Martial Peak
chapter-5992

After the battle, Zhang Ruo Xi’s crisis was resolved. Unfortunately, the price of her rescue was not small. Five out of the eight Divine Spirits who came to help her had lost their lives in battle. Only three of them had survived to the end.

Be that as it may, Su Yan had already set one foot across the gates of death.

After Su Yan finished speaking to Zhang Ruo Xi, her entire body dissolved into tiny points of fluorescent light, which did not dissipate into the Void but condensed into a dim blue flame instead. It was her Phoenix Flame, as well as her Phoenix Source. It was the inheritance she received from the Third Generation Phoenix Empress, who lived back in the Late Ancient Era.

Zhang Ruo Xi anxiously stared at the small ball of fire.

The Phoenix Flame flickered, going from light to dark. In just a short moment, the dim blue Phoenix Flame became dim and dull, as though it would be extinguished in the next moment!

Despite facing hundreds of Royal Lords without the slightest change in her expression, Zhang Ruo Xi now was as pale as a sheet; moreover, her body was enveloped in a layer of boundless chill.

The extinguishment of the Phoenix Flame would mean that Su Yan was gone forever. Even if the Phoenix Flame returned to the Phoenix Nest and produced another member of the Phoenix Clan, that person would no longer be Su Yan.

“…e… ey… Hey!” Big Brother Huang’s voice abruptly sounded in Zhang Ruo Xi’s mind, causing her to snap back to her senses.

“Grab that ball of fire!” Big Brother Huang urgently urged.

Although Zhang Ruo Xi did not know what Big Brother Huang was planning, she quickly did as she was told. She stepped forward and wrapped her hands around the weakened flame. In the next moment, she clearly sensed Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan pouring power from their Sources into the Phoenix Flame. She immediately understood their plan and hurriedly activated her Heaven’s Order Bloodline to help balance the flow and harmonize their power.

The flame that was on the verge of being snuffed out slowly stabilised. In addition, faint hues of yellow and blue gradually seeped into the flame. The hues of yellow and blue were none other than the Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.

Shortly after the Primordial Light left its birthplace, the power of Yin and Yang were split from it. The Primordial Light later collided with the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, and the dissipated energy transformed into the various Divine Spirits. In the end, its remaining essence turned into a woman bearing the Heaven’s Order Bloodline.

Strictly speaking, the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer originated from the same source as all Divine Spirits. Although they could be classified as Divine Spirits, they were different from ordinary Divine Spirits. That was because they were the first to split from the Primordial Light. Be it in terms of the purity or strength of their Source, ordinary Divine Spirits were simply incomparable to the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. Even the Dragons and Phoenixes were no exception in this regard.

Therefore, the pure Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer was a great supplement to the Divine Spirits. Their Source Strength could help in the refinement of a Divine Spirit’s Source and enhance the Bloodline of these Divine Spirits.

Yang Kai was the best example of this.

When Yang Kai first met Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, he had only just become a 10,000-metre-long Grand Dragon, but after receiving a gift of Source Strength from the two of them, his Dragon Vein improved at an astonishing pace, allowing him to grown to 20,000 metres in just half a month. What’s more, the gift of Source Strength from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan was nowhere near exhausted and had helped Yang Kai several more times over the years, eventually allowing him to become an Ancient Dragon less than 1,000 years later. This rate of growth for a member of the Dragon Clan was unheard of in history.

At this moment, the same effect took place when they injected their Source Strength into the Phoenix Flame. The Phoenix Flame reacted as though it suddenly received significant nourishment and began burning brighter and stronger until the small ball of flame gradually resembled a blue-coloured Great Sun.

Zhang Ruo Xi watched the flame intently. Then, she vaguely noticed the figure of a Phoenix Clan member flying about within the flames. When the burning brightness of the Phoenix Flame reached a certain point, the blue-coloured Great Sun abruptly expanded and exploded!

The sudden turn of events left her dumbfounded. She couldn’t help thinking that something extremely awful had happened; however, she immediately revealed an expression of joyous surprise. That was because a clear and striking Phoenix Cry resounded throughout the void when the blue Phoenix Flame erupted. It was followed by the unfurling of a giant pair of dazzling wings, then the gradual appearance of a beautiful and graceful figure.

