Very soon, Xu Chong met Lin Yuan.
Compared to those exalted weapon masters who exuded an overwhelming aura, Lin Yuan seemed incredibly ordinary to Xu Chong.
Even the Blood Refining Martial Saint was far superior.
Had Sikong Lun not repeatedly emphasized keeping respect, Xu Chong might have struggled to suppress his curiosity.
"Your potential is not bad," Lin Yuan said as he gazed at Xu Chong, nodding slightly.
In terms of mental strength, Xu Chong ranked among the top ten of those Lin Yuan had met since arriving in this world.
The cultivation here focused entirely on refining the physical body, leaving spiritual and soul enhancements almost untouched.
Even the Blood Refining Martial Saints only had abundant Blood Qi.
"This Heaven-Splitting Axe is now yours," Lin Yuan thought, and a palm-sized black axe flew out.
Before Lin Yuan subdued it, Heaven-Splitting Axe was an almost complete Cursed Weapon.
Over the years, Lin Yuan collected the remaining fragments of the axe, piecing it back together.
The now-complete Heaven-Splitting Axe was no longer a Cursed Weapon but a true divine weapon.
Though still not as powerful as the Sun and Moon Spear among the Thirty-Six Divine Weapons, it was superior to other Cursed Weapons.
"What is this?" Xu Chong, still in shock, watched as the Heaven-Splitting Axe flew towards him, finally merging into his forehead, forming a black axe mark.
"Me?"
Xu Chong felt something new inside him—a massive axe, as big as a mountain, vaguely floating in his mind.
"Get familiar with the power of the divine weapon," Lin Yuan said calmly to Xu Chong.
Lin Yuan had already comprehended the rules and essence within the Heaven-Splitting Axe, so keeping it served no further purpose.
Although the axe was now Xu Chong's, Lin Yuan could retrieve it at a thought, as he had refined it.
Xu Chong was more like someone borrowing Lin Yuan's power to wield the Heaven-Splitting Axe.
"Divine weapon? Was that really a divine weapon?" Xu Chong was dumbfounded.
He never imagined that black axe could be a legendary divine weapon.
And yet, just like that, Lin Yuan granted it to him? Weren't divine weapons supposed to have their own consciousness, lofty and unassailable? How could it be given away so easily?
"Next, I will leave this place," Lin Yuan announced, ignoring Xu Chong's shock, turning his gaze to Sikong Lun.
After enlightening himself with the Sun and Moon Spear for ten years, Lin Yuan was on the verge of stepping into the fourth rank.
During this time, he sought to emulate the ancient divine beings of ten millennia ago by traversing rivers and mountains, walking through this land.
"Yes, of course," Sikong Lun replied respectfully, though he seemed to hold back questions.
Seeing Sikong Lun's hesitation, Lin Yuan shook his head.
"If you encounter anything insurmountable, just call out 'Flame Emperor,' and it will be fine."
Lin Yuan, being the Emperor of the Great Flame Dynasty, could naturally be called the Flame Emperor.
"Yes," Sikong Lun felt a sense of relief.
With Lin Yuan's assurance, he gained confidence.
"Flame Emperor?" Xu Chong muttered to himself, cautiously stealing a glance at Lin Yuan, etching the title deep into his memory.
Before wandering the world, Lin Yuan returned to the Great Flame Palace.
The Grand Emperor Liu Shi was in good spirits.
After subduing the Sun and Moon Spear, Lin Yuan had frequently cleansed and rejuvenated him, leaving Liu Shi energetic, possibly granting him another century of life.
"Yuan’er, no matter what you plan to do, go forward boldly," Liu Shi advised his most favored son.
In recent years, turbulent winds had arisen across the world, with the Godslayer Society clashing repeatedly with the thirty-five nations of Central Plains.
Only within the Great Flame Dynasty did peace prevail, silent as the grave.
Liu Shi, having been emperor for decades, recognized the underlying issue, surmising that Lin Yuan might have made some agreement with the Godslayer Society.
The Godslayer Society aimed to overthrow the divine weapon rule, standing opposed to the royal families of thirty-six nations.
Lin Yuan's possible association with the Godslayer Society was a grave taboo, but Liu Shi trusted his son's judgement, believing there was reason behind it.
