Chapter 796: Great Battle

The strange flame was born by accident; that planet was the vessel core of an Absolute Weapon—so what the hell is that tiny, eyeball-like sphere?

Xiao Yan only knew that thing had been lurking deep within the core of the strange flame planet, and he hadn't forgotten—it had developed a certain degree of sentience, capable of sensing his Demon-Slaying Soul Slash Technique, then pulling him into the strange flame planet.

The sky island of the Ling Realm was originally shrouded in Demon Qi; now, purified by the Spiritual Energy of the Five Elements Spirit Soil, it revealed a colossal heart resembling a realm's embryo.

"Could it be that the Domain Beyond's demonic clans don't want the inhabitants of the Great Thousand World to discover a new realm embryo, so they sealed it with Demon Qi, intending to corrupt it?" Xiao Yan frowned, sensing something odd.

Now all eyes turned to the realm embryo, forged over fifty thousand years—especially the Earth Supremes of Great Perfection, who had gathered outside the Five Elements Spirit Soil; for them, breaking through to Heaven Supreme inevitably required immense Heaven and Earth Power.

For many major factions' Earth Supremes of Great Perfection, gathering enough Supreme Spirit Liquid and Spiritual Spirit Liquid was no problem—merely a matter of time and money—but anything imbued with realm power was utterly rare, a treasure beyond seeking.

In terms of rank, the Absolute Saint Treasure was even more precious and powerful than the realm embryo, since the realm embryo enabled breakthrough to Heaven Supreme, while the Absolute Saint Treasure was a weapon used by Heaven Supremes. Yet even the Great Thousand World's largest auction house had never sold a realm embryo, though it had auctioned Absolute Saint Treasures.

Even the Demon-Slaying Treasure Hall of the Great Thousand Palace offered Absolute Saint Treasures for exchange—but never a realm embryo. Because the realm embryo was sought after by too many, and it was a one-time consumable: once gone, it was gone, unlike the Absolute Saint Treasure, which could be passed down.

As long as the Absolute Saint Treasure wasn't destroyed, it could be used forever.

The realm embryo wasn't just pursued by Earth Supremes of the Great Thousand World—demons and Demon Emperors of the Domain Beyond were also frenziedly chasing it. It was utterly in short supply; no one would ever put it up for sale.

At this moment, the Heavenly Saint Sect, which had previously clashed with Xiao Yan, abandoned their feud; Cao Shenzi instantly acted, surging toward the Sky Island.

Above the heavens, Cao Shenzi roared—a colossal hand descended from the sky, snatching at the Divine Island, aiming to claim the realm embryo. When this hand appeared, every cultivator racing toward the Ling Realm trembled.

Beneath that hand, even lower Earth Supremes felt like ants or fleas—imagine how powerful and terrifying a Great Perfection Earth Supreme must be.

The gap between Great Perfection Earth Supremes was the greatest: some powerful ones possessed Absolute Saint Treasures and had cultivated Absolute Divine Techniques; they needed only the realm embryo to reach Heaven Supreme. Weak ones hadn't even obtained a High-Rank Sacred Artifact, barely entering Great Perfection.

Cao Shenzi was clearly among the former, since the Heavenly Saint Sect possessed the legacy of a Heaven Supreme.

"Cao Shenzi, how dare you!"

Several elder ancestors of the Five Spirit Clans moved to stop him—five Upper Earth Supremes struck, their spiritual pressure no weaker than Xiao Yan's Flame-Splitting Wave Ruler.

Boom! As the giant hand slammed down, it failed to seize the Sky Island—the Ling Realm rose layer upon layer of defenses, blocking the hand descending from the heavens.

Boom boom!! The heavens and earth shook; then came a crashing collapse—the Five Elements Spirit Soil fractured into countless fissures; mountains crumbled, rivers snapped, and in an instant, the Five Elements Spirit Soil resembled the end of the world.

"Did the Great Perfection Earth Supremes' power shake the Five Elements Spirit Soil's Barrier?" Dazed onlookers snapped back to reality, horrified.

"No—this is the Five Realms restoring! The Five Realms are beginning to merge!" A powerful figure, witnessing the anomaly in the Five Elements Spirit Soil, murmured the truth.

