Origin Lake, Lake Heart Island.

  The giant whale carried the immortal island.

  The vast sea rose and fell; the fiery sunset burned along the horizon, making the water shimmer.

  The whale drifted quietly, in no hurry at all, displaying a serenity and composure rare among mortals.

  He had gradually accepted his fate.

  Carrying an immortal island? Fine.

  He would just outlive the human on his back and be free.

  On the island,

  Lu leaned back in the Thousand Blades Chair, fingers idly rubbing the Profound Ring. Before him floated the Spiritual Pressure Chessboard; he held a piece, placing moves in the Asking-Heaven Game at a leisurely pace.

  Four King-level inheritances had appeared in the ancient tomb, each choosing its inheritor.

  At first, Lu had been quite surprised.

  After all, among those who entered the tomb—Nie Changqing, Jing Yue, Overlord Xiang Shaoyun, Ning Zhao, Li Sansi, and others—many far surpassed Luo Mingyue, Jiang Li, and the rest in talent and strength.

  Yet the inheritances had not chosen them.

  Lu fell into thought. Inheritances chose based on suitability, not raw power.

  Strength could be gained later.

  With the inheritances, Luo Mingyue and Jiang Li had both reached Yang God realm.

  Their foundations, forged by the ancient scripture, were exceptionally solid.

  For Lu, it made no difference who received the fortunes—the benefits would ultimately flow back to him.

  Still, the Four King inheritances were undoubtedly the tomb’s greatest treasures.

  Other items—spirit stones, herbs, artifacts—were comparatively ordinary.

  Yet overall, every cultivator who entered the tomb had gained significantly.

  Thus, Lu’s own strength had quietly grown a fair amount.

  He smiled.

  Pinched another piece and continued the game.

  In his mind, he began designing a cultivation method.

  One exclusive to Five Phoenix.

  …

  In the third palace city of the tomb, everyone had reaped rewards.

  Of course, the harvests varied.

  Some gained immensely—ancient cultivator inheritances like Jiang Li and Luo Mingyue.

  Others merely acquired rare spirit stones and ores.

  Though valuable, they paled compared to primordial inheritances.

  The third city overflowed with treasures, but obtaining them was no simple matter.

  Small palaces dotted the city, each radiating light and holding treasures within.

  Yet every palace had a guardian—skeletons, strange beasts, yin spirits.

  Each guardian was terrifyingly strong.

  To claim a palace’s treasures, one had to conquer it.

  The Empress Ni Chunqiu, Du Longyang, and Ye Shoudao—three half-step Mighty Beings—each targeted a palace and attacked.

  Strange dao patterns reinforced the tomb; even intense battles could not destroy anything.

  Du Longyang fought bitterly. For the first time, someone as strong as he suffered greatly.

  Within the palaces, dao intent was unusable. Even spiritual qi and divine sense were restricted and suppressed.

  They could only fight with the most primitive methods.

  Across the third city, cultivators assaulted palaces for treasures.

  After all, many were unwilling to leave empty-handed while others gained ancient inheritances.

  Conquering a palace was no easy feat.

  The guardians killed without mercy.

  Many who survived the first and second cities died before the palaces of the third.

  Zhulong sat with eyes closed.

  She had no interest in the palaces’ treasures.

  What drew her to the tomb was something else.

  The red dragon followed her; the azure dragon, now in human form, walked beside.

  She crossed the third city into the fourth.

  The fourth held a massive blood pool—dozens of plazas wide. Crimson liquid mixed with golden radiance flowed within, radiating strange, oppressive power.

  Zhulong felt powerful energy from the pool.

  It resonated with her bloodline, making it boil.

  This attraction had pulled her all the way here.

  She stepped onto the pool’s surface and walked to its center, sitting cross-legged.

  Threads of energy rose from the pool and poured into her body.

  The red and azure dragons dove in joyfully, splashing and swimming.

  What energy was this? Why did it feel so intimately connected to their bloodlines?

  Lu had studied this pool.

  Its liquid was no ordinary water—it was formed from true dragon blood.

  For normal cultivators, soaking in it strengthened the body.

  But for Zhulong, red dragon, and azure dragon, it awakened deeper bloodline potential, elevating their heavenly dragon nature.

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  The fourth city’s dragon blood pool suddenly became lively.

  Overlord, Nie Changqing, and others tempered their bodies in the blood, finding some consolation for their lesser fortunes.

  Yet watching the closed-eyed girl at the pool’s center, golden energy pouring into her—

  They knew the true beneficiary of the dragon blood pool was her.

  …

  Nearly ten days after the tomb opened,

  Cultivators began emerging one after another.

  The tomb held many fortunes, but for most, the time-accelerated Immortal Legacy Ruins were more precious.

  The third city’s palaces contained countless cultivation methods and combat techniques—but obtaining them required conquering the palaces.

  Some succeeded, some failed and died miserably.

  There were also scattered fortunes across the third city—spirit herbs sealed in strange ores, beast cubs, etc.—sparking frenzied competition.

