Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

Many factions were awaiting the response of the Mahā Ancient Clan, eager to see how they would deal with the person who had humiliated them. To everyone's surprise, the Mahā Ancient Clan, the main party involved, remained completely passive without any reactions or statements, as if they were completely oblivious to the events.

The Mahā Ancient Clan's cold treatment left many onlookers, who were secretly hoping to stir up trouble, feeling disappointed. They had anticipated a great battle between the two sides, looking for an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

After all, both the Eternal Flame Body and the Mahā Ancient Clan's inheritance were highly tempting targets.

However, the situation remained remarkably calm, as though everything had settled.

Some factions started to lose patience and began stirring up trouble, while some smarter individuals seemingly appeared reserved but were closely monitoring the situation. Although it seemed to have calmed down over time, the undercurrents were still intensifying.

While everyone was searching for Jiang Yun, who had taken the Fire Spirit Clan's godly fire, he had quietly set off for the far west of the Great Thousand World.

His destination this time was the Sacred Abyss Continent!

The Sacred Abyss Continent is located in the extreme west of the Great Thousand World.

In a sense, it is not a continent but a unique space evolved from a lower plane that can connect to the Great Thousand World.

In ancient times, the Sacred Abyss Continent was one of the battlegrounds where the Great Thousand World fought against the Outer Evil Clans.

As a result, countless strong warriors fell in this place, including more than a dozen Heavenly Supremes. Numerous inheritances, divine abilities, and sacred objects were lost here. Over the millennia, some fortunate souls had managed to obtain incredible legacies, skyrocketing into fame overnight.

These success stories have drawn more and more powerful figures from the Great Thousand World, hoping to become the next lucky ones.

However, even though the Sacred Abyss Continent contains fortuitous encounters, it is also unimaginably perilous. Due to ancient battles, the space is extremely unstable, and various harsh environments could bring about catastrophic disasters even to earth-level Supremes if they are not cautious.

Moreover, the most dangerous aspect is the presence of roaming Outer Evil Clans within the Sacred Abyss Continent.

Due to its unique laws and geographical position, this place serves as a critical frontline battlefield defending against the Outer Evil Clan invasions and is one of the frontlines where the Great Thousand factions and the Outer Evil Clans clash.

Once they encounter each other on the Sacred Abyss Continent, it inevitably results in a life-and-death struggle.

Upon setting foot on the Sacred Abyss Continent, Jiang Yun found the sky here darker than in other places, and the entire land seemed to be shrouded in an extreme sense of oppression.

The spiritual energy in the air felt somewhat obscure, lacking the vibrancy found in the Great Thousand World. In the distant sky, crimson lightning bolts would occasionally flash violently, striking the ground incessantly.

This continent was in a state of extreme volatility, filled with crises and instability, as if it could collapse entirely at any moment.

"Such a familiar yet foreign feeling," Jiang Yun sighed inwardly as he sensed the surrounding aura.

"Qingming Senior, can you contact Grandpa?" Jiang Yun asked mentally while hovering mid-air.

"Although this place is very close to the Outer Realms, it still falls within the Great Thousand World. Under Her watch, my connection with the Master is completely severed. Perhaps only at the junction of the two realms, where Her power is weakest, might there be a chance to contact the Master," Qingming's voice echoed in Jiang Yun's mind.

"Then let's give it a try," Jiang Yun nodded, muttering softly before transforming into a streak of light and soaring across the sky, traversing the crimson lightning-filled regions.

Though the continent is perilous, Jiang Yun's strength is more than enough to ram his way through.

In just about half an hour, the outline of an enormously vast city began to appear on the horizon.

The city, seen from afar in the dim sky, resembled an ancient fierce beast crouching on the ground, exuding an indescribable oppressive aura.

As Jiang Yun approached, he noticed an immense, indescribable light barrier covering the city, exuding an extremely terrifying spiritual fluctuation.

