BOOM!
Demonic qi surged like a black tsunami, the sheer pressure threatening to flip mountains and reverse rivers.
Black robes flapped wildly; ink-dark hair whipped across razor-sharp eyes.
One punch—slammed down!
The Northern Palace Holy Lord’s heart turned to ice in an instant!
This kid… has a special physique?!
That was his first thought.
Special physiques weren’t exactly rare in the Nine Heavens. Among countless worlds and High Martial realms, heaven-defying monsters were occasionally born with freakish constitutions.
For example, the Azure Spirit Holy Son from another Derivation Seven High Martial sacred ground possessed a physique that could casually seize and dismantle formation runes.
But that was only third-rate.
The aura exploding from the youth in front of him made every string in the Holy Lord’s body go taut.
BOOM!
Terrifying pressure rampaged outward like an ancient ferocious beast bearing down on the land.
The earth cracked; mountains crumbled!
One punch!
The fist radiance flashed like exploding stars!
A full-force strike!
The Northern Palace Holy Lord roared.
At this moment, he finally understood—this white-robed youth was absolutely not some ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator. Even if he truly was Qi Condensation, he had to be a monstrous genius from a top-tier High Martial world!
Otherwise, which Qi Condensation cultivator, upon encountering a Holy Lord, would choose to throw a heavy punch instead of running for his life?
Hum…
The Northern Palace Holy Lord was no weakling.
He was a Holy Lord of a sacred ground, above the Unity realm, second only to the highest tier of Mighty Beings—a Tribulation Realm expert!
How could he cower?
Since Lu dared to strike with everything he had, the Holy Lord dared to meet him head-on!
He had stood aboard his bronze warship and fought three Venerables without losing ground. Retreat was never an option.
Lu’s full-powered punch fused ninety-nine strands of primordial spirit force and twenty-nine hertz of chaos energy.
This was, to date, the strongest outburst Lu had ever unleashed.
Dark light surged across his fist, looking ready to collapse the void itself.
Demon Lord Lu’s expression was ice-cold, his eyes utterly emotionless.
“Qi Condensation realm…”
The Northern Palace Holy Lord’s gaze turned frigid.
To possess the strength to clash with a Tribulation Realm Holy Lord while still in Qi Condensation…
This kid’s talent was monstrous beyond belief!
What level of High Martial world did he come from?
Derivation Four? Derivation Three?
As for Derivation Two or One… the Holy Lord didn’t even dare imagine. Facing a monster from those ranks, he wouldn’t even qualify to look up.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord grew solemn. Brilliant light exploded from his armor.
Before him materialized a towering phantom of that same armor—like an impenetrable city wall forming a unique defensive barrier.
He crossed his arms for another layer of protection.
Combined with a Tribulation Realm body tempered specifically to withstand heavenly tribulations, the Holy Lord no longer feared the strike.
Even if this youth truly was a heaven’s chosen from a peak High Martial world…
There was no way a single punch could kill a Derivation Seven sacred ground Holy Lord, right?
BAM!
The fist landed.
A small, unassuming fist.
It first smashed into the armor phantom.
Pfft!
A muffled thud rang out.
The Holy Lord’s relaxed heart instantly clenched.
Because his top-grade sacred-tier armor defense… shattered like paper!
After the armor broke, the fist only accelerated, carrying some profound mystery that left the Holy Lord unable to dodge.
He could only watch as the punch slammed into his crossed arms.
Then he saw his arm bones explode, flesh and blood disintegrating…
His physical body instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist—he couldn’t control it at all!
An overwhelming, majestic, unstoppable force surged from the fist, transforming into a cataclysmic storm capable of shredding continents and detonating stars!
Pfft!
Another muffled impact, this time accompanied by the crisp crack of bones shattering.
White bone fragments mixed with blood sprayed in all directions.
BOOM!
Lu’s punch carried unstoppable momentum. After obliterating the Holy Lord’s body, it hammered the ground with inertial force.
BANG BANG BANG!
The earth rippled like a beaten carpet.
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The surface beneath the Starfall Chessboard formation began to fracture, spiderweb cracks racing outward.
Every expert trapped inside the formation stared in stunned horror.
This destructive power… this terrifying force…
This kid was horrifying!