  Scattered pills and yellow- or profound-tier spirit tools drove people mad.

  Bottles of spirit pills and spirit tools flowed out of the tomb.

  Details of the tomb gradually spread through Five Phoenix’s cultivation world.

  The tomb overflowed with fortunes… but was equally filled with danger.

  For cultivators, it was a gold mine of risk and reward.

  For mortals, it remained shrouded in mystery.

  The fifth city—even experts like Du Longyang and Ye Shoudao dared not take half a step inside. They sensed instant death awaited.

  The fifth city gradually became a forbidden zone.

  As time passed,

  Many outside the tomb were shocked to see powerful cultivators emerge.

  Overlord strode out coldly, axe and shield on his back.

  White Jade Capital’s Nie Changqing, Painting Sect’s Sima Qingshan with his book box, Grand Virtue Sect’s Kong Nanfei and Meng Haoran…

  The storm the tomb had raised across the world began to calm.

  Many cultivators returned to normal training.

  Tuoba Holy Son emerged.

  He looked back at the ancient tomb, exhaling slowly.

  The excitement before entering had turned to calm—and a touch of melancholy—upon leaving.

  Azure Spirit Holy Son’s death had shaken him deeply.

  His greatest gain was not treasures, but growth forged between life and death.

  Of course, he also felt regret.

  He had thought it an Ancient Emperor’s tomb. Now he knew it was not…

  Without that status, its allure diminished greatly.

  Moreover, the tomb’s greatest fortunes—the Four King inheritances—had all been taken.

  Tuoba Holy Son no longer lingered.

  Cautious by nature, he knew Five Phoenix’s terror—the mysterious white-robed youth was chillingly powerful.

  So he did not fly out openly. Instead, he slipped into the mortal world of Five Phoenix and hid.

  He would leave when the time was right.

  Time passed.

  The tomb’s gifts had noticeably elevated Five Phoenix.

  Countless spirit tools and pills flooded the cultivation world, raising overall strength.

  Spirit tools were equipment—direct boosts to power.

  Though Gongshu Yu was a master refiner and had taken Alu as disciple, the two could barely produce one spirit tool a month.

  Spirit tools had always been rare in Five Phoenix.

  Now, with the tomb’s outflow, the cultivation world erupted in excitement.

  But once the major powers divided the spoils, calm returned.

  Cultivation remained paramount.

  …

  Atop White Jade Capital Pavilion,

  Lu propped his chin on one hand, bronze wine cup in the other.

  Breeze gently lifted his white robes.

  He raised a brow.

  A month had passed—where was the promised High Martial grading?

  He sipped his plum wine.

  That bald donkey… wasn’t standing him up, was he?

  Playing power games?

  Beneath a skyward chrysanthemum on the lake heart island,

  Qi Liujia cultivated cross-legged. The dense origin qi was perfect for recovery.

  He opened his eyes—murky light flashing within.

  A month, and still no word from the Little Thunder Sound Buddha Realm. Anxiety gnawed at him.

  “Old Qi, how much do you know about the Little Thunder Sound Buddha Realm?”

  A flash of lightning.

  Lu appeared in his Thousand Blades Chair, rolling slowly across the island.

  Qi Liujia stood, sleeves gathered, and followed behind.

  “The Little Thunder Sound Buddha Realm is Pingyang Heaven’s strongest High Martial world—Derivation Six, overlord of the entire heaven.”

  Qi Liujia said.

  “Derivation Six… very strong?”

  Lu rested his chin on one hand, tapping the armrest with the other.

  He knew the grading system—Derivation Nine to One—but had no real sense of the gaps.

  Holy Lords like the Northern Palace Holy Lord had not seemed as invincible as imagined.

  Qi Liujia seemed to guess his thoughts and gave a wry smile.

  “Young Master… Derivation Six is terrifying.”

  “Without you guarding Five Phoenix, the Buddha Realm could send a single Venerable and erase us.”

  Lu gave a soft acknowledgment.

  Qi Liujia continued, “Every three Derivations is a major threshold. Between Derivation Nine, Eight, and Seven, the gaps are already enormous—but between Six and Seven, the difference is even more horrifying.”

  Lu said nothing, merely rubbing the Profound Ring.

  “Grading depends mainly on the number of dao intents inscribed on the origin…”

  “Derivation Nine requires ten dao intents—low threshold, relatively easy.”

  “Derivation Eight needs fifty.”

  “Derivation Seven requires a hundred.”

  Qi Liujia explained.

  “And Derivation Six?”

  Lu asked curiously.

  A hundred dao intents meant a hundred cultivators who had comprehended dao intent…

  Even with dao steles, that required talent and time.

  Qi Liujia inhaled deeply, solemnity in his eyes.

  “Derivation Six requires one thousand dao intents inscribed on the origin…”

  “And three third-sequence dao intents must be born. There must also be experts surpassing Tribulation realm overseeing it. Only then can it be called Derivation Six.”

  Lu’s gaze sharpened.

