"Heh heh! That's more like it!" Goku shouted with gusto as golden battle energy surged to its peak, shaking the entire space violently beneath the overwhelming pressure of his aura. The mighty warriors all turned pale—the sheer intensity and might of his power was too much to bear! But the arrow had already been nocked; there was no turning back now. Fear was meaningless—they had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge in!
Hissing sounds filled the sky as shimmering threads shot out from the hands of the Spirit Clan's patriarch, weaving together into a massive net of silken light aimed directly at Goku, threatening to engulf him whole!
Gu Yuan's aura was no less terrifying. His ferocious battle energy surged like a tidal wave, condensed into a single fingertip—Annihilation Finger, the Ancient Clan's ultimate technique, was unleashed!
And Hun Tiandi and the other peak-level powerhouses of this era finally stopped holding back. Faced with this monstrous existence, they all unleashed their most secret and devastating Dou Techniques. They knew very well that the man standing before them was beyond terrifying—not someone any one person could contend with. Their only hope was to combine their strength into a single all-out assault, hoping to at least stand a chance.
Goku gazed at the massive storm of destructive force surging toward him, his expression growing serious. He hadn't expected their combined attack to be this powerful. But ants would always be ants—no matter how many gathered together, they were still just slightly bigger ants.
Standing amidst the tidal wave of terrifying energy, as space shattered layer upon layer, Goku remained unfazed. His eyes were sharp, his presence defiant, his pride boundless.
"No matter what tricks you pull… one punch is all I need!"
His calm yet arrogant voice echoed through the heavens, striking fear into the hearts of all the assembled elites. Just how arrogant must someone be to speak such words—looking down on the world itself?
Goku threw a punch—plain and unremarkable. Yet in the next moment, the world fell into silence. Space shattered, mountains and rivers flipped upside down. The combined attack of all the powerhouses crumbled before that one simple strike, collapsing like a sandcastle before a storm. Every person present was left in absolute shock!
This was the profound truth Goku had comprehended through 81 lifetimes of reincarnation—the Essence of the Unremarkable Fist!
The joint attack of all the elites disintegrated under a single plain punch! Scattered into nothingness! But the terrifying ripple of fist intent continued to sweep outward, space shattering wherever it passed, sending shockwaves through the ranks of the elite warriors. Defensive barriers made of battle aura were shattered like paper. Sounds of blood being spat echoed continuously as the powerhouses crashed one after another from the sky, slamming hard onto the ground, aggravating their already severe injuries.
Those with weaker strength exploded into nothing but bloody mist, dying on the spot. Only the elite Dou Saints remained standing—but even they were badly injured, crippled in both body and spirit, without strength to fight on. Even the peak Nine-Star Dou Saints like Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi sat collapsed on the ground, blood trickling from their lips, staring in disbelief at the figure in the sky—Goku, still calm and composed.
"So strong... this is the power of a Dou God?"
The crowd stared at Goku, their shock yet to subside. They had never witnessed power beyond the Dou Saint realm before, so in their eyes, Goku could only be a true Dou God—only such a legendary existence could wield power of this magnitude!
Hun Tiandi's eyes flickered uncertainly as he looked up at Goku, his desire for the Dou God realm growing even stronger.
"Is this truly the power of a Dou God? Incredible… I must accelerate my plans…"
Goku slowly descended to the ground, looking at the fallen elites around him with a faint smile.
"Well, the monsters are defeated. Time to collect some loot!"
With a wave of his hand, storage rings flew out from the hands of the defeated powerhouses and into Goku's grasp.
Hun Tiandi's face twisted in alarm—his ring held numerous critical items tied to his master plan, including a piece of the ancient Tuo she Jade! He couldn't afford to lose it!
He shouted, battle energy bursting forth as he lunged to retrieve his ring.
"Hmph! Trying to snatch food from a tiger's jaws? You've got guts!"
Goku coldly snorted. With a flick of his sleeve, a violent shockwave surged forward, instantly shattering Hun Tiandi's energy shield and slamming into his body. Hun Tiandi let out a muffled groan as he spat blood and was sent flying, carving a trench nearly a kilometer long across the ground before finally coming to a stop.
