Chapter 378: The Fire Spirit Clan's Two Heaven Sovereigns
"Rou'er, how have you been?"
At the headquarters of the Four Seas Commerce Alliance on the Merchant Continent, Tong Sihai's eyes glimmered with a rare softness, a stark contrast to his usual ruthless demeanor.
However, the tender look quickly dissipated, replaced by a cold calmness. He unfurled the Fire Scroll and wrote a few lines of text with his spiritual energy. Once the message was written, Tong Sihai activated the scroll. Moments later, the text disappeared.
The Fire Scroll was a specialized communication tool of the Fire Spirit Clan. No matter the time or place, once activated and written upon, the text would vanish, signaling that the recipient had received the message.
On Baiye Island
Xiao Tiance and his companions had been on Baiye Island for several days, waiting for the reappearance of the lower Earth Sovereign who had fought against Huaien. Yet, even after five days, there was no sign of the opponent.
**"Huaien, five days have passed, and it seems unlikely that person will show up again anytime soon.
"Your teacher still needs to locate your senior brothers and sisters, so we can't stay here any longer.
"How about this? I'll leave this Heaven Demon Puppet for you. Its strength is equivalent to an upper Earth Sovereign. Once you refine it, even if that lower Earth Sovereign returns, you'll be able to handle them with ease.
"When we return from the Northern Cang Continent, we'll come back to fetch you. What do you think?"** Xiao Tiance said with a warm smile.
"Teacher, won't you take me with you?" Huaien asked, momentarily stunned.
**"Didn't you mention that Baiye Island has a newly discovered vein of ore? If you leave with us, and that Earth Sovereign returns, the islanders might suffer.
"Besides, the island lord saved your life; we can't just leave them defenseless.
"Don't worry, Huaien. This trip to the Northern Cang Continent will take at most a month. After that, I'll come back for you,"** Xiao Tiance explained patiently, understanding Huaien's reluctance to part.
Huaien fell silent for a moment, then bowed respectfully. "Yes, Teacher. I will follow your instructions."
Xiao Tiance nodded approvingly. **"Good. From what I can sense, you're not far from breaking through to the Earth Sovereign level. While we're away, focus on advancing.
"If you don't succeed, don't be discouraged. When I return, I'll help you find a better place to train. With your talent, it won't be too difficult to break through."**
Huaien straightened up, determination in his voice. "Understood, Teacher. I will give it my all."
Xiao Tiance smiled, then handed the Heaven Demon Puppet to Huaien. "Here, refine this first."
The puppet was imbued with lingering spiritual energy, which Xiao Tiance erased with a wave of his hand. Huaien wasted no time and quickly branded the puppet with his own spiritual imprint. The moment the refinement was complete, a surge of immense power resonated through the puppet, leaving Huaien in awe.
"This… is Earth Sovereign level power? Teacher, if this were on the Dou Qi Continent, this puppet would be at the Dou Emperor level!" Huaien gasped.
Xiao Tiance chuckled. **"Indeed. Unfortunately, the materials used were a bit subpar. If not, this puppet could rival even a pinnacle Earth Sovereign.
"But don't worry. Heaven Demon Puppets have growth potential. With the right materials or sufficient energy, it can continue to evolve."**
Xiao Tiance's words were spoken casually, but they hinted at grand ambitions. The idea of crafting an army of Heaven Demon Puppets, enhanced with battle arrays, would make even Saint grade Heaven Sovereigns think twice before engaging them.
"I understand, Teacher. When will you depart?" Huaien asked respectfully.
"Now."
As he spoke, Xiao Tiance stepped outside, where Xiao Xuan, Xiao Tianming, Mu Ling, Gu Xun'er, and Chen Yunqiao were already waiting.
"Teacher, Uncle Xuan, Elder Tianming, Lady Gu, Lord Mu Ling, please take care!" Huaien said as he bowed deeply to each of them.
The group smiled warmly in return. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Tiance tore open a vortex in the void, leading them away.
"No need to see us off. We'll meet again in a month."
With those parting words, the group stepped into the vortex and disappeared from sight. In mere moments, Huaien could no longer sense their presence.
On the Merchant Continent
In just an hour, Xiao Tiance and his group arrived at the teleportation array leading to their next destination. While a Heaven Sovereign could traverse the void directly, teleportation arrays were faster and more energy efficient.
As they approached the city housing the array, Xiao Tiance suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing as he looked toward a tall building in the distance.
"What's wrong, Tiance?" Xiao Xuan asked, noticing the shift in Xiao Tiance's expression.
The rest of the group followed Xiao Tiance's gaze.
Atop the hundred foot tower stood two figures dressed in crimson robes. One was an elderly man with a long white beard, while the other was a middle aged man who appeared to be in his forties.
Despite their appearances, the spiritual pressure emanating from them left no doubt they were both Heaven Sovereigns.
"Such powerful fire based spiritual energy. One is an early stage Celestial Heaven Sovereign, and the other an early stage Spirit Heaven Sovereign," Xiao Xuan and Mu Ling murmured simultaneously, their voices filled with caution.
At that moment, the two figures atop the tower turned their attention toward Xiao Tiance and his group.
The elderly man stroked his beard, his eyes lighting up as he observed them.
