Chapter 863: Warming Up

Seeing the Void Swallowing Flame restrained, Xiao Yan wasn't surprised—this was after all an ancient supreme faction; his fused strange fire was only at the Spirit Rank Supreme Heavenly Emperor level, so even if it just shared some burden, it was enough.

"First, find Tuoshe Ancient Emperor." Xiao Yan's soul force instantly locked onto the aura at the very rear of the Fire Spirit Clan.

Just as he was about to teleport through space, he realized the Fire Spirit Clan's space had been completely sealed off—no void traversal possible.

"Kill!"

A hum sounded—and in that instant, every disciple of the Fire Spirit Clan roared in unison, a shocking flame intention erupting from all of them.

"Battle intention?" Xiao Yan frowned; the Fire Spirit Clan were spirits of fire, their innate fire bodies uniquely structured.

A thread of flame, resembling battle intention, rose from each Fire Spirit Clan member, instantly coalescing into a single mass.

The Fire Spirit Clan had no war array masters, because they didn't need them—or rather, the Yan Shen above was their war array master.

In a certain sense, every Fire Spirit Clan member was a sub-flame of Yan Shen's flame, possessing traits similar to sub-flames; yet unlike true sub-flames, they were independent beings, flesh and blood incarnate.

Thus, the Fire Spirit Clan could summon a unique flame battle intention without needing a war array master.

"Ten-million pattern level? No—three hundred million pattern battle intent." Xiao Yan smirked; he hadn't expected such a war array inheritance here, perfect for Qing Lin.

Qing Lin's Qi San Hua Tong was similarly unique—her battle intention wasn't ordinary, but Qi San Hua Tong battle intention; all Snake Race beings had their consciousness controlled by the three-flower pupil, their strength gradually absorbed by Qing Lin—just like the Fire Spirit Clan's flame battle intention, yet even more tyrannical.

The Yan Shen above struck—every Fire Spirit Clan disciple's battle intention coalesced into a flame battle halberd; terrifying flame battle intention surged forth, and in that instant, streams of flame poured like a flood, rushing toward him.

A roaring sound echoed as the flame battle intent surged like a flood, yet far faster than any river—terrifyingly swift; ten million battle patterns could reach early Spirit Rank Supreme Heavenly Emperor, three hundred million meant solid late Spirit Rank Supreme Heavenly Emperor power—how terrifying its might was, capable of obliterating all, nothing able to block it.

Thus, the moment the flame battle halberd appeared, before it even reached, its devastating shockwave had already shattered the space.

The flame battle halberd struck with unmatched speed, directly targeting Xiao Yan—this blow was so fast, it defied imagination.

Yet facing this lethal strike, Xiao Yan didn't dodge—he drew the Star Heavy Ruler from the Void Space with a whoosh.

"Flame-Splitting Devouring Wave Ruler!"

Though his strange fire wasn't beside him, the spiritual power of the Burning Scripture far surpassed ordinary Supreme Heavenly Emperor spiritual power; strange fire energy surged wildly into the Star Heavy Ruler, synergizing with the Absolute Weapon's ferocious might—Xiao Yan swung the ruler, and a ten-thousand-zhang-wide ruler-light shot skyward, meeting the flame battle intention head-on.

A thunderous boom—collision! In that instant, the flames exploded, the entire flood of flame scattering chaotically, engulfing Xiao Yan below.

"Without my strange fire, still a bit lacking." Xiao Yan slapped out the flames on his body; a purple-gold light swiftly repaired his burns, and soon he was fully restored.

Seeing Xiao Yan's immense physical strength, everyone frowned—three hundred million battle patterns' battle intent had only left minor burns.

Now, Xiao Yan was like a clone—he'd separated his strange fire to fight alone, weakening himself considerably, yet still they couldn't injure him! Though he couldn't perform the Qi Hua San Qing technique, his soul cultivation method allowed his soul body to separate, his strange fire to split, and likewise divide into three.

