Feeling a fiery hand protect her meridians behind her, Song Yanran slowly opened her eyes.
Before her stood Xuan Hao Hongye, his expression filled with apprehension.
"Public Tribunal, Shen Zhao!"
The voice behind her was resonant and powerful, radiating an overwhelming sense of confidence that instinctively filled Song Yanran with a sense of security.
At this moment, Shen Zhao had shed his disguise. No one present could recognize him as Chu Liuxiang.
Yet his single palm strike had forced Xuan Hao Hongye back, leaving many in the crowd utterly stunned.
"Public Tribunal?" Xuan Hao Hongye frowned. "Are you also planning to wade into this murky waters?"
Shen Zhao stepped past Song Yanran, his gaze arrogant. "The Public Tribunal's duty is to maintain order throughout the Nine Realms of Immortal Martial Arts. Do you think we have no right to intervene?"
Xuan Hao Hongye crossed his arms. "If you intervene, does the Public Tribunal intend to side with Song Yanran and make an enemy of the entire Central Domain?"
Shen Zhao sneered inwardly: *Old fox, are you trying to drag the entire Central Domain into this? Your ambition is truly boundless.*
"The Public Tribunal only stands with justice. We have no interest in your dynasty's succession."
"If that's the case, why are you stopping me from acting?"
"Because Song Yanran cannot die."
"You want to protect her?" Xuan Hao Hongye's eyes turned cold. "Do you think you can? I will take you and Song Yanran's lives together."
Shen Zhao stepped forward. "With Shen Zhao standing his ground, what can you take?"
Xuan Hao Hongye's brow furrowed.
He hadn't gained the upper hand in their earlier exchange, indicating his opponent's cultivation was equally unfathomable.
Engaging him now would result in mutual destruction, a outcome he didn't desire.
Yet he couldn't abandon this hard-won opportunity to eliminate Song Yanran.
Even though the Seven Star Begonia was deadly, and Song Yanran seemed certain to die, what if there was a chance she might survive?
As Xuan Hao Hongye wrestled with his decision, Shen Zhao proposed a gamble.
"Let's make a wager. If I win, Song Yanran leaves with me today. If I lose, I will no longer interfere in the conflicts between your Central Domain factions."
"What kind of wager?"
Shen Zhao extended three fingers. "I will neither dodge nor evade. I will take three of your palms. After the three palms, if I retreat even half a step, I lose this round. Otherwise, Song Yanran must come with me."
"Three palms?"
Not only Xuan Hao Hongye, but everyone present couldn't believe Shen Zhao would propose such a suicidal offer.
Even among Great Emperors, no one could withstand three direct palm strikes from an opponent without moving. Let alone doing so without retreating half a step!
"Military God Shen, this matter has nothing to do with you. You shouldn't wade into this murky water."
"Enough. My mind is made up!"
Song Yanran watched Shen Zhao's retreating figure, her eyes hazy.
He had finally come, just like in her past life.
The familiar aura, the familiar feeling.
With him here, she wouldn't fear even if the heavens collapsed.
Because this man would unhesitatingly sacrifice his life to shield her.
A tremor ran through Song Yanran's heart, her pulse quickening, her emotions surging.
Two clear tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, unstoppable.
To see him one last time before death, Song Yanran was content. It had been worth all her meticulous planning and her manipulation of Linghu Ming to spread the news.
One of her goals was to let the real "him" know that this moment, when she fantasized about him coming to break the deadlock, had arrived.
Now that she could see the man she had longed for one last time before dying, her life would be without regret.
"Do you truly intend to take three of my palms?"
"Or are the Xiongnu too afraid of losing face to try?"
"Hahaha, very well. Since you insist on courting death, why should this king deny you?"
As Xuan Hao Hongye's words fell, the atmosphere around them instantly grew heavy, the oppressive aura threatening to shatter their minds.
Everyone present instinctively retreated several steps, leaving ample space for the clash.
"Boy, since you're so arrogant, you'd better be prepared to pay the price."
"Prepared? Ha..."
A contemptuous sneer sent Xuan Hao Hongye into a fury. He violently channeled the Eight Desolations Primordial Force within him.
In an instant, an ancient god's phantom slowly materialized behind him, radiating an arrogant destructive power as it crashed down toward Shen Zhao.
Facing the surging palm strike, Shen Zhao stood with one hand behind his back, eyes closed, breathing deeply.
