The instant the ferocious beast Liu Ying fell on the Five Phoenixes Continent, a tremendous surge of energy rippled through the entire Lower Third Heavens.
It was the aura released when a Profound Immortal realm beast perished.
Imperial might rolled outward in waves.
The beast Liu Ying—born from the fusion of the ancient Water Clan Emperor’s aura, the continent’s fortune, and the killing intent and ferocity of an ancient battlefield—had actually been slain by the cultivators of Five Phoenixes?!
Practitioners across the Lower Third Heavens stood frozen in shock. The scene was simply too staggering, too soul-shaking.
Yet what truly stunned them was this: from the battlefield beyond the heavens, tearing through the void, saint-realm powerhouses emerged one after another—and chose to hurl their imperial weapons straight into Five Phoenixes.
Boom!
Five saint-realm experts. Five imperial weapons.
Imperial might surged like an endless tide. The terrifying power of Great Emperors spread unchecked; a casual fluctuation could annihilate an entire minor world. Even a fifth-tier high-martial world would shatter like a melting iceberg in this moment.
“What are these saint-realm experts from the sacred clans trying to do?”
“They’re going to drop imperial weapons into Five Phoenixes and detonate the ancient emperor auras inside them, triggering the hidden contingencies left by the ancient Great Emperors. That will birth saint-realm ferocious beasts to wipe Five Phoenixes off the map!”
“How vicious! Have the sacred clans’ saints really sunk this low?”
“Five Phoenixes is done for. It’s over!”
…
Across the Lower Third Heavens, experts from various high-martial worlds hovered in the void, watching the scene with chills running down their spines. Five saints plus five imperial weapons—the fate of Five Phoenixes was easy to imagine.
There would be no saving it.
Even though Five Phoenixes had grown far stronger in recent times, how could it possibly withstand power on this scale?
Though the sacred clan saints could not fully unleash the weapons’ might, even the ordinary leakage of imperial aura would be enough to slaughter billions of lives on the continent.
Cruel. Heartless.
But to saint-realm beings, the lives of Five Phoenixes were no more than ants.
“Let Five Phoenixes fall…”
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor was practically trembling with excitement.
The five saints urged their weapons onward. Terrifying auras spread, imperial might crashing through the void in endless waves, shattering space itself.
To countless observers, the five imperial weapons blazed like five blazing suns.
On the Five Phoenixes Continent, the beast Liu Ying had collapsed, dissolving back into raw murderous qi, killing intent, and a flood of heavenly fortune.
This fortune belonged to neither the human race nor the Demon King’s Court.
With Liu Ying’s death, that fortune transformed into boundless energy that poured into the bodies of every cultivator who had taken part in the battle.
The gravely wounded Overlord, Tang Yimo, Nie Changqing, Mo Tianyu, and others all received nourishment from it. Their injuries began to heal slowly.
But…
In this moment, no one cared about that.
All eyes were fixed on the imperial weapons descending from beyond the heavens.
Imperial weapons had first entered common knowledge during the Cloud Clan’s assault on the Void Heaven, when they besieged the awakening Gu Mangran. In that battle, the weapons had propped open the rules of the Void Heaven, revealing their terrifying power.
A single imperial weapon was already horrifying. Now five were falling at once—enough to erase Five Phoenixes entirely.
Even if their full power was not unleashed, the ancient emperor auras leaking from them would birth five more monstrous beasts like Liu Ying or the Hell Hound.
Five Phoenixes’ doom seemed inevitable.
Lu Mudui swayed on the mountain peak.
Mo Tianyu, now little more than a blood-soaked figure, lay unconscious under the crushing pressure of the Heavenly Dao despite the fortune’s aid. He could not witness this scene.
Yet even if he could, Lu Mudui knew exactly what Mo Tianyu would feel.
“It’s no use…”
Lu Mudui’s face twisted with bitterness, his wrinkled skin folding in on itself as a mournful sound escaped his toothless mouth.
“The age of ferocious beasts that the Demon Lord and Demon Master spoke of… we cannot stop it. We cannot escape it.”
Even though Mo Tianyu had risked everything to reverse fate and grasp the Dao Intent of Defying Fate, even though he and the immortals of Five Phoenixes had combined their strength to kill Liu Ying…
There were still the Cloud Venom Vulture and the Hell Hound—two more beasts no weaker than Liu Ying—waiting to emerge.
And now, five imperial weapons were crashing down from the extraterrestrial battlefield.
Their overwhelming imperial pressure would fully awaken the ancient emperor auras.
Five more beasts would be born.
Despair filled Lu Mudui’s eyes.
