body, was forced into a reflexive attack.

The armor-clad Commander Xu, who even wore finger chains forged from spiritual steel, had his hand resting on the sword at his waist. The instant Hao Shi moved, he unleashed his power.

A brilliant flash of light flared, illuminating everyone’s faces.

But in the next instant, the flash dimmed. A giant hand had appeared where the light was blazing most fiercely and simply grabbed it.

’You can transform too?’

This was Fang Qingyuan’s first reaction upon seeing the scene. At this moment, Hao Shi’s body was entirely pitch-black, as if forged from the finest black gold. He gave off an incredible sense of expansion as giant muscles bulged layer upon layer, covered in flickering golden patterns that were extremely eye-catching.

Hao Shi no longer had his previous human form; he looked more like a mutated Demon Fiend. His body had swelled to a height of fifteen feet. In front of him, the heavily armored Commander Xu looked like a mere child.

"Is this the extent of your strength? Too weak!"

Commander Xu’s sword was held immobile in Hao Shi’s hand. Hao Shi allowed the Spiritual Light erupting from the blade to cut into his palm with a SIZZLING sound, but he remained completely unfazed.

"Demon Fiend! You have committed a great taboo of the Great Zhou Academy!"

From his seat at the head of the hall, Chunyu Hua angrily rebuked him. Seeing Hao Shi’s transformation, his expression was extremely complex—terror mixed with anger, all underlaid with panic.

Hearing Chunyu Hua’s rebuke, Hao Shi’s voice echoed clearly in everyone’s ears amidst the crashing waves of magical techniques.

"The True Spirit Bloodlines are all monopolized by you Divinity Transformation Clans! No matter how well Cultivators like us perform, we can never obtain a True Spirit Bloodline—not Wuzhiqi, not the Five Elements True Mountain Peacock King..."

"Kill him!"

Before Hao Shi could finish voicing his grievances, Chunyu Hua shouted an order. Then, a confused-looking Cyan Flood Dragon was tossed out of his Spirit Beast Bag.

’What’s happening?’

Qing Ji was still in a daze, but a massive fist, wrapped in immense power, smashed into her and woke her up completely.

"AARGH, that hurts!"

The blow ignited Qing Ji’s fighting spirit. She glared at this Hao Shi fellow and charged forward to fight him in close combat.

Fang Qingyuan was still pondering what Hao Shi had just said. ’Are the Beast Taming Sect’s True Spirit Bloodlines really that difficult to obtain?’

’Then Hao Shi must have joined that secret organization because he couldn’t obtain a True Spirit Bloodline, which is how he gained his current Divine Techniques and combat prowess.’

’But that raised a question. Hao Shi’s cultivation level was higher than Chunyu Hua’s, despite having inferior resources in every respect. So, what was the price he paid?’

’Mirror Flower!’

A virtual mirror image materialized before the Confusion Insect. Within it, the scenery appeared like a shattered mirror, capturing the reflections of everyone present.