"Haha, so it's true! The fire based spiritual energy from those two is incredibly rich. Especially the young lady her aura feels as if heaven's flames are descending."
His laughter echoed across the city, setting the stage for an inevitable confrontation.
"Ancestor, we made the right choice coming here. If we can bring these two flames back to our clan, the strength of the Fire Spirit Clan will rise to a new level," the middle aged man said with a grin, his eyes brimming with undisguised greed as he stared at the flames within Xiao Tiance and Gu Xun'er.
However, just as the man finished speaking, the white bearded elder's expression shifted with surprise. **"Wait! It's not just the two mentioned in the reports. Those two Earth Sovereign pinnacle brats also have flames of considerable power.
"Though their strength is slightly inferior, even in the Great Thousand World, it's rare to encounter flames of this caliber,"** he exclaimed, the smile on his face growing even brighter.
Their conversation, blatantly spoken without restraint, was clearly overheard by Xiao Tiance and his group.
"The Fire Spirit Clan!"
The moment Chen Yunqiao heard those three words, his expression turned pale.
In the Great Thousand World, numerous powerful superpowers existed, such as the Five Ancient Clans, the Great Thousand Palace, and the Western Sky Battle Hall. Among them, the Fire Spirit Clan had always been considered one of the top superpowers.
The Fire Spirit Clan, however, rarely interacted with outsiders and was known for its obsession with flames. As a result, Chen Yunqiao had never encountered anyone from their clan until now, when he came face to face with two of their Heaven Sovereigns.
"Tiance, what do we do? It looks like they're here with bad intentions," Xiao Xuan muttered, his brows furrowed.
Xiao Tiance waved his hand, signaling Xiao Xuan to hold his tongue.
Under the watchful gaze of the two Fire Spirit Clan Heaven Sovereigns, Xiao Tiance took a few steps forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "Esteemed elders, openly coveting the flames within our bodies right in front of us isn't that a bit too domineering?"
Of course, Xiao Tiance was familiar with the Fire Spirit Clan. In the original Great Ruler storyline, Xiao Yan, Cai Lin, and Yao Lao once visited the Fire Spirit Clan during their famed "Divine Flame Banquet." The clan attempted to obstruct Xiao Yan but was ultimately forced to bow before his overpowering Emperor Flame. Even the Fire Spirit Clan's ancestor was no match for him, and Xiao Yan left with their prized Reincarnation Heavenly Flame, establishing his reputation throughout the Great Thousand World.
That event led to the rise of Xiao Yan's Endless Fire Territory, making it one of the four great superpowers in just a few decades, rivaling even the Sword Domain and Martial Realm.
Now, unexpectedly encountering members of the Fire Spirit Clan and not just any members, but a Celestial Heaven Sovereign and a Spirit Heaven Sovereign Xiao Tiance was slightly surprised.
However, he wasn't intimidated. If Xiao Yan could face them down in his time, Xiao Tiance saw no reason why he couldn't do the same.
The white bearded elder chuckled, showing no sign of offense. "I must commend your courage, young man. For a mere early stage Spirit Heaven Sovereign to speak to me like this it's quite bold, truly commendable."
With his early stage Celestial Heaven Sovereign strength, the elder could see through Xiao Tiance's level at a glance. In his eyes, a mere Spirit Heaven Sovereign was not even worth worrying about.
"Hmph! Our group has no prior grievances with the Fire Spirit Clan. Your actions today are unwarranted and unprovoked," Xiao Tiance said coldly, noticing the elder's dismissive attitude and growing more annoyed. Having once battled the Western Sky War Emperor, he certainly wouldn't back down from these two.
The elder's expression remained calm as he stroked his beard. **"No grievances? My young friend, I'm afraid I must disagree.
"The individual beside you, Mu Ling, was saved by Tong Sihai, the Four Seas Commerce Alliance's president, who happens to be a subordinate of our Fire Spirit Clan.
"By taking him away without so much as a word of thanks, aren't you being a bit disrespectful?"**
Clearly, the elder was fabricating a pretext. Even so, it was a convenient justification to act against them.
"Ha! What a pathetic excuse. You're shameless enough to covet our flames but still feel the need to dress it up with lies. Ridiculous!" Xiao Tiance sneered internally, quickly deducing that Tong Sihai had tipped off the Fire Spirit Clan.
Realizing this, Xiao Tiance made a mental note to settle the score with Tong Sihai after dealing with these two.
"Spare me the lofty words. You want our flames, and I'll admit I'm quite interested in your clan's Reincarnation Heavenly Flame. So why don't we settle this right now?" Xiao Tiance said, his tone sharp.
The two Heaven Sovereigns' faces darkened instantly. They were unaccustomed to such insolence.
"Impudent!"
Their voices thundered in unison, the sheer pressure from their spiritual energy causing the surrounding air to tremble.
Xiao Tiance, however, was unperturbed. Instead, he burst into laughter. **"Impudent? I've been impudent. So what?
"You think just because you're used to standing above others, people like me should bow and scrape? Let me teach you something new today you don't always get what you want!
"If you can covet the flames within our bodies, why can't I covet your clan's Reincarnation Heavenly Flame?"**
The elder's smile disappeared completely, replaced by a frosty expression. "Young man, you'll regret those words."
Xiao Tiance didn't flinch. "Regret? Let's see who regrets it more when this is over."
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