"An Ancient Demon Sovereign… sealed away here?"
Fang Han's mind buzzed so loudly it was as if a swarm of bees had erupted inside his skull. No matter how he looked at the kindly old man before him—gentle-eyed, serene-faced—he simply couldn't reconcile that image with the title Ancient Demon Sovereign.
But the power he had shown… ending two Vermilion Birds with a flick of a finger… that kind of might was beyond terrifying.
Each Vermilion Bird was monstrously strong, and two together could rival the Ghost Emperor himself. Even a Longevity Secret Realm elder like Elder Tianxing—one of the eternal giants—wouldn't necessarily be able to kill them so effortlessly.
Feng Baiyu could do it if he unleashed his Heaven Emperor Realm—but even his power wouldn't look this casual.
"Correct," the old Daoist said calmly. "But what you see here is only a projection. My true body is sealed deep within this planet, suppressed by the Five-Element Spirit Roots. Those roots were created by an ancient supreme expert—formed from the five fingers of his hand."
As he spoke, the massive earth-colored hand of energy retracted into the ground. Fang Han felt darkness swallow him, and in the next instant, he descended into the subterranean depths.
They arrived in an underground palace—vast, empty, silent. The old Daoist sat cross-legged on a single meditation cushion in the center.
Behind him coiled a colossal beast.
A Huang Serpent.
Earth-aligned sacred beast. In legend—the King of Hell.
And clamped in its jaws was a dying Vermilion Bird—the same one the old Daoist had captured alive.
"This Huang Serpent is already under my control," the old Daoist said kindly, as if speaking to a junior he favored. "I turned it into the hand you saw earlier to crush those two little Vermilion Birds. Your Five Emperor Devil Arts still lack Fire and Earth. So—go ahead. Refine the Vermilion Bird and this serpent."
He gestured warmly, kindly, almost indulgently.
But Fang Han hesitated. This was too generous. Too suspicious. Why would such fortune fall onto him?
After a moment of silence, he lifted his head.
"Senior… why help me? Do you need me to free you from the seal?"
The old Daoist suddenly laughed—a deep, rolling laugh that echoed off the cavern walls.
"If I could be freed by someone at your level, do you think I'd still be here? Even if you cultivated for another ten thousand years, you wouldn't be able to loosen the seal. Only if you ascend to the Immortal Realm will you have a chance to move the Five-Element Spirit Roots."
"Then why—"
"My projection cost me a great deal of accumulated power. I came only to plant a piece on the board—an idle move in a long game. A while ago, another young man entered this realm. I intended to help him too, but he cultivated the Path of Lifeless Sword—emotionless slaughter, killing gods and killing buddhas alike. My idle piece would've been wasted on him."
His eyes softened slightly.
"But then you arrived. And you cultivate the Five Emperor Devil Arts—born from the same origin as mine. Naturally I will help you. Give you some benefits. Have you not noticed? You encountered far fewer Heavenly Demon Kings than you should have. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made it this far."
His gaze shifted.
"And that treasure of yours… interesting. It holds the Gate of Abaddon. I wonder which junior refined it. Pity it's so damaged. Unless you find the Earth Emperor Book, it'll never be restored."
Fang Han's voice turned dry.
"Senior… you're using me as a chess piece? What kind of 'idle move' is this?"
"Watch."
The Daoist waved his hand.
A bright screen of light spread open like a window, revealing the massive time-space gate the Taiyi Sect had opened—and the twelve Golden Core experts unleashing the Doomsday Calamities formed from their golden cores, slaughtering Heavenly Demon Kings by the thousands.
Fang Han's throat tightened.
"That… that many Demon Kings…"
"In this planet lie myself and my subordinates—eight hundred and forty million Heavenly Demons," the old Daoist said conversationally. "Releasing a few thousand Demon Kings to slow down Taiyi Sect's people is nothing. Their Doomsday Calamity technique is indeed impressive."
