Fierce Battle

Above the firmament, the energy tide surged like a boiling ocean, turning the entire Heaven-Burial Mountain Range and the surrounding ten-thousand-mile region into a terrifying battlefield.

Space had long since ceased to exist, leaving behind only countless jagged fissures and a void that constantly annihilated and reconstituted itself.

This decisive battle between the four ancient clans and the Soul Clan had entered a white-hot state the moment it erupted!

The Division of the Peak Battlefield

Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi, two nine-star Spirit Saint late-stage powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the continent, were already fighting beyond the nine heavens.

Their battle appeared the most "calm," devoid of flashy spiritual energy explosions, featuring only the collision of the most fundamental laws.

With every gesture, space formed its own domain and time seemed to fall into disarray; each clash triggered a roar from the Great Dao, leaving ordinary Spirit Saints without even the qualification to watch from nearby.

The phantom of the Ancient Emperor Mirror flickered around Gu Yuan, dissolving Hun Tiandi's bizarre and unpredictable soul attacks; Hun Tiandi wore a strange smile, pitch-black spiritual energy swirling between his palms and fingers, devouring light and corroding space as it clashed incessantly with Gu Yuan's vast and majestic spiritual energy.

This was an all-encompassing confrontation of will, foundation, and understanding of the laws of heaven and earth, making it difficult to determine a victor in the short term.

On the other side, Lin Hai stood in the way of Void Devouring Flame, who sought to pounce toward the battlefield below.

"Hehehe, an unfamiliar nine-star Spirit Saint? If I devour you, this Seat might catch a glimpse of the gate to the Emperor Realm!" Void Devouring Flame let out a shrill laugh, its humanoid black flames swelling violently into a giant, heaven-devouring maw. A terrifying suction force erupted, intending to swallow Lin Hai along with the space surrounding him!

Lin Hai's expression remained unchanged. Facing a suction force that could easily consume an eight-star Spirit Saint, he simply raised his right hand slowly.

Within his palm, endless radiance converged as if countless worlds were being born and dying in a cycle, and a supreme artistic conception of creating all things and evolving the Great Thousand worlds permeated the air.

"Heaven-tier high-grade Spirit Skill: Great Thousand Creation Palm!"

He pushed his palm out levelly.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, only a glaze-colored palm print that appeared gentle yet contained endless vitality of creation.

Wherever the palm print passed, the terrifying devouring force melted and retreated like snow meeting the spring sun!

The power of creation happened to restrain the devouring attribute of Void Devouring Flame to a certain extent!

The palm print drifted lightly toward the massive maw of black flames.

Boom!

The two collided without a loud noise, producing only a strange humming sound as if the world were at the dawn of creation.

The black flames churned violently, emitting painful hisses; the condensed giant maw was pierced through and purified across a large area by the Creation Palm print!

Although the black flames squirmed and recovered quickly, it had clearly suffered a minor loss.

"The power of creation?!" Void Devouring Flame was both shocked and angry, its voice turning sharp.

No longer underestimating its opponent, it retracted the black flames filling the sky, transforming them into a spear as black as ink, burning with eerie flames—the Flame-Devouring Spear!

Wherever the spear tip pointed, space automatically decayed and annihilated.

Lin Hai's eyes narrowed slightly. He raised his left hand, and an extreme chill and aura of death, diametrically opposed to the previous attack, permeated the air.

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and even the flow of energy became sluggish, as if everything were about to be frozen.

"Heaven-tier high-grade Spirit Skill: Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering Seal!"

A massive handprint, pitch-black as ink and seemingly condensed from the ice of the Nine Netherworlds, appeared out of thin air. Runes swirled upon the handprint, radiating a terrifying aura that could freeze souls and blot out the sun.

In stark contrast to the vibrant Great Thousand Creation Palm, this was the ultimate in destruction and death!

Mysterious Underworld Seal vs. Flame-Devouring Spear!

Hiss—!

Extreme cold and extreme heat, death and devouring—two completely different, extreme powers collided fiercely!

This time, it triggered an earth-shattering explosion!

