Chapter 1663: Challenging Flame Venerable!

Chapter 1663: Challenging the Flame Sovereign!

The next day.

Within the Ever-Cycling Sacred Palace.

At this moment, Zhou Zhou sat in meditation upon a lotus cushion, hands forming seals in ritual practice.

A profound, enigmatic aura of law and will radiated from his body.

These auras of law and will subtly coalesced behind him, forming a phantom scroll.

Within this scroll, a map of the Sun-Pride Nation's territories was clearly etched.

Upon closer inspection,

one could discern the various strange, magnificent, or ordinary structures within the territory.

One could see pedestrians moving between the buildings, cultivators meditating in scenic mountainous regions, small animals darting through the forested edges, and even the wild beasts who claimed territory yet never disturbed the common folk of the Sun-Pride Nation...

All existence, if observed with care, can be seen clearly.

And they share one common name—

The Common People!

BOOM!!!

Zhou Zhou slowly opened his eyes, and around him, the sound of a divine dragon roaring seemed to ripple through the air.

At the same time.

Within the Supreme Domain,

the Supreme Will, observing the ultimate model of all great consciousnesses in the vast void cosmos at the center of the domain, suddenly sensed something, turning with astonishment toward the direction of the Sunlight Divine Nation.

"Such speed—how astonishing!"

"My successor has already surpassed both Tian Cheng Divine King and Chao Chun Law Master in their own tier."

"And this, then, is His divine will..."

The Supreme Will couldn't help but display a look of astonishment. "Boundless inclusiveness, boundless potential for growth..."

"Such an astonishing will!"

"Merely through this will, He already possesses the possibility of glimpsing the eternal, unshakable realm in the future."

After the awe, a smile appeared upon His face.

To see His successor possessing such potential—He could not help but feel profoundly delighted.

"I wonder if, in the future, this little one will truly be able to reach the same heights as I, and glimpse that hall of eternal immortality."

"If there is a companion by my side, then all the effort I've poured into selecting this final candidate for Supreme Lordship will not have been in vain."

He murmured softly.

...

The battlefield at dusk.

The Heaven-Punishment God King, leading the Heaven-Punishment Legion in battle, suddenly sensed something—his head snapped up, fixed on the direction of the Pride Sun Kingdom.

His eyes blazed with sudden brilliance, and he laughed heartily:

"Excellent third brother! Excellent third brother!"

"Brother, I knew you'd reach this moment!"

"Keep pushing forward—soon, brother, I'll give you a grand gift!!!"

And then,

His gaze shifted once more to the enemy forces of the Illusory Clan, scattered across the battlefield.

A cold, piercing gaze flashed with black lightning; his presence was overwhelming, unassailable.

Simply standing there, he exuded the supreme aura of the Emperor of a Hundred Thunders—so immense, so terrifying, that all who saw him only wanted to kneel, to bow, to worship.

"You should feel honored,"

the Heaven-Punishment God King said calmly, "because I am about to kill you all!"

"Let us celebrate for my younger brother!"

As the words had barely finished,

He had already transformed into a streak of black lightning, charging toward a faction of deluded beings who had transcended lower wills.

...

The Sea of Universal Chaos.

At this very moment, the Spring-Age Master was still casting his line by the shore.

Gazing into the boundless expanse of chaotic waters, the Spring-Age Master felt an overwhelming sense of contentment.

Since Zhou Zhan had arrived on the Eternal Continent and the River of Time-Space, hunting the historical heroes summoned by him, the Spring-Age Master had been blessed with extraordinary fortune—thanks to the incomparable destiny radiating from Zhou Zhan's presence, his luck had reached unprecedented heights.

Occasionally, He would reel in treasures of transcendent will.

At his luckiest, He even caught a treasure of transcendent will that benefited his path.

It had been a long time since he last secured such a rare find.

"Indeed."

"I invested so much effort in keeping Zhou Zhan close to me—proving it was the right choice."

"Even as a mere copy, it has proven immensely beneficial."

"I wonder what it would be like if Zhou Zhou's true form were by my side, fishing instead."

"Could I possibly catch a treasure of eternal immortality?"

"Unlikely..."

"I've possessed this Chaotic Pool of All Realms for so many years, and yet I've only reeled in one treasure of eternal immortality. That one I still can't utilize—useless, truly..."

Spring and Autumn Law master shook his head with a bitter smile.

Though he was a seasoned angler, his luck could not be called poor—but it still fell far short of the fortune he had imagined.

At the same time,

within the Supreme Vast Cosmos and the Crimson Vast Cosmos,

all the highest gods, the supreme will beings, and those who had transcended will itself, seemed to sense something, turning their gaze toward Zhou Zhou’s Sun God Nation.

