Chapter 867

At this moment, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was completely different from his former inheritance spiritual consciousness—his face was handsome, his gaze sharp, not an old man but a youth appearing barely twenty, the only thing unchanged being his hair, still as "trendy" as ever, each strand resembling woven Strange Flames, rising in tendrils of flame.

Xiao Yan's terrifying Soul Power subtly swept over Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, but the instant his Soul Force Perception touched him, the Divine Fire within Tuoshe Ancient Emperor emitted a flicker of firelight, completely burning away Xiao Yan's Soul Perception.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly—his Soul Power was far more than merely Initial Divine Realm Soul; after all, Xiao Yan also cultivated the Burning Scripture and possessed a powerful Supreme Emperor Flame, so his soul had immense resistance to flame.

Yet not only had his perception been detected, it had been burned to ash!

In Xiao Yan's eyes, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor now resembled a bottomless Sea of Fire, utterly impossible to gauge.

Not just Xiao Yan—even Hun Tian Di, who specialized in Soul Power, could not fathom Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's true strength at this moment.

Aside from Xiao Potian and Holy Heavenly Demon Emperor, the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor before him was the strongest individual Xiao Yan had ever encountered in the Great Thousand World.

"You've grown young again—nothing like that statue." Xiao Yan smiled faintly, his words carrying hidden meaning.

Although for a Supreme, appearance no longer bound by age, Xiao Yan had investigated beforehand: when the Fire Spirit Ancestor led the Fire Spirit Clan to seize the entire Huo Ling Da Lu a thousand years ago, he appeared as an old man.

More importantly, Xiao Yan sensed from Tuoshe Ancient Emperor the same Five Elemental Spirit Power that the five Ice Spirit Ancestors had just combined—meaning the Clan Leaders and elites of the other Four Spirit Clans had all gathered at the Fire Spirit Tribe Ancestral Land, not merely to aid the Fire Spirit Clan.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor likely had already broken through.

Xianpin Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun.

On the Dou Qi Continent, even a minor sub-tier of Dou Sheng trapped countless cultivators—figures like Great Heavenly Venerable required nearly a century for a single advancement; Dou Di advancement was even harder; as for Supreme, even with peerless Divine Techniques, without special opportunities, it might take centuries or millennia to ascend even a single minor level.

Most remained lifetime Lingpin Supremes.

Especially for Burning Scripture cultivators, the simplest way to advance was collecting Strange Flames—but the problem was, no Strange Flames remained.

The Fire Spirit Clan had gathered every Heavenly Earth Strange Flame obtainable in the Great Thousand World to condense a single Divine Fire. Originally, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had fused them into Emperor Flame to break through to Dou Di, yet he ultimately did not take Void Devouring Flame or Pure Lotus Demonic Flame with him—thus his Emperor Flame was incomplete, inferior to Xiao Yan's.

This was also the flaw of the Burning Scripture: without finding Strange Flames, cultivation stagnated.

Yet the Four Spirit Clans likely granted Tuoshe Ancient Emperor certain supreme treasures, allowing his Spirit Power to merge and break through the Lingpin Supreme boundary—hence his prolonged seclusion.

Who knows if Tuoshe Ancient Emperor succeeded in timing his breakthrough? Perhaps all Burning Scripture cultivators possess this passive skill.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor surveyed the surrounding ruins of the Fire Spirit Tribe Ancestral Land, his heart filled with sorrow, and said with self-reproach: "Back then, I failed to erase the spiritual consciousness of Void Devouring Flame and Pure Lotus Demonic Flame and took them with me—that was my greatest mistake."

"I should not have left behind the inheritance. I was wrong."

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan, as if staring directly into the Void Devouring Flame within Xiao Yan's Spirit Core.

The root of all this was his own decision to leave behind the Strange Flame inheritance—and deliberately let Void Devouring Flame and Pure Lotus Demonic Flame escape.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had hoped a second Burning Scripture cultivator would appear; if Xiao Yan would become a guardian of the Great Thousand World, he was even willing to entrust him with the Divine Fire, allowing him to refine it and fuse it into a supreme Shengpin Supreme Flame.

But this Xiao Yan was not the Yan Emperor, guardian of the Great Thousand World—he was the Dou Di who guarded the Dou Qi Continent, who had not abandoned Dou Qi, nor cultivated Spirit Qi—and the hatred of Void Devouring Flame was something he never anticipated.

At one moment, the entire outcome shifted violently, triggering everything.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!! Suddenly the earth trembled; Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's flame-haired strands danced in the wind, and five-colored light surged from his body—thunder, gales, divine wood, and ice—four special elemental Spirit Powers now appeared within Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

"I will bear responsibility for my mistakes. What I left behind on the Dou Qi Continent, return it to me." As Tuoshe Ancient Emperor spoke, the heavens roared—Spirit Qi across the world boiled, lightning flashed across the sky, icy winds howled, and the earth revived.

