Chapter 780: Five Elements Spirit Soil

"Hm?"

Suddenly, a Spirit Array fluctuation reached them, and everyone turned to look. In the third layer of the Heavenly Tomb stood a Spirit Array, upon which several jade pendants were placed—each containing a small communication Spirit Array.

This massive Spirit Array functioned like a cellphone signal tower, designed to receive Spirit Array signals.

After all, the Great Thousand World was too vast to replicate the method used on the Dou Qi Continent, where the Soul Hall's strong ones could open Space Channels using Soul Jade Slips to summon reinforcements. In the Great Thousand World, only brief messages could be transmitted via Spirit Arrays—somewhat like ancient BB machines.

"It's Xin Zhangsheng's communication pendant." Qiao Shihong hurriedly plucked the softly glowing jade pendant from the Spirit Array and handed it to Xiao Yan.

Everyone present knew that Cai Lin had previously sent Xin Zhangsheng and others to the Huo Ling Da Lu, home of the Fire Spirit Clan, to inquire about any news of Spirit Flames.

Though framed as inquiry, their real intent was to target the Fire Spirit Clan—if the Fire Spirit Clan obtained a Spirit Flame, they couldn't possibly steal it; but if the Fire Spirit Clan hadn't yet secured it, and someone else snatched it during the struggle, then they'd only have themselves to blame for their incompetence.

Thus, Cai Lin and the others had devised this plan: to intercept it!

Seeing news arrive from Xin Zhangsheng's pendant, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat—after so long, was there finally news of a Spirit Flame?!

Now they ruled an entire continent, qualifying as regional overlords, possessing sufficient strength and manpower to search the Great Thousand World for what they desired.

Xiao Yan crushed the jade pendant, and instantly a surge of spiritual energy erupted, gradually forming characters under the Spirit Array's assistance.

When Xiao Yan saw the first line appear, a smile curled his lips.

【Found information on a Spirit Flame.】

"Good! This deserves a reward!" Xiao Yan laughed happily—he lacked only Spirit Flames, and now fortune had delivered a pillow just as he was tired. This absolutely merited recognition.

Rewards drive motivation!

The Soul Hall never treated capable individuals harshly—this was the Soul Hall's "fine tradition."

!?

Suddenly, as he read a certain line, Xiao Yan's pupils shrank sharply, his expression turning grave. Not just him—even Xiao Yixian beside him flickered with sharp eyes.

Soon after, all the information arrived. After reading Xin Zhangsheng's message, everyone grew solemn.

It wasn't because the Fire Spirit Clan had already obtained the Spirit Flame, but because something else had been discovered at the Spirit Flame's location.

"According to Xin Zhangsheng's description, that divine flower may well be the Bodhi Flower Xiao Yixian needs," Cai Lin spoke up.

The Bodhi Flower! They had just been speaking of it moments ago—and fate had already knocked at their door, and it was located right where the Spirit Flame was!

But that wasn't surprising—the Bodhi Flower naturally grew in peculiar lands, and it was perfectly normal for a Heavenly Spirit Flame to emerge in such places.

Any world-class treasure site inevitably gave birth to world-class treasures, sometimes even companion entities.

If even a Heavenly Spirit Flame was merely a companion to the Bodhi Flower, one could imagine the rest.

Xin Zhangsheng's message wasn't complex—it summarized just a few key points.

First, Xin Zhangsheng had tracked a large group of Fire Spirit Clan disciples, suspecting they'd obtained information about a Spirit Flame and were heading to its location. The intelligence proved accurate—this place very likely held a Spirit Flame!

The Fire Spirit Clan's information was often unreliable, so their disciples frequently traveled across the Great Thousand World. Xin Zhangsheng and his team simply targeted several groups that seemed credible and took their chances.

Second, the location housing the Spirit Flame, like the Shen Shou Plain, was one of the Great Thousand World's six famed Secret Realms: the Five Elements Spirit Soil. Like the Shen Shou Plain, the Five Elements Spirit Soil had been destroyed by the Domain Beyond's demonic forces fifty thousand years ago and sealed within unexplored Space.

