On the island, a gentle breeze blew.
Yet Bu Nanxing inexplicably felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Tool people…
Had he heard that right?!
Bu Nanxing opened his mouth, then silently crushed the thought of leaving this world to continue laying low.
As expected of a senior—terrifying.
If he tried to slip away now, he’d probably be turned into a tool person on the spot.
That meaningful remark was clearly a warning!
Thus, Bu Nanxing solidified his resolve: follow the senior’s footsteps and lay low until the end of time!
Lu Fan, naturally, had no idea what was going through Bu Nanxing’s mind.
After some more conversation, Lu Fan took out the Spiritual Pressure Chessboard and began placing pieces.
Qi Liuma’s mind was entirely occupied with how to lay down formations to protect the Five Phoenixes continent from the impending crisis. The pressure was immense—his primordial spirit was damaged, making formation deployment extremely difficult.
But…
For Five Phoenixes, he had to try.
Perhaps Lu Fan had some trump card.
Still, Qi Liuma prepared for the worst. He had already tasted despair once.
He did not want Lu Fan to follow in his footsteps—that agony of shattered hope.
Qi Liuma left. Bu Nanxing, unable to remain calm in Lu Fan’s presence, departed as well.
Survival Rule #2: Never linger in front of a big shot. What if they suddenly take a dislike to you and swat you dead?
The less you appear before a big shot, the longer you live.
After the two left,
Lu Fan continued his chess game, but his primordial spirit sank into the origin space.
The vortex-shaped Five Phoenixes origin spun quietly. Compared to before, it was now vastly more powerful.
The difference between a high martial origin and a mid martial origin was not just the inscribed Grand Daos—it was a fundamental leap in strength.
As for the “Assemble” Secret Word taken from Zuo Xu, Qi Liuma had not asked about it, so Lu Fan saw no need to mention it.
Perhaps Qi Liuma had tacitly accepted that the Secret Words belonged to Lu Fan now.
After all, Lu Fan could activate them—Qi Liuma could not.
“The Nine Secret Words truly are unique. They share similarities with the array patterns in the Preaching Platform, yet seem to belong to entirely different systems.”
Lu Fan raised his hand.
The “Assemble” Secret Word appeared in his palm.
Array patterns radiated profound mystery, as though trying to devour his primordial spirit.
It clearly required activation. Lu Fan considered it, then decided against it.
He remained cautious.
The last time he activated the “Lin” Secret Word, it had drawn the attention of the ancient Emperor across the river of time—a single glance that had chilled him to the bone.
No ancient Emperor was simple.
Better to be careful.
He put away the “Assemble” word and tapped the armrest of his wheelchair.
Rolling up his sleeves, he picked up a piece and placed it on the board.
Plop.
The clear sound rang out.
Black and white qi flowed across the board.
The Go manual Heavenly Go Momentum was, with Lu Fan’s newfound primordial spirit power, beginning to feel like it had reached a bottleneck.
He had long since perfected the Yin-Yang Game.
The remaining games now seemed transparent to him.
“It seems… it’s time to upgrade Heavenly Go Momentum.”
Lu Fan leaned back comfortably.
With a thought, the Myriad Law Furnace appeared in his hand—a noble golden three-legged cauldron.
He had nearly forgotten about this tool until now.
With another thought, the furnace lid opened, releasing a profound suction.
Lu Fan condensed Heavenly Go Momentum into a book and tossed it inside.
Lines danced in his eyes as primordial spirit power surged.
He rubbed his chin, feeling something was missing.
Then he drew a wisp of chaos power and fed it into the furnace.
BOOM!
A terrifying rumble echoed.
Black tribulation clouds formed in the sky.
This was the Five Phoenixes origin reacting to the dangerous aura—an automated response, like a pre-programmed script.
Qi Liuma and Bu Nanxing, who had just left, looked up in shock.
“Tribulation clouds?”
“Young Master Lu is undergoing tribulation?”
They were stunned—they had only just left!
On Lake Heart Isle, Ni Yu, hard at work refining pills, was unfazed.
This happened so often she was used to the Young Master’s antics.
BOOM!
A crimson beam shot skyward.
The black tribulation clouds were cleaved apart.
Indeed, in front of the Young Master, Five Phoenixes’ tribulation clouds had no dignity.
The Myriad Law Furnace spun, brilliant flames burning within.
It seemed to be brewing something terrifying.
After a long while…
The lid burst open. A golden sheet of paper shot out, hovering before Lu Fan.
