The tall wall was faint gold in color. The imperial family paid particular attention to the selection of stone used to build it. Not only did it have to be sturdy, it had to be auspicious and imposing as well.
The imperial city watchtowers were majestic. They were all built from glazed roof tiles, and under the setting sun, they flickered with a layer of divine radiance.
Shi Hao strode forward. He had entered through these gates a long time ago into the restricted imperial familyâs land. Normally, ordinary people would never be able to take even half a step in.
He could vaguely sense a type of pressure. The imperial palace was utterly massive with palace halls everywhere. Gold and jade shone in glorious splendor. There was a type of serenity, and an even greater type of imperial pressure.
The more powerful one was, the more sensitive one would be towards this. They all felt reverence towards this place.
The entire countryâs energy converged here, so it could be said that this was the heart of Stone Capital, the most important place. Too many miracles had taken place here since the ancient times.
The imposing watchtowers extended out in front of him. There were naturally many of them, and this was merely the first he encountered after entering through the city gates. As soon as he entered, he felt an austere atmosphere.
The general that was standing on the city walls before was now standing in front of the second palace with many cultivators behind him. His expression was cold, and when he looked over, killing intent continuously seeped out.
A group of elders gathered around Shi Hao. Some were from the Wasteland Heavenly Lord Manor, and some of them were old guards from the imperial palace. Their expressions were all grave as they advanced with Shi Hao.
âWhat are you trying to do? Stopping the Wasteland Heavenly Lord from entering the palace again and again, are you all plotting a rebellion?!â An old imperial guard shouted.
âWe all are simply protecting the imperial palace. We cannot allow just any random person to enter.â The general cupped his fist with his other hand and spoke in a neutral tone.
It was clear that he had long decided his stance on the matter. Someone had gone in ahead of time, and he was relying on that person. He didnât acknowledge Shi Hao and was even going to go so far as to disobey the edict left behind by the Stone Emperor.
When Grandpa Fifteenâs old brothers heard this, they all revealed looks of anger. The old guards from the imperial palace glared and shouted, âDo not forget that this country is named Stone, not the surname of some power outside this region!â
âOf course we know.â The general didnât move from where he was standing. His eyes were ice-cold.
Shi Hao walked forward without stopping for a moment. âIf you all are doing this all for the country, then I offer my respect. If you all have defected to the enemy and sold out Stone Country for the sake of currying favor, I will make sure all of you are slaughtered today!â
He was only fifteen years of age. Even though his age wasnât great and his appearance was delicate and pretty, when he spoke these words, there was a heavy pressure that was exerted, making these cultivators continuously take steps backwards.
âWasteland Heavenly Lord, what an impressive appearance you are putting on! However, you have to remember that this is the imperial palace!â The generalâs face fell, and he laughed coldly.
Shi Hao continued forward, making his way through the palace doors without paying him any attention. He directly proceeded towards the depths of the imperial palace, causing these people to back up again and again. None of them dared to stop him in the end.
âDefend this area! As soon as there is any sign of a disturbance, seal down the imperial palace and kill all those who entered!â The general shouted the order in a low voice. The other soldiersâ faces immediately changed.
Shi Hao continued past four palaces, entering an extremely spacious area. He was about to enter the central heavenly palace, but he met an unfamiliar face here.
It was a young man in purple whose age may not have been greater than twenty. The young man possessed a pair of phoenix eyes. It seemed like his temperament was quite extraordinary.
He stood at the edge of a jade pond. The waters had lotus flowers inside, and spiritual mists were wafting through the air. This made his entire being appear extraordinary, as if he was an immortal descending into this world.
Everyone was startled, and even Shi Hao narrowed his eyes. This individual was definitely unordinary. Even though he was extremely handsome, he still gave others the feeling of a hibernating beast that once awakened, would become extremely terrifying.
âBrother Shi, I have waited for you for a long time.â He spoke.
âHe came from the Immortal Mountain.â An old imperial guard said in a soft voice towards Shi Hao.
When Shi Hao heard this, he nodded. He asked secretly, âThe Stone Emperor has left behind an imperial order for me to enter the palace. Has he also summoned these people?â
âImpossible!â The old guard shook his head.
