"Water restrains fire? Fine!" Fang Han's voice cut through the roaring heat like a blade. "The five elements may oppose one another—but let's see how much of my fire your water can withstand. Vermilion Bird Dance! Phoenix Cry! Flame-Emperor Sovereign Qi!"
His Great Sun Fire Disaster clashed head-on with the torrent of water Qi, neither advancing nor retreating. Seeing the stalemate, Fang Han smiled coldly.
Three blossoms of fire ignited around him once more—each rising like a miniature sun.
The first flame unfurled into a Vermilion Bird, its wings spanning dozens of meters, each feather a living blade of blazing crimson.
The second flame twisted into the shape of a Phoenix, its cry vibrating through the execution platform like a bell of fire.
The third flame appeared far weaker in size—yet far more terrifying in essence. Deep within the burning mass, a human silhouette flickered into view: a figure crowned with fire, holding a blazing scepter.
The Red Emperor.
The Flame Sovereign.
Master of all fire between heaven and earth.
At this moment, Fang Han commanded four major fire-type divine abilities: the Great Sun Fire Disaster, the Vermilion Bird Dance, the Phoenix Cry, and the Flame-Emperor Sovereign Qi.
The Great Sun Fire Disaster was the most powerful.
The Flame-Emperor Sovereign Qi the least.
But the Flame-Emperor art was, by far, the most profound and mystical of them all—its potential limitless once mastered. Even after absorbing the Vermilion Bird Banner, Fang Han still needed far more fire essence to finish cultivating it.
The Five-Emperor Devil Arts demanded elemental essence on a scale ordinary cultivators could never imagine. Others might complete a metal-type divine ability by refining a few flying swords. But for Fang Han to cultivate White Emperor Metal-Sovereign Slash, he would need to refine entire mountains of gold, silver, iron, and copper—and even that would merely scratch the surface.
But once completed, the Five Emperors would descend, the Five Sovereigns would manifest, and the practitioner would rule worlds as an Eternal Devil Emperor.
No lesser legacy could compare with the former master-technique of the number-one demonic sect of ancient times.
Fire Overwhelms the Platform
The Vermilion Bird, Phoenix, and Flame-Emperor manifestations surged forward at once.
The sky above the Heavenly Execution Platform ignited—rolling waves of flame thundered outward. Even true disciples tens of miles away felt the burning pressure despite their protective treasures.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Five explosive roars.
Xuan-Iron Realman, Wu Li, and the three other true disciples were struck as one. Their tidal water Qi shattered instantly, and the five were blasted off the platform, tumbling through the air like rag dolls.
Flame surged around them—but instead of incinerating them, the fire folded into translucent shells, wrapping each of them in fiery cocoons without so much as scorching a hair.
"What—!?"
Xuan-Iron Realman had expected to be killed or at least crippled. Instead, despite being trapped in a shell of living fire, he felt no heat at all.
Fang Han had deliberately controlled the flames with surgical precision.
"This… this level of mastery…"
Xuan-Iron Realman finally understood—he had lost, utterly.
If Fang Han had willed it, the fire would have devoured him in a breath.
He valued his life too much to struggle now. After reaching the peak of the Sixth Divine Ability—Unity Realm—he was a single step from longevity itself. Risking death on impulse would be insanity.
With life, everything remained possible.
"Fang Han," he finally said, resigned, "your divine abilities are beyond imagination. I concede. I'll tell you the location of the Five-Element Spirit Root."
He pulled a scroll from his robes and hurled it with all his remaining strength.
"Oh?" Fang Han's eyes narrowed. A flaming hand formed out of the Flame-Emperor Qi and caught the map. With the fire's heat completely withdrawn, the scroll remained unburned.
At the pinnacle of the Flame-Emperor art, one could even generate cold flames—fire colder than ice.
Factional Greed Ignites
"Hold it!"
The moment the words Five-Element Spirit Root appeared, Wan Luo and Ling Xiao stiffened. Wan Luo's hand shot forward, crushing the flaming shells around the five defeated disciples.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A tidal force slammed into Fang Han from all directions. His flames shuddered violently—forced back against his will.
