Eternal Heavenly Emperor

After Chu Hao shook off the Yellow Eyebrowed Elder, he did not go far, but found a cave for secluded cultivation, aiming to break through the Two Meridians.

Now that he had the Star Shattering Pill, he should be able to break through the second Reverse Meridian in a short time.

Cultivation, of course, the higher the better. Moreover, if he was stuck at the peak of Single-Meridian, it would mean wasting his daily cultivation time, which he could not bear.

He found a clean cave, very small, only about three meters deep. The entrance was not large and could be sealed off with a big rock.

Let's start.

Chu Hao swallowed a Star Shattering Pill, sat down cross-legged, and began his process.

Boom! The medicinal power of the Star Shattering Pill exploded, turning into a violent torrent inside him, and then under the activation of his Star Force, it rushed towards the second Reverse Meridian.

What terrifying medicinal power.

He had previously attempted many breakthroughs, but the resilience of the second Reverse Meridian was unbreakable. Now, however, it was different. The medicinal power seemed to turn into a pack of explosives, blasting open everything it touched.

Such bombardment was indiscriminate; not only was the dense Reverse Meridian blown open, but his Meridians also ached as if they were about to burst.

No wonder it's advised to take only one pill a day; taking them continuously would be seeking death.

Under the "savage" impact of the Star Shattering Pill, the second Reverse Meridian began to disintegrate immediately. However, Chu Hao didn't feel relieved but became extremely cautious, focusing all his attention on guiding the medicinal power.

Because as the Meridians were "carved out", the Reverse Meridian became increasingly thin and could easily burst under the medicinal impact. Therefore, he had to strictly control the flow of Star Force, pushing forward rather than rampaging like a runaway bull.

Slowly, the second Reverse Meridian was being opened, one-tenth, two-tenths, three-tenths. The speed wasn't fast, taking about a day to progress one-tenth. Theoretically, it would take about ten days to completely unblock it.

But Chu Hao only had five Star Shattering Pills in total, so this speed could only be maintained for five days.

What to do?

Fortunately, the initial stage is always the hardest. With the help of the Star Shattering Pill, he could break open half of the second Reverse Meridian, making the rest easier. Although it wouldn't be completed in five days, doubling or even tripling the time should suffice.

Five days passed quickly. Chu Hao remained in secluded cultivation after consuming all the Star Shattering Pills, taking one Dragon Tooth Rice a day to comprehensively enhance his physique. However, there was one issue that troubled him greatly: the Dragon Tooth Rice not only made his skin and bones tough but also his Meridians.

This was generally a good thing; the tougher the Meridians, the more they could withstand the impact of Star Force. However, during the opening of Meridians, it became a disadvantage, significantly slowing down the progress.

Chu Hao thought to himself that if he had consumed Dragon Tooth Rice during the Warrior stage, this downside wouldn't have existed, as the Warrior stage involves opening the Life Spring within the body, having nothing to do with the Meridians.

But compared to the benefits brought by the Dragon Tooth Rice, the slightly slower opening of the Meridians was negligible. How could he miss out on the greater benefit and leave the Dragon Tooth Rice unused?

Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures only truly count when they are converted into one's own strength.

On the sixth day, the seventh day, the eighth day, time passed silently. On the seventeenth day, the second Reverse Meridian was about 95% opened, estimated to be fully unblocked in another day's time.

Boom!

At this moment, a loud bang was heard. Countless fragments of stone flew towards him like raindrops.

In his deep state of cultivation, Chu Hao reacted a moment too late. Though he barely managed to activate the Jade Wall Technique, he didn't fully bring out the secret technique's potential, resulting in his clothes being torn and showing bloody marks.

Luckily, he had consumed enough Dragon Rice Tooth. His Brute Strength had already surpassed 2 million pounds, so it wasn't a big deal, and his physique had become even tougher. Otherwise, with no time to channel enough Star Force for defense, several of his bones would've been shattered.

Chu Hao was furious. Who wouldn't be angry if such an important moment of secluded cultivation was interrupted? Fortunately, he didn't suffer a Qi deviation.

"Come out here!" A cold voice came from the cave entrance. The loud bang just now was the big rock sealing the entrance being shattered, causing the stone fragments to strike him.

Chu Hao slapped his hands on the ground, propelling himself into the air and flying out of the cave.

About four meters outside the cave entrance stood a tall, handsome young man exuding an oppressive, fearsome aura.

He looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere. But if they had truly met, Chu Hao's memory would not have failed to recall it. Yet, he couldn't remember where he had seen such an imposing young man.