Far away, the experts who had either escaped the chessboard early or barely made it out sucked in sharp breaths.
The scene before them was simply too shocking.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord… had been blown apart.
He got fucking one-punched!
With a single blow, a Tribulation Realm expert—the Holy Lord of the Northern Palace Sacred Ground—had his body exploded!
His flesh turned into a cloud of blood mist; white bone shards flew everywhere.
Cold sweat instantly soaked the feet of every onlooker.
What the hell was going on?!
A Qi Condensation cultivator had instantly transformed into a terrifying great demon!
“To explode a Tribulation Realm Holy Lord’s body with raw physical strength… is this a first-class special physique?! Comparable to Saint King Body or Immortal Ascension Body?!”
“Overflowing demonic qi… could it be the Ancient Demon Physique? Throughout history, the only demonic physique this strong has been the Ancient Demon!”
“Insane! Can a special physique alone achieve this?!”
The experts felt their blood run cold.
At this moment, every thought was seized by the youth’s single punch.
Even the allure of the Ancient Emperor’s tomb paled in comparison.
Blood surged.
Black demonic qi formed a vortex around the youth.
He stood expressionless, casually shaking out his fist.
In the distance, the silver Thousand Blades Chair disintegrated into countless silver blades, then rapidly reassembled behind him into a pair of silver wings—wings forged entirely from stacked blades.
Demonic qi coiled around him; silver sword-wings unfurled at his back.
He was breathtakingly magnificent, almost dazzling.
Like a young Demon Emperor standing proud.
A wretched scream echoed through the area.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord’s primordial spirit barely reformed, flickering and translucent.
His face was filled with nothing but terror and despair.
Fuck…
He, a grand Holy Lord, had been blown apart by one punch?!
How could this youth be this terrifying?
Remembering how he had mocked the boy earlier, even offering to take him as a disciple, the Holy Lord felt his cheeks burn as if slapped repeatedly.
This youth was absolutely a monster from a Derivation Four or Derivation Three High Martial world—a heaven-defying genius qualified to contend for the peak of the Great Path!
Qi Condensation realm?
Fuck your Qi Condensation realm!
It was all fake!
“Hm?”
Demon Lord Lu’s wild black hair danced as he glanced at the Holy Lord.
He actually didn’t die. Even his primordial spirit survived.
Demon Lord Lu frowned, somewhat dissatisfied. He shook his head and sighed.
As expected, the power was still too weak.
Ninety-nine strands of primordial spirit force plus twenty-nine hertz of chaos energy…
Barely acceptable.
And that was only because the Northern Palace Holy Lord had been restricted by the formation.
It merely shattered his body; it couldn’t even erase his primordial spirit.
So his full-power strike…
Was only this strong.
Meanwhile, the Northern Palace Holy Lord was trembling with lingering fear.
He had nearly been killed outright—primordial spirit annihilated.
If not for the life-saving treasure that protected his spirit, he would already be dust.
The monsters from those top-tier High Martial worlds were simply too terrifying.
“M-mercy… please spare me!”
The Holy Lord’s face was filled with panic.
He no longer dared fight. Winning or losing was secondary—if he offended the overlord sacred ground behind this monster, a lineage that had endured since ancient times, his entire Northern Palace small world might be exterminated.
Clang!
The silver wings folded back into the Thousand Blades Chair.
The black-robed youth slowly sat down.
His black robes turned white once more.
Whoosh.
The moment Lu Ping’an regained his gentle, jade-like appearance, the Northern Palace Holy Lord frantically flung out his token.
Lu raised a hand, caught it, and smiled warmly.
He didn’t strike again.
Since the Holy Lord knew when to yield, Lu would spare him.
Mainly, Lu was worried about angering the surrounding experts.
Taking their treasures and then killing them…
The other trapped experts would go berserk.
So he took the treasure and released the man—it lowered their guard.
Of course, it was also because Lu felt his full-power punch was a bit lacking.
He couldn’t instantly kill with one blow; if they all swarmed him later, it might get troublesome.
After surrendering the token, Lu opened a gap in the formation with a thought.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord panicked and tried to sweep away his shattered body’s spatial storage artifact floating in the air.
But…
Seeing the harmless-looking youth sitting calmly in his chair, the Holy Lord’s spirit shuddered.