The upgraded Heavenly Go Momentum had transformed completely.
Still titled Heavenly Go Momentum, but the content had undergone a massive change.
“Heavenly Go Momentum… Heaven-Asking Game.”
Lu Fan inhaled deeply.
Excitement surged.
The Spiritual Pressure Chessboard floated before him.
Light flashed in his eyes. He rolled up his sleeves, picked up a white piece.
Closing his eyes, chin raised, he seemed deep in thought.
After a long moment…
He opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed.
Then he placed the piece.
BOOM!
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The single piece falling sounded like a question to the heavens.
An aura slowly spread from Lu Fan.
The Boundless Sea churned.
His spiritual energy grew slightly more refined.
…
The soldiers of the blood-colored battlefield returned.
A triumphant parade.
Jiang Li did not return, but the wounded soldiers were rotated out. Fresh troops took their place, garrisoning the blood-colored city.
The dramatic changes in Five Phoenixes had already ignited a cultivation frenzy.
Qi Liuma left Lake Heart Isle, leisurely flying over the sea.
One part of his mind pondered what formations to lay down; the other admired Five Phoenixes’ scenery.
After endless years on a dead continent, everything here felt brimming with life.
Hm?
He suddenly arrived at a certain sea region.
An origin waterfall roared.
Outside it, many cultivators sat cross-legged, spiritual qi swirling around them—none weak.
Qi Liuma even spotted Spirit Refinement cultivators.
“This is…”
His gaze passed the cultivators and fixed on the waterfall.
It seemed to separate a realm unto itself.
“Immortal ruin?”
He overheard conversations and was stunned.
Within the ruin, he sensed a familiar fluctuation.
The “Lin” Secret Word!
The power of time!
Qi Liuma’s eyes flashed with shock.
The fully activated “Lin” Secret Word?
This so-called immortal ruin must have been created by Young Master Lu.
For a moment, he stopped wandering and observed quietly.
After a while, he turned into a streak of light and entered the ruin.
The moment he did, he was utterly shaken.
The sundial overhead, the occasional glimpse of the river of time…
The altered flow of time let him feel the full might of the activated “Lin” Secret Word.
Tears welled in his eyes.
The Six Armor Array Sect… had hope of rising again!
Even if not under him, he was content.
This only strengthened his resolve to protect Five Phoenixes with formations.
The immortal ruin was a true holy land of cultivation—even Qi Liuma had to admit it.
Altered time flow alone was an immense fortune.
And within the ruin were Dao Steles for comprehending Dao Intent.
Seeing them, even a mighty one like Qi Liuma felt like a country bumpkin entering the city.
But that wasn’t what moved him most.
What truly stirred his heart…
Was meeting a certain person inside the ruin.
…
Li Sansui, robes fluttering, sat on a green stone.
With the world’s transformation, her cultivation had broken through—she had entered Infant Transformation, one step from condensing a Dao lotus and reaching Yin Spirit.
But she was in no hurry.
On the blood-colored battlefield, she had gained profound insights into formations.
She comprehended her own Dao Intent before the Dao Stele.
She had a feeling—she would soon grasp it.
An innate intuition.
Li Sansi, cloaked in black robes, stood far away, his aura restrained.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed beneath the hood—nervous.
Li Sansui’s aura began to change. Profound fluctuations rumbled around her.
The disturbance woke many cultivators.
She was about to comprehend Dao Intent.
Many smiled knowingly.
No jealousy—comprehending Dao Intent required both opportunity and talent.
Across all Five Phoenixes, only twenty-odd people had done so.
Each new one strengthened the world.
After the blood-colored battlefield, Five Phoenixes’ cultivators were united in one goal: grow stronger to face the coming crisis.
They were sensitive enough to feel the world’s ascension.
They understood—transformation brought both opportunity and danger.
They might face horrors worse than before.
But they could also become far stronger than before!
Many were curious what Li Sansui’s Dao Intent would be.
Li Sansui and Li Sansi—the twin stars of the old Philosopher Sect.
They had shone in the Hundred Schools era and continued to dazzle in the age of cultivators.
BOOM!
The origin trembled. Vast spiritual qi swirled.
Above Li Sansui’s head, a massive energy vortex formed, devouring power!
“She’s breaking through!”
“Li Sansui isn’t just comprehending Dao Intent—she’s condensing a Dao lotus and charging for Yin Spirit!”
“Insane! Isn’t she afraid of failure?”
