Chapter 1664: Battle against Flame Venerable!

Chapter 1664: Battle of War-Inspired Sovereign!

The mighty beings from countless realms witnessed Zhou Zhou effortlessly deflecting an assault from a lower-tier transcendent willful entity—his defense so casual, so unimpressive, it sent shockwaves through their very souls.

At this very moment, Zhou Zhou had not yet officially breached the Supreme Will Realm.

He had only grasped the technique of will, and possessed the willpower of the Supreme Will Realm.

Right now, Zhou Zhou could at best be considered a mere "pseudo-Supreme Will" being.

He still needed to fuse his mastered will technique with the true willpower of the Supreme Will Realm—only then could he coalesce the Will Core and officially ascend to the rank of Supreme Will.

It seemed, on the surface, only a single step separated them—but in reality, the gap was vast, and the difference in power was as immense as the chasm between heaven and earth.

And now, the Celestial Sovereign of the People could, with just one hand, repel an attack from a lower-tier transcendent willful entity?

What kind of power was that?

What kind of body was that?

Their minds now only wished to utter one word: "Terrible beyond belief!"

At that moment, Zhou Zhou, watching as one of his hands had blocked the full assault of Yan Zun, felt a surge of exhilaration—but also a flicker of confusion.

Was his physical form, perhaps, stronger than a normal Supreme Divine Body?

A typical Supreme Divine Body, at the level of Pseudo-Supreme Will, could withstand a full-force attack from a Superior Supreme Will entity—this was already an extraordinary feat.

Yet his own Supreme Divine Body seemed to have surpassed that limit, achieving a more formidable physical strength.

Perhaps it was due to the augmentation from the other abilities he now wielded.

Zhou Zhou pondered this in his mind.

Though his Supreme Divine Body was his most potent physical means, it was not the only one.

With all the other aspects of his being combined, it was possible that his physical form could now rival that of a lower-tier Will Transcendent.

Zhou Zhou was thinking here.

The Flame Sovereign, seeing Zhou Zhou dividing his attention during the battle, instantly flared with rage.

"An insignificant pseudo-Primordial Will, daring to split his focus before me?!"

"Die!"

The claw that Zhou Zhou had seized suddenly transformed into a palm, and from within the palm erupted a surge of dark red flame. The fire shot straight toward Zhou Zhou's face, as if it would swallow him whole in the next instant.

Zhou Zhou sensed the danger of that flame and vanished instantly, reappearing one light-year behind the Flame Sovereign.

Yet, as soon as he reappeared, he saw the flame too—already teleported to his face, as if it had never left. It was now even closer to his face than before.

Shh!

A jagged ice crystal of lower Will transcendence level materialized before Zhou Zhou.

The dark-crimson flame crashed against the surface of the rhombohedral ice crystal, most of it devoured and extinguished by the crystalline form, yet a small remnant of scarlet fire shattered the ice and surged directly toward Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou raised a hand, ten thousand laws faintly manifesting within his palm, as he forcefully caught the scarlet blaze.

He gazed at the scarlet flame currently consuming his palm, his brow furrowing slightly.

This fire was unexpectedly relentless, still gnawing at his hand as though it would never rest until everything was burned to ash.

Even his Myriad Law Stellar Palm could only slowly absorb the power within the flame to strengthen itself.

"Heh..."

The Flame Venerable sneered coldly, saying, "This Purgatory Holy Fire of mine could instantly incinerate a hundred experts of the Supreme Will Realm, and even a Lower Will Transcendent expert of my own rank would have a portion of their body permanently reduced to ash by it."

"A mere pseudo-Supreme Will Realm like you dreaming of escaping my Purgatory Holy Fire is nothing short of a delusion."

"A genius like you must be considered one of a kind even under the Supreme Will's command, correct?"

"Slowly await your demise; I truly wish to see how the Supreme Will grieves for you."

Yan Zun spoke as he smiled, his face lighting up with an expression of profound delight.

As if he were doing something that brought him immense joy.

But the next instant—

His expression shifted to one of shock.

For he suddenly saw his Infernal Holy Flame tremble, then, as if returning to its origin, seamlessly merge into the other's right hand—resembling a vast, star-strewn sky.

After absorbing the power of the Infernal Holy Flame, the strength of the other's Ten-Thousand-Method Celestial Palm had surged dramatically.

"Willpower... and willpower of the transcendent grade..."

Zhou Zhou smiled faintly, addressing Yan Zun. "Thank you for this generous gift."

Yan Zun stared at Zhou Zhou's Ten-Thousand-Method Celestial Palm for a long time before finally speaking:

"You've mastered a pseudo-will technique—one that holds immense potential to evolve into a transcendent technique in the future."

Zhou Zhou nodded calmly.

Had it not been for the immense latent potential within his Wàn Fǎ Xīng Zhōng technique—capable of evolving into a will transcendence skill—it would have been impossible for him to absorb the Infernal Holy Flame, the signature technique that had made his opponent famous, so swiftly.