When Shi Hao heard this, a wave of fury sprung up inside him. The claws of the great sects outside this region were truly too long. They barged in like this without the slightest scruple. Was this still even the imperial palace of a country?
They were going to seize the position of emperor, and the puppet was most likely already selected.
Without saying anything, he turned around and returned. His aura was rich and powerful, as if a volcano was erupting.
The purple-clothed male spoke again. âBrother Shi, what is the reason for your actions? Why are you backing off without saying anything?â
Shi Hao didnât pay him any attention. He returned to the second layer of palace guards and stared at the soldiers that sealed this place off with his ice-cold pupils.
The general was alarmed. His face fell, and killing intent surged. However, compared to Shi Haoâs , his was insignificant. His opponentâs pressure was so great it was stifling.
âYou incompetent bastard. You actually allowed an outsider into the imperial palaceâs restricted area. Better off dead!â
Shi Haoâs voice was cold and detached. He didnât kill this person before because he didnât want to give off a feeling of someone who enjoyed killing. After all, all powers both inside and outside the imperial city were in a rather sensitive state.
He would rather make a detour and return like this, because he needed this opportunity to establish his authority. At the same time, he wouldnât attract the fear and disgust of those indecisive powers.
âWhat did you say? Lay down the formation and kill him!â The general shouted. This was a complete rebellion, and they had long relied on the great sects from outside this region. He controlled many soldiers.
âI will not bother searching out those that back off. The ones that stay will all be killed without exception!â Shi Haoâs cold voice sounded.
Everyoneâs expressions changed, and there was immediately a group that quickly retreated, deeply regretting having taken part in this disturbance. So what if the sect master of a great sect was leading them? This was still Stone Country in the end. In the future, they will be condemned by the people, so how were they supposed to survive?
Even though the general felt fear, he still didnât retreat. He laughed maliciously and brought out a blood gourd. When he twisted off the lid, a streak of sword light flew out and hacked down towards Shi Haoâs head.
âHoly magical artifact!â Several old guards turned pale with fright. They were going to block in front of Shi Hao. They were extremely loyal to the Stone Emperorâs imperial edict.
The Wasteland Heavenly Lord Manorâs people also rushed up to take action. However, when they felt those terrifying fluctuations, they all fell into despair.
âOut of the way!â Shi Hao softly shouted.
No wonder the general dared to fight against him. With the great disaster having just passed and all divine artifacts vanishing, only this type of great killing artifact could injure him. However, he wasnât scared.
Hong!
Heaven overflowing divine light soared, bursting forth from Shi Haoâs back. It was like a divine sword that propped up the heavens. The radiance it released submerged this palace, and no one could see what was happening clearly.
In reality, this was just a cover up!
Shi Haoâs chest shone. He was going to show his dominance and resolve this in the shortest time possible using his supreme being bone. This was his greatest trump card, and without this, he wouldnât have dared to enter Stone Country Capital alone.
During his year and half of cultivation, he entered the Formation Arrangement Stage. That bone had naturally revived as well. Even though he didnât fully grasp it, he could still use a portion of its might.
A streak of light swept outwards. The sword radiance that flew out from the blood gourd was directly sent back. In addition, the entire precious artifact was wrapped up, seized, and then suppressed.
Auspicious light flickered again. Shi Hao used the supreme being bone to refine this weapon. He erased the original ownerâs imprint and tossed it to one of the Wasteland Heavenly Manorâs elders.
âYou lost a king level weapon, so Iâll switch it for a holy weapon. No loss.â
In the next moment, all of the radiance disappeared, and the peace was restored. Shi Haoâs face revealed a cold expression, and with a raise of his hand, a thick streak of sword energy hacked down. With a pu sound, the general was sliced into two.
Despite trying to avoid it and using precious techniques, it was still futile. All of the symbols were hacked to pieces by the sword radiance, and it directly killed him!
Blood continuously poured out. He howled miserably on the ground, and despair filled his eyes, along with endless fear. Remorse filled his eyes until his final breath.
What kind of methods were those? Even a holy magical artifact was useless and stolen immediately. Exactly how terrifying was this Wasteland Heavenly Lord? The soldiers that remained were absolutely horrified.
