All around the estate lay hundreds of thousands of corpses, frozen in bizarre and contorted poses; any among them still possessing a flicker of life were at least at the Virtual God realm.
Massive stone towers stood sentinel at every corner of the estate, each one offering an unobstructed view of every movement within the grounds.
On one such tower, Master and apprentice, Leina and Cecilia, held their vigil. On a tower not far opposite them were the newly arrived Audrey and Jilata, powerhouse figures from the Netherworld Royal Clan.
Besides these two towers, numerous other stone structures dotted the landscape, faint human shapes flickering atop them, their gazes descending upon the scene below—upon Hegg of the God Clan, and upon Shi Yan, the representative of the Bloodthirsty lineage.
As Jilata and Audrey arrived, Hegg’s brow twitched, and wisps of faint souls, like shadows, peeled away from his divine body before vanishing instantly.
His brow suddenly furrowed deeply, a strange look clouding his features. “Interesting.”
“What is it?” Audrey inquired, her voice cool.
“Have you noticed your surroundings?” Jilata’s eyes darted around. “How many stone towers are there encircling the estate?”
Audrey swept her gaze across the scene. “Thirteen. And a few look newly erected.”
Towers like mountains rose from the estate's perimeter, maintaining a cautious distance from the grounds where Shi Yan, Mu Wei, and others stood. Several of these towers still bore the fresh marks of recent carving, suggesting they had been built not long ago.
A distinct lack of vitality emanated from all the towers, suggesting they had lain desolate for a long time—a highly peculiar sight in the fiercely competitive Black Iron City, where every inch of land was precious.
“Thirteen towers, each harboring a hidden powerhouse, likely representing distinct factions,” Jilata stated, astonishment coloring his tone. Then, a realization dawned. “Now I understand the true purpose behind your mother sending me here. So that’s it.”
Audrey looked surprised.
Jilata pointed in one direction. “There is a master from the Thousand Illusions Sect in that tower.”
He casually gestured toward another tower. “The strong ones from the Shattered Palace are over there.”
Turning his gaze back to the tower opposite them, Jilata’s focus sharpened. “Across from us is Leina.”
“Leina of the Heavenly Water Palace?” Audrey gasped, quickly lowering her voice. “The Cecilia from the Ancient Continent must be Leina’s disciple. Why has Leina herself traveled here?”
“The Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Palace, the Heavenly Water Palace—these are all powers second only to the God Clan and my Netherworld Royal Clan. For all of them to gather here now, there must be a deep motive.” Jilata paused. “And in the remaining towers, there are warriors from even more factions. It seems they all received word and have assembled in these watchtowers.”
“You mean someone meticulously orchestrated all of this?” Audrey suddenly grasped the implication.
Jilata nodded. “Of course it was planned. As for who is pulling the strings behind the scenes, I imagine your mother already knows. And here we are, have we not arrived as well?”
“What exactly does the orchestrator hope to achieve?” Audrey felt a wave of suspicion. She frowned, looking down at Hegg and Shi Yan, when a flash of clarity struck her. She exclaimed, “Could it be that by staging the battle between Hegg and Shi Yan, they intend to force those scattered factions to choose sides?”
“That’s my thought exactly,” Jilata murmured, his expression unusually grave.
“Ten thousand years ago, the God Clan united with various factions to jointly resist the Bloodthirsty lineage. Back then, the Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Palace, and the Heavenly Water Palace stood united with the God Clan, ultimately allowing the Gods to prune and clear out the Bloodthirsty line. The Thousand Illusions Sect, the Shattered Palace, the Heavenly Water Palace, and similar powers exerted tremendous effort; without their involvement, the God Clan might not have secured victory,” Jilata stated solemnly.
“Hegg is the new generation leader of the God Clan, and Shi Yan is the heir to the Bloodthirsty lineage. These two respectively represent the God Clan and the Bloodthirsty line. Could it be that those factions wish to use the conflict between these two as a benchmark, a critical measure for them to select an allegiance?” Audrey exclaimed.
“Your mother sending you and me here might also stem from this consideration. Hegg has inherited the legacy of the God Clan’s ancestral star, and Shi Yan has gained the legacy of the Ancient Continent. If nothing unexpected occurs, they will eventually command these two powerful forces. In future struggles, the roles of these two will only grow more critical, and the various factions will likely use the combat prowess displayed by these two to form an assessment—an assessment that could sway their final decisions,” Jilata explained.
Audrey’s beautiful eyes dimmed slightly, and she murmured, “Why are my clan members not qualified to participate?”
Jilata offered a wry smile and sighed inwardly, thinking that if she had managed to seize the Primordial Fruit in the Wilderness, she would likely be one of the combatants down below today.
But the spear...
Starfire suddenly halted his assault, freezing like an imposing glacier, even actively retreating. “We are not the protagonists in this battle.”
He looked towards Mu Wei and Bai Yefeng. Their eyes flickered with confusion, a faint shadow seeming to materialize within their pupils. A flicker of struggle crossed Mu Wei and Bai Yefeng’s faces, then, simultaneously, they nodded.
“This fight is between the God Clan and the Bloodthirsty lineage. Let us observe the situation quietly for now,” Mu Wei declared, looking toward Jiao Mu, Sang Ji, and Wu Lie with solemnity.
“If Starfire doesn't intervene, perhaps we shouldn't either, what do you say?” Bai Yefeng added.
