Chapter 585: Why Is It So Hard?

"Spirit God King?"

"The youngest core royal of our Great Spirit Ancient Kingdom?"

Purple Dream Marquis and many other Great Venerables felt slightly invigorated.

Except for Celestial Reverends, no one would underestimate a core royal at the Great Venerable realm.

In the vast majority of local battlefields, core royals at the Great Venerable realm represented the Peak combat force.

"Spirit God."

Crimson Jade King quietly looked at Spirit God King, "You are a junior. I will grant you one free move."

"In that case, I shall take action."

Spirit God King did not stand on ceremony. He raised his right hand and threw a punch forward.

The power of this punch was entirely restrained, yet wherever it passed, space-time yielded, radiating an aura of dead silence.

"Hmm?"

Crimson Jade King's expression shifted slightly.

His offering to let Spirit God King have a free move was not due to carelessness, but because he excelled in defensive methods to begin with.

Allowing the opponent to strike first put him at no great disadvantage; instead, it allowed him to test their true depth.

Yet Spirit God King's punch brought pressure to Crimson Jade King. To possess such power in merely the first strike, before even going all out?

Crimson Jade King faintly sensed that things were going awry.

Whoosh!

Around Crimson Jade King, flaming lotuses bloomed one after another. The punch thrown by Spirit God King shattered over ninety thousand flaming lotuses before its power finally dissolved.

"Hahahaha, exhilarating!"

Spirit God King burst out laughing. "Crimson Jade, let's take our fight up above. There are too many constraints here."

A fight between two core royals carried far too vast an impact, which would indiscriminately affect the clashes between the Peak Great Venerables below.

Fighting here would actually tie the hands of the two core royals.

"Alright."

Crimson Jade King nodded.

Whoosh!

Crimson Jade King and Spirit God King vanished from the spot.

Immediately after, two terrifying surges of energy clashed fiercely in a higher realm of space-time.

Below, the Peak Great Venerables also diverted a portion of their attention to watch. The intensity of the collision between the two core royals far surpassed that of the dozen-plus Peak Great Venerables combined.

"No need to focus on His Highness Crimson Jade."

Qing Fen Marquis immediately sent a voice transmission to the other Peak Great Venerables.

Barring any accidents, a victor between Crimson Jade King and Spirit God King was unlikely to be decided quickly; both would most likely be tied down.

Therefore, the outcome of this war still primarily depended on the victory or defeat among them, the Peak Great Venerables.

"Brother Red Leaf, can you hold that one off?" Qing Fen Marquis looked toward a burly Peak Great Venerable.

Earlier, it was precisely that burly Peak Great Venerable who had acted, almost thoroughly suppressing the Peak Great Venerables on their side. Had Crimson Jade King not arrived in time with support, their situation would be dire by now.

"Leave him to me."

Red Leaf Great Venerable nodded.

The burly Peak Great Venerable had succeeded earlier because their side hadn't been on guard against him.

If Red Leaf Great Venerable specifically locked onto him, it would be no easy task for that burly Peak Great Venerable to execute that fatal move again.

"Third Brother."

At the rear of the battlefield, Crimson Pine King was also watching.

As the commander of this war, Crimson Pine King possessed a sharp grasp of the battlefield situation. He knew clearly that as long as Spirit God King was kept from freeing his hands, their side would most likely hold their ground.

"Lingwei, if this war falls into a stalemate, let's see how long you can hold out."

Crimson Pine King thought to himself. King Lingwei had paid a heavy price to launch a war affecting dozens of major domains. If no major victories were secured, the war certainly couldn't last much longer.

The throne candidates over in Great Spirit Ancient Kingdom definitely wouldn't want another competitor. King Lingwei being unable to advance an inch on the front lines was equivalent to giving those candidates an opportunity.

The Yi-13 Defense Line battlefield.

Lin Yuan was also paying attention to the core battlefield. Especially after Spirit God King and Crimson Jade King appeared, the terrifying energy fluctuations generated by their clashes allowed Lin Yuan to gain a wealth of insights.

"They are indeed very strong, surpassing Peak Great Venerables."

