Rumble!

  Terrifying pressure blanketed the outer void battlefield. Countless spatial cracks webbed across the sky like a massive spider's net—eerie and bone-chilling.

  Endless thunder coalesced into a colossal thunder palm, carrying world-ending might.

  Lu Jiulian stared at the descending strike. The tribulation had transformed into this horrifying palm—for a moment, he felt suffocated.

  If it were the earlier penalties, he wouldn't fear them. Confident he could withstand.

  After all, with river-like fortune and Mysterious Immortal power rivaling saint realm, handling saint ascension tribulation would be easy.

  But...

  Ever since Zhulong spoke those words to the tribulation...

  It changed.

  This palm—not just blockable; even the Cloud Saint Ancestor would perish under it.

  Lu Jiulian was momentarily speechless.

  Could he take back his earlier words?

  He didn't refuse to struggle—strength simply didn't allow it.

  Boom!

  The strike caused massive stones in the battlefield to crumble.

  Fortunately, few beings here—otherwise, spillover would claim countless innocent lives.

  Zhulong kept eyes closed, lashes trembling.

  Dimples like deep whirlpools.

  Of course, she wouldn't let Lu Jiulian face it. His strength was good, but blocking this—impossible.

  Even for her—it'd cost scales and dragon blood.

  His reaction amused her greatly.

  Father—so mischievous!

  She smiled.

  Then tossed the Stealing Heaven Tower.

  Warm as jade, pure white like sculpted snow—flawless.

  It soared toward the heavens.

  Lu Jiulian leaned on his sword, tattered robes fluttering.

  Boom!

  Thunder palm smashed down—clashing the jade tower.

  Heaven-shaking explosion; ripples spread like gale over a pond.

  Lu Jiulian felt immense suppression—staring skyward.

  Hum...

  Tower floated, emanating strange rhythm. Saintly might impacts vanished eerily.

  Palm crumbled; thunder scattered. Supporting dao reserves stripped—whirling like tornadoes around it.

  Finally...

  Absorbed like dragon drinking water.

  Terrifying penalty—gone.

  Tribulation clouds dispersed; all calm.

  Lu Jiulian watched it end.

  His saint tribulation... just like that.

  Tower descended; Zhulong swiftly caught it—still eyes closed, stroking once—then sped away.

  He gazed at her vanishing back—emotions complex.

  Leaning on sword atop cratered stone—momentarily lost.

  ...

  Lu took the tower from Zhulong—sensing another ten thousand dao reserves—smiled satisfied.

  Placed on wheelchair armrest; looked at her.

  Now Mysterious Immortal—auras vastly stronger. As candle dragon among heavenly dragons...

  Her combat power—terrifying. Ordinary saint ancestors no match.

  Five Phoenix finally had guardians.

  Gently patted her head.

  "Go consolidate your cultivation..."

  He said.

  "Temper yourself more with the Heavenly Dao. Five Phoenix's Dao... will be yours to control in the future."

  Eyes closed, lashes trembling—she nodded solemnly.

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  Done, Lu stretched on the Thousand Bladed Chair.

  Zhulong and Lu Jiulian both Mysterious Immortal—two saint-level guardians. Five Phoenix now had voice in Nine Heavens.

  Two saint clans destroyed—worries cleared.

  Vengeance for his ruined sword settled.

  Not pettiness.

  Just tying karma.

  "Time to return."

  He smiled.

  With Zhulong, streaked away as light.

  ...

  Rumble!

  Vast energy glowed; array runes wove.

  In void, ancient warships emerged—Dao migration fleet. Sensing peril, bloodied-returning Primordial Unity elder activated the plan.

  Aboard, Dao survivors stood in anguish.

  Ancestor dead; clan defeated.

  Million-year legacy—crumbled.

  Grief surged.

  But sorrow useless. Leading Primordial Unity endured—guiding warships through void.

  These beings—Dao's continuation. Must survive.

