Ch. 1518 - Ancestral Flame of Thunder Domain

“These should be useful to your Ancient Eternal God Realm,” Xu Zimo said. “Train well. With them, challenging someone of a higher realm won’t be difficult.”

“Thank you, Young Master,” Realm Lord Bai replied quickly. She didn’t even check what the items were before putting them away. At this point, she trusted Xu Zimo completely. Anything he gave could only be extraordinary.

“The Fire Venom Beasts have been dealt with?” Xu Zimo asked.

“We ran into some trouble, but we managed to kill most of them,” Xiao Anshan replied.

“That’s good,” Xu Zimo nodded.

“You handled that monster too?” Xiao Anshan asked in surprise. He had seen the creature’s strength himself, so powerful that even if he stepped into the Saint Sovereign realm, he doubted he could defeat it. Now he began to understand why the Fire Ancestor had told him to follow Xu Zimo. The man was not just stronger, he was unfathomably strong.

And in the few days they hadn’t seen each other, Xu Zimo’s aura had grown even more oppressive. The pressure he exuded was now far beyond what it had been before. It meant he had once again ascended to a higher level.

That realization stirred something in Xiao Anshan, an urgent desire to break through into the Saint Sovereign realm. Being left behind like this didn’t feel good.

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Xu Zimo replied casually. “Just a big fellow, that’s all. Have you had any unexpected encounters these past few days?”

“We actually made a discovery,” Shangguan Xian said. “When we destroyed the Fire Venom Beasts’ nest, we seemed to have alarmed the guardians of this Thunder Domain’s Ancestral Flame.”

“The Fire Keepers?” Xu Zimo asked with interest. “Do you know where the source they protect is located?”

The Ancestral Lands were divided into six domains, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Thunder. Each domain held an Ancestral Flame. Xu Zimo wasn’t particularly interested in the Thunder Domain’s Ancestral Flame, but it was about time to bring things to an end.

“We couldn’t find it, but they reached out to us,” Shangguan Xian continued. “They invited us to join them in wiping out the remaining Fire Venom Beasts.”

“Seems they’re treating you as free labor,” Xu Zimo laughed.

“We pretended to agree, but we were waiting to hear your decision,” Shangguan Xian said.

“Forget the Fire Venom Beasts,” Xu Zimo said. “Even without us, their extinction is only a matter of time. For now, let’s meet these guardians, and find out where they’re stationed.”

“We agreed to meet here,” Shangguan Xian said. “They should be on their way.”

“Then we’ll wait,” Xu Zimo nodded.

Three days passed as everyone waited. No one knew exactly what Xu Zimo had in mind, whether he intended to seize the Thunder Domain’s Ancestral Flame or something else entirely. But Xu Zimo never explained his actions, and they didn’t dare ask.

On the third day, a fiery red cloud appeared on the horizon. The cloud blazed as it moved, flames rippling across the sky.

“They’re here,” someone murmured as the group looked up.

From within the fire cloud emerged more than a dozen figures, the Fire Keepers. Their leader was a Saint Sovereign, and even the weakest among them had reached the Grand Emperor realm. Their presence radiated intense power, the air crackling with the sound of burning flames.

Upon seeing Xu Zimo’s group, the leading elder frowned slightly. “You have some new faces among you,” he said.

“They’re our friends,” Xiao Anshan explained.

“Are they trustworthy?” the elder asked doubtfully.

“Let me make it simple,” Xu Zimo said. “I’m the one in charge here. Whatever concerns them, you talk to me.”

The elder gave Xu Zimo a look, unimpressed. The young man’s tone was arrogant, and the elder didn’t like it. “And what do you mean by that?” he asked coldly.

“I mean you don’t need to worry about killing the Fire Venom Beasts anymore,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

“And why is that?”

“Because someone else will kill them,” Xu Zimo said lightly. “What I want is to visit the place you’re guarding.”

“I can sense hostility in your words,” the elder said, frowning deeply. “I suggest you retract them. We can still be allies.”

“What benefit would I get from being your ally?” Xu Zimo shook his head. “No, I think I’d rather keep you all here, and then we can talk.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and struck toward the elder.

The old man snorted coldly. Power surged from him as flames erupted behind him. A massive serpent of fire, dozens of meters long, materialized and lunged toward Xu Zimo with its jaws wide open.

But though the elder was a Saint Sovereign, his strength was limited.

Xu Zimo, having just stepped into the Eternal Overlord stage, had power beyond comparison.

With a single palm strike, an overwhelming force descended. A thunderous explosion echoed as the fire serpent shattered instantly.

The elder’s eyes went wide, he hadn’t expected Xu Zimo to be this strong. That seemingly casual strike felt as if it could crush his skull.

“Not good!” he gasped, trying desperately to flee.

Xu Zimo held back slightly, not using his full strength, but his palm still struck the elder squarely in the back.

Blood sprayed from the elder’s mouth as he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

“Run!” he shouted weakly to his comrades.

Xiao Anshan and the others prepared to intercept the fleeing guardians, but Xu Zimo stopped them. “Let them run,” he said calmly.

They watched as the fiery cloud of escape streaked toward the horizon. Xu Zimo narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Follow them,” he ordered. “They’ll lead us straight to their base.”

The group took to the air, pursuing the fire cloud, not attacking, just following openly. Xu Zimo didn’t even bother to conceal himself.

The guardians tried to flee faster, attempting to widen the distance, but no matter how they moved, they couldn’t shake their pursuers.

Finally, after half an hour of pursuit, the fire cloud suddenly vanished in midair.

It happened without warning, as if the cloud had been swallowed by the void.

Xiao Anshan frowned. “What’s going on?”

“This should be their sanctuary,” Xu Zimo replied. “It’s a separate world of its own. We just don’t know how to enter it.”

“So what do we do now?” Shangguan Xian asked.

“We wait,” Xu Zimo said, landing on the ground. He leaned against a tree, perfectly relaxed.

“Wait for what?” Shangguan Xian asked curiously.

“For everyone to arrive,” Xu Zimo smiled. “That’s when the real show begins.”

“Realm Lord Bai, you’ll stay here,” he continued. “Your strength is too low. Xiao Anshan, Shangguan Xian, you two go gather information.”

“What kind of information?” they asked, confused.

“The Ancestral Lands have six domains,” Xu Zimo said. “We already took the Ancestral Flame of the Water Domain, and that domain has been destroyed. Now we’re guarding the Thunder Domain’s Ancestral Flame. You’re going to find out what’s happening in the other four.”

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