Beyond the Five Phoenixes, storms gathered on the horizon.

  Yet an eerie stillness hung over everything, as though everyone could hear the quiet ticking of time itself.

  The wanderers were anxious—desperately so—but anxiety changed nothing. They could neither break the formation nor muster the courage to try.

  Qi Liujia, Sect Leader of the Six Armor Array Sect, was a living legend.

  Even mighty experts feared the arrays he wove.

  So the wanderers swallowed their greed and waited in tense silence.

  On his barren continent, the withered old man sat motionless, like a corpse long drained of life.

  …

  Time flowed on. Seasons turned.

  In the blink of an eye, a full year passed in the Five Phoenixes.

  Midwinter. Heavy snow blanketed the land.

  Tai Ridge, Ask-Heaven Peak.

  The Great Xuan imperial palace crowned the summit.

  Tantai Xuan sat within the hall reviewing memorials while guards tended a roaring brazier, filling the chamber with welcome warmth.

  Only the crackle of burning wood broke the silence.

  After a long while, Tantai Xuan set down the last scroll and leaned back in his chair.

  He gazed out at the swirling snow beyond the doors.

  “One year already…”

  He drew a deep breath.

  The Immortal Relic had been open for a full year, and the Five Phoenixes had changed beyond recognition.

  The cultivation world had changed the most. The number of experts had exploded compared to a year ago.

  Rising, Tantai Xuan let an attendant drape a wool blanket over his shoulders.

  He stepped into the covered corridor outside.

  Snow fell thick and soft as lamb’s wool from the peak.

  Far below came the bright voices of students reciting classics—the vigorous pulse of the Great Xuan Academy.

  “The realm enjoys peace today. I should be glad,” Tantai Xuan murmured, frowning. “Yet why can I find no joy?”

  Something vast and terrible pressed against his senses—an ominous dread only the bearer of Imperial Dragon Qi could feel.

  “Among the Xuanwu Guards, eighteen Heavenlock Golden Core cultivators entered the relic; three returned as Nascent Souls. Three hundred Body Storage cultivators entered; a hundred emerged as Heavenlocks…”

  “That’s only the Xuanwu Guards. The academy students are advancing even faster—all because of the relic’s time dilation.”

  When word of the ten-to-one time flow had spread, the entire world had gone mad trying to get inside.

  As ruler of Great Xuan, Tantai Xuan had stepped forward. Together with Luo Mingsang of Western Liang and Tang Xiansheng of Southern Commandery, he drafted strict treaties limiting how many could enter each month.

  Without those controls, the relic would have descended into absolute chaos.

  “A whole year gone in a flash… the cultivation world grows ever more prosperous.”

  He stared at the falling snow.

  Yet so much had changed beyond recognition.

  “Bai Yujing has vanished from the world for a full year now. Young Master Lu has evaporated like mist. Where did he go?”

  Tantai Xuan couldn’t begin to guess. Lu’s level was simply beyond him.

  This past year he had governed diligently. The common people lived in comfort and peace.

  The Great Xuan Academy’s prestige had spread far and wide—even Tian Yuan powerhouses sent their descendants to study there.

  Overlord, Nie Changqing, and the others had been inside the relic for a year with no sign of emerging.

  Every few months Tantai Xuan sent scouts inside for news.

  They returned with word: Overlord, Nie Changqing, and the rest had entered an immortal-grade formation. Only by reaching sufficient cultivation could they break free.

  At first Tantai Xuan had worried the news would spark panic.

  But since none of them had died, the world remained stable.

  Tian Yuan and Five Phoenixes cultivators even exchanged knowledge now.

  The Three Great Holy Lands regularly dispatched lecturers to the Great Xuan Academy.

  The entire continent flourished.

  Yet Tantai Xuan’s brow remained knotted with unease.

  Rumble…

  Thunder cracked across the sky.

  He lifted his head. Crimson spread above the firmament—that was the Bloody Battlefield.

  Just a glance made his chest tighten, as though an invisible hand squeezed the air from his lungs.

  Worry crawled across his face.

  He had never truly believed the peace would last.

  The sky… felt ready to fall at any moment.

  …

  In the void, the atmosphere grew heavier by the day.

  Some wanderers could no longer sit still.

  They stared across the killing array at the withered old man, but no one dared cross.

  “How much longer must we wait?”

  “We can’t break Qi Liujia’s array. What choice do we have but to wait?”

  “Once the holy sons and maidens from high martial worlds arrive, we’ll be left fighting for scraps.”

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  Sighs echoed through the darkness.

  The wanderer in flaming armor grew restless.

  The seductive snake-tongess woman sighed in frustration.

  They were among the strongest wanderers—yet against Qi Liujia’s formations, they were helpless.

  Array masters were infuriating opponents.

  Especially when their arts were rumored to trace back to an ancient emperor.

  At last, one day…

  A terrifying aura tore across the endless void, a storm racing toward them.

  Rumble!