A crimson Supreme Dharma Body materialized out of thin air, yet this Supreme Dharma Body was entwined with thunder, ice, wind, and wood—five elemental Spirit Powers coalesced into five circular rings behind the Dharma Body.

"Supreme Dharma Body Ranking Fifteen: Five Elemental Divine Spirit Body." Hun Tian Di's eyes blazed as he stared at the Dharma Body radiating five unique Spirit Powers, murmuring.

In ancient times, to resist the Domain Beyond invaders, the five Elemental Spirits of the Five Spirit Clans once fused into one to combat a Heavenly Demon Emperor—the fusion of the Five Spirit Clans' Supreme Dharma Bodies gave birth to the Five Elemental Divine Spirit Body, ranked higher than the Fu Tu Divine Clan's Great Floating Pagoda Dharma Body.

Clearly, the Five Spirit Clans, to oppose Xiao Yan, abandoned past grudges and passed down their ancestral inheritances to Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

The Great Thousand World needed a Yan Emperor to guard one region—and this Yan Emperor was not the Xiao Yan before them; the Five Spirit Clans ultimately chose Tuoshe Ancient Emperor!

The Five Elemental Divine Spirit Body emitted waves of Strange Flames, each with distinct elemental properties—Xiao Yan knew well that Strange Flames varied by element; Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Supreme Dharma Body contained all elemental Strange Flames.

An aura surpassing Lingpin Supreme surged toward the heavens.

"Xianpin Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Supreme! Tuoshe has successfully fused his Spirit Power!" Zhu Jiuyan, lying wounded on the ground, stared at the colossal five-colored Dharma Body, felt the Xianpin Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun power surpassing Lingpin, clenched his fists in excitement, his eyes brimming with joy!

Though Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was merely Xianpin Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Supreme, once he obtained Xiao Yan's Strange Flames, his ascent to Shengpin was imminent!

"The Great Thousand World needs a Yan Emperor! Xiao Yan, you are not one." Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's voice was low; then a multicolored Divine Fire slowly rose, enveloping his entire body.

Divine Fire!

This was the Divine Fire Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had forged by gathering twenty types of Strange Fire Origins on the Dou Qi Continent, then extracting the power of Void Devouring Flame and Pure Lotus Demonic Flame, followed by the Fire Spirit Clan collecting Strange Flames from across the Great Thousand World and fusing them via the Burning Scripture!

Five Elemental Divine Fire!

The "Five Elements" here did not refer to the Five Spirit Clans, but to the cosmic principle of generation, restraint, cyclical rebirth, immortality, and endless balance.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor opened his palm, and a magnificent Strange Flame rose within it—when it flared, it resembled a perfect circle; from afar, the multicolored flame was not only beautiful, but seemed to contain the entire universe, capable of constructing worlds, imbued with all elemental energies.

Perfect.

At the sight of this flame, even Xiao Yan was momentarily entranced—so beautiful!

"No wonder the Fire Spirit Clan fused every Strange Flame in the Great Thousand World—this is magnificent." Xiao Yan offered his praise without hesitation.

Of course, it was more than beauty—Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Five Elemental Divine Fire was immensely powerful, even slightly stronger than Xiao Yan's Black Emperor Flame fused from Twenty-Four Strange Flames.

Xiao Yan's Black Emperor Flame had barely reached Lingpin Supreme level, but Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Five Elemental Divine Fire was solidly pre-Xianpin Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Supreme Strange Flame—otherwise, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor could never have smoothly attained Xianpin Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Zhenzun Supreme!

The stronger Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Strange Flame, the more excited Xiao Yan became.

The fiercer the storm, the greater the fish; the stronger the Strange Flame, the higher the Burning Scripture could evolve!

Void Devouring Flame and Pure Lotus Demonic Flame's Strange Fire Origins were in Xiao Yan's possession—if he fused this Divine Fire, the resulting flame would be the strongest Strange Flame in the history of the Great Thousand World, without equal!

The remaining Strange Flames in the Great Thousand World were mere child's play—meaning, at this moment, the vast majority of Strange Flames in the Great Thousand World were within the Fire Spirit Clan!

"Xiao Yan." The voice of Void Devouring Flame echoed in Xiao Yan's mind.

"Don't worry—I'll hold back against those weak Fire Spirit Clan disciples, but against him? No mercy." Xiao Yan stared at the Divine Fire in Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's hand, licked his lips—this was the first time he would battle a cultivator whose Strange Flame surpassed his own.

Xiao Yan looked at Tuoshe Ancient Emperor and grinned sharply: "Hehehehe! If there's fire to steal, why not take it? Why let fortune pass you by!"

As his words ended, the half-submerged Dou Po Cangqiong Dharma Body's eyes flashed with Black Flame light—BOOM! A deafening crash echoed as the Dou Po Cangqiong Dharma Body stepped down as if climbing stairs, one foot crushing the earth, its entire form rising another full height, revealing its complete stature!