Lin Yuan observed very carefully. The fighting style of the Experts in this Origin World differed greatly from that of the Experts in the Chaos Void.

Especially between core royals, it was mainly a clash of Bloodline talents—excavating the mighty power deep within their own Bloodlines to erupt with strength comparable to, or even exceeding, the power of Chaos Evolution.

"No wonder it's said that it's nearly impossible for core royals to break through to the Celestial Reverend realm."

Lin Yuan looked thoughtful, because he now realized that neither Spirit God King nor Crimson Jade King walked the path of Chaos Evolution at all.

Their strength relied entirely on their Bloodline Power.

However, Bloodline Power had an upper limit. Without comprehending Chaos Rules or the path of Chaos Evolution power, one could never step into the Celestial Reverend realm.

Strictly speaking, core royals were not even Great Venerables. A core royal at the so-called Great Venerable realm was merely one who had excavated their Bloodline Power to a certain extent.

"So this is why Celestial Reverends look down on royals?"

Lin Yuan thought to himself. To Celestial Reverends who had walked extremely far on the path of Chaos Evolution, every core royal was a brute with shallow rule insights, relying entirely on Bloodline talent to possess such formidable combat strength.

"In truth, core royals can also comprehend rules and the path of Chaos Evolution, but compared to excavating their Bloodline Power, it is simply too slow."

Lin Yuan looked toward the distant battlefield.

Ordinary royals would still comprehend rules, because their Bloodline Power could not support rapid progress after reaching the Great Venerable stage.

But core royals?

With that time, excavating more Bloodline Power yielded far greater improvements.

Even with the boost from a large number of Blazing Sun Seeds, it was still far too slow compared to Bloodline Power.

"Hmm?"

"That Spirit God King's application of Bloodline seems to be somewhat stronger than Crimson Jade King's?"

Although it was Lin Yuan's first time observing a battle between core royals, he immediately noticed something.

In the higher space-time battlefield.

Crimson Jade King's expression was solemn. He stood atop a giant flaming lotus, with lotus barriers floating all around his body.

Meanwhile, Spirit God King was like a giant hammer, relentlessly slamming against Crimson Jade King. The massive flaming lotus trembled slightly under the continuous bombardment, showing signs of being unable to hold up.

"Lingshen, you have already grown to the limit?"

Crimson Jade King's expression showed a trace of disbelief.

Strength among core royals was measured by how much Bloodline Power they had excavated.

The more Bloodline Power excavated, the stronger their combat strength. Fully excavating their progenitor Bloodline to the utmost meant growing to the limit.

A core royal at this stage reached their personal Peak and could challenge Celestial Reverends.

Of course, challenging a Celestial Reverend did not mean being on equal footing with one, but they were nonetheless unprecedentedly powerful.

Next, if a core royal wished to make further progress, they had to honestly comprehend rules and cross into the Great Venerable or even Celestial Reverend realm through the level of rules.

"Hahahaha, is growing to the limit really that difficult?"

Spirit God King had no intention of holding back, continuously blasting Crimson Jade King's protective flaming lotuses.

To the current Spirit God King, Crimson Jade King posed no threat whatsoever; next, it was merely a matter of how much time it would take to tear apart the other's turtle shell.

"This is trouble."

Crimson Jade King's face turned grim.

With Spirit God King's current strength, he couldn't stall him at all.

Under such circumstances, it would have a disruptive impact on the situation among the Peak Great Venerables below.

Once he failed to hold back Spirit God King and the latter attacked those Peak Great Venerables, the outcome would essentially be beyond doubt.

At the rear of the battlefield.

Crimson Pine King suddenly heard Crimson Jade King's urgent voice by his ear.

"Chisong, Spirit God King has grown to the limit. I am no match for him. I will hold him off as much as I can for now—hurry and arrange for all Great Venerables to retreat."

As soon as those words were spoken.

Crimson Pine King's expression changed drastically.

"Spirit God King has grown to the limit?"

Crimson Pine King reacted instantly.

At the same time, he understood Crimson Jade King's intention.

Have all Great Venerables retreat into Azure Ember City, then use the city's grand defensive formation to hold out until core royals of the same level from Blazing Sun Ancient Kingdom arrived as reinforcements.