"A Grandmaster-tier spiritual array!" Carefully sensing it, Jiang Yun concluded that it was a supreme array set up by a Grandmaster at the pinnacle level of sanctity. Jiang Yun himself was also an array master, though his progress was slightly lagging due to consistently crushing his way forward. He was only at the grandmaster level in spiritual arrays, which he seldom used.

As Jiang Yun crossed the light barrier and entered the vast city, he clearly felt an obscure fluctuation scanning his body both inside and out. This was the city's array's examination process, ready to unleash devastating attacks if any Outer Evil Clan members were detected.

However, the fascinating aspect of the Heretical Spirit Clan is that, despite being hybrids of the two clans, they could cultivate both spiritual energy and heretical energy, making it impossible for any array to detect their true identities. Because of this, Saint Sky Demon Emperor and the Outer Evil Clan invested significant efforts to cultivate the Heretical Spirit Clan as a secret force in their plot to break the Northern Wilderness Hill.

The city was bustling and prosperous, with bustling streets filled with people, and the vibrant noise reached the skies. Moreover, there were many powerful individuals here, with nearly half of the people possessing formidable spiritual powers. Earth Supreme-level experts, giants in the outside world, were as common as cabbages here.

A faction with a Saint-level Heavenly Supreme in charge would be considered a top power in the Great Thousand World, but one organization stood above this.

That was the Great Thousand Palace, an entity established by the Immortal Emperor. In peacetime, the Great Thousand Palace was only a symbol, but during wartime, it displayed its prowess as the foremost power. According to ancient rules, most of the Heavenly Supremes in the Great Thousand World would be recorded in the Great Thousand Palace, passing through the review process and becoming guest elders. Saint-level Heavenly Supremes would become elders of the Great Thousand Palace.

While Heavenly Supremes were rarely seen in the outside world, even Saint-level Heavenly Supremes were not uncommon in the Great Thousand Palace.

Of course, the Great Thousand Palace here was merely a branch; its headquarters were located at the Northern Wilderness Hill, guarding the seal of the Evil God alongside another lineage left by the Immortal Emperor, the Gravekeepers.

The most attention-catching feature in Sacred Abyss City was the imposing stone stele located at the city center, towering tens of thousands of feet high. The top of the stele bore three blood-red characters: "Demon Execution List."

Senior Demon Executioner, Fu Ai Qing.

Senior Demon Executioner, Qin Tian.

Intermediate Demon Executioner, Xiao Dao Yi.

Junior Demon Executioner, Lü Shan.

Countless names were inscribed on the Demon Execution Stele, and occasionally names would appear, seemingly constantly updating. The ranking and levels of these names seemed to be shifting as well.

Qin Tian himself was a prodigy of his era, who would later become the Palace Master of the Great Thousand Palace, second only to the One Emperor and One Ancestor in power.

Back in his Earth Supreme days, he dared to form teams and register as a demon executioner at the Great Thousand Palace to enter the ancient Sacred Abyss to hunt demons.

During one mission, his team was ambushed by the Outer Evil Clan, and only Qin Tian managed to escape heavily injured.

Despite this, he did not sink into despair. Over the next two hundred years, he hunted Outer Evil Clan members tirelessly across the Sacred Abyss, earning immense renown.

Eventually, he was caught in a massive temporal storm, accidentally ending up in the territory of the Outer Evil Clan. By a stroke of luck, he returned with the remains of a Heavenly Demon Emperor, earning him the title of the Great Thousand Palace's first Demon Execution King.

From then on, his power continued to grow; upon reaching the Saint-level Heavenly Supreme, he became the First Elder at the Great Thousand Palace. With the position of Palace Master being vacant for tens of thousands of years, he was recognized as the unchallenged leader of the Great Thousand Palace.

Who would have thought that this was just a minor piece of the Outer Evil Clan's grand strategy? Similar to Jiang Yun, it showed how much effort the Saint Sky Demon Emperor and the Outer Evil Clan had put in to rescue the Evil God.

