Declaring War

Inside the grand council hall, the leaders of the four great clans reached a consensus. The atmosphere remained grave, but now carried a sharper edge of shared enmity.

"The Soul Clan's influence runs deep and wide," Gu Yuan said pensively, his gaze sweeping over the others. "Now that we have formed an alliance, we must strike like thunder and deal a heavy blow to their foundations."

Flames flickered around Yan Jin as he said in a low voice, "Exactly! If we're going to fight, we have to make them feel it! I propose that we officially declare war on the Soul Clan one month from now. We must use this month to master our newly acquired spirit arts as quickly as possible and consolidate our clans' forces."

Lei Ying's voice rumbled like muffled thunder as he agreed. "One month is more than enough time to prepare! I can use those Soul Clan bastards to test the power of my new spirit art!"

Lin Hai gave a slight nod. "Agreed. I'll be there in one month."

With the matter settled, the clan leaders were all fired up, eager to return and study the coveted Heaven-Rank Advanced Spirit Arts.

Lin Hai didn't linger in the Ancient Realm. After bidding farewell to Gu Yuan, he tore through space with the four Beast Spirit Saints and returned to Wutan City in the Gama Empire.

Space rippled in the Xiao Clan's rear courtyard, and Lin Hai appeared.

The four Seven-Star Spirit Saints concealed themselves in the void, guarding him in secret.

He handed Yao Chen all the materials for the nine Eighth-Tier Pills he had previously traded for at the Myriad Medicine Pavilion in Sky Medicine City, along with three large Storage Rings containing seven hundred kinds of Sixth-Rank Beast Flame.

Yao Chen took the rings and scanned them briefly with his spiritual sense. He immediately sucked in a breath, his hands trembling slightly.

The complete materials for nine Eighth-Tier Pills!

Their value was beyond measure, enough to drive any alchemist mad!

And the seven hundred kinds of Sixth-Rank Beast Flame left him even more dumbstruck.

"S-Sir, this..." Yao Chen's voice was hoarse.

"Refine the pills as soon as you can. The Beast Fire is for Xiao Yan; keep it safe for now," Lin Hai instructed. "The continent will undergo a great upheaval in one month."

Yao Chen's expression turned solemn. Though he didn't know exactly what was coming, anything Lin Hai considered important enough to emphasize had to be earth-shattering.

He immediately replied gravely, "Rest assured, sir! I'll do everything in my power to refine them!"

After making these arrangements, Lin Hai flashed into the secluded chamber deep in the back mountain.

He also needed to prepare for the battle a month away.

Inside the chamber, Lin Hai sat cross-legged.

With a turn of his hand, a Soul Jade Slip containing the Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering Seal appeared in his palm.

As for the Great Thousand Creation Palm, the system had granted it directly. It was already etched into his soul like an instinct, ready to be unleashed with a single thought; there was no need to cultivate it deliberately.

He sent his soul power into the jade slip.

In an instant, a vast torrent of information surged into his mind, ancient and boundless, carrying an endless aura of netherworld death.

It was as though he stood in an endless void of darkness, with a hazy, colossal figure towering between heaven and earth. It raised its hand, and beneath its palm, all laws withered and space froze. Even light could not escape. It was as if an absolute realm of death were expanding, ready to swallow and shroud the entire firmament!

It was an extreme force of chill and destruction, utterly opposed to the dignified, life-giving force of the Great Thousand Creation Palm, which flowed on without end.

Heaven-Rank Advanced Spirit Arts contained the underlying truths of the laws and were exceedingly difficult to cultivate. Even Spirit Saint experts needed to spend a long time comprehending and honing them.

But Lin Hai was no ordinary person.

His soul had already reached the Emperor Realm, and his comprehension was extraordinary.

The obscure, intricate pathways of energy and profound, mysterious imprints of the laws were rapidly understood, digested, and absorbed under the scrutiny of his powerful soul.

The vast, star-like spiritual energy within him began to circulate along the Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering Seal's unique path. It was awkward at first, but soon flowed smoothly.

A terrifying aura of destruction slowly spread from Lin Hai, yet remained firmly contained within the chamber.

Behind him, a hazy black handprint slowly emerged in the void, seemingly condensed from endless netherworld energy. It was still faint, but the intent to blot out the sky and freeze everything had already begun to take shape.

Day after day passed.

Lin Hai was completely immersed in cultivating the Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering Seal.

His mastery of the spirit art rose rapidly, and the black handprint grew increasingly solid, its aura more and more terrifying.

Beyond the chamber, the entire Spirit Continent seemed peaceful, but beneath the surface, undercurrents surged.

The Ancient Clan, Flame Clan, and Thunder Clan—three colossal powers—were secretly mobilizing their forces in a flurry of activity. Countless elite experts were summoned back, and resources were redirected toward the war effort.

The three clan leaders also shut themselves away, frantically cultivating their newly acquired Heaven-Rank Advanced Spirit Arts in hopes of mastering even a little more power before the great battle.

The wind swept through the tower as the storm drew near.

A world-shaking tempest that would engulf the entire continent was quietly approaching, accompanied by the ticking countdown to war.