"A City Lord showdown! Has Yaoguang Ye lost his mind?"
Inside Dulan City, Dulan Lian's face contorted with disbelief.
Who was Yaoguang Ye? The grandson of Yaoguang Tianyou, younger brother of Yaoguang You, merely a Domain Lord! He'd just taken control of Tianyan Prefecture City, and now he dared challenge her to a showdown for the position of City Lord?
Was he trying to destroy Dulan City?
Dulan Lian was practically trembling with rage. Ever since becoming City Lord, no one had provoked her so thoroughly, stirring such turbulent emotions within her breast.
"I accept his showdown," Dulan Lian said coldly. "Since he seeks death, I'll kill Yaoguang Tianyou's grandson before this battle even begins!"
If she didn't respond with overwhelming force, every upstart in the region would think they could challenge her authority!
In Yaoguang City.
Yaoguang You stood frozen, staring at the intelligence report his subordinates had delivered.
"Is this really something my younger brother would do?" Yaoguang You muttered in disbelief.
"Don't overthink it."
A figure materialized behind Yaoguang You.
"That certainly isn't the real Ye'er, but since this person wants to use that disguise, we'll cooperate with him. More importantly, we'll leverage his power to seize control of Dulan Main City."
"He won't remain here permanently. Once he departs, Dulan Main City will revert to the Yaoguang family's control."
"Simply treat him as your actual younger brother. Don't pry too deeply into the details."
"Yes, Father!" Yaoguang You's thoughts crystallized, understanding blooming across his features.
They would conquer Dulan Main City together. After the mysterious warrior departed, Dulan Main City would still belong to the Yaoguang family!
Outside Dulan Main City.
The army had arrived.
Han Jue had broken through multiple cultivation barriers with his Star-Eating Grass, aided by the abundant resources provided to him. The plant had now reached the third level of World Master cultivation.
Han Jue stood suspended in the air, followed closely by Qi Yunxian and Yaoguang Ye.
Farther overhead, powerful figures from other prefectures and the World Master-level experts from Yaoguang Main City hovered above Dulan Main City. Among them, one woman seated upon a throne woven from living vines immediately captured everyone's attention.
Dulan Lian!
"Yaoguang Ye, huh? Such a handsome young man," a male Domain Lord sneered at Han Jue from a distance. "I didn't expect you to be such a brainless fool."
Han Jue remained impassive, though the two men behind him wore peculiar expressions.
"Lord Divine Envoy!"
A spatial tear opened in the sky, and a figure emerged from the rift.
"That's a disciple of the Mirror Lake Holy Spirit, here to witness the City Lord showdown and the main city war," Qi Yunxian whispered.
While Holy Spirits permitted competition between subordinate divine kingdoms and main cities, it had to remain healthy competition. They wouldn't tolerate complete annihilation. Therefore, the Divine Envoy's role was to oversee proceedings and ensure the conflict didn't spiral out of control.
Their primary concern was preventing the millions of civilians within the main city from perishing before the battle between these World Masters concluded.
"You may begin," the Divine Envoy said, his voice detached and wrapped in layers of concealing energy that obscured his features.
"Kill!"
Soldiers from both sides engaged, clashing in a fierce exchange of blows.
Dulan Lian instantly materialized before Han Jue, studying him from head to toe as if trying to determine where he'd found the audacity for such recklessness.
Fortunately, Han Jue had concealed his aura in advance, successfully hiding his Universe-level cultivation.
"Begin," Dulan Lian said, a charming smile spreading across her face. In her eyes, Han Jue was already a corpse.
Han Jue shook his head slightly. The next moment, his figure appeared hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
Dulan Lian followed him to this location. Fighting here would minimize the impact on Dulan Main City.
"Boom!"
The Blood Orchid Vine and the Star-Eating Grass collided instantly, and the Star-Eating Grass clearly held the advantage.
"Impossible!" Dulan Lian exclaimed sharply. A parasitic plant capable of rivaling her Blood Orchid Vine actually existed?
"Aren't you quite arrogant? And you still attempt sneak attacks?" Han Jue smiled faintly, then quietly ignited the Holy Flame within his body.
Green flames enveloped Han Jue's entire form, and immense power surged through his body.
Was this the might possessed by a peak World Master?