Xuan-Iron, Wu Li, and the others fell free from the broken fire cocoons.
"What do you think you're doing?" Fang Han's voice chilled as he stared down Wan Luo.
He could feel it clearly—Wan Luo's raw force had reached a level not inferior to his own.
A Golden Core cultivator.
A realm above Unity.
The moment one condensed a Golden Core, their essence and power transformed, each becoming a "thousand-year sovereign," a being of fortune and destiny.
"Doing?" Wan Luo smiled with infuriating calm. "Nothing at all. I just didn't expect the wager between you two would involve the legendary Five-Element Spirit Root. Naturally, I want it as well."
He stepped forward, eyes cold.
"Fang Han, you've grown arrogant after your little adventure in the Taiyuan Immortal Mansion. Unity Realm experts mean nothing to you now. So tell me—am I included in the list of people you no longer put in your eyes?"
"So that's it."
Fang Han closed the scroll and slipped it into his grasp. "You want a wager with me, is that it?"
"Do you dare?" Wan Luo's smile sharpened.
Around the platform, true disciples erupted in excitement.
"Wan Luo is really going to act? A Golden Core expert is stepping in—this is insane!"
"Fang Han just took down five Unity Realm cultivators like flies. I thought that was already the climax…"
"And now Wan Luo wants to suppress him? This is going to be monumental!"
Golden Core versus Divine Ability.
The gap was vast.
But Fang Han was no ordinary cultivator.
Golden Core Fortune
Fang Han listened to the murmuring around him. He knew Wan Luo would never challenge him unless fully confident.
A Golden Core expert was a being of destiny.
Every one of them had incredible fortune—encounters, legacies, destiny-threads.
Without luck, no amount of hard work could form a Golden Core.
Cultivation relied first on fate, then on comprehension, and lastly on effort.
"When fate arrives, even a fool gains immortal opportunities.
When fate departs, even a hero meets a tragic end."
Wan Luo had fate on his side.
He had confidence—unshakable confidence.
Fang Han could feel it like a pressure in the air.
Wan Luo's killing intent was hidden, but his certainty was absolute.
"Fang Han," Wan Luo pressed again, "do you dare wager against me here on the Execution Platform?"
Raising the Stakes
Before Fang Qingxue could intervene, Fang Han lifted his chin.
"How do you want to wager?
If you want the map, you'd better put something worthwhile on the table."
"Oh, I will."
Wan Luo flicked his wrist—and two objects appeared in his palm.
One was a block of white-gold metal, shining sharply enough to cut the eye with mere light. Fang Han had never seen anything so razor-edged.
The other was a sphere of liquid water, the size of an egg, inside which roared the echoes of countless rivers.
"Taibai Star-Metal.
Ten-Thousand-Layer Softwater Essence."
Jialan inhaled sharply. She recognized the treasures instantly.
"You cultivate the Five-Emperor Devil Arts," Wan Luo said lightly. "Your Metal and Water arts haven't even begun. These two treasures won't equal the Five-Element Spirit Root, but they'll save you at least a century of effort. Interested?"
Fang Han's eyes narrowed.
"Fine. I accept."
"Not so fast." Wan Luo shook his head.
"What? You don't dare?" Fang Han sneered.
"I merely find the stakes too small," Wan Luo replied with a smile. "We are disciples of one of the greatest sects under heaven. If I gamble—then I gamble earth-shakingly."
He lifted a jade book.
"This is the Pan-Wu Titan Art—a body-forging divine ability I learned from Senior Brother Hua Tiandu. Not necessarily inferior to your Five-Emperor Devil Arts. Win, and the treasures and this manual are yours. Lose…"
His meaning hung in the air.
Jialan, Fang Qingxue, Xuan-Iron, Wu Li—everyone's heartbeat hammered in their chests.
This was no longer a wager.
This was a life-or-death collision.
Fang Han's eyes gleamed with blood-red light.
"Fine."