“Ninth-grade versus Seventh-grade?”

  “This is going to be a massacre.”

  “A newborn high-martial world… what do they have to challenge a Seventh-grade world with? Do they even have a single Tribulation Transcendent?”

  Laughter exploded from every warship hovering above the Five Phoenixes.

  Some were gloating, some sneered in disdain, and plenty just openly mocked.

  In the professional tournaments, all three Five Phoenixes contestants had unexpectedly reached the second round. The only explanation anyone could stomach was that the Five Phoenixes had poured everything into alchemy, formations, and artifact refining.

  After all, some worlds specialized in those fields.

  But the professional contests were just appetizers. The Heaven and Earth Grand Tournament was the real test of strength.

  Saint Master Tuoba and Saint Master Qingling sat at the prows of their respective ships. Their eyes met, both filled with gravity.

  “The outlook isn’t good for the Five Phoenixes.”

  “The Star-Moon World from Blood Evil Heaven is no pushover.”

  Tuoba spoke.

  Qingling nodded slightly. “Victory is hard to predict. The Five Phoenixes are shrouded in mystery. Under that unfathomable Saint Lord Lu, they might just pull off a miracle.”

  “And…”

  She glanced at Tuoba. “Don’t forget—the Five Phoenixes are the only high-martial world born in the Void Heaven. All the Void’s fortune is gathered upon them.”

  Tuoba froze.

  Before he could reply, a figure approached, radiating Buddhist light.

  Venerable Joyous.

  He shook his head at Qingling. “You overestimate the Void Heaven. A land where emperors were buried—where would it find any fortune?”

  “You think it’s coincidence that the Five Phoenixes were drawn first?”

  “And against a Seventh-grade world? Star-Moon is solidly mid-to-upper tier among the lower-realm entrants.”

  “The Five Phoenixes? Ninth-grade at best.”

  “The Upper Realm bigshots intend to drain every last drop of their origin dao essence… maybe even knock them back to mid-martial in this tournament.”

  Tuoba and Qingling’s pupils shrank.

  …

  The ancient mirror released a vast aura that blanketed the plaza.

  The attendant stood with hands clasped behind his back, lips curling beneath the swirling mist.

  He glanced at the neat rows of one hundred thousand Five Phoenixes spectators seated on one side and sneered.

  So many came to watch their own world’s humiliation?

  He saw Qi Liujia leading the group, face pale.

  “Both sides, take the stage.”

  His primordial spirit wrapped his voice into thunder that rolled across the entire blood-colored battlefield.

  “Hahaha!”

  From the heavens, a warship erupted with terrifying auras.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  One figure after another stepped out, unrestrained pressure sweeping outward.

  Laughter rang from every hovering warship.

  To them, the outcome was already decided.

  Many even envied Star-Moon World.

  What an opportunity to make a name!

  First match against the only high-martial world born from the Void Heaven!

  Defeating the Five Phoenixes meant defeating an entire heaven in one battle.

  That was glory.

  BANG! BANG! BANG!

  Eight figures from Star-Moon landed on the cyan brick plaza without raising a speck of dust.

  Three for individual battles, five for the team battle.

  The attendant floated in the air, hands behind his back.

  All eight from Star-Moon were Unity Realm, and two carried the faint presence of Tribulation Transcendents.

  No world would ever take the Heaven and Earth Grand Tournament lightly.

  “Five Phoenixes contestants, take the stage.”

  The attendant turned toward the Five Phoenixes group and spoke flatly.

  Below, Qi Liujia’s expression was grim.

  “Rigged!”

  He clenched his fists.

  Seventh-grade in the very first match? Statistically possible, but this convenient?

  He had expected an Eighth-grade opponent at worst.

  Feeling the countless mocking gazes and unrestrained jeers from above, sorrow welled in his chest.

  The Void Heaven had struggled so hard to birth a single high-martial world, and now it had become everyone’s punching bag.

  But there was nothing he could do.

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  The weak get bullied—that was the law of the primordial era.

  “Be careful, all of you.”

  Qi Liujia looked at the contestants.

  “Don’t worry, Elder Qi.”

  Du Longyang, black robes fluttering, carried his reforged earth-tier Martial Emperor Spear on his back.

  Ye Shoudao’s single arm flapped in the wind, eyes ice-cold.

  They dared treat the Five Phoenixes as a joke?

  They’d soon see if they had the qualifications.

  “Let’s go.”

  BOOM!

  Explosive auras detonated beneath their feet.

  Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao, Ni Chunqiu, Young Master Tianxu, and Jiang Li shot forward—the team of five had trained together and built solid coordination.

