Mo Xingyun did not ask rashly and immediately began fighting with Huo Fenghuang. He chose the same strategy as her–using his troops to test the water. As such, he snapped his finger to summon his legion.
So, an army with black armor and red eyes manifested in the starry sky. The stench of immense karmic sins emanated from their bodies, followed by intense bloodlust and the desire to swallow everything between heaven and earth.
After seeing her opponent, Huo Fenghuang was calm and began managing the battle. She had a few generals, but they were not Heaven Chosens by any account. And this was by design.
The Ancient Clans are united but also competing against each other. And with so many different clans, it's virtually impossible to be in perfect harmony–unless one clan has the absolute strength of an Eternal Supreme.
The complexity of the Ancient Clan is where some of Huo Fenghuang's trouble originated. Many did not like how she broke the taboo and absorbed someone else's bloodline. Even though the council pardoned her crime and gave her authority, many clans despised her actions and actively opposed her.
This confrontation resulted in Huo Fenghuang having to be careful about whom to choose to serve as a General.
Secondly, Huo Fenghuang did not trust any of her generals to have the strength equal to even 1-Leaf Immortal Venerable. If someone happened to her and she had a moment of weakness, such a general could betray her and take the opportunity to win the final battle.
In the past Heaven Will Battle, where the concept of King and General was most prominent, it was common for generals to betray their Kings. So, she needed to watch out for these things.
Because of these factors–especially the second one–Huo Fenghuang and many other Heaven Chosens' generals are rather weak. Only a few people with absolute confidence in their strength and trust in the people around them would train mighty generals who are capable of becoming Heaven Chosens on their own.
Huo Fenghuang ordered most of her troops to use [Flame of Purification] to target the sins of these devil cultivators' troops. This tactic worked, but only briefly.
After killing a few hundred soldiers, Mo Xingyun's troops reacted by using a formation that condensed their Karmic Sins into a flame of corruption, corrupting the pureness in the opponent's flame.
Huo Fenghuang then changed tactics. An illusory white tiger appeared above her legion, gathering the power of Slaughter around her. In the short time of this battle, too many people died. Thus, things like Baleful Aura and Slaughter/Killing Qi were everywhere.
With this formation, the troops could use these powers for themselves.
They used the Slaughter Qi between Heaven and Earth to boost their defense, speed, and attacks. With this increase in stats, they became more ferocious and killed as many devils as possible.
However, the opponent was not to be outdone. Mo Xingyun's troops changed formation and generated a terrifying swallowing power, and also absorbed the Slaughter Aura between Heaven and Earth.
This method weakened their opponent by competing with them for slaughter energy while also boosting their physical stats. The situation became a stalemate.
Huo Fenghuang's troops changed tactics for the third time. A mighty and noble Azure Dragon Shadow manifested above them, releasing pressure that could crush anything into oblivion.
The Devil legions responded by using a formation based on Gravity. Mo Xingyun secretly swallowed the 32nd Heavenly Physique, Gravity Collapsing Physique.
With the power of gravity, they offset the pressure of a Sovereign released by the Azure Dragon.
The Azure Dragon Array has two modes of attack–the pressure and absolute control of water. After the first one failed, Huo Fenghuang proceeded to the second one.
So, the legion created a supermassive tsunami to drown their opponent. Sadly, Mo XIngyun once swallowed the owner of the Pure Yin Physique. So, his troops changed formation and released an intense coldness that instantly froze the tsunami.
'Damn it, we keep going in a circle,' thought Huo Fenghuang. Her plan was to overwhelm Mo XIngyun's legions before using them to force her to take action and revealed some of her trump cards. However, her troops were excellent and well-trained.
'Although I haven't lost a single soldier due to the Phoenix Flame's blessing, I've only killed less than a thousand soldiers of her troops.'
A thousand soldiers is nothing to a legion of 100 million. Furthermore, this stalemate might continue forever.
After thinking for a moment, Huo Fenghuang changed tactics again. She ordered her men to use the Black Tortoise Array, blessing them with unparalleled defense.
Then, she ordered them to attack without reservation or fear of any injury. So, with their terrifying healing factors, these troops also became a nightmare.
'She's becoming more aggressive,' thought Mo Xingyun, who felt Huo Fenghuang's emotional state. He knew she had a purpose for targeting him. So, he chose to use a safe and stable approach to determine her objective.
Yin-Yang, Yang is attacking, and Yin is defense. Mo Xingyun ordered his troops to use the power of Yin to bless their defense and confront the enemy.
Additionally, the troops have absorbed plenty of flesh and blood before the battle and stored them for later use. When they are injured, they can access the vitality from them to heal themselves. In other words, their healing capabilities are on par with Huo Fenghuang's troops blessed by the Phoenix.
'Another stalemate,' analyzed Huo Fenghuang; she also realized her approach had failed. 'So, I need to take more risks.'
Under her order, the troops disengaged that battle and retreated a great distance away.
"What now?" asked Mo Xingyun with a smile on her beautiful face that made people wish to slap her.
"Let's stop playing around and decide victory between us,' said Huo Fenghuang plainly.
Mo Xingyun wanted to agree directly, but he stopped as he felt something. After sensing the surrounding, 'A probability field that affects judgment?'
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor took a moment to remove the influence on him. However,r he secretly sighed. If he had a fraction of his power, he would never be influenced by such a thing–even for a fraction of a moment. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"There is no hurry," replied Mo Xingyun. He wanted to have control of the situation, to control the momentum in their confrontation.
"Are you timid?"
"Such a low level tactic won't work on me, " added the Heaven Devour Emperor.
However, Huo Fenghuang sneered in response.
"You, Devil Cultivators, have always been cowards who fear the strong and bully the weak. This mindset has not changed even when you achieve the highest form of power in this world."
"What are you insinuating?" asked Mo Xingyun with a terrifying killing intent.
"I'm saying you and your ancestors were a bunch of cowards," continued Huo Fenghuang. "The Heaven Devour was an Eternal Emperor, but he did not dare attacks the top Emperor Lineages. Instead, he swallowed countless ordinary and helpless mortals. If he wasn't a coward, how else would I describe him?
"Furthermore, it seems you inherited this quality from him."
Mo Xingyun looked intensely at her. If looks could kill. Huo Fenghuang would have died millions of times in a few seconds.
The Heaven Devour Emperor knew she was mocking him on purpose to agitate him. However, he was a Great Emperor. No, an Eternal Emperor--a being who embodied the concept of eternity.
So, how could he tolerate this mortal ant with a life span shorter than his nap.
He took a deep breath. Regardless of how he feels, he chose to calm down. His past failure made him weary and paranoid of everything.
'Did this woman discover my identity?'
Only Wang Wei and a few people from the Mo Clan knew he had taken over Mo Xingyun's body. Although many other people suspected otherwise, no one knew for sure or had proof.
But now, he suspected Huo Fenghuang knew.
'The Ancient Clan knows a lot of using Bloodline Imprint as a reviving method. And given how she suddenly targeted me, there is a high chance she knew and came for a reason. But what?'
His mind worked rapidly.
'I remember hearing about a secret technique in the ancient Clan targeting Emperors who were reviving. They created this method as a way to deal with the problem of too many Emperors coming back to life from Bloodline Imprints.
'Does she want to use this method to kill me? No, to steal my power?'
He finally knew her objective. The Heaven Devour Emperor could even guess why she was in a hurry and rushed straight to him.
'She discovered Wang Wei and Di Tian Nine Extremity and wants to use me as a way to deal with them."
He sneered after figuring these things out. Now that he knew his opponent's objective, he had control of the situation and would use it to his advantage.
"You're playing a dangerous game."
'His reaction is not what I expected. Did he find something,' thought Huo Fenghuang.
Huo Fenghuang knew the severity of the situation if the Heaven-Devouring Emperor discovered her true purpose; this would make her tasks a hundred times more challenging.
'I was careless. I should never underestimate any Great Emperor–let alone an Eternal.'
Any being that reaches Tier 10 should never be underestimated. Their long life span meant they would become wise through experience, trial and error, mistakes, and time.
Huo Fenghuang took a moment to calm down.
'Things have not reached the worst-case scenario,' she analyzed. 'The crux of everything is whether I can defeat him in battle.'
Without wasting any more time, she rushed toward him and punched him with immense force. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor evaded the attack with a sneer on his beautiful face. However, Huo Fenghuang did not care, as her objective was not only him but the troops behind him.
Mo Xingyun's face changed when she detected what was happening. He knew there was no chance for her soldiers to block this attack. So, he intervened by creating a swallowing force to absorb the force behind the attack.
However, Huo Fenghuang was relentless and launched punch after punch, targeting these weak soldiers. In the end, Mo Xingyun had to place them away in his space ring.
Then, he suddenly raised his head in the sky and saw he was now inside a barrier created by Huo Fenghuang's troops.
'The previous attack was a distraction?'
Mo Xingyun secretly shook his head as if he did not care. He wanted to swallow Huo Fenghuang's bloodline as much as she wanted to refine his soul. So, the only reason he acted as if he had no intention to fight was to lure her into acting rashly and making a mistake.