Beneath that innocent exterior hid the heart of a devil!
He feared that if he tried to retrieve his storage ring, the youth would use it as an excuse to kill him.
After a moment of painful hesitation, he gave up.
His primordial spirit fled the formation.
Lu blinked.
The guy had abandoned even his possessions. Lu was momentarily speechless.
“You’re the one who didn’t want them. This young master never forced you.”
Lu shrugged.
Then with a beckoning gesture, he claimed the ring-shaped spatial artifact, storing it inside his own Profound Ring.
The wheelchair turned leisurely as he moved toward the other experts still isolated within the chessboard formation.
He needed more than ten tokens to relocate the entire tomb.
There was still work to do.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord’s spirit shot out, his face ashen.
Moments ago he had been a domineering god-demon; now he looked like a beaten stray dog. Utterly pathetic.
The onlookers didn’t mock him—most felt sympathy.
Running into a genius from an ancient overlord sacred ground…
He had no choice but to swallow the loss.
Seeing the Holy Lord’s miserable state, the black-robed experts turned deathly pale beneath their hoods.
In strength, they were on par with the Northern Palace Holy Lord—or even weaker.
They didn’t have spirit-protecting treasures.
One punch and they would be erased.
Facing such an overbearing monster…
Should they fight?
The tokens concerned the opportunities inside the Ancient Emperor’s tomb—could they really give them up?
Many hearts twisted in agony.
In the end, one after another, they dejectedly tossed out their tokens.
Compared to their lives, opportunities were worthless.
Opportunities you couldn’t survive to enjoy were just a cruel joke!
Of course, with so many of them present, they might not necessarily lose—but they feared the overlord sacred ground behind this first-class physique genius far more.
Thus…
Within the formation, the white-robed youth strolled leisurely. Wherever he passed, every black-robed expert flung out their token without hesitation.
The scene was strangely harmonious.
If they resisted, they’d end up like the Northern Palace Holy Lord—body exploded.
Some hesitated for a second… then threw out their spatial storage artifacts too.
Scatter wealth to preserve life!
Lu caught them all, a little dumbfounded.
These people… were oddly enthusiastic.
He almost felt embarrassed accepting so much.
Ten tokens were collected in no time—actually more than needed.
Lu dismissed the formation. The interwoven runes faded back into the void.
The experts fled, standing far away and watching him warily, hearts still racing.
Having lost their tokens, they didn’t leave.
The Ancient Emperor’s tomb was right there—who knew what treasures lay inside? Walking away now would leave them regretful for life.
So they watched from afar, waiting for the ancient gates to open.
If entry was possible without a token, they could at least take some small comfort.
That was their collective thought.
No one dared provoke the seemingly Qi Condensation youth anymore.
Qi Condensation was indeed weak—like a firefly in the night.
But…
A Qi Condensation cultivator with a first-class special physique and grandmaster-level formation skills was no firefly—he was a blazing sun!
The experts remained extremely vigilant, not daring to approach.
Lu was happy to keep the distance. He was thin-skinned; after taking their tokens and receiving so many generous “gifts” of spatial artifacts filled with riches, he felt awkward facing them.
What if they asked for their stuff back?
Would he have to kill them all?
Buzz…
[Congratulations, Host. You have collected more than ten nameless tokens. Relocation authority granted.]
The system prompt appeared in his vision.
Lu glanced at the distant experts, then fixed his gaze on the grand, weathered tomb radiating the heavy aura of ages.
Though the lack of spiritual qi made it appear dim, an irresistible pull still tugged at the soul.
There were definitely immense opportunities inside.
Lu tapped the armrest of his Thousand Blades Chair, brow slightly furrowed.
Then the frown slowly eased.
Five Phoenix was now a High Martial world too, but only just entering that stage…
He had been puzzling over how to create cultivation ruins to help Five Phoenix cultivators grow stronger.
Now this ready-made ancient tomb had solved his problem perfectly.
Of course, relocating a grave didn’t mean digging it up—that might not even work.
Legend said some supreme experts’ tombs drifted randomly through the void; some were even pulled by nine divine dragons in their coffins, wandering the heavens after death.
So Lu planned to cut away the entire region and move the tomb wholesale.
