Fire Elemental Plane, Vermilion Bird Continent, the Four Divine Beasts Clan's territory.
"Whoosh—!"
Flames shot into the sky, forming a vast crimson cloud that completely surrounded the mountains where the Four Divine Beasts Clan lived.
"Shengnaer, you're asking to die!"
At the roar, a red-haired woman shot into the sky. Vermilion Bird patterns flickered across her crimson robe, and the pressure of Fire Element Sovereign Power radiated from her.
"Tiya, you're the one who deserves to die!"
A mocking voice rang out. A middle-aged man with long red hair and archaic crimson armor slowly appeared. Behind him, dozens of Seven-Star Fiend elders glared viciously at the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
Shengnaer was a Prefect of the Fire Elemental Plane and a Sovereign Envoy. He had been a renowned top expert in the Divine Planes for countless years. His clan also had a large number of Seven-Star Fiend elders, making it one of the top clans in the Fire Elemental Plane.
Countless years ago, both the Shengnaer Clan and the Spencer Clan had been Prefect clans in the Fire Elemental Plane. Then the Four Divine Beasts Clan arrived, and the two sides clashed.
That time, Spencer chose to resist to the bitter end and was eventually killed after being surrounded by several Asuras led by Tiya. To protect his clan, Shengnaer had no choice but to bow his head. He personally killed several clan members accused of "bullying" the Four Divine Beasts Clan and went to apologize, among them his youngest son.
From then on, the Shengnaer Clan had been seething with resentment, longing to fight the Four Divine Beasts Clan to the death, yet forced to swallow their anger.
But this time, they no longer had to hold back. Barbary of the Water Elemental Plane had brought news that shook the Divine Planes: the Four Divine Beasts Sovereign had fallen.
When Shengnaer first heard the news, he couldn't believe it. Had Barbary gone mad? But once he recovered from his shock, he trembled with excitement and burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face. Then he swiftly led the clan elders to Vermilion Bird Continent.
"Shengnaer, my big brother won't let you get away with this! Not one of you in the Shengnaer Clan will survive!"
As Tiya watched her clansmen being slaughtered below, a blood-red gleam flashed in her eyes. She let out a phoenix cry, turned into a streak of red light, and charged at Shengnaer.
"I'll deal with Tiya. The rest of you, kill to your hearts' content! Leave no one alive!"
Shengnaer sneered and flipped his right hand. A warhammer radiating a terrifying aura appeared, its surface etched with lava patterns as golden energy flowed around it. At the same time, crimson Sovereign's Might erupted.
"Rumble—!"
As Shengnaer shifted, the Sovereign Artifact warhammer in his hand vibrated violently. A terrifying Magic Sound instantly enveloped the entire sky and earth.
"Die!"
Tiya's arms had turned into phoenix claws, and a pair of translucent wings appeared behind her. Her speed surged as she shot straight toward Shengnaer.
"Bang!"
Shengnaer merely chuckled. He swung his warhammer in a circle, and blazing fire serpents appeared, sending countless afterimages flying in every direction.
In an instant, Tiya was surrounded. The fire-serpent shadows spread like spiderwebs, nearly engulfing her in moments.
"Break!"
The wings behind Tiya glowed red, and a great mass of flames surged up, scattering the surrounding fire serpents in the blink of an eye.
But in the next moment, Shengnaer rushed toward her at incredible speed. The enormous phantom of a warhammer split the sky and came crashing down at Tiya.
"Boom!"
Tiya crossed her arms before her chest, and her blazing Vermilion Bird wings wrapped around her body. She met the Sovereign Artifact warhammer head-on, and a clear, thunderous clang rang out.
"A material-defense Sovereign Artifact. No wonder you're so hard to deal with!"
The impact left Shengnaer's arm numb. He sighed inwardly and shook his head helplessly.
The Four Divine Beasts Clan's four clan leaders were all children of Sovereigns. They had not only powerful bloodlines, but also specialized defensive Sovereign Artifacts. Ordinary Asuras would struggle to kill them.
The Vermilion Bird Clan Leader, Tiya, had a material-defense Sovereign Artifact. On top of that, the Vermilion Bird Clan's innate ability greatly strengthened her soul's defense and recovery. Shengnaer knew that, as an Asura who had also cultivated the Laws and Profound Mysteries of fire, he couldn't kill her. Perhaps Ashcroft of the Netherworld or Bolin of the Celestial Realm might have a chance.