  Thunder rolled through the emptiness.

  Every seated wanderer jolted upright and turned.

  At the edge of the void, golden light exploded.

  A bronze war chariot thundered forward, pulled by two Infant Transformation realm beast wanderers snorting blasts of heat that shredded space itself.

  Infant Transformation beasts… pulling a chariot?

  Every wanderer fell silent, hearts pounding.

  Atop the chariot stood a man in golden robes, twin horns sprouting from his brow, eyes blazing like twin suns.

  “It’s a holy son from a high martial world!”

  “The Heavenly Dragon Holy Son of the Nine Dragons Minor World! Spirit Severing realm, wields a saint-tier artifact—capable of fighting Soul Projection experts!”

  “He’s the first to arrive!”

  Gasps and exclamations rippled through the crowd.

  The flaming-armored wanderer spoke grimly: “The Nine Dragons Minor World is the closest high martial world to this void. This Heavenly Dragon Holy Son often hunts wanderers for sport. It’s no surprise he got here first.”

  The snake-tongued woman swayed, tongue flicking. “These holy sons always look down on everyone else, but you can’t deny their inherited talent and saint-tier treasures make them peerless.”

  “Qi Liujia can’t stop him anymore.”

  Boom!

  The bronze chariot barreled forward, crushing the void beneath its wheels.

  The horned man swept his radiant gaze across the assembly, arrogance etched into every line of his face.

  “Well, well. A pack of stray dogs gathered at the scent of blood.”

  “A fortune like this? You mongrels aren’t worthy to touch it.”

  His lazy words rang through the void.

  Fury flashed in many eyes, but no one dared speak.

  “Trash.”

  He sneered, sweeping his gaze over them.

  To him, wanderers were nothing but failures.

  Even the two Infant Transformation beasts pulling his chariot were mere slaves in his eyes.

  His eyes slid past the crowd, puzzled.

  Why were they all just sitting here? With wanderers’ greed for fortune, they should have torn the place apart already.

  Then he spotted the withered old man on the barren continent.

  “Qi Liujia?”

  His brows rose, a hint of wariness appearing.

  Then he laughed coldly. “No wonder these dogs haven’t moved. One old monster holds them all at bay.”

  Shaking his head, he looked past the old man to the four continents beyond.

  Five Phoenixes, Golden Body, Prajna, Tian Luo…

  One top-tier mid martial, three supreme mid martial.

  No wonder a new high martial was about to be born.

  Three supreme mid martial origins?

  His eyes narrowed; light flickered across his twin horns.

  Then his expression changed to shock.

  “The origins are fusing… and almost complete?”

  “How is that possible?”

  Excitement flared in his chest.

  This was a fortune beyond imagining.

  A newborn high martial world—if he could claim its origin, he might break through to the Unity realm in one leap and become a true mighty expert!

  He had come only to do a favor for the high martial Buddhist overlord who sent the message. He never expected such a prize actually existed.

  His heart raced, barely containable.

  “I must seize it before the other holy sons and maidens arrive.”

  “The fruit is nearly ripe!”

  Joy curved his lips.

  “Forward!”

  He cracked his whip; thunder boomed.

  The two Infant Transformation beasts snorted flames of hatred yet charged obediently.

  Rumble!

  The chariot roared overhead.

  Most wanderers could only glare in helpless rage.

  No one dared offend a high martial holy son—especially one notorious for hunting wanderers for fun.

  Buzz…

  Array runes ignited across the void.

  Countless spear-like runes stabbed downward, radiating murderous intent.

  “A killing array!”

  “Classic Six Armor style!”

  The holy son roared—a dragon’s bellow.

  Yet the runes slashed mercilessly. Even Spirit Severing experts would suffer grievous wounds.

  Pfft! Pfft!

  The two beast pullers exploded into bloody paste, their souls shredded before they could scream.

  Yet the chariot kept flying on its own.

  A golden orb appeared in the holy son’s hand, bathing him in protective light.

  Runes struck the barrier with deafening clangs—he emerged unscathed.

  “A saint-tier defensive treasure!”

  “Forged by a high martial grandmaster refiner!”

  “No wonder Qi Liujia’s array couldn’t touch him!”

  Envy burned in every wanderer’s eyes.

  Boom!

  The holy son burst through the killing array.

  The golden light faded. His chariot was scarred and dull, but he was unharmed—though his heart still raced.

  “Six Armor Array Sect…”

  He shot a cold glance at the withered old man.

  “Qi Liujia, you dare block this holy son?”

  “The honored one held you in high regard once, even offered you the position of guardian array master for the Nine Dragons Minor World. You refused.”

  He looked down from his chariot.

  “Now your life force is nearly spent, your flesh withering. Any regrets?”

  On the barren continent, the old man opened his eyes—calm, undisturbed.

  He glanced at the young man and chuckled.

  “So it’s the Heavenly Dragon Holy Son…”

  “I’m not here to fight you for the newborn high martial origin. I set this array only to keep those scavengers from ruining the birth process.”