That Infernal Holy Flame was a transcendence-level technique of will transcendence, and the fact that Zhou Zhou could absorb such power even while still in the pseudo-ultimate will state revealed the terrifying potential hidden within Wàn Fǎ Xīng Zhōng.

After a moment of initial astonishment, the Flame Sovereign's expression quickly returned to normal.

He thought to himself: "No wonder he was chosen as one of the heirs by the Supreme Will. This kind of potential truly qualifies him to inherit that legacy."

Then, he coldly smirked at Zhou Zhou:

"Though you possess the potential to transcend into a will transcendence being, you are still far too weak at present."

"If you had already reached the level of Ultimate Will, perhaps you could challenge me with this technique."

"But as it stands, you are not even at the Ultimate Will stage—you are merely at the mere pseudo-ultimate will level."

"Before me, you have only one path: death."

With these words spoken,

A sudden, violent eruption of purgatorial holy fire consumed His entire form.

This was none other than one of the Flame Venerable's ultimate trump cards—the Purgatory Sacred Body.

Though both were of sacred lineage, it naturally paled in comparison to Zhou Zhou’s Eternal Immortal-tier inheritance, the Supreme Sacred Body.

Yet, among those formidable beings whose wills had achieved transcendence, this Purgatory Sacred Body remained a highly formidable combat physique of the Will Transcendence level.

Whish!

Having unleashed the Purgatory Sacred Body, the Flame Venerable instantly transformed into a streak of blazing light, lunging before Zhou Zhou to deliver a thunderous punch.

Zhou Zhou’s gaze narrowed; extending his right hand, he remarkably took the blow head-on.

Pfft!

A mouthful of divine blood sprayed forth.

Zhou Zhou was violently thrown hundreds of light-years away.

He forcibly halted his body and turned to look at his right hand, only to see his entire right arm abruptly vanish at the root.

Zhou Zhou sighed inwardly.

After all, this was truly a master of transcendental will—level beyond comprehension.

Even though he had elevated both himself and the Supreme Holy Body to the pseudo-ultimate will level, he could not withstand a full-force strike from a lower-tier transcendental will master who specialized in combat.

Though among the greats across the myriad realms, he was known for possessing the strength of a near-transcendental will, there remained a vast chasm between that and the actual power of a lower-tier transcendental will master.

These thoughts flickered through Zhou Zhou's mind like a passing shadow.

When he looked again at his right arm, he found it had fully restored itself.

The Supreme Holy Body, in matters of recovery, was no ordinary thing.

Even the damage inflicted by a transcendent-level being of will could be restored in an instant.

Yan Zun witnessed this scene.

His eyes narrowed instantly, recognizing that Zhou Zhou's constitution was unlike any ordinary one—possibly even surpassing his own Infernal Sacred Body in rank.

After all, the damage caused by his Infernal Sacred Body was not something that could be easily undone by any ordinary physique.

And as a Concept God of the Illusory Race, his divine power was "nothing escapes burning."

Once touched by his flame, nothing could be removed through ordinary means.

Yet here, a mere pseudo-Supreme Will-level Zhou Zhou effortlessly restored himself in an instant.

Yan Zun's eyes burned with envy.

"Such a magnificent constitution."

"Better than even my Infernal Sacred Body."

'I want it so badly.'

'Hahahaha. Once I kill this bastard, I'll delve into his will, seize every bit of knowledge and skill he possesses—then I too shall have such a body.'

In the heart of the Flame Sovereign burned an insatiable greed for the Supreme Holy Body.

With excitement and fervor surging within him, he could not restrain himself and immediately charged toward Zhou Zhou, standing side by side with him.

In terms of the situation:

The Flame Sovereign held complete dominance.

Zhou Zhou, on the other hand, was in a total disadvantage!

With the power of a lower-tier will-transcendent level and the Burning Heaven Holy Body—a combat form of will-transcendent caliber—the Flame Sovereign pressed down upon Zhou Zhou with unrelenting force.

Though Zhou Zhou possessed a divine will-level martial cultivation, a top-tier Supreme Holy Body, and a rule technique with will-transcendent potential,

yet still—.

His mastery over these techniques held vast potential, yet his actual combat strength was utterly insufficient.

Perhaps in the future, he could transmute all that potential into true power and crush the Flame Sovereign.

But now.

He could only be battered and dominated by the Flame Sovereign.

In a matter of moments,

Zhou Zhou was covered in wounds, teetering on the brink of death.

This was the first time, since attaining the Supreme Holy Body, that he had sustained such severe injuries.

The mighty beings across the myriad realms were all watching this battle unfold.

When they saw Zhou Zhou on the verge of being killed, some powerful figures yearned to intervene, risking their lives to aid him—such as the Wheel of Rebirth, the Spring and Autumn Law Master, the Heaven's Punishment God King, and the warriors under the banner of the Pride of the Sun.