Such was Qin Tian's legendary story, yet even without knowing the full details, Jiang Yun found many aspects dubious. Qin Tian managed to kill the thirty-two clan leaders of the Outer Evil Clan and the tenth-ranking Heavenly Demon Emperor at their core territory, bringing back his remains.

Did he really think the Saint Sky Demon Emperor and others were mere decorations? Jiang Yun estimated that even later powerhouses like Xiao Yan, Lin Dong, the Azure Garbed Sword Saint, and the Immortal Elder, working together, would not be able to pull off such a feat.

It turns out that the external form of the Heart Demon Emperor was indeed powerful, fooling an array of Saint-level Heavenly Supremes in the Great Thousand World! 

Jiang Yun's gaze moved beyond the Demon Execution Stele to a black pavilion emanating an oppressive aura from the hall within. This was the branch of the Great Thousand Palace, known as the Great Thousand Pavilion, a crucial node monitoring the movements of the Outer Evil Clan.

Study the three characters "Great Thousand Pavilion" etched with a killing intent, Jiang Yun stepped inside without hesitation. Instantly, a hustle of voices greeted him.

The spacious first-floor hall, brightly lit by crystal chandeliers, bustled with activity like a market. Occasionally, robust experts, exuding a killing aura, would stride past Jiang Yun.

In the hall's center, a long counter filled with attendants registering demon hunting teams or tasks under the panoramic spiritual light screens could be seen.

Jiang Yun's presence, with an air of a wandering noble young master, stood out, attracting many eyes.

Those battling through the Sacred Abyss were usually ruthless individuals. Upon seeing Jiang Yun, their eyes inevitably reflected greed.

"Heh, the world sure has plenty of fools!" 

Jiang Yun chuckled softly, expressionlessly scanning those rude gazes. His black eyes flickered as a wave of oppressive force swept through, leaving their heads pounding and noses bleeding. No one dared to look again.

"What a tough character!"

"Those guys kicked an iron plate."

"Given his aura, he must be the direct descendant of some powerful family out for experience. He's certainly not a sheltered flower."

The nearby low murmurs of conversation were mere noise to Jiang Yun as he headed to the counter.

Behind it lay a seemingly lazy gray-robed old man. Dense spiritual energy radiated from his body, indicating a Saint-level Heavenly Supreme.

"Oh, interesting, very interesting!" The old man, who appeared sleepy moments before, lit up as Jiang Yun approached, showing none of his earlier lethargy.

"To think the famed Jiang Yun, who recently shook the Great Thousand, has come to our Great Thousand Pavilion. Seeing indeed is believing! Your talents are unprecedented!" 

"The old man's name is Lu. Friends out of respect call me Elder Lu. I am the person in charge here."

"Gasp~~~"

Upon hearing Elder Lu reveal Jiang Yun's identity, many nearby experts focused their attention, gasping collectively.

"So it's him!"

"This is the person who stormed the Fire Spirit Clan, took their godly fire, and injured two Saint-level Heavenly Supremes of the Mahā Ancient Clan!"

"What! He's this young? Rumors said he was an old monster who lived for countless years!"

…

Ignoring the murmurs, Jiang Yun nodded to Elder Lu with a smile. "Great Thousand Palace intelligence is indeed formidable, having gathered all my information so quickly."

Elder Lu chuckled, waving a hand to summon a servant who brought a chair for Jiang Yun, inviting him to sit.

"I am here to receive the Demon Slayer Token," Jiang Yun said softly after sitting down.

"That can wait!" Elder Lu shook his head while marveling at Jiang Yun. "I'm curious to know which lower plane produced such an extraordinary talent like you. According to protocol, every Heavenly Supreme in the Great Thousand World must be registered at the Great Thousand Palace. Let's handle that as well."

With a wave, Elder Lu produced a booklet-like artifact, entering Jiang Yun's basic information. With a flick of his finger, a token flew toward Jiang Yun. (End of chapter.)