“Clang!”
When space tore open and a jade-like arm reached out from the rift to seize the tenth Divine Demon,
two terrifying waves of energy immediately erupted in the air above the creature.
The sound was like metal clashing against metal. The void shattered inch by inch, revealing dark voids.
A terrifying storm raged in that region. Every gust of wind contained immense colliding energy, carrying the dreadful power to rip everything apart.
The tenth Divine Demon trembled in fear. It was utterly confused.
It had been fighting those twelve foolish Witch Kings so happily.
How had it suddenly been dragged into this mess?
From the auras alone, this felt like a clash between two Peak Emperors.
It was just a mere early-tier Divine Demon—what right did it have to be fought over by two Peak Emperors comparable to Immortal-tier Divine Demons?
Couldn’t they just split it in half?
But no one cared about the Divine Demon’s shivering or the turmoil in its heart.
In the abyss,
the other Divine Demons felt chills run down their spines.
“It’s a Peak Emperor from the Ninth Heaven!”
“Damn it… it really was a trap. The Peak Emperors of the Ninth Heaven are using this newborn Heavenly Dao world to ambush and kill us!”
“There’s no way… Peak Emperors dare to scheme like this? Aren’t they afraid of provoking our Immortal-tier Divine Demons to take action?”
The remaining Divine Demons trembled. While rage burned in their hearts, doubt also filled them.
They watched as the Divine Demon was pulled back and forth by the two arms tearing through space. A mix of relief and sorrow washed over them.
When had they, Divine Demons who once dominated the Primordial Starry Sky, fallen so low?
Tantai Xuan opened his eyes. Around him, a vast sea of karma surged through three revolutions.
The principle of Third-Revolution Golden Immortal was not complicated. Though Tantai Xuan had not seen the upper volume of the stele, he could deduce it from Lu Jiulian’s breakthrough.
Moreover, with the massive destiny gained from slaying Divine Demons,
he successfully completed three revolutions of the sea of destiny and became a Third-Revolution Golden Immortal.
Comparable to a Great Emperor!
On the other side, Lu Jiulian also completed his cultivation. When he opened his eyes, terrifying sword intent tore through thirty thousand miles of void.
They looked toward the epicenter of the terrifying clash.
“Ancient Emperor Hao…”
“Once the ruler of the Void Heaven.”
Micah rose to his feet. A vast sea of destiny churned around him.
The arrival of these Divine Demons had brought them fortune. Slaying them had granted immense destiny.
Now, their cultivation had broken through.
But facing the arms tearing through the void, they still felt immense pressure.
Peak Emperor—Ninth-Revolution Golden Immortal level!
BOOM!
Both arms gripped the tenth Divine Demon. Invisible forces collided.
From beyond the rift, a terrifying existence seemed to watch everything indifferently.
The atmosphere reached an unparalleled tension.
At this moment, the Five Phoenixes’ cultivators clearly understood: the appearance of these Divine Demons might have been part of Young Master Lu’s scheme.
It seemed these Divine Demons could bring enormous destiny to the Five Phoenixes.
And indeed, that was the case.
Lu Jiulian, Tantai Xuan, Micah, Zhu Long, and the other Golden Immortals of the Five Phoenixes had all advanced to Third-Revolution Golden Immortal with the help of this destiny.
This passage to the Primordial Starry Sky had been opened by the ancient Great Emperors of the Ninth Heaven—which meant… those ancient Great Emperors had been played by Young Master Lu.
And Ancient Emperor Hao was unwilling to accept it.
Or rather, he did not want to watch the Five Phoenixes grow stronger through these Divine Demons—so he wanted to seize the tenth one.
To ruin the Five Phoenixes’ opportunity!
Because Young Master Lu had deliberately allowed exactly ten Divine Demons to enter—there must be a reason.
Taking away the tenth Divine Demon would disrupt Young Master Lu’s plan.
“Anything that falls into my, Lu Ping’an’s, hands isn’t so easy to take back.”
Lu’s faint laughter echoed.
In the next moment, terrifying power erupted from his arm.
It was like raising apocalyptic tides that constantly slammed into the void, causing it to rumble and tremble.
It seemed as though the void itself might crack apart.
“What exactly do you want with these ten Divine Demons?”
A calm voice came from beyond the rift, distant and ancient.
