Enlightenment Mountain stood mighty and imposing. Even the earth and stone at its summit bore a dull metallic sheen and were extraordinarily hard, for a peerless formation had been laid down there, prepared for this very moment.
Now, one pattern after another lit up, like molten iron flowing through gullies, scorching and astonishing. The great formation was awakening!
Not a sound remained on the summit. Even those of the Emperor Clans-Chi Menghong, Heavenly Blade, and Hao Feng-focused their essence, energy, and spirit, staring in one direction, ready to strike at any moment.
Apart from He Xian, who remained unmoved, everyone else stood ready for battle.
That was because Enlightenment Tea really was of little use to him, at least for the time being.
He Xian looked at the Enlightenment Tree. It was bare, without a single leaf, yet still held boundless vitality. Immortal mist could be seen drifting around it, flowing among its gnarled, powerful branches.
It contained unfathomable truths of eternal life.
Its trunk was immensely thick, its old bark splitting open, coarse and rough, like an ancient dragon covered densely in scales, lying dormant here.
Beneath the tree, rows of jade jars glowed atop the earthen altar. Their hazy radiance carried an immortal aura that stirred the hearts and souls of those present.
"Begin!"
The presiding elder gave the word.
Whoosh!
A crowd rushed forward to fight over the immortal tea leaves, moving as swiftly as lightning startling the sky. One of them left only an afterimage behind: Chi Menghong. He struck directly, blasting the altar with the Red King Lineage's Ancestral Arts.
Swish!
A haze of light rose from the altar. The ancient earthen altar looked low and unremarkable, neither grand nor sacred, yet an inexplicable power blocked the experts from every side.
It formed countless strange symbols that shrouded the area, preventing anyone from simply snatching the immortal tea leaves.
They had to unleash mighty divine abilities-and different ones at that-to break through that curtain of light.
That was because the same divine ability would grow less and less effective.
After a night, the struggle for the immortal tea leaves came to an end.
Enlightenment Mountain returned to peace, but this time, the atmosphere was exceedingly strange.
Time trickled by, yet those on the mountain grew increasingly tormented for reasons they could scarcely explain. Time seemed to crawl. Even after obtaining Enlightenment Tea leaves, they did not brew them right away, but waited for someone instead.
That was because there was barely any time left before He Xian's deadline, only another fourteen to sixteen hours.
Would those Emperor Clans come to Enlightenment Mountain? They would. They certainly would.
News that they had stepped out of their ancestral lands had already spread across the four seas and eight wildernesses.
The moon set, the sun rose, and sunlight shone brightly overhead.
The whole of Enlightenment Mountain suddenly fell silent, as though no one remained. It was frighteningly quiet, and an utterly terrifying atmosphere took shape at its summit.
A quarter hour passed, then two, then three. At last, hazy figures appeared at the foot of the mountain. Every one of them possessed blood energy like a dragon, faintly piercing the heavens. They arrived together, seemingly with hostile intentions.
Though they were still far away, the presence these beings created as they gathered at the mountain's foot made even Supremes tremble.
Meanwhile, the sun blazed overhead, and the daylight was clear and bright.
He Xian abruptly opened his eyes. His aura turned terrifying in an instant, and a pillar of blood surged from the crown of his head, ascending like a great dragon and leaping into the nine heavens. It was as though a Supreme were releasing his blood energy here, overwhelming the sky and blotting out the sun.
A chill stirred in He Xian's eyes. Today was destined to be a day of bloodshed. He had decided it.
When the group reached halfway up the mountain, their auras grew even stronger. Columns of vigorous blood energy, like waterfalls, could clearly be seen shooting into the firmament and rushing straight toward the summit, terrifying beyond compare.
Their blood energy resembled demons and saints, pillar after pillar piercing heaven and earth!
At the sight of this extraordinary spectacle, every prodigy of the King Clans paled. What heights must their bodies have reached to produce such a terrifying phenomenon of blood energy soaring into the sky?
Clang!
The next moment, someone recognized a few of the newcomers, and every cultivator's expression changed.
Emperor Clans. They were all from Emperor Clans, and they had come together.
It was truly as He Xian had said. They still refused to submit and were going to unleash a bloody battle.
The summit was deathly silent. Everyone cleared a vast open space and stood at the edges, no longer daring to approach the center. It was too dangerous. A peerless battle might erupt today, a melee fierce enough to shatter mountains and split the earth.
They were close, truly close. Figures could already be seen stepping onto the summit.
Each column of blood energy was immensely thick, rising like beacon smoke and spreading into a vast sea that pierced heaven and earth. Their presence was majestic, their magical power surging like an ocean.
Every one of them resembled an eternally blazing sun, their vigorous blood energy burning fiercely all the way to the heavens. They were so powerful that they made others shudder!
Emperor heirs. These men were all emperor heirs, the supreme successors of their respective Emperor Clans. Now gathered together, their blood energy formed a sea that nearly boiled, shaking the entire summit as though floodwaters were drowning Golden Mountain!
Only this was a sea of blood.
"Son of the Crane Ancestor, you have gone too far! How dare you command the world and give orders to us?"
A low voice sounded. He Xian spotted the Six Little Emperors, but they did not seem to be leading the group. They stood at its edges; others were in command.
These were unfamiliar Emperor Clan prodigies he had never seen before. They had probably only just emerged into the world.
"Clay chickens and tile dogs!" He Xian said coldly. He stepped forward, his disdain plain for all to see.
"Do you need help?" Hao Feng asked, holding his great halberd. His expression was solemn, and he was poised to strike.
These were all emperor-heir-level figures, numbering in the dozens. Even Wu Shang, the ancient ancestor of his clan, would probably have chosen to avoid their cutting edge if he had faced them in the escape one realm.
Wu Shang would have avoided them, but He Xian would not.
He Xian strode forward.
Chi Menghong said nothing, choosing to trust him. He knew just how terrifying He Xian's combat strength was. Even in the self-slaying realm, he had been able to defy the odds and defeat a host of mighty foes, let alone now that he had broken through the great barrier into the escape one realm.
Still, an inexplicable worry rose in his heart.
"I alone will suffice!" He Xian motioned for Gu Rong, who was about to act, to stand down. He stepped forward, his aura soaring into the sky without the slightest restraint. Golden light surged within him like a tsunami, like a volcano erupting, churning the firmament.
In an instant, he dyed that entire sea of blood gold.
He cast a cold glance over those who had come together, including the Six Little Emperors. Whatever the reason, Shi Hao would probably never meet the Six Little Emperors in this life.
No, there was still Chi Menghong. He could meet him.
But Chi Menghong would be the only one.
It had to be said that the Emperor Clans of the Foreign Realm possessed deep reserves. No matter how close to death their heirs were beaten, after some time they would be alive and kicking again.
This time, he wanted to see whether they could still save shattered souls without the World Tree there to catch them.
"Has Crane Son stepped forward alone? He won't allow anyone to help him. Is he going to fight seven opponents by himself again, like he did in the title arena? But there are over a dozen Emperor Clan experts this time! This is on an entirely different scale. It's too difficult. There's no way he can pull it off!"
Many people were chilled to the bone, their hearts pounding so violently that it hurt.
Heaven shook and the earth trembled. Was this truly going to be one emperor battling all the kings?
Was he challenging myth itself, seeking to accomplish a feat unprecedented in all history? If he succeeded!