Chapter 778: Chapter 778: The Center of Attention   Desolate, a name filled with bizarre powers! When his identity was revealed, it caused an uproar, heroes were shocked, and the noise surged to the skies. “How could it be him, a disciple from a declining small sect is actually Desolate?!” This was a tremendous commotion; the cacophony was deafening, and many people’s blood ran faster as they widened their eyes and stared at the handsome young man before them. From ordinary cultivators to Venerable Ones, and then to Deities, people of all genders and ages were inexplicably shaken; it was truly thrilling, with a current of heat coursing through their bodies. “My God, he is Desolate, to think I would actually see him, to possess such methods, truly defying the heavens!” Many people cried out, finding it unbelievable. The news was too shocking, the truth too sudden; without any psychological preparation, everyone was excited and incredulous upon learning the outcome. Desolate rose in the Five Elements State, battled against all sorts of Primordial figures, and became famous across dozens of states. Later, his entanglements with the Celestials Clan invited many a Sect Hierarch to seek him out, causing a whirlwind of action in the City of the Heavens. Now that he’s here and his identity has been exposed, he’s naturally the center of attention, with everyone discussing and widening their eyes as if looking at a monster. “Slaying Mingzi, cutting down the Sun God Vine, stewing the Primordial Leopard Hou, fighting the Successor of Immortal Hall’s faction, challenging the War King… one feat after another, his combat achievements are too glorious!” “Now he has defeated You Yu, severed the waist of the first young Supreme of the Celestials Clan; truly heroic!” Many young people had fervent eyes and hearts swelling with passion, their gazes filled with awe as they watched the young man in the arena; to them, he was the peerless powerhouse of their generation. “I knew it, with his delicate features and outstanding temperament, like an Exiled Immortal, how could he possibly be the so-called good-for-nothing as some said, he was merely temporarily dwelling in a declining small sect; he is Desolate!” In the Celestial Immortal Academy, some girls’ eyes shone, their delicate fists clenched tightly, their expressions extremely excited, having previously argued with others over this. “Incredible, he is Desolate, even the legends of Heavenly Destiny couldn’t stop him, truly a heaven-sent Divine Being!” Many were very excited, some admired, and some feared, looking at the powerful young man in the center, struggling to calm their minds. If anyone was most disheartened, it was clearly the Celestials Clan; at this moment, they felt as if they had stepped into an abyss, their world turned upside down, darkness enveloping their vision. This outcome left them trembling, filled with a sense of shame; to end up like this, with You Yu soundly defeated, nearly losing his life on the spot. Divine Level experts shone brightly, with flames roaring and a murderous aura skyrocketing; just a moment ago, they had failed to strike, unable to move faster than the young man, watching helplessly as his sword fell. “Ahhh…” A Divine Spirit howled, hair dancing wildly with utmost anger, releasing an endless killing intent that made the leaves on countless trees flurry to the ground. Some people held You Yu, quickly helping him heal, preventing the lightning Bone Text from further eroding his wounds, thereby saving him from demise. You Yu lost the lower half of his body, blood splattered everywhere, his face pale as death. A once peerless young champion who could swallow mountains and rivers with his might, looking down upon the elite of all races, has now suffered a great defeat and fallen to this state. For the younger generation of the Celestials Clan, the blow was enormous; that strike seemed to have cleaved away their confidence, broken the pride of the imperial family, and cut down the glory of the Primordial Ancients! The Primordial of the imperial family, who merged with the Heavenly Destiny Stone and unlocked the myth of fate, had reached the pinnacle of strength but was still bisected at the waist, an utterly terrifying outcome. You Yu was no ordinary individual; he represented the strongest of the Celestials Clan, at the peak of his powers, only to be cleanly and decisively cut down. This strike was the most devastating. This was like a dagger to the most painful part of the entire clan, severely damaging some of their deepest beliefs! “Ah… This can’t be real!” Some of the youths shouted aloud, unable to accept this fact. Many people looked over there with a hint of sympathy for the Celestials Clan; out of all adversaries, they had to encounter such a monstrous talent. This battle almost shattered the young generation’s spirit of the path! Within the Celestials Clan, Yun Xi was dazed, never in her wildest dreams expecting it to be Desolate, the youth from the Lower Realm—Shi Hao. Her delicate body trembled, her heart thrown into disarray. Earlier, You Yu had secretly communicated to the divine level masters