The Void Heaven fell into a deathly silence.
Three swords had slain a Venerable from the High Martial Buddha Realm.
Everyone stood frozen.
Blood turned into a crimson rain, sprinkling through the void.
The Venerable’s blood contained boundless energy. As it scattered, thunderous booms rang out like a mournful dirge.
Qi Liujia stared blankly, forgetting to react.
The metallic tang of blood filled the air; droplets stung his cheeks like needles. For a moment, he couldn’t process it.
A Venerable from the High Martial Buddha Realm…
A Tribulation Realm Mighty Being—dead?!
When realization hit, horror flooded him.
He looked at the black-robed Lu standing in the void, silver blades forming dazzling sword-wings behind him, and felt as though lightning had struck his body.
No wonder Lu had always been so calm.
Everything… had been under Young Master Lu’s control from the start.
Qi Liujia felt as though he were dreaming.
He recalled every encounter in this region.
The first time he saw Lu—struggling to fuse origins in the Origin Space, merging a weaker origin into a stronger one. It had shocked him.
The second—Lu silently shattering his earth clone with mere presence, revealing strength no weaker than a Mighty Being. Another shock.
Then the shocking things Lu did only snowballed.
From beginning to end… Qi Liujia had never truly understood Lu.
He had thought the descending Buddha Realm Venerable would be a terrifying enemy.
Yet in the end… three swords had shattered the Venerable’s golden body.
At that moment, Qi Liujia suddenly felt an immense weight lift from his shoulders.
The pressure that had clogged every pore was released.
So Young Master Lu’s own strength… had always been his trump card.
Rumble!
Far away—
The Black-White Holy Lord, locked in combat with Tuoba Holy Lord, froze.
He stared in disbelief at the Venerable whose body had been cleaved apart by a single slash.
A mighty Venerable… defeated?
“This… how is this possible?”
Cold dread crawled up his spine.
He wasn’t stupid.
Connecting the Northern Palace Holy Lord’s strange behavior and Tuoba’s betrayal, he understood.
Both had witnessed this youth’s terror firsthand.
The Northern Palace Holy Lord’s exploded body… had likely been this youth’s doing!
“Damn it…”
The Black-White Holy Lord’s gaze sharpened. He shot Tuoba a venomous look.
The next instant, he turned and landed on his immortal crane’s back.
“Run!”
The moment the Venerable’s body shattered, ice flooded his veins—he smelled death.
“As expected…”
Tuoba Holy Lord watched the shocking scene.
A Venerable Buddha’s golden body destroyed—this was indeed impactful.
Demons slaying Buddhas was only natural?
Tuoba gave a wry smile.
Buddha arts did counter demons, but before such an overwhelmingly powerful special physique, that suppression meant nothing.
Even Tuoba knew he would fare poorly against Lu.
With an immortal-tier artifact in hand, cross-realm combat was trivial—and Lu hadn’t even used his full strength.
He had not yet unleashed the mysterious power that obliterated the Northern Palace Holy Lord with one punch.
The Black-White Holy Lord wanted to flee.
Tuoba did not stop him.
But…
A calm voice drifted over, freezing Tuoba’s expression.
“Trying to run?”
“Do you think Five Phoenix is a place you can come and go as you please?”
The black-robed youth’s wild hair danced. His eyes gleamed like stars.
His words rang like struck iron.
Tuoba inhaled deeply.
He… wasn’t letting him leave either?
Why?
Then Tuoba remembered—because the Black-White Holy Lord had argued with Lu earlier.
Was he holding a grudge over something so small?
What a petty heart…
Tuoba’s mouth twitched.
But to kill a Venerable and then pursue a Holy Lord…
Too domineering!
Boom!
In the void—
The Buddha Realm Venerable roared in fury. His golden body exploded, countless rays of Buddha-light forming an energy storm.
A wisp of golden primordial spirit fled.
Within it, a lamp protected him.
The moment it emerged, it shot away.
Demon Lord Lu’s hair whipped wildly. His silver wings flapped.
Like lightning, he pursued.
He reached out, palm closing around the Venerable’s spirit.
Buzz…
The lamp trembled, releasing a terrifying rebound force.
“That is a Buddha Realm protective measure… Be careful—it may backlash against your own spirit.”
Tuoba warned.
Demon Lord Lu glanced at him coldly.
In Demon Lord form, Lu was ice-cold.
He heard the warning but ignored it.
As for the fleeing Black-White Holy Lord—Tuoba acted.
A shrill whistle.
His ferocious bird spread its wings like a great peng and shot forth.