  “Surely the holy son understands my intent?”

  The holy son smiled faintly.

  “You’re right.”

  “So rest easy. I won’t touch the origin yet—the fruit isn’t ripe. Eating it now would only leave a bitter taste.”

  “But the origin is off-limits. The world itself? That’s another story. Conquer the world, deepen my karmic ties to the origin… then the harvest will be even sweeter.”

  He looked straight at the old man.

  “Will you stop me?”

  The old man smiled, lowered his head, and let his aura fade back into deathly stillness.

  The holy son snorted in disdain.

  Still, he didn’t provoke the old man further.

  Qi Liujia was dangerous—an enigmatic array master who gave even him pause.

  Boom!

  “Go!”

  Radiance exploded from the holy son’s body as he unleashed his full Spirit Severing aura, descending like a god of war.

  “This world is called Five Phoenixes? How fitting—my Nine Dragons and your Five Phoenixes share a draconic fate.”

  He laughed.

  Misty clouds shrouded the continent’s edge, but he paid them no mind. A mere supreme mid martial world—how could it stop him?

  And with the honored one’s dragon pearl, the world’s protective barrier posed little threat. He was only Spirit Severing; a true mighty expert would suffer backlash trying to force entry.

  Boom!

  Clouds parted.

  The holy son shot forward in a streak of light.

  In the distance, every wanderer watched with grim anticipation.

  That world was finished—or at least its inhabitants were.

  The Heavenly Dragon Holy Son treated life with contempt. Slaughtering wanderers and entire worlds was his pastime.

  Any realm he invaded was doomed.

  BOOM!

  A heaven-shaking explosion.

  A figure came hurtling backward.

  The Heavenly Dragon Holy Son staggered on his chariot, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

  “Another array?!”

  “Again?!”

  His handsome face twisted in fury as he glared toward the withered old man.

  “Qi Liujia, you dare oppose this holy son?!”

  The wanderers were dumbfounded.

  Another array?!

  Many broke into cold sweat. Thank the heavens they hadn’t charged in blindly.

  “Cough, cough…”

  “Little holy son, watch your tongue. Don’t slander an old man. I didn’t set this array—and it gives me a headache too.”

  Qi Liujia’s leisurely voice drifted over.

  The holy son narrowed his eyes.

  “Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. In all this void, who besides you could lay down an array like this?”

  The old man chuckled. “Don’t flatter me, I blush easily… I truly can’t create something like this. That bald donkey from the high martial Buddhist world sent my ninth disciple to break it. My disciple died.”

  The holy son froze.

  Because the old man didn’t sound like he was lying.

  A cold snort.

  Fury blazed in his eyes.

  “You think a mere array can stop this holy son?”

  With an icy laugh, he gripped the dragon pearl again.

  Golden light flared, enveloping him as he charged once more.

  BOOM!

  This time, protected by the pearl, the pressure was vastly reduced.

  With a thunderous roar, he tore through the thick mist and emerged above the Bloody Battlefield.

  Terrifying pressure rolled out. His spiritual sense swept across the crimson earth like a hurricane.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The ground exploded in all directions.

  He spotted the mighty fortress built of blood-soaked soil—Tian Sai Pass.

  “Hmph.”

  Already seething from the arrays, the holy son showed no mercy.

  He struck with his palm.

  A massive golden dragon claw swept across the sky.

  The commander guarding Tian Sai Pass sensed the crisis. Without hesitation he flung a trusted aide into the emergency teleportation formation, then shot skyward to meet the claw.

  But—

  One swipe.

  The commander and every Xuanwu Guard inside the pass were reduced to bloody mist.

  The entire fortress collapsed.

  The dragon claw retracted, seizing a trembling Body Storage student from the Great Xuan Academy.

  “Weak ants…”

  The holy son sneered, about to question the captive.

  But the student—having just watched his comrades die in an instant—spat a mouthful of bloodied saliva straight into the holy son’s face.

  “Bastard!”

  Fury flashed.

  Crunch.

  The student was crushed to death in that golden claw.

  …

  Tai Ridge, Ask-Heaven Peak.

  Tantai Xuan’s heart lurched.

  He looked up—the sky had turned blood red.

  A palace attendant sprinted toward him, panic in every step.

  “My king!”

  Behind him staggered a blood-soaked academy student, eyes crimson with grief and despair.

  “My king! Tian Sai Pass… was attacked! The entire fortress… everyone… dead!”

  Crack!

  The brush in Tantai Xuan’s hand snapped in two.

  …

  Vast Sea, Immortal Relic.

  A gentle breeze stirred the waves.

  A single slash.

  The Origin Waterfall was cleaved cleanly in half.

  A figure stepped slowly out of the relic.

  Weathered, profound, Dragon Slayer at his hip.

  Nie Changqing raised his head and looked at the sky.

  He discovered that the sky above the Five Phoenixes…

  Was no longer the same sky it had been ten years ago.