'It seems I underestimate her,' he analyzed. It was not easy to calm down in such a situation and make the best choice.
[Yin-Yang Sealing Punch]
Huo Fenghuang punched forward, creating an image of Yin-Yang that rushed toward her opponent. A black hole appeared before Mo Xingyun, and he swallowed the attack.
The objective of this attack was to seal Mo Xingyun's Swallowing Power. Unfortunately, the black hole contained the power to swallow seals, rendering her attack useless.
Huo Fenghuang did not give up and attacked again, still using the power of Yin and Yang. However, the effect of her attack this time was to reverse Yin-Yang, forcing Mo Xingyun to vomit what he swallowed.
Unfortunately, the Heavour Devouring Emperor reached a level in Devour Dao that few people will accomplish in their lives. So, it would be a great humiliation for someone to force him to regurgitate something he swallowed.
Huo Fenghuang summoned her White Tiger Sword, thus releasing a terrifying Sword Will. She slashed her sword, creating a blood-red moon shape slash.
Crack!
Mo Xingyun's black hole cracked. The attack's purpose was to kill 'black holes' and "devour." With Huo Fenghuang cultivating her Killing Dao to kill different concepts, her attack succeeded.
At least, that's how it appeared at first.
Before the black hole was utterly destroyed, an enormous mouth manifested and swallowed it along with the slash.
Huo Fenghuang was frustrated for a moment as two of her most powerful techniques were useless. However, this negative emotion was fleeting; she swiftly regained her bearing and concentrated. The battle had just begun, and the victor was yet to be decided.
She stabbed her sword to create twin dragons of fire and water. These colossal creatures entangled each other as they rushed toward Mo Xingyun.
And, of course, they suffered the same fate of being swallowed.
Huo Fenghuang frowned as she waited for something to happen. Her original objective was to access wherever her opponent stored the things he swallowed: his Divine Sea, Sea of Consciousness, a mutated stomach, or a special dimension.
Then, she would explode it from the inside.
Sadly, she sensed her attack was instantly digested and became the opponent's strength.
"Is that it? Is that all you got?" asked Mo Xingyun with a sneer.
Huo Fenghuang was calm, not affected by the latter's words. Since her previous methods did not work, she changed to another one.
[Heavenly Calamity]
Meteors of Phoenix Flame dropped from all directions. There were so many that it could fill a few galaxies. However, Mo Xingyun was calm, composed, and even nonchalant.
The black hole before him grew from the size of a basketball to the size of a football field. Then, it easily and quickly swallowed all the flames.
However, The Heaven-Devouring Emperor soon frowned; he discovered he could not digest this attack. A powerful Will was preventing him from using this attack as his own power.
'The Phoenix Immortal Will,' he thought with a frown. 'It seems I have to be more active.'
Huo Fenghuang discovered her method worked; however, she was not happy. This technique only prevented her opponent from using her ability against her. It did not allow her to attack Mo Xingyun from the inside.
Her mind worked rapidly to find another tactic. In less than a nanosecond, she came up with a new battle plan.
[Ultimate Speed]
She used Yin-Yang Dao to switch the 'long distance' between her and Mo Xingyun to a 'short distance,' traveling at an incomprehensible speed. Furthermore, she used her Fire Dao to burn the distance between the two.
With these two techniques superimposed on each other, her speed reached beyond her strength.
Huo Fenghuang's objective was to bypass Mo Xingyun's swallowing power and the latter's response time or reflex. And in some ways, she succeeded. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor could not react to the latter's attack.
Sadly, he did not need to respond. As a Quasi-Emperor, his Saint's Domain has become passive. So, the punch did touch his face as the power of Devour naturally appeared and swallowed the sheer force behind it.
However, to the mighty Emperor's surprise, Huo Fenghuang was not surprised by this outcome. Based on her eyes, he saw an expression as if she had expected this outcome. Then, his instinct warned him of danger.
But it was too late.
Huo Fenghuang swung her sword. This attack did not have any lights, elements, power of Law, or anything complicated: it only contained pure and raw power.
'8-Leaf,' thought the Heaven-Devouring Emperor.
Bang!
Mo Xingyun flew hundreds of light years away. Huo Fenghuang's attack contained pure and raw strength. The power behind that sword annihilated Mo Xingyun's Devour Power and his passive Domain.
In the distance, Mo Xingyun calmly removed the blood from the scar on her face. The scar healed in just a few seconds, but he still felt the pain.
'My mindset is wrong,' he analyzed. Although he repeatedly told himself not to underestimate her, he still committed the same error. And the crux of this issue is his arrogance as an Eternal Emperor.
The only people he takes seriously are Di Tian and Wang Wei, and more so the latter. He took Di Tian seriously because of his strength, while he did so for Wang Wei because of his strength and intelligence.
Based on his wisdom displayed before, the Heaven Devouring Emperor knew he could suffer terribly if he were not careful when dealing with Wang Wei. He knew dealing with Wang Wei was like dealing with a more cunning and ruthless version of himself.
However, when dealing with the other Heaven Chosens of this generation, he had a deep pride, the pride he displayed when dealing with his lesser.
But, after this injury, he realized this generation's geniuses are all top of the top. If they were not born in this generation, every single one could be an Era Suppressing Heaven Chosen.
And taking into account the limitations he suffered by only being capable of using Mo Xingyun's talent, he honestly had no room for pride and arrogance.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor calmly gazed at Huo Fenghuang; his calmness created an intense atmosphere that made her unwilling to take action.
'If she were my era, I would not have won the Heaven Will Battle.'
He recognized this fact. In his generation, he was only a regular Quasi-Emperor and did not break the barrier between Mortal and Immortal. His peak was close to 1-Leaf, but he never crossed that boundary.
And it was not because of his lack of talent. Anyone who can become Eternal Emperor is the cream of the cream regarding cultivation talent, luck, and destiny.
So, many factors contributed to this fact. The first one was the Heaven Devouring Emperor was born at the wrong time. There were no other talented individuals who broke the barrier and would then motivate him to achieve it.
The second reason was his status. The Heaven Devouring Emperor was one of the Nine Devil Sons of the Mo Family. However, he was the weakest one, and only acquired the status because of his high comprehension.
The way devil cultivators raised their Heaven Chosens is cruel since they need to compete, scheme, and kill each other. The one remaining will be the final winner and receive the family's support.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor suffered tremendously in the early stages of his cultivation, and he even had to attend the Emperor Enlightening Academy to save his life.
By the time he became powerful and valuable to the Mo Family, they did not trust his character. So, he did not have access to too much valuable information, thus reducing his chances of breaking that barrier.
Finally, he lacked Destiny. His generation was full of Eternal Destiny, and most of it landed on him because Heavenly Dao wanted to deal with the devil cultivators in the Western Continent.
Unfortunately, as he grew up, Heavenly Dao questioned his character and whether he was up to fulfill his destiny. So, it reduced the Heaven Devouring Emperor's Luck and Destiny, thus preventing him from breaking the barrier.
Bang!
Mo Xingyun's aura suddenly increased. Numerous tattoos appeared on his body, followed by a drastic increase in his blood energy. He clenched his hand, feeling the sheer power coursing through his veins.
'Barely 9-Leaf,' thought the Heaven-Devouring Emperor, a little disappointed. He always wanted to create a secret technique to reach the strength of a Dao Ancestor.
Unfortunately, his foundation was not enough. He never broke the Mortal-Immortal Barrier during his life, so he lacked knowledge and experience in this field.
Then, after he became an Eternal Emperor, he did not live for long before being exiled to the upper dimension. And once he reached there, he died within a few million years.
Furthermore, he spent most of this time running away from people hunting him down. Because of this experience, he lacked the foundation of an Emperor since he only had a little time to learn the secrets of Heaven and Earth, learn secret techniques, or even have a high cultivation level.
When he died, his Grand Dao Source's comprehension was only 23%, and that's only because he absorbed a lot of the Myriad Emperor World's source.
So, when he took over Mo Xingyun's body and had to cultivate her to be a viable Heaven Chosens in this generation, the Heaven Devouring Emperor felt he had many limitations; he felt he could not bring out his full potential.
'Well, I should be satisfied,' he pondered. With his current Dao Foundation, he can recast a better Dao Body after reviving himself. The previous one was trash, in his opinion.
After Awakening, he did not even have a 1% Grand Dao Source boost until he ascended to the upper dimension. And it even reached 1% because he killed a newly-born Emperor and absorbed her Dao Body.
Unfortunately, his act also revealed himself to the public. Then, countless former Emperors from the Myriad Emperor World began to hunt him down.
When it comes to his death, the Heaven Devouring Emperor is furious, and it's not because of all these people ganging on him to kill him. As a devil cultivator, he was always prepared to die or suffer some random calamity because of his karma sins.
The reason for his anger was he suspected someone was scheming against him, and that person was none other than Emperor Kong.