Having received help from the Source Strength of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, Su Yan had succeeded in her Rebirth!

Zhang Ruo Xi wept tears of joy.

A Phoenix’s Rebirth generally came with great risks. If they failed, they would lose their life on the spot. On the other hand, they would receive immense benefits if they succeeded. That was because the strength of the Phoenix Clan members would improve significantly with each Rebirth. Not to mention, Su Yan received aid from the Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer during her Rebirth.

At this moment, her Ice Phoenix aura radiating from the Flame of Rebirth was at a height that Su Yan had never been able to achieve in the past. She would not lose even if compared to Divine Dragon Fu Guang! She was now a Divine Spirit that was on par with a veteran Ninth-Order Master!

While the Divine Spirits’ population was far from their peak back in the Primordial Era, there was no small number of them nowadays; nevertheless, Fu Guang was the only living Divine Spirit who had achieved such a level of power. Naturally, Yang Kai could also be included in this list.

The rest of the Divine Spirits were at most equivalent to peak Eighth-Order Masters. Although these Divine Spirits were generally stronger than average Human Race Masters at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, that did not change the fact that they had yet to reach the highest peak of their strength.

Therefore, the Phoenix Clan no longer had a designated leader, much less a Phoenix Empress after the death of the former Dragon and Phoenix Clan Leaders during the battle in the Barren Territory. Only a Phoenix who had reached the realm of Ninth-Order Masters had the right to command the Phoenix Clan and vie for the position of Phoenix Empress.

Su Yan had reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm; in addition, her Phoenix Clan Source had reached a realm equivalent to the Eighth-Order. Having inherited the Source of the Third Generation Phoenix Empress, she was expected to become a Phoenix Empress in the future if she had enough time to develop and grow.

The entire Phoenix Clan had placed their hopes in her.

Nevertheless, the enhancement of a Divine Spirit’s Bloodline and Source was extremely difficult. Even though Su Yan repeatedly entered the Phoenix Nest to cultivate over the years, she had remained stuck at a bottleneck. She simply could not overcome the bottleneck and advance to the final step.

That was until this moment.

Su Yan, who was reborn thanks to the Flame of Rebirth, had finally shattered her bottleneck. Her Bloodline had improved significantly, allowing her to advance. She even overcame the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm, which was nothing short of a miracle.

Amidst the ringing notes of the Phoenix Cries, Su Yan who had transformed into an Ice Phoenix, gave Zhang Ruo Xi a slight nod of acknowledgement. Then, she turned around and charged towards the vast battlefield, leaving a long and flickering tail of blue light in her wake.

Another Phoenix Cry sounded a moment later, and a large part of the void froze as a result. Countless Black Ink Clansmen were turned into ice sculptures that maintained their final appearance before their deaths, drifting aimlessly in the void. Even the surviving Royal Lords were too intimidated by the icy aura to step forward and challenge this new enemy. They were certain that things would not end well for them if they were touched by that kind of power. At the same time, the enormous Black Ink Cloud that had condensed above the battlefield was also enveloped in huge ice crystals.

One after another, Phoenix Cries sounded from various directions across the battlefield. It was the Phoenix Clan welcoming their newly-crowned Empress. Their sonorous cries pierced through space itself, sounding a horn of counterattack.

“Hou!” A high-pitched Dragon Roar sounded next.

Zhang Ruo Xi, who finally managed to collect her emotions, looked up into the void and saw Yang Xiao writhing around in his Dragon Form. The power of the Dragon Vein in his body fluctuated wildly, showing faint signs that he was about to break through.

Moreover, he was not the only one! Pi Xiu, the final survivor, was also exhibiting similar signs!

The previous battle was an arduous struggle that they had never experienced before. Although their consciousnesses had been dormant at the time, their bodies did not forget the details of the battle. The enormous pressure had brought them closer to the limits of their Bloodline.

Nonetheless, what truly allowed them to break through their limits was the pure Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer which had poured into them. Both Yang Xiao and Pi Xiu were bearers of the Great Sun and Moon Marks, which were the manifestation of a piece of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s Source.

