Black and white pieces lay distinctly across the board like a vast starry sky, each one containing boundless mysteries.

  Bu Nanxing sat obediently, staring at the game.

  For a moment he was lost, his mind sucked into an endless vortex, spinning helplessly.

  Clack.

  The sound of a piece hitting the board shattered the illusion. Bu Nanxing jolted awake, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

  This game… was too strange.

  The overwhelming aura of origin, plus the images of the origin space that kept surfacing on the board, made one thing crystal clear: the true lord of this plane was the white-robed youth sitting across from him.

  Low-key, otherworldly, peerless.

  Those were the words that flashed through Bu Nanxing’s mind.

  A bitter taste filled his mouth.

  He really was the most pitiful man alive.

  Why was the outside world so terrifying? He should never have listened to that dead old holy lord and come to this deadly Nihility Heaven.

  He had survived cautiously for countless years, yet the moment he arrived, he ran straight into the greatest crisis of his life.

  In truth, his original plan had been flawless.

  Hide on the Golden Body Continent, keep his head down, watch the tigers fight from the mountain, then wait for a high-martial origin to be born.

  Snatch it if possible; run if not.

  Perfect logic.

  But who could have foreseen that his ultimate hiding spot would place him right in front of the most horrifying plane lord imaginable?

  After seeing Du Longyang, the Empress, and the rest step into Out-of-Body realm, he finally understood just how terrifying this world’s master truly was.

  Damn it!

  Bu Nanxing kept his obedient smile plastered on his face while cursing himself viciously inside, mentally slapping himself hard.

  This was, without a doubt, the worst hiding attempt of his entire life.

  “Your move.”

  The white-robed youth propped his chin on one hand, calm as ever, and spoke.

  “Right away, senior…”

  Bu Nanxing hurriedly picked up a piece.

  To survive, he was putting every ounce of effort into this game.

  “A holy son from a high-martial world?”

  Lu Ping’an asked casually as they played.

  “I wouldn’t dare call myself a holy son. I’m just an ordinary seeker on the long road to immortality.”

  Bu Nanxing chose his words carefully.

  His personal “Guide to Survival” had a clear rule: never show off in front of the strong.

  “You’re not from the Nihility Heaven?”

  Lu Ping’an continued.

  Bu Nanxing gave a light cough. “The Nihility Heaven is a wonderful place—beautiful mountains, clear waters, outstanding people…”

  Huh?

  Lu Ping’an frowned at the nonsense.

  Seeing the shift in expression, Bu Nanxing immediately changed tack. “Senior truly sees through everything. Indeed, I am not from the Nihility Heaven. I come from the Southern Mountain Little World—a humble Yan-Nine high-martial world.”

  Lu Ping’an nodded slightly. Qi Liujia had once explained the grading system of high-martial worlds to him.

  “Tell me about the Nihility Heaven.”

  Lu Ping’an said.

  He was curious. It was rare to meet someone so terrified of dying; a little pressure and the man would spill everything he wanted to know.

  His fingers gently stroked the guard of the Phoenix Feather Sword.

  Bu Nanxing, sitting ever so obediently, felt his pupils contract.

  That gleam on the Phoenix Feather Sword…

  A semi-saint-tier artifact!

  And there were many such gleams…

  Weapons with identical auras could clearly combine.

  Once combined, it would surely become an extraordinary saint-tier artifact!

  Terrifying!

  “In the records of the Southern Mountain Holy Land,” Bu Nanxing began, “the Nihility Heaven once saw a war between Ancient Emperors. The battle shattered its rules and even buried Ancient Emperors. It is a forbidden land.”

  “A forbidden land?”

  Lu Ping’an raised a brow.

  “The ancient Nihility Heaven was enormous—truly vast. But after the Emperor war, it shrank many times over. Now it is the smallest of the Nine Heavens.”

  “Because the heavenly laws are tangled and broken, primordial spirits are restricted, and mighty beings cannot enter. Birthing a high-martial world has become nearly impossible.”

  “Countless worlds exist within the Nihility Heaven, but most are mid or low-martial. The only one with a real chance of ascending to high-martial is the world you control, senior… You are simply too strong.”

  As he spoke, Bu Nanxing’s survival instincts kicked in, and he began openly flattering.

  Lu Ping’an’s expression remained unchanged, but he caught a key phrase.

  “Nine Heavens?”

  Bu Nanxing blinked, surprised that even this was unknown.