Not long after killing that Emperor, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor planned to absorb a few more Dao Bodies to sublimate his own. However, Emperor Kong showed up and talked to him about being fellow Eternals from the same place and invited him to work together for a great cause.
However, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor was suspicious since the latter was very vague about his so-called great cause. Of course, with his intelligence, he guessed it was related to the "rebels."
As he had already decided to keep out of the battle between the Parasites and the Rebels and even using the chaos to his advantage, the Heaven Devouring Emperor refused his invitation.
Unfortunately, not long after that, he suddenly became the public enemy of many Great Emperors from the Myriad Emperor World. They hunted him down for many years before killing him.
After his death, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor analyzed the situation. He realized his death was nothing but a warning from Emperor Kong. After he revived himself, he knew the latter would come and invite him again.
By then, if he refuses, his fate will be true death.
…
After feeling the power coursing through his veins, Mo Xingyun gazed at his opponent.
Bang!
He rushed toward her with immense speed. Before she could perceive him, he was already before her and punched her. The sound of ribs cracking echoed in the vast emptiness of space before Huo Fenghuang flew in the distance.
Huo Fenghuang groaned as she transferred most of the force behind the attack, allowing her to stop her momentum. She spat the blood in her mouth as white flame appeared on her body, trying to heal her injuries.
'That wild, fierce, primitive, and supreme aura–he has the Ancient Barbarian Physique.'
Heavenly Physique ranked 21st–Ancient Barbary Physique.
Rumors have it that in ancient times before humans had a cultivation system, there were a group of powerful humans who could smash mountains and move rivers. Although their strengths were pale compared to top Innate Demon Gods, they could still fight some of the weaker ones.
And that's because of their powerful flesh. These people were known as the Barbarian Race.
According to legend, their race was a group of humans living on an isolated island.
Then, one day, an injured Primordial God arrived at that island and died there. The humans drank his blood and ate his flesh. Although most died as a result, the ones who survived were fundamentally changed.
They became more powerful and capable of using Divine Abilities.
"You survived?" said Mo Xingyun with a sneer. "Let's change that."
The phantom of a half man and half bull appeared behind him before instantly appearing before her and stomping his feet.
Huo Fenghuang's Yin-Yang Shield could not resist for even a second, even with the power of [Weakness (Yin)] to reduce the attacking potency of this technique] and [Strength (Yang)] to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the shield.
Luckily, she manifested another Bloodline Artifact besides her White Tiger Sword–the Black Tortoise Shield.
Bang!
The vibration from the attack destroyed her organs, making her vomit more blood.
'Shit, this is bad,' thought Huo Fenghuang as she felt the power of the Duyi Realm preventing her from healing. She analyzed it was probably the peak 9th stage of the Duyi Realm.
Her Phoenix Flame was working on overdrive to heal herself, but the process was like someone caught in a quagmire.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor no longer talked; he decided to kill her as quickly as possible to prevent any trouble.
His secret technique used the reserve power or energy he swallowed to increase his power. Such a technique should have a time limit and sequelae.
However, for the Heaven-Devouring Emperor, this fact was only partially true. There was indeed a time limit, but he could use more reserved energy to extend it. And it was the same for the backlash.
With the power he swallowed, he can convert them into a life force to instantly heal himself to a peak state. As such, with this ingenious method, he can keep this power and fight for at least a week.
And if the Heaven-Devouring Emperor can continue to swallow his opponent's power, he can extend this time limit.
Boom!
Mo Xingyun attacked again, and Huo Fenghuang's injury aggravated. Then, her expression became ugly.
She discovered a subtle power absorbing the Blood Qi in her dantian and the spiritual power in her Sea of Consciousness.
The scariest part was she felt the Innate Law from her bloodlines tremble slightly as if affected by this power.
'What's going on? I have absolute control over my power, so he should not be able to swallow them.'
It was one thing to swallow her external attacks but another thing entirely to directly take them from her inside her body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mo Xingyun suddenly grew Three Heads and Six Arms, assaulting Huo Fenghuang as if the latter had taken his wife and killed his mother. And with each attack, he would swallow her power.
Huo Fenghuang tried different methods to stop this from happening. She blessed herself with the Immortal Will from the Phoenix. However, she discovered it was useless.
After a rapid analysis, she discovered her opponent would absorb her power during a moment of weakness every time she was injured. In the brief moment, once her body or soul suffered an injury, she lost control of her Blood Qi, Spiritual Power, and even Law.
Although that time is less than an attosecond, it was more than enough for the Heaven-Devouring Emperor.
So, in a few seconds, Huo Fenghuang's body shrunk and became thinner than a mummy. She would have died if not for using the Yin-Yang Mirror supplement Yin-Yang Energy to her Black Tortoise Shield.
'I can't keep defending like this,' she thought as she decided it was not a good idea to summon the defensive Emperor Artifact. In her current situation, the artifact would drain all her life force and kill her.
Furthermore, she had to watch out for the Heaven Devouring Emperor from Devouring the artifact, hence why she did not physically summon her mirror.
Although absorbing an Emperor Artifact should be in the realm of impossibility, she knew she was facing a former Eternal Emperor. So, common sense did not apply to her.
Huo Fenghuang chose a different tactic altogether. A decisive look flashed deep in her eyes, then:
Boom!
She exploded her flesh body and part of her soul, creating a powerful shockwave that pushed Mo Xingyun away.
But in this distance, a small red crystal that looked like a tear was surrounded by white flames. The crystal was Huo Fenghuang's Phoenix Bloodline Artifact–the Phoenix Tear.
With it, she had a few lives. So, she used it to revive herself and distance herself from her opponent.
And once she showed up, she was completely different.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor looked at the new Huo Fenghuang with a stern look.
She had blue armor made of scale. No, it was not armor–her skin had turned into dragon scale. Her eyes were blood red and that of a tiger. Two pairs of flaming wings floated behind her, followed by a scale snake for a tail. Two deer horns grew from her head. However, they were not Dragon Horns but Qilin, apparent by their short length.
'Five Sacred Beast Bloodline,' thought the Heaven-Devouring Emperor, more serious than before. His eyes could see tiny black tortoise tattoos on each of Huo Fenghuang's scales, indicating the terrifying defense of the latter.
Furthermore, his opponent's aura was not inferior to his–if not more powerful.
Huo Fenghuang went all out as she knew she had no choice. Her aura changed, becoming old, ancient, and full of vicissitude and wisdom. And given her young and beautiful face, it was somewhat odd.
And the reason for such a change was a unique technique from the Ancient Clans called [Bloodline Reincarnation]. Through this technique, she can live the lives of all her ancestors, acquiring their battle experience and other things.
This technique is extremely difficult to cultivate, and when most people do, they can only see one or two generations prior. However, Huo Fenghuang can acquire the battle experience of her ancestors all the way to the Ancient Emperor Era.
Furthermore, she has five Innate Bloodlines, meaning five sources of memories.
Boom!
The void cracked as she rushed toward him and clawed his face with her dragon claws. Mo Xingyun was not to be outdone. A wild aura emanated from his body and clashed head-on with her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their clash created shockwaves that shook the entire Central Quadrant. If Heavenly Dao did not reinforce the battlefield, they would have easily destroyed all five Quadrants with their powers.
While clashing, Huo Fenghuang opened her mouth to spew a mouthful of flame. However, Mo Xingyun made a swallowing motion and devoured the attack.
Huo Fenghuang retaliated by using a Water Breath Attack, and things should have proceeded the same way, but they did not. Her attack mimicked pressurized water or water jet, capable of cutting metals.
And with her power, the water jet instantly cut off Mo Xingyun's devouring power and tried to cut off his body in half. Luckily, the Heaven Devouring Emperor was also a person full of battle experience.
His body evaded to the side to dodge. Then, he used a brilliant method to save his limb. His reaction was fast but not fast enough. As such, the water jet should have cut off his right hand and leg.
However, once the attack reached these locations, he separated his limbs, allowing the water jet to bypass him without causing any harm.
[Burning Perception]
Huo Fenghuang did not miss the opportunity and advantage she had. While Mo Xingyun was reconnecting his limbs, she went on the offensive. She used her Flame Dao to burn the latter's perception, ruining things like his senses, intuitions, reflexes, and Divine Sense.
[Slaughtering Devil Fist]
A red aura appeared in Huo Fenghuang's hand, and she punched forward. Her fist contained a power designed specially to kill devils. It targeted their fundamental natures consisting of all negative emotions, Karmic Sins, their bloodline, and their position as the embodiment of Karmic Sins between Heaven and Earth.
Boom!
Mo Xingyun's body exploded into a blood mist, not leaving a single atom or drop of her soul. The power behind that punch was so overwhelming that Devouring Power, capable of swallowing everything between Heaven and Earth, including living and non-living things, existing and non-existing concepts, was utterly useless. Even his passive domain was forcefully destroyed.
The punch targeted his core existence as a devil and wiped him out from the source.
'Dead?' thought Huo Fenghuang. 'No, not quite.' Her intuition told her things were not over; otherwise, it would be too simple. And she was correct.
