# Chapter 2375: A New Pattern
In the Nine Heavens, after the Blazing Gold Divine Temple suffered a fatal attack, the Fate Temple, Earth Divine Temple, Heavenly Sound Divine Temple, and the Ancient Realm Clan formed an alliance to confront the alliance of six divine temples including the Flame Divine Temple and the Void Divine Temple. Since the turmoil following the Great Yu City incident, this chaotic struggle seemed to intensify. This alliance caused the other observing divine temples to hesitate in wading into the muddy waters—one wrong step could prove fatal.
Take the Blazing Gold Divine Temple for example. Even if the six-temple alliance won this chaotic struggle, the Blazing Gold Divine Temple's future would certainly fail to keep pace with the growth of the other five divine temples. Of course, this was speaking in the present moment; what would happen later, no one could predict.
At the same time, in the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, those scattered forces, with the intervention of powerful experts from various worlds that had been opened up, gradually began to coalesce into momentum, like droplets gathering to form rivers. They seemed unwilling to remain mere spectators in this chaotic era, or risk being destroyed one day by those lofty divine temples. Several forces possessing Supreme Realm experts had already begun to take shape, led by several extremely fearsome powerhouses.
Soon, shocking news spread again. The Fate Temple, Heavenly Sound Divine Temple, and Earth Divine Temple all abandoned their headquarters—the temple castles that had stood in the Nine Heavens. They decisively gave them up, breaking into smaller units scattered across various cities and regions of the Nine Heavens. Even if the Flame Divine Temple's alliance had heaven-reaching power, they could not possibly find everyone who had scattered. The true conflict, in fact, remained at the level of Supreme Realm experts.
As for everyone else, the various divine temples waited for them to grow, until one day they too stepped into the Supreme Realm, only then qualifying to join the battle.
The decisiveness of the Fate Temple alliance's forces made people sigh inwardly. Even in terms of sheer power, the Flame Divine Temple's alliance was still stronger. However, now that the Fate Temple's experts had scattered, it was enough to give the Flame Divine Temple's various factions a headache. After all, they had to constantly guard against surprise attacks—the battle at the Blazing Gold Divine Temple was a lesson from the past.
This conflict was destined to be a prolonged war.
Yet Lin Feng, who had spurred the formation of this chaotic era, seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no trace. Time flowed endlessly. For many years, Lin Feng's name never resounded through the Nine Heavens again. He was like many older generation figures who had once shaken the Nine Heavens—appearing, then disappearing without a trace. Gradually, he was forgotten by people.
One day, at the Fate Temple—or rather, it would be more accurate to call it the Fate Temple ruins, for today the Fate Temple was a barren wasteland, devoid of life, having been abandoned for many years—a figure stood atop the rubble. Looking at this temple that had once stood in the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, he sighed inwardly, then quietly departed.
At the same time, in the lower realm, at the Holy City Central Continent, the Heavenly Terrace ruins. The once-prosperous Heavenly Terrace had also disappeared. Now, outside the Heavenly Terrace, a figure stood there, remaining for a long time, then turned and left.
Several hundred years ago, Lin Feng had already made the Heavenly Terrace disappear from the Holy City Central Continent. When the chaotic war of the Nine Heavens began, Lin Feng had to be cautious. The divine temples had done things like using his loved ones to coerce him before. So, before he truly returned, it was better for the Heavenly Terrace to temporarily disappear.
At the same time, at the Extinction Island, one of the Seven Forbidden Lands, the sky was dark, devoid of light. Deep within Extinction Island, there was a massive vortex, devouring everything. At that moment, at the edge of the vortex, a figure stood, watching the endless destructive energy madly flowing toward that celestial pit vortex. At this moment, he felt exceptionally small.
This figure's face would sometimes turn black, as if he were about to die. Yet on his body, a faint light would always flicker, preventing this death. Silently standing there, enduring this power, until the figure completely turned into a black dot, then was swallowed by the celestial pit vortex. Everything returned to how it was, with no trace of anyone—all had vanished.
However, not long after, another identical figure came to this place, standing at the edge. Still, unable to endure for long, he was destroyed and swallowed. This cycle repeated endlessly, as if without end.
Throughout the river of time, many identical figures appeared at Extinction Island. Moreover, the most common place they appeared was beside the source power. And often, there were two people, sitting facing each other. From the two identical figures, different auras would emanate—or rather, different source powers.
The world continued to turn; time continued to flow.
Five hundred years. For a mortal, it was several generations. For a weak martial cultivator, it was a lifetime. Yet for the entire Nine Heavens Celestial Court, it might be but a snap of the fingers.
In this special era, five hundred years were different, however. Because in these five hundred years, many extraordinarily talented individuals had emerged, and even several fearsome Supreme Realm experts had been born.
Of course, in these five hundred years of chaos, too many people had also fallen. The conflict between the divine temples continued. And in these five hundred years, one of the most earth-shattering events in tens of thousands of years occurred.