A thought arose naturally in their minds.

The Emperor of the People...

is ascending to the realm of Supreme Will!

In the next instant,

the stars across the Supreme Vast Cosmos and the Crimson Vast Cosmos suddenly underwent a dramatic shift.

And suddenly, the ethereal silhouette of the Praja Sun Empire emerged, drifting slowly into the starry expanse of the Supreme Great Cosmos and the Crimson Great Cosmos.

The buildings, the people, the colossal beasts, the technological artifacts, the mountains, the cities—

all the things of the Praja Sun Empire—appeared in full, vivid clarity, laid bare across the heavens.

The powerful beings watching were all stunned.

They knew this was a phenomenon born of the Celestial Sovereign’s ascension to the Supreme Will Realm.

Yet—how terrifying!

Could it truly encompass both the Supreme Great Cosmos and the Crimson Great Cosmos?

Such a phenomenon was beyond the reach of even the Supreme Will Realm. It could only be achieved by a being ascending to the Will Transcendence tier, surely?

Their minds were filled with confusion.

But more than that—there was a deep, burning anticipation.

What would be the magnitude of power for a mortal emperor who possesses such a miraculous vision, once he transcends into the Supreme Will Realm?

That noble one, even before ascending, already wielded a power level approaching will transcendence—merely at the Precursor Supreme Will stage!

Once he breaks through...

Could he directly rival the might of will transcendence-level masters?

If so, even the Spring and Autumn Law Masters and the Heavenly Punishment God King would fall short of him.

These two supreme commanders-in-waiting defeated lower-tier will transcendence enemies only at the Mid-Grade and Upper-Grade Supreme Will stages.

If the Mortal Emperor could defeat such lower-tier will transcendence foes upon reaching the Lower-Grade Supreme Will stage, then he would shatter the records set by the Spring and Autumn Law Master and the Heavenly Punishment God King—establishing the fastest known time to defeat a will transcendence-level master. And for a long time to come, no emerging contender would even come close to surpassing it.

No—no one would even manage to catch up.

Thinking of this...

They quietly yearned within,

yearning for the Celestial Sovereign of the People to forge his own unparalleled record!

Meanwhile,

within the Palace of Cycles,

Zhou Zhou, seated upon the meditation cushion, slowly opened his eyes.

"My Will Technique has been comprehended."

"The next breakthrough—there is no difficulty for me."

"My power will surge tenfold, instantly!"

"Yet... to simply break through like that? It would be utterly dull!"

Zhou Zhou looked up at the sky, his eyes blazing with astonishing light.

Shush!

His divine form vanished instantly from its original location.

...

Above the highest continent.

Zhou Zhou's divine form suddenly appeared here.

He looked down upon the scene below.

There, beneath him, lay a vast expanse of molten rock.

The highest continent was immeasurably wide, yet this region of molten lava occupied a staggering one percent of its total area—demonstrating its immense scale.

Yet due to the harsh climate, the absence of fundamental laws, and the extreme scarcity of resources, this land was utterly inhospitable to life. Despite its vast size, not a single faction or settlement had ever chosen to establish itself here.

At first, when Zhou Zhou's duplicates led the vast army of the Prajval Divine Nation here, seeing no forces established in this place, they simply ignored it and moved on to wage war elsewhere.

Later, through the voice of the Supreme Will, Zhou Zhou learned the truth: this very place was the prison where a lower-tier will had transcended and become a realm of delusion.

"Fire Sovereign!"

Zhou Zhou roared suddenly, his voice shaking the heavens and shattering the skies, making every powerful being across the multiverse tremble. "Come out!!!"

The echo reverberated endlessly, swirling through the multiverse, refusing to fade.

Instantly, countless powerful beings turned their attention toward this place.

When they saw Zhou Zhou shouting in fury at a barren expanse of molten rock, they immediately began to discuss it among themselves.

In the multiverse today, the Celestial Emperor Sovereign stands as the most sought-after and powerful figure—so much so that even the Supreme Will holds him in the highest regard.

Therefore, no matter what Zhou Zhou does, it inevitably draws the attention and curiosity of other powerful beings.

"Who is the Fire Sovereign?"

"I have no idea—across the infinite realms, how many beings are called 'Inferno Sovereign'? Who knows which one the People's Sovereign is seeking?"

"Idiot! Can't you even guess? With the People's Sovereign's status, power, and influence, do you think the 'Inferno Sovereign' He calls could be merely a being of supreme godhood or below? At the very least, it must be a being of Unmatched Will, or even higher."