Many exclaimed, some worried.
The risk was enormous.
Beneath Li Sansi’s hood, his gaze tightened with concern.
But when array patterns appeared…
A circular formation bloomed beneath Li Sansui, stabilizing everything.
When a spiritual qi lotus blossomed beneath her…
She successfully stepped into Yin Spirit.
And her Dao Intent appeared on the Dao Stele.
“Fourth-sequence—Everchanging Dao Intent.”
As the Dao Intent emerged, the array patterns around her grew ever more mysterious and unpredictable.
BOOM!
Everyone exhaled in relief.
Breakthrough successful, Dao Intent comprehended—perfect.
They returned to their cultivation or comprehension.
Li Sansui was satisfied.
As she stabilized her aura, two figures sped toward her.
One was Li Sansi in black robes.
The other was Luo Cheng, shy and visibly relieved.
He was glad Li Sansui had safely passed the tribulation.
Li Sansui merely nodded at Luo Cheng, who then eagerly resumed cultivating.
Suddenly—
A chill crawled up Li Sansui’s spine.
“Little girl, your talent is excellent. Would you like to study array formations with this old man?”
The voice carried delight.
“Who?!”
BOOM!
Li Sansi heard it too. Terrifying aura erupted. Vines lashed the void, on full alert.
“Oh?”
“Special physique…”
An array pattern swirled as if blown by wind.
In the next instant, Li Sansi and Li Sansui found themselves cut off from the surroundings.
An old man in coarse robes stood hunched in the distance, smiling at them.
“Special physiques are indeed rare… but I wasn’t asking you.”
Qi Liuma looked at Li Sansi as though seeing straight through his black robes.
“A mighty one!”
Li Sansi’s vines trembled—overwhelming power.
BOOM!
Qi Liuma appeared before him in an instant, a finger pressing against his brow.
Li Sansi staggered back, only to find the world had changed completely.
Li Sansui’s figure had vanished.
He was isolated by a formation.
“This formation…”
Li Sansui felt her hair stand on end. The old man’s mastery of arrays utterly crushed hers.
Qi Liuma was truly excited.
Fourth-sequence Everchanging Dao Intent—perfectly suited for arrays.
With proper guidance, she could become a grandmaster of deceptive formations!
Li Sansui recognized the old man.
On the blood-colored battlefield, she had seen him risk his life for Five Phoenixes, laying down a heaven-shaking formation to seal invading mighty ones.
“Senior!”
Li Sansui was somewhat excited.
“Will you study array formations with this old man?”
Qi Liuma asked directly, smiling.
He had taken many disciples before, but all had been forced upon him by high martial sacred grounds to steal the Nine Secret Words.
Ironic—now, when he truly wanted to take a disciple, he had none of the Nine Secret Words to offer as a greeting gift.
But if Li Sansui could inherit his mantle, that would be enough.
Five Phoenixes still faced brutal battles ahead.
When that venerable from the high martial Buddha world descended, it would be a bitter fight.
He might die.
To find a satisfactory successor before his death—to pass on his legacy—was a kind of happiness.
Li Sansui did not hesitate.
Qi Liuma had been willing to give his life for Five Phoenixes.
She had no reason to doubt such a man.
She knelt and kowtowed deeply.
Qi Liuma’s wrinkled face creased into a blooming smile. He helped her up, grinning like a flower.
…
After breaking through to Yin Spirit,
Li Sansui stabilized her cultivation in the immortal ruin.
Then she followed Qi Liuma out.
He did not immediately teach her array formations.
Instead, he brought her to the ice pagoda.
Looking at it with an odd expression, Qi Liuma recalled Lu Fan’s “tool people” comment and chuckled.
Only someone as ruthless as Young Master Lu would dare capture holy sons and saintesses from various sacred grounds and turn them into tool people.
“You just broke through. Perfect time to use some of the holy sons and saintesses inside as sparring partners.”
Qi Liuma said.
With a thought, the pagoda door opened.
The imprisoned holy sons and saintesses inside felt a glimmer of hope.
But Qi Liuma flicked his finger.
Overwhelming pressure crushed them, leaving them gasping.
The current Qi Liuma, partially recovered, was no longer the dying man they had once mocked.
“Qi Liuma?!”
The burly holy son’s eyes narrowed. Qing Ling holy son inhaled sharply.
Qi Liuma lived—the mighty ones had all failed!
Qi Liuma ignored them.
