Darkflame Clan ➡️ Darkflame Faction
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"The Coffin of World Burial belongs to our Heavenly Faction."
"The Eight Tribes collapsed long ago and have already disintegrated. Only a handful of pitiful remnants fled in panic, hiding away in various chaotic spacetimes, not daring to show their faces."
"Gathering here today, I truly wonder who gave you all the nerve."
Before the Heaven-Slaying Hall, one after another powerful figure similarly stood there.
Dense black light shrouded their true forms, as if they had returned from a dark spacetime.
Their voices were grand, shaking the entire heaven and earth, demanding all living beings submit, and all worlds prostrate themselves.
As their eyes opened and closed, a world-destroying aura threatened to erupt. The entire Nightmare Demon Domain seemed to resonate, countless mountains and lands trembling violently, as if unable to bear their presence, about to shatter and crumble.
Their words alone made the souls of countless Dark Beings sway and nearly shatter.
"Words are useless. Our Eight Tribes are the true orthodox lineage of the Heaven's Proxy. You have occupied this place for many years and made no progress, facing boundless treasures yet not knowing how to use them. No wonder you only dare hide in the Nightmare Demon Domain, completely unafraid to show yourselves."
"A bunch of rats, daring to call themselves orthodox—how utterly laughable."
"Need we say more? Since ancient times, the strong prey on the weak. Today, you cannot hold the Coffin of World Burial. You might as well hand it over early and submit to us. Only then might you have a sliver of survival."
As words clashed, the dark Dao evolved between heaven and earth, Dao runes blooming and manifesting one after another, then erupting with endless light, as if illuminating past and present.
They spoke no more. While probing, they had already launched into slaughter and battle.
Upon this dark land, silent for so long, war and slaughter had once again arrived. Tide-like Dark Beings collided and slaughtered each other, like two colossal pythons spanning the mortal world, writhing and rolling. Infinite dark energy converged, then exploded.
Such a scene was enough to frighten countless beings to death.
One after another, terrifying Dark Beings bathed in Dark Matter, thus looking down upon everything, cold and merciless. Sometimes they reached out with great hands, or unleashed a punch that pierced through spacetime. The River of Years evaporated, worlds of dust shattered—truly like co-rulers of heaven and earth, unstoppable.
Before the Heaven-Slaying Hall, Grand High Priest Wu Yue's gaze was indifferent and icy, her entire form shrouded in mist, none able to see her true face.
She simply stood there, making no move, nor intervening, seemingly guarding the place before the Heaven-Slaying Hall, forbidding anyone from setting half a step across.
Behind her, Dark Matter could be seen erupting. Upon the grand altar that made all worlds tremble together, the Coffin of World Burial floated, as if borne by the cosmos, pressing this spacetime to the brink of collapse.
The many Sacrificial Priests, High Priests, and Dharma Protectors of the Heavenly Faction were all guarding this area.
Jing Tianyun, the Ancient Ancestor of the Jing Clan, was also among them. But within the Nightmare Demon Domain, he no longer acted under the identity of Jing Tianyun, but as the dark artifact spirit of the Gate of Eternal Life.
In the distant territories, all sorts of Dark Beings slaughtered each other. Though they shared the same origin, at this moment there was no hesitation or mercy whatsoever.
The Heavenly Faction and the Eight Tribes had been two distinct bloodlines since ancient times, never yielding to each other.
Without the Lord of Heaven's Proxy to suppress them, the Eight Tribes would naturally not obey the Heavenly Faction's commands. Of course, the Eight Tribes of today were no longer the Eight Tribes of old. Several of the tribes had already vanished, their whereabouts unknown.
Those invading today were mainly the three factions of Yanmo, Darkflame, and Heavenly Decline. The Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang factions had long submitted to the Heavenly Decline Faction. The Sword Clan had perished, the Luo Clan hid away, and the whereabouts of the Formless were unknown.
In other words, the former Eight Tribes only had three factions remaining today.
