Under the clear instructions of Huangliang Lingjun, everyone from the human race now knew that the two clans would be uniting. Though slightly surprised, those who had reached this point were no ordinary cultivators or physical practitioners—naturally, they did not object. At that moment, the aura of the wild beasts surged, and a large group of fierce, grotesque creatures, along with over a dozen fully-formed immortal beasts, emerged one after another. On the human side, various incantations and magical artifacts were swiftly deployed, their spiritual energy rising into the sky, forming brilliant streaks of light. As the green-robed woman and Huangshi Gong observed the private conversation between the Han surname youth and Huangliang Lingjun, they immediately sensed something amiss. Now, upon seeing this dramatic display, they had no doubt that the human and spirit clans had formed a solid alliance. The two exchanged a look of gloomy concern and, without a word, promptly turned and began to retreat. Behind them, the wooden bird and the towering stone figure also began to move swiftly, rumbling toward the valley entrance. The spirit clan had withdrawn without a single battle. At once, both human and immortal beings were stunned, but quickly assumed that the Ling clan must have seen their momentum as unstoppable and were preparing to retreat. With morale soaring, the ethereal aura of霞light surged without hesitation, swiftly engulfing and shattering the百余wood-and-stone puppets that had fled slightly slower, and within a blink, several human and immortal figures had already surged into the valley's mouth. They had offered absolutely no resistance! Huan and Huanglang, the young noble and the serene Ling sovereign, were momentarily struck by surprise. They had personally fought against Ling clan warriors in the past and remembered vividly their tenacity. To see two Ling clan members now retreating so unexpectedly was indeed unusual. "Impossible—they must slow down now. Something's wrong!" Huan's face darkened, and he turned swiftly to Huanglang, speaking urgently. "There is definitely something amiss!" Huanglang nodded, took a deep breath, and then let out a long, resonant cry, summoning the warriors ahead. Yet at that very moment, high above the valley's entrance, an eerie glow of blood suddenly emerged. Then, with a thunderous roar, the blood lotus coalesced into a bloom several dozen zhang in diameter. Its petals shimmered a vivid crimson, exuding a rich, blood-like essence that filled the air, spinning swiftly in the sky. "Unbelievable! It's the Xuxian Xuanling!" the Han-family youth exclaimed immediately upon seeing the blood lotus. Though he had never witnessed this particular blood lotus before, he was well-acquainted with the reputation of the Xuanling among the Eight Great Xuanling of the Qi Spirit Clan, and was equally astonished. Yet before either of them could launch a rescue effort, the blood lotus suddenly transformed into a surging river of blood, plunging straight downward from the heavens. Wherever the blood flowed, whether human or immortal creature, all were instantly obliterated, vanishing into wisps of pale mist. Neither their protective aura nor their defensive artifacts could withstand the slightest impact of the blood. In a matter of moments, only a small fraction of the human and immortal clans remained outside the valley, their survivors pale and trembling, as if the blood itself were venomous scorpions. Without a word from Huangliang the Spirit Sovereign That river of blood, having devoured so many human and immortal beings, still seemed unsatisfied—after rolling forward, it surged out of the valley mouth and charged straight after the fleeing human and immortal creatures. At this moment, how could the young man of the Huan surname and the Huangliang Immortal Sovereign remain passive? They both erupted in rage and launched their attacks simultaneously. The young man opened his mouth, and a fierce gray spirit wind burst forth, then rolled once, transforming into a set of gray wind-serpents that surged directly toward the river of blood. Meanwhile, the Huangliang Immortal Sovereign coldly snorted, shook her sleeve, and instantly a golden octagonal mirror appeared before her chest. With a swift gesture of her hands, she exhaled a golden light column as thick as a large bowl. A tremendous roar erupted! The wind-serpents and the golden light column collided head-on with the front of the river of blood, producing a powerful explosion that finally halted its momentum, preventing it from advancing further. "Hah! I never expected to encounter such high-ranking beings from your two lineages in such a remote place," said the river, now flowing backward and suddenly coalescing into a lotus blossom of A figure materialized, a Lin族 man dressed in a deep sage-green robe standing upon the platform, his eyes sharp and piercing. It was Xu Tian, the spirit of the Qi Clan. Upon seeing the other party withdraw their spell, the Han-family youth and Xu Tian exchanged glances and also temporarily held back their powers. Instantly, the gray wind and golden light columns dissolved. Yet their expressions toward Xu Tian were far from pleasant. "Xu Tian, as the master of Xuan Ling, you dare to act so boldly against the younger generation—do you not fear that we will treat your entire Lin clan similarly?" Lin Liang, the Spirit King, scanned the scene, his anger rising upon seeing only a sparse group of human cultivators remaining, including two of his own Yuan Yin cultivators who had originally accompanied him. "A few cultivators below Yuan Yin level—mere casualties. Surely, you do not expect the human race to launch a full-scale war over such minor losses? After all, didn't the two of you earlier intend to dominate the smaller clans?" Xu Tian responded with calm indifference. At the same time, flashes of luminous light emanated from behind, revealing one after another smaller figures—Fei Ren, Hua Guang, and others among them. Upon seeing so many members of the Luminous Clan, the young man of the Huan surname and the Huan Ling King were both taken aback, beginning to assess their chances of success after the battle. A moment later, both of them felt a sense of relief. Though they had recently suffered significant losses, the combined strength of the two clans had allowed them to maintain a slight advantage. Huang Liang Ling King gave a cold laugh, intending to speak, but as the young man's eyes darted around, his expression suddenly changed, and he