Not far from her, a new Mo Xingyun appeared–albeit with a pale complexion. However, he soon returned to normal after a few seconds.
'He regrew himself from that drop of blood I cut off from his face earlier,' she analyzed.
[Eternal Flame]
A massive tornado of black flame manifested from Huo Fenghuang. The flame looked odd as it looked spiky as if made of thorns. The flame rushed toward its target, annihilating everything in its path.
Meanwhile, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor frowned. He did not dare to easily swallow any of her attacks.
'It's always a pain to fight opponents like this,' he analyzed. One of the advantages of the Devour Dao is the ability to use the opponent's power or techniques against them.
Unfortunately, this method does not work for top geniuses like Huo Fenghuang, who has absolute control and knowledge of their techniques. So, even if he could take control of one of her attacks, he knew she had ways to counter-attack it.
[Wind of Destruction]
He waved his hand to create a dark purple wind that confronted the dark flames. In most worlds, there are unique flames created or bred by Heaven and Earth; they are called Heavenly Flames.
However, flames are not the only elements specially bred. As such, there are things like Heavenly Water, Heavenly Earth, Heavenly Metal, and so on. Unfortunately, flames seemed the most common and widespread among them.
And the Heaven Devouring Emperor's attack was from a Heavenly Wind Mo Xingyun absorbed in one of her fortune encounters.
Boom!
The clash of these two heavenly elements canceled each other out. Then, Huo Fenghuang suddenly appeared before her opponent and attacked swiftly, and the ferocity of a target hunting its prey while on the verge of starvation.
However, her expression soon changed as her attack passed through Mo Xingyun as if she was an intangible ghost. Huo Fenghuang's tiger eyes scanned her opponent and quickly saw the truth.
The person before her was nothing but a projection. The real Mo Xingyun entered a secret dimension, similar to a mirror of the current battlefield.
'According to our spies, Mo Xingyun probably killed Zhang Xuan and absorbed his Void Physique.'
In a short moment, she thought of many ways to deal with the situation, like using her Yin-Yang Dao to enter this Mirror Space. However, she decided to use the most direct and efficient manner–break it with one punch.
She clenched her fist:
Boooom!
Huo Fenghuang did not have the time to attack. Instead, Mo Xingyun detonated the Mirror Space and used it as a bomb against her opponent. And the explosion generated by this attack could only be described as world-destroying, the embodiment of nature's wrath.
He heard the sound of coughing, and his eyes squinted.
'Damn it, how powerful is her defense,' he secretly cursed as he saw Huo Fenghuang with a few broken scales and a few patches of blood on her body.
The Mirror Space he created was larger than this entire battlefield. Yet, she survived a head-on explosion.
[Burning Perception]
Huo Fenghuang used the same tactic. However, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor would never fail for the same plan twice–especially one capable of instantly killing him. So, he quickly swallowed the flame targeting his perception.
Sadly for him, Huo Fenghuang's battle experience was on par with his. So, she saw a few steps ahead and predicted she would fail. Her attack was only a distraction in the first place.
Suddenly, two Huo Fenghuang appeared on the left and right sides of Mo Xingyun. A Yin-Yang Diagram appeared underneath him while a sun appeared on his left.
The sun moved from his left to his right, and the Heaven Devouring Emperor's face changed. He discovered he was slowly losing his power, weakening at an alarming rate.
'Time; she's reverting me to a younger state. But she does not have Time Law, so how did she do it?' If he did not understand this weird technique, he would suffer tremendously.
His cultivation realm decreases as he gets younger, and he might even reach the point before he took over Mo Xingyun's body.
'Is this her objective?' He analyzed as he pushed his Devouring Power beyond its limits. Unfortunately, the power of his technique was also drastically weakened as soon as it appeared. As such, although he made the sun stop moving from left to right for a moment, it was far from enough.
'The space is completely blocked. No, I'm basically sealed inside the space created by this technique,' thought the Heaven-Devouring Emperor as he observed his surroundings. He entered a calm state, not minding his weakening strength and focusing on analyzing this technique.
'The Four Symbols–White Tiger of the East, Azure Dragon of the West, Black Tortoise of the North, and the Phoenix of the South.
'The Sun rises from the east and sets in the east. The movement of the sun is a symbol of the passing of time. When the sun completes its cycle, it represents that one day has passed.
'Using this idea, she can use her Bloodline to control Time Dao. And by making the sun rise from the west and set in the east using Yin-Yang Dao, she can revert time.'
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor could not help but marvel at such a brilliant display of bloodline and Law. he calmly gazed at Huo Fenghuang and saw four items floating above her head:
The White Tiger Sword, the Black Tortoise Shield, the Phoenix Tear, the Azure Dragon Cloud, and the Qilin's Luck Seal.
He could tell she used all her Bloodline Artifacts to their ultimate level for this technique.
Numerous thoughts flashed inside the Heaven-Devouring Emperor's mind, calculating the best way to stop this technique. Unfortunately, his Devour Dao, all his Heavenly Physiques, Innate Talents, and secret techniques were useless.
'There is only one way,' he thought, not hiding the unhappiness in his facial expression. The only solution to this situation is to use his trump card. However, his pride was wounded after concluding this fact.
He was forced to such an extent by someone other than Wang Wei. Furthermore, he had to consider the consequences of revealing his trump card so early on.
'What a terrifying generation,' he thought, releasing a terrifying killing intent. He decided after reviving himself, he would kill or enslave all these geniuses. That way, they can't threaten him in the future.
He knew he would finish what he started long ago after his revival. And if these geniuses survived this battle and sealed themselves, they could easily prove the Dao and become Eternal Emperors.
Then, problems will arise if one of them decides to take revenge.
Of course, an alternative approach is to enslave and take them to the upper dimension. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor knew the reason for his downfall was that he did not have a faction supporting or under his control.
But if he could have these geniuses as his subordinate, he could do many things after helping them prove the Dao. So, he immediately decided to do this after seeing Huo Fenghuang's talent.
Then, a mighty and supreme aura emanated from his body.
Meanwhile, Huo Fenghuang's eyes lit up despite the horrific danger she sensed.
'Is this his trump card?' She took all her willpower not to show her excited emotions.
'Finally, victory is in sight.'
Huo Fenghuang felt the terrible aura pressing on her. Based on her knowledge and experience, she knew this power was that of a Dao Ancestor, and it was not a simple 1-Root.
With her current strength, she could barely fight for a 1-Root Dao Ancestor for a short time if she used more detrimental secret techniques.
However, despite the impending danger, she was excited beyond words. Her divination revealed she had a high chance of dying, and now she finally knew why.
'Finally,' Huo Fenghuang thought. She pretended to be scared and mobilized more power of her [Yin-Yang Time Reversal Technique], trying to stop whatever her opponent wanted to do.
However, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor sneered. A sword appeared above his head, and with a little thought, he forcefully destroyed the sealed space of her technique.
"You should be proud you pushed me to such an extent," said the proud and mighty Emperor. Then, he no longer wasted any more time. The sword rushed toward Huo Fenghuang, intending to annihilate her utterly.
However, before the sword could accomplish its tasks, something changed. Huo Fenghuang's troops suddenly appeared in the surroundings, divided into five groups.
Then, a massive phantom of the Five Sacred Beasts flew from them. So, an Azure Dragon appeared on the east side, a white tiger in the west, a black tortoise in the north, a red phoenix in the south, and a yellow Qilin in the center.
Then, these five creatures released five colors corresponding to the Five Elements, turning into Five Element Charts that showed how these elements promoted and canceled each other out.
The Five Element Chart appeared above Mo Xingyun and the sword, followed by a Yin-Yang Diagram below them.
[Five Sacred Beast Seal]
The chart and diagram turned into a robust seal that locked on the sword. Then, this Dao Artifact turned into an ordinary sword. The mighty aura capable of destroying Heaven and Earth was gone; now, it looked like a regular sword created by a mortal blacksmith.
'Done,' thought Huo Fenghuang. Now, she only needs to defeat her opponent and take the Heaven-Devouring Emperor's soul. Subsequently, she will finally have a chance at winning against Wang Wei and Di Tian.
Although it won't be easy even with that secret technique, now there is hope.
"So, this was your plan," said Mo Xingyun calmly. However, his calmness made Huo Fenghuang nervous. Regardless, she remained composed. She immediately decided not to waste time with him in case the situation changed.
Boom!
Her aura increased by a few percent, followed by the entire Central Quadrant turning red.
[Killing Mark]
A weird tattoo or rune appeared on Huo Fenghuang's face. Through them, she could use the Slaughter Qi on the battlefield to boost her strength. Then, she used her most powerful attack:
[Sentient Killing Fist]
Her former Slaughtering Devil Fist only targeted devils and everything that made them unique. And this fist was even fiercer as it targeted all sentient beings. So, whether it was Devils, Demons, Gods, Immortals, Buddhas, Great Emperors, or any of the almighty existing standing at the peak of the pyramid–it targeted them all together.