Deep within Shen Zhao's Dantian, Yin and Yang energies merged, forming a vast, chaotic force that rotated in reverse, ceaselessly cycling in an endless cycle.
*Boom!*
A colossal palm strike landed on Shen Zhao, instantly raising dust and stones, shaking space-time itself. As the power of Dao principles and laws raged, the Winged Harmony Terrace crumbled into ruins.
Yet when the dust settled, Shen Zhao stood atop the ruins, his feet rooted to the spot, immovable as a mountain!
"How is this possible?!"
The astonishing, world-shattering spectacle left everyone speechless.
Xuan Hao Hongye frowned deeply. How could his full-power strike have no effect on his opponent?
Shen Zhao slowly opened his eyes and raised a single finger.
"First strike!"
The words struck Xuan Hao Hongye like a resounding slap to the face, a direct challenge to his imperial dignity.
He would not allow this humiliation to stand.
"Excellent! You have successfully enraged this king!"
Xuan Hao Hongye's fury burned like a wildfire. He clasped his palms together, activating the Eight Desolations Art to its peak, channeling all his spiritual energy to invoke the power of heaven and earth.
The once clear sky instantly darkened. Above the nine heavens, it seemed as if divine spirits wept. The emperor's oppressive aura threatened to drive men mad.
"Eight Desolations Art: Heavenly Banishing of Divine Ruin!"
The palm strike that followed was like a god of death descending upon the world, bringing ruin and despair.
Yet Shen Zhao remained unmoving, calmly facing the surging, overwhelming force of the attack.
*Boom!*
The full force of eight parts of the Eight Desolations Primordial Force struck Shen Zhao's body.
Shen Zhao's foot planted firmly, as if struck by a mountain's weight. The ground sank three feet instantly, and the world plunged into darkness.
After the ultimate strike, Shen Zhao remained standing in place, his expression unchanged. With an air of disdain for the world, he calmly gazed at Xuan Hao Hongye.
"This..."
This time, everyone was so stunned by Shen Zhao's cultivation that they skipped the psychological descriptions.
Even after taking two palm strikes from a Great Emperor, the opponent was completely unharmed and hadn't moved an inch. How terrifying must his foundational cultivation be?
"One final palm."
Shen Zhao casually extended two fingers, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips as he looked at Xuan Hao Hongye.
Xuan Hao Hongye clenched his fist, scrutinizing Shen Zhao's expression, searching for any sign of injury.
Yet Shen Zhao remained utterly composed, showing no trace of harm.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! After enduring two such devastating palm strikes from me, he couldn't possibly be unharmed. He must be forcing himself to endure his injuries."
Convinced that Shen Zhao was barely holding on, Xuan Hao Hongye acted decisively. A gauntlet suddenly materialized on his left hand.
Seeing the gauntlet, Song Yanran gasped. "The Heaven-Shaking Hand! The Xiongnu royal family's National Treasure of Imperial Grade! It possesses a trace of the 'word becoming reality' power!"
"No matter!"
Shen Zhao replied indifferently, "So what if my words command reality?"
His confident tone stirred a strange feeling in Song Yanran's heart once more.
*Is this the aura of the Military God? The man who can make the entire Nine Realms tremble?*
*Why was I so foolish? I never connected Shen Zhao with him!*
*If I'd paid more attention, I would have figured it out.*
Before she could dwell on it, Xuan Hao Hongye's ultimate strike descended once more.
"Eight Desolations Art: Final Form - Heaven and Earth in Anguish - All Desolations Annihilated."
Channeling the Heaven-Shaking Hand, Xuan Hao Hongye's palm strike was several times more powerful than the previous one.
A surging tide of *qi*, devoid of emotion, swept towards Shen Zhao, coalescing into a hundred-zhang-tall giant palm that slammed into the space around him.
The resulting shockwave swept across the eight directions. Though Shen Zhao frowned, the Dao Heart Demon Seed within him instantly activated, his black hair flaring with silver-white light and his pupils turning crimson.
Yet even so, he suppressed the boiling killing intent and remained rooted to the spot.
When the ultimate strike had passed, amidst the devastation, that peerless figure still stood proudly at the center of the battlefield.
"Impossible! Impossible! You cheated!"
Xuan Hao Hongye couldn't accept this outcome. He had poured his life's cultivation into the attack, even using the National Treasure of Imperial Grade, yet he hadn't forced his opponent back even a single step.
The crushing disappointment made his pupils bloodshot. Violating their agreement, he lunged at Shen Zhao once more.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)