Infinite Professions-Chapter 84 - 14: Defying the Hierarchy

"Screech!"

Within the golden-red Fire Realm, the flames have ceased to vaporize, all the firelight has liquefied, and several Tier Five Monarchs have become fuel, burning away their Lifebound Primordial Spirits.

The result is an enhancement of the Fire Realm’s power, with the Immortal Vermilion Bird transforming into a Flame Primordial Spirit, taking on the form of a Phoenix, wantonly wielding the power of fire.

Spirit Beasts are divided into level and species tiers, with levels from Tier One to Six, and species tiers consisting of Ordinary Species, Superior Species, Elite Species, Spirit Lord Species, King Species, and Emperor Species.

This Immortal Vermilion Bird is a Tier Six King Species; unless it attains Celestial Destiny, it has no room for level advancement, only the option of evolving its species tier into the legendary Tier Six Emperor Species Undying Phoenix.

But this is a very difficult feat; on the Spirit Control Continent, of nearly a hundred Emperor-level Spirit Masters, fewer than one-fifth possess Tier Six Emperor Species Spirit Beasts, while the vast majority have only a Tier Six King Species, and some even possess just a Spirit Lord Species.

There’s no choice; level advancement requires enormous energy, sometimes inevitably draining potential and future prospects. It’s not uncommon for a Tier Four Monarch advancing to Tier Five to fall back to Spirit Lord Species or even Elite Species.

Yet now, fueled by the Lifebound Primordial Spirits of several Tier Five Monarchs, the Immortal Vermilion Bird feels briefly transformed into a Phoenix, the power of an Emperor Species filling its body, free to wield at will.

And indeed, it does so, the golden-red liquid flames gushing forth, turning the Fire Realm into a solid sea of fire, its master.

"Vermilion Bird!"

On its back, Shentu Yu’s eyes flicker, sensing the joy of his Contracted Spirit Beast, as if it has touched the threshold of Emperor. Should it win this battle, it can be reborn as the Fire Spirit God Undying Phoenix.

"Is this my chance?"

"Slay an abandoned Celestial Destiny to reach the pinnacle of Emperor level?"

"Yes, yes, yes, these eighty years were not wasted, Li Taiyi, you died rightly!"

Shentu Yu’s gaze is fervent, his heart pounding, completing the final Spirit Control Secret Technique, taking out various Fire-attribute Spiritual Objects, aiming to aid the Immortal Vermilion Bird in its self-overcoming and evolution.

"Screech!"

The Immortal Vermilion Bird also exhausts its strength, the golden-red liquid flames inundating Shen Hex’s transformative light and shadow, limitless heat and pressure descending to incinerate him into nothingness.

In this moment...

"Roar!!!"

"Howl!!!"

"Hoot!!!"

"Screech!!!"

A long chime, a howl, followed by a hoot and a screech, four sounds rise to the heavens, causing the Emperor’s golden light engulfed by the sea of fire to expand, explosively breaking through the flames, striking the Immortal Bird.

"Boom!!!"

With a thunderous crash, the sea of fire shatters, the Immortal Vermilion Bird and Shentu Yu recoiling a hundred zhang backwards.

"You...!?"

Suffering the impact, a hundred zhang away, the Vermilion Bird’s form is unstable, Shentu Yu even more so, staggering.

"Gasp!!!"

The opponent offers no chance to stabilize, within radiant golden light, a figure appears fierce, summoning True Yuan within, in a flash the Dragon Tiger rushes forth, gathering between chest and belly, left yin right yang, above rigid below gentle, harmoniously balanced, creating the ultimate form.

Precisely...

"Roar!!!"

Dragon-Slaying Tiger-Subduing, a roar that shakes the heavens, akin to thunder appearing suddenly, crashing towards the opponent.

Fast, so fast it’s instantaneous, fast enough to determine life and death.

"Boom!!!"

Shentu Yu’s form unstable, the Immortal Bird’s body indecisive, yet a golden light dazzles forth, entwining dragon and tiger, like thunder, in an instant crashing into him, the Immortal Vermilion Bird also impacted.

Then, everything returns to calm, even to a silent death.

Within the high sky, upon the Vermilion Bird’s back, Shentu Yu grits his teeth, fixes his gaze on Shen Hex, forcing out words with difficulty: "You... possess not just one Emperor Beast!?"

Shen Hex remains silent, doesn’t even look at him, merely clutches his right palm, fingers slowly forming into a fist.

"Bang!!!"

Right palm clutches, fingers slowly form, without employing True Yuan, yet a sound of explosion echoes.

Just a sound, not upon his body, but on his opponent.

