Chapter 813

"You say that man came from the Dou Qi Continent?"

At this moment, deep within the ancestral lands of the Fire Spirit Clan, in a sacred realm known as the Divine Fire Cave, a place of utmost importance to the Fire Spirit Clan, all major decisions were made here, and only Elders were permitted to attend.

At this moment, all disciples from the Five Elements Spirit Soil had returned from outside, and an emergency meeting was convened within the Divine Fire Cave; all Elders of the Fire Spirit Clan were present, including the senior Elder Zhu Guangli, who had pursued Xiao Yan and presided over the opening of the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

Every Elder present exuded divine radiance, each possessing a Supreme Form; the flames swirling around them seemed to give birth to an entire world, and within their Supreme Seas lurked a tiny spiritual figure.

This was not comparable to ordinary Supremes—these were Earth Supremes, all of them Earth Supremes!!

A single Earth Supreme could dominate a small continent, yet within the Divine Fire Cave of the Fire Spirit Clan, dozens of powerful figures clad in red Elder robes sat cross-legged.

Even though the Fire Spirit Clan was no longer what it once was, its underlying strength remained terrifying—dozens of Earth Supremes alone, and if one counted the Elders stationed abroad, perhaps seventy or eighty, even a hundred Earth Supremes; among them, besides Senior Elder Zhu Guangli, four elderly figures sat in the front row—these four were also Earth Supreme Great Perfection.

No wonder in this age, some said the Fire Spirit Clan held dominion over the Five Spirit Clans; compared to the Ice Spirit Clan, which also had a Heaven Supreme, the Fire Spirit Clan was far stronger. Such power made the other three Spirit Clans utterly incapable of challenging it—just one or two Earth Supreme Great Perfection from the Fire Spirit Clan could easily crush the other three.

"Through countless eons, fifty thousand years ago, after the Dou Emperors of the Dou Qi Continent concealed and exiled it, it vanished from sight. Back then, by sheer chance and due to my unique status as a descendant of a Heavenly Flame Spirit, I was able to bring the Heavenly Flame Square into the Dou Qi Continent." A ethereal voice sounded once more, yet no one could be seen.

Without doubt, the only one in the Divine Fire Cave who could speak in such a manner was that Heaven Supreme ancestor—Tuoshe!

"Dou Emperor. A legendary existence." One Fire Spirit Clan Elder frowned and spoke.

"It's merely a Lower Plane—how powerful could those so-called Dou Emperors be? At most, a rare one or two might reach Heaven Supreme." One relatively younger Elder sneered; no matter how strong a Lower Plane might be, its potential was limited—after all, its land was small and resources scarce, constrained by scarcity, it could never truly grow strong.

For a Lower Plane to produce even one Heaven Supreme was already the limit.

Though blunt, the reasoning was sound—and indeed, many Fire Spirit Clan Elders internally agreed with this view.

Senior Elder Zhu Guangli, who had once fought Xiao Yan, slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with deep wariness as he said gravely: "The energy used by that Flame Sovereign was not Spiritual Energy, but Dou Qi—it was not forcibly converted into Spiritual Energy, and his power is formidable."

"What! Not converted at all!"

Upon hearing Zhu Guangli's words, everyone present was stunned, their expressions shifting in shock. This completely defied common sense—it was impossible! Even their Heaven Supreme ancestor, upon leaving the Dou Qi Continent and returning to the Great Thousand World, had to convert his energy into Spiritual Energy.

Then, over a thousand years, he gathered countless Heavenly Flames from the Great Thousand World, relying on the Burning Scripture, Fire Spirit Clan resources, and some dimensional power obtained from the Dou Qi Continent, finally breaking through to the Heaven Supreme realm—and even created a brand-new Supreme Form of immense power.

Even such a mighty Tuoshe still had to convert his energy! No one had ever heard of a powerful being from a Lower Plane who didn't need to convert into Spiritual Energy!

"Doesn't this resemble the Demon Qi of the Domain Beyond?"

"But it's different—the Demon Qi cultivated by the Domain Beyond can corrupt Spiritual Energy, yet this Dou Qi does not corrupt Spiritual Energy," Zhu Ku explained.

"But this Dou Qi still refuses to convert into Spiritual Energy," said a Great Perfection Earth Supreme Elder beside Zhu Guangli, his eyes flashing with sharpness.

Instantly, murmurs filled the entire Divine Fire Cave.

A soft hum sounded, and within the Divine Fire Cave, a wisp of Divine Fire spontaneously ignited, transforming into an old man with multicolored hair; a withered voice emerged from it: "Thousands of years ago, I accidentally discovered a Lower Plane, and was ordered to enter it to obtain the Plane's Core—only then did I learn that this hidden Lower Plane, buried in endless Space, was the legendary Dou Qi Continent."

