Dust and smoke filled the air, with countless particles swirling chaotically.
Zhulong's graceful figure, as serene as autumn leaves, hovered in the void, positioning herself protectively above the Five Phoenix Continent.
She had her own stubborn pride.
The Black-White Empress had warned her not to interfere in the affairs of the Five Phoenix Continent, but Zhulong refused. Though she had received the Empress's inheritance and knew of their bloodline connection, she remained a creature born of this land. In its hour of crisis, she felt compelled to stand and fight.
Not for any grand reason—just because she was Zhulong of the Five Phoenix.
The God of Earth Element hovered calmly, his mountain-like body radiating an overwhelming oppressive aura.
His gaze fixed on Zhulong, lingering on her black-and-white eyes.
"You are not the Black-White Empress..."
The God of Earth Element said coldly.
At that moment, he seemed to piece together why the Black-White Empress had appeared on the Five Phoenix Continent. It wasn't to aid its defenders, but because this land harbored someone carrying her bloodline.
The aura of black-and-white profound principles emanated from this young woman—an essence originating from the same source as the Empress herself.
She was the true reason the Black-White Empress had come.
The Empress would not meddle in the conflicts between humans and the gods and demons, which relieved the God of Earth Element somewhat.
But soon, his eyes burned with intensity.
This girl... had earned such high regard from the Black-White Empress. If he captured her and brought her back to the gods and demons clan, presenting her to the Emperor, could she be used to make the Empress hesitate?
The thought made his breathing quicken with excitement, and his gaze toward Zhulong grew fervent.
Zhulong's aura had only just stepped into the Quasi-Saint realm...
Even that breakthrough came after receiving the Black-White Empress's inheritance. To the God of Earth Element, she posed little threat.
Yet he dared not kill her lightly.
The wrath of the Black-White Empress was terrifying.
He might not survive it.
So, he decided to probe first.
"You share ties with the Black-White Empress. Step aside... or don't blame me for showing no mercy."
The God of Earth Element spoke indifferently.
He was signaling his wariness of the Empress, so that if she appeared when he tried to capture Zhulong, he could hand her over and claim he held back from killing out of that fear.
If the Empress did not intervene, he would simply take Zhulong back to the clan and offer her to the Emperor.
Whatever leverage it created against the Empress would no longer be his concern.
In the vast eons of the Primordial Starry Sky, this was the first time the God of Earth Element learned that the Black-White Empress would pass her inheritance to another.
Perhaps due to their bloodline connection.
"The Black-White Empress—an ancient chaos-born entity, said to be among the earliest beings spawned from chaos, from the same era as the Beast Ancestor... She is shrouded in enigmatic and captivating secrets."
A hint of greed flickered in the God of Earth Element's eyes.
Perhaps he could glimpse the secrets of ascending to Emperor realm from this girl's bloodline?
In the distance.
Luoyang gripped his Flame-Tipped Spear, striding through the void step by step, positioning himself alongside Zhulong to block the elemental god—one in front, one behind.
His strength paled in comparison to the elemental god, but he possessed a heart unafraid of battle.
"Fight!"
Boom!
Flames surged across the sky as the Flame-Tipped Spear swept out, unleashing a world-shaking spear intent that hurtled straight toward the God of Earth Element.
The void tore apart, shattering inch by inch, with leaping sparks capable of incinerating entire worlds.
Yet the God of Earth Element didn't even turn his head. An earthen slab materialized from nothing, effortlessly blocking Luoyang's strike.
The god glanced back, raising his hand and clenching it fiercely.
Countless clumps of earth rapidly coalesced.
Luoyang felt as if he were suffocating, burdened by the weight of mountains.
He straddled the void, his back bowed under the immense pressure.
Crack... crack...
The void emitted sounds of fracturing.
Zhulong's body swayed slightly. Black-and-white shadows streaked across as she suddenly appeared before the God of Earth Element.
Her leg lashed out.
An earthen slab formed in front of him.
Boom!