  “I don’t know the exact details of the Nine Heavens, but according to the Southern Mountain Holy Land’s ancient records, legend says nine supreme experts created them. The exact ranking rules are unclear.”

  “However, there is no doubt that the Nihility Heaven ranks dead last—because it has no high-martial worlds and cannot birth any.”

  “Once, someone in the Nihility Heaven tried to construct a high-martial world and nearly succeeded… but it ultimately collapsed, and the high-martial origin was carved up and taken by others as fortune.”

  “That person, senior, you should know. He is currently outside your world—Qi Liujia.”

  “Qi Liujia?”

  A flicker passed through Lu Ping’an’s eyes.

  No wonder Qi Liujia always insisted success was impossible.

  He had failed once before.

  “Do you think a high-martial world can truly be created?”

  Lu Ping’an dropped a piece and looked at Bu Nanxing.

  Bu Nanxing took a deep breath and met Lu Ping’an’s gaze solemnly. As an extremely cautious old survivor, he sensed something extraordinary in this youth.

  Could it succeed?

  “I dare say, senior, you have the greatest chance of anyone…”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Bu Nanxing answered.

  “But the odds are still very low. The chance of failure is enormous. Qi Liujia took a different path—he first left the Nihility Heaven, achieved mighty being status in another heaven, then returned to build a high-martial world.”

  “He failed in the end, was exiled into the void, his flesh and primordial spirit severed.”

  “Yet… I believe senior may succeed precisely because you never left the Nihility Heaven. Instead, you achieved mighty being status within it!”

  “That is the biggest difference.”

  Bu Nanxing flattered first, truth second.

  Lu Ping’an glanced at him in mild surprise. The man actually had some insight.

  Still, even Bu Nanxing remained pessimistic about the Five Phoenixes.

  Clearly, ascending to high-martial was fraught with difficulty.

  “You’re right. Becoming high-martial is no easy feat, and far too many wolves are circling outside, waiting to steal the peach.”

  Lu Ping’an smiled.

  “Everyone wants to pluck the fruit I’ve grown.”

  “And I, Lu Ping’an, hate it most when people try to steal my peaches.”

  He finished speaking, then lifted his head.

  Seated upon the Thousand Blade Chair, white robes fluttering, hair dancing in the wind.

  He gazed into the distance and smiled.

  “It’s about time…”

  Leaning back against the chair, he slowly closed his eyes.

  The wind rose.

  A cold wind swept across the mountain peak, moaning like mourning souls.

  Bu Nanxing maintained his obedient posture, not daring to breathe loudly.

  After a long while, he glanced at Lu Ping’an.

  Seeing the youth’s eyes closed and aura completely vanished, hesitation and temptation stirred within him.

  Should he make a run for it?

  He seems asleep… This is my chance!

  His mind warred endlessly.

  Then he took a deep breath, chest rising, and slowly, carefully began to stand.

  Suddenly—

  The closed-eyed Lu Ping’an opened his eyes.

  Sharp as white lightning slicing through darkness!

  Dong!

  Bu Nanxing’s legs buckled instantly. He dropped straight back down, kneeling solidly.

  Lu Ping’an paid him no attention.

  In those deep eyes, countless lines danced, intertwining like principles and dao.

  He raised his hand.

  Beneath the white sleeve, his palm turned warm jade.

  Slowly, he brought it down toward the chessboard.

  BOOM!

  Bu Nanxing, still kneeling, looked up—the sky above the Golden Body Continent had changed.

  Terrifying pressure swept in…

  Heavenly might. A tribulation seemed imminent!

  A thought struck Bu Nanxing, and his pupils shrank.

  Could it be…

  They were about to attempt ascension to high-martial?!

  Above the spiritual pressure chessboard…

  An image of the origin appeared.

  Atop the swirling origin vortex floated three origin stars—one smaller star nestled among them, maintaining a strange balance and stillness.

  BOOM!

  Lu Ping’an’s outstretched hand was like the hand of an immortal descending into the vortex.

  As though he intended to stir it into motion!

  Bu Nanxing’s face turned the color of a black pot’s bottom.

  Forcing the origin to spin, pushing a mid-martial origin toward high-martial…

  Could we not drag him into something this thrilling and deadly?!

  He just wanted to live a quiet, ordinary life and survive forever!

  …

  The entire firmament fell deathly silent.

  The maiden was a living painting—peerless elegance, one eye black, one eye white.