A pitch-black energy storm swept outward, shaking several nearby seven-star Spirit Saints who were in the midst of battle until they vomited blood and flew backward!

The figures of Lin Hai and Void Devouring Flame swayed simultaneously, each retreating a step.

The first head-on clash was a draw!

"Good, good, good! Two Heaven-tier high-grade Spirit Skills! It seems you have many secrets! This Seat will definitely devour you today!" Void Devouring Flame completely cast aside its contempt, its offensive becoming increasingly violent.

Lin Hai responded with composure, alternating between the Great Thousand Creation Palm and the Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering Seal. The two artistic conceptions of life-giving creation and deathly extinction flowed freely in his hands, firmly pinning Void Devouring Flame down. No matter how it roared or charged, it could not break through his defense, let alone provide support elsewhere.

The Eight-Star Battlefield: Four Elders vs. Yan Jin, Lei Ying, Gu Lie, and the Lava Giant Ape

This was a fierce collision second only to the peak battlefield!

The four elders of the Soul Clan practiced techniques of the same origin and possessed unparalleled coordination.

The four did not separate but stood in the four directions, forming seals simultaneously. Cold, pitch-black spiritual energy surged out, instantly condensing into a massive "Ten Thousand Soul Bone-Eroding Array"!

Within the array, ten thousand souls wailed, and countless hideous ghost shadows lunged out, capable not only of devouring spiritual energy but also of directly corroding souls!

The power of the array stacked layer by layer, comparable to a strike from a nine-star Spirit Saint in the early stage!

"Hmph! Petty tricks! Flame God World-Burning Palm!" Yan Jin roared, his eight-star Spirit Saint late-stage fire-attribute spiritual energy erupting without reservation. It transformed into a giant flame palm that blotted out the sky, with magma seemingly flowing in its palm, slamming fiercely toward the Ten Thousand Soul Array!

The flames were supreme in their rigidity and yang, making them the natural nemesis of yin souls.

"Thunder Emperor Judgment!" Lei Ying's hair stood on end, thunder dragons circling his body. He threw a punch, and a terrifying thunder pillar ten thousand feet tall descended like divine punishment; the supreme yang and rigid power of the thunder also held great restraint over the yin souls.

"Black Annihilation God-Slaughtering Spear!" As the Great Commander of the Ancient Clan, Gu Lie possessed a fierce and indomitable fighting style. A black war spear condensed, its baleful aura soaring to the heavens. With a single thrust, space was pierced through, aiming directly at the core of the array!

"Roar!" The burly man transformed from the Lava Giant Ape was the most straightforward and brutal; he roared at the sky, revealing a portion of his true form. His arms morphed into massive ape limbs covered in white lava, and with pure, terrifying power, his fists smashed down like falling meteors!

The attacks of the four great powerhouses struck the Ten Thousand Soul Bone-Eroding Array simultaneously!

Rumble—!!!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted!

Flames, thunder, baleful energy, immense force, and endless vengeful spirits crazily eroded and annihilated one another!

The energy storm completely turned that stretch of space into a chaotic zone.

Crack!

Gathering the strength of four, the bizarre array finally could not withstand the pressure; it let out a groan of collapse and shattered with a thunderous boom!

The four great elders shuddered in unison, clearly suffering from the backlash.

Yet their eyes remained numb and cold. The moment the array was broken, the four figures dispersed like ghosts, turning into four streaks of black smoke that entangled Yan Jin and the others respectively.

Instantly, the battlefield was carved into four small segments.

One elder held a Soul Banner, shaking it to turn thousands of fierce souls into tangible attacks that coiled around Yan Jin.

Yan Jin's body surged with Emperor Flame, transforming into layers of fire seas to continuously incinerate the fierce souls, but those spirits seemed endless, trapping him temporarily.

Another elder engaged in close-quarters combat with Lei Ying. His spiritual energy was incredibly venomous and highly corrosive, capable of even eroding Lei Ying's thunderous spiritual energy. As their fists and feet collided, thunder and black mist exploded repeatedly.

