Xiao Yan was fully aware that even though the two sides were currently locked in fierce combat, they hadn't yet sustained any truly critical injuries. Among so many experts, not everyone was so easily deceived. There were definitely a few sharp minds in the mix, and if they managed to sense something amiss, then all the effort he had put into setting up this scheme would go to waste.
He wasn't about to let that happen.
As the battle raged on with increasing ferocity, Xiao Yan quietly spread his spiritual energy outward. His current spiritual strength had already reached a level that even Perfected Earth Sovereigns couldn't rival. Thus, even the two Earth Sovereigns in the sky—Lu Heng and the Ice Spirit Clan elder—remained completely unaware that a third force was now watching from above.
Xiao Yan didn't directly interfere with Lu Heng or the Ice Spirit elder. Instead, he targeted others on the battlefield. Nearby, two Lower Earth Sovereigns from opposing factions were already fighting fiercely, unleashing their techniques without holding back.
As one elder from the Sacred Demon Palace began gathering energy for a divine art, Xiao Yan quietly unleashed a simplified version of the Ninefold Netherworld Extinguishing Sky Eye. The sudden soul attack broke the elder's concentration and caused a backlash in his spiritual energy. Before he could recover or understand what had just happened, his opponent's technique slammed into him with devastating force.
Almost simultaneously, a similar scene occurred elsewhere on the battlefield—only this time, the victim was an elder from the Ice Spirit Clan. Even at the Earth Sovereign level, taking a direct hit from an equal when completely unguarded was disastrous—especially with Xiao Yan sabotaging things from the shadows. Within moments, several casualties appeared across the battlefield.
Once there were deaths on both sides, the atmosphere changed entirely. There was no room for holding back anymore. Both sides began unleashing true killing blows—partly from grief over fallen comrades, partly from fear of being killed if they hesitated.
Watching both sides grow more desperate and bloody, Xiao Yan smirked in the shadows. The battle had escalated beyond the point of no return. Even if someone realized it was all a trap, it was already far too late to stop. Worse still, he continued subtly intervening—every strike further thinning their numbers.
The fiercest clash, of course, was between Lu Heng and the Ice Spirit elder. As more of their subordinates fell, their fury toward each other only intensified. One could see it in their rapidly rising spiritual pressure.
"World-Destroying Flame Dragon Art!"
"Frozen Heaven Palm!"
Two furious roars split the air as a dragon of black fire collided with a colossal palm formed of icy spirit energy. The impact triggered a massive explosion that blasted even the surrounding Earth Sovereigns out of the sky. Lu Heng and the Ice Spirit elder were both thrown tens of thousands of meters apart by the shockwave.
"What terrifying power. Those techniques must be at the divine art level, right? Tch… no wonder they're both Upper Earth Sovereigns. That arsenal is really something," Mandala muttered in awe. Though she too possessed a few divine arts, she only used them as last resorts. Yet the way these two were exchanging blows made it seem like they hadn't even revealed their final trump cards.
"Yeah." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. He was also quite intrigued. Although he himself had several powerful techniques, no cultivator ever felt they had too many. He was especially keen on enhancing the Demon Wrath Nine Absolutes, and studying more advanced divine arts was the key to evolving it.
"But judging from how far they've pushed each other… they're probably about to summon their Sovereign Bodies," Xiao Yan murmured. With their cultivation, techniques, and combat strength so evenly matched, only the power of Sovereign Bodies could tip the scales now.
Just as he predicted, the two combatants suddenly stopped. After a brief pause, they began forming seals simultaneously. Vast torrents of spiritual energy surged to the heavens, quickly coalescing into two colossal figures that towered above the clouds.
The Ice Spirit elder revealed his Sovereign Body first. Azure streams of energy spiraled around his form before transforming into a towering sculpture of ice. Mist swirled around the frozen giant, and the cold it radiated was so intense that even souls felt frozen just by proximity.
"That's… the Ice God Body? Ranked thirty-fourth alongside the Flame God Body on the Sovereign Body Rankings? No wonder—it's the Ice Spirit Clan after all. What terrifying heritage," Mandala gasped. A Sovereign Body of that ranking was exceedingly rare in the entire Great Thousand World. She hadn't expected this old man to possess it.
"Yeah," Qing Tan echoed, her expression tense. The Ice God Body far surpassed her own Frost Body, which was only ranked forty-second. Though the difference seemed small on paper, in reality, the gap between them was like a chasm. She could already tell that if they were on equal cultivation levels, her Sovereign Body would shatter on first contact with that Ice God Body.
Lu Heng's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Ice God Body. Clearly, he hadn't anticipated such a high-grade Sovereign Body either, and now had a few suspicions about his opponent's true identity. Still, his hand seals didn't slow in the slightest.
With a furious roar, Lu Heng unleashed his own spiritual energy. A dark sun began to rise, and from the void emerged a towering silhouette cloaked in darkness. The surrounding space rippled ominously. Behind the massive form hovered a black sun, slowly rotating like a void within the stars—eerily mysterious and oppressively heavy.
"That is…" Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. There was something hauntingly familiar about the Sovereign Body Lu Heng summoned. It looked almost identical to the one Mu Chen had used in the past—except Mu Chen's version glowed with radiant golden light, while this one was shrouded in eerie darkness.
"The Undying Great Sun Body," Mandala murmured. Her voice was low, eyes locked onto Lu Heng's summoned form, filled with complex emotion.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.