Fifty thousand years ago, the Five Elements Spirit Soil was a vast supreme continent ruled by the Five Elemental Spirit Clans: the Fire Spirit Clan, Ice Spirit Clan, Thunder Spirit Clan, Wood Spirit Tribe, and Wind Spirit Clan. Many other Spirit Clans also dwelled there, thriving in harmony.

At that time, each Spirit Clan's innate affinity with their element made the Five Elements Spirit Soil's strength comparable to that of the Ancient Divine Clan or the Shen Shou Continent. But in the end, as with the Shen Shou Continent, the stronger the land, the more it became the first target—attacked by the Domain Beyond's demonic forces.

Though the Domain Beyond's demonic forces have since retreated, the Five Elements Spirit Soil was banished by a demonic emperor. The Five Spirit Clans could only rely on their own senses to periodically join hands and open a Space Channel, hoping to purify all Demon Qi and restore the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

Most crucially, just before the Five Spirit Clans were about to open the Five Elements Spirit Soil, an anomaly occurred: an unfamiliar island inexplicably appeared upon the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

That strange island emitted a faint, ghostly light, manifesting miraculous phenomena—a peculiar flower enveloping heaven and earth, its description closely resembling the Bodhi Flower.

Because of this sudden appearance, the Five Spirit Clans postponed opening the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

Silence fell. With no news of a Spirit Flame for so long, now this bombshell arrived—truly, this was the Great Thousand World, where even rumors carried explosive weight.

"Xiao Yan, you must obtain that Spirit Flame. If you miss this chance, you may never find another. So you, Xiao Yixian, and Zhu Kun will go together to the Five Elements Spirit Soil," Cai Lin said seriously to Xiao Yan.

"What about the Shang Zhi Da Lu?" Xiao Yan frowned and asked.

The Shang Zhi Da Lu's auction would open in only four months—this clearly clashed. The Shang Zhi Da Lu held a quasi-Supreme Divine Beast Bloodline; though not true Supreme Divine Beast blood, this essence was vital to Cai Lin.

Cai Lin smiled with confident charm. "It's just an auction—I'll go with Xun Er."

Xun Er nodded lightly with a smile. "Let Cai Lin sister and I go alone. Brother Xiao Yan, you and Xiao Yixian head to the Five Elements Spirit Soil."

Looking at Cai Lin and Xun Er standing together, Xiao Yan shook his head. "Zhu Kun, you go to the Shang Zhi Da Lu too. The battle for the Spirit Flame and Bodhi Flower requires few participants, and my current strength ranks among the peak of Lower Earth Supreme."

"The auction on the Shang Zhi Da Lu will be filled with all kinds of predators. Xun Er hasn't reached Earth Supreme yet—she can't freely deploy Divine-Star Spirit Arrays. Someone must hold the ground."

Zhu Kun nodded in agreement. More people wouldn't help in seizing a Spirit Flame—Xiao Yan had seized many before and knew well: Spirit Flames had their own temperaments; brute force alone couldn't subdue them. One needed Qi Circulation.

And Xiao Yan believed he possessed Qi Circulation.

Hearing Xiao Yan's arrangement, everyone nodded in agreement.

Finally, they split into three groups: Gu Yuan and Xiao Xuan would go together, with Gu Yuan taking the Heavenly Tomb to the North Desert Hill. Xun Er, Cai Lin, Zhu Kun, and Qiao Shihong would head to the Shang Zhi Da Lu to sell all their spoils and attend the auction.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian would journey together to the Five Elements Spirit Soil to compete for the Spirit Flame and the Bodhi Flower.

This also prevented the true body of the War Emperor from coming to retaliate—currently, the Soul Hall lacked the strength to oppose a Heaven Supreme.

One week later, on a distant continent named Huo Ling Da Lu, far from the Ning Tian Continent, the place was packed with people. This continent was artificial, constructed jointly by the Five Spirit Clans as a small staging ground.

Since the original Five Elements Spirit Soil had been utterly destroyed and banished, the Five Spirit Clans built this small continent as their landing point each time they opened the Spirit Soil.

Within just a few days, Huo Ling Da Lu was teeming with people. Before the opening of the Five Elements Spirit Soil, cultivators and sects had already gathered in large numbers; now cultivators from surrounding continents rushed in, waiting for the Five Spirit Clans to open the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

Originally, the Five Elements Spirit Soil, like the Shen Shou Plain, was meant to be a Secret Realm exclusive to the Five Spirit Clans. But after their war with the Domain Beyond, the Five Spirit Clans suffered severe decline and could no longer recover their banished land, so they eventually abandoned exclusivity and allowed all under heaven to share it.

