Ch. 1504 - Standoff Against The Fire Keepers

Xu Zimo looked at Wang Qiang charging toward him and gave a cold smile. He raised his hand and unleashed the Creation-Devouring God-Finger. The sky-shattering fingertip descended, carrying the power to devour the heavens and rewrite fate, sweeping across everything in its path.

A thunderous rumble filled the air. That fingertip looked like a pillar propping up the sky itself. Wang Qiang felt an overwhelming, irresistible force crashing down upon him, blotting out everything from his sight, until there was nothing left but that colossal finger.

A deafening explosion followed. Wang Qiang felt as though he had slammed headfirst into the pillar of heaven itself, utterly powerless to resist. His body was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

“Wang Qiang!” Li Zhuang shouted. Wang Qiang lay on the ground convulsing, his body mangled and soaked in blood. A single strike had left him unconscious.

“Let’s attack together!” Li Zhuang cried out in shock. The three remaining men no longer cared about grudges, survival was all that mattered now.

Powerful imperial auras erupted around them as the three Grand Emperors surrounded Xu Zimo from different directions. Li Zhengfeng’s entire body was shrouded in sword energy, endless sword intent roaring through the heavens. With one wave of his hand, countless blades of will echoed through the air.

Around Li Zhuang, clouds of flame coiled and burned, wrapping his whole form in fire. As for Wang Dong, though he was a rogue cultivator, his strength was the greatest among them. He clenched his fists, and the phantom roars of fierce lions and tigers shook the void.

“Kill!” the three shouted furiously as they charged.

Xu Zimo only smiled lightly at the sight. He stepped into the air and lashed out with a single kick. A loud boom sounded as Li Zhuang’s charging figure was sent flying backward. The fire clouds around him shattered and vanished into nothingness.

Then Xu Zimo extended both hands, seizing Li Zhengfeng and Wang Dong by their arms. His body spun in midair, faster and faster, until a violent tornado erupted around him. When he finally released them, both men were hurled away like rag dolls.

“Leave the Ancestral Flame, and I’ll make your deaths quick,” Xu Zimo said with a calm smile.

Li Zhuang and the others struggled to rise from the ground.

“Run!” Li Zhengfeng shouted. Just one exchange had left them terrified to their cores, this man was on an entirely different level. Three Grand Emperors together, and they couldn’t even touch him. They would rather flee than fight.

“Think you can run?” Xu Zimo chuckled.

He extended his right hand and tore open the space ahead. In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in Li Zhuang’s escape path and threw a single punch. Under Li Zhuang’s horrified gaze, his head exploded like a watermelon.

A moment later, Xu Zimo crossed the void again and appeared before Li Zhengfeng.

“Spare me-” Li Zhengfeng didn’t finish his plea before Xu Zimo’s flames of Zhurong Fire consumed him, leaving not even ashes behind.

As for the last one, Wang Dong, he looked up mid-flight only to see Xu Zimo already standing before him. He tried to change direction, but no matter which way he ran, Xu Zimo blocked his path.

“I’ll give you the Ancestral Flame! Just let me live,” Wang Dong said, trembling. He carefully took out a transparent sphere, inside which a blue flame pulsed like a living thing.

“You think you’re in any position to bargain with me?” Xu Zimo smiled.

“If you don’t agree, I’ll destroy it! None of us will get it!” Wang Dong shouted desperately.

“Go on then. Try it,” Xu Zimo said indifferently, walking slowly toward him.

Wang Dong’s throat quivered as he swallowed hard. “Don’t come any closer! Stay back!”

When Xu Zimo ignored his threats, Wang Dong panicked. In a fit of desperation, he channeled his power, flames bursting from his palm as he tried to shatter the sphere.

But he had severely underestimated its strength. No matter how fiercely he struck, the transparent barrier didn’t show even the slightest crack. Instead, his violent attacks seemed to enrage the blue flame inside.

The fire suddenly flared up, engulfing Wang Dong entirely and devouring him in an instant.

Xu Zimo shook his head and let out a small laugh. The transparent sphere dropped to the ground. He reached down to pick it up, just as a shout rang out in the distance.

“Put down the Ancestral Flame!”

The Fire Keepers had arrived. Elder Huotu strode through the air and struck at Xu Zimo with a palm filled with blazing force.

Xu Zimo snorted coldly. With one hand, he grabbed the transparent sphere; with the other, he met the elder’s palm head-on. The collision exploded like thunder. Xu Zimo stood unmoving, while Elder Huotu was sent flying backward.

The elder steadied himself and drew a deep, serious breath. Then Fire Chief stepped forward as well.

“Master Xu,” he said.

“Don’t misunderstand, Fire Chief,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile. “We didn’t steal this Ancestral Flame. Those men did. We just happened to cross paths and took it back.”

“We know,” Fire Chief said, nodding. “We were chasing them here. We must thank you for recovering our fire. You’ve done the Fire Keepers a great service.”

“You misunderstand again,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. “Who said we took it back for you?”

Fire Chief’s smile froze. “Master Xu, what do you mean? You know this Ancestral Flame is the sacred treasure guarded by our clan.”

“I know,” Xu Zimo said, “but we took it from those thieves. What does that have to do with your clan?”

Fire Chief forced himself to stay calm. After a moment, he said, “Name your terms. Whatever you want, we’ll agree.”

“I don’t have any terms,” Xu Zimo said lightly. “I’m keeping the Ancestral Flame.” He put the sphere away as he spoke.

At once, the Fire Keepers surrounding them began to move, their figures appearing one after another, quietly closing in on Xu Zimo’s group.

“Master Xu, I’m afraid you won’t be leaving with that fire today,” Fire Chief said grimly.

“Oh?” Xu Zimo smiled. “You plan to stop me? Then try it. Let’s see how sharp my blade really is.”

The air froze in tension. Fire Chief wanted to reclaim the Ancestral Flame but feared that he and his men were no match for Xu Zimo.

“If you take the fire away,” Fire Chief said, “the Ancestral Lands will collapse. The Radiant Court will never allow it.”

He couldn’t intimidate Xu Zimo himself, so he invoked the name of the Radiant Court, the ruler of the Inferno Crucible Heaven, whose authority all other forces respected.

But Xu Zimo only smiled, looking at him with pity.

“Fire Chief,” he said, “the times have changed. You’re still clinging to the past. Have you ever considered that this might be exactly what the Radiant Court wants?”

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