"First, break your war array." Xiao Yan smiled faintly—war array masters? He alone could match a million.

And the weakness of war array masters was obvious: kill the small fry, and the battle intent would drop.

Xiao Yan slightly bent his legs, dragon-phoenix patterns glowing on his body; a pair of purple-gold Ancient Phoenix Wings appeared behind him. With a boom, he pushed off—Xiao Yan's Supreme Heavenly Emperor physical body moved at light-speed, warping the surrounding light, instantly appearing before all Fire Spirit Clan disciples.

"Get lost!"

Xiao Yan's Xuan Heavy Ruler swung like a fan; his right hand's veins bulged as he gripped the handle and slashed violently—space shattered instantly; merely through physical strength, he triggered space turbulence.

"Aaah!!"

Roar! Like a dragon-phoenix surging into the heavens, the space turbulence formed a tornado blasting skyward—the Fire Spirit Clan disciples couldn't possibly stop Xiao Yan; they were all swept into the sky.

A hum—the Yan Shen once again condensed battle intent; though weaker this time, it still reached ten million pattern level.

"Yellow Spring Flame Finger!"

"Yellow Spring Flame Palm!"

Xiao Yan stood midair, facing the battle intention attacks—he pointed one finger to heaven, slapped one palm to earth, as if he alone reigned supreme over all heaven and earth.

A colossal flame finger, formed from fire, shot upward toward the Yan Shen's battle intention; a massive flame palm descended from the heavens, slamming into the Fire Spirit Clan disciples forming the war array.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!! Xiao Yan stood like a war god, holding off a million-strong Fire Spirit Clan force—even though these warriors were protected by special flames that could deflect lethal attacks, they still couldn't withstand Xiao Yan's blows.

"All of you, lend me your strength." Facing Xiao Yan, even Zhu Jiuyan—who had lived longer than Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, over ten thousand years—grew grim-faced.

Xiao Yan was far more terrifying than rumors claimed; he'd estimated Xiao Yan's strength, but only now, seeing him fight, did he realize he'd vastly underestimated him.

In that instant, the Ice Spirit Ancestor was the first to step forward.

Ding! Ding! Ding! —the Clan Leaders of the Wood Spirit Tribe, Wind Spirit Tribe, and Thunder Spirit Clan simultaneously took their positions; though each possessed only half-Supreme Heavenly Emperor power, countless disciples from their clans activated secret techniques, channeling spiritual energy into them, temporarily elevating them to Supreme Heavenly Emperor combat power.

Undoubtedly, the Four Spirit Clans stood firmly behind the Fire Spirit Clan—they understood the principle: when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold.

In their hearts, they already regarded Xiao Yan as a tyrant seeking to seize the Five Elements Spirit Soil.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" Xiao Yan glanced casually at the five Clan Leaders before him.

At this moment, each of the Five Spirit Clans had tens of thousands of warriors here—especially the Ice Spirit Clan and Fire Spirit Clan, since they were true Supreme Heavenly Emperors.

Yet Xiao Yan's dismissive words made these Supreme Heavenly Emperors shudder—for before, he had once captured three Supreme Heavenly Emperors alive and killed one!

Now, these thousands of warriors and ancestors of the Five Spirit Clans were no different—they, too, could be defeated by Xiao Yan.

"Raise the Stele!"

The five Clan Leaders knew well—even united, they might not defeat this monstrous aberration; even with home-field advantage, spirit arrays, and flame battle intention, they still couldn't overcome him.

But the Fire Spirit Clan had a trump card!

Boom! Boom! Boom!! Suddenly, the entire Fire Spirit Clan's land roared—a massive sound erupted; within the ancestral grounds, every elder and powerhouse roared in unison—and in that instant, a pillar of flame shot skyward.

Then came a final boom—the flame condensed into one, and a colossal crimson stele rose from the earth.

