Chaos erupted—complete and utter chaos!

  In that moment, the entire Lower Three Heavens was shrouded in an overwhelmingly terrifying aura and pressure.

  Dense saintly might poured down like a relentless curtain of rain from the firmament, leaving every cultivator feeling suffocated.

  A battle among saints!

  And now, they were even resorting to Emperor weapons...

  Everyone was stunned.

  No one had imagined the conflict would escalate to this extent.

  The emergence of a new ascension ground in the Lower Three Heavens had drawn the Upper Realms' attention, but it wasn't the spark for a saint-level war.

  It was the Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor's casual deduction.

  The secret of the Void Heaven...

  A terrifying secret tied to "becoming an Emperor"!

  That was the true cause of the saintly war.

  The Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor clashed fiercely with the blood-robed Gu Mangran. Not only that—the Dao Clan Saint Ancestor joined the fray as well.

  And the Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor had even issued the command to activate their Emperor weapon!

  In an instant, the Lower Three Heavens plunged into total turmoil.

  If a saint-level expert unleashed an Emperor weapon, the resulting imperial might could very well annihilate the entire Lower Three Heavens.

  Countless lives perished in this war!

  From the rifts torn in Pingyang Heaven's void, Gu Mangran struck in fury. A corner of his blood robe whipped out, unleashing world-shaking slaughter.

  A vast sea of blood churned, iron horses charging, aura piercing the skies for thousands of miles.

  In the chaos beyond the heavens, terrifying killing intent spanned immense distances.

  The Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor was in a sorry state. After all, he had lost an arm to the rules and an eye to Lu's inexplicable Five Phoenixes Bow.

  His strength had dipped slightly, and now, suppressed by Gu Mangran—who had consumed a divine herb and fully ignited his combat power—he bled holy blood profusely.

  Gu Mangran's roars shook the heavens as his killing blows rained down.

  Yet the Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor feared nothing and charged back into the chaotic battlefield beyond.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Thunderous roars echoed like deafening thunder.

  Vast saintly pressure permeated heaven and earth.

  The Dao Clan Saint Ancestor emerged amid dense, unyielding Dao essence, tearing through the void to join the fight beyond the heavens.

  The clashes grew even more horrifying!

  At the edge of Yuanci Heaven.

  On the vast, boundless Upper Realm continent.

  Cloud Clan powerhouses roared in rage.

  Immortal Abode experts surged upward endlessly, led by Chaoyuan Realm experts, flooding Yuanci Heaven in dense waves.

  The terrifying aura threatened to burst Yuanci Heaven apart.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Many Level 8 and Level 9 high-martial worlds fell like dying stars from Yuanci Heaven, countless beings wailing as they evaporated.

  The holy lords of those worlds raged helplessly, sorrow welling up from their hearts.

  Against such terrifying Upper Realm experts...

  What could they do?

  Only flee, preserve their lives, and leave seeds of hope for their worlds.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The flames of war spread. Countless beings perished—it was truly a mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

  Innumerable souls wailed. Yuanci Heaven seemed to turn into a furnace, a terrifying will burning everything.

  That was the Heavenly Dao of the Nine Heavens!

  Many souls burned in this furnace.

  Yet some—though most were incinerated by the Heavenly Dao—trickled into faint streams, flowing into the Void Heaven and the Nine Prisons Underworld.

  The Yellow Springs grew more majestic, the Bitter Sea expanding ever wider, boundless.

  Of course, the Upper Realm powerhouses paid no heed to this.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  A burly Chaoyuan Realm expert, bare-chested and etched with runes, carried a massive furnace on his back!

  This furnace was the Ancient Emperor weapon that had once suppressed the Void Heaven's rules.

  Step by step, he strode through the void, each footfall threatening to shatter it.

  Imperial pressure emanated from the furnace, chilling souls to the bone!

  "It's truly an Ancient Emperor weapon!"

  "They've activated it again... they're really using an Emperor weapon. This will reduce the Lower Three Heavens to ruins!"