"The Five Elements Spirit Soil is reverting into one supercontinent!"

All exchanged glances—if the Five Elements Spirit Soil truly reformed into one, who would own it? Theoretically, it had always belonged to the Five Spirit Clans—but that was the past Five Spirit Clans, not the present.

Though the Fire Spirit Clan and Ice Spirit Clan both had Heaven Supremes, a supercontinent would inevitably draw the greed of Heaven Supremes—wasn't the Western Heaven War Emperor already drawn to the Western Heaven Continent?

And the Western Heaven War Emperor hadn't fully conquered the entire Western Heaven Continent—he was only newly arrived at Heaven Supreme, lacking the authority to truly claim a whole supercontinent.

The Ice Spirit Clan and Fire Spirit Clan were the same—they had Heaven Supremes, but already possessed sizable continents as territories; seizing the Five Elements Spirit Soil would be no simple matter.

In the Great Thousand World, strength still ruled—reason meant nothing.

Seeing he couldn't bypass the Five Spirit Clans' elder ancestors to seize the realm embryo, Cao Shenzi's eyes darkened: "Still hesitating? Wait until the Five Spirit Clans' five Great Perfection Earth Supremes enter, and it'll be trouble!"

"It's time to act—if we wait any longer and the Heaven Supreme ancestors of the Fire Spirit Clan or Ice Spirit Clan appear, the realm embryo won't be ours," came a cold, ancient voice from the deepest darkness beneath the Five Elements Spirit Soil's heavens, responding to Cao Shenzi.

Boom! Suddenly, the Five Elements Spirit Soil's heavens split—another invincible spiritual pressure surged upward, instantly crushing the Ling Realm's sky, as if a god had torn open the heavens, descending to seize the realm embryo.

"Five Spirit Clans! You used the Five Elements Spirit Soil to nurture the Demon Emperor's embryo, colluding with the Domain Beyond's demonic clans—what crime is this?!" A cold, lofty voice rang from the heavens.

As these words fell, countless cultivators searching for opportunities in the Five Elements Spirit Soil froze—many elder cultivators exchanged glances; now all understood: this was merely an excuse. Someone had finally lost patience and moved to seize the newly born realm embryo.

Hearing this, many Five Spirit Clan disciples grew furious—the Five Elements Spirit Soil had always been theirs. Now, after the land's new will coalesced into a realm embryo, these sky-dwellers twisted truth into falsehood!

They were accused of nurturing a Demon Emperor's embryo and colluding with the Domain Beyond!

They were the victims!

"Gentlemen, please withdraw—the Five Elements Spirit Soil has always been the territory of the Five Spirit Clans," Zhu Ku appeared, speaking gravely. "The realm embryo matter will be handled by us."

"Handled? Colluding with the Domain Beyond is a capital offense in the Great Thousand World—you're clearly planning to hand the realm embryo over to them!" The voice from above replied. "If today you Five Spirit Clans offer no explanation, this won't end easily!"

"If you friends refuse to leave, don't blame us for raising our blades in retaliation!" the Ice Spirit Clan's elder ancestor growled.

"So it's confirmed—you Five Spirit Clans have fallen into demonic ways, brainwashed by the Domain Beyond!" the voice from above declared, merciless. "Today, we purge demons for the Great Thousand World!"

Boom! As the words ended, the entrance to the Five Elements Spirit Soil tore open—a massive Altar appeared above the Ling Realm, impossibly mysterious, obscuring all perception; even Great Perfection Earth Supremes using Spiritual Energy could barely make out figures inside, and there were more than one.

"Kuang! This Altar is a quasi-Absolute Saint Treasure—it blocks all perception!!!!"

"No—it's not just a quasi-Absolute Saint Treasure; there's a true Absolute Saint Treasure too! A genuine Heaven Supreme ancestor has acted!"

Those who had already retreated from the Ling Realm turned pale; countless cultivators fled far away, keeping clear of the Battlefield—now all understood: when the mysterious Sky Island first appeared, some factions had already guessed the truth and prepared fully.

The Heavenly Saint Sect was one of them—they'd sent even their sole Great Perfection Earth Supreme, and likely brought an Absolute Saint Treasure!

