Chapter 2283: Bottom Cards Revealed

As Qin Sang continuously fought against the three individuals, the Featherfolk Prince, Merfolk Queen, and Xi Rui likewise found themselves in a difficult predicament.

Possessing profound foundations, they fared somewhat better than the other four against the Thunderfire's onslaught, but they too were forced to reveal their ultimate abilities.

The Featherfolk Prince repeatedly unleashed divine abilities, yet he could not stem the spreading Thunderfire. He watched helplessly as layer after layer of protective barriers were "burned through." Knowing that he absolutely could not let the Thunderfire touch him, he forcefully calmed his mind and fully activated the Featherfolk Giant behind him.

This Featherfolk Giant, formed from a war dance, was the most profound divine ability he could manifest, representing his peak combat strength. The Featherfolk excel in war dances. The goal of their race's cultivation is to follow the path of their ancestors, retrace their footsteps, unearth the ancestral essence within their bloodline, and gradually approach, or even become, their ancestors. Combining these two elements, this great Featherfolk divine ability is named the Ancestral War Spirit!

Through the war dance, one traces the ancestral path, condenses ancestral battle intent, and summons an Ancestral War Spirit, possessing unparalleled might. However, its cultivation is extremely difficult; only when cultivated to the extreme can an Ancestral War Spirit be born. Very few among the Featherfolk have mastered this divine ability.

To deal with Qin Sang and suppress the Bone Luan, the Featherfolk Prince had not hesitated to summon the Ancestral War Spirit, but he had not expected it to be of no avail. In his desperation, the Featherfolk Prince could no longer afford to suppress Qin Sang. He urgently called upon the Ancestral War Spirit to curb the Thunderfire. But as he activated the Ancestral War Spirit, his countenance changed drastically; he felt an unprecedented sense of sluggishness. Though named Ancestral War Spirit, it was a divine ability he himself manifested, so there should have been no sluggishness.

The Featherfolk Prince then discovered that the Ancestral War Spirit was also enveloped by the pervasive Thunderfire. Countless bolts of Thunderfire assailed the Ancestral War Spirit, lightning tearing its skin, flames burning its body... The Ancestral War Spirit, being a condensation of battle intent and not a true living creature, was surprisingly not spared. With even the Ancestral War Spirit suppressed by the Thunderfire, the Featherfolk Prince finally realized how perilous his current situation was. If he was in such a state, what about Yuan Jian and the others? Perhaps everyone would perish here!

What he needed to consider now was no longer defeating Qin Sang, his greatest rival, or seizing more "seeds," but how to preserve himself! He could not place all his hope on his companions; after all, they were rivals who had only reluctantly united because of Qin Sang. It seemed only one option remained…

*Whoosh!*

The Featherfolk Prince spread his pristine white wings, his entire body radiating sacred light. His silver armor, bathed in this light, shimmered with a strange luster. As the luster flowed, the silver armor emitted unusual fluctuations, and intricate patterns appeared on its surface, ultimately forming a complete humanoid outline behind the Featherfolk Prince. The appearance and aura of this humanoid outline were remarkably similar to the Ancestral War Spirit summoned by the Featherfolk Prince.

Immediately after, the figure within the armor stirred, actually stepping out of the silver armor. Taking a step, it materialized in the void, its form like smoke, and then swiftly drifted into the Ancestral War Spirit's body.

*Boom!*

The Ancestral War Spirit's aura drastically changed, erupting in a dense white light that caused the surrounding Thunderfire to churn, its ferocious momentum momentarily slowing. The Featherfolk Prince secretly sighed in relief and quickly flashed into the Ancestral War Spirit's body. This Ancestral War Spirit was personally summoned by his father and sealed within the silver armor before his departure. It was originally intended for seizing treasures, but unexpectedly, it was being used here. Despite his reluctance, the Featherfolk Prince had no other choice but to summon it; if he died here, everything would be lost.

Limited by the grade of the silver armor and his own cultivation, he could not, like Qin Sang's Thunder Beast War Guardian, seal a complete divine ability of a great power. Thus, even protected by his father's Ancestral War Spirit, the Featherfolk Prince realized that he had only temporarily defused the crisis; the danger was far from over!

On the other side, the Merfolk Queen's face was ashen. She had not participated in controlling the Six Poles Radiant Formation, and thus inadvertently benefited by not being constrained by the formation. Sensing the dire situation, she decisively fled. Yet, she could not escape far before being completely enveloped by Thunderfire.

Facing the omnipresent Thunderfire, she hurriedly recalled her precious pearl, continuously scattering brilliant light which was then constantly extinguished by the flames. The breath of death was rapidly approaching.

The Merfolk Queen finally let out a soft sigh. The pearl on her chest suddenly emitted a crisp crack, and a fissure appeared, running across the entire pearl.