  "Once imperial might spreads, every being in the Lower Three Heavens will turn to ash—even great powers won't escape!"

  In Pingyang Heaven, Xuesha Heaven, and Yuanci Heaven... cultivators across the three heavens fell into despair.

  A breath of death enveloped them completely.

  Wails echoed through every corner of the Lower Three Heavens.

  At the Heavenly Gate.

  Lu Jiulian watched gravely.

  The cultivators of the Five Phoenixes were solemn, their bodies trembling slightly.

  The ascenders from the Lower Three Heavens grieved deeply, watching countless lives turn to ash in an instant.

  Their hearts ached like knives twisting.

  In Pingyang Heaven's Little Thunder Sound Buddha Realm, the Great Venerable wore an expression of compassion. He had long stepped into the Immortal Abode Realm, yet seeing countless beings suffer in Pingyang Heaven...

  Rage boiled within him.

  The Upper Realms... were utterly lawless!

  They truly deserved destruction—to restore order to the Nine Heavens!

  But soon, the Great Venerable fell silent.

  Even in the Immortal Abode Realm, what could he do?

  Before the vast Upper Realms, he was merely a stronger ant.

  Boom!

  Terrifying roars surged like tidal waves from beyond Pingyang Heaven, hurtling toward the Void Heaven, threatening to crash into the Five Phoenixes.

  Lu sat upon the Thousand-Bladed Chair.

  His white robes billowed in the fearsome waves.

  He had to admit—the Upper Realms' power was truly formidable!

  Yet.

  Lu placed a piece on the Spiritual Pressure Chessboard.

  Instantly.

  A radiance descended, enveloping the entire Five Phoenixes.

  The waves crashed against it but were blocked, unable to greatly affect the Five Phoenixes' beings.

  Lu's expression remained impassive.

  His eyes held no ripple.

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  "The Five Phoenixes... just want to develop steadily in peace."

  "Why can't we have that peace?"

  "Perhaps I'm too naive. Peaceful coexistence isn't so easy... The Five Phoenixes are weak, so we can only be bullied."

  Lu sat upon the Thousand-Bladed Chair.

  He tilted his head back.

  His gaze fell upon the Upper Realm cultivators streaking down from the vast continent through Yuanci Heaven.

  And upon the Emperor weapon blazing with blinding light.

  He raised his hand and slammed it down on the armrest, the crisp sound echoing.

  Swallow humiliation and develop quietly?

  That wasn't what Lu Ping'an sought.

  "Time and again... my patience, Lu Ping'an's good temper, has long worn thin."

  "Since you insist on treating the Five Phoenixes as an enemy, then the Five Phoenixes... shall be a worthy enemy!"

  Buzz...

  The Spiritual Pressure Chessboard emerged.

  Radiating white light, this top-grade heavenly spiritual tool surged with aura.

  Crisscrossing lines spread through Pingyang Heaven.

  In the void, a heaven-shrouding chessboard slowly unfolded!

  Lu swept his hand grandly. The two chess boxes tumbled open.

  White robes fluttering, hair dancing wildly.

  Light surged in Lu's eyes.

  At the Heavenly Gate.

  Overlord, battered and bloodied from battling a Five-Qi Immortal Abode expert, had mostly healed under his unyielding Dao intent.

  Seeing Lu's stance—as if ready to face millions alone—his blood boiled.

  "This king shall lend Young Master Lu a hand!"

  "Why is it so hard for the Five Phoenixes to develop in peace?"

  "If that's the case, then we'll kill our way to peace!"

  "Peace and stability... are carved through slaughter!"

  Overlord roared.

  Ax and shield on his back, demonic energy roiling, he strode out from the Heavenly Gate.

  Tang Yimo's eyes gleamed.

  White cloth unwound from his arms as he exploded forward, charging out!

  "I'll aid Young Master Lu too!"

  Nie Changqing, white as snow, gently stroked his Dragon Slayer, eyes filled with reminiscence.

  "The Dragon Slayer Young Master forged for Changqing is meant for slaying enemies!"