Though Absolute Saint Treasures required Heaven Supreme strength to unleash their full power, it wasn't absolute—some special ones could be activated by several Great Perfection Earth Supremes working together, or by consuming vast amounts of Supreme Spirit Liquid, achieving invincible Heaven Supreme-level might.

Just like Xiao Yan—he could unleash partial Star Weight Ruler power using the strange flame.

Moreover, when these ancient, ageless masters wielded Absolute Saint Treasures, their invincible aura terrified countless hearts.

They were nearly Heaven Supremes.

Boom boom. The Altar above now shed streams of light—like a mysterious passage, it sought to drag the entire Sky Island away. Even as layer upon layer of defense rose from the Ling Realm, they melted under the Altar's divine might, unable to resist.

Even cultivators far beyond the Ling Realm were crushed by this invincible divine pressure; Earth Supremes nearly collapsed under the near-Heaven Supreme might, utterly unable to resist.

The quasi-Absolute Saint Treasure, wielded by Great Perfection Earth Supremes, was truly invincible—as if a Heaven Supreme had descended. When Heaven Supreme power crushed down, the Ling Realm's collective defense, forged by the Five Spirit Clans, shattered like paper—layer after layer cracked!

They'd planned this all along!

"Will the Ling Realm fall?!" A cultivator who'd wanted no part in this opened his eyes, horrified.

"It's not just one Absolute Saint Treasure, not just one Heaven Supreme faction—plus the Heavenly Saint Sect, at least several Great Perfection Earth Supremes have arrived with Absolute Saint Treasures!" Seeing this, many cultivators who'd already left the Five Elements Spirit Soil were stunned.

This was terrifying—Great Perfection Earth Supremes were already invincible; Absolute Saint Treasures were even more so!

Boom! On the Altar, a hidden Great Perfection Earth Supreme unleashed a Great Divine Technique, cleaving open an ice peak in the Ice Realm—inside, a glowing crystal emerged.

"The Ice Sovereign Crystal is truly here!" The ancient ancestor on the Altar extended his hand, snatching the crystal hidden within the peak.

Not just the Ice Realm—the Wind Realm's deep valley Secret Realm was also attacked, revealing a treasure mine, radiating divine light—a Divine Iron Kuang Ji, priceless and beyond valuation.

"Yinming Wind Iron Stone—excellent! Take it all!" A loud laugh echoed from the Altar; the ancient ancestor became a shadow, rushing to claim the treasure mine.

Seeing this, all finally understood: these people didn't just want the newly born realm embryo of the Five Elements Spirit Soil—like the Heavenly Saint Sect, several sects had long allied, targeting every resource and Secret Treasure within the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

For these sects and factions, they would never, like the Five Spirit Clans, seek to restore the Five Elements Spirit Soil or return to live upon it.

Each time the Five Spirit Clans enter the Five Elements Spirit Soil, they purify the Demon Qi and cleanse the power of the Demon Emperor, hoping one day to return to their ancestral land—thus they have labored for fifty thousand years, tilling for fifty thousand years.

But to others, this is merely fertile meat; places like Fire God Mountain are numerous across the Five Elements Spirit Soil, and every Secret Realm holds a Secret Treasure—the high-rank Sacred Artifact embryo Xiao Yixian obtained was merely one such Secret Treasure of Fire God Mountain.

"These bastards truly mean to go all the way—if not for the Flame Sovereign forcing out Cao Divine Son, we'd never have known who struck."

At this moment, dark shadows flew toward the Altar—all without exception were Earth Supreme in peak cultivation—they surged toward the Secret Realms of every realm, forcibly smashing open each Secret Realm and looting everything within.

This was a complete strategy of draining the pond to catch all the fish; even if the World Embryo preserved the Five Elements Spirit Soil, its recovery would take a very long time—but to others, they cared nothing for what became of the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

They intended not only to seize the World Embryo but to strip away every valuable resource on the entire Five Elements Spirit Soil.

"Don't push people too far!" As the elder ancestors of the Five Spirit Clans were driven back step by step, a furious roar echoed beyond the Space of the Five Elements Spirit Soil—a venerable elder stepped into the void, and as he rose, thunderous marshes followed him, thunder roared ceaselessly, lightning interwove, as if he were the Thunder God.