Jiao Mu, Sang Ji, and Wu Lie all looked bewildered, filled with a sense of displacement and uncertainty.
They were unaware that many hidden forces were pushing for this confrontation between Shi Yan and Hegg. Mu Wei and Bai Yefeng were merely executors; Jiao Mu, Sang Ji, and Wu Lie had no idea this battle would determine the future direction of the major powers—that choosing allegiance to the God Clan or the Bloodthirsty lineage was inextricably linked to the outcome here.
They found the sudden cessation of fighting by Mu Wei, Bai Yefeng, and Starfire inexplicable. But seeing Starfire inexplicably stand aside, making no further moves against Shi Yan, they hesitated before also choosing to watch silently from the sidelines.
These three were merely pawns, eternally ignorant of the deeper meaning, still shrouded in confusion.
Even Mu Wei and Bai Yefeng occasionally displayed vague expressions, faint shadows flickering in their pupils, as if their wills were momentarily supplanted, their very souls and consciousness rewritten.
After Starfire lowered his guard, his eyes slanted toward the distant, towering stone structures, a flash of fire igniting in his gaze as he let out a cold snort.
Jilata let out a sinister chuckle, releasing a strand of soul intent. The void between him and Starfire rippled, and through the waves came an intensely violent and malevolent energy.
Boom!
A dull thunderclap echoed across the heavens, causing the altars of many profound realm experts to tremble. The powerhouses within the stone towers—casting their gazes down—all focused on the location of Jilata and Starfire, countless hidden figures flickering in and out of sight within the shadows of the tower corners.
“An old ghost from the Netherworld Royal Clan has arrived.”
Leina’s expression grew grim. She frowned, looking across at Jilata, then down at the estate again, her eyes shifting unpredictably as she observed Hegg and Shi Yan.
A heavy, stifling atmosphere permeated the estate. Starfire, Mu Wei, and their group scattered to the periphery.
Sha Zhao, Wu Feng, and the younger generation were sternly ordered by their seniors to retreat to the corners of the estate, clearing the central area for Hegg and Shi Yan.
This deliberately staged battle was being observed by numerous covert spectators hidden within the various stone towers, their auras sealed, their movements concealed, all to meticulously calculate their future bets. The outcome of this fight would provide them with a definitive answer, one that would shatter the existing equilibrium.
The result of this single combat would directly precipitate a massive cosmic upheaval; only the truly formidable powers would dare reveal their true stance.
“Hegg, how could it be you?”
Shi Yan’s face was icy. As his divine sense swept across the surroundings, he sensed the myriad terrifying auras emanating from the nearby stone towers. The long-standing confusion in his heart was suddenly swept away by the manifestation of those presences.
He had always been puzzled as to why the leader of the Bloodthirsty lineage had arranged for Shang Chen to send him here. He knew something was amiss, and now, he understood.
He instantly realized this battle was fated, completely unavoidable. He and Hegg represented the futures of two opposing forces, serving as the standard by which all other factions would measure their investment!
“I always believed the elders of your God Clan were blinded, that even your God Clan’s ancestral star was somehow corrupted,” Shi Yan boasted amidst the countless concealed gazes, letting out a dry laugh. “Because, in my eyes, you, Hegg, are utterly unworthy to lead the future of the God Clan! I believe Hassen was far more qualified than you! If the Elder Council and your God Clan’s ancestral star weren't blind, how could they abandon Hassen to choose you? Where do you surpass Hassen?”
He paused, then grinned widely, his tone laced with acidic mockery. “If Hassen were standing before me today, I might treat the situation cautiously, feeling nervous. But you...”
He shook his head, letting out a strange, mocking cackle.
Everyone could hear the derision in his words. The shadowy figures atop the stone towers all displayed peculiar expressions.
What a sharp-tongued whelp...
Yet, Hegg simply listened quietly, showing not a hint of shame or anger from beginning to end; his gaze remained utterly calm as he endured Shi Yan’s barrage of cutting remarks.
“My heart is without flaw; all your sharp words are merely wasted effort,” Hegg stated calmly and naturally. “Hassen is dead, and yet I still live—this is the proof that I am stronger than him. When Hassen was at his peak, the Chatres family did not send him to fight me. That is further proof that I am superior to him.”
A divine, vast, and dazzling screen of light manifested above Hegg’s head. The brilliant light of the Initial Realm, condensed by Hassen, was dazzling, radiating waves of purifying divine radiance.
Five planets slowly emerged from his world. Each planet embodied the deepest essence of the Five Elements—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Brilliant divine light coursed between the planets, making them resemble five resplendent diamonds, emitting boundless and seemingly endless energy fluctuations.
The five planets rotated slowly, embodying the true meaning of Heaven and Earth, like an eternal, unbreakable grand array, manifesting the profound subtleties of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
Many ancient masters of formidable cultivation, observing the flowing essence of the Five Elements, seemed to gain new insights, harvesting profound principles from the display.
“Forging stars with the power of the Five Elements, the Initial Realm complete, linked by immutable light, the profound mysteries perfected—Hegg is terrifyingly strong!” Jilata gasped.
“This child is indeed exceptional; the God Clan’s choice of him as their future leader shows true discerning vision,” Leina nodded silently.
The hidden powerhouses of all factions gazed deeply upon the evolutionary display of Hegg’s profound principles, their expressions moved, murmuring in admiration.