Han Jue felt the explosive surge of strength within him, confidence swelling in his chest.
Meanwhile, Dulan Lian's face darkened.
According to the intelligence Qi Yunxian had gathered, Dulan Lian resembled a pharmacist within the universal cultivation system, inherently fragile and likely incapable of withstanding the full might of the Holy Flame. If she were forced to use it, her performance would probably mirror Qi Yunxian's limitations. Of course, Han Jue's boldness in deploying the flame was also thanks to the abundant cultivation resources Venerable Lingji had provided for his Star-Eating Grass.
Life Fruit, Divine Stone Water... everything imaginable!
"Hmph!"
Golden flames erupted from Dulan Lian's body, and her aura soared dramatically.
Let's fight!
Dulan Lian had never been inferior to anyone in her entire life!
From the outside, the Seven Flames Palace appeared to be a seamless, naturally formed palace structure.
As a palace, it naturally possessed an interior.
In reality, the Seven Flames Palace could be divided into three distinct layers: the outer layer, the inner layer, and the core layer.
In the terminology of Seven Flames Palace natives, these were the Land of Chaos, the Land of Order, and at the deepest point, the Sacred Pillar Space!
To the residents of the Seven Flames Palace, the Sacred Pillar Space was where the Holy Spirits resided and where the Sacred Pillar Trials took place. To outsiders from the broader universe, it represented the innermost sanctum of the Seven Flames Palace, the location of the palace's greatest opportunity.
Within the Sacred Pillar Space.
A cyan-blue figure, its face indistinct and blurred, sat cross-legged atop a pillar stretching over ten million kilometers in length.
"Jinghu, has a prince from the Virtual Universe Company arrived in your territory?"
A silver-white figure inquired from another distant pillar.
"Yes," the Mirror Lake Holy Spirit replied.
"Lord Flame King has instructed us not to interfere with these princes' training. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be qualified to comprehend the Holy Flames here," the Qiming Holy Spirit sighed.
"That's because Lord Flame King was also human, someone who emerged from our Seven Flames Palace. He's the only one who ever gained the Holy Flame's recognition and successfully took away the Blazing Sky Holy Flame," another emerald-green figure, the Linmu Holy Spirit, added.
"This is the limit of our talent," the Qiming Holy Spirit said helplessly.
"After countless epochs of effort, I still cannot gain the Holy Flame's recognition. I'm stuck at the sixth stage of the Sacred Pillar Trial without even a shred of progress."
"Gaining the Holy Flame's recognition and mastering it would instantly elevate us to the pinnacle of King-level existence! But even Lord Flame King has never been able to take that final step and become the lofty Supreme of the Universe. Otherwise, our Seven Flames Palace would possess even greater autonomy," the Linmu Holy Spirit said.
"Even if one became a Supreme of the Universe, what difference would it make? The Virtual Universe Company is full of such beings," the Qiming Holy Spirit replied, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Jinghu, why aren't you speaking?" the Qiming Holy Spirit asked, puzzled.
Among the Seven Holy Spirits, the three of them maintained the closest relationship and often gathered to converse.
The Mirror Lake Holy Spirit was usually quite animated, so why was he silent today?
"That prince nearly killed Dulan Lian," the Mirror Lake Holy Spirit said, his expression solemn.
"What?!" Both the Qiming Holy Spirit and the Linmu Holy Spirit exclaimed in shock.
They knew exactly who Dulan Lian was. Like the Void Emperor from a hundred thousand years ago, she was a technical specialist. They had personally studied the Blood Orchid Vine cultivated by Dulan Lian.
That was precisely why they were stunned.
The prince from the Virtual Universe Company was only at the ninth level of Universe rank! How could he possibly kill Dulan Lian?
"...It's finished." The Mirror Lake Holy Spirit's voice carried finality.
"According to the rules, he will become the new Lord of Dulan City. If nothing unexpected occurs, his objective should be the Sacred Pillar Trial, correct?" the Qiming Holy Spirit said in surprise.
"That's right," the Mirror Lake Holy Spirit confirmed with a nod.
"He cultivates the fusion law of the Water and Sky lineage, and he should have chosen my Water-Sky Holy Flame. Let's observe, a genius of this caliber is extremely rare even within the Virtual Universe Company. I wonder if he can obtain the Origin Fire at the Universe rank."
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