At the very instant the Flame Emperor self-exploded, Borias sensed the threat. Though her mind was disoriented, her combat instincts remained sharp, and she immediately summoned the winds to attempt escape from the blast radius. With the Sky King's peak speed, her short-distance sprint was as swift as a teleportation. Just then, an unparalleled pressure descended upon her—her shoulders felt as though bearing an entire mountain, and the gravitational pull in this area intensified exponentially. Borias could not escape. She raised one wind wall after another before her, channeling the airflow into surging waves that counteracted the shockwave generated by the explosion. She forged a brilliant lightning armor, establishing a powerful electromagnetic shield. Yet the expanding flames and devastating shockwaves still consumed her. Fire was the most destructive of all elemental powers, and self-explosion was the Flame Mage's most potent technique. That was the nature of Flame Mages—right from the start, they unleash their ultimate move, never playing around with tactical adjustments; they simply explode. Boreas was instantly incinerated into a blazing skeleton, hurled forth by the shockwave. "Exiled, exiled, exiled..." The Chairman materialized within the reach of the shockwave, his form ethereal, immune to damage. He rapidly snapped his fingers, attempting to transport Boreas to the sleeping realm of Yeshou while she was critically wounded. Repeated attempts at transportation—each one failing. The failures stemmed not only from the positional immunity imposed but also from the fact that the owner of the Dionysus Club had subtly distorted her abilities, rendering the transport ineffective. This half-deity, a lifelong drinker, had evidently anticipated their strategy, quietly interfering with the Chairman's powers. Fu Qingxuan and the King of Fear rose first, transforming into two radiant streaks of red and white, swiftly moving toward the blazing skeleton. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" A piercing wind howl carried a deluge of wind blades, sweeping against Fu Qingxuan and preventing the close-range-savvy general from approaching. Fu Qingxuan suddenly halted mid-air, neither retreating nor dodging, her body seeming to transform into a sword furnace, with countless sword qi jets erupting forth, each one precisely severing the wind blades. On the other side, the Fearful King, manifesting a tripartite octopodal form, used the keen insight of a swordmaster to weave through successive lightning strikes and successfully closed in on the skeleton. With his eight arms wielding a variety of weapons—swords, spears, halberds, and lances—his arms struck the enemy simultaneously, leaving no gap, forming an impenetrable wall. He chose not to deploy his mesmerizing eyes or dense mist, as neither would prove effective against the wind mage, who is particularly adept at countering mist; instead, he focused entirely on close combat. The skeleton darted through the swordlight and blade flurry, as agile as a fish, each time seeming poised to be struck, yet always managing to glide effortlessly through the converging attacks, like a gentle breeze. The Fearful King pressed his assault with relentless determination, but ultimately failed to make contact, instead having his chest pressed firmly against the skeleton's palm. At that instant, a resonant "clang" echoed He spiraled backward uncontrollably, streaks of bright blue lightning slashing down, striking his head in succession. The King of Fear, his body blackened, streaked across the sky and plunged into the similarly blackened earth. On the other side, Fu Qingxuan's sword aura shattered all the wind blades, her body merging seamlessly with the swordlight, forming a long, arcing rainbow that surged toward the skeleton. At that moment, neck membranes, flesh, and blood began to emerge on the skeleton's surface, its abdominal cavity taking shape and its internal organs regenerating. She strained to gather spiritual energy, accelerating the regeneration process, then raised her arm to deliver a powerful downward slash, forming a massive wind blade aimed at Fu Qingxuan. Thick, earth-yellow light rose upward, clinging to the back of Fu Qingxuan and forming a bright yellow cloak. "Hum!" The giant wind blade was partially blocked by the yellow glow of the cloak, which dimmed slightly. Suddenly, the fresh flesh and blood on the skeleton's surface began to be tainted by a foul aura, showing signs of decay, and its vitality rapidly weakened. The draining of fortune by the Gourd Dragon and the long-nurtured illness of the Water Spirit Palace Master finally erupted at this moment, plunging the already severely wounded Borias into a state of unprecedented frailty. A streak of swordlight arced through the air, lifting the skull and sending it crashing down with the body. As this unfolded, the scorched earth cracked open, like the gaping maw of a deep abyss, its gravitational pull intensifying, drawing the body and skull downward, striving to drag them into the depths. Hoo-hoo! The wind reversed its flow, attempting to lift the body and skull, creating a fierce struggle against the earth. The downward momentum of the skeleton halted instantly. Dashing, rhythmic hoofbeats echoed—eight swift blue steeds pulled a war chariot from afar, charging forward like streaking blue meteors, striking the skeleton’s body with a powerful, high-angled impact. Crack! Cracks appeared along the skeleton’s ribs and spine, and