Chapter 2689: Tribute of Ten Thousand Flames

Roar! Roar!

Dragon roars resounded through the vast Tai Shang Xian Yu.

Two Dao divine dragons soared through the chaos, bathed in lightning strikes. Each collision produced apocalyptic visions, with chaotic Dao principles carrying chaotic essence. They intertwined in a dance as strands of them descended from the sky, shaking the heavens and earth.

Who would have thought that such a scene arose from a game of chess?

The battle between the Huang Gu Sheng Ti and the Hun Dun Zhi Ti was inherently legendary. These two heaven-defying bloodlines rarely existed in the same era, let alone both cultivating the Hun Dun Dao. It was truly a once-in-a-million-years event, and regardless of who won or lost, it was destined to be recorded in the annals of the three realms.

Below, the small bamboo grove was in complete disarray.

Centered on the chessboard, terrifying halos of light continued to spread outward, collapsing space wherever they went. What was once a serene paradise had turned into a field of ruins.

Yet, the two players remained as steady as Mount Tai.

Their chess match was also a contest of the Dao, both cultivating the Hun Dun Dao and converging on the same great path.

The chessboard was no longer just a board—it was a world of all things, a battlefield.

The pieces were no longer mere stones—they were figures charging forward relentlessly.

And the players themselves seemed no longer human, but embodiments of the Dao, each listening to the other's heavenly sounds and tracing back to the source of the Dao.

Snap!

Ye Chen reached out, picked up a piece, and placed it down.

With this single move, the evenly matched game shifted in the unseen forces of the universe.

The Hun Dun Zhi Ti fell at a disadvantage, not only in the game but in his Dao as well.

Looking up at the sky, his purple-gold divine dragon dimmed slightly, as if suppressed by some force. The Hun Dun Dao principles became hard to manifest, being relentlessly extinguished by a mysterious power.

In contrast, Ye Chen's golden divine dragon shone with brilliant divine light.

The Sheng Ti's Dao dragon embodied invincible fighting spirit, its dancing principles actually depleting the endless lightning. The chaotic immortal light reflected an ancient hue, as if emerging from the end of time.

"How is it possible? Shishu has actually fallen behind."

Tai Gong gazed upward, murmuring to himself.

"Since ancient times, the Hun Dun Zhi Ti has suppressed the Sheng Ti. Is this breaking a taboo?"

"Just how strong is that Ye Chen? Even the Hun Dun Zhi Ti, cultivating the Hun Dun Dao, is no match."

"The outcome isn't decided until the end."

Discussions erupted again, filled with shock and surprise. No one had expected the Hun Dun Zhi Ti to be the one at a disadvantage. This unconventional duel was more thrilling than imagined, and they were fortunate to be witnesses to this peak battle.

"The depth of his Dao attainment surpasses ours!"

Yuan Shi Tian Zun shook his head with a smile.

"In this era of imperial Dao upheavals, how many monsters have been forged?"

Tong Tian Jiao Zhu took a deep breath, feeling an inexplicable reverence for Ye Chen's Dao.

Tai Shang Lao Jun said nothing, only gently stroking his beard as he glanced at the vast sky.

The Dao Zu was still there, observing the battle. As a senior and a peak great emperor, he felt gratified—for both the Hun Dun Zhi Ti and the Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

Roar!

As the world watched, the purple-gold divine dragon's light dimmed once more, now on the verge of defeat.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen's golden divine dragon grew fiercer with each clash, relentlessly pressing its opponent. Its invincible will and conviction inspired the immortals, making the younger generations' blood boil with excitement.

"Ye Chen, you are truly terrifying."

At the chessboard, the Hun Dun Zhi Ti held a piece in his hand, hesitating to place it.

The game was already lost for him; no matter where he put this piece, it couldn't turn the tide.

Across from him, Ye Chen sat calmly, no piece in his hand, his eyes reflecting the Dao.

His serenity hid roars and howls. He had turned his loved ones into pieces and the board into a battlefield—he was both the player and the observer.

But he would rather be a piece himself, fighting alongside his family to protect that beautiful land.

"I lose."

In the end, the Hun Dun Zhi Ti gave a self-mocking smile and uttered those words he least wanted to say. The piece in his hand turned to ashes and scattered.

In that instant, his purple-gold divine dragon plummeted from the sky, dissolving into a shower of immortal rain.

Roar!

The golden divine dragon soared upward from the heavens, overlooking the nine skies. Its majestic body fully displayed boundless Dao essence, its massive dragon eyes manifesting Hun Dun Dao principles. Every roar shook the hearts of all, like thunder from eternity, trembling the great Dao.

"It's over. The Hun Dun Zhi Ti has lost."

"That young Sheng Ti has truly broken the eternal taboo and defeated the contemporary Hun Dun Zhi Ti."

"The younger generation is to be feared!"

Discussions continued, with the immortals' expressions dazed and unfocused.

With the outcome decided, the chessboard vanished instantly.

Ye Chen closed his eyes, and familiar figures flashed through his memories.

These were traces of emotion and the Dao, one after another merging into his Hun Dun Dao, adding a touch of spirituality to it.

The trial of refining the heart had ended, and his state of mind had sublimated.

At the same time, the two strands of immortal fire within him approached unbidden and merged into one, their flame origins and inherent spirits perfectly aligning.

In this moment, a new flame was born.

Immediately, the sky rumbled, filled with flashing lightning and thunder. The chaotic visions now included waves of heat, with strands of chaotic immortal energy glowing intensely and forming a towering waterfall, like a celestial river cascading from the nine heavens, brimming with supreme Dao essence.

"Hun Dun Huo?"

Tai Shang Lao Jun exclaimed in surprise, as if he understood the meaning behind the visions.

The eyes of all brightened with radiance.

The Hun Dun Huo was the highest-level flame in the world, akin to a great emperor among cultivators. Witnessing it was like seeing someone achieve the Dao—a historic moment.

"The Hun Dun has returned to its source; he's actually created the Hun Dun Huo."

Xuan Di sighed with emotion, his eyes shining.

As an imperial shadow, he had seen the Hun Dun Huo before—the innate kind, truly dominating heaven and earth. This acquired version was also extraordinary, containing a power that the innate one lacked.

"What is that?"

With the Hun Dun Huo's appearance, visions spread across the entire Tian Jie. Immortal energy surged, and blazing light bathed the universe, leaving all who beheld it stunned, their hearts stirred.

Soon, streaks of divine rainbows shot into the sky, painting a magnificent scene.

Upon closer inspection, these were not rainbows but various flames—beast fire, true fire, karmic fire, divine fire, immortal fire—as if summoned, they burst from their owners' bodies and converged in the void, hovering in the emptiness, each in different colors.

From afar, they resembled stars, radiating various divine lights, their flames flickering as if welcoming the birth of their king.

"Heavens! Is this Wan Huo Chao Bai?"

Many cried out in astonishment, and countless people soared into the sky, especially the alchemists, who felt it most acutely. As masters of fire, they knew the legends and understood what such behavior from the flames signified.

Wan Huo Chao Bai was a shocking and unprecedented spectacle.

Even the most dazzling divine fire or fearsome immortal fire restrained their former pride.

If ranked by cultivator levels, divine and immortal fires were like quasi-emperors, while the Hun Dun Huo was like a great emperor. No matter how exceptional a quasi-emperor might be, they were inherently suppressed.

As long as the Hun Dun Huo existed in the world, all others were its subjects.

"How interesting."

A Tian Zun clasped his hands behind his back, watching with great interest. As a Tian clan member from the Shura Realm, his insight was sharp; all flames behaving this way meant a supreme being had emerged in the realm of fire.