Chapter 132: The Fateful Duel (Part Two)

"Hmph! Such arrogance! I would like to see how you intend to kill me with your current strength," Celestial Sovereign Fang Yan sneered, his tone dripping with disdain as he glared at Xiong Shitian.

Had it not been for the dread of that peerless, malevolent spear, the Twelve Celestial Sovereigns of the God Clan would have long since shredded this avatar—which possessed but a twentieth of the original's power—into pieces and obliterated its soul, rather than letting it run rampant for so long. The Twelve Celestial Sovereigns cared nothing for Xiong Shitian's threats, and Sovereign Fang Yan, in particular, retorted with sharp, stinging contempt.

Sensing the mockery, Xiong Shitian was consumed by a towering rage. The baleful aura surrounding him surged violently, turning an increasingly bloody, vivid crimson, making him look terrifyingly malevolent. Yet, having stood in a stalemate with the Twelve Celestial Sovereigns for so long, both sides knew each other’s limits and understood that neither could truly finish the other. Frustrated and furious yet helpless, Xiong Shitian could only cast a venomous glare at the twelve, then turn his gaze toward the avatar within the sun, desperately hoping for it to break free from the restrictions of the Hall of Gods and merge with him. He swore that once reunited and restored to full strength, he would bathe the City of Gods in blood and slaughter every last deity.

The Twelve Celestial Sovereigns were fearless before this current Xiong Shitian, but they lacked confidence in their ability to defeat him once he merged with his avatar.

"Celestial Sovereign Miaoyan, if Xiong Shitian merges with his avatar, we shall find him difficult to contain," Wu Potian remarked, his gaze sweeping over the distant Xiong Shitian before pointing at the avatar currently fleeing the sun, exposing the beast's intentions.

Sovereign Miaoyan surveyed the gods and, pointing toward the figure in the sun, chuckled softly: "I do not believe he is escaping the Hall of Gods successfully; rather, I believe he is fleeing in a panicked rout."

"A panicked rout?!"

The sovereigns were struck with astonishment. They exchanged wary glances and hurriedly directed their divine senses toward the avatar within the sun.

"Wait!" Celestial Sovereign Bai Hua exclaimed, a look of bewilderment crossing his face. "Why is Xiong Shitian not flying in a straight line? He is zig-zagging, as if dodging something."

Celestial Sovereign Hei'an, having noted the same irregularity in the flight path, nodded grimly. "It does indeed look like a panicked retreat."

Under normal circumstances, had Xiong Shitian successfully ambushed and crippled His Majesty Nan Luo, he would have taken the most direct route, flying brazenly in a straight line like a triumphant conqueror. Instead, his wretched, erratic flight path suggested the movements of a defeated general fleeing for his life.

"Check your access to the Hall of Gods once more, carefully," Sovereign Miaoyan suggested with a knowing smile, his mood clearly improved.

Although Nan Luo was the master of the Hall of Gods, his frequent long-term seclusion had led him to grant portions of control to the Twelve Celestial Sovereigns so they could defend against foreign invasions. However, in the final moments before his seclusion, to ensure he would not be disturbed, Nan Luo had temporarily severed the Twelve Sovereigns' access, allowing the Hall of Gods to focus all its power on his protection.

It was precisely for this reason that the twelve had been unable to suppress Xiong Shitian earlier, forced instead into a direct physical confrontation. Had their access remained intact, they would have long since used the Hall of Gods to crush him.

Now, prompted by Sovereign Miaoyan, the sovereigns realized their access had been restored. If Nan Luo were injured or dead, their control would never have been returned. The restoration of their authority, combined with the avatar's frantic flight, pointed to one inescapable truth: His Majesty Nan Luo had successfully broken through to become a Saint.

"Good! Good! Good!" Even the composed Celestial Sovereign Bu Xu, overcome with joy, repeated the word three times.

"His Majesty has achieved sainthood! His end has come!" Celestial Sovereign Leixing shouted excitedly, staring at the distant Xiong Shitian. The twelve had grown weary of this persistent adversary; they were more than happy to leave the task of dealing with the Beast Emperor to His Majesty Nan Luo.

While the Twelve Celestial Sovereigns danced with joy, Xiong Shitian, the Dragon Candle, and dozens of other powerful entities finally realized something was amiss. Because they lacked the divine senses of the God Clan, they had been forced to rely on their eyesight and were slower to perceive the avatar’s panicked flight.

Yet, as the supreme masters of the Primordial Continent, their intellect was sharp. From the single fact of the avatar's retreat, they deduced the truth.

"Nan Luo has broken through to become a Saint!"

The realization dawned simultaneously upon Xiong Shitian, the Dragon Candle, Fenghuang, and Qilin Huo.

Before long, the avatar successfully cleared the sun and escaped the restrictions of the Hall of Gods. With the interference gone, the spectators finally saw the reason for the erratic flight path.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bolts of Solar True Fire rained down upon the avatar, each strike powerful enough to leave it battered and broken. The avatar was forced to maintain its zig-zagging trajectory; otherwise, it would have been blasted into nothingness by the endless torrent of fire.

"Nan Luo, you bully me too far!"

Watching his avatar being toyed with like a mouse in the paws of a cat, Xiong Shitian’s blood-red eyes erupted with ten feet of crimson light. His baleful aura surged as he transformed into a streak of blood-colored light and shot into the sky.

As a half-saint and a sovereign of the Primordial world, Nan Luo could have easily captured the avatar. Instead, he chose to torment it in this manner, clearly intending to humiliate Xiong Shitian and the entire Beast race. With representatives from all the great races of the Primordial world present, the news of this humiliation would spread across the world in no time. Where would Xiong Shitian’s honor be then? What of the dignity of the Beast race?

The thought drove Xiong Shitian into a frenzy of maddened rage.

"Beautifully done!" Celestial Sovereign Leixing cheered aloud, relishing the sight. The Twelve Celestial Sovereigns were all beaming with joy; after all, who told Xiong Shitian to mock them for having no leader? Being slapped in the face by His Majesty Nan Luo was only what he deserved!

The three great masters—the Dragon Candle, Fenghuang, and Qilin Huo—were left speechless.

"A half-saint, a sovereign of the Primordial world, acting with such childish pettiness," Fenghuang sighed, his composure shaken, not knowing what to say.

"Xiong Shitian mocked the God Clan for lacking a leader, so Nan Luo slapped his avatar in return," Qilin Huo remarked, seeing nothing wrong with it. "An eye for an eye! I like it!"

The Dragon Candle coughed twice to silence the imprudent remark. Some things were better understood than spoken aloud. Looking at the soaring Xiong Shitian, he said, "Ahem, His Majesty Nan Luo is merely dealing with a great enemy of the Primordial world—the Emperor of Ten Thousand Beasts, Xiong Shitian. It is understandable, quite understandable."