Chapter 657: Skylaw Continent

The oppressive aura that had enveloped the plains completely dissipated when Ancestor Huo Ling departed.

The strong individuals who had witnessed everything finally managed to free themselves from the heavy pressure and stood up from the ground.

However, the relief in their bodies did not translate to their hearts. Instead, they felt an increasing sense of dread.

Now that the Heavenly Emperor had dealt with the Fire Spirit Clan, he would likely turn his attention to them next. Unlike the Fire Spirit Clan, they had no powerful backers. They would not be wiped out directly, right?

The thought of escaping crossed their minds, but escaping under the watchful eyes of a Heavenly Sovereign was nearly impossible. Moreover, they couldn't break through the grand array surrounding them.

They weren't Ancestor Huo Ling, who could come and go as he pleased.

Countless hearts were filled with anxiety as they stared at the imposing figure in the sky, fearing that he might utter words of indiscriminate slaughter.

With an impassive expression, Xiao Ming looked down at the numerous strong individuals below, having already made up his mind.

Suddenly, deep crimson, almost eerie flames began to rise around him, forming lotus-like shapes as they flickered.

This was the Red Lotus Karmic Flame, ranked eighth among the Heavenly Flames in the Dou Qi Continent. Xiao Ming had found it in a small world on the verge of collapse connected to the Dou Qi Continent after becoming a Dou God.

This flame could invade a person's heart and cause them to recall their past misdeeds. It would then ignite the wickedness within.

For those who had a history of heinous deeds, the wickedness would continue to feed the flame, causing it to burn out of control until they were reduced to ashes.

Only those with pure hearts and clear consciences could withstand these flames.

It was the perfect way to deal with these bandits.

He wanted to see how many of them could withstand the burning of the Red Lotus Ye Flame.

With a thought, the red lotuses transformed into thousands of flames and spread towards the strong individuals below.

Before they could react, the flames had already penetrated their bodies.

"Ahhh!"

Immediately, piercing screams filled the air as countless people were engulfed in the eerie flames. For some, the flames were barely visible, while for others, they rose two to three meters high, causing them to roll on the ground in agony.

Many tried to extinguish the flames with all their Spiritual Energy, but their efforts were in vain. All they could do was howl in pain and beg for mercy.

"Heavenly Emperor, I dare not do it again! Please spare me!"

"Ahhh! It's burning me alive!"

"We will surrender all our possessions, just please extinguish the fire!"

"..."

No matter how pitiful and sincere their pleas sounded, Xiao Ming ignored them as if he hadn't heard anything.

When Xiao Ming unified the Dou Qi Continent and established the Heavenly Court, he set order and punished those who committed heinous crimes. However, this did not mean he was a moral paragon; his actions were influenced by the values formed in his previous life.

A few pleas for mercy were not enough to sway him.

Qing Yanjing's formation slowly dissipated as the cries for mercy continued, revealing the scene to the entire Merchant Continent's powerful individuals.

Countless onlookers felt a chill in their hearts, deeply fearing the Heavenly Emperor's ruthless methods as they saw the flaming figures writhing on the ground.

Only twenty percent of the bandits remained a quarter of an hour later. The rest were reduced to ashes, their souls extinguished forever.

'Surprisingly, so many survived.' Xiao Ming was somewhat taken aback. He had expected at most ten percent to remain.

It seemed that many among these people had come with different motives.

It was worth mentioning that of the four experts who had reached the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage, only Fairy Huanxi survived, while the others all perished.

Xiao Ming couldn't be bothered to pursue those who survived. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Today's matter is settled. You may leave."

The remaining strong individuals were all filled with lingering fear, unable to conceal the terror in their eyes. The burning of the Red Lotus Ye Flame was an excruciating experience.

Now, they all showed an expression of relief and shouted in unison as soon as Xiao Ming's words fell.

"Thank you, Heavenly Emperor, for sparing our lives!"

After shouting, they immediately fled the scene as fast as they could. Even Fairy Huanxi, who had previously been infatuated with Xiao Ming, was no exception and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Ming descended in front of Qing Yanjing and Qing Tan as these people left.