The impact produced a muffled thud that made the entire Five Phoenix starry sky tremble.
It was clear how devastating that strike was.
Yet it left not a single crack on the earthen slab.
"If it were the Black-White Empress herself, I might fear her a bit. You... hardly worth the concern."
The God of Earth Element smiled faintly.
At the peak of Quasi-Saint, no weaker than figures like Xiaoyao Zi or Tonggu Daoist, he brimmed with confidence.
Zhulong did not relent. Her form shifted instantly, launching relentless assaults.
Her legs struck like blades, each sweep unleashing terrifying cutting forces akin to sword qi.
The black-and-white principles swirled behind her, continuously coiling and amplifying her power.
The God of Earth Element made no counterattack. With a mere thought from his divine soul, earthen slabs formed endlessly to deflect her blows.
He sneered mockingly, as if provoking her rage.
"This can't drag on."
The God of Earth Element shook his head.
Though he intended to capture Zhulong, another matter was equally pressing: someone on the Five Phoenix Continent was deciphering a Saint-Slaying Array, and it seemed they were on the verge of success.
If they fully comprehended it, it would spell disaster for the gods and demons clan.
Greedy as he was, he refused to jeopardize the clan's greater plan for personal gain.
If he did, even the God of Gold Element might kill him.
Boom!
The God of Earth Element clenched the void fiercely.
Immense earth origin power erupted.
Countless mud clumps formed from nothing, enveloping and smothering Zhulong...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon, a massive planet emerged in the void, with Zhulong sealed within it.
"It's over, little girl."
The God of Earth Element smiled faintly.
He raised his hand, channeling strange power to shrink the earthen planet into a marble-sized orb for capture.
That was his method of imprisonment.
But as the planet hurtled through the void for a time...
Black-and-white rays suddenly burst from within, shattering the planet into fragments. Zhulong transformed into her Candle Dragon form, her eyes blazing with black-and-white radiance.
The God of Earth Element narrowed his eyes.
This was one of Zhulong's unique divine abilities.
Earthen slabs condensed endlessly before him, yet all were pierced by the black-and-white rays.
This ability...
It was her ultimate trump card.
She had held it back, waiting for the God of Earth Element to lower his guard, then striking for a lethal blow.
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Zhulong knew that, despite the inheritance, her strength still lagged far behind his.
Only by such means might she seize a sliver of victory.
She needed to hold off the calamity for her adoptive father, allowing him uninterrupted focus on comprehending the Saint-Slaying Array.
The surest way was to kill the enemy outright.
Her trump card caught the God of Earth Element off guard.
Only after his divine soul instantly formed tens of thousands of slabs did he block the attack.
Cold sweat broke out on his body.
He had nearly been ambushed to death!
This girl appeared quiet and refined, yet she was so cunning.
Bang!
Zhulong broke free, shards falling from her human-headed dragon body, revealing a terrifying aura.
The God of Earth Element seethed with rage.
He spread his hands wide.
Earth origin power erupted without restraint.
On the other side, Luoyang—having briefly escaped suppression—was crushed once more, blood seeping from his body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A colossal rock beast, towering as if it propped up the heavens, let out a roar.
With a fierce clench, countless rock chains rattled, binding Zhulong.
She struggled, her dragon body weaving through the chains.
The void ripped open, spatial turbulence surging.
Zhulong evaded repeatedly, but ultimately remained bound.
Within the Five Phoenix Continent.
All the stunned cultivators stood frozen in shock.
Lu Jiulian grimaced, then burst forward.
Around him floated one after another nine-colored furious lotuses—the most powerful he could condense to date.
Tens of thousands drifted about him.
This was his strongest killing move yet.
He thrust forward, hurling them toward the massive rock beast.
Explosions rang out endlessly, but to Lu Jiulian's sinking heart, the assault merely tickled the beast—causing no real harm.
Sima Qingshan swept his scroll, painting two massive stars to smash into the beast, yet they shattered while the beast remained unscathed.