  "Today, Changqing shall help the Young Master kill!"

  He drew his blade and stepped out.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  One after another, Five Phoenixes cultivators emerged from the Heavenly Gate.

  Immortal energies surged as they stepped forward, fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Lu.

  Though they had ascended, the Five Phoenixes remained their home.

  If the Five Phoenixes fell, they could not survive alone!

  Moreover... in the Five Phoenixes continent were people they cherished and needed to protect.

  Sima Qingshan sat cross-legged in the void, scroll unfurled, brush splashing ink.

  Vast mountains and rivers materialized in the void.

  Kong Nanfei stood disheveled yet sharp-eyed, righteous aura soaring to the clouds.

  Bai Qingniao wreathed in flames, phoenixes soaring with piercing cries.

  At the Heavenly Gate.

  Cultivators from the Lower Three Heavens felt their emotions surge.

  Watching the Five Phoenixes experts charge fearlessly toward death...

  Their eyes reddened.

  Many finally understood why the Five Phoenixes had risen from a tiny new high-martial world to dominate the Lower Three Heavens.

  It was this spirit among the Five Phoenixes beings.

  Fearless in the face of death, willing to fight for their home!

  This was the vitality the many high-martial worlds of the Lower Three Heavens lacked!

  The Great Venerable drifted out from the Heavenly Gate.

  Many ascenders from the Lower Three Heavens, in this moment, abandoned the comfort of the ascension ground, throwing their heads back in laughter.

  Before the Heavenly Gate, figures gathered, immortal energies entwining.

  Ascenders stepped out, descending one by one.

  Landing outside the Void Heaven, within the domain of the chessboard.

  Lu's gaze held faint surprise.

  But soon, a smile curved his lips.

  His mindset, already elevated by a century of mortal life, rippled and rose further.

  Lu chuckled softly.

  The gentle laughter spread.

  Then, he picked up a piece and placed it on the board.

  Buzz...

  The Spiritual Pressure Chessboard's domain... expanded!

  Enveloping the Lower Three Heavens' Immortal Abode experts and the Five Phoenixes' Heavenly Humans who had emerged from the Heavenly Gate.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  "A ragtag mob."

  "Daring to leave the Void Heaven... without the rules' protection, they're courting death!"

  From the Upper Realms, Cloud Clan experts sneered coldly.

  Whether Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans or Lower Three Heavens ascenders—not one Chaoyuan Realm among them.

  Against such forces...

  Why should the Upper Realms fear?

  It would be utter domination!

  The Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor battled beyond the heavens.

  They couldn't falter. They had heard the Saint Ancestor's words.

  The ascension ground, underworld, and mortal realm...

  The layout of the Ancient Great Emperors—to rebuild the Nine Heavens and create a chance to become an Emperor.

  For the Cloud Clan, this was immensely tempting.

  The grander the saint clan, the greater the ambition. Among Upper Realm saint clans, the Cloud Clan ranked in the top ten, thanks to their Emperor weapon.

  But...

  If the Cloud Clan birthed a Great Emperor, they would shine even brighter!

  "Kill!"

  A top-tier Cloud Clan Chaoyuan expert commanded.

  At his order.

  Warships laden with cultivators appeared, oppressive aura pressing down as they descended into Pingyang Heaven.

  Cultivators stepped out, cold and murderous.

  Though the Five Phoenixes had reaped richly in the previous heavenly competition...

  They had only ten thousand Dao reserves. Even fusing rapidly, they were at most Level 4 high-martial.

  Level 4 was merely average in the Upper Realms.

  Without mastering Level 3, one couldn't even claim saint clan status!

  Boom!

  Warship after warship hovered in Pingyang Heaven.

  Masses of experts strode through the air.

  Compared to the scattered Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans and Lower Three Heavens ascenders...

  The Cloud Clan's forces overwhelmed utterly!

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Experts streaked through the void, charging into the chessboard domain Lu had spread outside the Void Heaven.

  Atop the vast heaven-shrouding chessboard.

  Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans and Lower Three Heavens ascenders charged fearlessly, resolved to die!

  "War!"

  Roars exploded across the crisscrossing board.

  Those who emerged from the Heavenly Gate were like white pieces.

  Cloud Clan experts, black pieces.

  Black pieces surged with terrifying might, intent on annihilating white in an instant.

  Lu sat upon the Thousand-Bladed Chair.

  He rolled up his sleeves, casually placing a piece.

  The Spiritual Pressure Chessboard flickered softly. Then... the domain's power revealed itself fully!

  "Thousandfold spiritual pressure."

  Lu said lightly.

  Under the domain's tenfold amplification, thousandfold became ten-thousandfold.

  Ten-thousandfold spiritual pressure from eighth-layer Qi Refinement!

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Cloud Clan cultivators entering the domain felt crushing pressure slam down, displacing organs, bodies trembling uncontrollably, on the verge of kneeling.

  Ordinary Immortal Abode experts couldn't withstand Lu's ten-thousandfold pressure.

  They burst into bloody mist.

  Primordial spirits wailed as they fled, trying to escape the board.

  Five-Qi experts endured but were forced flat, sprawled in the domain.

  Chaoyuan experts resisted but moved as if mired in mud—every action excruciatingly difficult!

  What was this?!

  Cloud Clan experts were horrified.

  In stark contrast, Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans and Lower Three Heavens ascenders charged freely.

  It was... like cutting vegetables!

  As they slaughtered...

  Even they grew frightened!

  Why was it so easy?!

  Why weren't these enemies fighting back? Fight back, damn it!

  Were they plotting something? Setting a trap?!

  Lu sat in the Void Heaven, white robes fluttering, smiling faintly.

  With his current eighth-layer Qi Refinement, full spiritual pressure plus the board's amplification...

  He could easily wipe out every intruder.

  He could—but no need.

  Better to let the Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans and Lower Three Heavens ascenders slaughter freely, boosting morale.

  Pfft!

  Pfft!

  Blood stained the skies. Pingyang Heaven turned crimson.

  The blood-soaked chessboard radiated eerie might.

  A Cloud Clan Chaoyuan expert glared furiously. He saw Overlord's axe coming and tried to block, but his arms felt chained—heavy beyond measure. The axe shattered his skull.

  Primordial spirit annihilated!

  Too tragic.

  This shouldn't have happened!

  Corpses floated before the Void Heaven's chessboard barrier.

  The Cloud Clan's first wave... annihilated entirely.

  Several Chaoyuan experts dead.

  Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans and Lower Three Heavens ascenders—unscathed, not one fallen. The only injury: a Two-Qi ascender who split his palm rebounding off a Chaoyuan's body.

  The outcome...

  Shocked everyone.

  The Cloud Clan's top Chaoyuan expert's eyes blazed red.

  This wave had wounded the Cloud Clan deeply!

  No matter how many experts they had, they couldn't afford deaths like this—meaningless slaughter!

  "It's all because of that Lu Ping'an!"

  The expert saw clearly.

  The chessboard domain was the ultimate support!

  Without Lu's domain, the first clash would have wiped out the Five Phoenixes and Lower Three Heavens side.

  The power gap wasn't even close!

  "We must restrain that Lu Ping'an..."

  His eyes gleamed.

  "It's all because of that chessboard..."

  His gaze lifted to the board before Lu.

  "Such might... could it be a Saint Ancestor Dao soldier?!"

  His insight was sharp.

  "No... it falls short of a Saint Ancestor Dao soldier. It lacks saintly pressure!"

  "Then... break it with a Saint Ancestor Dao soldier!"

  Buzz...

  The heavens tore open.

  "Where is the Emperor weapon?!"

  A majestic, cold voice boomed everywhere.

  It was the Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor's command.

  A bloodied giant hand reached from the chaotic battlefield beyond.

  It lifted the Ancient Emperor furnace!

  Dong! Dong! Dong...

  Resounding tolls echoed, infinite Dao and principles weaving destruction.

  The Cloud Clan elder ignored Lu.