Pfft!
Sharp talons tore through the immortal crane, drawing a mournful cry.
“Tuoba! You would hunt me to the death?!”
The Black-White Holy Lord roared.
Wuuu—!
A phoenix cry resounded.
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The Phoenix Feather Sword streaked across the sky, a crimson beam stained with black demonic qi.
The Black-White Holy Lord’s heart shook.
He commanded his crane to transform into sword light and meet the Phoenix Feather Sword.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed endlessly. The crane-sword was cleaved in two.
The Black-White Holy Lord’s heart bled—this was his sacred ground’s guardian beast, a rare Distraction realm spirit beast, the face of Black-White Sacred Ground!
Yet now it was dead!
But greater terror gripped him.
An immortal-tier artifact—too powerful!
He could not block it.
If he stayed, he would end up like that bald donkey.
He wanted to flee, but Tuoba refused to let him.
The two clashed fiercely in the void, true killing intent ignited.
As for Lu—
His palm closed around the Buddha Realm Venerable’s primordial spirit.
The lamp released strange fluctuations—a primordial spirit attack aimed to shatter Lu’s own spirit.
Demon Lord Lu remained cold.
Ninety-nine strands of primordial spirit force erupted.
An even more terrifying storm countered.
A wretched scream tore through the void—the Venerable’s spirit suffered devastating damage.
Lu’s palm contained chaos energy.
The lamp was forcibly extinguished.
The wisp of spirit was seized.
“Buddha speaks of karma. Your retribution… is me.”
Demon Lord Lu said coolly.
The next instant—
Two fingers pinched down.
Pfft!
A Venerable’s primordial spirit shattered!
It turned into surging soul energy that scattered.
Lu did not waste it. With a sweep of his sleeve, he directed it toward Five Phoenix—a great nourishment for its cultivators’ souls.
Thus—
The Buddha Realm Venerable whose karma had entangled Lu since the Tianyuan domain…
Was no more.
It fulfilled his own prophecy: the day Five Phoenix became High Martial would be the day of annihilation.
Only the one annihilated was the Venerable himself.
Demon Lord Lu acted as though he had done something trivial.
And indeed, it was.
From the beginning, Lu had been waiting for this Venerable to descend, waiting to resolve the trouble.
Now the trouble was gone.
His gaze shifted. Silver wings unfurled like a great peng.
Holding the Phoenix Feather Sword, he walked step by step through the void.
Far away—
Azure Spirit Holy Lord, hiding in his spirit boat, held his breath.
This… was a ruthless man.
No wonder Tuoba had switched sides mid-battle. Ruthless and formidable—this youth was someone to be reckoned with.
Azure Spirit Holy Lord’s eyes flickered.
The Void Heaven had been in decline for countless ages—a ruined corner of the Nine Heavens.
Yet from such a broken place had emerged this figure.
In sheer presence, he rivaled the heaven’s chosen of top-tier High Martial worlds.
There had to be a terrifying backer behind him.
What powerhouses did the Void Heaven hold?
Azure Spirit Holy Lord’s pupils contracted.
He recalled ancient records in his sacred ground.
The Void Heaven had once buried an Ancient Emperor. Countless supreme beings had fallen here.
Perhaps…
This youth was backed by the Ancient Emperor—or someone of that level?
The thought sent chills down his spine.
Lu glanced at him.
Azure Spirit Holy Lord immediately offered a polite, elegant smile.
This man… could not be offended.
BOOM!
Tuoba Holy Lord’s blood and qi soared. His halberd swept with the momentum of ten thousand soldiers.
The Black-White Holy Lord was beaten back step by step.
When Demon Lord Lu’s overwhelming demonic aura rolled over like a tidal wave—
The Black-White Holy Lord’s heart trembled.
“Tuoba… you will die a horrible death!”
He roared.
He flung out a white sword—the black one had been lost with his wife’s death in Five Phoenix.
In desperation, he detonated the white sword.
A top-grade sacred-tier artifact exploded, forming a terrifying storm that threatened to tear the void apart.
The Black-White Holy Lord seized the chance to flee.
Yet—
Countless silver beams swept forth like great peng wings unfurling.
Sword qi blocked the explosion’s energy.
A flaming crimson sword descended from the heavens.
Pfft!
The Black-White Holy Lord’s body was pierced clean through, nailed into the void.
Pinned to a dead, frozen continent.
He coughed blood endlessly, dyeing the barren land red. Rich vitality spread from his blood into the void.
Despair filled him.
He could not escape.