  "Don't worry. Cloud colluded with Five Phoenix—they'll meet bad ends. Before falling, our ancestor contacted seven great clans. Their experts return to mobilize imperial weapons—joint assault on void heaven's Five Phoenix."

  "Cloud's collusion—doomed with Five Phoenix."

  The leader consoled remnants.

  Warships traversed void.

  Suddenly...

  In chaotic currents and storms...

  A graceful figure emerged slowly.

  Surrounded by strange power; saintly might vast—stilling raging flows.

  Skin crystalline, exuding dao reserves.

  Water seemed to flow around.

  Hm?

  Dao survivors encountered her.

  Aboard, rising Primordial Unity experts wary.

  This figure—from chaos.

  Terrifying, trembling aura.

  Leading Dao Primordial Unity stunned—then joyous.

  "Fourth heaven saint clan... Water Saint Ancestor?!"

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Another terrifying aura; scorching heat approached from depths.

  Dao experts trembled—nearly collapsing. Another saint ancestor.

  "Fire Saint Ancestor?!"

  Their arrival—like resonance—attracted more.

  Figures tore through.

  Void cracked under auras.

  "Earth, Thunder, Wood Saint Ancestors!"

  Plus two saint realm (not ancestors)—auras no weaker.

  Terrifying interweave.

  Dao warships shook.

  Five saint ancestors, two saint realm—arrived together.

  The seven Dao Ancestor contacted.

  Seven saint-level—each with imperial weapon; auras horrific.

  Dao Primordial Unity sweated coldly.

  Seven hovered aloof—indifferently scanning.

  "These Dao beings lost reserves... Dao Ancestor fallen."

  Water Saint Ancestor swayed in radiance—glancing warships.

  "Indeed dead—his aura gone..."

  Water flows coiled.

  Seizing the Primordial Unity.

  "Speak. What happened?"

  Dao Primordial Unity eyes reddened—no concealment.

  "Five Phoenix... void heaven's Five Phoenix allied Cloud—attacked Dao. We couldn't hold; ancestor slain..."

  Words stunned Water Saint Ancestor.

  "Void heaven's Five Phoenix? Invaded upper fifth continent?"

  "Message leaked? Preemptive strike?"

  Others grave.

  "Avenge Dao!"

  Primordial Unity pleaded, eyes red.

  Suddenly...

  Chill gripped him.

  Seven saints gazed... strangely.

  Heart sank—cold from soles upward.

  "Dao—one of ten great saint clans, with Heavenly Evolution Mirror."

  Water Saint Ancestor said slowly.

  "Pity..."

  "Now erased from upper Nine Heavens."

  Words fell.

  Bad premonition.

  "Your ancestor dead... why waste Nine Heavens resources, hogging reserves?"

  "Join him—don't let him be lonely."

  She said.

  With faint smile.

  Hand raised.

  Warships enveloped in massive water orbs.

  "No..."

  Primordial Unity suffocated.

  Despair spread.

  Saint clans... none good!

  Cloud was—others too.

  With ancestor alive, these were polite, friendly.

  Now dead—cold indifference chilling.

  Tree falls, monkeys scatter—true despair.

  Water Saint Ancestor graceful in mist—veiled beauty alluring.

  Smiling sweetly.

  Hand clenched.

  Pop! Pop! Pop!

  Orbs muffled—internal twisting force.

  Warships distorted, collapsed.

  Soon, blood sprayed.

  Dao survivors... silenced instantly—exterminated.

  Primordial Unity trembled—world's cruelty unfair.

  Staring Water Saint Ancestor.

  "Why? Dao already ruined!"

  "Why no chance to live?"

  Gritted teeth.

  Her slender finger touched his brow.

  Smiled.

  "Not saint realm—what do you know?"

  "Heavenly Dao limited. One more saint clan—one more share. Dao lost ancestor and weapon—why exist, taking share?"

  "Better divide Dao reserves among us."

  "You think we came with weapons to punish Five Phoenix? Wrong... weaponless Dao and Cloud—our targets."