Besides, mere conjectures of collusion were not enough to substantiate any action, even if the other thirty-five nations harbored suspicions.
Little did Liu Shi imagine, his son wasn't just colluding with the Godslayer Society; he was its enigmatic master.
Much of the shifting world dynamics were due to his son's actions.
Time flowed on.
Ten years later.
In the Central Plains and the thirty-six nations, the Great Qi Dynasty, the Great Qi Emperor's face was dark with anger.
Furious, he roared, "How dare the remnants of the Godslayer Society! How dare they!"
Rising abruptly, his voice echoed, leaving many ministers before him in silent trepidation.
Over the past decade, the Godslayer Society had seized momentum, launching a direct assault on the thirty-five nations of central plains.
As sparks igniting a vast blaze, initially suppressed, the society's ideas spread, arousing immense public resentment.
Within ten years, seven dynasties fell to the Godslayer Society's assaults, their nation-guarding divine weapons seemingly vanishing, never showing up.
The Great Qi Emperor had just learned that the Great Mo Dynasty, neighboring Great Qi, had recently fallen.
The loss of Great Mo, sharing borders with Great Qi, meant that Great Qi was the subsequent target.
In the Great Qi court, the emperor took a deep breath, casting his gaze towards a stern-faced middle-aged man beside him.
"What news from the divine weapons?" he asked, striving for calmness.
This man, stern-faced, was Great Qi's weapon master.
Eight years prior, the nation-guarding divine weapons of the thirty-five nations had, as if in unison, left the ancestral land, their whereabouts unknown.
They claimed to leave to take the final critical step.
After eight years, apart from sporadic communications between weapon masters and their divine counterparts, even emperors couldn't feel the presence of the sacred weapons.
"The Divine Master said they are close to taking that step, soon to return to the world," the middle-aged man couldn't mask his excitement.
Despite the divine weapons leaving a fragment of power in their masters before departing to maintain their combat strength, it paled in comparison to directly wielding a divine weapon, allowing cursed weapon masters to stand against them.
"Good, good, good," the Great Qi Emperor repeated, filled with relief.
These years of hardship, without divine weapons, had left them vulnerable to the Godslayer Society’s onslaught, but soon, these trying days would end, with the return of nation-guarding divine weapons.
They, as the legitimate dynasty, would naturally reclaim their dominance.
"If that's the case, I’ll join with other dynasties to challenge the Godslayer Society. Then, with divine weapon suppression, we’ll utterly wipe them out," the emperor conceived a long-term strategy.
The remnants of the Godslayer Society were like vermin, hard to eliminate.
Attacking them when they were at their height would ensure their lasting defeat.
Disseminating news of the divine weapons' return might scare them into retreat, lurking in the shadows, eyeing the Thirty-Six Nations.
Between these strategies against the Godslayer Society, the emperor chose the former.
At the heart of the Thirty-Six Nations, a vast region known as the Five Peaks became a battlefield.
The Godslayer Society clashed against the united forces of the remaining thirty-five kingdoms, each side fielding innumerable warriors.
Within the Godslayer Society's ranks, Xu Chong sat confidently upon his seat.
"Are these thirty-five nations really preparing to face us directly?" he wondered aloud, his brow furrowing.
Over a decade, Xu Chong had grown far beyond his youthful naiveté.
Through countless battles, he had matured into a formidable weapon master.
Wielding the fully restored Heaven-Splitting Axe, he could suppress the divine weapon masters of the thirty-five nations.
Even though these masters seemed unable to directly harness their divine weapons' powers, Xu Chong's war achievements were legendary.
"Could it be?" Xu Chong pondered, suddenly aware, "Perhaps their divine weapons have returned?"
"No worries. If thirty-five nations seek a decisive battle, then let it be," Sikong Lun responded decisively, from his main seat after a brief silence.
"Agreed, then to war," the others stood promptly, filled with resolve and yearning for the long-awaited day.
The Five Peaks battlefield was consumed by warfare.
An understanding bound each side—soldiers fought soldiers, cultivators clashed with cultivators, and weapon masters dueled weapon masters.
"Perish!" Xu Chong wielded the enormous black axe, slicing through enemy masters, even beheading one.
Such victories were scarce, boosting morale significantly.