"That makes sense, yet among the Unmatched Will tier, I've never heard of anyone being called 'Inferno Sovereign'."

"Could it be a being from beyond the great cosmos?"

"Latest news, latest news! Just now, the Sun Sovereign Court transmitted a message: the Inferno Sovereign currently being summoned by the People's Sovereign is a lower-tier will-exceeding entity, originally sealed by the Supreme Will itself, millennia ago. This entity has been imprisoned beneath the Supreme Continent. Few powerful beings know of this enemy—only the most ancient forces, like the Sun Sovereign Court and the Moon Sovereign Court, possess such secret knowledge."

"The Sun Sovereign himself confirmed: the People's Sovereign intends to challenge this Inferno Sovereign beneath the Supreme Continent. Warn everyone not to approach—be careful, gods fight, and the little ones suffer."

"It's an enemy sealed by the Supreme Will itself—capable of lower-tier will-exceeding strength! Wait—something's wrong. The People's Sovereign doesn't seem to be at the Unmatched Will level now, do they?!! The Sun Sovereign even claims that the current People's Sovereign is attempting to challenge a lower-tier will-exceeding entity?! This is absurd!!!"

"A being at the Precursor Unmatched Will level challenging a true will-exceeding entity—if the People's Sovereign succeeds, He would no longer be the prodigy of the Supreme Cosmos, but the first prodigy of the Ultimate Void Cosmos!"

"True enough. I once wandered through the Ultimate Void Cosmos. At that time, I heard that the strongest prodigy in that cosmos had only challenged a lower-tier will-exceeding entity with a mid-level Unmatched Will. That is roughly the level of Tiancheng God King or Chaochun Law Master. Even such a feat earned the respect of the cosmos' strongest beings, who considered that prodigy the greatest talent in the entire cosmos."

"If the People's Sovereign truly achieves this, He would become the first prodigy of the Ultimate Void Cosmos—and a transcendent, unparalleled genius of an era!"

……

The mighty ones debated fervently.

Each one harbored a different emotion, quietly awaiting the clash between Zhou Zhou and Yan Zun.

In the heavens above the Supreme Continent—

Zhou Zhou gazed down upon the molten earth, motionless and still, a cold smile flickering across his face.

You think you’re hidden? That I can’t reach you?

With a flick of his right hand, a crimson seal appeared in his grasp.

This was the *Inferno Seal*, entrusted to him by the Supreme Will.

When the Supreme Will first revealed to his fragment the truth of the enemy sealed beneath the Supreme Continent—the race of Delusion—it also handed him this seal.

Thus, should he ever wish to challenge Yan Zun, he could use this seal as a key to unlock the prison, free the enemy, and then either slay them himself—or let them slay him.

As for whether the Flame Sovereign will later bring calamity to the Supreme Continent or even to all the realms across the cosmos—that is the concern of the Supreme Will.

At this moment, upon drawing forth this Flame Seal, Zhou Zhou could clearly sense, deep beneath the molten earth, a violent, roaring breath.

"Can't hold it back anymore?"

Zhou Zhou smiled faintly. "Then come out."

And with that,

He shattered the Flame Seal in his hand.

As the Seal broke, the Supreme Continent beneath began to tremble, and with each passing moment, the tremor grew stronger. In mere moments, the entire Supreme Continent shook violently.

Then,

a sound of explosive, exhilarating joy erupted from beneath the Supreme Continent.

"Ha ha ha..."

"The Supreme Will has sent you, a mere yellow-haired brat, to confront me."

"I think the Supreme Will is already near death—its mind is utterly foolish."

"A being at the level of Precise Supreme Will is attempting to cross an entire tier to challenge me, a stronger entity beyond the realm of lower wills."

"That would be a joke even if told to the most arrogant of them."

"Yet if you're so determined to die..."

"Then I shall make it happen!"

"The Supreme Will, upon learning I have slain its most cherished heir, will surely be in agony—hahahaha..."

With a burst of laughter echoing through the air,

a brilliant flame suddenly shot upward from beneath the ground, streaking through the sky like a meteor, swiftly reaching Zhou Zhou's face, its claw aimed directly at his forehead.

Crack!

A hand, pure as jade, grasped this claw blazing with fire.

Zhou Zhou looked at the crimson claw in his hand, smiled gently, and turned his gaze toward the Flame Sovereign, whose entire body burned with fire.

"Fire is impressive,"

"But to seize me with just this one claw—you've vastly overestimated yourself."

Zhou said.

The Flame Sovereign's pupils narrowed slightly.

Strengths from across the myriad realms watched the scene and all fell silent in astonishment.