Tuoba Holy Lord, seated on his bird, sighed but said nothing.
What could he say?
Stop Lu from killing the Black-White Holy Lord?
Given their enmity, he could not play the good guy.
Moreover, he feared speaking up would earn Lu’s grudge.
This youth… held grudges the size of dust motes.
The surrounding wanderers were already terrified beyond words.
They had witnessed a horrifying scene.
A Venerable fallen. A Holy Lord pierced and pinned to a dead continent.
What presence!
The Void Heaven had birthed such a monster?!
Lu walked step by step.
He landed on the frozen continent.
The Black-White Holy Lord, impaled by the Phoenix Feather Sword, trembled violently. Staring up at Lu, fear filled his eyes.
He wanted to beg for mercy but found no words.
Demon Lord Lu gazed down at him calmly.
Their eyes met.
The Black-White Holy Lord, nailed to the ground, looked up without blinking.
Tears of humiliation welled in his eyes.
Kill him if you must—why this humiliation?!
Rage and hatred flashed in his gaze!
If he ever got the chance, he would personally behead this youth and slaughter every soul in this newborn High Martial world!
Yet the next moment, a calm voice sounded in his ear.
“I see hatred in your eyes.”
You…
The Black-White Holy Lord spat blood in fury.
Before he could curse—
A silver beam flashed across his brow.
His primordial spirit was pierced and nailed into the void.
In the Void Heaven—
Rules like blades descended.
The Black-White Holy Lord’s spirit wailed in agony as the rules flayed and incinerated it.
His body slumped lifeless on the frozen land, eyes still wide with unwillingness.
Tuoba and Azure Spirit Holy Lords felt a chill.
This was the terrifying rule power of the Void Heaven—blades that cut primordial spirits.
The Black-White Holy Lord was dead. The Buddha Realm Venerable was dead…
A grand invasion had ended like this.
No one could restrain this High Martial world of the Void Heaven any longer.
The silver blades folded back into the Thousand Blades Chair.
The black-robed Demon Lord slowly sat.
Demonic qi receded, black robes turning white once more.
He tied his hair with a jade crown, securing it with the small jade sword.
Lu leaned back in his chair, face gentle and harmless once again.
“Tuoba Cang of the Tuoba small world, Pingyang Heaven.”
Tuoba Holy Lord cupped his fists from atop his bird.
“Thank you both for your assistance. Lu Ping’an of the Five Phoenix small world, Void Heaven.”
Lu smiled warmly.
The refined young master—where was the ferocity that had slain a Venerable and a Holy Lord?
“Hua Qingyun of the Azure Spirit small world, Pingyang Heaven.”
Azure Spirit Holy Lord smiled amicably from his spirit boat and bowed.
The tense atmosphere instantly dissolved.
Lu held no ill will toward Azure Spirit Holy Lord—he had only watched from the sidelines and never attacked.
Lu nodded slightly.
Then he beckoned.
Qi Liujia flew over quickly, body trembling.
Tears nearly fell from his aged eyes.
He had heard Lu’s introduction.
Void Heaven, Five Phoenix small world, Lu Ping’an…
All emotions surged within him.
Finally, one day, the Void Heaven could speak as equals with powerhouses from the other heavens.
“Old Qi, entertain our two Holy Lord guests. I have urgent matters.”
Lu said.
“Yes.”
Qi Liujia bowed.
Only then did he remember—the ancient tomb from the Ancient Emperor’s era had just opened.
Lu’s urgent matter was surely dealing with the tomb.
A tomb of that level held both crisis and opportunity.
After giving instructions, Lu nodded to Tuoba and Azure Spirit once more.
Then lightning flashed. White robes fluttered as he vanished into Five Phoenix.
Qi Liujia wiped his tears and turned to the two Holy Lords.
“Holy Lords, I am Qi Liujia. By Young Master’s command, I shall receive you.”
As Five Phoenix’s only Mighty Being, he was its face.
He spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.
“Sect Master Qi, we are old acquaintances—no need for formality.”
Tuoba and Azure Spirit smiled.
Qi Liujia’s name was no small thing in Pingyang Heaven.
“Please.”
Qi Liujia stepped aside. The grand formation outside Five Phoenix rumbled and opened a staircase of clouds.
Tuoba laughed heartily. His bird shrank into an eagle that perched on his shoulder. Hands behind his back, he strode boldly into Five Phoenix.
He was quite curious about the newborn High Martial world of the Void Heaven.
Azure Spirit Holy Lord stored his spirit boat and followed.
As soon as they entered—
Tuoba’s gaze locked.