"It is not strange that strong beings from the Dou Qi Continent ascend to the Great Thousand World—I left behind two legacies, hoping the Dou Qi Continent would one day produce another supreme power to protect the Great Thousand World."

Originally, thousands of years ago, the Fire Spirit Clan had no Heaven Supreme. Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was dispatched to the Dou Qi Continent to obtain the Plane's Core. At that time, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor did not yet know that this Lower Plane was the origin of the two primordial Supreme Forms.

Upon entering the Dou Qi Continent, he suddenly realized it was extraordinary—not only did it possess twenty-two Heavenly Flames, but it was also sealed by an immensely powerful force that blocked all detection; had it not been for the Fire Spirit Clan's innate sensitivity to Heavenly Flames and their natural fire bodies, they could never have discovered the Dou Qi Continent's existence.

He also discovered a peculiar Cultivation Method—one capable of Infinite Evolution.

Later, when Tuoshe Ancient Emperor used the Heavenly Flame Square to imprison the twenty-two Heavenly Flames and shattered his limits, he realized the Dou Qi Continent's Plane Core was sealed deep within its core by an overwhelmingly powerful force—only cultivators of the Dou Qi Continent could obtain its Plane Core.

Even he, having broken through to Dou Emperor status and wielding the power of twenty-two Heavenly Flames, could not break through this sealing force to obtain the Plane Core.

At that moment, he understood: fifty thousand years ago, the ancient powerhouses of the Dou Qi Continent had long ago prepared a safeguard for their world—to grant it power capable of resisting the Domain Beyond, preventing enslavement, and hoping that in the future, a supreme power equal to the First Dou Emperor would be born.

Thus, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor went along with the plan, leaving behind his legacy and a Primitive Pill infused with Source Qi, hoping the Dou Qi Continent's supreme power would protect the Great Thousand World.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had deliberately left behind the so-called Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade and spread word that the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion contained a Source Qi Primitive Pill, aiming to incite conflict within the Dou Qi Continent—so that whoever obtained the eight Jades could open the Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion. But this was only one step—because within the Cave Mansion lay a second method to break through to Dou Emperor: inheriting his legacy.

Thus, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor secretly let Xuwu Devouring Flame and Jinglian Demon Fire escape, instructing them to find successors; only cultivators possessing Xuwu Devouring Flame or Jinglian Demon Fire were eligible to inherit his legacy, and ultimately become Dou Emperors—or Earth Supremes—by defeating another Dou Emperor.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy contained not only the power to break through and the cultivation method for the Henggu Chi, but also guidance to lead the inheritor to the Great Thousand World, to the Huo Ling Da Lu.

For Tuoshe Ancient Emperor wished for a supreme power capable of defeating the Dou Emperor who broke through via Source Qi—a peerless being who could kill a Dou Emperor to prove his Dao—to protect the Great Thousand World.

And in the end, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's plan succeeded—he deliberately left behind two paths to Dou Emperor breakthrough, forging two powerful beings. But he never imagined that Xiao Yan had not converted his energy into Spiritual Energy, nor had he come to the Huo Ling Da Lu!

This was beyond his wildest expectations!

"Ancestor, should we still follow the plan and contact that Flame Sovereign? Should we give him our Divine Fire?" Zhu Guangli hesitated, speaking.

Within the clan lay one Divine Fire—formed over ten thousand years by gathering all flames across the world, even incorporating the positional power of the Huo Ling Da Lu—a Heaven Supreme-tier Divine Fire, of utmost importance to the entire Fire Spirit Clan; clan disciples could use it to forge their bodies and refine their Supreme Forms.

To give this Divine Fire to Xiao Yan filled them with deep reluctance.

Yet according to Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's original plan, if a powerful being from the Dou Qi Continent came to their Fire Spirit Clan and passed their Trial, they were to give him the Divine Fire.

For the Great Thousand World urgently needed a new Immortal Emperor!

Once, the Dou Qi Continent had produced countless strong beings, even giving birth to countless legends in ancient times; thus, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor hoped his inheritor would become this new Immortal Emperor, a guardian of the Great Thousand World.

"That Flame Sovereign… I sense an ill omen on him, and the Heavenly Flame Spirit within his body harbors deep hatred toward the Ancestor." Zhu Guangli had once wholeheartedly supported Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's plan.

The reason was simple: both he and the other were cultivators of the Burning Scripture, and the other possessed the two unique Heavenly Flames—Xuwu Devouring Flame and Jinglian Demon Fire. If Xiao Yan failed the Trial, they would seize his Heavenly Flames and make Tuoshe Ancient Emperor the new Immortal Emperor to protect the Great Thousand World.

If he passed, they would entrust the Divine Fire to Xiao Yan, letting him protect the Great Thousand World against the Domain Beyond.