In the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty, within the imperial capital.
The Human Emperor stood atop Asking Heaven Peak, his civil and military officials gathered behind him, all gazing at the five sun-like imperial weapons tearing through the sky.
The boundless imperial might made blood boil as though flesh might explode at any moment.
“Is Five Phoenixes truly doomed?”
Anger flashed in the eyes of the new Human Emperor as he stood with hands clasped behind his back.
Inside the Heavenly Gate, the immortals holding back the Cloud Venom Vulture fell silent.
In the Nether Realm.
Dantai Xuan’s gaze burned with killing intent.
With his explosive temper, he could not tolerate the sacred clans bullying Five Phoenixes like this.
One day, he swore, he would slaughter every last one of those bastards.
…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the void.
Lu Jiulian and Gu Mangran wore expressions of utter despair.
They could not stop it.
They were already at a disadvantage against saints wielding imperial weapons. Now those saints were hurling the weapons into Five Phoenixes—how could they possibly intervene?
Boom!
Outside Five Phoenixes.
The Heaven Covering Formation surged upward, radiating profound mysteries.
It was the protective grand array Lu had set up long ago.
The River of Time rose as well, attempting to block the five imperial weapons.
Excitement gleamed in the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor’s eyes.
In truth, the other four saints were equally thrilled.
“You cannot stop them! The harder you try, the more delighted we become!”
the Water Clan Sacred Ancestor declared.
The next instant, the saints laughed loudly and shifted sideways through the void. Their bodies, tempered by the Nine Heavens’ Dao, erupted with overwhelming auras.
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Together they pinned down Gu Mangran, Lu Jiulian, and the others, preventing them from entering Five Phoenixes to intercept the weapons.
They only needed to stall until the imperial weapons triggered the ancient emperors’ contingencies and destroyed the continent…
And perhaps, in the process, they could even draw out the secrets of the Void Heaven, allowing the long-vanished ancient Great Emperors to return!
The saints’ eyes shone with fervor.
Their bodies trembled with anticipation.
“We are witnessing the return of an era!”
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor’s stunning face glowed with exhilaration.
If the ancient emperors returned, the balance of power—currently dominated by the First Heaven—might finally shift.
With ancient emperors backing them, each sacred clan would regain its confidence.
The Emperor realm was supreme, after all.
“Damn it all!”
Gu Mangran seethed with murderous rage.
He stared at the five imperial weapons descending toward Five Phoenixes, his body growing cold.
“Why? Why do this?”
“Just because Five Phoenixes was born within the Void Heaven? Is that why you must destroy it?”
Faces he had come to know flashed through Gu Mangran’s mind.
His heart ached more with every memory.
Over the years, even while sleeping in his ancient tomb, he had often explored the world with his primordial spirit.
He had seen so much—countless vibrant lives on Five Phoenixes.
It was a world brimming with vitality, filled with truth, kindness, and beauty. It did not deserve annihilation.
Lu Jiulian’s eyes had turned blood-red.
The Demon Lord and Demon Master both unleashed their auras.
Zhu Long abruptly opened her eyes. Heaven and earth shifted hue.
Though her father had only asked her to casually hold off the saints, she was furious now.
These people… deserved to die.
As Zhu Long’s eyes opened, innate yin and yang qi swirled into a massive grinding mill that spanned the sky.
It ground downward with terrifying force, shattering the void inch by inch.
The saints’ expressions changed slightly.
“A divine ability?”
Without imperial weapons in hand, they were somewhat wary, but together they still fended off the attacks from Five Phoenixes’ numerous profound immortals.
The imperial weapons would sooner or later tear the continent apart!
All they had to do was wait.
Boom!
The River of Time swept in. The five imperial weapons unleashed horrifying imperial might and slammed into it.
The sundial blurred and vanished.
The temporal array ceased functioning.
The River of Time was torn apart by the five weapons.
“Hahaha! The River of Time may be strong, but it was only arranged by Lu Ping’an—not personally by the ancient Great Emperor ‘Hao.’ Its power is far too weak! How could it possibly block imperial weapons?!”
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor sneered.
Soon!
She would reclaim the imperial weapon Lu Ping’an had stolen from her.
Boom!
The smoke-shrouded Heaven Covering Formation surged next, taking over after the River of Time was shredded.
Within the array, the massive array glyph “All” floated upward, forming a powerful defensive barrier.
Yet it was futile.
Each imperial weapon weighed as much as a third-tier minor world, containing nearly a hundred thousand Dao reserves.
The Heaven Covering Formation could not hold. It exploded under the pressure.
A terrifying blast erupted, smoke and clouds surging like tidal waves.
