As the pillar of light vanished, two crystals that looked like Sovereign Sparks appeared.
The thousand-plus God Level experts present erupted like water poured into hot oil.
"Mine!"
With a piercing cry, a nearby Wind Element Highgod sprouted a pair of azure feathered wings from his back and lunged at the two crystals faster than the eye could see.
Clearly, judging by the part of his true form he had revealed, this Wind Element Highgod was a divine beast that excelled in speed. Everyone flew toward the crystals at the same time, but he was far ahead of the rest.
The Wind Element Highgod was incredibly fast, but someone else was faster.
Thunder cracked, and the Wind Element Highgod let out a scream. A blast of purple lightning tore the wings on his back into a bloody mess.
With his wings damaged, the Wind Element Highgod plunged straight toward the ground like a bird with broken wings.
The bolt of lightning that shot down the Wind Element Highgod seemed to signal the God Level experts present to act.
Wind blades, arcs of lightning, fireballs, jets of water...
Attacks formed from divine power of every element flew wildly through the air.
Everyone knew perfectly well that those two glassy crystals were definitely treasures.
In an instant, most of the attacks converged on whoever was closest to the crystals.
With the admirable attitude of "if I can't have it, neither can you," the God Level experts present all chose to muddy the waters.
What good was flying fast? With so many attacks raining down, the faster they flew, the faster they would fall.
Led by Redding, the seven formed a wedge and tore through the God Level experts blocking their path at tremendous speed.
The seven had started out extremely far from the crystals, but in fewer than a hundred breaths, they had pushed their way into the leading group.
The seven worked together seamlessly, with Redding at the tip of the wedge. Bowen and Leiyuan guarded the rearmost positions on the left and right, Zijing and Nemo used soul attacks to disrupt the God Level experts attacking them from all sides, and Laius and Pash cleared the way with material attacks.
Redding, at the core of the formation, directed them and dealt with any enemies the others missed.
The closer they got, the denser the attacks against them became.
"Bowen, use your Innate Divine Ability. We'll charge through."
Without any hesitation, Bowen nodded firmly. Innate Divine Ability, Seal!
An aura as heavy as a mountain spread from Bowen, and an exceptionally solid Black Tortoise shadow appeared behind him.
A visible barrier, shaped like an inverted lidded bowl, sealed off the space around the seven.
As soon as Bowen used his Innate Divine Ability, the spatial cracks torn open around them by the attacks closed instantly. God Level attacks of every element struck it like a furious storm, yet failed to raise the slightest ripple.
A piercing dragon roar followed close on the heels of Bowen's Innate Divine Ability.
Roar!
The dragon roar rang through heaven and earth, and an Azure Dragon Shadow appeared behind Redding. Innate Divine Ability-Dragon Roar!
As soon as Redding used his Innate Divine Ability, Dragon Roar, the flow of time around them slowed to a crawl for everyone except the seven.
Time seemed to have been dragged into a swamp. The God Level experts' attacks visibly slowed, moving at a snail's pace.
"Faster!" After unleashing his Innate Divine Ability, Redding called out, urging the others to pick up speed toward the crystals.
Bolstered by Bowen's and Redding's Innate Divine Abilities, the group felt reassured. They abandoned all defense and flew at full speed toward the two crystals on the stone platform.
With Redding's Innate Divine Ability holding back the other God Level experts, the seven closed to within a hundred meters of the stone platform in just a few breaths.
Nemo raised a hand and pulled. As if drawn to a magnet, the two crystals on the stone platform flew straight toward them.
Clack!
The two crystals collided and flew into Nemo's palm like swallows returning to their nest.
We've got them!
Even with Redding's current state of mind, he could not help trembling inwardly.
His eyes fixed on the two crystals in Nemo's hand. If his guess was correct, he had already grasped a portion of that authority, supreme across the planes.
Redding swept the crystals with his divine sense and felt the pressure emanating from within them. He murmured, "Destruction Element."
Laius, unaware of Redding's thoughts, urged him, "Big brother, we've got them. Let's get out of here."
The effect of Redding's Innate Divine Ability was gradually fading. Once those God Level experts recovered, they would face attacks from over a thousand Highgods.
Among those Highgods were plenty of God Level experts who had fused two or three profound mysteries. One or two of them might not pose much of a threat to Redding, but if a thousand joined forces, Redding and the others would suffer grievous injuries.
Looking at the two crystals radiating an aura of destruction, Redding turned to Pash. "Pash, drip your blood on a crystal and bind it."
Laius also had a Destruction Divine Clone, but while they were at the Star Mist Sea, he had left it behind to guard Crimson Island.
Hearing Redding's words, Pash did not hesitate. He cut his hand, and a drop of bright red blood welled up at his fingertip.
Pash raised his hand and pressed it against one of the crystals in Nemo's hand.
The moment Pash's finger touched the crystal, it absorbed the drop of blood from his fingertip like a sponge soaking up water.
Having absorbed Pash's blood, the crystal flared with light and turned into a streak that entered his forehead.
The crystal was refined in an instant, and an intense pressure beyond words radiated from Pash.
None of the others understood what change had taken place in Pash. Only Redding knew. Sovereign Sparks. The crystals in the pillar of light really were Sovereign Sparks.
After refining the Sovereign Spark, Pash's mouth fell slightly open, and his expression held a trace of disbelief.
The instant he refined the Sovereign Spark, Pash learned its origins. The supreme authority of heaven and earth, the formidable Might of the Will-a vast amount of information flooded his mind, leaving him unable to process it all.
Just then, several Highgod experts shouted from a distance, "Everyone, attack together! Kill them and take those strange treasures!"
Hearing the shout, Pash abruptly came to his senses. A thought of attacking appeared in his mind, and an irresistible force instantly bore down on the Highgods.
The Sovereign's Might of the Will displayed its power in Pash's hands for the first time.
As the Might of the Will swept over them, Highgod experts fell toward the ground like dumplings dropped into a pot.
There were no wounds on their bodies, nor had their minds been shaken by a soul attack. The Might of the Will was like an enormous invisible hand, forcibly wiping each God Level expert's soul from their Divine Spark.
Without the Highgods controlling them, the elemental attacks they had unleashed dissipated in an instant.