From the stele poured endless firelight; beneath this fire that could melt all, it formed a giant dome, enclosing the entire Fire Spirit Clan.

But that wasn't the most terrifying part—the most astonishing was the names etched in flame upon the stele, names Xiao Yan didn't recognize.

One after another, ancient names emerged; from each name's flame stepped forth a shadow.

With each shadow stepping out, they looked down upon the world with supreme arrogance, their overwhelming aura instantly spreading across the entire Huo Ling Da Lu.

"Fire Spirit Stele?" Xiao Yan stared at the massive crimson stele, recalling the Ice Spirit Ancestor's colossal Ice Spirit Stele.

He'd heard the Ice Spirit Stele was the Ice Spirit Clan's sacred treasure, sealing the souls of their royal lineage—he hadn't expected the Fire Spirit Clan to have one too; and this spirit stele didn't merely seal souls—it sealed the ancestral fire essence of deceased Fire Spirit Clan royalty, preserving some of their power!

This was the true purpose of the spirit stele—not to serve as a defensive tool.

Absolute Saint Treasures had no ranks, no classification like the Thirty-Six Absolute Saint Treasures; yet judging by this, the Fire Spirit Stele ranked among the most powerful Absolute Saint Treasures—it could imprint the power of the dead onto the stele and manifest it again.

Zhu Jiuyan changed his hand seals, activating his Heavenly Sovereign Spirit Body—his form ignited as if burning, becoming a man of flame; with a hum, the ancestral Fire Spirit Clan royals upon the Fire Spirit Stele simultaneously formed identical hand seals.

"Tsk." Xiao Yan let out a tsk, his Dragon Phoenix wings flaring violently as he gripped the Star Heavy Ruler and shot straight toward the Fire Spirit Stele above, determined to utterly destroy it.

"Xiao Yan, you stole our Five Spirit Clans' Secret Treasures and the Dimensional Embryo—today you have no escape! Thunder Spirit Light Pursuit Strike!" Boom—the Thunder Spirit Clan Leader instantly flashed into view beside Xiao Yan, his Heavenly Venerate Thunder Spirit Body erupting as he transformed into a Thunder God, his fist wrapped in divine lightning slamming toward Xiao Yan.

Clang! Xiao Yan blocked with his ruler sideways; the lightning exploded from the fist but could not break through Xiao Yan's defense. Though the Thunder Spirit Clan was a body-cultivation Spirit Clan, even their Clan Leader's physique couldn't match Xiao Yan's.

"Supreme Divine Technique, Wood God Sword Thrust."

"Supreme Divine Technique, Call Wind Divine Sword!"

Boom boom—in an instant, the Wood Spirit Clan Leader and the Wind Spirit Clan Leader appeared behind Xiao Yan, two supreme Divine Techniques roaring toward him from behind.

A wooden sword entwined with Spiritual Energy Sealing Array Runes pierced toward Xiao Yan's back; the sword radiated ancient energy, sacred and solemn, brimming with murderous intent capable of slaughtering gods and slaying demons.

On the right, the Wind Spirit Clan Leader wielded a blue-green longsword slicing through the air; the blade erupted with terrifying, boundless sword intention. Clang! The Divine Sword of the Wind God unsheathed, all sword intentions coalescing into a single divine sword ten thousand chi long, exhaling and inhaling fearsome wind vortices, each filament of swirling wind seeming able to pierce the heavens.

Three supreme Divine Techniques struck Xiao Yan from three directions.

But this was only the beginning. In that instant, frost froze around Xiao Yan— the Ice Spirit Ancestor's Heavenly Venerate Spirit Body erupted, a bright moon rising behind him, a beam of icy light shooting from the white orb, radiant and blinding, freezing all time and space around Xiao Yan, severing his escape routes.

Facing the three supreme Divine Techniques of the three Heavenly Venerates and the Ice Spirit Ancestor's ice seal, Xiao Yan smirked, his Soul Force exploding—a demonic shadow appeared instantly, the three-headed, six-armed demon opening its mouth wide.