  Overlord strode unhurriedly, axe and shield on his back.

  Tang Yimo slowly wrapped white cloth around his arms.

  Lu Jiulian remained utterly calm, as if he barely existed.

  Eight figures landed gracefully on the plaza.

  The attendant’s face remained shrouded in mist. He swept his gaze over them, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

  He hadn’t expected the Five Phoenixes to field so many Unity Realm experts.

  Finally, his gaze settled on Lu Jiulian.

  Hmm?

  For some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

  “Begin.”

  A cold voice drifted from the ancient warship.

  The attendant immediately turned and bowed toward the ship.

  “Yes.”

  He looked at both sides.

  “Heaven and Earth Grand Tournament—life and death are irrelevant.”

  “Stake origin dao essence. The victor claims the loser’s stake.”

  “Preliminary round: maximum ten strands, minimum one.”

  “Place your bets.”

  The surroundings instantly boiled over.

  “Ten strands! Bet ten!”

  “It’s a guaranteed win—why not go all in?”

  “Seventh-grade crushing Ninth-grade? This is just bullying!”

  Laughter poured down.

  From Star-Moon, a young man with a crescent moon tattooed on his forehead stepped forward, swagger in every movement.

  From the Five Phoenixes, Jiang Li represented them.

  The youth smirked arrogantly, utterly confident.

  “Trash from the Five Phoenixes…”

  “Wanna go big? Your dao essence is getting taken anyway—might as well lose it to us and make it quick.”

  Though he spoke softly, his words spread through some strange method and exploded across the battlefield.

  The new emperor of Great Xuan slammed his palm on his armrest, face red with fury.

  “Too far! What gives them the right to look down on us?!”

  The hundred thousand armored soldiers all radiated anger.

  “Oh? The trash are mad?”

  The youth chuckled, glancing at the army with even greater contempt.

  “Don’t rush. Soon… you’ll watch me personally crush your contestants. Then you can really get angry.”

  His words were like a spark in dry grass.

  Every world outside the Five Phoenixes roared with laughter.

  Emperor Tantai He’s body trembled with rage.

  Only now did he understand—outside the Five Phoenixes, no one wished them well.

  He had once considered diplomacy.

  Diplomacy my ass.

  If given the chance, he’d beat them to death.

  Not just him.

  Every person from the Five Phoenixes felt their hearts turn ice-cold, fury rising.

  Only now did they truly understand.

  This was reality.

  “So this is what ‘demons beyond the heavens’ means…”

  “Any who seek to destroy the Five Phoenixes are demons!”

  Mo Tianyu’s hair flew wildly, belly exposed to the wind as he muttered.

  …

  The youth ignored the Five Phoenixes crowd.

  He looked down on a mere Ninth-grade world, but this was still the Heaven and Earth Grand Tournament—losing would cost him dearly.

  So first, break their spirit. Once their minds cracked, flaws would appear the moment battle began.

  He narrowed his eyes at Jiang Li.

  “Well? Wanna go big or not?”

  The attendant also looked at Jiang Li.

  Jiang Li frowned.

  From the skeletal inheritance, he knew how vital origin dao essence was—the foundation of a world’s growth.

  Betting it like this was cruel beyond belief.

  But after accepting the War God inheritance, he knew the universe was far crueler.

  Still, he remained rational.

  A former god of war would not be easily provoked—perhaps why Qi Liujia chose him as representative.

  He closed his eyes, then opened them again—clear and calm.

  “One strand of dao essence.”

  His words fell.

  The youth’s face stiffened.

  Countless jeers and boos exploded from the heavens.

  “Trash!”

  “As expected of Ninth-grade—betting one strand? Is this guy a coward?”

  “Get off the stage—one strand isn’t worth fighting for!”

  Jiang Li’s expression didn’t change.

  Overlord, Du Longyang, and the others all radiated terrifying killing intent.

  The hostility from these worlds toward the Five Phoenixes… was thick.

  Qi Liujia hunched over, eyes murky and complicated.

  Among the Nine Heavens, the Five Phoenixes truly had enemies everywhere.

  The only high-martial world in the Void Heaven bore burdens it should never have had to bear.

  Jiang Li remained expressionless, but his clenched jaw betrayed his inner turmoil.

  “Match him.”

  Suddenly, a calm voice rang in Jiang Li’s ear.

  Young Master Lu.

  Jiang Li’s heart shook.

  “As cultivators of the Five Phoenixes, there is no need to endure. When it is time to fight—fight.”

  The words ignited a flame in Jiang Li’s eyes.

  “Fine!”

  The next moment—

  On the plaza, a heart-stopping aura erupted from Jiang Li.