But now, after direct contact, Zhu Guangli sensed something wrong: Xiao Yan had not inherited Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy—he carried no Divine Fire Seed's aura—and Xuwu Devouring Flame harbored extreme hatred toward the Fire Spirit Clan, yet Xiao Yan did nothing to stop it.

Xiao Yan was Xuwu Devouring Flame's master; his failure to stop it meant he approved of Xuwu Devouring Flame's actions.

If Xiao Yan agreed with—or even supported—Xuwu Devouring Flame's revenge against the Fire Spirit Clan, could they still support him as the Great Thousand World's guardian?

He probably didn't even want to be one himself.

And most importantly, Xiao Yan still retained his Dou Qi—he had not fully converted into Spiritual Energy, and cultivated a strange Supreme Form capable of transforming Spiritual Energy into Dou Qi—how could such a being become the Great Thousand World's guardian?

Not only Zhu Guangli and the others, but even Tuoshe Ancient Emperor frowned deeply—he could not understand what had gone wrong with his plan. Why had Xiao Yan cultivated the Burning Scripture, possessed Jinglian Demon Fire and Xuwu Devouring Flame, yet failed to inherit his legacy?

He did not know what had happened to his Legacy Spirit at that time, for the Dou Qi Continent had still been sealed. Tuoshe Ancient Emperor knew only one thing: his legacy had been destroyed—the Legacy Spirit had been annihilated.

And very likely, it had been destroyed by Xiao Yan himself.

Logically, his Legacy Spirit should have chosen Xiao Yan as the inheritor—Xiao Yan met every criterion perfectly. Yet the outcome was this—Tuoshe Ancient Emperor could not fathom it.

"If the Ancestor… should that Flame Sovereign come to us, how should we respond?" A Great Perfection Earth Supreme Elder asked.

Though the Elder said "come," everyone knew—if the Flame Sovereign truly arrived, it would not be for a friendly chat; he would come for vengeance. After all, the hatred in Xuwu Devouring Flame's voice was unmasked—pure, unrelenting, mortal enmity!

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor fell silent for a moment, then his gaze sharpened as he said gravely: "If Xuwu Devouring Flame is willing to lay down its hatred, it remains a honored guest of our Fire Spirit Clan—pass the Trial and receive the Divine Fire. If it comes for vengeance, then… let war begin!"

Hearing this, every Elder present felt their hearts tighten—they never imagined their clan's plan had descended into this.

"Sigh, the affairs of fate are not something we can fully comprehend." In the end, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor could not help but concede—everything happening now was simply too bizarre. He was a man who had roamed the world, experienced countless great events, yet even he could not fathom why things had turned out this way, or what had transpired in between.

{For readers who haven't read The Great Overlord: In The Great Overlord, Xiao Yan ascended to the Great Thousand World and made a wager with the Fire Spirit Clan, won it, and obtained their Divine Fire; thereafter, he established the Endless Fire Domain to guard the far north of the Great Thousand World, holding back the Domain Beyond's demonic clans. }

—

The perspective returns to Tian Sheng Continent—since Xiao Yan clashed with the Ice Spirit Clan's Supreme Ancestor, more than ten days had passed.

In these dozen days, besides the Fire Spirit Clan and the Ice Spirit Clan, the most talked-about place was undoubtedly Tian Sheng Continent. When the Flame Sovereign escaped from the Ice Spirit Ancestor, it stirred up massive turmoil; dark currents surged, and every faction held its own thoughts.

The Heavenly Saint Sect, which had first wagered against Xiao Yan—and even cheated after losing—was undoubtedly at the epicenter. The Flame Sovereign's strength was undeniable.

You couldn't beat a Supreme, but could you not even beat the Heavenly Saint Sect? True, you are a Supreme-tier Faction—but only a former one, possessing only a Supreme legacy, with no Supreme actually standing guard!

Naturally, the Heavenly Saint Sect did not sit idle. After Cao Zi returned, the sect publicly announced in grand fashion that Cao Zi would soon refine a Divine Pill!

A Divine Pill signifies the rank of Earth Supreme. A Pill Alchemist is called a Divine Pill Alchemist. Even the lowest-grade junior Divine Pill Alchemist holds higher status than many Earth Supremes; even Great Completion Earth Supremes treat them with utmost courtesy, and in Supreme-tier sects, they are honored guests.

For once one becomes a Divine Pill Alchemist, one may become an Elder of the Ancient Myriad Grasslands, and even the Dan Shen Clan, a family-based lineage, will extend an olive branch, inviting their bloodline descendants to marry into the clan and become a branch of the Dan Shen Clan.

If Cao Zi truly succeeds in refining a Divine Pill—even the lowest-grade one—the Heavenly Saint Sect's status will instantly rise countlessfold, potentially rivaling even true Supreme-tier factions.

(End of Chapter)