The existence of this fist had only one purpose for its existence: to kill anything that it wished to.
Boom!
Huo Fenghuang flew backward, the bottom half of her body missing. Upon closer observation, it was easy to detect a sharp object sliced through her ultimate scale. And by the smoothness of the cut, the process was as easy as a sharp knife cutting through soft butter.
"How is that possible?" muttered the proud Phoenix as she looked at the second sword that appeared before Mo Xingyun.
"There is nothing to be surprised about," said the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. "The moment you arrived, I was suspicious of your motive. So, to be cautious, I only summoned a projection of my Dao Artifact."
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor sneered. He was a Dao Lord, and not a regular one–he was the only Dao Lord of the Devouring Dao. Before him, the Devouring Dao was not an Outlaw Dao. No, to be precise, the other people who practiced it–including the Baishe Clan–could only use a limited version of it.
And it is the same for his descendant–Mo Xingyun–and her physique.
However, he cultivated the Devouring Dao to the pinnacle and activated its status as an Outlaw Dao. Furthermore, because of his teacher, he knew in advance about the trial–thus increasing its difficulty by a few percent.
And even then, he still succeeded in passing.
"I have wasted enough time on you," he commented before mobilizing the power of the true sword.
Boom!
The sword's power created a terrifying explosion, thus surrounding Huo Fenghuang in a cloud of space dust. Then, a few seconds later, the dust blew away, revealing her state.
Huo Fenghuang was surrounded by three artifacts in the font, nine in the middle and five in the back.
'Three Eternal Emperor Artifacts, Nine Extreme Innate Artifacts, and Five Bloodline Artifacts' analyzed the Heaven Devouring Emperor; he also marveled at the richness and background of the Ancient Clans–despite their current weakening stage.
In this world, most people believed the Dao Opening Sect had the most Eternal Emperor Artifacts. But it was not so. This honor went to the Ancient Clan.
'Given their glorious history, it makes sense,' analyzed the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. The Ancient Clans lead the world to win the Acquire-Innate War. Although they did not do it alone, their contributions–especially the Heaven Beginning Emperor–were amongst the best throughout the entire lower dimension.
With such an accomplishment, their Ancient Clan should have prospered for eternity due to the large amount of merit, luck, and destiny they amassed during the war.
Unfortunately, they became too greedy and wanted to turn the Myriad Emperor into their Heaven Will farming place; they wanted every generation of Emperors to come from their clans.
Their actions touched Heavenly Dao's bottom line and ruined their relationship with the others. So, they lost the Spirit of Epoch and most of their merit and destiny.
The truth of the matter is Qiyuan was the last chance for the Ancient Clan to correct their ideologies and mentalities. As long as they listened to Qiyuan and considered Heavenly Dao's balance, they would be fine.
Better yet, as long as they did not drive him out of the clan and allowed him to grow up and prove the Dao, he would have led their clan to a greater height. Qiyuan's existence was the final manifestation of the Ancient Clan's destiny.
Unfortunately, they failed miserably.
So, after growing up, Qiyuan became the manifestation of their clan's tribulation. He utterly destroyed all their destiny and the merit they gathered during the war.
And when he created the Dao Opening Sect, most of that merit transferred to them and the Wang, Li, and Yan Clan. That's why there has been so much unparalleled genius in these three clans and the sect for so many eras.
Regardless of how much the Ancient Clan was weakened in the past, their foundation was still solid. Throughout history, they have had the most Eternal Emperors. And although most died or were forced to leave the lower dimension, the Ancient Clan still has some artifacts left from them.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor frowned after seeing the situation.
'She is sacrificing these Innate Treasures to power up the Emperor Artifacts. So, her defense could last for a long time.'
He knew the longer he wasted, the more variables that could arise. So, he decided to act swiftly as he saw a white flame enveloping Huo Fenghuang. He used his Duyi Realm to resist her healing while also summoning three Emperor Artifacts.
He controlled them to suppress Huo Fenghuang's artifact. Mo Xingyin only had one Eternal Artifact, so he had to make up the number with his better understanding of Emperor Artifacts and the massive amount of reserve energy he had swallowed.
Moreover, one of the artifacts contained sealing abilities. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor brought many Emperor Artifacts–most of which he borrowed from other Devil Factions in the Western Continent, using the power of the Mo Clan or making enticing deals with them.
Although the rules stated only 3 artifacts could be used, there are ways for people with a great background to take advantage of this rule. For example, the rules did not place limits on Innate or Chaos Artifacts.
Secondly, the rules only stated a person could use up to 3 Artifacts at the same time, but it never stated someone could not bring more and leave them in their space ring.
And with more artifacts, a cultivator will have more variety of options. After all, Emperor Artifacts have specific Daos and are helpful for different occasions.
This flaw in the rules greatly benefits wealthy individuals like Di Tian and Wang Wei.
Crack!
In a few seconds, cracks appeared on Huo Fenghuang's shield, making her expression ugly. She tried to mobilize all the power of the Innate Artifacts, sacrificing them like pawns. Simultaneously, she was also healing.
Unfortunately, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor wanted to eliminate her at all costs. So, he summoned his troops and used them as a sealing formation to boost the power of his artifacts.
So, in less than a minute, Huo Fenghuang's shield broke, leaving her vulnerable. Then, Mo Xinguin's sword rushed in for the kill.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave echoed through the entire Central Continent. However, Huo Fenghuang was intact as someone had appeared before her.
Bang!
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor watched the devastating power of her attack hit Huo Fenghuang. However, he soon frowned. He saw someone appear before her, so he focused on them.
He squinted at her with a look of bafflement; he could not fathom what had just happened; no, he refused to accept it.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor took a moment to analyze this situation, using all his intelligence, wisdom, and experience. Then, great anger overcame him.
His aura leaked, twisting the surrounding space. The Central Quadrant even turned red for a brief moment.
"Damn you," he roared, his voice echoing like a wrathful God about to walk on a path of carnage and destruction. Then, he attacked Huo Fenghuang with even more ferocity.
A few seconds prior:
Huo Fenghuang watched how her shield cracked, and she watched how that terrifying sword rapidly approached her. She used her immense Willpower to remove the fear of death, trying to remain calm.
However, she knew death was coming, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. For a moment, memories of her life flashed in her mind; it started when she was three years old, learning about the glorious past of the Ancient Clan.
Their Huo Clan's ancestor was a brilliant man–even in the era when humans lived in ignorance. He invited fire and brought all humans out of the age of eating raw food. They could now be warm in the winter, thus saving millions of lives.
With this accomplishment, the latter received countless merits, passed down through his descendants. Then, her ancestor took the name "Huo," which meant fire, as their surname.
And after the Heaven Opening Emperor opened the new age of Emperor, their Huo Clan took the opportunity to rise. They use the Phoenix Bloodline for their family since the Phoenix represents the pinnacle of the Flame Bloodline.
Huo Fenghuang saw many more memories. However, she quickly suppressed the process–she did not want to give up before the final moment.
She pushed her brain on overdrive, thinking of a solution that would allow her to survive this ordeal. And right when she was about to die, something suddenly popped into her mind: it was a brilliant technique, unlike anything she had thought of before.
Boom!
The attack reached, but Huo Fenghuang was perfectly intact. And that's because someone had appeared before. And that someone was another version of herself dressed in all white.
The white-dressed Huo Fenghuang released an aura on par with the Heaven-Devouring Emperor's Dao Artifact, and she might even be more powerful.
Huo Fenghuang looked at the person who protected her. At the last minute, she used a technique that combined Luck Dao and Yin-Yang Dao.
Her Luck Dao allowed her to control probability, and probability represents infinite possibility and an infinite future. Huo Fenghuang asked herself how she would make the probability of her blocking that attack a hundred percent while also having the power to kill the Heaven-Devouring Emperor.
The answer is to have Nine Extremity Foundation and a completed one with 5-Root.
Then, she used her Yin-Yang Dao to control Truth and False. She created a false version of herself with the Nine Extremity Foundation and combined it with her probability. Then, she reversed false into truth, materializing that false version of herself she had created.
And thus, white dressed Huo Fenghuang appeared.
Huo Fenghuang calmly watched the angered Mo Xingyun attack a second time. And as she expected, her other self calmly waved her hand to block that sword.
"Come out," yelled the Heaven-Devouring Emperor like a mad man, a mad woman?
Unfortunately, no one answered him. And Huo Fenghuang was puzzled, wondering whom he was talking to.
"Wang Wei, I know you're here, so come out."
Still no answer.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" he said to the void before sneering. "There is no way she could create such a technique without intense knowledge of the Nine Extremity Foundation.
"And even if she did, it would be virtually impossible to achieve 5-Root strength. Finally, I see the Karma Thread connecting the two of you. Do you think you can hide such a thing from me?"
"Yes," said a grand voice that echoed in the surrounding. "I should never underestimate someone who reached your height."
"So, you finally decided to show up and stop playing puppet master," said the Heaven-Devouring Emperor.
