In the Heaven Palace, within the temple second only to the Heavenly Emperor's abode.

The Head Manager paced back and forth, urgency evident in his eyes, and couldn't help but rebuke the two shadowy figures before him, "How could you two not have stopped her? This sudden outbreak of war not only caught the Human Domain unprepared, but we too will fall short by comparison. The Hundred Tribes Coalition Army's mobilization is already a mess. If the Human Domain cultivators from other directions launch a fierce attack later, won't our entire line collapse?"

The Earth God said in a deep voice, "There's no need to wait for later. The various armies of the Human Domain have already begun to push forward with all their might. At this moment, I can only avoid battle temporarily, merely holding the middle section. If the Gold God in the west is delayed for too long, and the Human Domain's eastern forces suddenly turn to support the middle section, by then, the Human Domain wouldn't need too many forces. Just a certain number of experts to flank and attack my headquarters would lead to unimaginable consequences."

The Head Manager's expression also became tense.

"Who can stop the Gold God from doing what she wants?" An old man dressed in a blue robe with light blue hair smiled slightly and said soothingly, "Don't worry, the Gold God is a tough nut to crack. Even if the Human Emperor himself were to come, he would probably be unable to do anything to her."

"I am not worried about the Gold God's safety; she can come and go as she pleases," the Earth God said with a grave voice. "The problem lies with the Innate Gods led by the Gold God. Wouldn't the Human Emperor target them? Besides the core eleven Great Daos, the Heaven Palace has always relied on the Main Gods for support. The Human Domain has already mobilized heavy troops and is about to pull out its trump cards. We must devise a way to call these Innate Gods back... even if it means the death and injury of more experts that were painstakingly cultivated, that can't be helped."

"The Earth God is correct," the Head Manager said. "No matter how many lives are lost, by resonating with a few Great Daos, we can cultivate a new group within a century. It's merely a matter of expending some Divine Power. But if too many Main Gods of Heaven Palace fall at the same time, there will be a problem with the supply of Divine Power from the Divine Pool. If the wielder of a Great Dao falls and cannot recover within a century, their original will would collapse. Once reshaped, that would become a brand new Innate God, filled with too many uncertainties..."

"There are only two methods now," the Earth God cut off the Head Manager's somewhat limp analysis, stating decisively, "Either we overpower the Human Domain on the battlefield, or we quickly control the extent of casualties and support their return. We cannot continue to drag this on; the situation changes in the blink of an eye. A decision must be made now, Head Manager."

The Head Manager asked, "What would you suggest, Earth God?"

The Earth God replied, "The Head Manager should make the decision. I am only responsible for coordination."

The old man with vibrant green hair beside them said with a laugh, "The Earth God is still the same."

"Enough, I shall go and report to His Majesty..." As the Head Manager spoke, he turned to move towards the Heavenly Emperor's palace. However, just as he was about to take a step, he suddenly spun around to look southward. "That commander of the Human Domain's Imperial Guard has been defeated."

"I will take charge of the battlefield." With that single statement, the Earth God's figure blurred, hastening away and disappearing from the spot.

The Head Manager's lips revealed a hint of a smile, his arms folded behind his back, now appearing even more composed.

「In the Southern Territory of Central Mountain, on the western front.」

Wu Wang witnessed it with his own eyes: as the battle escalated towards a climax, high in the sky, a Fire Phoenix spread its wings across the heavens, but then it was swept by a stroke of icy cold blade light. The Fire Phoenix dispersed, and from its midst, a figure fell out, immediately conjuring a Fire Lotus to protect herself. The blade light pursued relentlessly. Numerous Divine Weapons alternated in fierce attacks, directly cleaving through the lotus formed of Fire Plumes, and streams of blood shot forth from the sky. The aura of Fire Plume was slowly declining!

Wu Wang almost instinctively wanted to rush out, but he quickly suppressed his impulse. What use would it be for him to rush out now? Among those present, likely only Yun Zhongjun, the third highest authority of the Heavenly Dao, could overpower the Gold God, and Yun Zhongjun would not expose himself for an unrelated Human Domain cultivator. If he revealed himself, the situation would become immensely complicated.