The third elder faced Gu Lie. Both were renowned for their ferocity, and their fighting styles were head-on. Black spear shadows and withered ghost claws clashed incessantly, erupting with the sound of metal striking metal, neither able to gain the upper hand for a time.

The final elder faced the Lava Giant Ape.

The Lava Giant Ape possessed the greatest strength but lacked speed.

The elder's movement technique was eerie; he did not fight head-on but instead continuously released chilling soul shrieks to disturb the ape's consciousness. Simultaneously, strands of deathly, stagnant spiritual energy clung to the ape like maggots on bone, leaving the powerful beast feeling restricted and roaring in frustration.

The eight-star battlefield temporarily fell into a stalemate.

The four great elders of the Soul Clan, relying on their bizarre techniques and tacit coordination, barely managed to hold back the four powerhouses of the alliance.

The chaotic battle of seven-star and below.

This was the most chaotic and deadlocked part of the battlefield!

The Soul Clan dispatched six seven-star Spirit Saints, five six-star, thirteen five-star, and eighteen four-star!

The alliance side had: seven seven-star (the Three Immortals of the Ancient Clan, the Supreme Elder of the Flame Clan, the Old Ancestor of the Thunder Clan, the Heaven-Burning Crocodile, the Blazing Earth Lizard, and the Flowing Fire Sky Owl), seven six-star, twelve five-star, and seventeen four-star!

In terms of numbers, the alliance held a slight advantage at the seven-star and six-star levels, while the five-star and four-star levels were basically equal. Both sides traded blows, locked in an inseparable struggle.

"Form the Ancient Emperor Array!" At Elder Gu Dao's command, the Three Immortals of the Ancient Clan converged instantly. Their spiritual energies connected, transforming into a massive, archaic wheel of light. As the wheel rotated, it emitted a vast power that suppressed everything, immediately enveloping two of the Soul Clan's seven-star Spirit Saints!

Three against two, they immediately gained the absolute upper hand, yet they found it difficult to completely crush their opponents in the short term.

The Flame Clan's seven-star Supreme Elder faced a mid-stage seven-star powerhouse of the Soul Clan. Both were fire-attributed, but one wielded righteous Holy Flame while the other used eerie, sinister Soul Fire. They bombarded each other crazily in the air, flames filling the sky, suppressing and breaking through one another, maintaining a delicate balance.

The Thunder Clan's Old Ancestor had a fiery temper and went straight for two early-stage seven-star Soul Clan opponents. Thunder flashed violently; he fought one against two without falling behind at all, instead pressing his opponents, though he could not secure a victory in a short time.

The three demonic beasts under Lin Hai were even more ferocious!

The Heaven-Burning Crocodile revealed part of its true form, its massive tail sweeping across with flames capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas, battling a six-star Soul Clan Spirit Saint. As the flames collided, both sides gave and took;

The Blazing Earth Lizard had astonishing defense with its crystal armor, hard-resisting the attacks of a seven-star Spirit Saint while spitting out a highly concentrated Blazing Earth breath, forcing the opponent into a flustered retreat; both sides were locked in a stalemate;

The Flowing Fire Sky Owl was the fastest, shuttling through the battlefield like a ghost. Its flowing fire wings were like heavenly blades, specifically targeting the Soul Clan's four-star and five-star Spirit Saints. Though it caused no casualties, it greatly disrupted the Soul Clan's formation, making it difficult for them to form an effective encirclement.

The battle below was equally intense.

In the melee of five-star and four-star Spirit Saints, every collision was like the impact of meteors.

Spiritual energy ribbons streaked across the sky, energy storms raged, and powerhouses were constantly sent flying and severely injured.

A five-star Spirit Saint commander of the Ancient Clan was besieged by three five-star Soul Clan members; relying on exquisite movement techniques, he held his ground despite being at a disadvantage;

A four-star Spirit Saint of the Thunder Clan tangled with a five-star Soul Clan Spirit Saint, using the speed of thunder to constantly maneuver, showing no signs of defeat for the moment;

The Soul Clan members used bizarre methods, often using soul secret techniques to interfere with their opponents, yet they feared the counterattacks of the alliance powerhouses and dared not easily use suicidal moves. Both sides continued to consume each other in a tug-of-war, and the battle remained in a delicate balance.