Then the five imperial weapons, carrying unstoppable momentum, hurtled toward Five Phoenixes.
They were like five colossal meteors drawn inexorably toward the continent, closing in faster and faster.
Across the continent, every head tilted upward. Night became bright as day. Everyone could see the five “blazing suns” hanging in the sky.
All felt the terrifying killing intent, the suffocating aura of death.
Was this the end of the world?
Many whispered the question.
…
White Jade Capital.
Lake Heart Island.
Compared to the chaos shaking heaven and earth, this place was eerily calm.
A gentle breeze brushed past, lifting the hem of a white robe.
After a long silence, a light, satisfied laugh drifted through the air.
“The imperial weapons I’ve been waiting for… are finally here.”
Lu lifted his gaze toward the five weapons carrying world-ending force.
They were the town-clan treasures of the Upper Realm sacred clans.
Each possessed apocalyptic power, capable of slaughtering everything in its path.
And of course, each contained an ocean of Dao reserves.
Five Phoenixes… needed those reserves.
“These saints are far too generous.”
Lu smiled.
Then he raised his hand.
Between index and middle finger, he held a chess piece.
His eyes suddenly blazed with light.
“The fish have entered the net. Time to reel them in.”
Lu murmured.
He had orchestrated this entire situation precisely to make these saints willingly hurl their imperial weapons into Five Phoenixes.
Of course, everything hinged on cause and effect.
Had even a shred of kindness remained in their hearts—had they not sought to destroy Five Phoenixes—their weapons would never have fallen here, and they would not now lose them.
Therefore, Lu felt not the slightest guilt about claiming them.
Everything Lu Ping’an did was simply robbing the rich to aid the poor.
Robbing the wealthy sacred clans of the Upper Realm to relieve the Dao poverty of Five Phoenixes!
The Spirit Pressure Chessboard suddenly…
Unleashed its domain. Lines of power spread like a vast net, instantly enveloping heaven and earth.
Hummm…
A breeze brushed the face of every cultivator.
Lu Mudui, standing despairing on the mountain peak, jolted upright.
Ni Yu, pouting as she carried her black pot with Little Yinglong perched on her head, instantly perked up.
This aura from the chessboard…
“It’s the Young Master!”
“The Young Master has emerged! He’s finally out of seclusion!”
“We’re saved!”
Cultivators across the continent erupted in excitement. They saw a ray of hope. Lu had become their only chance to save Five Phoenixes.
On the extraterrestrial battlefield.
The saints fighting Gu Mangran and the others stiffened.
“Lu Ping’an has made his move!”
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor cried out in alarm.
Lu had left too deep an impression on her. She still remembered his cunning, treacherous smile as he snatched her imperial weapon right from her grasp.
While she felt dread, the other saints appeared relaxed.
“It’s useless. Even if Lu Ping’an has broken through to the saint realm, even if he has that strange little pagoda that can suppress imperial weapons—what can he do?”
“This time there are five imperial weapons. He has only one pagoda. How can he stop five?”
“It’s over.”
The Fire Clan Sacred Ancestor burst into laughter.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Spirit Pressure Chessboard formed a defensive web suspended in the sky.
The five imperial weapons smashed downward.
As they drew closer to the continent, the Upper Realm sacred ancestors revealed looks of delight.
Then—
The earth of Five Phoenixes quaked.
Overwhelming auras soared skyward—torrents of killing intent and ferocity, as though an ancient battlefield had reappeared, as though a primordial war was being reenacted.
Five auras rose, seemingly answering the call of the five imperial weapons.
Humm…
Suddenly!
A phantom appeared between heaven and earth.
A figure in snow-white robes, seated calmly in a wheelchair, placing a chess piece without haste.
Snap!
A beam of spirit pressure shot upward from the chessboard, colliding with the imperial weapons.
Lu Ping’an!
The Water Clan Sacred Ancestor and the other saints narrowed their eyes.
Gu Mangran and Lu Jiulian breathed faster, clinging to hope.
The Demon Lord, Demon Master, and little Zhu Long remained calm, as though they had expected this all along.
Spirit pressure!
Lu Ping’an’s spirit pressure!
Ten thousandfold, hundred thousandfold, millionfold spirit pressure!
The beams of spirit pressure surged upward, slamming into the five imperial weapons.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Invisible ripples of energy exploded outward.
Imperial might clashed against spirit pressure. The pressure struggled but slowed the weapons’ descent.
In the void, the saints watched and broke into excited, relieved laughter.
Moments ago they had still feared a trap.
Even after the weapons tore through the Heaven Covering Formation and shattered the River of Time, unease had lingered.