"Show up? You are still not worthy," said the majestic voice. Then, a woman dressed in all black appeared before Mo Xingyun.
"Wang Ju?" asked the Heaven-Devouring Emperor, feeling humiliated as his pride was hurt.
"You think she is enough to deal with me?" he asked with gritted teeth.
"In this battle, I have only one true competitor and one wild variable, but you're neither," replied Mo Xingyun. "At best, you are a mild convenience."
"Hehehe," The Heaven-Devouring Emperor laughed, but his voice was calm yet maniacal. Anyone with a discerning eye could detect the fury he was trying to suppress.
"I can't believe I was looked down upon by a snot-nosed brat who would die in a few million years."
He restrained his aura, looking deeply at Wang Ju. The killing intent in his eyes was substantial, affecting the surrounding billion light years. Without hesitation, he mobilized his sword to the extreme.
However, Wang Ju remained calm, preparing to engage in battle and annihilate her opponent as she was ordered.
Meanwhile, Huo Fenghuang's thoughts were in utter chaos, not even notice the white-dressed version of herself disappearing. She did not expect to be used as a pawn to test the Heaven-Devouring Emperor.
She was furious by this fact while also happy she could survive this endeavor. Her mood changed from these two extremes until turning into utter frustration.
'In the end, this result is my lack of strength and strategic vision,' she summarized. She did not blame Wang Wei or anyone else. Instead, she decided to take this moment as a learning opportunity to learn and grow,
Finally, Huo Fenghuang looked at the handsome red-haired man who appeared next to him.
"What do you want?"
"I need to talk to you, and my brother also wants to see you," replied Li Jun.
Huo Fenghuang frowned before nodding.
"If you don't mind, I can help you remove the Duyi Realm power inside your body," he continued.
"No need," replied Huo Fenghuang as white flames enveloped her, burning everything in the process. She achieved another nirvana, thus regenerating her missing lower limbs.
However, her expression was pale, indicating the process was not as smooth as it appeared.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.
"I want to exchange Slaughter Dao's understanding," said Li Jun. With Wang Wei's help, he saw most of the battle, which allowed him to see the difference in their Dao.
His Slaughter Dao focused more on all types of ways to kill a large number of people. So he can control things like diseases, poison, and even mental illness.
Meanwhile, Huo Fenghuang's Slaughter Dao focuses more on the best way to kill an individual. So, although she does not have all his killing means or is weak when it comes to large-scale destruction, he paled in comparison to her ability to kill in a one-to-one battle.
The core difference in their Slaughter Dao can be explained as Li Jun focused more on the War Aspect of this Dao, while Huo Fenghuang focused more on the Killing Aspect.
She thought for a moment before agreeing. Huo Fenghuang realized this was another opportunity. Anyway, she was now a defeated King, and her Emperor Path had ended.
So, it was wise to make the best of the situation and get more benefits.
Li Jun led her back to the Eastern Continent while exchanging Dao Comprehension with her. He did not immediately teleport or fly at extreme speed; he took the long way so they could have time for their exchange.
…
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor looked at Wang Ju, releasing her aura. He felt he was strangely familiar. Then, he squinted his eyes as he remembered something.
One of the people who participated in his exile into the upper dimension was an odd individual from the Dao Opening Sect who also dressed in all black and did not reveal their face.
He remembered that person was called Shadow One.
The Heaven-Devouring Emperor remembered that Insurgent because he was tricky and stabbed him a dozen times. And every time he tried to kill the latter, he would get away, or another Insurgent with a strange turtle shell would protect him.
'Her aura is the same as that person,' analyzed the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. His mind worked faster than usual as he put many pieces of the puzzle together.
'An Insurgent technique that allowed an Emperor to bless their strength to an individual. This technique is probably of Shadow Nature and the work of the Shadow Ruler.'
He understood why she was so powerful; Wang Wei must have used this technique to empower her, granting her strength on par with 5-Root Dao Ancestor.
'He most likely sent her to humiliate me and affect my state of mind during the battle. I won't fall for such an obvious trick.'
Chapter
Li Jun and Huo Fenghuang used their Divine Sense to exchange Dao Comprehension at an alarming rate. And in the process, both benefited tremendously.
Huo Fenghuang learned to expand the variety of her killing method. In contrast, Li Jun learned how to focus his killing method to have more destructive capabilities in one-on-one battles.
While deep in their conversation, they finally reached their destination in the Eastern Quadrant. Wang Wei was waiting for them on the same desolate planet he stayed on since the beginning of the battle.
"Thank you for this exchange," said Li Jun. "I have benefitted immensely. "
He never thought Huo Fenghuang would accept his request; he only asked on a whim, prepared for rejection. However, she not only agreed but was very cooperative.
"The pleasure is all mine," replied the Phoenix Princess. After accepting her defeat, her state of mind changed, and she became more peaceful. This mindset is the reason she so readily accepted Li Jun's request.
And now, she knew she had made the right choice due to the immense benefit this short exchange granted her.
Li Jun nodded. He wanted to ask her to communicate more often and learn from each other. However, he decided otherwise after thinking for a moment.
Huo Fenghuang should become a Primarch after leaving the battlefield. As such, she should have nothing to discuss with a mortal like him. And since he cannot reveal he will also be a Great Emperor, he chooses not to ask and gets rejected.
Wang Wei waited for them to finish talking before taking action. He waved his hand, and a green cube enveloped Li Jun before sending him into the distance.
'I sense the power of time,' thought Huo Fenghuang. 'Did he put him in a Time Bubble so he could swiftly digest our previous exchange and increase his strength?'
Huo Fenghuang secretly sighed as she felt jealous of their relationship. In the Ancient Clan, she could not even trust the members of her Huo Clan. So, it was impossible to train a mighty general–let alone one on par with the top Heaven Chosens of this Glorious Age.
Huo Fenghuang finally focused on Wang Wei. She saw the latter had created a small table and invited her to sit down. So, with a calm demeanor, she sat opposite him.
"Tea or wine?"
Huo Fenghuang thought for a moment. She had just lost a battle that ended her Emperor Path, so she was in the mood to drink, preferably something very strong. However, she also felt this meeting was important and should be more formal.
So, she replied:
"Tea." freeweɓnøvel.com
Wang Wei calmly summoned a pot of tea before brewing it in front of her while also performing the perfect tea etiquette.
"Longjue Tea–it's my favorite," he explained. "I grew them personally using the power of Good Fortune."
He calmly served her before serving him.
"Before we begin, I would like to remind you that the outside world is watching our conversation."
Huo Fenghuang frowned as she understood the meaning behind his warnings.
"I understand."
Wang Wei nodded. "I believe that fighting is the worst way to deal with a problem and should only be used as a last resort.
"On the contrary, I believe in making friends and allies, to work together to deal with a problem."
"Are you trying to form an alliance with our Ancient Clan?"
"More or less," replied Wang Wei. "I would love for an alliance. But I'm also perfectly fine with an agreement–even a non-binding one."
Huo Fenghuang took a sip of her tea, and her eyes lit up. The tea was delicious and blessed the soul with a 15% increase in comprehension. Furthermore, she felt the blessing should last for at least three days.
"Good tea," she complimented.
"Thank you."
Huo Fenghuang briefly paused, "Do you think our two factions can become allies, given our troubled history?"
"Isn't there a saying that there is no eternal enemy, only eternal benefit?"
"Benefit, huh," muttered Huo Fenghuang, who knew things were not so simple. The Ancient Clans were highly proud and held grudges. The majority of the different clans believed Qiyuan was why their family became so weak.
They blamed him for ruining their dreams of becoming the absolute overlord of the Myriad Emperor World. So, it would be very challenging to convince them to set aside their grudge and pride to work with other factions–especially the Dao Opening Sect.
"Tell me about the benefits you mention."
Although Huo Fenghuang knew it would not be easy to become allies, she wanted to hear him out first. There may be room for negotiation.
"Believe it or not, our goals are the same," said Wang Wei.
"What do you mean?"
"Like you, I plan to revert the Myriad Emperor World to the Innate Environment on par with the Beginning Emperor Era."
Huo Fenghuang squinted her eyes as her heartbeat drastically accelerated. Luckily, she swiftly controlled herself and calmed down.
"Are you serious?"
"I am."
Huo Fenghuang could not control her emotions for a few seconds. The Ancient Clans have been planning this for countless eras with no success. The entire clan placed their glory, ambitions, and dreams on her shoulder to carry this plan.
And honestly, Huo Fenghuang was not confident–even with the method to become a Primarch. And now, she heard someone else had the same plan as them.
She knew of Wang Wei's strength. Once he becomes an Eternal Emperor, he has a higher chance than her of succeeding.
Huo Fenghuang took a deep breath to calm down; she also pondered the implications of this sudden change. The Ancient Clan had made preparations beforehand, but she now had to look at things from a different angle, taking into account the Dao Opening Sect's point of view.
So, after more than a minute of silence, she said:
"How do you want to work together?"