The entire Heaven-Burial Mountain Range had long since been shattered; the earth had sunk, magma surged from the cracks, and the sky was rendered grotesque by various colors of spiritual energy and energy storms.

Every moment, powerhouses were injured and forced to retreat. This chaotic battle was more like a test of endurance and willpower; both sides were waiting for the moment the other revealed a flaw.

Core focus: Lin Hai vs Void Devouring Flame.

The battle here had already entered its most intense stage.

"Devouring Flame Domain: Ten Thousand Devouring Boundless Realm!" Unable to secure a victory after a long assault, Void Devouring Flame was thoroughly enraged and unleashed its domain power.

Endless black flames permeated the area, forming a massive black barrier that enveloped Lin Hai.

Inside the barrier, the devouring force increased more than tenfold; even spiritual energy, soul power, and life force were rapidly draining away!

"Within This Seat's domain, let's see how long you can hold out!" Void Devouring Flame's figure merged into the black flames, omnipresent, launching a storm of attacks.

Countless tentacles, blades, spears, and ghost faces formed from black flames lunged at Lin Hai from all directions.

"A domain? You are not the only one who has one." Lin Hai's eyes turned cold. "Mysterious Underworld Domain, open!"

With him at the center, an extreme chill erupted violently! The ink-black Mysterious Underworld Qi spread frantically, and wherever it passed, even the black flames of the Void Devouring Flame seemed to freeze and solidify!

Within the Mysterious Underworld Domain, all things withered and space-time slowed, causing that terrifying devouring power to be significantly suppressed.

The two great domains collided and eroded each other violently, emitting a teeth-gritting sizzling sound.

"Great Thousand Creation, life and death within a palm!"

Lin Hai had already grasped the bottom line of the Void Devouring Flame, so he no longer held anything back and struck out with a full-powered Great Thousand Creation Palm.

The power of this strike was a full fifty percent greater than before!

The glazed palm print seemed to carry a real world within it, its ceaseless power temporarily forcing open the suppression of the Devouring Flame Domain as it struck precisely at the hidden core of the Void Devouring Flame.

"What?!" The Void Devouring Flame was greatly alarmed and forced to manifest, condensing all its power to meet the palm strike head-on.

Boom!

The Void Devouring Flame was sent reeling, its black flames scattering.

"Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering, Eternal Frozen Ice Coffin!" Lin Hai did not let up, his left hand shifting the Mysterious Underworld Seal. Endless Mysterious Underworld death energy converged, transforming into a massive, pitch-black ice coffin that radiated a chill capable of freezing the soul, descending toward the Void Devouring Flame! He intended to seal it away!

Sensing a massive threat, the Void Devouring Flame let out a sharp screech: "You want to seal me?! Dream on! Void Clone, Myriad Transformation Demon Flame!"

It suddenly split into thousands of sub-flames, each transforming into its likeness and fleeing in all directions, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake!

Lin Hai frowned slightly as the Mysterious Underworld Ice Coffin descended, sealing only a large portion of the sub-flames, while the main body of the Void Devouring Flame seized the opportunity to escape.

"Let's see how many times you can run!" Lin Hai's soul power locked onto the faint fluctuation of the Void Devouring Flame's true origin, and with a movement of his figure, he pursued like a teleportation.

Alternating between the Great Thousand Creation Palm and the Mysterious Underworld Heaven-Covering Seal, he forced the Void Devouring Flame into a wretched state. Its devouring ability was countered by the power of creation, and its speed was slowed by the Mysterious Underworld Domain, leaving it completely at a disadvantage!

Across the entire battlefield, because Lin Hai had successfully pinned down and even suppressed such a vital combat force as the Void Devouring Flame, the morale of the Alliance side soared.

Meanwhile, the Soul Clan began to show signs of decline.

Once the Void Devouring Flame was defeated, or if the four great elders were broken through, the scales of victory would tilt completely in favor of the Alliance!