  Derivation Six was indeed far beyond his expectations.

  No wonder the gap between Six and Seven was described as vast.

  Third-sequence dao intents were a hard requirement.

  Lu’s thoughts raced further.

  If Derivation Six required third-sequence, then Derivation Five and Four would demand second-sequence?

  And Derivation Three, Two, One?

  Lu fell into contemplation.

  Qi Liujia was pleased to see Lu shaken by Derivation Six’s might.

  Lu was strong—he had worried Lu might grow arrogant.

  Now, with Five Phoenix as the Void Heaven’s only High Martial world, Qi Liujia believed steady, cautious growth was essential.

  They must not draw too much attention. If a supreme who had once suffered in the Void Heaven noticed them, Five Phoenix could be casually erased.

  Seeing Lu reflect seriously was good in Qi Liujia’s eyes.

  Hm?

  As Lu pondered—

  Powerful fluctuations rippled above the firmament.

  “It’s here.”

  Lu said.

  Qi Liujia’s coarse robes flapped. He looked up gravely and nodded.

  “Go receive them.”

  “I leave the grading to you. This Young Master is tired.”

  Lu waved dismissively.

  With that, he vanished in a flash of lightning, returning to White Jade Capital Pavilion.

  “Yes.”

  Qi Liujia bowed.

  Then he stepped off the island.

  He became a streak of light, landing on the blood-colored battlefield.

  Outside Five Phoenix, the misty array churned.

  It parted, revealing figures radiating brilliant Buddha-light, treasures atop their heads shielding them from the Void Heaven’s rules.

  Among them was the Joyful Venerable who had visited before.

  Still beaming, utterly amiable.

  Beside him stood another Venerable, seated on a golden lotus, forming a Buddhist seal.

  Qi Liujia rose into the sky.

  He cupped his hands slightly.

  “Sect Master Qi, this monk relayed Young Master Lu’s words to the Little Thunder Sound Buddha Realm. The Great Venerable was delighted and contacted the upper realms. He specially sent the Judicial Venerable to grade Five Phoenix.”

  The Joyful Venerable smiled.

  Qi Liujia’s gaze sharpened.

  “This is the Judicial Venerable of the Little Thunder Sound Buddha Realm, who oversees world grading.” The Joyful Venerable introduced.

  “Greetings, Judicial Venerable.” Qi Liujia bowed slightly.

  The Judicial Venerable’s face was stern, eyes slanted. He glanced coldly at Qi Liujia.

  “Where is this realm’s Holy Lord? Why does he not come to greet this monk?”

  “World grading and entry into the High Martial Records—how important is this? Yet the Holy Lord does not appear in person?”

  The Judicial Venerable’s voice boomed.

  Terrifying Venerable-level pressure erupted, making Qi Liujia’s face flush red.

  Qi Liujia’s expression darkened.

  “Young Master is occupied. He entrusted the grading to me.”

  The Judicial Venerable’s eyes grew colder.

  He swept his gaze across Five Phoenix—a High Martial born in the Void Heaven…

  In his view, this heaven filled with terrifying rules and taboos should never have birthed a High Martial world.

  The Great Venerable’s talk of equality among sentient beings was nonsense. Such a world should be destroyed.

  Any sign of the Void Heaven rising should be crushed.

  The Joyful Venerable sensed the tension and hurriedly smoothed things over.

  “Judicial Venerable, for the Great Venerable’s sake, let us not quibble over formalities… Young Master Lu surely has his reasons.”

  The Judicial Venerable slowly reined in his aura.

  “Laughable. Truly thinks itself a hegemon-level power?”

  “If not for the Great Venerable contacting the upper realms, would a mere Derivation Nine world deserve this monk’s personal visit for grading?”

  The Judicial Venerable said coldly.

  He no longer looked at Qi Liujia.

  His kasaya swirled as he sat cross-legged on the blood-colored battlefield.

  From his spatial artifact, nine jade tablets radiating sacred light and engraved with strange characters flew out.

  The moment they appeared, powerful auras surged.

  Rumble!

  The entire Void Heaven seemed to resonate.

  “These are ‘Great Path Decrees’ used to commune with the Great Path…”

  The Joyful Venerable appeared beside Qi Liujia, smiling.

  “Anyone in Five Phoenix who has comprehended dao intent will be drawn here by the decrees.”

  Qi Liujia nodded seriously.

  He had never experienced this—his previous High Martial world had collapsed before grading.

  The Judicial Venerable sat cross-legged.

  As the nine tablets appeared, vast dao intent qi rolled forth. A powerful suction force erupted, sweeping into Five Phoenix.

  …

  Lake Heart Island.

  As Lu placed a piece—

  Powerful rumbling qi surged above his head.

  The dao stele suppressing his soul trembled slightly.

  A strand of dao intent emerged, coiling around him.

  A powerful suction tried to forcibly displace him.

  Lu smiled.

  He raised a hand and pinched the void.

  Pfft!

  The Great Path’s pull on him was mercilessly severed.