Wang Wei smiled before deciding to be direct:
"The first cooperation involved a cultivation system. After the environment changes, the Ancient System will thrive, which the Dao Opening Sect cannot allow. So, I already planned to optimize the Origin System to fit the environment.
"If you become our ally, I can promise not to suppress the Ancient System. And if our cooperation is deep enough, I can even allow some room for development."
"How is this an alliance? You're basically threatening us."
"I am," replied Wang Wei, his voice steady and calm. "You should understand this involves the core luck and destiny of our sect. So, there is no room for negotiations."
Huo Fenghuang frowned, not showing any emotions. In the past, the Ancient Clan guarded their cultivation system like it was the most precious thing in existence. However, after so many years, they understood the benefit of gathering the luck of the entire system.
So, if the Ancient System could prosper in the new age, their clan would benefit immensely.
"Anything else?" asked Huo Fenghuang.
"The second issue involved the Innate Demon Gods," added Wang Wei. "We want the peaceful integration of their race into our world; we don't want a war."
'Does he know?' Huo Fenghuang thought. The Ancient Clan's plans involved secretly manipulating a war between Innate and Acquire Life. Then, they will lead Acquired Life into victory, thus amassing a significant number of merits.
In other words, they want to repeat or recreate the situation after the Null Era.
Wang Wei looked at her and guessed what she was thinking. And he did know about the Ancient Clan's plan. And his only comment is these people were mad, living in the shadow of their past.
According to his predictions, if the Ancient Clans' plan succeeded in the Myriad Emperor World, their ambitions would expand, and they would want to recreate the Innate-Acquire War that spawned all the lower dimensions.
And in the worst-case scenario, the Ancient Clan might want to turn the lower dimension into their Heaven Will farm. They will use the Innate-Acquired War to destroy the civilization of all Heaven Will World while preserving their strength.
Then, they will open branches in all these Heaven Will Worlds, using their foundation to win Heaven Wills after Heaven Wills, thus dominating the lower dimension as the Devil Race did.
Of course, their clan has not reached such a level of madness. Currently, they are only focused on the Myriad Emperor World. However, if they succeeded, Wang Wei could predict their next step.
And if they reach such a stage, their fate will only be annihilation.
Time has changed, and the appearance of the Innate Lifes is not much of a big deal. Wang Wei previously planned to change the laws of Heaven and Earth to affect their birth.
However, after thinking about it for a while, he realized the impact of their appearance was similar to a powerful Emperor Lineage suddenly appearing in the Myriad Emperor World.
In the current stage of the world full of Immortal Venerables, Dao Ancestors, and Insurgents, the Innate Demons or Primordial Gods have no discerning advantage that would allow them to rule the world as they did.
Humans are no longer the weak species from the Beginning Emperor Era that needed to secretly study their bodies to become powerful and survive.
Humans were now the protagonist of the world. So, if these new generations of Innate Demon Gods tried to rule their world, their fate would only be another extinction.
Chapter
"I'm failing to see how this is a beneficial alliance," commented Huo Fenghuang. "Our Ancient Clan will gain nothing."
Their clans have been preparing for this war for many years, and Huo Fenghuang's words alone would not be enough to stop it–even if she became an Eternal Emperor with absolute strength.
Furthermore, she also believed this plan was a great way to revive the clan. However, she also was part of the faction that believed things needed to be done slowly and steadily, compared to the more extreme factions.
Regardless, she did not comment on Wang Wei's views on the Innate Demon Gods. Trillions of people were currently watching this conversation, and she did not want to reveal their clan's plan to wage war on the entire world.
If others knew of it, her Ancient Clan would become the world's public enemy.
As such, she was a little happy Wang Wei did not reveal it to the world. Otherwise, she would have to refute it with all her might and never admit it was true.
"There are plenty of ways we can benefit through an alliance," replied Wang Wei. "Exchange of ideas, resources, and mutually supporting one another. And those are the most basic ones.
"My Dao Opening Sect is the most powerful faction in the Myriad Emperor World, while your Ancient Clan has the deepest foundation.
"So, an alliance between us would benefit both parties."
Wang Wei has to admit even if his ancestor used the Ancient Clan's power to lay out the foundation of the Dao Opening Sect; they are still the faction with the most profound foundation.
After surviving the Null Era, no one knows the hidden card of the Ancient Clan. A perfect example would be Huo Fenghuang's three Eternal Emperor's Artifacts.
There is no proof to indicate the Ancient Clan only had those three. Before the Null Era, the world's resources were unlike anything the present had.
Furthermore, although the Null Era was a time of war and destruction, war was also a great time to gather or plunder resources. And given how the Innate-Acquired War reached all 3800 World Communities, the Ancient Clan would have more options to collect said resources.
After saying these words, Wang Wei waited for her answer. He could have been clearer and mentioned some of his plans to facilitate a better alliance. However, he decided this was not the best time to talk about these things–especially since the Ancient Clans could not be trusted.
'Once my era begins, I will passively lay out the perfect foundation for the Ancient Clan to execute their plans and ambitions after I ascend. So, if they don't take this alliance, their fate before I leave will only be destruction or being sealed a second time,' he pondered.
Meanwhile, Huo Fenghuang pondered momentarily, "I cannot answer you now. So, give me some time before making a decision."
Huo Fenghuang favored an alliance–even a temporary one. However, the political landscape of the Ancient Clan is exceptionally complicated, preventing her from making a decision even as the current de facto leader.
Subsequently, there were other factors to consider. Wang Wei had not won his battle yet, so Huo Fenghuang felt it was too soon to be planning the future. If it were anyone else, she would have long labeled him arrogant.
However, considering that only Di Tian is truly his adversary, she acknowledged he had the capacity to be arrogant.
Lastly, Huo Fenghuang needed to become a 6-Star Primarch after leaving the battlefield. Then, she must suppress many people before obtaining absolute power in the Clan.
"That's fine," replied Wang Wei with a smile; he did not expect a direct answer immediately. He was fine as long as Huo Fenghuang was willing to listen and entertain the idea.
Then, the two chatted briefly until Huo Fenghuang finished her tea. Finally, a white light enveloped her as she left the battlefield.
Wang Wei watched her leave, eyes focused on the distance. His actions of inviting Huo Fenghuang to talk had many purposes. The first one was the alliance with the Ancient Clan. As he said to her, he did not like to use violence to solve problems unless it was the only way or the most efficient way and he was in a hurry.
As such, even if he knew there was only a small chance of succeeding, he would try the other ways.
His second objective was to find some information from Huo Fenghuang regarding the Ancient Clan. During their conversation, he silently read her Fate Line and knew everything that had happened to her since her birth.
Although she had an Artifact protecting her Fate Line, it was useless given Wang Wei's current strength. The only information he could not find were the ones containing Emperor Tier Seals of Second Class and above.
Sadly, he discovered Huo Fenghuang was unlike him; she did not know many of the Immortal Tier secrets of the Clan Council. No, she did not even know the deep secrets of her Huo Clan.
One piece of information specifically he was searching for was the connection of the Ancient Clan with many devil factions in the Western Continent. The Fate Shadow learned they had an alliance with many factions for many eras.
Devil Cultivators thrive during periods of chaos and war, making them the perfect partners for their plans. Furthermore, the Ancient Clan also feared people would discover what they were doing and turn into the world's public enemy.
In a worst-case scenario that this happened, they would have powerful allies in the form of the western's devil cultivators.
Wang Wei's last objective was to use this occasion to announce the future changes in the world to the other factions. By now, he could imagine the turbulence his words caused the outside.
'Everything is prepared. Now, the only thing left is to win.'
He has been planning the establishment of the new era for over 300,000 years, and that was not counting time dilations or accelerations. Now, he was on the last step and did not wish to fumble the ball.
| Otherwise, he would either die and lose the opportunity to create his era or postpone it for one or many generations.
Considering how many people were relying on him and this new era–even Heavenly Dao–he knew he could not lose–no matter what.
Wang Wei took a deep breath to calm down and readjust his state of mind. Finally, he gazed at Li Jun, who had finished his retreat.
"How was it?"
"Great. I learned a lot," he replied with a brilliant smile.
"Did you fight her?"
The mighty general nodded. He used his Dream Sleeping Technique to simulate Huo Fenghuang and fought against her.
"The result?"
"I won, but only because of the spear," he admitted. When the battle started, he dominated her–even with her advantage in body refining. Li Jun took advantage of her weak Duyi Realm and severely injured her.
Then, she changed into her Five Sacred Beast Form, and he almost died.
Finally, he also used secret methods to reach the same height as her and barely won.
"A win is a win," commented Wang Wei.
"True," nodded Li Jun. However, he knew his victory resulted from having more information about her. According to his other simulation, where he had no information about her, his winning rate dropped to 50%.
Regardless, he did not mind since he believed he still had room to grow before becoming an Emperor. And after this battle, he will ensure he reaches the limit of his talent and establish the perfect foundation to have a powerful Dao Body.
Wang Wei did not say anything else and returned to his meditation while paying attention to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, as he predicted, the outside world was turbulent.