Shi Hao was cold and ruthless. His body blossomed with sword energy. Chi chi sounds continuously sounded as heads tumbled one after another. The ground became covered in blood, and a stench filled the air.
âAh⦠No! I was forced! Wasteland Heavenly Lord, please show mercy!â
However, Shi Hao remained indifferent. Just now, he had already given them a chance to back off. Many people had taken the chance they were given, but there were still some who wanted to rebel against the country.
This was a massacre. These people brought out precious artifacts and displayed divine abilities, but none of them were able to stop a single strike from Shi Hao. The Kun Peng technique was displayed, turning him into a streak of golden radiance. He tore through the skies in dips and dives, leaving the ground littered with corpses.
Shi Haoâs clothes werenât contaminated by a speck of blood. As he passed the corpses, he appeared handsome and outstanding. He turned around and once again headed towards the depths of the imperial palace. As he left the bloody corpses, he looked like an exiled immortal.
âThose that remain, guard this place!â Shi Haoâs voice sounded far off in the distance. The remaining people remained quiet out of fear, and all of them obeyed.
âBrother Shi, youâve returned again?â The purple-clothed young man was still here. When he felt Shi Haoâs killing intent, his heart trembled. In the end, he still underestimated the little Stone a bit. He entered the imperial capital alone, yet he still dared to unleash such a slaughter.
âWhy canât I return? This is my Stone Clanâs imperial palace, a restricted area, yet youâve intruded inside. Are you trying to seize my Stone Country?â Shi Hao coldly asked.
âHaha, brother Shi, you might still not be aware of something. You and I have blood relations, for I have come from the Immortal Mountain.â The purple-clothed individual smiled as he spoke. Then, he introduced himself as Qin Yong.
Shi Hao didnât say anything. He could sense how powerful the other party was. This was most likely a leading figure from the Immortal Mountain. Saying he was the most powerful wasnât too far from the truth.
âBrother Shi, as long as you are willing, we can assist you in becoming the new emperor!â Qin Yong said.
âTurn me into a puppet emperor?â Shi Hao looked at him with a cold expression.
âWhy would you say such a thing? We simply need you to provide the Immortal Mountain with some force. We wouldnât interfere with you about other matters,â said Qin Yong.
âAre you going to wait for me to suppress and kill you, or are you going to flee with your life right now?â Shi Hao cut him off.
âBrother Shi, do you truly believe that you can sweep through everything alone?â Qin Yong continued to carry a light smile on his face.
Shi Hao didnât say anything and raised his hand. The blood gourd in his clansmanâs hands entered his hands. He directly activated this holy artifact to suppress his opponent.
Qin Yongâs expression immediately changed. He was a heaven warping genius and known as one of the three most powerful heroes of the Immortal Mountain, yet right now, he was shivering inwardly. This is a holy artifact we are talking about here. He had one on him as well, but he still didnât want to fight to the death like this.
He immediately turned around and left, saying, âFine, I will back off for now.â
He was extremely stirred up. Facing this handsome youth, he felt as if there was an illusion, as if he was facing the terrifying heir of an Archaic Vicious Ten.
This exceeded everyoneâs anticipations. There was actually no great battle.
Shi Hao walked forward and finally arrived in front of the central heavenly palace. A true dragon was roaming about up above. It was materialized from the imperial palaceâs draconic energy. Waves of dragon cries sounded, shaking the heavens.
There were quite a few people here, including experts from outside the region and various nobles from Stone Country Capital. The atmosphere was quite strange.
While surrounded by the old guards, Shi Hao walked over. His cold eyes looked at everything with disgust. At this moment, everyone looked at him.
âThose from outside this region, get out from my Stone Country right now! Otherwise, all will be killed without exception!â
These were Shi Haoâs first words after arriving here. They were incomparably domineering.
âThe nobles that have sided with those outside this region and want to overturn this country, I will give you a single opportunity to repent. Otherwise, you all will also be killed without exception!â
This was Shi Haoâs second sentence. He had just entered the imperial palace, yet he already acted so decisively and cold-heartedly.
His voice was like a blade as it struck down, ringing throughout this area. It shook the heavens, making everyoneâs expressions tremble and their hearts shake in fear.