In the void.

  Screams of rage and disbelief tore through the emptiness without pause.

  Terrifying shockwaves rippled outward like tidal surges across an endless sea.

  Far away, the fleeing wanderers nearly lost their minds. They stared at the colossal triangular cauldron suspended in the void—an artifact forged entirely from array patterns, radiating a majestic, oppressive aura.

  “That’s the Myriad Pattern Cauldron?! The weapon of the ancient Emperor Hao recorded in the old texts?!”

  The mighty one whose flesh had been stripped, now only a primordial spirit beyond the bounds of Nihility Heaven, felt his soul tremble.

  But he quickly realized the truth.

  “No… impossible. A half-crippled wreck like Qi Liuma could never wield an Emperor’s weapon!”

  “It’s a fake—an imitation woven from array patterns!”

  “Just a counterfeit!”

  The surrounding wanderers slowed their frantic escape, gaping in stunned silence at the three-legged cauldron rooted immovably in the void.

  Its three legs seemed hammered into reality itself. Even gazing upon it stung the eyes with profound mystery.

  Within the cauldron, radiant lights burst in every direction—trapped mighty experts hammering desperately against the walls, yet unable to shatter the formation.

  Qi Liuma had actually done it.

  Alone, he had sealed away the great powers of multiple high martial worlds.

  Many were speechless with shock.

  Atop the cauldron sat Qi Liuma’s mangled, blood-drenched body. His primordial spirit had been utterly extinguished, on the verge of complete dissipation.

  He had drawn upon the rules of heaven and earth, sacrificed his spirit, and woven those rules into his array to birth the Myriad Pattern Cauldron—turning it into a cage that not even mighty ones could break.

  The plan had been insane. One mistake, and he would have been doomed beyond redemption.

  Yet he succeeded.

  “What is he trying to achieve?”

  “He trapped them, yes—but he can’t kill them. Sooner or later, they’ll break free!”

  Some voices trembled with uncertainty.

  “He’s buying time for the newborn high martial world,” another answered. “He wants it to grow stronger in the fortune of its ascension, to mature and solidify.”

  “But what’s the point? Even if it reaches Ninth Tier high martial, once it loses the protection of world barriers, it won’t stand a chance against so many enraged mighty ones.”

  The fleeing wanderers halted, gazing at the towering cauldron in awe.

  Regardless, Qi Liuma had succeeded.

  His primordial spirit was gone, carved away by the rules. His body withered into a corpse.

  He sat cross-legged atop the cauldron like an ancient, mummified guardian, shrouded in the aura of death, facing the direction of the Five Phoenixes.

  Some sighed in sorrow.

  Once, Qi Liuma had been a peerless genius, radiant and proud.

  What a pity…

  His dream of forging a high martial world in Nihility Heaven had cost him everything.

  The wanderers did not linger. They knew fiercer battles were coming. To stay was to court death.

  A newly ascended high martial world was no longer something they could touch. To trespass now would be suicide.

  The void fell deathly silent.

  No more clamor.

  Only the Myriad Pattern Cauldron stood solemnly, its lone withered guardian gazing eternally toward the Five Phoenixes, as if watching clouds gather and part.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Inside the cauldron, deafening impacts resounded.

  The trapped mighty ones assaulted the walls with all their fury. Terrifying array patterns rippled in response, drawing blood from their strikes.

  Their rage burned hotter than stars.

  Beyond Nihility Heaven, the fleshless primordial spirit felt a chill of belated fear.

  He had been lucky—only his body destroyed. Had he been sealed inside that nightmare formation, his suffering would have been endless.

  “We need someone who can break this array,” he muttered to himself.

  And who could break a formation of the Six Armor Array Sect, heirs to Emperor Hao?

  Only those who inherited Qi Liuma’s Nine Secret Words—his own disciples.

  A glint flashed in the spirit’s eyes.

  “Then I’ll drag those traitorous disciples here to undo their master’s work.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  With a whisper, his primordial spirit streaked away like wind and vanished.

  …

  On the blood-colored battlefield, the crimson rain finally ceased.

  Ni Chunqiu’s red robes fluttered as she emerged from the Heaven-Covering Formation, standing amid swirling mist, gazing into the distance.

