The Black-White Empress's intervention caught everyone off guard.

  Neither the Fire Elemental God nor the Gold Elemental God had anticipated it. Why would the Black-White Empress—an existence rivaling human saints and divine-demonic emperors—act on behalf of a mere Lu Jiulian?

  This sent a dangerously alarming signal.

  Could it mean the Black-White Empress might side against the divine-demons because of Lu Jiulian, joining the human camp?

  For the divine-demons, that would be disastrous news.

  A single Black-White Empress wielded immense deterrent power—enough to prop up an entire race. If she opposed them, the divine-demons would face tremendous pressure.

  "Why are you doing this, senior?!"

  "Are you intending to interfere in the war between humans and divine-demons?"

  "Aren't you afraid of incurring the wrath of our divine-demonic emperors?!"

  The Gold Elemental God watched the Fire Elemental God forcibly suppressed and kneeling on the ground. His expression shifted as he spoke coldly.

  His voice echoed, breaking the strange tension in the field.

  "Wrath my ass!"

  Tonggu Daoist snapped out of it and immediately cursed.

  "What, only your divine-demons have emperors? We humans don't have saints?"

  "If senior chooses to help us humans, that's out of kindness. We humans repay even a drop of kindness with a gushing spring—unlike you cold-blooded, treacherous divine-demons who turn on allies without a second thought... If senior aids us, our human saints naturally won't stand idly by. If your emperors want war, our saints... why fear it?!"

  Tonggu Daoist roared.

  He truly hadn't expected the Black-White Empress to act for Lu Jiulian's sake.

  In this era, even old cows craved tender grass?

  Lu Jiulian was just younger-looking, more pleasing to the eye, a bit handsomer than an old Daoist like him...

  And the Black-White Empress would intervene over a pretty face.

  Heh, women...

  Tonggu sighed inwardly.

  But his mouth didn't stop: "Senior is awesome! For helping humans today, we will forever remember your great favor..."

  Tonggu shouted repeatedly. With her acting, he hurried to pull her into their camp. If the Black-White Empress joined the humans, it would be a massive boon.

  Humans were at a disadvantage precisely because they had fewer saints than divine-demonic emperors.

  Her presence—equal to a saint—meant humans gained one for free. What a windfall!

  Trading a pretty boy for a saint-level powerhouse...

  It was like pie falling from the sky.

  Killing intent surged in the Gold Elemental God's eyes.

  Tonggu's words fueled his rage. He genuinely worried she'd be swayed to the human side.

  Then, neither he nor the Fire Elemental God might leave alive.

  So he quickly spoke: "Senior..."

  The two quasi-saint-level powerhouses bickered verbally.

  Meanwhile, Lu Jiulian felt dazed...

  He... hadn't worked hard again. In a moment of carelessness... he'd eaten soft rice once more.

  He truly didn't want this.

  But he couldn't control it. Lu Jiulian felt tormented. As the human ferocious god, he needed to learn self-reliance.

  Yet he'd reverted to his old self again.

  Becoming the person he once despised most, time and again.

  Those around exchanged glances.

  The divine-demons trembled even more. Originally, in the Wood Origin enlightenment grounds, divine-demons outnumbered and outpowered humans. But now, because of one human ferocious god—Lu Jiulian—their side had suffered heavy losses.

  And a being rivaling divine-demonic emperors like the Black-White Empress had intervened...

  Was a divine-demonic Elemental God about to fall here?

  Boom!

  The atmosphere grew grave.

  The Fire Elemental God knelt on the earth. Flames erupted endlessly from his body, incinerating all vegetation in the grounds, turning the surroundings into scorched wasteland.

  Yet he seemed trapped in a bizarre state—kneeling motionless on one knee.

  Lu Jiulian steadied himself, exhaling slowly.

  The Black-White Empress smiled faintly, arms crossed, her black-and-white dress fluttering.

  Helping Lu Jiulian?

  No—she was helping Lu.

  She cared about owing Lu a favor. A mere Lu Jiulian wasn't worth her notice.

  This was an early investment.