“Guess?”
Of course Lu would not tell him.
But the other side had also sensed something, hence the caution.
At the Origin Lake, on the central island,
Lu reached out. His hand tore through space.
A furious gale swept across the island. Terrifying pressure caused the vast sea to churn, raising massive waves.
Ning Zhao, Ni Yu, and Yi Yue stood quietly beside Lu, not daring to breathe.
Through the rift, they too sensed the aura of Ancient Emperor Hao from the Abyss of Nothingness.
The aura of a Peak Emperor.
Lu’s expression grew solemn.
His body suddenly turned golden—the Indestructible Golden Body of Metal activated.
With the growth of the Five Phoenixes, Lu’s strength had advanced tremendously. He had walked far along the path of the tenth layer of Qi Refining, and his accumulated power could not be underestimated.
In terms of overall combat strength, even without the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao’s blessing, he already possessed power at the peak of Great Emperor.
Ancient Emperor Hao might be at Peak Emperor realm,
but he was reaching out from deep within the void rift. His power was weakened.
And by tearing through space to reach the Five Phoenixes, he was further suppressed by the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao.
His power was roughly equivalent to peak Great Emperor.
Thus, he and Lu were evenly matched.
Lu naturally would not let go. The system task required ten Divine Demons dead—missing even one would fail the task. Therefore, Lu would not allow Ancient Emperor Hao to ruin his plan.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
“Young Master Lu, let us assist you.”
From the abyss,
Tantai Xuan roared.
He clearly understood the importance of these Divine Demons.
It was precisely because he had slain one that he completed three revolutions of his sea of destiny. Even if this Divine Demon had no special traits, the sheer volume of destiny it contained made him unwilling to let go easily.
“I’m coming too.”
Lu Jiulian formed a sword finger and pointed.
Instantly, countless sword lotuses bloomed in the air, slashing toward Ancient Emperor Hao’s arm.
Micah clenched his fists, his gaze grave.
“Though I once resented the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor… you forced him to his death and destroyed the foundation of my Heavenly Spirit Clan. This grudge cannot be forgotten.”
Micah unleashed his Extreme Dao Emperor Fist, its might pressing down like a mountain.
Three newly ascended Great Emperor-level powerhouses attacked together. The terrifying power caused space to shatter like broken glass.
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Beyond the rift,
Ancient Emperor Hao’s expression remained unchanged.
On his arm, array runes surged.
“Lin”, “Dou”, “Bing”, “Zhe”…
Each rune transformed into formations, embodying supreme rules that pressed downward.
Micah, Lu Jiulian, and Tantai Xuan—the three Great Emperors—found themselves unable to approach the area where Lu and Ancient Emperor Hao’s arms clashed.
Lu’s gaze sharpened.
The Eight Trigrams array runes also emerged.
“Qian”, “Kun”, “Kan”…
They pressed down fiercely.
The two arms once again erupted with apocalyptic energy storms.
“There’s no need for you to interfere here. Help the others finish off the remaining Divine Demons first.”
Lu’s voice echoed.
Lu Jiulian, Micah, and Tantai Xuan retreated.
Their expressions grew solemn.
“Combat power approaching Peak Emperor… we still do not have the qualification to interfere.”
Tantai Xuan drew a deep breath.
On the other side, Zhu Long had also completed her breakthrough. Her aura grew increasingly powerful.
Hearing Lu’s words,
she did not hesitate for a moment.
She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Her body shifted, charging straight toward the three remaining living Divine Demons.
Bai Qingniao had long since grown into a graceful beauty—no longer the simple country girl raising chickens in a farmhouse.
She was like a true phoenix—radiant and dazzling. Her eyes burned like fire. Nine phoenixes coiled around her, wreathed in true phoenix flames.
Though only at quasi-Emperor realm, she showed no sign of defeat under the Divine Demons’ assault.
When Zhu Long appeared to help her slay the Divine Demon, Bai Qingniao did not refuse.
At quasi-Emperor level, reversing fate to slay an Emperor-level Divine Demon was still difficult.
Thus, she accepted Zhu Long’s help.
Zhu Long was straightforward.
She swung her Innate Yin-Yang Grinding Disc, wrapped in innate Yin-Yang qi.
Now at Third-Revolution Golden Immortal, Zhu Long had immense suppression over early-tier Divine Demons.