in his clan that his opponent was Desolate, but the younger generation, including Yun Xi, didn’t know. Not until this moment, as the great battle concluded and Desolate’s identity was truly exposed, did Yun Xi understand, trembling uncontrollably as she looked at the youth before her. Rising from the Lower Realm, fighting through life and death with laughter and fury, having once infuriated humans and ghosts alike, acting as domineering as a devil king, as persistent and rascally, and like a tragic hero of the apocalypse, going to battle the Seven Gods and turning the tide… This youth, who acted on his whims, marching forward, forcefully killing his way to the higher realms, made a name for himself as Desolate, drawing the attention of various schools, shocking the major sects. Yun Xi remained silent, her exceptionally beautiful face etched with complexity. Shi Hao had trudged through blood for tens of thousands of miles to protect her, only to become a prisoner at the feet of the Celestials Clan. And now, in this place, in such a scenario, they meet again; Shi Hao with unparalleled might, cutting down You Yu, the peerless champion of the Celestials Clan, causing a huge turmoil in Yun Xi’s heart… In the distance, Qing Yi wore a faint smile, in a robe of snow, with soft flowing hair and clear eyes, tranquil and otherworldly, calmly observing the figure at the center of the arena. She had known all along that this youth must possess formidable abilities and would not be defeated, even if he faced the myth of fate, for she knew him all too well. And indeed, her observations were proven right. “Sister Qing Yi, did you already know he was Desolate?” Feng Wu asked. “I had my suspicions.” Qing Yi smilingly replied. “It’s a pity, really. He had successfully braved the Heavenly Ladder and was about to join our Celestial Immortal Academy, only to meet with an unexpected occurrence.” An elder lamented with regret, having also seen the truth of it all. But what else could be said, after that notorious individual had snatched him away, was there still hope to retrieve him?! “What, he is Desolate, and also the same person who once braved the Heavenly Ladder of our Celestial Immortal Academy?” Some of the academy’s students were shocked upon hearing this, staring blankly. “This… Senior Brother…” Many were rendered speechless. They had once scoffed at his deeds and even thought to mobilize forces to suppress this unscrupulous individual—how could they have known that his identity was layered upon layers? The supposed disciple of a small and decrepit sect was merely a disguise; indeed, he was not someone they could afford to provoke! “He crossed the Heavenly Ladder of all the academies in the world?!” The cultivators from various races were once again in an uproar upon hearing this, causing a sensation. After all, the Celestial Immortal Academy was too famous, and their highest test naturally drew interest from disciples of other major sects, who had learned about it in detail. Who didn’t know of the difficulty of the Heavenly Ladder? Over the long years, no one could cross it. “Yes, because he is Desolate, it’s only natural for him to be so powerful and successful!” After their initial shock, people came to accept this explanation readily, simply because he was Desolate, and that was reason enough. In a sense, everyone highly appreciated him and believed that Desolate deserved a place among the top-tier young elites in the current higher realms. For a moment, all eyes were fixed on that figure. Atop the mountain, Shi Hao stood tall, holding a strange rock in his hand. It was colorful and emitted dazzling rays of light that shot towards the heavens, enveloping the area. One moment it was as white as jade, the next it was crimson like the evening glow, and then it was enveloped in misty purple qi. The Heavenly Destiny Stone was only the size of a fist, but it radiated terrifying fluctuations, like surging ocean waves, causing the ancient trees to sway and oscillate. Moreover, its radiance was too brilliant. For instance, when it turned crimson, it dyed the entire sky red, and when it turned purple, it was like the Purple Qi Coming From the East, as if clouds were tumbling down. A sacred aura filled the air, with resplendent radiance steaming up from the palm of Shi Hao’s hand. Without a doubt, this was an extraordinary Sacred Entity! Undoubtedly, at this moment, Shi Hao was the center of everyone’s attention, and the focus of all the schools’ powerhouses. “Desolate, with a vile nature and brutal methods, repeatedly targeting and offending our Celestials Clan, today you cannot be allowed to remain in this world!” A cold voice rang out; it was a master from the Celestials Clan, with Divine Fire leaping about, blazing boundlessly and with waves of killing intent spreading. People’s hearts skipped a beat, knowing that the inevitable was finally arriving. Desolate and the Celestials Clan were like fire and water, everyone present knew that, and it couldn’t possibly end well. At this moment, the entire Celestials Clan was furious, with fiery anger and overwhelming killing intent. They hadn’t acted