  Hearing the Gold Elemental God's words, she smiled: "Whether I help humans depends on my mood."

  "Don't threaten me..."

  "If I'm in a bad mood, I might just kill you. Would your emperors wage war over one like you?"

  She chuckled.

  "Besides, at your level, you have no idea what saints and emperors truly bear. Strength determines vision and perspective."

  Her words made the Gold Elemental God's eyes redden.

  This woman... so arrogant, so unrestrained?

  But they also left him somewhat bewildered. Indeed, as she said, divine-demonic emperors outnumbered human saints.

  If emperors acted, humans would be doomed.

  Yet humans had risen from obscurity in the ancient starry sky, growing stronger despite encirclement—because emperors never personally intervened.

  Of course, there was one exception.

  When the first human saint emerged, an emperor had acted.

  But it was mere intimidation; they fought deep in the starry void, ending with much thunder but little rain.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Thus, over the years, conflicts persisted, but emperors never struck.

  They tacitly allowed encirclement but never acted themselves.

  In the Gold Elemental God's view, one emperor move would raze human ancestral lands and Immortal Domains to ash.

  Yet encirclement had always been driven by Elemental Gods.

  Even without emperors, divine-demon forces sufficed to suppress humans.

  The Black-White Empress smiled faintly, ignoring them further.

  She truly feared no emperors—they had bigger concerns than her.

  Or rather, merely suppressing an Elemental God hadn't crossed their bottom line.

  But she only suppressed; whether he lived or died depended on... the one dealing with him now.

  ...

  The primordial spirit battlefield was a unique place.

  For cultivators, the primordial spirit was most mysterious—the foundation for exploring the starry void.

  Lu had intended to ambush the Fire Elemental God but hadn't expected Elemental Gods to be far stronger than imagined. At least, if his true body were here, breaching defenses wouldn't be too hard.

  But controlling Lu Jiulian's body made it difficult.

  Ultimately, he alerted the enemy.

  So Lu had no choice but to drag the primordial spirit into the battlefield.

  Otherwise, Lu Jiulian might get beaten to death.

  Human powerhouses would struggle to escape the Wood Origin grounds.

  The Black-White Empress acted only for Lu Ping'an's sake. And Lu knew—though polite to him—she'd never kill an Elemental God for him.

  Elemental Gods weren't cabbages.

  "Primordial spirit battlefield?"

  "You dare face me here?"

  "Who gave you the courage..."

  The Fire Elemental God scanned surroundings, eyes landing on Lu seated in the wheelchair and the Eight Trigrams platform before him.

  This place reeked of strangeness. Even as an Elemental God, he felt uneasy.

  But Lu's aura didn't seem overwhelmingly powerful, so he wasn't afraid.

  Still, primordial spirit battles were risky—even he remained vigilant.

  Lu gazed calmly. His first close look at an Elemental God.

  A quasi-saint pinnacle powerhouse.

  Currently, Lu struggled against quasi-saints...

  Without the Five Phoenixes Bow, only manifesting the preaching platform might give him a chance.

  But dragging the spirit here... this was his home turf.

  Originally, pulling an Elemental God's spirit in would be nearly impossible.

  But Lu's spirit power attached to the Green Lotus Sword had pierced the chest and heart, enabling it.

  The Elemental God's spirit was indeed formidable.

  Terrifying heat radiated extreme Fire Origin power.

  Lu's fire-indestructible demonic body was perfected, yet this pure Fire Origin force sparked joy in his eyes.

  Such refined power—he could never have too much...

  If stripped entirely, channeled into the Five Phoenixes Bow, the arrows would pack terrifying might.

  "Mere human Emperor... who gave you the guts? Even that dog Tonggu lacks the audacity to share a battlefield with my spirit."

  The Fire Elemental God said coldly.

  Lu knew it was true—his spirit far surpassed ordinary quasi-saints.

  Even Tonggu's might not match.

  That was his confidence.

  But Lu had his own.

  This was the primordial spirit battlefield... and his trump card: the preaching platform.

  "No words?"

  "Then die."

  "Kill you, return to my body, then slaughter that Lu Jiulian!"