One by one, the Five Phoenix cultivators attacked, with human powerhouses unleashing their utmost destructive force.
Clang!
Suddenly.
A supreme golden light descended from the heavens.
Jing Yue's Jing Tian Sword seemed to cleave the sky itself.
It slashed down onto the beast's head, yet inflicted no damage...
Powerless...
Truly powerless.
A god-and-demon at the elemental god level was simply too overwhelming.
The God of Earth Element ignored the swarm attacking him.
Would an elephant care about ants' bites?
They weren't even on the same level.
Zhulong remained bound.
...
Atop Buzhou Peak.
The Black-White Empress watched lazily. Should she intervene?
She couldn't—not yet.
It wasn't time.
Even if she did, not now.
...
Boom!
Zhulong erupted with her divine ability once more, but this time, the God of Earth Element was prepared.
The terrifying explosion forced a muffled groan from Zhulong.
Her body flew backward like a broken kite, crashing into the Five Phoenix Continent.
The God of Earth Element squinted.
The rock beast's body swung fiercely toward the suspended Time Array.
Crack!
The sundial fractured, and the Time Array ceased functioning.
On the Five Phoenix Continent.
Zhulong's body smashed down, reverting to human form.
The God of Earth Element shrank to normal size and entered the continent. He ignored Zhulong—though he had long sensed her presence. For now, his priority was the one whose aura was solidifying as they comprehended the Saint-Slaying Array.
The Saint-Slaying Array must not be recreated by humans.
The gods and demons had seized countless opportunities to borrow the chaos-born Kun Beast from the Emperor, diverting attention to destroy the human ancestral land.
If the Five Phoenix Continent completed the Saint-Slaying Array again, it would become the new impregnable human stronghold!
Thus, compared to capturing Zhulong, disrupting the array's reconstruction was the priority!
...
On the island at the lake's heart.
Lu sat in the pavilion, white robes pristine as snow.
His eyes fixed solely on the chessboard before him.
This was his final game.
He knew Zhulong was injured, knew many Five Phoenix cultivators had fallen, knew the Time Array was destroyed...
Yet his expression remained unchanged, though inwardly, he noted it all down in his mental ledger.
Whoosh...
A gentle breeze passed, rippling the air.
Lu looked up. Across the chessboard, an elderly figure seemed to appear.
The old man looked familiar to Lu.
"It's you."
Lu's brows arched slightly.
He recognized him—from memory fragments of the Immortal Martial World. This old daoist had once granted him a wisp of innate purple qi as a fortuitous encounter...
Unexpectedly... this daoist was a Saint from the Primordial Immortal Domain, the creator of the peerless killing array.
The old man smiled warmly, stroking his white beard. His daoist robes fluttered with immortal grace.
He picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board.
Clack!
In that instant.
Lu's hairs stood on end, every pore contracting.
The empty board held only one piece, yet the staggering killing intent it exuded nearly suffocated him...
Terrifying!
But... excitement gradually burned in Lu's eyes.
This was the final game for comprehending the Saint-Slaying Array—how could he retreat?
Retreating now would render all efforts futile.
Braving the horrifying killing intent, Lu picked a piece from the box.
He rolled up his sleeve and placed it.
Spiritual pressure soared, dispersing some of the intent.
The old man smiled faintly, placing another piece. Killing intent wove like a vast net, as if to clutch Lu's throat and snap his bones.
Sweat beaded on Lu's forehead as he placed his piece, releasing spiritual pressure.
This final game felt like playing against a Saint, bringing immense pressure to Lu.
...
Meanwhile, outside the lake heart island.
The God of Earth Element had arrived gracefully.
His aura was utterly terrifying. As he advanced, surrounding seas were filled and flattened by mountains.
He strode alone among the peaks.
Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and Ni Yu—who had been battling in the void abyss—teleported back via luck tower tokens.
Ning Zhao gripped her Cicada Wing Sword, white skirts fluttering as she hovered, stubbornly blocking the God of Earth Element. This was the strongest foe she had ever faced.