Against a core royal who had grown to the limit, Crimson Pine King's side had no chance of holding out in direct combat.

Only by relying on Azure Ember City to defend with all their strength could they hold out a bit longer for reinforcements from the Ancient Kingdom.

"Retreat."

"All Great Venerables, retreat immediately!"

Crimson Pine King sent a voice transmission to all Great Venerables simultaneously.

As the commander of the battlefield, Crimson Pine King possessed the means to contact every Great Venerable in an instant.

"Retreat?"

"Retreat immediately?"

"His Highness Crimson Pine is ordering us to retreat immediately?"

Qing Fen Marquis and the other Peak Great Venerables were somewhat stunned upon receiving the message.

However, no one dared to disobey His Highness Crimson Pine's orders. All Great Venerable-level Experts immediately began retreating into the battlefield's grand formations.

Though these battlefield grand formations were hastily set up, they could still hold off even a Peak Great Venerable for a few breaths of time.

Soon enough.

All the Peak Great Venerables and numerous Great Venerables arrived before the space-time channel at the rear of the battlefield.

The space-time channel immediately activated.

During the brief wait.

All the Great Venerables burst into a uproar.

"Why is His Highness Crimson Pine ordering us to retreat?"

"It makes no sense! It's not like we're at a disadvantage?"

"Even if we were at a disadvantage, why retreat altogether?"

The Great Venerables were bewildered.

Lin Yuan, mingled among them, actually understood the reason behind Crimson Pine King's command.

In his vision, in the higher space-time, Crimson Jade King was already teetering under Spirit God King's attacks.

In the higher space-time.

"Hahahaha, Crimson Jade, you fell for it!"

Spirit God King looked down at the battlefield below. Seeing all the Great Venerables of Azure Ember Domain gathered before the space-time channel, a smile appeared on his face.

"Fell for it?"

Crimson Jade King's expression shifted slightly.

"Did you really think you could hold me off?"

Spirit God King sneered mockingly, then pressed down hard with his right hand, thoroughly suppressing Crimson Jade King.

Then, Spirit God King reached out his right hand, grabbing toward the dozens of Great Venerable-level Experts at the space-time channel on the battlefield below.

"Not good!"

Crimson Jade King's face paled in horror.

Given the situation on the battlefield, even if Spirit God King was a core royal who had grown to the limit, Crimson Pine King's side was not guaranteed to lose.

As long as all Great Venerables safely retreated to Azure Ember City and relied on the defensive grand formation, they could still hold out for a while.

Moreover, Azure Ember City possessed not only a defensive grand formation, but also a teleportation formation connecting directly to the imperial capital.

Once Blazing Sun Ancient Kingdom was given time to react, they could easily dispatch another core royal who had also grown to the limit.

However, the prerequisite was that all Great Venerables safely reached Azure Ember City.

Only with dozens of Great Venerables jointly controlling the Azure Ember City defensive formation could they barely block Spirit God King's attacks in the short term.

Without dozens of Great Venerables presiding over Azure Ember City, no matter how powerful the defensive formation inside was, it would be water without a source and completely incapable of stopping Spirit God King.

When Azure Ember City fell, Azure Ember Domain would fall as well, triggering a domino effect that would put dozens of surrounding major domains in peril.

Rumble!

In front of the space-time channel.

The dozens of Great Venerables who had originally intended to return to Azure Ember City through the space-time channel suddenly felt heaven and earth shift. Darkness shrouded all directions, and five massive sky-pillars stood towering.

In the higher space-time.

Spirit God King looked down at his retracted right hand. Currently, dozens of Great Venerables were trapped within his palm like ants.

"Crimson Jade, you have lost this war."

Spirit God King laughed arrogantly, then slowly clenched his right fist under Crimson Jade King's despairing gaze.

In an instant.

Within his palm, the dozens of Great Venerables only felt those five massive sky-pillars collapsing, with space-time and all Daos crumbling into destruction.

However.

Halfway through clenching his fist, Spirit God King's smile froze, and he stared in shock and disbelief at his half-closed right hand.

Why is it so hard?