Ordained by Heaven

"He's here! The Double-Pupiled One has appeared!"

Cries of surprise rang out as everyone looked in one direction and cleared a path.

Shi Yi was tall and slender, striding with the bearing of a dragon and a tiger. His black hair flew about, and mist veiled his double pupils, as though chaos swirled within them.

He approached step by step like a young heavenly god, radiating the majesty of a sovereign descending upon the world. Within his double pupils, one could faintly glimpse suns, moons, and stars flickering into existence and fading away.

A great golden spider accompanied Shi Yi, along with a group of humanoid beings with formidable auras. They were from Demon Spirit Lake.

Not far from the Demon Spirit Lake contingent stood an old woman leaning on a cane.

"Granny Xihua of the Heaven Mending Sect. No wonder Demon Spirit Lake isn't worried or anxious at all about the coming upheaval in the Desolate Region. It looks like they may have forged this connection through Shi Yi." Many people began to piece things together.

With Shi Yi's arrival, one of the main participants had appeared. Now only Shi Hao was missing.

"He's strong. As expected of the Double-Pupiled One," Yun Xi said, nodding lightly when she saw Shi Yi appear.

His potential to become a Primordial Saint was no empty boast. Now that he also possessed a Supreme Bone, just how terrifying would he become?

A few days earlier, Yun Xi had also entered the inscription realm, and her bloodline had begun to transform. Although no mysterious mark like Yun Ying's had appeared on her back, a single line of its pattern had manifested.

Even though only one line had manifested, Yun Xi could already feel the benefits it brought her. Most directly, she felt a greater affinity with the Great Dao of heaven and earth.

As a result, her cultivation had grown somewhat faster, and her aptitude had improved.

As long as she continued cultivating the scroll's Secret Art for refining her bloodline, she would one day be able to manifest the complete mark, just like Yun Ying.

When that day came, her aptitude would undergo a change that overturned heaven and earth.

"Little Ying, do you think Shi Hao can defeat Shi Yi?" Yun Xi asked.

Yun Ying gently shook her head. "This battle is fate. People say the affairs of the world are ever-changing, but every peck and every sip has its destined measure. No matter how we speculate, the outcome of this battle has already been ordained."

Yun Xi only half understood Yun Ying's words. She knew very well that her cultivation was far beneath her younger sister's. What the two of them saw was not even on the same level.

Just then, radiant steps descended from the sky, and the Domain Envoy of the Void God Realm appeared, hazy and indistinct.

He glanced at Shi Yi, who had arrived, and noticed that the other participant was still absent. His tone was cold. "The other one still isn't here. Does he no longer wish to fight?"

Boom!

No sooner had the Domain Envoy finished speaking than an explosive sound came from behind him. A brilliant passage extended outward, and a youth emerged, walking along its radiant surface. Who else could it be but Shi Hao? He had finally appeared.

Everyone froze. This fellow was far too outrageous. Instead of taking the usual passage, he had suddenly produced one of his own.

The assembled experts stared at the passage behind Shi Hao, their expressions unsettled. They suspected that some great figure stood behind him. Otherwise, how could he open a passage in the Void God Realm like this?

"Younger brother, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Let this battle begin."

Shi Yi spoke as he stood there, his robes fluttering and his eyes giving off an eerie light.

"Let's fight," Shi Hao replied simply.

"Rise!"

With a loud shout, the Domain Envoy carried Shi Hao and Shi Yi into the air, then stepped onto a golden passage. Lotus blossoms drifted down on either side of the road, and sweet springs burbled, creating a scene of incomparable sanctity.

This golden road led beyond the heavens, mysterious and sacred. At its end lay the Sky Battlefield.

The sounds of people cutting through the air rang out as many rode their treasures into the sky, hoping to ascend the golden road and travel beyond the heavens.

But none of them could set foot on the golden road. They could only fly using their own treasures, and the higher they rose, the harder it became, with immense resistance barring their way.

"Not everyone is qualified to watch this battle," the Domain Envoy said mildly.

In the end, more than half of them gave up. They simply could not fly high enough.

The others had already reached a mysterious ancient land, where ruined buildings floated in the void, grand and solemn.

"We're here! That's the Sky Battlefield!"

The assembled heroes looked over and saw an enormous arena suspended in the void, towering above the clouds.

The entire Sky Battlefield was pale gold, as though cast from divine metal. Numerous laws of order were inscribed upon it, making it appear exceptionally sturdy.

"So this is the ancient Sky Battlefield," Yun Xi marveled.

According to legend, it had been established specifically for the gods to duel upon, which was why the Sky Battlefield was also known as a god-tier arena.

With a flash of light, Shi Hao and Shi Yi landed on the Sky Battlefield at the same time. They faced one another from afar, and a murderous chill swiftly spread across the entire battlefield.

Amid the crowd's discussion, the two became streaks of light and charged at each other. Like two colliding comets, they erupted with dazzling radiance and thunderous noise.

This battle shook heaven and earth. Two young supreme beings fought a duel to the death, unleashing every kind of divine ability and giving the spectators a feast for the eyes.

Yet, just as Yun Ying had said, the outcome of this battle might have been ordained long ago. The victor was Shi Hao.

Shi Yi had foolishly hoped to kill Shi Hao with the power of the Supreme Bone and end everything, never imagining that he would stimulate the reborn Supreme Bone within Shi Hao instead, directly bringing about his own defeat and death.

"Little Shi won!"

After a brief silence, boundless uproar erupted. The outcome had defied many people's expectations, and no one had expected it to arrive so suddenly.

Judging by the course of the battle, it had been incredibly difficult to predict who would win. Yet a single move by Shi Yi had sent him straight down the road to death, bringing the duel to an early end.

During the battle, the people from Demon Spirit Lake had tried to interfere with the outcome, but they had failed.

Their action enraged the Domain Envoy. He struck down with a single palm, wiping out a large swath of Demon Spirit Lake's people as punishment.

"What a pity. We never got to see the ultimate profundity of the double pupils," Yun Xi murmured. Still, Shi Hao's victory let her breathe a sigh of relief.

"Because none of this is over yet. This battle merely settled one chapter of their grudges," Yun Ying said calmly.

On the Sky Battlefield, Shi Hao sat cross-legged and silently regulated his breathing, healing his injured body. This battle had been far too difficult. If Shi Yi had not sought his own death, Shi Hao might have had to endure another brutal struggle before victory or defeat could be decided.

Suddenly, rosy light shone across the sky in a dazzling display, and clusters of light fell toward the space before Shi Hao.

They were three Bronze Book Fragments, worth a king's ransom. It was said that gathering ten could grant someone a precious technique of the Ten Fiends, or one second only to theirs.

The surroundings fell silent, and all discussion ceased. Burning gazes fixed openly upon the arena.

Shi Hao was gravely injured. This was a perfect opportunity. He possessed several such Bronze Book Fragments, enough to make everyone present risk everything.

Moreover, it went without saying that, after he had killed Shi Yi, the people of Demon Spirit Lake were desperate to kill him. They would never let this opportunity slip by.