However, Wu Wang immediately sensed something amiss. His gaze shifted toward a nearby battle array, where a figure clad in a cloak stood silently, seemingly possessing only the cultivation of a True Immortal, but Wu Wang sensed a dangerous aura emanating from him. Wu Wang raised his eyebrows, his gaze sweeping over the area. Following his intuition, he quickly noticed more than a dozen unusual figures. This is...

A cloaked cultivator suddenly lifted his head, revealing a chin with age spots, his own aura already somewhat turbid. This was a sign that his end was near. They had come. The elder raised a finger to his lips, making a silencing gesture, then gave Wu Wang a slight smile. In that instant, Wu Wang almost felt as if his identity had been seen through. But he quickly realized that no gazes were upon him. The people in cloaks seemed to be unnoticeably forming some kind of formation, faint strands of their aura locking onto the Gold God high above.

A real fight was about to happen.

They were really going to fight against the Gold God!

Was the Human Domain confident enough to bite this tough bone?

Wu Wang's Dao heart involuntarily stirred, causing a slight hesitation in his movements as he infused immortal power into the battle array, attracting the sideways glances of the cultivators to his left and right.

"Don't be distracted!"

"Preserve your immortal power! We will have to engage in a bloody battle if the battle array is broken."

"Hmm," Wu Wang humbly accepted the criticism, smoothing out and sustaining his infusion of immortal power. But his Immortal Consciousness, all of his spiritual mind that he could mobilize, was relentlessly fixed on the sky above.

There, Fire Plume was in a dire situation, even perilously close to defeat. Her longspear's tip had more than a dozen notches, and the offensive moves she executed were gradually weakening. If not for an unusual Magic Treasure resembling a Lotus Platform supporting her from behind, she would have long been unable to withstand the assault from above. Her expression remained cool, but a hint of despair began to appear in her eyes. Fire Plume was unaware that those seniors had arrived. Right now, she clenched her teeth, enduring, trying not to fall, not to plummet from the sky. If the Gold God were to break through the battle array, she could destroy all of the Human Domain's defenses in an extremely short time—a loss that the Human Domain could not afford.

But she... Her immortal power was still abundant. The Fire Laws bestowed by the Human Emperor were still at her command, and the vital energy of the Nine Transcendences she had absorbed through the Dao of Fuel and Fire could still sustain her for at least four hours, just as it had moments before. But that was just moments before. The moment the Gold God's helmet shattered, it was as if some force had been unleashed. The previously evenly matched adversaries were now imbalanced in strength.

"Hahaha! HAHAHA! HA!" The Gold God's laughter grew more joyous; her petite face was brimming with satisfaction.

Despair?

Is this all you can take?

The Gold God suddenly shouted, "Burn your Primordial Spirit!"

Fire Plume's eyes filled with rage. The flame on her forehead surged, instantly turning into a fierce white blaze. Her aura shot up sharply, the longspear flickered with dozens of afterimages, and she actually knocked the Gold God flying away!

"Yes, that's it! That's the way!" Before the Gold God's voice had finished echoing, her figure flashed and reappeared above Fire Plume.

CRACK, CRACK—

Her combat boots and Golden Armor leggings shattered in an instant. Her pure white calves were wrapped in a layer of golden soul-stuff. Her left hand swung the blade 'slowly' down, revealing six rays of Divine Light from her back, and the six Divine Weapons slashed down again! Each move was subtly profound. The traces left by each Divine Weapon were so dazzling, so brilliant.

Fire Plume let out a light snort. The orange flames that enveloped her had turned pure white. Her figure was so fast it split into three, spear shadows raining down like a torrent, surging against the firmament! However, just as Wu Wang was marveling in his heart at Fire Plume's divine valor, the Gold God suddenly let out a furious roar. Behind her emerged an eight-armed avatar hundreds of yards tall, and a longsword fell from the sky, striking solidly against the longspear raised high by Fire Plume.

CLANG!

A fierce shockwave burst forth from high above! Crack after crack appeared in the sky, as if trenches were forming in mid-air. That one strike made the heavens and earth lose their color. This slash had surpassed the limits of what Fire Plume could bear.

