The heavens roared.
Across the boundless skies above the Burning Heaven Continent, the fiery curtain of the Azure Flame Heaven churned violently—its oppressive aura surging like a tidal wave. Only now did countless experts finally understand why this heavenly veil inspired such deep unease… and why it possessed the power to draw in the very Heaven and Earth Energy of an entire continent.
Hidden at its core… was a Peerless Saint Artifact.
The Azure Lotus Cauldron.
The endless fire-attribute Spiritual Energy of the continent surged toward it, cycling between rise and retreat, causing the entire sky to blaze with a dazzling radiance. Borrowing the Burning Heaven Continent's boundless flames, the Azure Lotus Cauldron erupted with a might no weaker than the Yin-Yang Maha Gourd.
Gasps spread across the distant observers.
"Another reversal… Truly another reversal. I no longer know whether Maha Tian can survive today. Who would've thought Qing Lian still had this move hidden?"
"A divine ability like the Six Desires Heavenly Demon… and now this Peerless Saint Artifact. Even among Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereigns, Qing Lian stands at the very summit. Aside from a few ancient monsters, who could possibly contend with him?"
"With this, the Northern Border of the Great Thousand World will belong to Qing Lian. But honestly, that is a blessing for all of us—never again will the Northern Border fear the Heavenly Evil Monarch's extraterritorial hordes."
"North stands Qing Lian. South stands Martial Ancestor Lin Dong. East stands the Sword Saint Qing Shan. West stands the Demon Slaying King Qin Tian. The Four Borders of the Great Thousand World… shall know peace."
"Wait… no. With how terrifying each of them is—and with all four as sworn brothers—the Great Thousand World is about to change forever. The era where the Five Ancient Clans dominated absolutely… is over."
"…"
While the countless powers whispered in astonishment, Liu Xi ignored them entirely.
Even wounded and suppressed, the Yin-Yang Maha Gourd lived up to its title as the Ancient Maha Clan's supreme heritage. Only by combining the Azure Lotus Cauldron with the full might of the Burning Heaven Continent could Liu Xi begin to force it down bit by bit.
The sky had become a battlefield of pure contrast.
A vast black-and-white ocean surged from the gourd, yin cold as death, yang scorching like molten suns—interweaving into countless streams of profound force capable of erasing all existence.
But the sea of azure flames was no weaker.
Born of the Dou Qi Continent's flame origin… reforged countless times under Liu Xi's hand… the Azure Lotus Flame had already reached a level approaching Postnatal Chaotic Flame, far above nearly every fire beneath the heavens.
When unleashed, it blanketed the sky—burning, domineering, overwhelming—like an endless inferno determined to reduce heaven and earth to ash.
The tide of battle shifted instantly.
Moments ago, the Ancient Maha Clan had still been pressing their advantage.
Now… they were the ones on the verge of annihilation.
The experts from the Dou Qi Continent, who had been trembling with worry, were now brimming with relief. Had they chosen to betray Azure Flame Heaven while Liu Xi was lost in the void… they would have already been executed.
When Liu Xi vanished three years ago, many elders in the remnants of the Gu, Yao, and Yan Clans began to harbour old ambitions—dreams of reviving the glory of the ancient eight clans.
But Gu Xun'er, Yao Ling, and Huo Zhi suppressed all dissent with ruthless decisiveness.
If they hadn't, and if Xiao Yixian had noticed anyone scheming…
Those people would have been executed publicly.
"Husband is the most handsome!"
Zi Yan placed her hands on her hips, eyes curved into crescents, purple pupils shimmering with unrestrained affection.
"Of course! Of course!"
Qing Lin nodded repeatedly, face bright with fanatical devotion.
"He's far stronger than before. It seems I must experience more of the mortal world's tempering."
The Bodhisattva smiled faintly, her tone serene and wise.
"Elder Sister Bodhisattva, are you leaving again? Perhaps our husband wants you to stay…"
Xiao Yixian's voice was soft but earnest.
"He once told me—friends should support one another. When one is weak, standing beside him only forces him to shield you. Only by becoming truly strong… can we stand shoulder-to-shoulder."
Wisdom glittered in her eyes—each passing year of worldly tempering had only deepened her understanding.
Xiao Yixian fell silent, pondering.
Time flowed.
The azure flames gradually overwhelmed the black-and-white sea. The protective radiance of the Yin-Yang Maha Gourd grew thinner and fainter—its collapse only a matter of time.
Outside the shrinking barrier, the six giant fiendish silhouettes stood wreathed in endless Demonic Energy. Their blood-red eyes gleamed with pure savagery and hunger.
These were the Six Desires Heavenly Demons in their true forms—towering, monstrous, terrifying.
They possessed two states.
Human form—restricted in strength, but fully controlled by Liu Xi.
Giant fiend form—power completely unshackled… but with their cruel nature fully awakened.
They had devoured the Ancient Maha Clan's Grand Elder in an instant.
And a single Saint Grade corpse was nowhere near enough to satisfy them.
The moment the black-and-white barrier shattered… they would pounce.
Maha Tian felt sweat bead down his forehead.
Every second that the Yin-Yang Maha Gourd protected the clan, it burned its own origin. But it could no longer shield everyone.
Gritting his teeth, he shrank its range—thickening the remaining shield… but sacrificing the outer fleets.
The exposed warships trembled violently. Panic exploded among the Maha experts. Terrified, they scattered in all directions like frightened beasts.
The Six Desires Heavenly Demons reacted instantly.
Their eyes turned crimson.
A strange ripple swept out.
A force that stripped away sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste… and even that hidden sense that allowed one to feel danger.
The Six Desires Illusion.
A forbidden art that trapped victims within their deepest fears—shattering sanity, identity, and self.
Only the utterly fearless could resist it.
The fleeing Maha experts did not stand a chance.
One by one, they stumbled, screamed, clawed at their own throats, tore their own limbs, shattered their own minds—each trapped in a nightmare from which they could never awaken.
Their corpses twisted into grotesque shapes, blood spraying across the sky.
The spilled blood drifted upward—drawn like a scarlet tide into a thick cloud before being devoured by the six fiends.
The survivors panicked.
They abandoned their comrades, leaping from one warship to another, trampling allies underfoot as they desperately fled toward Maha Tian's last sanctuary.
The Ancient Maha Clan, a lineage that survived tens of thousands of years… now looked like a pack of beasts, devouring each other for the chance to live one more breath.
The shrinking barrier exposed even more clansmen.
One glance from the fiends—
And another wave of screaming, writhing bodies fell dead.
Blood rose.
Blood gathered.
Blood was eaten.
Maha Tian's face twisted—bright crimson with rage, pale with terror.
These experts… These Earth Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereigns… were the very roots of the Ancient Maha Clan.
And they were dying in droves.
If this continued, none of them—including himself—would survive.
Once the Yin-Yang Maha Gourd failed…
The six fiends would feast upon everything.
He looked up at Liu Xi—standing atop the Azure Lotus Cauldron, golden robes fluttering, smiling coldly.
In that instant…
Maha Tian felt true despair.
Because he finally understood—
Liu Xi would not spare him.
Not today.
Not ever.
(End of Chapter)
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