Shentu Yu’s body trembles, the Emperor-level Vermilion Bird Spirit Armor bursts with dazzling firelight, followed by cracks appearing, in an instant forming a web, the entire armor, even the entire body, becoming a Fire Crystal, a Fire Crystal covered with cracks, about to shatter.

In the next moment...

"Boom!!!"

The Fire Crystal explodes violently, no blood or flesh flying, only a wave of fire sweeping across, the Dragon Tiger True Gang rampant, devouring the person in an instant, the Immortal Vermilion Bird also affected, directly shrinking into firelight.

Ultimately, everything returns to tranquility, no longer any Flame Emperor Shentu Yu, nor Tier Six Spirit Beast Immortal Bird in the high sky, only a giant egg enveloped in flames, suspended in the void.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

In the next moment, several beams of light flickered and arrived, using space secret techniques to teleport into the arena.

The light settled, transforming into several bodies; they were the returning monarchs of the Sky Kingdom, along with two white-robed elders.

"This is..."

The group rushed into the arena, looking at the giant egg enveloped in flames and the lingering heat in the void, their eyes filled with suspicion. But before they could speak, they saw someone flip their hand and stow the Phoenix egg away.

"Phoenix?"

"Hiss!!!"

Seeing this scene, the people finally awakened. The two white-robed elders looked at Shen Hex with shock and uncertainty.

"Li Taiyi!"

"Did you kill Shentu Yu?"

The two were aghast, but Shen Hex ignored them and merely cast a glance: "Are you taking turns?"

"This..."

The two elders exchanged looks, then hurriedly explained: "We have no intention of being your enemy!"

"Is that so?"

Shen Hex laughed coldly, glancing at the lord-level Spirit Control Masters behind them: "That’s not what you said before!"

"..."

"..."

The two elders were silent for a while, then turned their gaze coldly toward the few people.

This made the group flustered, but in the end, it was the previous old man who first awoke, hurriedly stepping forward: "Lord Taiyi, it was my folly, listening to Shentu Yu’s evil words and harboring ill intentions. I am willing to atone with my life..."

As he spoke, he was about to raise his hand to his head.

"Ha!"

But Shen Hex merely smiled: "Such hypocrisy is laughable!"

Having said that, he turned and left.

The elder was frozen in place, unsure of what to do, and could only look toward the two emperor-level Spirit Control Masters.

However, they did not even look at him, instead focusing on Shen Hex’s departing silhouette, their eyes sparkling with spirit light.

"Tier Five!"

"Is it really Tier Five?"

"With a Tier Five body, attacking an emperor spirit?"

"Shentu Yu and that Immortal Vermilion Bird were both Tier Six; how could they die at his hands?"

"Could it be... that Ancient Dragon King has truly resurrected?"

"No, impossible!"

"It’s that set of Spirit Control Armor on him..."

The two emperor-level Spirit Control Masters’ eyes flickered with suspicion and trepidation.

Though they were emperor-level Spirit Control Masters of the Sky Kingdom, their strength was not much greater than Shentu Yu, and their contracted Tier Six Spirit Beasts were also king species, not emperor species. Now witnessing Shentu Yu’s complete destruction, they felt a mix of the rabbit mourning the fox and a lingering fear.

If they had arrived a step earlier and teamed up with Shentu Yu to besiege Li Taiyi, would the one dead have been Li Taiyi or the three of them?

With a Tier Five body slaying a Tier Six emperor spirit, Li Taiyi’s potential has surpassed all past celestial destinies, becoming the first in history.

The Spirit Control Masters, relying on degraded emperor spirit beasts after dispersion of celestial destiny, can battle across tiers, with a Tier Five body against Tier Six Monarch not being difficult. But it’s merely holding one’s ground, rarely being victorious, much less killing the opponent.

Li Taiyi achieving this is already a remarkable feat throughout history, not to mention he seems to still have strength left, not winning by a desperate gamble.

Such a person...

The two exchanged glances, then both sighed.

"Perhaps we truly erred in the past."

"He already possesses the essence of an emperor spirit, likely to become the foremost under the current celestial destiny in the future."

"Now he has acquired the Golden-Winged Roc, with proper cultivation, he can gain Heaven and Earth Extreme Speed and the Power of Space Penetration."

"This will make up for his final shortcoming, granting him the capability to traverse the continent and dominate various realms."

"In him, I see a burgeoning ambition!"

"It seems the Spirit Control Continent is poised for another great upheaval."

The two sighed deeply, then turned their gaze back to the few lord-level Spirit Control Masters, their eyes gradually growing cold.