Instantly, the Heavenly Earth Spirit Qi around the Fire Spirit Clan was repelled—a surge of Dou Qi erupted from the Supreme Dharma Body, combining the Dou Qi inherent in the Dou Po Cangqiong Dharma Body with Xiao Yan's Spirit Power converted into Dou Qi.

The two forces superimposed, Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm surged from Lingpin Supreme Initial to Mid.

"Dou Qi… the original Dharma Body of the Dou Qi Continent." Even Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, if foolish, now knew Xiao Yan's Dharma Body was the original form—superior to the Five Elemental Divine Spirit Body!

This was power of another tier!

If Xiao Yan hadn't been only at the early stage of the Spirit Rank Supreme Cultivation Realm, this battle would have had no suspense.

Hū, Xiao Yan likewise opened his palm, and a jet-black Divine Fire rose from his palm—this Divine Fire differed greatly from Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Divine Fire; though it appeared black, specks of gemlike colored light shimmered within the darkness.

"Emperor Soul Scripture!" Xiao Yan's Soul Force surged from his body, terrifying Soul Power flooding like a tide into every limb and bone, and combined with his own Spirit Rank Supreme Spiritual Energy transformed into Dou Qi, elevating Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm to the late stage of the Spirit Rank Supreme.

All the Fire Spirit Clan members behind him, sensing Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm climbing step by step, were stunned into silence—Xiao Yan had truly not been using his full strength!

"Even at the late stage of the Spirit Rank Supreme, he possesses a Primordial Physical Form."

"Monster."

Zhu Jiuyan forced himself to speak despite his grievous injuries: "Take all the Disciples away from here—this place will become a Battlefield!"

Xiao Yan did not stop them from taking the Fire Spirit Clan's Disciples; although Swallowing Flame wished for revenge, Xiao Yan wanted only that Divine Fire!

After everyone had been removed, the next instant, the Divine Fire in Xiao Yan's hand and the Five Elemental Divine Fire in Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's hand both erupted violently.

Xiao Yan's mind shifted, and the Divine Fire in his hand spun at high speed—finally, a massive black flame ruler appeared above his head.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor did the same: the Five Elemental Divine Fire transformed into a revolving circle, and another Henggu Chi, radiant with five-colored light, materialized above his Supreme Physical Form's head.

Both men simultaneously unleashed the same technique—the Henggu Chi!

"Henggu Chi!"

"Henggu Chi!"

Both roared in unison, grasping the void with their palms—the ancient rulers forged from Divine Fire fell into the hands of their Supreme Physical Forms; with a single step forward, the two flame rulers—one dark, one dazzling—cut through Space, lashing out with infinite terrifying power straight at each other.

"The collision of two Henggu Chi has never occurred in the history of the Dou Qi Continent!" Seeing this, Hun Tian Di's face turned pale, and he hastily retreated.

The next instant, endless volcanoes erupted; the two ten-thousand-zhang Henggu Chi crashed together with a thunderous BOOM—a blinding flash of fire slowly emerged at their point of contact.

Then the light grew ever stronger until Space shattered; the overwhelmingly dominant force surged like a storm, overturning everything—volcanoes within the Fire Spirit Clan exploded one after another, the scene utterly spectacular.

Earth Veins were ripped from the ground; especially as each volcano was blasted apart, it felt as if the end of the world had arrived—terribly real.

"Kill!!"

As the Henggu Chi clashed and flames swept in all directions, as the Fire Spirit Clan's Earth Veins erupted, a figure of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor appeared within the ocean of Divine Fire.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor let out a long roar, stepping forward with each stride resonating with the rhythm of heaven and earth; the flame-filled void twisted like waves—he trod the eight directions, bursting from the flames, wrapped in roaring Heavenly Flame, his Spiritual Pressure unstoppable, and kicked out with one leg.

"Come on!" Xiao Yan laughed aloud, instantly leaping upward, his massive hand blotting out the sky as he met Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, seizing him in an instant and flipping him over, grabbing the leg he kicked out and hurling him toward the ground.

Hōng! The terrifying impact blasted out a massive crater.

"Yellow Spring Finger!" Xiao Yan aimed at the crater below and thrust one finger downward—a colossal finger pressed down with crushing authority.

"Five Spirit Emperor Slash!" Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, buried in the earth, roared aloud; in that instant, he clapped his hands together—suddenly, a flame merged into a flying slash, the flame blade surging upward from below.

Xīu! The colossal Yellow Spring Finger was cleanly split in two; Xiao Yan's finger instantly spurted blood.

Xiao Yan acted as if he hadn't noticed—he activated the Dragon Phoenix Chaos Body; his Dragon Phoenix Ancient Wings flared violently, flashing forward in an instant to appear before Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, delivering a thunderous punch to his abdomen: "Dragon Phoenix Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Not yet resolved, but no big deal—I'm just an assistant; myself, I'm unharmed.