  She saw the massive three-legged cauldron looming in the void.

  All those terrifying auras from before… sealed within.

  “That senior bought us time,” she murmured. “He imprisoned the invaders for our sake.”

  Whoosh!

  Du Longyang and Ye Shoudao rose into the air beside her.

  The three had been at the Yang God Realm. Now, thanks to the ascension fortune, they stood half a step into the Primordial Spirit Unity Realm.

  Their bodies blazed with divine light, like gods and demons reborn.

  “We don’t know why he chose to shield us,” Du Longyang said gravely, “but there’s no doubt—he gave us breathing room.”

  Despite their massive leaps in cultivation, none of them felt joy.

  The pressure bearing down on them was suffocating.

  The enemies were far stronger than any had imagined.

  “The world has risen,” Ye Shoudao said coldly, his single arm swaying in the wind. “And now we’re the newcomers—targets for every predator.”

  “That’s just how this world works,” Ni Chunqiu said. “If we want respect, we grow stronger. That’s the only way.”

  Du Longyang and Ye Shoudao nodded. They understood all too well.

  “Mighty ones of high martial worlds…” Du Longyang whispered, staring at the rumbling cauldron. “Primordial Spirit Unity Realm?”

  He drew a deep breath, the weight crushing his chest.

  The three turned toward the withered figure atop the cauldron and bowed solemnly in respect.

  On the battlefield below, excitement still rippled through the ranks. Cultivators who had broken through cheered wildly.

  They were stronger now. They had the power to fight.

  Ni Chunqiu, Du Longyang, and Ye Shoudao descended and explained what Qi Liuma had done.

  The celebration quieted. A heavy dread settled over everyone.

  “No one knows how long that formation will hold,” Du Longyang said. “The moment it breaks, those enraged mighty ones will descend upon Five Phoenixes with hellfire.”

  “That will be our true tribulation.”

  Overlord, Nie Changqing, Kong Nanfei, and others opened their eyes, faces grim.

  The pressure was palpable.

  “Where is Young Master Lu?” someone asked.

  “With him here, we could hold, right? He’s so powerful…”

  The speaker was an old Heavenly Origin infant cultivator who had just broken into Yin Spirit Realm, face glowing with pride.

  Ni Chunqiu shot him a sharp glare.

  “And where do you think our fortune came from?” she snapped. “Brother Lu traded his life for it! If he’s not showing himself, he has his reasons—maybe he’s holding back something far worse!”

  Du Longyang nodded. “Young Master Lu carries burdens we can’t even imagine. Those mighty ones… they came for him.”

  “In the past, he protected us. Now, it’s our turn to protect him.”

  Silence fell across the battlefield.

  Ni Yu clutched her little fists, Little Yinglong lounging lazily on her head. She nodded fiercely, eyes shining.

  Yes! The Young Master needs protecting too!

  The scolded elder flushed with shame.

  “This old one spoke out of turn.”

  The tension eased, but the world’s transformation continued.

  No one lingered long on the battlefield.

  “Your Majesty, this general will lead the army and hold the line,” Jiang Li said, silver armor gleaming as he saluted Tantai Xuan.

  Tantai Xuan opened his mouth, hesitated—he still feared total annihilation like before—but saw the resolve in Jiang Li’s eyes and sighed.

  “Brother Jiang… if danger comes, preserve your life above all else. Only the living can fight on.”

  “Understood!”

  Jiang Li smiled.

  He turned to the Xuanwu Guards and soldiers. “Who will stand with me?”

  Weapons raised high, voices roared in unison.

  Overlord’s massive frame loomed, demonic aura swirling.

  “Where is my Xiang Family Army?!”

  Roars answered. The soldiers stepped forward, eyes burning.

  “Will you hold this battlefield with me?”

  Xu Chu swung his spiked iron ball. Zhao Zixu’s eyes were red with grief and fury—many brothers had fallen.

  Both were now at Infant Transformation, one step from Yin Spirit.

  “Then stay. Follow General Jiang’s command.”

  On the other side, Tang Xiansheng stood tall despite his age, supported by Tang Yimo.

  He gave the order. The Southern Prefecture Army would also obey Jiang Li.