Within the current Heavenly Faction, however, there were many remnants of other former tribes, some existences that had been eroded by those tribes over the long ages, as well as hidden pawns left by the other tribes.
It could be said that these were all problems left over within the Heavenly Faction over the ages, only erupting suddenly today.
Among them, some Dharma Protectors and Sacrificial Priests suddenly turned traitorously, directly attacking the Heavenly Faction members beside them.
The outside world thought the Dark Clans were staying still, but in truth they were completely unaware that the Dark Clans were currently undergoing a massive internal conflict, and simply had no time to interfere in external affairs.
"Even now, this Grand High Priest Wu Yue still hasn't made a move. Is she waiting for something?"
Within the boundless dark fog stood those few terrifying demonic shadows.
One of the figures spoke, resembling a dark demonic dragon. Its true form was incomparably vast, completely shrouded by the dark fog, its scales sinister, its true dragon horns radiating world-ending might.
This was a leader of the Yanmo Faction, named Yan Long, whose strength was immensely terrifying.
Even existences who had normally passed eight Heavenly Decline Tribulations were not his match. He was already very close to the ninth Heavenly Decline Tribulation.
"She's waiting for us to act first."
Another figure spoke, his entire body encased in armor, humanoid in shape, but his eyes were a murky green, like evil ghosts.
His name was Zhuo Chu, a leader of the Darkflame Faction, his strength not inferior to Yan Long.
"Why don't you all join me in taking on Grand High Priest Wu Yue first? Without her in command, the other Sacrificial Priests of the Heavenly Faction are nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs, of no concern."
"Then we can divide the Coffin of World Burial among us, each taking what we need according to our prior agreement."
An old Daoist spoke with a chuckle. It was Wu Xu Zi of the Heavenly Decline Faction.
"Until now, Progenitor Xu has still not appeared. I wonder what he is scheming. Since he invited us together to hunt the Heavenly Faction, why has he not yet shown himself?" Yan Long demanded.
"The Progenitor has his reasons for not appearing. Everyone here knows that when the time comes to open the Coffin of World Burial, you will suffer the aura erosion of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy. If you cannot withstand it, you will likely explode into dust in an instant, your body and soul obliterated. To address this, the Progenitor himself is stationed elsewhere, accumulating strength, waiting for that moment to strike."
"You need not worry. Even if the Progenitor does not act himself, he will send someone to act, whose strength is in no way inferior to the Progenitor's. This operation will have no mishaps." Wu Xu Zi still spoke with a chuckle.
"During the Heaven's Proxy Chaos back then, I heard that Progenitor Xu obtained many benefits and has already comprehended the secrets of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy. That is why he is even more eager to obtain that physical body…"
"He is so eager, yet chooses not to appear. What does this mean? Does he really think we are easy to fool?"
Deep within the thick darkness, another figure sneered. Its entire body was withered, as gaunt as dead branches, yet no one dared to underestimate him. Even Wu Xu Zi's expression tightened slightly, seemingly quite wary.
There, the dark fog expanded, and an old man appeared, wearing a grey robe, hands clasped behind his back. His eye sockets were sunken, his eyes pitch-black; no one dared meet his gaze.
Wherever his sight passed, even spacetime collapsed. An invisible force around him unraveled spacetime, causality, and the Great Dao.
"Progenitor…"
Yan Long's attitude immediately turned respectful, his eyes full of fervor.
The old man before him was the Progenitor of the Yanmo Clan, whose single name was Yan.
However, many contemporaries from ancient times addressed him as Progenitor Yan, an existence as terrifying as Progenitor Xu.
"Since even you, Yan, have shown yourself, then this Progenitor shall appear and meet you. What harm is there?"
As these words rang out, a ripple similarly spread. But unlike before, the dark fog shattered, seemingly unable to approach. A figure like a shadow appeared there.
It was none other than Progenitor Xu.
He seemed reflected across past and present, amidst nothingness and destruction, both real and unreal.
"Oh?"