The chaos started with Sword One stopping many people from reaching the Northern Continent and protecting the demon race. Then, countless people watched Wang Wei's conversation, and the world became quiet for a moment.
Numerous factions wondered whether Wang Wei was telling the truth; they wondered whether the Dao Opening Sect was about to make great moves.
People were initially skeptical before remembering how odd it was for Heavenly Dao to make Wang Wei a perfect Son of an Era. Then, they finally understood why–this man was going to revive the Myriad Emperor World.
So, the world boiled. All factions began to gather and discuss the measures they needed to take to survive the upcoming world, the forthcoming chaos. And some also wanted to thrive.
After many conversations with the leaders of these factions, these factions began to act. They woke up their Ancestors, and a few contacted their biggest backers–the Immortal Sovereigns.
Finally, these factions began to pay attention to the Primordial God Cultivation System. They ordered their sects, clans, or religions to cultivate people in this system.
Unfortunately, this system was rare in modern times–especially after Qiyuan's clean-up. So, not many factions had a proper inheritance or one of high value. So, people worldwide began to look out for the inheritance of the ancient system.
Wang Wei's actions stopped the chaos of the Northern Continent. After all, if this news were true, the world would be full of Innate Demons, and Ao Shen will not be so rare or valuable.
Only a few factions did not react to Wang Wei's news. The first ones decided to continue to focus on the demon race. To them, Wang Wei's bold words are something for the future, so they did not want to abandon the current benefit. Sadly, without having an overwhelming number of allies, these people were powerless to deal with Sword One and the demon race's blockade.
The other two factions not affected by this news were the Dao Opening Sect and the Di Clan. The Dao Opening Sect has long been prepared for this news; they were even aware that Wang Wei would use this occasion to announce the news to the world so people would prepare beforehand.
Of course, they also had a task–to monitor the Ancient Clan and ensure they did not use knowledge about the Ancient System to gather more resources and allies.
Meanwhile, the Di Clan did not react much because they believed their Patriarch would be the final winner. Regardless, they also felt Wang Wei's idea was extraordinary and pondered the possibility of them adapting it.
If it were before, the Di Clan knew they would have no chance, given their patriarch's personality. Luckily, the latter seemed interested in amassing a large amount of merit recently, so he might be convinced.
Under this assumption, they begin to prepare for the future.
Moon, Ancient Clan, Huo Clan:
"Are you positive this is the right way?" asked Huo Fenghuang's father.
"Yes. One of these two will become an Eternal Emperor–even Eternal Supremes. If our clan wants to survive or take advantage of this new era, we must have the power to rival them. At the very least, have some deterrent.
"Furthermore, although Ao Shen has a tiny chance of success, if he does, he might hold a grudge and attack me."
Her father, "Becoming a 6-Star Primarch has many benefits–including suppressing many of these restless individuals in the council. Then, there is the appearance of Sword One with Eternal Strength."
He paused before sighing, "However, I truly wish you could become an Eternal Emperor."
Although the Ancient Clans worshipped bloodlines, they were not like the Divine Dao League, who relied on their bloodline to the point of becoming useless.
All individuals of the Ancient Clan are taught that bloodline is only an auxiliary aid, and they must rely on themselves and forge their own path or Dao.
Furthermore, they also know for a fact the Emperor Path is supreme, so Huo Fenghuang's father wishes his daughter to become an Eternal Emperor.
Huo Fenghuang sighed out loud, "We have no choice. I might find a way in the future, but now, it's the best option."
"You don't have to worry," said a voice that suddenly emanated from the void. Huo Fenghuang immediately stood up, looking around while on guard. Then, she saw an elderly woman with a hunchback and a blue flame mark on her forehead walking in the head.
"Ancestor," she saluted.
"As long as you become a 6-Star Primarch, everything will be alright, and you'll have a chance in the future," said the elderly woman.
"What do you mean?"
"Back in the middle of the war, the Innate Demon Gods discovered the superiority of the Emperor Path and created ways to change paths. However, there are rules and restrictions."
The elderly woman paused, her eyes blurred as if lost in her memories.
"A 5-Star Primarch can become a First Class Emperor, 4 Star becomes Second Class, and so on. However, one and 2-Star Primarchs cannot become Emperors unless they used a method similar to Dao Cutting."
Huo Fenghuang understood these restrictions. 1-star and 2-star Primarchs correspond to Immortal Venerable and Dao Ancestors, so it made sense they would be restricted.
"Are you saying as long I become a 6-Star Primarch, I can turn into an Eternal Emperor after acquiring a Heaven Will?"
"No," said the woman, shaking her head. "You will have a chance to become Eternal Emperor. From what I know, a few people failed this method and became Pseudo Eternals."
"As long there is hope," she replied with a smile and burden-free temperament. "The only issue is how to get a Heaven Will. Do I have to ascend?"
After Gu Xuan's Deception Trial, Huo Fenghuang tried to learn as much as possible about the upper dimension. As such, she knew many secrets.
"There is no need for you to ascend–we will use merit."
The Ancient Clan needed an Eternal leading them for the plan to succeed. Unfortunately, after waiting for countless eras, they finally have a Heaven Chosens like Huo Fenghuang. So they would not let her leave so easily before accomplishing the mission.
After all, they do not know when they will have another genius on her level. Adding to the fact she has a high chance of becoming an Eternal Supreme, her values skyrocketed.
'It's a shame she was born in the wrong era,' thought the elderly woman. This generation was full of monsters, making even top Heaven Chosens like Huo Fenghuang feel despair.
"Merit can be used to get a Heaven Will?" she asked before answering her own question. "Yes, merit is omnipotent. Plus, the Human Emperor used a similar method. But how are we going to gather it? I assume the quantity needed would be tremendous."
"The council has a preliminary plan," said the elderly woman. "This involved setting up a devil catastrophe before saving the world."
"Devil Catastrophe?" Huo Fenghuang was confused; she was not following the Ancestor's conversation due to the lack of information.
"For many years, we have formed alliances and cultivated various devil factions in the Western Continent. Now, it's time for them to act."
Huo Fenghuang frowned deeply, "No one is stupid. So, how could we hide such a thing from these powerful factions?"
"I know your worry, but we have already planned everything out. The catastrophe will be directed toward other World Communities. We will not attack powerful worlds like the Emperor Dao World or the Star Beast World."
Huo Fenghuang's eyes lit up briefly before swiftly calming down.
"If we want to succeed, we cannot bypass Wang Wei or this generation's winner."
"That's true," nodded the elderly woman. "However, we do not have to act now. We can wait for them to ascend before acting."
Huo Fenghuang frowned as her intuition told her their clan might face a catastrophe in this generation if they did not play their cards correctly.
"I know what you're thinking," said the elderly woman. "However, no matter who it is, they do not dare eradicate our clan. The worst-case scenario is to be drastically weakened and sealed once again.
"If that happens, we only need to lay low for a while."
'Indeed,' thought Huo Fenghuang. No one dares to destroy their Ancient Clan, and that includes Wang Wei.
And the reason is simple–they have too much destiny.
Their Ancient Clans contained the family of the first human to discover fire, the first to discover hunting, animal husbandry, agriculture, the calendar, the creator of etiquette and rules, the first dynasty, the first Great Emperor, the first Weapon, Pill, Array, and Talisman Ancestor.
And those are just the tip of the iceberg.
With such condense destiny, Heavenly Dao cannot allow their Clans to extinguish. And anyone who dares to do so will suffer from Destiny Backlash. This is one of the many reasons Qiyuan did not eradicate them back in the Ancient Emperor Era.
And because of this death-free card, the Ancient Clan can act recklessly in the Myriad Emperor World and maybe the lower dimension.
So, no matter how powerful Di Tian or Wang Wei becomes in the future, they will suffer terrible consequences.
Huo Fenghuang suddenly squinted her eyes as she thought of something.
'Could it be the clan's real plan did not involve reverting the environment back to innate or warring with the Innate Demon Gods? That plan was nothing but a smoke-screen to hide their true intention.'
Countless thoughts flashed in her mind. If the Ancient Clan made it look like they were occupied with another Innate-Acquire War, no one would pay attention to the Devil Catastrophe or connect the two.
As such, they can secretly work behind the scene.
'Saving the world from devils will have the same effect as saving it from Innate Demon Gods. However, the former can be more secretive and less risky.
'Furthermore, the scope of the plan will not be confined to one Heaven Will World or Community.'
After figuring these things out, Huo Fenghuang secretly took a deep breath in amazement. Simultaneously, she was also angered as she was never told the truth and was nothing but a pawn in the entire situation.
"We could not reveal the truth until the right moment," said the elderly woman who seemed to have read her mind. "It's a precautionary measure to ensure nothing happens.
"Now that you know, we need to use the highest seal possible to prevent any news from leaking."
Huo Fenghuang sighed, knowing this was how the council operated. Although she hated her, she was used to it. Luckily, she would soon become the most powerful member of the clan, thus learning all the information and earning the position of a chess player.