Fang Han gathered himself and asked the most important question:
"Senior… how do I leave the Five Elements Realm?"
"The Five Elements Realm is the greatest trial ground a sect can possess. The Spirit Roots endlessly produce five-element beasts for disciples to train against. Any sect that obtains it will rise rapidly."
"I projected myself to the surface just to tell you this:
At the center of the Five Elements Realm is a mountain. On that mountain lies a single talisman. Remove it. It is the key to mastering this realm. Do not let anyone else take it."
"If you obtain the talisman, you can freely enter and leave. Taiyi Sect forced open a time-space gate, but maintaining it drains unimaginable amounts of power."
Fang Han absorbed this silently.
"What about the young man who came before me? Did he take the talisman?"
He was referring, of course, to Meng Shaobai.
"He did not. To prevent him from discovering it, I directed Demon Kings to besiege him and pushed him out through a temporary passage I created. Once you take the talisman, he won't be able to leave again."
The Daoist waved a dismissive hand.
"Enough. Refine the Vermilion Bird and the Huang Serpent. My projection is fading."
Indeed, his body was turning translucent.
At the same time, the Huang Serpent behind him surged with awakening ferocity.
"Not good!"
Fang Han reacted instantly. Yan and the three Dao-artifacts surged forward, their combined power forming a barrier that swallowed both sacred beasts whole. Countless divine abilities battered them relentlessly until their bodies shattered—releasing the purest Fire and Earth essence.
Fang Han inhaled deeply.
His Five Emperor Devil Arts roared to life.
The Fire Emperor Qi devoured the Vermilion Bird.
The Earth Emperor Qi engulfed the Huang Serpent.
The fire essence burned like volcanic blood through his heart, erupting into a blazing fire cloud above his head. Ding-Fire Divine Thunder brewed within it, bursting with endless destructive force—greater than any fire technique he had ever wielded.
Four clouds now floated above him—Wood, Water, Fire, Metal—each a perfected thunderstorm of elemental might.
Only Earth remained.
But the Huang Serpent resisted stubbornly—its earth essence incredibly condensed.
Alone, Fang Han probably couldn't have defeated it at all.
"Five Elements—cycle!" he shouted.
He condensed all four perfected clouds, pouring Wood into Fire, Fire into Earth, Water into Wood, Metal into Water—circulating the cycle. The Earth Emperor Qi surged, enveloping the serpent's essence.
At last—
A massive earth-yellow thundercloud rose.
The five clouds merged.
The Five-Emperor Celestial Canopy finally formed—five-colored radiance spinning like a divine crown above his head. Auspicious clouds rippled out. Distant chanting echoed through the void.
His internal organs fused into a unified whole. His muscles, bones, and flesh emitted five-colored brilliance like flawlessly cut diamond. His dual spiritual seas expanded wildly.
Even the black flames of the Heaven-Covering Devil Hand now flickered with rainbow halos—their power soaring.
After countless battles, near-death struggles, endless hardship…
He had done it.
"Excellent! Excellent! Your Five Emperor Devil Arts have all reached perfection!" Yan howled with delight. "With this canopy, you're unstoppable! Now—use it as your foundation. Burn your spiritual fire. Forge your Life-Symbol. Step into the Sixth Realm—Unification!"
Star Zen could barely speak.
"The power… I can't even scratch that canopy. This divine art is terrifying…"
Fang Han wasted no time.
To reach Unification, two conditions were required: perfected Five-Element arts and ignition of the spiritual fire. He now had both.
He spat out all fifty-five divine abilities, forming fifty-five arrays encircling the Five-Emperor canopy. His spiritual fire ignited, burning his own power to smelt the divine abilities together.
But—
Suddenly—
His power faltered.
Even with the World Tree's immortal qi supporting him, he was draining himself too fast.
This consumption was monstrous.
If his power ran dry now—
Not only would he fail,
the divine abilities would scatter—
and Fang Han would become a cripple.