  Ruthlessness filled the Fire Elemental God's eyes.

  Boom!

  Vast, pure Fire Origin power erupted fully. Thousands of fire pillars exploded around him.

  His form blurred, lightning-fast as he charged Lu, cold killing intent flooding every corner.

  Lu's eyes flickered slightly, lips curving upward.

  He raised a hand, placing a chess piece slowly.

  Plop.

  Soft, but crisp.

  Soon, an array word floated from the Eight Trigrams platform.

  Buzz...

  It enlarged abruptly, weaving in the void.

  Lu placed pieces one after another. Interwoven array words soon formed a massive array net.

  The Fire Elemental God charged like a massive fireball, colliding with it.

  Rip!

  The net tore easily before the flames.

  Terrifying fire waves swept every inch of space.

  Immense primordial spirit power poured down, threatening to engulf Lu.

  Endless seas of fire raged...

  In the battlefield, Lu sat poised in the Thousand-Bladed Chair, white robes fluttering. His surroundings became a complete inferno.

  His spirit power compressed into a tiny space by the god's.

  The gap was stark.

  As a quasi-saint pinnacle, his spirit was honed to perfection.

  The entire space seemed an ocean of flames, Fire Origin churning endlessly.

  The god's face emerged from the sea sporadically, mocking Lu as he was relentlessly pushed back.

  In his view, this human overestimated himself.

  A mere Emperor daring to provoke him, dragging his spirit here.

  Not even suicide like this!

  No matter who Lu was, the god resolved to kill.

  At least crush his spirit here—the price of arrogance.

  Boom!

  Lu inhaled deeply. The god's strength exceeded expectations.

  Watching the encroaching inferno.

  Heat flushed his skin rosy.

  He paused placing pieces, narrowing his eyes.

  Boom!

  The surrounding fire sea suddenly coalesced into a massive flaming palm.

  Vast Fire Origin and spirit power roiled within.

  It slammed down, cracking and shattering space inch by inch!

  "Die!"

  The god's face emerged, laughing wildly.

  Thud!

  Sparks flew.

  Unnoticed, the Eight Trigrams platform had appeared above Lu.

  Rotating slowly.

  The palm struck it, exploding countless sparks.

  Below, Lu's white robes billowed wildly from the force.

  His expression remained calm.

  Lips curving.

  From feigned weakness to counterattack...

  The chessboard before him seemed decided.

  Hmm?

  The god's full-power palm failed to kill Lu—and felt immense suction surging from the platform.

  "What is this platform?!"

  "A primordial spirit supreme treasure?!"

  His pupils contracted.

  He hadn't underestimated Lu—anyone bold enough to drag an Elemental God's spirit here was extraordinary.

  But easily tearing the initial net had bred slight contempt.

  He thought Lu weak.

  Now, clearly, a trump card.

  Luring him to lower guard, then activating the treasure!

  "But so what if you have a treasure?!"

  "With your strength, even possessing it—what can you do to me?"

  He grew colder.

  Boom!

  Power pressed down, flames surging in the palm.

  He aimed to crush the treasure, using it to explode Lu's spirit.

  But as he erupted...

  Immense suction from the platform madly absorbed and devoured his spirit power!

  "Damn!!"

  "What treasure is this? Since when did humans have such a thing?!"

  The instant he felt devouring, shock hit. Though little lost, the sensation was awful!

  He tried withdrawing.

  But the suction—though not overwhelming—stuck like taffy. No shaking it off!

  Lu leaned on the Thousand-Bladed Chair, robes increasingly ethereal.

  His spirit controlled the platform, absorbing wildly despite the odds.

  The god knew Lu was culprit, but shattered array words reemerged.

  Weaving around him into a massive array cauldron.

  Inspired by observing Ancient Emperor Ha's Myriad Pattern Cauldron—Lu's sealing method.

  The Eight Trigrams cauldron as cage, imprisoning the god's spirit.

  Boom boom boom!

  The god attacked frantically, but what was once fragile as paper now stood unbreakable.

  He panicked slightly.