"Huangquan Heavenly Rage!"

Yaaa!! The demonic Asura Soul Body opened its mouth, a piercing Soul Sound Wave Impact radiating outward from Xiao Yan like an explosion, the terrifying sound waves resembling horrifying, wailing ghosts.

Boom boom boom!! The sword shattered, the blade broke, the lightning vanished—and even the frozen space was utterly shattered by this eerie Soul Sound Wave Impact; the devastating wave obliterated everything around it like dry grass before a wildfire.

Puff puff puff puff! The Ice Spirit Ancestor and the other three could not help but spit out blood. Xiao Yan's Soul Force had also reached the Heavenly Venerate level—and this time, the Soul Technique he unleashed was far beyond what he had used against Xuantian Dadi, when his Cultivation Realm was merely Great Perfection Earth Supreme.

Now Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm was equally Immortal Grade Heavenly Venerate; his Soul Technique's power had risen another tier.

Though the Four Spirit Clans' supreme Divine Techniques were equally astonishing in power, they were still destroyed by Huangquan Heavenly Rage—Xiao Yan stood alone against four!

"All ancestral sages of the Fire Spirit Clan, grant your descendants the power to annihilate our enemies!" At this moment, Zhu Jiuyan's Yan Shen Dharma Body seemed burdened by the Fire Spirit Stele; flames instantly engulfed him. When his hands ceased forming seals, heaven and earth seemed to twist and transform—everything changed.

Boom! One after another, shadows of the Fire Spirit Wang Zu descended from the sky, hurling themselves toward Xiao Yan—wherever the Fire Spirit Clan's flames pointed, those invincible giant hands descended to crush.

The Four Spirit Clan Leaders did not aim to defeat Xiao Yan—they only sought to buy Zhu Jiuyan time to awaken the power of all Wang Zu ancestors.

Not only the shadows on the Fire Spirit Stele, but even the Yan Shen in the sky condensed Battle Intention—a giant hand of Huo Yi Zhan Yi likewise pressed down upon Xiao Yan, aiming to subdue him!

"Dragon Phoenix Chaos Bell!!"

Xiao Yan roared, facing each of these ancestral Fire Spirit Clan hands—even with his Dragon Phoenix Chaos Body, he was beginning to strain!

Each of these flaming giant hands represented the will of once-mighty Fire Spirit Clan beings. Remember, the Fire Spirit Clan had existed for eons—how many powerful ones had there been in ancient times!

Roar!! A purple-gold dragon Spiritual Shadow, identical to Zi Yan's true form, flew out from Xiao Yan's Chaos Body, instantly coiling and wrapping around him. Whoosh—a wind-splitting sound—and his vast Dragon Phoenix wings became a colossal golden Chaos Bell, shielding Xiao Yan within.

Boom! The sky cracked, the earth shattered—the massive Dragon Phoenix Chaos Bell shattered instantly. This strike from the Fire Spirit Stele was terrifying beyond measure—this power exceeded even Immortal Grade Heavenly Venerate; it likely reached Immortal Grade True Venerate!

Peng! The great bell shattered, revealing Xiao Yan inside; even swinging his ruler to block, he could barely withstand this overwhelming force.

"Feng Qing'er's Demon Phoenix Bell is useless." Xiao Yan couldn't help muttering about Feng Qing'er.

This Dou Technique of the Demon Phoenix Bell was obtained from Feng Qing'er; though upgraded now, its effect remained negligible.

Facing the crushing force, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes. A long-absent power began filling his entire body—clearly, his warm-up was over; it was time for the real thing.

"You have ancestral power—I have mine too. Original Dharma Body, Break the Heavens!"

I suppose I'm tired, spiritless either way, so I idly scribbled a few lines; my eyelids heavy, I stared at the words half the night before I saw between the lines—everywhere, the characters for "midnight snack."