Chapter 271: Punching the Solemn Emperor of the Wasteland (Requesting Monthly Votes

"It's truly come without any effort at all..."

Wu Xian looked down at the stunned boy in animal hides, a faint smile tugging at his lips; he stomped his foot, and the makeshift mount let out a pained cry before hurtling down to an open patch of ground not far from the child and the unicorn.

"Hao'er, that child—he is..."

The old man studied the boy's face, faintly recognizing echoes of Shi Ziling and the Fifteenth Elder in his youth, and a bold guess formed in his heart.

"Just as you think—that child is another version of me, or rather... he is the true Shi Hao."

Yes, the child seated atop the unicorn was none other than the youthful incarnation of the supreme powerhouse who would one day be known as the Solemn Emperor of the Wasteland—the one who loved to eat... cough! Shi Hao in his childhood.

He was still far too young, appearing no different from an ordinary child his age, but Wu Xian could sense a terrifying power hidden within the boy's body.

Of course, this was only relative to ordinary people; in Wu Xian's eyes, the current Shi Hao was no different from a toddler still nursing—a single punch could likely reduce him to ashes...

Well, that was impossible. The future Solemn Emperor of the Wasteland had already attained the realm beyond Sacrifice Dao—a state even more broken than ordinary transcendence—and thus possessed many extraordinary traits.

For instance, the Shore of the Supreme of an Era: once proven, it is eternally proven; even across parallel worlds spawned by divergent timelines, he could intervene at will, without thought, instantly granting his counterparts in those worlds equal power to his own.

The realm beyond Sacrifice Dao was even more absurd: at this level, infinite spacetimes and causal threads could be generated, and there was no need to care whether the future was disrupted, for at this level, all that met the eye was infinite spacetimes, infinite possibilities—Dao and spacetime had lost all meaning to him.

Thinking of this, Wu Xian took a deep breath, as if considering how best to build a good relationship with Shi Hao, to leave a favorable impression—so that in the future he might secure the position of a True Immortal Emperor, or even an Immortal Emperor... bullshit!

Fuck! I spent six years as your stand-in, endured all this suffering, and now you expect me to lick your boots?

Dream on!

A True Immortal Emperor? Fine, give it if you want, don't give it if you don't—I'll reach it through my own efforts just fine, and I don't give a damn for this charity!

In short, Wu Xian was determined today to beat the hell out of this guy, to vent all the bitterness he'd held inside these years—otherwise, his mind wouldn't be clear, and his future cultivation would be blocked.

Yes! He was just that petty!

As for whether Shi Hao might suddenly take a shit and beat him up in return... who cares? First hit him, then deal with it—even if the mighty Sacrifice Dao Supreme truly had no shame, he'd accept it.

Wu Xian's lips curled into a cruel grin; he leapt down from the monstrous bird, fists clenched, radiating unmistakable malice.

"You're..."

Shi Hao stared at the boy before him, seemingly his own age, and inexplicably felt a strange unease—mixed with guilt, helplessness, and other complex emotions—he couldn't make sense of it.

"First meeting, my name is 'Shi Hao,' from the Second Ancestral Land of the Shi Clan."

Wu Xian spoke with a radiant smile: "But this isn't my real name—it was given to me as a cover for a doomed elder brother. These years, I've borne his suffering instead... By the way, young brother, what's your name?"

"Ah, this..."

Shi Hao opened his mouth, finally understanding the source of that strange emotion inside him—it turned out this boy was one of his targets, the child who had served as his stand-in.

Shi Hao was clever; though only seven, he caught the hidden meaning in the boy's words—he clearly knew who Shi Hao was, and was expressing his resentment.

If it were anyone else, Shi Hao would have fired back immediately—but if it was this child...

Shi Hao's head and shoulders slumped; his voice grew weak: "I—I'm Shi Hao. I'm the one you replaced. I'm sorry..."

"It's fine!"

Wu Xian waved his hand, feigning magnanimity: "Sure, these past six years have been rough—I was constantly watched, had zero freedom, often insulted and bullied by servants, sometimes poisoned, sometimes bitten by wild beasts, nearly died several times."

"But look—I'm still alive, right? Compared to the suffering you endured back then, this is nothing!"

Hearing this, Shi Hao lowered his head even further, feeling he owed Wu Xian multiple lives, and dared not meet his gaze.

"Little brother, I'm sorry. It's all my fault you suffered so much—I'll make it up to you."

That's exactly what I wanted to hear!

Wu Xian's eyes lit up—finally, the mask dropped.

"Brother, you're being too formal—it makes me feel like I'm holding a favor over you... but if you really can't let it go, I do have a small request."

"What request? Little brother, say it!"

Shi Hao blurted it out instinctively, but immediately regretted it—his gut told him this wasn't going to be good.

"I've just begun cultivation and entered the Blood Mobilization realm barely over a month ago. I haven't found anyone my age at the same level to spar with, so I can't gauge my own limits. I'd like to test myself against you, brother."

Wu Xian said with a beaming smile, causing the old man who had just leapt down from the monstrous bird to nearly stumble.

Can't gauge his own limits?

That's true—but are your limits really that high? Can that child even handle it?

"Hao'er..."

The old man tried to speak up, but felt a wave of mental pressure slam into him—he froze, tongue stiff, unable to utter a word.

"No problem! Go ahead, brother will help you train!"

On the other side, Shi Hao puffed out his chest in assurance.

He could tell Wu Xian wanted to beat him up to vent years of bitterness.

It was only fair—after all, Wu Xian was the truly innocent one in all this. If it were him, he'd feel the same resentment.

He'd even prepared himself: he'd let Wu Xian fight his heart out, then barely win at the end.

Shi Hao had absolute confidence—he'd already reached the peak of the Blood Mobilization realm, with one arm possessing a hundred thousand jin of force, rivaling the cubs of the Ten Ancient Monsters. Wu Xian had only just begun cultivation—how could he possibly be a match?

As he thought this, he saw Wu Xian smiling as he raised his tiny fist and swung it toward him with utterly ordinary motion.

Shi Hao internally shook his head—he could tell from the punch's form that this poor little brother had never fought before; there was zero aura, no momentum—how could he possibly land a hit?

Now, how should he respond? Pretend to barely dodge it? Or lift his hand and "struggle" to block it?

Huh? Wait—this punch's wind pressure is enormous!

BOOM————!!

A deafening crash; blood sprayed from Shi Hao's nose as his 1. -meter frame shot backward like a cannonball, flying hundreds of meters before slamming into a mountainside, leaving a human-shaped crater.

"Good brother! Try this one!"

————

Requesting monthly votes!

(End of chapter)