Each time the Five Elements Spirit Soil opened, everyone wanted to enter—whether one gained great fortune depended entirely on personal destiny.

The news that the Five Elements Spirit Soil would open was earth-shattering, for its opening was unpredictable—often occurring without warning. This time, the Five Spirit Clans had delayed it, so within a short span, the news spread across all surrounding continents. Upon hearing it, countless legacy factions immediately dispatched large numbers of elite warriors.

Even minor sects and lone cultivators rushed here, willing to expend vast resources.

For human cultivators, the Five Elements Spirit Soil was like the Shen Shou Plain was to Divine Beasts—filled with endless temptations: legendary Divine Techniques, relics of Heaven Supremes, and various Shen Mi Zhi Yi plants—all potentially obtainable within, paving one's path forward.

After the news spread, even many reclusive ancient sects emerged, sending large numbers of elite warriors to seize its blessings.

Naturally, this also gave Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian time to arrive. With Xiao Yan's current strength, crossing the celestial expanse was no longer an issue; after reaching Earth Supreme, one could construct Celestial Pathways to leap between continents. In one week, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian arrived at Huo Ling Da Lu.

"How's the situation now?" In the guest room of the tavern, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian sat on chairs and asked.

Xin Zhangsheng stood before Xiao Yan, bowing deeply as he reported: "The space of the Five Elements Spirit Soil has appeared, but several Grand Elders of the Five Spirit Clans have yet to open the passage. More and more factions have heard of the sudden appearance of the mysterious island and have sent numerous strongers to investigate."

"Even the Hundred Ghost City, Yin-Yang Gate, Heavenly Saint Sect, and Chan Clan—former Heavenly Supreme factions—have sent powerful figures."

Xiao Yixian asked in confusion: "Formerly?"

Xin Zhangsheng nodded and replied: "Your Reverence, due to the Domain Beyond's demonic clan, that great war caused many Heavenly Supremes to perish. Some factions' ancestors were founded by Heavenly Supremes, but during the final battle, those Heavenly Supremes perished—or perished for other reasons. Yet the sects and clans they established remained, and those surviving sects and clans are called Heavenly Supreme factions."

"Though they no longer possess a Heavenly Supreme, their strength remains formidable, for they all carry the legacy of Heavenly Supremes."

"Among the Five Spirit Clans, apart from the Fire Spirit Clan and Ice Spirit Clan, the other three are rumored to no longer have any Heavenly Supremes."

To locate the exiled Five Elements Spirit Soil required five Heavenly Supremes, so the Five Spirit Clans ultimately abandoned exclusive control over it.

A Heavenly Supreme is still a Heavenly Supreme—even dead, their legacies and foundations cannot be compared to ordinary ones. Some sects, though their Heavenly Supremes have perished, still retain powerful legacies; even without a Heavenly Supreme, they still possess one or even multiple Great Completion Earth Supremes.

A Great Completion Earth Supreme who possesses a Heavenly Supreme legacy is naturally far stronger than other Great Completion Earth Supremes.

Of course, some have been unworthy—not only have no new Heavenly Supremes emerged, but they have grown increasingly weak. For example, the Luo Divine Clan in the Western Heaven Continent, where the Western Tian Dian resides.

Once, the Luo Divine Clan was a power rivaling the Ten Thousand Graves and Sword Domain. The Luo Divine's self-created Luo Divine Dharma Body ranked eleventh on the Ninety-Nine Supreme Bodies List, hailed as the strongest beneath the Ten Great Original Dharma Bodies.

Yet now, the Luo Divine Clan has neither a Heavenly Supreme nor even a Great Completion Earth Supreme.

Even so, weakened as it is, the Luo Divine Clan remains the foremost of the four divine clans of the Western Heaven Continent—but the Western Tian Dian's involvement will inevitably plunge the entire continent into chaos once more.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment before asking: "No Heavenly Supremes came?"