Three hundred and sixty years ago, the conflict between the Flame Divine Temple's six-temple alliance and the Fate Temple's alliance intensified. Assassinations were everywhere. The six-temple alliance had many Saint Realm experts assassinated—from Half-step Saints to Great Accomplishment Saint Kings. As long as they showed their faces, they risked being killed. Of course, the Fate Temple alliance also had many experts found and killed. It was brutal.
Until one day, a Supreme Realm expert from the Blazing Gold Divine Temple and a Supreme Realm expert from the Wind Divine Temple were ambushed and killed at the temple gates. At the same time, the Blazing Gold Divine Temple also killed a Supreme Realm expert from the Heavenly Sound Divine Temple. After this, the six-temple alliance could no longer sit still. They wanted to pull the Soul Divine Temple into the alliance, but were refused.
The moment the Soul Divine Temple refused, the Heaven Sealing Chart enveloped the Soul Divine Temple. When the smoke cleared, there was no longer a Soul Divine Temple in the Nine Heavens Celestial Court.
The next day, the light of many teleportation arrays in the Thunder Divine Temple lit up simultaneously. A message spread: the Thunder Divine Temple had joined the Flame Divine Temple alliance.
One divine temple had been erased from existence.
Moreover, the events did not stop there; they continued to ferment.
After the Soul Divine Temple's destruction and the Thunder Divine Temple's joining of the Flame Divine Temple alliance, the divine temple landscape became: the Flame Divine Temple, Ice and Snow Divine Temple, Void Divine Temple, Blazing Gold Divine Temple, Thunder Divine Temple, Wind Divine Temple, and Demon Divine Temple—seven allied forces, the strongest power.
Beyond them, the Fate Temple, Heavenly Sound Divine Temple, Earth Divine Temple, and Ancient Realm Clan formed the second-tier force.
The Buddha Divine Temple and Life Divine Temple still did not involve themselves in the temple conflict. The Nether Divine Temple did not enter the Nine Heavens. As for the Light Divine Temple, no one knew if it still existed.
At the same time, the Flame Divine Temple alliance prepared to deal with the newly rising forces. To this end, several Supreme Realm experts made their move, intending to forcefully suppress these people. However, those forces, in response, formed a temporary alliance to jointly confront the temple alliance. Thus, both sides agreed to decide the outcome with three battles. If the Flame Divine Temple alliance won, the scattered forces would have to merge into the temple alliance. If the Flame Divine Temple alliance lost, they would no longer interfere with their existence.
However, on the agreed-upon day, only two people appeared from the scattered cultivator alliance. Even more shocking was that they won both battles decisively.
The temple alliance side was unwilling to accept this. They wanted to keep these two people and make them join the temples. As a result, eight Supreme Realm experts made their move but failed to detain the two. Moreover, they had one Supreme Realm expert killed by them. From then on, the Flame Divine Temple alliance no longer interfered with the scattered cultivator alliance.
This battle shook the Nine Heavens. The names of those two people resounded throughout the Nine Heavens Celestial Court.
One of them was a completely unfamiliar person, as if he had suddenly appeared—perhaps an old monster who had been cultivating in seclusion for who knows how long. This person called himself Purple Bamboo, and was called Venerable Purple Bamboo by others.
The other was someone who had been very famous many years ago. His name was Demon Saint Emperor Xi.
Of course, this matter had passed long ago, but even until today, it was still a topic of lively discussion, just like Lin Feng's battles in the past, occasionally brought up by people.
At this moment, in a tavern in the City of Fate, these two names were brought up again.
Although the Fate Temple had disappeared, the City of Fate still remained. No matter how ruthless the Flame Divine Temple alliance was, they would not do something like massacre a city. After all, the people of the City of Fate were at most outer disciples of the Fate Temple and their families—not core important figures. If they were massacred, the Flame Divine Temple alliance would truly incur public wrath. They would not provoke others' hatred over something unnecessary.
But now, the City of Fate was a mixed bag, with people from all sides. It was no longer as pure as before, when everyone was connected to the Fate Temple.
"This time, the Flame Divine Temple's temple lord has proposed a meeting again. I wonder what he wants to do?" At this moment, someone in the tavern spoke.
"Do you even need to ask? Now that the scattered cultivator forces have gathered experts from all realms, many powerful beings from foreign worlds know that only the divine temples stand supreme in the Nine Heavens. Therefore, their cohesion grows stronger and stronger. Over these years of development, they have begun to subtly threaten the existence of the divine temples. If it were back then, even one or two divine temples would not be as powerful as their forces."
"That's right. But with Venerable Purple Bamboo and Demon Saint Emperor Xi around, I'm afraid this meeting won't yield any results either."
"That's not necessarily true. Last time, the divine temples didn't go all out. This time, the stakes are different. Venerable Purple Bamboo has already begun gathering all members of the scattered cultivator alliance, probably to confront the temple alliance."
These voices all fell into the ears of a young man drinking alone in the tavern. He raised his wine cup, took a light sip, and the corner of his mouth seemed to curl slightly, carrying a sinister smile.