Despite the eight dynasties having fallen, their warriors and emperors often managed to escape.
Historically, divine weapon masters of the thirty-five nations were seen as invincible.
Elsewhere, in the rear, the emperors of the thirty-five nations gathered.
Watching the ongoing battle, observing their side's retreat, their expressions remained unchanged.
"It seems the Godslayer Society has no more tricks," one of them noted.
Another added, "Let the divine weapons unleash their power now."
On the battlefield, Xu Chong swung the massive axe again, the divine energy flowing fervently.
Suddenly, "Something's wrong, those old fellows have arrived," the consciousness of the Heaven-Splitting Axe warned sharply.
"Who?" Xu Chong wondered, before suddenly understanding.
"You mean the Thirty-Six Sacred Weapons?"
"Where are they?" searching the surroundings, Xu Chong wasn't hasty to retreat.
He knew the restored Heaven-Splitting Axe rivaled a true divine weapon, confident enough not to flee at their presence.
"How are they this strong...? It seems they've crossed that step," the axe's consciousness murmured despairingly.
"Where exactly?" Xu Chong remained composed, knowing potential attacks loomed.
"Up above," the consciousness finally revealed.
Looking skyward, Xu Chong saw them.
Above the clouds stood the divine weapons—thirty-five of them, grand and majestic, glancing down upon the land.
Suspended in the heavens, their aura immense and boundless like the very sky, Xu Chong had overlooked them, as one might ignore the expanse of an ocean when focused on its ships and islands.
"They've arrived..."
Xu Chong quivered.
He had imagined scenarios where he faced the Thirty-Six Divine Weapons, hoping the gap wouldn't be vast even if Heaven-Splitting Axe fell short.
But witnessing them, he realized the chasm that existed.
As Xu Chong stared skyward, more on the battlefield lifted their gazes.
"Our Great Qi Dynasty's divine weapon!"
"And our Great Chu Dynasty's too!"
"Victory is ours; the Godslayer Society is doomed!" The thirty-five nations' forces felt an upsurge of hope, many kneeling in reverence as the divine weapons descended.
In contrast, desolation spread through the Godslayer Society's ranks, especially among the cursed weapon masters who sensed the oppressing sky_pressure.
Meanwhile, above the clouds, the divine weapons pulsed with a mighty consciousness.
"So much flesh and soul... delicious."
"Time to deal with those failures."
"Our breakthrough left us drained; we need to feast on flesh and soul."
"What's taking Eighteen so long?"
"Perhaps it's still transforming, but no matter, these delights are ours to enjoy now."
The divine weapons scattered, their overwhelming pressure encompassing the Five Peaks.
As they began their feast, one weapon effortlessly inhaled, turning tens of thousands of soldiers below to dust.
To the divine weapons, both the thirty-five nations and the Godslayer Society were mere sustenance.
Transformation mandated flesh and soul to replenish themselves, lacking concern for allegiance.
"Ahh?" Xu Chong, watching in despair at the monumental conflict, felt the heavens closing in.
The divine weapons had spread out, enclosing the battleground.
An escape seemed impossible, growing hopeless, Xu Chong subconsciously began revisiting his life.
From his early days, his parents, his sister, and even the storyteller who inspired his defiance against the divine rule...
His memories drifted back to that night a decade past when Sikong Lun led him into the grand palace to meet the mysterious Godslayer master who bestowed the Heaven-Splitting Axe.
A sudden recollection surfaced that, in dire straits, 'Flame Emperor' should be his call for aid.
Why did this thought emerge now? Compelled by the memory, Xu Chong lifted his head, glaring defiantly at the thirty-five divine weapons above.
He took a deep breath, igniting his Blood Qi, channeling the power of the axe, and shouted fiercely, "Flame—Emperor!"
The cry reverberated across the Five Peaks, spreading far and wide.
Silence fell across the land.
"What's the hurry?" A voice broke through the stillness.
Turning, they saw a young emperor in dragon robes, composed, striding through the air, eyes ablaze with charisma and authority.
With a calm demeanor, the young emperor ascended, rising to confront the divine weapons.
Lin Yuan halted in midair, facing the thirty-five divine weapons.
"I've been waiting for you all a very long time."
And there the words ended, as the narrative prepared for further action.