  He retreated swiftly, avoiding the weapon's fluctuations.

  Bang! Bang!

  Massive rifts tore through Pingyang Heaven's void, collapsing, black holes devouring.

  Boom!

  The battle beyond grew more terrifying.

  Shaking the entire Nine Heavens.

  Even the Heavenly Dao's will seemed to descend. Vast imperial might spread, filling countless beings with dread.

  Lu looked up.

  Frowning slightly.

  Gazing at the battlefield beyond.

  Buzz...

  Suddenly.

  The heavens cracked again. A bloodied hand emerged.

  "Well done, Blood-Robed Gu Mangran! One who should have fallen long ago—today, I end you utterly!"

  A cold, oppressive voice rang out.

  It was the Dao Clan Saint Ancestor's killing words.

  The hand descended. A terrifying mirror shot skyward.

  Mirror light swept like razor-sharp blades. All beings caught in the imperial-might-wreathed light turned to ash!

  The Dao Clan's Ancient Emperor weapon!

  From the battlefield beyond came coughing blood.

  In the Lower Three Heavens, no one dared move, waiting silently for the outcome.

  Crack... crack...

  Suddenly.

  The heavens seemed to fracture, as if the Heavenly Dao raged.

  Boom!

  A corner of the coffin fell from beyond, then the whole coffin streaked like a meteor, crashing back into the Void Heaven.

  Powerful shockwaves surged endlessly...

  Cough... cough...

  Crimson blood sprayed.

  Seeing the coffin clearly, everyone gasped.

  Gu Mangran's coffin was cracked all over, on the verge of annihilation.

  A massive hole pierced Blood-Robed Gu Mangran's chest—flesh evaporated, even his beating heart visible.

  Defeat!

  The ancient fiend, Blood-Robed Gu Mangran, had lost!

  Everyone in the Lower Three Heavens felt a heavy oppression. Somehow, they who once sided with the Upper Realms now stood with the Five Phoenixes.

  A loss for the Five Phoenixes weighed painfully on them.

  The Upper Realms side rejoiced wildly.

  Of course, Gu Mangran's defeat surprised no one.

  After all...

  Two Saint Ancestors, plus two Emperor weapons.

  With his vitality long withered, how could Gu Mangran win?

  Boom!

  From the abyss-like rift.

  The one-armed, one-eyed Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor emerged slowly, the great bell above his head.

  Imperial might from the Ancient Emperor furnace washed away the rule force on his severed arm and the strange energy in his eye.

  Flesh writhed and regrew his arm. His eye restored.

  He glanced at the chessboard domain barring the Void Heaven, at the Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans and Lower Three Heavens ascenders within, and at the strewn corpses of Upper Realm cultivators...

  His face turned ice-cold.

  Boom!

  The giant-like Saint Ancestor suddenly punched toward the chessboard domain!

  Intent on erasing every Five Phoenixes and Lower Three Heavens cultivator inside with one blow!

  Terrifying saintly pressure descended.

  Everyone in the domain felt death's breath—they couldn't even move.

  Lu Jiulian's eyes flashed brilliantly.

  A five-colored lotus bloomed, destruction Dao intent surging!

  Yet before the Saint Ancestor's fist... the lotus seemed utterly dim!

  No escape!

  Despair and oppression gripped the Five Phoenixes Heavenly Humans and Lower Three Heavens ascenders.

  Suddenly!

  Myriad silver blades erupted!

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  From spatial profound truths.

  Lu appeared. Beneath him, the Thousand-Bladed Chair reversed like a waterfall—countless silver blades stacked overhead.

  Forming a silver sword shield.

  The Phoenix Feather Sword soared up.

  Atop the silver shield, nine segments stacked into a crimson sword shield.

  Blocking above the chessboard domain.

  Boom!

  The Cloud Clan Saint Ancestor's fist slammed down.

  Unhindered, smashing into the Phoenix Feather sword shield.

  Dazzling light illuminated the dark void in an instant!

  A terrifying explosion erupted!