The Divine Demon fighting Bai Qingniao immediately panicked.
It raised its arms to block. Under the violent pounding, its arms were shattered to pieces. Zhu Long showed no mercy—Father had told her to kill these Divine Demons.
So she would kill with all her might!
Not a single one would escape!
The Innate Yin-Yang Grinding Disc was Zhu Long’s Innate Spiritual Treasure—its power was terrifying.
The Divine Demon let out a miserable scream and unleashed its divine ability.
BOOM!
A massive eyeball appeared above its head.
The eye released terrifying bewitching aura.
“Divine ability?”
Zhu Long was momentarily stunned.
As if she had none herself.
Zhu Long pursed her lips lightly. Her eyelashes trembled. She opened her eyes.
Her left eye black, her right eye white—like day and night cycling. Innate Yin-Yang qi surged endlessly.
Da-da-da-da…
Terrifying pressure instantly crushed the Divine Demon’s ability.
Its eyeballs exploded, blood gushing.
The Divine Demon felt the pressure of a superior Divine Demon. It collapsed in the void, trembling.
“This divine ability…”
“Immortal-tier? No… beyond Immortal-tier…”
It stared at Zhu Long in horror.
But the Innate Yin-Yang Grinding Disc crushed down. The Divine Demon’s armor shattered, its flesh mangled, its soul nearly annihilated.
Just as it was about to be ground to death,
Zhu Long stopped.
She left the finishing blow to Bai Qingniao.
After all, the final strike determined the lion’s share of the destiny.
Bai Qingniao did not hold back. Nine phoenixes coiled and rose, forming a terrifying shockwave that instantly annihilated the Divine Demon.
The flames dissipated.
The Divine Demon’s body remained, but its soul had long been destroyed.
Every Divine Demon body was an extremely precious treasure.
Vast destiny descended. Bai Qingniao closed her eyes. The Nine Phoenix Transformation began circulating once more in her mind.
The nine little chicks seemed to undergo sublimation in this moment.
Their bloodline evolved.
Bai Qingniao’s aura grew even more terrifying.
On the other side, seeing Zhu Long’s actions, Tantai Xuan and Lu Jiulian were stunned.
So this was possible.
They followed Zhu Long’s example—brutally beating the other two Divine Demons before tossing them to Nie Changqing and Sima Qingshan.
Soon, the two dying Divine Demons perished.
Nie Changqing and Sima Qingshan crossed their bottlenecks. Destiny like rivers poured into them, forming seas of destiny.
BOOM!
Thick tribulation clouds rolled in.
That was the Heavenly Dao tribulation for newly ascended Golden Immortals.
Bai Qingniao, Nie Changqing, and Sima Qingshan were undergoing their Golden Immortal tribulations. As new Golden Immortals, they naturally had to face the Heavenly Dao’s cleansing to stabilize their power.
As for the tribulations, Lu paid them no further attention.
He and Ancient Emperor Hao were engaged in a hidden contest of strength—comparing who was stronger.
It was like a tug-of-war, but Lu was in no hurry.
As the other Divine Demons died, the system panel’s task completion steadily approached perfection.
Divine Demons slain: (9/10).
When only one Divine Demon remained in the entire Abyss of Nothingness,
Lu’s mouth curved upward in satisfaction.
Just one more Divine Demon and the special task would be complete.
He had never expected this task to be finished so easily.
Originally, he had thought he would need to enter the Ninth Heaven, pass through its upper realms, and step into the Primordial Starry Sky.
He had planned to hunt Divine Demons one by one in the starry sky.
He had even made a ten-year plan: one Divine Demon per year.
But in the end…
The enthusiastic ancient Great Emperors of the Ninth Heaven had directly opened a passage between the Primordial Starry Sky and the Five Phoenixes, allowing the Divine Demons to enter directly.
They had saved Lu the trouble of traveling to the Primordial Starry Sky.
Lu couldn’t help but sigh: those who truly understand me are none other than the ancient Great Emperors.
Ancient Emperor Hao, clutching the tenth Divine Demon, seemed to sense something amiss in the Five Phoenixes.
As one Divine Demon after another fell,
Ancient Emperor Hao vaguely felt a vast power brewing within the Five Phoenixes—like boiling water.