  Laughter echoed.

  Primordial Unity wailed—shaking.

  Glancing—others indifferent.

  Boom!

  Bitter laugh; immortal qi surged—desperate strike.

  But...

  Finger erupted terror.

  Water arrow pierced brow—annihilating primordial spirit.

  Unwilling, aggrieved—he fell lifeless.

  Elders' migration plan—aborted at start.

  Now he understood ancestor's disdain for it.

  Though not stopped—never cared.

  Ancestor knew: his death—destroyers not Five Phoenix, but other saints.

  Saint clan rivalry—so brutal.

  Seven hovered.

  Void bloody thick.

  Unconcerned.

  "Dao breached by Five Phoenix? Million-year reserves... to them?"

  One saint in hazy light—feared even by five ancestors.

  "Unlikely... no imperial weapon—how claim reserves it suppressed?"

  Water Saint Ancestor said.

  "Why focus void heaven? Ancient emperor buried—wandering imperial weapons... their emergence—we claim reserves to bolster."

  "Ancestor dead—can't let reserves scatter. We 'manage' it. And Cloud... colluded, persecuted saints—unforgivable, exterminate."

  Rumble!

  Seven moved—step tearing space, crossing vast distances.

  ...

  War ended.

  Dao Ancestor dead; remnants fled upper fifth continent via arrays.

  Cloud Ancestor fallen—resistance gone, despairing.

  Hiding in temple with imperial might against Five Phoenix celestials and lower heavens ancestors—but faith lost.

  Lu Jiulian ascended—returned from outer void, tribulated successfully.

  River-like fortune; appeared outside temple—one sword slash.

  Imperial might tore—defense gone.

  Cloud beings panicked—surrendered.

  Ancestor dead—how fight?

  Five Phoenix had new saint Lu Jiulian—no match.

  Cloud cultivators yielded.

  Temple breached; million-year treasures seized.

  Beings captured—cultivation sealed, imprisoned in ancestral ground.

  Upper continent—now Five Phoenix and lower heavens territory.

  But sensing—interest waned. Stacked fourth-level high-martials forming third-level—many beings, but Dao/Cloud dominated.

  Environment weaker than ascension grounds.

  Lower heavens ancestors left uninterested.

  Five Phoenix celestials even more so.

  After treasures—returned home. With rulers gone...

  Upper continent's fifth/sixth-level forces warred for dominance—flames everywhere.

  ...

  Void heaven.

  Lu on Thousand Bladed Chair—white robes flowing.

  Dao/Cloud destroyed—karma resolved.

  Gazing at magnificent Five Phoenix—filling nearly a third of void heaven—satisfied smile.

  All his creation.

  Five Phoenix strengthening—absorbing Dao imperial reserves.

  People cultivated fortune—essentially reserves. Cultivation aided Heavenly Dao engraving—increasing reserves endlessly.

  Now with saint-level.

  By power: Primordial Unity—fourth-level high-martial; saint—third-level!

  One day, Five Phoenix might grow vast—void heaven too small.

  Then...

  One Five Phoenix world—one heaven.

  "Hm?"

  Suddenly eyes bright.

  Looked at world under vast Five Phoenix.

  Once top mid-martial... now leaped to high-martial!

  Like seedling breaking desert soil.

  Weakest ninth-level.

  But void heaven once birthed none.

  Now, led by Five Phoenix—limits broken.

  Second high-martial born—soon third, fourth, fifth...

  Future ruined void heaven—restore to Pingyang, Blood Evil, Yuan Magnetic levels.

  Even surpass—reach upper fifth, higher.

  "Everything is getting better."

  Lu smiled, eyes gleaming.

  "Dao/Cloud issues resolved. Five Phoenix peaceful—no threats soon. Good development period."

  "Steady progress—immortal martial foundation laid. Build on it—ultimately immortal martial!"

  "This young master can finally... pursue Qi Refinement hundred layers properly!"