  Jiang Li’s mastery of military formations could unite an army into a single unstoppable force—a strength they now desperately needed.

  The crisis had only grown darker with ascension.

  Peace was an illusion. Beneath the calm, doom loomed.

  The moment that cauldron shattered, annihilation would follow.

  “These enemies are crueler than the Five Barbarians ever were,” Tang Xiansheng said hoarsely. “This is a war of survival—against invaders from beyond the heavens. Defeat means not just death, but enslavement. Our nation destroyed, our people reduced to ash—that is the true nightmare.”

  Tantai Xuan clenched his fists, voice trembling with rage.

  “Damn it all!”

  A new fortress rose on the blood-soaked plain—walls of crimson earth singing a silent dirge of war.

  The others returned to the Five Phoenixes continent to cultivate.

  The transformed world overflowed with spiritual energy. Everyone felt the change.

  News of the returning warriors sparked joyous cheers across the land.

  The common people didn’t know the full truth. They only knew their heroes had returned alive.

  Victory.

  Overlord, Nie Changqing, and the others said nothing of the looming threat.

  There was no need to spread panic.

  In the Nine Prisons Secret Realm, many experts gathered briefly.

  Most were now beyond Infant Realm and could no longer enter.

  After circling the Dao Stele once, Overlord and the others left, crossing the vast sea to resume secluded cultivation within the immortal ruins.

  Ni Chunqiu, Du Longyang, and Ye Shoudao sat before the steles, seeking deeper comprehension of Dao Intent—the only path left to greater power.

  Tantai Xuan returned to the Great Xuan Palace to maintain order amid the world-shaking changes.

  Pressure hung over every soul like a storm cloud.

  After the horrors of the battlefield, everyone understood one truth:

  Only strength mattered.

  The ice pagoda imprisoning the Sons and Saintesses was pulled into the Five Phoenixes continent.

  Their fate as prisoners was sealed.

  …

  Within the origin space.

  Lu stared in faint surprise at the line of text appearing before his eyes.

  [Congratulations, Host—World Ascension Assessment Complete…]

  He had thought it would take much longer. Yet the moment he prepared to leave, the notification arrived.

  Why now?

  Seated in the Thousand-Blade Chair, finger tapping the armrest, countless lines danced across his pupils as he gazed outward.

  He saw it.

  In the void, array patterns linked across the heavens, forming the massive Myriad Pattern Cauldron.

  Qi Liuma had sacrificed his primordial spirit, feeding the rules into the formation, granting the cauldron power not even mighty ones could overcome.

  Every invader was sealed within.

  Qi Liuma’s spirit was annihilated. His broken body clung to life only by will, gazing toward Five Phoenixes… as if meeting Lu’s eyes across the void.

  Lu fell silent.

  Was this why the assessment passed? Because Qi Liuma had shouldered the tribulation that should have fallen upon the world?

  A long, heavy sigh escaped him.

  He didn’t fully understand Qi Liuma’s desperation.

  But Bu Nanxing had once mentioned the old man’s past—his failed attempt to forge a high martial world, his dismemberment by the rules, his origin stolen and divided, his body and spirit broken, imprisoned on a dead continent.

  Leaning back in his chair, white hair stirring in a gentle breeze that shouldn’t exist, Lu’s expression grew complex.

  Perhaps the old man had placed all his remaining hope in Five Phoenixes.

  Without it, Qi Liuma would have withered away in silence, carrying his dreams into the dust.

  The successful ascension of the Five Phoenixes origin… in some way, it had fulfilled the old man’s dying wish.

  Just as emotion stirred in Lu’s heart—

  Another line of system text rolled across his vision.

  [From the ground rises a tower ten thousand zhang tall. Congratulations, Host—Cultivation advanced to Qi Refinement Layer Six. Spiritual Energy Reserves: 1,000,000 strands…]

  The long-awaited reward he had been craving finally arrived!

  Qi Refinement Layer Six!

  A smile tugged at Lu’s lips, anticipation lighting his eyes.

  What rewards would come this time?

  But then—

  A deafening roar exploded in his mind.

  Like thunder—like a nuclear detonation within his skull.

  The system text before him began to fade, dimming into scattered motes of colorful light.

  [System Upgrading…]