"My name is Chai Kang, the brother of Chai Jian, whom you killed!" The young man seemed to read Chu Hao's confusion and introduced himself, his voice still icy.

No wonder he looked familiar; he was Chai Jian's brother. Naturally, siblings would resemble each other.

Chu Hao smiled faintly and said, "So, you're here to avenge Chai Jian?"

"That's right. I only have one brother. Since you killed him, you must pay with your life!" Chai Kang spoke calmly, though the murderous intent in his eyes grew even more terrifying. "Will you surrender, or struggle to the death?"

He spoke lightly, as if Chu Hao was already in his grasp.

This was the arrogance of a Fledgling Dragon List-level genius, especially someone like him, ranked in the top 30. He could suppress anyone ranked after 50 with a single move. How could he not be bursting with pride?

Chu Hao asked curiously, "How did you find me?"

This was a dense forest, and he had hidden in a cave without emitting the slightest trace or sound. How had he been discovered? Even the Yellow Eyebrowed Elder at the Warrior level had no choice but to leave in defeat. What made this Martial Sect master capable of finding him?

"I have a secret technique called Bloodline Soul Search. By using the blood of the deceased as a medium, I can track the killer within a month." Chai Kang did not conceal or hasten to make a move. It almost seemed like a casual conversation between old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

So that's how it was. Yet, he believed this secret technique had its limitations. Otherwise, it had already been seventeen days; Chai Kang only found him now, and it should take a Martial Sect master less than two hours to travel from West Meeting City to here at full speed.

It probably could only pinpoint a general area, requiring careful searching to find the exact location. That's why Chai Kang found him after all this time.

This thought flashed through Chu Hao's mind. He then solemnly said, "Your brother brought his own death upon himself!" He paused and then smiled brightly, "But, I suppose you won't listen. Very well, let's fight!"

As he said "fight," his entire spirit instantly reached its peak.

Chai Kang's eyes narrowed. Didn't his opponent know he was ranked 28th on the Fledgling Dragon List? He must know. His brother boasted about it daily, eager to announce it to the world. He likely proclaimed it to threaten his opponent first thing.

Despite knowing his strength, his opponent's fighting spirit did not wane. Did he have enough strength to back it up, or was he just stubborn and clueless?

It didn't matter.

Chai Kang thought to himself. Now facing each other, he could clearly sense that his opponent was at the Single-Meridian realm, and his recent secluded cultivation was likely aiming at breaking through to the Two Meridians—logical given the context.

How could a mere Single-Meridian be his match? Have they mistaken him for an ordinary Martial Sect master, used by geniuses to make a name for themselves?

Wrong, wrong, wrong. He was the super genius making his name by stepping on others. Under the same realm, he might still lose to the top 27 on the Fledgling Dragon List—but with his higher realm, only those in the top 10 could defeat him.

If he were three minor realms higher, perhaps only Yuan Tiangang could defeat him.

Indeed, Yuan Tiangang was a true prodigy, so powerful that even thinking of surpassing him seemed impossible.

However, with a three minor realm advantage, Chai Kang was confident that even Yuan Tiangang would be crushed by him. He was at the Four Meridians, while Chu Hao was at the Single-Meridian, a full three Meridians apart, making his loss inconceivable.

His opponent must be a battle enthusiast.

Chai Kang slowly raised his right hand, his gaze icy. He planned to capture Chu Hao, take the murderer back to the Chai Family, and dissect him before his brother's spirit tablet to honor his soul.

"Since you won't surrender, prepare to suffer!" He pointed his right hand, a golden light shooting towards Chu Hao.

Hmm?

Chu Hao was somewhat surprised. This was clearly a Star Force attack.

Normal attacks couldn't release Star Force externally and required a medium like swords. Only special secret techniques, like the Crescent Slash, could manifest Star Force externally.

This wasn't a Crescent Slash but had its unique effect, with a thread of Starlight enhancing its destructive power.

Whoosh! Chu Hao also swung his right hand, unleashing a Crescent Slash.

Boom!

The powerful impact shattered nearby trees and rocks, and the golden light broke through the Crescent Slash, continuing towards Chu Hao.

There was no choice; the opponent's cultivation was two Meridians higher.

—Chu Hao, breaking through as a Ten-Meridian martial master, could add two Meridians against ordinary Martial Sect masters and one against super geniuses. To date, he hadn't met another Ten-Meridian martial master.

He wondered about Su Wanyue; back then, he didn't know there were two hidden Proper Veins. He could ask next time they met.

Whoosh, whoosh! Chu Hao fired two more Crescent Slashes, finally shattering Chai Kang's golden light.