But with the young master in seclusion, she would not let the enemy pass—unless over her corpse.
Ni Yu carried her black pot, glaring fiercely at the god.
Yi Yue needed no mention, maintaining full battle readiness.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly.
Terrifying killing intent surged from the lake heart island.
It chilled the soul.
Outside, all array masters in the Immortal Array Tower watching were thrilled and trembling.
Master Xuan Yue, leading them, flushed with excitement!
"Saintly killing intent!"
"A Saint unleashes killing intent—the array is about to be fully comprehended!"
Xuan Yue clenched her fists.
Every array master felt victory within reach.
"It will succeed! We absolutely cannot let this God of Earth Element disrupt the final comprehension! We'll hold him off!"
Master Xuan Yue roared hoarsely.
"This is the moment we create a miracle—we cannot let him succeed!"
The disheveled array masters bellowed in unison.
Xuan Yue led, flinging jade talismans that shattered into writhing array runes.
Powerful formations coiled around her body.
Not just her—every array master fanatically activated their formations.
The lake heart island was soon enveloped in dense layers of arrays: top-tier defensive immortal arrays, extreme killing arrays, illusion arrays that induced delusion...
The array masters used their expertise to safeguard their faith and hope.
Li San Sui watched in awe.
The young daoist girl flushed, clenching her fists, regretting her weak array proficiency.
Yet she too activated her formation fanatically. Though it paled like firefly light compared to the masters', she felt honored to participate.
"A ragtag bunch."
The God of Earth Element sneered coldly.
In the next instant, he accelerated abruptly.
His peak Quasi-Saint aura fully released.
Zhulong surged from the vast sea, stubbornly blocking him again.
Bang!
The God of Earth Element struck. Zhulong unleashed her black-and-white millstone.
The collision sent ripples of terrifying aura spreading. Blood trickled from Zhulong's mouth and nose as she was forced backward toward the lake heart island.
"We'll aid you with our arrays!"
Master Xuan Yue's eyes bloodshot, filled with fanaticism.
Whoosh...
The arrays from countless masters stacked behind Zhulong in that moment.
Like the most brilliant neon lights blooming, dazzling and mesmerizing.
Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and Ni Yu stared in stunned silence.
These array masters... were utterly insane.
"Comprehending and deriving a Saint-Slaying Array—what a monumental feat!"
"You brute gods and demons with developed limbs and simple minds could never understand!"
Master Xuan Yue shrieked.
The other array masters echoed in agreement.
"Damn it!"
The God of Earth Element's eyes narrowed.
Boom!
Next, endless mud and stone gathered into a mountain-sized fist.
Just like when he had pummeled through Old He's Quasi-Saint golden body blockade.
Thud!
The fist smashed down.
Zhulong shuddered, taking minor damage, but... the arrays behind her burst like soap bubbles in sunlight, shattering one after another.
The array masters sustaining them laughed disdainfully.
"You foolish gods and demons know nothing of the beauty of arrays!"
One array master roared before death.
Then, burning his divine soul to infuse energy into the remaining arrays, his body withered and fell, eyes wild with madness and hope fixed on the lake heart island.
As if even in death, he wished to witness the unraveling of this peerless puzzle.
This was dying without regrets.
The God of Earth Element nearly cursed in fury.
Were all these humans mad?!
Old He had been like this, and now these array masters were even more extreme—burning their divine souls without fear of death.
He could naturally sense the terrifying Saintly killing intent emanating from the lake heart island.
The Saint-Slaying Array was on the cusp of comprehension.
A chill ran through him, so he held nothing back, erupting relentlessly.
Fist after fist smashed out.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yet no matter how he hammered, Zhulong held firm.
Her yin-yang millstone cracked, but she gritted her teeth and refused to yield.
Behind her, arrays shattered one by one.
Array masters threw their heads back in laughter, burning divine souls to bolster power.
Fewer arrays remained, but... the defense grew ever sturdier.
