Although that seemingly ordinary palm strike had not inflicted any real harm on Saint Lord Zichen, it left him looking somewhat disheveled. It also made clear the vast gap in strength between him and Jialan Fairy.
By now, Saint Lord Zichen was filled with regret, but he could not back down. He had no choice but to press on. Right there on the spot, he ignited the Heavenly God bloodline within him, causing purple divine patterns to manifest on his back in the shape of a palace.
Once the divine patterns appeared, Saint Lord Zichen’s aura exploded outward, far surpassing the level of a Six-Star Mystic Saint.
A Cave Heaven World roared open above his head, within which nine towering palaces stood. Each palace was a nexus of mystic power, storing immense reserves of it. As a result, Saint Lord Zichen possessed fully twice the mystic power of other Mystic Cultivators at the same realm.
This was the Nine Palaces Cave Heaven.
With both divine patterns and Cave Heaven unleashed in tandem, Saint Lord Zichen clearly intended to defeat Jialan Fairy with his full power and restore his reputation and prestige.
Jialan Fairy showed no trace of fear. Although she lacked any special bloodline, her Cave Heaven had been tempered to a far superior degree compared to Saint Lord Zichen’s.
A white lotus swayed into view, and an endless Bitter Sea unfurled. Jialan Fairy took the initiative, piloting her Bitter Sea Cave-Heaven directly into a collision course.
The two Six-Star Mystic Saints clashed for real. Their Cave Heavens smashed together, the resulting shockwaves splintering space across the region. The entire sky fractured like a shattered porcelain vase.
The Evil Consort spoke coldly:
“Since the fight is on, let this palace experience firsthand the arrogance of your Heavenly God Clan!”
Her White Bone Grotto-Heaven burst into existence. Under the Evil Consort’s control, it barreled toward the other Mystic Saints.
The three major Saint Lords rushed to meet it. In a one-on-one fight, these Three-Star Mystic Saints were no match for the Evil Consort, but three against one gave them something to work with.
The skies above the Heavenly God Clan’s vast territory were cleaved in two: one half became the battlefield for the Six-Star Mystic Saints, while the other hosted the Five-Star Mystic Saint’s duel against the three Three-Star Mystic Saints.
The Heavenly God Guards wasted no time activating their triple-layered clan protection grand array to shield the lands below from the battle’s stray energy.
Chen Xi turned her attention to the four remaining Saint Lords. Among them, only Saint Lord Ziyun was a One-Star Mystic Saint. The other three—including Zixiao Saint Lord—were all Nine Turns Half-Saints.
Saint Lord Ziyun spotted that Chen Xi was also a One-Star Mystic Saint, matching his own realm. Fearless, he launched an attack, only to be swatted away by a massive hand of spiritual power from Chen Xi. He vanished into the distant horizon.
More precisely, he had been exiled. He likely would not return that day.
That left only Zixiao, Zisha, and Zi Diao—the three Half-Saints—utterly dumbfounded.
Jialan Fairy and the Evil Consort were one thing, but how was Chen Xi so powerful too?
Chen Xi did not press them:
“You are no match for me. Go fetch your first Saint Lord… Your Heavenly God Clan prefers to dominate through raw power, so behold our strength and judge for yourselves if it merits respect.”
Zixiao Saint Lord looked troubled.
The Heavenly God Clan’s foremost Saint Lord of all time was Saint Lord Ziji, whose cultivation had reached the Seven-Star Mystic Saint level. He was the clan’s second strongest, surpassed only by Zi Tianjun.
Yet Saint Lord Ziji was a pure cultivation fanatic who ignored clan matters entirely. Unless a true crisis arose, disturbing him was asking for a beating. Still, with the current situation, they had no other option.
Saint Lords possessed special means of communication. Zixiao Saint Lord reached out to Saint Lord Ziji and quickly received a response:
“What is it?”
Zixiao Saint Lord hurriedly recounted the full story without embellishment, though she framed Jialan Fairy and her companions as malicious intruders who had barged in.
Upon hearing that three Mystic Saints were wreaking havoc within the Heavenly God Clan, Saint Lord Ziji fell silent for a moment. Soon after, he stepped through a space portal and appeared before Chen Xi.
Saint Lord Ziji appeared relatively young and exceptionally handsome, though his face was stern, as if he found everyone displeasing. He eyed Chen Xi appraisingly for a few moments before suddenly asking:
“Are you that Technique Saint woman who appeared so briefly before?”