cried out, "Wait—there are no representatives from the Water Clan among the Five Luminous Clans. They're deliberately delaying the battle." Upon hearing this, Huang Liang Ling King suddenly realized the situation, his face turning stern. He raised his hand and waved it, and as his chest's luminous realm flashed, golden columns of light burst forth once more. The young man naturally cast his own spell, reinforcing the gust of magical wind. As for the other immortal cultivators behind them, the human race also surged forward, led by elegant young women in palace attire and the Blue City Master, advancing toward the opposing forces. The spiritual race on the other side showed no hesitation. Amid the swirling flames and surging sword energies, the stone figures and green wooden birds once again emerged from the valley. The wooden birds flapped their wings, launching a dense barrage of green arrows, while the towering stone figures raised their hands, sending yellow luminous orbs—each the size of a water barrel—straight toward the opposing ranks. The battle grew increasingly intense. At this moment, the Blood Lotus transformed once more into a broad, rushing river of blood, shooting upward into the sky. The Spring Beam Immortal and the young noble of the Huan family also ascended into the air, activating their divine powers to keep pace. In terms of cultivation rank and level, the three were roughly equal. Yet Xu Tian, as a Xuan Ling cultivator, had existed in the Xuan Ling Realm for countless tens of thousands of years—his combat experience and divine capabilities far surpassed those of the Spring Beam Immortal and the Huan youth. In one-on-one encounters, the human and immortal cultivators would inevitably fall. Yet these two were well aware of the situation, and thus their initial attack was a remarkably synchronized joint assault, gaining a steady advantage over Xu Tian. In the sky, the blood river, gray wind, and golden light intertwined, while on the ground, explosive sounds, flames, radiant halos, and thunderous roars continued to erupt. A streak of blue light flashed, and a massive blade of light materialized, sweeping downward and instantly eliminating a group of over a dozen towering stone figures that had been blocking the path, all reduced to ashes within the blue radiance. On the spiritual lineage's side, flames surged wildly, and a massive red hand emerged, reaching down toward the human and demon forces. Several cultivators failed to dodge in time and were seized firmly, turning to ash within the crimson hand. One human cultivator, witnessing this, grew furious. He pressed his palms together in a series of gestures, his form rapidly expanding until he had grown into a giant over ten zhang tall, wielding a pair of dark, gleaming iron fists and charging fiercely toward his opponent. This was the senior cultivator of the body-attunement rank, Mr. Jin, employing his secret body-attunement technique, transforming his body into a towering giant Numerous waves of dark, serpentine punches surged forth from the warriors' fists. Where the wind of these punches passed, sharp, tearing sounds of rushing air erupted, compelling both the spiritual beings and the wooden-stone automatons to retreat by a safe distance, unwilling to meet even a fraction of the force. Yet at the same time, a powerful roar echoed from the spiritual beings' side, and a silver figure suddenly expanded and grew larger. A silver figure even larger than the black giant appeared on the spiritual beings' side—none other than Fei Ren, a golden spiritual being. The ground trembled several times, and the silver figure took several long strides, reaching directly before the black giant, then unleashed two massive, radiant silver fists in a powerful strike. The black giant did not hesitate, meeting the assault with equally vigorous punches. A series of thunderous impacts, like clear sky lightning, rang out. Those closer—humans and immortals—were struck by the sound, their ears ringing with shock, and in awe, quickly moved away from the battlefield between the two giants. At this moment, the other spiritual beings and the higher-ranked immortal cultivators also began to display their unique abilities. Suddenly, a black phoenix shot forth from the midst of the spectral beasts, its black flames curling and instantly reducing over a hundred wooden birds soaring in the sky to ashes. The phoenix then flickered, vanishing from the void—only to reappear moments later at the entrance of the Chaotic Valley, where its black flames rolled out and transformed it into a graceful young lady in imperial court attire. Without turning back, the Way of the Black Phoenix, a cultivator of the Divine Realm, flashed into the valley with a streak of black light. "Unfortunate!" exclaimed the Blue City Master, his heart racing. Taking a deep breath, he directed his seven blue-bladed flying swords, which had been circling him, and with great exertion of inner energy, unleashed hundreds of sword strikes against the group of stone figures that had ensnared him. Through sheer determination, he carved a path and surged into the valley himself, emerging as a streak of blue light. Nearby members from the human and spirit tribes, observing the opening, swiftly summoned their own flight lights and followed suit, entering the valley one by one. The last one to enter the valley was a young man enveloped in a glow of red light—none other than Han Li. For some reason, despite having no innate magical energy at all, he now commanded a thick flow of fiery qi, moving with astonishing speed and swiftly entering the valley's entrance. It seemed as though he had regained all his magical prowess. As soon as Han Li stepped into the valley, he immediately understood why it was known as the Valley of Chaos. The sky, the ground, and the mountain walls were all gray and hazy, as though shrouded by an indelible veil of gray mist. Han Li's light suddenly ceased. He glanced at several human and immortal beings who were flying rapidly toward the ancient Chinese heartland, then narrowed his eyes slightly. Suddenly, he pressed his palms together in a series of gestures and, with a single exhalation, expelled a silver orb of flame. A clear, resonant sound echoed within the flame, and upon bursting forth with a "pffft," it expanded into a large fire bird, about a foot in size, circling and dancing around Han Li. ------------ There's something up; we'll delay the update a bit longer ------------ Gosh, it's still going to be pushed back!