it was forcefully driven into the fissures of the earth, leaving only the skull to stubbornly hold on. The long-waiting Maecenas seized the moment, inverted the rules, and turned the upward airflow into a downward force, actively driving his head into the fissure. Though many half-gods were present, their actions were well-coordinated—no chaotic bursts of skills, no disorderly waves of succession. Each clearly knew their role: who supported, who attacked—no need for words, only mutual understanding. The fissure instantly closed and solidified, restoring calm. Each half-god on the field exhaled in relief. The master-tier earth monsters possessed three core abilities: containment, disintegration, and seismic activity. Among these, containment and disintegration formed a synergistic pair. Containment, second only to the "Sleeping Spell" in sealing power, became a rule-based ability at the half-god level. Anyone swallowed by the earth would be forever trapped, unable to escape. Disintegration, as the name suggests, involves the breakdown of all things into loam. Any entity buried beneath the ground would eventually be reduced to a mound of yellow soil. Together, these two abilities could even defeat a half-god. The Wind and Thunder Deities are unmatched in speed and offensive power, yet their defense and vitality remain weak—no strategy could be more effective for containing and pressuring them. "Though we can no longer banish her into the realm of slumber, we now hold the initiative," said the Chairman, returning via teleportation, and taking the microphone to his lips: "We will release her once Borias' strength wanes, and send her into the land of rest." As he spoke, the fire spirits in the heavens swiftly coalesced, forming a molten mass that emitted intense beams of heat. Within the mass, the structure collapsed and took on the form of a towering, robust man with fiery red hair. Jiang, the Master of the Jiang Sect, was reborn through the flames. Fire Rebirth is a master-tier ability—seven-tier masters can perform it once daily, peak masters up to three times daily, and once one reaches the half-divine realm, the ability has no limit, continuing until the life force is completely depleted. If one gives up their intellect, they must find compensation elsewhere—otherwise, the profession of fire mage would have vanished long ago. A delicate, emerald vine pushed through the soil, soaring upward and wrapping around Master Jiang's body, its green light like spring rain nourishing the weary form and rapidly restoring the frailty sustained after his self-sacrificial explosion. The president of the Hundred Flowers Assembly is quiet and laid-back, disliking combat; even when compelled to participate, he joins as a support, healing wounds and dispelling toxins. The half-gods of the evil faction deeply resent this contemporary Qing Emperor. During the battle for the Light Compass, adhering to the principle of targeting fragile units first—preferably healers—the evil faction focused their attacks on the Emperor. Yet, they could never defeat him. His astonishing vitality and regenerative power even caused the War God to raise an eyebrow. "Done?" Master Jiang turned around, not seeing the body of Borias, and felt a surge of joy. "Wasn't my explosion supposed to reduce him to ashes? Hmm, actually, I haven't received the reward from the Spiritual Realm." Fu Qingxuan remained expressionless, pointing to the ground. "He was devoured by the Sovereign of the Central Court." "Then we're good," Master Jiang breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as the words were spoken, a deep rumble of thunder rose from the earth, shaking the ground violently. The clear sky darkened, clouds rolled in, and fierce winds swept across, with tree-like lightning twisting and spreading out, forming a web that covered the entire heavens. Amid this apocalyptic scene, a vague figure composed of gathered lightning slowly emerged from the heavens and earth. The seal of the Lord of the Central Courtyard was shattered by even greater force, the earth splitting open, and a skeleton rising slowly to merge with the towering, indistinct figure. In an instant, the figure became solid and clear. He stood hundreds of meters tall, majestic and upright, his body forged of lightning and his robe woven from wind. A crown adorned his head, a staff of wind in his left hand, and a spear of lightning in his right. Radiating from his core were thick, twisted lightning bolts, stretching out in all directions. A terrifying aura, like a tide and like a deep abyss, sent a shiver of cold through every deity present—this was the dominance of the high over the low. Although the fusion went awry, causing spiritual disarray, the Wind and Thunder Deities have indeed succeeded in enhancing their power and individuality. Their strength now approaches that of the Spirit Realm Managers. Far away in Huacheng, a devastating gale surged, instantly knocking out the city's power grid and disrupting communication systems—every device reliant on electricity failed or malfunctioned. Over a hundred miles in radius, the storm raged with relentless force, demolishing homes and wreaking widespread havoc. Amidst this apocalyptic scene, a voice echoed from afar: "Boreas! Thunder God!" The towering figure in the heavens froze, the staff of the Wind God twisting and nearly fracturing, while the spear of the Thunder God dissolved entirely—yet in the very next instant, the effect was reversed, and the spear