Ch. 1438 - Secret of Myriad Streams, The Threat

At last, when the flames of death fused into a single mass, a black sun rising into the sky, the Sacred Flame Trinity of Sacred Flame slowly opened their eyes. Just like all the others, a lump of black fire emerged from within them, burning away the last traces of their bloodline. Having unleashed this move, even if Xu Zimo chose not to kill them, the three would not live for long. At this point, they were no more than walking corpses, devoid of life, sustained only by the remnants of their will.

“To die under this technique, with so many of our clan joining you in the grave, you should take pride in that,” Imperial Throne Sovereign said coldly.

“Pride? You think you’re worthy of that?” Xu Zimo replied with a faint smile.

“Kill!” Imperial Throne Sovereign roared.

The three poured every last shred of their strength into it. The blazing black fire shot out like the hand of death itself, turning into a bolt of lightning that struck Xu Zimo squarely.

A deafening explosion echoed through the air. Xu Zimo had no time to dodge, the flame seemed to possess a will of its own, burrowing directly into his mind.

Seeing this, the Sacred Flame Trinity finally seemed relieved. Xu Zimo was as good as dead. They grinned, content to spend the last moments of their lives watching him perish before their eyes.

...

Inside Xu Zimo’s body, his expression turned grave as he sensed what was happening. The fire, once inside his mind, began burning his flesh and soul together. His spirit energy became the fuel for the inferno, the more it burned, the stronger it grew.

The aura of death closed in from all sides. Xu Zimo could feel the crushing pressure, his consciousness fading, as though he could already see the ferry that carried souls to the Netherworld. Only the dead could see that vessel before they were taken across.

“So this is what death feels like,” Xu Zimo murmured with a crooked smile.

But the next instant, boundless life energy erupted from within him, radiance from the Tree of Life, and the divine vitality of the World Tree he had inherited from Jumang.

Both contained infinite, inexhaustible life force. Now, they surged forth to meet the deathly flame in direct opposition.

From the outside, Xu Zimo’s state was terrifying, half of him alive, half dead. Life and death stood face to face within him, locked in violent conflict.

“No matter how strong your life force is, it can’t withstand this Death Seal,” Life-Death Sovereign barked. “The death energy within it carries the lives of our entire royal house. It’s enough to kill you several times over!”

“If you’d gathered the lives of everyone in the entire Chaos Fire God Realm, maybe that would mean something,” Xu Zimo replied calmly. “But the people of your royal house alone? Not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth.”

It wasn’t arrogance, he was simply telling the truth. The vitality of the Tree of Life was too overwhelming; the sacrifice of the Prince's Manor couldn’t harm him.

The Sacred Flame Trinity of Sacred Flame stared at him in disbelief. The life force around him only grew more immense, vast as the ocean, while the deathly aura weakened bit by bit.

“This... this is impossible!” they stammered, shaking their heads in despair. They could not believe their defeat, refused to face it.

They had wagered the lives of their entire clan, everyone but the children, to unleash this one ultimate move. And yet, against Xu Zimo, it hadn’t even scratched the surface.

That crushing sense of failure shattered them.

“Take your repentance with you to the Netherworld,” Xu Zimo said.

There was a sharp boom from within his body as the life force finally overwhelmed the death energy completely. The supposedly inescapable killing move was neutralized with ease.

Xu Zimo raised his hand, summoning boundless spirit energy that crashed down from the sky, pinning the three elders where they stood.

In truth, even without being restrained, the three could no longer flee. But this way, it was guaranteed.

“Speak,” Xu Zimo said.

“Speak of what?” Imperial Throne Sovereign asked faintly. His eyes were dull, his heart hollow. So many of his people dead, this was all his fault.

“What were you researching in that other world?” Xu Zimo asked.

“You think we’d tell you?” Life-Death Sovereign snorted. “We lost because we were weaker, so be it. But don’t expect us to hand over our secrets.”

“If I recall correctly, there are still some children of your royal house alive,” Xu Zimo said.

Imperial Throne Sovereign’s face changed. Those children were his last hope for the clan’s survival.

“I don’t enjoy killing needlessly,” Xu Zimo continued. “Those children can’t resist me, and I’d rather not harm them. But if you cooperate, they’ll live. If not... well, I don’t mind testing how sharp my blade is on their skulls.”

“You’d even threaten children? Are you still human?!” the three elders roared in fury.

“You’re mistaken,” Xu Zimo smiled. “I want to spare them. But the choice isn’t mine, it’s yours. Answer my questions, and I’ll promise no one else gets hurt.”

The three fell silent for a long time, clearly torn and struggling inwardly. Finally, Imperial Throne Sovereign spoke. “What do you want to know?”

“First,” Xu Zimo said, “about Blade Tyrant. Why did you protect him so fiercely, even risking conflict with a Saint Sovereign?”

“We needed subjects for our Myriad Streams experiments,” Imperial Throne Sovereign answered. “Since the city he governed, Stone Flame City, was near the Fire Region, he was the one who captured the Myriad Streams for us. He knew our secret, and worked with us. We relied on him for many things. That’s why we shielded him.”

“Because of your royal identity, you couldn’t act directly,” Xu Zimo concluded.

“Exactly,” Imperial Throne Sovereign said with a bitter laugh. “But now it seems the Chaos Fire God Realm discovered our secret. Otherwise, they’d never have abandoned us in this battle.”

“What exactly is the Myriad Streams?” Xu Zimo asked.

“How to explain it...” Imperial Throne Sovereign thought for a while, then said, “Some call it misfortune, others call it an origin. After years of research, we reached a conclusion, the so-called Myriad Streams are, as their name implies, the source of the Water Race.”

“The Water Race?” Xu Zimo frowned slightly.

“To be precise,” Imperial Throne Sovereign said, “the Water Beasts. We tried to condense their power. Normally, water and fire repel each other, but strangely, the Myriad Streams greatly amplify the strength of our fire lineage.”

“So you were exploiting the Myriad Streams to strengthen yourselves, to break through your limits,” Xu Zimo said.

“That’s right. But the Chaos Fire God Realm forbade us from fusing with the Myriad Streams,” Imperial Throne Sovereign replied.

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