He stared toward the vast sea—where a towering wordless stele pierced the heavens.
“This… this is…”
Tuoba trembled.
The Ancient Emperor’s tomb… was here?
And judging by the soaring qi and radiant lights—it had opened?!
…
Pingyang Heaven.
Little Thunder Sound Buddha Realm.
Countless Buddhist temples stretched for tens of thousands of li—golden and resplendent, divine light blazing.
Suddenly—
One temple exploded. Sarira shot into the sky, cracking.
In the central pagoda—
A colossal Buddha shadow emerged.
With a gesture, the shattered sarira flew to it.
Buzz…
Strange fluctuations emanated from the broken sarira.
An image appeared.
A youth wreathed in demonic qi, silver wings at his back, one slash—and the Venerable Buddha fell.
Then the colossal Buddha shadow seemed to gaze across eternity.
Void Heaven.
Rumble!
The entire Void Heaven trembled.
Beyond the heavens, a sky-blotting Buddha shadow descended, as though to envelop the whole realm.
Yet just as its foot was about to step in—
A corner of the Void Heaven cracked open.
The colossal Buddha shadow looked into that crack.
Its solemn face twisted with terror.
It hastily withdrew its foot, pressed palms together, chanted “Amitabha,” and vanished instantly.
As the shadow disappeared, the crack slowly healed.
A faint song drifted from within.
An ancient, timeless lament.
All of this happened in an instant—even Lu did not notice.
…
Lu returned to the lake island.
His expression instantly grew grave.
Not because he had killed the Buddha Realm Venerable and feared repercussions.
That Venerable’s karma had entangled him for too long, but once Five Phoenix became High Martial, he was no longer a threat.
In truth, Lu had never feared him—even without great personal growth.
With the Heaven-Sheltering Array protecting Five Phoenix, the Venerable could not have caused much trouble.
What truly darkened Lu’s face…
Was that Lu Changkong… had entered the ancient tomb.
For his father, Lu only wished a peaceful life researching spirit herbs—picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, gazing leisurely at the southern mountains.
There was no need for him to brave such a tomb…
“I just gave him the Myriad Poisons Body. Has he already mastered it? Why the hell is he in the tomb…”
Lu was speechless. It was his father, after all.
He could not ignore it.
He summoned the Spiritual Pressure Chessboard. Lines instantly danced in his eyes.
The next moment—
The board reflected scenes from within the ancient tomb.
…
Lu Changkong, Tuoba Holy Lord, and the others stared at the bizarre sight before them, chills crawling up their spines.
Cultivators sat cross-legged all over the ground, lost in enlightenment.
Most importantly—the rocking chair atop the palace tower.
The pink-clad skeleton lay upon it.
Somehow, they all felt its hollow sockets watching them.
This pink skeleton was surely a corpse from the tomb.
Yet… was it still alive?
Bu Nanxing took a step back. This tomb was too eerie—unsafe.
He needed to escape.
Tuoba and Azure Spirit Holy Lords felt their hair stand on end. Even they, bold as they were, felt fear.
Suddenly—
Bu Nanxing screamed.
The others jumped and looked over.
“What happened?!”
Tuoba barked.
“The way out is gone! The gate sealed!”
Bu Nanxing stared at the closed stone gate, cold sweat pouring down his face.
“It didn’t even hurt you—why scream?!”
Tuoba snapped, annoyed.
Bu Nanxing was filled with regret.
“Kekekeke…”
Suddenly—
The rocking chair stopped.
Deep within the skeleton’s empty sockets, faint blue ghostfire flickered.
Four balls of ghostfire drifted from its eyes toward the four men.
“This is the first palace city beneath the General’s Tomb…”
“The most lenient one. Beings native to the Void Heaven who fail enlightenment may withdraw. Outsiders who fail… soul annihilation.”
The voice came from the ghostfire.
“Can I choose not to participate?”
Bu Nanxing asked, face pale. “Can I leave now?”
But before he finished—
The four ghostfires shot forward.
Tuoba, Azure Spirit, Bu Nanxing, and Lu Changkong could not dodge.
The flames entered their brows.
Their eyes closed. They sat cross-legged, falling into the same enlightenment state as everyone else.
Creak… creak…
The rocking chair began rocking again.
Suddenly—
It stopped abruptly.
Because—
Within the deathly still palace city,
Spiritual qi gathered.
It coalesced into a white-robed youth seated calmly in a Thousand Blades Chair.
Crack… crack…
The pink skeleton’s skull turned slowly.
Above and below the tower—
They stared at each other.