  The massive yin-yang millstone ground down; two Out-of-Body experts were instantly crippled, their bodies shattered!

  What overwhelming might!

  On the blood-colored battlefield, the Five Phoenixes cultivators sucked in sharp breaths.

  The next moment, earth-shaking cheers erupted!

  Morale soared to the heavens!

  Too strong!

  Too domineering!

  Back then on Buzhou Peak, Zhulong had slaughtered countless Infant Transformation experts. Now, after ten years of training in the immortal ruins, the former infant-slayer… was she about to become a yang-god slayer?

  With cultivation now widespread, everyone knew of the Three God Realms above Infant Transformation.

  Even cultivators from the Tian Yuan domain had adopted this system.

  Every Out-of-Body expert present was shaken to the core!

  “That’s a divine ability!”

  “Damn it… a monster who comprehended a divine ability actually appeared in the Nihility Heaven?!”

  “How is this possible? The heavenly laws should never allow it!”

  The previously confident Out-of-Body experts were stunned.

  Divine ability!

  Those two words alone inspired dread.

  Even the holy sons and maidens of their sacred lands had never touched anything related to divine abilities.

  Only the top Yan-One or Yan-Two high-martial worlds could possibly produce such a monster!

  In the distance, the holy sons and maidens of various sacred lands stood frozen like statues.

  The moment the divine ability appeared, they were utterly lost.

  The golden boy and jade girl riding the immortal crane shrieked, “Impossible! How can a mid-martial world birth a monster with a divine ability?!”

  Many grew mad with envy.

  “Where are the rules? Where are the heavenly laws?!”

  Holy Son Qingling’s expression was complicated as he turned toward the Five Phoenixes shrouded in the Heaven-Covering Formation.

  This was truly a miraculous world.

  The burly man atop his ferocious bird inhaled deeply.

  The wanderers who had come only to watch the show fell into stunned silence.

  Staring at the girl with one black eye and one white, the colossal yin-yang millstone grinding the void, their bodies began trembling uncontrollably.

  Even the wanderer clad in flaming armor and the snake-tongued beauty were left with nothing but terror.

  Suddenly they felt almost grateful toward Qi Liujia.

  If not for his deadly killing formations, they wanderers would probably all be dead by now—without even a chance to flee.

  “She truly comprehended a divine ability… This woman must be the plane lord!”

  After recovering, the armored man spoke icily.

  “Capture her!”

  Mad fervor colored his voice.

  He had found his path to survival!

  A genius who grasped a divine ability—if captured and brought back to the holy land, it would more than redeem his sins.

  If the Holy Lord Beigong could strip her divine ability, not only would he escape punishment, he might even be rewarded!

  Compared to a divine ability, Holy Son Beigong’s death suddenly seemed insignificant!

  Behind the burly man on the ferocious bird, a powerful aura erupted.

  A figure emerged from the darkness.

  “You…”

  The holy son turned, stunned that his protector—who had only been watching—was finally acting.

  Because of the divine ability?

  BOOM!

  Without explanation, the powerful Out-of-Body expert strode forward.

  Terrifying aura surged; lightning arcs crackled around him.

  The armored man’s expression shifted at the sight.

  Even the protectors of Holy Son Qingling and the golden boy and jade girl—who had been holding back—now moved.

  Their goal was the same as the armored man’s: capture Zhulong!

  A monster with a divine ability—even if they couldn’t subdue her, delivering her to a holy lord to strip the ability would be a supreme merit!

  Every single Out-of-Body expert sprang into action.

  If earlier they had attacked under threat, this time they moved willingly!

  One after another, spiritual senses burst from their heads like blazing suns, weaving a terrifying net of pressure.

  The armored man struck as well!

  On the blood-colored battlefield, the cheers died abruptly.

  No one had expected the situation to reverse so dramatically—Zhulong crushing two yang-god experts had instead provoked an even fiercer response.

  The Azure Dragon, still coughing blood, paled.

  Even the lazy little dragon perched on Ni Yu’s head straightened, no longer idle.

  They both sensed Big Sister was in danger!

  ROAR!

  The Azure Dragon bellowed in fury, transforming into his true dragon body and soaring skyward.

  Big Sister had always shielded him from the wind and rain—but when she couldn’t hold any longer, how could he hide behind her?!

  The little dragon shot forward with a mighty roar.

  His body swelled to mountain size, dark-gold wings flapped, and his scales radiated crushing pressure.