Progenitor Yan seemed slightly surprised, but soon a flick of his sleeve isolated this stretch of spacetime with some power, lest Progenitor Xu's simultaneous descent prove unbearable.
The other Dark Beings here all displayed expressions of fervent zeal. With the Two Great Progenitors appearing together to assault the Heavenly Faction, this great battle would have no mishaps.
Progenitor Yan also nodded slightly, as if reassured.
"When do we strike?" he asked.
Progenitor Xu replied, "No rush. Another friend is coming. Once he arrives, we shall join forces. Even if Grand High Priest Wu Yue can borrow the power of the Coffin of World Burial, she will be hard-pressed to block us all."
Progenitor Yan nodded, "Excellent."
Finishing, he cast his gaze through the dark fog towards that region, unable to hide his covetous and fiery desire for the Coffin of World Burial floating before the Heaven-Slaying Hall.
In the past, his strength and cultivation were on par with Progenitor Xu. Yet seeing him today, Progenitor Xu now felt elusive and unfathomable.
This fully proved that Progenitor Xu had indeed obtained some benefit from the flesh and blood of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy. Otherwise, how could he have reached his current level?
Progenitor Yan detected no aura of Authority on Progenitor Xu, which meant he walked a different path. Yet that path clearly had no way forward long ago, yet his strength and cultivation were still improving…
The only explanation was that the flesh and blood of the Lord of Heaven's Proxy contained profound secrets, involving another traversable path.
Progenitor Yan could only regret why he hadn't been bolder back then. Otherwise, he too might have made achievements on that other path like Progenitor Xu, instead of making no progress all these years.
To be precise, it was because the path they walked was a dead end, so no matter how they groped along that dead end, they were destined never to find a way forward.
"This is my first time descending upon the ancestral land of the Dark Beings. It is quite uncanny. Were it not for the coordinates provided by my Dao brother, I'm afraid I wouldn't have found this place…"
A calm voice rang out in the distance. A rift opened in spacetime, and a middle-aged man with a peaceful gaze, his hair tied in a Daoist bun, walked out, followed by two child attendants.
Progenitor Yan looked over, his eyes narrowing slightly as if with some interest. "The mastermind behind the Alliance of Righteous Unity?" he said.
For existences of their caliber, what happened in the current Vast Expanse could not be kept from them.
Thus, even without having met, relying on certain karmic resonances in the unseen world, they could instantly determine the newcomer's identity.
A stir of discussion erupted within the dark fog. The other Dark Beings had also clearly long heard of the Master of Fate's existence but had never seen his true body.
None had expected Progenitor Xu to invite him here.
"Dao brother, it's been a long time." Progenitor Xu slightly inclined his head in greeting.
The Master of Fate nodded slightly and looked at Progenitor Yan, quickly discerning his identity.
It seemed Progenitor Xu was determined to carry out this hunt of the Heavenly Faction. With so many powerhouses gathered, surely there would be no mishap.
He had originally been somewhat concerned about being plotted against by Progenitor Xu, but it now seemed he need not overthink it.
The paths the two sought were entirely different, without any conflict of interests.
Boom!!!
Suddenly, a violent tremor came from ahead. An extraordinarily powerful Dark Being was slain, black ancient blood shooting skyward and erupting across this land.
Under the dark firmament, a figure appeared, holding an oilpaper umbrella of jade-green, like a lotus leaf, shielding herself from the boundless dark mist falling from the sky.
Beneath the oilpaper umbrella, a woman as delicate and graceful as if from the water towns of the Jiangnan region stood. Her beautiful eyes curved gently, and her red lips, as alluring as flower petals, curled faintly. Lightly raising her hand, the Dark Beings ahead instantly exploded.
She strolled forward as if in a courtyard, with no Dark Being able to halt her steps.
Other Dark Beings surged towards her, but it was utterly useless. As she waved her hand, it was as if boundless mighty force pressed down. This ancient land shattered, Dark Matter seethed, as if the Nine Nether Purgatory had descended, intent on reaping the mortal world.
