Blood rain poured down from the sky, drenching the entire world in a deep crimson hue. "This is indeed the power of a Supreme Battle Emperor, isn't it?" gazing at the terrifying assault that was so effortlessly repelled by the Spirit Emperor, even ancient figures like Gu Yuan felt a profound sense of helplessness. It was no wonder such a level of achievement was so difficult to attain—the gap between them was not merely one of strength, but two entirely different realms. "With your current capabilities, do you truly believe you can become a savior of the world?" The Spirit Emperor fixed his blazing crimson eyes upon Gu Yuan, his tone laced with quiet contempt. With a simple wave of his hand, a surge of blood light erupted from his palm. Instantly, the observers saw the mountain below, along with tens of thousands of warriors within it, utterly erased—no one escaped or managed to resist. Witnessing the Emperor's merciless tactics, everyone's expressions shifted once again. "The so-called allied forces now appear utterly fragile. Gu Yuan, I gave you the chance back then, yet you failed to grasp it." The Spirit Emperor stared at Gu Yuan with blazing eyes, speaking slowly. "Everything shall now come to an end." Surveying the faces of the many, filled with fear and despair, the Spirit Emperor suddenly felt a sense of languid weariness. What once seemed daunting now stirred little interest in his eyes. Like deities dwelling within this realm, the Supreme Battle Emperors regarded all others as mere insects. As he spoke, his long fingers gently tapped Gu Yuan. Instantly, the heavens trembled, and an endless surge of blood energy coalesced at his fingertips, culminating in a beam of radiant blood light that surged directly toward Gu Yuan. Seeing the Hu Tian Di's move, Gu Yuan was also startled, and his internal qi immediately roared into action. However, just as he was about to prepare to summon celestial and terrestrial energies to jointly defend, the Hu Tian Di smiled, raised his finger once more, and softly said, "Seal!" With those words, Gu Yuan was stunned to find that the connection between himself and the celestial and terrestrial energies had been severed entirely. This sudden development left Gu Yuan visibly alarmed. The strength of a Dou Sheng warrior stemmed not only from their abundant internal qi, but more importantly, from their ability to freely and unimpededly draw upon celestial and terrestrial energies for both offense and defense. Yet now, the Hu Tian Di had simply uttered a single, soft command, and completely nullified this very ability—effectively cutting off Gu Yuan's arm as if it had been severed. "Gu Di's Shu Nie Finger!" "This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned, yet Gu Yuan, with his extensive experience, immediately responded. As he sensed the celestial energies failing to respond, the qi within him surged to an unprecedented intensity. With a low cry, he coalesced a towering surge of combat qi into a colossal finger, adorned with strange patterns. This immense finger then struck the streak of blood light with tremendous force. "Boom!" The blood light, meeting the tangible, solid finger in midair, collided with a powerful roar. The finger instantly shattered, yet the blood light's momentum remained unbroken, striking the thick layer of combat qi defense shielding Gu Yuan with lightning speed. "Pfft!" "The two collided, and though the seemingly solid aura defense appeared sturdy, it shattered with the force of something effortlessly dismantling—like dry reeds under a strong wind. In an instant, it struck hard against Gu Yuan's body, spewing a gush of crimson blood as he staggered backward. Fortunately, Zhu Kun stepped in from behind, steadying his form. "The Supreme Sovereign of the Spirit Realm commands the energies of heaven and earth—this is rather fanciful of him," said Hún Tiān Dì, smiling faintly. He raised his hand toward the dense blood cloud in the sky and gently clenched it. The cloud surged and rippled, and then thunder roared—followed by a massive blood-colored lightning bolt that plunged from the heavens, slicing through the void and crashing directly into the allied forces. "Form the array and attack!" Seeing this, Gu Yuan quickly wiped the blood from his lips and shouted urgently. If the blood lightning struck without resistance, the allied army would suffer devastating losses. Hearing Gu Yuan's sharp command, the allied forces quickly rallied, their vast and boundless qi rapidly coalescing into a colossal qi dragon that then surged forth, crashing headlong into the blood-red lightning. "Boom! Boom!" The two immense forces collided in the sky, casting an dazzling brilliance that nearly illuminated every corner of Zhongzhou. Yet, this convergence did not last long—soon, the strange blood-lit lightning violently shattered the qi dragon. "Pfft!" As the dragon dispersed, several of the allied warriors gasped, their faces pale, each expelling a gush of blood, clearly wounded by the rebound force. A single warrior alone stood against the entire might of the allied forces! The strength of a Sovereign of Battle was truly astonishing—before such power, no matter how vast the numbers, seemed but insignificant. Gu Yu and Zhu Kun exchanged glances, each seeing the shock reflected in the other's eyes. Though they had anticipated the terrifying power of a Battle Emperor, when the reality unfolded before them, they still found it hard to believe—so many powerful warriors gathered together could not even withstand a single Soul Emperor! Ziyan, standing by, suddenly spoke with growing excitement. She shared a connection with the Dragon Seal with Xiao Yan; though she couldn't determine Xiao Yan's exact condition through it, she could sense his current state by the intensity of the Seal's fluctuations. Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan and the others were all struck aback. The previously dimmed expressions in their eyes now brightened with genuine delight—this was likely the most encouraging news they had received in recent days. "Then, no matter what, we must intercept him today," said Zhu Kun, lifting his head to gaze at the Huan Tian Di, now stepping upon a lotus of blood, appearing remarkably eerie. "Gu Yuan, you reorganize the allied forces once again. I'll meet him face to face!" "As soon as Zhu Kun spoke, he didn't leave anyone else, like Gu Yuan and the others, a chance to respond. His body surged straight upward, and then twisted—before a colossal dragon, so vast it was astonishing, appeared in the sky. The sheer might of that dragon somewhat eased the lingering scent of blood. 