  “Damn it! Bullying Brother Lu’s little darling!”

  The Empress raged.

  Red robes flared, the ancient bell fragment hovering above her head. Ignoring her wounds, she charged!

  Du Longyang and Ye Shoudao followed without hesitation.

  This battle—they would not retreat!

  Even Young Master Tianxu laughed wildly.

  At the peak of Yin God realm, watching the three charge out ignited his heroic spirit.

  He shattered his wooden sword box; countless small swords swirled around him.

  He too rushed into the outer battlefield, clashing against an Out-of-Body expert. In an instant he was drenched in blood, yet he refused to yield!

  The energy around him swelled dramatically!

  Today—he would step into Yang God realm!

  BOOM!

  It was as if the heavens themselves were being torn apart!

  Dozens of Out-of-Body experts blazed like suns, dazzling and blinding.

  Each unleashed the supreme techniques of their worlds, shaking the void.

  Lu Jiulian grew solemn under the immense pressure.

  He exhaled sharply; bones cracked like firecrackers. His spine arched like a dragon forged of gold.

  Lotuses bloomed around him; above his head, a radiant yang god emerged.

  “Fight!”

  He clenched his fists and pushed forward, single-handedly blocking five Out-of-Body experts charging at Zhulong.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  Each lotus was condensed from ultimate energy, power utilized to near perfection.

  His strikes were devastating.

  Shockingly, the five experts could not overwhelm him and were held at bay.

  They stared in horror. This man was also a heaven-defying genius, yet compared to Zhulong who wielded a divine ability, he fell short. Their true prize was the girl.

  The protector from the Yan-Seven high-martial world—the one seated on the ferocious bird—was extraordinarily strong. Lightning writhed around him.

  He charged straight at Zhulong, throwing a punch woven from terrifying energy.

  Many gasped—at least a sixth or seventh-layer Out-of-Body expert!

  Far stronger than the armored man or the other Yan-Seven protectors!

  Those lightning arcs looked capable of shattering anything!

  Zhulong stood in the void, peerless and magnificent, hair dancing, yin-yang eyes swirling.

  Her gaze swept across.

  The black-and-white millstone descended.

  It instantly engulfed the lightning-clad expert.

  Da-da-da-da!

  Explosions rang endlessly.

  Yet the lightning formed armor. Though blood trickled from his mouth, he withstood the divine ability!

  A hunter’s grin spread across his face.

  Like thunder itself, he closed in on Zhulong.

  Her hair flew wildly.

  Her yin-yang eyes blazed brighter.

  BOOM!

  The next instant—she transformed into her Candle Dragon form!

  Her terrifying tail whipped out!

  CRACK!

  The lightning armor shattered. The expert’s body nearly exploded as he was hurled backward!

  “A heavenly dragon species?!”

  Uproar exploded through the void.

  No one had expected the girl with the divine ability to be a sacred beast!

  This only inflamed their greed further!

  If she was a sacred beast, capturing her would serve even more purposes!

  ROAR!

  The little dragon and Azure Dragon charged together.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  Attacks detonated!

  This time the Azure Dragon truly bled across the sky, scales shattering.

  Yet to his shock, the usually lazy little glutton was holding his own!

  Roaring, he unleashed sonic waves of terrifying power.

  Origin energy surged through him; his entire body became an indestructible weapon. He fought an Out-of-Body expert to a standstill!

  The Azure Dragon was dumbfounded!

  The little dragon who spent all day lounging in the origin lake was this strong?

  He could grow stronger just by lying around?!

  Still, many Out-of-Body experts broke through the defenses and closed in on Zhulong.

  In an instant she was surrounded by over a dozen of them—including high-layer experts like the armored man and the lightning warrior.

  The yin-yang millstone ground relentlessly.

  Even Zhulong began to struggle.

  On the blood-colored battlefield…

  Li Sansi, wrapped in black robes, stirred. Vines whipped out around him.

  Roars of fury seemed to echo.

  Finally—it was his turn. Finally he could protect her.

  But just as he prepared to move…

  BOOM…

  An overwhelming, suffocating pressure swept over everything.

  His body froze.

  He looked up.

  In the void…

  Unnoticed until now, a colossal chessboard had descended from the heavens.

  Its lines formed a starry map; black and white pieces embodied yin and yang!

  Every cultivator on the Five Phoenixes side trembled.

  The next instant—boundless ecstasy surged through them!

  This was…

  Young Master Lu’s chessboard!