  He'd underestimated this human—deceived by weak strength.

  Unexpectedly, a human array master!

  Fury rose!

  Fire pillars exploded, filling the cauldron with endless flames surging to burst free.

  Yet...

  To his horror, the more he erupted, the stronger the platform's suction...

  His spirit power drained like a flooding river.

  Unease crept in.

  After more strikes, feeling weaker, he calmed.

  No novice in battle.

  He quickly grasped: the more he attacked, the more Lu benefited—suction surging.

  What a scheming human!

  So he reined in aura.

  Sitting calmly in the cauldron.

  Gazing through at white-robed Lu.

  "I'll see how long a mere human Emperor can seal me."

  He sneered.

  Lu was surprised—the god calmed and analyzed so quickly.

  With no attacks, suction weakened.

  The god laughed. As expected...

  No rush now. Outside, the human sustaining the array and treasure must consume vastly.

  This ebb and flow—the human would falter first, releasing it.

  Without array and treasure, he'd crush him easily.

  "Outlast me... an Elemental God afraid of a human Emperor?"

  Confident.

  Lu watched the poised, eyes-closed god and smiled.

  The victim wasn't anxious.

  Why would Lu Ping'an be?

  Did he think the cauldron only sealed?

  It slowly absorbed Fire Origin; the platform spirit power.

  The god fixated on the platform.

  By realization, too late.

  Patience? Lu had plenty.

  Boiling a frog slowly—exactly this.

  Treat it as... refining a pill.

  ...

  Back in the Wood Origin enlightenment grounds.

  Tension hung heavy.

  The Black-White Empress's action deterred all—even Gold Elemental God and Tonggu ceased fighting.

  Temporary truce, eyes flickering on the kneeling Fire Elemental God.

  All curious what befell him.

  "His primordial spirit was dragged into a battlefield—fighting someone."

  The Gold Elemental God spoke from experience.

  Tonggu glanced at him, knowing it too.

  "Could it be Brother Lu?"

  "Dragging the Fire Elemental God's spirit in... can he win?"

  Tonggu wondered, somewhat incredulous.

  He sighed, thinking Lu reckless.

  Underestimating an Elemental God.

  Pinnacle heavenly god-tier among divine-demons—strength not to be belittled.

  "Primordial spirit battles are perilous... one misstep, eternal doom."

  "Brother Lu... was impulsive."

  Tonggu shook his head. Now, only hope for a miracle.

  He knew Lu's strength: Extreme Emperor realm. Even if advanced to Heavenly Emperor recently...

  Against an Elemental God's spirit—like a pond versus ocean.

  No comparison.

  "Too risky... too reckless!"

  Tonggu gritted teeth.

  Eyes gleaming on the god's body—perhaps sneak an attack, shatter it while unnoticed.

  Body and spirit linked—destruction would affect the spirit, giving Lu a chance.

  But the instant Tonggu's eyes lit, the Gold Elemental God read his intent.

  Cold aura locked him—if Tonggu struck the body, he'd heavily injure Tonggu!

  Outside, tension crackled.

  The Black-White Empress's eyes flickered surprise.

  She vaguely... sensed something.

  Time ticked by...

  Situation remained grave.

  Humans and divine-demons split camps. With her deterrence, no full clash.

  Tonggu eyed by Gold God—several attempts to smash the body foiled by counter-threats.

  Relieving the Gold God: she only suppressed, no further action—good for divine-demons.

  As for the Fire Elemental God?

  He wasn't worried.

  No human—even a quasi-saint—could erase his spirit.

  Even Xiaoyaozi, most spirit-proficient human quasi-saint, likely couldn't.

  So wait for recovery—then humans here face annihilation.

  Suddenly, one day.

  The Black-White Empress let out a soft "eh?"

  Tonggu and Gold Elemental God opened eyes, looking at the Fire Elemental God.

  Next moment.

  To their shock.

  His primordial spirit aura...

  Like melting ice.

  Plummeted rapidly!

  Dropping relentlessly to rock bottom!

  This stunned both sides.

  What happened to the Fire Elemental God?!