But now, seeing Lu Ping’an appear and fight desperately—like an insect trying to stop a chariot—they laughed.
They understood: there was no trick here.
The fiercer Five Phoenixes resisted, the less likely any conspiracy could exist.
Even Lu Ping’an had shown himself—how could this be fake?!
Boom!
One spirit pressure beam after another shattered.
The sky above Five Phoenixes blazed bright as day.
The white-robed phantom shook its head, stopped placing pieces, and seemed to accept its fate.
It sighed deeply.
The Lower Third Heavens fell deathly silent.
Every cultivator wore complicated expressions. Was it truly hopeless?
Even the Lord Lu who had wrought countless miracles and saved Five Phoenixes time and again could not change this outcome?
It seemed…
Five Phoenixes was finished.
They had thought the Nine Heavens would usher in the era of Five Phoenixes, yet it was ending in this tragic, lamentable, yet admirable way.
The ancient Great Emperors’ schemes ran too deep. The sacred clans’ imperial weapons were simply too strong.
Boom!
The imperial weapons finally shattered the spirit pressure beams and struck the interwoven chessboard domain in the sky.
The domain seemed to tear apart.
Amid deafening roars, the five weapons continued their descent.
Dead silence gripped heaven and earth.
The people of Five Phoenixes burned with unwillingness and rage.
Even if they died, they would remember this day’s humiliation!
Within the boundless sea, inside the ancient tomb.
Bu Nanxing trembled. After surviving in hiding for so long, was he really going to die like this?
Lu Changkong stood with hands behind his back, gaze profound.
Frowning, he watched the lonely sighing white-robed phantom.
“Ping’an…”
“Could I… have been wrong?”
Across the continent, the people raged in helpless fury.
Beyond the heavens, the saints laughed in triumphant glee, reveling in Five Phoenixes’ misfortune.
The continent’s rise had indeed shocked them.
But no matter how fast it rose, beneath the threat of their imperial weapons, it would still fall like a fleeting comet.
Closer and closer.
Terrifying imperial might shook the world.
Mountains cracked, the earth split.
Humm…
Suddenly.
Strange array glyphs rose from every corner of Five Phoenixes.
Brilliant glyphs radiated dazzling light.
The next instant, as light scattered—
The imperial weapons struck!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Explosions thundered across the land.
The five weapons crashed into the continent. Terrifying shockwaves spread, imperial might rolling outward in endless waves.
In human cities across Five Phoenixes, every living being watched.
Many closed their eyes. Some clutched their families. Others knelt in prayer…
Boom!
Imperial might swept past.
Cities shuddered.
Then…
The wind blew a little stronger, stinging cheeks slightly.
And that was all.
The world-ending imperial might… had turned into a spring breeze?!
Was this how imperial weapons were supposed to behave?!
The Lower Third Heavens fell into stunned silence.
Dead silence.
From the southern battlefield to the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty to countless human cities…
Only heavy, frozen breathing remained.
Had the world ended?
Guided by Lu, the five imperial weapons had conveniently struck uninhabited wilderness.
They carved massive craters. Trees and soil around the impact sites vanished into nothingness.
But…
Everyone was dumbfounded.
This was nothing like what they had imagined.
Where was the promised apocalyptic destruction?
Watching the five imperial weapons settle quietly, showing no further activity…
The people fell silent.
Beyond the heavens.
The smiles on the seven saints’ faces gradually froze.
That’s it?
Where were the saint-realm ferocious beasts? Where was the crisis that would annihilate billions?
They had gotten all worked up for this?
The next instant, the five saints who had thrown their weapons felt ice course through their veins. Horror dawned on them.
“Damn it!”
“We’ve been tricked!!!”
“Water Moon, you treacherous bitch! You colluded with Lu Ping’an to set us up!”
The saints’ eyes turned crimson with fury.
Inside Five Phoenixes.
First came sounds of confusion.
“Huh?!”
Then emotion shifted to ecstatic realization.
“Thanks for the imperial weapons, bros!”
“You’re all too kind. I mentioned a deal for a million Dao reserves—you all claimed you weren’t interested, but your bodies were pretty honest about it.”
Lu’s warm, breezy voice rang across the continent.
Beyond the heavens, the void seemed to freeze solid.
Everyone stood stunned—not only the sacred clan saints, but even allies like Gu Mangran and Lu Jiulian wore blank expressions.
Inside the Void Heaven.
The saint who had used an imperial weapon to hold open the Void Heaven’s rules felt his pupils contract.
First came a wave of lingering fear, then surging joy.
He instinctively glanced at his own clan’s imperial weapon.