The power of all Dark Beings seemed to be harvested, transforming into countless threads of dark origin essence, flowing into her slender, jade-like hand.
"High Priest Li Shuang of the Heavenly Faction, the trusted confidant of Grand High Priest Wu Yue…"
Within the dense dark fog, a leader-level existence made a wary sound, recognizing the approaching figure.
Besides the Grand High Priest, the Heavenly Faction had four other High Priests responsible for daily rituals.
As for the other Sacrificial Priests, due to various reasons, they were not deeply trusted by the Grand High Priest. And currently, the First Sacrificial Priest and Second Sacrificial Priest of the Heavenly Faction had both disappeared without a trace. Only the Third Sacrificial Priest, the Fourth Sacrificial Priest, and others still walked the world.
"When friends come from afar, why do you all not come forth to meet us, instead hiding away here?"
"The Grand High Priest has already prepared tea, awaiting your arrival."
High Priest Li Shuang spoke, looking towards that boundless region shrouded in black fog.
At the same time, before the Heaven-Slaying Hall, beside Grand High Priest Wu Yue, three figures silently materialized out of thin air, all of them women.
One was cold and indifferent, bearing a sword on her back; one was alluring and smiling, holding a jade vase in her hands; and one was dignified and poised, holding an ancient seal.
But if one looked closely, one would discover that behind each of these women, there seemed to be myriad demonic shadows tangling, and all heavens and cosmos shattering.
A terrifying aura pervaded, condensing there into a black hole, like the maw of heaven and earth, capable of swallowing all matter.
From within emanated strange chanting, prayers, and sacrificial invocations—vast and boundless, enough to make one's scalp tingle, as if endless beings were reciting and kowtowing inside.
Each woman was a High Priest. In past eras, when the Dark Beings conducted their Grand Sacrificial Rituals, one of them would preside. Each could draw upon the power within the Coffin of World Burial, their contained strength utterly incalculable.
Within the dark fog, Progenitor Xu and Progenitor Yan all watched this scene indifferently, offering no response whatsoever.
High Priest Li Shuang still maintained that gentle, graceful smile, standing there holding the oilpaper umbrella. The Dark Matter drifting between heaven and earth steamed around her like mist, hazy and extraordinarily beautiful, yet carrying an indescribable eeriness that made scalps crawl.
"It seems you all refuse to show face. The Heavenly Faction and The Eight Tribes are originally one body. The Grand High Priest welcomes you back into the Master's embrace, to bask together in the Master's glory. Why are you all unwilling?"
"Are you all planning to betray the Master?"
High Priest Li Shuang asked.
Her voice was clearly very soft, not loud, yet as she spoke, this ancient land itself seemed to tremble along with her words. The dark earth split open. The ribbon-like wisps of Dark Matter wound around the cliffs and precipices began to boil, as if her words had stirred them to anger.
This was irreverence towards the Lord of Heaven's Proxy and the creator of Dark Matter.
For a moment, in the various rifts and shattered spaces, Dark Matter boiled. The entire heaven and earth seemed to transform into an eternal land of darkness.
Those slaughtering Dark Beings silently disintegrated, countless threads of Dark Matter drawn out from within their bodies. Like a great fog, it blotted out the sky, all of it surging backwards towards the vault of heaven.
Faintly, one could see blood light shining over heaven and earth above the Heaven-Slaying Hall, reflecting the River of Time, the River of Fate, and other ethereal rivers with absolute clarity. This scene surfaced in every era, from ancient times to the present.
At the same time, a rumbling sound arose. The Coffin of World Burial trembled lightly. The corpse slumbering within seemed offended, as if about to reappear in the world.
Within the dark fog, many Dark Beings' expressions drastically changed. They felt their own strength continuously diminishing, rapidly being drawn from their bodies. As the Dark Matter of heaven and earth boiled, it swiftly receded, stripped away, no longer belonging to them.