In order to successfully form the Nine Palaces Formation with Zhang Ruo Xi, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had integrated their Marks into the Divine Spirits and assumed control over their bodies; hence, all eight of the Divine Spirits received the blessing of the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer’s Source Strength, which stimulated the growth of their Bloodline greatly. The benefits that they obtained after surviving their near-death experience were unimaginable.

The power of Yang Xiao’s Dragon Vein boiled. He roared endlessly, filled with the faint realisation that he had touched up the barrier that hindered his growth. As long as he could break through this barrier, he would be able to successfully become a Divine Dragon!

He had been under tremendous mental pressure ever since he returned from the Universe Furnace. Although Yang Xue had advanced to the Ninth Order, he remained stuck as an Ancient Dragon. Consequently, there were many occasions in which they could no longer fight side-by-side with each other. The main reason was the difference in their strengths, which caused him to become a burden for Yang Xue.

For this reason, Yang Xiao had been desperately trying to improve his Bloodline. He had asked Fu Guang for advice on countless occasions, but the path to becoming a Divine Dragon was not easy. Even with Fu Guang’s careful guidance, he simply could not find a way to overcome his bottleneck.

The number of people in each generation of the Dragon Clan who could successfully advance to become Divine Dragons could always be counted on one hand. Most of the time, the Dragon Clan had only one Divine Dragon, and even at the peak of the Dragon Clan, there had only been a total of three Divine Dragons.

At this moment, Yang Xiao could almost see his breakthrough on the horizon. He knew that this might be his opportunity to overcome his bottleneck; therefore, he could not afford to miss it. In order to break through the shackles of his Bloodline, he was willing to sacrifice everything!

The same was true for Pi Xiu!

While the Dragon and Phoenix Clans generally had the protection of a Dragon Emperor or a Phoenix Empress in each generation, no equivalent Divine Spirit had appeared among the rest of the Divine Spirits since the end of the Primordial Era.

The Primordial Era had been the turning point for the Divine Spirits, who lost the blessings of the Heavens and earned the malice of the Universe instead.

During the Primordial Era, the Divine Spirits had been the favoured of the Heavens. They were unrestrained in their actions, doing whatever they wanted without any fear or scruples. Their reign came to an end after countless years of warring against each other for dominance, and they were eventually supplanted by the Monster Race. By that point, countless Divine Spirits had perished. Afterwards, the blessing and favour of the Heavens gradually shifted to the Monster Race.

Innumerable Divine Spirits were again wiped out during the Early Ancient Era when the Monster Race ruled, and the number of Divine Spirits who survived was less than one percent of their numbers at their peak. If the Monster Race had continued to reign over the Universe, the Divine Spirits would have gone extinct completely. Even the Dragon and Phoenix Clans would not be an exception.

What happened next was amusing indeed. The Monster Race ultimately walked down the same path as the Divine Spirits after they overthrew the reign of the Divine Spirits. Once again, the blessing and favour of the Heavens shifted, now falling upon the Human Race!

It was for that reason that the Divine Spirits cooperated with the Human Race. By taking shelter under the wings of the Human Race, they managed to preserve the lives of the surviving Divine Spirits until today!

In short, the Divine Spirits lost the favour of the Heavens after the Primordial Era and could no longer reproduce the glory of their Ancestors. The greatest sign of their decline was the huge reduction in the number of Divine Spirits that could touch what was equivalent to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Only those born in the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan had produced such Masters after the Primordial Era. It had to be said that every single Divine Spirit Clan had the protection of their respective ‘Ninth-Order Divine Spirits’ during the Primordial Era. In fact, their numbers could range from a few to several dozen in each Divine Spirit Clan back then.

Countless aeons had passed since then, and at this moment, there was a Pi Xiu who finally experienced the opportunity to overcome the shackles of his Bloodline on this vast battlefield. He was ecstatic beyond imagination. Forcefully enduring the damage caused by his injuries, he pushed his Bloodline Power with reckless abandon. The vitality surrounding his body became more and more intense as time passed.

All over the battlefield, the Divines Spirits revealed their true bodies and roared in excitement. If Su Yan’s transformation was a joyous event for the Phoenix Clan, then Pi Xiu’s current state was a joyous event for all the Divine Spirits. Regardless of whether he succeeded in overcoming his bottleneck or not, he had already given the other Divine Spirits a glimpse of hope.