Divine Emperor of Death

Amidst the waning rays of the sunlight, a crimson-white robbed man stepped out of a cave hidden underneath a mountain range, followed by a forest that formed a sparse environment easy to hide oneself.

With deliberate steps, the man emerged from the cave, his crimson-white robe being tarnished by blood. His left hand was missing, and his shoulder appeared mangled. His figure and clothes were in tatters, yet he exuded an undeniable sense of resilience as though there was no pain.

His gait was steady, and his aura beamed with the air of determination, a stoic resolve resting on his facial features. Even though his gaze appeared weary, it held an unwavering emotion.

Suddenly, he paused and stopped in his tracks as he saw a purple-robed man slowly manifest before him, causing his eyes to severely twitch.

"That was a good plan, but still within my reach to discover you again."

"…"

Davis uttered with an amused expression, causing Ancestor Reselius Zenflame to smile lightly.

"I didn't think I could hide from you forever but really didn't expect to be found this soon. Oh well, it was worth a try…"

"Worth a try by abandoning the Legacy Treasures and your wealth?" Davis shook his head, "You lost too much to pull this stunt. At least, with the Legacy Treasures, you may have had a chance… but I understand. Without giving these up, you would've never even succeeded in letting me believe you for half a second, much less have me sit and listen to you."

Ancestor Reselius Zenflame shook his head, "You're wrong about one thing."

"What it might be…?"

Davis inclined his head in question to Ancestor Reselius Zenflame's response. The latter smirked.

"I don't need the Legacy Treasures because-"

*Bzzz!~*

A tumultuous fire phoenix aura surged from Ancestor Reselius Zenflame, causing the surroundings to flail heavily, the colossal trees and giant plants even getting uprooted and the ground melting away from the pure force of the fiery undulations alone.

Davis was also pushed back from the force as he saw Ancestor Reselius Zenflame's regenerative power from the blood of the Fire Phoenix burst forth, healing his shoulder and arm in an instant. As the latter released his full power, his cultivation also became clear, along with his prowess.

"Level Nine Immortal Emperor Stage with a prowess that's three levels higher…" Davis's lips curled, "Not bad for an Immortal Emperor Fey."

"Did you think I was easy to kill?" Ancestor Reselius Zenflame appeared to be amused, "I avoided you because I know how insanely difficult it is to kill an Anarchic Divergent."

Davis raised his brows, "You've killed one?"

"Yes. You could say that I was lucky as I led a force to hunt down an Immortal Stage Anarchic Divergent with immense difficulty. It's a pity that you were revealed as an Anarchic Divergent only after you came under the Aurora Cloud Gate's protection. Otherwise, I would've personally stepped out of seclusion to end you."

"Haha. You couldn't even bear your fangs against the Void Dust Empress, so I guess you're truly fearful of the Aurora Cloud Gate's Guardians."

"Indeed." 

Hearing about the Guardians, Ancestor Reselius Zenflame sighed, "They are the only ones in this world who could threaten me."

It had been many millions of years since he reached this level. With his recovered bloodline potential and resources available, he was still unable to increase his prowess anymore unless he ingested the King-Tier or Emperor-Tier Blood of his kin, which would've allowed him to tremendously increase his prowess.

However, there was no reason to make himself stronger since the Aurora Cloud Gate wasn't a threat, and he was still the strongest in the Phoenix Alliance.

Therefore, he didn't see the need to absorb royal or imperial blood and remained steadfast in his ambitions to pursue the most glorified form of Fire Phoenix he could think of. But now, with this little Anarchic Divergent, he should be even wary of the Aurora Cloud Gate.

He couldn't help but sigh again.

"After you had grown into an Immortal King, I knew you were nearly unstoppable, so I didn't go out of my way to offend you, but my stupid grandson concocted devious plans without my permission and ruined many things. What a farce…"

Ancestor Reselius Zenflame took a step forward and flew into the air.

His appearance was that of a fire immortal descending from the heavens as he spread his hands, imitating the phoenix.

*Rumble~*

Instantly, the weather changed, and Davis knew that a Divine Technique was inbound.

Just as he figured that there were five seconds before the Divine Technique fell, Ancestor Reselius Zenflame was already done casting the technique in two seconds.

He summoned forth the Inferno Celestial Phoenix Blaze with a resounding incantation that echoed through the air. A radiant burst of fiery energy heralded the manifestation of this majestic avian entity, the Fire Phoenix, its form ablaze with intense, searing scarlet flames that danced and swirled around it.

With each powerful beat of its wings, the phoenix unleashed a torrent of scorching winds, carving a path of destruction toward its target—the Emperor of Death. 

The sheer force of its onslaught tore through the atmosphere, leaving trails of incineration in its wake. The heat radiating from the phoenix was so blistering that it distorted the very air, creating a surreal, shimmering aura around the magnificent creature while destroying a hundred kilometers of the mountain range in a straight path.

*Booom!~**Booom!~* *Booom!~*

The onslaught continued relentlessly. This Inferno Celestial Phoenix Blaze Divine Technique was even stronger and more beautiful than what the other Ancestors unleashed. 

Each flaming wing strike was a cataclysmic event, infused with the purest nirvanic energy, capable of reducing even the most resilient souls to mere ashes in mere moments. The trees in its path crumbled under the onslaught, engulfed in unrelenting flames that seeped into every crack and crevice, leaving no corner untouched by their scorching embrace. 

The distant lives bore witness to the unyielding fury of the Inferno Celestial Phoenix Blaze, an unstoppable force leaving destruction in its blazing wake, not knowing what was going on as they all escaped.

As the smoke settled down, Ancestor Reselius Zenflame looked at the Emperor of Death, who wore a dark cloak and appeared unharmed, still gazing at him with an unimpressed look on his face.

"You damned Divergent… you're really out of this world, aren't you? It's a good thing I choose to escape."

Ancestor Reselius Zenflame laughed lightly.

He was only three levels away from reaching the Empyrean Stage in prowess, and his Divine Technique's offensive prowess had already reached four levels higher, but this bastard in front of him withstood such an attack with his ominous death energy. 

Besides, wasn't this the fourth time he was using his Divine Technique? What was going on was beyond his comprehension. After all, using Divine Techniques two times would already put a heavy burden on body and soul, sometimes causing people to faint, and even a minute chance to cause them to fall into exhaustion, causing them to sleep for days, which might end up fatal.

And there was this anomalous bastard in front of him who unleashed four Divine Techniques and still appeared as though he wasn't exhausted, much less fatigued.

Moreover, the terrifying energy put the fear of death into his heart, making him unable to believe what he was experiencing as he froze in place.

Fear? How long had it been since he experienced such an emotion?

Davis's expression was unamused as he was hoping to see the Eternal Pyre Phoenix Conflagration, the most powerful Divine Technique of the Fire Phoenix Clan. Instead, what he got was the same old Divine Technique.

'Well, at least it was more powerful… the comprehension cloud from his soul essence is going to be extremely useful…'

Davis heaved a sigh and flew up to Ancestor Reselius Zenflame's altitude.