reformed. The semi-gods present turned to listen, and there, on the distant horizon, a deep purple cloud mass surged upward, beneath which stood a figure of equal height—over a hundred paces tall. It was terrifying in appearance, humanoid in form, with a colossal serpent for its head, its body covered in the heads of wild beasts, oozing foul, putrid pus. Beneath the pus flowed pairs of cold, unfeeling eyes. The pus seeped into the ground, transforming the earth into a dark, marshy expanse, while the purple clouds above were the breath exhaled by the great serpent. "Smoke-born..." the chairman murmured, gazing at the creature towering a hundred zhang high. Suddenly, he felt an itch spreading across his body, startled to look down and see black scales emerging on his arms, slick and glistening with a viscous fluid. The chairman stiffened, quickly shifting his gaze to the chieftains of the Five Elements Alliance, noticing that each of them exhibited some degree of distortion. Even mere observation had caused them to suffer mild contamination. The stature of this creature had surpassed the half-divine level, standing on par with the Asuras and the deities of Wind and Thunder. Yet the Bio-Alchemy Society could not possibly harbor such a being. The chairman recalled the reports from the Primordial Celestial Sovereign about the demonic strains—those divine beings belonging to The deity who stepped in when he couldn't afford to stay aloof. For the past century, the gods had never intervened—Long Chen had once believed that the magical seed was constrained by the spiritual realm and thus unable to truly reach the material world. Now it appears, they had only been patient. Old Mc narrowed his eyes, gazing at the creature advancing steadily, bracing against the distortions unfolding within his own body, and said with a breath: "We'll take the rewards from the spiritual realm. The spiritual essences of Borias and Thor—we'll also take those. Hah! You want to send the wind and thunder deity to the realm of slumber? With me here, you won't succeed." As his body's distortions intensified, he turned away, unable to meet the creature's gaze, and directed his eyes toward the lawful deities of the orderly faction: "You thought you could share in the rewards from the spiritual realm? No—your own rewards are included as well. One of the spoils of this mission. Thank you for helping to weaken the wind and thunder deity." The serpent dragon, the southern phantom deity, and the King of Fear moved in unison, spreading out to block the retreat of the five-element alliance A single Thunder and Lightning Sovereign is not enough to satisfy the Free Alliance's appetite. The deities have endured for a century, preparing this strategic move for thirteen years—by all means, the Lawful faction must sacrifice deeply. The President opens a deep, spatial passage and urges, "Leave now." Old Mac from the Wine God's Club smiles warmly. "You may go—though they won't be able to. The other end of this spatial passage will always remain with me." This is the Wine God's strength—twisting and manipulating the rules. The President falls silent. At that moment, the ground splits open, and an elderly figure in yellow robes, with white hair and beard, emerges, stepping upon a stone pillar rising from the earth. He is deeply wrinkled, frail, appearing like any ordinary centenarian. Yet he is the only half-divine among the deities who has maintained his physical form while gazing directly at the gods. The Master of the Central Court sighs, "You intend to dismantle the Lawful faction all at once?" Endured for a century, planned for a century—this strike truly came as a surprise. Yet the Order of Balance has not been content with mere indulgence over the past century. "Especially in the twenty years since the Five Elements Alliance was established, they've managed to achieve some tangible results," he said, then turned to his four companions, speaking calmly and deliberately: "All five elements, unified!" As the words settled, the earth beneath them collapsed in a thunderous roar. Threads of earth spirit gently unraveled from the surface, flowing into the body of the central figure, lifting it step by step. Earth yellow energy coalesced to form a colossal spirit, standing with cloud-bound sandals upon its feet. Earth, embodying the virtue of bearing and supporting, became the foundation. Dark clouds from the sky collapsed and settled upon the giant, weaving into a deep indigo robe embroidered with subtle patterns. From afar, a green light drifted in, wrapping around the giant's waist and transforming into a jade-green sash adorned with stones. Fu Qingxuan manifested as a blade of light, landing atop the giant's head and becoming a crown hung with jade beads. Master Jiang surged forth, setting the sky ablaze, and crashed into the giant spirit with a roaring impact. The giant caught the blazing surge and shook it behind him, sending a cascade of flame that billowed into a flowing robe. Thus, the divine figure's face became clear—upright and dignified, with solemn eyes and an aura of solemn authority. At this moment, the five elemental forces—gold, wood, water, earth, and fire—began to surge and blend, generating a hazy, primordial luminescence that veiled the blue sky and white clouds, suggesting a subtle renewal of the heavens. The giant, clad in wind and wielding a thunder spear, grew momentarily blurred, nearly collapsing. The figures smoldering in the distance paused in their steps.