Fire Plume plummeted straight down, landing in the exact center of the battlefield. The overwhelming shockwave erupted in all directions, blowing apart several battle formations and grinding thousands of creatures into mincemeat. A crater appeared on the earth, with a human-shaped depression at its bottom. Firelight flashed. Fire Plume almost instantly leaped out from the depression, attempting to rush towards the firmament. However, she wobbled on her feet, looked down, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her body trembling.

"Milady!" someone cried out loudly.

Fire Plume did not respond. Instead, she looked up at the tiny figure in the sky and swallowed several elixirs. The Gold God retracted her avatar, slinging the longsword onto her shoulder, and looked down at Fire Plume. She appeared as if she had just hatched from a shell, with only her torso encased in thick armor, her gaze containing a trace of admiration.

"You're good, but we stand on opposing sides. Today, I cannot let you live," she said.

With those words, the Gold God took a light breath. It felt as if the vital energy of Heaven and Earth was drawn in by this single breath. Endless Divine Power welled up inside her, and spots of light began to appear in the air.

"I will have the beings of this place buried with you. Rest in peace, human."

In an instant, the spots of light filled the entire sky. Within them, the tips of countless weapons began to materialize, these weapons rapidly taking shape.

In the sky, witnessing this scene, the Innate Gods retreated desperately into the distance, making haste to get out of the range of the light spots. On the ground, numerous cultivators let out silent roars of rage. Countless beams of Immortal Light shot toward the sky, but they were effortlessly blocked by an invisible barrier.

"AH!" Fire Plume suddenly let out a loud shout, her Divine Soul stirred violently, recklessly burning the essence of her Primordial Spirit! Multicolored veins throbbed and bulged on her face, her eyes filled with fury, a trace of blood seeping from the corners of her eyes as her figure leaped into the sky once again!

TRIILL—

Suddenly, the sound of a flute pierced the air, and a swath of Immortal Light wrapped around Fire Plume. Above a battle formation, Ling Xiaolan stood quietly, her fairy dress fluttering as she closed her eyes and played the Jade Flute in her hands. Fire Plume's charging figure accelerated slightly.

CLANG!

A sudden sound of zither strings echoed, followed by the chaotic strumming of pipas and the slow response of long flutes. One by one, the masters of the Xuan Nu Sect locked onto Fire Plume. Boundless Immortal Light spread out, layer upon layer of halos enshrouded her, aiding her in reigniting the feathers of the Fire Phoenix, pushing her to successively break through her own limits!

The Gold God slightly raised an eyebrow, her small tongue flicking across her lips, her smile gradually turning insane. She waved away the myriad spots of light in the sky, pulled out her longsword, and manifested six spectral arms, each grasping a Divine Weapon blade that hailed from ancient divine eras. Without a word, without hesitation, the Gold God swooped downward, three thunderous booms exploding around her.

Longsword against longspear;

Sky against ground.

The Innate Gods stood in the Heaven Palace; the Human Race stood steadfast in the South Wilderness.

The Fire Phoenix cried out, the longsword hummed!

At that very moment! Just when Fire Plume was about to collide with the Gold God again, just when she was about to use the Dao of Fire to burn her Primordial Spirit regardless of the consequences—

A palm suddenly emerged from thin air, striking without warning and sending the Gold God flying. Simultaneously, a dark gleam flickered in the sky. An ominous demonic aura formed endless ghostly shadows, accompanied by somewhat ghastly laughter, blocking all of the Gold God's escape routes and dyeing this patch of sky a dismal gray.

Two old crones swiftly emerged behind Fire Plume. One directly grabbed Fire Plume by the collar, giving a gentle shake to temporarily halt the burning of her Primordial Spirit, and tossed her downwards. An old woman whose face resembled Fire Plume's by about seventy to eighty percent said warmly by her ear, "It's not time for you to go all out yet."

"Mother…" Fire Plume's hoarse voice gently called out as her figure flew backward like a falling leaf.

She saw;

Wu Wang saw;

All living beings also saw.