Chen Xi replied evenly:
“What guidance does Saint Lord Ziji offer?”
“The Divine Soul Mystic Realm is impressive, to be sure, but a One-Star Mystic Saint is far too weak.” Saint Lord Ziji shook his head. “Withstand one strike from me. If you cannot, leave of your own accord.”
“And if I do?”
“Then do as you please.” Saint Lord Ziji replied coldly. “So long as you do nothing to harm the Heavenly God Clan, it is no concern of mine.”
“Very well then. Please proceed.”
Chen Xi’s demeanor remained utterly nonchalant.
Saint Lord Ziji let out a light snort. Thick purple qi surged around his body, gathering above his head into a massive Purple Yang orb. Laws coiled around it, runes densely inscribed upon it, radiating an intensely terrifying energy fluctuation.
“Saint Mystic Technique: Purple Qi Transforming Heavenly Sun!”
Clearly, even against a mere One-Star Mystic Saint, Saint Lord Ziji held nothing back. He unleashed the Heavenly God Clan’s secret technique without hesitation.
“Go.”
Saint Lord Ziji gave it a gentle push, and the Purple Yang hurtled toward Chen Xi. Space melted and collapsed in its wake, resembling a sun descending from the heavens to incinerate the mortal world.
Confronted by such a dreadful attack, Chen Xi remained utterly composed. She formed seals with both hands, and Starlight Glazed Fire gushed forth, condensing before her into one hundred and eight colorful flame stars. These linked together, forming a grand nine-layered array.
This was the foundational array of the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
“Great Zhou Heaven Star Fighting Array.”
The Purple Yang slammed into the Star Fighting Array like a falling meteor. Terrifying heat and impact forces erupted, immediately cracking the array.
But the Starlight Glazed Fire specialized in regeneration. The cracks appeared and healed in the same instant.
The Purple Yang’s destructive might was formidable, but so long as it failed to shatter the array in a single blow, the formation would continue repairing itself until one side’s power was depleted.
Seeing this, Saint Lord Ziji did not persist. He decisively withdrew the technique, a trace of solemnity entering his gaze toward Chen Xi:
“No wonder you bear the title of Technique Saint…”
The God Race clans each typically boasted one or two Ninth-Order Pill Refiners, but only this breathtaking beauty in white hair and black robes had earned the moniker of “Technique Saint.”
For a One-Star Mystic Saint to match a Seven-Star Mystic Saint like him through Pill Refiner arts alone—it was genuinely admirable.
Chen Xi also dispersed her array:
“I accept your concession.”
“I will not intervene further.” Saint Lord Ziji glanced at the battle raging overhead, where both sides were being suppressed. He spoke coldly: “A pack of useless sacks.”
Saint Lord Zichen and the other three Three-Star Mystic Saints had naturally sensed the clash between the Purple Yang and the Star Fighting Array. Seeing that even Saint Lord Ziji could do nothing to Chen Xi, their battle spirit plummeted instantly. In a moment of carelessness, they exposed openings. Saint Lord Zichen was struck down once more by Jialan Fairy, while the three Three-Star Mystic Saints found themselves bound by Death Mystic Force and dared not press forward.
Jialan Fairy and the Evil Consort returned to Chen Xi’s side. Chen Xi regarded Saint Lord Zichen, who had flown back into the sky wearing a thoroughly embarrassed expression, and asked:
“Do you still wish to fight?”
Saint Lord Zichen’s face alternated between pallor and flush. He could never have imagined that even after activating his Heavenly God bloodline, he could only trade blows evenly with Jialan Fairy—and even trailed slightly in their Cave Heaven contest.
He turned to Saint Lord Ziji and demanded:
“Ziji, why didn’t you strike with full force? With your abilities, crushing a One-Star Mystic Saint should have been child’s play!”
Saint Lord Ziji ignored him entirely and vanished from sight, returning to his palace.
The Evil Consort fixed Saint Lord Zichen with a stare, murderous intent roiling in her eyes:
“It seems you remain unconvinced. Very well, this palace shall beat submission into you.”
Saint Lord Zichen’s heart clenched. At that moment, a warm and resonant voice slowly echoed:
“—Calm your wrath, Evil Consort. Do you truly intend to slaughter someone from my Heavenly God Clan?”