'The Tai Xiu Ancient Dragon...' Hu Tian Di, gazing at the great dragon floating in the heavens, showed a touch of interest in his eyes. He smiled, saying, 'Since I ascended to the Battle Emperor rank, I've been missing a mount. If you submit to me, I will ensure the safety and prosperity of your Tai Xiu Ancient Dragon lineage.' 'Boom!' Hearing Hu Tian Di's words, Zhu Kun remained silent. With a wide opening of his dragon's maw, a beam of purple-gold light surged forth, carrying with it the power to destroy, and struck directly at the emperor. 'Stubborn!' "Seeing this, Hún Tiān Dì couldn't help but shake his head. With a casual wave of his sleeve, the awe-inspiring beam of light burst into countless scattered fragments. As he moved, his form materialized like a ghost upon the dragon's body. With a gentle tap of his foot, the patches of purple-gold dragon scales shattered, and dragon blood surged forth like a waterfall from the wounds. 'Roar!' The sudden, intense pain caused Zhú Kūn to struggle violently; each roll of his powerful, sturdy body shattered the space around him. 'Thud!' Hún Tiān Dì's bloodshot eyes remained impassive. With another firm stomp, the dragon, towering several thousand li in height, was effortlessly kicked off into the void, crashing down and crushing a mountain range into a deep, sunken valley. Witnessing Zhú Kūn's easy defeat at the hands of Hún Tiān Dì, many of the allied warriors' eyes grew dim with a shade of gray." "Boring battles..." The form of the Soul Emperor once again returned to the Blood Lotus. He glanced at the countless faces below, filled with fear, and slowly shook his head. Then, the Blood Lotus bore him upward, drifting gently. "Everything will end like this, then. I don't like the name 'Central Province.' So, let this region be destroyed...” Raising his right palm, the Soul Emperor directed it toward the vast expanse of blood clouds covering the Central Province. A cold, fierce expression gradually formed at the corners of his mouth. With a sudden, powerful motion of his hand! Boom! As his palm swept down, the thick layer of blood clouds surged violently, gathering intense, roaring energy that sent shivers down people's spines. In moments, countless streaks of blood-red lightning erupted within the clouds. Boom! Boom! Boom! The blood-colored lightning, brimming with destructive power, had just manifested and immediately surged down upon the central plains, crashing in waves. At that very moment, the entire Central Region trembled, the earth splitting open. Wherever the blood lightning struck, even those hidden deep beneath the ground were instantly vaporized by the resulting shockwaves, their bodies exploding from the force. Outside the Alliance's protective shield, millions—perhaps even tens of millions—of people, who had been standing in vast crowds, were completely obliterated by the lightning strikes. In an instant, the area around the Alliance was engulfed in a thick, viscous sea of blood. People scrambled wildly toward the Alliance's headquarters, creating a scene of true apocalyptic devastation. "Damn it!" Ancient Yuan's eyes were nearly bursting with fury, gazing at this sight. Many of the Alliance's elite warriors were struck down by the blood lightning, and without exception, at the very moment of impact, their bodies and even their souls were transformed into blood mist. "Hah! Hah! Hah!" "Staring at the Central Plains, almost submerged in a sea of blood, the glow of blood in Lord Huan's eyes grew ever more intense. Amidst the swirling blood thunder, he roared to the heavens, as if a world-consuming demon had stepped forth from the realm of Shura. 'Retreat the army!' Ancient Yuan shouted, his voice strained. Under the relentless blood thunder, the allied forces suffered devastating losses—countless champions perished. At this critical moment, they could only tighten their defenses and hold on desperately. The women, especially Zi Yan, gazed at the overwhelming tide of blood filling their vision, their delicate lips pressed tightly together, overwhelmed by despair. Ai Lin held Xiao Xiao tightly against her chest, shielding her from the relentless scenes of slaughter. 'Will Father come?' Xiao Xiao rested her small face against Ai Lin's fragrant shoulder, her tiny body trembling gently. 'Be calm, Xiao Xiao,' Ai Lin reassured her. 'Father will surely appear. He still needs to protect you.' "The colorful scales gently tapped against Xiao Xiao's back, her voice soft and calm. Yet, as soon as her words fell, she suddenly felt an extraordinary surge of power erupting from within Xiao Xiao—so powerful that it instantly surpassed her! 'Thump-thump!' At the very moment Xiao Xiao's energy surged dramatically, the others beside her—Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, Xiao Li—almost instantly rose a full inch taller. Their energies surged wildly as well! 'It's the bloodline power! The Emperor-level bloodline within them has been awakened!' Seeing this, Gu Yuan was equally stunned, then his face lit up with exhilaration. He suddenly raised his head, and there, in the previously empty space, layers of magnificent flames burst forth, spreading out slowly and gracefully, forming an immense flame shield that completely enveloped the entire territory of the Heavenly Palace Alliance within ten thousand li. 'Boom-Boom!' The blood thunder struck fiercely against the flaming dome, yet could no longer display its previous overwhelming force. Instead, it was gradually consumed, reduced to nothing amidst the surging flames. The flames roared and surged, eventually coalescing into a figure fully enveloped in vibrant, radiant fire. Gazing upon that flame-form figure, even Gu Yuan and the others could not help but radiate with a surge of joy and relief, as though emerging from a near-catastrophic ordeal.