hastily before, instead just watching coldly. They had been anxious to act earlier because they feared Yunxiao would be defeated, but now everything was settled, and whether they killed him early or late made no difference. Unable to save Yunxiao, witnessing him being cut in half and losing the Heavenly Destiny Stone, filled many powerhouses from the Celestials Clan with acute pain and immense fury. “Still slandering me? Have you no shame? How hypocritical can you be? Can you even give an example of how I’ve wronged you?” Amidst the tumult, the young man remained exceptionally calm, with his Unique Cave Heaven shining brightly, like a golden sun enveloping him, making him look dazzling and powerful, like a Battle Immortal. “You sneaked into the City of the Heavens with vile intentions, attempting to steal our clan’s treasure, the Flying Celestial Stone. After your failure, you further slandered our clan. Now, you have come to the Fire Province, brutally killing our clan’s experts, destroying our divine mine – your actions infuriate humans and ghosts alike, devoid of human decency, and you should suffer the heaven’s wrath!” a Divine Spirit said coldly. Mountainous regions saw an influx of Cultivators from various schools, with numerous figures swarming the area, all whispering amongst themselves. Recently, these events have caused a huge uproar, and many have heard about them. “I’ve heard that the Celestials Clan was plotting to rob him of his precious symbols.” “This time Desolate was truly fierce, wreaking havoc alone, destroying the divine mine of the Celestials Clan with shocking methods.” Some derided him, some praised him, with numerous lifeforms an array of opinions was unsurprising, but as they say, the truth cannot be hidden forever and it will eventually come to light for all to see. “Ridiculous, I saved your Heavenly Maiden only to be forcibly taken to the City of the Heavens, for the covet of my precious symbols, imprisoned in the Black Prison. Is there any race more shameless and ungrateful than this?!” Shi Hao loudly chastised. In the eyes of some experts, there was no need for further debate; actions spoke louder than words. But Shi Hao believed that by refuting and discussing in front of the whole world, even if not the truth, would provoke thoughts and discussion, eventually leaving the Celestials Clan humiliated and in disarray. In the distance, Yun Xi hung her head, her face flushed, feeling distressed. Shi Hao continued, “I did destroy your divine mine, considering it as collecting interest, but your Celestials Clan truly is pathetic, unworthy of the imperial family. Your so-called experts are no better than chickens and dogs; even your supposed young Supreme is mediocre, unable to withstand a single blow!” Such words left the faces of the Celestials Clan ashen, nearly suffocated with anger, trembling all over. The crowd was even more agitated; this powerful young man was truly unreserved, daring to say anything, hitting the soft spot of the Celestials Clan, leaving them nowhere to put their face, laying bare the conflict to the end! And it was difficult to rebut. After all, who didn’t know that Desolate caused chaos in the Fire Province, overturning the prairies and causing a disastrous defeat for the Celestials Clan, even prompting a Celestial God to rush to the scene to intervene? As for the crushing defeat of the young elites of the Celestials Clan, it was even less debatable. It had happened under the public eye, just moments before. Now, with Desolate unveiling their scars, it was brutally painful, even more so than being killed, inflicting deep humiliation and a sense of defeat on the clan. In truth, the few simple words spoken by Shi Hao in front of everyone were more deadly than several battles, more destructive than the ruined divine mine, more effective than just having beat Yunxiao! Many from the Celestials Clan had reddened eyes, unable to bear it, seething with hate, wanting to howl to the sky! Sometimes, a few spoken words can be more powerful than a full-force strike from a Sect Hierarch, capable of bringing a clan to defeat and shame. At this moment, many from the Celestials Clan were trembling, clenching their fists. “You vile beast, spouting nonsense and maliciously slandering our clan. Leaving aside everything else, just for the fact of you unprovokedly destroying our divine mine and killing our people, you cannot be allowed to live another day in this world!” someone roared. “Yun Xi, summon your Celestial God Magic Artifact and kill him!” a high-ranking voice said indifferently in secret, commanding her to act. Yun Xi’s body shook, and suddenly she lifted her head. “This is our clan’s disgrace, if you, a peer, can kill him, it might at least save a shred of our dignity.” The voice was ice-cold. Yun Xi trembled and finally lifted her head, looking towards the young man in the center of the field. Simultaneously, Shi Hao sensed something and looked in that direction.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets on qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.) Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co