The wind rose and the fog swirled in the piercing chill.

The two brothers stood silently in the void, their eyes locked on each other.

Decades had passed since the Great Catastrophe of Self-Slaughter, and now, the two brothers met again.

Luo Hao's appearance here did not surprise Luo Xiu. If the roles were reversed and he had learned that someone might be the reincarnation of the Azure Emperor, he too would have come to confirm it personally.

In the ensuing silence, Luo Hao spoke. "When I first received Ai Kun's message claiming someone might be the Azure Emperor reborn, I didn't believe it. Even now, after seeing you with my own eyes, I still find it hard to accept."

"Tian'er, I truly didn't expect you to still be alive… and to feel the aura of the Life-bound Green Lotus on you is genuinely surprising."

As Luo Hao spoke, ashes filled the sky, swirling together as if time were reversing. In just a moment, the five Prison Guards and Ai Kun, who had been incinerated by the Indestructible Divine Flame, were restored to their living forms. At the same time, the Curse Annihilation Formation, which Luo Xiu had shattered with his Divine Power, mysteriously repaired itself.

But as Luo Xiu witnessed these bizarre scenes, he felt no surprise. He had already seen the power of the "Creation Reincarnation Formation" back in the Lower Realm. This Creation Reincarnation Formation was truly a heaven-defying technique!

The resurrected Ai Kun and the five Prison Guards looked up at Luo Hao, their eyes full of gratitude, and hurriedly knelt to thank him for his grace.

Luo Hao waved them away impatiently. "All of you, fall back. Go outside and maintain the formation."

"Yes!"

Then, with a faint, unreadable smile, Luo Hao looked at Luo Xiu and spoke in a lecturing tone, "The people of the Upper Realm have all lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They are far more complex than those in the Lower Realm. So, Tian'er, you need to be more careful when you make friends in the future."

Luo Xiu offered a slight smile. "It's of no concern. This actually helped me achieve my goal. Call it an unexpected bonus."

"I came to the Upper Realm for no other reason than to find you. And then, to kill you."

"I was just worrying about how to track you down, but you delivered yourself to my doorstep. This suits me perfectly."

"Oh?" Luo Hao raised a brow, his tone teasing. "So, you're saying this was all part of your plan?"

"I must say, little brother," he added, "it seems that in gaining great power, you've also lost your mind."

"Have you not considered that the two ladies from Jucui State might now be in my hands?"

Luo Xiu countered, "Have you considered that you are now in my hands?"

Luo Hao laughed heartily. "Between us, you have always been the prey, and I, the hunter."

"Tian'er, let me be blunt. I plan to use them to threaten you. Surrender without resistance, enter the prison willingly, and allow me to strip the Green Lotus from your body. In return, I will spare them. After all, they pose no real threat to me. The only threat to me in this world is you."

Suddenly, Luo Xiu's figure vanished.

The next moment, a thunderclap exploded in the void behind Luo Hao.

"This move again?"

Luo Hao sneered and turned with a punch. However, his fist only struck a lightning afterimage.

Suddenly, a terrifying force crashed down from above. Unbeknownst to him, Luo Xiu had appeared above his head and brought his foot down squarely upon it.

"Get down!"

BOOM!

Luo Hao's body plummeted to the ground, smashing a large crater on impact. In the crater, his head bleeding, Luo Hao slowly stood up, dusting himself off as if nothing had happened. A green light-mist rose from his body, and his fractured skull instantly healed.

Luo Xiu stood proudly in mid-air, looking down at him with an indifferent expression.

It seems that through years of dedicated study, he has come to better understand how to wield the Fortune-Forming Power. Honestly, his mastery of it surpasses my own.

"Master, you can't give him any opportunity!" Hua Muyan's voice seethed with hatred in his mind. "You must take him down in one fell swoop!" She, too, hated Luo Hao to the bone.

Luo Hao suddenly asked, "Tian'er, do you truly not care about those two girls?"

Luo Xiu replied coolly, "I don't believe for a second that you would spare them after I surrendered."

His tone grew heavy. "Of course, the problem now isn't whether you'll spare them, but whether *I'll* spare *you*."

Luo Hao roared with laughter. "I love your arrogance!"

"Do you know, Tian'er? From the time we were children, the one thing I always envied about you was your absolute strength, which gave you the confidence to do anything."

Luo Xiu's gaze sharpened, and a powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body. The vast, boundless pressure caused the very earth to tremble and crack!

The next moment, Luo Xiu's figure vanished as if it had evaporated. He was in no mood to listen to Luo Hao's endless prattling.

In a flash, he appeared before Luo Hao.

Before Luo Hao could react, a sharp slap sent him flying. It wasn't that Luo Hao was too slow, but that Luo Xiu's Thunder Path Physique was simply too fast. As Luo Hao was sent spinning away, Luo Xiu flicked a drop of Essence Blood at him.

"Emperor's Blood… Breaks All Laws."

Seeing this, Luo Hao's heart sank, and he quickly formed a spell with his hands. In an instant, the Curse Annihilation Formation assimilated the drop of Essence Blood, and a sky full of crimson sword-shadows rained down!

Luo Xiu's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected this. A green light glinted in his eyes, and three thousand bolts of lightning erupted across heaven and earth. Then, from those three thousand bolts of lightning, three thousand clones emerged.

Luo Hao landed steadily, a slight smirk on his face. "Heh, Holy Blasphemy and the Three Thousand Green Lotus Petals. Your repertoire is truly uninspired."

"Tian'er, I am not the same man I was forty years ago. The era when the Azure Emperor was unrivaled has long passed!"

"Now, the one who is unrivaled in the world… is me, the Haotian Great Emperor!"

Luo Xiu's face remained expressionless as he slowly raised his right hand. "If this were merely a contest of words, then you truly would be without equal."

Simultaneously, all three thousand clones raised their right hands.

In an instant, three thousand Flame Giant Swords materialized in the skies above Calamity Extermination Island!

"Heavenly Vermilion… Sword of Ten Thousand Prisons!"

However, faced with three thousand Heavenly Vermilion Swords of Ten Thousand Prisons, Luo Hao remained unfazed. He simply spread his arms, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Suddenly, he began to laugh maniacally.

"Come on, Tian'er! Let me see how much you've improved over the years!"

At this moment, outside the Curse Annihilation Formation, Ai Kun and the others were pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"This is too terrifying…"

"Is this the innate Divine Ability of the Vermilion Bird Clan?"

A Prison Guard's voice quivered. "Even a single Heavenly Vermilion Sword of Ten Thousand Prisons, wielded by a powerhouse like the Azure Emperor, is enough to destroy heaven and earth! To think that three thousand have appeared all at once!"

"If those three thousand swords were to fall, I'm afraid the entire Jialan Realm will…"

"Not just the Jialan Realm! Several neighboring worlds would probably be caught in the disaster!"

"Why isn't Emperor Hao fighting back? Is he planning to take the hit head-on?"

To the six of them, Luo Hao looked like a madman, and their anxiety grew.

A Prison Guard lowered his gaze and said, "Don't worry. From what I know of His Majesty, Emperor Hao, he calculates every move. He would never do something he wasn't absolutely sure of!"

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