Ch. 1500 - The Rogue Cultivator Squad

“Are the attackers outside all Fire God Race members?” asked Fire Chief.

“I can sense it, they should all be Fire God Race,” Elder Fire Slayer replied with a nod.

“Then is there any chance we can negotiate, persuade them to stop the assault?” Fire Chief asked. “After all, we are Fire Keepers.”

“Chief, you know very well,” said Elder Fire Wither from the right side, “our Fire Keeper Clan has remained hidden for too long. The current Fire God Race holds little respect for us anymore. I say we suppress them quickly and decisively.”

The elders argued for a long while, but no solution came.

Fire Chief’s gaze shifted to Xu Zimo, and suddenly his eyes brightened.

He smiled. “Would you all be willing to lend us a hand?”

“Fire Chief, you’re not asking us to play negotiators, are you?” Xu Zimo replied with a light smile. “That’s impossible. We’re enemies.”

Fire Chief sighed in disappointment, then stood up and said, “Very well. I will go myself and see whether it’s war or peace.”

He rose, accompanied by several elders, and headed toward the outer perimeter of the Guardian Grounds.

Xu Zimo and his companions followed.

He could clearly feel several hidden gazes fixed upon them, silent watchers, ready to strike.

The surface seemed calm, but he knew if they made one wrong move, annihilation would come instantly.

So, he kept his composure.

“I wonder which group is outside,” Xiao Anshan said quietly. “If they actually manage to negotiate peace, our plan will fail.”

“Don’t worry,” Xu Zimo said with a faint grin. “There are always ambitious wolves among men.”

Outside the black chasm, Fire Chief stepped forward alone.

“I do not know which friends of the Fire God Race you are,” he called out, “but please, report your names.”

As he appeared, the five who had been attacking the Guardian Grounds emerged as well.

They were not from any of the Seven Great God Realms.

They were independent cultivators, the rogue forces who had passed through the Radiant Court trials and earned their thirty-two allotted entries into the Ancestral Lands.

“Li Zhengfeng of the Grand Heaven Sword Sect.”

“Wang Qiang of Fire Cloud Palace.”

“Li Zhuang of Crimson Flame Hall.”

“Wang Dong, free cultivator.”

The four introduced themselves one after another.

Since entering the Ancestral Lands, they had joined forces into a temporary alliance. Going alone in a place like this would be suicide.

“Since you are all of the Fire God Race,” Fire Chief asked, “why attack the Fire Keepers? We share the same origin.”

“Chief, don’t misunderstand,” Wang Dong said with a smile. “We didn’t attack you out of hostility. We only wanted to draw your attention.”

“You came seeking fortune?” Fire Chief frowned. “Then go to the Ancient Grounds. That is where the Fire God Race’s ancestors once lived, there you might find what you seek. There is no fortune to be found here. Leave now, and we will overlook this incident.”

The “Ancient Grounds” he spoke of referred to the ancestral lands of the Fire God Race, now called such because of the long ages that had passed.

“It seems you don’t wish to negotiate,” said Li Zhuang of Fire Cloud Palace with a mocking smile. “We didn’t come all this way to leave empty-handed.”

“Do you mean to become sinners of the Fire God Race?” Fire Chief barked.

“Enough talk,” Li Zhengfeng of the Grand Heaven Sword Sect said impatiently. “I’m human, I don’t need to worry about your Fire God Race politics. If you’re afraid to fight, I’ll go first.”

He wore scholar’s robes, but the sword aura erupting around him was immense.

Behind him, three swords shot from their sheaths, hovering in the air, Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Their combined sword intent split the very void, tearing open the sky as though slicing through tofu.

“Kill!” Li Zhengfeng shouted, gripping the Heaven Sword as the Earth and Man Swords whirled around him.

He charged toward Fire Chief.

At the same time, the other three exchanged glances and attacked without hesitation.

“Protect the Chief!” roared countless Fire Keepers, surging from the tunnels to meet the assault.

Xiao Anshan glanced at Xu Zimo. “With only four of them, they shouldn’t be able to break through, right? Should we help anyway?”

“If you go help, it’ll change everything,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. “Think about it, do they look like fools to you?”

“No,” Xiao Anshan admitted. “Anyone who passed the Radiant Court trials can’t be an idiot.”

“Exactly,” Xu Zimo said. “So why would four smart men attack this place so openly, when they know there are powerful beings guarding it? What would you do if you were them?”

“I’d lure in the Fire Venom Beasts,” Xiao Anshan said reflexively, then stopped mid-sentence. “You mean…”

“Wait and watch,” Xu Zimo said quietly, nodding.

Outside the chasm, the battle raged on.

Though the four attackers were only at the peak of the Grand Emperor Realm, none of the Fire Keepers below Saint Sovereign level could suppress them.

Elder Fire Wither was growing restless.

Turning to Elder Fire Slayer, he said, “Cover me. I’ll capture them myself.”

With that, his figure shot forward, and the might of a Saint Sovereign descended like a storm.

A boundless force erupted from him, shaking the very heavens.

Purple demonic fire surged around his body, alive and hungry, devouring all it touched.

He shouted coldly, “Because you are Fire God Race, I’ll give you one chance, surrender now, and I’ll spare your lives.”

“Try it, then,” Li Zhengfeng snorted.

Fire Wither’s palm fell, and the purple fire swallowed everything.

Li Zhengfeng grunted, forcing his three swords, Heaven, Earth, and Man, to merge into one radiant greatsword.

It spun before him, catching the blow, though the sheer force sent tremors through his arm.

“That should do it,” Li Zhengfeng said through clenched teeth, glancing at Wang Dong.

Wang Dong nodded slightly.

Then he clapped his hands.

A bestial roar shook the land.

Fire Wither froze mid-attack, turning sharply toward the sound.

The ground beneath him suddenly burst into flames, seas of fire spreading in every direction.

The blazing inferno consumed everything in sight, converging toward him.

“Break!” Fire Wither roared, hurling out a massive wave of his own fire.

The air itself boiled.

Then, from beneath the earth, a colossal Fire Venom Beast erupted into the open.

Its power was terrifying.

Even Fire Wither, a Saint Sovereign, was hurled backward from the impact of its charge.

“Damn it!” he shouted furiously.

Elder Fire Slayer appeared beside him in midair, his expression grave.

“They’ve allied with the Fire Venom Beasts,” Fire Slayer said darkly.

“Let’s deal with this one first,” Fire Wither replied coldly.

“One beast is manageable,” Fire Slayer said grimly, “but I fear there will be more…”

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