*Splash!*

A stream of black water surged from the pearl. This water emitted an extremely chilling aura, capable of freezing all things in the world. It was called the Ksitigarbha Divine Spring, and only the Merfolk's territory produced this spiritual water; its springhead was within the Queen's Palace, revered as a sacred tribal water with infinite wondrous uses. That she possessed so much Ksitigarbha Divine Spring was thanks to the Empress's bestowal, yet now she was forced to use it for self-preservation. She wondered how much would remain after this battle.

The Ksitigarbha Divine Spring, like black cloud-like sleeves, coiled around the Merfolk Queen layer by layer, leaving no visible gaps, resembling a black cocoon. Under the Thunderfire's scorching, the Ksitigarbha Divine Spring was consumed at an astonishing rate, successfully isolating the Merfolk Queen from the Thunderfire.

While the Featherfolk Prince and Merfolk Queen each employed their own methods, Xi Rui was no exception. However, he appeared more composed. Seeing the Thunderfire surge, Xi Rui's expression subtly darkened, and he unhesitatingly removed the four long feathers from his body. As a member of the Shengyu Clan, he was born with wings, and the four long feathers at the ends of his two wings were the most striking, distinctly different from his other plumage. This time, he unleashed all four long feathers at once.

*Caw!*

The long feathers transformed into four immortal cranes, their plumage as fiery red as flames, appearing like four formidable orbs of fire. They circled above Xi Rui's head, forming a crane formation. From within the formation, roaring sounds could be heard, and surging torrents, whose terrifying momentum seemed capable of collapsing this very world. The crane formation's torrents collided fiercely with the Thunderfire. For a moment, Xi Rui gained a respite under the protection of the crane formation. He knew this was not a long-term solution; relying solely on his own strength, even with the means bestowed by his ancestor, he still appeared fragile before the Thunderfire. Sensing the extraordinary auras erupting from the Featherfolk Prince and Merfolk Queen, Xi Rui was overjoyed and hurriedly contacted them. The three communicated secretly and quickly reached a consensus.

The Featherfolk Prince's gaze turned cold. The Ancestral War Spirit behind him clenched a single fist and brutally slammed it into the void.

*Boom!*

Centered around the giant fist, visible rings of white light spread outwards, repelling the Thunderfire. Simultaneously, Xi Rui continuously chanted incantations, and with a long crane cry, two torrents split from the crane formation, shooting towards the Featherfolk Prince and the Merfolk Queen respectively. When the torrents reached the Merfolk Queen, they were almost entirely worn away by the Thunderfire. But as the torrents connected with the Ksitigarbha Divine Spring, they immediately turned black and, reversing their decline, stubbornly resisted the Thunderfire's scorching. In an instant, the black torrents linked the three together, forming a triangular formation within the Thunderfire.

The trio united, firmly establishing their footing. Just as they finally had some reserve strength and attempted to gather more allies, they realized something was amiss. Two of the other four auras had already disappeared. The next moment, the third aura also vanished!

On the divine mountain, the third expert of the Diverse Race lowered his head, his life extinguished. Hong Tian and the others, who had been constantly monitoring the divine mountain, naturally noticed this abnormal phenomenon. This situation was unprecedented; previously, the Diverse Race experts on the divine mountain had only faintly glowed. Although the divine mountain's protective power was continuously waning, and eventually some would fall prey to the demonic shadows, resulting in grim fates, the direct death of a main body was still the first such instance. And three had died in succession! Across the entire divine mountain, only a few remained who had not been possessed by demonic shadows, so why had so many suddenly perished? What was truly happening in the dream world was a subject of much speculation.

However, due to his previous misjudgment, which had caused Qin Sang's Azure Dragon divine ability to be crippled, Hong Tian would under no circumstances agree to interfere with the dream again, nor would he sit by and watch others do so. And to prevent the dream from spreading, everyone had expended a great deal of energy. At this moment, forcing an intervention in the dream would only be possible if they united. Even excluding Hong Tian, if the others tried, as long as Hong Tian deliberately sabotaged them, they would not succeed. Now, the external powers could only wait for the dream seed to emerge and the situation within the dream to become clear.

Xi Rui and the others in the dream, at this moment, felt horrified. They had unleashed their ultimate abilities and finally gained the ability to barely contend with the Thunderfire, yet three of their four companions were already gone!

After annihilating the three, Qin Sang did not pause. He once again held aloft the Immortal Mountain and charged directly at his fourth opponent! This person was named Tai Xi, and like Xi Rui, he hailed from a holy land and was an ancestor's disciple. As the Thunderfire approached, seeing all other methods were futile, he hastily summoned a treasure. This treasure was shaped like a clam shell. The jade-white shell was inscribed with countless unknown characters. With the clam shell slightly agape, Tai Xi swiftly slipped inside and tightly closed the shell. He secretly rejoiced; earlier, to resist the demonic shadow's attacks, he had repeatedly hidden inside the clam shell. No matter how furiously the demonic shadow attacked, it could not breach the shell, which had allowed him to escape danger and hold out until Xi Rui came to his aid. The clam shell's power had been significantly consumed by the demonic shadow. Unfortunately, it had gained this power only through his ancestor's refining, and he did not know how to repair it. Thankfully, some power remained, otherwise he would have been in grave peril this time!