Like a golden bowl inverted over the lake heart island, protecting it impregnably.
The God of Earth Element grew increasingly frenzied.
Sensing wave after wave of volcanic Saintly killing intent.
His heart felt gripped by an invisible hand.
The sensation was unbearable, the threat unnerving.
"Break for me!"
The God of Earth Element raged further.
Clenching both fists.
He swung them down fiercely.
Thud!
Yet ripples spread across the inverted bowl.
Another array master burned his divine soul, reinforcing the array.
The God of Earth Element's assault couldn't breach it. So many Heavenly Emperor-level array masters burned their life's essence, fully unleashing their array dao.
In this moment, he actually felt pressured.
One array master after another fell.
Xuan Yue was utterly manic, sustaining her array while tears streamed down. But she knew she could not retreat!
She harbored hope, staring at the lake heart island.
The fallen array masters all gazed fanatically toward it.
Ning Zhao, Ni Yu, and Yi Yue were stunned, bodies trembling slightly. The shock pierced their souls.
For a moment, they felt lost.
Li San Sui felt ice-cold. Her array had shattered long ago; she lacked even the qualification to burn her divine soul for reinforcement.
She could only watch dumbstruck as the masters acted, filled with newfound reverence.
Boom!
Dense Saintly killing intent erupted.
Like a long-suppressed storm.
The God of Earth Element's expression changed.
"These lunatics... But did you think this could stop me?"
He revealed a mix of exasperation and defeat.
Humans were truly troublesome—one by one.
The worst were those unafraid of death.
He could slowly break the array, but it would take too long. If the Saint-Slaying Array was comprehended, all would be lost.
He hadn't expected to be stalled at the final step of disrupting it.
No choice—he had to break it another way.
And the fastest, most decisive strike!
The God of Earth Element's face grew solemn.
Then...
He abruptly opened his mouth...
Wider and wider, vast earth origin principles pouring out like a cascading waterfall.
Next, from the God of Earth Element's maw...
A massive Beast Ancestor statue slowly emerged, covered in mud-like slime.
He expelled the Earth Origin Beast Ancestor Statue.
It had been swallowed and hidden in his belly all along.
No wonder human spies scoured the Primordial Starry Sky yet found no trace.
This God of Earth Element was ruthless.
His eyes fierce, he gripped the statue with both arms and smashed it toward the array.
The Beast Ancestor Statue... carried the Beast Ancestor's pressure.
Unless it was a Saint-Slaying Array... nothing could withstand it!
Atop Buzhou Peak.
Sensing the God of Earth Element deploying the Beast Ancestor Statue, the Black-White Empress was stunned.
She could no longer stand by.
If it smashed down and Zhulong met it head-on, she would likely die.
She hoped Zhulong would retreat wisely.
Yet in her perception, Zhulong stubbornly charged forward with her cracked yin-yang millstone.
The Black-White Empress facepalmed speechlessly.
This foolish girl...
Whoosh!
Her figure vanished instantly, reappearing outside the lake heart island.
Hm?
But just as she prepared to block the statue...
She halted.
A slight smile curved her lips. It seemed... no need for her intervention.
On the lake heart island.
The Saintly killing intent suddenly vanished, dissipating like mist.
Calm returned, as after a fierce storm.
The God of Earth Element's heart sank.
Spatial principles surged. Before Zhulong...
A white-robed figure seated on a thousand-blade chair materialized, gently pressing a hand on Zhulong's head.
With the other, he casually reached out and grasped the Earth Origin Beast Ancestor Statue.
Seeing Lu attempt to seize it bare-handed...
A sneer crossed the God of Earth Element's face.
The statue held supreme power; its erupting Beast Ancestor pressure could reduce this overconfident youth to slag.
Yet when Lu grasped it...
In his pristine white robes, he let out a soft "Eh?"
While deep inside, the God of Earth Element felt a jolt.
Suddenly...
It was as if something vital... had been hollowed out.