The other elites who had been preparing to act immediately froze, then sighed and sat down to tend their injuries. The reality was clear—against this kind of power, resistance was meaningless. If they died, they'd only bring ruin to their entire clans.
Goku held dozens of rings in hand, smiling faintly. As if remembering something, he said,
"Which one of you is Gu Yuan?"
Gu Yuan, still healing, looked up in confusion. Just as he was about to respond, a nearby elder tried to stop him.
"Patriarch—"
"It's fine." Gu Yuan waved his hand calmly. "I am. Do you know me?"
Goku gave him a once-over and smirked.
"So you're Gu Yuan? You sure look the part—no wonder your daughter Xun'er's so beautiful."
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a storage ring back to him.
"Here. This one's yours. Now take your Ancient Clan people and scram to the side."
Gu Yuan blinked in surprise, frowning slightly as he stared at Goku.
"You speak as though you know my daughter… What exactly is your relationship with her?"
"In a bit, you'll be my father-in-law. What do you think my relationship with Xun'er is?"
Goku chuckled.
"W-What?!"
Gu Yuan and the surrounding elders were stunned, mouths agape. Other clan members looked on with envy, shock, and awe. If the Ancient Clan could establish ties with such a powerhouse, who in the world would dare challenge them?
This man had just effortlessly defeated members of seven of the Eight Ancient Clans. He was far beyond ordinary comprehension. At this point, even others began to wonder if they should marry off their daughters to him—after all, aligning with such a monster could even reveal the secrets beyond the Dou God realm!
Of course, that was just wishful thinking—no one dared act on such thoughts. Upset him, and they'd be flattened with a single slap.
"You... and Xun'er really…" Even Gu Yuan, typically calm and collected, couldn't keep his cool anymore.
"We'll talk later. Let me finish up here first."
Goku waved dismissively and strode over to Nihility Devouring Flame.
"So you're Nihility Devouring Flame? You look shady as hell—not the kind of guy I'd trust."
Goku eyed him with clear disdain. Living among the Hall of Souls for so long, Nihility Devouring Flame had developed a sinister and eerie aura that made him deeply unpleasant to look at.
"N-Nihility Devouring Flame? The second-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame List?"
The crowd's expressions shifted again in shock.
"W-What are you planning…"
Nihility Devouring Flame's voice trembled, clearly sensing Goku's hostility.
"What do you think? I'm capturing you!"
With a grin, Goku reached out. Nihility Devouring Flame panicked, unleashing black flames as the surrounding space distorted from the heat. His body twisted into a swirling black vortex, attempting to devour Goku's energy.
"Heh! Trying to devour me? This your devouring power? Kinda pathetic! Let me show you what real devouring looks like!"
As he spoke, an even larger black vortex appeared in Goku's palm. The suction was so powerful it devoured all of Nihility Devouring Flame's black fire in an instant. He was horrified to find that not only had he failed to absorb Goku's energy—his own energy was being rapidly consumed instead!
"No—please—stop! My soul will vanish at this rate! I surrender! I submit! Please, spare me!"
"Hmph. You disgust me. You're better off as a source flame."
Ignoring the pleading, Goku activated his Devouring Art to its fullest. In just moments, Nihility Devouring Flame's spirit was consumed, reduced to a flickering black flame essence in Goku's palm.
The crowd was utterly shocked. They all knew how powerful Heavenly Flames were, and yet Goku was holding the second-ranked Nihility Devouring Flame with one hand as if it were nothing. Just how terrifyingly strong was his physical body?!
"So this is a Heavenly Flame? The temperature's not bad at all."
Goku admired the flickering black flame in his hand and gave a light nod of praise. With a thought, he stored the flame into his World Ring.
"He… he actually stored a Heavenly Flame?! Is that even possible?"
"Pfft, how ignorant can you be? Someone like him probably owns more than a few legendary artifacts. What's so strange about storing a Heavenly Flame?"
As the crowd murmured in disbelief, Goku had already turned and walked over to Yan Jin, the Flame Clan's patriarch.
"I'm currently collecting Heavenly Flames. Hand over yours."
He said it casually, as if he were asking for pocket change.
"What?! No! That's impossible!"