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh…*

The Thunderfire surged towards the clam shell, burning fiercely. Spiritual light flickered on the shell's surface, then gradually faded, leaving it covered in a grayish-white. He feared it would shatter before he could escape the Thunderfire. Tai Xi sensed impending doom. Detecting the aura emanating from Xi Rui, he knew Xi Rui possessed a means of self-preservation. He hurriedly activated the clam shell, enduring the Thunderfire's impact, and moved closer to Xi Rui.

"Faster! Faster! Faster!"

The clam shell's power was rapidly waning, and Tai Xi was consumed by anxiety. Just then, Tai Xi suddenly sensed an astonishing aura rapidly approaching him within the Thunderfire. Then, a figure appeared beside him. This person had lightning wings on their back, trod upon Thunderfire, and wielded a mountain, majestic like a mountain god. Inside the clam shell, Tai Xi was filled with terror. He hurriedly changed direction, but the clam shell's movement was slow, restricted by the Thunderfire. In an instant, Qin Sang caught up.

*Rumble!*

The Immortal Mountain smashed heavily into the clam shell. Dazzling spiritual light flashed, followed by a *crack*. The clam shell, already at the end of its tether, finally could not withstand the force and shattered into pieces. A figure fell out from the fragments. Tai Xi's face was pale, his eyes filled with terror. The Immortal Mountain's lingering power remained, and the Thunderfire followed closely. Tai Xi could not resist and finally spat out a mouthful of blood, severely wounded.

"Brother Xi, save me!"

In his moment of peril, Tai Xi saw a shadow flying overhead. His eyes, which had been filled with despair, now gleamed with hope as he shrieked. At this moment, Xi Rui and the other two also discovered Tai Xi's plight. Xi Rui frantically activated the crane formation, directing a torrent towards Tai Xi. The Featherfolk Prince and Merfolk Queen unhesitatingly gave their full assistance. Although Tai Xi was not part of their direct faction, the seven of them had been overwhelmed by Qin Sang alone. If they still thought about internal strife at this point, they would truly be courting death.

*Whoosh!*

The torrent swept up Tai Xi. Then, Xi Rui and the others rushed frantically outwards without looking back, having no thought of attacking Qin Sang.

*Boom!*

After being struck hard by the Immortal Mountain, the black torrent paused, showing signs of dissipating, but its forward momentum became even more urgent.

At the edge of the sea of fire, Qin Sang appeared amidst the Thunderfire. He watched the black torrent fleeing towards the distant horizon and then looked back. The Thunderfire showed no intention of continuing the chase; he knew he could not stop these people on his own. Deep within the Thunderfire, five Bone Luans, transformed into fiery masses, revolved around the last remaining Bone Luan.

*Swish swish swish!*

The five fiery masses successively merged into the Bone Luan's body. The Bone Luan trembled all over, letting out cries that grew louder with each one. The pervasive Thunderfire gradually dissipated, until only a single fire ring remained, encircling the Bone Luan, which was eventually absorbed into its body.

Qin Sang's expression subtly changed; he sensed some kind of transformation occurring within the Bone Luan, but he was not clear about the specifics. He suspected that the self-detonation of the five Bone Luans was not due to an inability to withstand the pressure of the divine ability, but rather a manipulation by the mysterious Azure Luan. For the mysterious Azure Luan, killing Xi Rui and the others was not important; its true goals were escaping and descending! Since Qin Sang was the Bone Luan's owner, the mysterious Azure Luan needed to transfer its divine ability through Qin Sang, with his consent. Qin Sang had always been wary of the mysterious Azure Luan, unwilling to accept overly powerful divine abilities unless facing external great powers, but the situation had forced him to seek its help. This time, the mysterious Azure Luan had finally seized its opportunity, moving one step closer to its descent!

The Thunderfire completely dissipated. The Bone Luan shook its wings, let out a phoenix cry, and flew back to Qin Sang's side, crouching beside him. Though only one Bone Luan remained, Qin Sang felt it was more threatening than the previous six combined. Qin Sang's gaze was complex; he was still the Bone Luan's owner, but he was unsure how long he could control it. Fortunately, the mysterious Azure Luan had not descended immediately.

"Indeed, one must never let down their guard when facing powerful beings. Unless absolutely necessary, I should not ask that one for help again!" Qin Sang sighed inwardly, put away the Bone Luan, and looked around. Lingering lightning power still filled the void. The battlefield was utterly transformed, mountains gone, the entire mountain range razed to the ground, all life extinguished. The power of the Thunderfire was evident. In this battle, the Immortal Mountain had annihilated three individuals and severely wounded one, a truly fruitful outcome. It was a pity he hadn't eliminated the three he feared most, but he had at least forced them to reveal their ultimate abilities. In future struggles for ultimate treasures, Qin Sang would have a much easier time. This battle had not lasted long, but its immense scale must have alerted the Immortal City and the Phoenix Clan. Qin Sang did not linger; he flashed away from the battlefield.