"It's the Thunder King! The peak Earth Supreme of the Thunder Spirit Clan!" The elder ancestors of sects outside, who wished to aid the Five Spirit Clans but lacked the power, saw this lightning figure and rejoiced, murmuring: "The Thunder King is also a peak Earth Supreme—if he can hold out until the other four Spirit Clans' peak Earth Supremes arrive, perhaps there's still hope!"

The Five Spirit Clans do have peak Earth Supremes, but none have entered yet—likely something happened, and they were blocked.

"Elder Ancestor!" The Thunder Spirit Clan disciples, seeing their strongest elder appear, could not hold back their tears.

"Kill!!" The Thunder King appeared, waved his hand, and opened a realm of thunder—endless Heavenly Thunder rained down, striking straight toward the Altar that had begun sealing the World Embryo.

"Old Thunder, you alone won't be enough!"

Instantly, an invincible Heavenly Supreme aura surged from the near-Absolute Saint Treasure Altar; due to the Altar's shielding, no one knew which Faction's Absolute Saint Treasure it was—but undeniably, it was an Absolute Saint Treasure.

Boom!! The peak Earth Supreme, wielding the Absolute Saint Treasure, effortlessly shattered the Thunder King's summoned Thunder Pool—the Thunder Spirit Clan's elder spat a mouthful of blood and was blasted back.

He had already been wounded from breaking through the encirclement to arrive, and the other Spirit Clans' peak Earth Supremes remained outside.

The Five Spirit Clans indeed possessed Absolute Saint Treasures—even in their decline, their foundations still held some—but they were utterly unprepared, and since their homelands were not here, the Absolute Saint Treasures remained on their respective Spirit Clan continents, never brought along.

As for the Heavenly Supremes of the Ice Spirit Clan and Fire Spirit Clan, it goes without saying—they themselves must guard their continents, and the distance is so vast that even a Heavenly Supreme could not arrive instantly.

The Five Spirit Clans naturally possessed certain advantages, but against peak Earth Supremes wielding Absolute Saint Treasures, they were still no match.

"You Five Spirit Clans have monopolized the Five Elements Spirit Soil for too long—this supercontinent no longer belongs to you. It is time to return wealth to the people." A fierce, domineering voice rang from within the Altar—no one knew who spoke, for the Altar obscured all heavenly omens!

In an instant, the powerful expert atop the Altar swept through the Five Spirit Clans like a storm through rotten wood.

"The Five Spirit Clans are finished!"

"No, the Five Spirit Clans won't be finished—they still have their Spirit Clan continents—but their fifty thousand years of hard labor will now be handed over to others."

"Alas, the Five Spirit Clans fell to this state only because they once fought the Domain Beyond demons—otherwise, they wouldn't be reduced to such ruin now."

Some pitied the Five Spirit Clans; after all, once, any one of them could have effortlessly crushed these cowardly, sneaking, thieving scoundrels before them. But now, fallen, they could not even defend their ancestral land.

Beyond the Ling Realm, in the Five Spirit Realms, many eyes flickered, each person holding different thoughts.

Especially among factions that also possessed peak Earth Supremes—all eyes glinted, deep in thought, harboring ulterior motives.

Amid this sudden chaos and scramble, only Xiao Yan did not retreat—he remained within Fire God Mountain, silently watching the battle alongside Xiao Yixian.

Neither of them had left the Five Elements Spirit Soil, nor had they ventured into the Ling Realm to seize the World Embryo, nor even considered profiting from the chaos by stealing Secret Realms or Secret Treasures from the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

Yet in truth, even if Xiao Yan wished to leave the Five Elements Spirit Soil, the Heavenly Saint Sect would likely not let him go.

Before the words could finish, as powerful dark shadows descended one after another from the Celestial Altar, several of them surrounded Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian.

"Boy, hand over your Spirit Flame and the Secret Treasure of Fire God Mountain, and we might spare your life." At this moment, a peak Earth Supreme hidden in darkness sneered coldly at Xiao Yan—the Secret Treasure of Fire God Mountain was in Xiao Yan and Xiao Yixian's hands; how could these bandits possibly let it go?

(End of Chapter)