It was an indistinct feeling he couldn’t explain.
With each Divine Demon’s death, this power in the Five Phoenixes grew by one part.
“This tenth Divine Demon cannot die.”
Ancient Emperor Hao made his decision.
The Eight Trigrams array runes and Nine-Character array runes clashed.
This was a battle of array runes.
It was as though starry skies flickered in and out of existence, as though eons were collapsing.
The tenth Divine Demon, caught between these two forces, could neither advance nor retreat. It trembled helplessly.
It regretted everything.
Why had it stepped into this world?
There had been a chance to escape—why hadn’t it fled?
Why had it fought so desperately to enter?
This world… was a trap, a pit, a graveyard for Divine Demons!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Heavenly thunder rolled as tribulation clouds gathered.
That was the tribulation for the Five Phoenixes’ newly ascended Golden Immortals.
But Lu felt the Five Phoenixes accumulating power.
This power would bring enormous change to the Five Phoenixes.
“I’m not competing with you anymore.”
Lu’s faint voice echoed through the spatial rift.
Ancient Emperor Hao was stunned.
In the next moment, he felt Lu release his grip on the Divine Demon. Terrifying power erupted.
The tenth Divine Demon was pulled rapidly toward the spatial rift.
No!
Something’s wrong!
Lu Ping’an had competed with him for so long—why release it now?
Ancient Emperor Hao instinctively wanted to let go.
But he was unwilling. What if… Lu Ping’an was bluffing him?
BOOM!
The tenth Divine Demon was quickly dragged into the spatial rift and gradually vanished.
The spatial rift where Lu stood also began to heal.
The void fell silent.
Ten ferocious Innate Divine Demons from the Primordial Starry Sky—nine dead, one missing.
In the Abyss of Nothingness,
only the grand sound of Heavenly Dao tribulations remained.
Nie Changqing, Sima Qingshan, and Bai Qingniao were undergoing their Golden Immortal tribulations.
And after today, the Five Phoenixes would gain three more Golden Immortal powerhouses.
Zhu Long, Tantai Xuan, Lu Jiulian, and Micah—all Third-Revolution Golden Immortals comparable to Great Emperors—watched as the spatial rift toward Ancient Emperor Hao gradually closed, and the tenth Divine Demon vanished.
Their brows furrowed.
“Young Master Lu… why did he let go?”
“That was a Divine Demon—full of vast destiny. It could have produced another Golden Immortal. Letting Ancient Emperor Hao take it… what a pity.”
“Young Master Lu had his reasons for letting go.”
Lu Jiulian and the others spoke slowly.
In the Abyss of Nothingness,
the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor, cloaked in black robes, stared at the closing spatial rift and drew a deep breath. Thoughts surged in his mind.
When he saw Ancient Emperor Hao’s arm,
the sealed memories in his mind began to hammer against their prison.
“Ancient Emperor Hao… what exactly happened deep within that void rift? What did I see back then?”
The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor clutched his head, not daring to think further. He feared his mind would explode if he did!
He looked at the floating Divine Demon corpses in the abyss. His mouth twitched.
Yet at the same time, envy stirred in his heart.
Though his memories of the void rift depths were sealed, his hundreds of thousands of years sitting alone in the Primordial Starry Sky remained.
Back then, he had sat alone in the starry sky, defending the Ninth Heaven from invading Divine Demons.
He had been isolated, without aid.
If only he had had so many allies back then.
Unfortunately, he had been utterly alone, sitting in the starry sky.
No one came to help him. No one cared.
He had faced countless Innate Divine Demons by himself.
Even when he gravely wounded early-tier Divine Demons, he dared not pursue.
Because if he left, the Ninth Heaven would be defenseless against invasion.
But the Five Phoenixes today was completely different.
So many fought side by side—even the weaker ones gathered outside the abyss to jointly resist the Divine Demon avatars.
Perhaps this was one of the differences between the Ninth Heaven and the Five Phoenixes.
At the Origin Lake, on the central island,
Lu withdrew his hand. The Indestructible Golden Body of Metal gradually faded.
He sat back in his Thousand-Blade Chair. The corners of his mouth curved upward. He held a bronze wine cup and took a sip of the freshly warmed Heavenly Immortal Wine prepared by Ning Zhao.
In the next moment, white lines appeared in his eyes.