Xin Zhangsheng gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "How could a Heavenly Supreme come? Back then, the Domain Beyond's Demon Emperor was extremely powerful—he shattered the Five Elements Spirit Soil into five pieces and banished them into Space. Later, five Heavenly Supremes had to join forces to lock the five pieces of Spirit Soil. But even that could only temporarily seal them; after a time, the Five Elements Spirit Soil would drift away again. If a Heavenly Supreme entered, it would disrupt the balance, causing the seal to fail and dragging the Spirit Soil back into the endless void of Shen Yuan. Even a Great Completion Earth Supreme entering would be affected."

"Moreover, Heavenly Supremes are already top-tier—they're usually unseen, elusive. Why would they come to compete for resources?"

Xiao Yan glanced at Xin Zhangsheng, knowing he was wrong.

He had learned from his Ancestor that Heavenly Supremes, like Earth Supremes, are divided into three top tiers: Spirit-level Heavenly Supreme, Xianpin Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Heavenly Supreme, and the strongest Sage Emperor Heavenly Supreme. Due to the vast gap between them, each tier is further divided into early, middle, and late stages.

Even Heavenly Supremes are not the peak. Back then, Xiao Potian was one of the Ten Great Original Dharma Bodies, fighting alongside the Immortal Emperor against the Heavenly Demon God. The Ten Great Original Dharma Bodies were all peak late-stage Sage Emperor Heavenly Supremes.

Yet the Heavenly Demon God was still stronger than all ten combined. Imagine what kind of being he was—he was undoubtedly beyond the Heavenly Supreme realm.

Still, Xin Zhangsheng was not entirely wrong: Heavenly Supremes generally do not come to such Secret Realms seeking enhancement resources.

In the Great Thousand World, there is the Great Thousand Palace. Heavenly Supremes seeking further advancement usually target the Domain Beyond's demonic clan, reclaiming former territories to gain resources from the Great Thousand Palace to strengthen themselves.

"If there are no Great Completion Earth Supremes, then there's no need to fear."

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!!! As Xiao Yan was thinking, the sky and earth suddenly shook violently, as if the entire continent had suffered a massive earthquake.

At that moment, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian's expressions changed instantly; both rushed out. Xin Zhangsheng hurriedly followed. When he stepped outside and looked up at the sky, his face turned pale.

At that instant, not only Xiao Yixian, Xiao Yan, and others, but every person on the Five Elements Continent turned pale.

The sky had been bright and clear, midday—but now it had turned pitch black!

The sun's light had been suddenly blocked!

The entire continent plunged into darkness. At that moment, whether the strongers who had come seeking opportunities, the legendary figures, or even Earth Supremes—all were filled with dread.

At once, all Earth Supremes unleashed their techniques, gazing beyond the heavens. They saw something blocking the light between the sun and the land.

"That direction—it looks like the Five Elements Spirit Soil. Has the passage opened?"

"No! In the past, every few thousand years, the Five Elements Spirit Soil would open once. But never like this!"

The entire continent sank into darkness. Countless people were terrified, some even believing it was the end of the world.

Yet some strongers narrowed their eyes, a flicker of strange light in them: "Could this be related to the mysterious island?"

"Rumors say the island showed signs of Divine Phoenixes, Sacred Artifacts, and Divine Flowers. Perhaps it holds a Heavenly Supreme opportunity!"

Some high-rank Earth Supremes revealed greedy expressions. Breaking through to Earth Supreme does not require a World Core—but the World Power and Heaven and Earth Power within the World Core. Such power is not exclusive to the World Core.

Yet this darkness did not last long—about one minute—and then it vanished. The sky returned to its bright, clear state, as if nothing had happened.

"Th-this—this—what just happened?" Xin Zhangsheng was so terrified he could not speak. This was the most terrifying thing he had ever witnessed in his life—the entire continent plunged into darkness.

Though the event lasted only a short time, just thinking of it sent chills down the spine.

At this moment, Xiao Yan kept staring at the sky, silent. He stared as if trying to pierce through the heavens. Even this Flame Sovereign now wore a grave expression.

"Looks like I must go there. The Asura Flower is said to connect the realms of the living and the dead—when it blooms and withers, the world plunges into darkness and light." Xiao Yan took a deep breath. He was nearly certain—the Asura Flower was surely on the suddenly appeared island, and it had already bloomed!

(End of Chapter)