Far away, the expert perched on the ferocious bird hesitated.
He considered approaching to greet Lu and discuss opening the tomb together.
But just as he prepared to move, his expression changed.
The youth was taking action.
White robes fluttering, the youth sat calmly in his wheelchair, eyes deep as starry skies. Powerful primordial spirit force swept out, scanning the ancient tomb wave after wave.
Then he placed his fingers on the armrest and gently pushed forward.
Clang!
A crisp ring exploded outward.
The next instant—a phoenix cry pierced the heavens, flames scorching the sky.
Dazzling treasure light shot into the firmament, shaking the world!
“That… that’s… an Immortal-tier artifact?!”
The watching experts’ pupils contracted; their bodies trembled.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord’s primordial spirit turned even uglier, then infinitely relieved.
As expected—no more doubts about this youth’s identity.
Only someone who could produce an Immortal-tier artifact could possess such terrifying status.
He had to be a heaven’s chosen from a Derivation Three or even Derivation Two High Martial world.
The Holy Lord broke into cold sweat thinking about it.
Looking at that crimson treasure sword…
Its sword light was so sharp it seemed to slice the mind itself, burning away souls.
If the youth had used a sword instead of a fist earlier…
One stab would have ended him completely!
So…
Surviving had already been a stroke of luck.
Gasps of shock rose endlessly.
Seeing the Immortal-tier artifact, greed and envy flashed in many eyes.
But remembering the youth’s identity and the punch that exploded the Northern Palace Holy Lord…
They forcibly suppressed their greed.
The stronger one was, the better one had to control desire—otherwise a moment’s greed could doom their entire world.
Still, many were puzzled.
“What is this Holy Son planning?”
“Is he not going to use the tokens to open the tomb and instead plans to cut open the Ancient Emperor’s tomb with an Immortal-tier artifact?”
“So arrogant! Is he showing contempt for the Ancient Emperor?”
“Rumor has it that during the ancient war, many overlord sacred ground supremes were slain by the Ancient Emperor. Looks like that grudge… has carried over to the present day.”
Whispers spread among the crowd.
BOOM!
Lu brought two fingers together, controlling the Phoenix Feather Sword.
The sword spirit crowed proudly, radiating peerless splendor.
A clear phoenix cry seemed to tear the sky apart.
Lu rose into the air.
Then his fingers slowly traced a line toward the Ancient Emperor’s tomb.
Slash!
Terrifying sword light streaked across the barren continent, flames roaring, fire waves surging.
It blinded the experts’ eyes.
But gradually…
Many realized something was wrong.
Because as the sword light swept out…
Most of it fell outside the tomb itself, piercing straight through the ground without damaging the interior.
Like cutting a slice of cake.
Lu raised his hand, two fingers together, and drew gently through the air.
“Phoenix Feather Sword… disperse.”
Clang!
Nine Phoenix Feather Swords instantly split apart.
They transformed into nine blazing phoenixes—like nine golden crows burning the heavens.
Sword qi turned into chains, wrapping around the entire tomb.
Then, under Lu’s primordial spirit control and the sword spirit’s command—
Nine Phoenixes hauled the tomb.
BOOM!
The ancient tomb was directly severed from the continent and lifted whole!
Hiss…
Endless gasps of shock rang out.
The experts stared, utterly entranced.
They had never seen such an elegant, transcendent way to “open” an Ancient Emperor’s tomb!
Suddenly—
A beam of white light descended from the sky.
More than ten tokens floated around Lu.
Then gale-force winds erupted; white light converged into a massive pillar that enveloped Lu’s body.
BOOM!
Terrifying pressure spread outward.
The experts’ black robes flapped wildly.
Many raised hands to shield their eyes, the blinding light painful.
After a long time…
The white light faded.
The experts looked again.
On the deathly silent continent… only silence remained.
The expert on the ferocious bird stood dumbfounded.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord’s spirit flickered, nearly dissipating from shock.
Every black-robed expert wore the same stunned expression.
Before them…
Lu had vanished.
Where the magnificent palace gates once stood, where the towering wordless tombstone had pierced the clouds…
Only a perfectly smooth, bottomless black pit remained.
That colossal Ancient Emperor’s tomb in front of them…
Where the hell did it go?!