The three of them returned to Merchant City and visited the largest merchant house after quickly cleaning up the battlefield. Finally, they left the Merchant Continent through a teleportation array.

Xiao Ming did not hide his departure, which brought a sigh of relief to the entire Merchant Continent. However, the aftermath of this event continued to ripple through the Merchant Continent and the neighboring continents.

Ninety-nine percent of the strong individuals who perished in this incident were members of forces from nearby continents. Some of them were the strongest members of their respective forces. Their deaths would inevitably weaken those forces and lead to a series of repercussions.

Moreover, the rise of a young and unknown Heavenly Sovereign from the lower planes was a matter that many forces felt compelled to investigate.

According to the rules of the Great Thousand World, becoming a Heavenly Sovereign meant reaching the pinnacle of existence within the Great Thousand World, akin to becoming one of its rulers. It granted one the qualifications to be revered as a supreme leader, to establish a superpower, and to dominate a region.

Naturally, the emergence of a new superpower was something they had to monitor closely.

It would be rather embarrassing if someone established a power right at their doorstep without their knowledge and they stumbled upon it unknowingly.

Especially since the newly-emerged Heavenly Emperor was clearly a force to be reckoned with. Even Ancestor Huo Ling had suffered a loss at his hands.

As a result, the area around the Merchant Continent was rife with undercurrents in the ensuing period.

The name of the Heavenly Emperor began to spread under these circumstances.

Qing Yanjing and Qing Tan were also mentioned occasionally.

...

The Skylaw Continent was one of the top ten supercontinents in the Great Thousand World. Its vast territory and abundant resources made it one of the true gems of the Great Thousand World.

The ancient Heavenly Emperor, a Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereign, creator of one of the 36 Peerless Divine Abilities, the "Three Pures," and one of the Nine Emperors of ancient times, once unified the Skylaw Continent and established the Ancient Haven Palace.

During the Great Ancient War, the ancient Heavenly Emperor, who had broken through to the Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereign, was ambushed by the Nine-Corpse Sky Monarch of the Fiend Clans. Though he successfully sealed the enemy, he was ultimately killed in the process, the result being the downfall of the Ancient Haven Palace.

For tens of thousands of years after the fall of the Ancient Haven Palace, the Skylaw Continent was not unified by a single power.

As a result, it became the target of numerous superpowers within the Great Thousand World. However, due to the complex and intertwined relationships among the many powers that were eyeing it, no single superpower dared to act rashly.

In the end, the consensus among these superpowers was that none of them would send a Heavenly Sovereign to the Skylaw Continent. Any conflicts on the continent would be allowed to develop naturally until a true hegemonic power emerged.

Hence, various superpowers dispatched elite experts below the Heavenly Sovereign Stage to establish forces in the Skylaw Continent and nurture them to become the dominant power. The Skylaw Continent thus became a chessboard for the clandestine struggles of numerous superpowers.

The Skylaw Continent was divided into four regions: East, South, West, and North.

Most of the territories were carved up by these superpowers, leaving only a few marginal areas for local forces to survive.

The North Territory of the North Region was one such marginal area.

Normally, such areas would be beneath the notice of the most powerful individuals, but sometimes things turn out unexpectedly.

…

In the North Territory, atop a mountain peak outside the headquarters of the Great Havenlaw Domain.

Three figures appeared silently.

Xiao Ming looked up at the scene before him as he stood on the mountaintop. What lay before him was a floating island suspended on the horizon.

But rather than calling it a floating island, it was more like a small-scaled continent. Its majestic presence was astonishing.

The floating continent was enveloped by dazzling light, with many halls sitting within it. There were also endless streaks of light across the horizon. The scene was exceptionally stunning.

Even from a distance, one could still vaguely sense the Spiritual Energy fluctuations of countless experts.

"We have finally arrived at the Greatlaw Sky. The headquarters of the Great Havenlaw Domain indeed possesses a certain grandeur."