Still, Shengnaer wasn't worried. Killing Tiya had never been his goal today. He only needed to hold her off while the others slaughtered the rest of the Four Divine Beasts Clan. As for Tiya, they could surround her later in the Skyrite Mountains.
"Damn it!"
After the warhammer's force sent Tiya flying hundreds of meters, she steadied herself and looked down with a grave expression, her eyes nearly spilling blood.
There were many members of the Four Divine Beasts Clan on Vermilion Bird Continent, but it wasn't their ancestral homeland. They had fewer than ten Seven-Star Fiend elders and were no match for the Shengnaer Clan.
"Shengnaer, make them stop right now, or I'll have my mother kill you all!"
Feeling the fire serpents continuing to harry her, Tiya finally couldn't hold back her roar.
She still hadn't heard from Gaislesen and the others, so she had no idea what was happening. She could only think that Shengnaer had gone mad.
She hadn't wanted to call on her mother, Nimo. Their ancestor was a Sovereign and wouldn't interfere in the affairs of gods without good reason, and Tiya didn't want to trouble her mother. But watching her clansmen die one after another, she couldn't bear to stand by any longer.
To Tiya's shock, Shengnaer burst into laughter when he heard her.
"Tiya, you still don't know, do you? Why do you think I dared to come here?"
A mocking smile curled Shengnaer's lips. He was clearly in high spirits.
"Not just me. Barbary, Bolin, Ashcroft, Wenna, Reinasi, Deen, Edric—and countless others who've been oppressed by your Four Divine Beasts Clan—have all started taking action. Why do you think that is?"
Shengnaer didn't rush to attack again. He gripped his warhammer and looked at Tiya mockingly. Her expression grew darker and darker, and he nodded with satisfaction.
He had almost said, "You want the Vermilion Bird Sovereign to kill me? She'd need to still have the power to do that." But after thinking it over, he swallowed the words. That would be disrespectful to a Sovereign, even one who had died. She had, after all, once been a Sovereign.
If some petty Sovereign heard Shengnaer disrespecting one and casually slapped him to death, he'd have died for nothing.
"No, that can't be. How could this happen?"
Tiya took out a parchment and ignited it with divine power. The energy of the world instantly stirred, but the Vermilion Bird Sovereign did not descend.
"Tiya, your doom has come. You, Gaislesen and the others—all of you will die. The Four Divine Beasts Clan will soon be destroyed!"
Shengnaer snorted, raised his Sovereign Artifact warhammer, and charged at Tiya like a streak of flame.
"You wish!"
Hearing Shengnaer's words, Tiya held back her tears, clenched her teeth, spread her wings, and flew to meet him.
The gigantic phantom of a Vermilion Bird appeared behind Tiya. The energy of the world enveloped her as if a phoenix were being reborn in flames.
Innate Divine Ability—Bathed in Fire!
Blazing flames engulfed the sky and earth. Golden fireballs erupted from Tiya's body, raining down like falling meteorites toward the Shengnaer Clan's elders.
"Everyone, leave at once! Return to the Skyrite Mountains!"
Tiya shouted as she frantically urged the Sovereign's Might within her, spreading her attack over the entire area.
The Vermilion Bird Clan's Innate Divine Ability was meant for recovery and healing. But combined with a wide-area attack that consumed Sovereign's Might, it could be highly effective against Seven-Star Fiends. The move couldn't hurt Shengnaer, but it could harm the elders of his clan.
"So that's your move? Fine!"
Shengnaer frowned slightly. A red ring of light flashed across his Sovereign Artifact warhammer, and a massive, translucent phantom formed a protective barrier. He stood at the front, shielding the elders behind him.
Tiya's attack bought the clansmen a little time. Some managed to escape the encirclement, but Shengnaer didn't care about a few stragglers and continued directing the slaughter.
Much later, Tiya fled alone, gravely wounded, in the form of a blazing red phoenix-like phantom.
"I'll let you escape this time, but next time, in the Skyrite Mountains, you won't get away alive!"
Shengnaer stood high in the sky, sneered, and put away his Sovereign Artifact. He couldn't kill Tiya in a one-on-one fight, but once they confronted each other in the Skyrite Mountains, they could kill her by surrounding her.
After all, the fools of the Four Divine Beasts Clan had made far too many enemies.
"Pass on my orders! Once the battlefield is cleared, we set out for Hell—to the Skyrite Mountains on Bloodridge Continent!"
Shengnaer's voice rang across the heavens, filled with fearless resolve.