On the Spirit-Pressure Chessboard, images reflected.
Did they really think his things were so easy to take?
…
In the Ninth Heaven,
deep within the void rift,
space tore open and slowly healed.
The tenth Divine Demon, utterly bewildered, was dragged inside.
Ancient Great Emperors emerged one after another. Their terrifying auras intertwined, making the early-tier Divine Demon feel as though it had entered a den of Great Emperors.
It trembled, not daring to move.
The arm dragged the Divine Demon deeper into the void rift.
Ancient Emperor Hao’s powerful primordial spirit fluctuations surged.
The ancient Great Emperors watched curiously.
What was so special about this Divine Demon?
Why had Lu Ping’an used these Divine Demons to strengthen the Five Phoenixes?
BOOM!
Suddenly,
Ancient Emperor Hao froze.
The motion of dragging the Divine Demon stopped abruptly.
The ancient Great Emperors were puzzled.
The Divine Demon trembled in fear, not daring to move.
It was just an early-tier Divine Demon—even a high-tier one would not dare act rashly in this environment.
“No…”
“Why did Lu Ping’an stop competing?”
Powerful primordial spirit fluctuations rippled from deep within the rift.
Doubt intertwined.
“Judging by the fate of the other Divine Demons, Lu Ping’an only needs them dead. That means during our struggle, he could have easily killed this Divine Demon.”
“But why didn’t he? Why let me take it back…”
BOOM!
The will deep within the rift surged.
In the next moment, the atmosphere grew incredibly oppressive—like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
BOOM!
Then,
from deep within the rift, a rule power strong enough to annihilate everything surged forth.
It slammed toward the Divine Demon, intent on crushing it.
The ancient Great Emperors in the rift were puzzled.
They did not understand why Ancient Emperor Hao had gone to such lengths to seize this Divine Demon from the Five Phoenixes—only to kill it immediately.
Suddenly,
like a thunderclap from clear skies,
Buzz…
Above the Divine Demon’s head, the phantom of a chessboard suddenly unfurled. A faint laugh exploded like thunder.
Someone rolled up their sleeves and placed a chess piece.
“What a pity… I’ve been discovered.”
“I was hoping to glimpse the secrets deep within the rift.”
The pupils of the ancient Great Emperors contracted sharply.
They looked at the Divine Demon, murderous intent surging in their eyes.
“Lu Ping’an?!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The auras of the ancient Great Emperors soared, like apocalyptic waves intent on annihilating the tenth Divine Demon.
The Divine Demon collapsed to the ground in terror, waving its hands frantically.
“No… I’m not…”
I’m just me—a little Divine Demon from the Primordial Starry Sky!
It really wasn’t Lu Ping’an!
BOOM!
Before Ancient Emperor Hao’s attack could reach,
the Divine Demon cracked open.
Its body began splitting from the inside. Eight Trigrams array runes intertwined and leaped out.
And those Eight Trigrams array runes transformed into an eight-colored lotus flower.
The lotus bloomed with eight petals, each a different color, embodying one of the Eight Trigrams array runes. The lotus heart was black and white—Yin and Yang—like Zhu Long’s Yin-Yang Grinding Disc.
Lu Jiulian’s Wrath Lotus and Zhu Long’s divine ability.
In this moment, they had been perfectly fused.
Lu Jiulian was originally Lu’s clone, and Zhu Long was Lu’s cherished little cotton-padded jacket.
Lu had combined their attacks and planted them inside the Divine Demon’s body during the struggle with Ancient Emperor Hao.
For Lu, his goal was simply to ensure this Divine Demon died.
But since Ancient Emperor Hao had insisted on seizing it,
whether it died here or there made no difference.
So Lu had gone along with it—planting a little trick inside the Divine Demon, hoping to probe the secrets deep within the rift through it.
Unfortunately…
Ancient Emperor Hao had discovered it.
“A small token of my appreciation, nothing grand. Courtesy demands reciprocity.”
“You sent me Divine Demons, Young Master. Since I have nothing else to repay you with, allow me to gift you a splendid lotus flower. A small explosion, as thanks.”
Lu’s faint voice echoed.
The moment his words fell silent,
Ancient Emperor Hao’s attack arrived like a storm.
It slammed into the eight-colored Wrath Lotus.
