Chapter 9
The Pinnacle of the Firmament.
A figure sat cross-legged at the center of the realm, suspended in mid-air.
This person emanated a suffocating aura, and with closed eyes, their fingers danced incessantly.
The power of the Great Dao flowed ceaselessly at their fingertips, controlling the grand formation that enveloped the entire world.
Each Dao formation pattern was continuously strengthening.
As more people died, a chaotic force emerged, only to be brought back into order under the suppression of the formation.
Breaking realms, killing.
This was what everyone was doing.
The energy that dissipated into the heavens and earth would ultimately be absorbed by the grand formation.
Even this realm would be refined into supreme elixirs, distributed to everyone.
This was a grand feast.
Elixirs refined from a colossal chaotic realm were enough to drive anyone mad.
"If this is successful, I should have a chance to contend for the Seventh Heaven, right?" The Primordial Fire Dao Master thought to himself.
He had been in the Eighth Heaven for two million years.
It was time for his position to move up.
Thinking of this, Primordial Fire was elated.
The ranking in the Upper Nine Heavens was based on fundamental strength. The higher the ranking, the more beneficial it was for cultivation.
Most importantly, it granted another opportunity to seek enlightenment from the Celestial Emperor.
That was the greatest fortune.
A realm beyond that of the Great Emperors, a state yearned for by countless individuals.
As long as one could achieve a state beyond the Great Emperors, they would be willing to pay any price.
The First Heaven, a sacred land.
"Quicken the pace," Primordial Fire suddenly commanded.
It was too slow.
Lingering on like this would lead to trouble.
Of course, it was all the fault of that good-for-nothing Hua Yan, who failed to breach the Tenth Earth and caused its crisis to spread to him.
Especially the presence of the Masters of War and Order, which weighed heavily on his heart.
Boom!
As soon as the words fell, the boundary of the Ninth Earth realm vibrated.
The powerhouses of the Eighth Heaven, who were busy at work, instinctively looked towards the realm's boundary.
At the edge of the grand formation, a massive dragon-shaped brand mark caved inwards.
"They're here."
Primordial Fire's expression turned grave.
He suddenly shouted, "Continue killing, faster!"
"Yes."
His subordinates dared not hesitate.
The slaughter began anew.
Hidden worlds were discovered one by one, and even the Yin-Yang River that originally existed was shattered, its energy merging into the grand formation.
Rumble.
The realm's boundary had already been breached.
The grand formation of the Eighth Heaven was currently enduring intense attacks.
Judging by the intensity of the attacks, several Rank Nine powerhouses must be involved.
"Damn it."
Primordial Fire's face contorted with displeasure.
He still needed a little more time to activate the grand formation and refine the Ninth Earth.
Once the formation was activated, it would be irreversible. No one could stop it; it would only conclude after the Ninth Earth was completely refined.
Therefore, all he needed was to activate the formation before the enemies arrived.
Then they could leave, allowing the formation to operate on its own.
Bang.
The grand formation, which had not yet been activated, ultimately could not withstand the attacks of several Rank Nine powerhouses.
Figures emanating powerful auras strode into the Ninth Earth.
Nine individuals, their auras shook the heavens.
Behind the nine, more Great Emperor realm powerhouses followed.
This scene made Primordial Fire's face turn ugly.
"Kill."
War uttered no superfluous words and instantly soared into the sky.
His target was clear: Primordial Fire.
This person was his target, the one he had to kill.
"Kill."
Chen Fan gave the order.
Boom!
Everyone erupted into action.
"Dragon King, Ping Xi, Xie Jun, Huan Zong, the four of you go and destroy the four pillars of the grand formation. The rest, follow me and kill..."
"Yes."
The Ninth Earth descended into chaos.
The appearance of the cultivator army disrupted Primordial Fire's speed in refining the Ninth Earth.
The grand formation had no choice but to halt.
"Fuck."
Primordial Fire was furious.
It was so close, just one more minute would have been enough.
Alas, that one minute felt like an eternity to him.
Ching!
Silver light flashed beneath War's feet.
It was Chen Fan, using the ability of the Spatial Boots to directly teleport War in front of Primordial Fire.
Bang.
War threw a punch, aimed at Primordial Fire's face.
"Alas."
In the end, it was all for naught.
Primordial Fire sighed, and the unmoving hand seal had to be halted.
Bang.
Their palms collided.
A destructive storm erupted in all directions, provoking the winds and thunder of the Nine Heavens.
"Kill."
The two top powerhouses exchanged blows rapidly.
The grand formation was forced to stop.
The Light of Primordial Antiquity clashed fiercely with the burning demonic fire, creating a cataclysmic scene.
The destructive storm spread in all directions, and no one dared to approach, only fleeing from the vicinity of their battle.
Anyone caught in the crossfire would surely perish.
Clang!
Sword intent swept through the air.
The Tian Cong Yun Sword directly split a Rank Nine powerhouse, pressing him down.
The Lord of Light, Huang, and the Sword Master also intercepted the other Rank Nine powerhouses.
Primordial Fire had made a mistake; he had dispatched too many Rank Nine experts to the Tenth Earth, resulting in insufficient manpower on their side.
The only one who could have turned the tide, Primordial Fire Dao Master, was being held back by War.
"Kill."
The Dragon King charged towards the Eastern pillar of the grand formation.
With a sweep of his dragon tail, he sent a pillar of the grand formation flying with a 'bang'.
Someone attempted to stop him but was repelled by him directly.
The refinement of the grand formation had been thwarted.
"Alas."
Seeing this, Primordial Fire Dao Master could only sigh.
Looking at War, who was attacking him, he spoke, "We are acquaintances, after all. The Upper Nine Heavens are one. Since you are not dead, why associate with these inferiors?"
He couldn't understand.
The Upper Nine Heavens were aloof and supreme, while the Lower Ten Earths were destined to be mere ants.
Primordial Fire was unwilling to accept this: "War, if you are willing to return, there is a place for you among the Dao Masters of the Upper Nine Heavens. Hua Yan's position could very well fall to you, for he is a failure."
"Return, to consort with a group of inferiors, it disgraces our status."
"Heh heh."
However, War let out a cold laugh: "Your so-called aloofness is insignificant in my eyes."
His tone was filled with disdain.
The current War viewed the Upper Nine Heavens as sworn enemies.
"Why be like this?"
Bang.
The Light of Primordial Antiquity dispelled the demonic fire.
However, the demonic fire ignited the Great Dao, and War's punch repelled Primordial Fire.
"You are as strong as ever."
Primordial Fire mused, "I was never your match back then. If you hadn't disappeared later, this position should have been yours."
The War of the past was formidable.
Even though War had been gone for so many years, his realm had barely advanced, while Primordial Fire, after years of cultivation, was no longer the same person as before.
Yet, even so, he was still inferior to the man before him.
War's reputation was well-known throughout the Upper Nine Heavens.
"Scram."
War's gaze was icy: "Hua Yan escaped, and you can escape too. But these people, you must leave behind."
He had no intention of letting the others go.
As for Primordial Fire, it was too difficult to keep him.
These individuals who had once slain the Lord of Order possessed their own trump cards.
"Alas, so be it."
Primordial Fire, though unwilling, knew that it was impossible to succeed.
In this situation, the activation of the grand formation refinement was doomed to fail.
The best course of action was to retreat.
"I'm leaving."
Primordial Fire appeared exceptionally carefree.
War watched him calmly.
Hum.
His figure slowly distorted until it faded.
The next moment, War's figure instantly vanished from his original spot and a punch was thrown towards a void.