Seven figures appeared in the sky. These seven figures either tore through Heaven and Earth to arrive, suddenly revealed their traces as if they had been lurking there all along, or leaped from the ground, rushing to the Gold God's side in an instant. Their cloaks were burnt away by the flames. The Dao of Fuel and Fire sealed the heavens and the earth, and the Dao hearts of the Human Cultivators couldn't help but tremble. The figures of those seven were like seven red-hot, human-shaped blocks of pig iron, with their silver-white hair the only thing unchanged. This was the most thorough and most aggressive way to burn one's Primordial Spirit: by the Dao of Fire, burning their own flesh and blood, their own aura, their own Primordial Spirit, their own Dao, and then returning everything to Heaven and Earth.

No matter the outcome of this battle, the results of the fight, they had no way out.

They were going to die in this battle.

They… didn't even utter a word as they charged at the Gold God.

Once, they were the favored children of heaven among the Human Domain cultivators. They had gathered around Shen Nong amidst the turmoil of the dark Human Domain, following him through countless battles and making breakthrough after breakthrough. Eventually, they became the cornerstones that intimidated the Heaven Palace and protected the Human Domain. Because it had been too long, many of the Transcendent cultivators in the Human Domain today had almost forgotten their names.

Fire Plume's somewhat frail figure fell to the ground and was immediately rescued by a Xuan Nu Sect cultivator. She softly called out "Mother" with her lips. In a battle array, a cultivator at the True Immortal Realm suddenly lost control of his emotions and shouted, "Ancestor!"

Wu Wang's gaze, however, was locked on a certain old man in the sky. If he was not mistaken, this was the elder of the Liu Family, the old man who had lost everything in his later years. But the old man had no complaints, nor any anger. At this moment, he was terrifyingly calm, channeling all his strength, his most powerful attack, crashing down on the Gold God.

The Gold God was caught off guard and instantly suppressed by seven peak Human Domain experts. The Golden Armor that wrapped around her torso even showed cracks. Suddenly, more than a dozen streaks of light appeared in the northern sky, plunging straight toward the Gold God—those were the Innate Gods, having reacted, coming to her aid. But the moment they appeared, more than a hundred figures burst forth from the Human Domain side. The Transcendent Realm experts who had been fighting those Innate Gods now had a light-colored flame insignia shining on their foreheads. The Dao of Fuel and Fire, amplifying their bodies!

Even more fatal was that among these more than a hundred figures, another eight peak experts appeared. Their bodies glowed red, both Primordial Spirit and physical body burning simultaneously. Their nearly terrifying aura seemed as if it would devour the Innate Dao itself as they struck fiercely at those dozen or so streaks of light!

The battle descended into utter chaos!

In the battle arrays where Wu Wang was stationed, those formations that could have continued to hold all received the command from the general in command there: "Break the formations! Slay the enemy!"

Cultivators rushed out of the battle arrays on their own, eyes filled with ferocity, hands clutching magic treasures, magical artifacts, weapons, and talismans. Following those fiery red figures, they charged unstoppably into the enemy lines! Wu Wang rushed directly to the forefront of their battle array, sprinting at full speed. A brightly shining longsword appeared in his hand, and he pointed it forward, unleashing boundless cold light at the Hundred Tribes Coalition Army!

The Innate Gods had already stopped paying attention to the battles on the ground and in the lower sky. The Great Daos trembled continuously. They seemed to have received some kind of order, each weighing the situation and striving to get closer to the Gold God. Some Innate Gods shouted, "Quick, save the Gold God!"

"Get lost!" the Gold God suddenly roared. Constantly being beaten back, she suddenly erupted with an extremely powerful and destructive divine aura! This divine aura swept across a hundred thousand miles! She raised her head and roared, her figure forcibly stabilizing as the seven figures around her gave her no chance to breathe, attacking her fiercely.

The next instant, the Golden Armor on the Gold God's body actually shattered completely. Divine Light surged behind her, and rows upon rows of arms wielding Divine Weapons were tightly arrayed. Her figure seemed to grow slightly from its previously petite size, and her face became even colder and more beautiful. Thirty-six arms! She had actually revealed thirty-six arms, her entire being wrapped in golden radiance, and behind her head emerged one Treasure Wheel after another.

The Dao is like gold: no defense, only attack!

"I am invincible!"

Three huge hands from the side simultaneously slapped down at the Gold God!