Yan Jin's expression changed drastically. The Heavenly Flame was the Flame Clan's most sacred treasure—and he had refined it himself. If it were forcefully extracted, the consequences would be catastrophic!
"I don't think you understand the situation."
Goku's gaze was calm, but his words were cold.
"Do you think you're in any position to say no?"
Yan Jin nearly coughed up blood from anger. He, a patriarch of one of the Eight Ancient Clans, had been reduced to this—to being robbed like a commoner, unable to fight back. But he didn't fear for his own life—he feared for the future of his clan. If he died, the Flame Clan would lose several Dou Saints at once… they might even be expelled from the Eight Ancient Clans altogether.
His expression twisted with pain. After a moment of bitter silence, Yan Jin clenched his fists, severed his connection to the two Heavenly Flames within him, and forcibly expelled them. A large spurt of blood burst from his lips, and his face turned deathly pale.
"Take it!"
He looked at the two flames in his hands with deep reluctance, eyes full of unwillingness. But with a heavy heart, he closed his eyes and threw them toward Goku. Blood sprayed again from his mouth.
Goku caught the two flames—Nine Serene Golden Ancestor Flame and Fire Mountain Rock Flame—and looked at Yan Jin's heartbroken face with a sneer.
"Tch! It's just two Heavenly Flames. Look at you, acting like your dog just died. Hell, you're even coughing up blood over it."
With a wave of his hand, divine light bathed Yan Jin, instantly healing the injuries caused by forcibly ejecting the flames.
"There. Call it compensation. I'm collecting Heavenly Flames, so I'll owe you a favor for this. If you ever need something, come find me."
Yan Jin's face eased slightly, and he couldn't help but marvel at Goku's abilities. The injuries he'd sustained should have taken months to recover from—and yet Goku had healed him in seconds. Unbelievable. Maybe trading two Heavenly Flames for a favor from such a monstrous powerhouse wasn't such a bad deal after all…
"Alright! Anyone with a Heavenly Flame—hand it over! Don't make me say it twice!"
Goku swept his gaze across the crowd, his tone flat yet absolute.
All those who possessed Heavenly Flames frowned deeply. These were treasures born from heaven and earth, so rare they could cause a continent-wide war with every appearance. They had paid immense prices to acquire and refine them—and now, they were expected to give them up just like that?
But they didn't dare refuse. The consequences were too terrifying to even imagine. If they brought ruin upon their entire clans, they would go down in history as sinners. One by one, the powerhouses forced their flames from their bodies, blood spilling from their mouths, faces pale as death.
In an instant, the temperature of the surrounding space soared! Even the Dou Saints present struggled to endure the searing heat. Severely injured as they were, they had no strength left to resist the oppressive aura of the flames.
"Life Spirit Flame, Nine serene Wind Flame, Turtle Spirit Earthly Flame… plus the Nihility Devouring Flame… That's four in one go. Not bad, not bad!"
Goku smiled as several Heavenly Flames floated around him, each one pulsing with immense power. Still, he couldn't help but feel a touch of regret.
He knew that the Ancient Clans held more Heavenly Flames than these. Unfortunately, the other flame-holders hadn't shown up.
In an extremely good mood, Goku waved his hand again. A divine light washed over the injured Dou Saints, healing their wounds. The expressions of those powerhouses shifted to astonishment—this level of healing… it was too incredible! Their fear and reverence for Goku deepened yet again.
Everyone stared at the flames hovering around Goku with eyes full of envy and desire. These were Heavenly Flames! But all they could do was stare—no one dared even think about taking them back.
"Alright, alright. We're done here. Go back to wherever you came from. Shoo. As for those of you who gave me your Heavenly Flames—if you need something in the future, come find me."
With a dismissive wave, Goku turned and walked toward the fortress. After obtaining four more Heavenly Flames, his mood had clearly soared, and he generously let them go—for now.
The various clan leaders glanced at one another, then sighed in unison. This time, they'd really lost big. Not only did they gain nothing, they even lost their most precious heavenly flames.
"Damn it… If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I'd never have joined this mess! In the end, we got nothing—and now our clan's heavenly flame has been taken too! This is…"
The Medicine Clan's patriarch was on the verge of hyperventilating from rage.
___
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