Yet, with a single decree from the Supreme Will descending, they all fell silent, retreating into passive observation.

At the same time, they too felt a sudden clarity in their hearts.

It was revealed that the sealed will beneath the Supreme Continent—this transcendent-level being of will—was actually a test specially prepared by the Supreme Will for Zhou Zhou.

That is why the Supreme Will had remained silent, indifferent, allowing this transcendent-level being of will to mercilessly beat Zhou Zhou.

Yet, as they gazed upon Zhou Zhou's battered and wounded form, most of the stronger beings—especially those closely aligned with the Prairial God Kingdom—could not help but show concern in their eyes.

With the current strength of the Celestial Sovereign, how could he possibly stand a chance against a true lower-tier transcendent-level being of will?

The Celestial Sovereign now held only the status of a pseudo-Supreme Will, not even a true Supreme Will.

To leap across an entire tier and challenge a lower-tier transcendent-level being—wasn't that an overconfidence bordering on arrogance?

Meanwhile, another group of powerful beings harbored malicious suspicions in their hearts.

Perhaps the Celestial Sovereign had learned of the past deeds of Tian Chen God King and Chaochun Law Master, who, wielding the strength of a Supreme Will, had once challenged and defeated a transcendent-level being of will.

Maybe the Celestial Sovereign sought to emulate them, and even to break that record—proving to them that he had surpassed them all.

Thus, with the power of a false Supreme Will Realm, they dared to challenge this superior being of sublimated will strength.

Now it's clear.

Only after the challenge has been made do they realize they cannot win.

Now see how you manage to survive!

They all know the nature of the Supreme Will.

Once a challenger has accepted the challenge offered by the Supreme Will, the Supreme Will will never intervene midway, nor will it come to their aid.

Whatever decision they make must bear the full weight of its consequences.

This is the requirement the Supreme Will imposes upon its heirs.

If one fails to meet such a standard, they are unworthy of the title of Supreme Lord Reserve, and thus unworthy of the Supreme Will's intervention.

The Heavenly Punishment Emperor is currently observing this epoch-defining battle from afar on the twilight battlefield.

The Spring-Autumn Law Master appeared beside him at an unknown moment.

"Third brother, you've gone too far," he murmured softly.

"Third brother is nearing the threshold of the Supreme Will, yet his mind remains fixated on this false lineage's formidable foe."

"If we ignore it, his breakthrough will be incomplete."

"And with Third Brother now having grasped his first Law Technique, his power has reached the pseudo-Supreme Will stage—filled with eager desire to test his strength."

"This battle has always been fated."

The Heavenly Punishment God King chuckled, "Let's observe first. Third brother hasn't yet used his Will Technique."

"It wouldn't have made a difference," the Spring-Autumn Law Master shook his head. "The gap in power is simply too vast."

"That's not necessarily true."

"Our third brother, having chosen to act, must certainly have confidence in his decision."

The Heavenly Punishment God laughed.

Chunqiu, the Master of Law, raised an eyebrow.

He extended his hand, tracing the unseen currents, and exclaimed in surprise, "There are still unknown variables within his third brother."

"The very variable—this is the key to his victory."

The Heavenly Punishment God spoke softly.

"Third brother, he will surely win!"

...

Above the Supreme Continent.

Zhou Zhou, already battered beyond recognition by Yan Zun, now saw a thick glow of gold begin to shimmer in his eyes.

Boom!

A sudden surge of overwhelming power erupted from his body, violently propelling Yan Zun backward.

Yan Zun stared at Zhou Zhou, his face filled with astonishment.

Under the weight of this immense aura, Zhou Zhou had already reached the level of Supreme Supreme Will, and now, inexplicably, was ascending once more.

Peak Supreme Will... Approaching the threshold of Willful Transcendence!

Only when Zhou Zhou's power reached the brink of Willful Transcendence did his ascent finally cease.

Now, his entire form radiated golden light, and behind him, a celestial starry silhouette of the Sun Sovereign Realm's territorial map shimmered, making him appear like a master of the cosmos.

Stretching his limbs with a satisfied sigh, Zhou Zhou's face flickered with a hint of discontent.

Even with the 'King' now elevated to the rank of Lower Will Technique, it still couldn't push his power beyond the threshold of Lower Will Transcendence.

With a single thought, his will manifested, and the information of the technique appeared.

[Technique Name: King]

[Technique Rank: Lower Supreme Will State]

[Technique Ability Summary: As a Lord of the Will Path at the Lower Supreme Will State, you may mark 100% of the populace within your territories and command everything they possess—scaled one thousandfold, including but not limited to appearance, lineage, skills, weapons, technique laws, and even the elusive concept of fate.

When you fully command every aspect of the marked populace, that individual shall be free from any negative influence.]