He locked onto a holy son from a Ninth Tier high martial world—weak enough to serve as Li Sansui’s practice partner.
The holy sons and saintesses felt utterly humiliated.
They—proud sons and daughters of sacred grounds—reduced to prisoners.
Now treated like livestock for training!
“We are holy sons and saintesses of sacred grounds! To humiliate us is to humiliate our sacred grounds! The Holy Lords will not forgive you! When they come, rivers of blood will flow!”
The chosen holy son roared.
Qi Liuma’s expression was cold. He slapped out.
Mighty one strength cracked the holy son’s body.
“Prisoners should act like prisoners. Otherwise… die.”
Qi Liuma said.
They were already enemies of countless sacred ground Holy Lords. He no longer cared.
With Qi Liuma overseeing, these captives could not cause trouble.
Sensing the disturbance,
Figures streaked through the sky.
Nie Changqing, Overlord, Kong Nanfei, Jing Yue, and others rushed over excitedly.
Using sacred ground holy sons and saintesses to hone their combat skills? Why not?
The captives in the ice pagoda…
Fully embraced their roles as tool people.
Bu Nanxing, hidden in the shadows, watched the humiliated holy sons and saintesses and shook his head.
How tragic.
Qi Liuma oversaw the pagoda while researching and laying down formations.
…
Lake Heart Isle.
Baiyujing Pavilion.
The new Heaven-Asking Game engrossed Lu Fan daily.
Its difficulty far surpassed the previous games—even the Yin-Yang Game paled in comparison.
In eight days, he had only placed seven or eight pieces.
His primordial spirit felt strained.
His spiritual energy compression had reached an extreme.
Lu Fan felt he had returned to his old salted fish state—playing Go, sipping wine, utterly carefree.
When bored, he brainstormed new cultivation ruins.
Sipping plum wine from his bronze cup during a break…
He suddenly remembered something.
With a thought, the token he received upon reaching Qi Refinement Layer Six appeared in his hand.
An unnamed token. Lu Fan had never figured out its purpose.
But as a reward, it had to be extraordinary.
This breakthrough had been immensely profitable.
Not to mention Five Phoenixes becoming high martial—the boost to his Indestructible Demon Body alone was joyous.
The only mystery was this token.
Rusted iron, utterly ordinary.
Lu Fan frowned. He hadn’t examined it closely before.
Now, upon careful inspection, he discovered it was like a bottomless pit—frantically devouring spiritual energy.
Was this how to activate it?
Light flashed in Lu Fan’s eyes.
He gripped the token and began pouring spiritual energy into it.
He wanted to see what made this reward special.
Hum…
But as more spiritual energy flowed in, Lu Fan’s expression gradually darkened.
Ten strands, one hundred, one thousand…
Ten thousand, one hundred thousand!
The token was insatiable. As it absorbed more, the rust evaporated, faint light and strange fluctuations spreading.
Lu Fan’s mouth twitched…
Was this thing going to drain him dry?
When one million strands had been devoured…
BOOM!
An explosion rang in Lu Fan’s mind.
Gray-white qi burst from the token, heavy enough to collapse the void.
The gray-white qi enveloped Lu Fan.
In an instant, the world spun. Stars shifted.
Terrifying tearing force threatened to shred his body.
Above Baiyujing Pavilion…
BOOM…
After a deafening roar,
Lu Fan—chair and all—vanished completely.
On Buzhou Peak.
Zhulong, bathing in yin-yang energy, trembled. Her long lashes quivered.
She suddenly opened her eyes uncontrollably.
Left eye black, right eye white—nearly crushing the void.
“Father’s aura… disappeared?!”
Zhulong was shocked.
Above the Boundless Sea.
Qi Liuma, deep in thought designing formations, suddenly paled.
He snapped his eyes open. Terrifying aura erupted.
The surrounding sea exploded into towering waves.
The formation he was designing shattered.
“Young Master Lu’s aura disappeared?!”
“Where did Young Master Lu go?!”
Qi Liuma’s aged face filled with horror and panic.
His heart felt clenched by an invisible hand!
His coarse robes flapped as he shot into the sky.
He stood at the pinnacle of Five Phoenixes’ heavens, gazing in all directions.
BOOM!
An aura of collapsing heaven and earth spread.
He raised two fingers. Array patterns wrapped them as he wiped his eyes.
The next moment, the scene before him turned his face ashen.
Outside Five Phoenixes, the world’s protective barrier…
Like a peeling eggshell, was rapidly flaking and crumbling!