  “Match it…”

  “Ten strands of dao essence!”

  “The Five Phoenixes… will fight you to the end!”

  He roared the words through gritted teeth.

  Hmm?

  The youth blinked in surprise, then grinned—he was happy to oblige.

  “Betting complete.”

  “Winner takes ten strands from the loser.”

  The attendant cut in instantly, preventing any reversal.

  Jiang Li glanced at him and sneered.

  “Can you guarantee fairness?”

  The attendant clearly favored Star-Moon.

  “Insolence!”

  BOOM!

  Terrifying pressure exploded from the attendant, forcing Jiang Li back several steps.

  “I represent the Upper Realm. You dare question my impartiality?”

  “Next time, you die.”

  Pressure shot skyward like a pillar.

  Then he vanished in a flash, returning to the warship.

  “Heaven and Earth Grand Tournament, first match—begin.”

  As his words fell, the ancient bell floated beside him, shimmering.

  He punched it.

  DONG!!!!!

  The heavy toll spread in all directions.

  “Team battle first. Ten strands staked. Victory condition: surrender or inability to continue fighting.”

  “Life and death do not matter.”

  The deafening voice echoed across the blood-colored battlefield, chilling every soul.

  The ancient mirror hovered.

  Reflecting both the Five Phoenixes and Star-Moon worlds.

  Ten strands of origin essence floated beneath each illusory world.

  …

  Lake of Origin, Heart Island.

  Lu Fan sat in his Thousand-Blade Chair, expression icy.

  The Spirit Pressure Chessboard showed the battlefield.

  He needed to forge the Five Phoenixes’ iron blood.

  So—fight.

  He could afford ten strands.

  They couldn’t lose momentum before the battle even began.

  His fingers tapped the armrest.

  In the jumping lines of his vision, the ancient mirror’s reflection appeared.

  Hmm?

  “System, what is that mirror? Why can it manifest the Five Phoenixes’ dao essence?”

  For once, the system answered.

  [Dao Derivation Mirror, Heaven-tier high-grade spirit tool. Forged from Great Dao laws. Contains one thousand ownerless strands of dao essence. Can convert the dao essence of myriad worlds.]

  Lu Fan’s eyes brightened.

  So the thousand ownerless strands became the staked essence of the two worlds once the bet was set.

  The loser’s essence would be stripped and absorbed by the mirror.

  Lu Fan’s gaze burned.

  “That mirror… is a treasure.”

  “System—if I seize and shatter the Dao Derivation Mirror, can the Five Phoenixes absorb those thousand ownerless strands?”

  The system went silent.

  Lu Fan felt a twinge of regret.

  That attendant kept provoking him.

  Perhaps it was time to test it.

  …

  Terrifying auras clashed.

  Whoosh!

  Overlord, Tang Yimo, and Lu Jiulian were forcibly ejected from the plaza by an overwhelming power—individual battles would come later.

  Now, the stage belonged to the team battle.

  Countless sharp gazes rained down from the warships.

  Tuoba shook his head. “Sigh… provoked into betting ten strands.”

  Qingling, for once, didn’t argue. “Indeed. Losing ten would be more than just a heavy blow.”

  And could they even win?

  Star-Moon had two Tribulation Transcendents in their team of five.

  The Five Phoenixes? All five were only Unity Realm first stage.

  When the starting bell tolled across the battlefield…

  At the front of Great Xuan’s hundred thousand troops, Xue Tao stood straight as an ancient pine.

  He slammed his spear into the ground and roared.

  “FIGHT!”

  The next instant.

  One hundred thousand soldiers roared as one.

  The thunderous cry rolled like a tidal wave.

  On the cyan brick plaza.

  The crescent-moon youth glanced at the surging army and smirked, digging in his ear.

  “Home-field advantage? A bit loud…”

  “Don’t worry. Soon… they’ll all shut up.”

  His lips curled.

  Behind him, his four teammates’ auras surged—they were ready to charge.

  But before they could move—

  Jiang Li moved first.

  A battle cry tore from his throat.

  His silver spear swept out like a signal.

  Du Longyang, Ye Shoudao, Ni Chunqiu, and Young Master Tianxu had been waiting, killing intent and rage boiling over.

  Their primordial spirits resonated.

  Behind Jiang Li, a colossal blood-colored war god illusion slowly formed.

  Silver armor blazed with divine light.

  He thrust his spear straight at the youth’s face—murderous intent like a tsunami!

  BOOM!

  Space itself seemed to scream. The cyan bricks trembled.

  Jiang Li’s eyes burned with battle lust and killing intent.

  “I’ll shut your mouth first!”